Some of you may remember the song "Stranded in Iowa", well that is a bit how I am feeling this evening. I'm in Freeport Illinois tonight and I am a beerguy without beer! There is no place in this town that has a decent beer selection, let alone a decent food menu.
I am very disappointed in Freeport. They claim to have been settled by German immigrants. To celebrate that heritage the are " The Pretzel City" and the high school team is called the Pretzels. To go even further there is a story that the high school team was to actually called the "Beermasters" have no proof of this but this would fit with the German heritage.
Needless to say if a town is founded by German immigrants and they take pride in their German heritage this would lead one to believe that there would be BEER here, but alas no beer. I am sure that there have been numerous breweries in Freeport and at times there should have been a few decent beer bars. Currently there are neither!
My big night out was to Applebee's for dinner and a couple of Sam Adams, nothing special. Well can't always have a worthy beer bar in every town I go to, but I don't expect to have no options.
QC Beerguy
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Hotel Blackhawk Downtown Davenport, IA
Last night my wife and I attended an event that was held at the River Center and then the Gold Room at the Hotel Blackhawk http://hotelblackhawk.com/. The hotel has been recently reopened after a $45 million dollar refurbishing and it looks wonderful. We stayed overnight in a nicely furnished room. It even has a built-in flat screen tv in the mirror in the bathroom.
Before the event we went downstairs to the bar on the first floor. It is a cozy, dark wood embellished bar. The have six taps running the range from Bud Light to Warstiener Dunkel. Only one tap handle was the mass produced American beer, my wife did get a draft of Stella. (this is for you sweety STELLAAAAAAA!) They also had a better than average bottle selection. In total they had around a dozen different bottles and again it ranged from Bud Light to fine craft beer. My first beer was a Brau Brothers' Sheephead Ale http://www.braubrothersbrewing.com/ , it comes across as an American IPA. It is a copper color with a firm persistent white head, with a slight haze. On first sniff the spicy, herbal, citrus hops explodes in the olfactory senses. The hop aroma stays throughout the finish of the beer. On taste there is a definite malt backbone coming from the toasted and chocolate malts used in the beer. The hops certainly compliment the malt backbone. Overall I enjoyed this wonderful Am. IPA. I would recommend this beer.
My second beer was a Sierra Nevada Torpedo American IPA http://www.sierranevada.com/index2.html . This is a personal favorite of mine. This beer pours a light copper with a white long lasting head. The aroma from this beer is wonderful if you are a hop head like me. This is dry hopped as well run through a hopback that is shaped like a torpedo, thus the name of the beer. They use a mixture of whole cone hops in this beer including Magnum, Crystal and Citra. There is a strong malt backbone to carry the hops in the taste coming from the base 2 row and crystal malts that are used. As I said this is a personal favorite of mine, this holds up to about any Am. IPA I can think of.
The third and last beer I had was a Point 2012 Black Ale http://www.pointbeer.com/point/ . This is a new beer to me, it pours black with a nice firm long lasting tan head. There is a complex rich roasty notes complemented by a spicy, herbal notes from the hops. On tasting it is a dark rich complex with noticeable hop aroma. I greatly enjoyed this beer and it has won an award at the World Beer Championship in 2010. This was a nice change up from the Am. IPAs I had previously had.
My wife's second beer was Goose Island Pere Jacques http://www.gooseisland.com/pages/home/56.php , a Belgian Abbey style Ale. When poured it is a rich amber color with a good white head. The aroma is of caramel with complex dark fruit, wonderful! Just a hint of hops to compliment the malt. The taste is quite similar to the aroma caramel with dark fruit and a hint of spiciness. This is nice beer in Goose Islands Vintage series. I would strongly suggest this beer to those who like Belgian beers.
Overall this bar is a cool place to have a few beers and meet some friends before a night out on the town. This is a typical bar at an upscale hotel that is for the guest or locals looking for a different place to try. Plus they have a good selection of beers in the limited number that they have. A cool place to check out.
Before the event we went downstairs to the bar on the first floor. It is a cozy, dark wood embellished bar. The have six taps running the range from Bud Light to Warstiener Dunkel. Only one tap handle was the mass produced American beer, my wife did get a draft of Stella. (this is for you sweety STELLAAAAAAA!) They also had a better than average bottle selection. In total they had around a dozen different bottles and again it ranged from Bud Light to fine craft beer. My first beer was a Brau Brothers' Sheephead Ale http://www.braubrothersbrewing.com/ , it comes across as an American IPA. It is a copper color with a firm persistent white head, with a slight haze. On first sniff the spicy, herbal, citrus hops explodes in the olfactory senses. The hop aroma stays throughout the finish of the beer. On taste there is a definite malt backbone coming from the toasted and chocolate malts used in the beer. The hops certainly compliment the malt backbone. Overall I enjoyed this wonderful Am. IPA. I would recommend this beer.
My second beer was a Sierra Nevada Torpedo American IPA http://www.sierranevada.com/index2.html . This is a personal favorite of mine. This beer pours a light copper with a white long lasting head. The aroma from this beer is wonderful if you are a hop head like me. This is dry hopped as well run through a hopback that is shaped like a torpedo, thus the name of the beer. They use a mixture of whole cone hops in this beer including Magnum, Crystal and Citra. There is a strong malt backbone to carry the hops in the taste coming from the base 2 row and crystal malts that are used. As I said this is a personal favorite of mine, this holds up to about any Am. IPA I can think of.
The third and last beer I had was a Point 2012 Black Ale http://www.pointbeer.com/point/ . This is a new beer to me, it pours black with a nice firm long lasting tan head. There is a complex rich roasty notes complemented by a spicy, herbal notes from the hops. On tasting it is a dark rich complex with noticeable hop aroma. I greatly enjoyed this beer and it has won an award at the World Beer Championship in 2010. This was a nice change up from the Am. IPAs I had previously had.
My wife's second beer was Goose Island Pere Jacques http://www.gooseisland.com/pages/home/56.php , a Belgian Abbey style Ale. When poured it is a rich amber color with a good white head. The aroma is of caramel with complex dark fruit, wonderful! Just a hint of hops to compliment the malt. The taste is quite similar to the aroma caramel with dark fruit and a hint of spiciness. This is nice beer in Goose Islands Vintage series. I would strongly suggest this beer to those who like Belgian beers.
Overall this bar is a cool place to have a few beers and meet some friends before a night out on the town. This is a typical bar at an upscale hotel that is for the guest or locals looking for a different place to try. Plus they have a good selection of beers in the limited number that they have. A cool place to check out.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Why is there no beer at most Movie Theaters?
Last night my wife and I went out to dinner and then to a movie at our local movie theater complex. After we picked up our tickets we walked over to the refreshment counter and purchased our popcorn and our drinks. Was there any beer in sight to purchase, most certainly not. Why? Is it because movie theaters are considered "family" institutions and thus cannot offer the demon drink? That really does not hold; because there are many places that a family goes to and the adults can purchase a beer if they want. These places include restaurants, sporting events, musical theatre and performance art. So my original question stands why no beer at most movie theaters? I know there was a movie theater here in the Quad Cities that served beer, wine and mixed drinks to it's patrons, but it is sadly no longer in business.
Is there any thing better than sitting back at home watching a movie enjoying some popcorn and other snacks and a couple of beers? No! It is pure bliss!
Is the reasoning that a typical movie is two hours long and there is a fear that the patron will drink to much and become dangerous to themselves and others? Again that cannot be the real reason since many events that serve beer are a lot longer in time than a movie. Was beer and alcohol ever served at movies, like once it was ok to smoke in a movie theater until the danger of that became apparent. I am totally perplexed as to the reasoning.
There does not seem to be a real reason as to why that I can think of. I suggest that we rise up and demand that our local movie theaters start serve beer and alcohol. Maybe a change can be made so the next movie I go to I can enjoy a beer or two as well as the movie.
QC Beerguy
Is there any thing better than sitting back at home watching a movie enjoying some popcorn and other snacks and a couple of beers? No! It is pure bliss!
Is the reasoning that a typical movie is two hours long and there is a fear that the patron will drink to much and become dangerous to themselves and others? Again that cannot be the real reason since many events that serve beer are a lot longer in time than a movie. Was beer and alcohol ever served at movies, like once it was ok to smoke in a movie theater until the danger of that became apparent. I am totally perplexed as to the reasoning.
There does not seem to be a real reason as to why that I can think of. I suggest that we rise up and demand that our local movie theaters start serve beer and alcohol. Maybe a change can be made so the next movie I go to I can enjoy a beer or two as well as the movie.
QC Beerguy
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Purchasing beer in person and online
As I said in a previous blog the QC area does not have a great beer store, but I have been able in my travels to find a few. First and closest is John's Grocery in Iowa City, IA http://www.johnsgrocery.com/. They have a great selection of US craft beers as well as a large selection of Belgium, British and German beers. They also have a few meads and a nice selection of wine and liquors.
