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05/06/2012 - Toppling Goliath

Sun, 06 May 2012 08:00:00 GMT

I have had the pleasure to have a couple of beers from Toppling Goliath and have been very impressed with them. For those of you that are unfamiliar with Toppling Goliath I will help you become a bit more familiar with them. It is a microbrewery in Decorah, IA with a tap room, so you can go to the source and try their beers. Their motto seems to be "Big Beers Brewed in Small Batches". They distribute their beer in North East Iowa predominately with a handle full of locations in the LA Crosse, WI area. From the website it looks as if they currently only distribute by the keg, they are hoping to be bottling sometime this summer. They have 5 core beers with many seasonals, a Hop Patrol Series and a few barrel aged beers. So I am sure that they produce a beer that will meet everyone's likes.

I came across Toppling Goliath's beers at Bodega Brewpub in La Crosse, WI. John, the manager of Bodega, a few months ago mentioned that Toppling Goliath would be doing a tap take over at Bodega. Unfortunately for me I was not in town when that happened, but fortunately for me the tap take over was a success and since then Bodega has had beers on tap from Toppling Goliath (TG).

The first TG beer I had was Golden Nugget, an IPA 6% ABV 56 IBUs. It poured golden yellow with a dense white head. The aroma was of floral and citrus hops and the taste added a good malt backbone to offset the floral and citrus hop flavors. It is medium bodied with a good amount of carbonation. Overall it was a very good and lively IPA.

The second TG beer I had was Biter Double IPA, they do not list ABV, but say it has 154 IBUs. With six different hops used int this beer it is a hop heads dream, I know I sure liked it. It poured a deep gold with a dense with head. They aroma is of hops and more hops. This beer bucks the trend of having pronounced garlic or catty hop aroma in DIPAs. A strong malt backbone equals out the hops in the flavor. Medium bodied with a good amount of carbonation. The beer became better as it warmed and I greatly enjoyed the beer.

Needless to say that after enjoying two of TG's beers I look forward to trying more beers from Toppling Goliath. Maybe even some day I can find my way to Decorah to tapping room to try even more of their beers. Hopefully as they grow they will find their way to some of the beer fests in Iowa and Wisconsin so more people can enjoy their beers. I suggest that if you have a chance to try a Toppling Goliath beer give it a chance.

QC Beerguy

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Sat, 05 May 2012 08:00:00 GMT

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04/25/2012 - QC Beerguy - It's about more than just the beer

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 08:00:00 GMT

If you are like me you pick a brewery, brewpub or beer bar based on the beer that is available and give it a shot. Either it can be a good experience or a bad experience and usually the beer has little to do with your experience. Beer is very important but the service and ambiance have a great deal to do with your experience as well. When either one of these is less than desirable it may doom your visit.

I know when I find a place that I enjoy, it usually combines all three. If one is lacking I begrudgingly over look it, but if two or all three are lacking that spells doom for that place and next time I will try somewhere else. I do not want to waste my time or money on somewhere that does not really care about the customer.

Since I am the QC Beerguy, I always try to choose a place on its beer first. Usually that will work well for me but not always. Sometimes the beer is not as good as advertised and leaves me wanting. In most cases though there is more than enough good beer to save the day.

If the beer meets my demands the service and ambiance either seal the deal or leave me disappointed. There are times when places I am a regular at leave me disappointed and angry. This causes me to take a hiatus from that place. This happened at a couple places locally about a month ago and I have not gone back since. I know I will go back eventually, but I guess to me it is some sort of principal to not go there for a while.

Service to me is a big key. If I am greeted with a "Hello", a smile or at least a tip of the head when I sit down at a bar that is a big step on the way to good service. If instead I am ignored or even worse greeted by a look that tells me "You are not welcome here" it can be bad for a visit. So needless to say like a first date the first 30 seconds spell success or failure for the place I visit. Since I work in sales I understand what good service is and do not accept poor service. I guess that is why I enjoy being a "regular" at the places I frequent, because it usually means good service is on the way.

If the beer and service meet my acceptance it comes down to the ambiance or feel of the place. There is one place I go to on a regular basis that is in a strip mall and from the outside looks rather disappointing, but once inside the place I feel very comfortable. If the feel is there as well with the other two keys this is a worthy place. One such place we were just at this past weekend after our niece's concert in Normal, IL. Probably my wife and I would of never found this place but it succeeded in all three phases. The only negative was that my wife's beer was bad, probably the beer sat in the line to long or some other cleaning issue caused the beer to go bad. Once my wife brought it to our waiter's attention he apologized and than thanked her for telling him about the beer. He said that they want to k now when a beer is bad so they can address it.

I look forward to exploring places on my travels and when I find a gem I am very excited. Conversely if I find a dud I am also in a way excited, this means next time I am in the same city I have a new adventure ahead of me. The beer brings me in, but it is not the be all end all to my decision. The service and the feel of the place are important as well. So to repeat "It's about more than just the beer"

QC Beerguy

04/18/2012 - 10 Ways to Use Beer That Don’t Involve Drinking It

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 08:00:00 GMT

10 Ways to Use Beer That Don’t Involve Drinking It - BestOnlineColleges.com

One of the preferred ways to quench your thirst, after drinking water of course, is beer. It's so good that you should be able to do more with it than just gulp it and then flush it away — even worse is when a bottle or can of brew sits out partially full and is eventually poured down the drain, completely wasted. The good news is that, when this does occur, you can put the leftover beer to good use in a variety of ways. Beer has extraordinary household and even personal care uses that many people don't realize. Here are 10 ways that beer can be used resourcefully in its afterlife.

For the top 10 ways, click here!

04/06/2012 - QC Beerguy - QC Beer Scene

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 08:00:00 GMT

This Spring and early summer will be an exciting time for the QC beer scene with two brewpubs expanding production into new facilities and a new nano-brewery opening. Front Street Brewery is in the process of moving brewing operations into the Freight House building in downtown Davenport. Besides having the brewery in the Freight House, they will also have a tasting room. Also they went local with their brewing equipment having Crawford Company from Rock Island, IL make it. This is the first time for such a project for Crawford Company. That is pretty cool. Even cooler is the thought of sitting in the tasting room, enjoying a beer and looking out the window to see Le Claire Park and the Mississippi River. This will be a great location to enjoy a beer.

Also moving their brewing into new digs is Bent River Brewing Company. They are moving into a former car wash in Downtown Rock Island, an interesting new use for the building. Bent River will include a tasting room and a retail space to sell Bent River goodies. As well they will have a drive up coffee hut that will sell packaged beer to go. With the expanded capacity they hope to meet the continuing expanding demand for their beers. Also a familiar face will be in charge of quality control, original owner Tim Koster. I am looking forward to checking out how a car wash can be changed into a production brewery.

Last but not least is the opening of Against the Grain Brewery and Alehouse. As I mentioned this will be a nano-brewery, owned by the only GABF award winning brewer in the Quad Cities, Rich Nunez. Rich is in the process of getting his location up and running; it is located in Rock Island near Augustana College at 1340 30th St. Rich will be brewing his own beers as well having some guest taps. Since this is a nano brewery, brewing in small batches less than a half barrel at a time, Rich will be able to have a variety of his beers on at a time. I am looking forward to enjoying some beers from Rich and maybe even giving his garlic porter another try if he decides to make it again.

I believe all locations are hoping to be up and going at the latest by the end of May. This will be a fun adventure checking out these new locations and enjoying the beer being produced at them. Hope to see a lot of people out supporting the new locations and the new brewery.

QC Beerguy

04/01/2012 - QC Beerguy - South Chicago

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Another weekend of judging sent us to the South Chicago suburbs and a couple brewpubs. First stop Three Floyds Brewing Company in Munster, IN http://www.3floyds.com/ under normal conditions a three hour drive. Upon arrival around 11:30 AM the parking lot was full and we had to park on the street. Currently they are doing some remodeling and have limited service for their beers. They have 20 tap beers for the offering.

The taps run from session beers to high octane IIPAs and barley wines. Of course the year round beers are on tap, but also a bunch of seasonal as well. Between the four of us we tried 12 of the 20 tap beers, ranging from several ESBs to IIPAs. My first beer was Das Kleine Schwarz Einhorn a wonderful Schwartz beer. Black in color but light in taste, probably one of the best Schwartz beers I have had recently. A proper Schwartz is dark, malty and refreshingly hoppy.   My next beer was Lord Admiral Nelson a good traditional ESB. My last beer was Zombie Dust, I am a new convert to this beer. This is an outstanding IPA, I think it supplanted Arrogant Bastard as my favorite beer. It has a strong hop presence with a strong malt backbone. Even though the hops are featured in the beer it is well balanced making it very drinkable. Now if asked for an IPA to have I will mention Zombie Dust first.

Among our group we also Lawless ESB, Stygian Darkness, Jinx Proof, Arctic Panzer Wolf, Mushy P and Brian Boru to name what I remember. The tap list can be seen at http://www.3floyds.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/current-beer-menu1.htm. Every beer we had was at worst good if not great.   After our visit I understand why they have such a cult following for their beer. Unfortunately we were a bit early for Dark Lord, but we still enjoyed the visit. If you find yourself within an hour of Three Floyds make the detour and enjoy the beers you can only find at the brewery.    With beer requests the four of us left with over $200 of packaged beer for us and friends in the QC.

Next stop Flossmoor Station Restaurant and Brewery in Flossmoor, IL http://www.flossmoorstation.com/.   This is a great location downtown Flossmoor in the old train depot next to a train station stop. Our group all had been to Flossmoor previously and we were not disappointed with our return visit. We found seats at the bar and promptly ordered a sampler of their beers, which entailed a total of 16 different beers, here is a link to them http://www.flossmoorstation.com/brew/selections.htm. Some of my favorites include Panama Limited Red Ale, Pullman Brown Ale (of course since this is their flagship beer), Intercontinental Pale Lager, Smoked Porter and Wallonian Saison.   The IPL was smooth, refreshing and hoppy. The porter had a noticeable strong smokiness that I love. The saison is dangerously smooth and refreshing, this is not a session beer. Flossmoor is a worthy stop all by itself. They have great beer and a good food menu. Another good thing was we happened to be there at the correct time and we able to partake in a happy hour food bar. Before we left we picked up some growlers.

At the hotel we enjoyed a growler of the IPL and watched some NCAA tournament basketball. It was an early night for all of us since three of the four of us had a judging event on Saturday. Unfortunately for us there were a bunch of high school aged kids at the hotel. They were constantly running the halls and mysteriously the fire alarm went off twice within twenty minutes around four AM. So the following day of judging was a bit long for us. The beer judging contest was very enjoyable, and our friends that we were with won a some ribbons including the Best of Show Mead.

All in all it was another great weekend of beer.

QC Beerguy

03/18/2012 - QC Beerguy - Southern Kansas

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 08:00:00 GMT

This past weekend my wife and I were in southern Kansas for a wedding, it was a classmate of my wife's daughter. So in planning our visit, I did my usual amount of research to find local breweries or brewpubs. Unfortunately for us the closest brewpubs were in Wichita an hour away from Arkansas City, so no trying out of brewpubs since our main intent was the wedding on Saturday. Instead we spent the day roaming Arkansas City, KS. An aside here it is pronounced "R kansas city" in Kansas not "R kan saw" as in the state of Arkansas. Locally it is made much easier they just call it Ark City.

First we go to a museum for the Cherokee Strip Land Rush, a cool museum telling the local history of the Oklahoma land rush. At the museum one of the pamphlets we received was a walking tour of the architecture of the downtown. As we are on our walking tour we notice across the street what looks like a bar with a barber shop in it. Since I needed a haircut we decide to check it out when we come back on that side of the street on our walking tour.

Our place of interest is about two thirds of the way through the walking tour so we have worked up a bit of a thirst and are ready to check this building out. When we arrive at the doorway we see that there are actually 2 doors one for the bar and one for the barbershop. We go in the barbershop door and find a sign in the barber chair "The barber is in the bar", so we head through the common door between them and we see the barber walking towards us. We go back to the barbershop, I get seated and joke about having a beer while I get my haircut. The barber says right back you can if you want to. I decide to hold off on the beer, since did not want a bunch of hair clippings in my beer.

As I get my haircut we find out about the barber. His name is Adrian and he graduated from Ark City in 2005. He then went to barber college and after graduating he was recommended to the Barber/Owner of the barbershop we were in. So he began working at the barbershop and now is in the process of buying the shop from the current owner. His prices are great for a haircut it was $11 can't beat that.

After my haircut is finish I settle up and thank Adrian then my wife and I head back into the bar to have a beer. We take seats at the bar, joining a couple of locals and the bar tender. My wife asked what beers they have and the bartender mentions all Bud products and Coors Light. I get a Bud draft and my wife gets a Bud bottle, the good thing is the beers are only $2 a piece. Fitting for the beer we purchased.

The bar itself has seen better days, it is dark, dirty and age worn. With that said we still are enjoying ourselves, the locals and the bartender are talking with us telling stories about the relationship between the bar and barbershop. They told us about a previous barber that you only want to get an AM haircut from, because he was bombed by the afternoon. When he was not cutting hair he was in the bar drinking. He also kept a bottle of whiskey in his shop and one day he was drinking from the bottle when a state inspector arrived for an inspection. Some how though the barber passed inspection.

To me this is a great idea to combine a bar and barbershop and the only one I know of is located in Ark City, KS. So if you find yourself in need of a haircut in Ark City go here for a cut and a beer. It is a cool place to me.

After we finished our beer we paid up and finished our walking tour. When finished we went to a local liquor store to see what beer we could find. We found enough beer to fill up two cases. Some local like Free State in Lawrence, KS and Marshall Brewing in Tulsa, OK. We also picked up a couple six packs of Gordon Biersch in bottles. So we will be enjoying some beer that we can not normally find.

That evening we head to the wedding and then the reception. They had a margarita machine and a keg of Bud, so we had Bud until the keg ran dry. After a bit of time they provided a bottle of champagne for each table, so my wife switched over to champagne for the rest of the night. When the keg ran dry, which was about the end of the night, we raided our stash that we purchased that day and shared them with our friends. Also one couple of our friends came from Colorado and had a bottle of Breckenridge Bourbon. It was pretty harsh, not smooth like Mississippi River Distilling's Cody Road Bourbon, so I will not be thinking of purchasing the Breckenridge Bourbon any time soon.

All said my wife and I had a great time in Ark City. Even though we did not find a great new brewpub or brewery for us, we still had a beer adventure.

One last thing, some one please open up a brewpub or brewery in Ark City, KS so when we go there again we will have someplace to go for good beer. Also probably more important the people of the town desrve some good beer!

QC Beerguy

03/06/2012 - QC Beerguy - Beer of Chicago's North Suburbs

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 08:00:00 GMT

On February 24th my wife, another couple, and myself did a beer tour of the Northern Suburbs of Chicago, prior to judging at a Homebrew Competition on Saturday. We started off at Geneva Ale House . When you first pull up you see the old marque from days gone by and when entering the place it is updated with lots of exposed wood and bricks. I felt at home almost instantly, even before we sat down at the bar. At the bar we were quickly greeted by the bartender, while we perused the beer menu. They advertise over 140 beers, which includes 12 tap beers. After looking at the menu the men ordered a pint each and the ladies ordered a sampler of three beers. We wound up staying for a couple beers both drafts and bottles.

A few of the standouts included Trumer Pils , a wonderful German style Pils. It poured light yellow with a dense white head, crystal clear and it was nice and crisp from hops and had a wonderful malty taste. Another standout was Founders All Day IPA as the name implies this is not your average IPA. It checks in at 4.7% ABV with 42 IBUs, so it is an IPA that could be a session beer that could be enjoyed all day. The last standout was Three Floyds Behemoth Barleywine , a wonderful American Barleywine. It checks in at 10.5% ABV and 80 IBUs, and it is rich and malty with caramel notes. The high hopping rate offsets the malty sweetness and high alcohol making this a really good drinking barleywine. Just make sure to share the beer, this is not a beer to have all to yourself particularly if you are driving or planning to have more beers later on in the day.

Next stop was the Firkin in Libertyville, IL , which has around 30 draft beers and at least another 50 in bottles. This is a must stop for all beer lovers in the northern suburbs. Walking into this bar has the feel along the lines of an English pub; I am sure that is why the name. It is dark wood with a wonderful old bar back that just says home.

With that many taps there is always a beer on tap for your particular taste. Some fine examples were Stiegl Brau, Kasteel Rouge and Mongo IPA. Stiegl is a wonderful malty Austrian Lager, Kasteel is a great Belgian Brown ale aged with cherries and Mongo IPA is a big IPA with lots of hops. On the weekend if you want a seat come early.

Next on our tour was Tighthead Brewing Company in Mundelein, IL; this is a brewery started by a homebrewer. Located in a warehouse area it is a bit difficult to get to if you do not know the way. It is a combination of a brewery and a tasting room. Since it is located near a train stop this could be a great place for the commuter to enjoy a beer or two to relax after work. They have six tap beers: Comfortably Blonde, Scarlet Fire, IRIE IPA, Boxcar Porter, Hat Trick Tripel and Upright Extra Pale Ale. All are good solid beers, but a couple I could pass on were the blonde and the tripel. A couple growlers were filled to be taken back to the QC and shared at the MUGZ meeting on Sunday, Scarlet Fire and IRIE IPA made it home unopened. Since this is a homebrewer that went pro I really liked this place and suggest any one giving it a try when in the area.

Lake Bluff Brewing Company in Lake Bluff, IL is a place my wife and I have previously been to when visiting the Northern Suburbs. It is still as quaint as my wife and I remembered.

We wanted to introduce our friends to this little place. They enjoyed it as well. They have seven beers currently on tap: Udderly Oatmeal Stout, Autumn Rye, Bohemian Blonde, Inspiration Pale Ale, Black Squirrel Bourbon Stout, Hard Tail Imperial IPA and Weeee!! Heavy Scotch Ale. A couple standouts were the Black Squirrel and the Weeee!! Heavy. Both are big beers in flavor and alcohol. Located in the downtown area of Lake Bluff this seems to be a gathering place for the locals. Stop in when you are in the area.

Last stop on the beer tour was Mickey Finn's in Libertyville, IL. A brewpub we have been to a few times now and it is always crowded. They have eight beers on tap and a full food menu. This is a good brewpub, but not a must hit every time in the area. There are also numerous other bars and brewpubs we did not have time to hit, so I believe another trip is in order.

QC Beerguy

02/20/2012 - QC Beerguy - If Everyone Else Likes It

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT

When discussing and tasting beer from many different breweries, it seems like I am the only person not wild about Brewery X or Y. I know I am not the only person that thinks that but I might be in the minority when it comes to my thoughts on the brewery. No, I am not saying that the beer from the brewery is bad, but there are better beers out there. Liking beer from a brewery or not is a personal opinion, but when the brewery in question garners rave reviews in print, online and from your friends, you may begin to wonder if you are crazy. Do not worry you may be crazy, but probably not from disliking a brewery or a beer from a certain brewery.

For myself I have a few breweries that come right to mind: Brewdog from Scotland http://www.brewdog.com/, Mikkeller from Denmark http://www.mikkeller.dk/ and Nogne from Norway http://www.nogne-o.com/. All have received rave reviews and much print about their beers. I have tried numerous beers from each of these breweries and all of the beers were good, but none I would say outstanding. They have made numerous out of the ordinary beers as well as beers to style. Some of their beers include single hop IPAs, a coffee stout using coffee that was eaten by a civet, a 41% ABV quadruple IPA and numerous beers using herbs, spices and twigs. Of the beers I tried all were good but none were awesome; however they are all sold at a premium price. With that said to me it makes no sense to pay more for a good beer than an outstanding beer I all ready buy.

Also I find I have the same feelings about some flagship beers produced by some really good breweries. A couple quick ones are Spotted Cow by New Glarus http://www.newglarusbrewing.com/index.cfm/beers/OurBeers/Beer/spotted-cow and Fat Tire by New Belgium http://www.newbelgium.com/beer/detail.aspx?id=7c5b394b-d7b7-486a-ac9a-316256a7b0ee. Thankfully there are a whole bunch of people that love these beers, so that enables each brewery to produce all of the beers that I do like.

I am not saying that only my opinion counts, since I have friends that disagree with me on some of my favorite breweries. One big one that comes to mind is Stone Brewing Company http://www.stonebrew.com/ and their flagship Arrogant Bastard. To one friend the beer and brewery are good but nothing outstanding. Needless to say each beer drinkers tastes are different and no one beer is better than any other.

That is pretty much my point that every beer drinker has their favorite beer or brewery and there is no right or wrong. Another point is do not like a beer or brewery just because it seems like every other beer drinker loves a specific beer or brewery. Believe it or not not every well reviewed beer or brewery is as outstanding as advertised. Needless to say, like what you like and if you feel you are the only one that is not blown away by the beer, just remember more than likely you are not.

QC Beerguy

02/16/2012 - QC Foodie - Our QC Staycation

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Ricardo and I spend most of our free time with my daughters at home during the weeknights and he spends each Sunday with his daughters so sometimes we just want to get away to spend time together. We have gone on weekend getaways to Galena or Chicago but that involves travel time, no matter how short, so we opted to enjoy a “vacation” in the Quad Cities, more specifically in downtown Davenport. We met some friends at Woodfire Grill. The restaurant was bustling with guests including many youngsters dressed in their finest for school dance dates. We both ordered sangrias, Ricardo ordered drunken ribeye and I ordered the Whiskey Sriracha Salmon.

