Vierling Brews Up The Classics
MARQUETTE'S FIRST MICRO-BREWERY SERVES SOME OF THE CITY'S FINEST CRAFT BEERS
Vierling’s brew master Derek Anderson (aka “Chumly”) checks on batch #1101 since he began brewing in December of 1995. (photo by Ron Caspi)
Marquette, MI – Micro-brewing in the city of Marquette, all begins with the Vierling Restaurant and Marquette Harbor Brewery in the heart of the downtown district. Over the years they have developed local fame and esteem for excellent beers brewed on-site and equally delicious dining. The Vierling was the first in town to jump on-board the micro-brew trend in 1995 yet the story of this establishment began well before this…
Upon entering the Vierling you step back into the historical charm of the late 1880’s when the Vierling first opened. Terry and Kristi Doyle, who purchased the establishment in 1985 painstakingly replicated the atmosphere of the original Saloon & Restaurant combining it with their vision of a European style pub. The soft lighting, antique wooden furnishings, and vintage artwork collection on the walls result in a place where you immediately feel at ease while enjoying an elegant dining and drinking experience.
Terry Doyle, owner of the Vierling Restaurant and Marquette Harbor Brewery. (photo by Ron Caspi)
Once established as a cornerstone restaurant in Marquette, owner’s Terry & Kristi decided what beers they would carry and quickly determined it would be less complicated to just make their own. Brewing their own beer would also allow them total control over the beer served from selection to quality, and timing of specialty and seasonal beers. They took the good part of a year to research other breweries before settling on a 5 barrel micro-brewing system made in an old Soviet Union boiler factory and brought over all the way from Budapest, Hungary.
Vierling owners Terry & Kristi spent the good part of a year researching other small breweries before deciding on a 5 barrel micro-brewing system for their restaurant. (photo by Ron Caspi)
Not only are the barrels beautiful to behold in their shiny copper dress but the system allows the Vierling to keep their mix of brews fresh and varied all year round. Beer is brewed about 5-6 times weekly keeping 6 house styles on tap continuously with an additional 4 specialty brews rotated out on a regular basis. To date, the Vierling is the only brewery in town also serving food and their beer production is perfectly sized to make a great compliment to the menu. Says Terry, “Take an IPA and a Whitefish Picatta and you can’t go wrong!”
Chumly personally oversees every step of the micro-brewing process. (photo by Ron Caspi)
The Vierling is enjoying great success with their beers which are in constant high demand. They are probably best known for their classic ales and lagers, one in particular being their Blueberry Wheat Beer. Terry ascribes to the school of thought that the old European standards of beer have already been brought to perfection and “By sticking to these, you’re going to get the best beer you’re ever going to make.”
Terry calls the Vierling’s blueberry beer a “home run that every brewery tries to hit!”
However, these classic recipes are just the makings of a good beginning – there is another element at work in the brewing magic of the Vierling:
Brew-master, Derek Anderson, the heart and soul of the micro-brewing operations. Known to most as the “Scholarly Brewer” or just “Chumly” he has amassed a cult-like following named after this talented and unassuming brewer called “Club Chumly”.
“Chumly’s beers are the best. He’s such a craftsman and is completely self-taught. He just knows so much about brewing, he’s brilliant,” says Terry. Chumly decides all the new flavors created for the Vierling and beyond those select specialties he sticks to the old recipes and according to Terry, “… really nails them!”
Chumly worked at the Vierling for years before they put in the brewery in 1995 and says, “When we added the brewery I just stopped being a cook and started being a brewer. I’m another one of your chefs turned brewers.” When the company rep. came to help them set up the brewing equipment Chumly had no experience and was only able to brew with him for a few batches. says Chumly, “I never saw him again. After that, I was on my own.”
The rest is history. Since then Chumly has established a place for himself in Marquette’s micro-brewing history. Always willing to share the craft, he has even mentored a few of the other breweries that have sprung up in town over the past several years.
Micro-brewing continues to grow across the country and this exciting trend is visible here in Marquette which now hosts 4 micro-breweries. One might think this would create a threatening environment for businesses like the Vierling, but it seems to be quite the contrary, with a shared feeling of camaraderie amongst breweries in town.
Terry Doyle explains why this friendly attitude prevails in the brewing industry, “Beer is interesting because you don’t just drink one. If there’s a few breweries in town you’ll hop around and visit them all.”
Patrons of the Vierling enjoy drinks at the 100 year old oak bar. (photo by Ron Caspi)
Terry feels that Marquette is in a great position to benefit from this trend towards craft beer in the form of beer tourism. “The more the merrier. It’s attractive for beer connoisseurs to go someplace with several breweries so they can enjoy more variety. When deciding where to go, people are going to visit the area with the most beer breweries,” he says noting the added bonus that, in Marquette three of the existing breweries are within walking distance from each other.
After 29 years of business, the Vierling is more bustling than ever attracting both new visitors and generations of local residents in the Marquette area, and with good reason. This is a place you can bring your family, your friends, or your date and feel assured that you won’t find a more charming place to enjoy an excellent meal or a beer of unsurpassed quality.
You can find the Vierling Restaurant & Marquette Harbor Brewery at 119 S. Front St, Marquette, MI, 49855 (906)228-3533
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