MID-AMERICA PUBLISHING Wednesday, June 12, 2013 1

explore savortaste

A GUIDE TO

Breweries & Wineries

June 2013 | A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO

MID-AMERICA PUBLISHING

2 Wednesday, June 12, 2013 MID-AMERICA PUBLISHING

MID-AMERICA PUBLISHING Wednesday, June 12, 2013 3

The folding sign on the sidewalk in front of Mason City Brew-ing says it all: “Soup of the day: Beer.”

Mason City Brewing, the joint vision of its three co-owners – Jake Rajewsky, Arian Schuessler, and Justin Merritt – opened in February in downtown Mason City and has been seeing steady fl ows of curious – and faithful - cus-tomers ever since. T h e b r e w -ery has been a popular stop for M a s o n City res-i d e n t s glad to have a brewery to call their own; as well as others in the region seek-ing something different when it comes to their beer ex-perience. The brewery is open Friday and Satur-day nights, and the cordial environment, lively crowds, and tasty suds beckon passerbys into the narrow taproom where a pleasant vibe of fun can be found. The vision of a community gather-ing spot for good beer and conversation – plus a healthy passion for craft beer – pushed the trio of co-owners into the brewing business. Rajewsky and Schuessler were both photographers at the local newspaper, the Globe Gazette, and Merritt worked as a fi nancial adviser for IMT in Garner. “We started home brewing togeth-er,” said Rajewsky, the brew master at

the East State Street brewpub. “Justin and Arian were neighbors. I met Justin through mutual friends. All three of us went in together on the venture.” The trio would have friendly get to-gethers where they’d give the beer to friends, Rajewsky said.

“They were always saying, ‘this is good enough to sell,’”

Rajewsky said. Those forma-

tive homebrew-ing years

i n c l u d e d his trans-formation from a d r inke r in the “ B u d L i g h t , M i l l e r

Lite com-fort zone”

to a person who enjoyed

the different tastes and styles

offered by craft beer. “I didn’t drink a lot of

craft beer in college,” Rajews-ky said. “I had some roommates that liked craft beer. So, I’d try some of theirs and be like, ‘this is good. It doesn’t taste like traditional beer.’” Merritt said he became a fan of craft beers after experiencing various Colo-rado craft beers. Merritt and Rajewsky both said that becoming a craft beer fan is a process – one that the trio enjoy helping customers with. That goal was the reason the trio de-cided to have eight different beers on tap at the brewery – four remain the same: a saison, a cream ale, a porter, and an IPA – while the other four taps rotate season-ally.

Passion for beer, community drives new Mason City Brewing CompanyBy Jeff Forward - Hampton Chronicle

Mason City Brewing’s tap room offers seating for 65 guests. (Submitted photo)

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“They give a good variety of fl avor ranges,” Merritt said of the eight styles concocted by brewmaster Rajewsky. “Whether people are into craft beer or not, they can try different styles. We re-ally like to have a good, drinkable beer.” Some of the seasonal styles Rajewsky has brewed recently included a black IPA, a dry Irish stout for St. Patrick’s Day, an English mild, and an oatmeal stout. Rajewsky said American beer drink-ers have been raised on light, lager beers such as Pilsner made popular by Bud-weiser, Pabst, and Miller. “All the light lagers kind of taste the same,” Rajewsky said. “When someone says I don’t like beer, they’re essentially saying, I don’t like mass produced light lagers.”

Merritt said the craft beer crowd is different but that the goal at Mason City Brewing was to appeal to everyone, hence the eight different taps. “(We’re) pushing them a little bit out-side their comfort zone,” Merritt said. “They kind of gradually, as their palette develops, try different beers.” The brewery, located at 28 E. State St., Mason City, is open 5-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The brewery will be open spe-cial hours for various community events and could expand its hours in the future, Merritt said. There is no food served on premise – unless you count liquid bread, a term of-ten used in Europe to describe beer – but patrons can bring their own food into the brewery or can order take-out from near-by restaurants and eat it at the brewery. Visitors to the brewery not only get to taste great beers and socialize with old

and new friends, but they get a window into the brewing process, too. The entire brewing process is on dis-play and open to the public – from the pots used to cook the malt and water to a specifi c temperature to the fermenting tanks and computerized equipment that aids in the process of mixing malted bar-ley, water, hops, and yeast.

In the end, what is produced are stellar brews that will suit any taste. From the most popular – cream ale – to standbys such as the hop-heavy IPA and a Belgian-style saison, Rajewsky is having fun mak-ing new creations for drinkers to imbibe. The brewery currently produces be-tween 180 and 240 gallons of beer per week with expansion plans in the works. “Our cream ale is one of our biggest sellers,” Rajewsky said. “With eight taps, hopefully we’ll have something for ev-eryone.”

Brewer Jake Rajewsky checks the prefermented beer for sugar content during a recent brew session. (Submitted Photo)

Conor Murphy checks the condition of the fl ame underneath a kettle as Justin Merritt works brew system au-tomation and Jake Rajewsky stirs the mash during a brew session at Ma-son City Brewing. (Submitted photo)

In addition to four regular house beers, Mason City Brewing ro-tates in four taps of new seasonal beers including these brews pro-duced for St. Patrick’s day - an Irish Stout and and Irish Red Ale.

