Bettendorf’s Crawford Brew Works and New Nerdspeak Partner for Last Fundraiser
If you have a case of the Mondays, stop by Crawford Brew Works in Bettendorf tonight for not only some great beer, but to help a great cause.
The brewery and bar, at 3659 Devils Glen Road, has served up a new initiative called “Crawford’s Culture of Care” and it involves a more
Nerdspeak Brewery is at 7563 State St., Bettendorf.
focused amount of time and energy to local non-profit organizations and getting the brewery’s culture involved in the community. Phase one of this culture is a new guest bartending series, which for two months has worked to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley and their annual “Over the Edge” fundraiser.
The first guest bartending date was Monday, July 12th at 6 p.m., featuring CBW general manager Tom Taylor and his wife Jessica serving drinks, with live music performed by Charlotte Boyer (the young 17-year-old local who was recently on “The Voice”). All tips as well as proceeds from selected beer sales will go toward the fundraiser – and tonight in the second-floor Mezz is the last one in the six-week benefit.
Crawford Brew Works has raised nearly $5,000 to have its employees rappel down the side of Hotel Blackhawk Aug. 21 for the Big Brothers Big Sisters “Over the Edge” event.
Beyond the first $2,000 raised for CBW to take part in “Over the Edge,” they have to raise $750 for each additional Crawford server to be able to rappel off of the 11-story Hotel Blackhawk in downtown Davenport at BBBS’s annual “Over the Edge” event on Saturday, Aug. 21. So far, CBW has raised $4,985, the third-highest team total for “Over the Edge” this year (tops so far is Buzzy’s Edgers with $5,242).
Tonight from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. will feature Aaron and Stacey Ickes, owners and managers of the new Nerdspeak Brewery, 7563 State St., Bettendorf, with live music from the Avey Grouws Band (trio).
The final “Over the Edge” fundraiser is 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. tonight, featuring beer and guest bartenders from the new Nerdspeak Brewery in Bettendorf.
Nerdspeak is a brewery like no other in the area. Featuring a retro, industrial, cyberpunk interior, the walls will be adorned with graphics from movies, shows, and musicians. One of the biggest inspirations for the space has been “Star Wars,” owner Aaron Ickes’ favorite movie universe of all time. Beer styles will continuously rotate on tap and include less common items such as Belgian styles, barrel-aged beers, and seltzers.
Ickes, a 43-year-old East Moliner and longtime home brewer, has been working on the new brewery for two years. It’s in an old industrial complex that was renovated by the owner. Ickes got interested in the space after going to a CrossFit gym down there, he said Sunday.
“And I have been talking about the brewery thing for a couple of years. It was just kind of back and forth and it came down to finding the right location and that’s kind of what really spurred me to move forward and try it,” he said.
Ickes was not deterred by either the growing volume of craft breweries in the region (there are now 17 listed in the QC Ale Trail), or the lingering Covid pandemic.
“One thing that’s really neat about the brewery industry is, it’s incredibly collaborative,” he said. “So actually, most of the brewers that I’ve
Crawford Brew Works is at 3659 Devils Glen Road, Bettendorf.
met, which is just about everyone in the area, has been excited for us. It’s one of the cool things about breweries is, it becomes a destination. So having more breweries in the Quad-Cities, gives people more reason to come here and try them.
“I would say a good 20 to 30 percent of the people that we get for our carry-out sales, are people from out of town. They’re like, we’re just in the area for the weekend.”
Nerdspeak has been open for carry-out sales in cans since mid-June.
“The cool thing is, we don’t all necessarily make the same thing,” Ickes said of local breweries. “So you know, some of us focus on older ales, and others are focusing on kind of more mainstream beers and then you’ve got the experimental.”
Ickes likes the bold flavors and bigger beers, as well as Belgian styles. He used to work in supply chain management for Deere (until August 2020), and traveled a lot in Europe. He’s now a contract employee in purchasing for Cobham in Davenport.
Nerdspeak owner Aaron Ickes of East Moline is passionate about making his own beer and about pop culture.
Ickes and his wife Stacey (who works as a nanny) have an adult daughter.
As a pop culture geek, Ickes is naming all is beers after movie quotes. Nerdspeak’s flagship’s beer is an IPA – India pale ale — called “It’s All in the Reflexes” (from “Big Trouble in Little China”). His Belgian-style Tripel is called “It’s a Trap” (from “Star Wars”). A raspberry Hefeweizen is “Tis But a Scratch” (from “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”) and the most obscure one is an oatmeal stout called “I Aim to Misbehave” (from “Firefly”).
“I’ve got a lot of good quotes, but tying them directly to the beers behind them has been the biggest challenge,” Ickes said. “I often find myself quoting movies, TV shows, and songs as a retort to people’s comments – usually in a humorous way. Nerdspeak was born from my constant speaking of nerdy comments.”
He purchased his brewing equipment from Crawford Company (some employees are partners in Crawford Brew Works), and is close to the owners. CBW general manager Tom Taylor reached out to Ickes to participate in the guest bartending and donate some beer for the event.
“Number one, we’re just trying to spread the word as much as we can, so any time there are opportunities to collaborate and work with them, I’m on board,” Ickes said. “And I think it’s a good cause too.”
Tonight, he will have two of his beers on tap at CBW – the Hefeweizen and oatmeal stout. Nerdspeak hopes to have their taproom open by the end of the month, Ickes said.
Chris Avey and Jeni Grouws are returning to CBW tonight, after having just performed on July 21 for an “Over the Edge” event, raising about $1,600 that night alone. You can pre-order the Avey Grouws Band’s new album, “Tell Tale Heart” (out Sept. 24), at https://aveygrouwsband.bandcamp.com/album/tell-tale-heart.
For more information, visit https://nerdspeakbrewery.com/home.
