Walldorff Brewpub and Bistro

Walldorff Brewpub and BistroWalldorff Brewpub and Bistro
Walldorff Brewpub and BistroWalldorff Brewpub and Bistro
Brewery, Bar, Eatery, Beer-to-go

105 E State St
Hastings, Michigan, 49058
United States

(269) 945-4400 | map
walldorffbrewpub.com
BEER STATS
Average:
3.63
Beers:
17
Ratings:
96
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.84
Reviews:
13
Ratings:
20
pDev:
18.49%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by DavidRandall:
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Reviewed by DavidRandall from Michigan

3.89/5  rDev +1.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.75 | food: 4
The Jefferson Steak sandwich is outstanding. A shaved steak sandwich with onions, mushrooms and cheese on a variety of breads or rolls. The au jus has some of their State Street Stout in it. The best. I like their stout with my sandwich. The Hopnoxious IPA is another good choice. My daughter and wife like the Sundancer Summer Wheat and the Bee Sting Honey Rye.
Jul 13, 2013
More User Ratings:
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Reviewed by dd53grif from Michigan

4.03/5  rDev +4.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.25
Visited with the family on a Sunday afternoon. Tried two of the three seasonal brews and took home a mixed six pack of the last seasonal beer and the five regular brews. Beer on draft was good. Ordered two pizza, one kids meal and one fish and chips. All were good. Large menu. Parking on the street.
Aug 04, 2019
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Reviewed by Annabrewreview from Michigan

1.09/5  rDev -71.6%
vibe: 1 | quality: 1 | service: 1 | selection: 1.25 | food: 1.25
Poor service. A first wedding only takes place one time. If we could turn back the hands of time we would not have used the Waldorf banquet hall. The service was poor. Our guests were left without water refills. The banquet hall was reserved until midnight. At 9:20 PM the staff started breaking down tables and stacking chairs, sending the message that the staff was bored and wanted to leave. They removed tablecloths from all tables except one. We had a cash bar. They removed peoples drinks that they had purchased. We had purchased DJ services until midnight, as well. It was the DJ who told us that the staff was killing our party. We were on the dance floor. We did not notice what they were doing. We told them to stop. They did not. They said that their staff just wanted to keep busy. How do you pick something like this? When we spoke with the owner, he acknowledged that it shouldn't have happened, but referenced that closing the cash bar left him with less revenues. He did not take responsibility. He made excuses for his staff. We lost $700 on our DJ. The owner agreed to refund two hours of the banquet hall, totaling $110. We have not seen a penny. But how do you get back lost memories? We cannot. And we cannot recommend this banquet hall for your events. We can recommend that you protect your precious memories and investment and keep looking for a quality venue for your event.
May 24, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by Shaskins80 from Michigan

Apr 09, 2015
 
Rated: 3.41 by Tarabeth from Vermont

Feb 05, 2015
 
Rated: 3.41 by hopnado from Michigan

Jan 01, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by wtkphoto from Michigan

Jul 13, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Bung from Michigan

May 14, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Lynn from Ohio

Apr 13, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by MiWolfman from Michigan

Dec 31, 2013
Photo of crossovert
Reviewed by crossovert from Illinois

3.7/5  rDev -3.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
Nice place in downtown Hastings. The brewery is in the front. The building has high ceilings and a decent amount of seating.

It was actually pretty dead there, it was just after noon. Sat at the bar, got prompt service. Shared a sampler. The beers all had a certain quality that they all shared. It was a sort of bitterness. Teh two fruit beers were a bit different. Both were tangy but not soured.

Overall the beers were average to below with a few decent ones. The IPA is soli but not fantastic, as is the Honey Rye, and the oatmeal stout.

Overall a nice place though.
Sep 04, 2012
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Reviewed by tubacharlie from Michigan

4.28/5  rDev +11.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
Good selection of brews, nice price on samplers (four for $5), and no hesitation on offering tastes.

Filled with locals at lunch and dinner, and with good reason. A well-designed menu offers a good selection of food choices that are pretty creative but not too off-the-wall, well made and presented.

Only had time to try about half the beers in search of the best one to fill a growler, with no disappointments. Decided on their Old Woody barrel-aged Imperial Stout, although the Cobain's Double Dark IPA was a close second.

