When I saw him in the shop…  We immediately started talking about the car and we went out to his Nissan and popped the hood.  He told me something about Autozone and said clean the battery.  Yadda yadda.  In hindsight, it seems like a completely meaningless few minutes of talk.  We DID spend some time talking about Aiden going to college and more about Summer and St. Jude.  I wish I had a recording to remember what our last words were.  They would be the last words we would ever speak to each other.

Thursday night I got home from a dinner meeting with a friend and was very excited because I knew that Summer was coming home from St. Jude and had decided to ACTUALLY come home!  I looked down at my phone while unloading the car and saw an Instagram message from Josh Lanning.  He has been on top of Summer’s journey and I figured his message was something about that.  I am not trying to make drama here…  But I was not ready for what Josh sent.  He said that Kevin was dead.  He didn’t have any other details.

I was (and am now as I think about it) overcome with confusion and horror.  I looked at the message and leaned hard on my car.  Should I just stay here and deal with this in the driveway?  I could have, my knee about buckled and I started shaking.  I decided to come inside and reached out to Kyle Wilkinson.  Kevin and Kyle have been friends forever… I figured he could illuminate this.  He did.  He said he had been talking to Kevin’s ex-wife Amie and that Kevin had taken his life the night before.  Kyle was super nice about talking me down off my “mental cliff” of missing an opportunity to talk and change Kevin’s mind.

That’s a lot of setup for me to talk about my friend Kevin.

We met somehow via the Harvest Cafe.  When Harvest Cafe was just getting started in Delavan…  The Beer Report was really getting into local food.  On top of the great local food they were pouring craft beers and the staff was very friendly.  Over a lot of visits, I got to know Kevin.  I visited often and tried about everything on the menu whether on the dinner, lunch or brunch menus.  We had large get-togethers that brought family from all over central Illinois to our new favorite place.  Kevin was always the amazing host and eventually got to know my whole family.  I remember talking to my Uncle Joe about Kevin and the restaurant and we declared it to be our American “Pub”.  After traveling overseas with Joe and hitting the small town pubs that supplied food and companionship in small hamlets in the Cotswolds…  Harvest was an easy comparison to that overseas environment.

Kevin loved having us come out and get involved with beer events and was happy to have us do some remote shows where we talked about the food and beers.  I got to meet some amazing people and had a front-row seat to watch his command and presence with customers and staff.  He WAS the ultimate host.  He knew the food, beverages, and customers inside and out!  There were very few surprises at the front of the house because he knew every inch of the restaurant and what was going on in it!

This went on for years.  We always had a blast.  Eventually, I would make solo trips to Delavan on my early days off just to hang with my buddy and chat.  Yeah, it was kind of a bartender thing, but we were friends now.  Every once and a while we would find ourselves out together in Peoria or I would run into him in the Heights.  We always had a laugh.

Eventually, the drama of Harvest came to a full head.  It was ironic that we did our Mr. Beer Challenge tasting event at Harvest when we did… Because Kevin told me that he had just been informed that they were shutting down the restaurant.  We attempted to video and make a production out of that final judging with Kevin and Kyle, but the sting of the closure was not making it easy to celebrate.  I was torn up.  Eventually, The Exchange, a sister property to Harvest closed as well in a hasty fashion that deserves a whole dedicated story someday.

It all worked out eventually.  Kevin moved to the big new “foodie” restaurant in Morton…  Seasons Gastropub.  I was super excited…  Seasons Menu had not changed in years and we had stopped going because of the lack of interest.  Kevin was super pumped… As he always was about the opportunities to tune up the menu and bring some new ideas in.  I was stoked as well!

While he was there, he got Summer a job as a hostess and we made it an effort to go in almost weekly to embarrass her.  I again made a point of stopping in and visiting him at Seasons whenever I slipped out early.  Eventually, and it wasn’t that long after he had been at seasons, he told me that he had been talking to the Rassi family about a job running the food and beverage department at Hopedale Medical Complex.  I was shocked.  “You are going to get up and drive that every day from Peoria Heights?”  He told me that this was going to be the best thing for having a family and he was never going to work in a bar again.  (Seasons never let him change much on that menu BTW!)

HMC (Hopedale Medical Complex) turned into a lot of fun.  Kevin invited Mike Fort and me down for lunch in the cafe on burger day.  He was so impressed with the food they were making and actually wanted locals to come in and eat there as well (That restaurant guy was hard to kill inside his head).  It was good and I still remember how tickled he was that we came down and ate at his “cafe”.  Kevin also brought food trucks to Hopedale for the staff and it was at one of these events that I got to meet his second wife Jennifer.  I remember standing there talking outside the hospital eating some Mexican corn and marveling at his charisma with the staff and other friends he had invited to enjoy the outdoor dining that day.  He was a marvel.

Kevin got my son Aiden his first job.  Aiden worked in the dish room at HMC from the time he got a license to till he left to go to college.  Having that steady job has given him a great sense of responsibility and also made him several friends.  Having this job also helped some of Aiden’s other friends get their first jobs as well.

I do not know all the circumstances…  But about 6 months ago everything came crashing down at HMC.  Aiden told me that Kevin no longer worked there.  I gave it a few days to see if he would let me know what was going on.  I eventually texted him and he called me back.  We talked for a long time.  We have talked a lot since then and he has updated me on his job hunt ever since.

I remember on a dark day of my own sending him a text and saying, “Let’s start a restaurant” because I was sure I was done with the car business a few years ago and he told me in no uncertain terms that he was not going back to that lifestyle.  His daughter Avery was priority #1 at that time and a little later, he was sure that his goal was to move south with Jennifer and the girls.  He did not want to be tied down to a business like Harvest again.

Like I said when I started this, we had been talking a lot recently.  He talked to me about his job at i3 Broadband.  He (in his super pumped way) was telling me about what he was doing on the job and wanted to know if I could give him any insight into my rural broadband initiatives.  I was really hoping he was liking this job… But I knew he was blowing smoke up my ass.  He told me he was bartending in East Peoria on weekends as well.  He confided in me that he was fighting for unemployment from HMC as well.  Money was obviously tight and I know that because he swore he would never go back to that kind of work again.

I did not know about any problems he was having… Because he would never tell you that stuff.  He was absolutely going to ask me about the kids and Mr. Fort and my brother etc.  We would tell stories about some of the mutual characters in our lives, but nothing ever got dark.  Shame on me for that.  I knew he smoked too much. I knew he drank too much.  Many times when I would leave Harvest of any other soiree we were both at… I knew he wanst leaving for a while.  I think back now about a few times when I had to head home, I left him at a bar talking to other friends we knew from our similar circles.  I adult differently than he adults?  Right?  We are all different?  Should I have been that guy who told him it was time to go home?  We hung out every couple of months so I don’t think I was going to have that profound of an influence on his decision-making.  And, did I think this was a sign of a problem?  No, I just thought this was Kevin.

How could I slow down my buddy and say “let’s just sit down and talk about life… for real”?  When we got together it was happy fun time.  That’s what I was looking forward to!  Some laughs with a good guy who could appreciate a local tenderloin and a good IPA.

I’m sorry we didn’t have any of those real conversations.  So many people loved him that I have to believe nobody had a chance to ever to get the real Kevin or this tragedy would have never happened.

I was very pissed at him earlier this weekend for what he did.  I am still pissed at what he leaves for Avery, Amie and Jennifer her girls.  This is nothing but a mess and will continue to be so for a long time.  I don’t believe his daughter could ever be better off without him.  I am sure his parents, ex-wife Amie and Jennifer feel the same way.  My buddy Phil went through a similar event in his life when his wife killed herself two years ago.  He said that everyone wants someone to blame.  The finger-pointing is not easy because it requires everyone to look in a mirror and understand where their place is in this story.  Myself included.  Ultimately, after all the hand wringing and crying, Kevin is whos to blame and that’s the sad awful truth.

There is a Catholic Mass this Friday that I am planning on going to… There is also a get-together “wake” in Bartonville on Saturday.  I initially thought about putting together a fundraiser for Avery with the beer nerds but I have to be completely honest in saying that a fundraiser with booze has a bad ring to it for me.  This horrendous event is not going to stop me from having a drink ever again…  But it’s going to make me more conscious of those who cant stop.  I would be willing to “go dry” as a fundraiser as well.  That has a better vibe to it for me.

I would offer this…  to anyone who is game.  Who wants to sit down and tell Kevin stories on the Microphone while not drinking a drop of alcohol?  I will travel with the microphone or host it here at my house in Tremont.  But would anyone be up to that challenge?

We could then box these stories up and share them with his family so that they can know of the legacy he left with all the people he affected.

I assure you… Its a lot of people and I know they all hurt as I do right now.

