COVID-19

Portage brewery surviving thanks to community, social media savvy

Facing the prospect of bankruptcy, a Portage brewery was "overwhelmed by the love" from its community during the pandemic.

Jake and Kayleigh Lohse didn’t have many options. Their choices came down to: Revamp their business in a matter of hours or file for bankruptcy within two months.

Their brewery, Presidential Brewing Co. in Portage, had barely been open a year when the state shutdown bars and restaurants to stem the spread of COVID-19.

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The duo had to switch gears almost overnight from being a tap house with some food options to being a social media-connected delivery service.

Today, they sell out food and beer stocks regularly and are making ends meet.

Read more about how they did it at westmichiganbeertours.com.

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