Once Bell's Brewery is officially sold to Australian beer company Lion, a new and largest independent craft brewery will appear in Michigan.

New Holland Brewing Co. was founded in 1997 by childhood friends Brett VanderKamp and Jason Spaulding. It grew from a passion for home brewing using old barrels, thermos, pulleys and platforms, and established its own Michigan craft beer factory. It has two restaurants—Bar 8 in the Netherlands and Knickerbocker in the heart of Grand Rapids—as well as a spirits tasting room and two physical stores in Saugatuck.

Although Spalding and his wife Chris later opened the Vivant brewery in Grand Rapids, Van der Kemp has remained in New Holland as CEO. He is proud of his status as an independent brewer. 

"It means a lot," Van der Kemp, 49, told Liberty Media. "When you are a founder-led company, you can make longer-term decisions instead of just looking at this year’s budget. I think that’s what independence is all about, it’s investing in the long-term and where you want you to The long-term development of the organization."

In other words, he understands Larry Bell's decision to sell the Bell Brewery after 38 years of running the company. For the past few years, Bell has been dealing with health issues, and he had to make difficult decisions when he could not keep the family business for future generations.

"Outside the Sierra Nevada, Bell is my first experience with craft beer," Van der Kemp said. "We were there when we started our brewery in 1997. We know the brewers very well. This was a big inspiration for us when we first started. I am very grateful to Larry for being a pioneer in this area.

"I am happy for Larry and Bell's family. I know he has gone through a lot and I am sure that this decision will not be easy for him, but I am happy for him."

New Holland brewed nearly 50,000 barrels of beer in 2020, making it the largest fully independent craft brewery in the state. Next on the list is Old Nation Brewing Co. in Williamston, powered by its M-43 New England IPA. Old Nation said that this year alone, it will eventually produce as many as 20,000 barrels of beer. Other larger independent craft brewers in Michigan include Griffin Claw Brewing Co. in Birmingham, which produced 12,000 barrels of beer in 2020, and Odd Side Ales in Grand Haven, which produced just under 11,000 barrels.

New Holland has many year-round and seasonal staples, including Mad Hatter IPA (7% ABV), Poet Oat Stout (5.8%) and Ichabod Pumpkin Beer (4.5%). But its most famous is probably Dragon's Milk, which was first produced in 2001. Since then it has become one of the most well-known barrel dark beer in the United States, so much so that New Holland promoted Dragon's Milk to its own brand in 2018. It even has its own branded website, dragonsmilk.com.

"That's really the brand itself taking off and becoming something else," Van der Kemp said. "When we talk to people from all over the country, they may not have heard of New Holland, but they have heard of dragon milk. I like that beer."

The original Dragon's Milk (11% ABV) is one of the few dark beer in barrels available throughout the year. It is brewed from roasted malt and exudes a rich chocolate and coffee flavor. It sits in bourbon barrels for three months to add flavors of vanilla, oak and bourbon. As part of the Dragon's Milk Reserve series, New Holland released some variants throughout the year; a variant with marshmallows and dark chocolate became the top 10 beers I tasted in 2020. Another one released this year is salted caramel dragon milk, which is sweet and has a soft creamy caramel flavor.

In the past few years, New Holland has taken many other shrewd business initiatives to improve itself while remaining independent. 

In 2016, it reached an agreement with Pabst Brewing Co. to distribute its beer nationwide, allowing customers to purchase New Holland beer in 47 states (although 40% of its total sales occur in Michigan). It launched an updated logo in 2020 and renamed its non-Dragon's Milk beer. It also launched a series of spirits in 2005 as a substitute for those who do not drink beer. Earlier this year, it even tried bourbon soda.

"(Pabst deal) helps us grow and stay independent," VanderKamp said. "It allows us to control our brand, our marketing, our space, our bar, and continue to focus on other alcoholic beverages we like, including spirits, hard sodas, etc. It provides us with all this, And continue to grow at the national level."

This growth has also helped New Holland better withstand the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in the closure of two indoor dining since March 2020, and has forced many Michigan breweries to adjust their beer distribution strategies, leading to curbside fetching. Goods and stricter competition on store shelves (the only other place where they can sell beer). Van der Kemp said that New Holland is "stabilizing," although it has not fully recovered to its pre-COVID figures.

Van der Kemp pointed out that the key to New Holland is to maintain independence—and, like many independent craft breweries, remain committed to the community. There are four other breweries in the Netherlands: Our Brewing Company, New Holland's Pub next to 8th, and Big Lake Brewing, Tulip City Brewstillery and Brewery 4 Two 4. VanderKamp said that this is a tightly integrated beer community where breweries can help one person out another.

"The craft beer field is full of vitality," Van der Kemp said. "Compared to 25 years ago, you can spend less money to enter it. If your beer is good, you can almost start with almost no cash, work hard, find space, open the door and have a fixed customer base. 

"I am very excited about the people and energy entering this industry."

Detroit spiritual writer Brian Manzullo reports on craft brewers for the free press. Contact him: bmanzullo@freepress.com and Untappd, bmanzullo and Twitter, @BrianManzullo and @SpiritsofDET.