Such a great find! We were unsure at first because there is no signage but we followed the visuals of fermentation vessels and the arrows on doors to find the entrance in the alley! We felt like we were in o.n East Lansing's best kept secret. The dining area is so cozy and fun. 5 stars on the vibe! We came on trivia night but had no problem finding seats at the bar. Our bartender, Stevie, was welcoming, knowledgeable and attentive. We ordered the special -- 2 beers, pretzel and a pizza for $30. The beer cheese and pretzel were delicious! The beers were delicious -- my husband loved the hazy and I loved the Red Ale. We will definitely be back and look forward to trying the burgers and craft cocktails! There's so much for everyone on the menu. Highly recommend! read more

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It was a challenge to find, but we found it. There were just a few spots for parking. I assume there is street parking nearby. My husband chose the Crescent Fresh IPA. It was good. I am a dark beer person, so that is what I look for when ordering. They had a Tiramisu Stout and I chose that. Tiramisu, I'm thinking pastry, espresso along with the maltiness of a stout but I did not get that. There was no coffee and it had a bitter finish that lingered. The beertender was willing to swap me out for their Amber. It was a better choice and to style. The space itself was nice, plenty of seating and a good view of the brew equipment. read more

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Have really enjoyed this place since they opened. Good beer, good drinks, good food, atmosphere etc. But I ordered the chicken sandwich. This is not a sandwich. This was at least 60% breading. Ellison you really needed to cool it with the breading. read more

Ellison Brewery & Spirits - Breweries Near Me - East Lansing, Michigan

Dollar wings and cold brew, can't ask for anything more! The service was polite and fast, and the lighting was very moody and relaxed. Loved it! read more

Ellison Brewery & Spirits - Dollar wings on Sunday! Stout bbq and hot buffalo. Delicious - Breweries Near Me - East Lansing, Michigan

Saturday afternoon with our pups. Here is what we liked. * Beer, food and dog friendly!! * Oktoberfest beer was cold and good. * service was amazing, attentive, friendly, helpful and really dog friendly. * Pizza crust was so good. What could of been better: * The fried pickle and pepper appetizer was good but the breading was just a bit mushy and not as crisp as we would have liked. Overall, we knew we were going to be in the area and called ahead to ensure they were dog friendly. We were not disappointed- dog friendly was an understatement. Had good beer and food and enjoyed are visit. Will stop again. read more

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While recently visiting the East Lansing area, we chose to see what Ellison Brewery had to offer. Goodness! Were we glad we did! From the moment we took our seats at the bar, the sweet barmaid welcomed us with open arms! There was no doubt we were in a good place! Chiara made sure we sampled all the goodness Ellison had to offer! I enjoy an IPA with hoppiness abounding. Chiara patiently poured samples until I found JUST the right one! We actually mixed a couple to her delight! We decided on the pizza to tempt our palettes. From what we saw on other tables, it looked AWFULLY good! We chose the Supreme, which was just delicious. While eating, we observed Chiara mixing drinks. We did not realize Ellison was also distilling! We had the opportunity to taste the whiskey, and gin. Wow! As I told Chiara, my mama would have heartily approved of the gin! A bottle went home with us! This little brewery was just delightful. As I told the gals behind the counter, they certainly made the experience even better! The brewery is fortunate to have their faces to market their brews! Go experience their delight in what they do! You won't be sad! read more

This was my second visit to Ellison in a week if that says anything. My first visit, I had the Margherita pizza which was pretty good - My second visit, I had the mushroom Swiss burger and absolutely devoured it. I don't now what their using for their beef patties but probably the best I've had around the area in a long time. We also got the cheese bread and added their house made jalapeño jam. GET IT! When you walk in, they have an outside patio type area but then also the main restaurant. Be forewarned that the inside/bar area can be noisy as the canning conveyer is directly behind the bar. Don't forget this is a brewery and not a multi-million dollar operation. I ordered their beers while my wife ordered their spirits and really enjoyed them. The servers are very friendly and attentive; never did I feel lout of place or unwelcome. A bit out of the way for us and never an easy drive in East Lansing but will be back. read more

Ellison Brewery & Spirits - 12" Margherita Pizza - Breweries Near Me - East Lansing, Michigan

The kitchen completely failed. Two burgers, made twice, were nothing like the descriptions. Dry and unremarkable. Will not go back.