God bless you, Kevin. Thank you for everything you did for me, my kids, and my family.   I still hate you for what you did, but I will get past that someday.  I will treasure your memory always.

Legacy Link:

https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/kevin-myszkowski-obituary?pid=202766498

9.12.22 Update

I have made a few edits… I did not mean to exclude Avery’s Mom and Kevin’s Ex-wife from the blog.  I just don’t really know her.  When I say his “family” it should be assumed she is part of that.  I have met his wife Jennifer a few times and obviously, she is who I think of first when thinking of those hurt most.

This is not a news report… Its a blog post from my perspective and feelings.  Not about anyone else’s.

Well, it’s not a bad tale about a beer and a burger.  While we wait for a better mobile setup to magically appear…  Groucho tells the story of his Guaca-Guaca Burger in Cheyenne Wyoming at Stanfords Grub and Pub.

Does anyone out there know Leo?  He was trying to show off his abs to the young man who took over bartending as I was leaving!  He gave that night a heck of a try!

When I record a show and the post-production shows me errors… I get really upset!  I am trying SOOOOOO hard to make this TBR show work…  But I want to murder my hardware!  Can you murder an inanimate object?  Actually… I think my hardware turned the tables…  My cheap microphones are murdering me!

OK… Enough crying.  Here is what I have been doing.  Traditionally with TBR, CHUD and I used a ZOOM H3 portable recorder for recording an episode.  I tried to do this for my newest podcast years ago… And figured out that a lot of my wires and the Zoom recorder were not reliable.  They were over 10 years old and had seen their fair share of roadshows and sloppy beer pours.

With my new show, I picked up a new mixer and my co-host convinced me to record directly to a laptop.  It was a hard sell at first, but I love it and like watching the waveform come in for quick adjustments.  One problem with this method.  Size.  You cannot tote a laptop and mixer with microphones all over (easily) to record a remote show.  It can be done… But it turns into more wires.  I hate wires!

For this new format done during Burgers and Beer… I wanted to take the microphone out of the equation.  I had picked up a tandem lapel microphone system online in hopes to do a podcast with them.  That was 2 years ago.  They sat around unused.  In the meantime, at work, I had discovered I can take a lot better videos of a vehicle walk-around with the single lapel microphone the salesman use.  The small microphone sounds amazing vs an iPhone mic during a windy day.

I decided to pull out my tandem microphones after using the working mic for this show.  My first test subject?  Mike Walters. and my show at Kutchies on the Water.  I plugged the microphone set into my iPhone 11PRO and used Voice Memo to record.  We did a quick test recording and listened back.  It was all good.

During the show, my wife tried to call me and I had to reject the call.  I cannot say for sure, but it almost felt like that moment took the connected microphone “out”.  I also wonder if the dual microphones are too much draw for one input.  Would they favor one side over the other?  My mic seemed “hotter” than Mike’s as the show progressed.

I am looking at RODE’s tandem wireless lapel mics for future shows.   It would limit me to 2 people but would be 2 unique sources that would be easier to mix in post.

Its only money!  (Got any spare change to help a podcaster out?)

RODE on Amazon:

Cheaper Option:

The dining tour of Tazewell County Illinois continues with a little gem sitting on the water.

This episode focuses on a riverside bar that Groucho has known for over two decades.  Years ago we joked on the show that Groucho worked at “Riverside Motors”.  While that may have been a cover name to protect the innocent…  It was aptly named for its location near the Illinois River.  Riverside Motors is very near a small bar that used to be called “Fitzpatricks” and later called “Captain Ron’s”

The newest iteration of this location along the Illinois River is called “Kutchies on the Water”.  Friend of the show, Mike Walters, recommended this location after Groucho reached out for an ideal location to meet up for a burger and beer.  You see, Mike works for Left Hand  Brewing Company and it would not be fair to have Mike on the show without talking a little bit about his company and journey over the “Eons” we have known each other.   Left Hand beers are at Kutchies.

Kutchies is unique in Central Illinois and certainly Tazewell County.  Very few restaurants can boast riverside dining or boat parking for those arriving on the water.  The atmosphere matches any seaside or lakeside restaurant you might remember from years ago.  A large wood deck sits near the water and a small inside dining area and bar are there just in case the weather is not ideal for sitting outside.  Just like Florida, Louisiana, or Lake of the Ozarks, you go to restaurants like this to enjoy the outside and socialize on the deck.   Food and drinks are secondary…  If they are “good”, or on the rare occasion “great”, that’s a bonus!

Fortunately, years of experience at Kutchies meant that there would be no surprises.  Usually, a trip to Kutchies for lunch is in order a few times during the summer.  Catch some sun rays and watch the folks off work boating, It’s a great way to spend a distract lunch hour before the second half of the day at work.  The food at Kutchies has always been solid.  While they have a full menu of your normal bar/pub offerings, they have become famous for their gigantic oversized bloody marys.  You know the ones with a fried chicken thigh sticking out of the drinking glass topped off with vegetables.  You will beat that hangover with more booze or brunch.  Pick your poison!

Mike and I sat down and talked about being beer nerds back in the early 2000s and watching the members of the “cult of craft beer” come and go.  Are we old enough to be considered survivors?  We also talk about the origin of Left Hand Brewing Nitro Milk Stout while enjoying some Left Hand Beers offered at Kutchies.

I ordered the Kutchie Burger… Because that is what I am going to do when you have a “house” burger.  True to the theme…  The Kutchie burger tastes like a trip to the tropics with teriyaki, pineapple, and swiss cheese served on a ciabatta roll.  I opted for the homemade coleslaw and was quite satisfied for 9 bucks.  Mike went with a straightforward cheeseburger with tots.  As usual, he’s like a giant kid!

On your dining tour of Tazewell County…  Make sure Kutchies is on your list of places to stop.  Riverside dining near the floodplain is shockingly rare in this day and age.  It’s a welcome change of pace from eateries inside strip malls or standalone fast-food joints shoved in a parking lot near a big box store.  (If that’s your jam…  It’s time to step up your game!)

Dining Notes:  Lunch is usually pretty quick and easy for those on a time crunch.  Get there a little earlier than the lunch crowd who may not be in as big of a hurry as you.  Weekend dinner on a pretty midwestern night can leave you waiting for a table.  Be prepared to grab a beer at the bar and wait for a table.

Sound Note:  Sorry, nerd alert.  Groucho is playing with some dual lapel microphones for the interview at the table.  It was going well until Margaret called in and tried to interrupt the show.  This MAY have upset the microphone plugged into the iPhone 11.  Next time… Airplane mode.  Groucho compensated Mike’s law audio after the interruption, so you might hear some ups and downs in the production.

Feedback or ideas?  Send your emails to groucho@thebeerreport.com or @thebeerreport on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok  (I don’t follow the Tiktok, so don’t leave a message there unless you don’t want to get a response for months!)

Thanks for listening!

Groucho

While we may not be producing much material together in podcasts…  That doesn’t mean that CHUD is laying around working on his Dad-bod.  No…  During COVID, he was working on a musical project with some like-minded “metal dudes” (Groucho’s words, not his!)

SOLT, Voidsick.  The album is getting rave reviews, and as you might expect…  Its loud, angry, and very METAL!

Take a look and listen.  They are legit!  T-shirts… Stickers and CDs.

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Solt666

Bandcamp:  https://solt666.bandcamp.com/

Muscatine is a little over 100 miles away from Pekin via 74 to Galesburg and then a bunch of country roads due west until you hit the Route 98 Bridge.  Most of these river towns have fun little places to check out and Muscatine was no different.  We walked through little antique shops, pawns shops, and galleries.  It was a fun morning of browsing but everyone was getting restless about wanting food.

To be clear, I did pack salami, cheese, bread, and some snacks in a cooler that morning.  I was told in no uncertain terms by nearly everyone in my family that this would not do.  We had heard tales from a business proprietor that we would be happy if we went to a brewery down by the river.  They had good “pub” food.  After hitting a few more stores I had forgotten everything about the restaurant other than it was a brewery.  (easy for me to remember!)

There are 2 breweries in Muscatine.  Missipi and Contrary Brewing.  I did a quick google on both locations and I was pretty sure that Contrary did not have food.  That made the decision easy.  Off to the riverfront and Missipi brewing.

The location of the brewery takes up a whole corner.  When we pulled up to park out front, I could see they had a food truck in their beer garden that looked like a permanent installation.  I got a little worried that the pictures I saw online were from the truck that did not appear to be serving at this time.  We walked around the corner to a small pub that reminded me of a Chicago bar.  Right upfront at the entry were super tight benches and a small bar on the right with a few waitresses running around busily.  We were greeted promptly and told to sit anywhere.

