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Starkweather Beer Company

 When I moved back to Madison to attend law school in 1987, we moved to a crappy little apartment near the banks of Starkweather Creek on the unfashionable east side.  Today, the east side is booming, and one of the newer brewpubs is called Starkweather Beer Company. It was Saint Pat's Day.  While Guinness is a decent light-bodied stout, I opted for Starkweather's dry Irish Stout, named "Jamestown Jackdaw." Coming in at 5.9 ABV, it had a malty chewable backbone.  It's a new favorite stout for me.  Julia had Late Winter Haze, a New England IPA that didn't have as much fruitiness as she likes in a hazy.  It was still well-executed. We walked down the street to the Harmony Bar, where Julia enjoyed a complete corn beef and cabbage dinner.  I opted for the Reuben sandwich.  Mine was washed down with an Edmund Fitzgerald porter from Great Lakes Brewing.  Julia enjoyed her Chaos Pattern IPA from 3 Sheeps Brewing.  Both are great beers. Justin update:   After a long h

Iowa Lakes Region

From June 2021

I spent significant parts of my youth in southwest Iowa, working on my uncle's farm and getting in and out of trouble with my same-age cousin, Tim.  I remember others talking about the Spirit Lake area of northwestern Iowa, but never visited there until last year on the way home from our Colorado trip.

Technically, we found our campground in Minnesota, the land of 10,000 lakes.  Robertson Park, a small county park, was just across the Iowa border.   Our campsite was on the water and equipped with electric, dump station, and shower for $20/night.



 

There are small and big lakes dotting the landscape all over this part of Iowa.  Spirit Lake, Iowa is the town in the middle of it all.  There were brewpubs, Tiki bars, and restaurants.  Most had large outdoor spaces--always a nice thing during the pandemic.  



 

Iowa may be flyover country for some, but it isn't all cornfields.


 

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