Baseball, Beer, and the Corn Crib - An All-Star Experience

When the CU Brew Blog started in mid-June I promised my faithful readers two things. First, I would try to give an every man's point of view on every beer I could get my hands on. Secondly, that I would review the drinking culture in our area as well.

Until now, I have been holding off on the culture reviews in case I run into a lack of interesting beers to try. I'm happy to report, however, that one month into this journey the beer selections are constantly growing and changing. So with the MLB All-Star break upon us I feel like it is the right time to do our first culture review and talk about a hidden gem just one hour away on 74-West.

Baseball and beer have been All-American bed mates for about as long as baseball and beer have been in coexistence. Unfortunately, Champaign-Urbana's only local baseball offerings limit themselves to the Fighting Illini and Little League. Both of which frown upon kicking back in the stands with an ice cold beer.

But if you're willing to make a short drive you can find in yourself at the Corn Crib in Normal, IL for baseball and yep, you guessed it, BEER.

Home to the Normal Cornbelters, the Corn Crib is the only place within reasonable distance that you can find the full baseball experience. In its second year of existence, the Cornbelters provide plenty of off-field entertainment for children who can't focus on a game for nine innings, plenty of food options, silly games between innings, promotional events at pretty much every night, and of course a game that may not provide the type of skill you'd expect to see at a professional game.

But the quirks the Corn Crib offers is what make it a truly enjoyable experience. The first thing you'll notice when you enter the stadium is the homage to the teams name. If you take a glance into right center you'll see rows of corn. Although the team might not enter the field through the corn, it still has a Field of Dreams vibe. Something that is even driven home by the specialty concession stand that only sells foods made of corn.

If you take a look at the field itself you'll see something a little unusual, the entire field is made out of field turf. And when I say the entire field I mean it, both grass and dirt are synthetic. As we stated earlier, there's a very good chance that the players in the lineup each night don't have the skill to make it to the Big Leagues. Throw in a playing surface that allows for some really funky hops and you've got potential to see some very interesting defense.

When it comes to the beer score, the Corn Crib comes through with flying colors as well. They offer Busch and Busch Light, Budweiser and Bud Light, Corona, Heineken, even Shock Top. By and far the finest beer selection this baseball fan has ever seen at a minor league game. They also host $1 beer nights every Thursday that the Cornbelters are at home (and no, you're not just stuck with drinking Busch either).

If you're looking for a nice little baseball trip this summer, it is highly recommended that you check out the Corn Crib. Just remember, as fun as baseball and beer are together, it's a lot more fun when you live to do it again, use a DD.