There are eight different taps serving different styles of beer at the Mason City Brewery.

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Eagle City RedRed Altar

Sweet RieslingCabernetRhubarb

ChardonnayMerlot

RieslingCranberry*

Riesling ReserveApple

ConcordAmerican Golden Riesling

Raspberry*Edelweiss

RubyBlack Currant ***Eagle City White

The Eagle City Winery is open for wine tasting and tours from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm daily, 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm Sunday, closed Mondays.

Please contact Dr. Ken or Carolyn Groninga for special events at EC.

* Award winner wines

28536 160th St., Iowa Falls, IA 50126Phone: (641) 648-3669

winemaker@eaglecitywinery.com

Eagle City Red

The seed for Eagle City Winery was planted when Dr. Ken and Carolyn Groninga bought an acreage in rural Iowa Falls. In-

spired by all the wild fruits and berries on the property, Ken began experimenting with wine-making. Over the years he perfected his craft, eventually winning lots of awards, in-cluding Best of Show for a non-grape wine at the Iowa State Fair. Vineyard planning began in 1996 and construction on the winery and tasting room was completed in 2000. “We al-

ways enjoyed wine and we were retired already,” says Ken. “It was just a hobby that turned into a business.” At the time, there were only two other wineries in operation in the state of Iowa. Now there are hundreds. The Eagle City Winery is unique be-cause it fi lls a special niche, says Ken. “Fruit wines are our specialty. We’re do-ing fi ve fruit wines right now, which is more than any other in the state.” Fruit wine ingredients include rasp-berry, cranberry, black current, rhubarb, and apple.

Eagle City Winery

By Molly Angstman

What will you be drinking on game day? Maybe a hoppy Panther Pale Ale or a chocolaty Black

Hawk Braxator? What about a Hawkeye Golden Wheat, served with an orange wedge? Beck’s Sports Brewery in Waterloo has four staple beers on tap at all times and has one tap dedicated to a rotating seasonal beer. General manager and brewmaster Jonathon Wolford says detailed de-scriptions on the menu mean that personal taste in beer often trump team affi liations. An Iowa fan might still order a Cy’s Clone Ale, he says. “We just wanted all the beers to have classy Iowa names,” says Wolford. The fi rst seasonal beer on tap this sum-mer will be raspberry wheat. “That one sells like hotcakes,” says Wolford. “It’s a

nice refreshing beer. It’s a great beer for summer.” One of their popular spring beers was

a Belgian wit that was brewed with hints of coriander and orange

peel. In addition to beer,

Beck’s also has a full pub menu and plenty of sporty atmosphere that attracts a wide variety of patrons. Area college students especially like the

Retro Friday events with live DJs.

The atmosphere is defi -nitely unlike a traditional

brewery tap room, but the brew-master thinks that’s kind of the whole point. “We have great beer but this is defi -nitely a sports bar,” says Wolford. “We have more than 40 high def TVs, can seat more than seven-hundred people, and have the best burgers in town.”

beck’s sports breweryin waterlooBy Molly Angstman

“We have more than 40 high def TVs, can seat more than seven-hundred people, and have the best burgers in town.”

One of their popular

spring beers was a Belgian wit that was brewed with

hints of coriander and orange

peel.

The vineyard during spring 2005

The winery also produces popular grape wine varieties like merlot, cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, and riesling. At a 3000 gallon per year capacity, it’s a small operation. Ken says he and his wife like it that way. “We’re not concentrating on being large,” he says. “Our wine philosophy is to concentrate on quality and not quan-tity.”

The Eagle City Winery is open for wine tasting and tours from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm daily and 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm Sunday. It is closed on Mondays. If you can’t make it to the tasting room, Eagle City wine is available at 60 retail outlets in Iowa including Hy-Vee Wine and Spirits, liquor stores, gift shops and hometown grocery stores, or online at www.vinoshipper.com.

MID-AMERICA PUBLISHING Wednesday, June 12, 2013 5

TUESDAY – THURSDAY4:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

FRIDAY & SATURDAYNOON – 10:00 p.m.

SUNDAYNOON – 5:00 p.m.

We’re devoted to creating

Summer OF Beer!

It all started, improbably enough, with a failed attempt to make “raisin almond beer.” Although raisin almond beer

sounds like a dubious (ok, horrible) idea today, back in 1991 it was the “ah-ha” mo-ment for Confl uence Brewing Head Brew-er John Martin. Then a high school student and farm boy from rural Imogene, Iowa, John grew up fascinated with how many things could be made using Iowa’s bounti-ful grain crops. Grain … alcohol … beer. John and his high school buddy, Sean McClain, failed to make a drinkable raisin almond beer — but the attempt altered the trajectory of his professional life. This in-terest lay dormant until John’s Senior year of college, when his beer fascination grew and he started researching how to make drinkable beer. This wasn’t the average college boy’s focus on beer primarily for its alcohol content. John fell in love with the craftsmanship and creativity involved in making beer. Even John’s wife, Katie, understood his passion and played beer enabler — the newlywed couple picked up supplies for home brewing while on their honeymoon in 1995. John’s fi rst, quality home-brewed beer was an Octoberfest, which remains his fa-

