Pints, Forks & Friends Field Notes

We’ve been hearing for a while now how cool Le Claire, Iowa is so we put together a little road trip to see the town in person checking out Green Tea Brewery, Mississippi River Distilling Company, and Sneaky Pete’s Woodfire Grille. They’re all located on right around N Cody Road with an amazing view of the Mississippi River.

It’s November, so the wind was kicking up a bit, but you can tell LeClaire is a great warm weather town being right on the river. First up was the Green Tree Brewery “A Small Town Brewery Worthy of the Journey.” Love the tagline, and the flight we purchased had a little bit of everything. I think the classic Doc’s Blondie, River Bottom Red, and Citra Hop Hop Along with my favorites. They have indoor and outdoor seating, we had a bowl of popcorn but I believe you can bring outside food in with you as well. There is a green looking brew that is called Storm Chaser, I didn’t get a chance to try that, but it sure looks fun.

Second stop on the  Le Claire jaunt was the old Sneaky Pete’s Steakhouse… First thing you notice aside from the rustic building is all the customer neckties cut off and hanging from the ceiling. This place felt like Iowa to me. A lot of history and culture happening in these walls. We grabbed a burger and ate at the bar listening to the staff tell their story. Glad we got to meet everyone and spend some time there.

At the Mississippi River Distilling Company we were introduced to the Queen Bee Smoked Lemonade. The distillery offers free tours on the hour 12-4p going through their entire process from cleaning, milling, cooking of grain, to the fermentation etc. The bar area is very comfortable and the staff are very helpful explaining everything they offer.

Side Notes

• Green Tea Brewery Full Beer List
• Named after the famous Green Elm Tree aka “Green Tree Hotel”
• The Green Tree was always a gathering place for riverboat pilots, unfortunately the tree caught the Dutch Elm disease in 1964
• Le Claire is home of the hit TV Show American Pickers – we drove by their shop too
• If you can’t make it to the Mississippi Valley Distilling Company check out their “Virtual Tastings“