This place is like a maze!  You have the old bar upfront… Then, you have a new addition to the left with lots more space.  On top of that…   They have that giant beer garden behind the bar area.  Normally, we would take the garden, but it was overcast and had been a bit drizzly earlier.  We sat in the new area pretty much to ourselves.

The tap list is large!  Lots of craft beers from all over.  Plenty of locals as well.  I ordered an Uncommon Stout from Bent River.  Bent River is brewed up the road in Davenport Iowa.  We have had them in the Peoria area for a long time.  I have not been a super fan of these guys, but I thought I would give them another run.  Especially the Uncommon Stout.  It has a lot of coffee flavor and I knew that having one of these at noon would be just fine.  It’s a good beer.  Little thin for a stout, but it was pretty refreshing after spending a few hours shopping and wandering the streets for hours before.

The Burger menu was pretty fun.  Everybody has their standards… But my son and I both saw the PicNic Burger and were intrigued.  Baked beans along with Macaroni and cheese topping a double burger of beef and pork.  Yes… Intermingled patties of beef and pork!  We had to get it.

The standard sides were 1.50 each… Premium sides were 3.00.  I asked the waitress if the onion rings were made fresh or out of a bag.  She said they were out of a bag, but pretty good.  I decided to go with the rings.

The burger showed up open-faced with all of its extras on full display on top of the meats.  It was everything I hoped it would be!  The beans and mac did not look gourmet by any means… But the aromas of baked beans and macaroni and cheese mixed with freshly cooked meat was killing it!

The premium side…  That was a conversation piece for the whole table.  The food was reasonably priced…  There was no doubt about it.  But 3 bucks for 4 onion rings?  That seemed a bit stiff.  Especially considering that the rings were confirmed to come out of a freezer bag.  That said.  They were really good.  So…  We laughed and shrugged it off.

I ate my burger with a knife and fork…  Left the top bun on the plate.  This PicNic burger just about killed me!

Afterward, we took our newly fattened bodies down to the “Pearler” statue on the riverfront.  There was a wedding party taking pictures near the statue.  (Seemed odd… But we are not from Muscatine, so what do we know!?!?)  We waited our turn and grabbed some pics of the mighty Mississippi.

All in all…  Pretty good stop at the Missipi Brewing.  But, I should have walked back to Illinois after that burger!

Welcome to Episode one of the Tazewell County Beer and Burgers Podcast with Groucho.  We take our movable feast to Mackinaw Illinois for episode one.  Haynes’ on Main has been a benchmark for quality pub fare with great craft beer since they opened.  It was an easy decision to start with Haynes.

First off… thanks for tuning in.  This is a huge departure from a normal TBR show.  We hope you enjoy this project and if you have any thoughts or want to make some recommendations.  By all means…  Email us at groucho@thebeerreport.com or hit me on most socials @thebeerreport

The last episode and introduction podcast had me sitting with a friend of the show, Kevin, at the Blacktop Tavern.  We still have Blacktop on our list as a show destination.  Don’t think I have forgotten.  Also…  I was reminded today that the Burger Barge in East Peoria has amazing burgers and it is definitely in Tazewell County.   So, we will probably fit them into a show as well. 

Today was a cool, Fall “feeling” day.  It felt appropriate to head out to the eastern edge of the county for a scenic drive.  It was easy weather to have the windows down and take a breath of country air.  All the while, driving roads that dissect nearly mature corn and bean fields add to the feeling that I am getting a little remote.  Every field looks like it’s just days away from turning brown for harvest.  We are close for Fall.

Mackinaw Illinois sits on Route 9 between Bloomington and Pekin.  It’s just 10 minutes away from Interstate 155 and is a fairly easy drive for most.    12 minutes from Pekin.  Probably 20 minutes from Bloomington/Normal.  These are the kind of roads that you can travel 7 miles in 7 minutes.  Straight lines that have 2 directions…  North to South or East to West.  It’s “grid life” before the kids came up with their version of “grid life”.  

Mackinaw is one of the few communities in Tazewell county that could be called a river town.  Because of this, its become synonymous with local river culture.  The Mackinaw River State Fish and Wildlife Area is nearby and allows for easy access to the recreational waterway for thousands of rabid canoe and kayaking fans.  There is even canoe rental available in the area for those wanting to check it out without the ownership commitment.

The main street is small, even by small-town standards.  You could call it petite.  Nicely maintained space and all buildings appear to be occupied.  A rarity in this day and age of rural flight.  The Library, Post Office, and professional services are located in the heart of the town, along with an IGA grocery.  There is something funny about seeing buildings with the year 1869 stamped on their crown with a Yoga studio located at the street level.  Makes you wonder what the founders of the town would think if they could stroll down this street today.  

Haynes’, sitting smack dab in the middle of town, is part of that downtown space.  Haynes’ adds to the clean and appealing look of the downtown with its nicely renovated exterior.  

The menu is full of fresh-made food…  But we don’t have time for that.  We are here for a burger and beer.  What’s the burger menu like?

The options:

• Single Smash ¼ lb with cheese for 9.5
• Double 11.50
• Turkey Burger
• Western with bbq and onion rings
• Big Cheif (named after the high school mascot) jalapenos, pepper, and onions
• Caprese burger with fresh moz, Roma tomatoes, and basil

I ordered the Classic burger  Single with American cheese, lettuce, pickle, tomato, and 1000 island dressing.  I am not a 1000 island fan…  But in lieu of a “house burger,” I went with the classic.

While I was waiting for my food, I ordered up a Destihl Hazy IPA.  Haynes’ has 4 drafts at the bar and two of them are from a local brewery in Bloomington/Normal, Destihl.  We have been big proponents of Destihl over the years and were thrilled to be at the restaurant during its rollout.  We even had an exclusive tasting session with founder Matt Pott’s during those early days.  I digress.

Destihl hazy IPA was a nice and crisp beer.  It was almost tangy like it had a hint of lemon.  This beer would be perfect outside on a hot day!  It was pretty good today as well.  

The burger was assembled and cooked in front of me as I sat at the bar.  I like that.  The smash burger is a healthy portion.  The 1000 island dressing that keeps grabbing all my attention was applied liberally… But somehow stuck to the burger.  I didn’t leave any on my shorts or shirt when I left!  The burger was covered with fresh lettuce and tomatoes.  Everything about this burger was tasty and delicious.  The burger is from a farm in Springfield Illinois and it tasted fresh and crispy on the edges from the griddle.

I could have picked a standard side like fries or something.  But the bartender said they had a fresh pea salad or watermelon salad with cucumber as two seasonal options.  I knew my friend Bryan Harland had a hand in these 2 offerings.  I was all over the Watermellon salad.  It was a good choice…  Like the Classic Burger… It was filled with freshness and tasted like I was eating out of the garden.  

All and all…  Eating at Hayne’s was top notch and the food could not have been better.  Hayne’s is definitely a top 5 contender for best pub food in Tazewell County.  I may have to come up with a ranking system. for future episodes.

Oh, one thing I would say, and I said this to Bryan on my visit…  Bring back those specials!  We had some amazing burgers at Haynes years ago when they did a monthly burger special.  The PBJ BLT was pretty darn good.  My favorite was the Ghost Burger.  You guessed it…  Ghost pepper cheese with spicy mustard.  It was hot!

Want to be on a show?  I would love to have a convo about a local restaurant or bar with a fan of the establishment.  Email, or message us on the socials @thebeerreport

If finding a place to grab a bite from a small, locally owned business in Tazewell County Illinois is your thing…  You are in luck.  Groucho has you covered with this latest audio project.  The goal will be to visit 20 local restaurants in this downstate county holdings it own between Peoria and Blo-No.

Today’s episode is an introduction that I hope gives you a feel for what the purpose and scope of the show will be.  Kudo’s to “friend of the show” Kevin for suggesting the name, “Burgers and Beer”.  How about The Beer Report – Burgers and Beer Podcast?  Same folks…  New subject with a goal of showing off some local cuisine and entrepreneurs?

Tonight, Groucho and Kevin did a dry run at the Black Top Tavern near Manito Illinois.  We had a great experience and fleshed out some ideas.  Let’s go after those “house” burgers.  If you can name your burger after your business, then it better stand as one of the best items on your menu.  Also…  You have to make your food.  We arent stopping by and admiring the atmosphere if you only have Butch’s pizza and a rack of chips on the wall.  Sorry, that’s not gonna cut it.  Same for the great little family restaurants that make a crowd pleasing tenderloin, but do not have beer on the menu.  Again, sorry.  You are not qualifying for a visit.  We want local, fresh-made food, served with a cold beer.  It doesn’t have to be a craft beer (It would be nice and you get extra credit!), it just needs to be cold!

