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We asked our writers to share some out-of-the-way favorite beer destinations, and while some focused on European haunts, others surprisingly wrote of the Midwest — perhaps that is now the next part of our beery nation to be discovered.
Writer Don Tse likes De Garre in Bruges, Belgium:
For me, it is the hands down best beer bar in Bruges and one of the best in all of Belgium. De Garre is an oasis of civility away from the hustle, bustle and chaos of touristy Bruges. The bar features a bottle selection that is hundreds deep, but it is the setting that makes this place so special. De Garre is dimly lit and every table is covered in a table cloth. Classical music plays unobtrusively in the background and every beer is served on a tray, with a doily and a small bowl of cheese cubes. Perfectly civil. You’ll know it’s time to leave when you hear the strains of Bolero.
Tse also liked Take One in Maastricht, Netherlands (takeonebiercafe.nl). Why would anyone go to Maastricht?” he asks.
Great restaurants, a pleasant river cruise and an interesting tour of limestone caves are some reasons. But for beer lovers, the Take One Bier Café is the real reason. Peet Seerden and Mèry Willemsen opened Take One in 1983. It has a wonderful selection of beers from small breweries, but they specialize in what Peet likes, not in what is popular, trendy, rare or commercial. Interesting beer aside, it is Peet himself that makes Take One worth a visit. When you first meet Peet, you could compare him to a house cat – you are there solely for his amusement and he will tolerate you only for so long as he wishes. Indeed, Peet openly refers to his customers as “victims”.
He will gladly serve you the beer of your choosing, but he will serve it to you as he chooses. Yet, he will devote in incredible amount of time to you, telling you everything you care to hear about the beer and the brewery. Although he is serving his dozens of victims, at all times, you will feel like you have his entire attention. Still, you will feel an unease, like customers of Seinfeld’s famous purveyor of soup.
But when it comes time to settle the tab and call it a night, Peet’s harsh exterior melts away. He will graciously and sincerely thank you for being his victim and a smile will cover his face for the first time. As you exit, you will think to yourself, “What the hell just happened there?” and yet you will be back the following night to experience it all again.
No surprise that Chuck Cook’s favorites are in Belgium; he lives and breathes that country:
During a fine two weeks touring Belgium in the spring of 2008, which included a week in Wallonia, my friend Danny van Tricht told me we were going to a café which served the best Orval in Belgium.
We drove into Luxembourg province: Orval country. Our destination: Moulin Williame, a café attached to a private residence dating to 1880. The café is located beside the Semois river in the heart of a campground where people come to take in its incredible peacefulness.
Deer, ducks, wild boar and rabbits inhabit the area, and I saw a good-sized buck having a drink on the other side of the river as we sat outside. The owner, Lucille, came out and poured us all a round of Orval, for pleasing price of just 2.6 euros. At that moment it was surely the best Orval in the world!
Mouline Williame is an Orval Ambassador café, meaning it has reached the pinnacle of service and promotion of Orval. There are about 15 beers on the list at the café…but why would you want to drink anything else while there?
It is located in Herbeumont, on Rue de Moulin. Tel is 061 41 24 58. No website.
For Paul Sullivan, it’s Bavaria:
One of my favorite places in the world to drink beer is Kloster Andechs in Germany, south of Munich. It is a 14th century monastery brewery on top of a mountain. You can either take a train and then a bus, or hike up the mountain. You should hike, it’s a beautiful path that winds around the mountain, not too strenuous, and it makes it kind of a quest. Because in less than an hour you arrive at the top of the hill and, after you touch the church door for good luck, you are rewarded with some timeless and awesome lagers. The views of Lake Amersee are stunning, it feels like you’re on top of the world, and then you get to have a beer in the huge outdoor beer garden with massive wooden hand-hewn tables. They always have Andechs Helles and Dunkel, and sometimes the Dopplebock also. Andechs beers have that old school maltiness that very few German lagers still possess.