A bit about the Woodfire Grill from the website:

“Enjoy Midwestern fare with a large variety of original items flavored by a hickory and oak-fueled grill. Dig into the wood-fired brick oven pizzas in a variety of palate-pleasing combinations. Indulge in steaks, chicken, chops and seafood flavored by the woodfired-grill. Open for lunch and dinner.

The eclectic menu, commonly described as Americana, features exciting menu selections flavored by hickory and oak wood-fired grills. This cooking technique enhances the natural flavors of our hand-cut aged steaks, fresh seafood, chicken and chops. From our chef signature selections to the comfort food classics, we use only the finest and freshest ingredients in all our made-from-scratch recipes. “

The atmosphere of the Woodfire is contemporary and vibrant, with beautiful dark wood, classy décor in rich warm tones, a busy bar and brick ovens firing away in the kitchen. The restaurant was well-lit and the noise level was low enough for the six of us to converse easily despite the full restaurant. Ricardo's steak was cooked well done as opposed to medium rare and my salmon was a tad overcooked as well. The fire-roasted vegetables were good and the horseradish redskin smashed potatoes were kind of bland. Our friends had mixed reviews, one really enjoyed the same salmon I had, her husband thought the lobster ravioli was good, one had the beef stew and thought it wasn't as good as the previous time he had it and his wife had chicken alfredo and she enjoyed it.

Next, we went to Front Street Brewery for some drinks and conversation. Front Street is a friendly and lively place on River Drive. This is from the website:

“Nestled in downtown Davenport in what was originally called the Bucktown area in the 1920’s, Front Street Brewery radiates the charm that only history can impart. Front Street’s warm interior is highlighted by burnished wood and exposed brick walls. The main brewery and restaurant, both more than 100 years old are separated by a quaint brick beer garden.

Front Street Brewery, founded in 1992, was once home to a vegetable warehouse, car repair garage, printing company and beer warehouse. It’s where Davenport and thousands of visitors from other cities come for great times, great food and fabulous brews made right on the premises in Front Street’s Brewery.”

The beer drinkers in our party sampled the hand-craft beers while the rest of us enjoyed various mixed drinks. Ricardo and I ordered Slow Roasted Pulled Pork Nachos. Here's the description from the menu: Pork rubbed with salt, sugar, Ancho chili powder and garlic and slow roast them for 24 hours and shred. Fresh fried tortilla chips are covered with melted Chihuahua cheese, roasted corn-onion and Mexican Style Crema. Served with fresh made guacamole and fire-roasted tomato salsa. I don't like ground meats since they're so full of fat so I have often wished someone would make nachos with shredded meat and here it was! I have never had nachos quite like this, they were terrific. The roasted corn added a new and tasty dimension. We didn't get any guacamole and I didn't notice that we were supposed to until reading the description more carefully while writing this so unfortunately I can't critique it. One couple we were with ordered Chocolate Stout Cupcake for dessert. It was made with bittersweet chocolate and Front Street's stout beer. It was topped with a buttercream icing and served with chocolate espresso ice cream. It looked divine and they thought it was delicious.

We parted with our friends for the evening and went back to our hotel room at the Radisson. Being from the Quad Cities, I'd never stayed at the local Radisson. I was impressed by the room, the hospitality and the sleep number bed.

In the morning, we ate brunch at the Radisson. The brunch is more affordable than all of the others in the Quad Cities that I'm aware of. The staples of a brunch are available, omelettes cooked to order, large and Belgian waffles, a couple of lunch offerings, fruit, soup, salad, danish, muffins and some cheesecake options. The hotel is beautiful as you can see by the photos.

We had a great staycation in downtown Davenport, I recommend it as a short getaway destination even if you live here!

02/16/2012 - QC Beerguy - Comfort Beer

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Every now and then I find my self just wanting a familiar beer or beer style for an enjoyable quaff. Not that I do not enjoy the quest for those beers or beers styles that are extreme, different, hard to find or just down right odd. Sometimes just kicking back and relaxing with a beer near and dear to my heart and palate can be as big of a thrill as finally cracking open a bottle of that rare Imperial Stout, Double IPA or that special Sour beer I have been searching for. Even a run of the mill every day beer can be an adventure unto itself.

I came to these thoughts while I was enjoying my dinner with a personal favorite of mine, Schmaltz's Alt from August Schell Brewing http://www.schellsbrewery.com/ourbeers_info.php?id=9. This is to me a wonderfully malty, slightly chocolatey alt beer, that I enjoy while it is in season. Another "comfort" beer to me is Sam Adams Old Fezziwig Ale http://www.samueladams.com/enjoy-our-beer/beer-detail.aspx?id=93fe771b-3f68-4b4d-8de8-ebf83f9bff4e, another seasonal beer that I enjoy every time I have it.

I am sure that even the most intrepid beer explorer has to put their quest on hold to cleanse their palate and mind with an enjoyable "comfort" beer. These time outs can be a great way to refocus and reevaluate what beers you are looking for. The "comfort" beer does not need to be something exciting to any one but yourself. When the urge arises do not fight it go with the flow and have that very familiar, enjoyable "comfort" beer. I know I am looking forward to later this year when I have my Dumbass Kolsch on tap and I can just sit back and enjoy a couple of pints.

After I have quenched my desire for something familiar, I find I enjoy those new exciting beers even more. So if you feel you have hit a wall in your quest, stop enjoy a few "comfort" beers and refocus on your quest. Then go out and hunt down those beers you desire.

QC Beerguy

01/25/2012 - QC Beerguy - Help Wanted

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Help Wanted (You too can work for your local brewery)

This past week and weekend our friends at a local brewery were busy canning beer they made on contract for a brewery that is starting out. Since the new brewery does not have their equipment operational they had to contract the beer they needed the beer for a festival starting later this week. A call went out asking for help in finishing the canning process. I have no clue as to the exact number of cans produced, but from what I saw on Sunday there were multiple pallets of beer. Many of my friends were able to work more than I was but I know any help was much appreciated. Also everyone was "paid" well and did not go home thirsty. True I was not paid any money, nor were any of the other volunteers, but still I felt like I was working for the brewery.
Anyone can "work" for your favorite brewery or brewpub. They love having free volunteer labor and greatly appreciate you giving up some of your free time to assist them around the brewery. For the most part they will not give you the jobs that require the most grunt work, unless you are willing to do it. The jobs you can do vary from cleaning, scrubbing, hauling spent grain, carrying bags of grain or even helping to brew a batch of beer. As many of you probably know brewing is probably at least 90% cleaning and maintenance and actually less than 10% brewing. So helping at a brewery may not be all that glamorous, but it is hard work and very rewarding when the work is done.
I have had the good luck to help brew a batch of beer at two of the four local brewpubs/breweries in the Quad Cities. I believe a few friends of mine have been able to help brew a batch at all four. To me this is great fun and well worth the hard work I had to put into it. Most brewers really love having assistants when it comes to moving spent grain, since it is dirty, hot and wet work. They do not mind sharing this job with eager helpers.
Also depending on the brewery/brewpub you can be up and working in the early hours of the morning. One local brewpub starts to brew at 2 or 3 a.m. since the brewhouse is located right behind the bar they serve the beer. Other breweries have the serving area and brewing area separated and start at a more reasonable hour like 6 or 7 a.m. I have found out especially in the summer it is best to brew earlier in the day since the brew process does create a lot of heat.
Brewers will gladly accept help at any time and to do just about anything in the brewery. Do not be afraid the next time you go in and have a seat at the bar ask the brewer if there is anything you can do to assist him or her. They may not have something for you that day, but be persistent and open with your availability and they will take you up on your offer.
Volunteering to work is a great way to get your foot in the door and sometimes even leads to a volunteer becoming an actual paid employee. So if you are thinking about working at a brewery or even starting your own brewery, volunteer at a local brewery/brewpub. Even better if you are in an area with multiple breweries/brewpubs, volunteer to work at as many as you can. That way you gain experience on different brewing systems and with different brewers, since no two systems are the same and no two brewers are the same either. I know a couple people locally that started out working for free and then they became paid employees. Also there are numerous examples around the United States of volunteers become paid employees. So if this is something you want to do, go for it.

Some people may be thinking I want to help my local brewery but really do not want help brew beer. Well there are other things you can do as well. Many breweries/brewpubs are willing to do in kind exchange with skill laborers such as electricians, carpenters, pipe fitters or other skill trades. They will "pay" you in product for your trade skill on a project that they do not fill comfortable doing. So if you are a skilled laborer check with your local brewery/brewpub if they have any such projects.
Other ways to help are low skill like what I did on Sunday within a matter of seconds I was able to man my position in the canning process. Some of the positions required a bit more training but none of them were rocket science.
Another way is to volunteer to assist at a beer festival the brewery/ brewpub is attending. This is a very fun experience, plus it is not overly difficult. Each festival has their own set of ground rules so pay attention to those, but overall it is a matter of pouring beer for the fest goers. The brewery/brewpub staff at the event will gladly accept the extra hands, that way they have an opportunity to wander the festival grounds and experience the various beers offered by other brewers. One thing I enjoy is being able to help spread knowledge and understanding of the beer you are helping serve. Needless to say it helps to have some knowledge of the beer you are pouring, but the more important thing is to be a willing server.
I know this is not a complete list of ways someone can "work" for their local brewery/brewpub, but it should give you a good idea of the many ways you too can work for your local brewery. Some require hard physical work some do not. The main idea is to get in there and do some work. The "pay" will be well worth it!

QC Beerguy

01/25/2012 - QC Beerguy - Plainfield, IN

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:00:00 GMT

My wife and I escorted our daughter back to the Indianapolis area for another round of job testing. This time we were in Plainfield, IN and we were able to visit two brewpubs and a winery all within a mile of each other. Needless to say this pub crawl can certainly be a crawl if you stay in one of the well located hotels.
Friday night we arrived and found our hotel, then went out for dinner. We decided to go to the Black Swan Brewpub http://www.blackswanbrewpub.com/index.html, which is located in a strip mall. As with many brewpubs that are located in strip malls, the inside is much more inviting than the exterior. The bar area is divided off from the main dining area. It has a slightly upscale feel but it is comfortable as well, dark wood is the predominate feature. Also featured on the wall is some local art work.
We were quickly seated and did our usual by ordering a sampler of their beers. The sampler included 10 beers (actually 9 beers and 1 cider) 7 from Black Swan and three guest taps. The seven beers from Black Swan were an IPA, ESB, Porter, Tafel, Cream Stout, Scottish Ale, EKG and a Pale Ale. All of the beers were well made but some stood out to me more than others, my favorites were the IPA, Porter, Cream Stout and Scottish Ale. The IPA is a very good American IPA with a good amount of hops in the aroma as well in the taste a good malt backbone which offsets the hops to balance the beer. The Porter is almost black in appearance, with noticeable chocolate malt notes and just enough hops to balance the beer. The Cream Stout is black in color, with a good roasty fullness that is played off of with lactose that smooths out the beer. The Scottish Ale became my favorite as it warmed up and the flavors came out. It had a really nice crystal malt flavor and became more complex as it warmed.
The food was every bit the equal of the beers. The menu has notes of typical pub food, but also goes above and beyond that. There are sandwiches, salads and dinner entrees so your whole group can find something they would like. Towards the end of our meal the chef, Nick Carter, walked up to our table and engaged us in an entertaining conversation for several minutes. His love of his food and the beer that they produce was very evident from talking to him. If you are in Plainfield, the Black Swan is worth a stop.
Saturday our first stop was at Chateau Thomas Winery http://www.chateauthomas.com/ . This is the second winery in the Indianapolis area that we have been to and much to our pleasure this winery features grape wine not fruit wine. My wife and I walked into the tasting room and we were greeted by Bill and he explained the tasting process. For $5 you receive 5 tastes of their varietal wines, for $7 you receive 5 tastes including their reserve wines. We went for the $7 tasting. They had their wines broken down by general styles Dry Whites, Dry Reds, Sweets, Slender Series and Reserve Wines. The Dry Whites included Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Dry Gewurztraminer and Dry Riesling. The Dry Reds included Tosca, Merlot, Teroledego and Petite Verdot. Sweets included Riesling, Sweet Sherry, Vintage Port, and Blackberry Merlot. The Reserves included Malbec, Family Reserve, Late Harvest Viongier and Vidal Blanc Ice Wine. The Slender Series is a line of wines that is proprietary to this winery. It has no carbs, no fat and is sweetened by a non-caloric sweetener. It has been given out in the gift baskets at the Academy Awards.

All of the wines are well made and the ones we sampled were very good. My wife and I had a few favorites among them the Sweet Sherry, Vintage Port and the Dry Riesling (it is considered dry because it has low sweetness, but it is slightly sweet). We purchased a bottle of the Sweet Sherry and are looking forward to enjoying it. Thanks to variable state laws they may or may not be able to ship to you, check their website for further shipping information. This is a winery worth a stop, since they have around 40 wine varieties my wife and I only scratched the surface with our visit.
Upon leaving the winery we took a short drive to Three Pints Brewpub http://www.threepintsbrewpub.com/index.html. It is in a standalone building, which in a previous life was probably a drive in restaurant. The inside is small and probably seats no more than 50 people, including a small bar that seats about 8 people. Upon being seated we ordered a sampler of their beers, which was a total of 4 beers. The beers were Plainfield Pale Ale Version 2.0, Retired Red, Oktoberfest and Yoshi's Nectar. Yoshi's Nectar is brewed as a California Common, think Anchor Steam, neither my wife nor I liked the beer. I am not much on Cal Commons and she did not like the hop profile. The Oktoberfest was a bit thin and bitter; I just wonder why they still had an Oktoberfest on tap in mid-January. My wife like the Retired Red best and ordered a pint, it was noticeably malty with a note of hops and was an easy drinker. I ordered a pint of Plainfield Pale Ale; it was by far the hoppiest beer they had and was fairly malty so it met my needs.
The food was pretty much your typical bar food burgers, sandwiches, soups and salads. I do have to say that the food was very good. Unfortunately the beer has a ways to go to make it to the level of good. It was worth a try but I think we will skip it if we ever go back to Plainfield, IN.
After we finished our lunch and beers we headed back to Black Swan Brewpub for a beer each. I ordered the Scottish Ale, which I liked from the previous night, which was very enjoyable. My wife ordered a Roggenwein, it came only in a half pint since it was 10.5% ABV. It is a barleywine made with 50% rye malt. It was medium full bodied with an interesting spiciness from the rye malt and finished fairly dry. Both my wife and I liked it. As we were just about done we received the call to pick up our daughter, so we finished the beers and headed out.
To recap our mini tour: Black Swan very good beer and upscale bar food, Chateau Thomas Winery very good wine, with only one fruit wine, Three Pints Brewpub very good bar food but average at best beer.

QC Beerguy

01/22/2012 - QC Foodie - Cool Beanz

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Ricardo and I wandered into Cool Beanz Coffeehouse because he and both of my daughters all bean there before separately and without me. Sorry, that was uncalled for. The website, which is nicely done by the way, has the history on the about page. I love it when restaurants tell their story! Here's an excerpt, “Annette Zapolis, owner and manager, thought that such a place was needed in the area after living in Rock Island for four years as an Augustana student. Her third year at Augustana, she started to research not only her major, Geology, but also studied coffee, espresso, restaurant management, and the communities needs. After finding the perfect location, applying a year of research, and fixing up the 100 year old building- Cool Beanz opened August 24th 2009- three months after Zapolis’ graduation from Augustana.”

Annette cheerfully greeted us the day we went and took our orders. I hadn't seen the website before I visited but I quickly surmised the restaurant was either a former Augie student or catered heavily to the Augie crowd when I read the names of drinks including The Dean's List, The Nutty Professor, The Quad, The All Nighter and The Sorority Girl.

Ricardo ordered an iced mocha and the Gourmet Grilled Cheese and I ordered a Chai. A good friend of mine is Indian and introduced me to Chai when I was a teen. She taught me that chai means tea so to say chai tea is redundant. Chai from India is spiced milk tea according to this site devoted to the delicious beverage http://www.chai-tea.org/whatisit.html

Ricardo gave the iced mocha his approval, which is a rare occurrence for that beverage which is his favorite coffee drink. The chai came in an awesome filter (also available for sale on the merchendise section) so I could steep the tea to my liking. I also find it difficult to locate exceptional chai but this was amazing. The aroma of the spices had me in seventh heaven. (Thanks to those of you who got that.) Ricardo thoroughly enjoyed the upgraded version of the old standby, the grilled cheese. It contained provolone, fresh mozzarella, sharp cheddar, scallions and pesto.

My salad was also fantastic, with fresh fruit, toasted almonds, feta cheese mango vinaigrette on a bed of romaine lettuce. The only suggestion I would make would be to grill the chicken because the texture and blandness didn't complement the beautiful, sweet and slightly tangy salad.

The décor was whimsical and comfortable. I liked the unique ceiling fans (see the photo). This may sound like an exaggeration but it's true, everyone there seemed to be extremely relaxed and happy. Friends and families of all ages we hanging out and enjoying the scrumptious food. I'll take my daughters next time I return since they actually enjoy it, which is a great compliment from my finicky eaters. Cool Beanz deserves more study so I'll be sure to get back there soon!

QC Foodie

01/19/2012 - QC Beerguy - Mexican Vacation

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:00:00 GMT

My family went to an all inclusive resort in Rivera Maya Mexico the first part of January and had a great relaxing vacation. The resort we went to advertised "Premium Beer"; however we found out that meant Corona on tap at every bar on the resort. My wife and I kept asking at every bar if they had something else and we were told no. So I'm sure Anheuser Busch InBev paid a pretty penny for that, since Corona is in their stable of beers. Finally we did find one bar in the lobby that had "Premium Beer". This meant Pacifico, Negra Modelo, Modelo, Sol, Dos Equis, Leon and Victoria. All of those except for Sol are very good drinkable Mexican beers.
A couple of them Leon and Victoria were new to me. Leon is a Munich Dunkel style beer, which my wife and I enjoyed. It had a good toasting, Munich malt aroma with little hop aroma. Flavor was slight toasty malt, a sweet brown sugar note and as my wife put it, it had a slight tea bag like taste. Medium bodied with low carbonation, almost no head out of the bottle. After reading my description you may wonder why I liked this beer, but it was a much enjoyed difference from Corona. My next duty is to find it here back home if I can and see if I still like it. I am looking forward to that challenge.
Victoria, the other new beer, is a Vienna Lager. We both had this beer at a restaurant/ bar in Playa Del Carmen on the suggestion of our waiter. Again it was a beer we enjoyed and not your typical Mexican beer. It had a slight malty sweetness with little or no hop aroma. Flavor was noticeably malty with a hint of sweetness. It paired well with the Mexican food we were eating. I will be on the lookout for this beer as well to see what I think of it when I am home.
Both of these beers are from Grupo Modelo which is in the Anheuser Busch InBev stable as well. Remember though that there are only really two brewery groups in Mexico so it is hard to get away from beer that is owned by the big guys. The other brewery in Mexico is Cerveria Cuauhtemoc Moctezuma which is owned by Heineken. So the big guys make almost all of the beer in Mexico, but to their credit they do it so well that there is no difference bottle to bottle of their beers.
In wrapping up my thoughts on our Mexican vacation and Mexican beer, if you have a chance go to Mexico it is eye opening and enjoyable. As far as the beer is concerned look for something new to you or stay with the brands that you like at home. At all cost try to avoid Corona, even though it is everywhere. Corona is really for the tourists, the average Mexican does not touch the stuff.
A couple last pointers learn these words Cerveza and Gracias. The locals really appreciate it when a tourist uses some of the Spanish language. Also be wary of your resorts definition of "Premium Beer".

QC Beerguy

01/05/2012 - QC Foodie - Duck City Bistro

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Think of a typical restaurant experience: guests are seated by a host, they order drinks, review a menu, orders, the wait staff serves the food, checks back in a few times, the guest leaves. Now replace that with a cozy, personalized, unparalleled dining experience in the heart of Downtown Davenport. Duck City Bistro is unique from the greeting one receives upon arrival to the personal visit from Chef Jeremy at one's table. A host describes menu offerings showcased in the display case. On a previous visit a couple of years ago it was Chef Charles, the founder and owner, now retired, who charismatically and ceremoniously recited the details of each dish in his rich and creamy baritone voice. Each dish was as equally tantalizing as the last to the point that I was completely at a loss as to which to choose. No strangers to food, we were surprised when some components of the dish were "defined" for us as if we wouldn't know what they were, yet others like foie gras weren't. So I guess novice foodies can feel comfortable patronizing this restaurant and experienced foodies shouldn't feel patronized. Sorry, I couldn't resist the opportunity for a pun.

The tables have large white paper covering them with a neatly scrawled personal welcome for a nice touch. Even though they have a decent wine list, we ordered Gin and 7s which were created absolutely perfectly. Our waiter was knowledgeable and polite and made some recommendations since I was a bit indecisive. Ricardo ordered lobster bisque and Filet of Beef Melissa and I ordered a Ceasar Salad with housemade croutons and Sea Bass. We strongly considered ordering duck but as we had thoroughly enjoyed that on a previous visit, we decided to expand our horizons. We enjoyed the French bread and the baked garlic to spread. I ate some of Ricardo's lobster bisque for research purposes and we both thought it was delicious. Ricardo thought the beef was good but not extraordinary and I enjoyed the sea bass. The salad was fantastic and the croutons, excellent. The sea bass was topped with a mango, chutney, cashew nut crust, served with pomme de chez, fresh vegetables, and the whole plate is infused with a curry oil. The flavor was rich, yet light and I liked the was the curry oil pulled the whole dish together.

