Speciation Cellars

What Speciation Cellars does

Speciation Cellars (operating as Speciation Artisan Ales) is a craft microbrewery founded in 2015 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, by Mitch and Whitney Ermatinger. It is the first and only 100% wild and sour beer producer in the Grand Rapids area, specializing exclusively in mixed fermentation, barrel-aged, and spontaneously fermented beers using a proprietary house culture of three Brettanomyces strains, Belle Saison yeast, wild yeasts harvested from Holland MI crab apple flowers, Lactobacillus species, and other microbes captured from the Comstock Park environment. The brewery operates a 3,000 sq ft production facility in Comstock Park and a taproom housed in a restored 100+ year old auto shop at 928 Wealthy St SE in Grand Rapids. Core products include flagship wild saisons (Genetic Drift), golden sours (Incipient), Berliner Weisse-style beers (Common Descent), Wild NEIPAs (Biomimicry), and foeder-aged solera sours, with ancillary offerings of hard seltzer, wine, house-made non-alcoholic beverages, merchandise, and glassware.

The business model is direct-to-consumer and highly curated. Revenue is generated primarily through taproom draft pours, monthly bottle and can releases gated through the Eventbrite ticketing platform with strict per-customer limits, and the annual Cultured Club membership ($75/year) which provides recurring revenue via discounts, exclusive cans, and early access. Secondary wholesale distribution is handled through M4 CIC for Michigan's lower peninsula, with limited international reach into the UK and select placements in Wisconsin and Indiana. Pricing ranges from $10-$32 per 750ml bottle and $8 per 19.2oz can, with methodologically novel production techniques including coolship spontaneous fermentation, can conditioning, and barrel aging across wine, bourbon, tequila, gin, scotch, rum, and applejack barrels. The company maintains a single-digit employee headcount and is entirely founder-owned with no institutional investment beyond a $5,000 Comcast RISE grant in 2025.

Name

Speciation Cellars

Legal name

Speciation Artisan Ales

Website

https://speciationartisanales.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Speciation Cellars is a Grand Rapids, MI craft microbrewery producing 100% wild and sour beers through mixed fermentation, serving craft beer enthusiasts and collectors via a taproom, monthly bottle releases, and the Cultured Club membership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Brewery

NAICS

Breweries (31212), Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers (424810)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082), Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service) (THAFALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Premium, Rare & Collectible Alcohol Retail (Fine Wine/Spirits) (CRANAAAJ), Beer, Wine & Spirits Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAIAA), Producer-Owned Retail & Bottle Shops (On-site) (THAFALAL)

Keywords

• Craft brewery
• Wild ales
• Sour beer
• Mixed fermentation
• Barrel-aged beer

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Taproom Pour Sales: On-site draft beer, wine, seltzer, and NA beverage sales at the taproom. Customers can drink on premises or purchase to-go. Family-friendly taproom with patio and dog-friendly outdoor area.
2. Bottle and Can Sales: Monthly bottle release events featuring limited edition wild and sour ales. Bottles sold via Eventbrite reservation system with Saturday pickup days. Also sells 19.2oz stovepipe cans for Berliner Weisse style beers and NEIPAs.
3. Cultured Club Membership: Annual membership program ($75/year) providing 20% discount on draft pours, bottles, cans, and merch, plus $3 off all draft pours on Tuesdays, eight exclusive 16oz cans, membership card, and invitation to holiday party.
4. Merchandise and Retail: Online store selling glassware, merchandise (apparel), gift cards, and event tickets.
5. Event Venue Rental: Hosting private events, live music performances, trivia nights, food truck events, and community gatherings. Bands can apply to perform via booking form.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Speciation Cellars is a craft brewery producing a 100% wild and sour beer portfolio using mixed fermentation, house cultures, and oak barrel and foeder aging. Its core products include wild saisons, golden sours, Berliner Weisse-style beers, and wild NEIPAs, sold through a taproom, monthly Eventbrite-ticketed bottle releases, a $75/year Cultured Club membership, and limited Michigan and UK wholesale distribution.

