Southern Illinois Brew Trail

Southern Illinois region has been mostly noted for it's wineries in the region like Von Jakob Vineyards and Alto Vineyards just to name a few. Well, now with the craft brewery scene on the rise you are seeing new breweries opening up in the region and there is a growing craft beer scene down in the foothills of the Shawnee National Forest.

I recently spent 1 day down there visiting some of the breweries but 1 day is not enough. Ideally you would want at least a weekend to be able to visit the breweries and the wineries in the area. Also that would give you more time to enjoy some of the surrounding areas parks like Giant City State Park and Garden of the Gods.

First stop was to visit Kaskaskia Brewery in Red Bud, IL. They have recently expanded and moved into a bigger location right next door to where they used to be. The taproom is space has been doubled in the new addition. We were disappointed though that they only had 3 of their own beers on tap. They also had several other regional beers on tap as well. Anyways, I ordered their Octoberfest and my brother got their amber. The Octoberfest was a good marzen style beer, malty and reddish in color. It went down quite good.

Well, back in the car and pedal to the metal to get to Big Muddy in Murphysboro, IL  before they closed. We made it there in plenty of time and no we weren't the ones driving, my sister in law was the designated driver. Bellied up to the bar and we both got their Galaxy IPA since we are both hopheads and love IPA's. Galaxy IPA has a whole slew of nothing but galaxy hops in it. Great hop aromas to it and went down well with a little bit of bitterness to it. Next was their Winter Ale and this has a lot of flavors going on in it like cinnamon, ginger and vanilla. Was medium bodied and not too heavy, just right for the colder months. As always, the hospitality at Big Muddy Brewing was top notch.

Onto the next brewery before they close to, we had a late start so we didn't get down to southern Illinois until the late afternoon. About 15 minutes later we made it to Little Egypt Brewery in Ava, IL. Little Egypt is small nanobrewery that brews small batches on a 1.5 barrel system. Ken Rhude is the owner and only employee there and he was very friendly and quite knowledgeable about the craft beer scene. He was saying that next year he plans to open up a bigger facility in Carbondale, IL. Best of luck to him. On to the beers, I got a flight of beers and my brother got a pint of the red ale. Well, my brother didn't care for the red ale and I'm like that's why I get a flight first to see which one I like the best to order a full size pint. I had the award winning hefeweizen, IPA, pale ale, and saison. Well, the hefeweizen was outstanding with that banana clove aroma and no wonder why it won the gold medal at the GABF this year. The IPA was really good as well and I wound up getting a growler of it. Excellent beers and excellent hospitality and look forward to going back there again some time.

Well, by now we were all getting hungry for some dinner so we got back into the car and headed for the St. Nicholas Brewing Company in Du Quoin, IL. St. Nicholas had just recently opened up in an old historic hotel and they also serve food which is what we all needed at this time. Lo and behold we got there too late as they had already closed their kitchen for the night. They roll up the red carpet early down in southern Illinois. Well, I ordered a flight of four beers, I couldn't leave without at least sampling some of the beer. I had to down them down pretty quick though cause the rest of the gang had already piled back into the car to search for some food for our starving bellies.

I will have to get back down there again real soon to actually enjoy the beer and food at St. Nicholas Brewery. Plus we didn't have time to go to Scratch Brewery which is also located in Ava, IL. Was a fun time down in the southern Illinois area even if it was a bit rushed just to get to breweries before they closed. Cheers.




Little Egypt Beer
St Nicholas Brewing Company
Kaskaskia Brewing Company
Big Muddy Brewing

Engrained Brewing Company

So, since I'm the beer traveler of the bunch my brother and sister in law ask me where we going. Okay, so how about heading down to Engrained Brewing Company in Springfield and we can get lunch there as well as sample some of their beers. It was only about an hour and a half drive from their place in Peoria. My sister in law punched in the wrong address into the GPS but we finally found it.

Engrained Brewing Company is more of a brewpub than it is a production brewery. And the food that they serve there is farm to fork in that they try and utilize local produce and natural meats from the surrounding community. Of course I ordered a flight of beers to go along with my angus beef bacon cheeseburger. My brother got a flight of beers as well and the special jalepeno burger that was on special.

