The Quarter Barrel

The name says "Arcade," so be forewarned. I stopped in early on a Friday evening and the place was full of kids. High ceilings, kind of "industrial chic," with some cool breweriana and vintage signage on the walls, but it was unbearably noisy. I had a couple of tasters and cut out pretty quick, but my ears were still ringing hours later. Take some ear plugs with you, especially if you suffer from tinnitus like I do. The beer? I had their Kid Gloves Belgian Wit and their Upsy Daisy Hazy NEIPA. Trust me, they are legit. Vibe gets an average rating from me because of the noise and activity level. Some are OK with it, some aren't. If you can take the decibels, you might really like it here. Bring your kids, and try the pizza.

 

Stopped on the way from Clinton, Iowa to Waterloo. My parents live in Clinton and I lived in Waterloo throughout my early to mid-20's, and I would have killed for a place like this back then, to break up the drive.

Anyhow, as always, I'm judging this place based on its total package: location, convenience, beer quality, vibe, and intangibles. And I'm rating as far and craft beer-centric arcades go--lots of these have opened up in the last several years, and they should be treated as their own conceptual category. I am not comparing this to the Sanctuary or John's Grocery or The Map Room. It is its own thing.

THE GOOD:
-The location is less than 2 minutes from highway 380 and there is ample free parking. If you're heading to/from Iowa City, Waterloo, or the QCA, this is very convenient.

-Pints are cheap by 2019 standards, there's a large variety of taps to choose from: about a dozen house taps in a wide variety of styles, along with 10 guest taps focusing mostly on locals and regional favorites.

-Lots of arcade and pinball games, all very reasonably priced.

-Website tap and games lists are updated frequently.

-The pizza is darn good.

THE MIDDLING:
-Arcade selection is not as large or well-curated as top-tier barcades.

-House beers are simply okay. Extract brews. The ones with bigger flavor profiles are fine, but anything requiring subtlety--where flaws can't be papered over--should be avoided.

THE BAD:
-Lots and lots of children. Which I guess is good if you have kids. But I am a gross childless monster so that don't work for me.

So far a barcades go, this is solidly middle of the pack. Nothing worth traveling for, but definitely worth a stop if you're in the area or passing through.

Great beer. Good food. Service is always terrible. Food is always very slow to come out