Another night on the road finds me in Dubuque, IA former home of the Dubuque Star Brewery and Bricktown Brewery. Both buildings still stand and are being utilized by other businesses. Dubuque Star Brewery first opened in 1898 by Joesph Rhomberg and through various efforts produced beer until 1999 and is currently houses a restaurant and wine bar. All I have to say "Is what a shame!" Bricktown was a brewpub that lasted at least 6 years from 2002 to 2008. It had problems bad beer, undereducated bar and wait staff, and food that bordered on criminal! Well one passing was a shame and the other a blessing, I believe you can find the difference.
I am not saying that Dubuque is devoid of a good beer scene. I have had an opportunity to go to the Busted Lift before tonight and know of it's reputation as a good beer bar. Also on looking for a good place to eat tonight with a good beer selection I came across L. May Eatery http://www.lmayeatery.com/. It passed both of my tests, the website showed it had a above average beer selection and had a menu that appealed to me. Alas it is closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, so this place must wait for another time through town. Bummer!
From my online research I found a place that seemed to be of interest, Vinny Vanucchi's http://www.vinnysdubuque.com/ a fine Italian restaurant that was located above the Busted Lift. I could kill two birds with one stone, have dinner and then go to a good beer bar all in the same building. As per my usual I sat at the bar. At Vinny's I decided on a Moretti's on tap. It came to me flat and uninspiring, if I was thinking I would of refused the beer. They had 10 or 11 taps and 12 bottle beers. The taps included Millstream Iowa Pale Ale, Boddington's, Stella and a few more imports and craft brews as well as the typical macrobrews. The food was above average. I had a flatbread pepperoni pizza that was nicely crisp and had a nice sauce. The rest of the menu looked as appetizing as the pizza was.
I then went downstairs to the Busted Lift. The ambiance of this bar is all about the basement hole in the wall bar. They have a slight Irish theme to the bar but is more of a cool old building basement bar. The taps selection is varied, but it has become uncomfortably leaning towards the macrobrews. They do have Millstream http://millstreambrewing.com/, Bell's ( three on the chalk board but all taps where gone), Flying Dog and imports from England, Ireland and Belgium. Unfortunately this evening they had 5 out of the about 20 taps dry, but I did find some good beer to drink. Besides the taps they have about 20 bottles as well.
My first beer I acquired was Millstream's Hop Squared. which even isn't listed on Millstream's website. It is a malty leaning, double IPA with a nice amount of hops to complement but not overwhelm the malt. It went down very easy and would be a dangerous beer to sit down and have multiples of for that very reason. My second beer I had was Millstream's Back Road Stout, another very drinkable beer from Millstream! It is a wonderful Oatmeal Stout that hides it's 6.7% ABV in the complexity of flavors in this stout. It has a slight bitterness but is more of a sweet stout with a full bodied mouthfeel from the oats in the grist. Another winner from Millstream! Way to go Chris, Tom and Teresa!
I looked forward to exploring more of the beer scene in Dubuque and would invite anyone to give this town an opportunity to impress you.
Tomorrow night Ottumwa, IA and hopefully a new to me microbrewery, I hope it is still open.
QC Beerguy
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Pville, WI Steve's Pizza
Well I'm back on the road and I find myself in Platteville, WI for the night. I like Pville it is a nice little town in south west Wisconsin and in the heart of the Lead mining region that was a boom for the area in the 1820's. Currently it is the home of UW Platteville and former summer home of The Chicago Bears, eat your heart of packer fans! Also one other famous aspect to the town is the "M" on a mound outside of town, it is attended to by students from the mining college at the university.
Tonight I went to Steve's Pizza http://www.stevespizzapalace.com/ a new place for me in Platteville. I sat in the portion of the building called "The Perfect Pint" an "Irish" themed area, though it was not really anything close to an "Irish" bar. The redeeming factor to the Pint was the beer selection, which they boast on their website has over 100 different beers. They have 11 taps from local craft brew, imports and of course the macrobrews. My first beer which was on tap was Capital's Winter Skal http://www.capital-brewery.com/winterskal, a decent beer but not earth shaking good. In my humble opinion Capital http://www.capital-brewery.com/ is one of the more overrated breweries in the US. They make some really good beers but they are far from "America's #1 rated brewery", as they state on Facebook. I do not even believe that they are the best in Wisconsin, let alone in the Madison area.
