Right Brain Brewery

Right Brain Brewery was a fun, eclectic spot we found! They had wonderful outdoor seating options which was perfect for the sunny day we visited. The staff was super kind and personable; they even came outside to check-in on us more than once. The atmosphere is large, high ceilings. Very spacious! It's filled with pinball machines and other fun items to engage with. We ordered a cider and a pizza -- both were great! The pizza was especially exciting because they had a gluten free option, and my husband said, "I wouldn't have known it was GF!" We will be returning if we visit the area again.

This place is incredible. A super great atmosphere with a ton of vintage pinball machines and some other arcade games. The beer was delicious & has a huge variety that you can't go wrong with. The pizza was absolutely incredible. I had that BBQ chicken and it was awesome. Great service too as the owner, Russ, was there to personally greet us. Definitely a must stop if you're ever in Traverse City. Keep Beer Curious!

Pizza is awesome and the garlic cheese bread sticks were great. The big pretzel is huge and takes up a medium size pizza box. I’m not a drinker but they have a huge selection of different drinks. They have lots of pinball machines and the kids love it. Very family friendly.

They have great beer there and a number of pinball machines. The owners are good people who have been in the brewery business for close to 30 years. My favorite 3 beers there are Gin Joy, CEO stout and cake walk. They have some good IPAs which I have been known to drink occasionally

Unique atmosphere. Not busy. Hard to be a 'first timer' - no host, busy bar staff. Lots of pinball - fun, but noisy. Pizza was delicious (in spite of lingering smell of burnt food). Beer was nothing special, but not bad. Sunday special is a good value.

Excellent selection of beers, and the food truck has great burgers and wings. The inside is lively with lots of pinball machines and a couple other arcade games. Outside seating is also available, and I recommend it if the weather permits and if you're not excited for pinball.

One of my personal favorite stops in the Traverse city area. They have a solid selection of different beers and some seltzers. Lots of different arcade games available to while you're hanging out. Looked like the night we were there they had a comedian in the back room. Chips and popcorn were available for snacks.

Update August 2024- We just visited here again with four adults, two toddlers, and a baby. The drinks and food were still great. It’s louder than we remember, but still a great time. Parking seemed a lot easier than last time with a lot nearby. Thank you Right Brain for a very enjoyable and safe experience during Covid. This is located outside of the crowded (with many unmasked) downtown Traverse area, making it a great stop if you’re around and want to feel like you’re making a safer choice. Staff was friendly and knowledgeable. Check out the food truck for tasty eats if you go here.

Our favorite brewery in TC! We came here most recently on a bachelor party trip and it was the perfect spot great beers and a lot of fun pinball and arcade games. We each had a drink and spent 2 hours playing pinball and than some Kenya at the table. The staff was super friendly and easy going. I misplaced my water bottle at some point and they were kind enough to place it at the bar for me and let me know before we left'. This probably wouldn't be a bad spot to take the kids either with so many fun arcade games. It was pretty quiet in the mid evening and nobody was being rowdy. Definitely a good spot for any group looking for a nice hangout.

This is a fun place where parking is easy, unlike some in the center of town. It's a big, open space with wide selection of beers, though not many choices in the lager-pils-ale dept compared to IPAs, one of my beefs with craft brewers in general. Since it is one big room with music playing pretty loudly (there are several TVs going), I couldn't really have much conversation with my party. Also disappointed in the 'arcade' games. They are mostly pinball machines, one table-style Pac-man and a skeeball machine that was dominated by someone's 5 year old. Will definitely try them again, though.

Huge tasty beer selection. I was disappointed in the food menu lack of choices so I had to go to another brewery to find dinner.

Large selection of beers on tap including seasonal and rotating beers. Flights also available. We had a flight of four IPAs and thought they were quite tasty but not exceptional. Nice size glasses to really taste the beers. The server was helpful, friendly and attentive. Really cool vibe in the building; open with multiple seating choices for couples and groups. Seemed very family friendly and many younger people were enjoying the pinball games.

Staff was very helpful and kind. Beer was great! Fun atmosphere for the kids with plenty of games

Beer was on point!! the service from the staff very welcoming we had a great time there and what a unique place. First time visit there and Ashley and the crew took great care of us the Brain Boozled was our favorite beer. Just over all great experience. will definitely go back again next trip up there

Super cute place with lots of action happening! Pinball machines all around. We were a bit shocked at paying $32 for a flight but at least the beer was good!

This place has a really cool vibe with all the game and artwork. Great drink selection.

