Hi guys! I'm going to take a trip through Iowa over the long weekend, going from Iowa City for Saturday, then onto Des Moines. I've seen this thread: http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/des-moines-bottle-shop.204850/#post-2712666, but I was wondering if there is any other place I should hit (like John's Grocery in Iowa City), or any beers that I should keep an eye out for that see Iowa distro (any cool Toppling Goliath I have a chance of finding, etc.)? Thanks for your help!
Johns is great in iowa city. Have drinks at Sanctuary for a good tap list, shorts burgers has had TG stuff on tap every time I've been there but with lower keg distribution lately I don't know. Hyvee fleur, Hyvee praire trail, hyvee pleasant hill, and wine styles are going to have the best selection in Des Moines. Hyve valley west potentially will have TG stuff longer than the others if it has distributed recently. Go to el bait shop if you have some time for great beer selection and potentially TG on tap. If nothing there it's possible university library cafe or zombie burger might have something on. 515 brewing company is well worth a stop for some good beers. Definitely eat a meal at cheese shop and pick up some awesome bottles which depending on what they have out at that time could be some pretty crazy stuff.
I always skip over Exile, probably because the first two times they went there they had 3 beers, none of which were styles I cared much about. Confluence is also worth a stop but I definitely would choose 515 over either if I only had time for 1.