Ok back to Steve's. I sat down at the bar and had to wait several minutes before I was even waited on, it seems that they do not have a dedicated bartender. Once the young lady that seemed to be assigned to cover the bar came back I had as I said a Capital Winter Skal and ordered a carnivore 10" pizza. The pizza took about 20 minutes, which is not bad for a true made from scratch pizza. The pizza was good and filling. As I was eating my pizza I ordered a bottle of Lake Louie's Kiss the Lips IPA http://lakelouie.com/, a nice mellow IPA. It is a balance between malt and hops not overbearing in either way. Nicely hoppy in both aroma and taste. I would recommend this beer.
Once I finished my pizza and beers I sat and waited for over 5 minutes before what appeared to be the manager on duty noticed I was out of beer and was ready to go. Overall I would go back to Steve's just because of the beer selection, by far the best I have seen in Pville. Also the pizza was good and perhaps they were just understaffed this evening, so I will give Steve's another chance.
Also as an aside UW Platteville has a brewpub in the Student Union. I have not visited the brewpub since I do not want to be that "creepy old guy over in the corner". LOL. Maybe if I was with a group of people in Platteville during the school year I would visit the brewpub.
Just a heads up I will be in Dubuque, IA tomorrow night, if anyone knows of a good beer bar that serves food let me know. I know of Busted Lift but I do not think they serve food.
QC Beerguy
Tonight I went to Steve's Pizza http://www.stevespizzapalace.com/ a new place for me in Platteville. I sat in the portion of the building called "The Perfect Pint" an "Irish" themed area, though it was not really anything close to an "Irish" bar. The redeeming factor to the Pint was the beer selection, which they boast on their website has over 100 different beers. They have 11 taps from local craft brew, imports and of course the macrobrews. My first beer which was on tap was Capital's Winter Skal http://www.capital-brewery.com/winterskal, a decent beer but not earth shaking good. In my humble opinion Capital http://www.capital-brewery.com/ is one of the more overrated breweries in the US. They make some really good beers but they are far from "America's #1 rated brewery", as they state on Facebook. I do not even believe that they are the best in Wisconsin, let alone in the Madison area.
Ok back to Steve's. I sat down at the bar and had to wait several minutes before I was even waited on, it seems that they do not have a dedicated bartender. Once the young lady that seemed to be assigned to cover the bar came back I had as I said a Capital Winter Skal and ordered a carnivore 10" pizza. The pizza took about 20 minutes, which is not bad for a true made from scratch pizza. The pizza was good and filling. As I was eating my pizza I ordered a bottle of Lake Louie's Kiss the Lips IPA http://lakelouie.com/, a nice mellow IPA. It is a balance between malt and hops not overbearing in either way. Nicely hoppy in both aroma and taste. I would recommend this beer.
Once I finished my pizza and beers I sat and waited for over 5 minutes before what appeared to be the manager on duty noticed I was out of beer and was ready to go. Overall I would go back to Steve's just because of the beer selection, by far the best I have seen in Pville. Also the pizza was good and perhaps they were just understaffed this evening, so I will give Steve's another chance.
Also as an aside UW Platteville has a brewpub in the Student Union. I have not visited the brewpub since I do not want to be that "creepy old guy over in the corner". LOL. Maybe if I was with a group of people in Platteville during the school year I would visit the brewpub.
Just a heads up I will be in Dubuque, IA tomorrow night, if anyone knows of a good beer bar that serves food let me know. I know of Busted Lift but I do not think they serve food.