So much fun reliving our teenage years of pinball games! Had a hood time and some beer flights.

As many times as we come to TC, we've never ventured to right brain. A little off the beaten path, but we'll worth the trip. Great beer selection, outdoor seating, AND there is a huge arcade inside. Service was great, and there's plenty of space for larger groups. Will be back!

In an area of hit or miss breweries, I found Right Brain to be one of Traverse City's hits. My wife and I visited TC the first week of May, hoping to do some hiking and visit local breweries. Unfortunately, the weather was awful, so we spent much of our time hopping from one taproom to the next (with a couple wineries thrown in). Right Brain certainly lives up to its name -- wildly creative. The taproom is large, spacious and full of vintage arcade games, making it even more colorful and loud. Perhaps it's all the stimulation that makes it a fun space to be, and we weren't surprised to see kids there playing games along with their parents. The tap list was equally creative and almost overwhelming to take in, with a variety of styles running the gamut across four TV screens. Flight boards of six 6oz pours run $19. My wife and I got a flight each. Standouts included Social Probation Hazy, Spinal Crusher Double IPA, Cherry Bomb Cherry Cream Ale and Comma Sutra Imperial Cream Ale. If ever in Traverse City again, Right Brain is one brewery I'd be eager to visit again and would recommend to others.

SERVICE:5 FOOD QUALITY:N/A DRINK QUALITY:5 ORDER TIME:5 AESTHETICS:6 NOISE LEVEL:5 MENU SELECTION:5 OVERALL EXPERIENCE: 5.17 So, first of all, this is the first place I've ever reviewed that was higher than a 5 star. This place is just something else. Service, beer and aesthetics, they have something special over there. We stopped in here for our kayak, bike and brew tour. As you walk in you're welcomed with this super fun, and exciting design of arcade games, table games, Star Wars and many more pop culture decors. We went to the bar, and got the two flights. The flight is massive so probably wise to share with someone. The server was amazing. She explained every drink, and even gave her recommendations. With two flights we tried almost everything. Some of our favorites were naughty girl, and schrute farms. We were definitely a little tipsy after this visit. Made our bike ride, a little, more adventurous afterwards. Good beer is good beer, but good beer with amazing service is better than good beer. We had such a good time. This place is a very special. I honestly wish this place was in Grand Rapids because it would be my normal hang out. Overall this place can't get any better. Even their apparel is on point. If you're into beer then look no further.

Disclaimer: This is a review by someone who doesn't drink alcohol because she's allergic! Read on for a review of the vibes, ambiance, and non-alcoholic options (if any)! I absolutely loved this place! Not only does Right Brain offer non-alcoholic options - they make house cherry, lime, and/or cream soda pop that you can mix and match in your order - and they have tons of arcade games situated throughout the perimeter of their enormous & open warehouse-vibey space, along with the occasional food truck situated outside! When we went Grand Traverse Pie Company's food truck was located just outside the brewery, so our entire group got food from there as well as drinks inside! I got the signature pot pie from Grand Traverse Pie Co & it was DELICIOUS! My cherry lime combo pop that Right Brain makes themselves was DELICIOUS! And I spent many a quarter on various skeeball, bowling, and pinball games during our time there. Oh AND they have a digital jukebox where you can play your own songs from an app (queueing up songs costs money though - good thing one of the music nerds in my group had some credits on the app already to play songs our group wanted!) Good food, good drinks, good music, and fun games - what more can you ask for?! All in all, a great environment located in downtown Traverse City that I would more than love to return to the next time I find myself in the area!

Really fun atmosphere and they had a good selection of beer to try. My only complaint is they did not have all the beer available in cans to buy.

L0ve this place. Traverse City could use a big sports place to watch games. This place.wpuld be a perfect.place to add a bunch of TV's.

My friends and I came here for the Pig Porter release. My friend had it before and said it was complex with a slight smoke. My opinion of it was total smokiness! If you like a Smokey scotch then this beer is for you otherwise it should be a hard pass. The other beers in my way over-priced flight were average to good but nothing I would return for. What kept them from the average rating was the excellent staff. Friendliness, conversation, humor, they all had it. Tie that in with a great all you can eat BBQ for a reasonable price from Bubba's BBQ it made for an enjoyable afternoon. High/low top seating inside, Covered high/low top and picnic bench seating outside. High ceilings inside with lots of room between tables. Free Wi-Fi. Bathrooms were a little rough. Side lot and street parking. I would say give it a try because everyone's beer buds are different and the staff is great. I probably wouldn't return due to the fight and up charge prices and the lackluster beer selection with many other brewery options nearby.

