How do you destihl visting a place into words and photos?
Destihl brewery is my 601 place visited and what better way to kick off the 600 places visited than with a beer and a sandwich.
Emily has been wanting to come back here for awhile now and it's been on my list for years now, so when we finally got some free time to roam out of our hometowns, we hit the highway for Normal. We stopped first and fueled ourselves up on coffee at The Coffeehouse & Deli before settling in at Destihl for some hopefully delicious beer and food.
I've never seen photos of this place but as we approached, I was blown away by the sheer size of the building and how flat everything around it was. You can't not notice it when driving in the area. We pulled up and noticed this place was also extra busy due to graduation day for ISU. Not only that but Emily noticed there was a wedding going on in the back area of the brewery.
Walking in the front doors, the inside greets you with the same sense of "awww" as the outside does. The interior isn't deep but the eating and bar area are vast. To your left seems to be a bunch of tables for groups and the bar is to the right for individuals or couples to sit at. I didn't go beyond the front doors and where I sat at the bar so I can't say if there is more than what you can see from where you walk in.
Fortunately for us, we snagged some seats on an empty end of the bar. The bartenders got us our drinks (me a Hefeweizen and Emily a peach beer) and let us peruse the menu while our stomachs rumbled. When the bartender took our order, he also took our phone number. Their system texts you when your food is ready and you go pick it up at the kitchen area. Emily grabbed our meals so I didn't get a good view of the pickup area. But what a neat system.
I'll be honest, it was hard to not chug my beer and order more. One, I was driving so I wanted to be safe. Two, the price of the beer was a bit higher than expected from my experiences from other breweries... but damn, was it worth it. My beer, the Weissenheimer, was one of the best hefeweizen I've ever had. Emily got a strawberry blonde ale and a peach beer. I really dug the strawberry blonde ale and while I don't typically go out of my way for peach, I have to give it credit for being tasty.
My meal of choice was the Spicy Chicken sandwich with the chips and Em got the Green Fried Tomato BLT special with potato wedges. For how busy it was, our food was ready relatively quick. Or maybe it seemed quick because I had half my beer on an empty stomach and was feeling the effect instantly.
When Emily placed the food down in front of us, I instantly knew the quality of the food matched the quality of the beer. At $14.25 for a sandwich, it tasted every bit of that much money and then some. While I do personally prefer a kick to my spicy foods, this one as more of a simmering hot. It never made me want to reach for a glass of water but it did let you know it was there. The chips were good, but those kind of generic thin sliced potatoes that are deep fried? Not my favorite style of chip but still tasty none the less. I tried one of the potato wedges and wished I got those instead but I do confess I have a soft spot for them.
As we sat there, letting our food and beer settle, I was struck with the desire to sit there and sip on hefeweizens all day. It looked gloomy-ish out. It was a quiet saturday for both of us outside of traveling and the energy in the brewery was hectic but chill (if that makes sense). There was a guy sitting a seat over from us doing just that. Sipping beer, watching the sports on tvs and just vibing with the day.
But alas that will have to be for another day. As we left, more people were piling in so we must've dipped out right as the dinner crowd was starting to come in. We were commenting on the green truck as we strolled out and Emily had the great idea for the photo you see at the top of this post.
Even considering how busy it was and there being a wedding, the parking lot was more than spacious for how many people were there. So, if you come here, don't worry about parking being an issue.
A day later, I am still craving more of that beer. Luckily they sell it around central Illinois and there is no shortage of beer stores around here to try and find it for enjoyment at home. But... if you visit the brewery AND find a beer you love AND don't live in the general area, you can get Growlers (crowlers?) to go or even get 6-packs from fridges near the front entrance. I really regret not grabbing some on my way out but I can see myself coming back here again and again. read more