The Filling Station Microbrewery

What The Filling Station Microbrewery does

The Filling Station Microbrewery is a family-owned microbrewery and restaurant operating from a single location at 642 Railroad Pl, Traverse City, Michigan, housed in a historic train depot building dating to 1927 within Traverse City's Historic Railroad District. The business produces craft beer on-site using a 3-barrel and a 10-barrel brewing system with controlled-temperature fermentation, maintaining a rotating menu of more than ten premium brews spanning lagers, IPAs, ambers, stouts, porters, ciders, and hard seltzer. Its food program centers on wood-fired flatbread pizzas cooked at approximately 700°F with from-scratch dough and sauces and more than 20 toppings, supported by artisan salads, snacks, and kids' meals.

The company generates revenue through three primary streams: on-premises food and draft beverage sales (pints $3.50–$9.50, pizzas $11–$19.50), off-premises packaged beer sales (4-packs $8.99–$15.99, growler and keg fills), and the Ales by the Rails Mug Club ($200 lifetime membership with recurring perk-driven visits). Distribution is exclusively direct-to-consumer at the single Traverse City venue plus its own off-premise can/growler/keg take-home sales; there are no third-party delivery or wholesale channels identified in the source data.

Customers are local residents and families, TART Trail users and outdoor enthusiasts, and tourists visiting Traverse City, served through dine-in, patio seating overlooking Boardman Lake, and take-away. The marketing stack is organic: TART Trail foot traffic, Facebook, live music/events, and local SEO for terms such as "best pizza Traverse City" and "craft beer Traverse City." The operation is led by Head Brewer David Cannizzaro (20+ years of home-brewing experience) and is supported by regional supplier partnerships including Iron Fish Distillery, King Orchards, Two Hands Orchard, MI Local hops, and Empire Malting, plus a cause-marketing tie with Cherryland Humane Society via Piper's Porter.

Name

The Filling Station Microbrewery

Legal name

The Filling Station Microbrewery

Website

https://thefillingstationmicrobrewery.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Filling Station Microbrewery is a family-owned craft brewery and wood-fired flatbread pizza restaurant in a 1927 historic train depot in Traverse City, Michigan, serving locals, TART Trail users, and tourists via on-premises dining, patio seating, and off-premise canned and draft beer sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Brewery and Restaurant

NAICS

Breweries (31212), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082), Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Microbreweries & Craft Breweries (THAFALAC), Craft Beer Bars & Taprooms (THAFAEAG), Taprooms & Brewpubs (CRANACAF)

Keywords

• Craft beer brewing
• Wood-fired pizza
• Microbrewery restaurant
• Casual pub dining
• Small-batch beer

Headquarters

HQ city

Traverse City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Food Sales: Revenue from a full food menu including wood-fired flatbread pizzas (base pizza $11, specialty pizzas up to $19.50), artisan salads ($9–$10.50), and snacks. All items are made from scratch with locally sourced ingredients. Served dine-in or on the patio.
2. Beverage Sales — Draft and Canned Beer: Revenue from draft beer poured in-house (pints at $5–$9.50 depending on beer tier, with ciders at $7 for 16oz) and canned four-packs sold to-go ($8.99–$15.99 per 4-pack). Rotating menu of at least 10 different premium brews. Sampler flights available for $4.50–$5.50.
3. Mug Club Membership (Ales by the Rails Club): $200 lifetime membership generating recurring add-on revenue from members who receive discounted growler fills ($2 off), keg fills ($10 off), $3 pints on Monday Club Nights, free birthday pizza, and priority access to Beer Futures. Membership drives loyalty and repeat visits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Filling Station Microbrewery operates a family-owned restaurant and microbrewery in a historic 1927 train depot in Traverse City, Michigan. It brews small-batch craft beer on-site using 3-barrel and 10-barrel systems and serves wood-fired flatbread pizzas (cooked at approximately 700°F) alongside artisan salads and snacks. Offerings include a rotating menu of at least 10 premium brews, hard ciders, and a hard seltzer, with dine-in, patio seating, and off-premises canned beer, growler, and keg sales.

