Lapping it Up in the Land of Lincoln

Obed & Isaac's
500 S 6th St | Springfield, IL
www.obedandisaacs.com


Coming back up from Saint Louis, Mr. K and I tried to make a few stops. Apparently, the Illinois wineries along the way are all closed on Sunday. This brew pub in Springfield was opened and welcoming. We had seen it on one of our last trips up, but this time we made the stop. It has quite a history tied in a small way to Lincoln, of course (he loaned Issac the money to build the house). All of the history can be found on their website. It's an interesting tale about a desire to preserve historic buildings, a chance opportunity to restore a property using a surrogate house, and a dream to brew. This property probably isn't a stranger to brewing, but it's nice to see a modern operation with a tie to history. When we drove up was expecting a bit of a gimmick. Ye olde chips and a pot o'stew. 

On the outside, they had a patio, a large biergarten, and a bocce ball court. You could see some of their brewing operation. The restaurant building was well-kept.


The decor inside was a mix of the old fashioned and modern with wood and stained glass paired with sleek lighting and large television screens. If the main dining room was crowded, it would still be comfortable; the tables were separated into different rooms. It was cozy. We just grabbed a seat at the bar and enjoyed the atmosphere. In addition to the nine house brews they had on tap, they had a great selection of rye, whiskey, bourbon, vodka, and wine behind the bar. 

The service was fast and the bartender was friendly. She chatted with the locals and gave us the information we needed about the beers and food. The beers were good. They matched their styles well. On the current menu they had a Dunkel, Blonde, Stout, Hefeweizen, Winter, Amber, Brown, and two Belgian IPAs. I tried the Froth Bite Winter Ale and the Zerkle White IPA (Belgian Wit).


The food was interesting. They had some really good meals on the menu. We saw pulled pork and Italian sandwiches at the bar next to us. We saw salads, soups, and burgers come to the tables next to us. Hunger overtook us and I think we made some pretty poor choices. We went for two appetizers thinking that we needed something lighter while we were on the road. But...we ordered scotch eggs and a pulled pork "nacho" plate. The scotch eggs were tasty, but just weren't the best choice for a meal. The eggs were cooked well (not overcooked), the breading was crisp,and the sausage was thick and spiced. The nachos were disappointing. It was pulled pork on toasted pita with very sweet bbq sauce and this odd queso sauce all over it. The meat was really good though, I just couldn't get around everything else to eat it. I'd go again though and order something else. The other food looked really good. 

Overall, it was a fun place to hang out. It was a laid-back atmosphere that I would have no problem calling my local watering hole if I lived closer. It's a great neighborhood pub.

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