Experience before you go . . .
To complete the trifecta of three tours that day we left 93 Octane after one heck of a good time and pointed the Hoppin' Brewery Tour chariot in the direction of Riverlands Brewing Company also located in Saint Charles. Three old guys with matching polo shirts and a craft beer passion......doesn't get any better then this, well maybe but just in a couple of very unique situations.
Riverlands Brewing, easy to find, adequate parking, big and bold. Front sign selfie done and we head for the door. In we go a quick right and then a left and there you have it industrial chic, open concept, tall ceiling, brick and repurposed barn wood. Tables and chairs to our right and a very large fabulous bar front and center.....room for 10-15 craft beer compadres, and that's exactly where we go. Three bar stools with our names on them, we sit, get comfy and bing bang boom the Hoppin' Brewery Tour strikes again for the 114th time! I know that's a lot of water, or should I say beer under the bridge or consumed in this case! Right off the bat Beer Drinking Buddy Brad recognizes Brian a coworker sitting at the bar, "How you doing", "Doing fine", "What brings you here", "The beer", "Me too"....obviously not negotiating world peace but still very significant conversation nonetheless!
Now if you've been on the Hoppin' Brewery Tour before, that is if you read a tour or two every now and then, you'll know that in all cases I only use first names of the new friends we meet just in case they're in the "WITNESS PROTECTION PROGRAM", the WPP is what I call it. But there has been a rare occasion where I use a fake first name as well just because I felt they needed just a little extra help in the area of staying completely in the incognito mode. Ok, I'm pulling your leg, I lost the little piece of paper with all my notes from Riverlands. Of course I could use my "go to" excuse when I was in 3rd grade...."My dog done ate my homework"! Again, another benefit of completely going off the rails and this can be done when you have your own blog! But of course I wasn't kidding about not using last names because of the WPP!
All right back to the scheduled tour write up!
Richard greeted us from behind the bar and we put in our beer orders. "I'll have a cold beer", "I'll have a cold beer" and "I'll have a cold beer"! I'm just joking, Brad orders a Dukes of Bavaria - Hefe (5%) light and east drinking, cookouts, campfires, bready and smooth. Wendell eyes the Patio Solutions - Hoppy Lager (5.5%) stone fruit, lime citrus, and noble hop spice with a bready finish. I gravitate towards the DDH River Rascal - Hazy IPA (8%) juicy orange citrus, tropical fruit, and lime.....hop hop and away!!
As Brad and Brian to my left talk elevated work conversation I notice two big bruisers at the end of the bar to my right trying to figure out the three old guys with matching robin egg polo shirts and topped off with a classy brim. I do the patented Hoppin Brewery Tour mosey their way and when I get there I'm shadowed by these two fellas! I'm not a small boy at 5'11" and 230 lbs and even though I worked the midway at the Wisconsin State Fair as "Guess Your Weight & Age Clyde" back in the early 80's I wasn't about to try out my rusty skills on these two! Rufus & Carlos (extra WPP help needed here) were fabulous guys!! We were high fiving, back slapping, shoulder punching, man hugging son of a guns for about a minute or so! They both were in the pipe fitters union and were there enjoying some cold brews! R&C, I know not your real names....hope we meet again!!
Boom, right next to me sits John "The RV man". John's had a tough couple years with health and marriage but he's rallying with a positive attitude and a smile on his face! When you get up there in age things can change in an instant from great to not so great so all we can do is count our blessings, pray for all things good and hold on tight because the ride could get bumpy!! Keep on keeping on there John and I wish you nothing but sunny days, cold beer and fabulous KOA's!!
Riverlands Brewing was an outstanding way to finish up our three brewery day with a lot of laughs and some new friends. The Hoppin' Brewery Tour is alive and well! Many small time businesses and entrepreneurial ventures have been doing the rope-a-dope for the last year and a half with this covid thing doing the punching but let's hope we're off the ropes and we're starting to throw some punches of our own.
Until next time and remember.....
Go get'cha one!!!
