The Westward venture begins at State College on a Sunday Morning, with the first day objective of reaching the Chicago Area. After an easy day of driving, we arrive in Tinley Park, Illinois, and surprise there is a brewery near the hotel ( good planning).
- Hailstorm Brewery- located in an industrial park, the micro brewery has a nice tasting room and bar in front of the brew works. Joshua was the beer server, his knowledge of the brews being served and his hospitality, along with good brews made this an enjoyable Sunday evening. The Jesus Toast Belgian IPA, Dominatrix Dbl. IPA ( watchout on this one in more ways than one) and the Crash Test Dummy Tripel were my favorites. Joshua informed me they had a few beers that were being barrell aged, unfortunately I will miss having the opportunity to enjoy their release. So if you find yourself on the South side of Chicago, along I-80 be sure to stop in and enjoy this brewery.
Back on the road again, it was time to start the drive through the heartland, thank god for the farmers. It was amazing to see miles of corn, sorghum and wheat fields. Truly the bread basket of America.
Surrounded by all these crops it was time to find a brewery in Iowa. What better place to look than home of the Hawkeyes, Iowa City.
After a good nights rest it was time to push across Nebraska and then onto Boulder, Colorado. Let me first say that Denver and the surrounding Cities are called the Napa Valley of Beer for a reason. I could have spent the entire trip in this area and completed the quest by visiting all of the breweries in the area. However time was limited so after three days I enjoyed 26 breweries in Boulder, Longmont, LOveland and Ft. Collins, Colorado. As always every brewery was offered a unique and great experience. Here are a few of the ones that I particularly enjoyed.
- Backpocket Brewery- located in Coralville, Iowa, a suburb of Iowa City. Backpocket is a nice brewpub that planted a flag for the craft beer revolution in a developing retail/restaurant and condominium area. The brewpub is attached to a large production facility with as a very nice indoor and outside eating area. In addition to some nice brews they serve a great variety of pizza. My favorite brews were the Exaggerator Dbl Bock, Cane Blade Dbl IPA and the Hawktoberfest. This was a great lunch stop, but it was time to push through Iowa and on to Nebraska.
- Nebraska Brewing Co- this brewery has been a frequent participant at the Savor Beer Festival in Washington D.C., so this was a must stop for me. They located their brewpub in a new urban development on the outskirts of Omaha, Nebraska. The restaurant is very nice with a large bar area and a very nice menu. Although they didn't have their Black Betty beer on tap I did enjoy their IPA, Brunette Brown Ale and the recently released Wicked for Brains Pumpkin Ale. Oh..by the way I did score a bomber of Sexy Betty aged in Brandy Barrels and a bomber of Black Betty aged in Whiskey Barrels.
After a good nights rest it was time to push across Nebraska and then onto Boulder, Colorado. Let me first say that Denver and the surrounding Cities are called the Napa Valley of Beer for a reason. I could have spent the entire trip in this area and completed the quest by visiting all of the breweries in the area. However time was limited so after three days I enjoyed 26 breweries in Boulder, Longmont, LOveland and Ft. Collins, Colorado. As always every brewery was offered a unique and great experience. Here are a few of the ones that I particularly enjoyed.
- Avery Brewery- you cannot visit Boulder without making a stop at Avery. The tasting room is located in the midst of their production facility. The tasting area/ brewpub is usually packed due their popularity. However, they are in the process of building a new facility down the road. They had so many brew selections I had to make some tough decisions, too many other breweries to visit. So after some thought I enjoyed the Kaiser, Chinook Wet Hop Pale Ale, Gored and a sip of the Beast Grand Cru ( at 16% ABV this one you drink with caution). What a great visit and I hope to see visit their new brewery the next time I'm in town.
- Wild Woods Brewery- is an up and coming brewery in Boulder that was founded by Erin & Jake Evans. There passion for camping and the outdoors is reflected in their beer and the naming of their beer. They have a nice taproom with a very friendly and welcoming atmosphere. I enjoyed sampling their Wild Flower Pale Ale, Tree Line IPA, Ponderosa Porter and the Smores Stout. It was a great visit and I highly recommend that you stop by when your in Boulder.
