Court Avenue Brewing Company

Located in the heart of the Court Avenue district in downtown Des Moines, Court Avenue Brewing Company moved their brewing equipment into the Saddlery Building in 1996. Their restaurant offers a great menu, but on our recent visit we were there to try their hand crafted beer.

The brew pub's decor is an awesome reflection of the history of both the building and brewing in Iowa. Giant reproductions of their beer labels celebrate defunct Iowa breweries that died out during prohibition.

They do offer full bar service as well, including a $5 Bloody Mary Bar and $4 Mimosas on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Work week happy hours and Late Night happy hours on Friday and Saturday nights offer lots of specials.

Court Avenue Brewing also has a thriving Mug Club. These are just a few of the hundreds of mugs hanging from the ceiling.

We wanted to try as many of their beers as possible, so we ordered up a Sampler Rack. It's a great way to taste all of their house beers as well as a premium beer or two. They happened to be out of a couple of the house beers the day we visited, so we did get to sample the current reserve beer, Boersma's Best, a high alcohol beer (9.4 percent) that is aged in Templeton Rye barrels.

It was nice to have these menus too, to read about each beer and get a better understanding of the components in each one.

Hand crafted beer is so different from your mass produced domestics. The brewer takes the time to carefully choose the hops, barley, malt and other ingredients to produce a unique beer. You really may never get the exact same taste again, even with using the same receipe.

Court Avenue Brewing Company brews all of their ales on-site, using these custom built tanks. Their passion for beer and brewing ensures a fresh brew with a lot of character.

In addition to tasting their ales at the brewery, you can also reserve a keg for pick-up. Call the brewery for details or to set up a reservation.

Two Court Avenue Brewing Company beers, Iowa Oaks Ale and Belgian White, are also available this season at Principal Park. You can enjoy one of their highly drinkable beers while watching your Iowa Cubs!

If you love to try premium quality hand crafted beer using only the finest natural ingredients, stop in at Court Avenue Brewing Company. Their house beers as well as seasonal, cask and reserve beers are fresh and distinctive - definitely worth a try when you're downtown.

Court Avenue Brewing Company

309 Court Avenue
Des Moines, IA  50309

515.282.2739

Hours

Monday - Thursday  11:00am - Midnight
Friday  11:00am - 2:00am
Saturday  10:00am - 2:00am
Sunday  10:00am - Midnight

Restaurant hours may vary

More information at www.courtavebrew.com