Blue Cat Brewing Company, a staple in downtown Rock Island for almost three decades, closed on New Years Eve 2022. It’s safe to say this decision was not made due to poor beer quality. The classic brew pub was awarded six awards in this year’s World Beer Championship, an award for each beer they entered. In a statement made by their Brewmaster, Charlie Cole, in a Facebook post in December; the brewery cited lack of restaurant management and damage from burst water pipe as their reason for closing. The statement also included that they are unaware if this closure is temporary or permanent. The... Read More

Rock Island’s Blue Cat Brew Pub is losing another of its lives. After a promising re-opening last year, the iconic downtown Rock Island brew pub and restaurant is closing its doors once again. Owner Charlie Cole posted the following on social media: A message from our Brewmaster, Charlie Cole: Effective 1/1/2023 Blue Cat Brewing Co. will be closing. I don’t know if this is temporary or permanently. All I know is we do not have the management to continue operating. As a brewmaster who has never worked in a restaurant, I have been filling in as the restaurant manager on top of my other... Read More

Whereas Christmas is like the silver Cadillac of holidays, Halloween is like a jacked up Camaro with flames on the side. You can have some fun with it, you can get a little wild, you can take some chances, and that’s why it’s a good time. In the food and drink biz, Halloween always offers the opportunity to come up with creative and delicious new menu specials, and this season, Blue Cat Brew Pub, 113 18th St., Rock Island, has jumped headfirst into that haunted forest of foodstuffs with a cauldron full of specials you’ll truly … grave. (Sorry, Crypt Keeper, you’ve... Read More

The Blue Cat Brewery in Rock Island will celebrate their first anniversary of reviving the classic Quad City beer brand this November. The original owners ran the second oldest operating craft brew pub in Illinois from 1993 to 2017 before brewmaster Charlie Cole and partners brought the brand back to life with the original beer recipes around this time last year. As part of their celebration they’ll be inviting a few other local professional brewers in for a live discussion panel to tell their unique journeys of making beer their career. Charlie’s story took him from St. Louis as an... Read More

Blue Cat Brewing Co. is all about bringing the fun! Celebrate the magic of the beloved television series with a special trivia night! Stranger Things Trivia Wednesday, October 19th @ 7pm Blue Cat Brewing Co. (Rock Island, IL) Covering ALL 4 Seasons! *FREE To Play *Up To 8 People per Team *Win House Cash & Prizes Learn more: STRANGER THINGS TRIVIA  Read More

Blue Cat Brew Pub in The District of Rock Island reopened in November of 2021 after a hiatus and name change. The brewery is already making a comeback in a big way, taking home multiple awards at the 2022 New York International Beer Competition. The 11th annual NYIBC received over 700 submissions from over 15 countries and were judged by trade buyers. Beers were awarded medals based on how likely judges were to buy, distribute, or import the product. Blue Cat was awarded bronze medals for their Vino #2 Wild Ale and Papa Bear Scotch Ale, a silver medal for their Emersyn Juliet Hefeweizen, and a... Read More

The new, revamped Blue Cat Brew Pub has reopened TODAY at its traditional spot, 113 18th St., Rock Island! The revamped brew pub and restaurant will feature a number of old favorites on its beer and food menu as well as some new flavors. A temporary menu (see pictures) will be available initially as the new Cat makes its transition from the previous incarnation as Big Swing Brewing Company. The first eight brews on tap will include Vino #1, Boch Nelson, Back on Track, Baby Behre Scottish Export, Birthday Cake Stout, Blue Cat Blonde, Off the Rail Pale Ale and Wigged Pig Wheat. More information about... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: After nearly four years, the Blue Cat Brew Pub is making its return to The District in Rock Island. The classic Blue Cat beer recipes will be resurrected under a new brewer. Charlie Cole has joined the current ownership group and will take on the Head Brewer role after having been a previous brewer at five breweries including three in the Quad Cities. Blue Cat Brew Pub was originally opened in 1994 by Dan Cleveland and his sister, Martha Cleveland. During the 1990’s the brewpub earned 11 awards in the World Beer Championships. The siblings chose to retire in 2017 and sold the... Read More

It’s almost the end of the year, and it’s time for everyone to flashback on the past 300-plus days, and we at QuadCities.com are right there with you. We’re taking a glance in the rearview at the past 365 to run down the top 30 stories of the year for our site! Of course, since we cover entertainment, sports, and features, that’s all we’ve got going on here. For stories on the flood, politics, crime and such, please feel free to check out our news media partners at KWQC-TV6. For the criteria on how we picked the stories, check out my column on the countdown. As always, it’s interesting... Read More

The Big Swing is stepping to the tee in downtown Rock Island, opening its doors at noon today at the location of the old Blue Cat Brew Pub, 113 18th St., with a limited menu for Friday and Saturday before closing Sunday and Monday and re-opening with its full menu Tuesday, March 19. QuadCities.com was invited for a sneak preview of the venue to check out the menu and decor prior to the opening, and while it was still a work in progress when we saw it, its look was very much in line with the Blue Cat, albeit with a different color scheme and some refurbished seats, tables and hardware. The walls... Read More