QC Beerguy
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Bottling for Competition
This afternoon I bottled for a competition I am entering next weekend, UKG's Drunk Monk http://knaves.org/DMC/ up at America's brewpub in Aurora, IL. Since I keg all my beer instead of bottling it when it is ready I have to fill bottles from my kegs. So that means having some kind of equipment that enables me to transfer from the keg to the bottle. Well there is a few ways that can accomplish this, first you can pour right into to the bottle from your tap. This is quick and easy but does not work well if your beer is going to sit in the bottle for more than a few days. For me that is a no go. Second way is a counter pressure bottle filler, this has been the standard for many years. If you can turn the correct valves at the correct time this is a much improved way. Since you are bottling under CO2 pressure the carbonation last for some time and allows the bottles to be shipped to contests a considerable distance away. I am not that adept to handle a counter pressure bottle filler. Luckily for me there is another choice, the Blichmann Beer Gun http://www.blichmannengineering.com/beergun/beergun.html. This is the Cadillac of bottle fillers. This is so easy to use that after one bottle learning curve you can easily bottle you beer for competitions. Thankfully this greatly decreases the time and and stress of bottling.
Homebrewers love their equipment! There are several place that a brewer can buy equipment. Northern Brewer http://www.northernbrewer.com/ , More Beer http://morebeer.com/ and most important for us locally Somethings Brewn' http://www.somethingsbrewn.com/ . If you are local to the Quad City area always look at Jim and Mary first they have everything you need. They carry everything from Blichmann a great homebrewing supply company.
QC Beerguy
Homebrewers love their equipment! There are several place that a brewer can buy equipment. Northern Brewer http://www.northernbrewer.com/ , More Beer http://morebeer.com/ and most important for us locally Somethings Brewn' http://www.somethingsbrewn.com/ . If you are local to the Quad City area always look at Jim and Mary first they have everything you need. They carry everything from Blichmann a great homebrewing supply company.
QC Beerguy
Friday, March 4, 2011
Blue Cat Brewpub in Rock Island, IL
It was a dark and stormy night... isn't that how all great stories start? Well this isn't a story of fiction this is a blog of truth. My wife and I had an opportunity to go to Blue Cat http://www.bluecatbrewpub.com/ with some friends for dinner. Today Blue Cat turned old enough to drink, it is now 21. Great work. Blue Cat is owned by a brother and sister team, Dan and Martha Cleaveland. Martha is the driving force behind the food and Dan is the brewmaster. I know Dan is a self taught brewer that loves to experiment. From what he told us he has some really fun and different beers he is working on. I am looking forward to tasting them soon.
Blue Cat is in a wonderful old building in "The District" of Rock Island. The District is an area in downtown Rock Island that includes restaurants, bars and a really nice brewpub. We arrived around 5:30 or so and were quickly seated at a high top table in the bar area. Our friends joined us shortly after. We perused the the beer board and I decided on a pint of Blue Bastard Baltic Porter and my wife decided on a pint of the Big Bad Dog Old English Ale.
The Baltic Porter was a dark brown with some garnet highlights with a nice creamy white head. It had a good roasty nose with a malty sweetness. In the taste I first noticed the roast, but that was supported by a touch of alcohol, 6.6 % ABV. I wish the body was a bit fuller, maybe I just like full bodied beers but I believe it would be better a bit more full bodied. Overall it is a good beer that could easily sneak up on you if decided to make it a session of sitting and drinking multiples of this beer.
The Big Dog is a local favorite. This beer is always on tap since it is their flagship beer. It always does well at local and regional fests. This is a nice malty English brown ale that is quite drinkable.
My second beer was Count Magnus Belgian Strong Ale my current favorite at Blue Cat. It checks in at 10% ABV, needless to say it is served in a 12 oz glass. This beer has little head retention and is dark brown in color. It has a wonderful malty sweet nose with lots of dark fruit as well. If you can let the beer warm and it becomes much more complex. This is a great sipping beer and can warm you up on a cold winter's day. This is a must try when you come to Blue Cat.