Instead of grabbing an empty growler to fill, the barmaid went to a fridge and pulled one out that was prefilled to the max and sealed, with zero air gap under the cap. Never saw pre-filled growlers before, but I guess it's no different than regular bottling if you do it right. My trepidation about the quality and how long it had been sitting was alleviated at the first sip, after driving an hour home with it. Had to wrap it myself though, as they had no bags - a minor inconvenience.

Overall, a friendly and well run establishment that is definitely worth a visit if you are in the area.
May 03, 2011
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Reviewed by goast8127 from Michigan

4.3/5  rDev +12%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
Reviewed 10/23

Walldorff is set in an old warehouse in downtown Hastings. Like many brewpubs, Walldorff appears to put as much effort into the restaurant aspect of their business as anything else. There were a couple barrels on display behind glas near the bar. My first experience with their beer had been at the summer beer fest. To date, the Cobain's Black IPA is still probably the best of that style that I've tried and I was disappointed that it wasn't on tap at the time of my visit. We were joined by a couple of friends who are Hastings locals and regulars to the pub. While there I sampled all nine of their offerings. I was disappointed by none and pleasantly surprised by some. My favorite of the visit was probably the strawberry stout. Excellent and very underrated brewpub.
Jan 07, 2011
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Reviewed by LilBeerDoctor from New York

4/5  rDev +4.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Reviewed on 6/27/2010.

This is a cool brewpub/restaurant located in the small town of Hastings, MI. It was pretty quiet when I visited as it was just after opening -- no one at the bar but a few other parties eating lunch. The 3 beers I tried on tap (Hopnoxious, Double Dark IPA, and May Bock) were great. Based on the posters on the wall, it looks like they make plenty of other tasty beers that have won numerous awards. The food is excellent here too (I got a salad with chicken and pecans which was very good). A nice, chill atmosphere and great beer to boot. A must stop if in the area.
Dec 23, 2010
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Reviewed by malty from Michigan

4.18/5  rDev +8.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
Bellied up on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) for the first time with a good friend who has visited here several times before me. Nestled in an old turn of the century brick corner building in the quaint, Noman Rockwell-esque downtown of Hastings, MI. The right side is for bar patrons and smaller tables. The right side (separated mostly by a brick load bearing wall *just like Short's Brewing in Belaire, MI*) is more for the dining crowd. The hand hammered copper bar top was very authentic and attractive. The old brick wall, where some exposed chipped-away plaster (just like Short's Brewing in Belaire, MI) was cool too. Ya know, this place really looks similar to...

Quality of my favorite beer of the night, Hopnoxxxious IPA, was phenomenal. As were my jerk chicken sliders and panko fried portabella mushroom strips. By the looks of their menu selections (ie: lobster mac & cheese, guacahummus, etc.) these guys take their food seriously. Their steak offerings looked to be fabulous and their, as did the pizzas. My Hopnoxxxxious IPA was lush and layered with big tropical fruit notes. It's grapefruit bite was deliberate and tantalizing. I could not break its gravitational pull. I wasn't too impressed with their porter, though the St. Street Stout on nitro was solid. Their Bee Sting Rye was on of their best sellers, but my 3 oz. sample left me wondering why. No problem, my hop fix was more than satisfied and my food was surprisingly superb.

Sherry, our bartender, was more than helpful in her suggestions and even poured us a couple samplers that she though I might like (without me asking - NICE). When her shift ended, Mike took good care of us with food recommendations. Nice call on the side of BBQ sauce with the jerk chicken sliders! Their beer knowledge was very good.

Selection of the beer was good. I believe they had 8 taps flowing that night. They also have wine and booze. The food selection was very nice. I think I went into enough detail above. I really want to go back and get busy with some of their steak entrees.

Value was very nice. $4.50 for a real 20 oz. imperial pint. Avg. price $8 for appetizers and (around) $15 for dinner entrees. $9 growler refills. I did read a special on the back of the bar for $6 growler refills for certain beer on Tuesdays.

