57620 Murray StreetI had what I thought was a pretty great idea. Order food from Nonla Burger in Mattawan then head down the street to the brewery for a few beers. J thought it was a good idea too. The kids? They never like my ideas but they don’t really get a choice.
We had plans to go ice skating at Wings West Saturday night. L likes to take advantage of the open skate times because it’s cheaper than club ice. The further we get away from winter, the fewer people show up to Open Skates. That gives L quite a bit of ice to work with.
I asked J if she wanted to grab dinner before we headed to Wings West. I had an idea for burgers and beers. She was on board.
We headed towards Mattawan. I put in an order for Nonla Burger online. We made a quick stop there to pick up food then we headed down the street to Murray Street Brewing Company.
Murray Street Brewing Company isn’t hard to find in downtown Mattawan. The large red barn is located on Murray Street just to the north of front street. Before becoming a brewery, the building was used for an antiques shop called The Livery. I have a hunch this building actually was a livery many years ago.
We grabbed a parking spot right along Murray Street and started to walk in. We noticed a small patio outside with a table and a couple of patio furniture type couches. We told the kids to sit there and start eating while we headed in to grab a couple of beers.
Murray Street Brewing has a really cool space. The taproom has some great distressed hardwood floors and a stamped tin ceiling. Lighting is kept to a minimum with large windows letting in natural light and some hanging bulbs around the bar and the seating area.
There are a few tables on the far side of the taproom that we didn’t see when we first walked in. We had already told the kids to take a seat outside so we just stuck with that. It was a nice enough night and the kids were being….difficult so it was best we didn’t bother anybody else.
J and I headed to the bar. I made sure they had something J would like before I suggested this little excursion. Turns out, they had two beers she thought sounded good and couldn’t decide. The bartender got her tasters of both so she could decide and offered to do the same for me.
There were quite a few beers that I would have liked to have tried but I stuck to what I know best. I ordered the Horseshoes & Hand Grenades. This beer is Murray Street’s take on the American IPA made with Chinook and Cascade hops. It’s not super hoppy not does it have a high ABV. This beer really goes down smooth. It’s quite the sipping IPA.
J had a hard time choosing between the Parfait Juice Box and the Sunday Juice Box. Both are sours. She chose the Parfait Juice Box. It’s listed as a fruited sour brewed with blackberry, strawberry, granola, cinnamon, and vanilla. J said it was the vanilla that really did it for her. She said the beer wasn’t “thick” like some sours can be. I, of course, took a sip. It was better than most sours but I’m really not a sour fan.
The cost for the two beers was $11 and unfortunately, that was all we had time try. We needed to get back to Kalamazoo for open skate.
Murray Street Brewing Company is a great little brewery and one you wouldn’t expect to find in a small town…but Mattawan has a lot of that. They don’t have food but there are some amazing restaurants nearby. We chose Nonla Burger, but Bird Dog is right across the street, Chinn Chinn is on your way in town and there’s a Main Street Pub near them.
We didn’t get to spend nearly enough time at Murray Street Brewing Company. J’s making plans with her girlfriends to go back for a girl’s night out but it’s a place J and I will need to get back to as well.