The Livery

We stopped in here for lunch last summer on our way back from Saugatuck to say hello to Simon, the brewer, with whom I attended law school. I had one of their barrel aged stouts, a rye beer, and then a pilsner or lager with my Italian grinder. The beers were all seriously good, very high quality, as was the food. The aforementioned Italian has great crusty bread and packs a spicy punch from the giardiniera. I also recommend the pretzel bites and the spicy beer mustard.
Locals are lucky to have this place, and if you are touring the area, be sure to stop in for a bite and a few brews. We will be back.

Stopped here on a Saturday afternoon. It’s such a cool place. The owner is very friendly and is more than happy to tell you the history of the building and the business. The home made pretzel bites are amazing, either with the mustard or cheese. Tried 3 different beers. Loved them all and regret not bringing any home.

As most have said, the beer is great. To our surprise, so was the food. Menu is somewhat limited, but the offerings are rather sophisticated. Salads have much more than the usual plain lettuce, and pizzas are made with a large variety of fresh ingredients. Wine and soft drinks are also available. Prices are quite reasonable. And, as it happened the evening we were there, the entertainment upstairs (for a $ 10 cover charge) was excellent.

We arrived about an hour before closing after driving about 280 miles. My husband ordered a sample glass of each beer, which was 13. The bartender was very attentive to us as we sat at a table, the bar area was full. He described the beers, let us know what they had in bottles to go and checked back a couple of times. We didn’t get to try any of their food but their menu looked like it had a good variety. We wish we could have arrived sooner.

I don’t think The Livery gets the attention it deserves. The beer is consistently excellent, the atmosphere is quirky and understated and if you want peanuts on your pizza, you can get it here! The BF and I agreed to cleanse our palates of Thanksgiving turkey turkey turkey with pizza and beer. . The Livery delivered, not literally. We lounged at the bar with a McGilligans and a Half Truth and had our pie brought up to us from the basement, the Thai BBQ Chicken — –it’s one of those funky pineapple studded numbers with a smattering of roasted peanuts (a housemade bbq sauce, according to Matt at the bar, chicken chunks and a bit of you can never go wrong with it bacon). I thought I’d tried everything, but this was my first ever pizza with peanuts, and I have to say, it works. Good crust, not too much cheese. Worth a trip if you’ve never been and worth another if you have. There is a modesty here that belies the quality of the beers and the attention to detail and ingredients. Simply, The Livery is good people and great beer. Cheers!

First, I’m not sure why it says «no» for kids. That should be changed. My wife and two young boys arrived here for an early dinner and went right downstairs so didn’t really see much of the rest of the place (the outside looked great but it was a grey day).
Right when we walked in the kids ran over to the foosball table while my wife and I perused the beer menu and sampled a couple. Once we decided on a couple pints and ordered some pizza (delicious!), we joined the boys. We then sat down and played some board games they have there.
Some fine beer and pizza good for kids, adults and large groups!

Allows dogs & cigars on the patio. Very nice.
Does a good nut brown by mixing ¾ amber ale with ¼ American stout.
Open late.

Stopped here on the way home once. We had never heard of it before but found it via google maps :-). Definitely worth the stop. The staff was attentive and nice without being over bearing. The food was good and the beers were great. a very pleasant surprise. Would definitely go back to this place next time we are in Michigan.

Hidden Gem!
Started with a Butterfly Effect white ipa and a See-​Saw Belgian wit. Can’t go wrong with either. Moved into a Silver Queen Helles and an Evergreen Warrior IIPA. Both are contenders. Beers are just as good as the food…
Got pretzel bites. You can’t go wrong the cheese or the mustard. The cheese is unlike any beer cheese I’ve ever had. It was pretty amazing. Got some mustard too. Sweet and spicy. Delicious. If you have 4 in your party, just order two orders of ‘em, you can thank me later.
My wife reccos the Food Truck Pizza. she loved it.
I had the TBA sandwich. I could eat it every day. Perfectly toasted, great balance. Great sandwich!
Overall, we can’t wait to come back. We hit up breweries all the time. The Livery is definitely at the top of our list!

Stellar beer!!! These people have is down. The atmosphere is casual fun. But the beer is some of the best I’ve tasted ever. And if you know me that’s a big statement

I have going here for at least 5 years and enjoy the beer. The beer has always been good and the location very convenient.
That being said the only times I did not enjoy were when the little fuzzy weird guy was there behind the bar. He makes it quite uncomfortable and he’s snobbish about the beer menu if you are unsure about what to order. After my friends and I have experienced this several times we have decided not to return.
I will have to say that I am happy that other breweries are in the area now because despite the good beers at the Livery I will never return.

Great music venue and great beers. Always have had great service and always have a good time. So happy to have this local establishment when I come home to the area.

I stopped in for a couple of brews last month. It wasn’t to busy on a Friday night when I stopped in. Good service, and a nice crowd.

fresh, local and delicious menu — wonderful selection of craft beers — friendly and knowledgeable servers — and a great ambiance!
Flatbreads are delicious — sandwiches may not be what you expect but get stars for creativity.

Overall pretty decent, I ‘d like to go again a few times more to get a better feel for everything. I had the Blue Steel lager with blueberries which was OK, needed a little more sweet blueberry flavor I thought. Then I had a Summit Pale Ale which was nice and not too hoppy. Then finished with the Red Canoe which is a red lager that was very drinkable and smooth. The service was friendly and being I was there somewhat early on a weeknight, I got a seat at the bar. For the munchies I had the small cheese plate which was not over inspiring for the $ 10 cost. The pretzel bites with mustard were no big deal either. I would go here again if I have the chance to try more things but overall, they have a huge tap beer menu of hand crafted stuff that seem to have had some real care in the making. Worth trying.

