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Beer in the Barn

Some of the best beer surprises are the ones you find in unexpected places. One of our new Iowa pickleball friends recommended that we try out a bar in St. Donatus for a good burger with homemade French fries. I asked about the beer, and the response was along the lines of “yes, they have beer.” St. Donatus, population 120, is a very small town founded by a Luxembourg early settler. If you blink at highway speeds, you could easily miss it. In doing some navigational research, I saw a listing for “Beer in the Barn” across the street from said bar and tucked behind an old Inn. As it turned out,  the burgers and fries at the bar were just okay, but Beer in the Barn was a stunning find.  The pictures we took don’t do it justice. The stone barn is supposedly the oldest standing barn in Iowa.  We asked the chief bartender/owner to tell us his story. In doing so, we learned that his wife is the brewmaster. We later learned from her that one of her best friends lives in Lodi. That Lodi woman i

Time to Scamp

 Well, I didn't exactly win the Madtown Pickleball Open.  We won some games but we also lost enough to get eliminated before advancing very far. My foot has been bothering me, so that gives me a good excuse to take a break from pickleball and get hitched up.

Last week, we drove to Shady Creek COE, one of our favorite Mississippi River campgrounds and just north of Muscatine, Iowa.


The new sign is a gift from Julia’s brother Scott.

We didn’t have any big plans. I spent some time reading. Callie kept an eye on things.


We made it to our favorite happy hour at Muscatine's Contrary Brewing, where Monday beers are $4.


Julia had a hazy IPA.  I had a half pour of imperial stout, which I savored for just as long as Julia's larger beer.  I'm not a huge imperial fan, but this was probably the best that I've ever had. 

We made it back in plenty of time to enjoy an evening camped next the the big river.


Comments

Bill said…
Yup, Callie is ready to pounce.
Agree on the Imperial Stouts. A little goes a long way. I pass on the ones that are "whiskey barrel" aged. They taste like lighter fluid to me. Our local art gallery had imperial stout in 16 oz cans at half price Friday. I made the mistake of drinking two. For the life of me I can't remember the name of the brewery.
John said…
I'm having one 12 ounce bottle of an imperial stout from Central Waters Brewery tonight. I have to remind myself that it's the equivalent of two 6% beers. One will be more than enough.

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