Even though the restaurant has a large seating capacity, it feels smaller and more intimate because it consists of the main building and on the other side of a dividing wall is what seems to be a later addition, kind of a four season porch feel. The restaurant lighting is dim and romantic but not so dark that we needed to use my geeky key chain flashlight to see the menu. During our meal, besides our waiter, Chef Charles, his wife Melissa and Chef Jeremy all came by individually to make sure all was well with our food and experience and to chat. The cuisine may be made with the freshest ingredients, the food created with great detail, but the atmosphere is coolly casual. I ended up playfully doodling on our table covering with the crayons provided and enjoyed reading the chalk scrawling decor and fun photos of various visitors on the wall. I recommend business casual to dressy attire. We leisurely enjoyed our meals and drinks and left commenting on how nice it was to have such an unique option in the Quads.*

*The menu doesn't list prices for the features as it does for the other options which are moderately priced, so while we won't be making a weekly pilgrimage to Duck City, it was a special occasion for us and we didn't mind splurging beyond our usual budget for a memorable evening out.

01/01/2012 - QC Foodie - Farraday's

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Farraday's Restaurant

(563) 441-7111

1777 Isle Pky, Bettendorf, IA 52722

I attended a birthday party at Farraday's recently. This was my second visit to the restaurant located inside the Isle Casino in Bettendorf. Once, I attended a conference in one of the Isle's conference/banquet halls where lunch was catered by Farraday's and I was impressed by the quality of the food, especially the desserts at that time. I had also attended a company party a few years ago and we were in the same private room again this time, so I haven't actually eaten in the dining area. I did manage to peek into the general restaurant to take a picture.

Ricardo ordered the ribeye and I wasn't very hungry so I thought I would order the Salmon Club sandwich rather than the Atlantic Salmon entree. Ricardo enjoyed the ribeye, asparagus and yukon gold shallot mash.

I was surprised by the size of my “sandwich”. It was a generous grilled Atlantic salmon fillet, applewood-smoked bacon, red onion, and mixed greens, served with lemon basil aioli over rustic wheat bread. It was delightful, but the fish was a tad more salted than I would have prefered. I ordered onion rings as my side and they were huge and beautiful. As a matter of fact, they obscured the sandwich in my photo.

I was surprised by the lower prices and the variety on the menu on my visit. I recommend Farraday's for those looking for an affordable, yet upscale dining experience.

QC Foodie

12/28/2011 - QC Beerguy - Indy (part 2)

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 08:00:00 GMT

My wife and I headed on to New Day Meadery http://newdaymeadery.com/, it was recommended at both Easley Winery and Sun King Brewery. Since we both love mead it was a natural to make this stop. The meadery is located in a corner building, with the inside designed around the tasting bar. We went to the tasting bar and were quickly greeted and given the run down on how the tasting worked. For $5 per person you received seven samples, on Saturday they had nine total meads to try. If you are with someone and willing to share the samples, you could try every mead.

The meadery is run and owned by a husband and wife team. They make their own mead out of local ingredients. New Day opened in 2006 and seems to be going strong, since while we were there around thirty other people went in and out of the doors. Currently they use wildflower honey only in their meads, but are looking at using varietal honey for their straight meads.

The meads we had to choose from are as follows: Johnny Chapman, actually a cider, Washington's Folly, a cherry mead, Free Thinker, a spicy mead, Dry Blueberry Mead, Semi- Dry Mead, a straight mead, Semi-sweet Plum Mead, Semi-sweet Blackberry mead, a bottle came home with us and a mulled mead. They are very good meads, but we both agreed that it they switch to varietal honey for their meads the level would jump up to great. This is another place worth visiting in Indy when you visit.

Last place for the day was Fountain Square Brewing Company, recommended by people at both Sun King and New Day. In fact the owners of New Day said to tell them "hello". This friendship and willingness to interact with other craft beer, wine and mead outlets was a nice to see. Yes these places are vying for probably the same customer base, but wish no ill to the other businesses.

After a short walk we arrived at Fountain Square Brewing Company http://www.fountainsquarebrewery.com/. This brewery just opened its doors at the beginning of this month, so they are still making finishing touches on the tasting room and brewery. In fact their yeast lab is currently little more than a room that has yet to be finished. They have a great tag line "Bringing Science to Art." The owners felt it was fitting since they all have a science background in microbiology, chemistry and automation. With that background they feel they have what it takes to beer great beer consistently.

We walked up to the bar in the tasting room and were greeted by one of the owners; he serves beer as well as running a brewery. Since this was our fourth stop of the day and had to pick up our daughter and drive back to Bettendorf we just asked if we could sample the beers. We were told that we would be more than welcome to just do that. They have six beers on tap: four house beers Blonde, Pale Ale, Amber Ale and Porter, also two seasonal taps IPA and Oatmeal Stout. For each beer we both received about a three ounce sample and we were able to discuss the beer with our server. Since they were recently opened he was very interested in feedback. The porter was a brown porter so it featured chocolate more than roast and was slightly sweet with an offsetting amount of hops. The pale ale was based off of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, so needless to say it featured Cascade hops. The IPA was very hop forward in the aroma but was far from overly bitter; in fact it leaned towards the malt side with a noticeable sweetness that balanced the hops. This is an IPA that my wife liked, which is saying a bit since she is not a hop head. The oatmeal stout was roasty, but very smooth and easy to drink.

Somewhat surprisingly they have their beer all ready on tap at least twenty establishments in and around the Indy area. Another surprise to my wife and I was that the six samples we each had cost a big fat zero. We were told it is just a part of doing business. Pint prices were not out of line if I remember correctly they were priced around $4 for a pint. Another worthy stop when you are in Indy.

Of the four places we stopped at I would gladly revisit every one of them again. Also during our day we found out that there are around eleven breweries in the Indy area. This just begs for more exploration in Indy, hopefully we can talk some friends into making the trip over with us next time. Indy is not one of the cities known for great beer or a great craft scene, but from our quick one day visit I would suggest it is working its way into being one. Possibly within the next five years Indy will be a must stop for a beer pilgrimage. Just remember where you heard about it.

QC Beerguy

12/27/2011 - QC Beerguy - Indy (part 1)

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 08:00:00 GMT

My wife and I had an opportunity to go to Indianapolis this past Friday and Saturday. We arrived in Indianapolis Friday night and decided to go to the Ram Brewery and Restaurant http://www.theram.com/ . This is a chain brewpub with over fifteen locations in five states. My wife and I had previously eaten at one and knew that we would find good food and decent beer, which was necessary since we had our eldest daughter with us. They delivered on that thought. My wife and I split a sampler of their six core beers; it comes in a holder the shape of a ram's horn. The six beers were Big Horn Blonde, Big Horn Hefeweizen, Big Red Ale (an IPA), 71 Pale Ale, Buttface Amber Ale and Total Disorder Porter. These are all at least decent beers and some in our opinion are better than others. Both my wife and I thought that the beers overall were a bit thin in body. We did not care for the blonde and the Hefeweizen became more complex as it warmed. My favorite was the porter and my wife liked the amber best. After we finished the sampler my ever sharp wife noticed that they had four seasonals as well. The four were a weizenbock, which I had a pint of, a Black IPA, an American Wheat and a java porter. The weizenbock was good, but not exceptional; they call it S'no Angel Winter Weizenbock. It did have a bit of roast and was malty but just did not go the extra bit to be a great beer. We all had our fill of good food as well. Ram is a good brewpub chain, but there are better chains and better independent brewpubs.

Saturday afternoon we dropped off our daughter at her interview and decided to do a bit of exploring of Indy. (I hope the nickname is allowable because typing Indianapolis takes too long.) First stop was to suppose to be Sun King Brewing after we read that they had won eight medals this year at the GABF (Great American Beer Fest), but the driver was not paying attention and missed the turn, so instead I pulled into the winery across the street. We had thought about visiting Easley Winery since it was located close to our intended stop and afterwards we were very happy we did.

Easley Winery http://www.easleywinery.com/ is not your normal Midwest fruit based winery. They truly make only grape based wines, no fruits added. To accomplish this feat they use grapes from California, New York and Indiana, which they press on site to make their thirteen wines. My wife and I were greeted quickly and asked if we wanted to go on the tour for $3. The benefit was the tour ending with a tasting of eight wines. The tour was lead by Larry whom had good information to pass along and kept the tour fast paced. The tasting part is well thought out, the first six samples a person could chose between a pair of wines, so if you are there with someone else you can share and try them all. The seventh sample was the same for everyone and the eight was a bonus of mulled wine, they included for the season. We enjoyed the wine sampling very much. A couple of the standouts were the Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2008 Chardonnay. I forgot we actually had nine samples because they added the 2008 Chardonnay during the tasting. We purchased a bottle of the 2008 Chardonnay to bring home, for $8 it was a steal. We bid our adieu to the winery and walked across the street to Sun King Brewing Company http://sunkingbrewing.com/.

As I mentioned this brewery did something basically unheard of by winning eight medals at GABF! Just do the math; it is a huge accomplishment. Eighty-three categories and three medals in each category means that they won eight out of two hundred forty nine medals. Not even breweries such as Firestone Walker or Dogfish Head can match that. Unfortunately for my wife and me currently none of the medal winning beers were on tap, but we did bring home a four pack of Wee Muckle which won a gold medal at GABF. We also brought home a four pack of Osiris Pale Ale and Wee Mac, a Scottish Ale.

When you walk in the door you are quickly greeted and provided four tickets and two can tops, once they verify that you are over 21. Yes they card everyone, even old people like me! We walked into the tap room and are introduced to the process of sampling the beers. The tickets are good for their house beers and the can lids are for the seasonal/specialty beers. While we were there they had three house beers and three seasonal/ specialty beers, so again we shared the seasonals and tried all three. All of the beers were delicious. The house beers were Sunlight Cream Ale, Wee Mac and Osiris Pale Ale. The seasonals were Sink the Clipper, an Imperial ESB, Cowbell, a milk porter and a Vienna Lager. Sink the Clipper was both of our favorites. Plus it has a great back story. To be quick, they named the beer and was served with a cease and desist order by Clipper City Brewery, thus the name Sink the Clipper.

Besides the beers there is an opportunity to tour the brewery, so needless to say my wife and I jumped at the opportunity. The tour was lead by Chris or better known as Moose and Mark, the cellar-man, was along as well. Right away Chris asked if there were any homebrewers in the group so besides my wife and I there was one other gentleman. We were then admonished to be good and let other people in the group answer and ask questions. Which we did. They have a thirty barrel brewhouse and this year are scheduled to double what they produced last year and much more than what they produced in the initial brewing year of 2009. This brewery is growing at a great rate and unfortunately they do not distribute outside the state of Indiana.

My wife and I greatly enjoyed the tour and had a chance after the tour to talk more with our guide and the cellar-man. It was interesting to see the passion these people have for beer and their company. I would highly recommend making it to Sun King for the beer and to see the brewery.

Watch for part 2 as I finish our day in Indianapolis.

QC Beerguy

12/27/2011 - QC Beerguy - Malt-the backbone of beer

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Continuing on in my ramblings of the 4 ingredients in the German Beer Purity Law, I will discuss Malt. As stated in the title, to me Malt is the backbone of beer, actually it is more like the whole skeletal system, but the backbone will work. Often when a beer is being judged in a contest you will hear a phrase like "the malt backbone..." or "malt structure..." or something else along those lines. They all mean basically the same thing; the malt provides the structure to build a beer on.
As you may be thinking malt is more than just a backbone or a structure to build on. Without various colored malt, beer would be just one color, whatever that might be. Just imagine a world where beer was so harmonious, unfortunately that is not too difficult to imagine.   Also malt is the main sugar that the yeast uses to turn the alcohol in the beer. Malt provides various flavors for you to enjoy in your beer. So yes malt is probably more than a backbone, but to me that is the best image I can come up with.
Malt simply stated is the kernel of grain that was soaked and allowed to sprout. Then at the proper time of growth it is dried and then kilned to a desired outcome. You may notice that I said "kernel of grain" and did not say barley, since just about any grain can be malted. Also various malts are kilned a different amounts of dryness. Caramel/ Crystal malts are kilned fairly wet allowing for the sugars to become "caramelized" during kilning. There are many different methods and tricks malt makers use to come up with the desired malt.
Before I get to much further I want to point out that the term malt is used in regards to the malted grain used in all grain brewing. Also there is the term malt extract describing the syrup or powder used by extract brewers. I will try to clarify what exactly is malt extract. A few malt producers take the malted grain and run water through the grain bed to produce wort, a sugar filled liquid that is fermented by yeast to produce beer. Once they have the wort they handle it one of two ways to produce malt extract. Liquid malt extract is produced by boiling the wort in a vacuum to concentrate the wort. Dry malt extract is produced by spraying the wort and is dried as it falls and by it hits bottom it is a dry powder. They both are readily used in extract brewing; it is totally up to the brewer to chose which one or both to use.
Back to malt. There are companies around the world that make malt. A few of the more recognizable names are Briess, Simpson, Rahr, Weyermann, Crisp and Fawcett. Each maltster has its own way of producing malt, so one companies Crystal 90L may not look or taste the same as another companies malt. So if you have a favorite beer and want to "clone" that beer try and find out what brand of malt the brewer used to make the beer. Also you can try different brands of malts to brew the same beer and find out which brand you prefer. So there is a lot of experimenting a brewer can do to find the "perfect" beer.
Besides different brands there are different types of malts, from light roasted to the heavily roasted malts. A good place to see the various colors and types of malts is at http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/brewing-ingredients/grain-malts. The lighter roasted malts are usually used as base malts. Longer roasted malts are used in smaller amounts due to their attributes, such as color, taste and the caramelization of the sugar in the malt. For an example a beer such as a stout will have around 85% base malt and various amounts of different dark malts to add color and flavor. For a good primer on what malts are and how to use them go to http://www.brewingwithbriess.com/Homebrewing/Products.htm . Briess malt is a name recognized by most brewers and they do a good job in plain English explaining the malt.
Barley malt makes up the majority of the malt used in brewing and by strict application of the German Beer Purity law the only malt that can be used in beer. There was an exception for wheat malt to be used in the German wheat beers. Other grains that I am aware of that have been malted for usage in beer include wheat, oats, corn, sorghum and milo.   I'm sure there are many more around the world that I am unaware of.
I have only just scratched the surface of malt and its usage. If you want to find out more I suggest going to the above websites to start with and then explore on from there. Like the backbone, malt does carry the beer and allow the other ingredients to build upon it and produce a beer.

QC Beerguy

12/16/2011 - QC Beerguy - RIBCO

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 08:00:00 GMT

This past Wednesday night RIBCO held a special tapping of local craft beers. The beers featured were Bent River's Jingle Java Stout, Blue Cat's Count Magnus Belgian Dark Strong and Great River's 7 Reverends Abbey Ale. As usual with the special tappings, the beer is featured in logo glass ware that the customer gets to keep. These tappings are a good time to try some beers that are normally not available or are available in such small quantities that most craft beer drinkers do not get to try them. In the past such beers as Canadian Breakfast Stout, Kentucky Breakfast Stout and the lineup of Stone Brewing on the release night in Illinois. Keep an eye out for the next special tapping; they usually post the tappings on their website http://ribco.com/ or on facebook. This is the Quad Cities premier beer bar that is not a brewery! The name is a bit of a misnomer since they do not brew any beer. What they do have though is a really nice selection of craft beer both on tap in cans and bottles. They have at least 10 tap beers and well as over a 100 beers in the cooler. Some of the beers they have are not available anywhere else in the Quad City area, so if you are looking for a specific beer there is a chance that it is at RIBCO. RIBCO is more than just a craft beer bar, they also have serve food and are known for their concerts. The food is along the lines of typical bar food but for some reason it's not your typical bar food in taste. So a person can go enjoy some good craft beer as well as some good food. The highlight for many people is the concerts held at RIBCO. Half of the building is built to show off the bands, with an ample stage and multi-level seating to watch the action. Also during the warmer months of the year they move the concerts outside to the plaza in front of RIBCO, allowing more people to enjoy the music. I really like RIBCO and enjoy their efforts to be the premier craft beer bar in the Quad Cities. If you are looking for good beer, good food and good music this is your place. The only drawback for me is that they do not open until 5pm, which means I cannot enjoy a favorite craft beer and a burger for lunch or watch a football game and have a craft beer. If they opened up say at noon in that would make them the perfect craft beer bar in my opinion. I am sure that they know better than I do though so I will defer to their experience as far as their hours. QC Beerguy

12/05/2011 - QC Foodie - Sultan Mediterranean Cafe

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Sultan Mediterranean Cafe

Ricardo and I ventured to Sultan Mediterranean Restaurant in Rock Valley Plaza in Rock Island. According to Merriam-Webster http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sultan a Sultan is a king or sovereign. The small cafe has a clean, utilitarian look. The walls are deep orange and yellow and the floral pictures on the wall are of the same hues on a black background, giving the restaurant an inviting, warm atmosphere even though the weather outside was cold and drizzling. There is a large-screen television on the back wall so that when I come by myself every week, I can watch TV. Joking! The menus are on the tables and patrons can sit and browse through it before going up the counter to order.

I ordered a garlic hummus sandwich, and a bowl of Adasi (lentil) soup and Ricardo ordered a beef kebab sandwich. The sandwich was filled with garlic hummus, romaine lettuce, cucumbers, onions, tomato and feta cheese in a pita. The hummus was so delicious that I wished I had requested just an order of hummus alone. FAVORITE ALERT! The lentil soup was absolutely incredible, and it's vegetarian for those of that persuasion. The menu lists Lentils cooked with potatoes, onions and special seasonings. The flavor was amazing, it was a tad spicy, savory and ,whatever the special seasonings are, they have a perfect blend and should never, ever change the recipe. Ricardo tried it and agreed. Ricardo said his beef kebab was good. I returned a few days later to buy a chicken gyro for lunch and an order of hummus to take to my mom's house to share with her. The chicken gyro was stuffed full and was good and my mom really enjoyed the delicious hummus and pita.

12/01/2011 - QC Beerguy - This Weekend's Events

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Just a few things in the local craft scene happening this coming weekend.

First up on Friday, December 2nd Mississippi River Distilling will be holding their monthly "First Friday" Event at the distillery. The event runs from 5:30 - 8PM and will be featuring the release of their Cody Road Bourbon. As usual they will have samples to try and some inventive food recipes to samples as well. If you like bourbon and want your own bottle I would suggest arriving early since they only will have 120 bottles at the distillery at the open of business Friday. My wife and I are looking forward to this event.

Also on Friday, December 2nd the Rock Island Hy Vee will be holding a Scotch tasting starting at 6 PM in the Club Room. Beside sampling 9 varieties of Scotch they will have light food pairings to sample. Cost is $15 per person and the class is more than half sold. Call 309-793- 0684 for more information.

Another Friday event is Great River's Cellar Man's Series Tapping starting at 3pm. They will be tapping a Pen (5 gallon cask) of real ale, meaning that the beer is naturally carbonated and will be served at cellar temperature. This tapping will feature a Pale Ale aged with Lavender.

On Saturday, December 3rd Great River will be hosting a tapping of their 7 Reverends Abbey Ale at the brewery. Golden keg is at 1pm and the party runs from 2 - 6 PM. Bring a dish to pass and enjoy the day.

QC Beerguy

11/30/2011 - Coming Events: Rockin’ For a Cure

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Rockin’ For a Cure

Rock into the holidays on Friday, December 2 at The Rock Banquet Hall in Coal Valley, IL.

Rockin’ For a Cure, an event to benefit the American Cancer Society, Relay For Life of Rock Island County and the Zoe Stamer Memorial will be held as a holiday fundraiser featuring a variety of events.

The fundraiser will begin at 5 p.m. with a soup dinner for a $5 donation.

The silent auction will feature Chicago White Sox Tickets, American Picker’s gear, Quad City Mallards tickets, a Celebration Belle Cruise for two, Snapple mountain bike, John Deere Classic Tickets, a gift certificate for Comedy Sportz, season tickets to the District Theatre, many gift certificates to area restaurants, gift baskets and much more!

A vendor fair including QuadCitiesNightOut, Tastefully Simple, Avon, Advocare, Tutu Cute, Tupperware, Mary Kay, 6Pak Pupcakes N More, Partylite, Watkins and many more will also be set up.

The cake auction and bake sale will benefit Zoe Stamer, an eight year old Orion resident who passed away this fall from complications of Leukemia. Proceeds will help offset the costs associated with Stamer’s treatment.

Entertainment will begin at 7 p.m. with Angela Meyer taking the stage. She will be followed up by the Dani Lynn Howe Band, voted the Quad Cities’ favorite band numerous times in the Quad City Times and the River Cities Reader.

For more information on the event please contact Jennifer at 309-337-9326.

