Until very recently I had no idea that North Peak had upgraded their liquor license to allow for off-premises sales. It used to be strictly on-site.
Well, a friend recommended that I try the IPA, and he also mentioned that it came in a cool stubby bottle. I found it for sale at Siciliano's Market in Grand Rapids and grabbed a couple.
The bottle is cool! Looks just like the old Pabst bottles that my grandpa used to drink. Plus, the label designs hearken back to a bygone era as well. But how's the beer?
Well, the first bottle I tried seemed very harsh. I understand IPAs are goign to be bitter, but this started out with good hop flavor, then disintegrated into nothing but harsh bitterness. I would ding it points for that. However, I would say that it certainly meets the requirements for an IPA.
Interestingly, I tried the other bottle last night and did not experience that same harsh bitterness in the after-taste. So I'm not sure if it was something I ate or what. I did enjoy the second bottle much more. It's maybe not my favorite IPA, but I would def buy it again, if for nothing more than for the cool stubby bottles. (But at $1.98 a bottle, it would be nice to get a "great" beer and a cool bottle too...)
They also had an Amber Ale I think. I will definitely want to keep my eyes open for more of their beer. After having ate there a few times in my life, I can say that they are not my favorite brewpub, but not terrible either. They have usually been pretty busy when I've been there, so that may speak to their popularity.