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New projects on the West Side


GRDadof3

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On 10/20/2017 at 4:49 PM, GRDadof3 said:

Short's would be boss in Grand Rapids. I love their beers but I'm not a fan of their brewpub in Bellaire anymore (although I grudgingly go anyway when we're up there). 

The Pyramid Scheme always has a good selection of Short's beer if you're ever craving it. I've only been to their brewpub up north once, and it wasn't a great experience. Way crowded and the people working didn't seem to care much for their jobs.

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11 hours ago, ChevalierNoir said:

The Pyramid Scheme always has a good selection of Short's beer if you're ever craving it. I've only been to their brewpub up north once, and it wasn't a great experience. Way crowded and the people working didn't seem to care much for their jobs.

Oh yeah I have no problem finding their beer at Meijer either. :) I do (did) like their brewpub when it first opened. It used to be a hardware store and they had old bus and car seats that you could sit on. They'd constantly have a lot of "experimental and summer seasonal" beers on tap that you couldn't get anywhere. And you'd actually see Joe Short in there working once in a while. Then they added on, and added on, and added on, and added a gift shop, now it feels like an Applebee's with bunch of tourists in it and it's a 2 hour wait to get a table after 4pm. :P They've almost taken over half of downtown Bellaire, which is good for their economy. But it's like Founders brewpub now, too touristy. 

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Got a postcard for public hearing notice:

'449, 453, 457 & 499 Bridge St NW
Greg Lobdell is requesting approval for outdoor seating, live entertainment, and a bar within a proposed 5-story mixed-use building.'

Greg is Northern United Brewing Company (Jolly Pumpkin, among others). The site is Red Lion. 

Commence speculation!

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6 minutes ago, localtalent said:

Got a postcard for public hearing notice:

'449, 453, 457 & 499 Bridge St NW
Greg Lobdell is requesting approval for outdoor seating, live entertainment, and a bar within a proposed 5-story mixed-use building.'

Greg is Northern United Brewing Company (Jolly Pumpkin, among others). The site is Red Lion. 

Commence speculation!

North Peak brewery or Blue Tractor BBQ would be my first two guesses, leaning towards Blue Tractor. Would love to see a totally new concept though. Interesting that they seemingly decided to go full force into GR.

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26 minutes ago, localtalent said:

Got a postcard for public hearing notice:

'449, 453, 457 & 499 Bridge St NW
Greg Lobdell is requesting approval for outdoor seating, live entertainment, and a bar within a proposed 5-story mixed-use building.'

Greg is Northern United Brewing Company (Jolly Pumpkin, among others). The site is Red Lion. 

Commence speculation!

When/where is this hearing?

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1 hour ago, localtalent said:

Got a postcard for public hearing notice:

'449, 453, 457 & 499 Bridge St NW
Greg Lobdell is requesting approval for outdoor seating, live entertainment, and a bar within a proposed 5-story mixed-use building.'

Greg is Northern United Brewing Company (Jolly Pumpkin, among others). The site is Red Lion. 

Commence speculation!

They'll be presenting at our NA meeting on 11/08/2017.

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45 minutes ago, MJLO said:

I am trying not to have false hope here, but does this signal that someone is in the background looking to redevelop the eyesore that is Kales Korner too?  Because OMG..

I couldn't agree with you more. That place could be so much better. Just opening up the windows that were boarded over would give that dump some much needed transparency. 

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I really like North Peak, their space in TC is great, and would love to get more of their beer in GR. But what's the point if Jolly Pumpkin is right across the street basically  selling the same beer? It could be like New Holland, which is a showpiece for the brand as they try to compete on a more national level; this could be a regional showpiece for NP. Haven't been to Blue Tractor, but have heard good things.  North Peak and Blue Tractor in TC are a relatively short walk, so why not have two of their brands here? Whatever it is 5 stories sounds great there.

