Iowa Beer

I would suggest using www.seekabrew.com and/or posting in the Midwest forum.

 

Peace Tree

 

Peace Tree is great, and have heard really good things about Toppling Goliath if you find any of theirs.

 

What was the bet that you lost?

 

Says the guy from New Jersey? ROFL

 

If you're in Dubuque why not stop in Galena at their brewpub. I was there last weekend and they had a really nice dunkelweizen and brown ale (and I generally hate brown ales). The head brewer was there too and was a really cool guy.

 

Make the short drive to Decorah for Toppling Goliath. You will not be disappointed. Fill a couple of growlers, you can bring your own for refills also.

 

As mentioned, Toppling Goliath in Decorah is building a reputation as the best brewery in the state. They don't bottle/can yet, however. So if you can't find it on tap in Dubuque, you'll have to go to the brewery and get a Growler. Their most popular beer is "Golden Nugget", an awesome IPA. Another I have had is an Oatmeal Stout called Rover Truck, which I found to be pretty good. They supposedly have some pretty good barrel aged beers at their brewery as well, but I have never been there so I couldn't say for sure.

In addition to Peace Tree, another I would recommend is the Amber beer that Millstream makes. That's really the only Millstream I have had that impressed me, but it is delicious.

Great River Brewery out of the quad cities puts out some pretty good brews, but you might have those in Illinois? They come in 16 ounce cans.

 

I would say this is 100% spot on.

 

Toppling Goliath is great, but it's over 2 hours from Dubuque. That'll take up a big chunk of his weekend.

 

The OP mentioned he is from Chicago, whether he still lives there is another question. If he wants to seek out great beer then TG is his best option, just my opinion though.

 

You certainly have the option of picking up some Great River brews as well. I think their Redband (a coffee stout) is their best that I have had.

 

Hopburst from Madhouse is a really good IPA, about $5 a bomber. Peace Tree has several good options. Chokodale Bock from Millstream.

 

Toppling Goliath has bottled some of their beers. I know that Kentucky Brunch and Ninja Assassin were both bottled. I think there was, at least, one more.

I think that Millstream's Schokolade Bock(sp) is excellent, and their Raspberry Quad was delicious after it lost some of it's carbonation. I think the rest of their beers are average, at best. Their root beer is pretty good, though.

Great River does see a lot of Illinois distro, but I think it's mainly downstate.

 

If TG did bottle, it was for a limited time. They don't have anything currently in distribution. They have never bottled Golden Nugget, to my knowledge.

I recently asked an employee of the company about it on facebook, they said they will be announcing something about distribution very soon.

 

They have bottled Golden Nugget (my neighbor has an autographed bottle), though it was very limited and may have only been released at John's Grocery in IC where they brought two cases in a canoe up the Iowa River and delivered them to John's. They have also bottled Assassin (which was amazing) and one of their Naughty beers (90 or Temple) which was available in IC Hy-Vees for a short time. Everything was hand bottled though and the price per bottle, at least for Golden Nugget and Assassin was $15-$20 per bomber (Assassin was worth ever penny!).

 

If you hit Galena you can also hit "Family Liquor", and maybe that Irish pub...

 

Interesting. Did not know that, good to know.

Hopefully they get widespread distribution soon and start releasing 6 packs. Golden Nugget would be my go to beer if it were available in stores.

 

Is this the Family Liquor store just outside of East Dubuque? I have often driven past there on my way to Chicago, but I have never stopped. Do they have anything unique there?