Twin Span Brewing, Bettendorf IA

10 August 2026

I was here in September last year but had already eaten. I enjoyed the beers and the menu looked very inviting, so I worked this stop into today’s drive between Minneapolis MN and East Peoria IL. Twin Span has a very large outdoor area as well as a spacious interior, and I was the only customer for most of the time I was there today.

I decided to ask the bartender to choose a flight for me from their best beers. She apologized that they were entirely out of IPAs (!) but gave me these four tasty brews and I’ll describe them left-to-right:

Alternate Realities – Amber Ale, 5.8% – Although this was listed as an Amber on their beer board, the bartender described it as an Altbier style. It was malty but with a lovely flavor that was excellent in this size but perhaps a little too unique for a full pint.

Lager Dam 14 – Pre-Prohibition Lager, 4.2% – If you want an easy-drinking beer with a good flavor that won’t give you a headache on a hot and muggy day, this is the beer for you. It was really nice but was definitely the mildest of the four.

American Vice – American Wheat, 5.8% – She described this as being “like Blue Moon with a hint of orange” and I agree. It was well-done and enjoyable if a bit too “normal” for my taste. However, this is a good beer for someone who hasn’t yet discovered the pleasures of craft beers!

Twin Sister – Czech Amber Lager, 5.5% – I’ve had several Czech Pilsners but never a Czech Amber lager. This is Twin Span’s #1 favorite beer and I could see why — it was my favorite of these four for certain.

I decided on a Beer Club sandwich with fries and it was very enjoyable. I wish the meats in the sandwich had been hand-carved rather than deli meats, but otherwise there wasn’t anything to fault; there was enough food here that I wasn’t able to finish it all. Those fries have herbs on them and they were especially good with the beer cheese (one of a dozen or so different dipping options … I lost count!).

I’m certainly glad I paid Twin Span a return visit — they’ll stay on my list if I’m back in this area again.