Today I stopped fir a breather at the Front Street brewing company. It was hard to locate this particular day. Road construction of some kind had closed the street in front of Front Street. "I don't know why, for the life of me," said the bartender, "Been a bitch for business though." The bar sits across the street from the Mississippi River, so I thought the high river levels might be to blame, but it turns out that the road is just being resurfaced... Very slowly.
If that is true then there must be quite a wait when there is a paved road to the bar. Even with the road construction, the restaurant was full of local color on a Sunday evening.
There menu was mostly what you would expect with a few strange selections thrown in. I had a curried chicken pita that was pretty good and went really well with the Octoberfest beer they had on tap.
Front Steer Octoberfest:
Their seasonal offering. The aroma was Light malt and wheat with just a hint of citrus. The favor was light on the malt sweetness and finished bitter. Didn't have as much malt as I usually like in this style. There are better versions of this style out there, still very drinkable.
Ragin River:
This is their flagship beer and, strangely enough, the closest thing to an IPA that they make. Strange considering every brewpub I visited in this country produces their own version and is usually very proud of it. This beer starts with pine and floral hops on the nose. This is a very well balanced beer British hops provide a nice bitter back for just the right amount of malt. Not hoppy
by any means just pleasant all around. Probably lacks the bitterness for a true IPA and is probably closer to an amber or pale ale. Fantastic session beer whatever the style. This is one I could happily drink all night.