In Rochester, MN I found a good liquor store with multiple locations, Apollo Wine and Spirits http://www.apolloliquor.com/ . They have an extensive US Craft section including a personal favorite Surly. Also they have a very good selection of bomber bottles and they have a nice selection of Imports but I have seen better at other stores.
In La Crosse, WI is where I pick up my supply of beers from WI that do not distribute outside the state. These include New Glarus Brewing, Hinterland Brewing and Pearl St. Brewing. There are no great liquor stores but the Festival Foods in Onalaska has a very good Wisconsin beer section.
Another favorite Beer store is Blue Max in Burnsville, MN no web site available. This place has the best beer selection I have seen in person. A very strong European section including multiple Cantillion offerings, John Hardy multiple years and just about any other Belgian, English or German beer you would want. Since they are in the Twin Cities metro area, they always have Surly on hand, even some of the special brews. Beyond the beer selection they do have an extensive wall of Scotch. If its made it is probably at the Blue Max.
If you can not make it to these stores how about buying on the web? I have on site I like in particular since it has a good selection of California beers including Stone brewing http://www.stonebrew.com/ , Lost Abbey http://www.lostabbey.com/ and many others. The website is http://beeronthewall.com/beer-store/beershop.html , you must order in quantities of 6, 12 and so on. They ship the beer in well designed boxes that help the beer arrive safe at your residence.
Another promising website is Beer Geek http://www.beergeek.biz/. I have never purchased from them but they do have a good selection. Brewforia http://brewforia.com/ is another site that has quite an extensive list. I am sure there are more sites out there and you may have your own favorite. So keep purchasing your fine beer how you have, but if you need somewhere to find that special beer check these out.
QC Beerguy
In Rochester, MN I found a good liquor store with multiple locations, Apollo Wine and Spirits http://www.apolloliquor.com/ . They have an extensive US Craft section including a personal favorite Surly. Also they have a very good selection of bomber bottles and they have a nice selection of Imports but I have seen better at other stores.
In La Crosse, WI is where I pick up my supply of beers from WI that do not distribute outside the state. These include New Glarus Brewing, Hinterland Brewing and Pearl St. Brewing. There are no great liquor stores but the Festival Foods in Onalaska has a very good Wisconsin beer section.
Another favorite Beer store is Blue Max in Burnsville, MN no web site available. This place has the best beer selection I have seen in person. A very strong European section including multiple Cantillion offerings, John Hardy multiple years and just about any other Belgian, English or German beer you would want. Since they are in the Twin Cities metro area, they always have Surly on hand, even some of the special brews. Beyond the beer selection they do have an extensive wall of Scotch. If its made it is probably at the Blue Max.
If you can not make it to these stores how about buying on the web? I have on site I like in particular since it has a good selection of California beers including Stone brewing http://www.stonebrew.com/ , Lost Abbey http://www.lostabbey.com/ and many others. The website is http://beeronthewall.com/beer-store/beershop.html , you must order in quantities of 6, 12 and so on. They ship the beer in well designed boxes that help the beer arrive safe at your residence.
Another promising website is Beer Geek http://www.beergeek.biz/. I have never purchased from them but they do have a good selection. Brewforia http://brewforia.com/ is another site that has quite an extensive list. I am sure there are more sites out there and you may have your own favorite. So keep purchasing your fine beer how you have, but if you need somewhere to find that special beer check these out.
QC Beerguy
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Rochester, MN Whistle Binkies Olde World Pub
Do not let the name fool you about this place. It is anything but odd like the name would lead some one to believe. This is another great beer bar I have found on my travels. Whistle Binkies has two locations in Rochester, http://www.whistlebinkiespub.com/index.shtml , one on the northside and the other on the southside of town. The location I went to first and like the best is the north location, from the outside it is located in a strip mall, but inside it is a restaurant with bar seating that at times seems to be on its own wait list for a seat. When I go I do find a seat at the bar which can easily seat 25 people and the restaurant can easily seat 150 people with a side room that has a fireplace and a few couches as well as tables. Whistle Binkies is a friendly place soon after sitting down a conversation is able to be struck up with those sitting around you.
The menu is extensive and basically anyone can find something to eat. As far as the beer, this place is heaven. Eighteen taps, including a semi-permanent tap of Surly's Furious Ale http://www.surlybrewing.com/. Also they have a multiple page beer menu, that includes at least 300 beers from all around the US and all over the world. If you can not find a beer here it is your own fault.
I have been here enough to become a recognized face to the bar staff. This does have some benefits, they let me know of special beers new on tap or they know what I like and point me in a direction when I am having trouble deciding on a beer. Also they let me know of upcoming beers that might be of interest to me.
I can not say enough positive things about this place. When you find yourself in Rochester this is the place to go! Tonight I had a great Ham and cheese sandwich and some really wonderful beers. The first beer I had was Surly's Abrasive Ale, a great beer. This is a DIPA and has a lot of citrus hop aroma and flavors, I love it. Next I had Hairy Eyeball from Lagunitas Brewing Company in California http://www.lagunitas.com/home.html. This beer is a rich thick hoppy American Strong Ale, as they say on the bottle this ain't no sipping beer, drink like it could be your last beer.
You may come into Whistle Binkies as a stranger but you will leave it with some new friends! This is the place to go when you are in Rochester! I was able to stop here with my wife and friends on our way up to judge at UMMO the end of last month, everyone was blown away by Whistle Binkies!!
QC Beerguy
The menu is extensive and basically anyone can find something to eat. As far as the beer, this place is heaven. Eighteen taps, including a semi-permanent tap of Surly's Furious Ale http://www.surlybrewing.com/. Also they have a multiple page beer menu, that includes at least 300 beers from all around the US and all over the world. If you can not find a beer here it is your own fault.
I have been here enough to become a recognized face to the bar staff. This does have some benefits, they let me know of special beers new on tap or they know what I like and point me in a direction when I am having trouble deciding on a beer. Also they let me know of upcoming beers that might be of interest to me.
I can not say enough positive things about this place. When you find yourself in Rochester this is the place to go! Tonight I had a great Ham and cheese sandwich and some really wonderful beers. The first beer I had was Surly's Abrasive Ale, a great beer. This is a DIPA and has a lot of citrus hop aroma and flavors, I love it. Next I had Hairy Eyeball from Lagunitas Brewing Company in California http://www.lagunitas.com/home.html. This beer is a rich thick hoppy American Strong Ale, as they say on the bottle this ain't no sipping beer, drink like it could be your last beer.
You may come into Whistle Binkies as a stranger but you will leave it with some new friends! This is the place to go when you are in Rochester! I was able to stop here with my wife and friends on our way up to judge at UMMO the end of last month, everyone was blown away by Whistle Binkies!!
QC Beerguy
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
La Crosse. WI Bodega Brewpub
I find myself in La Crosse this fine night. When I am here I go to Bodega Brewpub http://www.bodegabrewpublax.com/ this is by far the beer bar in La Crosse. They have 18 taps and one is dedicated to New Glarus Belgian Red, only bar I know of to have it on tap permanently! Also they have 360 to 370 beers in the bottle. Do I need to go on to give this bar its props, didn't think so.
What can I say this is the place to go when in La Crosse! I plan on bringing my wife and friends to this place. The bar staff is great! John, the manager is a fun surly person once you get to know him. Also Ben and Katie have learned from John if they see you more than once you are a regular and they need to treat you better. Needless to say I have become a regular. It is so ridiculous how quickly they learn your preferences!
So this is a great beer bar, equal to almost any in the Midwest I have been to including the Map Room and the Muddy Pig. Plus they serve some really good sandwiches, in the true sandwich shop type sandwiches. One of my favorites is the Cubano minus the mustard and the pickles. Besides sandwiches they have some good flat bread pizzas.
Tonight I had some great beers! These included the Fish Tale Winter IPA and Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Stout. Also I had tasters of a couple double IPAs. They will always let you try a taster of a tap beer before you buy it. They want you to be satisfied with your beer when you pay for it. They always have a great selection of Wisconsin brews, meaning New Glarus http://www.newglarusbrewing.com/ and Capital http://www.capital-brewery.com/ .
I happily came upon by accident a Goose Island http://www.gooseisland.com tasting at Bodega. This was run by the local Goose Island Rep. He had one of the most wonderful beers I ever had a Matilda gone wild. It was an accidental beer that got away from the brewer and went sour. This accidental on off beer is one of the greatest beers I ever had, unfortunately it is not available to the average beer drinking public.
I can not stress how much this is a great beer bar! There is unfortunately some bad history between Bodega and Pearl Street Brewing http://www.pearlstreetbrewery.com/ so Pearl Street is not carried at Bodega. Pearl Street does make some good beer so give it a try.
I am a Bodega regular and Damn proud of it! This is a beer bar worthy of a major city such as Chicago but hidden away in La Crosse. John the manager is your typical over educated bar manager, that I am so jealous of because I want to be him! When ever you make it to La Crosse search out Bodega and you will not be sorry!