11/30/2011 - QC Beerguy - RIBCO Local Tapping

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 08:00:00 GMT

RIBCO (Rock Island Brewing Company) in the District in Downtown Rock Island will be hosting their next special tapping night on December 7th at 8pm. This time around they are featuring the local guys! With tappings of Blue Cat's Count Magnus Belgian Strong, Bent River's Jingle Java Stout and Great River's 7 Reverends Abbey Ale and of course they will be served in logo glasses that you can keep. Make sure to come out and support your local favorites and enjoy some really good seasonal brews. A big plus is that representatives of each brewery are scheduled to be there to discuss the brews and answer your questions.

As well RIBCO will be offering a $1.00 off on their selection of micro brew in bottles and cans. Also on Wednesdays they feature a special on wing baskets. To find out more info please go to http://www.ribco.com/ or http://beeradvocate.com/events/info/50137. I am looking forward to this one and plan to be present if I am in town. Hope to see a lot of people there enjoying some local craft brew!

QC Beerguy

11/21/2011 - QC Foodie - Cafe Fresh

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Cafe Fresh

Ricardo and I went to Cafe Fresh for dinner a few weeks ago. I had been there before for lunch a couple of years ago when it was located in the smaller location down the street. Now it is located in the former La Flama location. I was so intrigued with the new restaurant that I went back with my mom yesterday. The evening Ricardo and I went, he had beef and chicken sizzling fajitas and I ordered Amanda's orange bourbon salmon. He wasn't overly impressed with his meal but my salmon was prepared perfectly. I thought the sauteed vegetables could have been more along the lines of zucchini and squash rather than quite a bit of onions and a couple other vegetables thrown in. The signature potatoes were not my favorite but I'm not a huge fan of white sauce. I loved the atmosphere and was glad to see so many patrons on a Friday night.

On our visit yesterday, I ordered the fruity chicken, which was chicken salad tossed with apples, grapes and sugared pecans in a wheat wrap. My mom ordered the b, l, t. a, or bacon, lettuce, tomato and avocado. Our sandwiches came with a large slice of pickle wrapped in ham filled with cream cheese. We both enjoyed our wraps with sides of Miss Vickie's sea salt potato chips. The sandwiches were delicious and I had a difficult time choosing from the array of great-sounding lunch items. Again, I was pleased to see the restaurant was filled with diners. We were tempted by the fabulous-looking pastries but being calorie-conscious before the holidays, we declined dessert.

The cafe is a great addition to downtown Moline which I was thrilled to see was abuzz with activity. The décor is uncluttered, comfortable, light-hearted and matches the whimsical flower logo. The table tent on our table yesterday also said their venue is available for special events as well. The bar/lounge “re-fresh” looks chic and cool and I can't wait to come back in the evening with my friends for drinks.

QC Foodie

11/21/2011 - $10 VIP OFFER - BLACK FRIDAY - CYBER MONDAY

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Black Friday - Cyber Monday VIP Offer!

To show our support for local businesses and Small Business Saturday, we are offering a One-Year VIP Membership for ONLY $10 (normally $20) from Black Friday til Cyber Monday!! That's a 50% savings!

The VIP membership includes great offers, special events, exclusive access and huge discounts at many local businesses throughout the area! We want to show our local support by giving the gift of savings this holiday season!

We also want to help local charities in their efforts to raise much needed funds so a portion of the VIP card proceeds will go to purchase toys for Toys for Tots!

Please help your local businesses and charities this holiday season by giving the Gift of VIP!

Our Black Friday thru Cyber Monday VIP Offer is now over. To find out how to receive a VIP Membership click here.

Find out all current Deals Here.

**Please allow 3-4 weeks for VIP card to ship. Membership letter will be sent prior to card. Please make note if the VIP membership is a gift and we will send it out the week of December 20th to the recipient.

11/18/2011 - QC Beerguy - Land of the Muddy Waters

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Land Of the Muddy Waters Homebrew Competition

Friday night and all day Saturday the homebrew club I belong to held its annual Homebrew Competition called Land Of the Muddy Waters. A very fitting name for our event, since we are a bi-state club that has members from both sides of the Mississippi River, the Muddy Waters itself.

This year we had 325 entries into our competition, which was a sizable jump over last year's number of 276 entries. Thankfully we were able to pull in judges from the Bi-state area of Iowa and Illinois as well as a couple from Milwaukee and even one judge from California. This made sure that all of the entries were judged by at least one Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) ranked judge.

Over all the competition went well with only some minor inconveniences that come up with any event. I know the event organizer and the assistant event organizer, me, were very thankful for that. From my recollection the event was a success. I hope that the judges and stewards felt that way as well at the end of the day.
A big thank you goes out to Dan brewer/owner of Blue Cat Brewpub for allowing us to use the upstairs area for our contest. I would be very difficult to hold a contest without a willing host and a place that has a refrigerated area large enough to handle over 600 bottles of beer. Also a big thank you to all of the sponsors and raffle item donors, again we could not do it without them.

The results are available at http://lotmwhome.brewcompetition.com/index.php; congratulations to all of the winners in each category. Also big congratulations to the best of show winners: Phil Sullivan with an Oktoberfest from Underground Brewers (Detroit, MI) and Rich Harris and Joe Weitlispach with a Sweet Mead from MUGZ, members of the homebrew club I belong to.

Since I was the assistant event organizer, I am learning to run the event in 2013 and 2014. This means I was a jack of all trades. Filling in where needed, I judged in the first round Saturday, running to get this or that, and just making sure everyone present was as happy as possible. Also since I have a loud mouth and a voice that carries, I became the official PA system. I look forward to next year when I will become more familiar with the nuts and bolts of running a successful homebrew competition.

Maybe next year I may even have a beer that will place in the event. For the past couple of years I have entered beers in this and other events and cannot crack into placing at my home event, but have placed in a few other events with the same beer. Someday my luck will change, I hope.

QC Beerguy

11/09/2011 - QC Beerguy - Gateway Beer

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 08:00:00 GMT

I know when I was in college and at my fraternity I drank pretty much AB products, Bud, Bud Light and Busch, with the occasional Miller or Miller Lite. I had a friend that was a Phi Sig and their house beer was Old Style, since they were mainly from Chicagoland and that was a nasty hangover the next day after the uptown party. So as you can see in college I drank mainly mass produced beer. Until the import craze finally hit Macomb, IL in my senior year. I found the exotic taste of Corona with a lime stuffed in it; yes this was my gateway beer.
What exactly is a gateway beer you may be asking? Well a gateway beer is the beer that made the connection for you to good craft or import beer. It can be as complacent as Corona or something as exciting as Pliny the Elder. The gateway beer is the beer that opened the door to enjoying good beer. It may or may not be a good beer itself; it just leads you to find good beer. So don't worry that beer is not something you may be proud of, just look at mine. Corona, really?
Everyone probably has that beer that made the connection for them. Some people are still waiting to find their gateway beer. I have friends that probably will never find a gateway beer and will continue to drink their Busch Light. As I grow in my beerself, I have learned not to judge them. It has become a bit of a challenge to find a gateway beer for them. Like my neighbor across the street. My wife and I found out that he loves a good Kolsch, even though by choice he does buy Busch Light.
If you have or have not found your gateway beer, as Charlie says "Relax and have a homebrew", or in other words it is all good. There is no need to hurry and find that beer to be your gateway beer. If you are still drinking one of the mass produced beers you still have time to find your gateway beer.
It is no big deal if you are still drinking one of the mass produced beers. I know there are many craft or import beers that will give you the taste of your mass produced beers. The best way to find a gateway beer is just try a beer that is outside of your ordinary repertoire!

QC Beerguy

11/09/2011 - Behind the Scenes...Monkey Joe's 2nd Anniversary Bash

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Many great activities are planned for Monkey Joes’ second anniversary bash this weekend including a visit by Curious George, everyone’s favorite mischievous monkey. Curious George will be arriving at 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday to have his picture taken with area children.
Two private parties will be given away during the anniversary celebration and families can enjoy $12 large pizzas all weekend long. They are also celebrating with reduced admission of $7 for children.
Monkey Joe’s fun-filled inflatable play center features wall to wall jumps, obstacle courses, and inflatable slides to help keep your children happy, active and healthy. They also have various video and arcade games to keep them busy all day long. The play center is open to children ages 12 and under. A mini monkey zone is available for toddlers as well. While your children are bouncing around, the adults can enjoy free high-speed wireless internet, flat screen televisions and comfortable seating.
Monkey Joe’s accepts the Quad Cities Night Out VIP card with specials including buy one get one free on admission, $20 off any birthday party and $5 off a Monkey Joe’s frequent user card. Don’t have a card? Pick up a lifetime membership card while you are there and start saving instantly!
Other November specials include:
Two For Tuesday- 2 admissions for $12.50
$5 Wacky Wednesday
Tons of Fun Thursday- Purchase a Large Pizza and get a FREE pitcher
Family Night Fridays- 2 admissions and a LARGE pizza for just $28!
Monkey Joe’s is located at 3885 Elmore Avenue, Davenport. (Next to Sam’s Club). They are open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday- Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. For more information call (563) 322-5867 or visit their website at http://www.monkeyjoes.com/Davenport

Do you have a special event at your business or fundraiser you’d like to promote on QuadCitiesNightOut.com? Email Jennifer@quadcitiesnightout.com with your information and we’ll be sure to let the Quad Cities know about your night out event!

11/08/2011 - QC Beerguy - How to find Beer Places

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Those of you that have read my blog may have wondered a time or two how I find the breweries and beer places I go to. Well here is the low down. I use two main sources Beer Advocate http://beeradvocate.com/ and the Beer Mapping Project http://beermapping.com/. Both are a valuable source to my beer travels. They provide me with great information on finding somewhere to go when I am not overly familiar with the place I am staying. Each on has it's strong points, which I will cover in individual detail.

Beer Advocate, as the name proclaims, this website is pro beer. This website was started by two brothers that really love beer and anything related to the beer industry. For locating a brewery or beer place I look down the left hand column under the heading Travel and Events, then click on Directory. This will lead you through a few levels to find where you maybe. First is country, click on United States, then you can click on the state you are in. It then leads you to choose the city your are currently in, when you select the city you are presented with a list of breweries, beer bars, beer stores and homebrew stores. The cool thing about this list is that each place listed is usually reviewed by other Beer Advocate users, so there is an opinion that you can base your choice off of. Also if possible they have a link to the establishments web site and a map showing the location of the establishment. This is valuable especially if you have not been to a place before. I have yet to really find a set of reviews that have lead me astray.

Also Beer Advocate has many other uses they have reviews of beers, an event calendar, a forum and an educational area. I use the beer reviews to see how my thoughts correspond or not with other people on the beers I am tasting. Also the event calendar is useful to find events in areas where you maybe in or soon to be going to. This is a cool website that has many uses besides locating a place to go have dinner and a beer at.

The Beer Mapping Project is predominately a website that lets the user search a region or country for breweries and brewpubs. On the left hand side under Map Selector there are two areas to make a selection in the first is Brewery Maps and the second is City Beer Maps. The Brewery Map allows you to select maps of 12 countries. If you choose the American Map it is further broken down into regions of the United States, so you can pin point the city you are in. If you choose one of the other 11 countries it provides a map overview of the entire country.

The City Beer Maps are a collection of the larger metro areas within the United States. Needless to say you can get a very good idea of the relation of establishments to each other, so it makes your adventure easy to plan out. Also there is a forum on the website and the user can review the places they go to. So this is another valuable tool to my arsenal in searching for great places to have beer.

Hopefully you will find these websites as useful as I do and you may have your own favorite site you use. I am not saying these are the only or even the best websites, but they work for me. If you do not like them no biggie, I hope you have your own way to find good beer and good food.

QC Beerguy

11/07/2011 - QC Foodie - Barrel House

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 08:00:00 GMT

I finally met River Rose at Barrel House 211. Ricardo and I stopped in for dinner one chilly evening. The barrel house is a cozy little restaurant/sports bar in downtown Davenport. I would have loved to eat outside on the patio but it was a bit too windy for my liking. Some people were brave enough to outside though. There are three large TVs mounted on either side so one can get a great view of whatever sports games they’re showing at the time from almost any location within the bar. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich with Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ and Ricardo had the California Burger. We also ordered gin sevens with River Rose gin. http://www.mrdistilling.com/frame/products_river_rose.shtml

The pulled pork was tender and I though the onion straws on top were a nice touch. I had a side of homemade chips which had a bit of a kick to them. Ricardo enjoyed the burger, which had fresh sliced avocado and provolone cheese atop two quarter pound burgers, commenting on the quality and flavor. He ordered fries and they too, had the surprising spice. The gin was flavorful and aromatic. I enjoyed just inhaling the aroma of the drink as much as drinking it. From the menu, I learned traditional wooden cask capacities for future reference. A barrel is 36 gallons, for example. One never knows when such knowledge will be needed in a trivia night fundraiser. Some of the menu items seem intriguing such as the pizzas and tacos so this warrants another visit. Overall, we enjoyed our visit to the Barrel House 211 and I imagine it would be a fine place to meet friends and enjoy a game on TV.

10/25/2011 - QC Beerguy - Green Bay-Day 3

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Day three was game day so we hopped onto the free bus shuttle in front of our hotel and traveled over to Lambeau Field. Once we arrive we headed over to the Tundra Zone a permanent tent that houses a stage and bar for pre game tailgating. Beer wise nothing overly special, Leinekugel's was about as good as it was in the tent, as well they have mixed drinks and food items. After a bit of time we decided to try and find a friend of a sister of one of our group.

We make it to the their tailgating area and we presented with some Sam Adams Beer, which the friend bought specifically for us since she knew we liked craft beer. We all felt touched that she did that for us. After a beer we decide to head into the stadium, since the warning was to get into the stadium early. They "wand" everyone that enters the stadium, making sure no one has any weapons. We all made it through with no problem.

We make it to our seats and once we settled in it was time for a beer. Surprisingly the beer selection is decent and not too awfully priced. Beer selection includes Leinekugel's, Point, and many imports including Guinness, Stella and Fosters. They also had 16 ounce glasses of Lite and Genuine Draft for $7 and from what I saw that the most expensive beer. The craft and imports were between $5 and $6 for 12 ounce and Guinness was $6.50 for a 14.9 ounce bottle. So compared to other venues they are reasonable on beer prices.

The game was fun and pretty much over by half time. In the second half the Packers did not score, but still had a great time. The jet flyover was breathe taking, all of a sudden we saw the jets but did not hear them until they were over and past us. Then it was a loud roar of the jets. Very Cool! I did enjoy my self at the game and being a Bears fan I can not say enough about the experience. I wish Soldier Field had the same ambiance.

After the game we walked over to a sports bar called Stadium View with a few hundred of our friends from the game. Again beer was a bit limited, but we were able to find Leinekugel's as well as PBR. You may say I am crazy, but PBR is a very good American Lager with noticeable taste and aroma. After a watching some of the late game and meeting another of our groups family member, we headed over to the shuttle stop for the ride back to the hotel.

Once back at the hotel we walked over to Titletown for dinner a some beers. This is the brewpub to go to in Green Bay, great beer, great food and great service. A couple of beers that I had that night were Hopasaurus Rex and Expect the Wurst. Hopasaurus Rex is a well balanced IPA, enough hops for the hop head, me, balanced by a strong malt backbone. A really good beer, I would recommend this beer to anyone that loves hops. Expect the Wurst, is a gimmick beer, it is an amber ale spiced like a brat. Yeah it is intriguing but not a beer for most beer lovers. So if you feel adventuresome give it a try.

As we were following the hostess to our table a couple of friends from the QC area walk in the door and they wound up sitting at the table next to us. Yes it is a small world. We finished our dinner and walked back to the hotel. Were we sat around and enjoyed a night cap and discussed our weekend. All agreed it was a great weekend. On Monday we drove back to the QC, so we could go back to work on Tuesday, bummer.

QC Beerguy

10/25/2011 - Behind the Scenes...Danika Holmes

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Henry David Thoreau once wrote, “Go confidently in the direction of you dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined.”
    For Bettendorf, IA native, Danika Holmes, she is definitely taking that quote to heart with the upcoming release of her new album, Living Your Dream.
Having spent the better part of the last year in and out of a Nashville Studio, The Bonus Room, Holmes is set to release her sophomore album. She is celebrating the occasion with a CD release party at the Blackhawk Hotel in downtown Davenport, IA on Friday, November 4th. David Martinez of Corpus Christi, Texas will be opening the event at 7 p.m Holmes will follow at 8 p.m. with her 10-piece band that includes local musicians, Jeb Hart, Wes Weeber, Drew Irion, Holly Oleary and Megan McMahan.
    Although the featured album won’t be available nationally/internationally until January 1, 2012, the Red Schoolhouse Records recording artist is releasing the album to her hometown fans early. Copies of the album will be available at the Blackhawk Hotel event in addition to a new merchandise line.
    For Holmes this album is a labor of love highlighted in the process of a how song goes from a vocal/guitar demo to a fully produced song. “It’s such an organic process and each song has a life of it’s own,” she added.
    Joining the local artist for songwriting duties on this album were Hart, Ann Juenger and Neil Ebanks. The album also includes a remake of Forever Young by Bob Dylan.
    Living Your Dream follows up Seconds Chances, which was released in 2010. The release of the first album propelled Holmes to Los Angeles, CA for the shooting of a music video for the Lock Me In Tonight single. She was also featured at SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas, toured in Europe twice this year and has played at various clubs, festivals, college campuses, private parties and casinos across the country.
    During a recent show at The Grape Life in Davenport Holmes told of how she had her heart set on making a video for the single, Unlit Match, from her debut album. But her fans had a different idea and voted overwhelmingly for a video to Lock Me In Tonight. And thus her mind had been changed. Her fans will again be able to choose their favorite song for a music video from the new album.
   Sponsors for the November 4 event include The Blackhawk Hotel, The Barrel House, Tantra Asian Bistro, Guitar Center, Zanes Painting Passion, Quad Cities Night Out and The Barrel House. The Barrel House is also sponsoring the after party event immediately following the show. Those with tickets from the Blackhawk Hotel event will receive special discounts at the Barrel House and the opportunity to win a variety of prizes.
    A limited number of tickets remain available for the CD Release Party and are $25 for adults and $10 for children. For more information on the event contact Red Schoolhouse Records at info@redshrecords.com
    Quad Cities Night Out will also be giving away a pair of tickets to the event as well as a copy of Holmes’ album Second Chances. Visit QuadCitiesNightOut.com and Danika Holmes Music on Facebook and ‘like‘ the pages. A mutual fan will then be chosen on November 2nd.

                        ~By Jennifer Davis, Staff Writer, QCNO
                                 Jennifer@quadcitiesnightout.com

10/19/2011 - QC Beerguy - Green Bay-Day 2

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Green Bay-Day 2

On day two my wife and I got ready and walked down to the Farmer's Market in Downtown Green Bay. Since we really did not know where we were going we wound up taking a less than direct route. Once we did make it to the Market it was a cool little one, it only took about a half hour to walk the whole thing. Then we went and made our purchases. We checked in with our friends and they were checking into our hotel so we walked over and checked in.
After checking in we decided were to have lunch and we decided upon Curly's Pub at Lambeau Field. http://www.packers.com/lambeau-field/curlys-pub.html After a bit of a wait for a table we were seated in a banquet room that is normally not used unless the restaurant is busy. Actually it was great for us since we wound up having a decent sized group, including a baby that is in the process of learning how to walk so he had plenty of room to explore. The food sounded really good, but actually was a bit disappointing. They did have a couple decent beers on tap. The first was Curly's Ale, brewed by Leinekugel's specifically for the pub. This is a decent pale ale that probably was the best regular beer they had. Also they had Leinekugel's Oktoberfest, which is again a decent beer, some malty notes and low hop notes. After lunch we headed back to our hotel, since the rest of the night we would be walking. As an aside for all of you Packers Fans – some of our group met Bart Starr while at Lambeau Field that day. It made their whole weekend!
I had previously checked the Hinterland Brewery website, http://www.hinterlandbeer.com/ to make sure of the hours of operation, on Saturday it stated they opened at 4PM. So we left the hotel about ten till 4 so we would be there right at opening. We walked in the door and were rather indignantly told by what we later figured out to be the General Manager that on Packer weekends they do not open until 4:30 PM and that the upstairs lounge is not open at all, only the dining room. My wife and I as well as our friends were determined to actually make it inside and sample their beers, since none of us had ever been it the place. This was my wife and I’s third attempt. So we had to go kill a half hour and found a local bar named Kegger's.
This is a typical northern Wisconsin bar. Small, wood filled and just a place where the locals hang out. We walked in and there was a bartender and one customer besides the six of us. They had a typical beer selection, Bud, Miller and Coors, but also had a couple craft beers. We all had one beer each and felt welcomed to be in Kegger's, the bartender was a nice lady and understood our frustrations with Hinterland.
We finished up and headed back to Hinterland and this time we were able to get in. We sat at the downstairs bar and ordered a beer a piece. All of us felt our presence was less than welcome from the time we walked back into Hinterland. The waitstaff was still in chaos and they had more important things on their mind than six people stopping in for some beers, I over heard the bartender complaining that there were people at the bar, Also for some reason we did not understand the upstairs lounge area was actually open for customers. Needless to say we only stayed for one beer each and will not go back to Hinterland. I am sorry that we tried so hard to make it to Hinterland. Also from talking to more locals over the weekend our experience was more of a common happening. So please avoid Hinterland when in Green Bay!