Great brewery. Come for the beer, stay for the pinball. Lots of beers to choose from. Are you brave enough to try the thai peanut or asparagus? Went with the thai peanut. Yeah, it's pad thai in a beer. The heat is a nice kick. Loved my girl scout cookie theme. Luscious lemon, naughty girl stout, and cake walk.

Great beer selection and really great venue. I have been there twice now and enjoyed both visits.

Really fun place with great brews and fun pinball games. Even have a bowling machine! Highly recommend!

Fun place to spend a few hours with friends. This was one of the only non-wine places we went to this weekend - I was on a girls' trip with 3 friends, and one of them wanted to check it out. I had heard of the brand before but am not really a beer drinker. I ordered the Strawberry Gose, and it was pretty good ... a bit sour/tart. One of my friends got the flight and liked most of the beers she tried, I believe, and another friend got either the one mead that they had on tap. I bought a big bottle of their CEO Stout for my boyfriend, he said he's a fan of it. We hung out here for an hour or two playing games that we had brought, but they also had a selection of games too for playing, mostly older games it seemed. The taproom itself is BIG (think warehouse-y) and there is a ton of seating. Outdoors, there were some cornhole games set up, too. I probably wouldn't stop by here again but only because I'm not a beer drinker - they had a ton of varieties on tap for those who are.

Easily 5 stars. Every level of this brewery is on point. Beers, staff, prices, atmosphere, parking. You can absolutely take your entire family here and everyone will have a great time (including the kids). This is more of a barcade because it is a pinball players DREAM. Pinball options (and I know this isn't all of them, but from what I remember): - Taxi - Star Wars (several) - Elvira - Jurassic Park - Apollo 13 - Led Zepplin They also have other arcade games like skeeball, bowling and street fighter. Flights are 6/6oz pours for $19 and most beers are around $7 for a pint. Solid selection! The brewery is pretty big and there is plenty of outdoor and indoor seating. They don't serve their own food, but there is a food truck parked out front to feed you! This brewery also has a hair salon...THAT'S NEW!!!! So cool! I'll be back here again next time I am in the area.

An interesting mix of experiences here. To begin with the location is interesting. You're in the heart of a neighborhood and away from downtown Traverse City. The large room that houses the bar area gives way to a short hallway that has art and a piano. I enjoyed discovering this little cubby and the art was actually wonderful to look at. Then there are the pinball machines. In total there's probably 20 to choose from, including a few that I've never seen before. The Hercules machine with it pool ball sized pinballs was especially fun. I would be inclined to come back here just to enjoy some pinball. The beer is terrific, and there's plenty to choose from here. I tend to favor sours, and I was pleased that there were three to choose from the day we visited. The staff was very friendly, and we weren't rushed or hassled as we casually enjoyed our drinks on the day we visited. I will absolutely be back!

Look, I overall liked this spot, but I can't ignore the prices here. They offered flights of 3 or 6, which was nice. But $19 base for the 6-beer flight is a lot. That said, I would have happily paid it, but their modifications are just too much. They charge $1 extra per flight sample for any of the beers they deem "premium" and then a startling $3 extra (per flight sample!) for their ciders and meads. For a person who doesn't drink much beer, that wants to try the two ciders and mead that they have, that increases their flight cost to $28, and to more than $30 if they also choose some premium beers to try. It's just way too expensive. We tried a number of spots during our weekend tour and I often paid one third or at most 1/2 the price that we paid at this spot. Our flight of 6 and 3 cost us $40 - with nothing else tagged on. This spot looks super fun - tons of games inside - though we had dogs, and so sat outside - but the prices would keep me from coming back, unfortunately. There's just no way to justify a $30 flight of beer.

We were in Traverse City for a long weekend and always love checking out new-to-us breweries and this one did not disappoint. So many eclectic beers to choice from! You order at the counter and there is both indoor and outdoor seating following all the COVID-19 guidelines. We started with a flight and enjoyed all our selections - although we were hoping for a little more pop from the Thai Peanut. We each had a couple pints and loved the fact that there was great variety of cans to go options. We left with a 12-pack variety of their IPAs and Peanut Butter CEO stout which were all great. They don't have food, but have a regular food truck on site which looked amazing!