QC Beerguy
What can I say this is the place to go when in La Crosse! I plan on bringing my wife and friends to this place. The bar staff is great! John, the manager is a fun surly person once you get to know him. Also Ben and Katie have learned from John if they see you more than once you are a regular and they need to treat you better. Needless to say I have become a regular. It is so ridiculous how quickly they learn your preferences!
So this is a great beer bar, equal to almost any in the Midwest I have been to including the Map Room and the Muddy Pig. Plus they serve some really good sandwiches, in the true sandwich shop type sandwiches. One of my favorites is the Cubano minus the mustard and the pickles. Besides sandwiches they have some good flat bread pizzas.
Tonight I had some great beers! These included the Fish Tale Winter IPA and Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Stout. Also I had tasters of a couple double IPAs. They will always let you try a taster of a tap beer before you buy it. They want you to be satisfied with your beer when you pay for it. They always have a great selection of Wisconsin brews, meaning New Glarus http://www.newglarusbrewing.com/ and Capital http://www.capital-brewery.com/ .
I happily came upon by accident a Goose Island http://www.gooseisland.com tasting at Bodega. This was run by the local Goose Island Rep. He had one of the most wonderful beers I ever had a Matilda gone wild. It was an accidental beer that got away from the brewer and went sour. This accidental on off beer is one of the greatest beers I ever had, unfortunately it is not available to the average beer drinking public.
I can not stress how much this is a great beer bar! There is unfortunately some bad history between Bodega and Pearl Street Brewing http://www.pearlstreetbrewery.com/ so Pearl Street is not carried at Bodega. Pearl Street does make some good beer so give it a try.
I am a Bodega regular and Damn proud of it! This is a beer bar worthy of a major city such as Chicago but hidden away in La Crosse. John the manager is your typical over educated bar manager, that I am so jealous of because I want to be him! When ever you make it to La Crosse search out Bodega and you will not be sorry!
QC Beerguy
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Micro, macro, craft, brewpub what the heck does it all mean?
Going to try to explain all of these labels that get tossed around about different levels of brewing and the beer industry.
First off what is a macrobrewery? These are the big guys Anheuser- Busch InBev http://www.ab-inbev.com/, MillerCoors http://www.millercoors.com/our-beers/great-beer.aspx and Diageo http://www.diageo.com/en-row/ourbrands/Pages/default.aspx to name a few. Many a craft brew lover has deemed these as the "evil" empires, I was one. Not all beers from the macro guys are bad, even the yellow fizzy water they make takes extreme skill to make. These macro brews dominate the market in sales. AB InBev makes brands as Budweiser, Stella Artois, Becks and Hoegaarden to name a few. Miller Coors have merged and included in that is SAB, some brands they make include Coors, Miller, Pilsner Urquell, Peroni and Blue Moon. Diageo's brands include Guinness, Harp, Smithwicks and Red Stripe. The macros have taken a page from the micro craft guys and have started some of their own "craft" beer labels. Macrobrewers are learning that they must change to maintain their size.
Next up is the microbrewery label. By definition a microbrewery makes less than 15,000 barrels of beer a year. US measurement of a barrel is 31 gallons, a keg of beer is 15.5 gallons also know as a 1/2 barrel. So microbreweries are small breweries known for their making of quality or craft beer. Also included under this label are the brewpubs and nanobreweries. Brewpubs are microbreweries that have a restaurant as well as a brewery under the roof. Nanobreweries are a fairly recent development and are breweries that produce as little as 4 barrels or less a year. These are often, depending on state laws in a garage, a basement or even a shed in the backyard. These breweries are still fully licensed with the state and federal authorities. If a brewer sells beer they must be licensed, no questions asked.
The umbrella of microbreweries encompasses many labels as you see from above. So that craft brew you love or your local brewpub is actually a microbrewery. So that encompasses such beers as Dogfishead http://www.dogfish.com/, Bell's http://www.bellsbeer.com/, New Glarus http://www.newglarusbrewing.com/ and our local favorites of Bent, Great River, Front St. and Blue Cat.
Then there are the brewers that are in between often know as regional brewers. These are a mixture of breweries such as family breweries like Yuengling http://www.yuengling.com/over21/over21.php?referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yuengling.com%2F, August Schell or breweries that have outgrown their micro roots like Sam Adams http://www.samueladams.com/ and Sierra Nevada http://www.sierranevada.com/. This group of breweries are bigger than micros but no where near as big as the macros. They have some interesting back stories such as Yuengling is the oldest family owned brewery in America and Sam Adams is now the largest American owned brewery.
Hopefully I have help clarify some of the labels that are thrown around about breweries.
QC Beerguy
First off what is a macrobrewery? These are the big guys Anheuser- Busch InBev http://www.ab-inbev.com/, MillerCoors http://www.millercoors.com/our-beers/great-beer.aspx and Diageo http://www.diageo.com/en-row/ourbrands/Pages/default.aspx to name a few. Many a craft brew lover has deemed these as the "evil" empires, I was one. Not all beers from the macro guys are bad, even the yellow fizzy water they make takes extreme skill to make. These macro brews dominate the market in sales. AB InBev makes brands as Budweiser, Stella Artois, Becks and Hoegaarden to name a few. Miller Coors have merged and included in that is SAB, some brands they make include Coors, Miller, Pilsner Urquell, Peroni and Blue Moon. Diageo's brands include Guinness, Harp, Smithwicks and Red Stripe. The macros have taken a page from the micro craft guys and have started some of their own "craft" beer labels. Macrobrewers are learning that they must change to maintain their size.
Next up is the microbrewery label. By definition a microbrewery makes less than 15,000 barrels of beer a year. US measurement of a barrel is 31 gallons, a keg of beer is 15.5 gallons also know as a 1/2 barrel. So microbreweries are small breweries known for their making of quality or craft beer. Also included under this label are the brewpubs and nanobreweries. Brewpubs are microbreweries that have a restaurant as well as a brewery under the roof. Nanobreweries are a fairly recent development and are breweries that produce as little as 4 barrels or less a year. These are often, depending on state laws in a garage, a basement or even a shed in the backyard. These breweries are still fully licensed with the state and federal authorities. If a brewer sells beer they must be licensed, no questions asked.
The umbrella of microbreweries encompasses many labels as you see from above. So that craft brew you love or your local brewpub is actually a microbrewery. So that encompasses such beers as Dogfishead http://www.dogfish.com/, Bell's http://www.bellsbeer.com/, New Glarus http://www.newglarusbrewing.com/ and our local favorites of Bent, Great River, Front St. and Blue Cat.
Then there are the brewers that are in between often know as regional brewers. These are a mixture of breweries such as family breweries like Yuengling http://www.yuengling.com/over21/over21.php?referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yuengling.com%2F, August Schell or breweries that have outgrown their micro roots like Sam Adams http://www.samueladams.com/ and Sierra Nevada http://www.sierranevada.com/. This group of breweries are bigger than micros but no where near as big as the macros. They have some interesting back stories such as Yuengling is the oldest family owned brewery in America and Sam Adams is now the largest American owned brewery.
Hopefully I have help clarify some of the labels that are thrown around about breweries.
QC Beerguy
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Great River Brewery
This afternoon we met friends at Great River http://greatriverbrewery.com/ for a beer or two. Great River is a brewery with a tasting room. They do not serve anything but beer, well ok they have in shell peanuts, but does that really count? Since they only serve beer only true beer drinkers show up. Today as any other Saturday from 1-3pm they do $1 cans, cans that are not a complete fill or dented. So yes they do can their beer, currently they can the 483 Pale Ale and Roller Dam Red with plans to soon can the Redband Stout, a coffee stout. These are 3 of there 6 regular beers the other three are La Jefa, a Mexican Lager, Organic Farmer Brown Ale, American nut brown ale, and Straight Pipe Stout, a milk stout. Also they always have some seasonals on tap, currently Dirty Blonde, a chocolate blonde and Aaah ... Bock, remember Radar and Hawkeye on Mash aaah Bach, hope your old enough to get the reference. If I remember correctly Radar's date went quite well after he used that line. Plus they have a Brewer's Reserve Beer, this time it was Straight Pipe Stout aged in bourbon barrels, always these beers are barrel aged and yummy! Overall the beers are quite good; sometimes some of their seasonals are challenging to drink. They usually have a special tapping of their latest seasonal, including a potluck. They usually provide some kind of meat and everyone brings a dish. Fun is had by all, especially with the first golden keg since it is no charge.
The tasting room is purpose built it has a bar that can sit around 15 people with a couple tables as well. The top amount of people that comfortably fit in the tasting room is 30-40. A wonderful place to meet friends and have a few beers. A pint of beer is $4, unless it is barge season and the bridge is open then they are only $2 a fun gimmick that some people take a bit too seriously. They also sell growlers, 1/6 barrels and half barrels, check with them for availability. The bars staff are competent and friendly as the can be.
