Pike 51 Brewing Company is the creation of two lifelong friends — Ron Snider and Steve Guikema — who are both passionate about beer and wine making. During the 1990s, way before Michigan was known as Beer City USA, Snider and Guikema were already brewing at their own homes.
The two first met at work when they were both employees at a machine shop, became friends, and shared a dream of opening a brewery someday. It is, quite literally, their lifelong dream as they have been talking about it since their home brewing days. One can say that the Pike 51 Brewing Company took decades in the making.
Before the Pike 51 Brewing Company, the owners’ first business venture was a winery. They realized that there was an opportunity to establish a winery in Hudsonville where there are very limited options when it comes to local wine. So in 2009, they pursued this endeavor and Hudsonville Winery opened to the public. Not long after, they realized that their decision was right. The winery was a hit such that it sold out its wine on its opening day even without any sort of promotion.
Their desire to serve even more quality beverages to their growing client base was amplified when they realized that there is also an opportunity to open a brewery. After only three years since the winery’s opening, Pike 51 Brewing Company opened in 2012, two years ahead of schedule. The Michigan drinking community embraced the brewery just as much as they did for the winery especially since it is only the second brewery in Hudsonville after White Flame Brewing Company.
Pike 51 Brewing Company’s interior has a minimal design. It is mostly painted in browns and grays, and accented by wooden and rock fixtures including the bar which is made of carved concrete. There are high chairs by the bar, but you may also enjoy your food and drinks on the lovely outdoor seating at their patio.
Snider and Guikema simultaneously worked on their day jobs and ran their winery and brewery business for years. They were working as machinists during the day and running a winery and brewery business at night. However, in 2015 they eventually resigned from their full-time jobs and decided to focus their time and energy on operating Hudsonville Winery and Pike 51 Brewing Company.
The owners take pride in running a relatively small yet bold and innovative brewery. Case in point — their sour beers. Pike 51 was already serving citrusy beers such as Side Bloob, Strawbappity, Fruit Salad Sour, and Black Currant Sour years before sour beers became trendy. Thanks to the pair’s leadership and head brewer Jeff William’s mastery of beer brewing, their excellent craft beers are huge successes.
Pike 51 Brewing Company has a total of 16 taps that can serve you with a wide range of beers. This includes around eight mainstays as well as several other seasonal and special limited ones.
One of their mainstay beers is their best-loved sweet stout, the Sabotage. It is a daring medium-bodied milk stout that pours dark, almost black, with laces of white foam. The infusion of coffee gives it an aroma that is both bitter and sweet, reminiscent of dark chocolate. Its sweetness compliments the toasted coffee flavor.
If you are into American lagers, you might want to have a pint of the Tall Boy Lager. It is light and refreshing as expected of American lagers but with more sweetness and body. Another delightfully refreshing beer from Pike 51 is their Pulp Friction Hefeweizen. It is a shandy beer with just the right level of acidity brought by mixing in orange, grapefruit, lemon, and lime. A highly drinkable ale, it is perfect during hot and humid afternoons.
To complete the brewpub experience, they also serve equally delicious food. You can go for the classic Fish and Chips which is always great to pair with beer. It is made of cod fillets dipped in beer batter, fried to perfection, laid over a bed of fries, and served with a side of coleslaw and tartar sauce. Another pescatarian option is their Fish Tacos. Just like the Fish and Chips, it is also made of fried cod fillets tucked inside flour tortillas and lathered with a mouth-watering combination of Pike 51’s house-made chutney, sour cream, and sweet chili sauce. Try these two with crisp and refreshing beers such as Blonde Valdez and Tropical Session.
For meat lovers, there are also some savory, greasy options for you. Grab a bite of their Patty Melt on Grilled Sourdough with a hefty side of either chips or fries. The 6 oz patty is topped with caramelized onion, Pike 51’s very own beer cheese, and red pepper mayo. You can pair it with Kush IPA, Hopnosis, or B.B. Pastry Stout.
Since you are already in the area, you might want to check out Guikema and Snider’s other business, the Hudsonville Winery just beside Pike 51. They serve over thirty different kinds of wine so there will definitely be something for everyone. Whether you are looking for the classics such as Moscato, Shiraz, and Pinot Grigio, or something that is uncommon such as Black Cherry Wine and Acai Wine, you can grab a glass from the Hudsonville Winery.
Pike 51 Brewing Company offers amazing discounts for their Mug Club members. If you sign up this 2020, you can enjoy these treats as well as those that are originally exclusive to Hudsonville Winery’s Wine Club members. This is one of the many wonderful things you can get from a back-to-back winery and brewery. If you are a member of at least one of these clubs, you can enjoy $1 off on wine pours, wine bottles, seltzers, draft fills, and growler fills every single day. You can also get a $2 discount on their wines every Sunday and Wednesday and their draft fills and growler fills every Tuesday.
Have a glass of Pike 51 Brewing Company’s mainstays, seasonal brews, or special brews from Mondays through Sundays. You may visit the brewery at 3768 Chicago Drive, Hudsonville, Michigan.