End of an Era — 515 Brewing Company
September 3rd, 2020 – Message to my fellow craft beer advocates from 515 Brewing founder Ryan Rost
515brewing.com
515 for sale
- Thread starter baller21
- Start date
515brewing.com
They were the first spot in Central Iowa to make really good beer.
In somewhat related news, I see Clockhouse bought out Iowa Brewing and plans to make those beers in that facility as a second location for them.
In somewhat related news, I see Clockhouse bought out Iowa Brewing and plans to make those beers in that facility as a second location for them.
Lots of board games were played. Felt like a place to get away from TVs.
515 was definitely one of the best in DM for a number of years but have been surpassed by the newer additions like Lua, Barntown and Big Grove.
I used to like to grab a sandwich from Taste of Italy and take it to 515 but lately I haven’t been in there unless I’m riding the trail.
I haven’t been there in at least 10 years. Confluence and Lua usually get my DSM patronage. Tough location for sure.
2025 515 seemed the same as 2013 515. I just looked back at some check-ins, and they haven't really changed anything in the last decade. I liked them, but they needed to get with the times. I can't imagine in today's world anyone wanting to buy them. A lot like Peace Tree.
I was scrolling through old pics on my phone and found this from the 515 men’s room.
One of my favorite local places. Good news is that it doesn't seem to be sales related (or that's the story).
I think / hope that there is still a niche market for a place like this. Make good beer, keep it simple, be inviting and consistent, etc. Not every place needs to be a monstrosity like Kinship or make 100 beers like Barntown. Sometimes simple is better. I hope it sticks around.
I think / hope that there is still a niche market for a place like this. Make good beer, keep it simple, be inviting and consistent, etc. Not every place needs to be a monstrosity like Kinship or make 100 beers like Barntown. Sometimes simple is better. I hope it sticks around.
All the breweries on the bike trails in the metro should join forces and form some bike brewing collective to encourage people to visit them all, earn rewards if you show up on your bike. Des Moines doesn't have a lot of high adventure to attract people but the breweries on the trails are neat and they should double down on them.
Maybe encouraging drunk biking isn't the best lol.
Maybe encouraging drunk biking isn't the best lol.
I appreciated the low key nature of the place, friendly staff, as well as good beers. I'm not a fan of breweries that serve food as I'd like to bring my own in (esp helpful with kids who can be picky eaters). I agree, some of the maintenance hasn't been great and they haven't done a great job of introducing new beers, but still my favorite local place.
I remember early when they started, the urinal had a bud light tap handle that you pulled to flush. Not sure why that went away (possibly a legal concern?), but I thought it was great.
It kept getting stolen. Not kidding.
Iowa is way behind the national trends when it comes to craft beer. Craft beer continues to lose market share and we will see more and more of these smaller places close. This has already been happening for at least 5 years in larger markets. The number of small breweries popping up was never going to be sustainable.