Overall I'm glad I tried this place after 4 years of it being open. I can say I'm a bit ashamed of myself for not supporting it much sooner. You can tell they focus on quality and unique twists on their food. Their IPA has sooo very good. I'd go back just for that. Thankfully they've a lot more to offer, and I can't wait to explore more.
Nov 28, 2010
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Reviewed by MarvinTheMarzen from Iowa

4.78/5  rDev +24.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
Make time to get to this place! It's off the main roads near Grand Rapids, Battle Creek, and Kalamazoo and is easy enough to get to. The building itself is a big place with high ceilings and is modestly decorated, which takes a bit away from the ambiance.

The food selection is very good - we had the fire-baked pizza which was excellent and just right for a Sunday lunch. We got there when they opened at noon so it wasn't crowded but things picked up.

We had the beer sampler which included their special Harvest Ale. Every single one of the beers was great and a couple were exceptional. We brought back two beers from our trip, and their Harvest Ale was one of them.

Really, you need to make time to get to this place! The overall quality was some of the best we had on our trip.
Nov 07, 2009
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Reviewed by PapaGoose03 from Michigan

3.99/5  rDev +3.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4
March, 2018: I try to stop at this brewery 1-2 times per year, and slowly with each visit I've noticed that the beers have not been as good as in the past. They are still good but not like they used to be. Therefore I'm revising that section of my rating.

**************************************************************************************************

I'm surprised that the last review of this brewery is way back in September of '07. It must mean that beer lovers think this place is too far out of the way, because once you've been there and enjoyed the experience there is no other reason why more reviews shouldn't be posted here. (It's usually a busy place, so the locals know what they have.) Believe me, it's worth the drive, folks. I've been there 4-5 times now over the past 3-4 years and I've enjoyed the experience each time. It's a 50 mile drive round-trip for me, so I think it's worth it.

The menu has a wide variety of food selections of salads, sandwiches and full course entrees' (the fried green beans are great as an appetizer), and I especially like the fact that they use different sauces for the ribs, pulled pork and brisket, which are all available on a combination plate.

More importantly the beer is always good. The menu beers include some choices that aren't my favorites (I don't drink the wheats and fruities) so my compliment about the beers does not include all of their beers, but the others will hold their own in comparison to their style guidelines. The Bee Sting Rye is their most popular choice, and it's a good one! The seasonals are usually exciting choices. At Christmas for the past 2-3 years they have offered a selection of 4 bombers as a gift pack that have unusual beers that are exciting to try.

This brewpub is worth the drive.
Jun 24, 2009
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Reviewed by KC8LTL from Michigan

3.86/5  rDev +0.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
Stopped by for a growler while beer-touring between Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids. I visited at about 2 pm, and the place was clean and quiet. Staff were prompt and helpful. Their chalk board listed each of their beers as well as what hops and malts were used. They were more than willing to let me sample a few before I ordered the growler. That day I sampled their IPA, Porter and a Cherry beer. All seemed good, and I ordered a growler of “Hopnoxious IPA”. I was pleased to see some more interesting variety in the beers offered.
Sep 23, 2007
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Reviewed by hoppymeal from Michigan

3.53/5  rDev -8.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
Decided to make the road trip and check out this new place with my brother in law. Plenty of dining area, divided into some on the bar side, and a larger seperate dining area. We sampled two beers each, and I tried one of his as well. My brother in law had their pale, described as their hoppiest on the menu, it was not bad, but not terribly exciting either. I started with a honey rye, which was a good beer and very drinkable. Had nice honey flavor as well as a small but noticeable rye zing. I ordered a vanilla porter following that, but unfortunately, I could not drink this beer, it was like a rum and coke to me, very little porter quality to it. After nursing it for a few I switched back to the honey rye. The food was very good, we had a sandwich and fries and one of their specialty pizzas. Price was also very reasonable for all of the food and beer. I probably will visit again only if I am close, the beer was decent, but did not offset its distance off the beaten path for me.
Oct 06, 2006
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Reviewed by jeremiahjsmith from Michigan

3.83/5  rDev -0.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
My family and I visited Southwest Michigan's newest brewpub last Friday evening. We called ahead earlier in the day to make reservations, but were disappointed to hear that they don't take them. It wouldn't normally be a very big deal, but we were travelling almost thirty miles.

So, we "endured" a 15-minute-long wait at the beautiful, brand-new copper bar, which was staffed by no fewer than three friendly bartenders who had to hustle to keep up with the sizeable crowd. It was happy hour, so we were able to purchase imperial pints of their beer for only $2.50. Excellent.

