My favorite pubs
The Blue Cat brewery and pub closed. It closed at the end of August.
If I were to sit and think about what bar is my favorite, it would likely have been The Blue Cat. I am sad to see it leave so suddenly. Bob was an excellent manager and always stopped by to check on me when I was there. Tyler was a worthy successor to the bar manager position.
I loved the drinks that they had. Off the Rail Pail Ale. That was my go to from the first time I went there with a group from Genesius Guild in 2004. I also would go there with Music Guild. Or with Phil Kopp. Or Ian Mason. Or Sara. Or Brent Behrens. It was the default. I also miss the Pumpkin Ale, the English one, the Belgian one, and even that really dark Stout one. Finding another default pub will be tricky. I understand that the Blue Cat is planning on opening with new owners in a matter of weeks. I may give the new place a chance.
Here is a list of the many different bars, pubs, and breweries who will be filling in for the Blue Cat now:
Maquet's Rail House- Pekin, Illinois- Went there for a wrap and a Spaten Oktoberfest one Monday in September and it was excellent! Had a very nice conversation with a guy whose son is getting bullied. The Bears won their game. I missed the Emmy Awards that night, but the food was terrific.
Steve's Old Time Tap- Rock Island, Illinois- Watched the Chicago Cubs lose an NLDS game to the San Francisco Giants here in 2016 with Phil Kopp and my dad. I liked their chicken fingers. I had a Dr. Pepper that night. Eventually went back there and had a Budweiser.
Bent River Brewery- Moline and Rock Island, Illinois- Sunday nights I would go there with Phil.
RIBCO- Rock Island, Illinois- Haven't been there in a while but the food and drink were good!
Knoxville Bar and Grille- Knoxville, IL- Louis.
Sidetrax- Galesburg, Illinois- They have cider on tap.
White Oaks- Canton, Illinois- Sam Adams Oktoberfest.
Official Time Out- Canton, Illinois- I get to watch Chicago PD and the Cubs games.
The Rocket- Lewistown, IL - Joe is good to me.
Two Cousins- Lewistown, IL- would go there more often. The food is terrific. But I'm terrified of being confronted by the owner for constantly writing detentions for his son. Plus one suspension. Because he can't for the life of him bring himself to behave.
The VFW- Lewistown, IL - when the teachers bring me with them there, or a trivia bowl pops up
Big Horse Winery- Lewistown, IL - whenever a trivia bowl pops up
Sidetracked Saloon in Orion, IL was one that I was going to regularly when I lived in Knoxville. It was right off of 150. But the politics of some of the patrons began to scare me away.
Betty's in St. David has terrific draft beer. Man, they'd be doing so much more business from me if the night manager hadn't gone off on that pro-Donald Trump tirade last October the night the Cubs lost the NLCS. Seriously, he couldn't stop himself from kissing Trump's ass. Oh, they've got nothing on him, they can't prove anything about the Russian probe! By the time he got around to saying "yeah, they caught him with the Access Hollywood tape, but that's nothing worse than I say in the locker room," I held myself back from vomiting, packed up my computer and left.
Seriously, that guy would have had me there on the regular like once a week. How badly does he not want my money?
Every other bar I've been to in the last six months can thank Betty's for the business they lost to them.
I actually haven't been drinking as much in general. Budget. Work. Time. Lots of lemonade, gatorade, and Peace Tea lately, and here and there a coffee.
Goodbye, Blue Cat!