🔒 Now open: Michigan’s first self-serving taproom in Royal Oak

ROYAL OAK, Mich. – Michigan’s first self-serving taproom has finally opened and is located in Royal Oak.

Lincoln Tap owned by the beer lovers of Eastern Market Brewing Co. and Ferndale Project opened this month and is the state’s first self-serving tap room.

The idea of this kind of brewery has been in the works for a while. In July, Michigan passed a bill where businesses can allow customers to self-serve beer, cocktails and wine.

This newest brewery, which is located in the old Roak Brewing Co. building, will be serving beer from both Ferndale Project and Eastern Market Brewing Co.

The Royal Oak location is a 16,000-square-foot building -- the biggest space for the company. According to Managing Partner Dayne Bartscht, the company has been looking to expand its warehouse space as Eastern Market is 5,000 square feet and Ferndale Project (Former Axle Brewing Company building) is 10,000 square Feet. The company operates and produces beer and seltzers from now all three locations. It is also noted that this is the third brewery to open under the same company within the past five years.

“We’re very thoughtful about where we are located. We’re very strategic about our branding and about our community focus,” said Bartscht. “So each space we wanted to be unique to those communities. Similarly, we’re going to have the products of the other two breweries, but we want to make sure that it’s unique to the city of growing local communities.”

The managing partner explained that with the new warehouse space there are new opportunities. The old Roak Brewing Co. location has huge bay doors where the company can now take advantage of more distribution and receive entire truckloads of products needed for production.

Bartscht stated that the company is moving forward with more distribution throughout the state and hopefully start making its way to other states.

According to the managing partner, Eastern Market Brewing Co. is one of the largest self-distributing breweries in Michigan.

Besides the warehouse space, Lincoln Tap will have an operating kitchen which Bartscht explained will be serving Detroit-style pizza.

“We’re actually gonna launch a pizza company out of the space,” said Bartscht. The cool thing is because we’re a brewery, we can serve pizza and will be able to deliver pizza and beer.”

During the pandemic, Eastern Market Brewing created many different businesses, some of which are not just beer-focused. Along with the now three brewery brands and tap rooms, the company owns a coffee brand, a doughnut shop in Downtown Detroit and a beer delivery service.

Peddler, the beer delivery service, makes delivery within 15 miles of Detroit. To see the products available to be delivered, click here.

Other brands that can be found at Ferndale Project and Eastern Market Brewing are Dooped Donuts and ASHE Coffee.

How the self-serving taprooms work:

Customers will receive a wristband that’ll track their tap. Beer drinkers will tap their wrists on the tap wall to keep track of what beers they are drinking. According to the new law, taps are only allowed to dispense 16 oz of beer at a time. Establishments will also have limits on how much an individual can have. According to the law, customers can be served a max of 96 oz per order.

To learn more about the newest law, click here.

Lincoln Tap hours:

• Wed-Sat: 4 - 11 p.m.
• Sun: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Other brew news 🍻

Weiss Distilling Co. transforms into Halloween haven with special menu, spooky decor

Jim Beam outlines expansion to ramp up bourbon production