Join us for the adventure and please…  send along any recommendations beyond the ones listed in this episode.

Thanks again for listening!

G

PS…  We are going back to Blacktop for a formal show in the next few weeks.

Nestled between two major cities on the I-74 corridor in Central Illinois is a huge swath of land called Tazewell County. Its literally our own version of fly over country.

We joked a lot on the show about recording from Pekin… And certainly, Pekin is the but of many jokes whether on our show or in casual conversation with anyone who knows the territory. From my house, nestled in Tazewell County, I googled “Gourmet” and what should come up as a local business??? Red Robin Gourmet Burgers. Second up was Jimmy Johns (freaky fast) Sandwiches. Thats where we are at Tazewell folks!

Its with this in mind that Groucho wonders to himself what we have to do to get a little more respect for this glorious area he has called home more than anywhere else in his entire life.

Groucho is going to start “efforting” some locations and reviews of Tazewell County eateries and watering holes that may not be know to those in the big metros of Peoria and Bloomington/Normal.

Groucho’s Movable Feast – Tazewell County

Unlike Hemingway and F. Scott wandering the south of France looking for a decent fried chicken dinner. You will have a heads up on where to get a decent provincial burger and wash it down with a cold lager or craft beer. All with the goal that it can be found within 20 minutes of the big cities in McLean and Peoria counties.

Look for tags marked Grouchosmoveablefeast denoting new reviews.

Cheers and Bon Apetite!

Groucho

I yelped it…. Keg Grove is two miles away. Through a torrential downpour…. I head across town to try some of the young breweries flavors. I pull in and sit in my car as rain dumps by the gallons.

Looks pretty dead inside…. I check Yelp. They are closed. Argh! It’s cool. There are other breweries in town. I look up Little Beaver. CLOSED! How about White Oak? CLOSED! Well, I know Destihl is open, but by now, I am down to about 60 minutes.

HyVee! It’s like angels called down with the suggestion. It’s close and won’t take much time to get served. Oh and they have an Electric car charging station I can use for my Prius Plugin.

It’s still dumping rain btw. I head to HyVee and park in the electric parking. I hop out of the car in the rain and discover that these charging stations are a new variety that I do not have in my google wallet. I’m properly damp when I jump into the car to download the correct ap and secure my paypal account to it. I leap out with a quickness and smash my phone up against the interface, hoping that physical brutality will assist in making this charge port work more quickly. Nope. After it goes through the faux authorization animations…. it finally makes the distinctive click that comes when a charging station has released its charge “fill nozzle”. We are live and charging.

To say that I am wet after this side adventure in an understatement! I’m soaked!

I step inside to HyVee and drip up to bar. Look at that…. They have the local brews! Destihl, Little Beaver, White Oak and Keg Grove! Why…. Why was this not my first stop?

I start with a Keg Grove, Any Direction you Choose. It’s an IPA that satisfies for a cold beer on a crappy night. Unfortunately though it’s small brewery blandness underwhelms and I am not sure I would order it again.

Next up, Little Beaver, Puh Puh Puh. It’s an American Porter. If you advertise American Porter… I expect some hops. I am hoping for for Revolution “Eugene”. Instead.. I am getting something akin to Bent River Stout. To it’s credit, for a small batch porter, it’s pretty flavorful. The more I drink it, the more I appreciate its complexity. Not a bad brew.

Let’s take stock of the night. If it’s early in the week, skip the small breweries in town. They are working their day jobs! If it’s dumping rain, skip the charging station. You won’t get enough juice out of that charger to make a soaking wet shirt worth your while. If you find yourself in need of the local flavors, get to HyVee! They have a beer selection that is completely centered on the local guys. That is pretty cool and it’s obvious that someone is doing their job at the grocery store!

Cheers,

Groucho

Tonight I had the chance to swing by the new Destihl Brewery on the north side of Bloomington Normal.  I can say with confidence that I have experienced all levels of Destihl to this point.  Matt Potts and his team were very kind to The Beer Report when they first opened the brewpub at Shoppes of College Hills.  One of our greatest moments in TBR history was reporting on a beer brewed with vaginal yeast (Not at Destihl) and watching Matt nearly spit out his beer.  We were there when the production brewery opened and have been amazed and thrilled with the success of the “local guys” as we see their product now line the shelves of our local liquor stores.  

The new Brewery is a natural progression for Destihl.  They have built up gradually, all the while making amazing beers that are becoming sought after nationwide.  Using that momentum, they have spread slowly and steadily across the US and have now built a world class facility.  

World Class?  Um yeah.  I have been a few places over the years.  Destihl is blessed to be in a town that has lots of free space… And it pays off in a facility like this.  Once a cornfield, it has been replaced with aesthetically pleasing open great hall with huge amounts of glass and steel show off the epic space.  This vast cavern was surely the dream of every Viking king making a great-room for his clan.  Every table in the house has you surrounded by tap handles and fermenters.  You know you are in a brewery, but you also know you are in the most modern iteration of what a brewery can be.  When I go to Stone Brewery and Beer Gardens in Escondido California… I am taken by the sheer scale  and bold architecture.  Destihl is no different.  They have strong bold lines in every direction.

The beers on tap are great.  I am a fan of sours and I always will take a draft.  There was a time when that was rare, and I do fully appreciate how spoiled we are in Central Illinois.  For those who do not know the difference…  Sour beers take on a different flavor because of the “wilder” strains of yeast used to brew the beer.  Artisan brewers from Europe have been using an “exposed to the elements” style of brewing for centuries.  Creating local flavors that are literally the taste of that part of the world.  This flavor profile is very different from your traditional lagers or ales.  Some may call them an acquired taste so don’t fear if your taste-buds are taken by surprise.

If you are not a fan of sour beer, Destihl offers everything from Stouts to Ciders.  As with most brewers in the United States, they are willing to make some big and bold India Pale Ales.  They have everything from mild to skull crushing hop flavors.  If you are a “hophead”, you will be pleased.   As in their past locations…. Destihl does not offer other beers on their tap handles.  Years ago that was a bold statement, but as they have grown their selection of beers, it’s not even an issue to find something you like.  (Ask for samples!  They are always willing to give you a taste if you are unsure)

Destihl also offers the newest way to make your beer portable…. The Crowler.  For 9 bucks or so…. Get 20oz of your favorite beer on tap and take it home in a giant can.  The can concept is far superior to those old glass twist top bottles.  No light, no air, nothing is going to ruin your fresh beer.  The crowler, since it is canned, should keep your beer indefinitely.  Drink at your leisure anywhere without the worry of broken glass.  

I did not try any food on this visit.  

It will be interesting to see what is next for our local craft giant.  Will they get so big that they move their headquarters to Chicago like other local industry leaders?  We have to hope not.  This facility and the beers they make are a feather in the cap of central Illinois.  Locals should show this off to anyone who comes to our sleepy little ‘burgs with the preconception that there is nothing to do in the cornfields of Illinois.  

This building stands high above those fields and I am glad to have them here.  

Over the past few months… Groucho has struggled with a computer that would not handle large files like this. So, theres a backlog of video stuff laying around for Groucho’s work, play and family stuff.

The video was taken on a gopro that was setup at the corner of the table… It worked out well, but the sound was pretty muddy. Also, you can hear the hand drier from the Men’s room at that booth.

The introduction of The Beer Report Beerfest “Confessional”. All we asked is that VIP attendees stopped by and shared who they were and what beers they loved. Here are the results.

Future improvements:

1. An actual booth? The noise pollution was almost unbearable. A small PVC framed booth with a cloth exterior might make this easier on the ears.
2. Tighter framing. I zoomed the frame in during post… The only reason its not tighter was because of the short gal and Gene’s Vanilla Ice shirt… I had to make sure people saw that awesomeness!
3. A warning light.  We had some people use the camera when the memory card was full.  The Go-Pro light would not have been flashing at that time, and I wish I would have been told before I noticed it myself.  Live and learn!!!

Otherwise…  This was totally fun.  We need to copyright and patent this thing for a mobile beerfest activity.

Todd and Christian host us again!  The brewery is revisited after getting up and going!  Groucho and CHUD visited with Todd and Christian 9 months ago when the old paint store building was just a cold warehouse covered in dust.  Today, we go back on a “Mug Club” day to find a production brewery filled with people, music and food on the patio.  What a transformation!  The show is long, I realize that, but we do get into a lot of brewery business items at all times during the show, and I felt like it was not easily cut.  Remind me to do 2 shows next time!

Apologies ahead of time…  Todd was on a different Microphone and over-modulated to start the show.  (Groucho forgot the 4th mic)  It gets better a few minutes in.  Its like herding cats when you do a podcast with 4 people!