The tasting room itself has a nice purpose built bar and an impressive back bar that displays glasses and t-shirts. When it warms up outside they have picnic tables with umbrellas so people can enjoy their "beer garden". Also they always have the promise of a game of corn hole. They are dog friendly, always having dog bowls of h2o for the 4 legged kind in the warm seasons. Also they are only a block away from the bike trail, so bikers are regulars as well, both the pedal and motor kind are welcome.
They have opened their doors to MUGZ http://www.mugzhomebrew.org/ for our monthly meetings. They are more than friendly to home brewers and craft beer lovers. Also they are active in the local community for various interests.
Do not be afraid to come down to Great River and enjoy a beer or two. If Paul or Scott are around they are more than willing to chat with the average beer fan. Also from their "beer garden" you can easily see the lock and dam and the Mississippi as well.
A good day!
QC Beerguy
The tasting room is purpose built it has a bar that can sit around 15 people with a couple tables as well. The top amount of people that comfortably fit in the tasting room is 30-40. A wonderful place to meet friends and have a few beers. A pint of beer is $4, unless it is barge season and the bridge is open then they are only $2 a fun gimmick that some people take a bit too seriously. They also sell growlers, 1/6 barrels and half barrels, check with them for availability. The bars staff are competent and friendly as the can be.
The tasting room itself has a nice purpose built bar and an impressive back bar that displays glasses and t-shirts. When it warms up outside they have picnic tables with umbrellas so people can enjoy their "beer garden". Also they always have the promise of a game of corn hole. They are dog friendly, always having dog bowls of h2o for the 4 legged kind in the warm seasons. Also they are only a block away from the bike trail, so bikers are regulars as well, both the pedal and motor kind are welcome.
They have opened their doors to MUGZ http://www.mugzhomebrew.org/ for our monthly meetings. They are more than friendly to home brewers and craft beer lovers. Also they are active in the local community for various interests.
Do not be afraid to come down to Great River and enjoy a beer or two. If Paul or Scott are around they are more than willing to chat with the average beer fan. Also from their "beer garden" you can easily see the lock and dam and the Mississippi as well.
A good day!
QC Beerguy
Friday, February 18, 2011
Home for the weekend
I'm home from Schaumburg and just sitting home having a couple beers that are not in my normal range of beers. They were given to my wife for me by Rich Burroughs, thank you Rich.
The first beer I'm having tonight is a Grain Belt Nordeast http://grainbelt.com/ourbeers_info.php?id=29, actually brewed and owned by August Schell Brewing Company. On the web site it is described as an American Amber Lager ABV 4.7%. It pours as a clear amber colored beer with a long lasting assertive off white head. It has a firm malt sweetness that is balanced with a biscuity sharp malt as well. The aroma is reminiscent of the malt flavors. There is little noticeable hops in the aroma or the flavor. Mouthfeel is medium full and the beer has a nice round finish at the end. This is a nice change from the industrial American Lagers that many US brewers make. So I would say if you have an opportunity to pick up this beer do it.
The second beer for tonight is also a August Schell product it is Hopfenmalz http://www.schellsbrewery.com/ourbeers_info.php?id=28 . The website describes the beer as an American Lager ABV 4.9%. The beer pours deep gold with a long lasting white head. Rich sweet bready malt flavor, with a nice citrus hop taste the adds a nice crispness to the finish of the beer. Medium bodied beer with a moderate carbonation and finishes dry and crisp. Again this is another beer that I would recommend to anyone that wants a good drinkable beer.
August Schell Brewing company http://www.schellsbrewery.com/home.php is one of the oldest family owned breweries founded in 1860. I was at the brewery last summer after NHC in Minneapolis, with my wife and the Scharrs. The brewery is located in a valley just outside of New Ulm, MN and the brewery grounds are awesome. They give a tour of the brewery and you are able to wander the grounds as well. Besides the people wandering the grounds they have several peacocks on the grounds. They make some really nice drinkable beers and the brewery and grounds are well worth the stop if you are in the area.
Prost!
QC Beerguy
The first beer I'm having tonight is a Grain Belt Nordeast http://grainbelt.com/ourbeers_info.php?id=29, actually brewed and owned by August Schell Brewing Company. On the web site it is described as an American Amber Lager ABV 4.7%. It pours as a clear amber colored beer with a long lasting assertive off white head. It has a firm malt sweetness that is balanced with a biscuity sharp malt as well. The aroma is reminiscent of the malt flavors. There is little noticeable hops in the aroma or the flavor. Mouthfeel is medium full and the beer has a nice round finish at the end. This is a nice change from the industrial American Lagers that many US brewers make. So I would say if you have an opportunity to pick up this beer do it.
The second beer for tonight is also a August Schell product it is Hopfenmalz http://www.schellsbrewery.com/ourbeers_info.php?id=28 . The website describes the beer as an American Lager ABV 4.9%. The beer pours deep gold with a long lasting white head. Rich sweet bready malt flavor, with a nice citrus hop taste the adds a nice crispness to the finish of the beer. Medium bodied beer with a moderate carbonation and finishes dry and crisp. Again this is another beer that I would recommend to anyone that wants a good drinkable beer.
August Schell Brewing company http://www.schellsbrewery.com/home.php is one of the oldest family owned breweries founded in 1860. I was at the brewery last summer after NHC in Minneapolis, with my wife and the Scharrs. The brewery is located in a valley just outside of New Ulm, MN and the brewery grounds are awesome. They give a tour of the brewery and you are able to wander the grounds as well. Besides the people wandering the grounds they have several peacocks on the grounds. They make some really nice drinkable beers and the brewery and grounds are well worth the stop if you are in the area.
Prost!
QC Beerguy
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Correction Correction
I have found out I inadvertently posted some bad info. I apologize for that. I had made a mistake on Bent Rivers Personnel. Steve Cogdill is a manager at Bent and Steve Radcliff is head Brewer and Garrett Butler is the assistant brewer.
Tonight still in Schaumburg and we went out to Rosebud to eat if you are not familiar with Rosebud it is a wonderful Italian Restaurant http://www.rosebudrestaurants.com/ . I had more than enough food and they have some interesting beer selections. Sorry for the short blog tonight, I will write more tomorrow night.
QC Beerguy
Tonight still in Schaumburg and we went out to Rosebud to eat if you are not familiar with Rosebud it is a wonderful Italian Restaurant http://www.rosebudrestaurants.com/ . I had more than enough food and they have some interesting beer selections. Sorry for the short blog tonight, I will write more tomorrow night.
QC Beerguy
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Schaumburg Ram Brewery
I'm back on the road tonight in Schaumburg for work. Luckily next door to the hotel is a Ram Brewery, a chain brewpub. It is a stand alone building and quite imposing due to the physical size. Went and sat at the bar and had a wonderful young lady as a bartender. Had a sampler of the 6 standard beers, I liked 3 out of the six the Buttface Amber, Big Red IPA, and Total Disorder Porter. The other 3 beer were pedestrian at the best Big Horn Hefewiezen, Big Horn Blonde, and 71 Pale Ale.
As far as scale and the feel of this place it is so cool! They have a very extensive menu and it is damn good. I had a peanut burger, which is a bacon cheeseburger with peanut butter. This goes out to my fellow brown hatters Jim and Scot! Also had a really nice weizenbock called the Sno'ball Ale, quite enjoyable.
If you find yourself up by the Woodfield mall it is well worth a stop. It does get busy at night so come before 5pm and you will have no problem.
QC Beerguy
As far as scale and the feel of this place it is so cool! They have a very extensive menu and it is damn good. I had a peanut burger, which is a bacon cheeseburger with peanut butter. This goes out to my fellow brown hatters Jim and Scot! Also had a really nice weizenbock called the Sno'ball Ale, quite enjoyable.
If you find yourself up by the Woodfield mall it is well worth a stop. It does get busy at night so come before 5pm and you will have no problem.
QC Beerguy
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Update on new brewpub in Davenport
Still have not tracked down whether or not there is one going into the village of East Davenport, but did find out that a local brewer that is not brewing currently is not the one in this rumor. So the hunt goes on.
QC Beerguy
QC Beerguy
That's not beer its...
Ok so this blog will not be about beer, but I thought I would bring some attention to other local entrepreneurs looking to make a living in the world of drinking.
First up Mississippi River Distilling Company http://www.mrdistilling.com/ . MUGZ was lucky enough to have n opportunity to tour and have our club meeting the end of January. Currently they are only distilling and selling their River Baron Vodka. The soon will be distilling and selling their River Rose Gin. They also have plans to distill a Bourbon as well. The really cool thing about MRDC is that they are working with local farmers to supply them the grains to make their spirits with. As far as water they use city water that they filter in a couple of ways to arrive at the base water they want. The tour is quite informative and for some the most important part is the end when you have an opportunity to sample the vodka.
