Backpocket Helles

Tonight my family and I were travelling through Decorah, Iowa, at about supper time and were so happy to see that the light was on once again at the Americana Grill, one of our all-time favorite restaurants. Last time we tried to stop in several months ago, the owner had left a note taped to the door: “Gone to California. Might be back soon.”  But now the neon sign said above the door, said “Immediate Seating”.  As we drove by we wondered out loud, “Could it be true?”

I whipped the Suburban around and pulled into the parking lot.  Near the door I found an excellent parking place, at which my wife, Sandy, found a $20 bill in the slush as she stepped out. Surely this was our lucky day!(?)

But the sign outside was slightly misleading. Inside we soon found that there was new ambiance,  new ownership, new menu -- in short, Americana Grill is no more.

The place is now called Willis' Brewpub & Eatery. It’s not bad. 

I tried to order a Dunkel; it was tapped out. I tried to order fish; their vat was also dry.

So I settled for a pint of Backpocket Helles. And there’s not much interesting to write about this beer.