Since 2008, the space that was Billy’s Lighthouse has sat vacant off Highway 12 in Long Lake. Now, after years of customer encouragement, Birch’s has taken over the space and transformed it into Birch’s on the Lake Brewhouse and Supperclub.
Chef-proprietor Burt Joseph partnered with Brennan Greene, former head brewer of Schlafly Brewery in St. Louis, Missouri, to make his dream a reality. “We connected through Brennan’s father, who proposed the idea of opening a brewery, and I shared my idea of taking over Billy’s. That really piqued the interest for combining a brewhouse and supper club,” Joseph says. The second-floor supper club preserves many of Birch’s popular menu items while adding new things like a New England shrimp boil and prime rib on Friday and Saturday nights.
On the first floor, customers can enjoy the brewery, taproom and lakeside patio, complete with boat slips for those who “would prefer to cruise over instead of drive,” says Joseph. That menu consists of everything from Ukrainian bratwurst to Louisiana-style chicken sandwiches. Customers can expect the deck to open for full food service in spring 2016. “I’m just excited about opening an old location in Long Lake and making it stand out on the map a little bit,” Joseph says. “I think it’s a wonderful location and addition to the area.”