vorite variety today. After years of hobby brewing and in increasingly ardent inter-est in brewing as a profession — includ-ing countless brewery tours and immer-sion in local and online brewing interest groups — John and fellow home brewer and co-founder Ken Broadhead launched Confl uence Brewing in 2012. John left his construction management day-job to pur-sue Confl uence and his passion for beer making full time. The brewery is itself a confl uence of John and Ken’s love for Iowa and craft beer. The result is a microbrewery that shares Iowa’s attributes of honesty, humil-ity, hard work and a sense of humor. Con-fl uence also has Iowa’s knack for being a delightful surprise to those who actually experience it. Confl uence cares about the creativity and craftsmanship that goes into making excellent beer, and knows that excellent beer can bring good friends together.

conFluence:brewing a passion for beer

6 Wednesday, June 12, 2013 MID-AMERICA PUBLISHING

Come join us for a glass of fi ne wine in our historic Vincent Family Event Center. Easily accessible, we are located in

southeast Iowa on Highway 92 between Sigourney and Washington. Our comfort-able and charming space is the perfect place to relax with others or to just escape with a glass of fi ne wine. Our event center is ideal for gatherings such as weddings, receptions or any social event (a loft view on right). Our wine experts are always avail-able to educate you about wine and dem-onstrate wine tasting techniques. Come taste a world of wine at Wooden Wheel Vineyards.

HistoryWooden Wheel Vineyards is located on the family farm fi rst settled by my Great - Great Grandmother, Isabella Clark Wright. Isabella received the farm as a Bounty Grant from the U.S. Government for minor children of Veterans from the War of 1812. Isabella was orphaned at the age of 2, as her father died in August 1835, and her mother died in childbirth 3 months later. Her older sister, Mary Ann, did much to keep this family of ten chil-dren together. Years later, her brother, who was traveling in Iowa, learned of the Bounty Grant program and returned to Ohio to

have Isabella com-plete the paperwork for the grant. Isabel-la turned her claim in just a few weeks before she turned 18, upon which she would have no longer qualifi ed as a minor child for the program. The next year she married John Wright and came to Iowa by riverboat settling on the farm in 1850. For fi ve generations the descendants of Isabella’s family have maintained owner-ship of the farm. As the 5th generation, Connie and I purchased the farm from my father, Robert in 1978. Connie and I (Michael G. Vincent) re-turned to the farm in 2010 planting our fi rst vines and began a 2-year construc-tion project building an event center and winery.

Event CenterOur Event Center is the last original building erected by John and Isabella. The barn was built in the 1860’s and was 625 square feet. In 1937 my father and grandfather added 20’ to the west side of the barn and 20’ to the north. The most recent remodeling added 28’ to the south side. The event center now has over 3,000 square feet and can seat 300 people on the main fl oor plus an ad-ditional 40 in the loft.

Wooden Wheel Vineyards

This historic setting can be the perfect place for a variety of business or social gatherings. We have had the pleasure of hosting wedding receptions, weddings, rehearsal dinners, retirement dinners, bachelorette parties, baby showers, birth-day parties, graduation open houses, busi-ness meetings, training sessions, class reunions, family reunions and Christmas parties. The event center can also be the per-fect place to just relax with your friends and enjoy the atmosphere of an 1860’s barn with your favorite bottle of Wooden Wheel wines.

The VinesIn our quest for the fi nest wines we have planted our own grape vines. Our variet-ies include some of the newest varieties available. To date we have planted Bri-anna, Marquette, LaCrescent, Noiret and Regent.

The winery is open from 1-6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Stay in touch on their website or Facebook.

THE WINEWe are pleased to introduce to

you our initial wine offering:

George G.made from LaCrescent grapes,

is a dry fruity white wine.

Charity Mae, made from Brianna grapes,

is a Riesling Style white wine.

Isabella, a blend of Niagara & Edelweiss, is a fragrant sweet white wine.

Martin & Tessie, a blend with Frontenac Gris,

is a sweet Rose’ wine.

The Judge, made from Norton Grapes, is a dry, aromatic red wine.

Mountain Man, made from Noiret grapes, is a smooth dry red wine.

Private GW, made from Marquette grapes,

is complex dry red wine.

Uncle Johnnie, made from Marquette grapes, is a fruity semi-dry red wine.

Amazing Grace, made from Norton grapes, is a sweet fruity red wine.

Chautauqua a white sparkling wine.

