E-Malt.com News article: USA, IA: Kinship Brewing Company hoping to open in Waukee soon

A new brewery hoping to open alongside the Raccoon River Valley Trail in Waukee wants to be known for more than beer — it aims to be a community gathering point where cyclists can take a break, dog lovers can bring their canine friends and food truck fans can get their appetite fix, DesMoinesRegister.com reported on September 30.

Zach Dobeck, 33, owner of Kinship Brewing Company, is requesting the rezoning of 6.24 acres alongside the trail head of the Raccoon River Trail to prepare for the construction of a gargantuan 13,000 square-foot brewery. The property is west of Northwest 10th Street and north of Hickman Road at the Stratford Crossing development.

The homebrew aficionado turned business owner envisions his new brewery as a community gathering place, hence the name, “Kinship."

He aims to create a space that appeals to Waukee's median age of 32, where young families can hang out and grab a few drinks instead of venturing downtown.

“Everything we would want in a brewery on a site, we’re bringing to Waukee," Dobeck said. "Waukee doesn’t just have to be the place where you raise your kids and leave to have fun.”

Around 10,000 square feet of the brewery is dedicated to beer production. The other portion of the space will be available to the public, including a taproom that can hold 250 people and a private event space with a 40-person capacity. Beer drinkers inside the taproom can watch the production happen without the invasion of loud sounds or smells, Dobeck said.

Outside of the taproom, Dobeck has planned a 5,000 square-foot beer garden with a trail accessible to cyclists who are coming in from the Raccoon River Valley Trail. The garden is a space where cyclists can hang out outside, while also keeping an eye on their bikes, Dobeck said.

Beyond the brewery, a half-acre dog park is also planned for people who pay a small membership fee, Dobeck said. Beer runners will be available at the park to go inside and get drinks, so owners can keep sight of their dogs.

A play area is also planned for kids, Dobeck said.

As for people who get hungry, Dobeck envisions food trucks parked outside of the brewery where people can grab dishes for lunch or dinner.

"All the stuff we love to do is what we want to bring to Waukee," Dobeck said.

A vision of a brewery in Waukee
For his full-time job, Doeck worked in software development as a project manager in Atlanta.

But by night, the craft beer lover was homebrewing with his brother, dubbing themselves the "Brews Brothers."

At first, homebrewing was just a creative outlet for Dobeck — a way for him to experiment with different recipes and create something with his own two hands.

Quickly, though, he started daydreaming about owning his own brewery, Dobeck said.

When he met his future wife, Ann, who hailed from Waukee, he made his first visit to Iowa in 2012.

The temperature in Atlanta at that time was 50 degrees.

In Iowa? Below zero.

Despite the chill difference, something about Iowa stuck out to him. He visited local breweries that were starting out and saw a potential future in the corn state.

“There’s something about it that I always just felt welcomed and homey.”

In July 2017, Dobeck decided it was time to finally go after his dream of owning a brewery, even if it meant leaving his safe job.

He came home from work and told his wife — it was time to do it for real.

The pair moved to Iowa and, at first, imagined opening a brewery in downtown Des Moines. A family friend however, mentioned undeveloped land near a popular cycling spot, the trail head of the Raccoon River Trail in Waukee.

It was the spot.

At Kinship Brewery, Dobeck aims to offer a wide variety of beer at the brewery with the goal of appealing to as many palates as possible.

For the creation of the beer varieties, he is consulting with Adam Bishop, a brew master in Atlanta. He plans on hiring a brew master, two to three brewers and working with Mike Kentfield, a business partner, on Kinship as well.

So far, Dobeck has crafted and offered samples of beers at different events.

Oh Billy is a lighter, 4% alcohol content that is far from bitter — he describes it as a citrusy, aromatic beer “you can crush.” Other drinks he has planned include a hazy IPA called Annie, an Imperial stout dedicated to his dad, Sheriff Dobeck, and a peanut butter porter for the fall called Trick or Treat Yourself.

By opening date, Dobeck wants to have at least four to six beers to choose from.

"There's something in my taproom for everyone," Dobeck said.

The vision for the brewery is big and so is the physical space, but that’s the way Dobeck likes it.

He wants to grow into the space — not the other way around, he said.

What he hopes to create is unique-to-Waukee gathering space that encourages families to stay in the community and spend time together.

If zoning requests get approved through the city and he finishes the land purchase, he hopes to open by summer 2020.

"All the stuff that we love to do and think is fun we're bringing to Waukee," Dobeck said. "I feel like that's going to resonate with the young couples with young kids or ones like ourselves that aren't quite there yet."


01 October, 2019