The beer we had was average at best! Amongst our group we had the Pale Ale, thin and watery, the IPA, again thin and watery, the Oktoberfest, a slightly above average version and the best beer we had was the Bourbon Barrel Stout. It was a nice balance between roast, chocolate and the bourbon, but could use more body. Overall a very good beer, but it cannot make up for the quality of the other beers and the lack of courtesy from the employees. Again do yourself a favor and do not go to Hinterland.
We left Hinterland and walked across the street to Titletown Brewing Company http://www.titletownbrewing.com/ and into a different world. Good beer, good food and a staff that seemed to be happy to have customers. We had a 45 minute wait for a table so we went upstairs for a beer or two while we waited. They had at least 10 beers on tap so there are lots of choices. My first beer was the Wild Train Rye'd a really good ryePA that checks in at 7.5% ABV. It had a good spicy rye malt backbone complimented by American hop aroma and flavors. Also I had a Nuptuale, which they describe as a marriage between an American and European amber ale. I did not find to be a great beer but did enjoy it nonetheless.
Our table was ready early into my second beer, so went to the table with the beer. The food menu is extensive and we had no problem finding our meals. They have burgers, wraps, pizzas and other entree meals, so there is something for everyone. When we finished up with our meals we headed back to our hotel. Thus ended day two and up next the game and Titletown revisted.

QC Beerguy

10/19/2011 - QC Beerguy - Green Bay-Day 1

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 08:00:00 GMT

My wife and I headed up Friday to a great weekend in Green Bay, WI, and that is hard for a die hard Bears fan to say. We headed out Friday morning with another couple on the way to our ultimate goal of Green Bay, but made a couple of stops along the way. First Stop was Vintage Brewing in Madison, WI http://vintagebrewingcompany.com/. This is a brewery that resurrected the former building that housed JT Whitney's Brewery. Thankfully Vintage is much better with their beer as well as their food! Per our usual, my wife and I ordered a sampler, but they only serve samplers in the amount of 5 and they had 10 beers on tap. Needless to say we ordered 5 different beers. The ones that stood out to me were Sister Golden Kolsch, Pumpkin Disorderly, Dedication and Better Off Red.
The Kolsch was clean, clear and delicious, not much else can be said other than this was a great drinkable beer. The Pumpkin Disorderly was a new idea to me for a pumpkin beer; it was an Abbey Ale brewed with pumpkin and pumpkin spices. It was a nice Belgian abbey beer with a noticeable hint of pumpkin pie. It’s a new idea for me because I have never considered an abbey ale as the backbone for a pumpkin beer, but I will try it in the future. Dedication is a dubbel ale and was very tasty! It was malty, spicy and everything you would expect from a Dubbel. The Better Off Red is a hoppy American Red Ale, which is my favorite beer that they produce. It has the hop charge of an American IPA, but has a noticeable malt that offsets the hops of the beer. I guess the reason I love this beer is that it is basically an IPA, but with the amber malt profile. When you are in Madison go to Vintage as well as Great Dane and Ale Asylum. These are my favorite breweries in Mad Town.
Next stop was Stone Cellar Brewpub in Appleton, WI http://stonecellarbrewpub.com/; cool location with some good beers. My wife and I ordered the usual sampler, which were nine beers on tap with a root beer. The root beer was noticeable because it was a golden root beer, so it did not look like root beer but tasted like one. Interesting give it a try. The beers that stood out were as follows: Marquette Pilsner, English Six Grain Ale, Stone Cellar Stout and Vanishing Vanilla Stout. The Pilsner was clean, crisp and thirst quenching. The English Six grain ale, as it name states had six grains used in it the grist for the beer and it makes a very drinkable beer. Both Stouts are very easy to drink and are nearly the same in character, the only difference is that the Vanilla has pure vanilla added to it. So if you are in Appleton stop by for a beer or two.

We finally made it to Green Bay and went with our friends to eat at St Brendan's Inn http://www.saintbrendansinn.com/. The first floor is a restaurant and bar with the second and third floors as guest rooms. Luckily our friend's sister and husband had made reservations so we were able to go almost instantly to our table. A couple things I noticed right away were that the tables were spaced a ways apart, leading to long wait times for the tables and that the room was very noisy, due to the wood ceiling. We ordered our drinks and food; they had a decent variety of beers imports, craft and domestics. Unfortunately the one I chose had been replaced but the beer list had not been updated. They did have a good alternative. Upon talking with our friends afterwards they had the same concerns about the place as well they were not overly excited about the food quality.

Thus ended day one of the Green Bay trip. More to come.

QC Beerguy

10/19/2011 - 2nd Annual Trivia Night - DPA Local #2

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 08:00:00 GMT

2nd Annual Davenport Police Association Local #2 and the Union of Professional Police Charity Trivia Night.

Which day of the week was the last name of Dragnet's Joe?
The outdoor scenes of Hill Street Blues were filmed in which city?
Who had a big 80s No 1 with Every Breath You Take?

If you were able to answer the questions above you should considering attending the 2nd Annual Davenport Police Association Local #2 and the Union of Professional Police Charity Trivia Night.
The event will be held on Friday, October 21 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Davenport, IAs. Doors will open at 6 p.m. with the trivia event beginning at 7 p.m. A 50/50 raffle will also be held and door prizes will be given away throughout the evening. Awards will be given to the first, second and third place teams. A cash bar and snacks will be available.
Teams will be comprised of eight people and there is a fee of $15 per person.
All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Handicapped Development Center’s Thanksgiving dinner and the toy drive at the Family Resources Domestic Abuse Violence Shelter. For more than 20 years the Davenport Police Association Local #2 has supported the Thanksgiving dinner for all of the HDC clientele. They have also sponsored the Christmas toy drive at the shelter for the past eight years.
“It is our intent to host this trivia night so that we can make an even larger contribution to these two very needing and deserving organizations,” stated a press release from the Davenport Police Department event committee.
Last year the event featured 128 participants who received more than 85 door prizes, valued at $15 or more. This year the committee is hoping to have even more participants, who will win some amazing door prizes- some of which are valued at over $200!
For more information on this fundraiser or to reserve a table, contact the committee at 563-328-6762 or dpdtrivia@gmail.com

p.s. in case you weren’t able to answer the questions above, the answers are…. 1. Friday 2. Chicago 3. Police. We promise there will be easier questions too!

10/19/2011 - QC Foodie - Blue Cat Brew Pub

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 08:00:00 GMT

After a scary good time at Skellington Manor Haunted House, and some wine flights at the Grape Life in Rock Island, my peeps and I went to the Blue Cat for dinner. I was happy to find little has changed over the course of the years. I used to frequent the pub upstairs when I was just out of college. This was back in the old days when, if memory serves, it was only the second local microbrewery around. I have tried several of the brews more than once over the years since my former bright-eyed skinny self first set foot in those doors. I hope the Blue Cat will pardon me for not partaking in any beer on this occasion despite the quote on their website, Remember: Going to a Brew Pub and not sampling the local brew is like going to a famous bordello just to listen to the piano player. Fast forward a decade and I get my mediocre poetry published on the back of a menu courtesy of the Midwest Writing Center, it was very kind of all parties involved. That's when my wardrobe had much in the color black and I attended poetry readings. Fast forward almost another decade. Wigged Pig Wheat!* Where does the time go? I was tickled to find the poetry still on the back of the menus and a warm, familiar haunt of mine waiting when we came in from the chilly night.

Ricardo and I both ordered entrees that came with either soup or salad. We both ordered tomato blue, a homemade soup of the day. It was so wonderful - I don't know how I never heard of this before. I enjoy both tomato soup and blue cheese so this soup is akin to combining chocolate and peanut butter or yin and yang. The acidic tomato blends with the creamy cheese, which also adds sharpness and it is a match made in heaven.

I had the Walleye Pike Meuniere. The fish was light and tasty and the sauteed or steamed veggies (sorry, I couldn't determine) were scrumptious. Ricardo ordered Top Sirloin and said it was nicely prepared and delicious.

I took some dark photos of our friends' entrees via my Droid. Everyone enjoyed their food and there were no complaints, save for a stray mushroom in someone who requested no mushrooms' dish.

The atmosphere is lively and it's a great place to meet friends for dinner. Their website lists an upcoming Beer Dinner/Beer School and a Beer School. These sound like great educational experiences. I saw this quote attributed to Henry Ford earlier today and it seems appropriate now, "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young." Also, the Pumpkin Ale Spice Cake with Ginger Ice Cream at the Beer Dinner sounds like it's to die for.

I'll enroll in a class at the Blue Cat someday and maybe even write about it... well about the food anyway. I prefer wine, as if that wasn't obvious. That QC Beer Guy seems to be really knowledgeable about beer. http://www.qcbeerguy.blogspot.com/ Until then, I'll keep visiting a restaurant that is more like a long-time acquaintance whom I keep meeting up with in the District of Rock Island from time to time over the last 18 years or so. I'm not skinny anymore and I'm starting to get some gray hair but the Blue Cat is hasn't aged a bit; it's still a hip, cool cat in a building the color of azure.

This is one of the beers with fabulous names. Others include:

Off the Rail Pale AleQ
Big Bad Dog
Old English Ale
Red Toad E.S.B.
Scotch Terrier Scottish Ale
Bowfish Imperial Stout

10/11/2011 - QC Beerguy - First Friday at Mississippi River Distillery

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Friday evening my wife and I went First Friday at the Mississippi River Distillery (MRD) http://www.mrdistilling.com/ in Le Claire, IA and had a great evening. First Friday is the brainstorm of the Burchett Brothers: Ryan and Garrett, the owners/distillers at MRD. They have and open house from 5:30-8pm every first Friday of the month, featuring their Spirits and food made with their spirits. This month since it was Apple Fest in Le Claire everything served involved apples in some way. The food recipes are done by "Spirited Chef" Stephanie Godke and are delicious, but also usually not overly difficult to make.

This month also some other Le Claire businesses provided some featured food as well. Kernel Cody's Popcorn Shoppe http://kernelcodyspopcorn.com/ provided samples of Carmel Apple Popcorn and Ocean's Escape Women's Center http://kernelcodyspopcorn.com/ provided samples of Apple Lemon Lavender Muffins. Both were very good.

Besides the featured food samples MRD has featured mixed drinks made with their spirits. The first one was an Apple Martini featuring their latest vodka River Pilot Vodka, a more traditional vodka than their original River Baron Vodka. The second drink was Autumn Embrace featuring River Rose Gin. I enjoyed trying both of the drinks, but preferred the Apple Martini. When you walk in the door you receive a card entitling you to two sample drinks. If you and the person or people you are with plan well enough you can try a sip of the featured drinks as well as the straight Spirits.

My wife and I did plan well so we were able to compare the River Baron side by side with the River Pilot. Both are very good vodkas but equally different from each other. The River Baron is more flavorful spirit with hints of spicy, pepper and a light nuttiness from wheat, besides the sweet, smoothness of corn. The River Pilot is more neutral in taste, so it would be a good vodka for mixed drinks. Both do stand up well by themselves as well, so do not hesitate to purchase either one.

MRD currently has in their stable River Baron Vodka, River Pilot Vodka, River Rose Gin and Wide River Wheat, a seasonal spirit. The key with the Wide River Wheat is that it is a seasonal spirit; so that means once it is gone it is all gone. We picked up a bottle for us last night, with under 300 bottles left it will not last long. As well they have more spirits coming down the pipe, including seasonal #2 Iowa Coffee Company Liqueur and what my wife and I are looking forward to Cody Road Bourbon. The Coffee Liqueur will be featured at the November First Friday and the Bourbon will be featured at the December First Friday. We are looking forward to the next couple of First Fridays.

MRD is ever expanding and they are soon to be in Missouri and looking to expanding further North and South. They also are receiving national attention in the press and national vodka events. A bottle of River Baron Vodka was in the room at the Blackhawk Hotel waiting when The President of the United States stayed overnight this summer. Hopefully the bottle found a good home at the White House!

The First Friday Event is a fun evening to see the distillery, try some special food as well as the special locally produced spirits. So remember that the next First Friday will be on November 4th, I'm sure the folks at MRD will go out of their way to make you feel welcomed. Come on out, it is a fun time!

QC Beerguy

10/08/2011 - QC Beerguy - Enjoy the Head

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 08:00:00 GMT

I know I was one of those people that were never properly educated about the positive benefits of having the proper amount of head on the beer I was drinking. I used to feel cheated even if there was the slightest amount of head on the beer. I thought the bartender was trying to rip me off. Then as my knowledge of beer grew I began to understand that the head was actually beneficial to my enjoyment of the beer I was drinking.

Beer head is actually formed by CO2 bubbles being released from the beer itself, mostly being formed during pouring of the beer into the glass. When the beer is poured with care, the proper amount of beer head will usually form, if the beer is properly carbonated. Depending on the beer the proper amount varies from a finger width to an inch and a half. Also beer head can be affected by various other variables including: alcohol content, ingredients, adjuncts and the cleanliness of the glass.

Usually the higher the alcohol the less head retention there is, because alcohol has a detrimental effect on beer head. Certain malts are known to help in head retention, one especially known is wheat malt, and because of its higher protein it helps the structure of the head. Adjuncts are in most cases detrimental or at least neutral since they are usually a sugar or starch with little to no protein. Lastly if a glass has any soil or soap residue head retention will suffer, because these are organic compounds that attack beer head.

As I had said earlier beer head helps the beer drinker enjoy the beer. As the CO2 is released from the beer it forms the head and does a couple of other things at the same time. First the CO2 carries with it aromas and flavors that may not otherwise escape the beer. Secondly the CO2 helps with the mouth feel and complexity of the beer.

Within the last ten years several English beers have begun using Nitrogen widgets in their cans. The widget releases the Nitrogen gas when the can is opened and as the beer is poured into the glass it mimics the beer as if it would have been poured on nitrogen gas. Guinness was more than likely the originator of this method and used it to give the impression of a beer that was actually poured from the tap. Nitrogen adds a distinctive creaminess to the beer, as well giving the impression that the beer is flatter than a CO2 poured beer.

So next time you are at your local watering hole observe how your bartender and wait-staff serve the beer. A properly trained bar staff will know how to pour a beer and serve it with the proper amount of head. If you have questions on the proper amount of head on your beer, do not be afraid to ask your server. Also if you feel you are being shorted on your beer speak up; a reputable establishment will not mind being kept honest.

Just remember beer head is important to your enjoyment. Think of it this way a beer without a head is like a human without a head, dead and lifeless!

QC Beerguy

10/08/2011 - Best/Worst Pick Up Lines

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Going along with the Video of the Day we want to see what some of the best/worst pick-up lines you've heard or have used yourself.

Write your best/worst pick-up line in the comment box below and be sure to add your name for a chance to win a prize.

10/04/2011 - QC Beerguy - Oktoberfest - Amana IA

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Oktoberfest Amana IA Sept. 30th and October 1

My wife and I along with some friends made a trip out to Amana, IA this past Friday and Saturday to immerse ourselves in their annual Oktoberfest. Needless to say we had a great time. Some of you maybe wondering what is there to do at an Oktoberfest besides sit and drink beer. I can gladly say that there are many other activities to do.

My wife and I arrived in Amana a little after 1pm and our friends had all ready established base camp on the yard of Millstream Brewing. We have a fold up shelter that we set our chairs in, this year the weather was decent except for the wind on Friday. Shortly after we completed home base it was time for the first event of Oktoberfest.

At 1:45pm Friday the first keg is loaded, blessed and leaves Millstream for the Festhalle Barn. As we walked behind the wagon we were lead in song by the Burgermeister. The keg arrives and is ceremoniously taken into the Festhalle and then tapped. The first keg is a free keg, so needless to say the tap is never shut off and surprisingly everyone that wanted a beer was able to have one. It was only a matter of minutes until the keg ran dry. We stayed at the Festhalle and enjoyed some of the entertainment.

The first band we saw was Barefoot Becky and the Ivanhoe Dutchmen. I cannot say if the they were Dutch men, but Becky was definitely barefoot. After the set was done we were able to get a picture with Becky.

We headed back to home base to sit back and enjoy some beer, coming from our own 1/6 barrel purchased from Millstream. Yes of course it was a keg of Oktoberfest and we all agreed it was a very good year for the beer. The beer was nicely malty and sweet. It also had just enough hop bitterness to offset the malty sweetness. The beer was very easy to drink. While we at home base we were able to commune with many of the people around us at the Millstream biergarten. After a bit of time we decided to head back to the Festhalle.

At the Festhalle we saw a very fun Polka party band from Minnesota, Alpensterne. Yes I did say a Polka party band; there is such a thing and they fit it to a "t". It is a 3 piece band: a singer/ horn player, an accordion player and a drummer. After a while we decided to head back to the hotel and call it a night. But before a night was called we made a stop at the hotel bar and surprising to us they had $1 draft beer specials, including Amana's Schild Brau.

Day 2 we made it up to Amana a short time before the parade was finished, so we had to wait a few minutes before we could head to our home base. We were able to basically follow right behind the parade and almost become part of it. Thankfully we were watching the numerous pedestrians in the streets, because they were not watching us. Eventually we parked, set up our chairs in the shelter and then watch one of the couples race in the Brat race. It was a relay race that had to be run in a brat suit. Entertaining, but our friends did not make it out of their heat. We walked around town for a short time and we wound back up at the Festhalle, enjoying the music from new our friends in Alpensterne.

During the set there was a gentleman signing up people for a bratwurst eating contest. Two of our friends entered and one of them even placed in the top three. He wound up eating almost three feet of bratwurst and the buns. We then headed back to base camp for some socializing and then we had an emergency; the keg ran dry. Luckily Millstream was willing to sell us another 1/6 barrel. So as the keg was being secured, most of us went over to the keg toss and log sawing.

Eventually with our group all in attendance several began to participate. In our group we had the Men's and Women's two-man log sawing champions and the second place finisher in the Women's keg toss. So we have some athletes in our group. No that does not include me.

Back to home base for a while then off to the Festhalle to see this awe inspiring German Brass Band, Die Freistadt Alte Kameraden, out of Wisconsin. The highlight of this band is when the Brass section wanders through the Festhalle while playing, it just brings goosebumps to me hearing it. They finish then it was Alpensterne again playing.

All through our time at Oktoberfest we keep running into the Burgermeister and his wife. They are a very nice couple and became very friendly with our group. So every time we saw them we always had time for a discussion of how things were going. So it was no surprise that he came over and stood and talked with us for awhile during a break in the music.

Also I even surprised my wife with my abilities at the Festhalle. One of friends is a good Polka dancer and had danced with her a couple of times. But when he was dancing with his girlfriend she decided she wanted to dance a polka, so we went out to the dance floor. She was surprised that I could hold my own when it comes to the Polka, because otherwise I am far from a good dancer. So we wound up dancing to several Polkas.

Overall I know we all had a wonderful time at Oktoberfest. If you are able to make it to Amana or someplace else I strongly suggest you go and enjoy. I know my wife and I still have plans to go to the original Oktoberfest in Munich in the future, but that will have to wait for awhile.

QC Beerguy

10/04/2011 - October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Make a Difference.
Make History.
Make Strides against Breast Cancer on Saturday, October 15 at Schwiebert Riverfront Park in Rock Island.

While Making Strides Against Breast Cancer is new to the Quad Cities it has been a vital part of the American Cancer Societyâ��s mission of creating more birthdays since 1993. Since then nearly 7 million participants have raised for than $400 million and last year alone 800,000 walkers raised $60 million to help fight this disease.

By participating in this upcoming ACS event, you are helping to support those who have been diagnosed as well as funding research that will someday lead to a cure for cancer. Interestingly enough breast cancer research has led to advancements in fighting other cancers and vice versa.

Thanks to fundraising supporters like you, the American Cancer Society has played a role in nearly every major cancer research breakthrough in recent history, including:

-Funding research into breast-conserving surgery, using lumpectomy plus radiation for treatment
-Establishing mammography as the gold standard to find breast cancer early
-Discovering lifesaving treatments (such as Herceptin) to improve breast cancer survival and drugs (such as Tamoxifen) to reduce the risk of second or first breast cancer
-Discovering genes for inherited breast and colon cancer
-Confirming the knowledge that genetics, diet, lack of exercise, and alcohol abuse can increase a person's cancer risk.
-Discovering cancer-causing oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes

Currently, breast cancer research projects are under way at institutions across the country, thanks in part to the funds raised by participants of Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. With your help, we can blaze a trail toward the next great discovery and make strides to end breast cancer.

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer is also unique in that the spotlight of the event is placed on the survivors, not the winners of the race. The ACS also does not require participants to raise thousands of dollars although they do recommend setting a goal of $200. Everyone is encouraged to participate. And this is an event that you donâ��t have to spend months training for because at the end of the day everyone is a winner! The 5k course is also handicap accessible and you are not required to walk, run or jog the entire course if you choose not to.

The American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk is as unique and special as the story that motivates you. Each step you take is personal, and together we are helping create a world with less breast cancer and more birthdays.

