About Us:

It all started in December 2008 when Joni Hayes and her husband Pete were invited to a New Year's Eve celebration hosted by Keith and Jenny Lawrence. Keith and his brothers, Dennis and Mike, were all attending the party. The three brothers had been home brewing for almost a decade. Unbeknownst to them, Pete Hayes was also a home-brewer. As you would expect, 2009 was ushered in with plenty of talk on beer and the brewing process.  Pete Hayes received a degree in Chemistry from Saginaw Valley State University, and he used that knowledge as a brewer for almost ten years. He started in quality control at Guyer Brewery in Frankenmuth, MI and eventually climbed the ladder to Master Brewer. Sadly, the Guyer brewery was destroyed in a tornado not long after his promotion. After a few other positions in small breweries, Pete Hayes took a position elsewhere in the chemical industry. Keith Lawrence graduated with a degree in Education from Central Michigan University. Keith taught in the Caro, MI school system for ten years before returning to school to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of New York.  After another decade, Keith went on to receive a Masters in Anesthesia from the University of Michigan.   Two months after that fateful New Year's Eve party, in February of 2009, Keith invited Pete to attend a Detroit Pistons basketball game. That's when Pete popped the question: "Would you like to start a microbrewery with me?" Alas, the Midland Brewing Company, LLC was born.