Scooter's Bar Journal » Iowa

Cumming Tap

scooterj — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 17:11:00 +0000

(Cumming, IA)

Scooter’s 1355th bar, first visited in 2019.

Because it’s adjacent to a trailhead for a major bike path (in fact there’s a path blazed from the trailhead directly to the back door) this place is HUGELY popular with cyclists. And though we were the only customers when we arrived, before long the place started filling up with them.

There’s a small patio in the back, a surprisingly decent craft beer selection, and lots of “I love Cumming” merchandise for sale.

I had a Burnout Brown by Firetrucker Brewery.

117 N 44th St
Cumming, IA 50061
US
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(515) 981-5149
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Fox Brewing

scooterj — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 17:10:00 +0000

(Valley Junction, West Des Moines, IA)

Scooter’s 1354th bar, first visited in 2019.

Not technically in Valley Junction, but close enough that it’s the best way to describe it. Located in a business park nearby.

We were definitely the first customers of the day because the bartender hadn’t unlocked the door yet when we pulled on it.

We were both a little hung over and didn’t move around much. Which is a shame because I later found out I missed not only the patio, but a loft area upstairs that overlooks the brewing area.

I had their Cluster FÃ¼chs (hefeweizen) and their Jack n the Bean (BBA Scottish Ale with vanilla and coffee).

103 S 11th St
West Des Moines, IA 50265
US
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(515) 635-0323
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1717 Brewing Co

scooterj — Sat, 06 Jul 2019 17:18:00 +0000

(Downtown, Des Moines, IA)

Scooter’s 1353rd bar, first visited in 2019.

This is a brand new brewery, only open for a few weeks at the time of our visit, directly across the street from Peace Tree. It’s owned by three brothers, and inside the tap room the build what I believe to be a replica of their childhood home.

I had their Irish Red and their Coffee Stout.

There were a couple of tables outside, but it was unclear if you could take drinks out there.

From here we went to Iowa Taproom (where we ate again before calling it a night. But I have that already logged in here from an earlier visit.

322 E Court Ave
Des Moines, IA 50309
US
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(515) 243-7868
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Peace Tree Brewing Co. – Des Moines Branch

scooterj — Sat, 06 Jul 2019 17:17:00 +0000

(Downtown, Des Moines, IA)

Scooter’s 1352nd bar, first visited in 2019.

There were a crap-ton of cyclists here. And, despite the rainbow banners outside, in one corner was a small group of very young kids wearing t-shirts that gave them impression they were from a pray-the-gay-away cult.

The tap room is nicely done, though as a first time visitor I was intimidated stepping in the door and finding myself immediately at the ordering counter. I had to wander away for a bit to figure out what I wanted.

I had their Nitro Cold Brew Coffee Stout and their Catwalk Swagger (pilsner).

317 E Court Ave
Des Moines, IA 50309
US
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(515) 883-2739
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AJ’s on East Court

scooterj — Sat, 06 Jul 2019 17:16:00 +0000

(Downtown, Des Moines, IA)

Scooter’s 1351st bar, first visited in 2019.

This is primarily a karaoke bar but we were here way too early for karaoke. So our entertainment was instead two people working on a laptop, a guy listening to podcasts, and a small group of people from the patio continuously circulating in for more drinks or less urine.

I had a Zoltan Session IPA by Exile Brewing Company

419 E Court Ave
Des Moines, IA 50309
US
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(515) 282-1888
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Up-Down DSM

scooterj — Sat, 06 Jul 2019 17:15:00 +0000

(Downtown, Des Moines, IA)

Scooter’s 1350th bar, first visited in 2019.

The original location! Though it had recently expanded and taken over a second level, it was originally just the basement bar.

The bouncer tried to photobomb my main photo but he wasn’t quick enough, which was a shame as it would have been a good shot.

We were hungry (again) and had some pizza and played lots of pinball. I had a Roxie Irish Red by Boone Valley Brewing Company

From here we went across the street to Locust Tap, but that’s already logged elsewhere in this journal.

500 E Locust St
Des Moines, IA 50309
US
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(515) 243-4322
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Buddy’s Corral

scooterj — Sat, 06 Jul 2019 17:14:00 +0000

(Downtown, Des Moines, IA)

Scooter’s 1349th bar, first visited in 2019.

This is a gay bar, but we got here too early in the day. We kind of felt like we were making the regulars uncomfortable.

I had a Busch Light.

418 E 5th St
Des Moines, IA 50309
US
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(515) 244-7140
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Ernie’s Boondock

scooterj — Sat, 06 Jul 2019 17:13:00 +0000

(Downtown, Des Moines, IA)

Scooter’s 1348th bar, first visited in 2019.

This is an odd duck in that it is a new-build dive bar. That’s really hard to do, you can’t normally just “build” dive bar. But they managed to pull it off and do it well.

There’s a food truck by the patio if you’re hungry, or you can duck on a pickled egg I guess. One of their specialties is classic canned crap beer.

I had a Schmidt by Pabst Brewing Company because it’s something we can’t get at home.

When I got up to use the restroom, I was extremely disappointed to find a clean modern restroom. I was about to cancel my classification of this as a dive bar because of it. By then I washed my hands and found… AN OLD SCHOOL POWERED SOAP DISPENSER NOT SEEN SINCE THE TRUCK STOPS AND JUNIOR HIGHS OF THE LATE-70S/EARLY-80S!!!!!

440 East Grand Ave
Des Moines, IA 50309
US
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Exile Brewing Company

scooterj — Sat, 06 Jul 2019 17:12:00 +0000

(Des Moines, IA)

Scooter’s 1347th bar, first visited in 2019.

We walked down here from Carl’s, and despite having had breakfast just 2 hours earlier, we were hungry again and got a light lunch.

In addition to some shrimp I had their Ruthie (pale lager), Styrian Slayer (New England pale ale), Dankalope IPA, and Sir Moch-A-Lot (milk stout).

1514 Walnut St
Des Moines, IA 50309
US
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(515) 883-2337
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Royal Mile

scooterj — Sat, 06 Jul 2019 17:11:00 +0000

(Downtown, Des Moines, IA)

Scooter’s 1345th bar, first visited in 2019.

This is a fantastic-looking English pub right in the heart of downtown. Along with the great interior, there is outdoor seating in the alley.

Upstairs is a Belgian bar that we wanted to go to later but ran out of time/stamina. (It didn’t open until evening and we were here for breakfast.)

In addition to my meat-only version of a traditional English breakfast (bangers and rashers and that’s it) I had a rather large bottle of Querkus Smoked Oaked Porter by Ridgeway Brewing to start off my day.

210 SW 4th St
Des Moines, IA 50309
US
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(515) 282-2012
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Carl’s Place

scooterj — Sat, 06 Jul 2019 17:11:00 +0000

(Sherman Hill, Des Moines, IA)

Scooter’s 1346th bar, first visited in 2019.

After breakfast we had an uber take us to what Yelp calls the best dive bar in all of DSM. Now, we were here way too early to experience it with a crowd, but I do remember getting out of the car and exclaiming “This… is…. PERFECT!”

Lots of dive bars have old coin-operated condom machines in the men’s room. Not many have only part of one, though.

1620 Woodland Ave
Des Moines, IA 50309
US
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(515) 243-9727
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El Bait Shop

scooterj — Fri, 05 Jul 2019 17:17:00 +0000

(Downtown, Des Moines, IA)

Scooter’s 1344th bar, first visited in 2019.

We returned after nearly an hour and found the place still way too crowded. Absolutely no way of getting a beer outside. We went outside, and found the patio completely full. As we were frustratingly considering giving up, we noticed a second patio with an outdoor bar that had a few seats. We took them. And we soon learned why this section had seating open — it was getting the full brunt of the July afternoon sun.

The brutality of the heat + the gigantic beer volume earlier at Hessen Haus meant this was going to be a shorter visit than I’d hoped for. But in between rounds of wiping sweat off my face I managed to get a few beers in.

My flight consisted of Dolphin Sparkles (imperial IPA)by Toppling Goliath Brewing Co., a Black Prism (sour Berliner Weisse) by August Schell Brewing Company, a Midnight Morning (imperial stout) by Grimm Artisanal Ales, and a Mocha Sombrero (Mexican chocolate stout) by Clown Shoes. I then ordered a taster of Must Kuld (imperial porter) by PÃµhjala out of Estonia, but I was accidentally served a full pour and powered through it like a champ.

200 SW 2nd S
Des Moines, IA 50309
US
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(515) 284-1970
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The High Life Lounge

scooterj — Fri, 05 Jul 2019 17:16:00 +0000

(Downtown, Des Moines, IA)

Scooter’s 1342nd bar, first visited in 2019.

When we stepped in the door there were only a couple of seats at the bar but there was a ton of table seating. Ten minutes later the place was packed with what had to have been a thirty-minute wait. Crap, we’d intersected with the happy hour crowd!

200 SW 2nd St
Des Moines, IA 50309
US
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(515) 280-1965
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Shorty’s Somewhat Fancy Bar

scooterj — Fri, 05 Jul 2019 17:16:00 +0000

(Downtown, Des Moines, IA)

Scooter’s 1343rd bar, first visited in 2019.

We tried to go to El Bait Shop next but it was wasn’t happening — far too crowded. So we walked a couple blocks north to find someplace to get out of the blistering heat and kill a little time.

Shorty’s is accessed through an alley and is in the basement of its building. The stairs down seem pitch black when you come in straight from daylight, and it’s pretty dark in the bar to until you acclimate.

I had a Guinness while we watched people play bar games and chatted with the bartender.

208 Court Ave
Des Moines, IA 50309
US
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(515) 282-3663
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Hessen Haus

scooterj — Fri, 05 Jul 2019 17:15:00 +0000

(Downtown, Des Moines, IA)

Scooter’s 1341st bar, first visited in 2019.

Since we foudn foot at Mullets we decided to save Iowa Taproom for tomorrow as originally planned. We checked into out hotel, ditched the car, and started walking southeast. After skipping a couple of places we were saving for later, we arrived here.

This is great German beer hall. Tons of choices in beer, few that I could pronounce. None in reasonably small sizes. What I wound up with was a beer they had just tapped and did not have it on the menu yet. With only the waitresses’s pronunciation to go on, this was a tough one to find and check in: I had a “small” (
20ish oz) Sünner Hircus Malz-Bock by Sünner Brauerei und Brennerei and it was truly delicious.

