Pure Michigan Pints

Right Brain Brewery

Traverse City, Michigan

This is my own subjective review. I’m highly opinionated. It’s out of 20 total (based on Beer Selection, Vibe, Service, and Beer Quality; I grade harshly and my 4 is probably most people’s 5. Also, I don’t count food against breweries in the total because not all breweries need food to be good and some are in a partnership with nearby restaurants.

I’ve visited this brewery since my early 20s. They’ve always had some funky beers. It’s not always my favorite brewery to go to in Traverse City, but it’s not one I cringe at hitting up. It’s an if-we’re-in-the-area kind of thing. I used to really love this brewery—and it’s still good in its own right, but I’m not sure if my tastes changed or they did (or perhaps there’s WAY more competition then there ever was before).

Beer Selection—5/5

This is another behemoth of breweries when it comes down to selection. It’s only increased through the years to the point of ridiculousness. Chances are they’ll have plenty of styles for you to choose from—last time I visited they boasted over 30. ALL OF THEIR OWN. This isn’t a brewpub. They brew it all themselves, so it’s safe to say production has ramped up over the years.

Vibe—4/5

They’ve turned into almost a full-on arcade. No restaurant vibes here—which is a nice change of pace when all of your breweries start to feel the same.

The bar itself isn’t as cozy; they’re pretty busy, and perhaps some of the other seats could be more comfortable, but it’s still neat. Especially if you like pinball. They have a variety of machines I attempted to play. Mandalorian was my favorite.

One thing to keep in mind: they no longer believe in having TVs in their brewery. I think their heart is in the right place—they want people to talk to each other and have fun—however, if you’re looking to catch a Lion’s, Red Wing’s, Piston’s, Tiger’s, or college football game you’re S.O.L.

Service—3/5

They have service at the bar. They’ll give you tastes, help you with your flight. I haven’t had any problems here, and sometimes the best service stands out more than bad service, but I can’t say they’re outstanding.

Beer Quality—3.5/5

I thought I’d mark them higher on this, and it’d be a solid 4, if not a 5. But I’ll be honest: Right Brain doesn’t always hit for me. They have some good regulars like the CEO stout (which you can find in cans, at least in West Michigan), but some of their risks fall a bit flat. Their Pig Porter, for instance, is not one of their better attempts, and some people will definitely disagree with me—here is where I should point out it was a 2011 Gold Medal Winner for Best Experimental Beer at the Great American Beer Festival.

Last time I visited I tried the Thai Peanut Brown Ale. It was decent. It captured the flavor. It had a bit of heat in it even. Was I in love with it? Not exactly. But I can’t deny it was a different beer than I’ve had before …

They’ve even put whole pies into their Cherry Pie Whole beer (in case the name didn’t give it away), and I have not tried that one; I would be willing to—Traverse City is known for their cherries and I do love me some cherry pie.

My favorite beer from my last outing was the Shamrock Shake—a 7.2% blonde stout with vanilla and mint—that deserved its name.

I’m also not sure if this is a case where I’m being super picky because they have so many beers or I’m impossible to please.

Food—N/A

They have some flavored popcorn and chips if you want a little snack.

Overall

If you’ve never checked out Right Brain before, you definitely should. It’s worth seeing what they have on draft and trying a flight. Play a game of pinball while you are there!

Total—15.5/20