Product overview

Speciation Cellars is a craft brewery specializing in 100% wild and mixed fermentation sour beers, operating from a converted 100+ year old auto shop taproom in Grand Rapids, MI. The core product portfolio centers on barrel-aged sour ales including flagship beers like Genetic Drift (wild saison) and Incipient (golden sour), supplemented by Berliner Weisse styles, Wild NEIPAs, and foeder-aged solera sours. The company operates a taproom offering draft pours of crispy lagers, pale ales, oak-aged sours, seltzer, wine, and house-made N/A beverages. Ancillary offerings include the annual Cultured Club membership ($75/year with discounts and exclusive cans), bottled/canned beer releases via monthly Eventbrite ticketed events, Cellar Raid special releases, merchandise (glassware, apparel), and ticketed special events like The Moth Ball. Products are distributed statewide in Michigan with limited brewery-exclusive releases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cultured Club: Annual membership program offering 20% off draft pours, bottles, cans, and merch, plus exclusive Tuesday discounts and eight exclusive 16oz cans

Products and services

• Genetic Drift House wild saison fermented with Brettanomyces, Saison yeast, and house wild yeast with a multi-grain recipe (Pilsner, Vienna, wheat, rye, oats), dry hopped with Mosaic and Saaz; released in batches with different hop combinations; won World Beer Cup Silver medal for the Peaches variant.
• Incipient House golden sour base fermented with house blend of Brettanomyces, Belle Saison, wild yeast, and Lactobacillus with a simple grain bill of Pilsner, wheat, and oats; released in fruited variants including Tangerine, Black Currant, Pomegranate, and Cherry.
• Common Descent Berliner Weisse style sour beer, low alcohol (3.9-4.2% ABV), lightly tart, released in flavors including Lemon Lime, Cucumber and Limes, and Lime and Mint; available in 19.2oz cans for immediate consumption.
• Biomimicry Wild NEIPA Wild NEIPA fermented with house mixed culture, dry hopped with Belma, Citra, Chinook, Denali, and Amarillo, featuring fruity hop character balanced with brett funk; available in bottles and 19.2oz cans.
• Cultured Club Membership Annual membership ($75 for 2026) offering 20% off draft pours, bottles, cans, and merch; $3 off all draft pours on Tuesdays; eight exclusive 16oz cans; membership card for taproom discounts; invitation to Cultured Club Holiday Party in December; valid January 1 to December 31 of the membership year.
• Taproom Draft Pours On-site draft pours of crispy lagers, pale ales, oak-aged sours, seltzer, wine, and house-made non-alcoholic beverages served at the 928 Wealthy St SE taproom; customers can drink on premises or purchase to-go.
• Merchandise Branded apparel and merchandise items available through the online store for craft beer fans and taproom visitors.
• Glassware Branded glassware and KOOZIES available for purchase through the online store.
• Gift Cards Gift cards available for purchase in the online store for redemption at the taproom or on store purchases.
• Wine Wine offerings available at the taproom, with dedicated Wine and N/A Menu published for guests seeking non-beer alcoholic options.
• N/A Beverages House-made non-alcoholic beverages served at the taproom, featured in the dedicated Wine and N/A Menu.
• Hard Seltzer Hard seltzer offerings served at the taproom alongside beers and wine.
• The Moth Ball Ticketed Event Ticketed special event presented with GR Bug Club featuring bug-themed beverages, costume contest, photo booth, and live DJ; limited capacity event for ages 21+.
• Cellar Raid Release Event Special release event where Speciation opens the cellar for purchase of aged and rare bottles from previous releases, typically held for anniversaries with exclusive one-off beers and bottle pours.

