I already told you about all the beer I stockpiled while in Springfield at The Brown Derby liquor store and the awesome visit to Piney River Brewing near Houston, Mo so after that we paid a quick visit to a little brewery called Little Yeoman Brewery just outside of Cabool, Mo. Yes, these aren't exactly huge cities I'm telling you about, but these are the types of places you find great beer made by beer lovers (and it's absolutely beautiful scenery). One could argue they have nothing else to do, but I would argue what else would you rather be doing? Don't be afraid to get off the beaten path my beer loving buddies. The road we travel is a thirsty one, but always enjoy the hunt.
I've probably blabbed too much already about this road trip (it was only a couple of days for the love of hops) so I'll just say we followed the signs and found Little Yeoman Brewery down a dusty road and the guys were super nice as we drank some of their Vienna style ale and also a Pale Ale. Both were fine brews (I loved the pale ale actually) and the hospitality and beer talk is well worth the trip to this very unpretentious little building with some tanks and such. They have a nice shaded area with picnic tables to swap beer tales at while you sample so you could probably take a sammich with you and be all set. We grabbed a shirt on the way out even. A sexy shirt at that, once I cut the sleeves off and tie it up in the front it will be I mean.
An hour later, give or take, we hit Springfield. Brian from Piney River Brewing had told us about a bar called Farmer's Gastropub in the downtown area where we might find plenty of Mother's Brewing Company products, and he was right on. They're another Springfield brewery who just got rolling a few months ago but are already turning out some damn fine beers from what I tasted. Their Towhead Blonde, Sandi Wheat, Lil' Helper IPA and Three Blind Mice Brown are all readily available there and the food was very nice as well. A highly recommended stop on your road to buzzville.
Then it was just a few blocks walk over to Springfield Brewing Company, who make Mueller Ales and Lagers. It's a very nice older 2-story bar with a lot of woodwork and a pleasant atmosphere. The bartender was pretty beer knowledgeable and I got a small sampler of each of 6 beers (Lager, Pale Ale, Black Sheep Dry Stout, German Hefe, American Wheat and Little Piney Copper Ale). I'll say that while none of them blew my pants off or anything (and who doesn't want their pants blown off) none of them were bad and all were fresh and clean. I thought the copper ale and the dry stout stood out the most among them and I would revisit those 2 with no worries, but I wouldn't smack a fool for giving me any of the other 4. They do bottle so you can find their product around town at grocery stores and such.
So now I'll shut-up and just say that combined with Piney River Brewing, this made for a helluva beer day. Lastly, a small shout out to S & S Package Liquor in Houston who had a really good selection of beer (including Missouri brews from Tin Mill Brewery) and let you build your own six-packs. Go there on your trip to Piney River, cause I know you're going there.
Upcoming brewery visits: Jackalope Brewing, Yazoo Brewing and Jubilee Brewing... all in Nashville. You see, that's because I'm going to Nashville. For reals. Takin' my little yeoman with me. Until then keep your whistles wet and your pants dry.
