Elk Brewing

One beer. It was cold. Ma deuce brown. 7% I liked the beer but the lack of food was a bummer. I would go back in a heartbeat.

The beer here is nothing special. The atmosphere is really cool though which is the reason for the ⁴⁄₅ stars. The staff here is super nice and informative and the crowd isn’t bad at all. They have some board games to occupy your time and when I was there they were playing reruns of old WWE matches on the tv which is pretty rad in my opinion. I would come back here for sure.

We had a flights and enjoyed all five beers. The expresso blonde and spruce stout were particularly good.

I wanted to like this place. I’ve been there 3 times and I’m just not impressed. The bartenders are not very friendly. The beer is average but for beer city below average. I think they have an awesome location and hope they can get better.

Elk has come a long way since their opening. I was not a fan when they first opened. The beer just seemed to be blah. I was nervous that they may not survive. The idea of having a beer flight with different juices put into their house beer just didn’t set with me well. They have since changed all of my negative for the BETTER!
Their beer list is more impressive now. They have brewed many more different styles and seem to have their groove going. The brewery has also added food, which I think is extremely important if you want people to stick around. However, I think there is a confusion as to when the kitchen is open, considering times and days. I know it is listed in the brewery but I also feel like it changes.
The best scenario to come here for… at least the best time I have had coming to Elk is to bring friends and play a game! I have had one of the best times with a few friends playing Battle of the Sexes and drinking some beer. We actually popped into Elk waiting for a table at a local restaurant near by (this was before Elk served food). We were having so much fun that we stayed at elk and just ended up eating something at home after the night was done!
Great for friends to hang out all together, which I think is hard to come by at most breweries. I have to stick to my three star review though because there are just other breweries I would think to go to before this one!

Cool brewery. Small neighborhood feel. Was there work my wife and son playing board games. Owner stopped by and introduced himself. Beers are good. Lots of options. Love the Randal Mondays.

I arrived by bicycle, just before another group arrived on a bus/​limo tour. They were very loud, and I should have sat outside, but the lack of close proximity bike parking led me to chain up my bike out front. They had a patio area that might have created a much better experience — picnic tables in a gravel courtyard, and corn hole game — but I stayed inside as I had to go up to the bar to get any service anyway. It was very loud. I ordered a Nug Pale, but the bar back explained they needed to change the tap, and she offered to bring it to my table. She did so in short order, and was very friendly in doing so. Nug Pale is a good refreshing light pale, and I recommend it. This is not a high end place, but a relaxed atmosphere has it’s place in the world too. Manage your expectations, but stop in and give them a try.

Beer was decent, nothing special. If I lived in the area and wanted to just grab some local beer, I’d probably frequent this place. However, I don’t think it’s worth going out of your way or making a special trip for. Of the 11 breweries I visited in the Grand Rapids area last week, this one was my least favorite.

Snapshot: Great craft microbrews and a cool atmosphere to relax and enjoy them.
We went here on July 4^th, and had a pleasant experience. Their hefeweizen, scotch ale and IPA were all well above bar, and I felt like it was a great effort. I’m a discerning beer guy, and I can say their Hefeweizen was one of the better ones I’ve had. It was bready and malty, and overall had the right amount of banana and clove characteristics to make it feel like a true German effort. We did not try their food, but we appreciated all of the card and board games they had that were free to use for patrons. I beat my wife badly at Battleship, and she’s still not talking to me because of it…
Go here for beer!

Had a great first experience here. Good beer selection and I enjoyed the ones I tried. Had a few of the Rowster Coffee Porter, which I enjoyed very much. Also tried the West Coast IPA and it was pretty solid. Fun patio area outdoors with gravel and cornhole, picnic benches and room to hang out. They have a fun selection of board games and card games that are available for all to enjoy which our group enjoyed very much. Prices are fair, and you’re not going to break the bank here. Worth a visit!

Visit Elk because you want to support your local hustling brewer. The beer is decent, it tastes like your buddy’s homebrew so don’t expect Founders.
The owner came out and was very kind. He obviously is working hard and putting his sweat into the beer.
No food on Mondays, but dollar off pints.

It’s okay, I had the Rowster Coffee Porter and it was pretty amazing, a great beer for porter lovers around the nation. The vibe was very happening, it was a bit louder than I expected for a small place and there growlers r pretty neat looking. All in All it was worth a trip to sit down and enjoy ur beer. They do sell Growlers but no pint glasses.