First stop on the Paddle for Pints tour. It's just a bit outside of downtown area, but worth the trouble to find it. The brewery shares a large warehouse space with another business (hair studio) or two, but it is easy to find. It's fairly loud when you walk in, due to the high ceilings and the common area. Take a minute to look around and take in everything. There is a lot to see and process. For our visit, the right side of the brewery had some arcade games and interactive things, along with an area that held art displays. High top tables are dotted around, as well as, a very long bar with plenty of seating. We sat at the bar. It was very busy so patience was needed. My husband had a blueberry cider from Acoustic brewing. I tried a Deadhead, and shared chips with guac. The service was so gracious. This was our first stop and I was worried that 40 kayakers would be annoying to the business, but they were happy to have us. We went back the next day to try more of their brews, as we didn't have enough time during the tour. It's a great space to hang out.

Great vibes and more arcade games that you can count. They truly know how to have a great time! The service was friendly and fast. The atmosphere was amazing. They even sold Local artists art and really made you feel at home. Can't wait to come back.

Wife and I were there last Friday. Ended up with two flights. They have alot of options for all tastes in my opinion. It is also dog friendly. The flights are really good size pours and we stop here everytime we are in TC. Always recommend it and the service has always been great.

Always love going here when I am in the area. You can sit outside or enjoy some pinball and I have not had a beer from Right Brain I did not like. I always take Northern Hawk and El Cougre with me back to Nashville to enjoy. Look forward to being there again soon.

Fun place with a chill hip vibe. This place has pinball machines galore and their tables are spread out so well that you feel safe in covid times to grab a drink. The beer here was some of the best beer I've had in traverse city so far. All the options were super flavorful and they had a good selection of non-beer drinks as well (cider and mead).

Sat at the bar and shared a flight! Six 6oz pours which is pretty sweet for a flight. Brewery hopping and definitely worth a stop.

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.

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

This atmosphere is fabulous but prices are high. You are able to buy a single can of beer for a great price but you can't drink it in the facility. For people on a budget they do not offer any options. Bathrooms need work.

Cool place, Great for all ages! Fun pinball games and amazing staff! A food truck is now there with a variety of hot dog styles.

Easily could have gotten 5/5 stars but a little odd that samples aren't encouraged with such unique beer flavors. My suggestion would be to limit each customer to one sample, then people can still test what they're paying $6-9 for but also, the customers don't abuse the sampling

Awesome place! I wish we could have hung out for a little while longer and played some games. I couldn't believe as we were sitting there enjoying our flights the beers that were disappearing from the menu. Such fast sellers! The mead on tap was great, and to tell you the truth I wish they carried more. I am GF and all the ciders seem to taste pretty similar to me. I hope to come back next season and see some new items on the menu!

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!

Jacob and I had an excellent evening hanging out at Right Brain. This is one of the breweries we're not super-familiar with, mostly because their beers tend to be very eclectic and sometimes we stay in the safety zone. Well, visiting their unique brewery put a kabbosh to that. This is essentially a warehouse with a ton of art on the walls, some comfy couches, a little stage and plenty of board games. They have a nice bar and many tables if you're just there to drink. Bartenders were welcoming, which isn't always the case at breweries (coughFOUNDERScough). We were welcomed to try samples of anything before ordering. Jacob went with a flight of beers. We sat around playing music on the TouchTunes jukebox and shooting the shit with the bartenders. It was a great way to spend an hour or so. A bartender asked why Jacob didn't want to try the Mangalitsa Pig Porter and Jacob said he was just turned off by the thought of pork in beer... well, the bartender didn't accept that and poured us a sample. It was smokey and smooth and not as weird as you'd think! Next time we visit TC, we'll definitely stop back into Right Brain.

This was one of our first stops in TC. We made a impromptu trip the end of June/July, which is a great time to be up here. Right Brain happens to be one of his favorite breweries. We were doing our best to balance our adventure with both wineries and breweries. To be honest, I love wine, but do not particularly love Michigan wines. They are just not bold enough for me. The craft brew, on the other hand, is the best around. Right Brain is located off the beaten path. It's a large building located at the end of residential area. We were pleased to see Covid procedures in place and everyone was doing their best to practice social distancing. We found a nice spot to sit and ordered a flight. We had many stop to go, so we wanted to space out our beverages. Right Brain has a large selection of beers to choose from and the flight tray is crazy huge! lol We enjoyed our samples and had a few laughs at the decor. You can tell that this is a great spot to hang out pre-covid with the space for fun events. We can't wait make a trip back up to this awesome brewery.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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

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

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.

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 :)