Kognisjon Bryggeri is opening soon in Marquette, Michigan. We got a behind-the-scenes look at the new space.
Kognisjon Bryggeri
Before the UP Beer Festival, we met with Jay Clancey, the owner of Cognition Brewery in Ishpeming, Michigan. We’ve been itching to see his new space in Marquette, which has been a few years in the making.
The new space located at 1034 North 3rd is in a building built in 1957, which was previously an A&P Grocery Store. The space is getting a serious makeover, including a Viking twist. Along with the makeover, the new brewery has a new name, the Kognisjon Bryggeri. It is the Viking version of Cognition Brewery.
I told Jay, “You are changing your feathers a little bit, but you’re still the same bird.” “There you go,” Jay said.
The brewery in Ishpeming isn’t going anywhere. “I don’t want to move that brew house. It’s too nice of a fit in there,” Jay said.
Opening Day
“The goal is to open by Halloween, definitely by Thanksgiving,” said Jay.
“Is everything contingent upon approvals?” I asked Jay.
“I don’t see anything else with licensing. I think we’ve crossed all those hurdles. We just crossed the sign hurdles,” he replied.
The bar will have ten taps and a surprise. I said to Jay, “So you are bringing a little bit of Ishpeming with you?”
Jay replied, “Oh, we are bringing a big bit, a big bit in your face.”
There is a serving window between the Fish Express Guy and the Kognisjon Taproom. And they’ll have ample outdoor seating with large windows that can open between the indoor and patio seating areas.
Brew House
“I think we can brew in about a month. All the tanks are set,” Jay said. Unfortunately, the installation of the glycol, the chilling fluid that chills all the fermenters, was delayed.
“All we need is a little steam from the boiler, glycol, chilling, and we’re gonna be ready to start brewing some beer,” Jay said.
They’ll use a seven-and-a-half barrel system from Quality Tank System (QTS). It came from a brewery in Brainerd, Minnesota, that wanted a bigger system. “A brewery was closing down just up the street. They just moved and left this stuff behind. QTS got it and brought it back just at the time we were looking for a system. We had 24 hours to decide,” Jay said.
They’ll continue to brew beer in Ishpeming. Both breweries will brew a variety of beers as well as local favorites such as Gnome Wrecker.
Cooler
The cooler is behind the bar. “We’ll eventually have a 15 barrel unit, a bright tank here, and another seven. We’ll serve directly from here.”
The tap lines at the new Kognisjon Bryggeri will be much shorter than the lines at their Ishpeming location.
Toast
“Here’s to the new Marquette Ishpeming combination. The Cognition with a K! Cheers.”
Tell us about the beers.
“Commit to the Void is a collaboration with Cloud Rat, a grindcore band from Michigan. We don’t collaborate with other breweries,” laughed Kris Thompson, the brewer from Cognition and Kognisjon. “We randomly sent them [Could Rat] Facebook messages. Hey, you want to make a beer?”
They responded with, “Just make whatever you want.”
Kris had to push them a bit. “But as a band, what kind of beer do you want?”
Eventually, they said a fruited hefeweizen, just maybe stronger. Kris said, “Boom. We leaned into it with an 8% Imperial Mango Hefeweizen.”
Zombie King the Undead Red is a tribute to George A. Romero who is known as the king of the zombie film genre.
Special Guest
We invited Jay Green from Perrin Brewing to our Kognisjon Bryggeri tour. He brought along Billy Eyelash, a hazelnut blonde coffee ale brewed during the Frementa Meet and Greet Brew Day Extravaganza at Perrin Brewing in early August.
It was my first taste. Everyone agreed it was delicious. Look for it at the Detroit Fall Beer Festival on October 22, 2022.
Hygge Center
I asked Jay about the church next door to Cognition Brewery. He didn’t have any updates, but we did find a small flyer on the table when we visited the Cog.
I’m looking forward to visiting the Hygge Center someday soon. A community center in the heart of Ishpeming.
More Pictures
We’ve got a few more shots of Kognisjon Bryggeri in our gallery. Please take a peek and let us know what you think. Leave a comment and show some love by sharing this post.
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Cheers!
