Green Tree Brewery

 

New owners and brewers now. We'll see if selection and quality go up. It's a nice place with a great location, right along the Mississippi River in Leclaire, IA.

 

 

This is a cool building with a great view of the river. Decent selection. The two beers I had were good, but did not stand out. I’d like to go back and try some of the other beers.

This place opened up shortly after I moved to the east coast, and for a long while they had fairly limited hours and so I never got a chance to stop by. It seems to have grown into a full-functioning brewery and a neighborhood pub for (relatively) monied millennials. Le Claire's got a weird vibe, as I've mentioned before: touristy but also insular.

We stopped by for a quick beer around 8 PM on a Friday. It was packed and very loud: they were playing some kind of Rock and Roll Bingo wherein the played 15 ear-splitting seconds of FM classics and you would mark off your card as the songs were played.

The decor is very green. Literally, not metaphorically. Intense, green lamps are positioned alongside the building, in front of the large window alongside the brewing tanks, which suffuses the entire pub with an eerie, amphibian glow. Other than that, it's a pretty run of the mill brewery pub: woody and clean with a very long bar and an adjacent sections with tables.

The beer menu was about a dozen selections deep, mostly with contemporary styles. I only sampled a couple, but all were between solid and good. The bartenders were courteous but not overly friendly, but that's probably because the place was so damn busy.

Overall, a nice stop, but not particularly distinctive. Would most certainly have been nicer if I came at a quieter time.

 

Fruit/extract should not represent over 50% of your brews!! Cheap ingredients and bodyless light beers are M.O.

I hope they get their act together and stop being the “out of towner’s” folly.

I highly recommend making a quality lager, kolsch, brown, or any hopped style that doesn’t involve cheap pellets of citra hops... I mean “mango citra hop hop” is the literal name of one of their flagship brews.... too sweet and no balance, pretty much the story of the brewery.

 

 

 

The smell of an IPA brewing as I walked in the door let me know I was in the right place. Definitely worth stopping by if your in the Quad City area.

Nice riverfront location with a good view from the patio. Inside, the view was obscured by power lines and train tracks, but you could still see the river. Inside it was ok, kind of sterile and industrial with neon green lights all around which was a little weird. Some cool stuff on the walls, like a painting of the largest local tree in Le Claire that the brewery was named after. Flatscreens behind the bar to watch a game or American Pickers, naturally. Metal chairs on concrete floors reminded me of school cafeterias of yesteryear. Restrooms were nice, also very clean.

Service was good, they were fairly quick at the bar but it wasn't busy. We said hello when we walked in but the bartender didn't look up from her phone at first. A different bartender later appeared that was friendly and helpful.

Beer selection was great with 15 house drafts. Out of 7 beers, 2 were infected (solvent character) and I didn't bother finishing them. Ceiling Zero NEIPA was so good I got a couple crowlers to go. They didn't have printed menus, and marked the flights by number, so I had to get a pic of the beer list behind the bar to remember what I was drinking.

All in all, worth a stop for good beers and the view, not so much of a destination. BYO food, no kitchen.

 

 

 

 

This is by far my favorite brewery. There is not a beer that I don't like on the menu. The owners and employees are excited about their beer and are willing to talk about and explain their current and upcoming beers.

 

 

 

Quite new, and doing an excellent job of growing an audience. The beers are excellent (especially the stouts), although with a small selection at this time. As of last month they weren't bottling or canning beers yet, so take-out is limited to growlers. Going to be a great brewery.

One of the best places to have a stout and cigar on the outdoor patio I have ever been to. The stouts are awesome, especially the Mintery night. Many other variants including a Chocolate Cherry Stout, Ground Hound. Their Mango IPA is also wonderful. The vibe is good, as it is usually quite packed and a wonderful view of the Mississippi. The service is declining. My wife was so put off by one of their regular servers that she has boycotted a place she very much enjoyed. They need to get that straightened out because they have a wonderful venue with great beer. It is also only a 15 minute drive from my home. Parking can be tricky, but it is in a quaint shopping town.

Great beer. Great service. Great location. The ipa's are some of my favorite!

 

I'm trying to be patient as this is a new establishment in my home town and I would love for them to be successful. Location and vibe could be awesome but...Beer quality seems to be improving while service quality declines. Inattentive staff and now plastic disposable cups will keep me away.

Very nice location and brand new building that's right on the Mississippi River. Large bar area with ample seating. Table and chairs along the large south windows that overlooks the Mississippi River. Patio area also available. Six beers on tap with flights available. Can't remember how much the flights were, enjoyed the beer too much. Pints are actual 16oz (at least) pours in 20oz shaker pints for $5. Parking is on street that can be tricky. I believe there's a public parking lot a block north? Overall a very welcome addition to the Quad City craft beer scene.