HopCat

Last updated
HopCat
Company type Private
Industry Restaurant
Genre Gastropub
Founded2008
Headquarters
Grand Rapids, Michigan [1]
Number of locations
9 (2020)
Parent BarFly Ventures, LLC [2]
Website hopcat.com

HopCat is a restaurant and bar chain based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States, with seventeen locations in eight states. HopCat is best known for having a wide array of beers on tap, with several of their locations offering over 100 different options. [3] [4]

Contents

Founded in 2008 in Grand Rapids by Mark Sellers, the original HopCat in Grand Rapids is a brewpub with its own small brewery, which typically supplies 4-6 house-made beers alongside craft beers from around the country. HopCat opened its second location in East Lansing, Michigan in 2013. [5]

In 2015, BarFly Ventures secured $25 million in capital financing to support its effort to expand HopCat, which will open as many as 30 locations over the next several years. [6] [7]

On June 6, 2020, BarFly Ventures filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Grand Rapids, MI. [8]

Accolades

The Grand Rapids location was recognized as one of the best brewpubs in the United States by RateBeer.com from 2013 to 2015. [9] [10] [11] In 2010, HopCat was rated No. 3 on BeerAdvocate's list of "Best Beer Bars on Planet Earth." [12]

Controversy

On December 15, 2018, Barfly Ventures CEO Mark Gray announced that Hopcat would be renaming its famous “Crack Fries” in order to avoid making light of the drug the name refers to as well as addiction to said drug. [13] The fries were renamed "Cosmik Fries" in reference to Frank Zappa's song "Cosmik Debris". [14]

Locations

Current locations

Former locations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalamazoo, Michigan</span> City in Michigan, United States

Kalamazoo is a city in and the county seat of Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States. At the 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan area in southwestern Michigan, which had a population of 261,670 in 2020.

The Michigan Brewing Company was a brewery operating in Webberville, Michigan. It operated from 1996 to 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dark Horse Brewery</span>

Dark Horse Brewing Company is a brewery and tap room in Marshall, Michigan. Its year-round brews include Crooked Tree India Pale Ale, Amber Ale, Raspberry Ale, Reserve Special Black Ale, Boffo Brown Ale, Sapient Trip Ale, and Scotty Karate scotch ale, with several seasonal and experimental brews. The brewery has won several medals at various brewing competitions. Its taproom features 3200+ mugs that fill the ceiling and walls, owned by its mug club members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arcadia Brewing Company</span> Defunct brewery in Michigan, U.S.

The Arcadia Brewing Company was a brewery with facilities in Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States, in operation from 1996 to 2019. At the time it ceased operations due to financing problems, it was one of Michigan's 25 largest craft breweries and distributed to eight states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two Brothers Brewing</span> Brewery in Warrenville, Illinois

Two Brothers Brewing Company is an independently owned Illinois-based microbrewery founded by brothers Jim and Jason Ebel in 1996. The brothers brought their knowledge of different brewing styles to the Chicago craft brew market after living in Europe and experiencing the variety of beers available there. Jim and Jason started the business using bulk milk tanks converted into fermenters that were donated to them by their grandfather who was a retired dairy farmer. Two Brothers Brewing has now been in business for over 20 years and has opened multiple locations throughout the Chicago metropolitan area, as well as one in Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales</span> Business owning breweries in Michigan

Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales is a brewery in Dexter, Michigan founded by Ron and Laurie Jeffries in 2004. Jolly Pumpkin produces unfiltered and unpasteurized beers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuisine of Michigan</span> Cuisine of the Midwestern United States

The cuisine of Michigan is part of the broader regional cuisine of the Midwestern United States. It is reflective of the diverse food history of settlement and immigration in the state, and draws its culinary roots most significantly from the cuisines of Central, Northern and Eastern Europe, and Native North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ArtPrize</span>

ArtPrize is an art competition and festival in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Anyone over the age of 18 can display their art, and any space within the three-square-mile ArtPrize district can be a venue. There are typically over 160 venues such as museums, galleries, bars, restaurants, hotels, public parks, bridges, laundromats, auto body shops, and more.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Rapids, Michigan</span> City in Michigan, United States

Grand Rapids is a city in and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,893, making it the second-most populous city in Michigan, after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the central city of the Grand Rapids metropolitan area, which has a population of 1,087,592 and a combined statistical area population of 1,383,918.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Short's Brewing Company</span>

Short's Brewing Company is a brewpub and microbrewery in Bellaire, Michigan, United States. Registered in 2002, the company opened its pub in 2004. In 2008, a production facility in Elk Rapids, Michigan was purchased and renovated to accommodate larger scale batches. In July 2017, Short's sold 19.9% of the company to Lagunitas Brewing Company, which is owned by Heineken International.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Founders Brewing Company</span> Michigan-based craft-style beer brewer

Canal Street Brewing Co., LLC, doing business as Founders Brewing Company, is a brewery in Grand Rapids, Michigan, known for producing several highly rated and award-winning craft-style ales, including KBS, Centennial IPA, Dirty Bastard, and Founders Porter. Since its founding as a craft brewery in the mid-1990s, it has grown to become the 15th largest brewery in the United States, and a prominent member of the West Michigan brewing industry. It is now majority-owned by Mahou San Miguel of Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dragonmead</span>

Dragonmead is a U.S. microbrewery, meadery and brewpub founded by Earl Scherbarth, Larry Channell, and Bill Wrobel in January 1997. The small brewery produces many varieties of beer, wine, and mead, and has received awards including gold medals at the World Beer Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Latitude 42 Brewing Company</span> Brewing company in Portage, Michigan, USA

