Hereford & Hops Restaurant & Brewpub

Hereford & Hops Restaurant & BrewpubHereford & Hops Restaurant & Brewpub
Hereford & Hops Restaurant & BrewpubHereford & Hops Restaurant & Brewpub
Brewery, Bar, Eatery

624 Ludington St.
Escanaba, Michigan, 49829
United States

(906) 789-1945 | map
herefordandhops.com
BEER STATS
Average:
3.54
Beers:
17
Ratings:
32
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.78
Reviews:
9
Ratings:
12
pDev:
13.76%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of Tripel_Threat
Reviewed by Tripel_Threat from Michigan

3.71/5  rDev -1.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.75 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.75
Stopped by for lunch on a frozen January Sunday, just me and a couple of locals. Beautiful decor, with the feeling of walking into an old, gorgeous pub. The rectangular bar dominates the middle of the space, with seating all around, and a game area near the back. I ambled up to the bar and across the room I could see into the dormant brewing area. While the menu lists some beers, you'll have to find the chalkboard to see what's actually on tap. TVs were tucked just out of the way where the didn't dominate the focus.
Had a Walleye sandwich and salad, and the food was good. Beer was okay, but I'm more likely to go back for the food that the beer. Bartender was friendly and attentive without being overbearing.
Jan 24, 2019
Photo of Blackop555
Reviewed by Blackop555 from Michigan

4.33/5  rDev +14.6%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.5
Good place. The beer is good just not to much of a selection. They have good prices on their beer. One of the first craft beers i ever had was their white tail. Can be crowded though

They remodeled so much wider and not as crowded. Always a new beer on tap.
Dec 28, 2016
Photo of KEH
Reviewed by KEH from Michigan

2.59/5  rDev -31.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 1.5 | service: 2.75 | selection: 3 | food: 2
My wife and I love the atmosphere here, and compared to many other local restaurants, it serves food relatively late. It's also the only brewpub in Esky, so it does have a corner of that market. The beer they make is sometimes decent, andq it sometimes tastes like they need to clean the lines.) I prefer their Scottish Ale and their stout, while the wife enjoys their IPA. We've had some great meals here, and some terrible ones. They had a chef who really seemed like he knew what he was doing for a while, but they couldn't keep him. The service is hit-or-miss, but the ambiance is fun!
Aug 11, 2016
 
Rated: 3.38 by Danielr26 from Michigan

Jun 15, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by atone315 from Wisconsin

Jul 26, 2014
Photo of PapaGoose03
Reviewed by PapaGoose03 from Michigan

3.39/5  rDev -10.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.25 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.25 | food: 3.75
My wife and I stopped here as part of a pub crawl in northern Michigan and the UP to visit the newer brewpubs (plus several others) that have opened since our last trip ‘up north’. This is one of the ‘several others’ and I’d been here several times in the past, but this was the first visit for my wife. We stopped here in the early afternoon to have some lunch and to evaluate their beers.

The place is located on the first floor of a 5-story, brick apartment building along the main street in town. I think that it is more of a full service restaurant that offers a full bar and wine, but the brewery may be a secondary focus. It was not busy on a Saturday and we sat at a small table in the bar area, which is separate from the dining room. A large window next to our table allowed us to peer into the brewing area, although no one was working then. If it weren’t for seeing the brewing equipment we would have felt like we were sitting in a typical period-style, old-time bar, so we felt good vibes.

We ordered a sampler platter with the 8 beers that they had available that day. ($1 each) The beers are dialed in to the correct style taste, but we felt that a couple of them were a little bit weak, and that only two of them were considered to be above average (a B- for the Cleary Red and the Redemption IPA). The rest were graded at C plus, C, or a C minus.

Since this is a full service restaurant there is a good selection on the food menu, and we felt that the meal that we each ordered was very good. The food outshines the beer, but the beer is good enough so that we’ll stop back again when we’re in the area.
Oct 29, 2013
Photo of morimech
Reviewed by morimech from Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
Not very busy on a Monday evening. An attractive building and decor. I did not go downstairs to the pub. I just sat at the bar in the restaurant. The bartender was prompt and friendly. I ordered the beer sampler. There were two beers I really enjoyed, the Hefeweizen and IPA, and the rest were mediocre. I think they had six house beers and a couple of guest taps. The food did not impress me much. I had a few bites of the brisket sandwich and a few fries and I told the barkeep to take the rest away. I will not be overly harsh as it is tough to judge a restaurant on one dish. Maybe it was just my appetite that evening.

I was content to sit and drink and watch the football game, but a group of Coors Light drinking douches came in and ruined the atmosphere. I finished my beer and went back to my hotel room. If you are going to ruin it for everyone else, at least drink the house beer damnit!
Oct 07, 2011
Photo of whatsleftofyou
Reviewed by whatsleftofyou from Michigan

4.7/5  rDev +24.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
Being from Escanaba, I am a frequent H&H visitor as it's the only brewpub within about 60 miles. It being in such an old building, the bar definitely has quite a bit of character and is usually a bit dimly lit for added atmosphere. The microbrewery is visible from here as well, with two large windows looking in. This is definitely the only bar left in town that you can sit and have a civil conversation at after 9:00 - everyone has a good time but there is no yelling and loud music like everywhere else. Feels like what you'd expect from an "old pub". Unfortunately the service can be quite hit or miss with the waitresses but there are 2 or 3 that do a great job. I'd recommend sitting at the bar if you're in a party of only a few. Food choices vary from wings/fried appetizers to steak/seafood and a variety of other things - something for everyone. It's also very common to see the head chef and brewmaster roaming around. The main thing that will keep you coming back is the beer! Almost all of their beers are top-notch but there are a few misses. They also make their own cream soda and root beer on the premises. You can't skip this bar if you're passing through Escanaba.

