Watch CBS News

'Pedal-Powered' Detroit Brewery Launches Crowdfunding Campaign

DETROIT (WWJ) -- Two brothers have launched a $50,000 crowdfunding campaign to advance their idea of a green-energy brewery at Detroit's Eastern Market.

Shawn and Aaron Grose, natives of Grosse Pointe, have developed a patent-pending brewing method in which the energy source for beer production is a combination of energy generated by stationary bicycles, supported by wind and solar power.

Shawn Grose said the brothers developed the now-trademarked concept of "Pedal-Powered Beer" over the past year. Aaron Grose has several years of brewing experience at a Detroit microbrewery, and both men are home brewers.

The brothers want to build their Windmill Pointe Brewing Co. with an energy monitoring system that measures the energy generated by solar and wind installations and the stationary bikes, as well as the energy used to brew the beer. The idea, Shawn Grose said, "is to produce a net zero beer."

And why the Eastern Market?

"We just feel it's the heart and soul of Detroit," Shawn Grose said. "People come there to buy their meats and their vegetables. And we'd like to be able to work with local vendors and just walk down the street for fruits or grains, and add that extra local touch to our beer."

The Groses want to raise the money within 60 days using the indiegogo.com crowdfunding platform. The Windmill Pointe Brewing page on Indiegogo features a short video and all the details on how the funding will be used. Contribution levels have been designed to meet every budget -- from $10 to $10,000. The Windmill Pointe page is on the Indiegogo site at http://igg.me/at/Pedal-PoweredBeer/x/6075822. As of Wednesday morning, about $4,000 had been raised.

A successful crowd-funding campaign will be a key element in Aaron and Shawn's quest for a permanent brewery. Over the past several months, they have conducted "mobile brewing sessions" throughout the Detroit area to demonstrate their unique brewing technology and the community environment it creates.

More at www.windmillpointebrewing.com.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.