This is a definite stop every time we visit TC. They have an excellent selection of beers, all which are delicious, and the place is just neat. Right Brain is just outside of the downtown area in Traverse City, but is easy to find and huge! They have all kinds of stuff to do while you try a sampler. Arcade games, board games, bowling, TVs. The decor is also cool, with memorabilia all over. This past time I tried a sampler because I couldn't decide what beer I wanted. I chose six beers and really enjoyed them all. See you next time we are up north! read more

Right Brain Brewery - Arcades Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Nice laid back atmosphere for having a cold beer. Many beers on tap great to get a flight to start out. Cool garage theme

We were disappointed that they only had a food truck and no other food but when I tasted the blueberry mead I was glad we stopped in. We even came back another day to play pinball! We love pinball and the place is lined with pinball machines. The live music was questionable but a fun place for sure! read more

The facility is very large with art for sale and games which makes it spread out. The French fries were hot and good. The black and blue chicken was not what the menu described. We asked about it and discovered they ran out of the menu item and substitute a breaded chicken patty on a plain bun. It was not good and not the grilled chicken that we wanted. They inquired about our meal and took it off our bill since it was not what we ordered. We were disappointed that we had to go through that hassle. They should of known. The beer was good. read more

Fun location! The brewery looks like it's out of place in a residential area but it is a hit. The place was jumping when I was there. A small menu for food but beers were tasty. I liked all the ones in my flight but cherry bomb. read more

See all

Beer! The beer is great. They have SO MANY options, and you can even pretend you're a mixologist and make a new concoction. In the words of my friend, their food game is "meek af," so definitely come with food in your tummy so you don't get drunk on these high ABV beers! Delicious stuff here, check it out read more

Right Brain Brewery - Arcades Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

See all

Cool place! Very artsy and large space. They have games set up and a food truck outside. HUGE beer selection. read more

Right Brain Brewery - Arcades Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

We were staying really close to this place and just had to check it out. We've bought Right Brain's beers in the grocery store, so we were thrilled to learn that the brewery was just around the corner from us. They are enforcing social distancing and requiring masks when you are not at your table, which we were happy to see. The staff just could not have been nicer, they really made our visit enjoyable. There are pinball machines and video games around to entertain you while you enjoy your beer. They even have Hercules: a huge pinball machine that uses a pool cueball as the pinball. I have not seen that game since I was about ten years old. It was nice to see one again. read more

Lots and lots of pinball tables. Very experimental beers. Many many many to choose from. Tried 6 but nothing grabbed us. Great bartenders who knew their beers. read more

Enjoyed the atmosphere with games (pinball etc) and open seating area. Funky art and objects on wall. Lots of great beers on tap to include an asparagus one- I tried and yes it was great. I did a sampler of beer in addition to the wings. I think they change but they had a cherry spicy glaze on them. They were amazing! I will definitely be going again next time I'm in town. read more

What an awesome place. Met several of the staff at CBC in Nashville, TN. On our vacation to Northern Michigan we stopped in to say hi. The whole staff trated us like family. Awesome beers! Great food! Fun environment for the whole family. Wish we had one close to Nashville! read more

Right Brain Brewery - Beerunch! - Arcades Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Enjoyed the atmosphere and they had a great selection of beers. Highly recommend getting the flight first to pick out your favorite

What a cool place. We ordered flights and played ski ball. They sell canned beer too that we could try and buy and just a crazy amount of pinball machines. I wish this place was closer to our house! read more

I really want to love you more Right Brain, I really do! I try so so hard to like your beer and every time it just misses the mark. Otherwise, I think your space is pretty unique and definitely a fun, chill, hang out vibe! From your decor to your seating inside and your seating outside, you have a unique and cool vibe going on! I love coming in and people watching. It is always full of a bunch of people laughing and having a good time! I do recommend this place if you have never been, it is worth checking out for sure! read more

See all

Noisy but fun! They had a decent beer list, live music with a dance floor area, some arcade games, and plenty of seating. read more

Tons of games in this place from pinball to arcade bowling. Highly recommend. To me, JUST my opinion, I enjoyed about 2/3 of the beer. The rest was just okay. But the good ones were great and bold. I will continue to go. read more

Right Brain Brewery - Arcades Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Simple. Awesome spot, large place with board games, arcade, small food menu to accompany great beer selection and friendly staff. Truly enjoyed the brews. Got to try the pumpkin spice CEO stout and cake walk cream ale. Both were very full-bodied, savory, bold, and refreshing. Will be back again to try the many other brews on draft. Great selection. read more