Great food and a nice beer. The chicken fingers are amazing and the creative pizzas are tasty. I would like to have tried the distilled liquor but the beer was good too. read more

Was alright. Got the pizza and it was really greasy. They have table games so if your bored you can do that. Service was fine. Nothing crazy. Vibe was chill. Honestly its a one time experience. read more

My husband and I brought our 3 young teen kids today to come visit our daughter at MSU- this weekend is Family weekend at Michigan State. We left the football game early to try to get seated somewhere for dinner before the post game rush. We arrived to Ellison around 6:45pm. We sat inside, near the bar area at a nice picnic style table (we ignored that it looked like maybe it hadn't been cleaned off properly after the previous guests, but maybe that should have been a red flag for us!) There were a few people at the bar and 2 other small tables seated inside when we arrived. A few minutes after sitting down, it appeared the owner urged the waitress/bartender to get our drink orders and get us menus. She brought us 4 alcoholic drink menus and 2 food menus. Brought us our waters shortly after then didn't come back to get our appetizer order for almost 10 minutes. It took almost 30 minutes for the onion rings and cheese bread to come out... our waitress did not check on us during that time so we didn't have the chance to order our main meals until after she brought the appetizers out. The sauce for the onion rings was good. We ordered 2 pizzas, 1 Cowboy burger and a club sandwich with fries. After we gave her the order, our waitress seemed to try to get us NOT to place the order. She looked nervous and said that they had a lot of tables come in now and it might be a while for our food. It was strange so I asked her well how long do you think it will be? She said if she had to ballpark it, maybe 30-40minutes. We said okay that's fine. My husband randomly had a bacon cheeseburger with fries dropped off around 45 minutes after we placed our meal order... not what he ordered but he ate it anyway since he didn't want to delay things further. After an hour went by, I asked her if our food would be done soon and she said it wasn't done when she was back there last but she could check again (she did not really came back to check on us in that hour waiting- no water refills either.) When she returned she said there was only 2 people in the kitchen working and she was sorry- offered to box our food for the road. At this point, she went back to check one more time, when she returned and went back to the bar before our table (without 2 pizzas and a club sandwich), I just sent my family out to the car as it was already 8:30pm at this point. She then came over to me and said she was sorry- it appeared the pizzas were burnt and would need to be remade. I said not to worry about it and I didn't want to order anything else, that I just want to leave and go get dinner at this point. We had a 2 hour drive home to make tonight - and this was already told to her earlier on. She did not insist that we pay for the appetizers or the wrong burger. Never mentioned the club sandwich at all so that's weird too. Had originally planned to buy some of the canned beers to take home and try later this week- did not do that so nothing to comment on their brews. Overall just a disappointment:( Pretty bummed becuase I thought we had found a hidden gem but it turned out to be more of a lump of coal than a diamond in the rough. read more

Off the beaten path of MSU that we happened by for parents weekend. Food was incredible, staff was super engaging, and they are dog friendly which was awesome. Highly recommend for weekly specials and weekend games! Go green! read more

Interesting place. Set in an industrial area, we weren't sure we were in the right place at first. Got waited in fairly quickly but told that they were out of pizza for about an hour. Had to wait for dough to rise. At least they make it fresh but I was disappointed to not be able to try the pizza. Decided on their Chicken Tenders. My husband had their Cowboy Burger. It was their St Patrick's Day event so they had live music. It seemed to take a very long time for the food to come out. My chicken tenders had four huge pieces of chicken. I actually only ate one there and brought the rest home. They didn't have honey mustard sauce but a Carolina Gold BBQ sauce which was ok. Would have preferred honey mustard. My husband enjoyed his burger. Definitely got my moneys worth for my dinner. If I wasn't in a hurry, I'd probably go back to try their pizza. read more