Latitude 42 Brewing Company is an American brewing company located in Portage, Michigan and was the first microbrewery to open in Portage. Latitude 42 Brewing Company opened its doors in 2013 and has produced more than 50 different varieties of beer since opening. In addition to the microbrewery, Latitude 42 has a restaurant and bar located at their Portage facility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackrocks Brewery</span> Craft brewery in Michigan

Blackrocks Brewery is a craft brewery in Marquette, Michigan. Taking the name from a local landmark, former pharmaceutical salesmen David Manson and Andy Langlois opened Blackrocks in 2010. At the time, it was a nanobrewery with a one-barrel brewing system in the basement of a Victorian-style house. Two other floors formed the brewery's taproom. High demand for Blackrocks' beer quickly led them to add to their brewing capacity with larger systems and by purchasing a former Coca-Cola bottling plant. They also expanded the brewery's taproom into an adjacent property in the early 2020s, which doubled their available indoor area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keweenaw Brewing Company</span> Craft brewery in Michigan

The Keweenaw Brewing Company (KBC) is a craft brewer with a taproom in Houghton and a production facility in nearby South Range, Michigan. It is named for the Keweenaw Peninsula, which projects out to the north of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corewell Health</span> Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan

Corewell Health is a non-profit healthcare system located in the state of Michigan in the United States. It was formed as a result of the merger between Beaumont Health, located in Metro Detroit, and Spectrum Health, located in West Michigan, in 2022. Corewell is currently the largest healthcare system in Michigan, based on its inpatient admissions and net patient revenue. The organization has its headquarters in Grand Rapids and employs over 60,000 people.

References

  1. ↑ Robenault, Steve Hop Cat Michigan Journal. March 25, 2016
  2. 1 2 "HopCat Detroit Opening to Include World-Record Tap Takeover". Detroit Free Press . August 20, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  3. ↑ Allen, Robert (December 30, 2015). "Uber: Detroit's Top 10 Nightlife Rides in 2015". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  4. ↑ White, Laurel (July 10, 2015). "'Craft Beer Chain' HopCat to Open Saturday off State Street". The Capital Times. Madison, WI. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  5. ↑ Ellison, Garret (January 8, 2013). "Five Years and $13.5 Million in Sales Later, HopCat Has Become a 'Well Respected' Grand Rapids Brand". MLive. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  6. ↑ Walsh, Dustin (September 2, 2015). "HopCat Owners Secure $25 Million to Fund Expansion". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  7. ↑ Sidorowicz, Josh (September 2015). "'It's a Big Deal,' 30 New HopCat Bars to Open up Across Midwest". Grand Rapids, MI: WXMI-TV . Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  8. ↑ "'HopCat restaurant parent company files for bankruptcy protection'".
  9. ↑ "top retailers by country - ratebeer best 2013". www.ratebeer.com. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  10. ↑ "The Best Beers in the World 2013". www.ratebeer.com. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  11. ↑ "top retailers by country - ratebeer best for the year 2015". www.ratebeer.com. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  12. ↑ "Magazine toasts Founders Brewer, HopCat as best in the nation". MLive.com. 20 December 2008. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  13. ↑ "A word about our fries | HopCat". Archived from the original on 2018-12-17.
  14. ↑ "Cosmik Fries | HopCat".
  15. ↑ Offman, Alysa (February 10, 2015). "HopCat Ann Arbor to Open on Valentine's Day". Detroit Metro Times . Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  16. ↑ Howell, Brandon (August 8, 2013). "HopCat East Lansing to Open with Attempted World-Record Tap Takeover of 100 Short's Beers". MLive. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  17. ↑ Bondie, Cassandra (April 27, 2019). "HopCat to open its doors in downtown Holland". Holland Sentinel . Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  18. ↑ Benbow, Dana (June 12, 2014). "130 Hoosier Beers on Tap for HopCat Opening". Indianapolis Star . Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  19. ↑ "HopCat is coming to downtown Kalamazoo". MLive.com. 31 March 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  20. ↑ Olberding, Matt (October 29, 2015). "Chain Restaurant, Craft Beer Bar Coming to Haymarket". Lincoln Journal Star . Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Lincoln | HopCat". hopcat.com. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
  22. ↑ Baetens, Melody (October 25, 2022). "HopCat returns to downtown Royal Oak this winter, now hiring". Detroit News . Detroit, MI. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  23. ↑ "HopCat, Lincoln Park's Massive Craft Beer Bar, Closes | Eater Chicago". chicago.eater.com. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  24. ↑ "Kansas City | HopCat". hopcat.com. Retrieved 2017-01-04.
  25. ↑ iPatton, Janet (October 22, 2015). "LexGo Eat: HopCat Opens Saturday; BrewGrass Trail Tavern Opens Monday". Lexington Herald-Leader . Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  26. ↑ "HopCat craft beer bar to open in Highlands". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  27. ↑ Derby, Samara Kalk (July 2, 2015). "Restaurant News: HopCat Giving Away Fries to Those who Take First Crack". Wisconsin State Journal . Madison, WI. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Craft beer galore: HopCat coming to downtown Minneapolis - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal". Archived from the original on 2017-03-07.
  29. ↑ "The Sunshine State is getting their own HopCat in late 2017 | Bites".
  30. ↑ Baetens, Melody (September 23, 2016). "HopCat in Royal Oak to open in early 2017". Detroit News . Detroit, MI. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  31. ↑ "Hopcat Permanently Closes Royal Oak Restaurant - Eater Detroit". 27 May 2020.
  32. ↑ "HopCat to open a St. Louis location - mlive.com". 26 April 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.