Parkville Microbrew Festival

In the bicycling world, the prospect of a long ride creates images of a special event with good friends, fresh air and plenty of pedaling. This beer honors the spirit, camaraderie and education of bike enthusiasts. Long Ride is paved with American two-row barley; Vienna and English Crystal malts. Mosaic and El Dorado hops add fruity aromas and flavors. American Ale yeast delivers a clean finish that allows the malt and hops to shine through. Make long rides a fun part of an everyday bicycling lifestyle and ride on!

When the weather warms up the party is always on the south side. After years of experiencing summer blonde ales that were light and “drinkable” but boring, Confluence head brewer John Martin set out to create a distinctive summer beer that is light, refreshing and flavorful. John started with Belgian two-row pilsner malt, cara-blonde and a little wheat malt and American Ale yeast. The not-so-secret ingredient is an intentionally light touch of Citra hops, just enough to inject light bittering flavor via whirlpool and dry-hopping but not so much as to inhibit drinkability. Named in honor of Confluence Brewing’s location on the south side of Des Moines, South Side Citra has become a popular accompaniment for whatever summer activities our friends have in mind.

Glowing like the Iowa Capitol dome in Iowa’s capital city, Des Moines, this golden lager is brewed with time-honored German brewing methods. Its slightly sweet, bready, malty flavor is balanced perfectly by traditional German noble hops with medium-low hop bitterness. Like building the magnificent 23-karat gold leaf Iowa Capitol dome itself, this beer can’t be rushed. We create it with the finest domestic and imported German two-row barley malt and noble German hops as well as traditional lager yeast. This delicate beauty undergoes a lagering period of three to four weeks after initial fermentation to bring out the best this beer has to offer. The result is a beer which, much like Iowa, has something for everyone — satisfying to the experienced craft beer drinker, yet welcoming to those new to the world of craft beer.

Many Iowans are descendants from German immigrants so it’s fitting that we make a Bock, one of the most famous German beers. In the 18th century, during their long Lenten fast, when they could drink but not eat, monks brewed rich, bready bock beers for sustenance. Our bock came out big, burly, and chewy, hence the name, ChewBOCKa. This beast of a beer is made with a Munich malt base and German hops for a rich, full-bodied yet balanced, malty sweetness. A long, cool lagering period mellows this deep brown beer and brings flavors of toasted brown bread, as well as a hint of chocolate. Our ChewBOCKa embodies a filling, sustaining Bock beer. After all, we wouldn't want you thinking with your stomach...

As the capital of Iowa, Des Moines constantly surprises first-time visitors with its mix of expected agrarian heritage and influences and unanticipated cosmopolitan flare. So too, with Des Moines IPA, an American take on a world beer: India Pale Ale (IPA). Iowa’s steady, well balanced nature is reflected in this IPA with its mix of medium body, lighter color and plenty of malt flavor to balance the massive hop impact. Citrusy and piney hops from the Pacific Northwest offset the robust malt flavor of the two-row barley and medium crystal malts. Des Moines IPA proudly represents the Hawkeye State in the category of American IPA, a favorite of beer connoisseurs all across the country.

When most people think of Iowa, they picture flowing fields of grain for miles and miles. Created by a third-generation farm boy, Farmer John’s Multi-Grain Ale is amber waves of grain in a glass. A refreshing, blonde ale, it features a base of two row American barley malt along with a large portion of wheat malt, a small dose of rye malt and un-malted oats, corn and wheat. Lightly hopped with English East Kent Goldings hops chosen for their subtle, earthy qualities and finished with Czech Saaz hops for their sweet, floral essence to create a beer that’s light in body and color, with a velvety texture and an aroma as sweet as a freshly cut field of hay. Farmer John’s captures the endless bounty of Iowa in an easy-drinking, blonde ale.