Dubuque Wine, Beer, and Skiing

Dubuque, Iowa is an easy drive from St. Louis, and although it might have felt like a weird choice in the winter, it worked out beautifully. Over the course of a week we got some skiing in, visited some nice northern wineries, and partook in a lively brewpub scene in the tri-state area. We found a couple of off the beaten path tourist sites that were worth the stop, and in the end, we made the most of what would have been a pretty dreary week back home.

the Tri-State Wines

Dubuque sits on the banks of the Mississippi River on the border of Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois. We stayed on Chaplain Schmitt Island near the casino and greyhound park. This area might be pretty fun destinations in the summer, but for us it was just a convenient place to sleep.

Bishop Vineyard and Winery - This was our favorite stop of the trip, not because the wines were amazing, they were good, but the owners were a lot of fun. It was -6 degrees outside, and we were their only customers of the morning, and they pretty much let us try whatever we wanted.
Whispering Bluffs - We didn’t find much we really liked here, the wines were smooth but nothing special. Their tasting room was pretty nice with plenty of space and knowledgeable pourers.
Park Farm Winery - We came through here on Valentines Day, they had a set tray with dry reds and pairing snacks. They also had an excellent wood fired pizza, we’d definitely come back to this one.
Massbach Ridge Winery - We arrived right before they closed, so we didn’t chat much with the folks working here, the wines weren’t bad but nothing really stood out.
Galena Cellars - Our second stop of the day took us here with some nice reds and a pretty cool upstairs tasting bar.
Cedar Ridge Vineyards - That was a very professional venue, it looks like they host plenty of weddings with the spacious area. Another solid wood fired pizza. Wine wise, there were a couple of nice ports, but not much else stuck our fancy.
Ackerman Winery - Packed full of fruit wines.
Bootleg Hill - They had primarily Meads here, we really enjoyed this stop. With 10 different options ranging from a traditional honey mead to fruit tasting meads, there was something for everyone.
Lindon Wines - A neat little stop with a winery in a round barn. Getting here was a little weird, since it felt we were just driving on someone’s land, but the owner was great and poured us everything he had.

The Regional brew life

Our plan had us spending time off and on in Dubuque during the week. There’s a lively brew pub scene, even during the pandemic, we also found some great places from St. Louis all the way up to Madison and back. In no particular order, here were our favorites.

Dimensional Brewing Company - This was our first stop of the trip and the beers were pretty amazing, they were also priced the same if you drank it there or took some to go, so don’t fall too in love with them. The names were pretty creative too with MacGyver’s unicycle being a crafty name for a crafty beer.
Potosi Brewing Company - Our next stop was across the river and into Wisconsin to one of the oldest breweries in the region. There’s even a museum in the old brewery building which dates back to the 1850’s. The beers had a more traditional look and taste with a Pilsner, Ale, IPA, and Lager. Their Steamboat Lemon Shandy sounded good, but we arrived during the wrong season.
Backpocket Beercade - Ok, so we didn’t drink much here, it was getting late in the evening, I had the Murderhorn Golden Ale and it was good, but we really came for the games. In the basement is an arcade and on the main floor there is pool and shuffleboard, definitely worth the stop!
7 Hills Brewing Company - On our second attempt to get into 7 Hills we had an early dinner and did a couple of beer flights. This place seems to draw the college crowd so reservations or an early arrival might be in order. The beers were pretty unique (Key Lime Pie anyone?) and the chicken sandwiches were great!
The Grumpy Troll - A fun little stop on our way to Madison in Mt. Horeb, there’s a Troll theme in town due to the Nordic heritage. Erik the Red was a pretty good beer, the rest were just so-so.
Delta Beer Lab - We stopped here but unfortunately they were only doing carry out, they did let us try a couple of beers that were served in small beakers. Their Scotch Ale was pretty awesome, and maybe we’ll get to try more in the future.
Vintage Brewing Co. - As we drove through Madison, we stopped at Vintage Brewing’s Capital East location. Right in the middle of town, this was a great location for lunch or dinner with an excellent beer and liquor selection. The beer, Citra Zen and Better off Red were our favorites. Paired with some cheese curds, this felt like a very Wisconsin experience!
Endless Brews - A fun little bar that had brews from all over the region and a great bartender that helped us find some great options. This one was actually in Davenport which was on our way in and out of the region.

The Grumpy Troll owning their grumpiness.

Backpocket Beercade’s downstairs game room

The slopes and sights

Chestnut Mountain near Galena, Il. is an excellent midwestern slope with runs that are suitable for all skill levels. There are a number of bunny slopes for beginners, multiple blue slops for intermediate skiers, and two solid black diamonds. Short of heading out to a mountain, this location is a great local place to practice.

There are three four-seater chair lifts along with some smaller rope and platform lifts to keep traffic moving and they offer night skiing on the weekends.

We stayed onsite at the resort, which is a great little location with a pool, bar, restaurant, game room, and a pro shop with rentals. It’s only 10 miles from Galena with its restaurants, bars and wineries. This spot alone is a great place for a long weekend.

Chestnut Mountain Slopes overlooking the Mississippi River

The sights along the way on this road trip were notable, although you have to be a fan to know they are there. Very few of these stops would have been worth the trip alone, but being along the way made them worth the stops.

We stopped by the Field of Dreams site but it was closed, we weren’t sure if it was because of COVID or the snow. Guess they won’t come if you don’t plow it as well.

Confederate cemetery on Rock Island. They wouldn’t let us go far enough to see the Atomic Cannon.

The future birthplace of James T. Kirk, captain of the starship Enterprise. Following Star Trek IV’s revelation that Kirk was from Iowa, Riverside took it upon themselves to stake the claim. In the most recent reboot of the series, Riverside was can… — The future birthplace of James T. Kirk, captain of the starship Enterprise. Following Star Trek IV’s revelation that Kirk was from Iowa, Riverside took it upon themselves to stake the claim. In the most recent reboot of the series, Riverside was canonized as the official birthplace. March 22 also happens to be William Shatner’s birthday.

A statue of James T. Kirk in Railroad Park in Riverside, IA.

Our Tri-State area roadtrip was pretty amazing considering the lower Midwest was snowed in the entire time we were gone. Who knew driving north during the winter could have worked out so well? Sometimes it’s just best to go where people know how to deal with winter.

Most of the breweries we visited had some pretty impressive choices. The wineries were decent for the north, there’s only a few grapes that are hardy enough to withstand the cold winters, but the wine makers have done an admirable job with them.

The sites along the way might have been better during more moderate months, or when there wasn’t a global pandemic. We did revisit this trip in 2022 and found another pretty cool stop, the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium was hosting an Ice Fest the weekend we were here, so we decided to go take a look. We got to walk out onto the frozen harbor, tour the aquarium, and visit some of the outdoor exhibits that were well worth the slightly higher price than we were thinking it should have been.