Obed and Isaac’s Microbrewery and Eatery, Peoria IL

Summer Trip 2022, Day 22

I stopped here a few years ago on a trip and have been looking forward to a return ever since. There are so few brewpubs located in churches, and probably none in such an historical building!

Second Presbyterian was built in 1889 and was designed by the famous architect WW Boyington, who also designed the famous Chicago Water Tower. The room is amazing with the bar set dead center; even the old arch detailing in the restroom is fascinating.

They don’t have a large tap list, but there were definitely four I wanted today.

From left to right:

Ditzy Blonde – 4.3% – It’s funny … when the bartender asked me about this one, I said I found it very enjoyable because it’s very flavorful and that distinguishes it from all the other blonde ales at other establishments. She laughed and said that the staff universally hates that one the most because they feel it’s too much like [an American “beer” that is oddly popular].

Grapefruit Wheat – 4.2% – If you enjoy a good grapefruit beer (and there are some great ones from Germany), this should be your choice! I really did like it, but the next one was even better.

Czech Dark Lager – I don’t normally like dark beers in the summer, but this one not only won the choice for a followup pint but also a crowler to enjoy later this evening! There’s a subtle fruitiness hiding under the perfect lager, and the bartender said this is the brewer’s hands-down favorite. It’s no wonder – I’d be proud of this one, too!

Isaac’s IPA – If the Dark Lager hadn’t been SO good, this would have been the crowler choice! It’s a slightly fruity, well-balanced IPA with just the right amount of bitterness to balance the hops aroma.

I don’t have the ABV for those last two because I forgot to write them down and those two aren’t listed on the website.

Dinner was a perfect little salad plus a Corned Beef Reuben that had an unusual but not distasteful flavor to the dressing on it – I assume they make the dressing themselves rather than using the off-the-shelf kind everyone else uses.

Finally, that pint of Dark Lager was just crying out for a bit more food so I asked about desserts. There was only one available today, a Gooey Butter Cake that is a famous dessert in St. Louis. It’s flat and firm, similar to a brownie, but served hot and with a few hundred more calories. Add the powdered sugar and caramel, and this is definitely not a dessert for the faint of heart or the clogged of arteries! Wow, it was good, though.

Obed and Isaac’s continues to be on my list of potential stops for future trips even if Peoria is sort of out of the way 🙂