Katy Trail 2012: Day 4

Day 4
McKittrick/Hermann to Augusta 35 miles
Highlights: Tin Mill Brewery, Sausage, Augusta Brewing Company, Augusta Beer Garden 

We awoke the next morning slightly groggy from the night before, but Maggie Meyers had the cure.  She and Eldan had  a full pot of coffee ready to go, as well as a wonderful breakfast.  Maggie's pancakes are famous, and deservedly so.  Eldan showed us the story about them written up in National Geographic Traveler.  They are made with oats, topped with bananas and filled with all kinds of goodness.  I have a theory about pancakes, that one cannot finish all the pancakes on one's plate regardless of how many there are - that no matter the quantity you will be unable to finish the last one.  In other words if you want to eat 2 pancakes you must order 3.  Well that theory did not hold water in Maggie's Kitchen.  My wife and I ate up all three of our powerhouse pancakes followed by scrambled eggs and cheese and ending with almond teacakes.  It sure beat the energy bars we had been eating for breakfast the past few days.

So my wife and I are pretty much in love with Hermann, MO.  That morning we left our bags in McKittrick and headed back into the city, this time planning to tour their downtown brewery and enjoy the sunshine.  We got there at 11, when it was suppose to open, but I guess they too were a little groggy that morning as the sign still indicated closure.

The Winemakers of Hermannhoff Welcome You

So we biked around the downtown unencumbered and got more coffee and tea.  We visited the river front and the Amtrak station we had passed earlier on the train to Sedalia.  The Hermanhoff Festhalle is where their festivals take place.  They have Oktoberfest there every weekend in October as well as wine stomping and sausage parties.  It turns out, in keeping with German tradition, that Hermann houses a world class sausage house, though sadly we could not partake due to unfortunate timing with a Lenten resolution.

We did not visit any wineries - I don't care much for the stuff - but we did see the rolling vineyards and sunny tasting area.  The brewery finally opened up and we had beer and snacks all afternoon.  In addition to the Red Caboose and Midnight Whistle the brewery had Skyscraper Pilsner, First Street Wheat, and two specialty beers - the Imperial Pilsner and the Hopplebock, a hoppier interpretation of their Dopplebock.  We stayed in their beer garden and enjoyed the beautiful day snacking on sour kraut and other German fare.

 

Unfortunately we couldn't stay in Hermann all day.  We returned to McKittrick to gather our things and hit the trail with new found vigor and enthusiasm.  My leg wasn't even bothering me.  The air was crisp and still a bit chilly, but when the sun was out it was glorious. 

We followed the river for  a time and enjoyed ourselves immensely.  It was already late in the day but somehow that didn't seem to matter.  The first part of our voyage was a lot of pavement pushing - well, crushed limestone pushing - but our time in Hermann left us with a new sense of enjoyment and satisfaction;  That perhaps the most enjoyable part of the Katy trail is not the trail itself, but the amazing places on the way.  That maybe here or there is better than between here or there, and we should stop and smell the roses more often.

The day dragged on into dusk and we were overdue to check into our campsite at Klondike Park, two or three miles past the town of Augusta.  The town itself was strange, almost as strange as the ghost town of Franklin/New Franklin.  Whereas in Franklin there were trailers and the howls of dogs, in Augusta there was only houses on a hill and the roar of dirt bike engines.  Augusta seemed like quiet little settlement but the people there must have been in a hurry because nearly all of the vehicles peeled out with outrageous tire squeals and tore off into the night.  Really the prize at the end of the Augusta rainbow, the reason we intended to stop here - and this should come as no surprise - was the Augusta Brewing Company.

The town of Augusta, MO sit atop a large hill.  We did not traverse that hill instead we remained at its base, right where the Brewpub's beer garden was.  We started with the idea of buying a couple of growlers and taking them back to camp, but after examining their menu we decided to stick around for food and suds.  The food was wonderful and the beer was world class.  If Herman's brewery encompasses the German tradition, this brewery embraces the new world style of brewing - the anything goes style of American craft ale. We had their pale ale, their IPA, their award winning stout, their aged farmhouse saison, and the uniquely American Pumpkin Ale.

Betraying the quality of their brew, I believe the town of Augusta is named for that patron saint of St. Louis suds, Augusta Busch, founder of Busch Beer and Budweiser.  My friend Marty noted that he and his St. Louis Brewery University have a long standing history in the area because "hey, not just anyone can make shitty beer."  Be that as it may I discovered a unique fact about Augusta beer while reading the Saison beer label, it's not brewed in Augusta.  It's brewed in the neighboring town across the river, Labadie, a city whose claim to fame is a coal power plant.  Perhaps its the extra charge in the air or the soot gives Augusta beer its wonderful flavor.  At least the plant is not nuclear, then the beer might glow in the dark. 

In addition to their wonderful brew their food is excellent, gourmet even though I am no expert on that matter.  I had veggie stir fry with wild rice and my wife had seared tuna salad, fresh as I've ever tasted.  I was incredibly surprised with the excellent food, beer, and hospitality of a town as tiny as Augusta.  It truly is a culinary oasis right off the trail.  The restaurant, an open air dining hall, closed for the night, but even after closing they allowed us to stay in their beer garden and enjoy their fire.  We did end up getting those growlers and enjoying the libations all through the night while tending the fire.  I couldn't imagine a better way to spend our last night on the trail.