- BRU Handbuilt Ales- another great brewpub with very good beer and a nice food menu. As with every place I stopped in Boulder the brewpub was packed, Their motto is "our beer is not just beer, it is great beer" and I would agree. The The Riley Red Rye IPA, Osito Stout and Citrium IPA are worth the stop.
- Boulder Beer Co.- I believe this is probably the largest brewery/Restaurant that I visited in the Boulder area. The two large indoor seating areas were packed and over flowing. We were lucky to find a table in a very larger outdoor courtyard area. Although we didn't eat the food that was being served at the other tables looked very good. There was a large selection of beer, I particularly enjoyed the MOJO, Black IPA and the Hazed. The Shake Chocolate Porter was getting a lot of attention from numerous patrons, it was not my favorite, however, you should give it a taste.
After two days and 14 breweries in Boulder it was time to head north to Fort Collins.
- Oskar Blues Brewery- decisions, decisions...Oskar Blues in Longmont, Colorado, has a very nice Brewpub and a great tasting room at the production brewery, within two miles of each other in. Which one should I pick? Thats easy we just go to both. The difficult decision was selecting the beer.... so many choices. I selected Saint Oskar's, Tenfidy and of course Dale's Pale Ale. I hope their Eastern Brewery in North Carolina has the same vibe as Colorado.
- Left Hand Brewery- I could not leave Longmont without stopping at Left Hand, which I have been fortunate to be able to enjoy some of their brews back east. The Brewery , just down the road from Oskar Blues had a very nice indoor tasting area with a small outdoor courtyard allowing you to enjoy the beautiful weather while sampling their brews. As I was reviewing their tremendous beer list I noticed many of there brews had a very high ABV. Forcing me to select my sampler with caution if I had hopes to make it to Fort Collins. I had no problem putting together a nice flight. I highly recommend the Black Jack Porter, Warrior IPA and The 400 lb. Monkey on cask.
Heading North to Fort Collins, you pass through Loveland, Co., OK I didn't pass through... I stopped and to my surprise I found two very enjoyable micro breweries.
- Verboten Brewing- located in an industrial park plaza. This small brewery was cranking out some very nice brews. My two favorites were the Stand up Philosopher Imperial IPA and th Killer Boots caramel Porter. For something a little different make sure you try the Laze About Peach-Habanero Ale and yes it has a little pepper bite. Make sure you stop by, this small boutique brewery makes you feel right at home and their moto "Beer for All" insures there is a beer for you.
- Grimm Brothers Brewhouse- located in the same neighborhood as Verboten, you will find this German themed brewery. This is no fairytale place, however, they brew their beers in the tradition of the tales told by Grimm Brothers many years ago. This is another great micro brewery with a great atmosphere and place to relax drink and talk beer. Ok I did not see Snow White, Cinderella or Little Red Riding Hood, but i did enjoy Snow Drop, Little red Cap and Master Thief. Be sure to stop by and enjoy the Grimm Brothers Tales in Beer.
After quite a day we finally arrived in Fort Collins. Oh No........8 breweries and so little time, well I made it to 7, so forgive me I missed one. Again each one offers a unique experience and good brews, so here are a few that I particularly enjoyed.
- Horse & Dragon Brewing Co.- the planning for the brewery took place in 2013 ( year of the dragon) and opened in 2014 ( the year of the horse) thus the name. The brewery, linsey Cornish, is one of a few up and coming female brewers in the craft beer revolution. She is very creative in her recipes looking for that malt and hop balance with a few added surprises. Sad Panda Coffee Stout, L3 IPA, Perambulation Ale #1 were worth the stop.
- New Belgium Brewery- one of the two big boy breweries in town, whose distribution has gotten so big, they are building an eastern brewery in Asheville, NC. The large brewery also has a very large tasting area, along with a large crowd. They have all of their year round brews and seasonals on tap. I had to have the fat tire and lips of faith along with the tour de fall. Nice stop, however, it is the large brewery atmosphere.