Edit: Thanks to new management and some staffing changes, the service has definitely changed for the better in the last few months. Also they have just opened a "game room" with pool, darts, and a large HDTV.
Oct 06, 2007
Photo of dstc
Reviewed by dstc from Florida

4/5  rDev +5.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
Spent the afternoon here recently and enjoyed myself as I always do whenever I'm in Escanaba and can stop by. Started with lunch and a nice cheddar ale soup, very nice. Had a wrap and salad after, both decent and moderately priced. Had a Cleary Red with the meal, nice color and head with a very nice taste and slight bitter aftertaste. Our waitress Jennifer was very quick and attentive and when she saw that my glass was almost empty she brought me a sample of their new Delta Special Lager that she though I might like. I'll admit, I liked it very much, clean, crisp, light and refreshing. Sat at the bar after lunch and had a full glass of lager then tried the Razzberi Ale. It's cloudy like a wheat with a pretty strong berry taste but enjoyable. Switched to Nut Brown Ale and it was my favorite. Malty, sweet and a nice roasted flavor. Brought home a growler of Porter which was also very nice.

I love this place, wonderful old building and nice setting. Check it out if you are in the area.
Feb 05, 2007
Photo of tavernjef
Reviewed by tavernjef from Minnesota

4.03/5  rDev +6.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3
...the story begins with a failed transmission in Munising and continues into Escanaba where time was not an issue. Late the first afternoon of our journey while walking down Ludington Street with a heavy back pack and a big duffle bag across my shoulders, the Mrs. by my side with her stuffed backpack we spotted Hereford's. It was a sight for sore eyes and shoulders.

Our first night in we had spectacular service, same as the next night when we got the same help and server. And for some goofy reason we ordered the exact same thing the first night. The Chili burger and Tater wedges. While the burgers were hitting the spot with our stomachs aching from hunger, the overall taste was very bland and boring. Many dips into a cold pool of ketchup was needed. The Tater wedges were hot and crispy and full of potato flavor and solidly heated within and the size of large pickles. Those were filling and decent enough. Second night we had a pizza, again, nothing to spectacular on the taste buds but hit the spot again as we had not eaten pretty much the whole day. They difinately need to liven up the flavors of the food. The menu is good sized though and there were a few bigger entrees, fish dishes, and seafood dishes that were very pricey.

Beers are good and pretty cheap, but there are a few that ya gotta watchout for. The "Razzberri" ale was down right the worst beer in the place as well as the worst fruit beer I've ever had. Nasty. The Hefe they had faired no better. Very drifty and plain with no real hefe qualities to be found. Ahh, but the Schwarzbier and Double Stout were very nice. As is the Hop Rocket Amber and the Maibock. Those were much, much better. I find it wierd how a place can have such a drastic range of beer quality. Noted on the menu as coming soon was a Scotch ale and Nut Brown. On another note, all the beers were served way too frickin' cold. A chilled glass is not needed for Schwarz or stout; or any other beer for that matter.

The place itself is pretty big with multi-rooms in back for parties and a downstairs for live music. The bar area is common with about 10 to 12 stools wrapped around its retangular frame. Brewing facilities can be viewed through windows on the opposite side. A very odd family portrait painting is decorating the wall above the main viewing window. We asked about it and no one seemed to know about it so that made it even stranger. Green plaid is slapped on every wall above some cedar wood panelings. A few framed beer posters take up a bit of space on the walls. A few TVs in the corners for viewing sporting events, news, and the ntn trivia.

Hopefully next time I visit here it will be of my own accord and not something out of my controll such as this certain situation was. Definately a place to stop into when "passing through".
Our choices were limited due to our stranded status with no vehicle so it was pleasant enough to hang out at Hereford's for a few hours out of wasted day. And another, and another...
Jun 23, 2005
Photo of bigbubba
Reviewed by bigbubba from Ohio

3.83/5  rDev +1.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
**edit** I thought this was a fair and honest review, but I have recently been chastised by someone claiming to be their brewmaster. It seems I am lying about being offered a macro (even though he admits they now sell them). I also have a poor understanding of beer styles and need to do some research before judging their beer. In fact here is a quote from Mike Sattem: "The DOUBLE stout fits into the Association of Brewers Guidelines as a double stout, so any complaints can be directed towards the AOB and the organizers of The Great American Beer Festival. Perhaps you should visit these guidelines most American brewers follow so as you can complete a more precise evaluation of beers in the future." I think next time I'll just hit Chip-Ins **end edit**

This place was a welcome sight after a week of fall camping in the U.P. They cater to the casual crowd in the bar, but there were many suit and tie types in the back rooms as well. I felt comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt and with questionable hygene on our first night back to "civilization" after camping.

They have a very nice menu, we only explored soup and appetizers but look forward to delving deeper on our next visit. The ale cheese soup with garlic bread sticks to dip was great with the beer.

They have a nice range of beers, something for everyone. Nothing real aggressive or experimental. The bartender was quick to tell us that they now have bottled macros for sale. He was also insistent that I try the IPA before buying one (because it's sooo hoppy). It seemed like they aren't used to seeing many real beer lovers. (BTW:The IPA was very good.)

All in all it is a very nice place, with good beer, in an area that has no other options.
Oct 20, 2004
Hereford & Hops Restaurant & Brewpub in Escanaba, MI
Brewery rating: 3.54 out of 5 with 32 ratings