I got their blackberry lager, Red Pale Ale, IPA and their saison. The blackberry lager was a kolsch style beer with hints of the blackberries. Not too fruity but good none the less. Next sample was the red pale ale and this had a nice hop aromas to it and was lightly reddish in color. Then it was on to more hops and their IPA. Their IPA was nice and bitter with a crisp clean finish. Finished it all off with their saison. Hints of peppercorn were notable and a dry finish for the saison.

Good food and good beers at a good price and family friendly too. Located close to the highway too so if your ever in the middle part of the state and need a break from all the historical places, I'd recommend heading in to Engrained Brewing. Cheers.


Engrained Brewing Company

Peoria Brewing Company

Was down by my brothers over the past weekend and wanted to check out the Peoria Brewing Company. My brother has been there a few times already and likes their Rothgar Rye PA. A good size crowd was on hand so they must be doing something right. They had about 8 beers on tap in their tap room. Tap room was a fairly good size with numerous tables and half a dozen HDTV's. Oh and the other end of the facility had indoor golfing game too. I ordered a flight of beers and my brother went with a pint of the Rothgar.

On my flight of 4 beers I chose the Rothgar Rye PA, Yippy IPA, Honey Do, and Erik the Red. I started out with the Honey Do, typical wheat beer made with honey, nothing really special about it. Next sample I tasted was the Erik the Red which was a little better but still pretty average beer. I had the Rothgar and that was the best beer that I had sampled to this point. And granted everyone has different tastes so what I enjoy drinking might not be the same for you. Anyways it had a nice rye flavor and hop aroma to it. Lastly was Yippy IPA which they said was a double IPA but it tasted more like a barleywine and I'm not a huge fan of barleywines to begin with. Needless to say I didn't like it at all and thought it tasted yucky.

We didn't stay there too long, heck I didn't even finish my last sample cause I about spit it out after first tasting it. I totally was disappointed after looking forward to coming here. Maybe over time they can work to improve on their recipes and start to brew better beers. Just not my thing for now. Cheers.

Peoria Brewing Company

Generations Brewing

A generation ago the Germans settled into Freeport, IL some 25 miles or so west of Rockford. And since that day they have been referred to as Pretzel City, USA. Now a generation later comes a brand new craft brewery to the region, Generations Brewing Co.

They just recently opened up their taproom so I took a drive out there this past Saturday to check it out. A fairly good sized taproom with about a dozen tables and a view into the brewery. I bellied up to the bar and ordered a flight of beers. You get five 4 oz. samples with their flight. I chose 4 of their beers and the one guest beer they had on tap. First sample was Hella Good, a kolsch brewed with Gambrinus honey malt and orange blossom honey. A pretty solid lighter beer to start off with. Next up was Pretzel City Amber which was actually brewed with pretzels and was good, just needed a nice soft Bavarian pretzel to go along with it. Next up was their extra pale ale, No Promises. This was more hoppy for being an extra pale ale. Each batch will use different hops so each batch will have a different hop profile. This one they used some local grown hops which is a nice touch to support your local community. Onto a saison called 5 Blend that uses not 1 yeast strain but a blend of 5 different yeast strains. Very good beer as well. Fifth and final sample was a beer from another new brewery that is soon to open up, Lena Brewing Company, more info on them as soon as they open up.

They were giving tours at the brewery the day I visited and even though I've been on plenty of brewery tours where ya see the same things, stainless steel brew kettles, bright tanks, and fermentation tanks, I did the tour anyways. Tour lasted about a half hour and you can take your beer with you as you are doing the tour.

Great way to spend an afternoon at a local brewery, well not too local to me, I did have to drive about an hour and half to get there but it was worth it. Looking forward to seeing how they progress and best of luck to them in the future. Cheers.

Generations Brewing Company

Dry City Brew Works

Until the mid 1980's the western suburb of Wheaton was known as a dry city. If you wanted a drink you had to go to one of the neighboring towns that was referred to as "Whiskey Creek." Well, my have times changed cause this month a small batch brewery just opened up in downtown Wheaton called Dry City Brew Works.

Dry City Brew Works is a small nanobrewery that only brews beer in small batches. Currently they have four beers on tap in their small taproom. The taproom has a view of the brew kettle and fermentation tanks and has a few tables to sit and relax in. I ordered a flight of beers first so that I could sample them all and decide which one I wanted a full pour of. By the way you can only order 3 beers and 1 flight is considered as 1.

