HopCat

Gigantis

Michigan

4.18/5  rDev -9.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3 | $$$

As a beer enthusiast and Grand Rapids bargoer, it is still surprising to me that I had only been to this bar once (and that was just a quick stop in). Apparently, Hopcat is the #3 beer bar. Well, I had my doubts because, let's face it, we're talking about downtown Grand Rapids; home to such establishments as McFaddens, the Taphouse formerly known as Taps and Gardella's. For those of you who do not know, these places are meatmarkets on a good day.

Well, I'm pleased to say that the Hopcat is head-and-shoulders above those other travesties. It was busy, as is often the case I gather, but my wife and I were able to get a seat at the bar and the other patrons were nice enough to move down so that our friend could sit as well. The service at the bar was a little slow and it took about five minutes for anyone to give us the beer menu. By that point I had already gotten a pretty good idea of the selection by looking at the taps.

The menu is really one big page that divides the beers by "North American", "Michigan", and "International". The first two sections were pretty extensive with about fifteen to twenty offerings each. The latter section wasn't impressive.
The price and serving glass type are listed as well as a brief description of what you're getting (American Strong Ale, IPA, etc.)

I ordered a Hopslam and my wife got a Hairy Eyeball. She did not like the Hairy Eyeball so I traded with her. Both beers tasted great. The place started to get really busy (so much so that there was a line that a friend of mine had to wait in for twenty minutes just to get in!) later on. We found comfy seats in a booth and our waitress was fantastic. I had two more beers (Scotty Karate and and Cereberus 10).

The place is really roomy and beautiful. There is a loft where people can smoke or you could go outside to their patio which offers a lovely view of the side of Van Andel Arena and a parking lot.

While the beer was great throughout my visit, once it got busier, the same cannot be said of the clientele. What's the word I'm searching for here? Oh yeah: deutschy! A lot of drunk meatheads and their bimbettes abounded around the witching hour and they clearly weren't there for the beer because they ordered bottles of Miller Lite. One drunkard sat down at our booth and I had to be rather firm with him in order to make him leave.

I didn't eat the food, but those who did said that it was "OK". Most of the beers ranged from 4 to 6 bucks. Others were more expensive. Most of the rarer beers come in a snifter, so you aren't gonna be getting a pint every time you order. This was fine though, since by the time I finished my third beer I was certainly feeling it. The aforementioned waitress only encouraged my drinking by getting me a fourth beer and bringing me a water with it. Thanks, tootz.

In summary,

Pros:
-Solid selection of tap beers
-nice, fun, knowledgible staff
-beautiful ambiance with high ceilings and lots of woodwork
-non-smoking

Cons:
-Lots of deutschbags came later on
-it gets busy... very busy
-could be too expensive for some
-non-smoking

02-09-2009 19:28:30 | More by Gigantis

swanson45

North Carolina

4.58/5  rDev -1.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | $$

I went here on an afternoon while on vacation. The staff was very knowledgeable and gave good recommendations. They could speak at a level for a beer snob and for someone who just wants to try something good or different. We were able to create our own beer flights which was great because they had a huge selection. It appears they have good events since the next day they were going to have a special dogfish head draught night. I recommend vacationing on Lake Michigan and take a trip to HopCat bar, Founders' Taproom, and New Holland brewing Company's pub while you are there.

05-21-2013 02:31:45 | More by swanson45

craft_shannie

Indiana

4.2/5  rDev -9.5%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

We visited for drinks & lunch. It's a quick walk from the Ford & public museums. Popular & crowded, it took us 30 minutes or so to grab a table in the early afternoon. Cool space - tall tin ceiling, beautiful long bar, good variety of tables - bar height, bench tables, half circle seating. The space - even though crowded & loud - has a nice intimacy to it. For being voted the #3 Beer Bar on Planet Earth by Beer Advocate magazine, I expected more of a selection. Draught beer choices were featured on a menu - one pager - maybe 25-30. I had two stout choices w. what was already sold out. Service was OK. Food section was standard, but good. Don't get me wrong, I would love to have HopCat down the block from me, but not sure it's deserving of #3 on Planet Earth distinction.

04-06-2013 14:18:48 | More by craft_shannie

mrs_bretina

Michigan

4.43/5  rDev -4.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.25 | $$

WOW! We are so fortunate to have this bar just a few minutes from our home! We frequent this fairly often, but aren't quite "regulars". This space was originally a grocery store with very high ceilings, tin/wood ceiling, and a beautiful wood bar. Hopcat does brew its own beer, but its real claim to fame, in my opinion, is the amazing beer selection that they constantly rotate through their menu. Some draft, some bottled, always served in the best glass for the style of beer. If you see something on tap that you want - be sure to get it while you can, because the next time you're there - it may not be available.

