This past Saturday, Alison and I made a trip to the northern burbs of Grand Rapids to wander the quaint shops of Rockford, Michigan and try out the Rockford Brewing Company. Given its location aside the White Pine State Trail and ample bicycle parking, the brewpub is a bicyclist’s dream come true – a frothy watering hole along a well-maintained multi-purpose trail. Who could ask for more? Some spring weather would be helpful.

Themed on the verdant fly-fishing found along the rollicking Rogue River, the Rockford Brewing Company is perfectly situated for cyclists, walkers, joggers, shopper, and fly-fishers taking advantage of the Rockford area’s amazing and scenic topography – definitely one of Michigan’s hidden gems. The first floor view of the trail and the second floor view of the nearby Rogue River are hard to top, especially when the river was running well-above its normal level with an intensity not often seen in these parts.

The brewpub also offers a regular cavalcade of free live musical performances every Thursday and acoustic jam sessions on Sundays. Given the line-up listed on their website, Rockford will be blessed with an excellent array of performers.

I enjoyed my malty pint of O’Brien’s Red Ale. The Cuban sandwich was tasty, albeit lacking a certain panache’ one finds with many brewpub offerings. All in all, Rockford Brewing Company is a nice addition (2011) to the Greater Grand Rapids brewing scene and its location and music offerings are hard to beat. My only suggestion would be for them to spice up their existing dining options a bit.