M-Brew Brings Road Trip Favorites Home to Ferndale
(Crystal A. Proxmire, July 21, 2014)
Sitting in the sunshine and gentle breeze on the wrap around patio of the new M-Brew Café is a reminder of summer road trips past. Imagine those all-purpose country stores that still sometimes line the highways, stocked with thick delicious custard, pizza by the slice, and locally packed popcorns, nuts, pickles, and other snacks.
Or the campsites, cabins and tourist traps with rec rooms lined with the simple joy of old arcade games to pass away the lazy cooler days.
Or the ski lodges with the wooden walls and tables surrounded by large pretty windows and a fireplace in the corner to ignite those up north memories, like the taste of a good Michigan beer or the warm-hearted smile of “beer-ista” welcoming travelers and locals alike.
M-Brew brings these memories home. The new café at 177 Vester Street in Ferndale had a soft opening Wednesday, and will have its official opening August 1.
Much like the state of the Michigan roads that inspired it, M-Brew is, and always will be, under construction. That’s just the way owner Dean Bach wants it.
“It’s always going to be changing, so there will always be something new,” he said. “We’ll have some regular favorites that people can look forward to, like our Frankenmuth Chicken, our Smokin’ Butts barbeque and our Pinconning Pizza with real Pinconning cheese. But we’ll always be bringing in new Michigan products and switching things up to keep it fun.”
M-Brew is set up with many items to grab-and-go, like prepackaged sides, ready-to-heat ribs, and Bruce Crossing Pasties. But it’s also a good spot to dine in, with counter service and a lower price point than other breakfast, lunch and dinner places. M-Brew opens at 7am, giving customers an easy opportunity to run in for a regular roast, maple bacon or blueberry crumb coffee. There are tasty pastry options as well, and fresh-baked breakfast pizza, whole or by the slice.
As the day moves on, the lunch and dinner crowds can enjoy a root beer float, or one of the 30 Michigan draft beers on tap. Bach is particularly proud of the café’s special creation – the “brew-ski,” which is a ski-shaped plate that holds four glasses, so people can sample multiple beer choices. “We brought incraft beer from all over Michigan, the best we were able to get,” Bach said.
M-Brew itself was crafted out of a building that used to house the old VFW Hall. The renovation transformed the property and gave it a more welcoming, open feel that fits in perfectly in the area of Vester Street where the neighborhood shifts from homes to Downtown businesses.
For a previous story showing the transformation of M-Brew from the old VFW Hall, check out http://oaklandcounty115.com/2014/04/15/sneak-peak-of-m-brew-in-ferndale/.  Note: Dean Bach’s other establishment, Dino’s Lounge, is a sponsor of The oc115.
Keep up with the latest at M-Brew on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MBrewFerndale.