Local Couple Plans to Open Taproom in St. Clair Shores

ST. CLAIR SHORES, MI — A Grosse Point Woods couple is set to open a new taproom called Jamex Brewing Co. in St. Clair Shores by Christmas or early January.

Jeff and Kat Kaye became enticed by the idea of craft brewing when they lived in San Diego years ago. Jeff even started home brewing his own beer and now has more than 100 beer recipes, according to St. Clair Sentinel.

“You’d go around and there’s all these small breweries opening up in warehouses ... throw open the doors and just a little table and everyone was standing,” Kat said to St. Clair Sentinel. “It was very rugged and the beer was amazing. It was an amazing culture.”

A few years after the two moved to Grosse Pointe Woods, they started to think about opening a taproom.

Three years later, they found a location to open their very own taproom at 21721 Harper Ave. The Kayes plan to brew smaller two-barrel batches, have eight taps for beer, and two taps for cider at Jamex. St. Clair Shores City Council approved their microbrewer license on Sept. 6, St. Clair Sentinel reports.

The taproom will have a bar and about four tables for customers to relax at. The brewery will be located right behind the tasting room.

Jamex Brewing Co. is named after the couple's two sons, James and Alex. They plan for the taproom to have a very neighborhood-friendly feel to it.

“We want to go with what the public wants,” Kat Kaye said. “If there’s a beer that they absolutely love, then we’re happy to designate a tap for that, but we also want to keep things new and fresh and different every time they come in.”

For now, the couple isn't planning to produce food, but they said they'd like to team up with local businesses later down the line, says St. Clair Sentinel.

“We dreamed about opening a small brewery for quite some time,” Jeff Kaye told City Council Sept. 6.

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