Central/Western Illinois Beer Nerds?

@lunarbrew

Howdy, man. Thanks for the NG offer - I actually have a ton of family in Wisconsin, which means I'm a little embarrassed to say I can get an NG fix pretty frequently.

In terms of limited beer distro in The Burg, things are actually pretty decent. Andy, the liquor department manager at both HyVee locations, has really kicked things up a bit during the last year or so. Sure, we won't see beers like Vanilla Rye, Black Note, or Abraxas, but we did see a good amount of regular BCBS this year, more than enough to satisfy my cellar, and we get a good amount of Revolution products - the standard lineup and their Deep Woods Series, which is hard to come by in Western Illinois - along with small quantities of releases from Bells, Firestone Walker and others - word has it we may be in line for some KBS this year as well.

Re: Iron Spike - They brewed stellar beers when their original brewmaster was behind the curtain. Really great stuff with a wonderful selection of guest taps as well. Since the changing of the guard, I've noticed their food prices have skyrockets, the guest taps have diminished, and there seems to be less of a focus on the beer and more on cocktails, most of which aren't terribly inventive or interesting. In short, I guess I feel like they're praying on the market a bit, you know? Offering pretty good food, yes, but at really high prices and hiding behind the term brewpub without really putting much effort into the brewing part of that.

Dude, next time you're in town, give a shout, yeah? Would happily share a pint or have you over to the house for a few. And hey, if you see any Toppling Goliath in your parts, hit me up.

 

I bet. Although, you're lucky to get those few beers - especially Sue and GN, which are stellar, stellar beers. I have a bottle of Light Speed that was donated for the show - www.oneguyonebeer.wordpress.com - and I can't wait to crack it open.

 

One Guy, One Beer returns with Victory at Sea from Ballast Point Brewing Company! Huzzah! Thanks.

https://oneguyonebeer.wordpress.com...ballast-point-brewing-company-victory-at-sea/

 

One Guy, One Beer returns with P2 from Penrose Brewing. Huzzah! Thanks for watching!

https://oneguyonebeer.wordpress.com/2015/06/05/penrose-brewing-p2/

 

Curious about Half Acre Beer Company's Daisy Cutter? Check out the new episode of One Guy, One Beer. Thanks!

http://oneguyonebeer.com/2015/06/15/episode-6-half-acre-brewing-company-daisy-cutter/

 

BIG NEWS: There’s a new weekly segment at One Guy, One Beer called B-Roll which features photos and brief, playful reviews of beers we’ve enjoyed but weren’t able to feature on the show. Our first post is now live! Check it out. Spread the word. Suggest beers for B-Roll or the weekly show. Cheers! http://oneguyonebeer.com/2015/06/17/b-roll-1-brooklyn-brewerys-sorachi-ace/

 

One Guy, One Beer NEW POST: B-Roll #2 features a classic. A stalwart. A legend. We’re talking, of course, about Orval. Check out the review and drop us a line with suggestions for future B-Roll posts. PLUS, we’ve tweaked the site a bit, so check it out! PS: New episode coming soon. Cheers.

http://oneguyonebeer.com/2015/06/24/b-roll-2-orval/

 

Anyone dig hefeweizens? We try one out this week:

http://oneguyonebeer.com/2015/07/01/episode-7-ale-asylum-unshadowed/