We have arrived at a review of a brewery that made my top 25 breweries in the State of Michigan list. Located in Belmont, Michigan which is just north of Grand Rapids lies Archival Brewing. Although they just opened in 2021, they have been producing high quality beers in a unique atmosphere from day one.
Upon your arrival at Archival Brewing the first thing that you are going to notice is the sheer size of this place. It is absolutely massive and is one of the cooler setups that you will see for a brewery in the entire state. When you walk up to the bar, you will notice it is a smaller bar area that can seat approximately 10 people, but that is the only part of the brewery that could be considered small. Archival has an expansive dining area with approximately 30 tables for you to enjoy a few beers and a nice dinner. In addition to that they have seating on a balcony outside of the brewery and also a huge biergarten area with even more seating which includes fire pits, just in case you want to sit outside and enjoy a few beers on a cooler night.
At Archival they do host events, such as live music on occasion, boozy book fairs, yoga events and much more. Check their socials to see if they will be hosting an event during your visit. Speaking of events, if you are looking to host a private event in the Grand Rapids area in the future, I highly recommend that you do it at Archival Brewing. Reach out to the brewery to book your next private event soon. Archival is even home to a Happy Hour from 3 until 5, Tuesday through Friday afternoons. So for those of you looking to save a couple of bucks, you can get a dollar off all draft pours and various other discounts on food and other beverages during these hours.
Earlier I mentioned that you could enjoy some food while you are at Archival Brewing. The food smelled really good on my visit to the brewery on Monday, unfortunately I did not get to partake in enjoying any of the food on my visit. I had Dinner plans later in the day with my Grandfather to celebrate his 80th birthday (Happy Birthday again Grandpa). Although I did not get to enjoy food on my visit, some of the options that they offer at Archival Brewing include Appetizers, Salads, Sandwiches, Pizza and a few various entrees. Bring your appetite on your visit to the brewery, the smells in here made me hungrier than I could imagine for my Dinner with my Grandfather later in the day.
For the person in your group that doesn’t enjoy drinking beer, Archival does offer a fully stocked bar with Liquor options including house made Cocktails, Cider, Sparkling Mead and Wine. For those of you that don’t drink or for the kids, Archival has Mocktails available and various different soda options. You will be able to find something to drink for all ages and palates on your visit to the brewery.
We have now arrived at my favorite part of the brewery review, the part where we get to talk about the beer that is served at the brewery. As the name Archival suggests, they specialize in historical styles of beer at the brewery. You may see an IPA or two on tap, but mainly they focus on historical styles of beer including but not limited to Grisettes, Pre-Prohibition Lagers, Zwickelbiers, Kottbussers and many more. Some of the beers that I have tried over the years include Olde Towne- Altbier, Bowler Brown- English Brown, Harwood- English Porter, Kranz Kolsch, The Duke Says Nein- Kottbusser and Side Sample- Zwickelbier.
The beer that I have enjoyed the most on my visits to Archival Brewing is their James’s Gate which is a Foreign Export Stout. Foreign Export Stouts are made with extra hops and a higher alcohol content which helped preserve the beers on its journey overseas. This style was created for Irish people working in the Caribbean. This beer was Roasty and Malty with Toffee flavors. This beer finishes a little heavy with a slight bitterness from the hops. This beer checks in at 6.5% ABV, which is a little lower on the scale for a Foreign Export Stout, but this one will catch up to you quickly if you allow it to. Enjoy a few of these in a sitting but do so with slight caution, this one does not taste as heavy as it is.
When you are looking to enjoy some beer styles that you don’t see as commonly as others these days, I highly recommend that you make it a point to stop off at Archival Brewing in Belmont, Michigan and enjoy a few of their historical styles in their awesome atmosphere, this is one beer stop that I guarantee that you will not regret. Cheers!
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