See all

It was "fine" (per my husband) for a quick drink on our way into town! If you wanted to stay and play pinball or spend the afternoon/evening, I could see the stars going up exponentially! We got a flight (6 pours for ~$19) and beers were good! We sat outside and had a tiny view of the water. Service was great! Nothing super special, but we enjoyed it. We wouldn't go out of our way to come back, but our experience was good :) read more

Probably the most interesting assortment of beers I've ever seen! Very cool vibe, good music, games and lots of fun art. Big space can accommodate a large crowd without feeling overcrowded. The only food we tried were the hand cut fries, which were great. The most amazing beer I tried was the one brewed with asparagus, which while I wouldn't want to drink it on a daily basis was well worth sampling. We also really loved the stout and ended up taking home some of the ice cream Moomer's makes with it. This is a beer lovers paradise! read more

Not only does Right Brain Brewery have great beer, now they have a food truck , Underdawg's serving awesome hot dogs with various toppings. Goes great with a brew. read more

We were excited to try the beers but they selectively provide samples to people and apparently people of color are still treated differently. I will for sure never visit them again. read more

Incredible atmosphere. Staff was super friendly and helpful in beer selection process. Highly recommend getting a flight (or 2) so you can try various pours. Tons of games to play while you drink. We enjoyed an old fashioned ski-ball tournament. We will definitely be back on our next trip to Traverse City! read more

This place is loud! The beers are okay. They seem to like to push the limits when it comes to Porters and Stouts, which is good, but some are just not to my taste, the Mangalese pork comes to mind as odd but the Oatmeal stout was good to very good. The Dead Kettle is very dry. This place is loud! Right Brain like to come up with funky names for their beers, while keeping the same taste profiles as "discontinued" beers. Did I mention this place is loud? Obviously people like this place, is it worth a visit? Yes it is. Is it worth a return trip? If you find a beer there you like, of course it is worth it! As an aside, I have yet to find a local brewery that is quiet and a good place to relax and chill with a beer, either the crowds or mandatory live music seems to dominate the beer scene. read more

Right Brain is fun because in addition to some inventive beers they're also a really chill spot to hang out. I feel like it's more of a coffee shop than a bar and I like that about it. I mean, who wouldn't want to hang out at an awesome spot filled with loads of color and local art but instead of a mochachino you get a killer pint of Strawberry Fields, a honey blonde ale made with strawberries? Maybe it's because I've always been here during the day but Right Brain is just BRIGHT. I think that's what makes it seem less bar like to me. From the flashy colors painted all over the place, to the interesting art placed around by local artists and the awesome wall of mugs it just seems very un-bar like and I mean that in the best way possible. They don't have a ton by way of food but they do offer some fun snacks like pretzels, chips, popcorn, hummus, etc. If memory serves all the snacks they offer are made in and around Traverse City as well. Score! Like a beer and want to take it home? They've got growlers! Like a beer and visit often or live around town? Get a lifetime membership to their mug club and get discounts on growlers and mug refills. Hot dizzam! I just wish I were around more to take advantage of such an awesome deal on such tasty, tasty beers! read more

Stopped for a beer because I had heard great things about it. Here's my advice: are you a very well-versed beer connoisseur? Then this place is for you. Not a beer aficionado? Don't bother. The staff didn't seem to want to help or guide those who are not well-versed in beer. I did try their sour beer and it was great but don't think I would go back because of the lack of engagement with customers. Their cheese board was meh. read more

Right Brain Brewery - What is up with this place? - Arcades Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Visited again while on vacation in July on our own Microbrew tour. This a much different atmosphere for a brewery. It's eclectic and I would call the unofficial tag line as, "where you can drink with your kids until 9 pm". (Not knocking that, it just may turn some ppl off). So you may see some kids nicely playing board games, drinking root beer w/ their hipster-ish parents. This is the place I'll come once a yr, not that I'd be a regular. But that's me. I'd recommend the sampler. Since I'm a wheat/pilsner fan Cakewalk was my fav. Hubby liked Firestarter (smoked chipotle.) and recommends bc it is not like a beer you can get elsewhere. Since others made a thing about the prices, I thought $15 for a sampler and &5.25 for classic beers are reasonable. That is pretty typical pricing in my hometown, but maybe not for everyone. read more

Right Brain Brewery - Arcades Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

