Brewing Up a Storm

By Dianna Stampfler

Chill out and warm up at Frankfort’s Stormcloud Brewing

There’s something captivating about winter in northern Michigan, even on tempestuous days when ever-changing weather churns up waves and whips up ominous formations in the skies around the Great Lakes. It is the unpredictable moodiness, mystery, and beauty of the lakes that inspired the name Stormcloud Brewing.

Brian Confer, who once made a living as a commercial photographer, turned a homebrewing hobby into a new career by tapping local entrepreneur Rick Schmitt to get the brewery off the ground. They transformed a vacant building next door to The Garden Theater—a non-profit that Schmitt and others operate through a friends’ group—in downtown Frankfort. They opened the 16-tap brewery, just two blocks from the Lake Michigan shoreline, in the summer of 2013 to rave reviews.

To set himself apart from the growing number of breweries popping up around the state at the time, Confer focused on Belgian-style beers which are rich in historical tradition and are known for their distinct malt-forward flavors. He also is proud to support local agriculture, by sourcing Michigan-grown hops for his herbaceous IPAs (India Pale Ale) and the brewery’s flagship Rainmaker pale ale, among other seasonal and year-round brews.

Stormcloud’s small but mighty menu features artisan flatbreads, shareables, sandwiches, salads, and an array of decadent flavored movie theater popcorn like truffle oil and fresh parmesan or honey siracha. Throughout the winter, visitors can sink their teeth into Burger Fridays with beef, black bean, and rotating specialty burgers.

Beyond the food and beer, it is Stormcloud’s cozy, inviting atmosphere that brings in locals and visitors even on the coldest, snowiest winter days.

“There are tons of great trails for cross country skiing and snowshoeing near Frankfort, the southern gateway to the Sleeping Bear Dunes,” Schmitt notes. Sections of the 22-mile Betsie Valley Trail—which was named a Pure Michigan Trail in 2025—traverse throughout the county along a former Ann Arbor railroad bed and are well suited for winter fat tire biking. The brewery is also less than 30 miles from Crystal Mountain Resort, making it a popular Après-ski destination.

Visitors to the ‘Cloud (as it is affectionately known) can also try their hand at curling—a 16th century Scottish sport where two teams of four players each slide large granite stones down a sheet of ice toward a series of concentric circles at the end called the “house.” Regulation play consists of ten ends (similar to an inning in baseball), with all eight players throwing their stones and the team with the most points at the conclusion of play being named winner.

Often referred to as “chess on ice,” curling for men was first played at the inaugural 1924 Winter Games in Chamonix, France, but it wasn’t until the 2010 Vancouver Games that it became a medal sport—thanks to the enthusiasm of Canadians. Curling in men’s, women’s, and mixed doubles will be among the featured games at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy, where Michigan-born Delaney Strouse of the Traverse City Curling Club hopes to compete.

While there are a handful of curling clubs around Michigan, Stormcloud is believed to be the only public outdoor curling sheet in the state, offering weekly leagues, lessons, and open public play. Lessons are available on Saturday afternoons from mid-January through mid-February, weather permitting. As the ice sheet is not refrigerated like indoor rinks, temperatures must be at or below freezing for optimal play. The Stormcloud sheet is also considerably smaller than the Olympic size of 150 feet long by 16.5 feet wide, making it more approachable for new, beginner, or amateur players.

Those taking a break between games or simply spectating can warm up next to the beer garden’s outdoor firepits while sipping hearty brews like the Nightswimmer Stout winter seasonal (at 7% alcohol by volume, ABV), which help keep the chill at bay.

Inside the taproom, a variety of board games like Shut the Box, Risk, Code Names, Tapple and miniature tabletop curling, as well as decks of cards for pick-up games of Euchre, encourage less athletic competition paired with a pint or flight. Wednesday nights are reserved for Trivia Tournaments, there are occasional game nights or Euchre tournaments, and there is almost always a sporting event—including curling, in the winter—broadcasting on television.

In addition to the downtown pub, Stormcloud opened a 13,000-square-foot production facility and seasonal Parkview Taproom on the east end of town in the spring of 2018. It is here that the brewery’s canned and draft beer is produced for sale around the state.