DOWAGIAC — Under the amber glow of near countless Edison bulbs dangling from the ceiling of the Dowagiac brewery/grill The Strand, head brewer David Michael pours a pint of beer, holding it up to his eye level to examine it before placing it on the bar in front of him to serve.

“That’s the Petal Puss,” he said. “It’s a crowd pleaser, kind of an easy drinking beer.”

Explaining properties of the beers coming out of the taps is something Michael does often now, as The Strand started serving its own brews in late May.

The Strand Brewery and Grill, 93415 Co Road, Dowagiac, recently began living up to its name and started serving its own house brewed beers. Currently, the business has eight taps, decorated as arrows to add some flair, each of which contains a different style of beer. 

“Of course, I’m a bit biased, but I think the beer is pretty good. … I love everything about it,” Michael said.

The current taps carry a little something for everyone, from a light lager for the Bud and Miller Light fans to a red velvet ale for the more adventurous craft beer drinkers.

“We are starting mostly with some pretty standard stuff to see what the population around here likes,” Michael said. “But I like to play around a bit too.”

Michael, an Elkhart resident, has a long history with brewing beer. Most recently he was a lead brewer at Evil Czech Public House in Mishawaka. Calling brewing an art, he said he puts his heart and soul into his work.

“It’s great to work with my hands and make something that tastes great,” he said. “I’ve always loved [brewing] and I’m really excited to do it here, in Sister Lakes, in a place as great as this. It’s been really cool to see everything from start to finish here and get the brewing side started.”

So far, customers seem to appreciate the work he puts into The Strand’s brews. Michael said the beers have consistently been selling well.

“I haven’t had any complaints, and the servers tell me that the customers have only had good things to say,” he said.

Unfortunately, Michael is not a for The Strand, for long as he will be leaving in the fall to work on the startup for a new brewery.

“I’m just getting things started here, getting things off the ground,” he said. “But, from what I understand, The Strand has a good gameplan going forward and things lined up to keep the brewery going.”

Though he will be eventually leaving The Strand, Michael said he would still visit the restaurant and enjoy a beer and the view anytime. Having fallen in love with the Sister Lakes area and The Strand since he began working at the restaurant, Michael said he would recommend that anyone come to the restaurant to try the new beers, adding that he often recommends The Strand to his friends as a fun place to visit and unwind.

“I just snap a picture of the view and send it [to my friends]. You can’t really argue with that,” he says. “There is good food, good beer and a great view. What more could you ask for?”