I've recently decided that I'm much more of a brewery type of person rather than a winery type of person. I like walking into a brewery and smelling the malt and hops that lingers in the doorway. I like those moments spent looking over a whiteboard deciding which beer sounds tasty. And I love being able to order a flight of beer. It's simple instant gratification. I pick, I pay, you pour and we're off. For $15 I ordered six 6oz. glasses of very different styles of beer to sample. I took them back to my seat and enjoyed them without any swishing about in the glass or discussion about the growing season. I found Right Brain to be a great spot to enjoy a beer or six in this case. The layout is pretty open with a few quiet coveys in the corners and a slew of boardgames to play while you imbibe. Unfortunately there is no food but Xylo cafe is down the hall if you want to bring something in. The beer was very very good. I tried the Tina Beana, the Dead Kettle, the Bonaduce and a few others. A couple weren't for me while the majority I would purchase regularly if they were bottled. (You guys need to get on that.) RB is disguised a bit from the street as you wouldn't guess that there was a brewery housed inside the commercial building. Walk in, go past the salon and follow your nose. Pull up a stool and enjoy the chilled out ambiance or play some darts on one of their two cork boards. Either way it's a good spot to visit while in town. Remember to pick up a growler too. read more

We tried a new brewery in the TC area and my wife was disappointed in the beers. Her best suggestion of the night: go to Right Brain. We have visited this location nearly a dozen times on different trips to TC. Right brain has knowledgeable and pleasant staff and they always have a wide selection of top quality beers. On this trip, I had a flight of all darker beers, but they also have excellent selections for hop lovers. IMG_0631.jpeg I love: (all best directly from the source, still amazingly good from draft at a spot near you that knows their beers) Barrel aged fat lad Delicious dark robust smooth chocolate imperial stout. Took a growler with me. Barrel aged looping owl Smooth barrel aged oaky vanilla caramel flavor. The Mangalitsa Pig Porter Smokey and piggy porter. Thick and delicious. CEO stout Espresso chocolate coffee. Exceptional. Also very good: Smokey CEO stout (smokey to cover the coffee) Firestarter chipotle porter (smokey liquid smoke smooth) This brewery is on a higher level than most other breweries in Michigan (which are very good). I can easily find a half dozen beers at this brewery that are better than any beer at other breweries down the street. The construction reconstruction vibe for the building is unique and comfortable the seat yourself vibe is relaxing and welcoming. Don't be fooled if the place looks closed from the outside. Tucked neatly behind a trendy salon this brewery is my absolute favorite. Stop in and find out how many beers can find a spot on your favorite beers list. IMG_9944.jpeg read more

Right Brain Brewery - An impressive selection of top quality beers. - Arcades Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

See all

Fun space to grab a drink. Right Brain has an extensive brew list, arcade games, and enough food to call it a menu. Bonus points that they do have a kid menus. Helpful staff and the food was pretty good. We had the Cuban, mushroom caramelized onion, and ham and cheese sandwiches. Oh, and the hand cut fries we're tasty. This place is definitely more of a classic brewery than brew gastro pub, but as long as you know that before you go you'll absolutely love it there! read more

See all

This place was pretty awesome, it is definitely one of those "don't judge a book by its cover" type of places. The outside of the brewery looks quite ghetto and dnaky but then u step inside and the environment is perfect in its own weird kind of way. They had alot of graphics on the wall, weird structures inside it was really nice to see this, then we had food there and I had the jalapeño burger and the cool thing about the burger is that they use waffles as the bun and it made the burger that much more delicious. We then had a flight each and my flight wasn't too bad, I had an Asparagus beer which was weird but actually tasted really well, then a Chipotle porter which had some spice to the beer and it was well worth the drink then there was a pig porter which wasn't that harsh of a porter it was a smooth taste, very well, then the flying squirrel which was a dark amber ale was quite good but the hefe cubano was not a good hefe. All in all the flight was pretty good. It is definitely a worthy brewery to add to our brewery bucket list. read more

See all

With an ever-changing beer menu, chill environment (do people say "chill" anymore?), dozens of board games, eclectic tunes, and friendly staff and management, you're hard pressed not to have an enjoyable pint or two at Right Brain. Traverse Brewing's former brewmaster John Niedemeyer (sp?) has really spread his wings and formulated some quality brews. A HUGE variety and sure to please many palates. I only wish I lived within biking distance. NOTE: You can order in or bring your own food and nibbles. Bo-NUS! read more

Have had this beer at the last few MI Brewers Guild Beerfest, and finally made it to their brewery today. We got the nickel tour (Tim Hoffman was great!) and their operation is impressive and poised for expansion. These are true beer lovers. Their beer is not only great, but creative. Who puts a pig in their beer? A pig. Right Brain rivals is more well know competitors who better watch out. read more

Right Brain Brewery - Arcades Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

See all

in the words of Mick Jagger, I can't get no Satisfaction. They are out of it tonight. Still, I like all my selections. The Dead Kettle is a bit too much grapefruit after a couple of sips, but the Cubby Squirrel and Flying Squirrel make up for it, as does the CEO Stout and Northern Hawk Owl. Is there such a bird as a Northern Hawk Owl? Hummus was good. They were out of burgers before 9, so get here early. read more