MID-AMERICA PUBLISHING Wednesday, June 12, 2013 7

“Craft beer brewers and drinkers are some of the most creative and passionate people

we know,” says Bob Rolling, brewmaster at Lake Time Brewery in Clear Lake. “The industry is really taking off in Iowa and it’s exciting to be part of that.” Rolling’s ten tap brewery is slated to open to the public some time this sum-mer. The fi rst beers on tap, all appropriately lake-themed, will be Bobber Down Pale Ale, Sandy Bottoms American Wheat, Rusty Rudder Brown Ale, Park Bench Porter, and Wheat Sucks Gluten Reduced Ale. Future brews will include Chasing Sunsets Amber Ale, Propeller IPA, and Anchors Away Imperial Stout. Rolling, who describes himself as “a bit of a water geek,” uses a 15-gallon sys-tem to brew his beer. “It’s allowed me to perfect my recipes and make each batch consistent,” he says. The small batch brew system is com-patible with the small size of the brew-ery’s tap room, which has a capacity of 35 people. “We are hoping this will be a place

that people can come in and enjoy a great beer in a comfortable atmosphere,” says Rolling. “We want it to be a place to relax

and enjoy a conversation.” Rolling attributes the

uniqueness of his tap room to the early 1900s house

the brewery inhabits and the décor which he and his wife, Suzy, made sure to include. Customers will be able to enjoy a bay window, big comfy

furniture, and a fi re-place.

Although they are look-ing into a bigger brew sys-

tem for the future, small and cozy is just the way the Rollings like their “mom and pop” brewery right now. “Our equipment is small, our space is small, but our attention to details is rich,” says Bob. “Our focus is on a great atmo-sphere, customer service that will ex-ceed expectations, and consistently great beer.” At press time, the brewery does not have a specifi c opening night an-nounced. Once it is open to the public, the hours will be Fridays from 4 pm to 10 pm and Saturdays from 2 pm to 10 pm. Craft beer fans can watch the Lake Time Brewery Facebook page for updates regarding an opening date.

“Our focus is on a

great atmosphere, customer service that will exceed

expectations and consistently great beer”

lake time breweryBy Molly Angstman

Nestled in the heart of covered-bridge country, Madison County Winery offers its customers a wide variety

of wine, new craft beer options, and lots of Iowa scenery. “One of the unique things about our winery is that when you’re sitting on our patio you’re surrounded by our vineyard,” says owner and wine-maker Doug Bakker. “We’re located in a really beautiful, hilly area.” A busy calendar of musical events also makes Bakker’s winery special. “Since we’re out in the country, music events help bring people out on a night when they might not have come,” says Bakker. “It cre-ates a great atmosphere.” Visitors have lots of wine options to enjoy while they soak up the view and music. The winery produces everything from a dry spicy red to a semi-sweet white with a little twist of strawberry fl a-vor. Wines come in colorful bottles and have names like Lollipop, Summer Blonde, Midnight Rain, and Prairie Fire. The winery also sells small platters of Iowa-produced chocolate and cheese. “You can’t go wrong with the dark or milk chocolate with a glass of red wine,” says Bakker.

Madison County WineryBy Molly Angstman

Many of the artisan cheeses go well with the winery’s newest addition: craft beer from the only Iowan brewery-with-in-a-winery, Twisted Vine Brewery. Beer fans can choose from six taps that at anytime could include anything from Whistling Ogre Wheat to Parteezon Por-ter to Old Crusty’s Scottish Ale. “Often you get a couple coming in and one drinks wine and the other drinks beer,” says Bakker. “Adding the brewery component has been nothing but a posi-tive for us. We get people on beer tours and winery tours now.”

8 Wednesday, June 12, 2013 MID-AMERICA PUBLISHING

117 1st St. NW • HAMPTON 641-456-2141

3 NEW BREWS

• Wood Cellar Blonde Ale

• Slobber Knocker

• Old Man River

Mon. - Wed. 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. • Thurs. 7:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.Mon. - Wed. 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. • Thurs. 7:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Friday & Saturday 7:30 a.m. - 9 p.m.Friday & Saturday 7:30 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Mon. - Wed. 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. • Thurs. 7:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.Mon. - Wed. 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. • Thurs. 7:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Friday & Saturday 7:30 a.m. - 9 p.m.Friday & Saturday 7:30 a.m. - 9 p.m.

200 N. Main St.Kanawha Iowa 50447Phone: (641) 762-3406

When traveling through the vast corn fields of northern Iowa be sure to stop for awhile at Old Bank Winery. Located in the restored Farmers State Bank Building we produce semi-sweet and dry fruit and grape wines.

We also offer two comfortable Bed & Breakfast Suites for our travelers.

Visit Historic Old Bank Winery

Winery and Tasting Room Hours: Open Year RoundTuesday - Saturday 1:00PM to 5:00PM

Old Bank Winery

www.oldbankwinery.com

Nancy Litch, who owns the Old Bank Winery with her husband, David, has a wine philosophy. “Wine

should complement the things we like to do and our Midwest culture,” she says. “I just want our winery to be a part of that.” Litch says that means making wine which will appeal to local palettes, and not paying undue attention to what vintners in places like California or France might be doing. “Most of our wines are fruity and sweet, but not too sweet,” she says. “The fl avor is defi nitely on the fun side.” This makes her Iowa wine perfect for Iowa summer activities like having friends over for brats on the grill, she says. She recommends Old Bank Winery bestsell-ers like the lightly sweet St. Pepin and the Moscato-like Edelweiss for the hot weath-er months. Another summer favorite at the win-ery is cranberry wine, which some people mix with club soda. “It’s light, fruity, very smooth, and has a beautiful color,” she says. “It doesn’t have that edgy after taste that cranberries can have some times.” The Litches drive up to Wisconsin to

get the cranberries and crush them whole to ensure a “big and bold” cranberry fl a-vor, she says.

