HopCat

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

Vdubb86

Illinois

4.22/5  rDev -9.1%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

I stopped here with my girlfriend for lunch on our way home from a wedding in Michigan because I had heard great things about this place. The atmosphere was really cool looking. Not only did it have a normal high quality old world beer bar going with lots of wood decor and the ever-changing chalkboards above the bar it was cool. The place was decorated in a Bohemian Style and the chairs were covered in what seemed to be some sort of French art and jazz was playing over head. This just came off as a very classy establishment. The quality of this place was pretty good. It seemed that if it wasn't a Sunday afternoon in January they may have had some amazing stuff on tap. As far as Barleywines were, they had a lot of things with some serious age on them that were really tempting, but overall my choice was for a year-old Batch 9000. The service was good, our waitress was attentive, and seemed to know how everything was done. I never really tested her because for the most part I knew of everything on the menu. The food was pretty tasty, I enjoyed a pulled Beef sandwich and my girlfriend went crazy for a veggie wrap that she thought was amazing. The prices of beer are a little on the high side unless you get a HopCat beer, but the food prices are in some instances on the cheap end. Overall an enjoyable experience, I would love to be back with a different tap list.

01-31-2011 16:00:25 | More by Vdubb86

otto251068

Tennessee

4.25/5  rDev -8.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$$$

Atmosphere: Hopcats is right in the middle of downtown Grand Rapids, so its space is fairly limited. The tables are really packed in there, and most of the time, so are the patrons. Always super busy, and I always feel surrounded. If you are claustrophobic, you might have a rough time. In terms of atmosphere, Hopcats doesn't have anything special.

Quality: Huge tap selection, which is always being changed, so I don't worry about the quality too often. They also have a ton of bottles for sale which they keep in storage in refrigerated cabinets. Everything looks to be in order. Big fan of all the glassware, every drink is served in the appropriate glass.

Service: Been here a couple dozen times, and the service is always hit and miss. At the bar, the tenders always make sure you have a drink in front of you. At a table, the waiters and waitresses seem to occasionally make a lap, but they never seem to be around when I need them. On the plus side, they know every beer on the menu, and are very helpful.

Selection: Huge. So many different styles and flavors from all over the world. Tons of locals, tons from all over the US. The menu is sorted by location, big fan. There are just so many beers here, I really can't say enough about it. Lots of great beers from Belgium.

Food: I don't come here for the food, but I have had it, and it is pretty good. Of course, the crack fries are insane, and they have a lot of great munchies that are perfect for snacking on when drinking great beer.

Value: Expensive, but of course it depends on what you buy. The Michigan locals are on the lower end, and some others are way more expensive. I stick to the lower end of the spectrum, but always finish with some higher price stuff.

11-20-2010 04:02:54 | More by otto251068

SwiftyMcBeer

Indiana

4.28/5  rDev -7.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5 | food: 3.5 | $$

Great vibey place in downtown grand rapids. The selection of beers, especially on tap, is hard to top. Slightly Michigan-centric, but they have a little of anything. Besides a lot of the Michigan breweries are pumping out some great beers so there is nothing wrong with this hometown bias. The service was completely adequate, and the food was in no way insulting. The setting and most importantly, the world-class tap selection, is what would bring me back. If you are in the area, stop by, it will not disappoint.

12-02-2008 16:44:15 | More by SwiftyMcBeer

lloyd83

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev -7.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5 | $$$

Visited this place after going to the tapas joint down the street. Wasn't 'in the know' at the time as to how absolutely cool it is, but as soon as I sat down I was literally overwhelmed. The beer menu is friggin' GIGANTIC. Stuff I'd never heard of, never seen before, etc. My sister lives in GR. She's lucky that we stumbled upon this place, as it means that we'll definitely be coming back for another visit! Growler fill seemed a bit expensive though; $43? I haven't bought many, but that's been the highest thus far!

