Old Man River Restaurant & Brewery
Breweriana, Collectibles, Ephemera and Memories
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I have visited Old Man River Restaurant & Brewery,
in McGregor, Clayton County, Iowa, USA.
Brewery/Brewpub Location Map
- Follow this link for a map of all the breweries and brewpubs I have visited.
Reason for Visit: We were on a multi-day trip along the banks of the Mississippi River on the Great River Road, mainly on the Wisconsin side of the river but also portions of Minnesota and Iowa (such as when we crossed from Prairie du Chien to visit the Old Man river Brewery). The brewpub is just off Main Street in bustling McGregor, Iowa. Seriously, it was bustling. The town was absolutely filled with weekend bikers hanging out at all the nearby shops and restaurants. Maybe that's because McGregor is nestled along the scenic Mississippi River, or because much larger Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin is just across the way, maybe because it's the gateway to Effigy Mounds National Monument, or maybe because it's just a cool little town. Who knows? Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.
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Coaster: The Old Man River Restaurant & Brewery coaster as one would probably expect, depicts an old man strolling along the river. The preponderance of the coaster features blue ink on a white background except for the glass of beer in the old man's extended hand, the contents of which are yellow. This immediately draws one's eye to the subject at hand, namely the beer. The hunched-over fellow walks along with the assistance of a cane as the river waves lap the shore behind him. The bottom portion of the coaster features the name of the brewery and its location. |
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Exterior: This is a closer view of the brewpub, located in the architecturally significant Diamond Jo Building, the first structure in McGregor added to the National Register of Historic Places. This two-story red brick edifice is built in the Romanesque style and it dates to the 1880's. Joseph "Diamond Jo" Reynolds was one of those larger-than-life characters of the 19th Century. He made his name as an entrepreneur through his luxury steamboat line and later as a grain merchant along the Upper Mississippi. His efforts and adventures made McGregor, Iowa renowned throughout the area. How appropriate that a brewery now fills the bottom floor of his namesake building. |
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Bar: Here is the inviting bar inside the Old Man River Restaurant & Brewery. Notice the coaster dispenser at the bottom, right side of the image. I took this photo right before I took a coaster from the dispenser to add to my collection. Thus, the image of the coaster I provided a couple of lines earlier is the same coaster as the one in this photograph. While it's not apparent from this angle, most of the floor space is actually a dining room. Also there is an enclosed porch out back to provide dining alfresco, which is exactly what we did on this pleasant summer evening. |
Sample list of beers produced by Old Man River Restaurant & Brewery
- Helles
- Bavarian Weizen
- Pils
- Dunkel
- Marzen
- ... plus homemade root beer!
Items featured on these breweriana pages are personal souvenirs of my visits to these locations, and an expression of the events and travels leading to their collection. They are not for sale or for trade.
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