Confluence Brewing Company in Des Moines is one of those places that just understands the…read moreassignment. It is right off the trail, has free water, free live music, free bike parking, and a great patio. Add in cold local beer at fair prices, and it is pretty hard to complain. The people serving were mostly friendly, the beer was very good, and the selection is always great. If you go inside and head up the stairs, the selection gets even better. My only suggestion: please consider selling mix-and-match 4-packs or single cans to go. We wanted to buy some to take with us, but we could not agree on one flavor, so we skipped buying more and just stuck with what came out of the tap. For cyclists, bridge beers and bike beers are a real thing, and it feels like there is a missed opportunity there. That said, we will absolutely be back for all the "free" stuff, the local beer, and that amazing patio. Great trail stop, great beer, and a perfect place to take a break. Keep up the Lord's work. Cheers!

Added Confluence to our route while biking on a beautiful summer Friday night because they are…read morelocated right off the trail and had a live band playing that night. Plenty of bicycle parking, outdoor shaded seating with an outdoor bar and they were hosting a food truck. More of an A/C type, there is seating inside with the main bar and a variety of board games to keep you entertained. I appreciate the wide variety of beers, including a couple sours, seltzers and NA options. Staff were friendly and super helpful! What a great night out.

The Firetrucker was created and raised on the shoulders of a great man, and the legend continues…read more This has become a local standout as far as breweries go! They have embraced the locals as well as the biking crowd. Being right off the high trestle trail they are perfectly located to serve the 2-wheel crowds! With occasional live music and always having a food truck roll in it is a great place to drink fantastic beers and handmade cocktails while enjoying a snack or meal from the revolving food offerings. The staff are always friendly and quick to fill your drink orders. In addition to that they have a massive selection of board and card games to help pass the time with your friends and family! Go check it out!

Great place for live music! Smaller patio but still good size. Picnic tables. Looks like you could…read moremaybe bring your own chairs. A few snacks sold inside. Huge beer menu. We had Jell-O shots on the 4th! Very friendly staff! Would definitely go back & recommend . Check it out!

Loved these wines. The staff were very friendly and clearly enjoyed their jobs. Loved discussing…read morethe history of the winery and wines with them. The wines run slightly on the sweeter side, but the dry wines were in fact dry (and yummy). Loved the atmosphere too- options for being inside and outside (on a deck overlooking vineyards). They do have light fare food options though I didn't try any of it. Love that their grapes are all estate grown. And it's the oldest winery in Iowa!

What a gem! Yesterday I enjoyed a great afternoon of music and sunshine on the grounds of the…read morewinery. This was my first visit, but it will not be my last. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the winery hosts an outdoor concert. The cover charge is only $5 a head and is worth every penny. I must admit I didn't partake of any wine yesterday, but maybe next time.

We had a great time visiting this beautiful winery while in Iowa. It's right down the road from my…read moresons house and what a treasure it is. We brought our own chairs, glasses, etc. and sat outside for hours in the spacious yard. We listened to a 60s-70s band while watching the sunset. They had wine by the bottle for sale and a variety of beers so for the 4 of us each one of us was covered for drinks. They had facilities to use and strict guidelines were followed... we felt very safe. We will definitely come back again.

Penoach is a pretty good winery. Came here on a Saturday afternoon. They have a free tasting for…read more5 samples. Really enjoyed their Picket Fence White, wasn't sweet like a lot of Iowa wines. They also have an apple wine that tastes like apple pie. You have to buy a bottle of wine to have a glass here. They have a nice area outside to enjoy it. The people working here were very nice.

Great service and cool wine bar vibe here! Definitely the type of place you want to come with a…read moregroup and do some wine tasting and share some nice apps. Overall the food was good, but nothing blew me away. The chicken picatta was not overly flavorful and neither was the Asian salmon. We enjoyed the crème brûlée dessert but it was a little more pudding on the inside than I usually like. Even though food is fine, the wine tasting aspect is fun and the servers are great about helping you pair wine and food and making recommendations!