The communal tables are great also, definitely sit wherever there is space, and experience random interaction with whomever the universe sends your way. I had the good fortune to sit with a German family who insisted on buying me beers repeatedly as well as sharing their picnic basket of homemade goodies. One of the most magical beer places I have ever had the pleasure to experience!
Kevin Brown prefers to stay a little closer to home:
In Illinois, it sometimes seems like anything outside the Chicago metro area is an out-of-the-way destination. In that spirit here are a couple of interesting beer venues, including old friends and one of the newest brewpubs in the state. Any of these would make a good day or weekend trip. Coincidentally, all of these places are on or are near rivers.
One of my long-time favorites is the John S. Rhodell brewing company in Peoria. Brewer/owner Mark Johnstone turns out a wide range of exceptionally great beers on a tiny system that also serves as the state’s only brew-on-premises operation. A group of friends from around the state and I meet there two or three times a year to do a brew. Other times it’s nice to just stop in for a pint at the bar or out on the patio. Rhodells is located on Water Street which parallels the Illinois River and River Front Park in an area with restaurants, shops and other good bars.
If Peoria isn’t far enough off the beaten path for you, how about this one? The Grafton Winery & Brewhaus is located in tiny Grafton, IL about 15 miles north of Alton at the confluence of the Illinois & Mississippi rivers. Mike & Lori Nikonovich added a brew house to their winery about a year ago with son Mike Jr. handling brewing besides his wine making duties. “The beer side took off bigger than we had any idea it would” said the older Mike. “We put the brewery in more as a side line but we’re finding groups will come in and some order wine while the others go for the beer.” In fact, the brewery has been so successful that the tap room has been expanded to over 120 seats. On a recent visit we found the beers solid, with the Pilsner and American Wheat particularly enjoyable alongside our lunch of hamburgers and steak sandwiches.
The 2-story brewery-winery is beautifully located right on Grafton’s Main Street. (Actually, there aren’t many other streets. Grafton is small!) The upper patio features outdoor seating with views over the Mississippi to Missouri. During the winter Mike Sr. says spotting bald eagles is so common that he has been accused of planting stuffed birds in the trees! Grafton is on Illinois Rt. 100 (The Great River Road) which makes it a nice destination for a weekend drive. For camping or hiking Pere Marquette State Park is just a few miles north, while for those with more urban tastes St.Louis is an easy 40 minutes in the opposite direction.
Mike Venters, a Maryland resident, took a trip to Wisconsin:
Tucked into the southwest corner of Wisconsin is the small town of Potosi. The town of 700 is approximately 30 minutes from Dubuque, IA and hosts the Potosi Brewing Co. As a fan of brewery memorabilia, I was told during a tour at the Minhas Craft Brewery in Monroe that the restored brewery in Potosi also housed the National Brewery Musuem.
The original brewery in Potosi was founded in 1852. It was bought in 1886 by Adam Schumacher and became the Potosi Brewing Co. in 1906. At its peak, the brewery was the fifth largest in Wisconsin and brewed brands such as Good Old Potosi, Holiday, Garten Brau, and Augsburger. The brewery closed in 1972 and the buildings eventually succumbed to fire. The tour guide at Minhas described the pre-renovation site as a “pile of bricks”.
The property was bought in 1995 by Gary David, who began restoring the facility. Ultimately, he and others enlisted public support, creating the Potosi Brewery Foundation, to which the property was officially transferred in 2000. In 2004, while the facility was being restored, the American Breweriana Association selected Potosi as the site of it national museum.
Today, the location includes the brewpub, the National Brewery Museum and the Potosi Brewing Company Transportation Museum. The National Brewery Museum makes up two levels and several rooms of the building and hosts an impressive array of memorabilia pre and post prohibition. It was the reason I drove a combined three hours out of my way and I wasn’t disappointed. The transportation museum is much smaller, but is interesting in that it highlights the progression of transportation within the US through the perspective of a brewery.
The brewery restaurant is a large stone and timber room. As you walk in you cross a see-through section of the floor where a natural spring flows underneath – the brewery’s water source. The brewery has several styles on tap throughout the year and a pint is included if you tour the National Brewery Museum.
