The Atmosphere

The 120-year-old Mitten Brewing Company building has exposed brick throughout. The baseball theme starts in the lobby with four blue stadium-style seats from the original Detroit Tiger Stadium. An old English D symbolizing the Detroit Tigers adorns one of the exposed brick walls, along with historic black and white baseball images. Ashwood, used to make baseball bats, adds to the theme through the restaurant’s tabletops.

The bi-level outdoor deck is a relaxing spot to throw back a cold one on a hot summer day. A second-story taproom is also available year-round.

When the Detroit Tigers play, there’s a firm rule that all five televisions carry the game—no channel changes. So, if you can’t be in Detroit, The Mitten Brewing Company is the place to watch the Detroit Tigers.

Discover other Grand Rapids breweries in this roundup article, 11 Grand Rapids Breweries to Throw Back a Cold One.

The Menu at the Mitten Brewing Company

The menu at the Mitten Brewing Company focuses on gourmet pizza with some baseball-themed appetizers, like the roasted peanuts in the shell at the ballpark. I love the menu’s whimsical baseball references offering selections like the Curse of the Goat, the Field of Greens, Thai Cobb, the Grand Salami, Westerdog, and the Plate Setter.

The menu also offers dishes with the Mitten Brewing Company’s beer. For example, Tavern Cheese is house made with sharp cheddar and Mitten beer. They serve it with house made rosemary focaccia.

Every brewery offers beer flights, but the Mitten Brewing Company also has pizza flights for those who can’t decide. Any six of the specialty pizzas, including the weekly special, can be combined into a pizza flight. A flight features six pizzas served on a wooden paddle, making a meal for the whole family.

The Curse of the Goat

The Curse of the Goat begins with a tomato basil sauce topping the crust, and then they add house hand-pinched sausage, crumbled goat cheese, peppadew peppers, and fresh basil.

The Westerdog Pizza

I admit the Westerdog Pizza was a curveball. I wasn’t the first to jump in and sample it, but finally, I did and was glad. Hot dogs on pizza? Yes, it was good! Think of the pizza dough as a bread alternative, which will help your mindset. It starts with the standard pizza dough topped with chili bean sauce. Then comes the diced all-beef franks, cheddar-jack cheese, diced white onions, and shredded Kosher pickles. Finally, they drizzle it with ketchup and yellow mustard for a true ballpark and pizza mash-up.

The Grand Salami

References the Grand Slam, a home run hit with the bases loaded, resulting in four runs scored. So, the four proteins in this sandwich—salami, pepperoni, ham, and provolone are the four runs scored in this sandwich. Add in the banana peppers, mixed greens, and fresh tomatoes layered on a hoagie roll and topped with an herb IPA vinaigrette made with their own craft brew, and it really is a home run.

Vegan and Gluten-Free Options

The Mitten Brewing Company is batting a 1.000 with their vegan choices. In addition to all the traditional pizza toppings, the Mitten Brewing Company offers over 35 different toppings for a build-your-own pizza. After the vegan “meat” options, some of the more uncommon ones are the seasoned peppadew peppers, artichoke hearts, house hand-pinched sausage, and their house-baked pulled chicken.

Since one of the co-owners, Chris Andrus is a vegan; the menu features many vegan and gluten-free options. So, for example, you can choose a full flight of vegan or gluten-free pizza options, and they clearly mark these choices on the menu. In fact, they can make anything on the menu vegan or gluten-free.

You don’t need to throw in the towel when building your own vegan pizza because they offer many vegan pinch hitters, including vegan Italian sausage, pepperoni, chicken, chorizo, bacon, and vegan cheese. You also have the opportunity to add jackfruit, which is one of my favorite vegan options, especially if they offer it in a barbeque style.

Piper’s Pro Planning: While you can’t make reservations, you can reduce your wait time by adding yourself to their waitlist via Yelp.

The Beer at the Mitten Brewing Company

Michigan ranks sixth in the United States for breweries, and Grand Rapids has been nicknamed Beer City, USA. The baseball theme continues on their beer menu, where the beer is in a league of its own.

Triple Crown Brown

In baseball, the triple crown refers to leading the league in the most home runs, best batting average, and runs batted in over the same season. This beer was one of our group’s favorites: an English Brown Ale with a 4.2 percent ABV and a 2016 World Beer Cup Silver Medalist. The English Brown Ale is malt-forward with light chocolate and a roasted malt character.

Peanuts & Crackerjack: Honey Roasted

This is their peanut butter porter, compliments with honey, vanilla, cinnamon, and a touch of salt. It has a 6 percent ABV.

Piper’s Pro Planning: If you want to continue exploring Grand Rapids breweries, they developed the Brewsader passport. You can earn a free T-shirt by visiting eight city breweries and collecting their digital stamps. Collecting stamps is a fun reason to explore the city’s various breweries and helps you remember where you’ve been. Here are 11 Grand Rapids Breweries to Throw Back a Cold One so you can continue exploring Grand Rapids’ beer culture.

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