I'm coming to the Quad Cities next weekend, staying on the Iowa side. I was wondering what the best bottle shops are, on either side of the river. I also have some KBS that I was thinking about bringing along - if anybody is interested in some and has anything they'd like to trade - especially King Henry - please PM me. Thanks for your input!
I know there are some locals that can give more info, but as far as my knowledge goes, there is not a single stop bottle shop in QC anymore. The best one closed a few years ago. The Hy-Vee's turn out to be a good source for beer. There is some good drinking available in the area if you want to venture into the brewpubs and beer bars.
Best selection I have found is grocery store in Rock Island. I think it is a Cub and was voted best beer selection last year in QCA. It is good but not great. I think its at 31st and 18th.
I live north of the QC and have had the best luck at the HyVee in Moiline on John Deere Road, but others have had different experiences. The Hyvee on Kimberly in Davenport had a nice selection of Iowa beers. Bottom line is there is no top notch craft beer store in the QC, and there seems to be a lot of variation within the Hyvees..
I'm coming into QC this week for business and this thread was a big help on finding a bottle shop to take a look at. I'll be staying in Moline, anyone have a recommendation on a good beer bar? Also, I'm coming in from Chicago and would love to see what kind of beers people would have for a trade. I have some Firestone walker stuff (XV and Sucaba), plenty of 3 Floyd's goodies (including fresh growlers), goose island (Lolita, Juliet), and if the trade were right a 2012 dark lord. I leave Tuesday morning so message me today if you'd like to set up a trade.
I would highly recommend Bent River Brewing as it is my favorite brewpub in the QC for food and beer and is in Moline. You can also venture next door to the Bier Stube (not sure on spelling) which has around 20 taps. I think that Blue Cat is getting better and they're in Rock Island next to RIBC which also has a decent tap selection. If you like fish tacos Front Street Brewing in Davenport has excellent fish tacos, but imo their beer is not that great. Great River is also over in Davenport and their Red Band stout is wonderful.