101 SW 4th St
Des Moines, IA 50309
US
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(515) 288-2520
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Mullets

scooterj — Fri, 05 Jul 2019 17:14:00 +0000

(McKinley School/ Columbus Park, Des Moines, IA)

Scooter’s 1340th bar, first visited in 2019.

Since Exile Brewing was closed we contoinued our attempt to go to Iowa Taproom a day ahead of schedule in order to get some lunch. But as we were about to cross a bridge, this place called out to us. And, as it turned out, it had food.

This place wants to be a dive bar but I just can’t classify it as that… it’s too clean and has too many good beer options.

It was packed and the kitchen was really backed up, but pizzas were at least quick so we went with that. In addition to pizza I had a 1939 Red Ale by Big Grove Brewery

1300 SE 1st S
Des Moines, IA 50315
US
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(515) 244-1443
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L D’s Corner Bar

scooterj — Fri, 05 Jul 2019 17:13:00 +0000

(McKinley School/ Columbus Park, Des Moines, IA)

Scooter’s 1339th bar, first visited in 2019.

Originally we had made the difficult decision of cutting this place from our itinerary. But after learning that Exile was closed for the afternoon sent us in a different direction, we realized we were close enough to here to visit. And I’m glad we did, this is a great little dive bar!

344 E Jackson Ave
Des Moines, IA 50315
US
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(515) 245-9050
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Confluence Brewing

scooterj — Fri, 05 Jul 2019 17:11:00 +0000

(Greater South Side, Des Moines, IA)

Scooter’s 1338th bar, first visited in 2019.

Though I’ve had some of their beer before, this is my first visit to an Iowa brewery. I had the Double Dry Hopped South Side Citra W/ Tangerine And Orange Peel, the Royal Roots Porter, the Camp Fire Black Lager (Port Barrel Aged), and one of the greatest beer experiences of all time, the Anniversary Porter 2014.

BTW the staff here was extremely friendly and helpful.

We found out our next stop, Exile, was not open yet after all due to the holiday. So we took off east instead of west, intending to have lunch at the Iowa Taproom, but we got distracted along the way…

1235 Thomas Beck Rd
Des Moines, IA 50315
US
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(515) 285-9005
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Fong’s Pizza

scooterj — Thu, 04 Apr 2019 17:13:00 +0000

(Downtown, Des Moines, IA)

Scooter’s 1314th bar, first visited in 2019.

An odd fusion of Chinese, Italian, and Polynesian in a borderline dive-bar setiing that somehow comes together and works. This is the original location, and where we finished the first night of this trip.

I really enjoyed the eggrolled cheeseticks and the eggrolled cheesecake. Didn’t care as much for my pizza — too little meat / too many veggies.

Beer-wise, I had a Tip the Cow (milk stout) by SingleSpeed Brewing Company

223 4th St
Des Moines, IA 50309
US
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(515) 323-3333
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Iowa Taproom

scooterj — Thu, 04 Apr 2019 17:12:00 +0000

(Downtown, Des Moines, IA)

Scooter’s 1313th bar, first visited in 2019.

I tried to visit this place a couple of years ago, but some sort of bike event/street party (not RAGBRAI) made it so crowded I decided to save it for another day.

This craft beer bar has 99 taps, all serving beer only from breweries in Iowa. There is partially-covered outdoor seating available in the alley. They do serve food, but that’s not why I was there.

I could have easily stayed here until close, but alas I only had 45 minutes before I would have to leave to rejoin my group. So I had as many 4oz pours as I could during that time.

What I drank:

Oreo Speed Wagon by Lake Time Brewery (milk stout)

De Olla BA Rye Imperial Stout by Keg Creek Brewing Company

CocO Stout by West O Beer

Rhymes With Orange by Brightside Aleworks (stout)

Electric Banshee by ReUnion Brewery (stout)

Freedom Toast by Madhouse Brewing Company (Jesus Christ, this bourbon maple barrel-aged Wee-Heavy with cinnamon and vanilla stuck with me for two days!)

V.I.P. by Madhouse Brewing Company (imperial porter)

215 E 3rd St
Des Moines, IA 50309
US
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(515) 243-0827
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Beechwood Lounge

scooterj — Thu, 04 Apr 2019 17:10:00 +0000

(Downtown, Des Moines, IA)

Scooter’s 1312th bar, first visited in 2019.

I was walking from Locust Tap to Iowa Tap Room and spotted this place along the way. It looked too inviting to not stop in.

The main level is up a short flight of stairs, the lower level wasn’t open so I didn’t get to see what was downstairs. There’s also a patio around back that I didn’t notice until I was leaving.

Unlike what the outside presents, I wouldn’t quite call this a dive bar. A little too nice, and the beer selection a little too good.

Amenitites that I noticed included a handful of video games (including video slots/poker), a popcorn cart, and an ATM. I have no idea what might have been downstairs.

I had a ChewBOCKa German-Style Doppelbock by Confluence Brewing Company

416 E Walnut St
Des Moines, IA 50309
US
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(515) 288-2337
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Zombie Burger + Drink Lab

scooterj — Sun, 16 Jul 2017 17:10:00 +0000

(Downtown, Des Moines, IA)

Scooter’s 1203rd bar, first visited in 2017.

Popped in here for a hangover lunch / some hair of the dog. Zombie themed burger bar. When we first got here it wasn’t terribly busy, by the time we left it was so crowded that when I went to found the restroom I discovered it would have been easier to go outside, walk around the block, and re-enter the building from the other side.

Beer consumed: Cofluence Milk Man

300 E. Grand Ave
Des Moines, IA 50309
US
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(515) 244-9292
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Locust Tap

scooterj — Sat, 15 Jul 2017 17:10:00 +0000

(Downtown, Des Moines, IA)

Scooter’s 1202nd bar, first visited in 2017.

FANTASTIC historic dive bar, an old school gem in a highly-gentrified neighborhood. Great people, great times, and a great selection of local/regional craft beer for such a small dive. We indented to spend the evening barhopping. This was the first bar we went to and we ended up staying the whole evening.

Beers consumed: Pace Tree Red Rambler, Peace Tree Blonde Fatale, Surly Xtra Citra, Toppling Goliath Pseudo Sue, Boone Valley Roxie Irish Red, Confluence East Side Attitude, Exile Hahhah, and Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro.

434 E Locust St
Des Moines, IA 50309
US
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(515) 689-9654
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The Landing Patio Bar & Grill

scooterj — Thu, 11 Aug 2016 17:11:00 +0000

(Clear Lake, IA)

Scooter’s 1138th bar, first visited in 2016.

Stopped here for lunch on the way to the Twin Cities, a waterfront bar right on the lake. Had some good appetizers and regional craft beer.

I had the Bender (brown ale) by Surly.

1603 S Shore Dr
Clear Lake, IA 50428
US
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(641) 357-5123
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Hog Stop BBQ

scooterj — Sat, 30 Aug 2014 17:10:00 +0000

(Council Bluffs, IA)

Scooter’s 1043rd bar, first visited in 2014.

Stop 1 in an attempt to pub crawl every state bordering Missouri in a single day. The three of us and one other customer arrived upon opening and sat down at the U-shaped bar in the center of the room. We had breakfast, bloody Marys, and beer.

There’s a pool table, darts, and lots of current and vintage license plates. Of course there’s also BBQ, but not during the 6am hour.

3621 9th Ave
Council Bluffs, IA 51501
US
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712-328-2277
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Red Room Lounge

scooterj — Sat, 19 Jul 2014 17:13:00 +0000

(Westside South, Sioux City, IA)

Scooter’s 1023rd bar, first visited in 2014.

This cash-only dive features a rectangular island bar in the center of the main room, small but cheap pours (or pitchers), and food options of frozen pizza or chips hanging from a display in the middle of the stained glass ceiling.

A side room contained at least one pool table and what looked like possibly an old-school rear-projection TV.

This bar reminded me a lot of Halek’s Bar in Minneapolis.

When I left I discovered someone had parked blocking the parking lot exit, so I must have looked like a complete drunkard driving from corner to corner looking for a way out before finally giving up and driving over the sidewalk.

1000 W 7th St
Sioux City, IA 51103
US
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(712) 277-9833
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The Old Brass Rail

scooterj — Sat, 19 Jul 2014 17:12:00 +0000

(Downtown, Sioux City, IA)

Scooter’s 1022nd bar, first visited in 2014.

My visit to The Old Brass Rail reminded me a lot of my favorite downtown dive bar back home. Small, intimate, a cast of regulars who know each other, and even a library of books to read and share. I sat among about half a dozen people 10 years older than me watching “Rocky II”.

As dives go, this place is quite a bit cleaner than most. Almost too clean to fit the category! (Though I didn’t need to use the restroom, so I could be wrong!)

I noticed a small room in the back that had a pool table and assumed that was the extent of the bar. But after finding them on Facebook, I have learned from the photos that had I gone back there I would have found that it continued to the next storefront, where bands sometimes set up to play.

Several online reviews let me to believe this place would be terrifying, but I knew that was most likely not the case at all. Indeed, it was definitely not the least bit scary. A nice place for cheap drinks.

601 Pearl St.
Sioux City, IA 51101
US
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(712) 277-9985
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Firehouse Bar

scooterj — Sat, 19 Jul 2014 17:11:00 +0000

(Downtown, Sioux City, IA)

Scooter’s 1021st bar, first visited in 2014.

The aptly named Firehouse Bar is located in a former fire station on the east edge of downtown Sioux City.

The bar is spacious with very high ceilings and packed with firefighting decor. There are pool tables, dart boards, and several TVs, as well as several video games, a boxing game, and free popcorn.

While I didn’t venture out back, there is a large patio with several covered areas that are heated in cold weather.

As I drank my Guinness, a man came in and asked the bartender for duct tape so he could tape the sole back onto one of his shoes. As a man who wears all of his shoes until their complete destruction, I was completely sympathetic.

1211 5th St.
Sioux City, IA 51101
US
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(712) 224-1020
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Farragut Tavern

scooterj — Sat, 24 Aug 2013 17:14:00 +0000

(Downtown, Farragut, IA)

Scooter’s 989th bar, first visited in 2013.