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Just looking at the properties there...it stops at the end of the parking lot. Kale's isn't one of the addresses.  The little building next to Kale's that was a soft drink servicing business or something went up for sale a bit ago.  I noticed that Swift bought it on August 30, 2017.

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4 hours ago, localtalent said:

Got a postcard for public hearing notice:

'449, 453, 457 & 499 Bridge St NW
Greg Lobdell is requesting approval for outdoor seating, live entertainment, and a bar within a proposed 5-story mixed-use building.'

Greg is Northern United Brewing Company (Jolly Pumpkin, among others). The site is Red Lion. 

Commence speculation!

Wow - This sounds like a good size project at 5 floors!  Maybe similar to the New Holland/Rockford project?  Can't wait to hear more. 

BTW, here are some pics from Jolly Pumpkin in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood.  It opens tomorrow.  Burgers, Pizza, and Korean chicken wings are on the menu as well.

 

 

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blb17756_37805140081_o.jpg

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1 hour ago, droonus2000 said:

I really like North Peak, their space in TC is great, and would love to get more of their beer in GR. But what's the point if Jolly Pumpkin is right across the street basically  selling the same beer? It could be like New Holland, which is a showpiece for the brand as they try to compete on a more national level; this could be a regional showpiece for NP. Haven't been to Blue Tractor, but have heard good things.  North Peak and Blue Tractor in TC are a relatively short walk, so why not have two of their brands here? Whatever it is 5 stories sounds great there.

I haven't had Jolly Pumpkin, but I do like NP's beer.  I am confused by you saying JP sells the same beer as NP??  It looks like all of JPs beers are aged on some type of oak barrel, which isn't really NPs MO.  I don't really see a problem with more breweries down Bridge street, especially if these are flagship locations like the Knick, as some are implying.  I think of places in Milwaukee like North Ave, Brady St, and Water St, that are major and disctict bar areas that are night-life destinations.  I can definitely see Bridge becoming that with the continued addition of major projects to what is already in place.

As for Blue Tractor, I have had lunch at the Ann Arbor location.  Granted I had 1 sandwich and 1 beer--the sandwich was very good, the beer was solid, but nothing outstanding/remarkable.  

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5 hours ago, localtalent said:

Got a postcard for public hearing notice:

'449, 453, 457 & 499 Bridge St NW
Greg Lobdell is requesting approval for outdoor seating, live entertainment, and a bar within a proposed 5-story mixed-use building.'

Greg is Northern United Brewing Company (Jolly Pumpkin, among others). The site is Red Lion. 

Commence speculation!

Sounds like what Walt was trying to tell me when I talked to him on the phone about 6 months ago. :) He thought the Jolly Pumpkin plan for the Red Lion site was way too tame for that site, and a waste of a good site. 

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1 hour ago, discgrab21 said:

I haven't had Jolly Pumpkin, but I do like NP's beer.  I am confused by you saying JP sells the same beer as NP??  It looks like all of JPs beers are aged on some type of oak barrel, which isn't really NPs MO.  I don't really see a problem with more breweries down Bridge street, especially if these are flagship locations like the Knick, as some are implying.  I think of places in Milwaukee like North Ave, Brady St, and Water St, that are major and disctict bar areas that are night-life destinations.  I can definitely see Bridge becoming that with the continued addition of major projects to what is already in place.

As for Blue Tractor, I have had lunch at the Ann Arbor location.  Granted I had 1 sandwich and 1 beer--the sandwich was very good, the beer was solid, but nothing outstanding/remarkable.  

Jolly Pumpkin, North Peak, and Grizzly Peak are all under the Northern United Brewing Company umbrella (as well as Bonafide Wines and Civilized Spirits).  I believe at all JP locations they sell their other brands of beer for those that are not into barrel aged/sour beers. 

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1 minute ago, Pattmost20 said:

Jolly Pumpkin, North Peak, and Grizzly Peak are all under the Northern United Brewing Company umbrella (as well as Bonafide Wines and Civilized Spirits).  I believe at all JP locations they sell their other brands of beer for those that are not into barrel aged/sour beers. 

