Wake Brewing — Restaurant in Rock Island

Heavy metal riffage in a ice cold glass.

To round out a day of exploring the Quad Cities, Emily and I dropped into Wake Brewing to have a beer and a few rounds of Uno and a few other card games to relax before the drive. I didn’t look into the place before we stopped here so I assumed it was either surfer-themed or was attached to a coffeehouse. Little did we know it was a heavy metal/groove metal nanobrewery. I thrive on heavy metal so perfect for me, not so much for Emily.

There were about 10 beers on tap to pick from so I got the Midlife Crisis (fitting as I near 40) and Emily got the Green Mind. The place was filled with what felt like the regulars so we took a spot over in a corner to drink one last beer before the road and play some card games in my ‘pub kit’ as seen in the cover photo above. My pub kit is a simple plastic container I got from Walmart that is full of quick and easy games to play at breweries, coffeehouses, or wherever you are. It just happens to be plastered in stickers from my travels. 😀

Anywho, back to the topic at hand. I really liked Wake Brewing. I have been into IPAs lately and tried a West Coast one for the first time. It was tasty but since I’ve been drinking hazy or tropical ones, it didn’t quite hit like I am used to but that’s on me and not the beer itself. Emily really liked her gose beer. I was eyeing the other IPAs on the menu but with a 2 hour drive back, I didn’t want to delay us getting home before too late.

While we sat there, some really nice groove metal was playing. It reminded me of Tool but less technical and more foot tapping. Shazam said it was King Buffalo and I’ll have to check them out once life settles down a bit. If the heavy metal scene scares you, don’t be intimidated. Most metal heads are big nerds and are some of the chillest people around.

We didn’t stick around too long but I wish we had. I loved the entire vibe of this place and would’ve liked to try some of their other beers. They do have some merch for sell, so you know Emily and I got all their stickers for this trip. If luck finds us back here again, I will def get a shirt. Anything to support heavy metal (and beer).

As a side note, do know that trying to park here had me miss the parking lot’s few entrances quite a few times. So, if it’s your first time, be vigilant of the weird layout and multiple...

A great newer addition to the Quad Cities beer scene. Located away from all the hubbub of the nearby district, near Bent River's production brewery. Plenty of parking and a sign visible on the corner. BYO food, we fed almost the entire bar with great BBQ from Big Mouthz.

Cool modern atmosphere inside, lots of natural light from the front windows and interesting artwork on the walls. Low key music playing on a Sunday afternoon.

There was a solid variety of 8-10 house beers, from cream ale and APA to porter and raspberry milk stout, IPA and hazy dry-hopped IIPA. They aren't afraid to experiment and do variants of different beers, which was cool to see.

This is a brewery with a unique chill atmosphere and quality brews, for a sports bar you can go literally anywhere else. Can't wait to stop in here again and try...

Extremely disappointed in the service received today. The female manager was very rude to my friend — no excuse for having an attitude when you have an opportunity to have repeat customers . This will not be a brewery we will be recommending or returning - as one employee who is a “manager” can destroy having loyal customers . We then went to Bent River brewery and company- Arizona immediately welcomed us and made our group feel welcomed . The beer maybe good at your brewery but service should be re evaluated to ensure future success . Just a helpful tip as I realize brewing beer is passion / skill and admire this - please take this review w respect as...