Our third stop on my brother’s birthday pub crawl.

Most online maps get the location of this bar wrong. It’s actually south of the grain elevators and railroad tracks, across the street from the post office.

There’s no cellphone service in town, at least not on AT&T or T-Mobile. Luckily the bar has free wifi.

There’s also a pool table darts, a Bags video game, and video slots.

While we didn’t see any obvious food, there’s a refrigerator, microwave, and a small pizza oven implying a limited selection of eats.

After we left Farragut we continued down the back roads to the town of Riverton. I did not have a drink at our next stop so I cannot officially add it to my list, but I’d like to add it here as a footnote…

Riverside Inn
(Riverton, IA)
901 Summer Ave
Riverton, IA 51650
(712) 387-3101
(Map)
Visit Web Site

Dive bar
Biker friendly
Outdoor seating

We arrived here in the midst of a poker run, so the place was teeming with bikers — some of whom we’d end up meeting again throughout the day.

On the inside is a horseshoe shaped bar, two pool tables, video slots, arcade games, and lots of photos. Outside is a covered patio and a sand volleyball court.

609 Hartford Ave
Farragut, IA 51639
US
[launch map]
(712)385-9598

Dirt’s Place

scooterj — Sat, 24 Aug 2013 17:13:00 +0000

(Downtown, Shenandoah, IA)
Formerly Mike’s Place

Scooter’s 988th bar, first visited in 2013.

You know, for a place called Dirt’s Place, this is one of the cleanest bars I’ve ever been in. Meticulously clean for a dive bar. Nonsmoking, with a light scent of vanilla filling the air. Brightly lit, with white tile and a faux brick finish.

No games other than a Megatouch screen, just a small place to gather for drinks and conversation. We watched a bit of a John Wayne movie while we were here.

116 N Blossom
Shenandoah, IA 51601
US
[launch map]
(712) 246-1840

Kap’s Tavern

scooterj — Sat, 24 Aug 2013 17:12:00 +0000

(Downtown, Shenandoah, IA)

Scooter’s 987th bar, first visited in 2013.

Walking in from the bright sunshine outside, we stumbled a bit in what initially seemed like complete blackness. It took several moments for our eyes to adjust and take in the surroundings.

Nothing on tap here, the beer is all bottles and cans. And it’s cheap!

Once we could see, we found ourselves inside a bar that looks every bit the 130-140 years old this building probably is. And I mean that in a good way — this place has an authentic charm.

Living up to the bar’s name, the walls are slowly being tiled by thousands upon thousands of beer bottle caps. In one corner, a large US flag made entirely of bottle caps. Near the flag, the process of tiling the ceiling with empty beer cans is underway as well.

For entertainment, the bar provides darts, a pool table, a jukebox, video slots, and a pinball machine.

The bottle cap flag and the beer can ceiling…

The bottle cap wall…

An interesting bit of KISS fan art hanging above the bar…

113 S Elm St
Shenandoah, IA 51601
US
[launch map]
(712) 246-1283

Roadside Inn

scooterj — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 17:26:00 +0000

(Martensdale, IA)

Scooter’s 752nd bar, first visited in 2010.

So we’re flying down Iowa 92, very far behind schedule for getting to a wedding reception we were do it, when my friend threw his arm across my chest to point out the window.

“WHAT’S THAT?!?” he exclaimed.

Why, it was the glow of neon lights signalling the presence of a Bonus Bar.

What’s a Bonus Bar? One that we didn’t know existed. Though we had passed one a short time earlier in Indianola, this one was so unexpected we decided we just had to stop.

Most of the place was a restaurant, which was now closed, but there was a smaller sports bar to the right. We settled down at the bar.

We told our bartender, Kelsi, of our predicament — that we had to stop in but were incredibly late for a wedding reception and needed to get in and out fast.

She recommended some Apple Pie shots, as she had them already made up. I actually don’t like the taste of apple, but we were on a mission so I did what I needed to do.

325 N Highway 28
Martensdale, IA 50160
US
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(641) 764-2667
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The Irishman

scooterj — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 17:25:00 +0000

(Downtown, Indianola, IA)

Scooter’s 751st bar, first visited in 2010.

When we had mentioned earlier that we were going to The Irishman, the people we were talking to winced.

Normally we like dirty dives, but something about this place was off. It had the usual pool table and video slots, but it just felt bland and unfriendly. We decided to chug our drinks and hurry out.

100 North Howard St
Indianola, IA 50125
US
[launch map]
(515) 961-9740

Mojo’s

scooterj — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 17:24:00 +0000

(Downtown, Indianola, IA)

Scooter’s 750th bar, first visited in 2010.

The birthday group from the previous bar led us to Mojo’s. There was a strong smell of paint or varnish so they must have just done some sort of work recently.

This was now the real bar #750, so the birthday group took a picture of us.

After a round of shots the birthday group said goodbye and left for Des Moines. We adjourned to the back room for some games while we finished our beers. We ended up playing Lawn Darts, Bags, and Silver Strike.

Panorama of the back room. Use the slider below the photo to view.

Urinal putty…

206 North Howard St
Indianola, IA 50125
US
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(515) 961-0081Ã¢â‚¬Å½
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The Garage

scooterj — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 17:23:00 +0000

(Downtown, Indianola, IA)

Scooter’s 749th bar, first visited in 2010.

This was a very small bar, with darts and video slots. The wood-grained interior was considerably nicer than what I’d expected from the outside.

I noticed a patio in the back and we decided to check it out. It turns out the covered patio is almost twice as big as the indoor portion of the bar, and this is where most of the people were. We found ourselves a table and had a seat. There was a stage in the far back, but if anyone would be playing it mustn’t have been anytime soon.

Due to a clerical error made back in Williamsburg earlier that afternoon, we thought this was my 750th bar. At the next table a group of women were celebrating a birthday. My friend talked them into getting my picture taken with them in celebration of the milestone.

Though it ended up not being my 750th after all, the next bar would be and they happened to be going to the same place. So they led us around the block to our next bar.

118 E. Ashland Ave
Indianola, IA 50125
US
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(515) 961-9026
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Pete’s Pizza

scooterj — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 17:22:00 +0000

(Downtown, Indianola, IA)

Scooter’s 748th bar, first visited in 2010.

We had placed our order when we first arrived in town, and now it was time to head back and eat. We grabbed a table by the bar, got a couple of beers, and settled in.

Because of the pizza, there were a lot of families here. The place was actually pretty much packed, unlike the other places we visited while in town.

The pizza is cracker thin crust and thick with cheese, smothering the toppings. The sauce is rich and sweet. It was a great pizza, one of the best we’ve found on our years of this trips. I definitely recommend it!

The space itself is divided in three sections. In the front is a game room with a pool table, Pop-a-Shot, and video games. In the middle is a narrow bar area, which we sat at the edge of. The far back is the dining area, which is where all the families were.

On our way out we ran into the owner, and we gave her our heartfelt thanks for such a good pizza.

Indianola is home to the National Balloon Museum and has an annual balloon festival.

Panorama of the game room. Use the slider below the photo to view.

118 North Howard St
Indianola, IA 50125
US
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(515) 961-7797
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The Zoo

scooterj — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 17:21:00 +0000

(Downtown, Indianola, IA)

Scooter’s 747th bar, first visited in 2010.

I’ve been wanting to come here for over a year due to it having the same name as my hangout back home. It ended up being just as much fun as I’d been hoping.

We stepped in the front door and immediately found ourselves on a landing with a choice of going downstairs or upstairs. We chose downstairs first and found a room with pool tables, but no one else was down there. We went upstairs next and found the main bar, complete with a popcorn cart and the usual video games.

Our bartender was Jesse, and he was a very nice guy. The bartender at Main Street Station back in Milo had told us to request something called “FMS shots”. We handed the note she wrote to Jesse and he whipped them up for us, on the house.

We never did find out what exactly the FMS shot is, but it’s fruity and it’s the house specialty.

102 W. Ashland Ave
Indianola, IA 50125
US
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(515) 961-8731
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Main Street Station

scooterj — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 17:20:00 +0000

(Downtown, Milo, IA)

Scooter’s 746th bar, first visited in 2010.

Milo was always going to be a last-minute decision. We were on a schedule, and Milo was about thirty minutes out of our way. But we ended up making good time and decided to go for it. I’m glad we did!

The Main Street Station has multiple rooms, all in one big line. There were pool tables throughout. The bar itself is fairly small and about in the middle of the building, to the left of it is a kitchen.

After we got our beers we met the owners, Serena and Jeff. Our bartender’s name was Cindy. Jeff was busy working the pizza oven, while Serena and Cindy were making umbrellas in preparation for a luau.

The main feature of the menu is wood-fired pizza, using a pizza oven imported from Italy. Pizza was indeed part of our plan for the evening. They very nearly talked us into it, but we had already committed to another place later in the evening for our pizza fix.

So, instead, the bartender bought us Jell-o “shots”. And I use the term “shots” likely, because these suckers were H-U-G-E! Almost a meal in and of themselves. They had to be chewed up and eaten in several bites.

There had been a wedding reception underway across the street, and a couple of people from there came over to the Main Street Station about the time we were working on our Jell-o. We got to talking with them and when they heard of our barhopping adventures they bought us another round. Thanks!!!

With both the detour, the Jell-o, and the extra round, this detour ended up taking us from an hour ahead of schedule to an hour behind schedule. But it was well worth it, this is where we had the most fun all day! Funny how the places that are the most out-of-the-way end up being the best.

The train whistle…

How far we went out of our way…

120 Main St.
Milo, IA 50166
US
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(641) 942-6401
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Back In The Day Lounge

scooterj — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 17:19:00 +0000

(Downtown, Pleasantville, IA)

Scooter’s 745th bar, first visited in 2010.

We nearly forgot to go to Pleasantville. We had driven right on by, having not even seen a sign for it, until a sign at the last road we could turn at to get there reminded us.

“So, must be time for a shot! Huh, fellas?” shouted the bartender as we walked in.

The booths and decor in this bar, as well as the exterior shape, make me think it was once a hot dog place or an ice cream parlor.

