HoppinBreweryTour.com

Tour Stop 68 - Wake Brewing - 8/3/2018

Experience before you go . . .

Out the Blue Cat door we go and the four of us take our assigned places in Dano's Ford Extended Cab Pickumup Truck. This masterpiece of a vehicle has become our Hoppin Brewery Tour Chariot, effortlessly transporting us from one brewery to the next. And before any of us could finish one high school flash back story we arrive at the next stop. Wake Brewing is front and center. The building looking like a renovated gas station, maybe a Get & Go, or a 7-11, good parking and a short stroll to the front door. The patented front sign selfie is becoming automatic with this group. The professional Blue Shirted Bowling Team sachets through the front door, heads turn, small talk follows, "Is there a Bowling Tournament in town", "For old guys they look pretty good in those shirts", "Didn't know the Olympic Curling Team was visiting", "Who's the big guy, I know I've seen his face on a billboard somewhere". We congregate around two empty bar stools, Billboard Brad has a HBT card ready to go and up walks Mike behind the bar. BB starts with the HBT spiel but before he could finish the rest of us added one or two tidbits about the Tour so it was kind of a group presentation that turned out to be a winner. I'm thinking Ted Talks is in our future. Bing, Bang, Boom......the Hoppin Brewery Tour strikes again in Rock Island, Illinois!

Dano, who's in the ordering a flight mode, trumps us all and Mike heads to the Wake Brewing tap handles and starts to pour. Bruce, after perusing the beer menu gets a hankering for a Throbbing Grisette - Grisette (Belgian-style ale originally brewed in the Hainaut province) (4.7%) after one sip, not sure if it's his head that's throbbing or something else but he looks pretty happy! Incoming, Wake Brewing beer flight made up of Knocking Bruts - Brut IPA (6.6%); Pondification - Dry Hopped Saison (7.2); Weedeater - IPA (6.9); Nice Dreams - West Coast IPA (6.8%) resin, pine and fruity; the famous Throbbing Grisette and finishing up with the Devil Mask - Belgian Rye Table Beer (4.6%) spicy malt profile with floral and fruit. All the 4 oz samples went down without a hitch with a lot of head nodding, squinty eyed, lip smacking approval going on between the four of us. Nothing better than craft beer with old friends to make you happy to be alive.

Wake Brewing is relatively new to the Quad Cities craft beer scene opening up in November, 2017. But the brothers Jason and Justen have been home brewing and enjoying craft beer for years. Both accomplished musicians, the two spent two decade traveling and playing Rock & Roll and recently refocused their creative energy and opened up Wake Brewing. The brothers wanted to create a place for people to hang out, socialize and meet some new friends. The taproom has a nice vibe, cool pictures and a family feel to it.....plus we were digging the beers!

Brad and Dano all of sudden stand up and head for the door, as if an external force had control of their minds, Bruce and I fall in line. Our chariot awaits as we're swished off to our next destination. Hang on tight, the Hoppin Brewery Tour is on tonight.

Until next time and remember.........

Go get'cha one!!