My wife's second beer was the Wigged Pig Wheat. It is a true American Wheat, which is not a personal favorite style of mine. This beer is light bodied, low hopped and an easy drinker. Which makes it great for a person that likes light bodied beers.
We both enjoyed our meals. I had the Whiskey Steak and My wife had the Barbecue ribs, we always find something enjoyable to eat at Blue Cat. Martha does her best to keep the menu fresh but yet keeps the favorites on the menu. The other beers currently on tap are: Off the Rail Pale Ale and Finnegan's Irish Stout, which Dan assures that it will be on tap for St. Patrick's Day!
I feel that the Quad Cities is lucky to have the Blue Cat Brewpub in the community. Dan and Martha are active in the community both are willing to help out when asked. Dan has become a great friend to our local homebrew club MUGZ, providing us a place for our annual homebrew competition for the last few years. The members of MUGZ thank you Dan.
This is a worthy brewpub that deserves a visit when you make it to the Quad Cities for a visit or for work. Do not let the lack of parking dissuade you from making it to Blue Cat. This summer there is a plan to grow their own hops in the lot behind the brewpub and to hopefully have some hops for a Harvest Ale. Yum!
QC Beerguy
Blue Cat is in a wonderful old building in "The District" of Rock Island. The District is an area in downtown Rock Island that includes restaurants, bars and a really nice brewpub. We arrived around 5:30 or so and were quickly seated at a high top table in the bar area. Our friends joined us shortly after. We perused the the beer board and I decided on a pint of Blue Bastard Baltic Porter and my wife decided on a pint of the Big Bad Dog Old English Ale.
The Baltic Porter was a dark brown with some garnet highlights with a nice creamy white head. It had a good roasty nose with a malty sweetness. In the taste I first noticed the roast, but that was supported by a touch of alcohol, 6.6 % ABV. I wish the body was a bit fuller, maybe I just like full bodied beers but I believe it would be better a bit more full bodied. Overall it is a good beer that could easily sneak up on you if decided to make it a session of sitting and drinking multiples of this beer.
The Big Dog is a local favorite. This beer is always on tap since it is their flagship beer. It always does well at local and regional fests. This is a nice malty English brown ale that is quite drinkable.
My second beer was Count Magnus Belgian Strong Ale my current favorite at Blue Cat. It checks in at 10% ABV, needless to say it is served in a 12 oz glass. This beer has little head retention and is dark brown in color. It has a wonderful malty sweet nose with lots of dark fruit as well. If you can let the beer warm and it becomes much more complex. This is a great sipping beer and can warm you up on a cold winter's day. This is a must try when you come to Blue Cat.
My wife's second beer was the Wigged Pig Wheat. It is a true American Wheat, which is not a personal favorite style of mine. This beer is light bodied, low hopped and an easy drinker. Which makes it great for a person that likes light bodied beers.
We both enjoyed our meals. I had the Whiskey Steak and My wife had the Barbecue ribs, we always find something enjoyable to eat at Blue Cat. Martha does her best to keep the menu fresh but yet keeps the favorites on the menu. The other beers currently on tap are: Off the Rail Pale Ale and Finnegan's Irish Stout, which Dan assures that it will be on tap for St. Patrick's Day!
I feel that the Quad Cities is lucky to have the Blue Cat Brewpub in the community. Dan and Martha are active in the community both are willing to help out when asked. Dan has become a great friend to our local homebrew club MUGZ, providing us a place for our annual homebrew competition for the last few years. The members of MUGZ thank you Dan.
This is a worthy brewpub that deserves a visit when you make it to the Quad Cities for a visit or for work. Do not let the lack of parking dissuade you from making it to Blue Cat. This summer there is a plan to grow their own hops in the lot behind the brewpub and to hopefully have some hops for a Harvest Ale. Yum!