Ah, great to know!!  Thanks for the info :)

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So this is really fascinating. Fast forward 3 years from now, and what does Bridge Street become? A mecca for beer lovers for one, with at least 4 breweries and probably a few more added in that time period. But none of them are local? So a beer tourist comes to GR and finds themselves on Bridge Street and says to the bartender, "WOW, Grand Rapids really has some great local beer. What's the secret?"  Bartender: "We're not local." Repeat that 4 or 5 times throughout the night.  :)

I'm not saying it's bad it's just odd to think about.

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9 minutes ago, GRDadof3 said:

So this is really fascinating. Fast forward 3 years from now, and what does Bridge Street become? A mecca for beer lovers for one, with at least 4 breweries and probably a few more added in that time period. But none of them are local? So a beer tourist comes to GR and finds themselves on Bridge Street and says to the bartender, "WOW, Grand Rapids really has some great local beer. What's the secret?"  Bartender: "We're not local." Repeat that 4 or 5 times throughout the night.  :)

I'm not saying it's bad it's just odd to think about.

Harmony Hall is, but I get your point. It can just act as a good showcase for what the rest of Michigan has to offer.

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Actually I kind of think that's what would make beer tourism legit.  Grand Rapids becoming such a beer city that it's not just the local scene, it's a statewide scene.  If Grand Rapids starts getting tap rooms from out of state breweries that would be another notch in the belt.  Bridge St would be some thing of a beer tasting district, like an amusement park for adults :D

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37 minutes ago, MJLO said:

Actually I kind of think that's what would make beer tourism legit.  Grand Rapids becoming such a beer city that it's not just the local scene, it's a statewide scene.  If Grand Rapids starts getting tap rooms from out of state breweries that would be another notch in the belt.  Bridge St would be some thing of a beer tasting district, like an amusement park for adults :D

Oh yeah, I'm not saying it's going to be bad at all. It will be tremendous for beer tourism. Would be nice though to see an even mix of local GR and other Michigan-made, especially if it becomes "ground zero" for craft breweries, with such a high density cluster there.  The ultimate win would be for Founders to open a small experimental taproom on Bridge. :ph34r:

And yes, speaking of amusement parks, Bridge might be the street to try out "car free weekend nights," and not Ionia. And allow open containers outside. 

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44 minutes ago, MJLO said:

Actually I kind of think that's what would make beer tourism legit.  Grand Rapids becoming such a beer city that it's not just the local scene, it's a statewide scene.  If Grand Rapids starts getting tap rooms from out of state breweries that would be another notch in the belt.  Bridge St would be some thing of a beer tasting district, like an amusement park for adults :D

There is at least 1 out of state brewery looking at GR. It is still a ways away, and they are looking at a few other midwest cities.

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19 hours ago, localtalent said:

Got a postcard for public hearing notice:

'449, 453, 457 & 499 Bridge St NW
Greg Lobdell is requesting approval for outdoor seating, live entertainment, and a bar within a proposed 5-story mixed-use building.'

Greg is Northern United Brewing Company (Jolly Pumpkin, among others). The site is Red Lion. 

Commence speculation!

It looks like the ground floor user is listed as  a restaraunt-bar called "North" and a lower level (basement?) bar called MASH. 

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21 minutes ago, GRJohn said:

I wonder if it will be like Mash in Ann Arbor which is below Blue Tractor.  

Probably a good guess, as Mash owner Jon Carlson is a partner with Greg Lobdell:

http://www.annarbor.com/business-review/mash-whiskey-and-beer-bar-to-replace-cafe-habana-cellar-lounge-in-downtown-ann-arbor/

I hope the North restaurant upstairs has a chef, as we could use some more good food offerings and not just craft beer with semi crappy food (ahem, New Holland)

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