First up was their wheat beer, Homophonic, and I thought it was just average. Nothing really special about it in my opinion and everyone has opinions and everyone's tastes are different. Onto the Ryejacked an India Pale Ale brewed with hops from the Pacific Northwest. Now this is more to my tasting. I love me some hops especially west coast IPA's and rye beers. It had a nice hop aroma and a dry finish to it. Next was their Scotch Ale called I Saved the King. I haven't had any Scotch ales in a long time and this one was quite nice. Smooth and malty. Then the last beer from the flight was their coffee milk stout, Providence, brewed with coffee from River City Roasters a coffee shop that is located in downtown Wheaton as well. If you love coffee then you would probably like this beer more than I did. I'm not a coffee drinker and not a fan of beers brewed with coffee. My favorite was the Ryejacked so I ordered a pint of it after finishing off the flight.

Dry City Brew Works will have 4-5 beers on tap and will have growlers and 22 oz. bombers for sale soon. There's no signage on Main Street and you have to enter from the small parking lot behind the building. There will be a small patio area when the weather gets warmer and they don't sell food but you can bring your own in.

For more info on them: Dry City Brew Works

Da Bears!!! Da Beers!!! Road trip to Charlotte, NC

Yeah that's right I should of wrote this sooner. Anyways, it was a month ago that I took a road trip to Charlotte to see Da Bears!!! And of course check out the local breweries and food too while I was there.

We arrived in Charlotte around noon and by the time we dropped off our luggage at the Hilton Charlotte Center City we were all thirsty and starving. Just a hop, skip and a jump from the hotel was the Epicentre that had a variety of dining options. We chose Blackfinn Ameripub, a perfect spot to grab some lunch, enjoy a pint and watch some college football. Unlike some of my buddies that are just happy to drink some watered down Miller Lite, I went with a local brewery and had a pale ale from Sugar Creek Brewery. Ah and a nice bacon cheeseburger to go along with it. Next beer was an IPA from Highland Brewing Company called Kashmir IPA. It was an English style IPA and the only thing missing was some Led Zeppelin playing on the jukebox. Well, it was past 3pm now and so I bid my buddies adieu and that I would meet up with them for dinner since they didn't want to go to any of the local breweries.

My first stop was to the newly opened Sugar Creek Brewery. They took over the facility that Olde Mecklenburg Brewery was in before OMB moved down the street into a newer and bigger location. Wow, this brewery was very nice. They had about 4-6 beers on tap and I had a flight of 4 beers there and my favorite one was the pale ale. I liked it so much that I wound up buying a growler of it.

Next was a walk down the street to where Olde Mecklenburg Brewery was having their annual Octoberfest party. I had a pint of their Mecktoberfest and personally I wasn't that impressed and thought it was just average. The atmosphere outside of the brewery was nice though with bands playing Bavarian music and games to play and of course the frauleins there. 

I walked back to Sugar Creek Brewery to get my growler and then after explaining to the bartenders there that I wasn't driving, I walked further down the road to hit up Triple C Brewing Company. I had myself a pint of their 3C IPA that is hopped with Citra, Centennial, and Chinook hops. Had a very nice hop aroma to it and I would of sampled a few more of their beers while there but I wanted to meet back up with my buddies for dinner. Hopped on the light rail back to the hotel and then finally met up with my buddies who had already ate somewhere else and some just called it a night while the rest of us went out to see a shoe show. 

Game day!!! Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!

After filling up on breakfast at the hotel it was back to the room and drink the growler of pale ale from Sugar Creek, cheers. Don't ask me why but some of my buddies decided to take a taxi to the game. Bank of America Stadium was like only a half mile away. Me and one of my buddies walked to the stadium instead. 

Cutler and Da Bears blew it towards the end of the game and we lost. So time to drown our sorrows in more local craft beer. But no, my buddies decided to go to Hooters. I'm like, " I can go to Hooters back home, I'm going to Unknown Brewing Company and see ya later for dinner." Three blocks later and I was at Unknown Brewing Company. There was a band playing outside that was pretty good. Got a sampler of some of their beers, all of which were pretty darn good but why serve pints in plastic cups when you have all them pint glasses behind the bar? I hate drinking out of plastic cups so instead of getting a pint after my fight, I opted for a 6 pack of IPA's and walked back to the hotel room. Meet back up with my buddies and the steak dinner was out since they all wound up eating at Hooters. And even before our trip they were all talking about going out for steak dinner somewhere. I went to Carolina Alehouse to get something to eat but cause their service was so slow I got up and left the bar and went back to Blackfinn's where the food and service was awesome. 

