Beercation to Des Moines
How’s your traveling going this summer? Is it time for one more vacation before the summer ends? Plan a beercation to Des Moines, Iowa! The capital and most populous city in Iowa is home to several breweries with some fun and unique beer creations.
I visited Des Moines, with a fellow beer friend and we visited a total of seven breweries (Exile Brewing, Peace Tree Brewing, Madhouse Beer, Confluence Brewing Company, Barn Town Brewing, and two breweries within Madison County Winery – Big Rack Brew Haus and Twisted Vine Brewery), El Bait Shop (largest selection of American microbeers in the world!), and Fong’s Pizza – all in a day and a half. It was ambitious, but with the help of Uber and staying at a hotel just a block from El Bait Shop, we did it.
We arrived in Des Moines right at 11am on a Wednesday, and our first stop was Exile Brewing. Austin Hoffman, Sales and Marketing Director, met us in their Beer City taproom and gave us an informative tour. We got to try some beers right off the bottling line as well as some brand new releases. One of their most popular beers, Ruthie Lager, is a tribute to Ruthie Bisignano, who was a famous bartender who knew how to entertain. The brewery will be having an Intergalactic Luau Music Fest on August 24, with live music and beer.
Our next stop was Peace Tree Brewing at their downtown Des Moines location. They don’t open until 3pm on Wednesdays, but representative Taylor Evans was kind enough to let us in early to try some beers and talk about the history and the future of Peace Tree Brewing. The brewery is named for a historic grand sycamore that is located near the town of Red Rock, Iowa, where different cultures could meet to discuss, trade, and come to agreements. This location had a peaceful vibe with representations of the namesake throughout the brewery. The beers were of great variety from lagers to coffee stouts to kettle sours.
Next up was Madhouse Brewing Company. I’m always a fan of unique, creative beers so I was very happy here. There’s a medium size taproom with a larger space to play and hang out in the back. The beers on tap were mostly their brewery beers but included some guest taps including our own Boulevard Brewing. Their Paradise Lost, a margarita-style sour with lime and Himalayan salt, is perfect for taco night.
Our final brewery of the day was Confluence Brewing located just south of Gray’s Lake and along a bike trail that was kept in mind when the brewery was built. The outdoor area looks on the lake and has several bike racks for all of the bicyclists that frequent the trail. Beers and bikes go so well together! Their beers are unsurprisingly refreshing given their location and emphasis on their patio.
The whole point of the trip was Fong’s Pizza, which is where we went for dinner. My friend and I were having a discussion over some Kansas City beers one day and I brought up the Crab Rangoon pizza from Old Shawnee Pizza here locally. My friend mentioned the famous Fong’s Pizza where their Crab Rangoon pizza is so popular, it was featured on Food Network’s Best Thing I Ever Ate. Other pizzas included Orange Chicken, Pork Belly Pie, and Loaded Potato. Did we come back to town with leftovers from five pizzas? Yes, we did.
For a late night drinking session, we walked the block from the hotel to El Bait Shop. With hundreds of beers on tap, it’s the world’s largest selection of American craft beers. We drank a few beers, bought some to-go bottles and cans and went back to the hotel to rest after the long, beer-drinking day.
The next day, Thursday, was a good time to get to Barn Town Brewing on the way out of town in West Des Moines. The brewery is located on the corner of a shopping center, but the inside is made to look like the inside of a barn. To continue my Crab Rangoon-themed vacation, I ordered the Crab Rangoon chicken sandwich which was great because nearly everything Crab Rangoon is great. I’m a fan of their dessert sours including a chocolate covered strawberry and banana cream pie. I was able to buy a couple of crowlers to bring home, but they didn’t last long.
After driving around for a bit, visiting the Bridges of Madison County, we came across Madison County Winery. The peaceful setting of the winery is in St. Charles, Iowa, with not much else around it. Two breweries are represented in the winery, Twisted Vine Brewery and Big Rack Brew Haus. I love a good wine, but with the trip being a beercation, I chose to get a flight of beers.
We weren’t able to visit all of the Des Moines breweries, but that just leaves it open for another trip. Next time I visit, I intend to try some beers from 515 Brewing, Fox Brewing, Reclaimed Rails, Brightside Aleworks, and Firetrucker Brewery.
It’s probably best to visit on a weekend when everything is open so you can try as much as you can. Thanks to all of the breweries who let us come in early, or while they were closed, or were just hospitable! I’ll be visiting Des Moines again soon!