There was a pool table, a jukebox, MegaTouch, and video slots. The men’s room sink, while still high, was significantly lower than its counterparts back in Knoxville.

There were several people inside the bar, however far more were outside on the “carport”-covered patio.

107 N. Jefferson
Pleasantville, IA 50225
US
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(515) 848-3642

Sandals Lounge

scooterj — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 17:18:00 +0000

(Downtown, Knoxville, IA)

Scooter’s 744th bar, first visited in 2010.

This turned out to be a basement bar. It was a HUGE place. Several pool tables, darts, foosball, and video slots. There was an area for bands.

The men’s room was painted a blinding shade of chartreuse, and the sink inside was the highest I have ever encounter at any bar anywhere. It was nearly at my nipples. And I’m tall.

The highlight of the visit came as my friend was outside making a phone call. A drunk biker became very agitated while telling the story of a recent visit to the dentist. His story turned into a an obscenity-laced tirade against his dentist, then doctors and lawyers, and finally all people with white-collar jobs. “It’s a good thing for blue collar people keeping things running,” he said. “Glad we’re all blue collar here.”

Then he spotted me.

“YOU!!!” he shouted, pointing at me. “You’re not white-collar, are you?!?”

“Ummm…” I replied, “Uh… I want to live, so, ummm, no comment?”

“What do you do?” he asked me.

“I’m a computer programmer,” he said.

He mulled that over for a moment.

“Well, I’m sure you’re writing programs for The Man, so you’re okay.”

I was curious as to the purpose of this door, seeing that it can’t be opened without completely removing the toilet.

208 E. Robinson St.
Knoxville, IA 50138
US
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(641) 828-2016
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American Legion Post 168

scooterj — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 17:17:00 +0000

(Downtown, Knoxville, IA)

Scooter’s 743rd bar, first visited in 2010.

Based on how this American Legion looks on the outside, we didn’t originally expect there to be a bar at all. But Trish back at the VFW assured us it was all bar.

Sure enugh, inside we found a weird, angular bar (almost sigma-shaped but not quite) with a gap in the center. There were no pool tables, but there was a poker table. As usual around here, video slots were also present.

There were four TVs in the bar, and two two that were on were tuned to “Heartbreak Ridge”.

I liked these sketches of historic buildings in Knoxville.

314 E. Robinson St.
Knoxville, IA 50138
US
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(641) 842-2308

Dingus Lounge

scooterj — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 17:16:00 +0000

(Knoxville, IA)

Scooter’s 742nd bar, first visited in 2010.

This was a place we had to go to just for the name alone. However it was a challenge to find. First problem: Google Maps had the location off by more than a block. Second problem: address numbers on buildings were view and far between. Final problem… the bar’s sign, which I later found in Street View, was missing. We finally managed to find the place after we flagged down a local in a golf cart and asked for help.

Inside the walls are painted cinder blocks, covered in years of graffiti similar to Zoo Bar back home.

There were a few customers at first but as we settled in to place some Golden Tee (which we had to abandon and go for Silver Strike as Golden Tee was broken), it emptied out. Nonetheless the staff were busily preparing, as races would be underway at the speedway across the street in a few hours and this place would be packed.

In addition to the Silver Strike / Broken Golden Tee, there was a pool table, video slots, and an ATM.

The bartender was unable to find any marker, but we dug some out of the car and made our own marks on the walls of the bar.

The poor toilet. It must be lonely playing second fiddle to the irresistable draw of a stainless steel wedge-shaped trough.

By the way, I’d swear the chest-high sink here was even higher.

713 N. Lincoln St.
Knoxville, IA 50138
US
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(641) 842-2010
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Dan’s Village Pump

scooterj — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 17:15:00 +0000

(Knoxville, IA)

Scooter’s 741st bar, first visited in 2010.

The glare of the sun in this Google Maps Street View image left us with virtually no advance knowledge about this bar. We had narrowed it down to likely being one of these buildings, but with virtually no other online presence we really had little to go on.

Nonetheless we pulled into the parking lot of what turned out to be a tiny motel, and after a moment spotted the bar’s entrance in the white building on the corner.

This was a small room, with a pool table and video slots surrounding a small L-shaped bar. We took the last two available stools in the back corner.

The bartender, a nice woman with a good sense of humor, asked where we were from and wondered how we found her way to the bar. She pointed out that I was sitting next to the pump, and for some reason I responded by inserting my finger into the pump’s spigot. I immediately yanked it back out.

“I should know better than to stick my finger into random holes in an unfamiliar bar,” I said.

“Yeah, you probably shouldn’t stick any part of you in any hole in this place,” she said with a laugh.

Speaking of holes, the sink in the men’s room was stainless steel rounded by a kitchen-like countertop. But, most noteworthy, it was chest-high. We’d soon learn that for some reason that’s a staple in this town.

210 N Lincoln St.
Knoxville, IA 50138
US
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(641) 842-4444

VFW Post 3519

scooterj — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 17:14:00 +0000

(Knoxville, IA)

John Myers Post

Scooter’s 740th bar, first visited in 2010.

From the Google Maps Street View of this place, we were unable to determine in advance if this would be a bar that was open to the public or not. Even when we arrived in the parking lot, where a vendor was selling produce, we weren’t certain. It wasn’t until we saw the “Must be 21 to enter” sign on the door that we knew for sure.

This is a nice place. Our bartender’s name was Trish and she was very friendly. She gave us lots of good info about the other bars in town.

This bar featured a pool table, a MegaTouch machine, and several video slots and video poker machines.

I had a good enough time here that I needed a souvenier, so I bought myself an official VFW Post 3519 beer koozie.

413 S Lincoln St
Knoxville, IA 50138
US
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(641) 842-3519

Columbia Store & Tire

scooterj — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 17:13:00 +0000

(Columbia, IA)

Scooter’s 739th bar, first visited in 2010.

This is one of the most unusual “bars” I have ever been to. From what I can gather, it was originally a tire store and possibly a small general store. But at the end of April 2010, they opened a Bar & Grill. Though there’s not really exactly a bar.

But I’ll get to that, because first I need to get into the aspect of this place that creeped me out.

As a result of all the barhopping trips I have taken, I occasionally have dreams about barhopping. A few months ago I had a dream that I was in a small town…

The main road in was a gravel road. At the main intersection in town, at the northeast corner, was a gray service station. I went inside and a mechanic was putting tires on a car. I was wanting a beer and I noticed a doorway leading to the east side of the building. I stepped through the door and found myself in a long, white room with cafeteria/diner style tables. At the north end of the room were restrooms, at the south went there were windows facing the road. There was a beer cooler in the southeast corner of the room. I grabbed a beer and a woman at a cash register behind me rang me up. As I sat at a table drinking my beer, I noticed people outside the windows pushing strollers.

And that was basically the extent of the dream.

So back to Columbia Store & Tire. The main road leading into the town is gravel. Columbia Store & Tire sits at the NE corner of the main intersection. The garage is on the west side of the building, to the east is the longer main building (which is bluish-gray in color). I stepped inside and found myself in a long white room with cafeteria/diner style tables. The bathrooms were at the north end of the room, the south wall had windows.

We asked the woman at the counter if this was the bar & grill. “Well, there’s no bar,” she said, “just grab yourself some beer from the cooler over there.” She pointed, we turned, and there was a beer cooler in the southeast corner of the room.

Wow.

We grabbed our beers and paid. My friend, out of habit, tipped her a buck. “That may be the first time in the history of tipping,” he pondered as we sat down, “that someone got a tip for merely pointing. She never actually touched the beer.” Which is true… the bottles had twist-off caps so we opened them ourselves.

The “bartender” asked if we were in town for the parade, which was apparently about to start. Looking out the window, I noticed a woman pushing a stroller down the street heading towards the parade route.

I am… freaked… out.

As we left town, my friend (who works in a children’s hospital) got angry upon seeing children on an ATV heading down the road to the parade.

1035 Virginia St.
Columbia, IA 50057
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(641) 943-2216
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Sportsman’s Bar

scooterj — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 17:12:00 +0000

(Downtown, Chariton, IA)

Scooter’s 738th bar, first visited in 2010.

This was a pretty big venue, though the actual bar was fairly small. Nothing on tap. There were pool tables, a juke box, and tiny bathrooms in the back of the main room. Booths lined the west wall. There was also a side room but I didn’t venture over to it.

Our bartender looked a bit intimidating and was missing some teeth but he was a nice guy.

918 Court Avenue
Chariton, IA 50049
US
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(641) 774-8451

The Office

scooterj — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 17:11:00 +0000

(Downtown, Chariton, IA)

Scooter’s 737th bar, first visited in 2010.

This place was brightly lit from natural lighting and very proudly showed off its Iowa Hawkeyes heritage. There was a pool table, a shuffleboard, and video slots. The bartop resembled a kitchen counter, and posters of Budweiser hotties surrounded the fridge.

At $2 for a 10oz domestic draw, this was also slightly more expensive than I normally expect in a place like this.

109 N Main St
Chariton, IA 50049
US
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(641) 774-4231

Hurribak Club

scooterj — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 17:10:00 +0000

(Downtown, Chariton, IA)

Scooter’s 736th bar, first visited in 2010.

I settled in here at the MegaTouch machine as I needed to kill about an hour of time.

The interior was dark, with racing curtains covering the windows. There were two pool tables, a juke box, and video slots.

The bartender was an older man who mostly kept to himself except when talking to the occasional regular who would pass through. He was a nice guy, though.

The beer was slightly higher than I expected to pay, $2.25 for a 12oz domestic draw.

217 North Main Street
Chariton, IA 50049
US
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(641) 774-5049

Caddy Shack

scooterj — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:13:00 +0000

(Council Bluffs, IA)

Scooter’s 657th bar, first visited in 2009.

We were the first customers of the day, and the bartender was still cleaning up from previous night’s RAGBRAI crowd that had kept him extremely busy Saturday night.

This was a spacious roadhouse type bar with some pretty entertaining graffiti in the men’s room. We played our final game of Golden Tee for the trip before hitting the highway for real.

1426 4th Ave
Council Bluffs, IA 51501
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(712) 322-9708
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Quarthouse Bar

scooterj — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:12:00 +0000

(Downtown, Council Bluffs, IA)

Scooter’s 656th bar, first visited in 2009.