The Potosi Brewing Co. and the museums are certainly a destination location unless you are already in the area. Still, I spent a couple hours touring the museum, tasting beer, and snacking on bacon wrapped shrimp. It was out of my way, totally unplanned and I had a great time.
John Holl picked Indiana, not surprising since he and his buddy Nate Schweber just published a guide book for that state:
It is no longer fair to assume that all great American craft beer comes from Vermont, Colorado or the Pacific Northwest. While we all were busy scooping up the offerings from Stone, Avery, Full Sail and Dogfish Head, Indiana brewers were flying under the radar and serving beers that you could only get if you lived inside the borders.
But respect is coming to Indiana beer. Sun King, Upland, Three Floyds, Rock Bottom and Crown Brewing – all regularly pick up awards at contests like the World Beer Cup and Great American Beer Festival. Fact of the matter is: No matter where you are in Indiana, you’re never far from an expertly made, local craft brew. Here’s a look at some of the state’s more unheralded breweries:
Sun King Brewery, Indianapolis,
sunkingbrewery.com. Clay Robinson and Dave Colt launched their own brewery two years ago after working for other outfits in town. Their liberation has been to the benefit of Indiana drinkers. Unafraid to try new things, the brewery has released everything from hop bombs to pilsners brewed with popcorn. Each beer makes you thirsty for the next one. Look out, because these guys will be a strong regional presence within a few years.
Turoni’s Main Street Brewery, Evansville, turonis.com. Beer and pizza belong with each other. Great pizza deserves great beer and that’s what you get at Turonis. Nestled in the Southwest corner of the state, brewer Jack Frey has created a number of exceptional session beers from a well hopped IPA to a stout named after Don Mattingly, Yankees great and hometown guy.
Back Road Brewing, LaPorte, backroadbrewery.com. Little brewery, big beers is how owner/brewer Chuck Krcilek describes his business. It produces less than 500 barrels a year, making it one of the smallest in the state, but it’s seemingly endless offerings means there is something for everyone. This time of year, try the Blueberry Ale, with fresh fruit taste mingling with an English-style pale ale it’s refreshing on a hot day. The Maple City Gold, an Oktoberfest Lager is the one to look for as the seasons change.
Mad Anthony, Fort Wayne,
www.madbrew.com. The fulfillment of a dream by Blaine Stuckey and Todd Graham, Mad Anthony pays homage to the Revolutionary War general, and has stayed true to their Ft. Wayne roots. The restaurant is an eclectic mix of students, families, retirees and the business crowd, all who appreciate a hearty meal and well crafted beers. Taste your way through any of the 12 house beers on tap and if you find one that you really, really like, order the boot – an 84 oz footwear-shaped drinking vessel.
Upland Brewing Co., Bloomington, uplandbeer.com. Located in Bloomington, home of Indiana University’s main campus, Upland has been creating and serving great beer since 1998. Best known throughout the state for their wheat beer (available in bottles and draft at better beer bars) it’s their limited release iambics, aged in oak wine barrels, that usually stir up some attention. With flavors like persimmon, kiwi and blackberry and bottled conditioned, Upland’s lambic is always a crowd pleaser.
Lew Bryson landed in Athens — Ohio, not Greece:
Most of the year, Athens, Ohio is a hopping college town, home to the 20,000 students of Ohio University, three bike shops (the Hockhocking Adena Bike Path is an excellent trail), and a lot of bars that do a land-office business in mainstream lager. Why would you go? Well, two reasons: the first is the town’s brewpub, Jackie O’s, where brewer Brad Clark has truly put this town on the map with a spectacular barrel program (and owner Art Oestrike is savvy enough to have some outstanding guest taps on in his next-door bar; great pizza, too).
The second reason is the big July event I just got home from: Ohio Brew Week. They just finished up their sixth year (that’s right: it pre-dates Philly Beer Week), and it’s a fantastic celebration of Ohio breweries and their beers. Every bar in town brings in Ohio beers — Buckeye, Maumee Bay, Great Lakes, Weasel Boy, Black Box, Elevator, Lift Bridge, Thirsty Dog, and more — and you can try them all.
