NE Iowa Brewery Tour

Matt F · Post by **Matt F** » Tue Jun 01, 2010 4:38 pm

A few small breweries have popped up in NE Iowa and I was thinking about checking them out. I don't know when yet but thought we could get a group of Beer Nuts together for a club road trip. I was thinking some time this summer on a Saturday. Here is a rough agenda. My thought process was we could meet after already having lunch and eat dinner at the only place on the list with food.

NE Iowa Brewery Tour

Noon - Leave Cedar Rapids from NE side Wal-Mart on Blairs Ferry Road

1:00 - Hub City Brewing
11352 40th Street, Stanley, IA 50671
Mon-Sat 10am-6pm (Memorial Day to Labor Day)
Mon-Sat 10am-5pm (Winter Season)
http://www.hubcitybrewingcompany.com/

3:30 - Toppling Goliath
310 College Drive, Dcorah, IA 52101
Mon & Tues BREW DAY Beer-to-Go Growler Sales Only
Wed-Thur 12pm-9pm
Fri-Sat 12pm-11pm
http://www.tgbrews.com/index2.html

6:00 - Old Man River Restaurant and Brewery
123 A Street, McGregor, IA 52157
11am-10pm Wed-Mon (Closed Tuesday)
http://www.oldmanriverbrewery.com/

10:00 - Back at CR Wal-Mart

tony b · Post by **tony b** » Tue Jun 01, 2010 4:46 pm

Could be a lot of fun. Definitely not in June! Too many things going on for us.

Mr T · Post by **Mr T** » Tue Jun 01, 2010 8:52 pm

IOWA brewers ROCK, support your local brewery.

TappedOut · Post by **TappedOut** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 8:36 am

Hub City pretty much started up in a hog shed, but they've built a shiny, spanking new brewery, now.

When I stopped by Toppling Goliath, they only had one of their own brews on tap, and it looked like they were brewing on a Sabco system, so limited production. They were apparently setting up a bigger system, and I don't know if they've upped their production yet, or not. My point being that they may, or may not, have a decent selection available. From a brewery perspective, not being able to brew fast enough to keep up w/ demand is not the worst problem to have.

I don't know nuthin bout Old Man, except that perhaps they could have chosen a name that differs by more than two vowels from another brewery in the state.

Matt F · Post by **Matt F** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 9:20 am

Don't worry, I am not dillusional. I am not wanting to do the trip because I expect to try some fantastic beers or get blown away with selection. I simply have not been to any of these three breweries and as a homebrewer in Iowa I should stop by to see these places. All of them are doing something I am jealous of, making beer for a living. I would just like to see how they are doing it. I am basically going to check my calendar, pick a day, and see if anyone wants to ride along. I may just hit them when I am in the area for a canoe trip as I will be in NE Iowa several times this summer. I will post if I do a strictly beer tour.

Also, Old Man is most likely a reference to the Mississippi River as some people refer to it as Old Man River.

JimF · Post by **JimF** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 10:03 am

Being a newbie, the only Iowa brewery I've been to is Millstream, so I'd be interested in going. It sounds like fun.

tompb · Post by **tompb** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 3:39 pm

I think it would be a fun day trip. The only brewers I know are Hub City, and they are great. I'm sure if we were touring that there would be some unreleased beers to try if nothing else.

Also I don't think we should diss the local brewers we know and talk to at events on our open public forum. Not good form in my opinion.

Post by **JimPotts** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 3:58 pm

I agree. Especially when they're really good folks.

We should keep our dissing aimed at each other, like that idiot Tom suggested.

On Wed, Jun 2, 2010 at 4:39 PM, tompb <brew-events@crbeernuts.org (brew-events@crbeernuts.org)> wrote:

Also I don't think we should diss the local brewers we know and talk to at events on our open public forum. Not good form in my opinion.

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Mr T · Post by **Mr T** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 4:13 pm

Tom. Good point.. My comments might have come out wrong. I like the brewers..they have been good to me. Except potosi. My point was I've seen these places and not enough there at the moment for a return visit. I also know many of us have seen a brewery before so visiting breweries can be a bit repetive except for the beer changes.

