Greg's 5 Favorite Iowa Breweries

We've been away for far too long! (And we have the backlog of half written brewery reviews and blog posts to prove it.) But we are here – still sipping on craft beer and homebrewing away. Today, Greg shares his five favorite breweries in our great state of Iowa. (Keep a lookout for Jess' favorite breweries later this week – we might share a love for beer, but we don't share all favorites! So without further ado, add these hoppy destinations to your to-visit list: 

1. Broad Street Brewing | Reinbeck, Iowa

Pictured above, this is definitely my favorite in Iowa. It is located in the small town of Reinbeck and I’ve never had a bad beer at this establishment. The inside is small and cozy and the head brewer is a pretty cool guy. Jess and I try and make it whenever we visit my family by Waterloo. 

Must-Try: The Coo Coo Cachoo ESB.

Tip: Check out their events. We went to one featuring the former quality manager for Guinness – she showed folks how to taste beer like a professional. 

Exile Brewing Co. | Des Moines, IA

Being exiled isn't really all that bad. Especially when going into Exile means spending a sunny Saturday afternoon at one of Des Moines' coolest hot spots with Greg and my friend Maeg. Exile Brewing Co. is hand-crafted brewery inspired by the immigrants and exiles that abandoned their homelands to reach for the American Dream.

Exile brews up beers Hannah, Betty, Ruthie, and Gigi, all given lovely lady names and represented by adorable pinup-esque characters. Gigi, the Munich Dunkel Lager, was my favorite sampling of Exile when I first tried their beers back at the Des Moines Craft Brew Fest.  I think they really need a Red IPA, represented by a cute redhead character. Named Jessica? ;) Yessss.