Right Brain Brewery - Mug wall - Arcades Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Very cool place. Definitely check it out if you're in TC and looking for a good drink selection. We stopped in on a pub crawl in the area and right brain tied for first for me out of all the spots (jolly pumpkin was also tied for first). Pluses for right brain are selection, eclectic atmosphere, the staff, and the location relative to the jolly pumpkin. I had the berry mead which was a great chance up after pint after pint. We went on a Monday during the day and it was still fairly busy. I'd love to see the crowd on a Friday or Saturday night. I'm sure the neighbors love them! We tried the hummus that had mint and jalapeño which was actually really tasty. Also grabbed a white cheddar popcorn and I was surprised at how flavorful it was. I am not a popcorn lover and I couldn't help but keep grabbing more to shove in. The only downside was we tried to buy one of the take away gift packs for my bro that couldn't make the trip. We were given two different menus to choose from and I would say 75% of what we chose was not available. At one point we joked and asked if these were menus of what they don't have versus what they do have. All in all though a great spot and I can't wait to return. Definitely give it a look. read more

Right Brain Brewery - Berrymead on stop 4 of the pub crawl. - Arcades Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

See all

Right Brain may be a top 1 brewery for me. They have a huge selection of beers on tap and I've never had one I didn't enjoy. They do their flights with 6 - 6 oz pours which is the perfect amount to actually enjoy each beer rather than just get a taste of it. My absolute favorite is Cake Walk and I am so excited that they've begun distributing it in the rest of the state! The brewery itself is really neat with local art and old school video games all over. It's large enough to never feel too packed. They have a large food selection and generally quick service. My only less than perfect experience there was that they only had two bartenders working on a Paddle for Pints day, resulting in a very long line, however I do realize that it was a Friday early afternoon so I'm assuming they just had their regular staff for that time working. read more

In Northern Michigan I have to say Right Brain is second in quality for Beer . Outstanding quality and Flavor . Spinal Tapper is in my top 5 favorites of all time beers . Every time we come to Traverse City we stop in for a pint and a growler to take home. The Major problem I have with Right Brain is their Tap room , they still act like brewing beer is a hobby and not a business . I was hoping a few years back when they moved locations , they would expand their tap room area . Which they did but concrete walls with Crap scattered about shows they do not care about their customers who buy and drink their product. Right Brain needs to watch what their customer base will move on . New microbrews are opening Dailey in Michigan and could push these Guys out of business. read more

This brewery takes the cake when it comes to getting unique and one-of-a-kind beers in Traverse City. We biked here after reading the reviews on Yelp, although it is 16 blocks off the main drag in more of a residential area, it was well worth it. The place is super eclectic featuring all sorts of artwork on the walls, chairs and tables that vary in sizes, shapes, colors, and decades of production. They have an old school juke box too. The only food they have related to waffles and variations off of that, which all looked really good yet we already ate. Opting for the flights after we were told you get 6 six ounce flights (usually only 4 oz at other places) for $15. They do limited you on their limited production beers yet you can pay an extra dollar per extra limited release beer. We ended up trying all different types of beer, getting some 4 packs, some bombers, and a growler from them on top of getting some shirts for friends and family back home. The beers we sampled were very unique that I've never had anywhere else. One was a Thai Peanut beer, Basil and Cucumber Saison, Chery Pie beer, and then the variations of more crowd pleasing beers. The waitress was super helpful and when we told her we were touring around trying out different breweries she ended up bringing a few more samplers (not in the big glasses) for us to try out. This is a must check out if you're in TC - just know that is unique and truly an artistic and awesome place. read more

Right Brain Brewery - Beer menu - Arcades Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

See all

This was our first stop on a day of brewery visits. We shared a flight of six beers. I enjoyed the spinal tapper and dead kettle. My husband liked the cherry bomb. I wanted to try the chubby squirrel but they were out that day. It's located in a neighborhood, so it seems a little out of place as you're getting there. It works though! The space is big and would be good for groups. read more

I was blown away by the vibe and quality here. The atmosphere alone is a solid 5 for how cool this pub is. The brewery is laid back and full of local art. There are bags to throw and video games to play in an open but warm space. The beer speaks for itself but my favorite was chili infused. It looks like they host a lot of events here and are active in the community. Also split a grilled cheese sandwhich which was delicious and thick with midwest cheese. Wish I lived nearby and could try all the beers and food! read more

I visited here in July. We were able to get an exclusive tour of the brewery and a cornucopia of samples. I have been a fan of microbreweries for about 15 years and honestly it's hard to find anything that moves the needle anymore. The reason for the 5-stars is primarily because I found a new beer - the Gin Joy - aged in gin barrels that is light, crisp, refreshing and genuinely unlike any beer I've ever had. The decor, games, music are also awesome. If you are in TC, make sure to swing in. read more