But you can support the brewers and other small establishments by drinking their product other places and make a trip out of that as well. Just trying to throw some alternative ideas to brew tours.

Have fun

From: tompb <brew-events@crbeernuts.org>
Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 2010 4:39 PM
To: brew-events@crbeernuts.org
Subject: Re: NE Iowa Brewery Tour

I think it would be a fun day trip. The only brewers I know are Hub City, and they are great. I'm sure if we were touring that there would be some unreleased beers to try if nothing else.

Also I don't think we should diss the local brewers we know and talk to at events on our open public forum. Not good form in my opinion.

Runamok Brewing

Jesus must have been a yeast. Who else could turn water into wine?

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Mr T · Post by **Mr T** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 4:23 pm

And while im digging a bigger hole for myself I should mention I don't know the potosi brewer but mean my disatifaction with the tourist trap they made it out too.

Ok im done and better go into hiding

From: JimPotts <brew-events@crbeernuts.org>
Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 2010 5:11 PM
To: brew-events@crbeernuts.org
Subject: Re: NE Iowa Brewery Tour

I agree. Especially when they're really good folks.

We should keep our dissing aimed at each other, like that idiot Tom suggested.

On Wed, Jun 2, 2010 at 4:39 PM, tompb brew-events@crbeernuts.org)> wrote:
:Also I don't think we should diss the local brewers we know and talk to at events on our open public forum. Not good form in my opinion.

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Matt F · Post by **Matt F** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 4:48 pm

I haven't been to Potosi. Now you have made me curious.

Agreed, I like our local breweries and the support they have provided our community. I know Hub City has talked about some high gravity stuff and I really liked the imperial stout they had some samples of at Festival of Iowa Beer and the Brown Porter is nice. Haven't had the other breweries. Millstream, I love them. My favorites are Schokaldebock (spelling?), the Oatmeal Stout and I like their Heferweizen too.

kurtford · Post by **kurtford** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 6:50 pm

I'm heading back up to that area on Monday. I'll have to check Toppling Goliath in Decorah. I've been to the other two. Hub city is a farm house out in the middle of nowhere and old Man river is a very upscale restaurant for the Prairie-Du-Chein area, the was pretty good and they had Schell on tap.

I also picked up some New Glarus Cherry Stout and Enigma for the next club meeting when I stopped at Starks yesterday.

TappedOut · Post by **TappedOut** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 8:06 am

If you're headed up to Decorah, Hub City is not at all out of the way. Hang a right at the main intersection in Oelwein to get there, then take the first left after the brewery. You end up going east and then north, instead of north and then east, and miss Maynard in the process. The Hub City folks are the absolute nicest people, and I certainly wish them the best. They said they had a RIS aging, and were making an IPA when we were there last, and had a nice cherry stout on tap. I would definitely call ahead and tell them that the brew club is headed up that way - they may have some surprises. Doesn't hurt to try. As long as we don't dis them too much here. I think their golden is a nice lawnmower brew, and the brown is yummy, as well.
I think Millstream often gets a bad rap, as well. I really like their Schokalade Bock, as well, and their John's White. They make a nice Oktoberfest, too. Overall, though, I think a lot of folks around are going to be stepping up their game, brewing more interesting stuff, now that it's legal for them to do so.

I almost want to go to Potosi now. I wonder if it's so bad that it wraps around. Like back in the day pre-Travis, at Cedar Brewing, I knew some folks in Iowa City who would occasionally stop by to witness just how bad a brewpub could be.

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tompb · Post by **tompb** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 3:46 pm

We should keep our dissing aimed at each other, like that idiot Tom suggested.

Come on now you know I prefer asshole.

No offense intended Big T. Even though none of the states breweries have anything specatular at least they don't sell infected or off beers like we have had from some other regional breweries.

Hopefully with the law change our locals will up the game with some of the styles that they couldn't do before.

Cedar Rapids Brewing Society