Although it takes a trip out of state to make the cranberry wine, the

main ingredient for most of their wines can be found just south of town. “We grow all our own grapes,” says Litch. “It’s always fun to drop by the vineyard and see how the vines are doing

and watch them maturing in such a beautiful place.”

The tasting room and retail center for the vineyard is

located downtown in the small town of Kanawha in a “constantly evolving” old building that Litch calls a “neat piece of history.” There are plans to add some new deco-rations to the recently remodeled lobby. “I’m looking for area artists and potters to display their work, especially if they’re creating art about Iowa,” she says. According to Nancy, the Iowa angle is what her winery is all about. “We used to come here just to visit and as the years went by and I realized I really loved this place. When the building be-came available, we just jumped on it, and we’re so glad we did. We’ve been having a great time and the people of Kanawha have been wonderful.”

old bank WineryBy Molly Angstman

“I’m looking for

area artists and potters to display

their work, especially if they’re creating art about Iowa” ~ Nancy Litch

Here’s How:1. Look: Check out the Color and Clar-ity. Pour a glass of wine into a wine glass. Tilt the glass away from you and check out the color of the wine from the rim edges to the middle of the glass. What color is it? If it’s a red wine is the color maroon, purple, ruby, garnet, red or even brownish? If it’s a white wine is it clear, pale yellow, straw-like, light green, golden, amber or brown in appearance? 2. Move on to the wine’s opacity. Is the wine watery or dark, translucent or opaque, dull or brilliant, cloudy or clear. An older red wine will often have more orange ting-es on the edges of color than younger red wines. Older white wines are darker, than younger white wines.

3. Smell: To get a good impression of your wine’s aroma, swirl your glass for a solid 10-12 seconds (this helps vaporize some of the wine’s alcohol and release more of its natural aromas) and then take a quick whiff to gain a fi rst impression. Now stick your nose down into the glass and take a deep inhale. What are your second impressions? Do you smell oak, berry, fl owers, vanilla or citrus? A wine’s aroma is an excellent indi-cator of its quality and unique characteris-tics.

4. Taste: Finally, take a taste. Start with a small sip and let it roll around your mouth. There are three stages of taste: The Attack Phase, is the initial impression that the wine makes on your palate. The At-

tack is comprised of four pieces of the wine puzzle: alcohol content, tannin levels, acid-ity and residual sugar. These four pieces meld together to offer impressions in in-tensity and complexity, soft or fi rm, light or heavy, crisp or creamy, sweet or dry, but not necessarily true fl avors like fruit or spice. The Evolution Phase is next, also called the mid-palate or middle range phase, this is the wine’s actual taste on the palate. If it’s a red wine you may start noting fruit – berry, plum, prune or fi g; perhaps some spice – pepper, clove, cinnamon, or maybe a woody fl avor like oak, cedar, or a detect-able smokiness. If it’s a white wine, you may taste apple, pear, tropical or citrus fruits, or the taste may be more fl oral in nature or consist of honey, butter or herbs.The Finish is labeled as the fi nal phase. The wine’s fi nish is how long the fl avor impression lasts after it is swallowed. This is where the aftertaste comes into play. Did it last several seconds? Was it light-bodied (like the weight of water), medium-bodied (similar in weight to milk) or full-bodied (like the consistency of cream)? Can you taste the remnant of the wine on the back of your mouth and throat? What was your last fl avor impression – fruit, butter, oak? Does the taste persist or is it short-lived? After you have taken the time to taste your wine, you might record some of your impressions. Does it taste better with cheese, bread or a heavy meal? Will you buy it again? If so, jot the wine’s name, producer and vintage year down for future reference.

How To Taste Wines

MID-AMERICA PUBLISHING Wednesday, June 12, 2013 9

Hampton fi nally has a beer it can call its own.Joel Heuer, a co-owner of brewpub/restaurant Rustic

Brew, has been serving his three styles of beer since May 15. Heuer set up a small craft brewery in a second-fl oor apartment above the First Street eatery and has been brewing since early-April. Heuer – who co-owns Rustic Brew with his wife, Kathy, and Brad and Kim Mulford, has actually been brewing beer since April 4, the day after all the applica-tions to commercially produce beer were fi nalized.

“It was defi nitely a long process,” Heuer said of getting the OK to brew from the state of Iowa as well as the fed-eral Tax and Trade Bureau, which regu-lates brewers. “The Iowa portion of it is pretty simple. It’s the federal end of it, the taxation, that’s time consuming and a lot of paperwork.” By legal defi nition, a microbrewery is one that brews less than 60,000 barrels of beer per year. A barrel is equivalent to 31 gallons. Heuer also said he cannot make any beers with an alcohol content higher

than 6.25 percent. The beer was fi rst served to members of the restaurant’s “Mug Club” on May 15 at a special event. There are three types of beer, Heuer said: Slobberknocker – an oatmeal stout with an ABV (alcohol content) of about 5.1 percent; Wood Cellar Blonde Ale – a pale ale with an ABV of between 4 and 4.5 percent; and Old Man River Citrus Wheat – a wheat beer with citrus notes.