We headed over to Main Street and drove up and down both sides trying to decide what our next bar would be. We were looking specifically for a place called Uncle Charlie’s Boston Boozers at 519 S. Main because that name is just awesome. But it either does not exist anymore or is very well hidden because we could not find it. But we did find the Quarthouse, and it was open.

This was a nice, quiet old-timer dive with canned beer. There we a few other guys in here. I believe everyone was watching golf.

Update: There is a pool table in the back room, and they have karaoke on the weekend.

107 Pearl St
Council Bluffs, IA 51503
US
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(712) 322-9830

Glory Days

scooterj — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:11:00 +0000

(Downtown, Council Bluffs, IA)

Scooter’s 655th bar, first visited in 2009.

This was a pretty nice sports bar. We discussed our plans for the day — would we stop when we reached 100, or was 100 just a goal and we’d hit up a few more until we were ready to go home? We decided we would stop at 100 since it was a nice round number.

106 W Broadway
Council Bluffs, IA 51503
US
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(712) 256-5922

Barley’s

scooterj — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:10:00 +0000

(Downtown, Council Bluffs, IA)

Scooter’s 654th bar, first visited in 2009.

This was a really nice looking old bar. However, the bartender was MIA. We sat there for about 10 minutes before she appeared from a back room, surprised to see us.

After she served us she disappeared again. A few minutes later a woman came in who had left her card here the previous night. She looked around, checked the other room, then came back. “”Is anyone working here?”" she asked us. “”Nope, we had to serve ourselves,”" B joked. She finally managed to find the bartender and got her card.

114 W Broadway
Council Bluffs, IA 51503
US
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(712) 322-0306
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Blue Moon Bar

scooterj — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:12:00 +0000

(Hamburg, IA)

Scooter’s 559th bar, first visited in 2009.

It was pretty busy inside, with a smell of burgers and fries permeating the air. There was nothing on tap so we got some bottles of Bud Light.

908 Main St
Hamburg, IA 51640
US
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(712) 382-1323

Jim’s Silver Dollar

scooterj — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 17:11:00 +0000

(Bloomfield, IA)

Scooter’s 313th bar, first visited in 2007.

B: Old Milwaukeee 10oz draw – $1
S: Old Milwaukeee 10oz draw – $1

This place wasn’t bad at all… exactly the type of dive we like. The antique bar was incredible, the ceiling ornate, and behind us a rustic old-timey piano sat side-by-side wwith a TouchTunes jukebox. The men’s room was a bit odd… basically a closet with a toilet — no sink and no working light.

109 S Washington St
Bloomfield, IA 52537
US
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(641) 664-3162

American Legion Post 78

scooterj — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 17:10:00 +0000

(Bloomfield, IA)

Scooter’s 312th bar, first visited in 2007.

B: Coors Light 10oz draw – $1
S: Coors Light 10oz draw – $1

We had trouble figuring out how to get into this place, the front door seemed to be locked. (We later discovered it was just sticky.) We went in through the back.

We asked our bartender about the other bars in the area. She named a couple of places on the way out of town that she thought we’d like. More upscale. “Younger people, people more like you, you’ll like it.”

“There’s also Jim’s Silver Dollar around the corner, but you don’t want to go. That place is a complete dump. Dirty, disgusting. Really nasty. Nasty people, too. [leaning in] True white trash. [leaning more and motioning towards the guys at the far end of the bar] Even worse than what you get in here. And it’s expensive, you’ll pay a buck-fifty, maybe even a buck seventy-five.”

Now, with an endorsement like that, where else would we go next???

211 E Jefferson St
Bloomfield, IA 52537
US
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(641) 664-2446
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Cocanana’s

scooterj — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:39:00 +0000

(Ottumwa, IA)

Scooter’s 311th bar, first visited in 2007.

We got our beers ($1 each for 10oz Bud Light draws) and I began looking through my notebook to see how we had done. I did a double-take and rechecked my figures. I was stunned to discover that we had just ordered our 30th drink at our 30th bar of the day, shattering our previous record by 7 bars.

We high-fived and clinked our glasses, sending a splash of beer onto the bar counter. A guy standing at the end of the bar asked what we were celebrating.

“We’ve been to 30 bars!” we said.

“Really? This is your 30th ever?” the guy asked.

“No,” we replied, “our 30th today!”

“Oh my god!” interjected the bartender. “PLEASE tell me you are not driving!”

“Oh no,” we reassured her, “we’re on foot.”

“Well, congratulations, then, and be careful,” she told us as she wiped up our minor spill.

After we finished our drinks and left the bar, we were met in the parking lot by a group of patrons, a man and two women who had heard us talking about our accomplishment. They asked us where all we had been and shared with us a wealth of information about some of the bars we had been to earlier in the day.

1317 E Main St
Ottumwa, IA 52501
US
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(641) 682-1931

The Salty Frog

scooterj — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:38:00 +0000

(Ottumwa, IA)

Scooter’s 310th bar, first visited in 2007.

B: Bud Lite 8oz draw – $1.25
S: Bud Lite 8oz draw – $1.25

Right across the street from Scooters, this place had only been open for a couple of weeks tops when we visited.

314 E Main St
Ottumwa, IA 52501
US
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(641) 683-8327
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Scooters

scooterj — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:37:00 +0000

(Ottumwa, IA)

Scooter’s 309th bar, first visited in 2007.

B: Tall Kamikaze – $3.50
S: Tall Kamikaze – $3.50

We entered through the back door and discovered that this was a dance club. A bouncer stopped us and told us there was a $2 cover. We don’t pay cover charges so we turned around and left — it’s just not not right to have to pay in order to be able to buy a drink.

We went around the block and found another place. We went inside, another dance club. The bouncer stopped us, but this one said “You guys were here earlier, right?” About then we realized that we were at the same place we had just left the other end of, so technically it wasn’t a lie to say “Yes.” The bouncer waved us on in.

With our stomachs still suffering from a volume issue I decided to order us kamikaze shots instead of beer. But the bartender misunderstood and made us tall kamikazes instead. Still, this was much less liquid than a pint of beer.

When we arrived a man to B’s right began staring very affectionately at him, making B somewhat uncomfortable. The guy then started making some suggestive remarks. Just as the bartender handed me the drinks, B grabbed me and made me trade places with him, spilling some of my drink onto my shirt. The guy that was bugging B took my hand then told me he was going to have my friend “maybe not tonight, perhaps not tomorrow, but soon.” We slammed our drinks and got the hell out of there.

305 E Main St
Ottumwa, IA 52501
US
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(641) 684-4197
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Tom Tom Tap

scooterj — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:36:00 +0000

(Ottumwa, IA)

Scooter’s 308th bar, first visited in 2007.

Hotel bar for the Hotel Ottumwa

B: Bud Lite 16oz draw – $2
S: Bud Lite 16oz draw – $2

Our stomachs were so full that these beers were now massive. B had to step outside thinking he would be sick, and I did not think I was far behind. We nursed these beers, trying all we could to get them down.

Finally we were forced to invoke our rarely-used Emergency Stomach Volume Relief Rule. This rule allows us to bypass one large draw by drinking the same amount from the glass as the size of the smallest draw beer we had been allowed to purchase all day. (This rule was last invoked on Cinco de Mayo at Big Nose Kate’s in Salina, KS.) Since the smallest draw we were served today was 8oz, that meant we had to drink half. I drank 2/3 for good measure. This rule is truly reserved for emergency use only since its use creates an automatic violation of the sacred “No Beer Left Behind” rule.

107 E 2nd St
Ottumwa, IA 52501
US
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(641) 682-8051
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Owl’s Nest

scooterj — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:35:00 +0000

(Ottumwa, IA)

Scooter’s 307th bar, first visited in 2007.

B: Bud Lite 10oz draw – $1.25
S: Bud Lite 10oz draw – $1.25
We were now both feeling it. Not drunk… full. Stomach volume was proving to be a major challenge that looked likeely to keep us from reaching our goal.

116 S Court St
Ottumwa, IA 52501
US
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(641) 682-9368

Uncle Buck’s Bar & Grill

scooterj — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:34:00 +0000

(Ottumwa, IA)

Scooter’s 306th bar, first visited in 2007.

B: Bud Lite 16oz draw – $2
S: Bud Lite 16oz draw – $2
And, again, another zig-zag across the street. This place was also having karaoke, but here it was proving popular with singer after singer after singer. The setup was in the front room by the window which had to help. Upon our arrival B noticced a distinctive-looking fella and immediately nicknamed him “Blonde Jesus”. Beefore we left, Blonde Jesus got up and sang “Sweet Home Alabama”.

518 Church St
Ottumwa, IA 52501
US
[launch map]
(641) 682-4449

Dugout

scooterj — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:33:00 +0000

(Ottumwa, IA)

OUT OF BUSINESS
Shut down in July 2008 after a drug raid.

Scooter’s 305th bar, first visited in 2007.

B: Miller Light 10oz draw – $1.50
S: Miller Light 10oz draw – $1.50
And yet another zig-zag across the street. This bar was divided into two rooms – the front main bar area and a back room. It was karaoke night, with a karaoke guy set up in the front corner of the back room. Despite the bar being crowded, most of the people were in the front room and hardly anyone was doing karaoke. I’m not surprised, though, it was unusually loud in the karaoke room.

535 Church St
Ottumwa, IA 52501
US
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(641) 684-0895

The Keg

scooterj — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:32:00 +0000

(Ottumwa, IA)

Scooter’s 304th bar, first visited in 2007.

B: Bud Lite 10oz draw – $1.25
S: Bud Lite 10oz draw – $1.25
A zig-zag across a busy street from the previous bar.

622 Church St
Ottumwa, IA 52501
US
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Front Runners

scooterj — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:31:00 +0000

(Ottumwa, IA)

Scooter’s 303rd bar, first visited in 2007.

B: Old Milwaukee 12oz draw – $1.25
S: Old Milwaukee 12oz draw – $1.25
The change to Old Milwaukee was a pleasant switch that helped give us a little bit of a second wind. I think we played a little bar trivia here.

837 Church St
Ottumwa, IA 52501
US
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(641) 682-0720

Ned’s Place

scooterj — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:30:00 +0000

(Batavia, IA)

Scooter’s 302nd bar, first visited in 2007.

