Stormcloud Brewing Company began with a shared passion for great beer—and a bit of serendipity. Rick, then head of sales and marketing at a local ski hill, met Brian, a freelance photographer hired for a project. What started as a professional connection quickly turned into a friendship rooted in a mutual love for craft beer and their Northern Michigan community.

As conversations turned into ideas, the two began dreaming about what Benzie County was missing: a place where people could gather over truly great beer. Around the same time, Brian was making a major shift from film to digital photography. With his darkroom suddenly obsolete, he repurposed the space into a home brew lab, diving deep into Belgian-style beer—a nod to Old World brewing traditions with room for creative interpretation.

One of Brian’s first successful experiments was a bold and flavorful brew he named Rainmaker Ale. When he handed a bottle to Rick and they cracked it open—the rest, as they say, is history. That moment was the spark that launched Stormcloud—a brewery born from friendship, creativity, and a love for bringing people together over a well-crafted pint.

The Downtown Pub, Parkview Brewery & Taproom

Before Stormcloud poured its first pint, our Downtown Pub space at 303 Main Street lived many lives. Most recently, it was home to Caddy Shack, a local golf shop, and before that, the beloved 7 Spot Diner—a piece of local history that inspired the name of one of our most popular beers, 7 Spot. With support from a few community investors, we purchased the building and began transforming it into a brewery and neighborhood gathering place. The Downtown Pub officially opened in June 2013, with a newly built brewhouse behind the original structure, housing an 8-barrel brewing system.

As our community of beer lovers grew, so did our need for space. In April 2018—five years after opening our doors—we expanded operations with the launch of a 13,000-square-foot production facility and taproom just up the street on Parkview Lane. This state-of-the-art facility features a 20-barrel brewhouse capable of brewing up to 4,500 barrels annually, along with a Craft Canning System that fills approximately 40 cans per minute.

From a repurposed golf shop to a thriving two-location brewery, Stormcloud continues to grow—fueled by craft, creativity, and community.

The Caddy Shack Golf Shop, in 2013, before our Downtown Pub was built.