Al l the beers are available on tap in Rustic Brew and can be taken home by thirsty drinkers in convenient to go “growlers.” A “growler” is a large jug used by craft beer brewers so fans can take home draft beer that may not be available for sale outside the brewpub. “These are all pretty light beers,” Heuer said, originally predicting that the Wood Cellar Blonde Ale would be his best seller in the beginning. “It’s what I call an introductory beer to the craft brew market,” he said. “It has a citrus-y note to it. It’s smooth and the la-

dies like it. It’s a good sum-mer beer.” However, after the fi rst few weeks of selling his brew, Heuer noted that the Slobberknocker Oatmeal Stout has been the surprise hit of this three styles. “It was kind of a sur-prise,” Heuer said. “But people really liked the Slobberknocker.” Heuer said he is going to experiment with various other styles and types, but didn’t want to name them because he said it can build up anticipation and then the beer may not work out as planned. That is part of the unfor-

Rustic Brewnow serving its own beer;‘Slobberknocker’ oatmeal stout inspired bysaying of H-D football coach ShafrathBy Jeff Forward - Hampton Chronicle

giving and exact science of brewing beer. Humans have been brewing beer for thousands of years, although it’s only been in the past 40 years that craft and home brewing has taken root with the general public. The process of extracting the sugars

from malted barley, then infus-ing the resulting liquid with hops or other fl avoring agents, all under controlled temperatures and time con-straints, is a precise science. That’s not even including the most important part, adding the yeast to ferment the beer. It’s a process that seems more suited to a chemist in

a white coat rather than a man many

know as

a local football coach and liaison/proba-tion offi cer with the Hampton-Dumont High School and school district. It was Heuer’s football association with Hampton-Dumont’s legendary coach Jerry Shafrath, who used to say the phrase ‘slobberknocker’ when his teams had a hard-hitting game with an oppo-nent. The idea of the Rustic Brew restaurant was a group project between the four co-owners and, Heuer said, was in part driv-en by his wife, Kathy. “My wife was really pushing this,” he said of the eatery idea. “It was something she really wanted to do.” Heuer noted that it was his wife who also proposed the idea that he could in-volve his burgeoning craft beer hobby into the eatery. Heuer has been brewing beer for about six years, and began like many in the scene do – with a home kit. “I just liked beer, been drinking it a long time,” Heuer said. “It started with a Mr. Beer kit – Hop Head Red was the very fi rst batch we made.” A simple beginning with the pre-made kit soon morphed into a semi-serious hobby, Heuer noted, as he switched to a more involved process with partial cook-ing of the mash, and then onto full blown

all-grain brewing.“We started doing all-grain brewing on the kitchen stove,” he said. “It’s diffi cult; a messy process.” It is also a process that involves more number-crunching that one would imag-ine and requires the use of a hydrometer and measuring data such as original and fi nal gravity and determining how much sugar can be extracted from the malt. “I was never a real math person, but it gets to be kind of fun and also kind of nerve wracking,” he said. The hard work and attention to detail behind the scenes equals a lot of enjoyment, Heuer said. From the creative aspect of making different beers with varying ingredients – to having his friends sample his concoc-tions and provide feedback, he said it’s been a lot of fun. Getting friends to taste the beer may have been the easiest part of the process.“A lot of those friends have been around and sampled the beer. They’ve tasted it and know how good it is,” Heuer said. “(I’d) always bring that around and pass it out for sampling. “Guys will come up here (to the sec-ond fl oor micro-brewery) and sample. People will ask me to sample, and I say, ‘yes,’” Heuer said. “We want to know. If you don’t like it, tell us. The idea is to put something out that sells.”

Rustic Brew co-owner Joel Heuer is leading the charge on the brewing side as the restaurant produces its own beers in-house. Photo by Jeff Forward, Hampton Chronicle.

These tanks are where the beer making process is intially started. Malt and water are heated to certain temperatures in order to get sugar for the fermentation process. Later, fl avoring agents such as hop, spices, or other adjuncts are added.

Rustic Brew now serves three types of their own beer, brewed on prem-ise. Descriptions of the beers are available on a board at the restau-rant.

10 Wednesday, June 12, 2013 MID-AMERICA PUBLISHING

The next time you’re in Daven-port or the Quad Cities area and hunkering for a good beer and tasty burger, you might

want to make a visit to the Front Street Brewery. Dating to 1992, the Front Street Brewery is offi cially the oldest brewpub in the state of Iowa. Co-owned by the husband-wife team of Steve Zuidema and Jennie Ash, Front Street Brewery now has two loca-tions where craft beer fans can get a delicious, locally-crafted beer as well as a bite to eat.

“There’s a lot of history here,” said Ash of the brewery. “The building is 100 years old. We split it and the taproom is at the Old Freight House on the river. It’s absolutely gorgeous.”

Front Street Brewery’s main location – at 208 E. River Drive in Davenport – is open Monday through Thursday 11 a.m until 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday’s 11 a.m. until midnight; and Sunday 11 a.m. until 9 p.m.