1. Groucho and CHUD do some but kissing!
2. Criticism? How do you deal with that?
3. Stevie Nicks talk leads into Kim Deal, leads into CB talk!
4. Craftbeer Week 2015?
5. Mainstream beer philosophy.  Session ales abound.
6. Whats popped up that you didn’t expect?
7. Managing a bar?
8. CHUD’s pirate management book.  Publishing soon!
9. Janet Jackson?
10. The hours worked…. Biggest surprise.
11. Todd is not trusted to run the “till”.
12. Adam praise!
13. Rothgar infamy beer.
14. Sharing the experience makes the beer better.
15. Todd is always sick!
16. Pink Eye Saison.  Scott Bayo Saison?
17. We control our own destiny!  Everyday you work in a brewery is a good day!
18. Road show!
19. Brains and Brawn!
20. Where does the Rock Island Trail go?
21. Are you happy you are on Pioneer Park?
22. Mug Club!
23. Beer as a business.  Brewers Distributing.
24. Ran?  Sorry… Thought they were bikers!
25. Rothgar commentary!
26. Hefe!  They have a Hefeweizen!
27. Josh Lanning and the beer dinner at the Fox Pub.  Marrow!!!
28. THE FUTURE:  What does it hold for PBC?
29. This summer…  Bands!  Madison Ward and the Momma Bear.  Belly Dancers.  Yoga and a flight!
30. The Golf Room.
31. Peoria Brewing smack talk.
32. Food?  Its in the future for the bar.
33. There are a few Mug Club spots open right now!  You get:  Shirt, new beers, copper mug, special bi annual events.
34. “Dale”!  The PBC equivalent of Norm.
35. What happens at PBC, stays at PBC!

Find Peoria Brewing Company beers at any fine drinking establishment with great beers on tap in the middle of Illinois!  Seek them out!

D

Groucho is back for the final wrap up on the audio show for this years Peoria Beerfest and commentary on American Craftbeer Week 2015.  We then move on to clips from the festival VIP tent with Groucho & CHUD.

Get to Peoria in late April for this Festival and be prepared to have a blast!

On the show:

• Intro by Groucho with love for his local Peoria/Bloomington bars and restaurants that stepped it up for this years Craftbeer Week.
• Groucho & CHUD talk Peoria Beerfest.
• Belching Beaver Beer.
• Losing your head?
  Stone Brewing Theodors.
  Audio fail!
  Interview: Jennifer Ritter of the Peoria Jaycees. (at 9:00)
  Explore Peoria Video… Jennifer killed it!  http://www.explorepeoria.com/
• Do the VIP Tent!
• Northcoast Brewing Company J Marie.
• Interview:  Ken Chiu (Official TBR Photographer) (at 12:48) www.kenchiuphoto.com
• Breakfast at the Fox Pub before the Beerfest!!!  Lets pack the Fox next year!
• Fried Toast!
• Groucho drops an F Bomb!
• Kudos to Pat Hartzler from Brewers Distributing for all his acquisitions at the VIP tent.
• More F Bombs.
• Pat Hartzler is not pulled through on the audio show…  Hoping to pull through to video clips.
• Interview Luke Heminover (at 18:30)
• The Champagne Room at the VIP Tent.
• Who are the Jaycees?
• Trending, #Heminover
• Interview Steve King (at 21:45)
• Steve King verified the “Oldest Beerfest” with All About Beer.
• VIP Aftermath.
• Three Floyds Black Heart
• Interview Matt Rixner (at 24:00)
• Alchemist Heady Topper.
• “Wife…  Wife…”.
• More swearing… We are sorry!  Toast should never have that kind of language associated with it!
• Ken is back.
• Wrapup with Chud and Ken enjoying the Topper.

The VIP tent is a great way to start the day the Jaycees Beerfest!  See you there next year!

Whats going on Thursday?

Tartan Inn is giving away a guitar!

Friday Night:

• Beer Cruise on the Spirit of Peoria
• Deschutes Tap Takeover at Fox Pub & Cafe
• Lakefront Tap Takeover at Fieldhouse Peoria

Saturday:

• Gutbuster 5K and Mini Beerfest at UFS
• Homebrewer day with Destihl and the Hop Shop
• North Peoria Beerfest at Fox Pub and Cafe.

Mini rant on contrived articles on Paste Magazine about Craft Beer.

http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2015/05/4-craft-beer-trends-we-are-completely-over.html

Interview from the Peoria Beerfest with Matt Rixner of the Fox Pub.  Lets pack the house for breakfast Per-Beerfest next year!

Enjoy this upcoming weekend and be safe!  Get a Designated Driver for gods sake if you are hitting multiple places in Peoria.  (Y’know… Since we wont make it legal to UBER!)

Day 3!  More news on beers being poured in Peoria and the surrounding area this week!

• Kemps Upper Tap.  Get there!  Coolest place you have never been too!
• Kellehers is serving something new everyday for American Craft Beer Week!
• Fieldhouse has Sump and some other killer beers this week!
• George Jacob Gutbuster 5K at UFS.  Run, walk or crawl your way through beer, Hores De Vores and a mini beerfest on Saturday!
• Spirit of Peoria Beer Cruise Friday night.
• Craftbeer.com… Who are these guys?  The Brewers Association.

Take it all in…  This is an epic week of drinking in Central Illinois.

Interview:  Luke Heminover at the Peoria Beerfest.

Groucho runs down the events that he could sort out from the social media pages for all the local places that serve, sell and make craft beer!

The Fieldhouse in Peoria is giving teachers a break on Tuesdays!
Peoria Home-brew Club is meeting at the Fox Pub at 6PM on Tuesday.
The Railhouse in Pekin has Sculpin on draft!
Destihl homebrew event with the Hop Shoppe.
Old Chicago!!!???!!!

Coming up… Gutbuster 5K and North Peoria Brewfest. Josh Lanning is making dinner at Haynes on Main in Mackinaw Illinois on the 20th.

Interview: Jennifer Ritter with the Peoria Jaycees.

Groucho is making it his goal to let you know what’s going on in Peoria this week!

This brief show, the first of 5 gives you info on the Fox Pub event with Peoria Brewing Company.

Next up?  Who knows!  We need some info from the other Bars and Distributors in the area!

Groucho gets to chat with Neil for 15 minutes about how his as Master Cicerone at Boulevard and where it has taken him. Neil travels the country doing events for Duval, if you find yourself near anything he is working on… I cannot emphasize enough what a great time you will have.  Seek him out.

Thanks to Boulevard and Duval for bringing him to Central Illinois and sponsoring a great beer event at the Fox Pub in Peoria!

Oh, Matt at Fox Pub says “Hi”.

Bumper music on the show is the Rainmakers “Drinking on the job”.  We have used that song on ancient shows, but Neil coming up from KC Mizzou (The hometown of Bob Walkenhorst and the Rainmakers) it seems more appropriate.  Plus, he gets to drink for his job!  How great is that?

Audio recorded on the front stoop of the Fox Pub because they were slammed with customers inside.  The ZOOM audio recorder did a pretty good job of picking up the soft-spoken Mr. Witte!

Rick from Big Foamy Head…  You have been called out!

www.bigfoamyhead.com

BTW…  If you are not subscribed to this YouTube Channel…. You are missing our newest videos.  Not sure what happened to the old channel, I am going to try and import the old videos in the meantime.

Groucho goes back and forth between Podcaster and his day job when he sits down with Susan at WBNQ.  It all happened this past Monday when he was selected for Celebrity Guest DJ.

More Video soon of our trip to Beer Camp with Baumgarten Distributing!

In celebration of the Peoria Craft Beer Week, we get with Matt Rixner of the Fox Pub to talk about this weeks event. CHUD was bumped in lieu of brother CHUMP (Who has been absent since episode 6) to join in with us.  Rob the viking also stepped in to make sure we never had an empty glass!

Are we a bit subdued?  Yeah, probably so.  We wanted to keep it focused on The Fox and this weekends beer event.  We didn’t want to get off on some TBR tangent!  Plus, we knew that scaring Matt on the first remote at the bar would be bad for future business!

Beers on the show: Solemn Oath Wreckage Master, 2010 3 Floyds Darklord.

On the show:

• What is the Fox Pub all about?
• We kiss O’Fallon Brewing rear end. Long time since we did that!
• Skunked lines?
• Darklord for Matt!
• Talk of Rob’s impending demise.
• Shout out to Keg’s n Egg’s on wwct 99.9 FM.
• Media day at the Fox!?!?  Journal Star article.
• Brewery of the Month in May:  Founders.
• Lowfat Fox Breakfast?  Probably not!
• 2014 Darklord Day talk.
• Cold Lake Michigan blues…
• Greenbush road trip.
• May 17th kids!!!  Get to the Fox Pub!  Its where the cool kids will be!
• Get advance tickets at the Fox for 7 bucks!  10 at the door!
• 500 commemorative glasses!
• Perennial Abraxis, Barrell Aged Rasputin, Firkin of Bell’s Hopslam, Firkin of DeStihl Hoperation Overload with 30/30 coffee, Dogfish Imort-ale.
• Single and dating!
• Mountain air beer training!

