Pure Michigan Pints

Osgood Brewing (RIP – 2022)

Grandville, Michigan

This brewery no longer exists. It happens, especially in the restaurant industry—especially after COVID; some places closed and simply did not reopen. Osgood Brewing’s story is a bit more complex than this. I’ve visited the brewery at least half a dozen times throughout its existence. On my last visit in October 2022, I talked to the owner/brewer myself.

Unlike many lasts in life—seeing people we love die, going to our favorite restaurant before they close forever, seeing a friend we are no longer in touch with, or being part of team where everybody goes their separate ways—I knew going here would be the last time I’d ever go to Osgood Brewing. The brewery announced their closing a month or two in advance. The kitchen closed and they only had limited hours to drink a pint or pick up some cans.

The owner, Ron, served me a pint of beer. He confirmed they’d been open for about ten years. I looked around the place. Remembered fond memories of grabbing a beer with a buddy close by. He always spoke highly of not only the beer but the food.

Life constantly changes. Unlike my other brewery reviews, I’m not going to give this brewery ratings. (However, I’ll still explore each area).

Beer Selection

In their heyday, they had it all. A few lighter beers, the hop-bombs, the browns, and the stouts. They lacked more experimental styles, but you can’t have it all, right?

The last time I went, the draft list was slim, but I understood they had to evacuate the premises in the next month or so.

Vibe

Osgood Brewing did well (have to remember to keep this in past tense) in the sense that it had restaurant vibes with a nice bar, outside seating, AND a place to throw darts. It’s not common for a place to balance all of it nicely. Better yet: it felt like it wasn’t trying too hard. They just had it together.

Service

I never remember having bad service here nor particularly good service. However, I’ll judge it based on my last time here and meeting Ron for the first time. You see, Osgood Brewing is his side project. He’s a teacher at the local high school. At the time I taught ESL, so we had something to talk about. He said he simply couldn’t find workers anymore. As someone who worked in the restaurant industry for a few years—many of us have transitioned to higher paying jobs that not only let us have weekends off but work from home! (I didn’t say this part to him.)

He decided it was time to retire Osgood Brewing. He’s a cool guy; I wish I had met him sooner.

Beer Quality

Sometimes I wonder if we as human beings rate beer based on where we were at that precise moment when drinking that beer in time. Maybe it’s our surroundings and the people we are with? Or perhaps it’s our current mood?

Osgood Brewing produced Best Day Ever—a 10% double-IPA hop-bomb, a beer where it was impossible to not have the best day ever if you drank it. Sitting outside, sunglasses on, catching up with a friend; this was where it was at.

Food

No food was available on my last visit. However, I’ve ate there enough times to feel comfortable reviewing the food. If memory serves me correctly, the food was pretty good but not remarkable. The pizza: worth checking out. Am I confident to say it was the best pizza in West Michigan? Definitely not. Even in Grandville? I wouldn’t put money behind it.

The sandwiches were creative and better than most places. It felt like a restaurant sandwich and not one I could easily construct at home. Another cool thing is they played off the show Always Sunny and had names such as Dennis & Charlie mac and cheese.

Overall

I would have said to go visit this brewery. Since it is no longer in existence, all I can say is RIP. I enjoyed all the times I went to Osgood Brewing. I’d love to have another chance to sit outside with the sun coming down, sipping on a Best Day Ever.

Osgood Brewing is a reminder that things change. Places change. Moments in our life change. All we can do is cling to the memories. And maybe appreciate the now in present tense a bit more.