They are open M-S 10 am to 5pm and Sunday 12pm to 5pm, with tours at 12, 1, 2, 3 and 4pm. The distillery is located at 303 N. Cody Rd in Le Claire, IA on the north end of the downtown. The owners are Ryan and Garrett Burchett, they do the distilling as well. Go check out MRDC when you can but remember to support them at your local liquor store. They are building up their regional distribution, one of the easiest places to find River Baron is at your local HyVee. It is great to have this team trying to make it by distilling spirits here in the QC area.
The second business is Irish Dog Bloody Mary Mix http://www.drinkirishdog.com/ a natural tie in with the River Baron Vodka. This is the brainstorm of a local couple Kelly and Steve Duecy. This is their personal blend of spices and tomato juice to arrive at the Irish Dog Bloody Mary Mix. They distribute mainly in the Midwest, but do go beyond. While your in Hy Vee picking up your River Baron look in the Bloody Mary Mixes and you will find Irish Dog. Then go home a mix away.
These two business are local so remember " Buy Local, Drink Local". As we do for our brewpubs/ microbreweries in the QC do for these to businesses.
Drink up
QC Beerguy
First up Mississippi River Distilling Company http://www.mrdistilling.com/ . MUGZ was lucky enough to have n opportunity to tour and have our club meeting the end of January. Currently they are only distilling and selling their River Baron Vodka. The soon will be distilling and selling their River Rose Gin. They also have plans to distill a Bourbon as well. The really cool thing about MRDC is that they are working with local farmers to supply them the grains to make their spirits with. As far as water they use city water that they filter in a couple of ways to arrive at the base water they want. The tour is quite informative and for some the most important part is the end when you have an opportunity to sample the vodka.
They are open M-S 10 am to 5pm and Sunday 12pm to 5pm, with tours at 12, 1, 2, 3 and 4pm. The distillery is located at 303 N. Cody Rd in Le Claire, IA on the north end of the downtown. The owners are Ryan and Garrett Burchett, they do the distilling as well. Go check out MRDC when you can but remember to support them at your local liquor store. They are building up their regional distribution, one of the easiest places to find River Baron is at your local HyVee. It is great to have this team trying to make it by distilling spirits here in the QC area.
The second business is Irish Dog Bloody Mary Mix http://www.drinkirishdog.com/ a natural tie in with the River Baron Vodka. This is the brainstorm of a local couple Kelly and Steve Duecy. This is their personal blend of spices and tomato juice to arrive at the Irish Dog Bloody Mary Mix. They distribute mainly in the Midwest, but do go beyond. While your in Hy Vee picking up your River Baron look in the Bloody Mary Mixes and you will find Irish Dog. Then go home a mix away.
These two business are local so remember " Buy Local, Drink Local". As we do for our brewpubs/ microbreweries in the QC do for these to businesses.
Drink up
QC Beerguy
Monday, February 14, 2011
Beer Styles
When someone says the word beer what do you think of? Do you think of some of the mass produce American lagers, like Bud, Miller or Coors? Do you think of a pale ale or a stout? Or perhaps a Hefeweizen or a Barleywine? Perhaps some other type of a beer trips your trigger. Didn't realize that there are that many styles of beer, well that's just scratching the surface of beer styles. As recognized by BJCP the are 23 categories with nearly 80 styles within those categories. This is not an all encompassing list there are other beer styles that for one reason or another are not recognized by the BJCP. Ever here of a German Gose or perhaps a Keller bier? Probably not since they are produced in very limited areas in Germany thus not allowing for a large amount to be imported into the US. Also there are many historical beers that are no longer produced any other way than by homebrewers or as one off beers at a brewpub. Also there are "new" styles of beers being developed every day as in the Black IPA or otherwise know as a Cascadian Dark Ale. There is bitter debate, no pun intended, over whether or not this is actually a stand alone beer style. Also there are beer styles that are so well known only as a beer that one brewer makes that it is synonymous with that brewer, such as Anchor's California Common beer, better know as Anchor Steam. The beer styles are ever evolving, the BJCP guidelines are usually reviewed around every 4 years or so. Also the GABF (Great American Beer Fest) is usually more creative in their categories for their yearly event in Denver. They have recognized the Cascadian Black Ale as a stand alone beer style. Do not fret what your favorite beer is called just drink it and enjoy.
Beer styles have evolved over time and many beers are attributed to a certain geographic area. Koln beer was traditionally made in Cologne. The Dry Stout was made famous by Arthur Guinness brewing or Ireland. Also I have read that one beer style was attributed to a possible ancestor of mine. The bock beer made originally in Einbeck in Germany was in some sources attributed to a brewer with the last name of Pilcher, my mother's maiden name. So I could have brewer's blood running in my veins. Who knows.
Beers styles are varied and ever changing. So don't tie yourself down to one beer style. Get out there and try those different beers. Run to your local brewpub, microbrewery, or good beer bar. Or if you are at home and have some, Relax and have a Homebrew!
Beer styles have evolved over time and many beers are attributed to a certain geographic area. Koln beer was traditionally made in Cologne. The Dry Stout was made famous by Arthur Guinness brewing or Ireland. Also I have read that one beer style was attributed to a possible ancestor of mine. The bock beer made originally in Einbeck in Germany was in some sources attributed to a brewer with the last name of Pilcher, my mother's maiden name. So I could have brewer's blood running in my veins. Who knows.
Beers styles are varied and ever changing. So don't tie yourself down to one beer style. Get out there and try those different beers. Run to your local brewpub, microbrewery, or good beer bar. Or if you are at home and have some, Relax and have a Homebrew!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Contests, Judging and Why
I just finished entering, packaging and paying for shipment on my entries into Babble Brew-off 2011 http://www.babblehomebrewers.com/ . It is one of the upcoming contest within the Midwest states happening within the next few months. Other contests are Drunk Monk Challenge on March 12th, http://www.knaves.org/DMC/index.htm , also the same day is IBU Open http://iowabrewersunion.ning.com/ . Later in March on the 26th is BOSS' Chicago Cup http://www.bossbeer.org/competition.html . These are just a few of the contests that members of homebrew clubs and individual homebrewers enter to receive feedback and hopefully win some ribbons or other awards.
These contests are held by various homebrew clubs throughout the world and continuously through the calendar year. MUGZ own contest is held in mid- November each year. These contests have a varying amount of entries, some as little as 60 entries up to large contests that exceed a 1000 entries. The goal for the homebrewer is to have their beer evaluated fairly and impartially, so that they receive honest and unbiased feedback. Most of the time your family and friends will drink a beer no matter what and usually not give a true unbiased opinion. The feedback brewers receive can help them improve their beer and the brewer continues to perfect their craft.
At the contest the beer is judged within a category which is a set of guidelines describing the different beer types http://www.bjcp.org/docs/2008_stylebook.pdf . This helps the judges understand what beer it is that they are judging and it makes it easier to identify faults in the beer. The judges are a range of people: professional brewers, BJCP ranked judges, to experienced people in the beer industry and even some people that are considered Novices. The BJCP judges have taken a 3 hour test and then the test is scored. The resulting scores are how a judge is ranked, I myself am a certified judge. To learn more about the BJCP test and judge rankings follow the link http://www.bjcp.org/index.php. Judging beer is truly done seriously it is not just sitting back and swilling beer and pronouncing a beer a winner.
The contest day is usually at least broken into a morning and an afternoon session followed by an awards ceremony. The session is further broken down into judging categories and if needed are further divided into sub categories. Each judging flight is judged at least by two judges and if possible by more. The flight has usually 6-11 beers in the flight. The beers are scored and then ranked by the scores. If the category contains all of the entries the top ranked beer goes onto be judged in the Best of the Show (BOS) competition held later in the day. If the category is split amongst different flights a mini BOS is held to decide which beer will win the category and then proceed onto the BOS. The afternoon session goes on the same way. Then the BOS round is held with the winning beers from the categories depending on the contest. This means 25-35 or more beers. The BOS is a knockout round, survival of the best beers. An overall champion and a runner up are named. The awards ceremony is held that name the top three in each category and then the Champion and runner up. Depending on the contest a champion beer can have been selected over several hundred other entries quite a feat.
This being said not every homebrewer, let alone a majority of homebrewers enter their beers into contest. Many homebrewers are quite satisfied with the beer they make and do not look to receive further feedback than from friends and families. If a homebrewer enters or not is totally their decision and as long as they are happy with what they decide it is fine either way. Again there is no right or wrong to this portion of homebrewing, because remember that homebrewing is for the brewers enjoyment!
These contests are held by various homebrew clubs throughout the world and continuously through the calendar year. MUGZ own contest is held in mid- November each year. These contests have a varying amount of entries, some as little as 60 entries up to large contests that exceed a 1000 entries. The goal for the homebrewer is to have their beer evaluated fairly and impartially, so that they receive honest and unbiased feedback. Most of the time your family and friends will drink a beer no matter what and usually not give a true unbiased opinion. The feedback brewers receive can help them improve their beer and the brewer continues to perfect their craft.
