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