Product overview

The Filling Station Microbrewery is a family-owned restaurant and microbrewery offering wood-fired flatbread pizzas, hand-crafted beers, artisan salads, and snacks. The core products include wood-fired flatbread pizzas (with over 20 toppings and named specialty varieties like Firebox, Wolverine, and Memphis Line) and craft beers brewed on-site using 3-barrel and 10-barrel systems (with 20+ rotating varieties including IPA, lagers, stouts, porters, ciders, and hard seltzers). Supporting offerings include artisan salads, snacks, a Mug Club membership program, and canned beers for off-premise consumption. The establishment is located in a historic train depot building dating to 1927.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wood-Fired Flatbread Pizza Hand-crafted flatbread pizzas cooked in a wood-fired oven at approximately 700°F, featuring from-scratch crust and sauces with over 20 toppings and multiple named specialty varieties (Overnighter, Three Rivers, Firebox, Wolverine, Spartan, B.L.Tizza, Stoker, S'More Caboose, etc.). Available dine-in, on the patio, or to-go.
• Craft Beer (Draft and Canned) Hand-crafted microbrews brewed on-site using 3-barrel and 10-barrel systems with a rotating menu of at least 10 premium brews including IPAs, lagers, stouts, porters, ambers, schwarzbier, vanilla brown ale, and bourbon barrel-aged stout. Canned four-packs of select beers (T-Bar IPA, Kratochvil Pilsner, Walla Walla IPA, Piper's Porter, Mango Kölsch, Iron Junction Bourbon Stout) sold for off-premise consumption.
• Hard Cider Hard ciders including King's Line Cider (semi-sweet, unfiltered, made from King Orchards apples) and Two Line Cider (dry, European-style with English apple varieties from Two Hands Orchard). Both are gluten-free.
• Hard Seltzer Empathy Cherry Hard Seltzer, brewed by cycling the beer through a hop back filled with local tart cherries from King Orchards, yielding a light, effervescent beverage with subtle tart cherry flavor.
• Artisan Salads Freshly prepared salads including Depot Caesar (chopped baby romaine, house-made Caesar dressing, parmesan, croutons), Station Salad (artisan greens, porter balsamic vinaigrette, figs, pears, sesame seeds, cheese), The Eurail (Greek-style with kalamata olives, artichokes, grape tomatoes, goat cheese), and The Conductor (buttermilk ranch, prosciutto, blue cheese, hard boiled egg).
• Snacks and Appetizers Appetizers including Red Pepper Hummus (served with tortilla chips, fresh basil, roasted red peppers) and Spinach & Artichoke Dip (served with tortilla chips or pretzel sticks).
• Kids Meals Child-friendly menu including Mac 'N Cheese (with side of fresh pears or applesauce) and Peanut Butter and Jelly (white or wheat bread with strawberry jelly).
• Ales by the Rails Club (Mug Club Membership) $200 lifetime membership program offering a 20 oz. chilled club glass (pint pricing), $2 off growler fills, $10 off keg fills, $3 pints on Monday Club Nights, free pizza on birthday, logo pint glass and sticker, and the ability to purchase Beer Futures.

Quantifiable outcome

• First-place tie in the 2025 Traverse City Lager competition (Kratochvil Pilsner)
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Iron Fish DistillerycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIron Fish Distillery, located in Thompsonville, MI, supplied American Oak barrels to The Filling Station Microbrewery. The brewery filled these barrels with Imperial Stout and aged the beer for three months, resulting in the Iron Junction Bourbon Stout with woody, chocolate, and vanilla-like notes from the oak. This is a co-development partnership producing a unique, limited-release beer unavailable elsewhere.
• King OrchardscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKing Orchards of Central Lake, MI supplies apples (predominantly Macintosh) for the King's Line Cider and tart cherries that were cycled through the brewery's hop back for the Empathy Cherry Hard Seltzer. The partnership enables locally sourced, regional agricultural products in the beer and cider program.
• Two Hands OrchardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTwo Hands Orchard in Northport, MI supplies English apple varieties used in the Two Line Cider, an old-world European-style dry cider with complex apple aromatics and bright acidity.
• MI LocalcoreTechnology or IntegrationMI Local is a Michigan-based supplier of locally grown hops, providing Nugget and Cascade hops (used in The Looper Amber Ale) and Chinook hops (used in Walla Walla IPA) from local Michigan farms. The partnership supports the brewery's local-sourcing positioning.
• Cherryland Humane SocietyminorOthersPiper's Porter, brewed in memory of Traverse City's favorite airport dog Piper, generates a $0.50 donation per pint ($5.50 regular price) to the Cherryland Humane Society. This is a charitable cause-marketing partnership.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Rare Bird Brewpub: Traverse City brewpub combining on-site brewing with a chef-driven food menu. Directly comparable on-site brewing + scratch-made food model in the same competitive micro-market.
• Hop Lot Brewing Company: Suttons Bay (Traverse City region) craft brewery with outdoor beer garden and on-site food partners. Comparable as a northern Michigan craft brewery emphasizing experiential outdoor dining and rotating taps.
• Workshop Brewing Company: Traverse City brewpub serving house-brewed craft beer alongside a full food menu in an industrial-historic building. Same market, same brewpub model pairing rotating small-batch beer with food service.
• Brewery Vivant: Grand Rapids, MI craft brewery and pub operating from a restored historic funeral home with a sustainability-focused food menu. Comparable brewpub model pairing scratch-made food with on-site brewing in a characterful historic building.
• Right Brain Brewery: Traverse City-area craft brewery producing rotating experimental and artisanal beers with a food menu. Closest geographic and operational peer — same market, similar small-batch craft positioning, and overlap in target customer segments.
• Earthen Ales: Traverse City craft brewery specializing in barrel-aged and foraged-ingredient beers. Same local market, comparable rotating small-batch craft model with focus on distinctive and limited releases.
• Stormcloud Brewing Company: Craft brewery and brewpub located in downtown Frankenmuth, MI, offering house-brewed beers alongside a scratch-made food menu in a similarly experiential setting. Directly comparable as a Michigan-based craft brewpub pairing on-site brewing with food service.
• North Peak Brewing Company: Traverse City brewpub under the Brewery Vivant umbrella serving wood-fired pizza and craft beer. Extremely comparable concept — craft brewing paired with wood-fired pizza and casual dining in northern Michigan.

Broad incumbents

• Bell's Brewery (Bell's Official): One of Michigan's largest and most established craft breweries with broad distribution. Comparable as a Michigan craft icon, but operates at national scale — relevant primarily as the dominant category incumbent shaping regional craft consumer expectations.
• Short's Brewing Company: Larger Michigan craft brewery (Bellaire, MI) with broader distribution and multiple beer styles including pub location. Comparable on craft brewing and Michigan identity, but operates at substantially greater scale and reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/thefillingstationmicrobrewery
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-filling-station-microbrewery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 The Filling Station Microbrewery