Flat River Brewing, Greenville MI

8 July 2023

Flat River isn’t much to look at, either inside or out, but they have a good number of taps and a decent menu. I was a bit surprised that their flights are just 3 glasses instead of 4 (or 6 or more), but so be it.

(Spoiler: I didn’t find any of these three to be outstanding, but things improved from here.)

Koolwave (Kölsch, 4%) – I’m not sure what this was, to be honest – it just didn’t have any particular flavor. I believe it was beer, but beyond that …

Blood Orange Blanch (Blood Orange Amber, 5.5%) – This was a bit better as I could at least get a sense of blood orange coming through in the taste. I’m not sure I’d do a pint, though, as there was nothing in particular here to enjoy.

Float Away (Session IPA, 5%) – This may have been my favorite of the flight. It was definitely a session beer (and I enjoyed overhearing the discussion between other customers as to whether Flat River had “come up with” the “session” name … no, they hadn’t …) but it was also sort of bland.

On the other hand, this Supreme Flatbread was just amazing! It was freshly baked and the flavors were perfectly melded. I wonder if they deliver to Massachusetts?!?

I’d heard someone else extolling the virtues of the “coffee brown,” so although I don’t normally like brown ales all that much, I ordered a pint of this one. Wow, was that a good choice! The coffee flavor sits underneath everything else, but it really turns this into a world class ale! At only 5%, this would be one I could happily have a couple of and go away with a smile on my face.

And finally, I decided to have a pint of the Bird Island Double IPA (8%). It was smooth, as a good DIPA should be, and I couldn’t really find any fault with it … but it also wouldn’t have been sufficient to bring me back.

So, the flatbread and the “coffee brown” – those are what made this a good stop for me.