The Hoppin' Brewery Tour needed to be fed. It's like a hungry beast, and if you don't let it out of its cage and feed it every now and then it starts getting a twitchy eye and showing its teeth. It's not a very pleasant sight and Brad and I have found this out the hard way and fortunately we have all our fingers and can still talk in complete sentences. So with a week left until my wife Kat and I make our annual trek to a warmer climate in Tucson, Arizona, Brad and I decided it was time to lift the latch and let the Hoppin' Brewery Tour loose.
It was a strange October weather day in Naperville. Wind gusts to 40 mph, temps at 40 degrees but because of the wind it felt much cooler. And by the time Brad picked me up it was snowing! But it was a strange snow. Kinda like hail, but not hail and because of the wind it was blowing sideways....come to find out the weather experts called it a Graupel (soft hail or snow pellets - precipitation that forms when supercooled water droplets are collected and freeze on falling snowflakes).....the way I look at it is the frozen water droplets were hitching a ride on the snowflakes.....how cool is that!! We're all about education and new words here on the HBT. So beer drinking buddy Brad picked me up in his 1991 Cadillac DeVille right in the middle of a Graupel......there's a first time for everything!! Now it had been sometime since the old Cadillac had been on a Hoppin' Brewery Tour but you'd never know it because it didn't miss a beat. I slid right into that comfortable leather recliner they call a front seat, put that old time seat belt on, looked over at Brad, we both gave the approval nod and Brad hit the gas......two old time high school buddies on another adventure.
"So where we going", "I'm not sure", "Let's try Metal Monkey, I think it's in Romeoville". "Siri, give us directions to Metal Monkey in Romeoville", "Getting directions to Metal Monkey Brewing", "Starting route to Metal Monkey Brewing, head south......!" What did we ever do before Siri, oh yeah, we looked at maps. The Caddie was styling, the conversation was right on and before we knew it we were almost there but not before we drove right past Supreme Screw, Inc., right in the middle of a Graupel I might add....shaping up to be one of those days.
"You have arrived at Metal Monkey Brewing". Parking was a piece of cake, had to get a shot of Brad and the caddy.....smile! Front door selfie done and we hit the door. Nice, high industrial ceilings, tables/chairs front right, production to the left and back, bar with two empty stools straight ahead and to the left as we mosey along doing the HBT shuffle. Comfy bar stools as I pull out a Hoppin' Brewery Tour card as Ben greets us. The passing of the card accompanied by some historical HBT facts and figures and Bing, Bang, Boom the Hoppin' Brewery Tour strikes for the 74th time right here in Romeoville, Illinois.
Metal Monkey has been in bidness for three years and recently went from a three barrel system to a ten and they are also expanding into the same size space next door. Small bidness success....ain't it great!! Jason, one of the Brewers (and we're not talking Milwaukee) greeted us, gave us a tour and talked shop with us for a while. Brad and I both ordered flights with different beers. Brad's started with the Asmodeus - Bourbon Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout (10%, 60 IBU) pours like motor oil, tastes like bourbon, chocolate and coffee and bites hard and balanced. Next up is Till the Sun Turns Black - American IPA (6.6%, 40 IBU) collaboration with The Skull, brewed with lemondrop and Columbus hops and then lemon zest during the boil, and finally dry hopped with jasmine tea...work of art and tastes great too! Next in line was Ghuleh - American Pale Ale (6.5%, 63 IBU) citrus, citrus, citrus, yummy! Last, Brad got to ride and drink Tony's Car - Imperial IPA (8.3%, 120 IBU) now that's an IBU score, IPA lovers dream, Citra, Galaxy and Simcoe hops balanced by malt sweetness....citrus, piney, dank and fruity, as the promo states, "This beer will strip the enamel from your teeth and leave you begging for more".
The Clyde flight, "Did he just refer to himself in the third person", "Yes he did!" Started off with the Oktoberfest - Marzen (6.6%, 20 IBU) traditional Oktoberfest, rich copper color with caramel sweetness. Next is The Ellis Redding - Irish Red Ale (5.4%, 22 IBU) easy drinking, strong malt and light sweetness. Sipping third was the Blood of Heroes - Sour Gose (4.2%, 29 IBU) sour German wheat beer, coriander and Himalayan sea salt, blood orange....citrus, sweet and you guessed it, sour....unique and quite tasty. Last Clyde drank, "There he goes again", Shake the Monkey - IPA Milkshake (6.7%) kiwi and strawberry IPA brewed collaborated with Joe's Beverage Warehouse in Joliet......hopped with Mosaic and Vic Secret with hundreds of lbs of lactose and then dry hopped with vanilla bean.....shake the monkey baby!!!!
To my left we have Kathy and Charley, married 37 years but happily for the last 12 after Kathy started going to breweries and drinking craft beer with Charley.....got to luv it!! Kathy says that beer keeps you young and makes you smarter! Kathy and Charley, loved meeting you both and hangin at the Metal Monkey with ya! You two keep touring breweries, smiling and laughing and many more happily married years to the both of ya!
Metal Monkey is a definite yes in the HBT book! Stop in, try their very tasty, well thought out brews and get caught up in the friendly feel. As the House Rules sign says "Don't be a Dick" and "Don't forget to me Awesome"!
Until next time and remember.........
Go get'cha one!!
