Saint Louis

I arrived yesterday at 1pm at Dougs.  We immediately (more or less) went on a Schlafly's run for Bill (Crabby Bills) to buy, what else, beer.  Afterwords we headed out.  The public transportation system is great.  (side note to dumb shit Walker: trains and busses will encourage people to visit your town/state).We took the train and then a bus to the Civil Life brew pub.  It took a while to get there (45 minutes?) but it was well worth it.
Civil Life:
The pub is awesome.  Pints are $5 and half pints are $2.50.  What a novel concept: a set price per ounce.  The bar has slate inset on the server side which is used for keeping track of tabs and calculating bills.  They use chalk to record what you drink and eat and then you settle up at the end.  It's all done on the slate.  They are a cash only pub but their beer is served in maybe 30 different establishments around Saint Louis.  I had a half pint of their APA which was very good and then had 2 half pints of their porter which was outstanding.  Doug and I had subs (vegi for me) which were excellent.  My sub had hot peppers on them so I was happy:)

We then caught the bus to go to the Shlafly Tap Room.  I like this place better than Doug.  It was loud and busy (lots of packer fans) but the beer was good (really awesome).  I had a pint of their Tasmania IPA and a pint of their Stout.  Both were very good.

We then headed (another bus ride) to the Urban Chestnut Brewing Company.  I would like to go back as we spent very little time here.  I had an IPA which was very good.  I liked the ambiance of the place.  They had a fire going outside in their 'beer garden'.

It was outstanding afternoon/evening of sampling local Saint Louis Brews.  I loved all the beer, and all 3 locations were outstanding with outstanding servers.

We then headed back (had to wait maybe 20 minutes for our last bus) and went to a middle eastern restaurant.  I had a vegetarian platter which was very good.  I had a Schlafly Pale Ale with my meal.  The restaurant had a belly dancer doing her thing between tables.  All very interesting.

We finished our evening at Ciceros and I had a not so good IPA which Doug loves.  Chain Breaker from Deschutes.  It is a white IPA (whatever that means).

We went home and crashed.

a 'Normal' town

I arrived in Normal Illinois at 8:30 last night and was at the Destihl Brewpub by 9pm.  The beer was outstanding but pricey.  $6/pint for the Vertex IPA (a good name for a geometry teachers beer) and $5/pint for the Black Angel Stout.  They had about 15 beers of their own on tap.  I would of stayed longer, but I drove as it was raining.  My motel was less than a mile away and I had planned to walk.  I will definitely be back next time I'm on my way to Doug's.
On a side note:  the FIB's reputation as speeders may be unfounded.  The only asshole driver I saw was from Wisconsin and as far as speeding goes the Wisconsin drivers were fastest.  I drove at 73 -74 mph and almost no drivers from Illinois passed me, but I passed a ton of them.  Wisconsin drivers though regularly passed me.  This begs the question then; Who are those Illinois assholes that come to Wisconsin?  The answer is simple.  The only Illinois residents that can afford to own property in Door County and Minoqua are the rich republicans (aka romneyites) who believe that no laws apply to them - and when caught they just buy their way out.

Michigan

On Saturday Doug (son #2) and I headed for Michigan to see my brother and his family. What a perfect opportunity to explore some brew pubs:)
First stop was the Blackrocks Brewery in Marquette ( http://www.blackrocksbrewery.com/ ).  I had a Jasmine IPA.  It was different but very good.  We got there about 1pm and the place had a good Saturday afternoon crowd.  They have as much outdoor seating as inside.  It was an absolutely beautiful day to sit outside and sip a delightful brew.  Pints were $3.50.
Blackrocks has been around for only a short time (2010 or 2011) but definitely know what they are doing.  They don't serve food but you can order food to be delivered from other establishments.  There is another brew pub in town (Ore Dock Breweryl ) that has a similar philosophy regarding food.  Ore Dock even has a special from noon to 4pm on Tuesdays thru Fridays - a $1 off your pint if you bring your lunch.
My only complaint is that they were out of growlers - guess I have to head back to get one  (and to visit Ore Dock).

Patio at the Black Rocks Brewery

After a pint we left for Grand Marais.  It was a crazy trip.  You need to understand that Grand Marais is in the middle of nowhere - it might be the most remote brewpub in the Continental US.  So we leave Marquette and Doug types in Lake Superior Brewing Company to his IPhone and proceeds to tell me it's in the middle of nowhere.  Now I have never been there, but am well aware that its in the middle of nowhere so  I really didn't worry about it too much until 15 miles (give or take) down gravel roads that turned into damn near impassible roads.  Don't always trust google.  A bit of backtracking and some more back roads got us to Grand Marais.

The Lake Superior Brewing Company (Dunes Saloon http://www.grandmaraismichigan.com/LSBC/ ) is the place to be.  We got there at 5ish on a Saturday and had to wait 5 to 10 minutes to get a beer.  The bartenders were methodical but lacked a real sense of urgency.  The waitress on the other hand was busting her ass.  

This place was packed.  Apparently the food is very good and there are many rustic campgrounds within 30 miles.  When you have good food and beer and there is nothing else for miles around....

I had a pint (OK 2 pints, but Doug drove) of pale ale.  It was good, not memorable but good.  I bought a growler of their stout which also was quite good, but again, not memorable.  I was disappointed that my growler, which on the shelf looked awesome,  really wasn't.  It is the only growler in my collection that has a glued on paper label.

We left and Doug drove down to US 2 where we got a $50 motel room for the night before heading south of the bridge - damn can that kid snore.

