Quad Cities Beer

The Quad Cities have a rich history of brewing that started with the influx of German citizens in the 1800s. Breweries were established on both sides of the Mississippi River. Some of these historic breweries managed to reopen after Prohibition, but national competition ultimately closed the last of these stalwarts in 1956. In 1989, Iowa created a special class "A" brewpub permit, and the first of many brewpubs in the area, Front Street Pub & Eatery, opened in 1992. Blue Cat Brew Pub, on the Illinois side of the river, opened shortly after. The brewing renaissance has helped to establish the Quad Cities as a craft beer destination. Join authors Michael McCarty and Kristin DeMarr as they celebrate the heady heritage of the region.

Beer has traveled with America through time as this is a ride to celebrate it. Finding craft brews all over the country and experiencing the area with a beer in hand. Because beer is not just a drink. It’s that drink we share with friends, we have at the game, and have at our celebrations. So this is about traveling across the country sharing many of the stops that people know and spots you may not know about and the beers along the way. It’s not enough just to enjoy the trip but also to understand how beer has fit into society. Not an in-depth history but a general overview of some major moments in the evolution of beer. With historic notes along the way so along the trip you can learn about the journey beer has had. From ancient times to modern times beer has evolved as well. The beer evolution has over the years transformed into many different styles of today. Also how the drink has been seen and grown in popularity in America. It just hasn’t been universally accepted as a popular drink from the beginning like some seem to think it has. It’s these points through history which make the trip that much more interesting. When it comes to styles it seems there are too many to count. Instead of trying to name and define each one which is what many seem to try to do. Rather, help define many of the terms used in the styles and the general meanings to get a better idea of what brews are like. It’s not about defining a taste profile but more defining the core characteristics that make up the nomenclature and where they may draw their roots from. Then you can better enjoy the beer versus trying to measure it up to some taste standard. Most of all this is a celebration of the classic American road trip. With an eye to the craft beers which makes America unique in the brewing world. So it’s not just the mass of brewpubs in Portland or California but what you can find near the Grand Canyon or along the skyline drive on the East Coast to raise a pint. Great beers aren’t just in major cities but in small towns all across the country and no matter where you go there is likely a brewery in the area making something worth checking out. From the Great Plains, Gulf coast, or west Texas you can find something to see, experience and drink. That is what the book is about. Not just a fun ride but an experience of circling the country with a mind on area and beers you can find. It’s a call to ride with a mind for beer. Have a flight and find what you can see and learn along the way.

Explore Illinois mug-by-mug!

Burlington has welcomed local farms, breweries and distilleries with open arms. The Queen City fosters a unique culture around beer and farm-to-table cuisine. Daniel Standiford established the city's first brewery in 1880. Prohibition ushered in a dry era that remained for more than a century until Greg and Nancy Noonan fought the law and established Vermont Pub & Brewery in the late 1980s. Since then, breweries have popped up, from nationally recognized Magic Hat down to the city's first blendery, House of Fermentology. Authors Adam Krakowski and Jeff S. Baker II explore Burlington's sudsy history from early newspaper clippings to modern-day tastemakers, along with some delicious recipes.

Noted beer expert and writer Jordan St. John shows readers the rich history of Toronto's heritage breweries, many of which still exist today. Explore the once-prominent breweries of nineteenth-century Toronto. Brewers including William Helliwell, John Doel, Eugene O'Keefe, Lothar Reinhardt, Enoch Turner, and Joseph Bloore influenced the history of the city and the development of a dominant twentieth-century brewing industry in Ontario. Step inside the lost landmarks that first brought intoxicating brews to the masses in Toronto. Jordan St. John delves into the lost buildings, people and history behind Toronto's early breweries, with detailed historic images, stories both personal and industrial, and even reconstructed nineteenth-century brewing recipes.

Westbound immigrants, pioneers and entrepreneurs alike arrived in Kansas City with a thirst for progress and beer. Breweries both small and mighty seized opportunity in a climate of ceaseless social change and fierce regional competition. Muehlebach Brewing Company commanded the market, operating in Kansas City for more than eighty years. Built in 1902, the iconic brick warehouse of Imperial Brewing still stands today. Prohibition made times tough for brewers and citizens in the Paris of the Plains, but political "Boss" Tom Pendergast kept the taps running. In 1989, Boulevard Brewing kicked off the local craft beer renaissance, and a bevy of breweries soon formed a flourishing community. Food and beer writer Pete Dulin explores Kansas City's hop-infused history and more than sixty breweries from the frontier era to the twenty-first century.