For more information on Making Strides Against Breast Cancer on October 15th at Schwiebert Riverfront Park contact the American Cancer Society at 309- 794-0601 or email- Stacey.Dutton@cancer.org

10/04/2011 - QC Foodie - Huckleberry's

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Since my last visit to Huckleberry's was with a party in the banquet room where I ate pizza from the buffet, I wanted to go back to try some of the other offerings in a more intimate dining experience. This time my fiance Ricardo, my two daughters and I ate at Huckleberry's before going to Comedy Sportz, where we used our Quad Cities Night Out VIP cards to get buy one get one free admissions. Huckleberry's pizza can also be ordered to be delivered during halftime at Comedy Sportz but we were hungry and preferred to enjoy a more relaxed family dinner before the laughs. I ordered the Mississippi Calzone. It included chicken, ham, mozzarella, ricotta, spinach and onions and a side of pizza sauce. Ricardo ordered a panini made with chicken, basil, cheese and tomato and a side of fries, Juliet ordered a pepperoni calzone and Caty had chicken strips with fries.

Ricardo had iced tea, I had water, Juliet was thrilled to find Strawberry Nestle Quick available and Caty had Sweet Leaf Lemonade. I was happy to see Sweet Leaf sold since it contains no high-fructose corn syrup but instead it includes carbon filtered water, organic cane sugar and organic lemon juice concentrate. It's so difficult to find beverages with real sugar and organic ingredients!

I was able to check out the atmosphere in the main dining area this time. The walls are exposed brick, the decor is fun and inviting. We sat in a booth and played our own pre-Comedy Sportz in a quick-thinking word game that Caty likes to play. She says a word and then we go around the table adding the next word, creating a run-on sentence that tells a nonsense and often hilarious story. Just a side note, I will allow plenty of time if we decide on a meal before the CS match again. The food is cooked fresh to order and will take time as food worth its salt does. We had time to play a couple of rounds of Caty's game, hear about a movie Juliet saw the day before, and Ricardo checked the football scores on his phone. Our food arrived and looked promising.

The pizza dough crust met our expectations, it was just the right thickness, had a good flavor and was a beautiful golden brown. The blend of ingredients was balanced in my calzone in terms of amounts, but some of the ingredients were heavier on one side than the other. I don't fault the cooks on that since I have done that myself while making calzones and I wasn't serving thirty people in a short time-frame. The cheese was terrific and the pizza sauce was great. Juliet enjoyed her pepperoni calzone, shared a piece with Caty, and even grabbed the last bit of her food in a napkin to continue eating on the go since it was almost showtime when we scurried out the back door.

Ricardo's panini looked really appetizing and was a large serving that he couldn't finish. His assessment was that it was average. Caty ate her chicken strips, said the fries were "the best" and proceeded to ask for and receive some of her sister's ample calzone. I would have liked to order some tiramisu or gelato to share amongst the four of us but we were at our time limit for our visit that day. Huckleberry's offers several varieties of their fine calzones so I guess I'll have to return to try more in the future and that's no joke.

09/29/2011 - QC Foodie - DJ's Steakhouse

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 08:00:00 GMT

My fiance, Ricardo, and I decided to check out DJ's Steakhouse at Jumer's Casino in Rock Island. The dÃ©cor was contemporary and slightly whimsical. I loved the colorful calla lily chandeliers above the tables and I expressed to Ricardo how I would like to buy one for our house (hint). The bar has clean, symmetrical patterns and a chic, urban appeal, save for the checkered tile floor. We were seated at a large booth with comfortable plush seats and incredibly high backs, evoking a feeling of being Alice having fallen for the "Drink Me" label. We ordered a bottle of Beaujolais-Villages, which is extremely fun to pronounce (Bo-zho-lay vill-AHJ) as well as to drink. For some wine-nerd trivia, the terrior, located south of Beaujolais, in the Rhone area close to Lyon, is composed of granite. The wine had a slight spice to it and paired well with our subsequent meal choices.

Our server was attentive and amiable. The restaurant didn't seem extremely crowded but our orders, including the wine, took quite a while to arrive. Meanwhile, we munched on the splendid array of bread placed in a wire basket before us while I summarized the book Eat Pray Love up to the midpoint, the point to which I have read so far. We enjoyed scrumptious raisin bread, wheat bread and tiny cinnamon rolls along with the three dollops of flavored butter. One was plain, the second was nutmeg and the third was garlic. This bread ranks among my top three favorite restaurants for their bread.

Ricardo ordered Lobster Bisque with Sherry. He thought it was good. I tasted it, it had a creamy texture and was satisfactory. He ordered a Filet Mignon. As you can see by the picture, it was a tall, generous portion. He said it was cooked perfectly and was tender and flavorful. He also ordered buttermilk scallion and mashed potatoes, which were a bit cool but tasty.

I really had a difficult time deciding on what to order since I felt like a kid in a candy store staring at all of the intreguing menu choices http://www.jumerscri.com/Jumers/files/17/17bf41a8-5b50-4002-800b-d57cc6b45565.pdf. I ordered Double Berry Chicken Pasta. I had to take a deep breath before I recited the components of this dish out loud: "Two five-ounce boneless chicken breasts, lightly floured, sauteed, bedded over ravioli filled with ratatouille, a blend of squash, sweet peppers, tomato and onion, a combination of goat, ricotta and parmesan cheeses, laced with a sweet savory thyme infused blackberry raspberry sauce, finished with scallions". It was complex and flavorful. I'm not a finicky eater but I've been known to ditch sweet peppers on the side of my plate, rudeness notwithstanding. However, these were blended with all of the other ingredients to create one great taste. I had to box half of the meal since it was rather large for me. Again, we were too full to give dessert a go but they looked appealing. http://www.jumerscri.com/Dining/DJ-s-Steakhouse/Photos.aspx

Overall, we enjoyed our fine dining experience at DJ's and I bet we'll try our luck again and sample some of the other creative dishes on a return visit.

09/28/2011 - QC Beerguy - Glassware Makes the Beer

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Glassware Makes the Beer

Believe it or not but what you drink your beer from can be the difference of you liking it or not. Every beer drinker is familiar with the ubiquitous shaker pint glass. Tapered glass with the mouth being the widest part and holding 16 ounces of beer. Or so you think, there are some "pint" glasses that hold 14 or so ounces. The secret is the bottom of the glass is thicker than the normal pint glass, so beware.

Just because a glass is commonly used does not mean it is the best to enjoy beer from. If you are familiar with Belgian beer, you will know that it seems that each beer has its own particular glass to showcase the beer. Most of the glasses are some type of a tulip glass. Which is a glass with a bowl on top of a stem and the mouth of the glass is smaller than the bowl. Thus allowing aromas to be concentrated into your nose as you take a drink from the glass.

As well there are various glasses used with German beers. There is the pilsner glass, the hefeweizen glass and a few other special glasses for regional beer. Lest not I forget the half liter and liter mug used with Oktoberfest beers. Each glass has been proven over time to accentuate some desirable characteristic of the beer.

So needless to say many a beer lover has multiple glasses to properly serve their beer in. I know I have several cupboards full of glasses, that mainly go unused. I find myself almost always using the pint glass.

There is an example of a current brewer using his considerable resources to design a new type of glass. Jim Koch owner of Samuel Adams a couple years ago spent thousands of dollars to have engineers design a glass to showcase his beers. The end result was a glass that easily fits into your hand but has a bowl and narrows at the mouth to concentrate the aromas of the beer. The bowl helps keep the beer at proper temperate since it concentrates the volume of the beer into the bowl.

It truly does make a difference on choosing your glass ware as to how enjoyable the beer is. Also there is a noticeable difference foe many people between actual glass and plastic "glasses". In the QC area several places serve their beer in plastic cups if you are going to sit out on the patio. Plastic can detract from the enjoyment, because of undesirable aromas or other characteristics. So sometimes a beer will taste different between inside and outside because of the serving vessel.

Next time you order a beer sit back and think about your beer and the glass it came in. Could it taste better in a different glass? Does the place I am having my beer at really know how to best showcase the beer I am drinking? Do not be afraid to ask your server if they are serving the beer in the proper glass. Most times your server will refer you to the manager on duty to have your discussion. If they only have pint glasses, then that is what you are able to drink out of. So enjoy as much as you can.

One last note on glass ware. Do not if possible drink a beer from an icy glass. Ice = frozen water. So it does a couple of tings to beer. First it slightly dilutes your beer. Second the glass is at freezing temps, so that means it will cool any beer you put into it. Which is not necessarily a good thing. Some beers are best at temperatures between 40 and 50 degrees. So cold glasses repress the aromas and flavors of the beer.

QC Beerguy

09/28/2011 - QC Foodie - Bix Bistro Jazz Brunch

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Bix Bistro Jazz Brunch

by QC Foodie

Last year I was fortunate to get a tour of the Hotel Blackhawk, as the renovation was near completion. Standing there amid the dusty construction with a hardhat on, I watched a worker painting the ornamental trim gold. I was amazed at the changes visible to that point. So it was no surprise when I returned as a party guest and spent the night in one of the fabulous rooms in January, that the hotel had been polished into a splendid shining gem. The Josh Duffee Band was playing as we arrived and were greeted by the hostess. We were seated and I took the liberty of sitting on the comfy couch that was decorated with purple throw pillows and Ricardo graciously sat in a regular chair. We were invited to visit the buffet, which was set up on all sides of the bar. It wouldn't be possible to list all of the food available but some highlights were: a roast beef carving station, lasagna (chef's entree feature), golden hash browns, five cheese mac & cheese, garlic mashed potatoes with gravy, omelet station, fresh fruit, soup, salad, and biscuits and gravy. Our server brought us our giant cinnamon roll. The frosting looked and tasted amazingly wonderful and the roll itself was just average.

The Mimosas sat on the bar in neat sparkling orange rows, looking cool and tempting next to the Bloody Marys. Of course, I took one of each drink in the name of research. Later, I had to go back to get another Mimosa just to test the “bottomless” Mimosa and Bloody Mary policy. I'm glad to inform the public that the bottomless cocktail policy works just fine! The Mimosa was crisp and delicious, I have never met its equal. I was a bit afraid to try the Bloody Marys, since my spice-threshold is low on the spice barometer so I asked the server and she said they weren't spicy. She was correct, it was a wonderful cocktail that Ricardo and I shared. It was a full-flavored tomato juice packed with a great blend of (my best guess) lemon juice, vodka, pepper and what else I couldn't tell. I was happy to be getting my fruit and vegetable juice requirements for the day all at once!

My top selections among the outstanding choices were the deep-fried-oat-encrusted French toast, an omelet with my favorite ingredients, applewood-smoked bacon and I could go on, but again, I'm making a long, boring list. I thought the bacon was as good, although not at thick, as the applewood-smoked bacon that ranks number one with us at a restaurant in (sorry, Iowa) San Francisco where we ate breakfast twice during our four-day stay. Ricardo ranks Bix Bistro's as a close second. I am definitely going to try to recreate the oat-encrusted French toast at home. However, it won't be the same since I don't have luxurious, beautiful surroundings and Josh Duffee and his band playing in my living room. Too bad.

After we ate we sat for a while on the couches in the lobby appreciating the music. I can best sum up the Blackhawk this way: is it a landmark destination with a gorgeous, contemporary atmosphere nestled within elegance of the past. That morning the hotel was alive with overnight guests checking out, brunch-goers, and patrons of Beignet Done That. The website states: “Since it first opened in 1915, the hotel has served as a home away from home for families, romantics, presidents, movie stars and legendary athletes alike.” I would like to humbly place myself in the category with the romantics. I am fortunate I was able to enjoy my experiences of dinner and an overnight stay and recently, the jazz brunch, with the love of my life and my future husband. Welcome back “grande dame” of Davenport, Iowa,* we missed you.

*From the website hotelblackhawk.com

09/20/2011 - Behind the Scenes...Reusable Usables

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Behind The Scenes with Jennifer Davis

“Engage a mind, Save a landfill”

Never has a business motto had so much impact on a community and the environment. At Reusable Usables Creative Arts Center they are doing their part and much more to provide a creative environment in the Quad Cities and to save quality materials from the landfill.

The LeClaire, Iowa creative art center is the perfect destination for field trips, art workshops, parties and rainy day getaways. Their drop in art events are held on Fridays and most Saturdays and Sundays. During drop in art you can either bring in your own art project or use the materials available and studio to create a masterpiece. Materials available vary on a weekly basis, but have included wallpaper books, carpet squares, cardboard cutouts, bubble wrap, mesh bags, milk rings, tile pieces, pop tabs, wine corks, fabric books and much more!

Beginning on September 28 Reusable Usables will kick off their Green Girls Club. Participants will meet each Wednesday from 3:45-5:15 p.m. with sessions taught by area artists. Projects will include making clothing, jewelry and accessories as well as book making and other exciting art projects.

Other exciting events coming this fall include a Costume Swap designed to help area residents save money and protect costumes from landfills. You can drop off your gently used costumes now thru October 6^th. Then on Saturday, October 8^th return to Reusable Usables from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to pick out a “new” costume. After 1 p.m. the shop will open to the public for costume shopping, with leftovers donated to a local charity. Eco friendly activities are also planned for the day and children ages 1-13 can enter their trick or treat bag design contest.

While Reusable Usables might be an artist’s best friend, teachers are also encouraged to visit. To celebrate the back to school season, teachers who purchase a 10 pound pass will receive 3 pounds of art materials free thru the end of September.

Also don’t forget to show your Quad Cities Night Out VIP card to receive a drop in pass for $10. The pass is valued at $20 and is good for four drop in art times.

Reusable Usables is located at 322 North Cody Road, LeClaire, Iowa and is open on Wednesdays and Fridays from 3-6 p.m. on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. For more information visit their website at www.reusableusables.org or contact them at 563-289-3946.

09/19/2011 - QC Foodie - Mulkey's Restaurant

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Ricardo and I visited Mulkey's Restaurant in Rock Island. It is family-owned since 1955. I love learning the histories of local restaurants. According to the website, “Bob Mulkey started Mulkey's Restaurant in 1955 and passed along his family secrets to his son, Chuck Mulkey. Chuck started working at the family business as a young boy and continues the family tradition of great food and superb service. Chuck's son, Ryan Mulkey, has also grown up in the business and together they continue to make Mulkey's a hometown favorite! The family tradition of delicious Henny Penny Chicken has continued for more than 50 years! In addition to their famous chicken they have daily homemade soups and specials. Mulkey's is home cooking at its finest. Hot Roast Beef, Whole Catfish and other menu items are so yummy you'll have to visit again and again to be sure to try everything.”

To match the homestyle cooking, the décor is homestyle as well, with ruffled curtains with chickens on them, like those in my grandma's house. Our waitress was pleasant and attentive. I ordered the Grilled Iowa Pork Chop, mashed potatoes and a salad. Ricardo ordered Henny Penny chicken. The pork chop was good, I liked the seasonings, I tasted garlic and black pepper. The salad was made with iceberg lettuce so it was crunchy but not flavorful. The mashed potatoes were delicious. Ricardo said the chicken was good. It came with a plate so full of chicken and fries that it was amazing the server didn't drop any off of the great heap. The chicken was a deep-golden brown color.

I noticed there was a vegetable and cheese sandwich and wondered how many people order that. When I eat at a restaurant offering this type of food, I go for the heartiest food I can get. It's nice that they offer that choice, though, in case someone in a party of diners is has an aversion to meat. I wish we would have gone for breakfast rather than dinner since they have an extensive breakfast menu that looks like it has quite a few delicious-sounding items. Mulkey's is a neighborhood restaurant that serves its customers well by offering down-home cooking at reasonable prices.

Feel free to checkout my Facebook page, follow me on Twitter, or visit my blog to let me know what's happening in the Quad City food scene.

09/13/2011 - Behind the Scenes...Martini's on the Rock

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Summer may be coming to an end, but it's not too late to enjoy dinner, drinks and live entertainment at Martini's on Rock. Their patio on the banks of the Rock River is the perfect place to enjoy and Indian Summer with friends, family and coworkers.
Martini's endless lunch and dinner menu features everything from calamari, catfish, coconut shrimp, and seared Ahi tuna to Angus steaks, homemade pizza, ribs, chicken, salads and sandwiches. Not to mention their extensive martini list that is highlighted by the Chocolate Explosion Martini. On Monday nights you can enjoy this popular drink for only $5.
Martini's also features a banquet room that can seat up to 120 people. The room is perfect for fundraisers, receptions, and parties. They also host free live music every Friday and Saturday night and have karaoke every Wednesday night start at 8 p.m. Upcoming bands include Crazy Bad on the 16^th, Justin Morrissey and Friends on the 17^th, Who Cares on the 23^rd, Nitrix on the 24^th and Funktastic 5 on September 30^th.
You can now use your Quad Cities Night Out VIP card at Martini's for $1 off appetizers on Friday and Saturday and buy one get one free dinner or lunch entree (Up to $9, with beverage purchase) Sunday thru Thursday.
Daily drink specials:
Sunday- $1.75 14oz Domestic Drafts
Monday- $1.00 8 oz Domestic Drafts and Wells, $2 Domestic Drafts and Bottles, $3 You Call Its, $5 Martini's
Tuesday-$2 Domestic Bottles and Wells, $2.50 Captain Morgan drinks
Wednesday- $1.75 14 oz Domestic Drafts
Thursday- $2.50 Domestic Bottles

Martini's on the Rock is located at 4619 34th Street, Rock Island, IL 61201, Just of Blackhawk Road
The kitchen is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m

09/12/2011 - QC Beerguy - Thirsty Troll Fest

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Thirtsy Troll Fest

This weekend my wife and I along with a few friends went up to the Thirsty Troll Fest in Mt. Horeb, WI. This is a small fest that we all really enjoy, because it is mainly all Wisconsin beers and only around a 1000 people attend this event. It is well worth a look if you are thinking of attending a beer fest, but do not want to be overwhelmed.

The six of us headed out Saturday morning to arrive in time to claim our camping spot and set up our tents. We had to make an unattended stop in Maquoketa, IA because I forgot the air pump for the air mattress. So we arrived up at the campground, only a couple of miles from Mt. Horeb, and claimed a site and pitched our tents. After completing that chore we drove over to Mt. Horeb for the day.

First stop the Grumpy Troll Brewpub http://www.thegrumpytroll.com/ at which we were surprised and walked in and were seated at a table right away. We were trying to be quick about our meal since the fest opened in less than a hour, so we all decided on our beers as well as our meal. Our waitress arrived and asked if we knew what we wanted to drink, we told her that we were ready to order our meals as well. To which she made an odd statement, that she would do the drinks first and then go back around the table for our meal orders. Which is exactly what she did, so with that all done she arrived shortly after with our beers.

My wife and a couple of our friends ordered a Sunflower, a farmhouse ale made with local honey. It was pale yellow with a good amount of haze and a decent white head. Taste wise it did not have much more than a slightly honey taste to me. It seemed to be to me an easy drinking beer in the one sip I had. I ordered a Trappist Ale, that was based off of the winning entry to the Grumpy Troll Challenge. I was overall a light refreshing beer with a good amount of spiciness and it hid the alcohol strength well, 7% ABV. It was light amber, hazy and a thin off white head. A nice beer but not a session beer. The other two in our group ordered a Hoppa Loppa IPA, a northwest styled IPA, did not have a taste of it until I was at the fest and once I did, I liked the beer. An amber hued beer with a good off white head, the hops are present in the aroma and taste as well. A finely crafted IPA.

So we left the Brewpub and drove over to the park at which the fest was held. The actual fest grounds are the outfield section of a ball field, the more you think about it it makes sense. Flat grassy area with limited access and fenced in. We set up our chairs and start looking for beer. My wife and I had several decent beers but nothing outstanding to start with. My first noteworthy beer was from Vintage Brewing in Madison, WI, it was a Belgian quad called Deville. It was a greatly balanced beer that checked in at 11% ABV, but was smooth and easy drinking. I could of sat and had me a couple pints of this beer. Another standout beer was from Corner Pub Brewpub a Bourbon Scotch Ale. The balance between the brew and the bourbon was just about perfect. The beer had a hint of smokiness and was full bodied enough to stand up to the bourbon flavors. Also both my wife and I loved the Rush River Nevermore, it is a chocolate, oatmeal stout around 8% ABV. It is dark, strong and delicious. The chocolate is a nice contrast to the oatmeal smoothness. Go find this beer!

As the day went on several of our group helped out our friends from Great River Brewery by allowing them to take some breaks from pouring beer and go out and taste some of the brewer's beers. This was the first year for Great River to attend this event and they were a hit to say the least. They brought with them 6 beers and I know from pouring the beers they went home with maybe the remnants of two or three beers. They ran out of their Redband Stout, the bourbon stout and the limited quantity of Oktoberfest. They also had a firkin of the Roller Dam Red dry hopped with simcone hops, which was very good.

This fest gives each fest goer a marble to vote for their favorite brewery. Great River came in third in the voting, really awesome for attending the fest for the first time this year. Scott and Dawn were very pleased to place in the top three. Also they may have found a new market to expand into. I can not count how many times as I was pouring beer for Great River I was asked where the beer could be purchased. Unfortunately for the fest goers they have to drive a bit to either Dubuque or Galena. So it was a great day for Great River.

At the end of the fest we gathered our stuff up and headed to a cool place: Aunt Mary's Hooterville Inn http://www.hootervilleinn.com/ for pizza and beer. It is located in the town of Blue Mounds, WI and at night they have hand made pizza. Also they usually have 6 good craft beers on tap, this weekend they had mainly Bell's beers. The pizza was very good as well as the beer, plus the place was not crowded. After eating our fill we took the short drive back to the campsite. We continued the great day on into the night sharing stories and craft and homebrewed beer around a campfire.