We tried out Elk brewery on a Thursday night. The place was pretty empty and we got seats up at the bar. The bartender was friendly and got us our pints straight away. The beer was, OK not horrible not memorable either. About midway through though a few others joined us at the bar and started «vaping» It was really off-​putting. Electric or not I don’t want it in my face.

Cool place to grab a drink with some friends. Open seating and some board games to play.
The first time I came in the bar tender was welcoming. He explained the beers to me and gave me a sample of each. I enjoyed most of the samples, but I think their Rye IPA was the best.
The prices are fair for drinks and growlers. They also have a mug club if you’re a frequent customer. All in all, a great place to come for a pitcher with your chums.

I have no idea how the beer is since we couldn’t get service here if our lives depended on it. Went at an off-​peak time, sat at the bar, and despite the presence of three staff members, they waited on literally everyone else and ignored us. Left without so much as a taste after waiting nearly 15 minutes and not having our presence acknowledged in the least.
Yo, Elk, if you are going to make it in Beer City, you are going to need staff members that know basic customer service skills.

Stopped in on a Saturday night while passing by with two buddies. The place was fairly full, but there was a really weird vibe — quiet and lonely. In any event, we ordered three different beers from the bar, each drank about ¹⁄₅ of our pint, looked at each other and realized all of us were underwhelmed to say the least, set the nearly-​full glasses down and hit the door to continue on our way. Many other and better options in Grand Rapids.
Update: Noticed that the bottom of my receipt says that «walk-​outs» will have 20% added to tab. If you have to put that on the bottom of every receipt, you clearly have a problem.

Great people. Décor is decent. Beer is drinkable. I want their growlers, all of them. Nice ambiance with games if you don’t have anything to talk about.

After a delicious meal of tacos, the three of us headed over to Elk Brewing for some pints. My friend explained to me that this place just opened and that I needed to try some of their beer.
I was really glad he brought me here! The beer was fantastic, and the atmosphere proved wonderful, too. We sat outside. Outside offered several picnic tables as well as plenty of space for people. He recommended the Hefeweizen, and since I trust him so much, I went with it. I’m not normally a Hefe kind of guy, but I was extremely surprised at how much I liked this beer. It’s easily one of the best Hefes I’ve ever tasted. If you want, you can have the bartender drop some flavoring into the Hefe, which mutates the taste into a milkshake-​like beer. I tasted my friend’s and it was tasty. After the Hefe I ordered the IPA. It was also great. If you come here, certainly try the Hefe and it might make you think differently just like it did for me!

I really like the atmosphere. I feel like I could prep food on their tables. Nice and sterile aesthetic with that lumberjack feel to it. Suddenly I need to dance just thinking about it. With another of their scotch ales. Absolutely delicious
Very friendly staff with no snobbery. I can tell this place will do well and put out some exciting new additions to their menu in the future. My friends and I had a great time.

Strong beer made with Michigan pride!
With several hiccups keeping their opening day a mystery, I had been eagerly awaiting Elk’s arrival to the Wealthy Street burgeoning foodie corridor for quite some time. I got my chance this past weekend.
It seems like just had just opened when we arrived (about 2pm) and there was about 3 people sitting at the bar. No matter, my husband and I ordered beers and headed outside for patio that we came for. The server explained that the patio in its current state is not the end product and assured us that they plan on having heat lamps and fire pits by fall to accommodate the changing weather. That would liven up the outside area allot as it’s just unpainted picnic tables and a corn-​hole game right now. An umbrella would’ve been a nice cover to the beating sun but we rolled up our sleeves (literally– we didn’t want a farmers tan) and plowed through a few drinks. ****update I drove by and they have umbrellas now***
For those who revel in a light summer beer, Elk offers flavor-​aids for the Hefeweizen. I’m not sure they call them ‘flavor-​aids’ as the kind-​hearted bartender gave me an odd look when I described the fruit juice purée that can be added to the drink. They offer several different kinds of juice (strawberry, strawberry-​banana, mango, peach) and at the recommendation of the bartender, I went with peach. I wouldn’t have normally picked this flavor but she was right that it gave the beer a fresh, almost sweet-​tea, taste. I’m curious if a stronger berry would be noticeable in their darker beer… something I’ll ask about next time.
Speaking of, they also have a porter, scotch ale and a black IPA if darker more robust beers are your thing. What should be your thing if you want a drink here, is that the beers range from mid-​to-​higher level alcohol. They promise a great time but be smart with them as your morning after may not feel as wonderful.