Editor's note: This story is part of Southwest Michigan Second Wave's On the Ground Calhoun County series.

MARSHALL, MI — Craft beer is liquid gold for the city of Marshall and Benchmark Beverage Co., which is scaling up production of old favorites and new flavors at Dark Horse Brewing Co.

More than 14,000 barrels of beer annually will be filled this year, a little over double the 6,000 produced by Dark Horse and Roak Brewing Co., which acquired the Marshall brewery in 2019. This production scale-up is the result of subsequent acquisitions by Livonia-based Benchmark, which acquired Roak in 2024, followed by Brew Detroit, a contract brewery, in February. Ahead of buying the Brew Detroit brand and assets, Benchmark purchased the Great America brand, which had been based in Pennsylvania.

Given that pre-acquisition, the majority of these breweries were located on the east side of the state, it likely made sense that the production stay there, but Benchmark’s leadership had other ideas.

“John GrapScenes inside Dark Horse’s Common Market, which features food, alcohol, and other carry-out items.We're keeping it Michigan, so that's the most important part, I think,” said Auday Arabo, president and CEO of Benchmark Beverage Co., in a story on the MSN website. “Brew Detroit, Great America, Roak, and Dark Horse will all be produced in Marshall. It's a nice go-between, between Detroit and Chicago.”

The fostering of a good relationship with Dark Horse and later Roak and Benchmark paved the way for the continued production of brands under the Dark Horse umbrella and new offerings like Limonata, a Sicilian pilsner with hints of lemon, says Derek Perry, Marshall City Manager.

“At the end of the day, good economic activity generates economics,” he says. “Dark Horse has a very strong, loyal customer base. It has a great regional draw that will only be enhanced now. The reality is that Benchmark could have kept their brewing operations in Detroit. But, they chose Marshall, and that matters.”

John GrapBruce Kridler is the Vice-President of Corporate Affairs for Benchmark Beverage.Under Benchmark, about $3 million in enhancements is being made to their Dark Horse facility, says Bruce Kridler, Director of Corporate Development for Benchmark. This includes expansion of the beer can line, exterior beautification work, and a new outdoor barn with additional seating and live music Thursdays through Saturdays.
There was a healthy amount of skepticism from long-standing Dark Horse customers who, KridIer says, were “lamenting the big boys have come to town” when he paid a visit in February.

“Those same people realize that the big boys are not coming in to change things but to make it better. We are going to keep what we have and make it better.”

What’s on tap

The brewery's 16 taps have been expanded to 35 just in time for summer.

The recent acquisitions have paved the way for an expansion of craft brew offerings from 73 to 85. Kridler is very excited about the Limonata beer, which was unveiled to the public during a BBQ contest event in early May at Dark Horse.

John GrapScenes inside Dark Horse’s Common Market, which features food, alcohol, and other carry-out items.The Sicilian-inspired brew has a four percent alcohol content. Kridler says a beer like this represents a “tipping point” for Benchmark, which is focused on fruit-forward beers with lower alcohol content.

“A goal we have is to grab more market share with more of a fruit-forward flavor,” he says. “All of us are moving in the direction of lower ABV (Alcohol by Volume) and flavors. Craft beer is not growing. With so much in the market, it’s been saturated. While there are still some craft beers being produced, more of them are fruit-flavored, which is where our growth is happening.”

Recently, Benchmark entered into an agreement with Crooked Tree Golf Club in Petoskey to sell a Crooked Tree beer, which is part of Dark Horse’s product portfolio. The beer has notes of raspberry and is one of Dark Horse’s top sellers, Kridler says.
“Benchmark is a supplier and broker of spirits that has morphed into craft beer,” he says. “Our brewers are amazing.”

John GrapZach Sloan is the Packaging Lead at Dark Horse.The company recently hired the brewer who was part of the team that created Two-Hearted Ale for Bell’s Brewery.

These brewers are part of a group of six people who focus on the manufacturing process, which is managed by John Rodopoulos, Vice President of Operations for Dark Horse.

“Craft beer brands have been existing in the market for many years,” he says. “By acquiring different brands, what Benchmark has done is strategic to gain volume.”
This strategy includes bringing back beers that were popular at one time. Among these is Altes Beer, a Detroit-style lager dating back to 1910. It had a fan base of the Detroit Tigers faithful up until the 1960s.

John GrapScenes of Dark Horse’s beer garden, which opened in early May.“Every brand has its day in the sun,” Kridler says. “My wife used to like Bloody Marys with Absolut Vodka. Fast-forward 10 years, and it became Grey Goose, fast forward another 10 years, and it’s Tito’s. Every 10 years, people’s preferences change. It’s all about the marketing. These are things we’ve talked about as a leadership team. We’re going to ride the crest when it's popular and be there for the next crest. You have to be aware of what’s popular and what sells.”

The purchase of the Altes Beer brand was a direct response to younger beer drinkers who are going back to some iconic brands like Pabst and Stroh’s.

“We know there’s a play for people over 55 and younger people looking at that same kind of thing with spirits,” Kridler says. “People over the age of 50 used to drink Manhattans and Martinis. We’re in those spaces of following trends in everything.”
Dark Horse carries vodka, gin, and rum, which they sell through their store and serve by the ounce in their tasting room and restaurant, Rodopoulos says.
 
A future ferments

The big push for Benchmark with its spirits line over the next three years is to right-size its portfolio, which represents more than 200 brands of spirits that they either own or broker. This will provide opportunities to provide ready-to-drink cans of spirits and cocktails.

“We want to own our own brands and control our own destiny rather than brokering brands,” Kridler says.

John GrapJohn Rodopoulos is the Director of Operations for Dark Horse and Roak Brewing.With an increasing demand for non-alcoholic options, he says this is also something Benchmark will focus on.

“It’s something on the table as something we need to go into,” he says.
When it comes to spirits with a lower alcohol content, the malt bill is lower, Rodopoulos says.

“It’s cheaper to make lower-alcohol levels from a grain perspective,” he says. “Still, based off of the malt bills, the more malt you’re adding, the more sugar content is getting into the liquor. 40 proof is the country target. The brewers here kind of play with it. Craft cocktails offer something different. We want to give them that experience here.”

John GrapScenes inside Dark Horse’s tap room feature some of the hundreds of mugs.This experience-driven foundation has built a loyal customer base that has grown since Dark Horse first opened as a brewpub in 1999. These customers are members of the Mug Club and each has their own beer mug which hangs from the taproom’s ceiling. So far, 5,000 mugs adorn that ceiling, ready for their owners when they come in for a beer.

Kridler says the mugs are made by a pottery artist in northern Michigan who comes to Dark Horse each year to take orders for the mugs.

While sipping on a beer, customers can also order food from a restaurant that fronts the taproom. Offerings include salads, egg rolls, pastas, and desserts.

John GrapCans are filled with beer and sealed at Dark Horse.When Kridler first visited Dark Horse, he says he was “thrilled to see that it was not just traditional bar food like mushroom caps in batter.”

The hiring of a new chef will mean additions to a food menu that offers a twist on the ordinary.

John GrapScenes of Dark Horse’s beer garden, which opened in early May.This is all part of Benchmark’s investment strategy with a goal to increase revenues from $20 million to $100 million in the next three to five years, Kridler says.

“We’re not massive. We’re a relatively small company that’s been able to pivot when we see changes coming. We can pivot pretty quickly,” he says. “Big distributors that we work with tell us that they’ve never seen a company this size doing so well.”