Then this morning we woke up and went back to Aunt Mary's for breakfast, which is equally as good as the pizza. Unfortunately after that was the drive home. This was a very enjoyable weekend and I know I look forward to going to this fest again next year. It is always the second Saturday of September so put it on your calendar.

QC Beerguy

09/12/2011 - QC Beerguy - Fall Seasonal Beers

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Fall Seasonal Beers

If you have been in your local beer store lately you probably have noticed that the fall seasonal beers are appearing on the shelves. When I say fall seasonals I am talking about Pumpkin beers and the Oktoberfest beers. Both are sure signs that Fall is quickly approaching and unfortunately that means colder weather is not far behind.

Both are associated with Fall but for different reasons. The Pumpkin beers is a harvest beer, using the gourd you grew all season in your beer. The Oktoberfest beer came from the annual Bavarian harvest festival first celebrated in 1810 to honor the marriage of Prince Ludwig and Therese of Saxe- Hildburghausen. I will attempt to give a background of each and some of the more classic examples, as well of any local examples in the QC.

First up Pumpkin beer, the base beer is usually a mild beer with little bitterness and a good malt backbone. In other-words it is quite frequently an amber ale, but it is not the only beer used I have seen pumpkin stouts and sour Belgian beers. The pumpkin is added at various times, sometimes in the mash, sometimes in the boil or even as the fermenting vessel itself. Also the pumpkin is added in various forms raw hand cut, pureed, roasted and canned. Since it is a starchy gourd it can contribute to the mouthfeel of the beer and if it is mashed some of the starch could be converted to sugar thus adding to the potential alcohol content of the beer. A key to just about any pumpkin beer is that it tends to be spiced with pumpkin pie spices, such as: cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, allspice and clove. The alcohol runs the gambit from 4-11%+ ABV, just depending on the beer style and if it is imperialized or not.

On Beer Advocate there are over 250+ beers listed as pumpkin beers http://beeradvocate.com/beer/style/72/?start=0, with almost all of the beers if not all coming from the US. The pumpkin is truly an American original, the world did not know of the pumpkin until it was discovered in America. This is a fruit that the American craft brewer loves to play with. Some of the more recognizable pumpkin beers are Punkin Ale from Dogfish Head Brewery, Pumking from Southern Tier Brewing, Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale from Buffalo Bill's Brewery, Schlafly Pumpkin Ale from St.Louis Brewery, and Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin from Shipyard Brewing. The last two I mentioned are favorites of my wife and I, she really loves the Schlafly because as she says, " You can taste the whip cream on top of it!".

Please do not think that you should only look for the ones I mentioned, follow the above link to find some that you may like. The proceed to your local beer store and purchase your choices. If you do not find the ones you want on the shelf at your local beer store, just ask the staff if they will be receiving the pumpkin beer you want. If not try some of the ones on the shelf, some beer stores will have a section where you can do a mix and match so you may be able to pick up six different pumpkin ales in on six pack.

I am not aware of any local brewery currently working on a pumpkin ale. I know last year Great River had a Pumpkin Ale, but unsure if that is in the plans for this year. Also I know that traditionally Bent River has made a Sweet Potato Ale each year, spiced with pumpkin pie spices. So be on the look out to see if either of these beers show up this Fall.

The Oktoberfest beer is a traditional German beer that has been well received by the American beer drinker and because of that has become a staple of many American craft breweries. Traditionally the beer was brewed in March, thus the alternative name Marzen. Before modern refrigeration March was still cool enough to properly brew a beer and then stored in cool caves under a coating of ice harvested during the winter. Oktoberfest beers are lagers, this is a type of beer made with bottom fermenting yeast and fermented for a long period of time at cool temperatures. The beer is rich, full-bodied and usually light to dark copper in color. Most are between 5-7% ABV, but there are some Imperial Oktoberfests that check in at up to 10% ABV.

On Beer Advocate there are over 600+ beers listed as Oktoberfest beers http://beeradvocate.com/beer/style/29/?start=0, since this is a classic German beer some of the best examples are from Germany. Look for such names as Spaten, Paulaner, Ayinger and Weihenstephaner at your local beer store. There are some American craft brewers that make very good examples as well so search for Oktoberfest from these breweries as well Great Lakes, Samuel Adams, Victory, Great Divide, Sprecher and New Glarus (New Glarus is sold only in Wisconsin). If you can not find any of these or you are unsure which one to purchase as for assistance from the staff at your local beer store. As I mentioned with the Pumpkin Beer you maybe able to build your own six pack, that way you can try six different Oktoberfest beers in one six pack.

The only local craft brewery that I am aware of producing an Oktoberfest is Great River Brewing. They are having a special tapping on Thursday, September 15th from 5-11PM at their Davenport Tasting Room. So if you are able head on down and try a locally produced Oktoberfest.

Hopefully I have intrigued you enough that you will do some exploration on your own and find your favorite Fall seasonal beer. Do not be afraid to ask our local beer store for a specific beer, they may surprise you and be able to order it in for you. Just because you may not see it on the shelf it does not mean that it is unavailable to your local beer store.

QC Beerguy

09/12/2011 - QC Foodie - Olive Tree Cafe

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 08:00:00 GMT

I took my mom to the Olive Tree Cafe in Bettendorf yesterday and when I saw her again at my brother's house today, she was still raving about the food. My dad, not the adventurous eater, is in for a visit to the Olive Tree soon according to my mom. On their website their welcome states, "We are excited and committed to serve you authentic, flavorful and healthy Mediterranean cuisine enhanced by our relaxed and cozy atmosphere. We have created an exciting menu just for you, so come join us for lunch or dinner and enjoy our dishes that stir passion for food."

I used to work about a mile from Olive Tree so I would order lunch to go once in a while. Once, after waiting in the rather crowded restaurant around noon for about 20 minutes, I joked to a colleague that they probably had to harvest the garbanzo beans out back. I quickly learned that I had to call ahead in order to walk in and pick up my food promptly. The food took equally long yesterday but unlike rushing back to the storied corporate building to try to accomplish as much as humanly possible, we were not on a schedule. We had all day to meander over to Borders and the grocery store before going home after lunch. This attitude and schedule is perfect for the setting. The cafe had a steady stream of to-go order customers but only four others dining in. Two friends were long-finished with their meal but were lingering over animated conversation. The music was something one might experience while receiving a massage at the spa, ambient and relaxing. The decor is pleasant, with beautiful paintings of calla lilies and other art for sale and a mural of an olive tree on the opposite wall.

The food is made fresh, and I presume that's why it takes so long. On this visit, my daughter Juliet ordered a chicken gyro, my mom and I ordered falafel wraps. Juliet is a tough customer and praised the gyro a couple of times during her meal. She also had a banana strawberry smoothie but thought it tasted like liquefied yogurt rather than a combination yogurt, fruit and crushed ice, as she prefers. I tried it and she was right, it was very yogurty and was a bit sweet for my taste. My mom and I thoroughly relished the hummus and falafel in our wraps and spread the tzatisiki sauce generously on top. On previous visits, I have had the Turkey Artichoke Panini, Baba Ghanouj, Stuffed Grape Leaves, Spanikopita and Baklava. Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food ranks high as some of the most flavorful food in the world, in my opinion. Grape leaves are a bit too strong for my palate and I have yet to try the paella, but mark my words, I will. I'm thankful that the Olive Tree Cafe is a Quad City restaurant and hope people continue to patronize it to keep it successfully in business. All too often, good specialty restaurants come and go because the Quads can't sustain them. The long-gone and much-enjoyed (apparently by not enough people) Phoenician Cafe comes to mind. I wholeheartedly agree with the Olive Tree that their dishes stir a passion for food.

Some further links about food served at the Olive Tree:

A hummus blog http://humus101.com/EN/

Baba ganoush http://www.jewishrecipes.org/jewish-foods/baba-ganoush.html

Stuffed grape leaves http://greekfood.about.com/od/illustratedrecipes/ss/How-To-Stuff-And-Roll-Grape-Leaves.htm

Couscous http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couscous

Paella http://spanishfood.about.com/od/maincourses/a/paella.htm

Between visits to the Olive Tree, I make my own hummus. Here is a recipe:

http://mideastfood.about.com/od/appetizerssnacks/r/hummusbitahini.htm

09/09/2011 - QC Foodie - Tantra

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Some friends invited us out to Tantra in Davenport. This was my third visit since they opened. I met up with my group a bit late so the first thing I noticed when I arrived is the dim lighting since I had to find my posse in near darkness. I found them quickly enough, though, after my eyes adjusted. Having been there before, I knew better than to order something with the spicy symbol since I tend to be of the wimpy persuasion when it comes to spice tolerance. Our friends Magnificent M and her boyfriend, Clark, haven't met a spicy pepper they didn't like. They both ordered Thai Fajitas, which seemed odd for Asian fusion, but they said they were delicious and they are their favorite dish there. I tried some of the sauce they ordered on the side since apparently they needed more. One was a red pepper and the other was distinctly wasabi. I really enjoy a little bit of wasabi, especially on sushi, despite my aversion to spicyness, so I added it to the ginger tilapia I ordered. The ginger tilapia was fair but I do like a bit more flavor than it had. One of the other members of the party also had Thai Fajitas as well and I didn't see what the other three people ordered. There was no corkage fee, so we were able to bring and enjoy our personal favorite wines.

Our waitress was extremely pleasant and attentive, once we finally got service. We had waited for quite a while at first due to the large crowd, which thinned out by about eight o'clock. The prices were quite reasonable. If we hadn't brought our own libations, I would have ordered another lemon grass martini, which I fondly remember from a previous visit. Next time, I'll order tempura green beans if I arrive early enough for appetizers, since I'm curious about those. I also might order a seafood soup I had ordered on a previous visit since I remember it was delightful. Tantra is the only place that I'm aware of in the Quads where Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, (and perhaps other influences, like Mexican-American fajitas) cuisine merge.

Feel free to checkout my Facebook page, follow me on Twitter, or visit my blog to let me know what's happening in the Quad City food scene.

09/07/2011 - QC Beerguy - Brew Ha Ha & More

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Quad City Beer Happenings

By QC Beerguy

Today I realized I have been a bit negligent on making people know what is happening in the Quad City Craft Beer scene, so I am going to amend it this evening. First event I am going to mention is WQPT's Brew Ha Ha, it will be happening on Saturday, September 17th from 1-5 PM at Le Claire Park in Downtown Davenport, IA. Proceeds from the event go to WQPT, the local Quad City PBS station. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the gate; for more ticket information Click Here . This is their 12th annual Brew Ha Ha and has become a well attended event. Of course there will be numerous beers, from mass produced to craft to locally produced beer.

Besides the beer there will be various other activities on going during the fest. Entertainment will be provided by Wicked Liz and the Bellyswirls and Blacklist Improv Comedy Troupe. Also they will offer the fest goers an opportunity to show off various games of skill. As always the people from Cabot Cheese will have cheese tasting throughout the day. Something new this year, I believe, is the designated driver tent where the DDs will receive a goodie bag and be eligible for special drawings. Again this year there will be voting for the "People's Choice Award" for the top three beers at the fest. So if you are not doing anything head on down to Le Claire Park and enjoy tasting some special beers.

Onto our local breweries. First up Bluecat Brewpub in Rock Island. They currently have 3 new beers on tap along with their 3 standards. The 3 new beers include the Black Zemon a black saison with crystallized ginger, this beer went quickly at Great Taste of the Midwest as well as being a personal favorite. The second beer is Tuck's Tenacious Trippel, a complex, fruity Belgian beer with a definite kick, so do not down several glasses and expect to be able to walk. The third "new brew" is the Mississippi Mocha Coffee Stout, a very good coffee stout worthy of fighting it out with the other two locally produced coffee stouts. This beer is roasty, black and has a definite coffee taste, so if you need a wake me up beer give it a try. Also the next Beer Dinner will be November 10th, for more information, Click Here

Here are the upcoming events for Great River Brewery. They will be attending two beer festivals within the next month. First is the Thirsty Troll Fest in Mt. Horeb, WI on Saturday, September 10th, this is a really fun fest and I along with my wife and several friends will be attending. For more information, Click Here Their second fest is Iowa City Brewfest in Iowa City, IA on Saturday, October 1st, for more information Click Here

Great River has a couple special tappings upcoming. The tapping for Chick Wa Wa at this time has been postponed and will be rescheduled. This is a malt beverage they are making in conjunction with Mississippi River Distilling. I am very intrigued to see what they have created so I can not wait for the tapping. Coming up on Thursday, September, 15th is the tapping party for this year's Oktoberfest beer. The festivities start at 5pm, so run over right after work to enjoy a pint or two.

Front Street Brewery currently has an American Pale Ale as their Brewmaster's Special. I tasted it this weekend and it is an assertively hopped beer that has a good malt backbone to complement the hops. Being a hop head I would recommend this to other hop heads. So while it lasts give it a shot.

Bent River is providing the beer for the beer garden after the Taming of the Slough. The racers get in for free and the general public can join the party by purchasing a $5 wristband. For those that may not know this is a race on water and on land. The land portion involves both riding a bike as well as running. If you feel adventuresome give it a try, Click Here for more information.

Well that is a rundown on what I know is upcoming in regards to the local craft beer scene. Hopefully something strikes your fancy and you will give it a try. Later.

QC Beerguy

09/06/2011 - Behind the Scenes...Barrel House

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 08:00:00 GMT

What's more fun than a barrel full of monkeys? Dinner and drinks at the Barrel House! Located at 211 E Second Street in downtown Davenport, the Barrel House is the newest hotspot in the Quad Cities. Owners, Michael DeWitte and Jimmy Holt picked the busiest weekend this summer to open, playing host to tourists and regulars who were enjoying Ragbrai and Bix Fest. With their soft opening a success the menu was expanded and has been drawing back regular customers ever since!

DeWitte describes the Barrel House as a pub with better than pub food. And not only is it better but different- highlighted by Chicken Twists, Carnita and Atlantic Cod Tacos, Boom Boom Chicken, Flatbread Pizzas and Barrel Burgers that range in size from Firkin, Hogshead and Big Butt (all referencing the traditional wooden cask capacities). A not so common pub menu feature is a PB&J that is served with a tall glass of cold milk. I was reassured that this isn't your typical childhood classic either!

They also feature 10 different $5.99 lunch specials as well as different drink and dinner specials! The bartenders have also been known to run super specials during Hawkeye games and that will carry over into the NFL season.

The Barrel House is a part of the famed Knostman Building that originally opened in 1908. In most recent years the area has been used as storage for Paragon Commercial Interiors, current owners of the building. This spring the first floor underwent extensive renovations that now lend its space to seating 70 plus guests inside and an additional 30 on the patio. DeWitte and Holt eventually would like to expand into the second floor of the building with a sports bar and entertainment venue.

The local pub will play host to Great River's Oktoberfest can party on September 9^th beginning at 5 p.m. Visit them on Facebook, Barrel House 211, for more information.

The Barrel House is located just blocks from the Arsenal Bridge at 211 East Second Street, Davenport, IA and is open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily.

Do you have a recommendation for a restaurant, community event or locally owned business to be featured on www.quadcitiesnightout.com? Email Jennifer@quadcitiesnightout.com with your request!

08/31/2011 - QC Foodie - Rock Island Mini Tour

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 08:00:00 GMT

In between the joy of the arrival of a new niece, another family member's birthday celebration, a wedding and back-to-school events, it's a wonder I had time to eat out at all. Fortunately, some of these celebrations were at restaurants and coincidentally, they were all in Rock Island.

I managed to get back to La Rancherita yet AGAIN, where I ordered enchiladas verdes de pollo, or green chicken enchiladas. The sauce was amazing. Once, long ago I actually took the time to make some from scratch myself (SEVERAL hours of my time) and although they turned out delicious, I don't have that kind of time to spare at this point in my life. So, until I reach retirement age, I'll just go to La Rancherita to get great-tasting authentic Mexican food. They still have the best pico de gallo in the Quads and I have to argue that they have the best rice too.

Next, I ate at the buffet at Huckleberry's in the District of Rock Island as a party guest. If you like Quad City style pizza, you'll like theirs. It has plenty of mozzarella cheese, crumbly sausage and that oregano flavor. Personally, I'm not a huge fan, even though I was practically weaned on Harris Pizza and ate more of their sausage pizza than I care to admit growing up. I should have gone renegade and ordered a calzone on my own. I remember having one there a quite a few years ago and liking it.

Finally, I ate at D'Alessandro's AGAIN. This was also for a party so it was a buffet. I cannot tire of eating there, however, since hearty pasta, flavorful marinara sauce and wine are involved. The lasagna was delicious, as expected.

So, over the last three weeks I've taken a restaurant mini-tour of Rock Island restaurants and I had a great time. I'll have to go through another one of the Quad Cities next time!

Feel free to checkout my Facebook page, follow me on Twitter, or visit my blog to let me know what's happening in the Quad City food scene.

08/22/2011 - QC Foodie - The Captain's Table

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 08:00:00 GMT

We had tried to get to the Captain's Table last weekend but Ahoy! We were stopped by barricades because of the flood so we tried again this week. They were open and really busy for the first hour we were there. We remembered eating there last year on Derby Day as well, coincidentally. Last year, however, it was a beautiful warm day and the patio was brimming with outdoor diners. This evening the wind was a'blowin and there were some whitecaps on the waves. Shiver me timbers! We entered the ship complete with porthole windows on the port side and large windows on the starboard side to allow for a great view of the river. We were fortunate that although the tables were all full, some people were leaving and we merely waited for the table to be cleared. We started with drinks. I had a Dirty S.O.B. No, that's not me writing in more pirate talk, it was actually on the menu along with Ship Wreck, Shark Attack, Rum Runner and others. My drink contained Sobieski vodka, olive juice, and olives. Me hearty, er, my boyfriend ordered a Sangria that was made with red and white wine, grenadine, orange juice, pineapple and sour mix. We ordered Fried Calamari with served with tomato caper aoili. The calamari was a generous portion with a fabulous light breading that was lightly seasoned. BF was seriously enjoying the calamari but I maintained some self-control because this wasn't my first visit to El CapitÃ¡n. I knew there would be a large salad and bread sticks headed our way so I didn't eat my fill.

The tossed salad with a delicious Itailian-esque dressing was good. While the Goldfish crackers are a cute nautical-themed addition, I would have preferred croÃ»tons. Maybe anchor-shaped croÃ»tons! Just joking, regular shapes would be fine. The bread sticks are similar to Fazoloi's but not salty nor dripping with butter. We decided to try the two specials, I chose the Blackberry Salmon and BF chose the Pistachio-Encrusted Tilapia. We sipped our drinks while we waited for our entrees. The martini was overwhelmingly olive, which I suppose one would expect from olive juice. Maybe it was just me but I don't remember having that sensation anywhere else I've had one. I think blue cheese stuffed olives would have made a positive difference. BF wasn't happy with his sangria because he couldn't detect the red wine.

The lights dimmed at 8:30 and the atmosphere became a bit more intimate. Our entrees arrived and BF and I both looked at each other in alarm. The risotto had previously arrived in a separate dish so that was the first noticeable change (more on that in a bit). The salmon was good and the blackberry sauce actually worked well with the salmon as a raspberry sauce works with duck. The sweetness and acid in the berries pairs well with the savory saltiness of the salmon. BF let me try the tilapia and it was outstanding. The fish was light, flaky and melt-in-your-mouth and the pistachios really complimented the fish well to create a rich, flavorful taste. On to the risotto http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/808181/risotto-recipes. We were disappointed to find our favorite seafood (creamy, garlicy) risotto replaced with a lesser imitation. I'm guessing they didn't use arborio rice since the replacement was a lightweight rice that had small shrimp and crab. Having slaved over a stove for long periods of time to make risotto, I understand the shortcut but this lass be whinin' about it anyway. Sadly, I removed Captain's Table Seafood Risotto from my Foodie Favorite list.

08/16/2011 - Thank You For Purchasing your VIP Membership!

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Thank you for purchasing your VIP Membership. Sign up for our VIP Newsletter right here to receive the most up to date VIP deals and events. Also Sign Up for up to 80% savings with our new Once In A Blue Moon Daily Deals program. Deals Coming Soon!

08/16/2011 - QC Foodie - The Lodge

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 08:00:00 GMT

One of my daughters had a birthday recently so like fairy godparents, we granted her one of her longtime wishes, to eat brunch again at the Lodge in Bettendorf. We went on a Sunday around 11am. After we were seated went to the buffet room where, like Cinderella probably did at the Ball,* we took a few minutes to absorb the panorama of abundant, delicious-looking food and then hurried and grabbed plates. Of course, we each made our way around the entire room and back to our table to dig in. There is a fruit table and a server table with roast beef and ham where one can also have an omelet made-to-order with typical omelet ingredients. There was a breakfast section with potatoes, bacon, Belgian waffles, danish, eggs, etc. The row of entrees and sides consisted of seafood marinara, rice pilaf, chicken dishes, salmon, etc. Finally, there was a dessert table with cakes, pies, and the Lodge's delightful cinnamon rolls.

The beverages choices for adults that the waitress highlighted were coffee, juice or champagne. Ricardo and I had iced tea. The girls had lemonade and chocolate milk. Juliette said it was great chocolate milk. Some of our favorites included: breakfast potatoes, bacon, seafood marinara, eggs, salmon.

