Positive Friday - Positive Friday

Positive Friday is brewed in the Nordic Pils style, delivering a crisp, hop-forward lager that bridges traditional European inspiration with modern execution. The beer pours a bright, clear golden color topped with a lively, persistent white head. Aromatically, noble hop character leads the way, with herbal, floral, and lightly spicy notes from Saaz hops, supported by clean bitterness from Magnum. The palate is snappy and refreshing, driven by a lean Pilsen malt base that provides subtle crackery sweetness while staying firmly in the background. With 40 IBUs, this pilsner offers a noticeably assertive bitterness for the style, yet remains balanced thanks to its dry finish and bright carbonation. At 4.5% ABV, Positive Friday is highly drinkable and built for repeat pours. Food-wise, this Nordic Pils shines alongside grilled sausages, fried fish, schnitzel, or sharp cheeses, and its bitterness also makes it a great companion for richer pub fare. Serve at 45–50°F in a pint glass, mug, or IPA glass to fully appreciate its crisp structure and hop expression. Positive Friday is a clean, confident lager that showcases the brand’s ability to innovate while respecting classic foundations.

The story of Positive Friday is intrinsically linked to the venerable Millstream Brewing Company in Amana, Iowa, which opened in 1985. In March of 2021, