2 Breweries to open downtown (DSM) in 2019
- Thread starter capitalcityguy
- Start date
Brightside has nothing to be concerned about. It has no competition on the eastern side of the county other that Reclaimed Rails. I may be biased because I live in Altoona and regularly go to Brightside, but it is always packed on the weekends and makes fantastic beer. They also know exactly what they are, they don't seem to want to compete with the big guys. They are very similar in my opinion to 515.
I don't know how Reclaimed Rails is still around. Their beer has gone down hill quite a bit (again my opinion). They have a fantastic space and that is why they are still around.
Spot on with Reclaimed Rails. Being one of only two places serving booze in Bondurant helps their cause a lot too.
Reclaimed Rails was the one I had such high hopes. Their building is very cool and I had heard for so long how great brewer the owner was. Not sure what happened. I do like their Rook's Breakfast Porter.
Brightside has had a few porters/stouts that I've enjoyed. Perk Up and I scream stout.
Brightside has had a few porters/stouts that I've enjoyed. Perk Up and I scream stout.
There was a Raccoon River connection to Reclaimed Rails too I believe.
While nothing ever blew me away at Raccoon, they were ahead of their time.
Raccoon River was my first "brew pub" experience. I loved the Red they had. I bought a growler, and kept it for a week or two.
Bad idea.
A buddy I grew up with lives in Bondurant, and we stopped in while visiting him shortly after they opened. Everything was solid, the space was beautiful, and it seemed like they were poised to do really well.
We stopped in this summer while visiting them, and I noticed that the staff seemed to have really slipped, the beers hadn't improved at all, and behind the bar there was a bunch of extra crap, like a foo-foo coffee drink machine. I have no idea what's going on behind the scenes, but it seems like no one really gave a rip about beer anymore.
I didn't know making new NEIPA's every week was a form of creativity...mostly kidding. I know what you're trying to say, but I've just never grown to enjoy their beers.
Madhouse has found their niche. Their V.I.P., Carpe Diem and Freedom Toast are all quite tasty. I'm not a sour fan, but my wife says those are definitely worth drinking.
I like sours and theirs are very good. Their releases draw big crowds, and they generally have a strong reputation among the Midwest craft beer scene.
Their regular line was mediocre at best, and they did themselves a service by leaving it in the past. Honestly, the fact that they were willing to do this tells me enough about how they run their business to have little doubt in their continued success.
Their food offerings also play a big part in the creativity I mentioned; they have a special menu for nearly every holiday.
I've tried them. I'll go back to sleep. I'm just not a fan of their beers. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Nice. I liked their Hopburst IPA. Now they just need to bring back their Honey Pilsner and I'll be happy. But as others said, they seem to have found their niche with the sours and barrel aged brews, which was probably the best business move.
How is the craft beer scene in Iowa? I haven't been back to Iowa since I graduated in 2009. In DC it's okay, but not amazing. Iceland had some amazing craft brews and surprisingly, Richmond, VA is great. Just wanted to see how Iowa stacks up in that market. It may give me another good excuse to go visit Ames/Des Moines in the fall for a football game since I really want to go back.
