Iowa beerstore and brewpub get a little love

Industry News by HEEMER77

At John's, they grin & beer it By Brian Morelli — The Daily Iowan Published: Thursday, July 21, 2005 Dry and hoppy, sweet and malty, or cheap and plentiful - the beer guys know the flavors, and they know the beers that line the southwest room at John's Grocery. John's beer specialists devote much of their shifts to making recommendations and educating customers who are perusing the 600-plus varieties of beer from across the world. "Anyone can develop a palate for beer; you just have to drink a lot of it," said Chad Reich, a beer salesman for the 401 E. Market St. grocer. "People look at good beer like they do fine wine," said Reich, 23, noting that interest seems greater among younger people than older. "There are lagers, wheat beers, pale ales, brown ales - and the good ones have subtle flavors that a trained palate can pick out." Ranging in price from $2.19 for 40 ounces of Pabst Blue Ribbon to $100 per bottle for Sam Adams Utopia, John's stocks Hefeweizens from Germany, strong ales from England, organic India pale ales from Vermont, amber ales from Oregon, and Maibocks from Wisconsin. The store also allows customers to create their own six-packs. "Dirty John's is the first place I came," said Jim Keller, a former Iowa City resident who was in town for a party. "I wanted to bring [a beer] aficionados might not have heard of." He waved his hand toward the display wall and said when he lived in Iowa City, he would start at one end of the aisle and work his way to the other end, attempting to try every beer. "People ask us to bring in a specific beer, but we can only stock [in bottles] what our distributors carry. We can't just buy directly from the brewer," said employee Adam Zwanziger, noting that Fleck Sales Co., the store's biggest distributor, drops off 80 to 90 cases twice a week. While most beer is distributed by private companies, anything with an alcohol content above 6.25 percent is considered to be liquor and must come from the state. "Beer is the only thing I really care about," said Zwanziger, who went to brewing school and is currently an apprentice under Paul Krutzfeldt, the brewmaster at Old Capitol Brew Works and Public House, 525 S. Gilbert St. John's sells kegs from a variety of breweries, including Old Capitol and Raccoon River Brewing Co. in Des Moines. "It's great having a place so close with that much variety," Krutzfeldt said. "It has helped educate a lot of beer drinkers around here, which is great for me, because when they come in here, they know what they are looking for." Krutzfeldt, who has been brewing for 10 years, said he wants to be able to make each style of beer. "There are hundreds of styles of beers from all parts of the world," he said. "In America, the big beer makers have settled on one style - watery, yellow, fizzy - and it appeals to the masses." Reich attributes the popularity of specialty beer to the fact that it has alcohol. "It makes everyone happier and makes boring things real interesting," he said. "It's like Homer [Simpson] says, 'Beer: the cause of and solution to all of life's problems."

19 years ago