Well, my buddies all flew home in the morning but I stayed in Charlotte for another day cause I have never been there before. So, I hopped on a bus and went out to Davidson to meet up with a coworker that attends Davidson College. I had lots of time on my hands before meeting up with her for lunch so I walked around campus. After a nice lunch I had another couple hours to kill before catching the bus back to Charlotte. So, she told me to go check out Summit Coffee. I don't drink coffee so I would never even think to go into a coffee shop and lo and behold they had five beers on tap and some more in cans and bottles. What a great way to relax and enjoy the afternoon by sipping on local beers that I can't get back home. Oh my the best beer that I sampled while there was Greybeard IPA from Pisgah Brewing Company. Wow, the hop aromas, the flavor, it was truly amazing. 

Zoom! Zoom! Went right to the NASCAR Hall of Fame as soon as I got back into downtown Charlotte. Only had about an hour and half to roam around there before it closed for the day but that was enough time for me to check it all out. 

Okay time for some more local breweries and this time around I went to the NODA area of Charlotte and first stop was Heist Brewery. Sampled some of their delicious beers and then ordered a pint of Cloud 9 to go along with one of the best soft pretzels I have had.

Next up was a walk down the street to get to NoDa Brewery before they closed and I was unable to visit Birdsong which is across the street from them because they were closed. Nice hospitality here at NoDa just like Heist, and some good beers to drink as well. 

And that's a wrap. Loved the southern hospitality at all the breweries that I did have a chance to go to and hopefully be back again soon. Cheers!

Summer went by fast

Well, summer has come and gone by pretty quick. Always a busy time at work during the summer months since I work at a golf course. But I did manage to get to the Micro Brew Review beer festival in Oak Park this year as well as visit a few newer local breweries. Oh and I also took another trip to Michigan and hit up Bells and New Holland, awesome road trip that was.

Seems as though these days there are so many breweries opening up in the Chicago area and every weekend there is a craft beer festival happening too. I just wished that some of these breweries would open up their taprooms on Mondays when I have the day off from work.

Church Street Brewing Company in Itasca, IL just celebrated their second anniversary this past weekend. And Pollyanna Brewery in Lemont, IL just opened up their taproom and I checked them out and The Full Lemonty  was a good session beer to start out with. I also had their Mazzie a pale ale with some West Coast hops that was pretty darn good. I'll definitely be going back to sample more of their beers.

Road trip to Charlotte, North Carolina is on the agenda for this coming weekend for Da Bears and das biers.

Cheers

7 breweries in 1 day

Well, I finally made it to Grand Rapids, MI to check out Founders Brewery and wow what a place it is and hope to go back soon.

First brewery that I checked out was Rockford Brewing Company in Rockford, MI. It's located northeast of Grand Rapids and Google Maps had me turn the wrong way but after asking people on the street I located it. They had about a dozen beers on tap there. Some of the beers I sampled were: Hoplust IPA, Sheehan's  Stout, Michigan Empire and Apple Haus. All the beers were pretty average in my opinion and none really knocked my socks off.

Fifteen minutes later and I was in Comstock Park, MI and sampling beer at Perrin Brewing Company. Oh yeah this place was so awesome and the hospitality was outstanding. I'll for sure go back and visit whenever I am in the Grand Rapids area again. I sampled about 6 of their beers and had I not been driving then I would of sampled all the rest they had on tap. I don't drink lagers much but their Rye of the Liger was good. Love them rye beers which is why I had to try it out. Next was their Grapefruit IPA and being one that doesn't eat grapefruit I was intrigued on how this would be. Actually it was quite good. I love west coast styles IPA's and so when I sampled their IPA next I really enjoyed it very much. Great hop aromas and great taste. The raspberries taste like raspberries, the snozberries taste like snozberries. Had their Razzberry Blonde next and it was quite refreshing. Great beer to drink in the summertime. Last beer I sampled was their Hopwood. They take their Imperial IPA and then age it oak barrels giving it quite a complex flavor to it. Hints of wood and passion fruit and hoppy. Would of loved to have sampled some of their other higher gravity beers they have but I was driving so I had to stick to the lower ABV beers.

