Millstream Brewing Company - 40th Anniversary Bourbon Barrel Aged Porter

If ever there was a place long overdue for a new brewery in the mid-1980s, it was Amana, IA. Until the Millstream Brewing Company opened their doors in 1985, the area had not been graced by the presence of a brewery for over 100 years. Why it took that long to get a brewery going, we don't know. What we do know is that the Millstream Brewing Company was the first microbrewery in the state of Iowa and has played a critical role in the growth of craft beer in Iowa and beyond. Oh, another thing we know... 40 years after their beers hit the market, they just keep getting better!

The story really starts back in 1975 when founder Carroll F. Zuber was traveling through Germany and fell in love with the country’s impressive beers and prominent traditional beer culture. This was the same year that Miller Lite was launched and watered-down corn- and rice-based pale lagers were storming into fridges all over the U.S., so the difference between the state of beer in the two countries couldn’t have been more stark. Despite the seemingly ominous headwinds in the U.S., Zuber was a true believer in flavorful, traditional European-style beer, and – alongside business partners James & Dennis Roemig – he launched Millstream Brewing Company in 1985 out of a love for great beer and the will to brew handcrafted beers locally. This makes Millstream one of the OGs of the U.S. craft beer rennaisance, among the first wave of craft breweries to make their mark on the industry, alongside the likes of Sierra Nevada (1980), Boston Beer Co./Sam Adams (1984), Bell’s (1985), and Harpoon (1986) – though Millstream remained a much more modestly-sized and locally-focused brewery.

Master brewer Chris Priebe, who trained at Chicago’s world-famous Siebel Institute of Brewing Technology, became Millstream’s head brewer in 2000, setting them up for a period of growth as the craft beer market in the U.S. expanded greatly. In 2001 the brewery was sold to new owners, Tom & Teresa Albert, who maintained the brewery’s high standards and focus on German and other European styles. Then, in 2021, the brewery was sold to Steve & Susan Charlier and their business partner Justin Cohanim, while the Alberts remained owners of the adjacent Millstream Brau Haus. The new owners have sought to maintain the brewery’s core beers while expanding the lineup to include more contemporary styles. They’ve also added a canning line to adapt to the modern demand for this packaging format.

If you're ever in the area of Amana, IA, stop by Millstream's Taproom with 20 rotating taps, or head over to the Brau Haus to try their excellent beers (as well as their hand-crafted root beer, ginger beer, and cream soda) alongside some good food with a bit of German flair. For more information about the brewery, check out their website at www.millstreambrewing.com.