Pure Michigan Pints

Longship Brewing Company

Lawton, Michigan

This brewery has been on my radar for a minute. Finally, I got the chance to explore it. To be honest, this review will be mixed …

Beer Selection—1.5/5

Out of eight drafts they were out of three. The board was split between beers and ciders. Now a place can get away with a minimal draft list if they are good. Anytime you run out of one—let alone three—it creates a narrower margin for their customers to find something they like.

They really fell short here on having a good selection: an apricot wheat beer, a shandy-esque beer, a double IPA, a spiced cider, and a spicy cider. That was all she wrote, folks.

Vibes—3/5

“Dark” is the first word that comes to mind upon entry. Some of what they had going on was cool, but it was a small place. I would have liked to see more decorations tying into that Longship theme. There was not enough boat paraphernalia. This could have really brought the place together.

Service—3/5

While the server was friendly, I sensed she didn’t have much experience. For example, she’d only carry two pints or two plates of food at a time; veteran servers can carry far more. (I know this from experience working in the industry; anytime I’d go to Pint Sized Review’s house, he’d chid me for only carrying two beers at a time.)

Essentially, they were pretty much dead. The service could have been more attentive.

Beer Quality—1/5

To me, there wasn’t a single beer or cider on the menu I’d come back exclusively for. There are a couple that are drinkable, but Miller Lite is drinkable to me. So, in hindsight, the brewery fell flat for me, and I can’t honestly recommend going for the beer or the cider. They are still young. Hopefully with time the place will improve, and they’ll find their groove.

Food— 5/5

This is where this brewery really shone through. I’d go back here for the food alone. The burger menu proved interesting. They have a Reuben burger—a burger topped with corned beef, sauerkraut, cheese, and thousand island. This is one of the best forms of a Reuben I’ve EVER had. It did not disappoint in any way and showcased the kitchen’s creativity.

Additionally, they offer three types of fries: Cajun, garlic parmesan, and regular. The Cajun is the best with a perfect semi-spicy dusting. The garlic parm is good as well. The original isn’t bad but not as good as the two other more creative options. The best part: choosing any of these fries doesn’t cost more money.

The spicy burger proved to be a good burger as well with the sautéed peppers and addition of Marie Sharp hot sauce (my FAVORITE hot sauce ever to date).

Overall—Recommend (But Only for the Reuben Burger) 8.5/20

I can’t in good faith recommend going here for their beers or ciders. I realize they’re still a young place, so maybe they’ll use these opportunities to grow and bring more to the table? Only time will tell with this. I do, however, recommend going here for the Reuben burger; it’s one hell of a burger.