At the contest the beer is judged within a category which is a set of guidelines describing the different beer types http://www.bjcp.org/docs/2008_stylebook.pdf . This helps the judges understand what beer it is that they are judging and it makes it easier to identify faults in the beer. The judges are a range of people: professional brewers, BJCP ranked judges, to experienced people in the beer industry and even some people that are considered Novices. The BJCP judges have taken a 3 hour test and then the test is scored. The resulting scores are how a judge is ranked, I myself am a certified judge. To learn more about the BJCP test and judge rankings follow the link http://www.bjcp.org/index.php. Judging beer is truly done seriously it is not just sitting back and swilling beer and pronouncing a beer a winner.
The contest day is usually at least broken into a morning and an afternoon session followed by an awards ceremony. The session is further broken down into judging categories and if needed are further divided into sub categories. Each judging flight is judged at least by two judges and if possible by more. The flight has usually 6-11 beers in the flight. The beers are scored and then ranked by the scores. If the category contains all of the entries the top ranked beer goes onto be judged in the Best of the Show (BOS) competition held later in the day. If the category is split amongst different flights a mini BOS is held to decide which beer will win the category and then proceed onto the BOS. The afternoon session goes on the same way. Then the BOS round is held with the winning beers from the categories depending on the contest. This means 25-35 or more beers. The BOS is a knockout round, survival of the best beers. An overall champion and a runner up are named. The awards ceremony is held that name the top three in each category and then the Champion and runner up. Depending on the contest a champion beer can have been selected over several hundred other entries quite a feat.
This being said not every homebrewer, let alone a majority of homebrewers enter their beers into contest. Many homebrewers are quite satisfied with the beer they make and do not look to receive further feedback than from friends and families. If a homebrewer enters or not is totally their decision and as long as they are happy with what they decide it is fine either way. Again there is no right or wrong to this portion of homebrewing, because remember that homebrewing is for the brewers enjoyment!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
If you can boil H2O you can make beer
Today I decided to blog about homebrewing, MUGZ and the wonderful suppliers that make homebrewing possible. This morning I took over 5 gallons of a Russian Imperial Stout for Barrel Project 2011, a collaborative effort among multiple members of MUGZ and our friends from the Henry County Club. The idea is to fill a whiskey barrel with a common recipe of a RIS, we chose a recipe from Jamil Zanishef's book Brewing Classic Styles. As I am blogging I'm sure the blending party is just hitting its stride. This has been and should continue to be a fun project. The great thing is that just one brewer is not responsible to fill a whole whiskey barrel by themselves and each batch is just a bit different. It will be interesting to taste the beer as it ages and changes in its flavors. Hopefully this can be something that can continue to happen over time.
As I said if you can boil H2O you can make beer. If a person is wanting to make their own beer it can be very simple to start. A person can go to various retail stores and find a Mr. Beer kit, many award winning homebrewers have begun this way. Also you can go to a homebrew supply store and by an extract kit off the shelf. That with a few basic bits of equipment and you are brewing your own beer. Just remember every beer you brew is the best beer ever! Even if it does not turn out to be drinkable or not. The really good thing about homebrewing beer is even if the beer is retched a homebrewer will not be killing anyone with the beer. If the beer is undrinkable no one will drink enough to really harm themselves. The bugs that do turn beer bad will not really harm a person beyond just making them sick. Unless the homebrewer puts something noxious in their beer they will not poison anyone.
One cool thing about homebrewing is that the brewer decides what level they want to brew at. There are extract brewers, partial mash brewers and all grain brewers, and at any level a brewer can make an award winning beer. Also the brewer decides what kind of equipment they brew on from recycled brewing equipment to the top of the line brew systems from suppliers such as Blichmann http://www.blichmannengineering.com/ , or a Sabco system http://www.brew-magic.com/ or some other system builder. Many homebrewers enjoy fabricating their own system and brewing the way they want it. Again any system that is used can produce an award winning beer. So that means there is no right way to brew beer. There is no need to be intimidated by the all grain brewer or to look down on the extract only brewer, both are an equally correct way to brew.
This leads me into talking about my homebrew club MUGZ http://www.mugzhomebrew.org/. We are currently around 60 members and are continuing to grow yearly and monthly. We have members that run the gambit form extract to all grain, from award winning brewers to brewers that brew just for the enjoyment. The interaction among our members is quite amazing, there are quite a few different personalities amongst our members. Each member brings their own unique ideas and point of view, which is a great thing that will only strengthen the club.
We meet the last Sunday of the month at 2pm for the educational portion of the meeting and try to start the business portion around 2:30pm and be finished by 3pm for socializing and tasting of the beer that the members bring. We currently hold our meetings at Great River Brewing http://greatriverbrewery.com/ , we thank them very much for opening up their business to us once a month for our meetings. Some of the activities we have include club only competitions, bus trips to craft breweries, local, regional and national competitions, and traveling to various beer fests. Every member can chose how they want to participate within the club.
MUGZ has grown immensely from the days of having only a handful of members showing up to a meeting. But without members such as Tim Dugan, Eric Ware, Steve Slach, Tom Gritton and other early members we would not be where we are today. So they deserve a hand for guiding MUGZ along the way to what it has now become.
Homebrewers would be no where without our local homebrew shops and we have a great local homebrew shop in Galesburg. Somethings Brewn http://www.somethingsbrewn.com/ is run by a husband and wife team that have very few peers. They always are willing to bring ordered supplies to a MUGZ meeting and they put up with the constant harassment by other members that they are buying their supplies from the big guys instead of Jim and Mary. There are few better people than them!
Also in Davenport Camp McClellan Cellars http://www.campmc.com/ does carry homebrew supplies. They do not have quite the knowledge as Jim and Mary but they do a good job. Plus it is nice to have some place to go when you find out you are out of something or need a part on your brew day.
Well I am going end my ramblings here for tonight.
QC Beerguy
As I said if you can boil H2O you can make beer. If a person is wanting to make their own beer it can be very simple to start. A person can go to various retail stores and find a Mr. Beer kit, many award winning homebrewers have begun this way. Also you can go to a homebrew supply store and by an extract kit off the shelf. That with a few basic bits of equipment and you are brewing your own beer. Just remember every beer you brew is the best beer ever! Even if it does not turn out to be drinkable or not. The really good thing about homebrewing beer is even if the beer is retched a homebrewer will not be killing anyone with the beer. If the beer is undrinkable no one will drink enough to really harm themselves. The bugs that do turn beer bad will not really harm a person beyond just making them sick. Unless the homebrewer puts something noxious in their beer they will not poison anyone.
One cool thing about homebrewing is that the brewer decides what level they want to brew at. There are extract brewers, partial mash brewers and all grain brewers, and at any level a brewer can make an award winning beer. Also the brewer decides what kind of equipment they brew on from recycled brewing equipment to the top of the line brew systems from suppliers such as Blichmann http://www.blichmannengineering.com/ , or a Sabco system http://www.brew-magic.com/ or some other system builder. Many homebrewers enjoy fabricating their own system and brewing the way they want it. Again any system that is used can produce an award winning beer. So that means there is no right way to brew beer. There is no need to be intimidated by the all grain brewer or to look down on the extract only brewer, both are an equally correct way to brew.
This leads me into talking about my homebrew club MUGZ http://www.mugzhomebrew.org/. We are currently around 60 members and are continuing to grow yearly and monthly. We have members that run the gambit form extract to all grain, from award winning brewers to brewers that brew just for the enjoyment. The interaction among our members is quite amazing, there are quite a few different personalities amongst our members. Each member brings their own unique ideas and point of view, which is a great thing that will only strengthen the club.
We meet the last Sunday of the month at 2pm for the educational portion of the meeting and try to start the business portion around 2:30pm and be finished by 3pm for socializing and tasting of the beer that the members bring. We currently hold our meetings at Great River Brewing http://greatriverbrewery.com/ , we thank them very much for opening up their business to us once a month for our meetings. Some of the activities we have include club only competitions, bus trips to craft breweries, local, regional and national competitions, and traveling to various beer fests. Every member can chose how they want to participate within the club.
MUGZ has grown immensely from the days of having only a handful of members showing up to a meeting. But without members such as Tim Dugan, Eric Ware, Steve Slach, Tom Gritton and other early members we would not be where we are today. So they deserve a hand for guiding MUGZ along the way to what it has now become.
Homebrewers would be no where without our local homebrew shops and we have a great local homebrew shop in Galesburg. Somethings Brewn http://www.somethingsbrewn.com/ is run by a husband and wife team that have very few peers. They always are willing to bring ordered supplies to a MUGZ meeting and they put up with the constant harassment by other members that they are buying their supplies from the big guys instead of Jim and Mary. There are few better people than them!
