Remember Fox Deluxe Beer? It Was Made Right Here in Grand Rapids

This is Beer City, U.S.A. Grand Rapids, Michigan, the craft beer brewing capital of the world! Well, almost. At any rate, people come from around the country for the Founder's of the world, but way before the current beer craze, beer was made here, and lots of it.

Actually, brewing in Grand Rapids goes back before the Civil War, but as time went by, many faded to vague memories.

In a great memory from the Facebook page, If You Grew Up in Grand Rapids, one big brewery on Michigan Street, downtown Grand Rapids, the Peter Fox Brewing Company from Chicago, bought a brewery here to help their distribution. For ten years, 1941 - 1951, they brewed Fox Deluxe Beer. People also remember Silver Foam, their signature beer. Originally it had been the Grand Rapids Brewing Company, and the building stood for many years.

Vic Gillis, formerly with the Grand Rapids Police Department, remembered that after Fox moved out, the city bought the building and the GRPD parked their cars there on the lower two floors.

Where on Michigan Street was the brewery? Right here where the state of Michigan office building stands today!

A funny side note, when they tried to tear the building down, it had been built so well that a wrecking ball literally bounced off the side, so they had to tear it down nearly brick by brick!