DETROIT – Good beer and good food is coming to Detroit.
HopCat Detroit will host its grand opening today!
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Construction on the new taproom began this past summer.
BarFly Ventures Owner and HopCat Founder, Mark Sellers, said he's excited and relieved to be opening the 700 person-capacity building.
The two-story location is on the corner of Woodward Avenue and West Canfield Street in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood.
The two other locations in Michigan are in Grand Rapids and East Lansing.
There was a lot of red tape to get through, including construction setbacks, on the way to opening the Detroit 12,000-square-foot craft beer bar, but the end result is something unique.
One of those unique characteristics is a selection of 130 taps and 30 bottles of beer.
According to Sellers, the first floor of the taproom can seat 250 people and it mimics a 70's style he found when perusing Detroit Bars before beginning construction on the old Agave Restaurant spot.
There's black and white psychedelic-like designs on the walls and floors.
The artwork that decorates the bar is sourced by Detroit artists and designers.
The second floor, including the "Huma Room", is for entertainment where you can find a 90-person, all-season, outdoor beer garden area.
The "Huma Room" is a place where 400 people can gather and look at historic concert posters designed by Detroit artist, Carl Lundgren.
Patrons can expect live performances three nights a week.
Detroit is the first HopCat location to have a live music stage.
HopCat officially opens today (12/13/2014) at 11 a.m.
The first 200 people through the door will get cards good for a free order Crack Fries every week for a year, and there will be free Crack Fries served for free throughout the day.
The day-long opening celebration will feature a free concert by Brooklyn-based Pitchblak Brass Band.
Parking will be limited around the building due to M-1 Rail construction along Woodward Avenue. A 38-space parking lot can be found behind the building on Canfield Street, otherwise HopCat patrons can find metered parking along all of the side streets, or use a parking garage located on West Forest Avenue west of Woodward Avenue.
The first HopCat location opened in downtown Grand Rapids in 2008 and was followed by an East Lansing location last July. The bar concept has generated numerous craft beer industry accolades in its six-year history. Earlier this year, the Grand Rapids HopCat was named the No. 1 brewpub in the U.S. by RateBeer.com for a second time.
Another HopCat location is scheduled to open in Ann Arbor in January 2015.