Warsaw Brewery

Roadtrip!  That word is like a dog whistle to me.  The Wombie's played coy with me a couple days but finally we loaded into the Chevy (sadly, no Jeep) and headed south to Warsaw, Illinois.  They tried to keep it a secret as to what was down there but loose lips  sink ships but it was good anyway.

Warsaw is a small town around Hamilton and to get there you get to travel the Great River Road along the Mississippi. You get to go through Nauvoo, too and get to see the magnificent Mormon Temple overlooking the river. Its a great couple hours of scenery and juicy things to see and then, before you know it, you are trying to find an old closed brewery that has been transformed into a restaurant and bar.

There are many overlooks and scenic cut outs along the Great River Road.  

There is even a little history if you are into it.  This marker notes the place where a vanished town, Montebello, used to exist.  It was also the home of the Hancock County's first courthouse.  Sadly, there is no date associated with this town, and Google has very little information.

This huge house in Hamilton is amazing.  It is the Hoffman Mansion and while it is not only a private residence they rent out suites for overnight or extended stays as well as cater weddings and formal affairs.  The owner is an attorney, Jim Hoffman.   

This is an aerial view of the place I used from their website.

We arrive at the brewery in spite of our Garmin.  There are abandoned buildings on either side of the restaurant itself.  One can imagine at one time it being a big deal, but sadly, no longer.  Like many towns do now to keep their identity, they rehab something from the past to bring in dollars to the community.  

Someday I'll try the Elysian Space Dust.

This was our first roadtrip so I wasn't interested in this Bloody Mary that the Wombie got.  I was more fixated on a tenderloin.  He said it was good and I planted a seed in my head that maybe this might make for a good cycle run with Neighbor Tim.  

Something told me I might return sooner than I thought.  Stay tuned.