Darklord on the show “cellered” and acquired by Groucho, in a rare attempt to show up Rob.  Solemn Oath acquired at the brewery in Chicago by a friend of  a friend…  And that needs to happen again soon!

New theme music, that will probably change again next show provided by a Japanese import copy of Buffalo Daughter, Mutating.

Links:  http://www.thefoxpubandcafe.com/

http://traffic.libsyn.com/thebeerreport/TBR_67_-_The_Fox_Pub.mp3

The Fox – Peoria Craft Beer Week Schedule:

May 13th – May 17th:  Peoria Craft Beer Week
American Craft Beer on Tap all week long
1.       Boulder Mojo IPA Nitro (Boulder, CO)
2.       Bell’s Oberon (Kalamazoo, MI)
3.       Cider Boys Peach County Cider (Stevens Point, WI)
4.       Arcadia Deliverance Bourbon Brown (Battle Creek, MI)
5.       Une Annee Sanguinaire Belgian Red Ale (Chicago, IL)
6.       Deschutes Obsidian Stout Nitro(Bend, OR)
7.       Boulevard Brewing Saison Brett (Kansas City, MO)
8.       Schlafly Biere de Garde ( St. Louis, MO)
9.       BuckleDown Brewing Clencher Double IPA (Lyons, IL)
10.   Jolly Pumpkin Madrugada Obscura Stout (Dexter, MI)
11.  4 Hands Brewing Chocolate Milk Stout ( St Louis, MO)

Tuesday, May 13th:  Peoria Craft Beer Week beer tasting with Josh from Markeplace
Featuring:  Jolly Pumpkin Madrugada Obscura, Jolly Pumpkin IO Red Saison, and Two Bros Engine #1 Kolsch
Saturday, May 17th:  North Peoria Craft Brewfest(more details on EVENT page)
Saturday May 24th:  Live music with The Roundstone Buskers from 8pm-10:30pm

So, when you go shooting your mouth off about some guys creating a brewery in Peoria…  And you do that for a few months in a row… You better be ready to step up to the challenge if they call you out on your opinions!

That’s what Todd from Peoria Brewing Company did a few weeks ago when he notified Groucho that he was wrong about any deal they might have with a local distributing company.  Groucho and Todd agreed that a fair compromise, using the “dollars to donuts” premise would be a box of Spudnuts.  Unfortunately, Groucho had to welch!  Spudnuts ran out early on the weekend we decided to get together and do a show.  But, Todd and Christian were still kind enough to let us stop by the soon-to-be brewery.

Now, here is the rub and scary part about this show for us…  As professional amateurs…  What if their beer sucks?  Do we play is off and be kind?  Do we suffer through the show and give them average marks?  Will we lose any indie cred by kissing the ass of a bad brewer?

THANK GOD WE DIDN’T HAVE TO FIND OUT!

Todd and Christian have created some great beers to start the brewery.  It was truly a joy to drink them all!  The Milk Stout and Rye IPA were standouts.  We think everyone will enjoy what these guys are doing right off the bat!

So, here is the first show we did with the guys.  I say first, because immediately following this show, we will have a traditional show with Todd and Christian as guest.  This show is VERY focused on Peoria Brewing Company and what it means to Peoria and the Brewers.  If you are expecting Groucho and CHUD acting like idiots or dialing daleks… Move on to the next show!  If you want to know about the guys are who are bringing fresh beer to Peoria…  Listen up!

Thanks again Peoria Brewing Company for being awesome hosts!  We are glad your beers rocked!

On the show:

• Christian is stuck with the task of telling us how this project took off.
• Great Milk Stout
• Todd talks about getting the spouses approval
• How do you get your own reporter from pjstar.com?
• Dry Hopping Macro Lagers???
• Kegging?  When are we bottling?
• Staying local with the name!  Will it play in Peoria?
• Why did this take so long???
• Love to Crescent Sun in Pekin,
• Todd has to grow out the goat if he is going to be head brewer!
• Beer so bad the dog wont drink it!?!?  Experimental beers!
• Crazy Jane.
• What do you expect?  Nervous Podcasters at start of show.
• Peoria guys!
• The German Purity Law???  What the Hell was that all about???
• Todd is on a short leash!
• Would you do it again?
• The Grease trap!
• Fox Pub shout out.
• 42…  Cool!
• Where’s the SWAG?
• The Peoria Brewing Company Logo.
• Do another show?

Recorded on Location at the Peoria Brewing Company!

Check out their Facebook page, and be ready for beer soon!  https://www.facebook.com/PeoriaBrewingCompany

Intro and Outro music performed by Too Much Joy.  The song is Drunk and In Love…  And smokes the living hell out of whatever Beyonce Drunk Love song is out there right now!!!

Check out Too Much Joy at http://www.toomuchjoy.com/

Don’t Call it a Comeback, part 3.

Feeling disjointed with our sequencing???  So are we.  We were fortunate to have some material that was literately time-stamped over the last 2 shows.  That left a few shows in the hopper.  We are glad to finally get this final show from our comeback series.

THIS SHOW IS TERRIBLY SERIOUS!  SORRY!  WE WILL GET BACK TO THE MAD-CAP ANARCHY SOON!  If you turn it off 10 minutes in…  We will not be offended.  Sometimes you have to keep a show like this for our own reference.

Beer on the show:  3 Floyds Baltic Porter and 3 Floyds Arctic Panzer Wolf

On the show:

• CHUD is a growing boy!
• Serious 3 Floyds love!  Big shocker huh?
• Nipples and Nuts…  A classic show that should be re-released?
• Emotional chumming.
• Actually serious conversation about whats been going on with TBR and CHUD over the past 6 months.
• Brothers*
• Ratburn family history.
• Life satisfaction.
• “Sometimes a body is more trouble than its worth”
• JAS Edwards from Oklahoma.
• American values now suck!
• More Floyds Beer!
• Nazi beer
• All About Beer book head to head with the AP.  The AP rocks!
• Mosher – Sauce
• Bowzas and Arrzows…  Huh?
• 90 minute show…  God Help Us!?!?!?

Beers on the show gifted by Groucho’s favorite sales rep who tries to buy his business at Riverbottom Motors.  It might be working!

Download here:  http://traffic.libsyn.com/thebeerreport/TBR_-_DCIACB_3.mp3

Don’t call it a comeback, part 2!  The Death of Rusty.

Beers on the show:  Victory Storm King, Ale Smith Speedway Stout, BBB Brewings Eurithius Extreme Imperial Stout.

On the show:

• Longest running beer podcast?
• Stormking would make a killer band name!  CHUD reads it with Metal Tones.
• Rope A Dope!
• TBR Studio B coming to a close.
• Groucho blames his “Ap” for finding a new house.
• CBR gets a lot of lip service on this ep.
• Studio B is rich in history.
• The life and times of CHUD’s cat, Rusty.
• Rusty’s demise.
• Margaret has patience!
• Drone Strike on Studio B?
• Inking Ap vs Book  https://www.inkling.com/
• Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher.  http://www.radicalbrewing.com
• Head to head battle of Analog vs Digital media.
• Round one to the book.
• Round two to the Ap.
• Casual beer drinkers are getting more beer smarts.
• Bonus Beer Bob’s Christmas Beer!!!  Its our annual tribute to The Good Beer Show.  Podfaded…  Sadly!
• 18%????
• Bob’s wax job is superior!
• F-Bombs start rolling…  Sorry!
• TBR invites themselves over to Bob’s to homebrew.
• CHUD tastes chocolate…  Groucho gets the wine…  Our taste buds were blasted!!!  Still an outstanding beer!
• CHUD has a problem with the TBR equipment.
• Twitter advice from CHUD.  @tbrchud and @thebeerreport.
• One last bit of BBB love.

Beers on the show were gifts from the fine folks at Marketplace Selections.  THANK YOU!  Bonus Beer Bob’s Christmas beer was the most amazing Christmas present we received this year!  Thanks Bob!

Intro and outro music shamelessly pulled from an old Julian Cope album.  Spotify recently added some Julian Cope, and we love them for that…   But they did not add the “St. Julian” album.  His masterwork in our opinion!  Enjoy a little “Pulsar”.