02-08-2011 06:56:28 | More by lloyd83

WeedKing4

Ontario (Canada)

4.3/5  rDev -7.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

This place is much bigger on the inside then it looks from the street. Pretty good atmoshpere too. The selection is amazing. Only had time for a couple drinks, but the tap list was fantastic, and the bottle list was ridiculous. They look a little on the pricey side though. They have all the michigan breweries covered, and tons of selections from north american and across the ocean. I ended up going with a pint of Brooklyn Cookie Jar Porter and Dark Horses's Double Crooked Tree. Would have loved to try more beer had time allowed it. Every town should have a bar like this. I really hate Canada.

03-14-2010 03:21:39 | More by WeedKing4

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

4.3/5  rDev -7.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

Visited a couple of times on a recent beer trip to Grand Rapids.

Really great atmosphere, 50 beers on tap, a large bottle selection and friendly service.

I was a little bit puzzled by their lack of Michigan beer on tap - they seemed to have one from each of the big breweries but a complete lack of Bell's (and Hopslam is in season), only 1 Dark Horse & 1 Shorts beer were on tap. The overall mix was pretty good, keeping in mind that about 10 of the taps were Hop Cat house brews.

Over my two visits I tried about 6 or 7 different beers.

The food here is great! They have a number of appetizers that are amazing, including some of the best chicken wings that I have ever had.

I will return here some time soon for sure.

03-14-2011 14:10:52 | More by TheSevenDuffs

beerwolf77

Wisconsin

4.3/5  rDev -7.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Another must stop during the GR tour.

Nice old school bar feel and look to this place. Killer art on the walls and specialty bottles lined up behind the bar. Long bar and plenty of booths and tables for eating. The place was packed from the moment we got there but it never felt too busy.

The selection is where this place shines. Took us a solid 10 minutes to decide. They have something for every beer geek on the menu. The server was quick and helpful with picking out beers.

The beer cheese soup was recommended highly so I ordered that for dinner. It was as delicious as advertised.

Overall a superb place for dinner and a beer. I will be stopping back every time I'm in town.

03-20-2011 22:18:11 | More by beerwolf77

eopacich

Indiana

4.33/5  rDev -6.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Ah, The Hopcat. So I saw the #3 status and read the hype so I had to make a road trip. This was the centerpiece of my tour, but I also made stops at Sicilianos, International Beverages, GB Russo, and Founders. The Hopcat is a great brewpub. Nice handsome dark woods, hardwood floor on the ceiling, vintage beer artwork, nice old brick,great woodwork and heavy metals on the bar - exactly what a kick ass brewpub should look like. Awesome selection of beers. 48 on tap. Now I've been to places with 50+ taps but there is no crap on their drafts here - lots of great beers. Great selection plus a ton of bottled beers too. Lots of talk about the bathroom so I had to check out both (whoops, too many beers and I accidentally found my way into the women's room). Came here Friday night at 5 ish and amazingly there were open tables (Founder's was packed by 4). Came back for lunch the next day - had a great Pork sandwich (ask for some BBQ sauce) and the crack fries live up to their namesake. Not sure if this is #3 in the world but definitely one of the best in the midwest. I will be back.

02-14-2010 17:46:01 | More by eopacich

liquidcraft

Michigan

4.33/5  rDev -6.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

I currently live a 5 minute walk from Hopcat, stop in at least once or twice a month to see whats on the beer list. I really dig the food, the quesadillas and buffalo rolls are weak but just about everything else is great. If you're into comfort food the Killer mac (with chicken, jalepeno and tomato) is awesome and they serve the only sloppy joe I'd pay for. It's not cheap, but its on par with the prices of most downtown bars and better quality.

The beer list offers a great variety, the tap list represents a large selection of both breweries and styles and is only as expensive as any other bar I've been to. The bottle list is marked up and in general I avoid it, but its fun to look at.

The atmosphere is relaxed, staff is knowledgeable and friendly. Has the potential to get really busy before and after events at Van Andel Arena and no reservations just as a heads up. I like the way they do things, definitely worth checking out if you haven't been.

05-23-2010 22:27:03 | More by liquidcraft