515 Brewing - Des Moines, IA

Discussion in 'Midwest' started by BottleCaps80, Jan 26, 2013.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
Page 2 of 13
  1. Hawkharvs

    Hawkharvs Crusader (499) Sep 9, 2012 Iowa

    Open to anyone?
     
    #21 Hawkharvs, Feb 16, 2013
  2. 515BrewingDave

    515BrewingDave Initiate (0) Feb 2, 2013 Iowa

    Absolutely!

    Qualifier - Must like craft beer, or at least must like being around people that like craft beer!
     
    #22 515BrewingDave, Feb 16, 2013
    Rob-P and BottleCaps80 like this.
  3. CLaBarre

    CLaBarre Initiate (0) Feb 22, 2013 Iowa

    Went to 515 and had their Nut Brown and their West Coast IPA. Both good beers. Really liked the West Coast IPA. Really good crowd in there last night - need more parking!
     
    #23 CLaBarre, Feb 23, 2013
    BottleCaps80 likes this.
  4. CLaBarre

    CLaBarre Initiate (0) Feb 22, 2013 Iowa

    Dave, any idea when the imperial stout, belgian pale, and koslch may be ready?
     
    #24 CLaBarre, Feb 27, 2013
  5. 515BrewingDave

    515BrewingDave Initiate (0) Feb 2, 2013 Iowa

    Stout is probably this week. We are doing it on nitro (well beer gas anyway) and its our first beer on that so we don't know what to expect for sure. It's in kegs though! Kolsch will be ready to serve in the next week or so as well. Just gotta get room in kegs for that one. Belgian....whatever it is ( it's somewhere between a pale and a golden - never brew to style!!!!!) will probably be a couple of weeks out. Really excited about that one. Grains of paradise are prominent and it really tastes unique. Just did an American IPA (kinda) with a different malt bill from the west coast with a ton of late addition and flameout hops including citra and simcoe. Should end up well north of 7% with the hops to back it up. Really excited about that too.

    I'm pretty excited about our upcoming lineup. I think we're improving as we go and hopefully will be making some great beer in the next few months!
     
    #25 515BrewingDave, Feb 28, 2013
    tgchief, Rob-P, BrettHead and 1 other person like this.
  6. BottleCaps80

    BottleCaps80 Initiate (0) Jan 12, 2013 Iowa

    #26 BottleCaps80, Mar 25, 2013
    Rob-P likes this.
  7. BrewUrbanist

    BrewUrbanist Initiate (0) May 11, 2012 Wisconsin

    I visited Des Moines (from DC) over the weekend and got to stop into 515 on Friday afternoon briefly. Only had time to try the Lil Tart, but it was solid. Looking forward to watching them grow.
     
    #27 BrewUrbanist, Mar 25, 2013
  8. BottleCaps80

    BottleCaps80 Initiate (0) Jan 12, 2013 Iowa

    The time I went (2 weekends ago), they only had their Lil Tart (fantastic beer...would be so great after mowing the lawn on a hot summer day), Belgian Paradise (really solid Belgian Blonde) and Stout of the Closet (an average stout).

    Still haven't gotten the chance to try any of their IPAs though, which I hear are fantastic though. This spot will be a regular when I get the chance to get out on the town this Spring/Summer!
     
    #28 BottleCaps80, Mar 26, 2013
  9. printer1

    printer1 Initiate (0) Aug 29, 2005 Iowa

    Wanted to make this, but couldn't. Looking at the pics, probably just as well. Really want to get there before the Lil Tart is gone.
     
    #29 printer1, Mar 26, 2013
  10. 515BrewingDave

    515BrewingDave Initiate (0) Feb 2, 2013 Iowa

    Hopititis - our DIPA is on now. Hurry and get it while it lasts. It's pretty decent!

    Thanks for your support everyone!
     
    #30 515BrewingDave, Apr 6, 2013
  11. DesMoinesMike

    DesMoinesMike Maven (1,447) Mar 23, 2008 Iowa

    Had the Hopititis the day it premiered, GOOD stuff. Will post review shortly.
     
