Beer is pretty good at Iowa Brew. All the guys that work there tho are douche bags.
Is the Brewery era over?
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Beer is pretty good at Iowa Brew. All the guys that work there tho are douche bags.
honestly, I don't know how so many make it. It is such a low profit margin and expensive undertaking. A friend of mine is part owner of Sprecher and they started their soda lines to subsidize their hobby of beer making; who knew their sodas would become so popular that they are rich off them and that is what they are know for, even though they make some great beers.
Well, the last few times were when we were going to night Cubs games and needed a quick place to stop for food and beer before jumping on the red line to barely making it to the Cubs and not have to fight crowds. Sorry, I don't care about "doing it wrong."
Granite city has better food than Rock Bottom. No one goes to either for the beer.
Went to Rock Bottom for lunch on Tue last week. There was maybe a dozen people in there at 11:45. This news did not shock me at all.
It does amaze me what they get away charging for the stuff. Have a friend who is a part owner in a microbrewery and he tells me their cost to make is really low(like 8 cents/glass). My hope is with the increased supply, prices will drop. I think it's ridiculous paying more than $2 for a beer....I remember back in the good old days in Ames paying $3 for pitchers down at Cy's
No.
- I can't imagine many people flocking to Rheinbeck for craft beer. I understand people flock to Northeast Iowa to Decorah, but Pulpit and TG have both made names for themselves as the premier breweries in the state.
- Have you ever tried anything from Another Road? I gave them 3 strikes before I learned my lesson. Their beers were among the worst commercially produced beers I've ever tried.
- Rock Bottom is a chain and it was in a terrible location.
I do, however, hope this is the beginning of the end of breweries surviving purely because people "drink local" to support their local businesses no matter what the quality. Other Des Moines area breweries I wouldn't miss:
- Fox Brewing - We went there for a retirement party. Their "IPA" was offensive and their "Arctic Breakfast" porter wasn't much better.
- Mistress Brewing - It was already well past time of naming beers after women's stereotypes to end, but Mistress decided to make a whole brewery of it.
- Twisted Vine is the most meh brewery in Des Moines.
- Torrent Brewing in Ames. I had no idea it was still a thing.
- Brightside in Altoona - You're not fooling anyone Wing Nut.
There are more, but these are the ones off the top of my head I wouldn't miss. Just because you make a nice homebrew, it doesn't mean you should start up a brewery. Believe me, I understand the risks and commitment it takes, but maybe have some non-friends try your beers before you make that decision.
The ingredients are cheap but the overhead is huge. Confluence got their start by only packaging keg beer and didn't invest in a canning line until they had a well established local brand. It was a really smart move by them.
Serious question? Have you been there since it changed? They are making some fantastic beers and are really finding a nice niche in the market. My guess is you went to Wingnutt when they were having some ownership issues and the quality had gone down.
I may be biased because I live over by them. I frequented Reclaimed rail a lot, but their beers are pretty generic and all similar tasting to me. Brightside is making some good quality beers. If I had to compare them to anyone it would be 515.
I frequented Another Road because it was close to home. Nice guys, but it was SO poorly run.
I didn't know you worked at Iowa Brew now!
I think mediocre breweries that exist in the right market/location will continue to survive, but in an area like Des Moines, there's definitely going to be a cull in the near future. If you don't make above average beer in that market, you're going to be in a tough spot.
does that include all start up costs, equipment, labor? I'm a home brewer, if I don't factor in anything other than ingredients, it looks like a pretty cheap way to enjoy beer. If I factor in my time and equipment costs, well, I know why it's a hobby and not a business. No way they are making beer for 8 cents a glass when you factor in every cost that would go along with the business.
I know guys that started a pretty hi-tech 10 barrel brewery. They do pretty well here in the burbs of Chicago with their own beer. They also do a ton of contract brewing, to help subsidize the equipment, which was a little more than your standard craft brewery because they chose to go computerized off the bat. It took them 5 years to actually turn a profit and it wasn't much until recently.
I home brew with some buddies, and we figure that we're making beer for about $2 per pint.
Of course that doesn't include overhead. Just grain, yeast, and hops.
Of course that doesn't include overhead. Just grain, yeast, and hops.
ISU alumni and season ticket holders they are. Great people as well. Support them.
That's fine...but it's not a reason to drink sub par beer. I'm fully aware people have different tastes and preferences, but I'm not going to drink someone's beer, or support a business, because they went to school at Iowa State or they have season tickets. I'm not trying to call into question their personality or character. They could be incredible, upstanding citizens. However, they're producing a product I don't find appealing, so I'm not going to spend my money on it.
I'll be interested to see if Pivo in Calmar can piggy back with the 2 in Decorah for people making a day out of it. They have a beautiful facility and seem to be off to a good start but I don't know enough to say whether they have any beers of their own that will pull in people from outside the area. We stopped on the way through the Friday before Christmas and the place was packed. The owner seems to have a good plan for where he wants to be. I hope it works for him as it's great to have that kind of investment in small town NE Iowa.
Pivo is making really good beer right now. I get in there a couple of times a month.
They aren't making stuff that's all that flashy and trendy, but it's just really good, clean beer. Their lagers are on point, and their IPA actually has some bitterness and balance.
They aren't making stuff that's all that flashy and trendy, but it's just really good, clean beer. Their lagers are on point, and their IPA actually has some bitterness and balance.
