The Grey Line Brewing Company prides itself with being simple: they simply want to do things their way. The name was coined from the idea that there is a space that exists between all things: the grey area. This grey line is where this brewing company stands. They claim to have no plans for world distribution domination or be the next beer superpower. They simply want to grow with its patrons, one pint at a time.
In a city that had earned the moniker “Beer City”, it’s surprising to see a brewery that was proud of producing less than 1,000 barrels a year. People would consider Grey Line smaller than the surrounding breweries in the area and they’re not wrong. This is due to the fact that the beer brewing company opened only in 2016, or due to the fact that it’s what founder Nathan Walser wants for his brewing company.
Nathan Walser was not new to the brewing scene prior to opening up his own brewing company. In fact, it was one of the reasons why he ventured out on his own. He was previously the head brewer at places like Perrin and Founders, Grand Rapids’ big time beer brewing companies. While he was in a good place in his career as brew master or head brewer, he thought he lacked the freedom that small breweries he’s worked at had. He was the head brewer at Founders during the company’s rise from bankruptcy. He recalls being asked to help brew beer at Founders and was asked to become the brew master the very next day. The company was struggling and was on the brink of closing down when they had to create a beer that attracted more consumers. Then co-owners Mike and Dave came to him with the name “Dirty Bastard” and he remembered he had a couple of scotch ale recipes and pitched his idea and not long after, Founders rose from the ashes.
He’s also got a reputation for brewing big beers and helped develop the recipes for well-known Founders’ Beers like Dirty Bastard, Centennial IPA, Kentucky Breakfast Stout, and Blushing Monk. He’s since worked as a brewing consultant around Michigan and Chicago. Founders’ Kentucky Breakfast Stout was the evolution that came from their original breakfast stout. It came to fruition when Walser ordered some bourbon barrels and they decided to age the ale in them. Beer websites like Ratebeer.com started to hear about it and ranked it the “Best Beer in America” in 2014. A unique blend but now widely mimicked, the flavors blend well together. The chocolate, coffee, vanilla, bourbon and oak flavors don’t overpower each other and people go absolutely crazy for it.
Opening Grey Line, he was excited to try to brew a bit of everything and not be confined in making one certain style. And test everything, he has. He has frequently talked about how many ways a beer could be made. He’s tried to make a sweeter brew, darker brews, lighter beers and thicker beers. Walser has been known to create a collection of interesting and unique brews, not confined by any standard and open to experimentation. Today, Grey Line offers 15 beers in their tap list but have had over 93 beers in their 4-year run.
Their Nitro Oat Stout, Fade, has 5.3% ABV and is one of their more popular brews. Its light, dry, and roasted oat gives a clean finish. The stout costs $4.75 for 16 oz. Their ‘merican Ale, Prime, on the other hand has a 4.4% ABV and is an amber/red ale that costs $4.75 for 16 oz. The Solshine is an American Wheat beer with a 6.1% ABV and costs $5.25. On the other hand, Humblebee is an honey oat beer that costs $5.25 and has a 6.6% ABV. The Rambler is another American Amber ale has a 6% ABV that costs $5.25. The Drypa is a dry pale ale that has a 6.2% ABV. Their Kona Brown is a brown coffee ale that has a 5.9% ABV and costs $5.25 for 16 oz. Their Steam Roller is another coffee stout and has a higher ABV of 10.5% and costs $6 for 16 oz. They have a lot of ales that have had their fair share of own criticism and praise. Their brew that has a high ABV is their triple IPA, Red Ghost that costs $7.25. Their cover beer series features a few of their greatest hits from Walser’s brewing career brewed by Erik Olsen, Grey Line’s head brewer. They currently offer the Disrupter, a red rye IPA that has 7.6% ABV and costs about $6.
Before the pandemic, the taproom offered food options like the usual bar food, salads, sliders and sandwiches, tacos and mac and cheese. They offer over chips, bruschetta, pretzels, pickle wraps, brisket nachos, Cuban Carnitas nachos, meat and cheese boards, and soup of the day bowl. The salads and wraps come in cobb hill, southwestern, veggie and chicken salad. Their sliders come in the pulled pork, roast beef, chicken salad, maple brisket, caprese, and cubano. All sliders come with a choice of kettle chips, coleslaw, potato salad and a cup of mac and cheese. Their sandwiches also serve the same variety. Creatively named, all sandwiches come in options of half and whole cuts. Their most expensive sandwich is called the Mile High Club and is filled with ham, turkey, roast beef, bacon, mayo, lettuce, tomato, provolone, and smoked cheddar served on a sourdough or spent grain. Their selection of mac and cheese all have a blend of four cheeses in a creamy beer sauce topped cheddar jack cheese. They also offer buffalo chicken amc, southewest mac, and broccoli mac.
The taproom has 16 taps, 55 seats indoors and 20 seasonal outdoor patio seats. They also offer a mug club in the form of the Grey Card. Members can enjoy $2.00 off of all full size beers everyday and $0.75 off 11 oz beers everyday. $0.50 off of our samples everyday and $2 off beer Crowlers everyday.
The Grey Line might be new to the Grand Rapids area but one thing’s for sure, it’s definitely staying a while. With Nathan Walser at the helm, it’s definitely going to produce more quality brews.