    #31 DesMoinesMike, Apr 12, 2013
  12. BottleCaps80

    BottleCaps80 Initiate (0) Jan 12, 2013 Iowa

    Stopped in after work last night and had a few beers. I highly suggest everyone who can make it in soon, try the Castaway Porter. It is an amazing coconut vanilla porter. Their DART Dodger west coast style IPA is great too.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    #32 BottleCaps80, May 25, 2013
    BrettHead and tgchief like this.
  13. CLaBarre

    CLaBarre Initiate (0) Feb 22, 2013 Iowa

    Are they doing growlers yet
     
    #33 CLaBarre, May 25, 2013
  14. BottleCaps80

    BottleCaps80 Initiate (0) Jan 12, 2013 Iowa

    Not yet.... sounded like they were thinking around Fall for growler fills. I think they want to get a few more fermentation tasks in to be able to produce a bit more beer before growler fills, as they have been times when they have ran out of beer at the taproom. People keep drinking them out.... which is a testament to how good their beers are, but also that they are a true nano brewery.
     
    #34 BottleCaps80, May 25, 2013
  15. JediMatt

    JediMatt Zealot (549) Jun 18, 2010 Iowa

    Yep, had some great beers there Friday night. Lil Tart is awesome. I was hoping for a little more coconut (a la Town Hall) for the Castaway Porter, but it was still super tasty. Great stuff!
     
    #35 JediMatt, May 28, 2013
  16. BottleCaps80

    BottleCaps80 Initiate (0) Jan 12, 2013 Iowa

    Stopped in yesterday with @CLaBarre @Rob-P and @JediMatt and I think we all agreed that their new Mediocre Pale Ale was quite possibly the best beer 515 has done and one of the best beers being brewed in Iowa right now. Fantastic job on that one, @515BrewingDave

    The current batch of Castaway Porter that is on is really dialed in too and to me, the coconut is the most pronounced it's been for any batch. Undead Red is tasting great and you can tell they used more beets in the brew this year.

    For me, 515 is the best brewery in Des Moines and one of the best in Iowa. Keep doing what you do!
     
    #36 BottleCaps80, Oct 6, 2014
    Last edited: Oct 6, 2014
    515BrewingDave, ToddSoonerFan, Rob-P and 1 other person like this.
  17. SaulTBauls

    SaulTBauls Initiate (0) Mar 22, 2013 Iowa

    I somewhat agree with Mediocre. To me, the nose was incredible and among the best smelling beers I've ever smelled. The taste didn't quite follow through with the nose. To me, the taste was a bit thin. Don't get me wrong, I thought it was an excellent beer and really enjoyed it. I just feel like if they could translate the nose to the taste, this beer would reign supreme.

    Aside from that, I am becoming a huge 515 fanboy. I took a buddy there on Saturday that had never been and he was blown away. Castaway is one of my favorites and I think they are doing interesting things and unique things.
     
    #37 SaulTBauls, Oct 6, 2014
    ToddSoonerFan and BottleCaps80 like this.
  18. BottleCaps80

    BottleCaps80 Initiate (0) Jan 12, 2013 Iowa

    I agree that it is one of the best smelling beers, but I also felt the taste was equally as good. The only thing I noticed was that as I drank it, the bitterness seemed to accumulate just a tad bit on the tongue and it wasn't as juicy as the first few drinks. Other than that, flawless beer in my opinion. From what it sounded like, Dave was shooting for this to clock in around 5%, but it ended up at 6.7% and I think it is simply perfect where it's at. Though I might tend to classify it an IPA at it's current ABV.
     
    #38 BottleCaps80, Oct 6, 2014
  19. SaulTBauls

    SaulTBauls Initiate (0) Mar 22, 2013 Iowa

    I'll have to give it a second chance...definitely not opposed to giving it a 3rd or 4th chance either.
     
    #39 SaulTBauls, Oct 6, 2014
    BrettHead and BottleCaps80 like this.
  20. BottleCaps80

    BottleCaps80 Initiate (0) Jan 12, 2013 Iowa

    I had 3 draws yesterday. Really want to go have some more ASAP. It's that good. :slight_smile:
     
    #40 BottleCaps80, Oct 6, 2014
Page 2 of 13
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.