What is great - they have a gluten free menu and lots of options for those of us with allergies…read more What is less great is overall service and taste. They 1st prepared the burger not gluten free and I give them credit for catching it b4 bringing to the table. However, having other diner served their food and almost finishing b4 I got the gf burger was not great. The burger itself wasn't tasty and didn't finish it. The s'more dessert was fine. The flatbread salad combo was not good bc the flatbread was soggy from the salad dressing and overall tasted weird. Also not sure why other tables were offered a tasting of the special barrel wine and we were not. We will not be going back.

I was able to attend a small event recently at Speckled Hen Farm encompassing Speckled Hen and a…read morecouple of businesses they closely partner with including Covered Bridges Winery. Kevin from Covered Bridges Winery was an excellent host and let us know about their business in the same way as our hosts from Speckled Hen Farm and Lone Oaks Farms did. Where they started, where they are now, and what they have coming up. He offered tasting of 8-10 different wines from sweet to dry of his different blends. I tried the St. Croix (dry red), Frontenac Gris (dry red), LaCrescent (dry white), Marquette (dry white), Petite Rose (dry rose), and Rattlesnake Red (semi-sweet red). I'm not a huge wine drinker...some over the years...and I know my taste leans to dry and not overly sweet. I enjoyed all the samples I tried; both red and white! Ask Kevin about how the name rattlesnake red came to be...! Since we were on the Speckled Hen property we didn't get the full winery experience, but Kevin had the same enthusiasm as Kris (our host from Speckled Hen Farm) and Luann (our host from Lone Oaks Farms). You can tell why they all partner together so well! Winterset is just a 30ish min drive from where I live in Clive. A trip to the Northern part of Ankeny or to the South side can take me just as long...so it's really not far away at all and it's a nice drive. If you're like me and you enjoy a little bit of a day trip to find new things... It's worth the short drive from the metro! Check out upcoming events at Covered Bridges Winery on their Facebook page and site (as well as those for Speckled hen Farm and Lone Oaks Farms on their respective pages). https://coveredbridgeswinery.com/ https://www.facebook.com/CoveredBridgesWinery

Good wine, great service and nice location…read more I stopped here with Harvest Hosts for an overnight stay. It was packed when i got there with live music and a packed house. One of the owners saw me trying to find a place to park and pointed me to the best area to park, said after the band was over people would think out and I could park anywhere i wanted on the grounds. After getting setup i came in and grabbed a bottle of red wine and a charcuterie plate. The owners and staff were wonderful, the wine was great and the music was fantastic!! I had a great time staying with them and if i lived in the area i know i wold be there often.

Love that they carry so many Iowa wines and can recommend and give you a sample! I love that they…read morekeep it local without increasing the price a ton. Prices are that which you would get at the actual winery. Staff is super friendly and knowledgable! Make sure you have your ID with you. I love all of the fruit wines and varieties of both sweet and dry all in one stop while staying local. Beautiful little tasting area.

Valley Junction is full of stores like this one- carrying all local made products. This shop is…read morefull of wines that are all grown and produced in Iowa. They are quite unique wines, not the conventional one you may be use to. These are made with berries and other locally grown fruits. The shop keepers are very excited about pouring you a sample if you are over 21. They are proud of the Iowa wines they sell and want you to fall in love with them all.

vary clean and much more variety of liquor THC and bourbon smoke as well. I always come for my…read morefavorite drink and price is affordable

I spotted this store as I was heading South on 100th street. A quick stop in and I left with a…read morebottle of bourbon that has been on my want list. Nothing special just a standard shelf bottle I hadn't pulled the trigger on yet. The gentleman running the shop said they'd only been open about three months. He was polite and friendly. Their whiskey and bourbon selection is limited, but that will change if their volume of sales increases and the number of allocations they get through the state goes up. I'd recommend stopping by and checking them out if you are in the area.