Ellison Brewery & Spirits

Awesome vibe & awesome brews! Great staff. Try a sampler of some 4 Oz. pours. Heck. Try them all. I will be a regular for sure. No food, so don’t come hungry… Just thirsty!

I came here to meet up with a couple of friends from college. We had the Pinot noir, the coffee stout, and a sampler of the other beers. Everything was delicious!

Pretty solid new brewery in the area. I like that they do a mixture of fun stuff and some solid staples. I though the kolsch was well made, the Imperial IPA was fantastic, and the tiramisu stout is super interesting. I was a bit disappointed by the Hazlenut Stout (It’s a Bit Nutty), as I thought this could have used more of a backbone — very thin. But overall it had great flavor. Fun atmosphere for groups or just two people hanging out. I expect this place will continue to grow and excel!

Located shouting distance from the newly opened Whole Foods, Ellison is the newest addition to the brewing scene in Lansing, opened in early October 2015. Going forward, Ellison plans to distill spirits; in fact, as the owners stated in a piece by the Lansing State Journal, Ellison was created by two high school friends interested in starting a distillery and finding a way of making it economically viable because of the long lead time before profitability. Because of the overlap in equipment used and the shorter lead time, they decided to launch as a brewery and let their offerings evolve towards a spirit line in the future.
Naturally, that might raise some eyebrows about the quality of the beer. Fortunately, there’s no need to be concerned. The owners hired Todd Schwem to be head brewer, prior to which he spent several years at Kuhnhenn, one of Michigan’s most acclaimed breweries. Getting used to dialing in a new system and developing recipes from scratch takes some time, so Ellison certainly cannot compare with the top tier of Michigan breweries just yet. But it is off to a reasonably strong start, and I think the future potential is very high. To date I’ve tried nine beers from them: five at the brewpub, one on tap at Meat Southern BBQ, and three as special features at the Grand Rapids location of Hopcat during Grand Rapids Beer Week. And much like their clearest competitor Eaglemonk, I haven’t had a single bad beer from them. While I’ve yet to be blown away by what I’ve tried, most of their beers have been above average. So far the best I’ve sampled from them has been the Tiramisu Stout. Given Schwem’s background in brewing great stouts, I can’t wait to try more. That they hired a cellermaster for opening suggests that they’re interested in developing a serious barrel aging program, which further proves that beer isn’t just some stopgap vehicle to profitability, but a vital part of the brand.
Beers are sorted into three different price tiers for pint sized pours, starting at $ 4.50 and going up to $ 6.50. But you can order a 5 oz pour of any beer for $ 2 each, no volume discount. As such, trying five beers here costs a dollar more than trying eight beers at Eaglemonk. The pricing is acceptable, but not overly competitive.
I do wish they served food, especially since the options nearby for food that can be delivered or carried in don’t seem all that appealing. But better that they stick to core competencies and deliver a quality product than that they overextend themselves offering low quality food as some other beer establishments are known to do. Otherwise, I have no major complaints.
My three star rating is a reflection of the current quality of beer being poured, but I fully expect to be able to update it to four or five stars as their beer program matures.

If you find yourself worried that you are going down what looks like an exclusively industrial road and come to a place with a sign the size of a standard sheet of paper, you’re probably in the right place. It’s a bit hard to find, but pretty awesome once you do.
The atmosphere is open and lofty with the brew tanks in the back behind the bar. The staff is friendly and good at making sure you aren’t without a drink. They have pints and flights. The flights are as many as you want for $ 2 per 4 oz pour.
I tried their hard cider, mudslinger stout, coffee stout, tiramisu stout, and a couple others that I don’t remember the names. The cider was sweet, crisp, and very easy to drink. The lighter beers I tried were good, but where they really shine is in their stouts. The coffee and tiramisu stouts were great and had nice deep flavors, but the mud slinger made time stop for a bit. It was dark, rich, and so incredibly smooth. I’ve been learning to further appreciate stouts in the last few months, and this one was good enough for me to grab a growler.
They don’t have food in house, so they seem to let you bring in carryout and the like. There is a mug club, they have merchandise, and they have a couple different growlers to choose from.

This is a decent microbrewery. The lighter beers are okay, but the darker beers are really quite good. Not of fan of how they do their mug club, particularly that it’s a recurring cost instead of a one-​time charge.

They have the best collection of stouts I’ve ever had in one place. They provide a military discount, as well, for those who’ve served since they’re Veteran owned and operated. I’ve been here probably about 10 times now and I’ve never been disappointed except for the one time when they were above capacity and I wasn’t about to wait outside for people to leave. Don’t blame them one bit for not wanting to leave. Highly recommend checking this place out!

Fantastic beer, great ambiance, super helpful workers even for being NYE. Their double IPA was phenomenal and had a delicious milk stout; easily beers that could be made poorly, these guys made them superbly. Two thumbs up for Ellison.

Great brewery with fantastic IPA’s.

Great tasting beer and great service from this brewery!
Been here three times now and have not been disappointed once. I will continue to come here because the beer is great and the service is top notch, glad to have a great brewery in the lansing area finally.

This place is great! Take it from a craft beer bar owner and Brewer! Lansing has needed a place like this for years! Forget Lansing Brewing and get out here for the best Lansing brewed beers! Make a point to find this place and enjoy the beers. Bring your own food or order to be delivered here!

Ellison was great! It was a tad hard to find, but it isn’t Ellison’s fault that some idiot knocked down the Dawn Ave. street sign. When we arrived it was at capacity and waited outside for a few. We quickly got inside and ordered a flight. It was quick and easy to order and the staff was very nice. It was at capacity so there wasn’t anywhere to sit, but we shared a standing table with another small party. The beer was excellent. Some great stouts. And in my opinion, the price was great for what we got. $ 2 for each 4 oz. sample and no limit? Yes please! Would love to visit again, and walked away with a nice tulip glass for $ 5 for my collection.

Perfect place to relax and have an awesome fresh brew
They had beer wine and in the future their own vodka and gin
Can’t wait!
Thanks. Todd

Finding this place could be a little challenging for some but once you do, it is nothing but rewarding. When you find the door it feels like this little secret hideout and only you and the coolest people in town know about.
The atmosphere is super laid back and relaxed. Everything is very open. There is no wondering what happens behind closed doors or wondering where/​how the beer is made. You can literally see the beer making process from just setting up shop at the bar. I felt like I was just hanging out, drinking beer and having a good time in my friend’s garage.
The staff was very friendly and accommodating. They were attentive in keeping an eye on if someone’s beer was getting low, in order to have their next beer waiting before their current beer finished.
The beer is not to disappoint. I will put this disclaimer out there saying that I am PICKY about beer and beer styles. Even if I don’t like a beer style I will still try it and know if it is a decent one or not. I tried five beers here and none of them were a disappoint. I was pleasantly surprised, because that has never happened. There are usually a couple misses in my tries but truly — I liked every single one.
Come with food in your belly or bring your own food in (you can even have it delivered). They do not serve food here. Their beers hit a pretty high ABV — you have been warned! :-)

Good beer, which is rare for East Lansing (looking at you Harper’s). Cool ambience, the ONLY criticism is the limited seating. But the place fits a good 50+ so it’s not tiny.