DETROIT (WWJ) – It’s been a Midtown staple for decades. The Traffic Jam & Snug, known for its in-house bakery, microbrewery and dairy, opened in 1965 and launched Detroit’s first brewpub in 1992.
Different from a standard brewery, a brewpub doesn’t distribute its beer outside its own walls. Richard Chestnutt, head brewer at the brewpub, says that has its advantages.
"The beer’s not sitting on a shelf, it’s not sitting in a distribution warehouse, it’s not sitting in another warehouse, it’s not sitting in a grocery store. It’s going from my tank into your mouth," Chestnutt told WWJ’s Zach Clark.
Located at the corner of 2nd Avenue and Canfield Street, The Traffic Jam has served up a wide, rotating range of beer for nearly three decades, from the likes of the "I Know What You Did Last Summer IPA" to "Wit’s Happening," and many more. While keeping things fresh with the ever-changing selection of different styles and varieties of beer is exciting for customers – and Chestnutt himself – he says it does pose a challenge.
"I want to make the best example of the style possible. That’s a huge thing for me and my personal beliefs of being a brewer, is you need to know how to make beer to style," he said. "If you’re not good at making the base beer, and you go to put all these wacky ingredients that people love to do, it’s not going to be good, because the base beer’s not good."
With an intimate, multi-level dining setting, customers can enjoy their beer while watching Chestnutt and others in action. An observation balcony offers views down into the brewery, and he admits sometimes it takes him by surprise.
"If anything, it’s a little scary because it catches me off guard and then I look up and there’s people just staring at me," Chestnutt said with a laugh.
As Michigan’s smallest registered dairy, Chestnutt says Traffic Jam utilizes the same equipment for beer and cheese making – just like monks did in ancient times.
"I’m the first brewer in probably about 15 years to do the beer and the cheese together," Chestnutt said.
The brewpub has earned numerous awards for its beer over the years and Chestnutt says it’s all because the beer is so fresh.
"You’re not going to get beer fresher than in a brewpub," he said.
CHECK OUT MORE OF ZACH CLARK'S CRAFT BEER CONVERSATION SERIES