The East River Drive location serves food and according to Ash has excep-tional burgers, fi sh tacos, and pulled pork

created in-house by Chef Jon. “It’s some of the best

food in the Quad Cities,” Ash said. “Our hamburg-ers are always excellent as is our slow cooked pulled pork. We have such a varied menu.” On the beer side of the menu,

Zuidema is the brew-master and specializes in

IPA style brews. IPA stands for India Pale Ale, which is a

traditional English-style pale ale that had more hops added to it as a preser-vative for the long ship journey to India.

The IPA style has become one of the most popular craft beer styles in recent years and many fans call themselves ‘hopheads’ in reference to the high amount of hops found in the style. Ash said Zuidema makes his signature Raging River IPA but also experiments with various types of IPAs with his rotat-ing brewmaster’s special. Currently that is the Three Duck IPA. “It’s extremely good,” Ash said of the Three Duck. “(Zuidema’s) IPAs are all truly unique and outstanding. Whether it’s his Raging River or other specials.”

The East River

Drive location serves food and

according to Ash has exceptional burgers, fi sh tacos and pulled

pork created in-house by Chef

Jon.

Looking for a classic, unique IPA?Go no further than Front Street BreweryBy Jeff Forward - Hampton Chronicle

Jennie - Front Street Brewery ManagerSteve - Brew Master, Co-Owner

At this time you can purchase merchandise at the bar at

Front Street Brewery. Baseball Hats - $12

Polo Shirts - $20Short Sleeved T-Shirt “The Beer That

Makes you Hoppy” - $10Sweatshirts - $25Pint Glasses - $5

To some men, the major food groups include burgers, chick-en wings and beer. Whether hanging out with buddies

watching a game on TV or fi ring up the grill for a backyard barbecue, many men prefer beer as their beverage of choice in social settings. Though beer is not some-thing many people associate with health, some might be surprised to learn that beer does provide some notable health bene-fi ts. Beer should always be consumed in moderation, but beer fans should know that those cold ones aren’t just refreshing but potentially healthy as well.

Builds bone strengthA 2009 study from researchers at Tufts University determined older men and women who consumed one or two drinks daily had higher bone density. Beer contains silicon, which has been linked to bone health. Of the various types of beer, pale ale has been shown to have the highest concentration of silicon, so beer drinkers might want to enjoy a pale ale when having their next beer. Keep in mind, however, having more than two drinks has been linked to increased risk of bone fractures, so stick to one or two.

Antioxidant boostBeer contains fl avonoids, which are natural antioxi-dants that help to protect the body from disease. Dark beer contains more fl avonoids than other varieties. Beer also contains vitamin B6. This is essential to making hemoglobin, the red protein in blood that also helps ferry oxy-gen around in the body. More oxygen helps muscles work more ef-fi ciently and has other health benefi ts.

Lowers heart disease riskDark beers have roughly one gram of sol-uble fi ber in each 12-ounce serving. Vari-ous research suggests that consuming ad-equate amounts of soluble fi ber through a healthy diet can help lower LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol in the blood. Any source of alcohol, including beer or wine, increases the level of good cholesterol in the blood, too. Hops and the malt used in beer making also provide polyphenols, which are heart-healthy antioxidants.

Reduces risk for kidney stonesAccording to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, compounds in hops could help slow the release of calcium from bones, which may prevent kidney stone formation. A study in Finland singled out beer among other alcoholic drinks, fi nd-ing that each bottle of beer men drank daily lowered their risk of developing

kidney stones by 40 percent. Researchers suggest beer’s high water content helps keep the kidneys working and fl ushing

out the system.

Increases mental acuityBeer may be associ-ated with hazy think-ing and forgetfulness the morning after con-sumption -- but that’s only when consumers

overindulge. A 2005 study published in the

New England Journal of Medicine that examined the

effects of moderate alcohol con-sumption on cognitive function found

older women who consumed about one drink per day lowered their risk of mental decline by as much as 20 percent when compared to nondrinkers. Such benefi ts may be applicable to men as well.

Guards against strokeAccording to researchers at Harvard School of Public Health, moderate amounts of alcohol, including beer, help prevent blood clots that block blood fl ow to the heart, neck and brain. These clots are contributors to ischemic stroke, which occurs when an artery to the brain is blocked.

Beer can also promote relaxation, re-duce stress levels and help bring on a more restful sleep. The United States. Department of Agriculture also reviewed various studies that indicate moderate drinkers live longer than nondrinkers due to lower rates of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

Beer boasts some surprising health benefits

Any source of

alcohol, including beer or wine,

increases the level of good cholesterol

in the blood.

MID-AMERICA PUBLISHING Wednesday, June 12, 2013 11

HOURS: Mon - Thur 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. • Fri & Sat 11 a.m. - Midnight • Sun 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Our BeersOld Davenport Gold

This beer is particularly light and refreshing.

Hefe WeizenRefreshing and unique beer served with a slice of lemon.

Cherry AleA delightful, refreshing taste and aroma.

Raging River AleThis is a bronze colored beer made with the highest

quality malts. A true “English Ale.”

Bucktown Stout An extra dark, almost black bottom brew, smooth with

a slight coffee fl avor, achieved by the use of highly roasted barley and black malts.

