51st State Brewing Company came about as a hobby gone pleasantly out of control. Four years ago, owner/brewer Jeff Brickey brewed his first 5 gallon batch of home brew in his basement brewery. As he selflessly shared his results with anyone who would partake, he was encouraged to brew more and more. As his passion became an obsession, he needed a larger audience to consume all that he brewed; hence 51st State Brewing Company. Being the first brewery in the area seemed a bit risky to us but none the less compelling. Our roots are humble but our vision is clear; to brew the best dang beer in the western U.P for all our patrons and soon to be friends.
51st State Brewing Company got its name from a 1970’s proposal, involving the secession of the upper peninsula of Michigan and possibly portions of northern lower Michigan and some northern counties of Wisconsin. The proposal was spurred on by cultural differences, geographic separation and its belief that the capitals in Lansing MI and Madison, WI ignored the problems of the “Superior Region”. Efforts to secede and form a new state date back to 1858. In 1897, another proposal for succession was introduced and in 1962 an association was founded to advocate for the formation of the State of Superior. Efforts continued into the mid-1970s. Today, support still exists for U.P. statehood, although no organized movement is currently active. This is our small part!
