USA, IA: Peace Tree Brewing Co. expected to open in Grinnell in early fall

If you like beer, you’ll love Grinnell’s newest addition to Main Steet – the Peace Tree Brewing Co., DesMoinesRegister.com reported.

The Grinnell branch is expected to open in early fall and will have 20-plus tap lines offering a number of different styles of beer.

“We’re really excited to be coming to Grinnell,” said Hannah Vander Veer, marketing associate for the company. “Grinnell is a great community.”

The Grinnell Branch, Vander Veer said, is the third branch to be developed by the company. The Knoxville Taproom is the original location for Peace Tree Brewing Co. and is where they bottle their beer for distribution throughout Iowa and parts of Nebraska.

There are also the Des Moines Branch and the Root Cellar, also in Knoxville.

The Grinnell location will be very similar in style, Vander Vee said, to the other locations.

The flagship beers that are waiting to be tasted in Grinnell include Red Rambler Ale, Kiss from a Gose (a tart ale), Blonde Fatale and No Coast IPA. They will also have seasonal flavors throughout the year.

Can’t decide? Sampler’s are available – small glasses of some particular beers.

“Usually, if someone wants a little taste of a certain beer, we’ll give them a little to try,” Vander Vee said.

Head brew master Joe Kesteloot has developed a number of unique flavors and they have been tested – or tasted – at their other locations.

However the Grinnell location will offer patrons a unique view. While under construction some murals were uncovered on the walls. They are currently being touched up by an expert and will remain on display.

There is also an old bank vault, which will remain as a center piece – something for everyone to look at.

While the Grinnell Branch will offer beverages and some snack food, don’t expect to find a menu with a full meal there. But don’t worry.

“We allow guests to order out or bring their own food,” Vander Vee said. “We want to focus on the beer and support the local restaurants.”

Peace Tree Brewing Co. is also a very family-oriented place, she said.

In fact, at both Knoxville and Des Moines, minors are allowed to stay in the establishment until 10 p.m., Vander Vee said. They hope to be able to do the same thing in Grinnell, but haven’t been able to look into it yet.

How Peace Tree Brewing Co. came to Grinnell is actually an interesting story, Vander Veer said.

“We were actually contacted by the building’s owner – Delphina Baumann,” Vander Veer said.

According to Vander Veer, a survey of Grinnell residents had indicated that many people wanted a brew pub of some type to come to Grinnell.

“They contacted us and Delphina and our owner, both women, hit it off,” she said.

Both Grinnell and the Peace Tree Brewery understand history. In fact, they both are steeped in history.

The name Peace Tree Brewing Company comes from an historic sycamore tree that was located near the town of Red Rock, under what is now Lake Red Rock.

American Indian tribes met under the tree for generations. It then became a meeting place for fur traders. Indian treaties were also negotiated there.

According to Vander Vee, even though Lake Red Rock has filled the area, you can still see it sticking up out of the water a little as you look west towards the Des Moines River over the mile long bridge.

10 August, 2017