Quantifiable outcome

• World Beer Cup SILVER medal - Genetic Drift Wild Farmhouse Ale with Peaches
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Rake Beer Project (Muskegon)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 January 2019Collaboration on Mycoplasma - Nordic Cream Ale fermented with Hornindal yeast. Pre-opening collaboration for Muskegon brewery.
• Cultivate in YpsiminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2018Collaboration on Gram Positive - Coolshiped BA sour with Obsidian Malt and Concord Grapes. Cultivate serves beer on tap while Speciation bottles for brewery-exclusive release.
• Brewery VivantminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2018Brewery Vivant brewed a double batch (23 bbls) of Extinction Line sour for statewide distribution, helping Speciation reach more customers with affordable pricing.
• HOMES Brewery (Ann Arbor)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2018Collaboration on Proglacial - Tequila barrel aged sour golden ale with passionfruit. Both breweries brewed their own versions; HOMES distributes their version at their Ann Arbor location while Speciation distributes through their channels.
• City Built Brewing CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 February 2018Collaboration on Urbanization - Dry Hopped Wild Oat Pilsner. City Built brewed clean lager version (Conurbanization) at their location while Speciation brewed wild fermented version using house cultures.
• Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales (Denver)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 December 2017Collaboration on Montauk Kvass - modern interpretation of bread beer using cultures captured from Taum Sauk mountain flora. Joint brewing with mentorship relationship from founder James Howat.
• M4 CIC (East Side Distributors)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 24 October 2017East side Michigan distribution partner for Speciation products. Also collaborated on Morphology Berliner Weisse release with exclusive east side distribution.
• Pike 51minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 May 2017Collaboration on Vicariance Farmhouse IPA - wild IPA fermented in neutral barrels at Speciation with house cultures.
• Nyblad OrchardscoreOthersPrimary fruit supplier for cherries, peaches, plums, and other stone fruits from local Michigan farms. Source of Methley plums, sweet and tart cherries, peaches.
• Tanglewood Winery (Holland, MI)minorOthersSupplier of blueberries and Aronia berries (chokeberries) for fruited sour beers.
• Berrien Domaine VineyardminorOthersSupplier of Seyval Blanc grapes for Sympatric beer/wine hybrid - 45% of final blend.
• Gray Skies GinminorOthersGrand Rapids distillery whose barrels are used for aging sours including Cucumosis, Cypsela, and Macromutation beers.
• Coppercraft DistilleryminorOthersSupplier of bourbon barrels used for aging Heredity, Progenote, and other barrel-aged sours.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Brewery Vivant: Grand Rapids, MI peer brewery with Belgian-inspired and barrel-aged sour programs. Direct geographic overlap and existing collaboration partner; shares the Michigan craft brewery ecosystem with comparable taproom-led business model.

Broad incumbents

• Upland Brewing Company: Indiana-based craft brewery with a strong sour/wild ale program (Sour Reserve, Oude Tatsu, etc.) inspired by Belgian lambics. Comparable in mixed fermentation focus and Midwest distribution geography.
• Allagash Brewing Company: Maine craft brewery recognized for its coolship program and wild ales (Coolship Red, Resurgam). Comparable in wild/sour production methods and honor for terroir-driven beer, but operates at significantly larger scale and broader distribution.
• Founders Brewing Co. Largest Grand Rapids craft brewery with broad distribution and taproom. Comparable as a Michigan craft player with similar taproom-driven D2C channel, but with a much broader mainstream portfolio rather than wild/sour specialization.
• Russian River Brewing Company: Established craft brewery famous for sour programs (Supplication, Consecration, Sanctification) plus IPAs. Overlaps in barrel-aged sours and taproom/D2C bottle releases, but operates at much larger scale and broader portfolio.

Emerging players

• Bottle Logic Brewing: California craft brewery known for barrel-aged sours, stouts, and limited-release ticketed bottle events. Comparable in membership/reservation-driven D2C and barrel-aging focus, though with broader portfolio beyond wild ales.
• Blackberry Farm Brewery: Tennessee-based farmhouse-style brewery producing wild, sour, and barrel-aged ales with a taproom and bottle list. Comparable in mixed fermentation ambition and culinary ingredient integration, though smaller scale and regionally focused.

Direct peers

• Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales: Michigan-based pioneer of 100% mixed fermentation wild and sour ales using oak barrels and foeders. Often cited as the American wild ale movement's standard-bearer; directly comparable to Speciation in production methods, customer base (sour/wild enthusiasts), and taproom-plus-distribution model.
• Side Project Brewing: Missouri craft brewery renowned for mixed fermentation, wild ales, and barrel-aged sours distributed via a members-only bottle release model. Comparable in small-batch production philosophy, scarcity-driven pricing, and committed collector customer base.
• The Rare Barrel: Berkeley, CA brewery dedicated exclusively to wild and sour barrel-aged beers with a taproom and bottle release model. Operates a similar enthusiast-driven, limited-release D2C model with subscriptions and ticketed bottle releases.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/speciationartisanales
• Instagraminstagram.com/speciationales
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/speciation-artisan-ales

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Speciation Cellars