Michigan brewer now a busy distiller

• From MLive.com

HOLLAND, MI -- Something new is brewing at the New Holland Brewing Co. The 14-year-old Michigan craft beer producer has started distilling malt whiskey, rum, vodka, gin and a new tequila-like drink called hopquila at its brewpub in downtown Holland.

"Right now, I'm a one-man distillery using a handmade, 60-gallon still the owner built," said chief distiller Dennis Downing (above right), who started in the business seven months ago after a 23-year career as a chemist. "We're small but our little still is turning out some very interesting craft spirits."

New Holland Brewery is one of 14 Michigan companies taking up the challenge of producing 80- to 110-proof distilled spirits since a change in the state law became effective in 2008.

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Dos Lunas Tequila on beer wagon

Photo courtesy of William Helm III

If you live in El Paso, St. Louis, New Orleans -- or many other cities in the near future -- don't be surprised if you see tequila being unloaded from an Anheuser-Busch beer delivery truck.

Dos Lunas Tequila, to be specific.

Richard Poe (top right), owner of Dos Lunas which is headquartered in El Paso, TX, has contracted with the beer giant to begin distributing his tequila.

"I find it interesting that a small business in El Paso is revolutionizing the tequila market in the world," Poe told the El Paso Times. "Never before has a beer distributor partnered with a tequila company. Having Budweiser on our side is a huge advantage that will help us make Dos Lunas the world's No. 1 premier tequila."

Poe, 40, is pulling out all the stops in an attempt to make his brand more visible in the crowded U.S. tequila market. Dos Lunas will be a TV sponsor of the Kentucky Derby this coming Saturday (May 1) and is endorsed by the Miami Dolphins because it is the official tequila of Sun Life Stadium, where the National Footballe League team plays its home games.

Poe, part of a prominent El Paso family that owns auto dealerships, founded Dos Lunas in 2005. Its first bottle of tequila was produced in 2006 in Jalisco, Mexico, and was served in Telluride, CO. Since then, distribution has spread to 31 states as well as Canada, Brazil, Germany, Russia and China.

Dos Lunas makes four tequilas -- silver, reposado, añejo and grand reserve, a limited special edition. They range from $40 to $2,500 a bottle.

At the 2009 and 2010 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Dos Lunas Reposado was awarded a double gold medal, which means a gold vote from each judge on the tasting panel.

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