Hop Lot Brewing
Hop Lot Brewing is a family-owned craft brewery and restaurant founded in 2015 in Suttons Bay, Michigan, operating a multi-acre year-round outdoor beer garden on the M22 scenic byway and serving tourists, local residents, and craft beer enthusiasts with on-site brewed beer, cocktails, ciders, wines, and food.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersSuttons Bay, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Hop Lot Brewing does
Hop Lot Brewing Company is a privately held, family-owned craft brewery and restaurant founded in 2015 by Steve, Sarah, and Drew Lutke, operating from a single location at 658 S W Bay Shore Drive in Suttons Bay, Michigan on the M22 scenic byway. The business combines on-site brewing of a diverse craft beer portfolio — including hazy IPAs, amber ales, blonde ales, German-style pilsners, stouts, and scotch ales — with a full food menu (shareable plates, sandwiches, burrito bowls, salads), house-made ciders, sparkling wines, a full cocktail program, and non-alcoholic beer options. Its core differentiator is a multi-acre, year-round outdoor beer garden featuring campfires, picnic tables, outdoor games, a 70'x70' family sandbox, and seasonal winter igloos, with direct access to the TART Trail from Traverse City and proximity to Sleeping Bear Dunes.
The company monetizes primarily through on-site consumption at the Suttons Bay taproom and beer garden, supplemented by online take-out ordering and a merchandise e-commerce store built on Square / Heartland POS. Its go-to-market is event-driven and location-led, leveraging live music programming, social media presence on Facebook and Instagram, and email newsletter outreach to drive visitation from three primary customer segments: tourists and visitors to Northern Michigan, local Leelanau Peninsula residents, and craft beer enthusiasts. Distribution is intentionally constrained to the single physical site plus direct-to-consumer digital channels, with no wholesale, franchise, or multi-unit footprint.
Operationally, Hop Lot is bootstrapped with no disclosed institutional funding or private equity backing and maintains founder-led control through the Lutke family. The brewery celebrated its 10-year anniversary in June 2025 and was voted #2 Beer Garden in the Country by USA TODAY 10Best in 2026, signaling both operational durability and rising national brand recognition. There is no proprietary technology layer; the stack is standard third-party SaaS for commerce and point-of-sale, and no AI/ML capabilities are in evidence.
Hop Lot Brewing firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hop Lot Brewing
- Legal name
- Hop Lot Brewing Company
- Website
- https://hoplotbrewing.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Hop Lot Brewing is a family-owned craft brewery and restaurant founded in 2015 in Suttons Bay, Michigan, operating a multi-acre year-round outdoor beer garden on the M22 scenic byway and serving tourists, local residents, and craft beer enthusiasts with on-site brewed beer, cocktails, ciders, wines, and food.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hop Lot Brewing industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Craft Brewery & Restaurant
- NAICS
- Breweries (31212), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)
- SIC
- Malt Beverages (2082)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Microbreweries & Craft Breweries (THAFALAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service) (THAFALAA), Taprooms & Brewpubs (CRANACAF), Pubs & Gastropubs (CRANACAB)
Keywords
Where Hop Lot Brewing is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Suttons Bay
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Hop Lot Brewing business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- On-site beverage and food sales: Brewery and restaurant revenue from on-site consumption of craft beers, ciders, wines, cocktails, and food menu items at the Suttons Bay location.
- Take-out and online ordering: Online ordering system for take-out food and beverages through Heartland POS (Square) integration.
- Merchandise sales: Online merchandise store selling Hop Lot Brewing branded apparel and items through Square e-commerce platform.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Hop Lot Brewing product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hop Lot Brewing operates a family-friendly craft brewery and restaurant in Suttons Bay, MI, brewing on-site a diverse selection of ales, IPAs, lagers, and seasonal beers. The core offering is a year-round outdoor beer garden hospitality experience paired with a full food menu, ciders, wines, cocktails, non-alcoholic beverages, take-out service, and live music events.