Also in Davenport Camp McClellan Cellars http://www.campmc.com/ does carry homebrew supplies. They do not have quite the knowledge as Jim and Mary but they do a good job. Plus it is nice to have some place to go when you find out you are out of something or need a part on your brew day.
Well I am going end my ramblings here for tonight.
QC Beerguy
Friday, February 11, 2011
Megan's 21st Birthday/ Bent River
We took our eldest daughter Megan out for her 21st birthday and went to Bent River Brewing http://www.bentriverbrewery.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1 for the beginning of the evening. She is not a beer lover, hard to believe but it is true, but she was willing to give Bent a shot. We went in and had a sampler of all of their regular beers set up for her 8 in total. She did not like in the least the Uncommon Stout, the Oatmeal Stout, and the Pale Ale. The American Wheat and the Mississippi Blonde she could leave as well. She was trying to like the Jalapeno Beer but it was just too hot for her. She did find the Sweet Potato and Strawberry Ale drinkable and finished those two. She was a good sport about it and tried all the beers before she decided she did not like them. She also met some of our friends from Bent and received a quick immersion into what it is like to be a regular at Bent. We would like to thank our great friends that meet us at Bent and then went out to eat with us later.
Bent River is a unique place, the wood, the brew system behind the bar and the characters that make up Bent can not be replicated! Bent and I are old friends, we go back to the time when Koski Beer Hall was Koski Homebrewing Supplies and the wall was solid. I remember watching the local news and seeing story after story about the problems of Bent River trying to get started and then being able to serve their own beer. The city of Moline was less than welcoming to this business. I knew I was a regular when either Mr. Howard or Nunez were bartending and asked me what the f*** I wanted. The beer brought me in and I so found out that the people as well as the beer would keep me coming back. All through out the early years the brewer/ owner Tim Koster kept on perfecting his wonderful beer. Eventually Tim grew beyond brewing and several able brewers followed in his footsteps. Rich Nunez, Mike Mendilin, Corbin Ayers, and current brewer Steve Cogdill. Rich had the most national success with winning two prestigious national awards one for the Mississippi Blonde, a bronze at the GABF and an award for a barrel aged beer at a wood and barrel aged festival in Chicago. But everyone of these brewers did it because they loved the beer they made.
The beer quality has varied throughout time but in my opinion it has always been above average. Currently Steve is fine tuning his brewing craft and constantly improving the beer. The beer is clean but a bit thin to me. In my opinion they need to up the amount of malt they use in the beer. The new management team has made a decision to take Bent more in the direction of a sports bar and it seems to be paying off in many new faces to me and other regulars. But if these faces stick around long enough they will become a new crop of regulars, which every business needs to continue to be successful. They also have seem to taken a serious look at the Mug Club and are so far living up to what they are promising the Mug Club members, but come on 18 oz mugs? The mugs used to be 25oz.
Overall I still love Bent River warts and all. It was my first craft beer bar and I have made some great friends at Bent. No where else can replace Bent in my heart. Yes it has changed multiple times and I hope it will stay open long enough that it will change a few more times. Bent will always be a place where I go in for a beer and wind up talking with a friend no matter what time of day or night I go in.
QC Beerguy
Bent River is a unique place, the wood, the brew system behind the bar and the characters that make up Bent can not be replicated! Bent and I are old friends, we go back to the time when Koski Beer Hall was Koski Homebrewing Supplies and the wall was solid. I remember watching the local news and seeing story after story about the problems of Bent River trying to get started and then being able to serve their own beer. The city of Moline was less than welcoming to this business. I knew I was a regular when either Mr. Howard or Nunez were bartending and asked me what the f*** I wanted. The beer brought me in and I so found out that the people as well as the beer would keep me coming back. All through out the early years the brewer/ owner Tim Koster kept on perfecting his wonderful beer. Eventually Tim grew beyond brewing and several able brewers followed in his footsteps. Rich Nunez, Mike Mendilin, Corbin Ayers, and current brewer Steve Cogdill. Rich had the most national success with winning two prestigious national awards one for the Mississippi Blonde, a bronze at the GABF and an award for a barrel aged beer at a wood and barrel aged festival in Chicago. But everyone of these brewers did it because they loved the beer they made.
The beer quality has varied throughout time but in my opinion it has always been above average. Currently Steve is fine tuning his brewing craft and constantly improving the beer. The beer is clean but a bit thin to me. In my opinion they need to up the amount of malt they use in the beer. The new management team has made a decision to take Bent more in the direction of a sports bar and it seems to be paying off in many new faces to me and other regulars. But if these faces stick around long enough they will become a new crop of regulars, which every business needs to continue to be successful. They also have seem to taken a serious look at the Mug Club and are so far living up to what they are promising the Mug Club members, but come on 18 oz mugs? The mugs used to be 25oz.
Overall I still love Bent River warts and all. It was my first craft beer bar and I have made some great friends at Bent. No where else can replace Bent in my heart. Yes it has changed multiple times and I hope it will stay open long enough that it will change a few more times. Bent will always be a place where I go in for a beer and wind up talking with a friend no matter what time of day or night I go in.
QC Beerguy
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Everbody likes it in the can!
Yes cans are no longer the sole domain of the mass produced macro swill that it once was. There is a chance that a person looking for their favorite craft beer can find it in a can. The use of the can is steadily growing each year as the breweries strive to be more "green" with their production and their imprint on the Earth as a whole. You may think that only certain beers are canned, well you are just plain wrong. You want an Imperial Stout, canned, and IPA, canned, a scotch ale, canned, an oatmeal stout, canned, just about any beer you imagine comes in a can!
What breweries are doing this wonderful thing you ask. Here are a few that I am aware of: Great River Brewing, our own local brewery in Davenport, http://greatriverbrewery.com/; Oskar Blues in Colorado, http://www.oskarblues.com/the-brews/dales-pale-ale; Surly Brewing in Minnesota, a personal favorite, http://www.surlybrewing.com/; Keweenaw Brewing, in my beloved UP of Michigan, http://www.keweenawbrewing.com/; New Belgium Brewing in Colorado, cans some beers, http://www.newbelgium.com/home.aspx; 21st Amendment Brewing in California, but actually contracted brewed by Cold Springs in Minnesota, http://www.21st-amendment.com/; and someone new to me Tallgrass Brewing in Kansas, http://www.tallgrassbeer.com/. These are just some of the fine brewers that can their beer. Also I found this online story as well about canned craft brews that includes some brewers I did not mention, http://beernews.org/2010/05/the-craft-beer-can-revolution/,
Ok so now you may be thinking why would these fine beers end up in a can. Well here are just a few reasons as to why. First the are easier to transport than bottles, a 12-pack of cans take up less space and are actually lighter than a 12 pack of bottles. Also when they are empty if you need to cans crush easily down while bottles do not. This brings up a second great advantage to cans, you can take them to places bottles are not allowed. Where? Like the beach, on a hike or even riding a bike. (so sorry for the Dr. Seuss rhyme, LOL) Cans do not break when dropped like bottles, so these places that normally outlaw bottles and thus leave you wanting your craft beer, are now open to craft beer being brought in because cans are approved. The third great advantage of cans is that cans are easy to recycle. This fits right in with the desire of many breweries that are becoming "greener" in their brewing practices. A fourth advantage is your refrigerator, they cool faster and take up less room in your fridge. Many of these reasons are in the following article http://www.beersinparadise.com/?p=3190.
From the brewers point of view there is a major drawback the amount of cans that must be purchased at the original time of purchase. I believe it is now a semi trailer load, so this means that a small brewery like Great River will only can selected beers. If you want to learn more about the trials just go ask Paul or Scott at Great River and I am sure they will fill you in on what it takes.
Overall though the benefits are beginning to out weigh the drawbacks to many brewers. I'm sure we will see more and more breweries switching to cans and we will benefit from this. So if you are thirsty for a cold one tonight reach for a can! That is a can of craft brew!
Later Taters,
QC Beerguy
What breweries are doing this wonderful thing you ask. Here are a few that I am aware of: Great River Brewing, our own local brewery in Davenport, http://greatriverbrewery.com/; Oskar Blues in Colorado, http://www.oskarblues.com/the-brews/dales-pale-ale; Surly Brewing in Minnesota, a personal favorite, http://www.surlybrewing.com/; Keweenaw Brewing, in my beloved UP of Michigan, http://www.keweenawbrewing.com/; New Belgium Brewing in Colorado, cans some beers, http://www.newbelgium.com/home.aspx; 21st Amendment Brewing in California, but actually contracted brewed by Cold Springs in Minnesota, http://www.21st-amendment.com/; and someone new to me Tallgrass Brewing in Kansas, http://www.tallgrassbeer.com/. These are just some of the fine brewers that can their beer. Also I found this online story as well about canned craft brews that includes some brewers I did not mention, http://beernews.org/2010/05/the-craft-beer-can-revolution/,
Ok so now you may be thinking why would these fine beers end up in a can. Well here are just a few reasons as to why. First the are easier to transport than bottles, a 12-pack of cans take up less space and are actually lighter than a 12 pack of bottles. Also when they are empty if you need to cans crush easily down while bottles do not. This brings up a second great advantage to cans, you can take them to places bottles are not allowed. Where? Like the beach, on a hike or even riding a bike. (so sorry for the Dr. Seuss rhyme, LOL) Cans do not break when dropped like bottles, so these places that normally outlaw bottles and thus leave you wanting your craft beer, are now open to craft beer being brought in because cans are approved. The third great advantage of cans is that cans are easy to recycle. This fits right in with the desire of many breweries that are becoming "greener" in their brewing practices. A fourth advantage is your refrigerator, they cool faster and take up less room in your fridge. Many of these reasons are in the following article http://www.beersinparadise.com/?p=3190.
