Richard Day began brewing craft beer nearly three decades ago from his home in Port Byron. This week, the full-time Hampton dentist is pouring pints of his homemade recipes at the newest microbrewery in the Quad-City area: Green Tree Brewery in LeClaire.
"We wanted to do this for a while, but I didn't think I could ramp up my batches from five gallons to 500 gallons," Day said.
But with the help and encouragement from a friend and local brew master Steve Zuiderma, who owns Front Street Brewery in Davenport, Day tweaked his production process and began serving customers on Tuesday.
On Friday ? the business' official grand opening ? Green Tree will become the sixth microbrewery in the Quad-City area.
Although the nearly 2,000-square-foot business overlooks the Mississippi River, Day's wife, Denise, said the family didn't want to include "river" in the brewery's name.
"There's already Great River and Bent River so we wanted something original," she added, referring to two other Quad-City breweries.
Instead, the family named their business after a 230-year-old elm tree known as the LeClaire Elm, or the Green Tree, that once shaded LeClaire's riverfront.
Day made it clear, however, he's not trying to compete against any of the already-established microbreweries in town.
"We're all trying to help each other out while big-time breweries like Anheuser-Busch look down on us," said Day, who added he'll have 2,000 gallons of beer ready for the brewery's opening weekend.
According to the Brewers Association, 1.5 new breweries, on average, open every day in the U.S. alone.
In total, Green Tree currently has six brews on tap, which range in flavor, alcohol content and style.
If you ask Day's wife, for example, her favorite is the Ground Hound, which infuses her husband's oatmeal stout and a blend of Coffee Hound's Ethiopian and Sumatran coffees.
"It's too much for me," said Day, whose favorite is his hoppy India Pale Ale.
Green Tree's arrival in LeClaire's downtown adds to the popular Cody Road lineup, which includes Mississippi River Distilling Co. and Wide River Winery's tasting room.
Cindy Bruhn, LeClaire's tourism manager, said she doesn't think there's an overload of alcohol-related businesses; just the opposite, in fact.
"The more the merrier," Bruhn said. "Different people like different things so it's great to be able to offer variety."
Just south of the brewery, which is located at 309 N. Cody Road, the folks at Mississippi River Distilling Co. are happy to have a new neighbor.
Garrett Burchett said he thinks the new brewery complements the business he and his brother, Ryan, own and operate.
"It's just another reason for people to come to LeClaire," he said with a grin. "If people enjoy craft beer, they tend to enjoy craft whiskey, too."
And on Wednesday, Victoria Kent and Bridget Isaacs did just that during a stop in LeClaire on their way to Chicago.
The duo left California last week on a cross-country road trip and they parked themselves at Green Tree's bar to catch a glimpse of the Mississippi River, while they sampled a few brews.
"We work at a craft brewery in San Diego so we got really excited when we saw this," Kent said.
Day's goal is to attract tourists and regulars in search of craft beers, not necessarily someone looking for a quick buzz.
"We're hoping it can become kind of an evening Starbucks for adults," he said.
Under the bar's counter, which Day refurbished from century-plus-old pine wood, customers can charge their mobile devices while they relax and have a pint or two.