QC Beerguy
Thursday, March 3, 2011
La Crosse= Bodega Brewpub
They have some really good sandwiches as well as other appetizing food selections. The main draw though is the beer! I had a couple wonderful beers to add to my resume tonight. First was the Tyranena Sheep Shagger Scotch Ale http://www.tyranena.com/ a wonderful scotch ale. Amber in color with a nice white head. Nicely malty and roasty. It is a easy drinking beer. Again it is a beer I would recommend
My Second beer for the night was New Glarus Smoked Rye Ale http://www.newglarusbrewing.com/. For those of you that love smoked beers enough said. From the first sniff this beer is about smoke. They blend smoke malt from Bamberg Germany and Chilton, WI into a very smoky but wonderful beer. The rye is there but as a spicy back note to the smoke. I know I keep on talking about the smoke, but is it for a good reason. Smoke is upfront and is present through out the beer, but somehow the beer is balanced and drinkable. As Charlie is famous for saying "Relax and have a homebrew", I am slightly modifying this "Relax and have a Craft Brew!"
Also I want to say a big thank you to Jeff and John. When I talk about your bar, I truly do mean it. It is a great beer bar and is so much fun to be at. You may not walk in knowing anyone but you do leave the bar with some new friends!
QC Beerguy
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Rochester Again
I am in Rochester, MN tonight. As I usually do when I am in town I headed over to Whistle Binkies for a couple beers and dinner. I arrived shortly before 8pm and the bar was full except for 2 chairs and there is quite a crowd overall for the time. Come to find out tonight was an anniversary party for Surly brewing http://www.surlybrewing.com/, their 5th. They had three special tappings starting at 5pm with Moe's Bender, 6pm Pentagram and 7pm Mole's Smoke. Each tapping was a 1/6th barrel (5 gallons) and from what I found out each keg took about 6-7 minutes to blow. Needless to say a lot of people must of been there to drink that much beer. Another bonus was Omar was there. It would of been cool to have been there but it just did not time out right for me.
The food is very good, had a ham and cheese sandwich tonight. Beer wise I had Summit's Oatmeal stout http://www.summitbrewing.com/home.php and was quite pleased with it. The nose was certainly of dark roast and it was jet black with a nice tan head due to being poured on nitrous. Taste is a nice complex mixtures of flavors chocolate, oats, licorice, and other dark flavors. Mouthfeel was a bit lacking I wish it was a fuller bodied beer. I would certainly though sit and have a couple of these beers.
My other beer I had was August Schell's Bock http://www.schellsbrewery.com/ourbeers_info.php?id=17 a nice malty beer that was a amber color with a white head. It is a very pleasing beer and is done fairly true to the style. Plus it was on special for only $2 a pint, so all was good.
Whistle Binkies always has a drink/ beer special each day. On Monday it is $2 mystery beers and this includes most of their beer selection not just the mass produced beers. Wednesday is Schell's beer day and $2 bottles and the Schell they have on tap is $2 as well. Thursday is $2.50 Summit tap. Needless to say they always have at least one Schell and Summit beers on tap at all times. Also lately they have had two Surly taps Furious and Abrasive. Needless to say they are Minnesota beer pushers at Whistle Binkies. Good thing these are good beers!
QC Beerguy
The food is very good, had a ham and cheese sandwich tonight. Beer wise I had Summit's Oatmeal stout http://www.summitbrewing.com/home.php and was quite pleased with it. The nose was certainly of dark roast and it was jet black with a nice tan head due to being poured on nitrous. Taste is a nice complex mixtures of flavors chocolate, oats, licorice, and other dark flavors. Mouthfeel was a bit lacking I wish it was a fuller bodied beer. I would certainly though sit and have a couple of these beers.
My other beer I had was August Schell's Bock http://www.schellsbrewery.com/ourbeers_info.php?id=17 a nice malty beer that was a amber color with a white head. It is a very pleasing beer and is done fairly true to the style. Plus it was on special for only $2 a pint, so all was good.
Whistle Binkies always has a drink/ beer special each day. On Monday it is $2 mystery beers and this includes most of their beer selection not just the mass produced beers. Wednesday is Schell's beer day and $2 bottles and the Schell they have on tap is $2 as well. Thursday is $2.50 Summit tap. Needless to say they always have at least one Schell and Summit beers on tap at all times. Also lately they have had two Surly taps Furious and Abrasive. Needless to say they are Minnesota beer pushers at Whistle Binkies. Good thing these are good beers!
