White Flame Brewing Company is Hudsonville’s first microbrewery and it offers four levels of beers made on-site. It opened on January 28, 2012 and currently has more than 15 brews on tap. As the oldest brewery in Hudsonville, it is proud to have created a community that enjoys great beer and delicious food. Named White Flame because of the owners’ last name and the wife’s nickname, the tap room has become a neighborhood hang-out. Patrons local to Hudsonville were happy to finally have a bar that didn’t require them to drive to nearby Grand Rapids or Grandville. For Bill White, it was this particular reason he was confident in his location. While one might think that it was intimidating to open up a bar so close to Beer City, it wasn’t. Aside from the bar being a local watering hole, he also thought of it as an opportunity to create a bar where people who were traveling from the southwest part of the state and Chicago could grab a couple of beers and have a hearty meal.
The bar is tastefully decorated and gives that local brewery ambience that patrons really appreciate. It wasn’t too fancy or too simple and it gives off the local brewery atmosphere that people look for. While the façade’s design is very simple, the inside has a variety of seating choices and big signs that is both inviting and comforting.
A family-owned brewery, they also have a restaurant on location. Owners Bill and Jenn White opened their deli style kitchen in May of 2016, adding soups, salads, wraps and sandwiches to their menu. When the bar opened in 2012, they only offered food on weekends and encouraged patrons to bring their own food. Locals almost always end up having pizza delivered and it just helped the community grow from then.
They currently offer curb-side pick up due to the pandemic. However, their menu is as classic as ever. Munchies or appetizers come in pretzels and nachos. They also offer a Turkey Bacon Ranch Salad and a Caesar Salad that costs around $7 to $9. Their wraps are the Caesar Pleaser, Tom is Cool, and the bestseller, Kickin Chicken Griller. The Kickin’ Chicken Griller is a southwest inspired chicken wrap with chicken breast with fiesta blend cheeses, lettuce, fire roasted corn, and black bean vegetable blend. All wraps are served with seasoned kettle chips and a dill pickle spear. Prices range from $9 to $10. Their “Mac ‘n Chee” menu offer 3 types of the classic mac and cheese, with the Cowboy Mac being the bestseller. The Cowboy mac has white cheddar shells with their shredded beef pot roast and red onions, topped with smoked provolone, white cheddar, and Asiago cheeses. Patrons can add jalapeños for no additional cost. Prices range from $8 to $11. Their “Sammiches” come in 9 variants: Lil’ Chubs, made with tender beer-braised shredded beef pot roast, Jimmy, the Greek style gyro, Hop Gobbler, an oven-roasted turkey breast sandwich, Brewben, a corned beef sandwich, Hamtastic, that has hot shaved ham and swiss cheese, and Yo Mama’s Grilled Cheese, which is their take on the classic grilled cheese with tomato slices and a pesto basil spread on white bread. Their bestsellers, Guido, Billy Club, and the Smoked Dutchman, cost only $9 to $12 and are served with seasoned kettle chips and dill pickle spear. They also offer their take on the Mexican quesadilla in the form of Kay-sa-deeya and Cowboy Kay-sa-deeya with corn and black beans.
Their kitchen also offers a kids’ menu that includes classic grilled cheese, kids’ mac and cheese, a hotdog made with ¼ Premium Angus Beef, and Kids’ Kay-sa- Deeya. All meals come with chips and a 16 oz cup of fountain soda but have the option to upgrade it into chocolate milk for only $0.75.
The White Flame Brewing Company’s beer selection as solid as it can come. They have stuck to the classic types like IPAs, Amber ales, porters, stouts, and pale ales. Yet they still try to create unique brews by playing with those different styles. They often have over 15 brews on tap. The beer brewing company is known for their dark, roasted, and malty beers but like to think that they specialize in brewing IPA-style beers.
Currently, the tap room offers 5 classes of brews. Their class 1 includes the Biller Light, which is an American Light Lager. It has a 4.3% ABV and is almost clear in consistency. Their Double Tap IPA is an India Session Ale that has a 4.5% and 65 IBU. It is a crisp golden session IPA packing a huge amount of Amarillo dry hop. The last one from class 1 is their Dutch IPA that has a 4.7% ABV and a 49 IBU. Patrons consider it a great “session IPA” that is light yet full of flavor.
Class 2 offers Dropkick Molly, an Irish Red Ale that is just right: not too hoppy and not too sweet. It has a 6% ABV and costs $10.00 for a 32 oz fill. The Mo’ Peez is an American IPA that has a 5.8 ABV and a 70 IBU. Creatively named, this foamy brew has a light honey flavor and will definitely have you saying ‘mo, pleeeez!’. Head Games is next on their lineup and is a foreign stout that has a 5.6% ABV and 40 IBU. It has a surprisingly light texture despite having dark roast coffee flavors. Red Shoes is a Chilli Beer that has a 5.2% ABV and a 35 IBU. The Classic American Pale Ale is aged on Fresh Habanero Peppers that give you a kick that builds in the back of your throat, but is not overwhelming enough that it ruins the experience. Last one from Class 2 is the very popular Super G IPA that showcases the bitterness of the high alpha-acid hops that is balanced with a malty backbone and an ample dry hop aroma. It has a 6% ABV and a 90 IBU.
Class 3, on the other hand, has three brews in the form of the Black Sheep IPA, Wookie Wuv, and Polar Express. The Black Sheep IPA is a black, dark ale that is very complex in flavor. This big beer is a great example of what White Flame Brewing Company is known for. This brew is definitely for the more adventurous drinker. It has an 8% ABV and an IBU of 85. The Wookie Wuv is an imperial/Double Stout that has a 9% ABV and an IBU of 46. It has a chocolate flavor. The Polar Express is an Imperial/Double IPA that is made with Michigan Honey and has a 10% ABV and an IBU of 80.
The last class offers the Hardball IPA, a triple IPA that has great aroma and hop bitterness. The residual sugars provide a thicker mouth-feel and a malty backbone. Centennial dry hop lends the needed aromatics and has a 12.5% ABV and an IBU of 75. Lastly, White Flame Brewing Company currently offers a traditional Cider, Suck My Kiss. The hard cider is sweet with green apple flavors.
Overall, White Flame Brewing Company has built a rather large amount of fans from all around the Michigan-Chicago area. They might not be at the level of the surrounding Grand Rapids breweries, but they are local and have built a reputation as a neighborhood bar.