Brewmaster’s Special It changes with the season and the

Brewer’s frame of mind.

Open daily for lunch and dinner, Front Street Brewery is the complete dining experience. Meal specials are offered daily along with happy hour, Monday through

Friday. Happy hour includes $3 pints and selected half price appetizers.

www.frontstreetbrew.com

Enjoy a taste of rural Iowa with handcrafted grape, berry and fruit wines. Free wine tasting. Spacious tasting room. Gift Shop.Outside patio seating. Open-air stage.

Vineyard tours available-guided or self-guided.Groups welcome by appointment.Call 641-456-2836 for a group visitor to arrange a private tasting.

HOURS:We are open May - December, Saturday and Sunday, 1-5 p.m.

Harvest Wine Festival & Wine Release August 31 &

September 1, 1-6 p.m.Special events on web site: www.townsendwinery.com

Winery & Vineyard2138 160th Street

HANSELL, IA 50441

Located 6 miles E of Hampton on Hwy 3 and 1 mile N on S56/Timber Ave to

160th Street. Turn E at Hansell City Park corner go 300 ft to winery sign.

Upon reaching retirement age,Vernon and Judy Harper of Hansell decided they needed to fi nd something to fi ll their days.

“We didn’t want to just sit around and watch television all the time,” said Judy Harper. “We wanted something to keep us busy and healthy.” Eventually, the Harpers decided on opening up their own winery. After Vernon took online classes and did some practice with wineries in neigh-boring states, the Harpers got down to business. Forming a corporation with their children, the couple turned their cattle lot into a vineyard and converted a farm building into a wine shop. Interestingly, Towns End Winery and Vineyard wasn’t named for the fact that the winery is located at the edge of Han-sel. Townsend is also a family name of the Harpers. When going through the process of naming their new business, the Harpers liked the double meaning and de-cided to go with Towns End. Today the Harpers grow a variety of northern grapes for their wines. Each kind, from La Crosse to Fontenac, pro-ducing a different fl avor. The Harpers use more than just grapes though. A variety of other fruits are used, from common items like raspberries and cherries to more uncommon materials like gooseberries and aronia berries.They even produce a pumpkin wine. Much of the fruit used to make their

wines is grown on their farm and for the fruit they don’t grow themselves, the Harpers still go to efforts to keep the ma-terial for their wines as locally based as possible. The winery features a spacious tasting room with wine bar and various custom wine related gifts. Outdoor seating will also be available on the expansive back patio for enjoying those perfect summer and fall days. Visitors can enjoy not only the wines, but the picturesque views of the vineyard, farmland surrounding the winery, and our own “fi eld of dreams” in the neighboring park.

Our 5th annual wine release Festival will be held August 31st and Septem-ber 1st 1 to 6 p.m. There will be free entertainment, lots of vendors and homemade ice cream.

towns end WineryBy Travis Fischer

12 Wednesday, June 12, 2013 MID-AMERICA PUBLISHING

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Microbrewery & Restaurant11 Benton Ave. E. | Albia, Iowa

641-932-4085

We have a 5 barrel micro brewery where we are making our own craft beers. We can make 150 gallons at a time. Our facility has a banquet hall upstairs and a private courtyard in the back. Th e building was built in 1889 and went through a thorough renovation in 1996. Our menu right now is pizza, calzones, appetizers and sandwiches.

“Families with babies come in and 90-year-olds come in,” says brewmaster Bri-an Linberg, who owns the

brewery with his wife Barb. “Everybody feels at home here.” Housed in a striking Victorian build-ing, Albia Brewing Company is a brand new business steeped in the tradition of the historic Skean Block in Albia. “We feel like this is more Albia’s busi-ness than our own,” he says. “We are watching over the building and enjoy-ing our hobby of making hand-crafted beers.” There are no plans to ever distribute the beer, says Linberg, so the historic tap room will always be the focal part of the business. “It was built in 1889 and it’s just perfect. We feel very fortunate to be here.” The tap room features at least eight Albia Brewing beers on tap, including crowd-pleasers like pale ale, red ale, bock, India pale ale, and Guinness-like stout. There is also an Albia Brewing root beer on tap. Another four taps are dedi-cated to popular beers from big breweries like Boulevard and New Belgium. Linberg’s fi ve barrel brew system can produce up to 150 gallons of beer at a time, using up to 350 pounds of grain per each batch. He still makes small batches

albia brewing companyBy Molly Angstman

of 15 gallons, however, and that gives him the opportunity to try new things. “I like to experiment,” says Linberg. “I’ll put in coffee fl avor in some, sorghum in some. I’ll put a wheat beer along with a cider. I’ll do a raspberry and a peach wheat.” Having opened in December of 2012, Albia Brewing is looking forward to us-ing it’s outdoor courtyard area for the fi rst time. “We opened in the winter so we’ve never got to really use it before,” says Linberg. “It’s going to be a great sum-mer.” Albia Brewing Company is open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4 pm to 10pm, Fridays from 4 pm until late, and Saturdays from 11 am until late. The kitchen is open during most brew-ery hours and offers a full menu which includes pizza, salads, sandwiches, and appetizers.