Grand Rapids Brewing Will Have New Home

The Grand Rapids Brewing Company, the oldest brewing name in Grand Rapids, has an official home, and it's downtown. 

BarFly Ventures, Thursday morning, announced that the Grand Rapids Brewing Company will anchor the ground floor of 1 and 7 Ionia Ave. SW in the Arena District of downtown Grand Rapids.

MyBar had that location for awhile, but the folks who bought the building wanted a change.  They didn't feel the public had been served that well with "spotty" food and "spotty" service being the biggest problems.

BarFly, which also owns HopCat, Stella's Lounge, The Viceroy, and McFadden's, has a stellar reputation and has been very successful filling dining and drinking needs in the entertainment district.  The building owners felt that BarFly filled the bill, having purchased the assets of the Grand Rapids Brewing Company that closed on 28th Street last year.

The brewpub will be open seven days for lunch and dinner, employing 60 people in a variety of jobs ranging from managers and brewmasters to servers and bartenders. The new GRBC will offer a unique food menu, 8-10 of its own house-made beers, and soft drinks. A selection of liquor, wine, and hard cider will also be available.

The cool part of the whole development is that brewpub will be part of the $7.5 million 616 Lofts on Ionia mixed-use project announced last week. That project will put 26 market-rate apartments on the upper three floors of the buildings and offices on the second floor.