Batavia was on the way back to Ottumwa and we stopped despite the fact that it was getting late, so we were disappointed that all we could find was an American Legion with a locked door. We walked around the side of the building and saw some people standing near a truck. “Can you tell us how to get to Ned’s Place?” we asked. “Through that side door right behind you,” they reeplied. Whoops!

B: Bud Lite 10oz draw – $1.50
S: Bud Lite 10oz draw – $1.50

B was gettting antsy for some reason so we played some shuffleboard as we drank our beer.

1000 3rd St
Batavia, IA 52533
US
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(641) 662-2600

George’s

scooterj — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:29:00 +0000

(Fairfield, IA)

Scooter’s 301st bar, first visited in 2007.

B: Coors Light bottle
S: Coors Light bottle

Now, my notes call this place “Taso’s Pizza & Pub”, but my photo is of “George’s Pizza & Steak”. George’s is in the right location, and I can’t find any listing for a place called Taso’s. So most likely I mis-read a sign inside while taking notes. Anyway, we had some coors and then decided to get a little pizza after realizing we hadn’t eaten in over 12 hours. I don’t know how much our beers were since the pizza got added to the same tab.

57 W Broadway Ave
Fairfield, IA 52556
US
[launch map]
(641) 472-9119

VFW Post 2271

scooterj — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:28:00 +0000

(Fairfield, IA)

Scooter’s 300th bar, first visited in 2007.

For years I have known of the statue of a distance ancestor in the town square at Fairfield but never had an opportunity to see it until now…

To celebrate my visit as well as something else worth celebrating, I wanted to find someplace appropriate. We checked out the square and found a few places, then checked the perimeter of the square and found the perfect setting…

B: Miller Light 12oz – $1.25
S: Miller Light 12oz – $1.25

There were about a dozen people inside this VFW. B got their attention, I announced the reason for my visit to the statue, then announced one other thing that I was also celebrating:

This is the 300th bar I’ve been to in my life!

I then bought the entire house a round and we had a good time with everyone there before it was time to move on.

121 E Broadway Ave
Fairfield, IA 52556
US
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Visit Web Site

Primavera Club

scooterj — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:27:00 +0000

(Ottumwa, IA)
Formerly Harley’s

Scooter’s 299th bar, first visited in 2007.

Our intention was to pass through Ottumwa for now because we had some business to attend to in Fairfield, two towns further down the highway. But as we reached the eastern edge of Ottumwa we were stopped in our tracks by barricades across the highway — closed for construction. Luckily there was someplace right next to the barricades where we could ask for directions.

B: Bud Lite bottle – $1
S: Miller Light bottle – $1

Formerly Harley’s, this place had just recently been bought by a nice Mexican family and re-opened as the Primavera Club. Our bartender, Lorena, was a former nurse who told us about heer life’s travels. Her friends at a nearby table helped us out with directions around the construction zone so that we could get to Fairfield.

2801 Roemer Ave
Ottumwa, IA 52501
US
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Alpine Inn

scooterj — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:26:00 +0000

(Ottumwa, IA)

Scooter’s 298th bar, first visited in 2007.

We circled around this place twice trying to determine if it was actually a bar or not. Finally we went inside and discovered it’s all bar. B bought a beer for an old man next to us that we were chatting with.

1804 Albia Rd
Ottumwa, IA 52501
US
[launch map]
(641) 682-3311

American Legion #136

scooterj — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:25:00 +0000

(Albia, IA)

Scooter’s 297th bar, first visited in 2007.

We chatted with a guy named Bob who used to own a hardware store and would come to KC (technically to Overland Park, it was the Kansas City Merchandise Mart) for trade shows. On our way out B bought him a beer.

By the way, this American Legion has the distinction of being the most brightly-lit bar we have ever been in. Oddly, the darkest bar we have ever been in also was an American Legion.

21 Washington Ave W
Albia, IA 52531
US
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(641) 932-2716
Visit Web Site

Brick Street Pub & Eatery

scooterj — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:24:00 +0000

(Albia, IA)

Scooter’s 296th bar, first visited in 2007.

B: Bud Lite 10oz draw – $0.75
S: Bud Lite 10oz draw – $0.75
(Our tips were more than the cost of the beer!)

This place was built in 1904, and has always operated as a bar for all 104 (and counting) years of its life.

24 A Ave W
Albia, IA 52531
US
[launch map]
(641) 932-5442

Tennessee Owl Tap

scooterj — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:23:00 +0000

(Albia, IA)

Scooter’s 295th bar, first visited in 2007.

We asked for the smallest draws available, and got the smallest draws we’ve ever had! They were almost embarassing.

This guy caught me taking this picture, so B went over to him and explained what we were doing to make sure he was cool with it.

2 S Main St
Albia, IA 52531
US
[launch map]
(641) 932-5954

Murph’s Sports Bar

scooterj — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:22:00 +0000

(Albia, IA)

Scooter’s 294th bar, first visited in 2007.

B: Bud Lite 8oz draw – $1
S: Bud Lite 8oz draw – $1

17 S Clinton St
Albia, IA 52531
US
[launch map]
(641) 932-2232

Fat Annie’s

scooterj — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:21:00 +0000

(Moravia, IA)

Scooter’s 293rd bar, first visited in 2007.

Either Annie wasn’t working today or she’s lost a lot of weight. The thing that most caught our attention was the nude paintings on the wall. There were four, all of the same woman. One thing that was odd was that two of them were identical.

Both when we arrived and again when we left, a young girl opened the door of the laundry next door and stared at us.

102 E Chariton St
Moravia, IA 52571
US
[launch map]
(641) 724-9822

The Alibi

scooterj — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:20:00 +0000

(Centerville, IA)

Scooter’s 292nd bar, first visited in 2007.

Address unknown, placement approximate. Located behind the Ben Franklin on the west side of the town square, on State Street. There is no identifying sign and it doesn’t appear in any directory I can find. We would not have come here at all, except the bartender at Gordie’s told us about it.

UPDATE – I finally found the business address by searching for the liquor license.

301 W. State
Centerville, IA 52544
US
[launch map]
(641) 895-1873

Gordie’s Bar & Grill

scooterj — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:19:00 +0000

(Centerville, IA)

Scooter’s 291st bar, first visited in 2007.

The bartender here was who told us about this town having the largest town square. This bar was on a one-way side street coming into the square. This particular street was once called Pill Row because every building was a doctors office.

108 N 13th St
Centerville, IA 52544
US
[launch map]
(641) 437-7231

The Silver Spur

scooterj — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:18:00 +0000

(Centerville, IA)

Scooter’s 290th bar, first visited in 2007.

While I tried 3 times to close the men’s room door before giving up and peeing with it wide open, B struck up a conversation with the bartender about her carpal tunnel braces.

When we left this was a memorable bar, but we didn’t realize until several hours later how memorable it would become. The following information was given to us by some people that we would meet 10-1/2 hours later:

The Silver Spur used to be called Larry’s Silver Spur. Larry was a really nice guy, but then one day his wife up and shot him in the head. She’s in prison now. Then later there was a couple in there and they had an argument. The girlfriend stormed out and the boyfriend stayed inside, he was going to wait for her to cool off and knew she’d come back in. But she never did… because when she went outside she stepped onto the highway and got flattened by a semi. They got most of her for the burial but “one arm was unattainable.”

I haven’t been able to confirm any of this yet but it’s too interesting of gossip not to pass along.

23771 Highway 5
Centerville, IA 52544
US
[launch map]
(641) 437-4777

Neighborhood Tap

scooterj — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:17:00 +0000

(Seymour, IA)

Scooter’s 289th bar, first visited in 2007.

This was the first of many bars we’d visit this weekend on the town squares of small towns. We love those! I forgot to get an interior photo and I’m temporarily drawing a blank on what it was like on the inside, but I do remember it being a pretty nice place for such a small town.

419 W Wall St
Seymour, IA 52590
US
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Fibbin Fisherman Lounge

scooterj — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:16:00 +0000

(Corydon, IA)

Scooter’s 288th bar, first visited in 2007.

I forgot to get a photo of this sign that was hanging behind the bar, I also forgot to buy one of their t-shirts.

211 N Franklin St
Corydon, IA 50060
US
[launch map]
(641) 872-2883

American Legion #379

scooterj — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:15:00 +0000

(Allerton, IA)

Scooter’s 287th bar, first visited in 2007.

This town was a fairly significant detour off the main highways and had only one bar, so we had already called ahead to make sure they’d be open. “We’ll be open at 1:00 on Saturday,” they said. So you can only imagine our intense disappointment when we found the place closed. Luckily we found a nearby replacement in this American Legion.

This was one of the least bar-like bars we have visited… it felt more like drinking at the kitchen counter in a community center. Our host was very pleasant and friendly, though, so we increased our tip a little to help her out.

303 S Central Ave
Allerton, IA 50008
US
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Visit Web Site

River Bar

scooterj — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 17:11:00 +0000

(Dows, IA)

Scooter’s 175th bar, first visited in 2006.

This was another unexpectedly nice place. One thing we had noticed throughout the trip was that we never came across anyplace with karaoke. But they had it here, in a back room.

108 E Ellsworth St
Dows, IA 50071
US
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(515) 852-4255

Sportsmans Lounge

scooterj — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:27:00 +0000

(Mason City, IA)

Scooter’s 138th bar, first visited in 2006.

The bartender was a tall blond-haired guy who talked about Mason City in its night-life heyday (complete with strip clubs) and went off on the conservative voters who keep tightening up the laws and getting things shut down. He warned us to bee careful walking back to the motel, as the police love to pick people up for public intoxication. “Would they rather us drive?” Scott asked. “That’s exactly what I tell them!” the bartender said.

217 N Federal Ave
Mason City, IA 50401
US
[launch map]
(641) 423-3252

Candy Bar Nite Club

scooterj — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:26:00 +0000

(Mason City, IA)
Formerly The Poodle

Scooter’s 137th bar, first visited in 2006.

I don’t remember much about this place other than approximately where it was.

116 N Federal Ave
Mason City, IA 50401
US
[launch map]
(641) 423-9299

South Federal Reserve

scooterj — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:25:00 +0000

(Mason City, IA)
Formerly Sallee’s

Closed, but a new bar has opened in the same location.
Is back to its original name: Sallee’s.

