Tuesday 4th of May 2010 10:02:20 AM

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Great beers, Great food, Fun place! Their pale ale, IPA and double IPA were strong and very drinkable- excellent hop flavors. The other beers were spot on as well. They had a nice porter and bitter. I had a perch sandwich which was great. Friendly service, hops growing up the side of the outdoor patio, Brew-on-Premise for those who want to "homebrew" without the fuss. Be sure to make it a stop!

Thursday 9th of July 2009 10:13:39 AM

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We easily found Saugatuck Brewing just a mile or so North of I-196 on Blue Star highway. They have not always been at this location, so some online outdated online data is out there. It was just after the noon rush, so the place was not very busy. Before we took our seats, Dave, the pub manager greeted us warmly upon noticing my logo shirt from another West Michigan craft brewery. Our server prompty took our order, and gave us great service for the duration of our stay. Of the eight or so beers on tap, we sampled the Blonde, Kolsch, Dusseldorff Alt, and IPA (Signapore on the menu, but "Last Day" on the board). All beers were solid examples of their style, with the Kolsch and IPA really making a great impression with us. Dave told us they were soon adding capacity to have as meny as twleve taps on at once. Nice. The pub fare was good, and the prices were fair, if not a little better than most. We'll be back just as soon as we can.

Sunday 29th of March 2009 11:18:01 AM

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When my wife and I tour we always include the breweries. When I decided to write reviews I was surprised by the low score of Saugatuck Brewing Co. They always try to let people have little tastes to decided what they would like and I've never had a sour beer.
They are one of the very few that Ive seen that make a rauch (smoke) beer, not my favorite but well done. Another is there spent hop I.P.A. where they dry hop one I.P.A. then use the hops that haven't been boiled to bitter the next I.P.A.
They always have different styles of beers along with there Oval Beach Blond that Bud and Miller drinkers like.
I live close enough I can visit often and have never had a sour beer. Love there coal porter, pale ales, and I.P.A.'s. They only have sandwich's but I heard they are going to change that.
Well worth the trip and stop.

Saturday 28th of March 2009 12:01:13 PM

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I felt compelled to comment and review after reading the poor rating that was given last summer (2008). It is true that SBC had staffing problems after they re-opened last summer, but those problems have all been ironed out over the winter. The current staff is friendly, quick to serve, and educated about beer.

They currently have a sandwich menu but I was told that they are working hard to open a larger kitchen by summer 2009. The sandwiches are healthy, with fresh cheeses and home-made mustards and spreads, as well as "pub platters" and snacks that include olives and cashews. This is certainly healthier than fries and bergers. Keep in mind that these people love beer, and after re-opening in June 2008, their first priority was to serve great beer knowing that an extended menu would follow.

About their beers: I have never had a poor, weak, or "sour" beer at Saugatuck Brewing Company. I can't say that about New Holland, where half the time the tap beer tastes like the lines need to be cleaned, or the Livery where the owner has been serving sour lambics over the winter to the point where all of his beer has taken on the lambic flavor.

SBC always has a good variation of beers on the boards to please a broad pallet of customer tastes. A typical day will have an American Ale, a brown, an amber, a porter, a stout, and an IPA. It's an event when they have their high alcohol "Dave's Tripple" on tap, which recently is more often than not.

The atmosphere is warm and welcoming. They do not have any TV's which has made it a welcoming get-away from the recent world troubles, and which creates an atmosphere that promotes guests to pick up conversations with the people sitting next to them. Spry discussions and laughter are the norm there. I have seen many families come here for lunch and dinner with mobs of children because they can chat with each other. They also have a stash of board games and other table games that are enjoyed by people of all ages, as well as dart boards with dart leagues competing. There is live music almost every weekend.

It is a treat on the days when people are "Brewing on premise" because it smells so good. Watching people brew also creates an electric atmosphere that is fun to watch.

I personally think that you would miss out on a treat of beer, beer enthusiasts, and atmosphere if you passed by the SBC.

Monday 4th of August 2008 09:19:29 AM

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We stopped here on a rainy Saturday afternoon. It was quickly obvious they did not expect the number of people that came in even though the tables were probably about 3/4 occupied. There were three staff behind the bar and one wait person. Apparently the bar staff could not serve to the tables because we didn't get our beers until after our food had arrived and the wait for the food was extended. This was no problem, though because even though the food was the low end of pub grub, the beer was not worth the wait. The supposed English style beers were thin, bodyless drinks hopped with sour tasting Cascade or similar American citrisy tasting hops. Something one would never get in England.