Grand Marais - Lake Superior Brewing Company

On the way home to Two Rivers we made a detour to Marshfield and the Blue Heron Brew Pub. I love this place.  The last time I was here I had their fantastic IPA, sadly this time they had neither a pale ale or an IPA.  I had a pint of their nut brown - for a nut brown it was very good.  I chose the nut brown since they have a special.  Each day of the week they have a different beer of the day ($2.50/pint) - what would you have done?  It was a nut brown day, so said the calendar.
They have 10 beers on tap and have a 6 beer sampler and a 10 beer sampler (3 oz each) so after our pint Doug and I split a 6 beer sampler before hitting the road.
Before leaving I bought a growler of their stout (which I'm drinking as I type).  They had 2 different growlers, the $5 and the $25.  The $5 one was your typical growler, while the $25 was really cool but sadly, not in the budget (maybe next time).

Me and the requisite pic at the Blue Heron

When it rains...

Well it  was raining, not hard mind you, but it was raining.  What was I to do?  I wanted to lay stone but it's not an activity to be done in the rain - when it rains one should find a brew pub.

We took off at noonish for Superior (or Duluth).  I didn't make up my mind till we were in Superior and Deb was at the (damn) quilt shop.  The Thirsty Pagan won out (they had an IPA on tap) - but we will be back and try out Duluth (if we can get past the Pagan).

The bar is awesome - it is the most unpretentious place you can imagine.  They have decorated it with old beer memorabilia.  It was happy hour and I had the India Pagan Ale (IPA) and Deb had an amber.  I loved my beer, but as much as I enjoy an amber there was something about it that I didn't care for.  It wasn't my beer though and Deb enjoyed it.

While paying for the beer ($3.25/pint during a 3 hour daily happy hour) I asked about growlers (I had ice in the cooler - and to think, I was never a boy scout). She said the growler was $5 and $12 to fill it.  I inwardly flinched as this was a tad too much for me although reasonable.  She continued however with the information that Tuesday's special was a pizza (in house) and the growler was only $6 to fill.  That was any pizza - it could have been a small plain cheese.  Well I was kind of hungry.....
We ordered the medium (13") TPB special

	10"	13"	16"
TPB Special Spicy Italian sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, onions and green peppers.	$11.95	$17.95	$24.95

The pizza came and I took one look and thought to myself that this pizza can't possibly taste as good as it looks - it actually was better.  I can only think of one other pizza that I had that was better.  This pizza was unbelievable.   We only ate half of it.  Can't wait till lunch (or my midnight snack).

This place has live music basically 6 nights a week and open mic on Sunday's - aah, to be rich enough to spend the night drinking the beer and listening to live music and then walk to the motel.

On our way home between Ashland and Hurley a bear lumbered across US 2 - and no, it wasn't a figment of my beer.

In the infamous words of Arnold, "I'll be back".

http://www.thirstypaganbrewing.com/

I would be negligent if I didn't mention the staff.  The bartender, waitress and some employee when we entered were great.  I love the Thirsty Pagan:)

Bull Falls Brewery

Yesterday Deb and I drove home and today I headed back (crazy huh?).  Did laundry, shaved and ... yeah.

Today after my run (90 degrees in TR - unbelievable) headed to Sheboygan to visit Dave in the hospital and then headed north.  Arrived in Wausau around  5:30 and found the tap room for Bull Falls Brewery ( http://www.bullfallsbrewery.com ).  I had a .3 liter of their Five Star Ale which is an amber.  It was very (very) good.  The bar was crowded so they must be popular.  Their beer list is heavy on the German type of beers and lagers.  I really was only interested in the one that I had and their red ale.  They do brew an oatmeal stout and an IPA but not available.  I will definitely make a return visit.

Home for a day.

Deb has to work at Silver Lake College today and tomorrow so we headed home from the cabin (I'm going back today).  We (I) decided to go through Marinette to visit the Rail House Brewery.  They have been around for awhile.  We took US-2 across the UP and dropped south at Iron Mountain on US-141 then headed east on Highway 180 (scenic).  It took us almost 5 hours to go 204 miles - yikes.

The trip did have the added advantage of going past the Riverside Liquors in Spread Eagle.  Riverside is one of the few establishments that sells beer from the Black Husky Brewery in Pembine.  Sadly they only had the wheat beer and I wanted their pale ale.

At the Rail House I had the Big Mac IPA and Deb had her usual nut brown.  The beers were good and I would go back if I was in the neighborhood but wouldn't make that trip again (we still had 95 miles ahead of us).  Surprisingly their pints were only $3.50 and it was happy hour (2 for 1).  If I lived in the area it would be a place to stop after work:).  Unfortunately due to the distance left (and time of day) I only had a 12 oz. for my second beer and Deb had none.  It's still a damn good deal.

Gotta run.

A Valiant Attempt

On Wednesday it was supposed to rain.  The plan was to use rain days for beer and visiting art stores.  We decided it was the perfect day to go to Duluth.  There is a brew pub there and in Superior along with several micro brewery's.

We left and the weather was beautiful.  We stopped at a quilt shop in Ashland (ugh) and Deb came out saying that she heard on the radio that there was flooding in Duluth and travel there was strongly discouraged.  I laughed thinking that Americans have become weak - the least little thing and we panic.  We left and headed north taking the scenic route - we then stopped in Bayfield at another quilt shop (why me?) and while Deb was in the shop I went to the weather channel and checked out Duluth - and I felt foolish.  This was really more than a little flooding - this was a 100 year type flood.  So much for micro brews.

We head back to Ashland and stopped at the South Shore Brewery and had lunch and a pint.  I had an American Pale Ale and Deb had her usual Nut Brown.  I told the bartender to let management know that they should bottle the Pale Ale and she said she would pass the word.  I was also told that they bottled some of the Pale Ale in 22 oz bombers and that I should be able to find them across the street at the liquor store.  They had 2 left and I bought 1 (It's still in the fridge).

I guess we still have to head to Duluth:)