Download here:  http://traffic.libsyn.com/thebeerreport/TBR_-_Death_of_Rusty.mp3

The Harvest Cafe sounds like the place to be on September 1st!

Unfortunately, Groucho has already signed up for a beer dinner at the Publik House in Peoria for the next week…  So, mama is laying down the law that I cant pony up for both.  I will be sure to take lots of pictures of my dinner.

If you can… Please support the local guys down in Delavan!

Here is the info:

Craft Beer Dinner Thursday September 1st

 Five course farm to table dinner paired with Lost Abbey beers – $65

 Seating begins at 5:30pm, Dinner will be served promptly at 6:00pm.

 Reservations are required

 Please call  Hometown Wine & Spirits at 309-244-9000

From May 2011

I wont drag the back-story out… I have been a monster Cars fan for years. When I was a kid… I bought every LP (Thats vinyl for you young kids) and put them in special frames to decorate my bedroom with. I bought all the albums on LP, Cassette and ultimately CD. They now all reside on my iPod!

The last time the WHOLE band toured was the late 80’s! 1980’s (Again for the younger readers). A time when I had limited resources to get to Chicago to see a show. In 2000, Ben Orr, the other lead singer of the band died of cancer; that was a huge setback. Recently, a few of the band members put on a tour with Todd Rundgren calling themselves the New Cars. The key player missing for all the recent action was Ric Ocasek. He had made it pretty clear that he had no interest in “doing” The Cars anymore. So, it was pretty well set in my head that one of my dreams to see The Cars in concert would probably never happen.

So, imagine my surprise when I read that the band had been working on a new album and were gearing up for a tour. I first imagined it was a band without Ocasek… Or, some kind of new lead singer to take the place of Orr. I was wrong on both thoughts… Thankfully!

From May 2011

The band is back with all the players less Ben Orr.

• Ric Ocasek: Lead Singer, Rhythm Guitar
• Elliot Easton: Lead Guitarist and Hook Master!
• Greg Hawkes: Keyboardist Extraordinaire (and bass guitar imitator)
• David Robinson: Drums

When you see this crew on paper… Its hard to imagine how this show is going to go. I had read some reviews online that they stumbled through a few tunes on early shows. I had also heard that Hawkes and Easton have shared duties singing the Ben Orr songs. This knowledge was all kicking around in my head before the show started. Adding a bit of fear to my dream night!

It was The Cars only, no opening band. Show was set to start at 8PM… The crowd of a few thousand old folks like me waited patiently till 8:15 for the band to take the stage.

IT WAS A ROUGH START! Listen, Ric Ocasek has more musical talent in his fingernail than I have ever possessed in this body over a lifetime, so its hard for me to criticize ANYTHING about a performance by my idols! The first song, “Goodtimes Roll” started off shaky. Ric sounded “off”, Hawkes was over-amped and the backup chorus was not there. I was scared!

Thankfully, that was all it was. A rough start. The next tune was off the new album, they hopped right in and jammed on “Blue Tip”. After that, it seemed like everybody clicked together.

Greg Hawkes showed me a whole other side that I had never seen before. He was energetic and personable behind the keyboards. He seemed to be the character behind the band. I also noticed that Hawkes must have been running the bass lines that were missing from the vacancy of Orr. David Robinson played REAL drums for the most part… I just assumed that he would be all tricked out with an electronic drum kit… All triggered and computerized. Not so. He sounded and looked great. Lastly, Elliott Easton. I had watched him on a few videos with The New Cars and totally expected him to rock. He did. That dude knows every guitar solo and hook inside and out. When he played the solo for Touch and Go, (Which is one of his recorded best) he didn’t miss a lick! The only diss on Easton, I noticed he was always late or non existent on the chorus’. Whats up with that??? They’re Not gonna sing themselves! Easton was digging on all the “hooks” and looked like he was enjoying himself. Ocasek smiled a few times… He looked like he was finally at ease by the time the encore series started. At one point in a song, he was not playing guitar, and I could tell that he didn’t know what to do with his hands. I think he was thankful when his guitar was needed again. Ocasek did a great job of singing the Ben Orr classics. “Just What I Needed” and “Moving in Stereo” were just fine with Ric on the lead vocal. I think the crowd was singing louder than him on “Lets Go”.

I wish some of the tunes would have had some liberty taken with them. The final encore (We got three!!!) was “Your All I’ve Got Tonight”, and had a raging guitar solo that lasted for 3 or 4 minutes. That was the only song that was not played EXACTLY as it was recorded. I am sure this had everything to do with Hawkes having bass rhythms and keyboard tracks set up for every song. But in the end, that extra attention on the production took away a little from the live unpredictable element you look for in a live show. They were too perfect? That’s a small complaint for a show that I have been waiting 25 years to see. Its really more of an observation.

All in all… I had mixed expectations going in. The band showed why they have been celebrated and remembered for over 30 years. All kinds of pop classics were loved and sung along by young and old in the crowd. Any fears on the performance I had were unfounded and faded out of my head 10 minutes into the show. These guys still have the gas to keep this trip going! (Get it? Gas!)

I left the English countryside content that this type of establishment will never be reproduced in Central Illinois.  If its not all you can eat walleye or fried chicken… What chance could it have?

5 years ago…  If you would have recommended a small Central Illinois town as a great place to have near gourmet food and craft beer… I would have laughed off this blog!

Then someone recommends this new restaurant in Delavan… The Harvest Cafe. 

Delavan is a small town tucked away off some country roads between Peoria and Springfield IL. Its one of the countless towns that dot the Central Illinois landscape with populations of under 2000 people. Communities this small usually pride themselves on whether they have a Casey’s General Store or not!

So, you can imagine my trepidation when I started hearing rumors of a great dining restaurant in Delavan.  No slam on the town… But, I was really expecting to hear about awesome fried chicken or some deep fried appetizer!

The Harvest Cafe is the latest addition to downtown Delavan.   A downtown, that like many small rural towns is struggling to keep vital and alive.

We snuck in for breakfast a few weeks ago…  Just to get an idea of what was going on.  To my pleasant surprise…  We were greeted by a beautifully restored exterior.  It would have made 1910 Delavan as proud as the 2010 population.  The interior is more modern, but had some classic touches to remind you that you are in an old building.

Breakfast turned out great.  I had some Cajun grits with shrimp.  Ang had some biscuits and gravy.  Summer was overloaded with 2 of the biggest pancakes she has ever seen in her life!  They were served with a side of amazingly flavorful sausage.

We asked for a dinner menu, just to get an idea of what might be in store if we came by later.  After checking the menu over… It was decided that a future dinner was probably in order. 

Breakfast for the family and grandmother was a healthy 40 bucks.  I was a little put off by the price for a breakfast.   But, if it were Bob Evans in Pekin… Would it have been any less?  Probably not.

Return Dinner Visit:

Ang found it very ironic that we would be heading to Delavan for our anniversary dinner…  After all… We have made a habit of driving to more upscale establishments in Peoria and Bloomington over the years for that one evening a year without the kids.   Jonahs, The Fish House, Alexanders, Kobe etc are the normal haunts.

It was a Thursday night… So, I was not surprised to see that they had plenty of places to sit.  We grabbed a table off to the side and quickly ordered some beer and a Blue Moon mussel appetizer.    Holy smokes!  The mussels were a bargain for the portion, and had some kind of amazing lemon cream sauce.  I mean amazing!  Very nice.

The beer on draft was Goose Island Matlida.  Yes, Matilda!  That’s something special when you see it on Kelleher’s epic tap list in Peoria.   The Matilda was served in a pint glass that was frosted.  I was half tempted to say something to the waitress… But she looked really young and I thought it might be more hassle to explain about the glassware than it was worth.  (Frosted glasses should be saved for the Bud and Miller drinkers.  Reducing the temp of a good craft beer actually takes away from the flavors and esters that make craft beer great)

For dinner, the wife and I split a rack of ribs and one of the Italian themed pizza’s.  The ribs were already cut, so we didn’t get all messy eating them.  You could tell the ribs were slow cooked in some fashion, the menu was kinda vague on those details.  They were served with a splash of a spicy mustard and some homemade slaw.  Overall they were delicious.

The pizza was good.  The slices of prosciutto were generous and gave the “za” a little more flare.

I ordered the other Goose Island beer they had on draft, Pierre Jacques.  This time asking the waitress to hold the frosted mug.  Ahhhhh… That was much better.

Desert would have been overkill.  They had an offering of cobblers and pies that sounded great.  But we were already going to be taking food home as it was!

As we sat and picked at this mass of food…  We became more and more convinced on how needed this place was in a small town like Delavan. 

