Experience before you go . . .
Yes, the 6100 mile road trip continues, did I tell ya we toured seven breweries on this road trip? Well if I didn't, I have now.
We left Sturgis but not before I managed to buy a touristy motorcycle t-shirt, a flat hat for my boy and I actually forgot that the nite before at the Knuckle Brewery I bought a commemorative empty growler and two pint glasses that I carefully packed into the trunk so they didn't break as we continued our trek.
Well we couldn't leave the state until we saw the iconic bucket list item.....Mount Rushmore!! Kat's family had summer vacationed when she was around eight years old and she saw it then but I'm 63 and I've never seen it. So we battled the crowds, took a bunch of pictures, walked the presidential loop, took more pictures and heard at least a dozen different languages spoken. After the four granite presidents we made our way to the Crazy Horse Memorial which is right down the road and when it's finished, hopefully our 23 year old son will see it, it will stand just under four times the height of the Statue of Liberty.....now that's big!!!
Well after doing the bucket list touristy thing we finished up in the area with a leisurely drive on the Needles Hwy in Custer State Park.....absolutely beautiful!! Back on Hwy 90 doing 90 mph spent the nite in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and tomorrow we'll be at our life long friends home, Chaindog and Suz in Geneva, IL.
Alright it's brewery time! Chaindog & Suz have been telling us about a brewery close to them that was the bomb. Obscurity Brewing Co. is located in Elburn, Illinois and we thought a lunch tour was something we just needed to do.
From their website, "Obscurity is preserving the old Farm Services Offices and Warehouse space right smack dab in the heart of the Agro-district. The name may change but the roots of the building will remain in place. Because we all appreciate and love this community that has been so welcoming to all of us, we will make sure to locally source as much as we can. Even our spent grain will be re-purposed and sent to local farms within the area". Pretty cool and with that approach they won't be obscure for long! Great location and fabulous building with even a Live Music venue in an outdoor beer garden with repurposed grain bin tops for covered seating.
A lot of thought and planning went into Obscurity! After the front sign selfie with the Cheney's we head inside and find four bar stools barking our names. Dana greeted us and we commenced ordering some liquid refreshments. Chaindog and I ordered partial flights highlighting some of their fan favorites. I tasted their IPAs and started out with Fluffy Puppet Party - N.E. IPA (6.5%) heavy body with a fluffy explosion of creamy citrus, next we have Launch Juice - Midwest Hazy IPA (6.7%) tropical and balanced and finishing up with Good Kiss - Braggot IPA (6.5%) delicious balance of citrus and malt with a smooth finish! Chaindog served up the Vanilla Doom - Red Ale w/vanilla (6.8%) unique and refreshing and the Let's Grab a Beer Together - Blueberry Golden Ale (6.1%). The ladies sampled two or three and settled on.....not sure, but this is what I call the 2-3 beer effect, and it's not a bad thing!
Of course we were hungry being lunch and all so we put in our food orders which consisted of BBQ, BBQ and more BBQ!! We ordered enough brisket, shoulder and turkey with sides of beans and corn and I got to tell you, it was fantastic!! Food arrived, conversation stopped and I'm sure I saw sparks flying off a couple plates! At one point I thought safety glasses might be needed.
I look to my left and I see a couple official looking guys hangin out in the production area pointing at stuff and talking so I dug out a Hoppin Brewery Tour bidness card, that I had just reordered 1000 of and walked their way. Now being in sales my whole life and really starting out selling reference books door to door for four summers during college, approaching complete strangers and introducing myself is second nature for me. Carson, master brewer and Bryan, master sales guy looked at me a little suspect at first but quickly realized I was harmless and was talking beer it was all good. Gave them the HBT scoop and complimented what they had going on here. Took a picture and then Carson went into a freeze and put together a custom four pack to take with me which was very nice....HBT appreciates it!!
Obscurity is the place for great beer and great BBQ and enjoying it all outside in the beer garden listening to live music.....oh my!! Get to Elburn, go to Obscurity and partake in the offering!! They have a combination of feel good vibes that you just can't ignore. Keep on keeping on Obscurity.....I think the community likes you!
Until next time and remember.....
Go get'cha one!!!
