5200 Main Street, Downers Grove, IL 60515   phone: (630)434-8500   website: www.EmmettsBrewingCo.com
Hours: M-TH: 11am – 11pm | F-S: 11am – 12am | S: 11am – 10pm

Now I've got to tell you that once I saw that there was a brewery called Emmett's, it was a done deal.......Brad and I had to go there!! Having the name Clyde, I kind of have this unspoken connection with the name Emmett. Now you know, both of these names are starting to make a comeback. I know you're thinking......seriously???? I know for sure that a couple of my nieces and nephews have briefly entertained the name Clyde for new additions to their families. One niece and her hubby just had their fifth child, a beautiful little girl and granted they didn't name her Clyde but they did pick a name from the same era, Mabeline.......fabulous name. Then I've got a younger friend and his wife just had their first child, a boy and guess what......EMMETT!!! Of course everyone knows my favorite Dallas Cowboy running back.....EMMETT Smith. Well anyway, Emmett's Brewery......we're there!!

It was a beautiful late August day and I thought since Brad had been doing most of the driving in the tour's sweet Cadillac ride, I figured I would do the driving this time around. Now you've got to understand that I'm a car guy right along with being a craft beer guy. Believe it or not I used to own a salvage yard, Cowtown Auto Parts in beautiful Fort Worth, Texas. Everyday was my best day and my worst day!! Crazy bidness and I'm glad I sold it, but back to the story at hand. Another side note.......my friends tell me that sometimes I go off the tracks when I'm telling a story. If you're a old SNL fan, I'm sure you remember Roseanna Roseannadanna.........need I say more!!!

Okay, a few years back I bought a slightly used 1988 Mercedes 560SL which I store in the wintertime and only drive during the summer. So I'd been telling Brad about this car and that I wanted to give him a ride so this was a perfect time. Now maybe you've seen the commercial......basketball legend Shaq riding in the convertible with the General, well there you have it!! As you can see in the picture to the left, Brad has that nice wind blown look that a lot of people pay big money for!!!

Ok.....Emmett's is very easy to find right there in beautiful downtown Downer's Grove, IL. Now if you don't want to travel to Downer's Grove, Emmett's has more locations in West Dundee, Palatine and Wheaton.......Emmett's has got it going on!!! Well the Downer's Grove location is very nice. It had that old time bar feel as you walked in, dark wood, wrap around bar. Now since I'm retired and Brad is between employment gigs we can venture to these brewery to try out the beer on what the working crowd calls "off days".......Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thurs, Fr.........you get the picture!!! So anyhow this really wasn't an off day because it was a Friday but as we walking through Emmett's we were naturally pulled towards the front outdoor patio, adjacent to the street where we preceded to sit down at a table. Now this was unusual because Brad and I are both "hang at bar" kind a guys. But this day was different!

As we sat I took off my hat and Brad combed his fingers through his wind blown hair. We had settled in for some street and sidewalk watching that I could tell on most days Emmett's was famous for. Unfortunately not this day, there wasn't a lot of action on the street or sidewalk so we focused on what brought us here......beer!!! We managed to get our waiters attention and asked him about the beer selection. At first he wasn't to friendly as if his day wasn't going as planned. We got our beer order in......I went with the Mischief Maker, a Belgian IPA (7%, IBU 45) with big hops throughout with notes of mango, peace and spices with a dry finish......very nice!!! Brad stayed true to form with the Glutenladen, a German Hefeweizen (5.3%, IBU 8) with notes of banana, clove and vanilla, with a slightly tart refreshing finish that Brad wasted no time in enjoying.

As our Emmett experience continued our waiter started warming up. Brad and I both are, don't want to use the over used word.....people person, so let's use connoisseur of what makes people tick and their life experiences. Example, when I travel I remember the sites and sounds through the people I meet and the conversations I have. Like when the family spent a week in Ireland and the Gallic Irishman I became friends with at McGann's Pub in Doolin...........ok, no Roseanna Roseannadanna stories, now back to our waiter!!! His name was Will.......a name you run into every now and then. But the way he said it, there seemed to be more to the story. I told Will, my middle name was William. My first name is Clyde but when I was in grade school I went by Billy because kids would tease me about Clyde.......Clyde cadiddlehopper, Clyde-where's Bonnie.......you get the picture. Then Will said he was also teased about his first name Henry and his middle name is William so he went with Will. There you have it, instant bonding over being teased as a kid over a name. I know, not a big thing. But as I've found out, as you go through life, you got to take time for the little things, because a lot of times the little things are much more important then the big things.

Alright, since this was a brew pub, we ate some food, had another great beer, paid our bill with a 20% tip for our new buddy Will and went our merry way.

Emmett's could easily become your neighborhood brew pub so definitely make the trip and enjoy.

Until next time and remember......

Go get'cha one!!!!