Scooter’s 136th bar, first visited in 2006.

Had the smallest tap of any place we’d ever seen.

627 S Federal Ave
Mason City, IA 50401
US
[launch map]
(641) 424-1310

Saddle Company

scooterj — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:24:00 +0000

(Mason City, IA)
Formerly Gumps

OUT OF BUSINESS
Close in 2007. Re-opened as Ghost Riders. That failed in 2008. Re-opened again as Cancun. That failed in 2009.

Scooter’s 135th bar, first visited in 2006.

This was a fun little dive. As we talked to the bartender a nearby customer asked what brought us up from Kansas City. When we explained our quest and that this was the 36th bar we had been to, he insisted we get up on the saddle in the back of our place and get our pictures taken.

516 S Federal Ave
Mason City, IA 50401
US
[launch map]
(641) 421-1166

Wok ‘N Roll

scooterj — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:23:00 +0000

(Mason City, IA)

Scooter’s 134th bar, first visited in 2006.

The Chinese bar/restaurant with a funny name. A fairly elegant place but a pleasant spot for a drink. The bartender was a young guy who chatted it up a bit with us and the other two customers.

YouTube: Wok N Roll – Mason City, IA

15 S Delaware Ave
Mason City, IA 50401
US
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(641) 423-1558
Visit Web Site

Rhythm and Brews

scooterj — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:22:00 +0000

(Mason City, IA)
Formerly Cousin’s Sports Bar

Closed, but a new bar has opened in the same location.
Now called “Toast Bar”

Scooter’s 133rd bar, first visited in 2006.

This place had a nice bar and eating area. We got a medium all-meat pizza here that was really good — very meaty and flavorful.

11 S Delaware Ave
Mason City, IA 50401
US
[launch map]
(641) 424-4490

Champions Bar & Grill

scooterj — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:21:00 +0000

(Mason City, IA)

Closed, but a new bar has opened in the same location.
Now called “Dano’s Bar & Grill”

Scooter’s 132nd bar, first visited in 2006.

I remember this being a nice little place not far from the downtown square but that’s about all I remember.

1327 N Federal Ave
Mason City, IA 50401
US
[launch map]
(641) 424-5929

Burke’s Bar & Grill

scooterj — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:20:00 +0000

(Mason City, IA)
Formerly The Stoned Toad

Scooter’s 131st bar, first visited in 2006.

Food was weighing heavily on our minds and that picture of a burger on the front helped pull us in. Once inside, however, our beer caused us to forget about food and after we left we remembered we were still hungry.

1221 N Federal Ave
Mason City, IA 50401
US
[launch map]
(641) 423-9610

Kozy Korner Bar

scooterj — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:19:00 +0000

(Mason City, IA)

Scooter’s 130th bar, first visited in 2006.

This was diagonally opposite from Mugshotz, and that’s all I can remember.

1402 N Federal Ave
Mason City, IA 50401
US
[launch map]
(641) 424-7905

Mug Shotz

scooterj — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:18:00 +0000

(Mason City, IA)
Formerly Route 65

Scooter’s 129th bar, first visited in 2006.

This places is called Mugshotz if you go by the newer sign on the side or Route 65 if you go by the sign on the front. (Looks like Mugshotz is the official name.)

1401 N Federal Ave
Mason City, IA 50401
US
[launch map]
(641) 421-1756

Willow Run Lounge

scooterj — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:17:00 +0000

(Mason City, IA)

Scooter’s 128th bar, first visited in 2006.

We asked for a good place to eat. “Right here,” said the bartender. Well, we didn’t really want tacos, though, so she recommended a steak place at the north end of town.

2821 4th St SW
Mason City, IA 50401
US
[launch map]
(641) 423-9709

Players Sports Bar & Dance

scooterj — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:16:00 +0000

(Clear Lake, IA)

Closed, but a new bar has opened in the same location.
Now called Rumorz.

Scooter’s 127th bar, first visited in 2006.

All I can really remember about this place is using the restroom. Both on arrival and on departure.

1210 S Shore Dr
Clear Lake, IA 50428
US
[launch map]
(641) 357-0901

Elly’s Lake Front Tap

scooterj — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:15:00 +0000

(Clear Lake, IA)

Scooter’s 126th bar, first visited in 2006.

It was a warm, overcast Thursday afternoon in August as we walked around downtown Clear Lake, Iowa, enjoying cold drinks at the neighborhood pubs. One tavern proved to be a little bit of a challenge for us to find, as we didn’t expect it to underground — in the basement of what appears very much to be a private residence!

Indeed, the front of Elly’s Lake Front Tap looks like a visit to one’s grandmother’s house. However a set of steps leads down to an entrance below sidewalk level to a hidden basement bar.

The bar was U-shaped and had a few people sitting around it, most of them considerably older than us. Drinks were cheap and in cans. We sat down beside a gentleman and he asked where we were from. We told him “Kansas City” and explained what we were up to. When we told him we’d be going to Mason City next, he gave us warning after warning about construction between Clear Lake and Mason City, rambling about lane closures and flooded out shoulders. (We’d later find the highway completely open, clear, and fine.)

Clear Lake is best known for being the location of The Day The Music Died — the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper. The Surf Ballroom, where the three performed their last concert the night before the crash, is located just a few blocks from Elly’s, while the crash site is just a few miles to the northeast.

Consequently, Elly’s has become an unofficial and lesser-known shrine of sorts for memorabilia and artifacts surrounding the event (as well as Clear Lake history in general). The walls of the bar are covered in photos, posters, and newspaper clippings, while display cases house other items such as bricks from the first Surf Ballroom (which was destroyed in a fire and rebuilt years before the crash).

Tourists coming to Clear Lake for its place in music history typically make visits to the Surf Ballroom and to the crash site, but a stop at Elly’s should be added to the itinerary to get the full experience.

Because the interior of Elly’s is very dark and the flash on the camera I had with me was malfunctioning, I was unable to get any decent interior shots. However I have selected a few photos from the nearby Surf Ballroom, as well as from the crash site, to illustrate some of the history in Clear Lake.

12 S Shore Dr
Clear Lake, IA 50428
US
[launch map]
(641) 357-9589

Ingy’s

scooterj — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:14:00 +0000

(Clear Lake, IA)

OUT OF BUSINESS
Closed in 2007. In 2009 a place called Bikerz tried to open up but couldn’t get a liquor license.

Scooter’s 125th bar, first visited in 2006.

For whatever reason I can’t really remember my visit to this place.

313 Main Ave
Clear Lake, IA 50428
US
[launch map]
(641) 357-8635

Retlaw’s at the Lake

scooterj — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:13:00 +0000

(Clear Lake, IA)

Scooter’s 124th bar, first visited in 2006.

We had a choice between draws for $4.50 total or a pitcher for $5.00. It was a tough call, but we opted for the pitcher. We looked for a trivia box to kill some time but none was to be found.

619 Buddy Holly Place
Clear Lake, IA 50428
US
[launch map]
(641) 357-4060

Half Moon Inn

scooterj — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:12:00 +0000

(Clear Lake, IA)

Scooter’s 123rd bar, first visited in 2006.

This place was more of a restaurant but had a small bar towards the back. Its advertising spoke of its fine food, but the kitchen was closed.

701 Buddy Holly Pl
Clear Lake, IA 50428
US
[launch map]
(641) 357-9339

Other Place

scooterj — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:11:00 +0000

(Clear Lake, IA)

Scooter’s 122nd bar, first visited in 2006.

This bar is a small chain with most of their locations clustered in north-central Iowa, but for some reason it also has an Overland Park and an Olathe location. It was a pretty big place and not very busy. We asked the girl behind the bar about places to go drinking over in Mason City (she was from there) but she said that she didn’t know because she wasn’t old enough to drink yet.

200 US Highway 18 W
Clear Lake, IA 50428
US
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(641) 357-8118
Visit Web Site

Rookie’s

scooterj — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:10:00 +0000

(Clear Lake, IA)

Scooter’s 121st bar, first visited in 2006.

This was a 2-sided bar on Main Street right downtown. We noticed that the lower level side of the bar was all men while the upper level side was mostly women.

The Mecca of Cheap Drinkin’ (Rookie’s; Clear Lake, Iowa)

307 Main Ave
Clear Lake, IA 50428
US
[launch map]
(641) 357-4629

Rookie’s

scooterj — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 17:30:00 +0000

(Osceola, IA)

Scooter’s 120th bar, first visited in 2006.

Pretty good sized bar. I found out later it’s associated with an attached bowling alley that we didn’t even notice! We must have been pretty lit.

116 E Webster St
Osceola, IA 50213
US
[launch map]
(641) 342-9709

Plain Jane’s Lounge

scooterj — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 17:29:00 +0000

(Osceola, IA)

Closed, but a new bar has opened in the same location.
Now called Foxy’s

Scooter’s 119th bar, first visited in 2006.

The bartender confirmed for us that that there were only 3 “real” bars in town. Which meant the info we had that led us here for our stopping point of the day was faulty.

108 E Jefferson St
Osceola, IA 50213
US
[launch map]
(641) 342-2069

West Side Tavern

scooterj — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 17:28:00 +0000

(Osceola, IA)

Scooter’s 118th bar, first visited in 2006.

Young crowd, bolted leather seats, country music, 5 ceiling fans with none of them on. I got a phone call and was yakking on the phone for about 5 minutes, irritating Brandon. Baby food jars with holes poked in the lids served as salt shakers.

124 S Fillmore St
Osceola, IA 50213
US
[launch map]
(641) 342-6249

Side Tracked Again

scooterj — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 17:27:00 +0000

(Creston, IA)

Scooter’s 117th bar, first visited in 2006.

Due to the extreme darkness a good picture could not be obtained either outside or inside. But this bar’s most prominent feature was a large Hamm’s bear inside the front window.

We asked the bartender why it was called “Sidetracked Again”.

“‘Sidetracked’ comes from being next to the railroad tracks. We used to be on the other side, but the city closed us down because they said they needed to build a store there. So then we moved over here and now we’re ‘Sidetracked Again’.”

