Who Are We? And What Are We Up To?

We’re Shawn and Aaron Grose, two “alternatively thinking” brothers who’ve been passionately brewing for over 10 years.  We love beer, bikes, and sustainable technology. We’ve been involved in the Michigan craft beer movement since 1995 and would love to pour our passion into making a difference by bringing our unique brewery to the city of Detroit. 

Windmill Pointe Brewing is our collective vision that intertwines bikes, people, energy and beer into a “one-of-a-kind” sustainable brewery. The Brewery retrieves its main source of energy from our patent-pending system that utilizes bicycles supported by wind and solar technologies.  With our “Pedal-Powered Beer™” energy monitoring program and sustainable philosophy, we will create a positive impact in our community by producing a more environmentally friendly beer.

We see Pedal-Powered Beer™ as a community-driven effort to create unique beer styles while building a relationship between our patrons and the brewery. When fulfilled, this dream will make us the country’s very first pedal-powered brewery. 

What Makes Us Different?

We generate our own electricity via “Pedal-Power” – the cornerstone of our electric brew house. Our stationary bikes produce pedal-power which is collected, stored, and recorded. The number of kilowatts we produce from in-house “Pedal-Power” is subtracted from the total number of kilowatts used in each brew session. The goal is to produce more energy through pedal-power and sustainable technologies than consumed by the production of our beer. 

Our community members are invited to power our beer in the form of a challenging stationary bike race - The Tour de Beer!:

• Patrons pedal our bikes
  
• Our pedal-powered beer program tracks the time, distance, and how many beers they’ve actually powered
  
• Patrons advance through the multi-stage race and are rewarded with credits
  
• Patrons can redeem credits in our tasting room and store
  
• Completing the final stage wins the Tour de Beer and the gold jersey
  
• Winners get a party and name graced on the Kilowatt Cup
  

Making A Difference Differently

Beside the health benefits of riding bikes in our brewery, we’ll collaborate with organizations that also make a difference in Metro Detroit. We’ve entered into a relationship with the world-renowned Pewabic Pottery to brew a beer that supports their educational foundation. And we’re continually thinking about, seeking and nurturing other ways we can give support.

Why Are We Asking For Funding?

Here’s the reality for us ~ we need funding to bring Windmill Pointe Brewing Company to the next level. And we know exactly what we need to do.  It’s that simple.  Here’s how your monetary support will be used:

If we don’t reach our goal, whatever funds were raised will complete the development of the Pedal-Powered Beer™ program.   

Our “Triple Bottom Line” Goal

We’ll be measuring our success on a “Triple Bottom Line” approach.  Three principles will guide us in making Windmill Pointe Brewing Company a truly sustainable business:

•  People: Diversity, Well-being, Fairness
  
•  Profits: Customers, Competitors, Economy
  
•  Planet: Climate, Air, Water, Soil
  

Through these principles we will build our business to make us feel a little better and smile a little longer.  And drink better beer!

No Money? You Can Still Help!

If you can't contribute, that’s ok by us. We still want you to be part of our success. Spread the word of our sustainable brewing adventure and use the Indiegogo share tools and your social media channels (Twitter, FaceBook, GooglePlus) to direct people of interest to our Indiegogo webpage.  We’d appreciate any non-funding ways you can help.

Thank You and Cheers to a sustainable future! 

Shawn & Aaron Grose