From the brewers point of view there is a major drawback the amount of cans that must be purchased at the original time of purchase. I believe it is now a semi trailer load, so this means that a small brewery like Great River will only can selected beers. If you want to learn more about the trials just go ask Paul or Scott at Great River and I am sure they will fill you in on what it takes.
Overall though the benefits are beginning to out weigh the drawbacks to many brewers. I'm sure we will see more and more breweries switching to cans and we will benefit from this. So if you are thirsty for a cold one tonight reach for a can! That is a can of craft brew!
Later Taters,
QC Beerguy
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Iowa City/ Coralville
Well I'm in Coralville tonight. After considering a few places I went to a place I have been before, probably should of went to somewhere new but oh well. Wound up at the Vine in Coralville, there is also one in Iowa City. It is your typical college sports bar. They have approximately 20 taps mostly mass produced beer, but I did have a Sam Adams Noble Pils and a Blue Moon Abbey Ale. Both were very good drinkable beers. They really like their beer evidently since they charge a sizable amount for them. The food was good they do have a quite extensive menu and seem to be know for their chicken wings.
As far as the real beer scene in Iowa City it is downtown or just slightly off of it. The Sanctuary is the class of the Beer bars in the area, http://www.sanctuarypub.com/ , it has a large beer selection and a slightly upscale pub food menu. The major drawback to the Sanctuary is parking, there is practically none. You can park a couple blocks away in a parking ramp. Also there is an Old Chicago located in Coralville, a typical dependable pizza and beer joint.
Probably one of the best beer stores I have been to is only a few blocks from the Sanctuary it is called John's Grocery,http://www.johnsgrocery.com/. It is a true gem, a corner market that has one of the oldest cold storage areas in Iowa. They have extensive American, British, German, Belgian and other world wide beers. Also they usually carry a few good meads. Besides beer it is truly a corner market that many students from University of Iowa Student frequent. The white house on the other side of the parking lots is apartments upstairs, but houses all of their glass wear that they sell a very good selection of glasses.
Sadly Iowa City/ Coralville no longer has a brewpub/ microbrewery any longer. Old Capitol Brew Works relocated to Davenport as Great River Brewery, I believe they still maintain a connect between each other. I'm not saying there is not good beer that is made in the area though. Millstream,http://www.millstreambrewing.com/, is located in Amana a short drive from Iowa City. Besides good award winning beer they have various fest through out the year, included Festival of Iowa Beers and Oktoberfest.
Also in Cedar Rapids there is 3rd Base Brewery http://www.3rdbasebrewery.com/ and Granite City Brewing http://www.gcfb.net/. They both make respectable beers and have good food. If I have a opportunity I will talk more about them later.
Well that's it for tonight I will blog more later.
QCbeerguy
As far as the real beer scene in Iowa City it is downtown or just slightly off of it. The Sanctuary is the class of the Beer bars in the area, http://www.sanctuarypub.com/ , it has a large beer selection and a slightly upscale pub food menu. The major drawback to the Sanctuary is parking, there is practically none. You can park a couple blocks away in a parking ramp. Also there is an Old Chicago located in Coralville, a typical dependable pizza and beer joint.
Probably one of the best beer stores I have been to is only a few blocks from the Sanctuary it is called John's Grocery,http://www.johnsgrocery.com/. It is a true gem, a corner market that has one of the oldest cold storage areas in Iowa. They have extensive American, British, German, Belgian and other world wide beers. Also they usually carry a few good meads. Besides beer it is truly a corner market that many students from University of Iowa Student frequent. The white house on the other side of the parking lots is apartments upstairs, but houses all of their glass wear that they sell a very good selection of glasses.
Sadly Iowa City/ Coralville no longer has a brewpub/ microbrewery any longer. Old Capitol Brew Works relocated to Davenport as Great River Brewery, I believe they still maintain a connect between each other. I'm not saying there is not good beer that is made in the area though. Millstream,http://www.millstreambrewing.com/, is located in Amana a short drive from Iowa City. Besides good award winning beer they have various fest through out the year, included Festival of Iowa Beers and Oktoberfest.
Also in Cedar Rapids there is 3rd Base Brewery http://www.3rdbasebrewery.com/ and Granite City Brewing http://www.gcfb.net/. They both make respectable beers and have good food. If I have a opportunity I will talk more about them later.
Well that's it for tonight I will blog more later.
QCbeerguy
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
QC Area- Home base
Just going to do some blog rambling tonight, home in the QC so no plans to go exploring tonight. What I plan on mentioning just some of the opportunities locally. We have 5 brewpubs/ microbreweries here in the QC Bent River Moline, Blue Cat Rock Island, and Great River, Front Street and Granite City all in Davenport. They all have pluses and minus and I will explore those more and their beers as I have an opportunity to get to them.
Also we have many bars/restaurants that have a good to very good selection of beers, again I will cover them as I get to them. They include Old Chicago, Bier Stubbe, and the River House to name a few, but there are more.
For those who enjoy homebrewing we do have a local hombrew club here in the QC, MUGZ is the name of the club. http://www.mugzhomebrew.org/ is the website. We meet the last Sunday of the month usually at Great River Brewing in Davenport at 2pm. Currently we have approximately 60 members, but we always have room for more members.
As far as the good Liquor stores to purchase beer unfortunately we do not have any outstanding stores, but each manager at the local Hy Vee liquor departments are allowed to stock as they see fit. What that means if you want a particular beer go to your closest Hy Vee and just ask the manager if they can order it in for you, most times they will if the can get what you want. There are a few Hy Vees that stand above the rest: the John Deere Road Moline, the stand alone Hy Vee Liquor across from the Mississippi Valley Fair grounds, and I know my local Hy Vee on Devils Glen has a beer buyer club.
That is just a quick over view of the local beer scene here in the QC. More will info will come as I jaunt around to better explore and explain what is here.
One last thing I have heard that there could be a new brewpub opening up in the Village of East Davenport, I will have to check that out to see if that is for real.
Later all!
QC Beerguy
Also we have many bars/restaurants that have a good to very good selection of beers, again I will cover them as I get to them. They include Old Chicago, Bier Stubbe, and the River House to name a few, but there are more.
For those who enjoy homebrewing we do have a local hombrew club here in the QC, MUGZ is the name of the club. http://www.mugzhomebrew.org/ is the website. We meet the last Sunday of the month usually at Great River Brewing in Davenport at 2pm. Currently we have approximately 60 members, but we always have room for more members.
As far as the good Liquor stores to purchase beer unfortunately we do not have any outstanding stores, but each manager at the local Hy Vee liquor departments are allowed to stock as they see fit. What that means if you want a particular beer go to your closest Hy Vee and just ask the manager if they can order it in for you, most times they will if the can get what you want. There are a few Hy Vees that stand above the rest: the John Deere Road Moline, the stand alone Hy Vee Liquor across from the Mississippi Valley Fair grounds, and I know my local Hy Vee on Devils Glen has a beer buyer club.
That is just a quick over view of the local beer scene here in the QC. More will info will come as I jaunt around to better explore and explain what is here.
One last thing I have heard that there could be a new brewpub opening up in the Village of East Davenport, I will have to check that out to see if that is for real.
Later all!
QC Beerguy
Monday, February 7, 2011
Rock Bottom Des Moines
Howdy all! Night one of the blog. Went to Rock Bottom in Des Moines, IA tonight. They are currently featuring dark beers. Tonight I started with In the Dark Wheat, as they say it is a wheat beer with chocolate malt and elderberry. A very nice and complex beer, the elderberry adds a nice complexity to the beer. A very good dark wheat beet. Also had the Vintage Dangereaux a nice complex, malty, spicy Belgian based beer. Also had a taster of the 4x Quad and Impious beers. 4x Quad is a very nice malty Belgian Quad checking in over 10% ABV, does not seem to have that much alcohol. The Impious is a nice American Imperial Stout with northwest hops and a very nice roast character. A very pleasant blend is the 4x and Impious together. They balance each other out and make and very dangerous "session" beer at probably 9%ABV. The Brewer Eric Sorensen does an excellent job brewing fun and tasteful beers.
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