I love beer. I love the smell and taste of it. There’s just something really special about enjoying a delicious pint of beer with family and/or good friends. I especially enjoy gathering at some of the micro-brewers around West Michigan, such as Railtown Brewing Company, Founders, White Flame, and many more. Being able to go out and enjoy going around and trying out what each brewery has to offer for beer, food, and atmosphere is always an experience. But I have to say, one of my favorite places to go to and just sit back, relax, and enjoy a good beer is Railtown.

Good beer, good food, great times, and great staff. I always have a great time when I go to Railtown Brewing Company. RBC, located in Dutton, MI, has just recently moved into their new building across the driveway from their old location – their old location being in a strip mall with limited space for their equipment and no room for a kitchen. It was still a great place to hang out and enjoy a beer and just talk to the bar tenders. It was also a great place to come out and play some Trivia with Geeks Who Drink. I’d usually walk in with Chick-Fil-A, grab a table, grab a beer, and just kick back and wait for trivia to start. And just sitting around and playing trivia while others played darts or foosball. The atmosphere was cozy. Sure, on Trivia nights it would get a bit loud with the heckling (our team definitely did not help in that department – sorry, not sorry Doug). But the other night’s I’d go – it was always relaxing. Having gone there enough, it really in a way started to feel like Cheers where we got to know everyone at the bar and they got to know us. It reminded me a bit of traveling around England and visiting British pubs, where people would gather with family and friends and watch the latest Doctor Who episode. But Railtown was growing, more people were coming in thanks to great staff, great beer, and trivia. What to do?

Railtown’s owners bought the property, an old carwash, next door. Demolition, cleaning, and the erection of a new building slowly came to life. To help with the costs, RBC launched lifetime mug club memberships for a limited time. If memory serves, it was only for a couple months. While I don’t know how big of a financial impact the lifetime mug club memberships had with helping cover the expenses of a new building, it was great to see a lot of the regulars help the cause. And within just about a year, we had the new RBC building, big enough for a large taproom, kitchen, big floor space for trivia, and an outdoor patio for dining and hosting games for events. RBC is heavily involved with their community and always seems to be helping raise money for this or awareness for that. It’s a great thing to see in any community. The new building also has an upstairs area when the main floor gets crowded. The upstairs is also used for normal diners who don’t wish to play trivia.

With a shiny new kitchen, RBC serves up delicious food. Burgers, RBC Chili, some delicious tots, and a lot more, there’s something there for anyone. It’s far above normal bar food. For example, today was their Citra Warrior event – Warrior Unleashed  and they whipped up Fish & Chips with homemade tartar sauce. Delicious! Definitely couldn’t go wrong with that. The food items have come a long way in a short time with a bit of a shaky, but delicious, start after they moved into their new building. They received great feedback from their guests and rolled with it. Check out this Citra Warrior hoodie.

RBC – Citra Warrior Hoodie

Also today was the first time I sat upstairs and it was cozy. It was more quiet up there than downstairs which made it easier to talk with the family I was having lunch with.

And the staff is always great! My mug barely sat empty. Talk to Alex, one of the bartenders sometime. Great guy and a personal shoutout to him. Very knowledgable and a funny guy.

Railtown has come a long way from just starting out in a strip mall with limited seating, no kitchen, and a small taproom to a more spacious taproom, kitchen, and lots of seating. It’s wonderful watching this brewery grow and I’m glad I get to be apart of it.

Check out their Facebook Page to see the latest and greatest events and happenings with Railtown.

Now I’m going to kick back and relax with a can of Railtown Good Mood.

Do you have a brewery in your town like Railtown that started off small and grew rapidly? Any good brews? Leave a comment below or chat about it in the forums.

***Discloser: I am a lifetime mug club member, but I am not being reimbursed or sponsored for this post. No one at Railtown Brewing Company asked me to write this post nor has asked for an official review. I am not being compensated in any way, shape, or form. This is just a person who really enjoys RBC and their products. None of the companies or organizations mentioned in this post are compensating me in any way, shape, or form***