It's Day 4 of the 2023 Iowa State Fair, and I Need a Beer!
Or maybe an Iowa craft cider or seltzer. At any rate, today was family day at the Iowa Craft Beer Tent at the Fair. This is one of my favorite days because Steph and I meet up with my husband, and sometimes other family members or friends, to spend time relaxing, talking, and sampling some of the 240+ Iowa craft beers, ciders, and hard seltzers offered by breweries from across the state.
But first, we had to get ready. So we started the day at Cattlemen’s restaurant with a heavy-duty breakfast burrito filled with brisket, hash brown coins, shredded cheese, and perfectly cooked scrambled eggs… and juice. Gotta have that protein and fruit to be prepared. We combined eating our breakfast with horse-watching as we sat on Cattlemen’s patio directly across from the horse barn and watched Clydesdale-sized horses and miniature horses go up and down the street getting ready for a show. I love the horses!
It was still a little bit early for beer drinking, but hey, who am I to judge? We did some obligatory people-watching on the main concourse, then when we reached the respectable hour of 11:00, we headed for the Tent. And stayed there for four hours. I know the fair is all about judging things, but no judging here! While my husband and Steph had samples of craft beers, I stayed with the ciders and seltzers. I have tried and tried to like beer, but I just can’t do it. So I am very grateful that the craft beer movement led to more creativity in cider and seltzer drinks as well. It used to be that if we wanted food with our beer/cider sampling, we had to purchase some at different areas of the Fairgrounds and carry it to the Tent with us. But thankfully those food-toting days are over. The Tent area has been filling up with food vendors, and frankly, I’m surprised it took this long. But it has become a real destination point on the Fairgrounds, the Tent is packed all the time, and those food booths have very long lines.
Out of the beers sampled, here are their top two favorites:
Crazy Beaches Hazy Coconut IPA from NoCoast Beer Company in Oscaloosa, and Bluezy Haze IPA from River Hops Brewery in Fort Dodge. I can’t speak to that, but they have both done a lot of research in this area, so I trust them!
My top two favorites in the cider/seltzer category are:
Snapdizzle Cider from Fishback & Stephenson in Fairfield. It’s a strawberry-kiwi mix that is tart and so refreshing. (They also make my very favorite go-to-every-time cider: First Crush watermelon hard cider. Best drink on the planet. Really.) My other favorite today is Resting Brunch Face Seltzer from Court Avenue Brewing Company here in Des Moines. This is like drinking French toast. It’s a blend of maple and vanilla that is sooooo good. So good.
I’ve mentioned that one never knows what might pass by at the Fair, and today was no exception. While we were sipping away, three golf carts drove by with superheroes on the backs of them. There was Spiderman, Superman, Batman, and other ‘Men. Where were they going and why? We have no idea. Then a few minutes later Cy from Iowa State came into the Tent to visit with people and pull the tap handle for the Clone Fest Lager from Back Pocket Brewing in Coralville. And while we were sitting on a bench in the Pella Plaza later, a ginormous pickle sat down right beside us. See? You just never know….
When we finally decided it was time to move on, we realized that it was free drink time at the Bird Nest restaurant up by the Cultural Center. On one day only of the Fair they offer a free red cup sponsored by Mid-American Energy (whose building is right next door), and they will fill it for free. With whatever you want. So we hiked up there and got a Pickle Tickle beer from Barn Town Brewing in West Des Moines and a lemonade. Now, I do not like beer, but only at the Fair and only once, I will take a couple sips of the Pickle Tickle beer if it’s really cold, and I actually enjoy it. Pickle beer…sounds weird, right? But it’s actually very good. We took our drinks, went back down the hill, and browsed through the Agriculture Building, as it was Bonsai exhibition day, and I find those little trees fascinating. Some of those trees are so old, and how do they get them to bend into those shapes? I don’t know, but I am so intrigued by them.
What we ate today:
1 breakfast burrito and orange juice (from Cattlemen’s)
1 pulled pork sandwich (from Watcha Smokin’)
1 brisket sandwich (from Watcha Smokin’)
1 bucket – yes bucket – of cheese curds (from Brad & Harry’s)
1 strawberry ice cream cone (from Bauder’s)
1 fresh peach ice cream cone (from Bauder’s)
1 soft-serve twist cone (from I don’t know where, but it’s under the round pavilion)
We walked 3.5 miles today.
We will be back at the Fair on Thursday for our 5th day, but the Fair’s 8th day.
