Welcome!
Some people collect autographs, some collect antiques, others collect stamps. My hobby is a little different, I collect bars. This site represents my collection, documenting each bar I visit.
This is not a review site, there's plenty of those already. Most posts in this bar diary are slice-of-life recaps of the half hour or so I spent having a beer. I hope you enjoy browsing through my collection!
--ScooterJA Few Random Favorites
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Boiler Brewing Company
21 November 2018(Downtown, Lincoln, NE) Scooter’s 1301st bar, first visited in 2018. Spectacular brewery in the basement of the Grand Manse building, a former courthouse. Accessed from a stairwell in an alley....
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Buoy Beer Company
09 April 2022(Downtown, Astoria, OR) Scooter’s 1526th bar, first visited in 2022. This is a pretty fascinating brewery build right on the wharf overlooking the Columbia River. A glass bottom in the...
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Jumpin Jack’s
15 July 2011(St. Joseph, MO) Formerly Old Lamplighter Inn Scooter’s 908th bar, first visited in 2011. Every barhopping trip includes one bar that is so far beyond our expectations that it ends...
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Iowa Archive
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#114: American Legion – Post 70
Posted on August 2006 | No Comments(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... -
#113: Montgomery Street Pub
Posted on August 2006 | No Comments(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... -
#112: Good Time Charley’s
Posted on August 2006 | No Comments(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... -
#111: Elms Club
Posted on August 2006 | No Comments(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 50801US [launch map] (641) 782-2615 Visit Web... -
#110: TJ’s
Posted on August 2006 | No Comments(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... -
#109: Berts Pub & Grub
Posted on August 2006 | No Comments(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... -
#108: Long Branch Lounge
Posted on August 2006 | No Comments(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,... -
#107: Darlene’s Place
Posted on August 2006 | No Comments(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... -
#106: G & L Bar and Grill
Posted on August 2006 | No Comments(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... -
#105: Office Bar & Grill
Posted on August 2006 | No Comments(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... -
#104: Smith’s Sports & Spirits
Posted on August 2006 | No Comments(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... -
#103: K-Town Legends
Posted on August 2006 | No Comments(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,... -
#102: Poor Boys Lounge
Posted on August 2006 | No Comments(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... -
#101: Bears Den Pub
Posted on August 2006 | No Comments(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 50144US... -
#100: Characters Sports Bar / The Raging Buffalo
Posted on August 2006 | No Comments(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...