Alright well so many beers and breweries and so little time. A short drive away and I was at The Mitten Brewing Company. The cool thing about the Mitten is that it is located in an historic brick firehouse. However, the bad thing is there isn't much parking space in the lot and ya have to park on the street. The small brewery was crowded on the Saturday afternoon that I was there. After getting a beer from them, their Country Strong IPA, I sat down at a table with some other guys that were there since the bar was full. Even though they were all Red Wings fans we all could agree on one thing and that craft beer is the best beer to drink. I swear one of the guys looked familiar like I had seen him before somewhere else. Anyways had a nice time hanging out there. I only tried their IPA so if I go back I'll have to try some of their other beers.

Back on the road again and check into my hotel room before going to more breweries. I was gonna cab it into downtown GR but then the guy at the hotel desk said there was the shuttle, The Hopper and it would be cheaper so okay I got on the Hopper and got dropped off at Founders. But they never said where in downtown they make stops at and then later in the night my cellphone died so I couldn't even call them up and wound up cabbing it back to my room.

Founders Brewing is one of the best breweries in the country and so it was great to have finally made it there. I know I probably should of gone a week earlier to get some of their highly sought after KBS. Ah but there is always next year. Next time I'll do a tour of the brewery too. The place was big and impressive and crowded on a late Saturday afternoon. Since, I have already had quite a few of their beers before, I sampled some that are only available at the brewery instead. The Barrel Aged Spite had a bit of a kick to it cause of the Hungarian wax peppers they use in it. The Melon on Melon was good too. My favorite though is the All Day IPA.

After Founders it was off to take a break from the breweries and go see the Rockford Ice Hogs play against the Grand Rapids Griffins. Just a short walk and I was at the Van Andel Arena and sitting up front along the ice to watch some hockey. Unfortunately, my team lost 4-1 so it was back to the breweries to end the night.

Took a taxi over to Brewery Vivant. I probably could of walked there, anyways I got there and the place was packed but managed to get a spot at the bar. The thing about Brewery Vivant that is interesting is it is located in a former funeral home chapel. All of their beers that they brew are of the Belgian styles. That's a nice change of pace since it seems like everyone out there is making IPA's and pale ales. However they do make a Belgian style IPA called Triomphe and that is what I had based on a recommendation from one of the locals. I'm glad I had it cause it was quite good, the Belgian yeast they used gives it a different characteristic compared to a regular American IPA.

Just a short walk down the street is Harmony Brewing Company. They make some good pizzas from what I had heard but it was late in the night and I wasn't hungry, I was there for the beer. It's a smaller brewery and the bar wasn't very big and they only had maybe half a dozen beers on tap. I love rye beers so the first one I had was their Crossroads, a rye pale ale. They are a small brewpub in the community putting out some good beer in small batches. The Crossroads was good. Then I tried their Grapefruit Moon and I did not care for it at all. No wonder why I didn't like it since it is more of a shandy. They poured grapefruit juice right into it after pouring the beer, yuck! Had the bartender order me a taxi to get back into downtown GR but after waiting almost an hour I just gave up and walked back to downtown.

After the couple mile walk back to downtown GR, I wound up at Grand Rapids Brewing Company. They are the first certified organic brewery in the state of Michigan. Had a few samples of their brews on tap and really liked their stout that they had there. Had a creamy head and good mouthfeel to it, dark and malty.

Well, it is getting late now and wow look at this, taxi cabs in downtown were plentiful and had no problem getting a ride back to the hotel. Next time I'm in GR I have to get to B.O.B.'s Brewery, The Hideout, and Schmohz Brewery besides going back to Brewery Vivant, Founders and Perrin. Was a great beercation for a one day trip. Cheers!

Been busy

Wow, I haven't posted on here in awhile. Time flies when your having fun. But actually I was working quite a bit the past year and didn't have much free time for attending beer festivals or visiting breweries. Gonna try and get back into it though and keep ya posted on whats new in the craft beer world. Cheers