Jubeck New World Brewing

 

 

 

Combines a really friendly and personable atmosphere with a pretty great selection of brews. Spinning vinyl tunes, a variety of places to sit, and a laid-back and welcoming oasis in the downtown. Seating gets a little tight sometimes, but the handmade bar is a great place to hang around.

Jubeck had a great vibe right off the bat, it was small and cozy, with spider plants hanging in the front window and stacks of vinyl behind the bar. Didn't see any tv's and that suited us fine. The crowd was laid back, with a few locals and fellow beer travelers alike.

The bartender was super friendly and gave us great recommendations. He put on some records when it was slow, and the music and chill vibe of the place was just about perfect. He talked with us about their tiny 2BBL system, which was visible just past the bar. The compact brewing system allows them to rotate beers often, keeping the selection pretty fresh.

Beer selection was varied, though fairly traditional. Standout was the Warrior Stout, burly and flavorful, with little to no hint of the 8.6% abv. Standard Rate lager was solid and well made without any flaws. The blackberry kettle sour was ok, very yogurty. Peaches & Cream had lactose which i'm averse to, specifically the lingering artificial taste. Left with a 4-pack of Warrior Stout tall boys.

Overall the vibe and beer here was great, and i'll definitely be back to try a few more of their rotating seasonals.

Great beers!

Great vibe with old vinyl playing. Easy going and comfortable.

 

Nice small brewery in downtown Dubuque.

The vibe is definitely one of sociability as there are no TVs in the place. There's a small bar and about six to eight tables. It's a great place to sit an have a beer or two and be social.

Service is great as they are very helpful with finding what beers people might want. Dubuquers are getting stronger in the craft beer world, but there are still many who wouldn't understand what each style means, and Jubeck is very helpful.

Along with that, they have some nice light beers along with their more microbrewery traditional beers so there's something for everyone. The only slight I would say for selection is that it doesn't rotate too often. For someone new, this obviously won't be a problem.

 

 

Dubuque's downtown/riverfront area is going through something of a forced renaissance, with lots of new city-subsidized storefronts and lofts meant to lure in residents who aren't yet geriatric. While it feels a little ersatz, you have to appreciate the effort. My hometown, Clinton, is about an hour down the river and has suffered the same factory closures of most other river towns. Only instead of small business grants and beautification projects, Clinton's piled money into casinos and a corn factory that emits noxious fumes.

What I'm getting as it, I got the fuck out of Clinton as soon as I was able to. Staying wasn't even an option. It literally did not cross my mind even once. If I grew up in Dubuque, it might have been different. In Dubuque, there are things to do that aren't depressing.

Anyhow, Jubeck is very self-consciously youthful. The decor is vaguely liberal, with warm lighting and a co-op setup. The bar is narrow but cozy, probably holds about 20 drinkers. When we showed up, after visiting Potosi, there were about 8 beers on tap. No traditional styles: everything was hypey.

I went for an apricot IPA and another higher-ABV beer. Both were solid but evinced light some off nodes. They had only been open for a few months when we visited, however, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume the quality will improve over time. They seemed very earnest in their dedication to the craft. This is not a place owned by some shitbag restaurateur, and in my experience that tends to be the difference between good and bad breweries.

If you're in this area--that is, near the northern part of the Iowa-Illinois border--I'd recommend a trip to Dubuque over Galena. Yeah, it's not as touristy and there aren't as many antique stores. But it's cheap and friendly, and this place is pretty nice.

Beer is solid, atmosphere is casual. Space is a bit tight though. Service is always good. Definitely recommend if you're in town for the weekend!