Ellison Brewery & Spirits - My Chicken Tenders dinner - Breweries Near Me - East Lansing, Michigan

My partner and I both loved the food, the beer I had was fantastic and her mocktail was very good. It's a relaxing atmosphere and the staff were very welcoming and friendly. read more

Nice waitresses at the bar area and to serve food. The quantity was so much for $5-6 appetizers. Beers were only $6. Coming from Bay Area where they can cost $10-12, this was a steal. I asked for taste and I got so much beer. Very happy. read more

Took my family here after my cousin got engaged! We wanted somewhere that still had some sort of outdoor seating and they have the tent connected to the entrance which is nice. We had never been here before and so we weren't sure how ordering/seating goes. Wasn't super impressed that three waitstaff just talked to each other at the register while 8 of us stood there looking for some guidance. We waited a minute before I said something and made it clear we had no idea what to do. Other than that first experience with staff it was great otherwise. I'd suggest you always greet anyone who comes in but different management style I guess. Beer and food was delicious and we will be back! I appreciate that they will continue to have the semi outdoor seating available! Thank you for working during these odd times. read more

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Stopped in today to have a beer and an order of soft pretzels and dip. Service was fast friendly and the beer was cold and tasty. Great vibe in the place so we ended up staying for another beer and dinner. I'm not usually a chicken tender guy but they were fantastic, but the best part was again the great service. Will definitely be back again soon. read more

They make good beer. Much better than some other local brands, and way better than a watered down Bell's. The Tiramisu stout is amazing. But I'm not too sure of everything they have listed, such as their lambic. I believe that a lambic has particular wild yeasts that it ferments with in Europe. read more

Great beer, loved this place for a long time. The tap list was very short, the menu didn't match the online menu. I fear this place will be on its way out without money spent on the tap room. As it seems they are focusing monies on distribution and recovering from the reo town disaster. read more

Perfect small brewery vibe. On a side road off the main road so easy to miss. Has outdoor, covered patio and indoor seating. My husband had the best reuben he's ever had. I had a great thin pizza (one of several unique flavor combinations). We loved the pilsner and amber beers. read more

This was such a cool little spot. We didn't get any food. But the drinks were awesome. We got an old fashioned, a whiskey sour and a mule. Besides the old fashioned being a bit too sweet, everything else was really good. We also tried the barrel aged sour and the tiramisu stout. Both were great. The staff was super friendly and the whole vibe of the place just put you at ease so you could enjoy everything. read more

Had a private party (maybe 20 people) when we walked in at 1:15. We're told we may have to wait a bit to order food as they had to get theirs out first. At 2:30 we were told they could take our order, and still no food by 3. Not sure if they should have closed down to host the 20 people or ??? Disappointing for our first time there. read more

Came to area for work so wanted to try local brewery. As a single gave me 25 min wait. There was a space to take stool from 2 top to per.it seat at bar but not even option. Waited my time while watching others seated. Disappointed and the young girls working are NOT customer oriented. Will not be back. read more

I visited from out of town! Our waitress was polite but never filled our drinks, or took our menus off our table. My group of 3 had 2 orders messed up, we just went with it because we waited 45 minutes for our meals even though there were 4 tables present. Pizza tasted like it was frozen store-bought pizza. Wings were boneless when ordered traditional. Burger came out cold and charred. Two glasses were dropped when we were there, and fellow customers had to point out the glass left over after sweeping. I feel for (who i presume was) the owner. He seemed nice! read more

Where to start. The food is horrible. When we got our food it was warm at best. The flavor was not there. Flavorless. I ordered the Ruben the bun was toasted but the inside was cold. Horrible!! My buddy ordered the pizza he said it was chewy and it tasted one step above the supermarket frozen pizza. We had 8 piece classic wings. Why are the wings so sweet on the inside. Weird tasting. Kinda like potpourri. Will never visit again read more

We always like supporting locally owned restaurants. We had a horrible experience at the Reo Town location as far as service. We are at the East Lansing location tonight and have been waiting for food for an hour. Some people have cancelled their order and left. There are only two people working beside the cook. Horribly understaffed. read more

