Brewery Vivant

TheBeerDad

Michigan

4.85/5  rDev +15.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.75 | $$$

The atmosphere of the brewpub is amazing, Gothic and very pleasing to the eye.

Something that I particularly enjoyed was how kid friendly they were. Not only did they have a kids menu and crayons, but the kids menu wasn't just reprocessed chicken and fries. Juice, fresh fruit or house brewed root beer were options. Even to add to the kid friendly atmosphere the hosts were playing with the brewmasters daughter, who couldn't have been more than two.

The beverage selection was very accommodating as well. If you find yourself not being able to go to breweries with a significant other because they don't drink beer then this menu will solve it. They had 2 types of cider, wine and fresh root beer as options for the non-beer drinker.

I personally had there rotating wood aged selection and at the time it was Belgium dark strong ale aged 4 months in cognac barrels.

The food was chef created and delicious. I had the duck nachos and they were amazing!!!

01-18-2013 16:05:45 | More by TheBeerDad

MichiganHammer

Michigan

4.83/5  rDev +14.7%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.75 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

Although its not my favorite style of beer, Brewery Vivant are artist when it comes to Belgian Beers and they are changing my thoughts on Belgians. The brewery is located in a very small community outside of the city of Grand Rapids in a former church; It was great being served at the alter of craft beer. The staff there were very welcoming and I would highly suggest visiting this brewery.

03-12-2013 15:44:51 | More by MichiganHammer

HarmonMW

Michigan

4.81/5  rDev +14.3%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.75 | service: 5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.75 | $$$

Atmosphere: The brewpub is an old funeral home chapel which gives it a very unique ambiance. Inside, tables line the walls and then the center area is filled with the long "German-style" benches where you're sitting right next to other patrons.

Quality: I was blown away with the offerings in the brewpub. Extremely good, unique beers. The flights are any 6 beers, mini-snifter servings. They always have a wood-aged beer on draft. The wood-aged ancho rauchbier was fantastic and got even better as it warmed. I have not had a beer that I didn't care for in 3 totally different flights.

Service: Always stellar. I have never had any complaint about the service we have received and all the servers are very knowledgeable about the available beers. Couldn't ask for anything more.

Selection: Both times we have visited there have been very diverse offerings. Lots of brewpub only, or limited release, beers with the standards always being available too.

Food: Awesome. I get the burger with the carmelized onions which is great. I forget what my fiancee tends to get, but it's delicious. Some of the best food of any brewery we have visited.

Overall: A little pricier than the average GR brewpub, but if you haven't been, you HAVE to make the time to stop by. You will not be disappointed.

04-30-2013 01:32:38 | More by HarmonMW

4thoseabout2bock

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +12.8%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $$$

Innovative belgian-american brews including the usual IPAs, Abbeys and Saisons running the gamut to a poblano sour!

A bit outside downtown, in an old funeral chapel. Work the trek.

Nice staff. Happy to give tastes. Also a couple sampler platters to choose from. Love that the samples are served in snifters so that you get the full nose.

Excellent if pricey food, including a rich duck rillets nachos in brie cream sauce with cracklings. This brewery is one to watch.

Along with Logan's Alley, one of the top two destinations in GR.

06-15-2012 02:42:16 | More by 4thoseabout2bock

avalonct

Michigan

4.75/5  rDev +12.8%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$$

This is my favorite place in town. I'm a bit biased as this is where most of my friends go when we want to grab a drink, but read my review for what it's worth. Without question, order the burger (infused with bacon) and enjoy. Make sure you order it medium well if you usually order it medium as they tend to under cook their burgers (on purpose). It is one of the juiciest burgers you will ever have....delicious!

More importantly the beer menu is always changing with their seasonals and they do a great job of explaining the brewing process of each beer so you can make a wise decision. My personal favorite is the big red coq, but a close 2nd is the Escoffier.

Cheers!

11-26-2012 21:39:59 | More by avalonct

SquareGrouper

4.71/5  rDev +11.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 5 | $$$

This is a pretty neat place. A LEED certified brewery and pub from an early 1900s building that was previously a funeral home. The pub is actually in the old funeral chapel, and is surprisingly not creepy. The place has an old world feel, a boisterous main room and good selection of excellent (but pricey) food and a wide selection of tasty brews. Might be my new favorite spot in town.

02-17-2013 18:28:11 | More by SquareGrouper

gaugebozo

New York

4.66/5  rDev +10.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | $$

Set in a former funeral home, Brewery Vivant is a Belgian style bar and restaurant. The serving area is in a chapel, which gives a cool feeling to eating and drinking there. There are long tables in the center where people eat and drink together, a great place for a friendly pint and a chat with a stranger. The booths on the side allow a little more privacy.

I marked the food n/a only because I just tried one thing, the duck fat fries. They were wonderful. Crispy and properly seasoned with a side of creamy dipping sauce. There were a lot of other things that sounded great.

The beer is where this place really shines. The Belgian Dark in particular was my favorite. It took a long time to pour because of the ridiculous head retention, but the wait was worth it. (Great pour, bartender!) Creamy, mildly roasty while totally hiding the 9% alcohol, and that characteristic Belgian tang. They only serve their beers, so they get docked on selection, but that shouldn't be a problem for most BA's.

05-13-2011 16:20:10 | More by gaugebozo

ModemMisuser

Indiana

4.63/5  rDev +10%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$

I will start this review by saying that BV serves nachos made with pulled DUCK and duck cracklins'. Seriously. And they're REALLY F'ING GOOD. And $14. So, yeah. The food kicks ass.

The beers are good - you can read the reviews of their beers right here at BA. They offer self-chosen flights, which is nice.

The place appears to be in an old chapel/church, or is designed to appear so. Which is cool for the whole Belgian beer focus theme.

Not much else to say - if you're in GR, this is a must visit.

07-06-2011 17:51:58 | More by ModemMisuser

bigfurrynutz

Illinois

4.6/5  rDev +9.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$$

Had the opportunity to attend the grand opening of this brewery the weekend of March 18th for my 35th birthday Michigan pub crawl. The building is an old funeral chappel in an up and coming neighborhood in Grand Rapids. The founder/owner is a brewmaster from New Holland. This place is completely Belgian inspired from the floor up. The building is a beautiful work of art and they did an amazing job of converting it into a great oplace to eat and drink with a Belgian feel. While what we attended was a festival (tickets for beer and limited food) the beer was exceptional. The Bruin was a wonderful beer with tremendous notes of raisin and brown sugar undertones. We sampled a few of the house specialties as well. Lamb lollypops served with a berry compote, duck confit nachos and a savory belgian waffle with bris and honey drizzled on it. All were wonderful and it was incredible to get such food in a festival like atmosphere. If you are visiting Grand Rapids for beer, this place should be on your must stop list.

04-05-2011 20:48:07 | More by bigfurrynutz

jale

Michigan

4.55/5  rDev +8.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $$

A truly great place for beer and food. The beer is very good and they have a wide selection of them. The food is what really stands out here. They do not have a cook, but a chef. Hands down the best food of any brewery I have been to. The truffled walnuts are a must and I would drive hours just for this. The staff is far above average and are great at every aspect of this place. The inside is very inviting with large communal tables as well as booths and bar seating. I would frequent this place every week if it was closer.

07-17-2011 21:31:30 | More by jale