Cedar Springs Brewing Company opens Küsterer Brauhaus in downtown Grand Rapids

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Three weeks after opening, Küsterer Brauhaus, a new German-inspired beer hall on Bridge Street, is carving out a reputation as a spot to enjoy what owner David Ringler affectionately calls “Gemutlichkeit.”

Translated, the German word stands for the warm feeling of comfort and friendship that defines Bavarian beer hall culture, Ringler said Wednesday, as he sipped a West Side Ale, a German-style Dampfbier created for the new brewery.

“The idea here is that you can pick this place up and drop it in Munich and no one would really miss a beat,” he said.

Kusterer Brauhaus, 642 Bridge St. NW, is modeled after the beer halls Ringler, who also owns Cedar Springs Brewing Company, fell in love with during his travels to Germany, which date back to his time as an exchange student in the early 1990s.

Its traditional timber-style architecture and arched, vaulted ceilings are decorated with an array of flags representing different communities, towns and regions in Bavaria. Dozens of colorful, ornate beer steins adorn a banister that lines the room.

And a mixture of individual seating and long, communal tables provide a forum for conversation and mingling among customers.

“Beer halls and public houses were the social media of their day,” said Ringler, who speaks fluent German and travels to the country at least once a year. “You’re trying to foster conversations and you’re trying to get people to meet each other.”

Kusterer Brauhaus is located amid a bustling stretch of Bridge Street NW that includes New Holland Brewing’s The Knickerbocker, Harmony Hall, Jolly Pumpkin and Bridge Street Market. Broad Leaf Brewery, created by the owners of Brewery Vivant, is expected to open a location there as well this fall.

Ringler, who has spent years studying Bavarian, German, Bohemian and American brewing traditions, says there are 10 beers on tap at Kusterer Brauhaus as well as cider and sangria.

The beer hall also boasts a deli, where customers can order pre-made sandwiches and wraps as well as pasta salad, potato salad, house-made pretzels and a variety of dips.

The idea, Ringler says, is to keep the focus on beer.

While Cedar Springs Brewery, which has a full kitchen, has evolved into a restaurant where many customers order a meal and then leave, he wants Kusterer Brauhaus to serve as a gathering place.

“You’re just kind of snacking while you’re talking,” Ringler said, describing the deli and its role at Kusterer Brauhaus. “You’re continuing to connect. It’s not all about when does the appetizer come?”

Kusterer Brauhaus, which has been in the works since 2019 but was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, is a nod to Christopher Kusterer, a 19th century German immigrant who founded Grand Rapids’ City Brewery in the mid-1800s.

Historically, there were a couple German beer halls on the city’s West Side prior to prohibition, so Ringler said he likes the idea of bringing such an establishment back to the area.

He also had looked, unsuccessfully, for a location to open a brewery on the West Side prior to opening Cedar Springs Brewing Company in 2015.

“We found a wonderful home in Cedar Springs,” said Ringler, a graduate of Northview High School and Kalamazoo College. “But we’ve still always had our eye here.”

Related: Delivery of brewing tanks ‘a big step’ in bringing German beer hall to Grand Rapids

So far, Ringler is pleased with the response he’s received since opening Küsterer Brauhaus on Aug. 16. He says the beer hall’s location, near other restaurants, bars and breweries provides a great setting for Kusterer Brauhaus.

“There are six craft beverage makers right here,” he said. “You can walk across the river from a hotel, or you can take your uber or you can pop down here and you can walk up and down the street and you can hit three, four, five, six spots if you want. You can experience a lot of really different craft experiences in kind of a one stop shop.”

The beer hall is open from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and from 3 p.m. to midnight on Friday. It’s also open from noon to midnight on Saturday and from noon to 9 p.m. on Sunday. Hours may evolve depending on customer demand, Ringler said.

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