Rupert's Brew House

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My kind of place. Great beer, not much polish . Comfortable and calm. Laid back and welcoming. No pretense, just great beer. Bachlorette parties aren't going to get this. Thank God!

 

This spot has been a million things over the past few decades, including Boogie Records, cyber-café (remember those?), a hookah lounge, a coffee shop, and a bar/concert venue. Now it's a brewery taproom with a VERY large dog. Overall it's fine. The beer is decent; the vibe is decent. Crowd trends a little younger. Having a big dog walking around is kind of weird. Worth a stop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was stop #1 of a mini pub crawl for my wife and myself. Rupert's opened in October, 2013, so they are still new and trying to draw their regular crowd. The place is located just at the west edge of downtown Kalamazoo, and is conveniently next door to a Comfort Inn. The building is easy to notice because of its triangular shape; however, the door at the 'point' is not the entrance. (It's on the narrow side street.) The brewpub has an unusual 'greeter' to welcome the customers - the largest, all-black Great Dane that I've ever seen. A fireplace and some comfortable-looking furniture make the interior look very welcoming and comfortable.

Being a new brewery, one could expect the beers to still be somewhat off style while the brewer gets used to the equipment, etc. but that is not the case here. There are 8 beers on tap, four of which are described as regulars, and the rest are seasonal. We sat at the bar and had great service because it was not busy at the time. We had a sampler flight of all of the beers, and each was very true to style. Each beer also goes beyond the style expectations with brewer's enhancements, etc, so that my wife and I rated all of the beers somewhere between a B- to a B+. Usually the light-style beers at microbreweries are very light-flavored, but Rupert's version of a Cream Ale is very tasty, as was another light beer with apricot and coriander (and I usually dislike both of those flavors).

I did not elect to list this brewpub on BA as an Eatery; however they do have two pizzas and some snacks that are listed on a board on the wall. We did not have anything to eat, so I can't comment on the quality of the pizza. (The 'large' pizza is only $5.30, so it's likely a small one.) But don't let a perceived lack of food at this place be a reason to go elsewhere, because you can snack here, and you can have some really great beers.