Really good beer, food is decent but not great. Very nice beer garden/​patio as well.

I was so, so pumped to come here. I was traveling for business but lucky enough to bring my hubby with. He’s the bigger craft beer drinker, so I knew we had to make our way here. We were coming from downtown St Joseph… and wow, what a difference in scenery. Once we left St Joseph, we were shocked at how dark everything looked… and felt. It was winter and there was snow everywhere, but it just felt eerie.
When we arrived, we weren’t sure where to park so we just did so on the street in front. We walked inside, then figured out we had to go upstairs. Upon entering, there were only one or two other tables filled, and the bar was half filled. We wanted to sit at the bar, but there weren’t two seats together we could gather.
Hubby went up and ordered (we both had stouts) and I don’t know… maybe I had unreasonable expectations. But every small, craft brewery or winery I’ve been to has had staff that are outrageously ecstatic to be there — they’re friendly, happy, quick to converse and usually offer free samples or their opinions on the best to order. But that is not how our service went. He walked up, ordered his beers, then got them, and sat down. The bartender wasn’t rude or mean, just not friendly. And everyone at the bar just stared… I felt like a complete outsider.
Perhaps it was because we were there on a weeknight in the dead of winter. Perhaps it really was because we were «tourists». But we didn’t feel like we belonged there. (We got married at a craft beer joint, we know our stuff.) Hubby was intrigued enough to order a mini growler, but turned off to the point that we finished one drink and left.
The next day, we ran into some locals and were told that apparently this area is really rough and not to get lost. So my theory on the «dark» feeling wasn’t so far off.
All that said, if I was in the area, I’d give it another try. I’ve never met a craft brewery that I didn’t like, and don’t want to start a list. So I am hoping if there’s a next time, it lives up to my expectations!

In our travels this year, The Livery was one of the new breweries we decided we were going to visit. The decision was made based on their excellent showing at the 2012 Great Taste of the Midwest. Arriving, The Livery from the outside looks like an old factory or manufacturing facility that has been converted over into something more contemporary for the area. When we were there only the basement section was open. There was person working the bar and one person working the food counter. No waitresses.
It wasn’t too busy, but the bar was pretty full so we found some tables, ordered food, grabbed some beers and took a seat. We were there around lunchtime on a Friday and I would have thought there would have been wait staff, maybe that’s only at night, but we didn’t like having to go get our own beers. Especially since the bar didn’t have any openings so we had to kind of squeeze through to place an order or get attention.
My wife had the smoke salmon sandwich and she though it was okay. Nothing all that great, but better than your average bar food so she was happy with it. I tried their wings and was kind of disappointed. I thought the flavor was decent, but I really wanted more heat to what I had. Our friends had the pizza and again they thought the pizza was alright, but nothing to really brag about. Then again, it wasn’t the food that brought us here. It was the beer.
The reason I really wanted to stop here was that at Great Taste of the Midwest they had a lot of sours, and I wanted to get a full pint. I was really disappointed when we arrived and they didn’t have one sour on available. It was out of season for them. No fun. Maybe it was my disappointment, maybe it was the fact that most of the other beers they had on tap that day were IPA’s or beers with higher IBUs, but I didn’t find one that really stood out to me. I know they make great beer, I’ve had it! It just wasn’t that day.

I love the Livery. I’ve been there a few times, and can’t wait to find a reason to get to Benton Harbor again. I bet not many people say that. The beer is really good. Just fantastic. The staff is also incredibly friendly. I now know the term Broberon thanks to Jamie.
The upstairs area looks really fantastic for live music. As soon as one of my friends saw it he was asking about opportunities to play. The food is also pretty good. It seems they make it fresh. Another note on the location. When you’re driving in to town just keep looking ahead. Don’t look to the left or the right, just focus ahead. Trust me you don’t want to see the parts of Benton Harbor you have to drive through, but the area aroudn the livery is good.
But back to the beer. They keep a pretty large selection going, all their own stuff. They had a hand pull going while I was there, and it seems they always do, which is awesome. The prices are also really fantastic.

SWMI Unilocalers, I thank you from the bottom of my beer-​laden heart. Went apartment hunting the other day and decided to swing by here with the bf after. If it weren’t for you fine folks, we’d never have found our new fave brew pub!
Mike, the once-​upon-​a-​time-​San-​Franciscan proprietor of this fine establishment, made our first visit oh so very memorable & even more excited to move into the neighborhood. He gladly imparted his vast knowledge of brews…*BF interrupts: What are you reviewing on Unilocal?Me: The Livery BF: OHHHH THAT PLACE IS SO AWESOME!* uh… yeah…knowledge of brews, reminisces about SF (speaking of SF, met quite a few ex-​Cali folk there, which was nice), and he even introduced the BF to some men who recently retired from the company that he just got hired at (while they chatted about fish, buttons, and beer, I sat and had cerveza after cerveza – not a complaint, just an excuse for drinking more than I’d intended to)!
Long story short: This’ll be your new Cheers. And for those of you who don’t have a Cheers yet, this will be it.
Note: Plenty of street parking (during the day, at least) and I believe there’s also a lot. Café located in the pub area, also serves as a music venue th-​sat, at least (methinks).
AND OH MY GOD, THEIR IPA, THE «FIFTH DIMENSION» IS HEAVEN ON EARTH. AND DON’T FORGET TO TRY THE KENTUCKY KAFFINATOR. OMFG.
that is all.