Beer, cider, fun on tap at Lansing brewery

A shared love of beer and home brewing inspired Christopher and Sarah Hesse and Camilo Bohorquez to create the Salt Point Brewing Company in Lansing in 2018. In May of this year, they moved their brewery to an exciting nearby location that has evolved to include a community space in a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere.

Salt Point Brewery’s new location was designed to encompass all aspects of the business without compromising its vision.

“When seeking the right location, we wanted municipal water to maintain product quality,” Sarah explained.

The brewery’s new location at 6 Louise Bement Lane was built from the ground up on a sprawling plot by brewery staff and owners.

“Everything here has been hands on,” Sarah said. “Everything here has been done by all of us … the tables, bar and fixtures.”

The brewery offers a collection of beers brewed on the premises and an eclectic, locally sourced, made-from-scratch menu that is designed to perfectly compliment the beer. With 11 beers currently being offered, there’s room for more taps to be installed as new beers are developed. In addition, locally brewed ciders are available in rotation on tap.

Seasonally crafted cocktails featuring spirits by local distilleries as well as a collection of local wines are also on the menu.

“We are not a standard, fully stocked bar in the sense where you can just come in and order a shot,” Sarah said. “We don’t have the licensing for it, and it’s not something we want to offer.”

She noted there is a nonalcoholic menu available and all featured cocktails can be made nonalcoholic.

All beers and ciders are available to go in their 64-ounce growlers or a 32-ounce crawler can, which is equivalent to 2 pints and is sealed on the premises. Guests can also bring their own container to have filled and sealed right in front of them. The brewery will accommodate any container brought in, from a mason jar to your own growler.

“You bring it in, and we’ll fill it!” Sarah said.

Though the beer is clearly the star of the show, it gets an impressive hand from a unique menu.

“Our whole menu is made from scratch and from mostly locally sourced ingredients,” Sarah said as she discussed the menu while peeling and preparing sweet potatoes for the popular vegan curry and cashew pizza.

She explained that even for Taco Tuesday, the rotating meat selections and accompaniments are all local and prepped fresh.

“Even the ricotta and mozzarella for our pizza is made and stretched in house,” Sarah added with pride.

Keeping in line with the brewery being a family-friendly community space, the large outdoor area features picnic tables, four fire pits and areas to set up cornhole games. People are welcome to bring their own blankets, frisbees and games to enjoy outside. Well-behaved dogs are also welcome on the patio and in the outdoor areas.

The brewery will start featuring local music Sept. 29, kicking off with Sandra Esparza performing original songs as well as classic rock covers. Salt Point Brewing encourages local performers to reach out if they are interested in participating in the brewery’s rotating live music nights.

Sarah also outlined plans for upcoming events such as their Oktoberfest-themed fall festival kicking off Oct. 23, which will feature games, food and drinks. Though details for the event are being finalized now, Sarah assured “there will be food aplenty.” Future events can be found on the brewery’s website as well as on its Facebook page.

“We knew from the beginning that we wanted to be part of the growth in Lansing and wanted to provide a cool place that was comfortable to the community and providing an atmosphere where you can make yourself at home,” Sarah said. “The focus of the brewery is obviously beer, but we knew we wanted to offer food for people staying longer, and [a] better menu would be a large part in shaping the experience we want to provide.”

Sarah is pleased with the positive and enthusiastic response from the community and grateful for having so many local resources and the support the brewery has received with its new endeavor.

“When we have faced challenges with ingredients or supplies, we’ve been able to reach out and find alternate, grassroots-type solutions to maintaining local, quality ingredients to continue to produce our beer and food menu to our standards,” Sarah said.

For more information about Salt Point Brewing, call (607) 533-0124 or visit saltpointbrewing.com. Hours are Tuesday through Friday from 4 to 9 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 9 p.m.

In Brief:

Online auction

The Friends of Lansing Community Library’s online auction site (charityauction.bid/FriendsofLCL) is now live. Bidding runs from Sept. 27 through Oct. 3. You will be asked to register with the auction site in order to see the auction catalog, but you do not have to share a credit card unless you choose to place a bid.

To visit the auction site, visit the website above or click on the “Friends of LCL Auction” button at the top of the Lansing Library’s website (lansinglibrary.org).

There is a wide variety of amazing items to bid on this year, including artwork, jewelry, and crafts; food and wine; gift cards and certificates to local restaurants and businesses; and much more! All proceeds from the auction will go to the Lansing Library to support programs for children, youth, and adults and to expand its collections of fiction and nonfiction books, movies and audiobooks.