Legend has it that during the mid-19th century, hard cider (henceforth referred to simply as cider) was a mainstream staple of the old-timey U.S. consumers. In fact, scholars maintain that the alcoholic beverage was so mainstream, a significant part of workers' salaries were paid in cider until some kind of bogus amendment in 1887 made it illegal.

If you've recently watched Pulp Fiction, take your friend/date/Tarantinophile to McKay's Downtown for the Grandwich-winning Royale With (Bleu) Cheese for a definitive chuckle and conversation. If you expect an actual burger by normal definitions, you'll be surprised by its brioche bun stuffed, quarter-pound grass-fed ground ham and beef, candied bacon, pickled slaw, bleu cheese ice cream and chocolate balsamic reduction.

It's hard avoiding words and phrases such as "artisan," "authentic," "dairy-free," "farm-to-table," "gluten-free," "hand-crafted," "healthful," "organic," "scratch-made," "seasonal" or "vegan-friendly" when describing New American cuisine these days.

This has been a great few years as new establishments have sprouted about West Michigan and forged strong followers; others have downright failed miserably, while some have changed hands for the better. Terra GR is of the latter.

The story of Cellar Brewing Company begins a little more oddly than most. Chuck Brown was an operations director for Grand Valley State University and was thinking about taking his life in another direction. Being a homebrewer, he began to draw up a business plan to open his own brewery in Allendale. One day, the catering director burst into his office and said there was a brewery for sale on Craigslist.