Spotlight on Geneseo Brewing Co.
102 S. State Street
Geneseo, IL
GeneseoBrewing.com

Monday-Thursday: 4-10 p.m.
Friday-Saturday: Noon-10 p.m.
Sunday 4-10 p.m.

History in short: Owner Jerrod Minnaert also owns another restaurant in Geneseo (located about 20 miles east of the Quad Cities) called Raelyn’s, where his local home-brewing club used to meet regularly. “Before long, the guy who was making the best beer in the club (Scott Welch) and I started talking, and the idea was hatched to open Geneseo Brewing,” Jerrod tells us. 

Technically, they “re-opened” it since the Geneseo Brewing Co. was first established in 1884 and served the community for more than a decade back then. But you get the point. 

The new version opened in 2014, and Welch served as the head brewer for three years before moving on to another opportunity across the river in Iowa. Geneseo Brewing began by just serving beer, but Jerrod quickly realized that, especially in a town this size, food is an important factor, leading to “an evolution into more into a restaurant that makes its own beer.”

This warm and welcoming establishment — filled with reclaimed wood, leather couches and repurposed chairs — resides in the historical downtown strip of Geneseo.

The space: This warm and welcoming establishment resides in the historical downtown strip of Geneseo. Much of the unique interior, filled with reclaimed wood, leather couches and repurposed chairs, Jerrod credits to the work of a local company called Reclaimed Salvage. Expect a regular lineup of live music — featuring everything from folk and rockabilly to acoustic and rock — every Saturday, as well as some Fridays in the summer, and they often shift the live concerts to the adjacent parking lot when the weather is right. 

Interesting notes: The brewery hosts regular fundraisers benefiting everything from local families in need to military veterans groups and the local Humane Society. … Before they added a kitchen, the Geneseo staff would allow patrons to order from their other restaurant in town, and the food would be delivered from three blocks away — on a tricycle. 

Jerrod credits his talented sous chef, Lisa Dixon, for taking the food to the next level and mixing things up pretty regularly, including popular weekly specials like scallops, mushroom ravioli and coconut shrimp.

What we’re eating and drinking: Jerrod credits his talented sous chef, Lisa Dixon, for taking the food to the next level and mixing things up pretty regularly, including popular weekly specials like scallops, mushroom ravioli and coconut shrimp. Off the regular menu, expect everything from creative flatbread pizzas to steak and salmon. “Our desserts, especially the bread pudding, are not something you want to miss,” Jerrod suggests. 

As for the brews, Geneseo focuses on a handful of flagship beers, including an easy-drinking blonde ale and the Yup Yup American IPA with a hint of citrus, as well as a guest tap or two and occasional new recipes like an Irish stout and a much-celebrated Maibock that spent some quality time in the fermenter this spring.

On the horizon: The patio behind the building, which the city has allowed them to rent since Covid, is a popular spot every spring and summer. … Keep en eye out for the return of their Lemon Logger, a refreshing American lager brewed with lemon zest that’s been called “a perfect lawn mower beer.”

From the brewery: “We are a dinner destination with some great beer. I think that’s what people appreciate most about Geneseo Brewing. It’s such a comfortable environment, and we strive to maintain that vibe.”

— Owner Jerrod Minnaert