Product overview
Hop Lot Brewing Co. is a family-friendly Northern Michigan brewery and restaurant offering a unified hospitality experience centered around its year-round outdoor beer garden. The core offering combines craft beer production with a full food menu and alcoholic/non-alcoholic beverage selection. The product portfolio includes: on-site brewed craft beers (IPAs, ambers, stouts, lagers), ciders, wines, cocktails, and non-alcoholic options as beverage offerings; a beer garden food menu with shareable plates, sandwiches, burrito bowls, and salads; merchandise shop; take-out service; and live music events in the beer garden. The brewery was founded in 2015 by Steve, Sarah & Drew Lutke and is located on M22 in Suttons Bay, MI.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Craft Beers On Tap
Quantifiable outcome
- Ranked #2 Beer Garden in the Country - 2026 (USA TODAY 10Best)
Companies that use Hop Lot Brewing
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Hop Lot Brewing technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Hop Lot Brewing partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Hop Lot Brewing competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- New Holland Brewing: Michigan craft brewery combining beer and spirits production with multiple pub/restaurant locations; a relevant peer on the craft beer + on-premise food + spirits diversification axis.
- Short's Brewing Company: Northern Michigan craft brewery (Bellaire, ~50 miles from Suttons Bay) operating a destination pub with on-site brewed beer and full food service — the closest like-for-like comparison for Hop Lot's destination taproom + food + family-friendly model.
- Brewery Vivant: Grand Rapids craft brewery built around a destination taproom and pub model with full food service; directly comparable in emphasizing on-premise experience over distribution.
- Right Brain Brewery: Traverse City craft brewery and taproom operating in Hop Lot's core trade area along the M22/TART corridor; directly comparable small-batch craft model with on-site food and beverage service.
- Stormcloud Brewing Company: Lakeside Michigan craft brewery in Frankfort with a brewpub and live music programming; comparable in size, single-site footprint, and tourist-driven Northern Michigan location to Hop Lot.
- Dark Horse Brewery: Michigan craft brewery operating a destination brewpub with on-site food and outdoor seating; comparable small-to-mid Michigan craft operator with a similar taproom-led model.
Broad incumbents
- Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. National craft brewery incumbent operating large destination taprooms (Chico, Asheville) with on-site food and outdoor beer-garden-style seating; relevant as a scaled analog of the destination-taproom play.
- Founders Brewing Co. Grand Rapids-headquartered Michigan craft beer incumbent with a large taproom; broader scale and broader distribution make it a competitive incumbent in the regional craft market where Hop Lot competes.
- Stone Brewing: National craft brewery with destination taproom gardens in Escondido and other locations; relevant broader-market peer illustrating how a destination-beer-garden format can scale, even though Stone's distribution reach is far beyond Hop Lot's.
- Bell's Brewery: Largest Michigan craft brewery (now part of Tilray Brands) operating the Eccentric Café taproom; broader craft portfolio and national distribution make it a relevant incumbent peer rather than direct small-scale competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Hop Lot Brewing social profiles
Digital presenceHop Lot Brewing financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hop Lot Brewing leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Hop Lot Brewing funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hop Lot Brewing M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hop Lot Brewing
What does Hop Lot Brewing do?
Hop Lot Brewing operates a family-friendly craft brewery and restaurant in Suttons Bay, MI, brewing on-site a diverse selection of ales, IPAs, lagers, and seasonal beers. The core offering is a year-round outdoor beer garden hospitality experience paired with a full food menu, ciders, wines, cocktails, non-alcoholic beverages, take-out service, and live music events.
Is Hop Lot Brewing a public or private company?
Hop Lot Brewing is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Hop Lot Brewing founded?
Hop Lot Brewing was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Hop Lot Brewing based?
Hop Lot Brewing is headquartered in Suttons Bay, United States, in the North America region.
How does Hop Lot Brewing make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. On-site beverage and food sales are the primary driver. The others are take-out and online ordering and merchandise sales.
Who are Hop Lot Brewing's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are New Holland Brewing, Short's Brewing Company, Brewery Vivant, Right Brain Brewery, Stormcloud Brewing Company and Dark Horse Brewery. Broad incumbents are Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Founders Brewing Co., Stone Brewing and Bell's Brewery.
Does Hop Lot Brewing have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hop Lot Brewing.
What industry is Hop Lot Brewing in?
Hop Lot Brewing's product category is Craft Brewery & Restaurant. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFALAC, Microbreweries & Craft Breweries, with a secondary code of THAFALAA, Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service). Its NAICS code is 31212 and its SIC code is 2082.