206 W Union St
Creston, IA 50801
US
[launch map]
(641) 782-8534

Twilight Zone

scooterj — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 17:26:00 +0000

(Creston, IA)

Scooter’s 116th bar, first visited in 2006.

Everything about this place screamed dance club from the outside and we were a bit hesitant, but once inside we saw no prominent signs of a dance floor. Brandon noted that the different font of the letter “W” was likely the only thing making this bar’s logo not be a trademark violation. Both Miller and Bud had sponsored their signage.

129 N Pine St
Creston, IA 50801
US
[launch map]
(641) 782-8033
Visit Web Site

Eagles Club Room – Post 1398

scooterj — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 17:25:00 +0000

(Creston, IA)

Scooter’s 115th bar, first visited in 2006.

The bar area was quite large and located on the upper level. We think this may have been a members-only place because we were supposed to sign in up front, but no one was looking so B suggested we just stroll in “like we know what we’re doing”. This place had a big, rectangular bar. As we drank our beers we didn’t really notice that the drunken guy from the Montgomery Street Pub was also there.

When we left, that same guy had left seconds ahead of us, and he began to stumble down the stairs. Brandon grabbed him to steady him and he thanked us. He then went into a spiel about how his wife and son had beaten him earlier that night so the police took him to the bars to get him away from then. He pulled up his pants legs to reveal several scrapes and bruises to support his claim. He said that they do it to him all the time. Eventually the topic of where we were from came up and when we said “Kansas City” he got really excited. “No shit?” he began, “my daughter’s a Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleader!”

We didn’t believe him, but he insisted. “Come on, they have the posters and she’s on the calendar. I’ll prove it.”

He led us back to the Montgomery Street Pub, where as soon as we stepped in the bartender looked him on the eye and said “No, no more tonight.” “I’m just here to show them the calendar,” replied our new friend. “Oh,” said the bartender, “we don’t have that anymore, it was for last month.” “So is it true?” we asked, “Is his daughter really a Chiefs cheerleader?”

“Yes, she is,” vouched the bartender and several patrons.

After we managed to lose the drunken dude, who now wanted us to go with him to his shop to see the poster he had there, we were going to head on out of town.

300 E Montgomery St
Creston, IA 50801
US
[launch map]
(641) 782-4215

American Legion – Post 70

scooterj — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 17:24:00 +0000

(Creston, IA)

Scooter’s 114th bar, first visited in 2006.

We munched from styrofoam cups of snack mix and I found that the restroom had the smallest trough-style urinal I had ever seen.

119 N Walnut St
Creston, IA 50801
US
[launch map]
(641) 782-7833
Visit Web Site

Montgomery Street Pub

scooterj — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 17:23:00 +0000

(Creston, IA)

Scooter’s 113th bar, first visited in 2006.

A fairly small place with an L-shaped bar and a slightly rowdy crowd. One guy was particularly drunk and tossed out a few bucks to buy a shot for a newlywed couple at the other end of the bar.

207 E Montgomery St
Creston, IA 50801
US
[launch map]
(641) 782-2165

Good Time Charley’s

scooterj — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 17:22:00 +0000

(Creston, IA)

Scooter’s 112th bar, first visited in 2006.

This was a fairly large place with a long bar, font and rear entrances, that was split lengthwise with the bar and some dining tables on the south side and a separate overflow dining room on the north side, a split-level a few steps down.

211 N Pine St
Creston, IA 50801
US
[launch map]
(641) 782-2992

Elms Club

scooterj — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 17:21:00 +0000

(Creston, IA)

Scooter’s 111th bar, first visited in 2006.

Nice neighborhood spot. L-shaped bar and several booths.

108 N Elm St
Creston, IA 50801
US
[launch map]
(641) 782-2615
Visit Web Site

TJ’s

scooterj — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 17:20:00 +0000

(Afton, IA)

Scooter’s 110th bar, first visited in 2006.

After Bert’s, having a beer in what was essentially a Butler building wasn’t quite as enchanting but this was still a fairly nice little place.

241 N Webster St
Afton, IA 50830
US
[launch map]
(641) 347-5043

Berts Pub & Grub

scooterj — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 17:19:00 +0000

(Afton, IA)

Scooter’s 109th bar, first visited in 2006.

Afton, Iowa is the former county seat of Union County, and has a nice town square to prove it. While people in jeans played basketball in a park in the square in 100+ degree heat, we drove around looking for a place to cool off.

Located right on the square, Bert’s Pub & Grub occupies a former Gamble’s department store. With wood floors and high ceilings, Bert’s showcases its ornate, leather-wrapped bar proudly. We had just settled in with our bottles of Bud Light and Miller Lite when the bartender offered to show us around the place.

The most striking feature of the main bar area is its antique elevator. Originally used by the department store, it is still used today for bring in cases of beer and taking out the trash. This unique elevator is hand-operated, using an intricate system of pulleys to allow the operator to raise and lower themselves and a heavy load of merchandise with ease by simply pulling a rope. Our bartender demonstrated how simple it was to use.

As we toured the bar we were surprised to find a dance room in back, complete with setups for pole dancing and cage dancing. (The camera we had with us on this visit had no flash, hence the “night vision” photo below.) The owner, Jeff Zeits, had the stage and dance area constructed in 2004 and had plans to bring in exotic dancers from time to time to “bring a little life” to town. But City Hall got wind of the idea and put a stop to it before it ever took off. Nonetheless is still makes a good stage for local and touring bands.

175 E Kansas St
Afton, IA 50830
US
[launch map]
(641) 347-5150

Long Branch Lounge

scooterj — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 17:18:00 +0000

(Arispe, IA)

Scooter’s 108th bar, first visited in 2006.

This place had a pretty big dance floor. When we explained to the bartender that we had come up through Lamoni, she told us all about her sons going to school at Graceland University on a football scholarship and how they are required to eat at least 2 meals on campus each day.

400 N Division St
Arispe, IA 50831
US
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(641) 346-2570

Darlene’s Place

scooterj — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 17:17:00 +0000

(Ellston, IA)

Scooter’s 107th bar, first visited in 2006.

We sat at the short end of the L-shaped bar under the watchful eye of a mounted goat head smoking a cigarette (similar to the one shown here). To our left a couple of weathered farmers were having a drink.

“We’ve got a population of, oh, about forty*,” one of the farmers told us, “so we’re awful lucky to have this place.”

This is one thing we love about this area of Iowa. No matter how far it is from the main highway, no matter how small it is, you can almost always count on finding a place to stop and share a drink with the locals.

As we finished our beers, two young future regulars came in for some root beer. Hopefully Darlene’s will still be there for them when they come of legal age.

We still had more places to see, so we said goodbye to our friends at Darlene’s and got back on the gravel highway towards our next destination.

*55, according to the US Census 2006 estimate

202 E Main St
Ellston, IA 50074
US
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(641) 772-4992

G & L Bar and Grill

scooterj — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 17:16:00 +0000

(Diagonal, IA)

Scooter’s 106th bar, first visited in 2006.

From the outside this was probably the most run-down looking of any place we visited but once we stepped in we found that it wasn’t too bad. While I was using the restroom the bartender swiped B’s driver’s license through a device that verified his age. We were surprised that of all places, this was the first we ever saw such technology. The bartender seemed a little bit nervous about us at first but she warmed up to us a little after a while.

209 Broadway St
Diagonal, IA 50845
US
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(641) 734-5525

Office Bar & Grill

scooterj — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 17:15:00 +0000

(Mt Ayr, IA)

Closed, but a new bar has opened in the same location.
Now called “Bo’s Place”

Scooter’s 105th bar, first visited in 2006.

When we stepped inside we found the bartender sitting in a chair behind the far end of the counter watching soap operas on a little TV she had set up on a stand. After serving our drinks she returned to her soaps and we don’t think she ever said another word. As she watched her show, Brandon scanned the room and spotted a piece of bar decor on a shelf fashioned to look like a bucket of Miller High Lifes.

115 N Taylor St
Mt Ayr, IA 50854
US
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(641) 464-2921

Smith’s Sports & Spirits

scooterj — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 17:14:00 +0000

(Mt Ayr, IA)

OUT OF BUSINESS

Scooter’s 104th bar, first visited in 2006.

This place was a lot more of a restaurant but the kitchen was already closed, not reopening again until supper. We sat at the bar towards the back of the dining room to enjoy our drinks and get some info from the bartender about other places in town.

104 W Madison St
Mt Ayr, IA 50854
US
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(641) 464-0723

K-Town Legends

scooterj — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 17:13:00 +0000

(Kellerton, IA)

Closed briefly, is back open now with a new owner.

Scooter’s 103rd bar, first visited in 2006.

We drove onto the main strip in this quiet little town, lined with several run-down buildings, some empty, but many being rather architecturally interesting buildings. This was probably a pretty little town back in its day. As for the bar, it had no signage anywhere outside or inside that told us what the name was so we had to ask the bartender. We noticed some bowling trophies on a shelf above us, and a back room behind a curtain that we didn’t go check out.

102 Decatur St
Kellerton, IA 50133
US
[launch map]
(641) 783-2300
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Poor Boys Lounge

scooterj — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 17:12:00 +0000

(Decatur City, IA)

Scooter’s 102nd bar, first visited in 2006.

Lots of dead animals on display, and showers in the restrooms, leading us to believe this used to be a hunting lodge.

304 E Vine St
Decatur City, IA 50067
US
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(641) 446-8005

Bears Den Pub

scooterj — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 17:11:00 +0000

(Leon, IA)

Scooter’s 101st bar, first visited in 2006.

This place had a roulette-like game that used the ceiling fan as the spinner.

101 W 1st St
Leon, IA 50144
US
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(641) 446-6222

Characters Sports Bar / The Raging Buffalo

scooterj — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 17:10:00 +0000

(Lamoni, IA)

Closed, but a new bar has opened in the same location.
Was also called The Longhorn Pub for a while, is now simply called The Bar.

Scooter’s 100th bar, first visited in 2006.

Located right in the heart of downtown. A big place with lots of TVs and memorabilia. Officially the bar proper is only open on weekends. The rest of the time, while you can still order alcohol, a huge red curtain hides the bar so that the extremely conservative locals won’t have to be offended by seeing it while they are eating.

100 N Linden St
Lamoni, IA 50140
US
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(641) 784-6505