QC Beerguy
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Waterloo, IA
Well what a difference a day makes. I am in Waterloo, IA tonight and actually had several places I considered to go eat at tonight. Some of the ones I considered are AJ's, Jamenson's Public House http://www.jamesonspublichouse.com/ this looks interesting an Irish bar with a decent beer selection, but a damn good whiskey selection, Beck' Brewery http://www.barmuda.com/becks_u/e_cal.php really good food but horrible craft brew beer, and Otis and Henry's pub http://waterloo.isleofcapricasinos.com/uploadedFiles/waterlooisleofcapricasinoscom/Images/Dining/WaterlooOtisHenryPDFMenu.pdf at the Isle of Capri Casino. The place I decided on though was Screaming Eagles American Bar and Grill http://www.theeaglestalon.com/joomla/ .
The thing that sold me on Screaming Eagle was that they advertised 12 taps of beer. The taps were average craft brew to the mass produced swill. They had 2 Sam Adams taps Noble PIls and Boston Lager, also Schell's Firebrick, Blue Moon , Guinness and Fat Tire for craft beer and then the Budmillercoors stuff. I had a Sam Adams Noble PIls, which I usually like a lot but it was a bit flat and bitter from their taps. The second beer I had was Schell's Firebrick, it was more enjoyable. It was malty like I remeber and a smooth drinking beer. Thank you August Schell Brewing for saving my beer night.
They have a decent menu of burgers, sandwiches, wraps and pizza. I decide on the 10" predator pizza for dinner. This is there all meat pizza, remember pizza is best when there is no veggies or mushrooms on it! The crust selection was either thin or hand tossed, I opted for the hand tossed and think if there is a next time I would go thin crust. Overall the pizza was good with no faults.
The place is themed as an upscale biker bar, with various Harley knickknacks and a couple of motorcycles for the decor. Lots of light wood through out the bar. The bartender was pleasant and attentive. Overall I would give this another chance when I was back in Waterloo.
Also a bar I have heard good things about in Waterloo is the Lava Lounge. It is a themed bar from the 60's or 70's that serves probably the best selection of beer in town. So you are thinking why did I not go there for dinner. Well they do not serve any food, so unless I wanted a total liquid dinner I thought I should pass. This is a definite place to explore when I am staying over again in Waterloo.
QC Beerguy
The thing that sold me on Screaming Eagle was that they advertised 12 taps of beer. The taps were average craft brew to the mass produced swill. They had 2 Sam Adams taps Noble PIls and Boston Lager, also Schell's Firebrick, Blue Moon , Guinness and Fat Tire for craft beer and then the Budmillercoors stuff. I had a Sam Adams Noble PIls, which I usually like a lot but it was a bit flat and bitter from their taps. The second beer I had was Schell's Firebrick, it was more enjoyable. It was malty like I remeber and a smooth drinking beer. Thank you August Schell Brewing for saving my beer night.
They have a decent menu of burgers, sandwiches, wraps and pizza. I decide on the 10" predator pizza for dinner. This is there all meat pizza, remember pizza is best when there is no veggies or mushrooms on it! The crust selection was either thin or hand tossed, I opted for the hand tossed and think if there is a next time I would go thin crust. Overall the pizza was good with no faults.
The place is themed as an upscale biker bar, with various Harley knickknacks and a couple of motorcycles for the decor. Lots of light wood through out the bar. The bartender was pleasant and attentive. Overall I would give this another chance when I was back in Waterloo.
Also a bar I have heard good things about in Waterloo is the Lava Lounge. It is a themed bar from the 60's or 70's that serves probably the best selection of beer in town. So you are thinking why did I not go there for dinner. Well they do not serve any food, so unless I wanted a total liquid dinner I thought I should pass. This is a definite place to explore when I am staying over again in Waterloo.
QC Beerguy
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