With large windows facing the street that display the name “Florian East” in six languages, this new taproom in Hamtramck is welcoming before you even step inside.
The feeling is intentional.
The old building, formerly a warehouse for women’s shoes, has a vibe that is homey and warm, with a hint of historic charm in a modern atmosphere. The vibe is more like a coffee shop than a traditional brewery, which can often feel industrial and transactional.
Located at 9530 Jos. Campau Ave. in Hamtramck, Florian East is the brainchild of five friends, each with diverse cultural backgrounds and experiences who felt strongly that a respect for community and multiculturalism needed to be at the heart of the project.
“This is hopefully a brewery that would not exist anywhere but Hamtramck,” head brewer Will Mundel says.
After six years of preparation and planning, Mundel, together with co-owners and business partners Milo Madole, John Abbo, Christopher Burtley, and Shang Kong, are finally bringing their vision to life.
The grand opening on Thursday, Aug. 29 coincides with Hamtramck’s Labor Day Festival, marking what is believed to be the city’s first commercial brewery since Auto City Brewing Company closed in the 1940s.
The journey from purchasing the building in 2019 to opening day has been long, with construction not beginning until earlier this year, made possible by personal investments, grants, and loans.
“We didn’t have just a chunk of money to use,” Madole says. “We each saved, we each invested. We worked our day jobs, we saved some more, we reinvested. It took six years, but I think that really reflects the fact that it was very purposeful.”
The ownership group all worked together at a law firm, besides Mundel, who they later met at Oloman Cafe, a Hamtramck coffee shop just a few blocks away from the taproom.
“The four other of us wanted to do something cool in Hamtramck,” Madole says. “I live here. The rest of us were all spending a bunch of time here, eating here, drinking here. It’s kind of the center of Detroit for that in many ways. When we met Will and Will had this awesome idea for a brewery, it just kind of came together that it was obvious we wanted to do this in Hamtramck.”
Florian East will offer a range of low-ABV beers, including European-style lagers, hoppy American ales, and British-inspired cask ales. Additionally, the menu will feature draft mocktails and cocktail-inspired alcoholic beverages with unique flavors like hibiscus-orange and Yemeni-inspired lemon-ginger.
On weekend mornings, Florian East will exclusively serve coffee and non-alcoholic beverages while screening Premier League soccer games. The space will also host rotating food pop-ups.
“Our goal is to serve our community in a way that goes beyond transactional hospitality,” Mundel says. “We want everyone to feel welcome here, whether they drink beer or not.”
Aside from its offerings, the ownership group, representing Southeast Michigan’s Iraqi American, Chinese American, and African American communities, is dedicated to making everyone feel at home.
“I think that every establishment should reflect quite a bit about the place that it’s in and the people that are going to frequent it,” Burtley says. “Florian East kind of represents us and represents Hamtramck and represents the greater region that it’s around. I think that there’s such a diversity in whether people drink, whether they don’t, whether they like beer, whether they drink alcohol, whether they want to go out with their friends and be a part of a group and still have something to do.”
He adds, “We really recognize the diversity, quite frankly, in our friendship group and what we drink and what we don’t drink. I think we recognize it in the surrounding community of different religions, different backgrounds, different even non-religious attitudes for alcohol, and that was key for us … We wanted to be somewhere that everybody felt comfortable if they chose to walk through the door.”
Florian East plans to host diverse events including celebrations for often-overlooked holidays like Chinese New Year and Juneteenth.
In September, Burtley will start with an event aimed at young Black creative professionals.
“We thought a lot about how to make this place welcoming for not traditional brewery people,” Burtley says. “We want to be a place where people can celebrate things that they may not expect the breweries to actually care about or know about, or invite people to feel welcome and safe.”
Mundel and Madole say that some business owners they’ve spoken to have expressed fears about opening a brewery in Hamtramck.
“I’ve heard a lot of people say, like, ‘Oh my God. Like, this is so different from everything in Hamtramck, blah, blah, blah,’ and I actually, I kind of want to push back on that, because this space has been here for over 100 years,” Madole says. “There are so many places like this in Hamtramck and sometimes they need a little bit of love just to shine the apple and make it look pretty, but this is an incredibly beautiful city. It’s an incredibly well-built city. It’s been here for 100-plus years. It’ll be here long after we’re gone.”
He adds, “We hope that there’s something in this project for everyone.”
For more updates and information, you can follow @florianeastbeer on Instagram.
