5 minute read
Beloved Barrel Society Offers Bold Beer
Princeton bar offers craft beers for all taste buds
Story by Ali Braboy & Photos by Scott Anderson
APrinceton bar with a great atmosphere is attracting patrons from miles away for its beer, whiskey, cocktails, and bottle shop.
“The beer is something different we can’t find here in the Quad Cities all the time,” said Nick Bitting, who comes to Bureau County with his wife, Lindsay, specifically for the Barrel Society. “We were looking for an easy day trip. Basically, every other weekend, we head up there for our Friday evening or Saturday afternoon.”
“He runs a good shop,” Bitting said of the
Above: Nick Gorogianis, the owner of the Barrel Society bar, pours and serves a beer for a customer. The Princeton bar has a popular local following but also attracts customers from Chicago and a lot of patrons from the Quad Cities and Peoria area.
Above: The bottle room at the Barrel Society in Princeton has a wide variety of beers to try. In June, the bar added the bottle shop, which is its own liquor store on premise where they sell beer, wine, whiskey, and more to-go. During the pandemic, the bar also added a patio out back for its customers. Left: Those interested in craft beers should pay a visit to the Barrel Society bar in Princeton, which has roughly 100 craft beers to choose from in cans and bottles, and from six taps that get changed often. This IPA beer named Newfallen by Hop Butcher For The World is one of the top sellers the bar carries.
Barrel Society’s owner, Nick Gorogianis. “I appreciate someone who runs a good business and takes it seriously.”
The bar has a popular local following and attracts customers from Chicago and many patrons from the Quad Cities and Peoria area. For craft beer enthusiasts, it’s hard to go wrong there. The bar consistently has roughly 100 craft beers to choose from, in cans and bottles, and has six taps, which get changed often.
Gorogianis said their most popular are lagers, pilsners (a pilsner is a type of lager), and India pale ales, more commonly called IPAs. For those new to craft beers, lagers are a crisp, clear, clean, cold-brewed beer.
Some craft lagers the bar carries are Pulaski Pils by Maplewood Brewery and Distillery, Vienna Lager by Goldfinger Brewing Company, Gravitace by Art History Brewing, and Good Morning Munich by Art History Brewing.
A craft lager is a great transition beer for someone who likes Busch Light and wants to try something different. The flavors, aroma, and even texture of the beer when you drink it are completely different from domestic beers. Lagers have tons of great flavor to offer – Gorogianis mentioned notes of cereal, like a cornflake with crispy toastiness.
One recent trend has been for lower-calorie craft beers, and the Barrel Society offers some of those for people watching their intake and waistlines. Pipeworks Brewing Company has
See BEER page 14
The craft beer selection is only part of the reason for the Barrel Society’s success. Patrons also love the atmosphere at the bar.
FROM PAGE 13 a west coast-style IPA beer named Ninja Vs. Unicorn. Now they have a version called Mini Unicorn, which is a lower calorie IPA. WeldWerks Brewery has a beer named Juicy Bits – the low-calorie version is called Fit Bits.
IPAs are also a popular craft beer at the bar. Gorogianis mentioned different kinds customers enjoy. People like the west coast-style, a more traditional, classic style, also known as an American IPA. Another big hit is the New England-style IPA, which started on the east coast and pours out looking almost like orange juice, appearing hazy and usually very citrus-forward.
A lot of customers ask Gorogianis what beers and what breweries he wants to bring into Barrel Society.
“We’re very quality-focused, and I like to look for breweries who have a great balance,” he said. “I like there to be a balance between new school progressive brewing techniques and old school classic styles.”
The weather influences what some drinkers reach for, so what sells well one season might change when the temperature drops or rises. In the colder weather, Bitting enjoys drinking porters and stouts.
“As the weather warms up, a heavy stout doesn’t sound great. In the heat of the summer, I’ll drink more IPAs, and in the falls, reds and ambers,” he said.
His wife, Lindsay, likes to drink beer too. She loves the Barrel Society’s mixed drinks and cocktails, which Nick Bitting described as phenomenal.
Another regular customer of the bar is Heidi Renner of Princeton, who enjoys the beer they offer, especially the IPAs. One beer she said she likes is 3 Floyds Brewing Co.’s Gumballhead, which she describes as citrusy, a little bitter at the end, but having a light, fresh taste.
“We enjoy the atmosphere. The bartenders are always top-notch and know what you want,” she said, adding the bartenders always have good suggestions if she is looking for something new. For her birthday, Renner’s daughter went to the Barrel Society and asked Gorogianis for two, four-packs of beer for Renner.
“He picked them, and they were perfect,” Renner said of Gorogianis. “He knows what we drink. He’s really good at that.”
Besides serving delicious beer and having a friendly atmosphere, the bar brings customers to other Princeton businesses. While the Bittings are in Princeton, they enjoy going to the Flour House Bakery and Coffee for coffee and baked goods. They also love Myrtle’s Pies, where they order all their holiday pies.
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