What else? There are beer dinners, of course (I hosted a fantastic middle east dinner at Salaam, and an Asian fusion meal at Lui Lui), and events like the Rock ‘n’ Roast kickoff barbeque, a meatball eating contest (great balls, I tried some), a multi-day pool tournament, a cornhole tournament, the annual Miss Plumber’s Crack competition (yes, really, and they put the winner on a beer label), more barbeque, more live music, more meet-the-brewer tastings, and the big event that puts it all together, Boogie on the Bricks — a streetfest of beer, food, and live music that pretty much shuts down the center of town all day Saturday.
So what, you might say: I can see that at any “beer week.” The thing that makes Ohio Brew Week special is that you can walk to everything. Athens is a town of only 20,000 (permanent residents, and the students are mostly gone in July). So it was easy for me to hit four bars and two events all in the space of two hours; I just walked back and forth across Court Street (I had an advantage: Miss Ohio Brew Week was my escort, and Kate really can stop traffic). Parking’s easy, and you could bike to everything quite simply as well.
This is a pretty spot, in Ohio’s hill country, and they take local-sustainable very seriously: lots of local foods in the restaurants, locally-grown pawpaws in everything (ice cream, beer, soon to be in a locally-made vodka). I loved the beer-drinking vegetarians at Casa Nueva (best veggie chili ever, and they serve a mean pulled pork, too), the beer cheese soup at The Pub (soup of the day, every day since 1974), and the friendly folks down at the Oak Room. I missed some places…but I suspect I’ll be back. It’s that much fun.
Tara Nurin ventured into the Poconos and SoJo (South Jersey):
Deep in the Northeastern Pennsylvania mountains, the town of Eagles Mere is home to just 200 year-round residents. Thirty miles from the nearest population center, Eagles Mere claims just one national distinction: it’s the site of the Eagles Mere Inn, a Victorian-era B&B that professes to sell more varieties of beer than any other in the US.
With three taps pouring product from local breweries and 150 bottles supplying craft beer from America, Belgium, Germany, Canada and the UK, owner Toby Diltz has made special arrangements with distributors to obtain beer not otherwise available in Eagles Mere or the surrounding counties. He refuses to serve macros in his pub and makes his feelings clear in a list of house rules he hangs by the bar. As he jokes in rule #8, “We will charge you $9 for a Coors Light. We have over 150 beers … Live a little.”
No matter that you may have spent your entire life in South Jersey … you may still ask “where?” if someone mentions the Philadelphia suburb of Merchantville. For centuries, the borough has been a sleepy — and tiny — bedroom community dwarfed by suburban neighbors like Camden and Cherry Hill. But now, thanks to entrepreneur Halil Gungor, beer travelers from around the Mid-Atlantic are making Merchantville a beer-drinking destination. A few years ago, Gungor converted his family restaurant to the Blue Monkey Tavern, a friendly bar that boasts a Belgian and craft list to rival almost any in Philly. During a recent visit, gems like Allagash Confluence, La Trappe Isid’or, Gulden Draak Vintage and four selections from Gouden Carolus could be found among the 39 taps.
South Jersey may be known for a lot of things — Camden, “Snooki” and convicted wife-killer Rabbi Neulander, for starters — but until recently, beer sophistication was not among them. That’s all changed with the evolution of Haddon Township, a Camden County enclave where all nine of the bars devote considerable space and publicity to craft beer. Stuffed between two dry towns, Haddon Township’s bars could have made plenty of money sticking to the basics. Instead, a married couple who own restobars in neighboring Philadelphia brought the city’s beer ethos to town when they opened a classy Belgian-focused establishment more than five years ago. Since then, other publicans have followed suit by stocking their taps with the top beer available in New Jersey, as well as joining together several times a year for township-wide trolley crawls that feature discounts and meet-and-greets with craft brewers and sales reps.
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