I love that they have special events to showcase beers that are extremely limited in the United States. The only downside is - you'll never taste that beer again. BUT - what an opportunity to taste the amazing craft brews from around the world as well as the neighborhood.

They have a great bar food menu and if the name doesn't get you - the taste sure will - especially for the crack fries - they're just that addictive!

For anyone who loves craft beer and is in Grand Rapids, be sure to stop in!

03-20-2013 17:14:07 | More by mrs_bretina

gauldk

Michigan

4.84/5  rDev +4.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.75 | selection: 5 | food: 4.75 | $$$

Frankly, it lives up to the hype! Super cool place with an astonishing selection of beers from their in-house brewery, Michigan, across the USA and the world. If you happen to be unimpressed by the 40+ drafts (just joking, that's impossible), there's also an extensive and impressive selection of bottles available (just ask to see the bottle list).

Their own in-house brews are well worth a try, don't overlook them.

Get some appropriately named "crack-fries". At the moment but you can get a 1/2 order free with a foursquare check-in.

Location, location, location... Center of the downtown nightlife area. A quick walk to Founders or Grand Rapids Brewing Company too.

01-27-2013 00:41:19 | More by gauldk

Gotti311

Wisconsin

3.68/5  rDev -20.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5 | food: 3.5 | $$$

We made this place a "must stop" when we were passing through Grand Rapids since it was so highly rated and everyone seemed to endorse the place. We made the mistake of going on a hockey night so the place was jam packed. We only have a very short wait before getting a table which was very nice.

I was excited before getting to this place about hearing so much about the beer selection. When I ended up getting there, I really had a hard time choosing a beer that I had not had before and one that actually sounded good to me.

I do give credit because they carry a bunch of local stuff. Had a Greenbush sour before trying the Hopcat Wild Shitake Sour, I encourage you to skip past this one.

Solid place definitely not a must stop.

01-04-2013 14:55:45 | More by Gotti311

avalonct

Michigan

4.65/5  rDev +0.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$

HopCat is obviously a beer lover's paradise, but the food is quickly catching up. My wife and I didn't have the best service last night, but the quality of the food and beer was world class. It was surprisingly not too busy and we were able to get one of the booths that are a half circle and face toward the bar. Also, I asked the waitress about the private room upstairs and she told me that it is $300 minimum on the weekdays and $500 minimum on the weekends to get the room. That might not be a bad idea to get a bunch of friends together and do that sometime. I also go here on Tuesday nights from every once in a while as they have a burger and beer (one of Hopcat's beers) special for 6 bucks. It's great to live in a city with such reasonable prices. The one thing I wish they would work on is update us on their events on twitter more often.

11-26-2012 20:56:07 | More by avalonct

jeonseh

Indiana

4.45/5  rDev -4.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Hopcat is a must goto stop if you are in Grand Rapids. They have a huge and great beer list. When we were there, they had Kuhnhenn Imperial Creme Brûlée and All Hallows Ale on tap as well as Shorts Black Cherry Porter.

The food was solid bar food. The ice cream sandwich, which changes every so often, was amazing! The cookies are super thick and the ice cream is nice and creamy. They had a mexican hot chocolate one when we were there that had a spicy bite.

Service was good enough but nothing to write home about.

11-22-2012 16:56:13 | More by jeonseh

Flabbyjandro

Illinois

4.83/5  rDev +4.1%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Rock solid bar. Food was spectacular, not your standard fired bar food in the least. Selection was a good 25+ beers on tap as well as a huge to go selection. Staff was very friendly and knowledgable. Steve is the man, hooked it up, that's all I can say.

The atmosphere is very chill with some tvs to watch your sports and plenty of tables and bar space.

Next time I'm in town to hit up Founders, Hopcat will make the must stop list. Check it out, you won't be disappointed! Unless you hate craft beer and a full stomach.

11-20-2012 03:07:37 | More by Flabbyjandro

lurpy1

Minnesota

4.84/5  rDev +4.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

I was there for 30 minutes after the Bolt Cutter release, and all I can say is "oh my fucking god". The place hits all the right notes for a relaxed pub. The barkeeps are friendly, prompt, and know their stuff. Then there is the beer list. Mind blowing in its expansiveness. They are getting ready for a Wood and Wild fest which has a list that will break your heart if you're not going. Being not hungry at all, I did not eat. However, the guy next to me ordered the vaunted crack fries, and based on smell, that name is by no means an exaggeration.

It is a shame I was not able to linger. Best bar I've ever been in.

11-17-2012 18:12:18 | More by lurpy1