On Friday my wife and I had the opportunity to go out to the John Deere Classic for the day. We had a great day at the tournament but quickly learned that the PGA Tour has no idea what good beer is! I am sure that AB Inbev pays a princely sum to be the sole supplier to the PGA Tour, but at least have one "craft" beer from their stable of beers. Instead they presented Budweiser, Bud Light and Michelob Ultra, the good thing it was not horribly expensive at $4 a can. So we had a couple Mich Ultra a piece. Needless to say we did not go to the tournament to drink great beer but see some really great golfers.
On Saturday we were invited with a group of friends to celebrate one of our friends 40th Birthday! It was a great day and involved many stops along the way. First stop was the Bier Stube in Moline http://www.bier-stube.com/, for Lunch and a beer. As those in the QC know there are 3 Bier Stubes in the QC area, so if you want a little bit of German in you go visit one.
Some of us made a quick stop next door at Bent Riverhttp://www.bentriverbrewery.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1 for a beer, while our host went ahead to get the tickets for our excursion. My wife and I both had a hefeweizen, we both thought it was lacking as a beer. First it was clear instead of cloudy like it should of been and the typical clove and banana flavors were lacking. So this is not a good attempt at a hefe. We finished our beers and headed to the next stop the Celebration Belle http://www.celebrationbelle.com/.
We met the rest of our group and proceed to board the ship and from our first steps on the ship we were bombarded by Japanese Beetles. The cruise was great fun and very informative, I know I learned facts about the area I never knew. The beer selection was lacking with the typical American lagers and the imports of Heineken and Corona, but they also had liquor as well. They are not in the business of please the beer lovers but are in the business of pleasing the sightseers and they do a good job of that. So go for the cruise not for the beer and watch out for the Japanese Beetles.
Onward and downstream we made a stop at Bluecat Brewpub http://www.bluecatbrewpub.com/ for some appetizers and of course beer. Just this week they had put the Howling Man Imperial IPA on tap, this certainly presented a lot of hops in the aroma and it is strong and malty to offset the hops. To my liking though I would like a bit of a crisper and dry finish, perhaps a larger amount of dry hops could help on that. My wife had the Tucks Tenacious Trippel a favorite of both of ours.
Then a slight diversion over to Hickey Brothers Cigar Store http://hickeybrothers.com/ for a cigar and Bell's Oberon. This place is really cool, the walls are lined with display cases of cigars and once you chosen your cigar you can grab a seat and smoke your cigar. They do a great job making the customer comfortable. The only catch is if you want to enjoy some adult beverages you have to carry in, the wonderful laws of Rock Island and Illinois will not allow them to serve adult beverages. So we had a mini keg of Bell's Oberon and provided our own cups and beer. A word of warning, come armed with your adult beverages of choice, otherwise just sit back and relax.
Next stop Front Street http://frontstreetbrew.com/ in Davenport, IA. My wife ordered a Hefeweizen, this one was much more to style than the one at Bent River. I looked the part and tasted the part as well, but not as good as some past batches they have made. Also we found out that there are plans to put a roof over the patio area, but not to totally enclose the patio with walls. I look forward to this change since I enjoy sitting on their patio.
Just a couple blocks away was our next stop Great River Brewery http://greatriverbrewery.com/. Speaking of changes their patio area is now surrounded by a fence and the red truck is gone. Needless to say this does provide more sitting space on the patio area which is great. Also the Hydra Ale is now all gone, so people must of liked the beer and drank it up. Coming up on July 16th is the tapping of Widespread Wit from 2-6pm with golden keg tapping at 1pm. Looking forward to trying this beer, Belgian wits are great summer beers.
Finally we made it to Tattoria Tiramisu http://www.trattoria-tiramisu.com/ in Bettendorf. They have a menu full of choices for anyone that likes Italian food. Also they have a varied beer menu, the big surprise is that they only have one Italian beer, Peroni. Not sure why that is but would like to see more Italian beer options at an Italian restaurant. They can handle big groups like ours to a couple out by theirselves. When they are busy the service can be a bit slow but they do try their best.
After dinner a couple of couples called it a night, including my wife and I while the rest carried on. They wound up going to a new bar The Clubhouse http://www.qcclubhouse.com/qcclubhouse.com/Welcome.html in Bettendorf, IA. This place has golf simulators and from what our friends told us a good beer selection as well. So I know my wife and I will have to check this place out in the near future.
QC Beerguy
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