NewBrew Turns 10!

5/1/2025

Photo courtesy of Newaygo Brewing Co.

A chat with Krista and Nick as the Brewery hits a milestone

Krista Veal and Nick Looman opened the Newaygo Brewing Company in the spring of 2015 and it soon became a regular stop for travelers heading north, an enticing option for locals and a destination stop for beer lovers from across the state and beyond. Throughout their decade of existence they have supported the community, brought in quality entertainment and solidified their presence in the Newaygo business landscape. They are also known for having the most upbeat and pleasant "Crew" on the planet. Their anniversary ccelebration takes place Friday and Saturday with loads of music to go with great food and their signature beers.
We caught up with them to pose a few questions on the eve of their 10th birthday

Can you give us a little history? How did NBC come to be? And why Newaygo?
We really got wrapped up in the homebrewing community of GR during the craft beer boom of the 2010s. We created a brew club and became beer competition judges and got to watch a few of the classic GR breweries pop up in our hometown. Every weekend the garage was filled with people engaging with each other, creating community, while navigating the science and art of making good beer. One day, the beer was just SO good. I looked at Nick and said something to the effect of “I would go buy this. Would you ever want to open a brewery?” And he basically said “Obviously, that’s every homebrewer's dream!” So we started dreaming away! A lot of our family have strong roots in Newaygo and we really wanted to do something new in a new place. Newaygo county had yet to have its own microbrewery so we saw the perfect opportunity. We’re so happy to have fit in so well in downtown Newaygo. Moving from GR to Newaygo to build our own brewery dream was scary and we have really come to understand the value of growing the proverbial Third Space in our amazing county. It has been dependent on three things - community, humility, and love of the craft.

You opened a place across the street from 3 establishments serving beer and food. A bit of a risk some would have thought. What have been the biggest challenges after opening?
We don’t remember ever thinking we would have a hard time fitting into Newaygo. Sportsmans, The Cafe, and The Saloon have always been big supporters and together we have been growing the downtown dining options and truly challenging each to provide Newaygo guests with unique foods and drinks and diversity of community spaces. The region has responded positively!!!
Our biggest challenges have been adapting to seasonal traffic changes. Every year it gets easier because, thankfully, we have been growing and at the same time get a little bit better at our grind every day. Maintaining a diverse, experienced staff, and learning how best to pass on institutional knowledge has been a…rewarding challenge. Also, maintaining a historic building has been an interesting journey. We own and care for the many needs of a 126 year old building made of Chicago Red Brick, Kimball Lake Clay Brick and true 2x4s! We’re discovering new ways to spend money every day.

Speaking of challenges, how did you weather 2020 and the impact of Covid? Did it change things going forward?
2020 was really hard. No one had considered this business risk. How could we? We had a lot of staff turnover during the down times, and a lot of it was necessary and good for all parties. Covid forced a lot of us at Newaygo Brewing Co to grow up real quick! It ultimately gave us an opportunity to make important changes for the benefit and longevity of the company. We reduced our hours of operation and changed the roles and increased wages of the team that hung in there during the “take-out” days of late 2020. Since those trials we have been able to create more full time positions, empower the Brew Crew to voice real change, and overall reduce our staffing demand. Previously our operations required us to double our staff in the summer, that was one of the biggest challenges. We decided to be closed for 2 of our slowest days of the week giving our staff a "weekend". This was one of the big factors in how we’ve been able to retain great staff.

What have been some of the best moments in your 10 years of operation
Krista - For me the best moments are just being with my Crew - from management meetings to adopt a highway cleanup to grinding out shifts by their side. I love offering a place of employment where people not only look forward to coming to work and are proud of the work they put out but are challenged to become better versions of themselves while they're at it. They learn, they grow, then they stay and reinvest what they've learned or take it out into the world to invest someplace new. Being a part of that cycle is an honor and "best moment" for me everyday.
Nick - When the brew crew family grows, my family grows. It's never been so real as of lately. So many great relationships formed with great Newaygans and so many amazing babies (now kids!!) adding to the fun along the way! Aside from the mushy stuff, my favorite moments are… well, floating the river with the brew crew every summer (not working) and being a part of Christmas Walk getting bigger every year in Newaygo (working a lot!)

Your place has always been known for a wide variety of brews and the occasional arrival of new offerings.Does your search for the next Newbrew new brew continue?
We pull inspiration for our next brews from our very own Brew Crew and guest feedback or special requests! We get a lot of crossover traffic from Chicago and up north Michigan so variety is key!

We’ve been impressed by the various music offerings that have been provided there. Years ago you were doing Acoustic Saturdays, there have been other performers here and there and of course there is the occasional Vinyl Thursday. You also have a great lineup for the Anniversary this weekend. Will music continue to be a regular part of the NBC scene?
Yes. We love doing live music and look forward to bringing it back more throughout the summer months! We will also be hosting trivia bi weekly on Thursday nights Memorial Day through Labor Day this summer.

When I’ve brought friends from out of town to the Brewery often while we’re enjoying some of that righteous pizza and sipping beers someone will say how they like the vibe there. What do you think it is about NBC that delivers that feeling of comfort to patrons and is it something you aim for or do you think it just kind of happens?
Krista - Thank you, Ken! That's actually the most common compliment we receive, and we are so thankful to hear it every time. We also love our vibe and work hard to be consistent in it. Though there are many factors I think these three things are the biggest contributors: 1- the historic feel of the building, this place is over 100 years old! 2 - the fresh food and no fryer energy, buying local and being adamant about food safety and quality and 3 - last but most importantly, my management team and the way they lead their crew with dedication to preserving and displaying our company values; humble, hungry, fighting, teacher.
Nick- Oh, it's completely intentional, trained, and vetted! I can just keep on bragging about the brew crew, because they are the ones who really shine by being great hosts of the brewery guests. Aside from that, we're sticklers for feng shui and atmosphere. We also got a lot of help from some great designers.

What do you see in store for the Brewery as we enter its second decade of serving up finely crafted beers to residents, travelers and folks seeking a good vibe
If there's one thing we've learned from the first decade it's to be adaptable yet true to ourselves. As we face our second decade our hope is that we will navigate it with that same energy, implementing the knowledge and wisdom we have gained along the way.
We definitely have growth in our future. We finally own this cool building outright and have a bunch of options on the table on how to best develop it next. The craft beer industry is on shaky ground right now all across America, for good and bad reasons. It isn’t great seeing mega brands buy up small brands and erase shelf space for local beer. Also, the craft beer bubble has definitely been a bubble…a really weird bubble. I think we’ve shown we’ve got the liver for riding out future economic storms. I hope that we are also able to spread our wings a little bit and grow our space and brand exposure in the county and beyond.

What has been your favorite creation for personal consumption?
Krista- My favorite thing has been a few of our beers over the years including juniper saison and peachy cousins. And many of our food specials, but our tacos will always hit a special place in my heart.
Nick- there was a 3 year gap when we didn’t serve our Craft Beer Mac n Cheese. Now that it's back I am certain it's my super comfort food…so long as I get Sriracha. On the beer side…it's hard to say because I like most of the beers I brew. It's hard to beat Seven Cousins IPA though. I’d like to think I’m the best I’ve ever been each day. I keep hoping someday I’ll like Seven Cousins as much as I’ve always loved Bell’s Two Hearted IPA!