Very disappointed in Ellison ownership who think only the wait staff needs to wear a mask. Dont get me wrong, I'm not a crazy masker, but this was nuts. read more

Ellison Brewery & Spirits - Ellison ownership refusing to wear masks in the dining room. Very disappointing knowing how East Lansing has a bad rap. - Breweries Near Me - East Lansing, Michigan

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Rude uneducated employees. We were headed there 20 minutes to close and got caught by two trains. Called to see if they could accommodate us a little late due to trains. Placed on hold to check with manager. Remained on hold hold until our arrival with no response. Upon arrival, greeted by a giggle with "we are closed and oh yeah my phone just gave a big buzz". No apology for leaving us on hold without a response. Would not serve us even from the cans in the fridge. Several people with full beers on the patio. Actions matter. Kindness matters. Communication matters. So rude. Will not go back. Will avoid them at future beer festivals. --Bottoms Up Beer Club read more

A great place to take your vaguely racist uncle. Mediocre beer, decent food and an awful atmosphere. Came here on a Friday afternoon to grab a beer and some food. Sat at the bar and was treated to having to overhear what I later learned to be the OWNER making rude and incredibly insensitive jokes with his employees who reacted with a very uncomfortable laugh, reminiscent of a hostage situation. Very MAGA vibes are so strong here to the point where I was surprised that they didn't have Fox News on the TV. I had two beers that were very forgettable and the pizza was passable, but the atmosphere, from the shoddy pvc pipes covered in black mold strewn overhead to the cracked and peeling floor is what really left a lasting impression. I won't be coming back, and I'd be wary of even eating here due to the shape of the place, even given the fact that the food is prepared in a truck outside. read more

Tried a stout and an ale. Both were kind of hoppy for those types of beers. Also, both were sort of bland. My wife liked the gin cocktails. Didn't try the food. Cool atmosphere. Also, it's tucked away down an alley and at the back of an old warehouse with no clear signage on how to enter. read more

Great little gem tucked away, at first sight we weren't sure we in the right place! However, the beer, food and service was great! We sat inside at a table by the bar and loved that they had games and coloring books to entertain the whole family. The pizza was delicious! I would definitely come back! read more

This was my first time visiting. I was disappointed. -Horrible service and not much in the way of aesthetics to make up for it. -Was very disorganized, staff was inconsiderate and rude. -The beer was okay, but I've had better. -We went for a trivia night, other places do trivia nights better. Trivia itself was fun, just very disorganized on the part of the brewery staff. If your group is looking for a fun night out, there are far better places to go. read more

Great beer and spirits. No food unless there is a food truck there. We bought a bottle of Gin and that was great too. I highly recommend. read more

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Whether you're in East Lansing for life, for a game, or a nostalgia trip, Ellison is a great spot to stop by. I came to EL for a short stop by Crunchy's for their half off pizza and great taplist, but had heard great things about Ellison. Luckily, it was right by one of my old houses. After a brief upset by the new whole foods directly by the east lansing co-op, we swung down the narrow industrial street, unsure that the place existed, until a tiny little sign directed us to the parking lot. The taproom is small but spacious, tastefully done, industrial in the same way that B Nektar is. When we were there, the floor was packed with soccer fans watching the euro cup and drinking beers. MY girlfriend, my friend and I found some spots at the bar and settled in for a good beer afte a long walk at the MSU Horticultural Gardens. I opted for a flight to share with my girlfriend ($2 per 4 oz pour). Free popcorn rounded out the tasting. I got all lighter beers, and avoided the stouts, as it was too hot to think about drinking something that heavy. Every choice I made was excellent - nothing was bad. Their Kolsch is perfectly dry, with a hint of lemon and orange, and ready for long sessions of drinking. The Crescent and experimental IPAs are both incredibly fruity. The Crescent IPA has a nice burst of citrus, and finishes with a pininess that leaves you craving more. I'll be seeking it out around Detroit where they distribute, it is really that good. The experimental (#2) was more passionfruit and dragonfruit flavors, but I loved it as well - I imagine they use Galaxy or Horizon hops. Leaven Belgian Pale takes a good amount of crispness, balances it with funkiness, and a medium body that goes down as you want. It hits all the right notes. The Rye didn't impress me as much, but it's hard to drink a session beer amongst so much other flavor. On a second taste, I like the rye that comes through, but it could be more aggressive. My favorite, by far, was the Rustic Saison. With a balanced funky flavor of preserved lemons, mixed with a small bite of peppercorn and coriander, it's tart in all the right ways. I was seriously blown away by this beer, to the point that I decided to buy one of their awesome and expensive black double walled growlers (don't worry, they have regular glass ones too) to fill it with and take home. The bartender (maybe brewer?) I spoke to about beers and distribution was incredibly friendly and helpful as well. I'm going to be telling people to keep an eye out for their releases, because I expect a ton of great things from Ellison. read more

