Our roots
Local people making
local things, well
Beer City Bread Co. started with a simple question. What happens when a family of bakers borrows from the city that calls itself Beer City, USA?
Where we come from
Bakers first
Long before the beer bread, the Fahlen family was feeding West Michigan. Their first restaurant opened inside the Old Mill in Rockford in 1972, and for decades it was a place people went for homemade bread, soup and breakfast.
Today the family's restaurants carry a new name. Beer City Bread Co. keeps the bakery at the center and adds a full bar, a modern kitchen and a menu built entirely on bread made with Michigan craft beer.
Our process
From tap
to table
No shortcuts. Every batch takes more than a day, and every step is done in our own bakery.
Feed the starter
Natural European sourdough starters are cultivated every single day as the base of each batch.
Pour the beer
Michigan craft beer from our neighbors at Perrin Brewing replaces the water.
Let it rest
Each dough ages for more than 24 hours so real artisan flavor can develop.
Handle with care
A "stress-free" dough line shapes the bread without beating the life out of it.
Bake and serve
It becomes brioche, pretzel buns, focaccia and pizza crust, on your plate the same day.
Full circle
The bread went back into the beer
Perrin beer goes into our toasted rye bread. So Perrin Brewing put that rye bread right back into the mash and brewed Beer City Rye IPA, an imperial rye IPA with notes of biscuit and caraway. Bread and beer have always gotten along.
Because no great bread ever started with water.