Dog & Pony Show

FROM A STANDING EUCHRE NIGHT TO PAINT & PINT EVENTS, DOG & PONY SHOW BREWING HAS BEEN KEEPING BUSY FOR THE TWO-PLUS YEARS IT’S BEEN OPEN.

“The community support has been the reason why we’ve really taken off and become such a popular spot,” says Kyle Gierada, co-owner of the brewery. During the week, regulars come in – they’re even busy on Tuesdays and Wednesdays – and on weekends, some craft beer aficionados make the trek from as far as Grand Rapids or Bay City.

Kyle adds that it’s been nice having Unexpected Craft Brewing Company as a neighbor since offering a double whammy draws in people who are craft-brewery-hoppers. “We looked in Plymouth and Detroit and quite a few other places when we were looking for a place to open –initially, I was sure we’d end up in downtown Detroit,” Kyle explains. “But even though Michigan is known for its craft breweries, Oak Park didn’t have any at the time.” And thus a match made in (beer) heaven was born. (The copious free parking was a prime aspect of said heaven.)

FROM THE BEGINNING, DOG & PONY HAS WANTED TO BE an integral part of Berkley and Oak Park, and has gotten involved with city-wide events in both cities on top of hosting their own signature events. They’ve had a food truck visit every night, too, which has led to some of the mobile chefs building up their own businesses in a classic example of small businesses helping each other.

Kyle’s wife, Stephanie, is the co-owner of the brewery, and his two brothers are also actively involved in the business, with Aaron handling the photography, graphic design and social media, and Josh serving as brewmaster.

They found the building in 2018, signed the lease in 2019 and were supposed to open in 2020. Of course, that was temporarily halted by covid, but they were finally able to open in June of 2021. “It could have been nuclear war, and we would have opened,” Kyle says. “When I made the decision to leave my financial career and come here, I said we were going to open no matter what.”

NOW, WITH MORE THAN TWO YEARS OF RUNNING A BREWERY under their belt, Dog & Pony has established some annual events like their Halloween party, their local version of Oktoberfest and the bar night of the year, i.e., the night before Thanksgiving. They’ve also become a big spot for soccer – they’re the official location for the Detroit Spurs – and they did a special-edition “short boy” beer over the summer for the Tigers. Only five breweries across the U.S. were licensed by Bally Sports to do the short boys, and Dog & Pony was chosen to represent the Detroit market.

Beer is obviously at the heart of their business, and one of the very first varieties the brothers dreamed up was Oak Park Ale, or OPA for short. The red ale is still a fan favorite, as are the We Be Boatin’ lager and General PILS. The Coconut Prophet Porter tastes like a Mounds bar, Kyle says – it’s sweeter than Guinness and not as roasty, and its namesake flavor comes from the toasted coconut that’s included during the fermentation process.

Alongside such staples, thirsty patrons will always find some new items on the board, too. And a communal atmosphere and friendly ear. n

14661 W. Eleven Mile Ste. 200, Oak Park | 248-850-8910