Iowa Beers besides TG

Hope I'm not too late here, but Worth is a solid brewery. I haven't had a bad beer there and their English Mild is excellent, and a style that is rarely brewed in these parts.

I haven't been totally blown away, but I definitely enjoy it. It's a neat atmosphere, with a lot of history, and they do fill growlers. Stop, if it's not too late.

 

Nope, not too late. My plans changed, so I won't be passing through Iowa until October. I will definitely add a stop in Northwood to my itinerary. I love English Mild's & any place w/ a historic atmosphere!! Thanks a lot of the info!! Cheers!

 

Depending on how far you're coming through Iowa and what route, there could be a lot of beer within a short drive of I-35. Clear Lake and Mason City recently opened breweries (and I've heard good things about Mason City). Between Ames/Ankeny/Des Moines Metro you probably have 6-7 breweries ranging from solid to excellent (New American, Olde Main, Firetrucker, Court Ave, Rock Bottom, 515, Confluence) with Torrent opening in September in Ames (apparently the owners of that one have rocked the Central Iowa homebrew circuit over the years) as well as bars like El Bait Shop doing growler fills.

 

Very cool! Thanks for all the info., I will start working on my route to accommodate these spots!!

 

I would rank those Central Iowa breweries as follows:
1. Confluence (probably best overall brewery in Iowa not named "Toppling Goliath")
2. 515 (very experimental, very good, but often have limited supplies due to their small system and high demand)
3. Rock Bottom (for their non-chain beers; Eric Sorensen is an incredible brewer)
4. Firetrucker (good mix of styles, super nice facility)
5. Olde Main (neat atmosphere and fairly tasty beer, but the styles aren't challenging at all. They lack any hop bombs or wild Imperial stouts)
6. Court Ave (they're regular line up is competent, but uninteresting. They have some very good specialty beers though)
7. New American (haven't actually tried it, but have heard generally positive - albeit not raving - reviews)

 

Two words: Big Grove

Lion Bridge is solid too. Neither are really in Iowa City. Is there even a brewery in Iowa City proper?

 

I personally like Lion's Bridge more than Big Grove, but I don't get to Big Grove as much. Gazprom was one of my favorite imperial stouts I've had, and the recently released Yard Sale is fantastic too. I did like Big Groves Que Sera a lot too though.

 

I need to backpedal a bit and say that Backpocket's beer has much improved. The brewers have been working hard and have put out some good caliber beers, especially the pilsner that was just released.

 

I've always felt that they were at least decent and offered some options that were balanced, subtle, and a nice change of pace from the hops/BA arms race.

 

That is true.

 

Appreciate all the kind words in here, everyone. Bill is always striving to make better beer. Glad to hear everyone is enjoying what's been put out so far.

Shout to Ben Smart, as well, the head chef at BGB. He joined BGB from Seattle, leaving his position as sous chef at one of America's best restaurants. His food shines in its own right.

 

Looking forward to yet another Horseman storming us Friday. Let the Pestilence ravage us all.

 

How is Exile not even mentioned anywhere in this thread? Cherry Bo, Beatnik Sour, plus many other delicious beers. They are killing the Des Moines market from what I have seen. I would put them near the top of the list for Iowa Breweries.

TG will be king of the mountain for a long time. 515, Big Grove, Lion Bridge, Confluence up there as well

 

I agree, Exile is great. I live in Ankeny and Firetrucker is great! They have that double mango IPA on right now too. Tasty if you've never had it.

 

Exile had been pretty mediocre up until recently. This thread was started long before they became relevant. I never saw myself as a repeat buyer of Exile's beer, but I open the fridge and always seem to have a six pack of Beatnik.

515 is the top dog in DSM for me.

 

Exile has definitely had a turn around in the past year or so. Adding Eric Sorenson (former Rock Bottom brewer) was a great move for them.

 

By far and it's not even close for me (though I'm very excited to see what Exile does with Eric at the helm). 515 actually might be my favorite brewery in Iowa (at least tied with TG). They do so many different styles and do them all very well.

 

I can't speak to the quality of what CIB was producing when this string kicked off in 2014. However, I thought they were "Best in Show"-caliber at the Iowa Craft Beer Fest a few weeks back. The Dethhanger and Krieky Dieky, in particular, were really good sours. I have to agree wholeheartedly with what others have said about Exile having a good thing going these days!

 

That would be quite the turnaround. It's been a long time since I've had their beer, and while I don't remember hating it as much as some here, I certainly didn't enjoy it either.