When the check arrived…  I had to do a double take.  We ate like royalty…  Ordered tremendous food and drinks… And were left with a very reasonable bill of 40 bucks.  Far less than our average on Anniversaries past.  You know, if we had gone to Peoria for this same dinner… It would have been 80.00 to 100.00 for the 2 of us. 

At this point… I am sold on going Delavan for some great food and drink.  Will we ever get to that point where every town has a “pub” like this?  I can only hope!  You see all these trends for folks eating more local and fresh food… It seems odd that areas like ours that are surrounded by it are the last ones to catch on! 

Cheers to The Harvest Cafe!  Its worth the trip!  Get down to Delavan!

Link:  http://harvestcafedelavan.com

Side notes:  First, let me just say that I am NOT a food critic by any stretch.  But I really felt that this is a place that should be shared and celebrated.   After seeing great places come and go over the years… You have to try and support the ones that are truly special. 

Plus: 

• Plentiful and friendly staff.
• Great beers on tap and in bottles.
• Simple classic menu items.
• Great atmosphere and style.

Minus: (I really had to dig to find much to complain about)

• The mussels could have had a bit larger portion of bread.  But the appetizer price was so reasonable that I really cant complain.
• Craft beer served in a frosty glass.
• Not enough info on the menu about where the food is coming from locally.  Even a chalkboard on the wall or table card proclaiming where some items came from would bring the food full circle.

1. Matt’s first brew-pub in Elmwood
2. Midwest beer culture… Or lack of it.
3. Training servers
4. No other beers served!
5. The Lager
6. “Doing Law” and the natural progression to brewing!?! (Supportive Wife!!!)
7. Siebel Beer School in Chicago
8. Canning beer
9. Incoming call from Margaret
10. The Hefeweizen (Lemon-free)
11. What does a brewer drink?
12. Natural Yeast Beer in the news!
13. The Nut-brown Ale
14. CONTEST QUESTION
15. Pleasant restrooms
16. Coffee Stout
17. The Destihl name
18. Building in Champaign
19. The Future
20. Music to brew by
21. Hiding behind the glass
22. Destihl mints and tattoos?

All beers on the show were made at the brewery… And they were all GREAT!!!

All comments about people in Pekin only liking Bud Lite are from Groucho and CHUD…. For the record: Matt LOVES Pekin! (So do we… But its kinda fun to give our hometown some grief!)

Check out Destihl at http://www.destihl.com/

Check out this shameless attempt to promote a local business at.

http://media.libsyn.com/media/thebeerreport/TBR-Destihl.mp3

OK, so we dont have a couple hundred millions dollars laying around… But who says we cant make our own monster movie here in Central Illinois? This one has a whole cast of characters, so dont feel left out if you dont recognize them all! The names have been changed to protect the innocent!

Beers on the show… CHUD’s Snow Brew and Three Floyds Broo Doo (Not sure of the spelling on that one, I just know it has a troll on the label)

Download this monster of a show.

to Nightcrawler for the hooking us up with the Broodoo!

http://media.libsyn.com/media/thebeerreport/TBRcornfield.mp3

If you were expecting part 2 of the St. Louis brewery tours… Sorry to dissappoint!? The fact is, part 2 is a big file, and I didnt want to take space away from the audio show for a month to host it.? (I have the cheapo libsyn plan!)

So, here is a nugget that I recorded in Indiana before Christmas…? Travis, one of the brewers at 3 Floyds was nice enough to let me in the back for this short 2 minute film.

Look for something.. I dont know what!? Soon!

http://media.libsyn.com/media/thebeerreport/TBRV15.mov

Groucho had a great time drinking some fine Darkhorse beers on draft, and trying some of the “secret stash” that Mark brought along.

Listen as we talk about Aaron, the head brewer and some of the processes that take place at Dark Horse… Like picking labels, making beer, and creating contests based on Aaron’s beard!

Also hear the “Clink and Drink” for Good Beer Show… Yeah, thats “ours”!

Show.http://media.libsyn.com/media/thebeerreport/TBRextra-Darkhorse.mp3

On this episode, Groucho and CHUD had the rare privilege to check out the transfer of the of the Oak Aged Smoked Porter from the whiskey barrels!� And we had a few quality control tastes in the meantime!

Brewers Dave and Brian give us a little tour of how a small shop runs in St. Louis.� Lets just say this is a little different scale than what they are doing it differently across town at Anheuser Busch!

Check out more of O’fallon Brewery at the Great American Beer Fest in Denver…� Also check out their website at ofallonbrewery.com.

Music on this episode is from Too Much Joy, www.sayhername.com and Bogside Zukes, www.bogsidezukes.com

Download this lengthy first part of a 2 part show!>

Christian came to Peoria as part of a tasting event at Sully’s. 2 Brothers is one of the only bottling brewers in Illinois, and they have lots of offerings!

In the interview, you will hear a little about how 2 Brothers listens to the thirsty masses, and how good Italian restaurants go macro! (Fun analogy!)

Download here: http://media.libsyn.com/media/thebeerreport/TBRextra-2Bros.mp3

CHUD can barely keep his head up… I am still not sure why I am even releasing this one!� Enjoy the conflicting opinions on one of the Midwests most popular seasonal beers!

Remember… Drink lots of O’Fallon!

Chris was totally cool! To be honest… We have a higher opinion of Left Hand after meeting Chris and trying some of the specialty offering he was packing! More-so from meeting him. If he is the VP of Ops… Then that must be a great place to work!

Link: http://media.libsyn.com/media/thebeerreport/TBRLeftHand.mp3

Its only 4 megs or so… And not exactly the best recording… The autojukebox kicked right in as we were talking!

Thanks to Specialty Distributing and Old Chicago in Peoria for setting up this event!

In the meantime, enjoy this bit we recently did in tribute to our favorite podcast, http://www.therealhappyhour.com.

This tribute is bad… Really bad, but its only 8 minutes long… It would have been more satisfying if TRHH had not eventually come out with a show! A BEER show!

Suffer along as everyone but Estry and AFY is screwered by bad imitations! Yeah, I’m a poor imitation of Kirk!

http://media.libsyn.com/media/thebeerreport/TBR-TRHHtrib.mp3

Expect a new show this coming week.

Tonight, we go head to head with the Wychwood All-star.  Pitting Brother against Brother, Beer against Beer, in a steel cage battle royale in which there can be only one winner…  Is that a little much?  Sorry!

Anyway, we taste them both.  Be prepared to be surprised… Or maybe not?

It rings in at 13 minutes…  Its 2 beers and a little something special.

BONUS:  Stick around for The Beer Report Mailbag at the end of the show…  It promises to be better than the show!

Groucho and CHUD keep it short and simple with a 5 minute tasting of O’Fallon Brewery’s Smoked Porter. A Midwest secret that is surely ready to burst upon the rest of the US.

Enjoy… And if you think about it, throw an extra prayer our way!

Click here to bask in the wonderment of video ]]> http://www.thebeerreport.com/mainblog/?feed=rss2&p=503 0 groucho@thebeerreport.com (Groucho & CHUD) http://www.thebeerreport.com/mainblog/?p=498 http://www.thebeerreport.com/mainblog/?p=498#respond Sat, 01 Apr 2006 04:38:28 +0000 http://www.thebeerreport.com/mainblog/?p=498

Welcome to Beer Report Studios, located in beautiful Pekin Illinois.

Exciting news for Pekin and the surrounding communities of Tazewell County IL! Beer Report Studios in lovely Pekin Illinois are now fully renovated and have been christened with the production of one of the finest alcohol review shows in downstate Illinois. With the re-opening of this facility, Beer Report Studios is pleased to announce the acquisition of star beer connoisseurs… Groucho Markks and his brother, CHUD Markks.

Groucho and CHUD have both used most of their collective spare time traveling this fine country trying out local and not-so-local beer. They are known for their vocal opinions of all things, but especially beer. The Markks brothers are also known to smaller audiences for a rapier wit and a bar banter rivaled by none. Look for new beer reports posted here as Podcasts. Commercial free and never edited for taste! Intended for mature audiences!

Brothers in Beer! The Beer Report is a beer review podcast with commentary for the “Joe Craft Beer Six-pack” crowd! If you are looking for another NPR style beer tasting show… You are probably going to be disappointed. Who are we kidding? There are about 20 podcasts that sniff, swallow, twaddle and judge beer like fine wine. We are not one of those!

Most everyone is aware of the past, if not, here are some highlights: A CHUD rant about Podcasts on Episode 11 pissed off most podcasters! We made fun of some people over at Winging It (Before Evo was canned) and that pissed off the geek nation… And, as of 40 episodes or so, most Belgium-ites, Rate Beer Fans, Pierre Cellis apologists, Canadians, and Vampires really hate our show.

If you are not in that group… Don’t worry… We’ll probably piss on something you like sooner or later!