Obed and Isaac's Microbrewery and Eatery

Recently the fam. and I decided to go down to Springfield, so I could go to a symposium that my professor was speaking at, and Blake and Autumn could play in the pool while I was gone. One of the things I do whenever we go anywhere is search for local beer. Someone may have rolled their eyes at the amount of time I spent looking for beer in Springfield before we even left, BUT it paid off big time.

Springfield is pretty small, I mean I grew up in the Chicago suburbs, so I was expecting it to look like a city... but it really seems more like a big town I guess. Springfield seems to be a city in transition. There were plenty of foreclosed buildings, but also a lot of beautiful historic homes. The city has a historic past (Home of Honest Abe, and Route 66), the state capital, several museums, and has a state university. These things don't really seem to be the foremost thought when you get there. This city which is supposed to represent (in my opinion) the state of Illinois looks vacant. One of the few areas that looked well maintained was the historic district in downtown. This is where I found the gem.

Obed and Isaac's Microbrewery & Eatery is inside of a beautiful, but unassuming historic home. The Architecture of the restaurant, and the neighboring home (owned by the same people) is beautiful. There is quite a bit of a story behind these two buildings, they were not originally located in the historic district, but were moved. You can check out some pictures from the house moving on the website.

The interior of the restaurant is very vibrant and bright, with a gorgeous bar, amazing wood and glass features, and some really extraordinary artwork on the walls. When we walked in Florence and The Machine were playing, I knew that this was going to be a good place for lunch.

I feel really awful, because I was enamored with the portraits that adorn the walls in the restaurant  but cannot find the name of the artist. If you know who the artist is, please let me know.

Portrait of Abraham Lincoln

Portrait of Mary Todd Lincoln

Portrait of another woman

Since it was early on a Saturday afternoon, it seemed pretty empty, we got seated right away. Shortly after we ordered the beer flight, the place started to fill up. We managed to try every beer they had, that they make.

The Beer Menu

My Beer Flight

I was very excited about the chance to get flights and try all of the beer. I asked our waiter for suggestions, but alas, he wasn't able to give us any, he just pointed to the beer menu and told me what type of beer they were (which was clearly on the beer description)

Another pic of my beer flight

The beers were good. I really liked the Ditzy Blonde, Obed's Pride Amber Ale, and the Black IPA that Blake got in his flight. We even bought some of the Ditzy Blonde to take home.

The beer and the environment were the best part. I got a horseshoe... I had no idea what a horseshoe was, but my rule is if they say it is a local specialty or a chef special, try it. Maybe it is an acquired taste, but the Horseshoe seems to be an open faced sandwich (on a bun) smothered in a cheese sauce and covered with fries. It seems like a whole lot of starch for me. It could have been me, maybe I don't understand the appeal.

Despite my less than ecstatic lunch experience, the place is awesome. If you are in the Springfield area, you really should check it out. I hope that Obed and Isaac's leads the march for Springfield to rebuild itself, and embrace it's history, while remaining current and vibrant. A few more places like this, and Springfield could be a destination in the middle of the prairie.

Trois Monts, Old Stock Ale, and Bam Biere

So today is my birthday. I am not one for grand gestures, but I am all about grand beer. As a birthday treat to myself, I wanted to share with you, all of the beer that we have had recently that was truly above and beyond our expectations. Happy birthday me, and enjoy reading about beer! 

Brasserie de Saint Sylvestre, Trois Monts 8.5% abv Bière de Garde, brewed in the Flanders region of France where such beers are traditionally termed Bière de Garde. The name of the beer refers to three hills in Flanders, Mont Noir in Belgium and Mont Cassel & Mont des Cats both on the French side of the border.

The flavor is amazing; it reminded me of apples on a warm fall evening. Nice hops taste, light, and refreshing. Buttery taste...  it was wonderful. I do love a good yeasty beer.

The color was almost gold. I think that this will be one I keep an eye out for in the future. The more of these Belgian style beers, the more I fall in love with them. Simple ingredients, making a complex beer.

 

North Coast Brewing, Old Stock Ale 2012

This beer had a darker more rich color than I was expecting. Old Stock Ale has an alcohol per volume of 11.7 %, so it is more of a sipper. This beer has won many awards over the years, and has been highly regarded as a sophisticated and fantastic beer. There isn't much that I can say that hasn't already been said... but I will try anyways.

The rich malty flavor is wonderfully balanced, not a bitter beer at all. All of those chocolate flavors from the malts don't over power the fruitiness you get from the hops.

I didn't know before I opened it, that this beer is one that you are supposed to age... I guess I was too excited. The next bottle I get, and I will be getting one, will be stored for a while. I can't believe I just said that! I almost sound like a connoisseur. This was just an all around beautiful beer.

Bam Biere, Artisan Ale from The Jolly Pumpkin

Farmhouse style ale, bottle conditioned and dry hopped. This beer won a  bronze medal for Session Beer in 2009 at the Great American beer Festival. It is easy to see why. It was light, and mildly spiced. The mouth feel was refreshing, it didn't linger at all. At only 4.5% alcohol per volume, this would be a beer that would be extremely easy to drink for hours.

The story on the bottle said the brewery made this beer in honor of a Jack Russell that got hit by a car, and got back up like nothing happened. This was a fantastic beer. If you are looking for a good session beer, this is a good bet.

Some Awesome Beer-How We Closed Out 2012

I have had quite a few fantastic beers over the last couple of weeks. It should have come as no surprise then, that Blake and I finished 2012 with some even more mindbogglingly tasty brews. We have been on a great beer streak lately, I am hoping that I didn't just jinx myself...

Southern Tier, Krampus Imperial Helles Lager

The Krampus bottle says, “Brewed with the spirit of Krampus, the fanged, goat-horned bully that is, as European tradition suggests, the evil sidekick of St. Nicholas and enforcer of the list. While St. Nicholas delivers presents to the good boys and girls, Krampus is there to punish the naughty children.”

Talk about a good story to read while enjoying a good beer! We opened this on Christmas evening, and the 9.0% alcohol per volume definitely helped make us merry and bright. This was a strongly hopped beer, as you would expect, but was so perfectly spiced that it was really easy to drink…my only problem was that the bottle ended. Another fine beer by Southern Tier.

Saison D’Erpe-Mere from Brewery De Glazen Toren

I purchased this beer because it was tagged, one of the top 25 beers of the year. Figured, How can I go wrong with that? Well let me tell you, this was one of those life changing beers. It only gets better as you drink it, it opens up as it warms up, but never becomes overwhelming. I was amazed that a saison could be both so simple, and so complex at the same time. This is definitely on my list of buy again beers, and best beers for 2012.  We cracked this one open and toasted the new year in with it. What a great way to finish 2012!

I hope that you all had a great end to 2012, I know that I am looking forward to all the adventures that 2013 will bring.