Coming from a brand marketing background, I find the histories of brands fascinating. So, what Ian Cole has managed to accomplish captivates me: he and his partners have meticulously and faithfully resurrected the historic Mount Clemens Brewing Company, and its flagship product: Pearl Foam beer.
Eight years ago, Ian and his wife Hope, a fifth-generation Mount Clemens native, moved to Mount Clemens planning to fix up a historic home.
“I probably watched too many ‘This Old House’ marathons as a kid,” Ian laughs. When he realized how daunting the task actually was, The Clem’s unique magic came to his aid.
“Immediately I found out I have amazing neighbors,” Ian recalls. “They offered their tools, their garages, whatever I needed to work on my house.” Two of those neighbors were Tommy Virga and John Aman.
Captivated by his new hometown’s charm, Ian started exploring Mount Clemens’s rich history—and stumbled across the Mount Clemens Brewing Company, driven out of business by prohibition almost a hundred years ago. Ian also found out our city doesn’t have an active brewery.
Ian brought his findings to neighbors Tommy and John. Tommy has a deep background in commercial brewing, and John is a craft brewer.
““I didn't even know there was a Mount Clemens Brewing Company,” John says.
“I said, ‘How do we bring this beer back to life?’” Ian recalls.
“From the first time he mentioned ‘Mount Clemens Brewing Company,’” Tommy reveals, “I was waiting for this day to come.”
‘This day’ is the successful reincarnation of the brewery and its signature Pearl Foam beer.
From the start, brand steward Ian, general manager Tommy and head brewer John focused on staying true to their product’s vintage roots. But the original Pearl Foam recipe was lost in a flood decades ago.
“Having a general idea what types of ingredients they used, and historic context, I had to reverse-engineer it,” John explains.
Even with Ian’s exhaustive research and John’s knowledge of bygone brewing processes, it took eighteen months of tinkering to recreate Pearl Foam.
“It’s a pretty simple recipe as far as beer goes,” John says. “Back then they weren't working with the specialty grains and different types of yeast that we have nowadays. So that was where I wanted to take this beer: the simple, crispy, easy-drinking kind of beer they would have had at the time.”
Ian sums it up succinctly: “Elevated but not stuffy. It’s a beer for everybody.”
I ask Ian to describe the process of unearthing the history of this long-defunct brand.
“We went all over,” Ian recalls. “The state of Michigan, the county clerk's office, genealogy records, newspaper clippings. The history was very scattered and limited. Putting all these pieces together in chronological or order, the story becomes less about the brewery and the beer and more about the people, these immigrants from Germany and Belgium who got impacted by prohibition and started bootlegging. Having all these pieces come together to paint the picture of the brewing company is to me the coolest part.”
I’m curious if the partners recall a moment that stands out in the brand’s comeback.
“My brother Joey was coming by Mount Clemens,” Tom remembers, “and he said, “Hey, I want to have your beer.’ So, I met him at Three Blind Mice for a pint. Joey starts talking about how good it is, and this conversation starts all around me, with all the patrons at the bar. Everyone was drinking Pearl Foam. It was a flood of emotion.”
I ask the three neighbors the best part of bringing Pearl Foam back to life.
“The best part,” Tom declares, “is drinking the beer. There are a lot of beers I don't like, but this beer, it’s like a fresh new song in your mouth every time.”
I wonder: if the recipe’s so simple, what makes Pearl Foam taste so unique?
“It’s based off a traditional German Helles Dortmunder lager, which not a lot of people brew,” Tom informs me. “It has a little more alcohol at six percent, and a hoppier kick at the end. It’s odd to me, but I haven’t had one person say they don’t like it.”
For now, Pearl Foam is only available on tap, at Three Blind Mice and the Rec Bowl, and via small kegs for parties and events.
“We're letting this thing just grow organically,” Ian says.
Follow the brewery on Facebook (mountclemensbrewco) to see where they go next. For Pearl Foam kegs, contact Tommy Virga at 586.531.5511.
"I said, ‘How do we bring this beer back to life?’”
"Elevated but not stuffy…it's a beer for everybody."