A new microbrewery coming to downtown Oxford this summer will tap into the community’s gravel mining heritage as part of its efforts to draw thirsty patrons.

Gravel Capital Brewing has taken over the space at 14 N. Washington St. The building previously housed Falling Down  Beer Co., which abruptly closed last October.

Owned by longtime Oxford Village residents Tom and Theresa Wrobel, the establishment plans to make craft beers, wines and ciders on-site, then serve them in the 99-person taproom.

Theresa said they want to create an atmosphere that’s “laid back” without a hint of pretension. The goal is to have a “welcoming” place “where everybody can hang their hat” and “everybody knows everybody,” she said.

Patrons will be invited to play shuffleboard, darts and cornhole as they hoist pints with friends and family. Tom envisions a space where “kids are running around between your legs,” while “parents are hanging out, having a fun time.”

The new brewery will be linked to the community’s history as a gravel mining center through both its name and its decor, which will include old photographs and potentially mining industry artifacts, according to the Wrobels.

“I would love to get some sort of cool (gravel-related) structure in there to look at. Something neat,” Tom said.

Oxford was once known far and wide as the “Gravel Capital of the World.” Various companies have been mining here for more than a century.

The Wrobels hope linking their brewery to this important facet of Oxford will be a unique hook that attracts customers and helps ensure the town’s past is not forgotten.

The couple is planning to have a soft opening for the microbrewery in July and a grand opening around the time of the Lone Ranger Parade and Festival in early August.

Tom is no stranger to making his own beer. He’s been involved in homebrewing for about 25 years. What started out as a fun activity he engaged in with a group of friends evolved into a personal passion.

Turning this hobby into a business has been a dream the Wrobels have shared.

“It’s something that we’ve always talked about,” Theresa said. “We’ve said, ‘If we win the millions (in the lottery), this is what we’re going to do, we’re going to open a brewery.’”

It was as if the stars aligned for them when Falling Down closed its doors. They were able to secure a prime downtown space that had just been renovated and was fully-equipped with new brewing equipment and a 48-tap bar. “I’d be a fool to pass up an opportunity like this,” Tom said.

Six types of beer will always be on tap at Gravel Capital Brewing – a lager, an ale, a Belgian-style witbier, an Irish red, a classic India Pale Ale (IPA) and Tom’s specialty, a vanilla coffee porter.

Overall, Tom wants to place a strong emphasis on offering beers that are lighter and more refreshing as opposed to thick and dark.

“We want to focus on something tasty – get something out there in the marketplace that hopefully, people really like,” he said.

In additional to the standards, there will be “seasonal” and “experimental” beers on tap along with various types of wines and ciders.

“(As an experimental offering,) we’re trying to shoot for (producing) a fairly low-alcohol beer, like something in the 3 to 4 percent (range). A lot of people are really liking that (type of beer) right now,” Tom said. “If it goes over well, we’ll keep it around.”

Gravel Capital Brewing will make its beers using the seven-barrel system that Falling Down installed in November 2016. It includes 12 tanks – three for brewing, six for fermentation and three brite tanks, which are used to further mature, clarify and carbonate the beer.

A barrel equals 31 gallons, so the system can make 217-gallon batches. That’s a far cry from the 5-gallon batches Tom is used to brewing at home, so he said there’s going to be “a steep learning curve” involved as he tweaks his recipes for commercial production.

Tom said he’s both “excited” and “nervous” to “see how the public reacts to what’s going to come out of my taps.”

A brief history of Oxford as the ‘Gravel Capital’

William “W.O.” Smith was a pioneer in Oxford’s gravel industry. He came to town in 1910 and began buying stone from local farmers to crush and sell.

With financial assistance from F.W. Hubbard, Smith bought 87 acres of farmland for the purpose of mining gravel. The two businessmen incorporated as the Detroit and Oxford Gravel and Stone Co. The first mining operation opened in 1912.

After that, the industry took off in Oxford, growing, prospering and employing many folks throughout the 20th century.

From the massive pits where the gravel is extracted to the large and loud trucks that transport it along M-24, the industry has definitely made its mark on Oxford.

Over the years, some pits closed and became residential developments featuring lakefront properties. Oxford Lakes in the village and Waterstone in the township are prime examples.

Today, mining continues on the American Aggregates property, owned by the Edward C. Levy Co., and Koenig Sand and Gravel’s 1,200 acres along Lakeville Rd.