They featured 6 of their own creations, Guinness, and a guest tap. Here are the official descriptions of their offerings, taken from the menu:

Bistro Blonde Ale
'This pale golden colored ale is a great introduction to craft beers. Brewed with a soft maltiness and just a hint of hops for a clean smooth finish.'

Phantasm Wheat Ale
'A llight blonde American style wheat beer with the subtle aroma and flavor of fresh peaches. Refreshing and crisp, this is a great anytime beer.'

Rory's Red Ale
'Brewed in the tradition of Old Ireland, the deep red color, roasted notes, and creamy smooth maltiness of Rory's Red will have you shouting, "Slainté!"'

Hammond Hill Scottish Ale
'This malty session beer presents with a deep amber-brown color and mild hopping - perfect for a long evening of Euchre at the pub!'

Firebird Pale Ale
'One for the hopheads! Our biggest beer is an American/English pale ale hybrid, using imported "Phoenix" hops. Dry, with a balanced hop finish.'

State Street Stout
'Served off our "Nitro" tap, this dry stout is black as midnight and smooth as silk. A pint of stout and a game of darts makes for a perfect evening at the Walldorff.'

I chose a pint of the Phantasm Wheat, which was suprisingly (and deliciously) sour, with very astringent peach aroma and flavor, without any unwanted sweetness. I ended up sampling all of the current selections; there were no losers in the lot, but the Scottish, pale, and wheat ales stood out.

After a few minutes of animated conversation with some other craftbrew aficionados (from Albion) we were seated at a booth in the dining room. The atmosphere was much more subdued on the dining side, with many families in attendance. The lighting was bright and the decor was Spartan (literally, the walls were green and white), and the old wood floors were polished to a high gloss.

We were promptly attended to, but a little rushed to order. From the extensive menu, we settled on the warm goat cheese ($6.50) and the portobella fries ($7.00) as appetizers, two pizzas (Fun with Fungus, $9.75, and a build-your-own with white sauce, ham, and grilled chicken, $11.00), and two plates of the Try-Em-All BBQ ($13.50 - the dining room was filled with the smoky aroma of slowly-roasting meat, so I couldn't resist). No one delved into the sandwiches, salads, grill, sauté, or pasta sections. On another trip, perhaps.

The food arrived very quickly (< 15 minutes, appetizers and entrees at almost the same time).

The goat cheese and artichoke dip was delicious, served with pita triangles seared in the wood-fired oven. The freshness of the cheese was evident, and made this the better of the appetizers. The breaded and fried mushroom sticks were very tasty, and served with zesty honey dijon dipping sauce, but the breading inexplicably contained fennel seeds, which were completely incongruous with the flavor of the dish.

The BBQ consisted of sliced beef brisket, pulled pork, and a half slab of pork spareribs, with sides of "Calico Beans" and coleslaw. The brisket was slathered with a sweet sauce and somewhat nondescript. The pulled pork was delicious, with a slightly spicy sauce and pervasive smokiness. The ribs were excellent, covered in spice (chili powder was predominant) and slow cooked to extreme tenderness. If they had been baby back ribs, they would be some of the best I've ever tasted. The beans were spicy and contained bits of meat, and the slaw was crunchy and vinegary, but continued with the trend of, "Surprise! Fennel seeds!"

The pizzas were wonderful, with chewy handmade crust, mildly charred from the oven. The white sauce on my brother's pizza was nicely garlicky, and the chicken was not dried out at all. My Mom's Fun with Fungus pizza featured the same white sauce, but produced a different effect altogether when teamed with portobella, crimini, and button mushrooms and a very noticeable addition of asiago cheese.

Throughout dinner, drinks were filled promptly, and overall, the service was excellent. There was a slight overall sense of confusion (like when the entrees and appetizers arrived within minutes of each other), but it didn't detract from the experience.

Overall, I had a great time. The beer was very drinkable, and the food was excellent. I look forward to spending a little time on the bar side with a sandwich and a few pints.
Aug 14, 2006
Walldorff Brewpub and Bistro in Hastings, MI
Brewery rating: 3.63 out of 5 with 96 ratings