July 25, 2009 [ Updated August 5, 2009 ]
Nice place, relatively small and kind of in a weird location. There was a decent selection of draft, nothing exotic, and a respectable bottle list with several that were new to me. Great atmosphere with a younger crowd who want to drink good beer and have a good time.

April 6, 2009
Nice selection of beer, nice to be able to sit outside on the patio and toss a few back.

February 28, 2009
Used to frequent this bar when my friend lived up off Innes. Selection was the best in the city, until Hop Cat took over the Siera Room down by the Arena. Creative list of micros and imports, the bottle list doesn’t seem like it changes much, but the drafts vary nicely. Food has improved drastically over the years, but seems a bit pricey for sandwiches. Service can be a bit hit or miss, especially when the place gets over crowded, which it tends to on the weekends. Quality jukebox, enough games to entertain, but those can be limited by the crowd. Overall you could do much worse in GR, and Hop Cat is now the beer king.

July 4, 2008
A nice little neighbourhood pub a bit off-center. Somewhat small it can probably fit 50 to 75 with a lot of them standing. Dart board, pool table and cool rock music. Beer selection is interesting. About 20 taps with only a few junk items (Pabst Blue Ribbon being the worst). Mostly classic American micros (Dogfish 90 minutes, some Bell’s, Some Founder’s) but also a few smaller micros and some classic Belgium Ales (Delirium Tremens, etc.). The crowd is early 20s. The place was pretty packed on a Sunday night. Those Grand Rapid kids really like to go out. For the beer selection there is better in town (Logan’s Alley) but if you’re a young beer-geek you’ll like this place.

February 27, 2007
food selection among the best of bars in area. patio setting very nice in summer. beer selction vast and reasonably priced. great location just outside of downtown.

November 3, 2006
Great bar, biggest selection I’ve ever seen! Food is good too, friendly service.

April 14, 2005
Probably the best beer selection in grand rapids. About 20 taps, with a couple rotating seasonal and rarities, and a nice bottle selection. Food has improved tremendously with the addition of a full kitchen, and a similar menu to that of it’s sister bar Cambridge house, although that one’s beer menu isn’t quite as extensive. In regards to silphium’s occasional sweetness in their tap beers, I have noticed that occasionaly as well. probably need to clean the tap lines better. But overall a very good place to get a beer in GR.

February 1, 2005
A fairly nondescript bar with a handful of tables in the bar room and an additional room with a pool table, darts, and hockey. Huge menu with a fairly extensive beer list; 20 beers were listed on tap, and there were dozens of bottles available. Just prior to my visit, Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale and Summit Oatmeal Stout were available, both very rare beers in this region (in fact, I’m willing to bet this was the only bar within 100 miles that had those two beers). Others included Youngs Double Chocolate Stout, Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, Great Lakes Nosferatu, Founders Breakfast Stout, and a handful of other locals and imports. In bottles, several Belgian, German, and British beers are available. I had the Nosferatu and the Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. The former seemed a bit stale to me, very sweet with little of the original hop character. The SNCA also had an odd sweetness to it; I’ve had this beer on tap elsewhere several times before and never detected this flavor. A revisit is in store to see if other beers on tap have the same flavor. Foodwise I was disappointed; I ordered a Reuben and got a hamburger bun with a smearing of sauerkraut, cheese, and a small stack of that cheap 99 cents/package corned beef, probably that Carl Buddig crap. Pretty lame. Their food menu is quite small, and I recommend eating elsewhere before visiting.