Osgood Brewing Co. brings first craft brewery, gourmet pizzeria to Grandville

The Grandville brewery, which opened September 5, is adding variety to the local restaurant fare. The first brewery in the area, Osgood Brewing Company's opening days have presented them with some hurdles to overcome. Ron Denning, Grandville High School teacher and brewery owner, says the process has already proven to be rewarding.

Ever since Denning became an avid home-brewer, opening a brewery had been the dream. Denning wanted to take the craft to the next level. When the plans started to get serious, there was only ever one option for location.

"It had to be Grandville. We didn't want it anywhere else," says Denning.

Inspired by the Chicago Drive Streetscape Project, Denning thought a brewery would be the perfect addition to the newly renovated downtown area. The project aimed at revitalizing downtown Grandville to make it more friendly for businesses.

"We saw the DDA's vision and totally bought it, and we thought that Grandville needed a brewery. So we wanted to do that for Grandville," says Denning.

"We hope to be a catalyst for the downtown area. We hope that other businesses grow down here as a result of [the tourism we attract]," says Denning.

Denning, who continues to work as a teacher at Grandville High School, says the opening process has been overwhelming.

"It's a lot more work than people think," he says. "There's a lot of unexpected things that pop up, unexpected expenses. Having to overcome that is just—it's kind of overwhelming."

But Denning says the citizens of Grandville have been more than supportive through every obstacle.

"Even with the things where I might be harder on myself than most people, some hurdles that we have to overcome," says Denning. "People have been very supportive about all of that."

On their opening night, Osgood had a line of over approximately 200 people anticipating what the brewery had to offer.

For now, Denning plans to stick with serving and perfecting Osgood's six mainstay brews: Sol Seeker American Wheat Ale, 358 American Pale Ale, Journey IPA, Oakestown American Amber Ale, Notley Porter and Big Spring Stout.

"We plan on adding seasonals, but we want to build our image with those six," says Denning.

Denning has since hired a brewer and he hopes the two of them can work together to add more recipes.

Denning says he anticipates Osgood's menu will also be a major draw for Grandville citizens.

"We have unique, gourmet style pizzas and salads," says Denning. "In Grandville, there aren't a lot of places like that at all."