Ellison Brewery & Spirits - View from the bar. - Breweries Near Me - East Lansing, Michigan

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Pros: next level ipas Cons: if you are dating a fancy pants high maitenence girl i would probably skip here on date night. Though preferably, I would suggest finding a cool gf and bringing her here on date night. The ipas here are awesome. If you've had ellison in distribution and werent blown away, come here. I had 5 ipas. The names escape me because they were my last stop but I definitely had haze n stein and get with that juice. Both top quality neipa. The only thing I would change about these brews are the stupid names. Amazing aroma, low bitterness, and delicious citrus flavor. They are great examples of the style. Regardless of your beer snobbery level you must try both. The other ipas were great too. I had barrel aged gravity shift, which is a big stout aged in bourbon barrels. Its a bit sweet but still really good. Is it one of the best barrel aged stouts ive had, no. However, I would not hesitate to order it again. Its easily overshadowed by their hop game. I like using dark beers to break up hops, but this is good enough to order on its own. The taproom itself is in the brewery. Theres no glamour here. No fancy wood flooring, trendy light fixtures, or oak barrel decor. Its a brewery that has a place to drink beers and watch tv. There is nothing wrong with this at all. Their focus is beer and I was happy to be able to drink it on premisis. I heard they are opening a taproom in another location. The bartender was super nice. I really enjoyed chatting with him. Additionally, they have a pizza food truck outside. Its really good thin crust pizza. While it is not their business I suggest making a dinner out of it by ordering pizza and several pints of delicious beer. I did not try any of their liquors. In closing, this brewery makes Lansing a destination. The same way most of us have been to Williamston or South Lyon specifically for breweries there. I will make it a point to return and you should too. If only we could convert the capital building into Ellison's new taproom! ;-) read more

Great place to get a beer and snack with your pup. Wife and I stopped in to get a beer with the dog, they were quite friendly and happy to see the dogs. read more

Stopped in on a Wednesday afternoon on a short jaunt among the breweries of the area. This was the weakest of the otherwise good breweries we visited. Tasted through all their beers, a couple were just not good, one seemed seriously flawed, the rest were mediocre at best. The IPAs, which I'd heard and read were outstanding, are below average. It's not a fancy place, about which I don't give a hoot, a working brewery where you're privileged to see the work that goes into making beer. The bartender could use some customer service skills. She was unfriendly rather than rude, and she didn't seem to know anything about the beer, or if she did, she wasn't gonna tell us. Still, it's all about the beer, and this is what my review is based upon. read more

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! :-) read more

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The brewery is off a side road in an industrial complex south of Grand River Ave. Parking is sparse and even though I've always found a spot -- on numerous occasions I feel like it was the last, or second to last spot! The space is nice to grab a drink, have some popcorn from their popcorn machine, or order food from a food truck outside. The space can get crowded and this place tends to be popular. When I go, typically most of the seats are taken. It is kid friendly, so feel free to bring your little one, even though you'll have to bring your own food or order food for them. I like the space, and grabbing a couple drinks. Admittedly, I'm not heads over heels over their beers and don't find it much better than some of the other breweries in town, but I like the space and it's always reliable. Plus, it's good to support the local companies! read more

Wonderful service, good beer, and the best chicken wings I have ever had! The Carolina gold BBQ is awesome