Hamtramck’s Florian East Wants to Be a Brewery for All #DetroitFood

7:53 AM ,
A glass of beer on a wood surface next to a window with writing on it.
GB in Detroit

Hamtramck’s first microbrewery opens Labor Day weekend with European-style lagers and hoppy American ales on tap

Six years in the making and more than 1,000 shoe boxes later, Hamtramck’s first microbrewery, Florian East, is set to open on Thursday, August 29, coinciding with the Hamtramck Labor Day Festival. Located on the east end of Florian Street at 9530 Jos Campau, the brewery occupies a former shoe store where windows that now let in abundant light were previously stacked with boxes.

Behind this ambitious project are Shang Kong, Milo Madole, Chris Burtley, John Abbo, and Will Mundel. The team, representing southeast Michigan’s Iraqi American, Chinese American, and Black communities, aims to create a welcoming atmosphere for all. Most of the group previously worked together at a law firm, while head brewer Will Mundel, formerly of Eastern Market Brewing Company, offers the team his expertise in beer.

The building renovation involved clearing out thousands of shoes and boxes, with the team inviting the community to select their favorites to take home with them before they discarded the rest. A few uniquely designed boxes are now framed above the long wooden benches that line the windows, which greet visitors to Florian East in six languages. The brew tanks, which were stored in Mundel’s backyard during the build-out and moved in using a crane, are now installed and producing rotating drafts, hand pulls, and what the brewery is calling Cosmcks (cocktail-inspired seltzers made in-house), alongside a range of nonalcoholic options. The tap handles are complemented by a backsplash of Polish pottery from the Polish Art Center and custom benches crafted by the neighborhood’s Woodward Throwbacks add a personal touch.

The 1,500-square-foot space, including the brewhouse, seats 94 guests and feels more spacious thanks to the large windows. Adorned with rose motifs, the brewery exudes a warm atmosphere that contrasts with the industrial feel of many breweries. On Saturday and Sunday mornings, Florian East will screen Premier League football matches while serving only nonalcoholic beverages, including mocktails and coffee. They will also become a space to enjoy local and rotating pop-ups and food trucks.

Eater recently sat down with the team to discuss the significance of the roses, their upcoming tap list, and the team’s excitement about opening a brewery in Hamtramck after years of planning.

How does it feel to be opening your doors finally?

Will Mundel: It doesn’t feel real, you know?

Milo Madole: I think it all came together well — Will had the idea, but we all met at Oloman Cafe and realized what a fantastic addition this would be to the community. It felt natural and organic from there. It’s been a long process, but there’s been no hesitation since that initial conversation. It’s never come from a place of fear about making it work, but rather a focus on finding solutions. Starting a business, especially in food and beverage, is daunting. Renovating old buildings is expensive, time-consuming, and requires a lot of attention to detail. There are many moving parts, and for many of us, navigating the licensing process is new.

Shang Kong: We all had realistic expectations, and Will’s background in the industry provided the most experience. The rest of us, being attorneys, were familiar with dealing with government processes, which helped [us] navigate the complexities.

Chris Burtley: Reflecting on the time, it took six years, partly because we are just five real people who saved money and worked to bring this together. It wasn’t a matter of having everything ready from day one and just waiting. It involved a lot of saving, thinking, figuring things out, and investing along the way — finding the right contractors and builders. We had to trust each other and believe in the project, investing a tremendous amount of time, money, blood, sweat, and tears. I think that dedication is most evident in the journey over the past six years and we can’t wait to welcome everyone in.

What types of beers and other alternatives will you be brewing?

WM: We’re still developing our beer recipes, but we’ll offer a dry-hopped golden ale. We’ll also have three hand pumps dedicated to cask, featuring some hand-cask staples. We’ll have a lot of low-ABV beers — think European-style lagers and hoppy American ales. There are also draft mocktails and cocktail-inspired beverages with unique flavors. While we’re not at the flagship stage yet, my goal for the first year is to use 100 percent Michigan-grown hops for every single batch. We’ve sourced malt from Sugar Creek in Indiana. Our vision is to minimize our supply chain footprint. With the wide range of brewing ingredients available today, I prefer brewing with constraints. The goal is to focus on local brewing.

I’ve noticed you’ve been working on collaborations with Urbanrest Brewing in Ferndale and Watermark Brewing. Can you talk about these collaborations more?

WM: We did collaboration brews with our friends at Watermark, Batch Brewing Company, and Urbanrest before our opening. Urbanrest’s brew is a Grodziskie, a traditional smoked Polish lager. Watermark’s is a sage wheat beer featuring sage from my garden. And we’re actually doing one with Batch Brewing in Corktown as well, which is going to be a session cold IPA. These are all either on tap or going on tap soon, so absolutely check them out.

Given that Hamtramck is a Muslim-majority community where many residents don’t partake in alcohol, how do you envision the microbrewery integrating into the local culture and fitting within the dynamics of a city?

CB: Incorporating floral elements, big open windows, offerings for people who drink and those who don’t, as well as options for those who don’t like beer. We cover the full spectrum, and we’re excited about the diversity here. Our group represents that as well. We see it all as a positive and are shaping our offerings to match what’s around us and appeal to anyone who walks through the door, no matter who they may be.

I notice the rose motif at Florian — on the walls, glassware, and logos. Is there a story behind this design choice?

WM: We found the flower itself here, and the Hamtramck Historical Museum is working to pinpoint exactly when and which store it originated from, though they’re estimating the mid-’80s. We discovered it behind a layer of plywood and plaster.

MM: There were these patches — I’m not sure what happened to the rest of it, whether it was removed at some point — but they were just there. Amid all the chaos, you could see something cool. It was plaster painted over, so they chiseled off the plaster and left the roses, which is where the logo comes from. The rounded top front windows are another key piece of inspiration for the logo. And thanks to Hamtramck’s Mat Rousso of Sultan Signs for the beautiful artwork done on the windows.

John Abbo: Speaking of windows, the different inscriptions of ‘Florian East’ include one in Aramaic, the Chaldean language. I think it’s pretty cool because you don’t often see that language represented outside of our small community in metro Detroit.

CB: Hamtramck has been a landing spot for so many people in various ways, and the fact that the windows represent that before you even step into the space is truly beautiful. Being a part of that is something special.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Florian East is open 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday, and is located at 9530 Jos Campau Avenue. Follow Florian East on social media to stay up to date with events and happenings.



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