Russ Reyman, whose business card lists, â��Russ Reyman Trio/Quartet 'Vocal and piano styles for any venue' Jazz, Swing, Blues, Latin, Rock, Soulâ�� was playing vocal classics and I was thoroughly enjoying listening. I was playing name that tune with my daughters and my fiance, Ricardo but the girls didn't know any of the songs and he only recognized a few so the game wasn't exactly working out. Stardust, Crazy, and Send in the Clowns were among the tunes I recognized.

On the way out we peeked into the library and I took some pictures. The Bavarian castle-like interior completely fascinates me. I also can't help but think of Scooby Doo when I see the dÃ©cor. It would be a typical episode of Scooby Doo if a suit of armor came alive and chased us with an axe while eyes watched through cut-out eye holes in paintings. We all left completely satiated and emerged from the fairy tale castle into the 100 degree heat.

* Unlike Cinderella, my fiance and I attended the Dwyer and Michael's Costume Ball 2010 at the Lodge so you can play Where's Quad City Foodie? on the main page here http://www.2dorks.com/gallery/2010/1030-halloween-ball/index.shtml

Feel free to checkout my Facebook page, follow me on Twitter, or visit my blog to let me know what's happening in the Quad City food scene.

08/08/2011 - QC Foodie - 11th Street Precinct

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 08:00:00 GMT

My fiancÃ©, Ricardo, and I decided to venture across the river to be tourists in the Village of East Davenport. I wanted to sit on the patio at 11^th Street Precinct as I remembered doing for a lunch with friends a couple of years ago, but it was now a beer garden and was a bit too warm for comfort so we sat inside. Ricardo ordered a Pizza Margarita with fresh tomatoes, basil, garlic infused olive oil and mozzarella.

I ordered a Maytag Blue Cheese pizza with fresh tomatoes, green olives, basil, and blue cheese. Blue cheese and olives is a combination I am powerless over.

There are seven high-definition flat screen TVs, and Holy Cow! three of them had the Cubs game on. The place was really busy for a Wednesday evening, always a good sign. There was a stage where the live entertainment takes place every Friday and Saturday, so we'll definitely have to give that a go sometime. We wondered about the trap door center stage.

The website says they've been in business for over 30 years and recently completed a major renovation. The pizzas arrived and were quite picturesque and appetizing. Ricardo and I exchanged a piece and each pizza was equally delicious. I was afraid the blue cheese might be overwhelming, but that wasn't the case at all, I was perfectly delicious. We enjoyed the visit to the upbeat, busy pub full of happy customers (there was a lively reunion of some sort at a table nearby) and we had and outstanding server.

After dinner, we acted like tourists, even though we've both been to the Village dozens of times each and I took photos. Wikipedia says, The Village of East Davenport (known locally as The Village) is a neighborhood that dates back to the 1850s and was originally known as "Stubb's Eddy". The Village was established in 1851 to service the logging industry, and was annexed by the city in 1857.[1] It experienced three stages of growth: the period following the American Civil War, when many residential buildings were built; from 1890 to 1915, when construction of large mansions on the bluffs (allowing views of the Mississippi River) began; and the turn of the twentieth century, at the far east end of the neighborhood and the city. The houses in The Village were built along the curves of the topography, not in the grid fashion that was used in the rest of the city.[1]

Today, The Village consists of residential and commercial buildings (mostly small specialty shops). It is bounded to the west by Judson Street, to the north by Kirkwood Boulevard, to the east by Jersey Ridge Road, and to the south by River Drive. Set in a bowl-like valley, commercial buildings are in the southern part of the neighborhood, while residential buildings are in the northern part on the hillside.

Lindsay Park is located in the southeast corner and was used as parade grounds for soldiers from Camp McClellan during the Civil War.[1] Today, the park contains play equipment and baseball diamonds and provides a view of the river. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neighborhoods_of_Davenport,_Iowa

I used to take my daughters to Meme's Candy shop occasionally, where Yelo Robin, a small, funky art store worth a visit, is now located. I love the quaint historic feel of the small village and know for certain I will be back in September for Riverssance Festival of Fine Arts to get my fill of beautiful art in Lindsay Park, if not before.

Feel free to checkout my Facebook page, follow me on Twitter, or visit my blog to let me know what's happening in the Quad City food scene.

07/29/2011 - QC Foodie - D'Alessandro's

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 08:00:00 GMT

La pasta delizioso at D'Alessandro's in Rock Island. This was my third visit since I saw their commercial on TV and exclaimed, Oh! That restaurant looks good, I HAVE to go there! to one of my daughters who was in the room with me at the time, several months ago. I love the background story behind this restaurant of Rosa and her mother, Guilia from the Abruzzi region of Italy. http://d-alessandrorestaurant.com/ My fiance Ricardo and I were greeted by a friendly Italian grandmotherly-woman, whom I assume is Rosa, the founder and previous owner, herself on our first two visits. There always seems to be some sort of large gathering such as a birthday party, going on so it has been a festive, lively atmosphere on my excursions there.

We started with a house salad, which came with Italian dressing. We were served a warm baguette with olive oil, Parmesan and butter on the side. The bread was nice and crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. I have to report that the salad on this occasion was disappointing in comparison to the last visits. Perhaps we were there a bit late in the evening and they were at the bottom of the salad bin, but the lettuce was really wilted this time. In previous visits the salad was much better but was still made with iceberg lettuce.

We ordered a bottle of Placido Chianti 2009 and found it complementary with our pasta dishes. It had a strong bouquet, which the menu described as violets, and it was balanced (not too dry, not sweet) and smooth. The Tuscany wine region of central Italy is home to some of the world's most famous and highly regarded wines http://www.wine-searcher.com/wine-28024-2009-placido-chianti-docg-tuscany-italy .

I had the Chicken Parmesan this time (I had lasagna last time) and Ricardo had Manacotti since on previous visit he had Veal Parmesan. The handmade pasta is terrific and the quality is really a different texture and taste than the rehydrated dried pasta. The sauce is delightful and I wish it was available for sale by the bottle. We both enjoyed our dinners and Ricardo was left wishing he had more. We enjoyed our night out, Italian-style, and if I wasn't curious about sampling other restaurants in the Quads, I would probably be back for a fourth visit soon.

Feel free to checkout my Facebook page, follow me on Twitter, or visit my blog to let me know what's happening in the Quad City food scene.

07/26/2011 - QC Foodie - The Phoenix

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 08:00:00 GMT

I was in New York last night. Alright, I was in Downtown Davenport, but with pianist Ryan Rogers playing some pop favorites as well as recent hits and the lush, classy decor of the Phoenix surrounding me, it was a different experience than the usual Quad City scene. The Phoenix' Facebook wall post states this about Rogers, The Phoenix is honored to present, all the way from Brooklyn, New York, by way of Colorado, classically trained pianist, Ryan Rogers who will amaze you with his talent and baffle your mind. I'm so impressed that added the Phoenix to my Foodie's Favorites list under the Live music with dinner.

From the elegant flooring to the light fixtures, the ensemble of elegant furnishings and the contemporary sconced, recessed and pendant lighting created a warm, sophisticated ambiance. I had eaten here under the previous management when they first opened and I have to honestly say we weren't that impressed so we hadn't been back. I don't quite remember our earlier visit, and I didn't see many changes in the decor but I liked the window coverings that had been added. The building is gorgeous and the windows at the end of the restaurant are fabulous, but unfortunately provide a great view of the parking ramp, so the sheers are a nice touch. The embossed tin ceiling is magnificent and I wished I had it in my kitchen rather than the incredibly plain tin-tiled ceiling that I actually do have. I took a tour from the previous management a couple of years ago, and was shown the basement and reception hall upstairs. The building interior looks great and I would consider hosting an event in the upstairs hall.

We were served a small loaf of artisan bread with three dollops of butter; one was plain, one cabernet-flavored and the other was a spicy jalapeno butter. I thought that was a fun, unique start and the cabernet butter was fantastic! The jalapeno butter tasted much like nacho cheese and clashed with my wine but had I been drinking beer or tequila, it would have been perfect. I had a glass of Folie Ã� Deux Menage Ã� Trois California Red and it was good. My sister-in-law, CJ, ordered a gummy bear martini but told me she had a Nerds martini last time and she enjoyed them both. Nigel ordered a Maker's Mark bourbon whiskey and my fiance Ricardo ordered a gin seven. My brother Nigel approved of his and Ricardo thought the gin (Bombay) was weak but I tried it and thought it was proportionate to the drink.

For our entrees, I had a Mediterranean Chicken Pasta. It arrived with a toasted slice of bread covered with cheese. The grilled chicken was sliced laid atop a bed of linguine in olive oil. The chicken was flavorful. I found myself in that happy state that feta cheese, tomatoes, and kalamata olives takes me. CJ had a side salad and Pineapple Teriyaki Shrimp. Her salad looked good but her kabobs were absolutely beautiful. I was so regretful of forgetting my camera. She said they were also tasty. Nigel ordered the Toasted Pesto Chicken. He was a bit disappointed because the pizza was different from his last visit and not quite as fabulous as he remembered it. Again, his dish looked delicious and I wanted to ask the rowdy birthday party a few tables away if they could please photograph our food and send it to me, but didn't. Ricardo ordered the Grilled Chicken Marsala and said he was pleased with the dish overall and especially liked the sauce.

On our way out, I noticed the crowd near the front of the restaurant was a trendy, beautiful, twenty-something group at and near the bar. It appears nothing has changed in that aspect. It would seem the Phoenix has risen again; and how splendid it is.

Feel free to checkout my Facebook page, follow me on Twitter, or visit my blog to let me know what's happening in the Quad City food scene.

07/19/2011 - QC Foodie - La Rancherita

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 08:00:00 GMT

What an amazing summer it has been so far! I've been to or hosted some cook-outs, attended two out of the four weddings, so far, to which I'm invited, and was lucky enough to munch my way through Chicago at the Taste. Yesterday I attended a huge traditional Mexican wedding. I just love cultural weddings. I attended a Greek wedding several years ago here in the Quad Cities and was practically in a state of wedded bliss myself, falling in love with the spanakopita, moussaka, pastitsio, and baklava followed by lively dancing in a circle. I have also attended a Jewish wedding in Michigan where they went under the chuppa, broke a wine glass and the reception began with the wedding challah. I also attended a Muslim wedding in Chicago with henna'ed girls and Indian food, specifically Hyderbadi Biryani and other delicious dishes. If you're planning a big-fat (insert culture here) wedding, I would be honored to be one of your guests. Haha!

Yesterday at the wedding reception we ate carnitas, carne guisado, a salad of nopales or cactus, rice, beans, cole-slaw salad and grabbed pre-assembled packs of warm tortillas in aluminum foil to create our own tacos. The food was wonderful, the Mariachi band was an elegant touch and it was a great way to begin a life together. Salud to the new couple!

My fiancee and I have been eating out even during the busy summer event schedule. We took my daughters to La Rancherita where I affirmed my decision to list them as the number-one chunky-style (pico de gallo) salsa in the Quad Cities. All of our food was great and the restaurant was incredibly busy the Friday night we were there. I would make some specific recommendations on what to try but I think you can't go wrong no matter what you order. Remember, they only accept cash!

My goal is to get to the Phoenix in Davenport and the Taj Oriental in Moline soon. Feel free to checkout my Facebook page, follow me on Twitter, or visit my blog to let me know what's happening in the Quad City food scene.

07/19/2011 - VIP card...FAQ's

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 08:00:00 GMT

What is QuadCitiesNightOut VIP?

The QCNightOut VIP program is a locally based program designed to support our local nightlife and entertainment venues throughout the QC area! A healthy community depends on a healthy economy, and both completely depend on the local businesses!

Simply put, more money spent with local businesses stays here (about 67%), where much less money spent with national chains stays in the area (only about 15%). How we help is by offering a great way to experience new local businesses as a VIP!

What kind of offers or deals can I expect to see?

This is the beauty of the VIP program! Businesses can post different specials, savings, upgrades, preview parties and more which means there will always be some way to save, play and experience the areas nightlife and entertainment! Make sure to check out our website often to find the newest deals and offers! www.quadcitiesnightout.com

How do I get a VIP card?

You can find the VIP cards at participating VIP businesses who are listed on the website, local charities, school fundraisers and directly from our website.

How much are the cards?

The cards are only $30 and are good for one year of great savings and specials! Depending on how often you go out, you can save thousands and have great new experiences throughout the community!

How does the card work?

It's simple! Just show the card when ordering food, paying your bill or at the counter of your favorite business and the business will automatically take off the correct discount or offer.

Does it keep track of my purchases?

Absolutely not! This is a simple VIP card that has extraordinary perks but rest assured we don't keep track of your personal information or habits. Kind of nice for a change, hey!

07/19/2011 - QC Foodie - Favorites List with links

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 08:00:00 GMT

The Quad Cities is full of great restaurants on both sides of the river. My fiance and I make it a point to support local dining establishments and I write commentary about them in my food blog. We may not have quite the rich variety of larger metro areas such as Chicago but we have our own eateries to be proud of nonetheless. I'm happy to have eaten at the following restaurants and give them my toast of approval for various reasons. It has been fulfilling to dine at all of these places and I would like to share my top choices and links from QuadCitiesNightOut.com with all of my visitors.

Appetizers

Breaded mushrooms Omelia's

Fried green beans It's on the River

Best appetizer menu Thunder Bay Grille

Salmon (Just call me Salmon-Ella since I like it so much)

Montana Jack's

Omelia's

Bass Street Chop House

Fine Dining

Duck

Wait staff

Outdoor patio dining

Soup

Tomato Garlic Bisque - Brady Street Chop House

Pot pie - Mama Compton's

Desserts

Lunch

Salad

Wine list

Sushi

Live music with dinner

Mexican

La Salsa Grill (SouthPark Mall food court)

Italian

Greek/Mediterranean

Olive Tree Cafe

Feel free to checkout my Facebook page, follow me on Twitter, or visit my blog to let me know what's happening in the Quad City food scene.

06/15/2011 - QuadCitiesNightOut VIP Card - Coming Soon

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 08:00:00 GMT

QuadCitiesNightOut VIP Card is on its way! Check back regularly for updates and new businesses. The cost is only $30 and the first 1000 are lifetime membership When those are gone, it's only $30 per year to be a VIP member

05/11/2011 - QuadCitiesNightOut VIP...Promoting Local Nightlife!

Wed, 11 May 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Join the QuadCitiesNightOut VIP Merchant Network and GET PAID to Promote Your Business!

Unlike loyalty card programs where your discount offer or VIP benefit only applies to your customers, our merchant network makes your offer available to all cardholders in our network. Join our network of Restaurants, Nightclubs, Entertainment related businesses, Hotels and Services.

Get a Free Business Profile on the Quad Cities best entertainment search engine
Gain exposure to thousands of new customers.
Offer any type of discount or VIP benefit such as no waiting in line, preferred seating, Special discounts, BYGO, free cover charge entrance, exclusive events/parties, etc. Change or add to your offer as often as you wish on QuadCitiesNightOut.com
MAKE HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS selling QuadCitiesNightOut VIP cards to your customers!
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Get Table Tents and a Window Cling to announce that you are a VIP Business!

Click Here to contact us!

04/06/2011 - Sales Help Wanted in the QC!

Wed, 06 Apr 2011 08:00:00 GMT

The Quad Cities' fastest-growing website for nightlife and entertainment is looking for area sales reps to start immediately. QuadCitiesNightOut.com is an online entertainment & nightlife guide featuring daily events, dining and drink specials, live music venues, and a comprehensive directory of bars, restaurants, bands, entertainment and accommodations.

We're now seeking sales representatives to start immediately! The ideal candidate will have prior sales experience (advertising sales preferred), a passion for the Quad Cities area and be willing to work as an independent contractor with high commissions and bonuses. Laptop and mobile wifi is recommended.

If you think you have what it takes, reply to nhacker@quadcitiesnightout.com with an attached resume and/or references, and please put "Sales Rep Position" in the subject line. Any correspondence deviating from this format will be automatically deleted. We look forward to hearing from you! ~ QuadCitiesNightOut.com

04/05/2011 - QuadCitiesNightOut is BACK!!

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 08:00:00 GMT

QuadCitiesNightOut.com is under new management and are excited to keep up the NightOut name that so many of you came to love! As we began the process of setting up accounts and trying to find daily specials that all of you would love, we went through several bottles of Aleve (it was the only way to kill the pain...beer wasn't even strong enough!) and still came up mostly empty. We know the QC has more entertainment than most places and now we are even more determined to find them ALL!

So we're not only coming back with some new and improved listings, better events and specials that you can actually find...we giving you a FREE smartphone app that goes with you! No more searching until your eyes bleed, just click the "MyNightOut" shortcut and Voila!... Drink, Dining, Entertainment, Hotel specials appear! Local bands love us because we love them and now you can find your favorite right on the app!

So visit QuadCitiesNightOut.com and download our FREE Droid or I-Phone app tonight. You'll be glad you did!

Cheers!

www.QuadCitiesNightOut.com - Blog - RSS feed

05/06/2012 - Toppling Goliath

05/05/2012 - This Week's VIP Deals...

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04/25/2012 - QC Beerguy - It's about more than just the beer

04/18/2012 - 10 Ways to Use Beer That Don’t Involve Drinking It

04/06/2012 - QC Beerguy - QC Beer Scene

04/01/2012 - QC Beerguy - South Chicago

03/18/2012 - QC Beerguy - Southern Kansas

03/06/2012 - QC Beerguy - Beer of Chicago's North Suburbs

02/20/2012 - QC Beerguy - If Everyone Else Likes It

02/16/2012 - QC Foodie - Our QC Staycation

02/16/2012 - QC Beerguy - Comfort Beer

01/25/2012 - QC Beerguy - Help Wanted

Help Wanted (You too can work for your local brewery)

01/25/2012 - QC Beerguy - Plainfield, IN

01/22/2012 - QC Foodie - Cool Beanz

01/19/2012 - QC Beerguy - Mexican Vacation

01/05/2012 - QC Foodie - Duck City Bistro

01/01/2012 - QC Foodie - Farraday's

Farraday's Restaurant

12/28/2011 - QC Beerguy - Indy (part 2)

12/27/2011 - QC Beerguy - Indy (part 1)

12/27/2011 - QC Beerguy - Malt-the backbone of beer

12/16/2011 - QC Beerguy - RIBCO

12/05/2011 - QC Foodie - Sultan Mediterranean Cafe

12/01/2011 - QC Beerguy - This Weekend's Events

11/30/2011 - Coming Events: Rockin’ For a Cure

Rockin’ For a Cure

11/30/2011 - QC Beerguy - RIBCO Local Tapping

11/21/2011 - QC Foodie - Cafe Fresh

11/21/2011 - $10 VIP OFFER - BLACK FRIDAY - CYBER MONDAY

11/18/2011 - QC Beerguy - Land of the Muddy Waters

Land Of the Muddy Waters Homebrew Competition

11/09/2011 - QC Beerguy - Gateway Beer

11/09/2011 - Behind the Scenes...Monkey Joe's 2nd Anniversary Bash

11/08/2011 - QC Beerguy - How to find Beer Places

11/07/2011 - QC Foodie - Barrel House

10/25/2011 - QC Beerguy - Green Bay-Day 3

10/25/2011 - Behind the Scenes...Danika Holmes

10/19/2011 - QC Beerguy - Green Bay-Day 2

10/19/2011 - QC Beerguy - Green Bay-Day 1

10/19/2011 - 2nd Annual Trivia Night - DPA Local #2

10/19/2011 - QC Foodie - Blue Cat Brew Pub

10/11/2011 - QC Beerguy - First Friday at Mississippi River Distillery

10/08/2011 - QC Beerguy - Enjoy the Head

10/08/2011 - Best/Worst Pick Up Lines

10/04/2011 - QC Beerguy - Oktoberfest - Amana IA

10/04/2011 - October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

10/04/2011 - QC Foodie - Huckleberry's

09/29/2011 - QC Foodie - DJ's Steakhouse

09/28/2011 - QC Beerguy - Glassware Makes the Beer

Glassware Makes the Beer

09/28/2011 - QC Foodie - Bix Bistro Jazz Brunch

09/20/2011 - Behind the Scenes...Reusable Usables

09/19/2011 - QC Foodie - Mulkey's Restaurant

09/13/2011 - Behind the Scenes...Martini's on the Rock

09/12/2011 - QC Beerguy - Thirsty Troll Fest

Thirtsy Troll Fest

09/12/2011 - QC Beerguy - Fall Seasonal Beers

Fall Seasonal Beers

09/12/2011 - QC Foodie - Olive Tree Cafe

09/09/2011 - QC Foodie - Tantra

09/07/2011 - QC Beerguy - Brew Ha Ha & More

Quad City Beer Happenings

09/06/2011 - Behind the Scenes...Barrel House

08/31/2011 - QC Foodie - Rock Island Mini Tour

08/22/2011 - QC Foodie - The Captain's Table

08/16/2011 - Thank You For Purchasing your VIP Membership!

08/16/2011 - QC Foodie - The Lodge

08/08/2011 - QC Foodie - 11th Street Precinct

07/29/2011 - QC Foodie - D'Alessandro's

07/26/2011 - QC Foodie - The Phoenix

07/19/2011 - QC Foodie - La Rancherita

07/19/2011 - VIP card...FAQ's

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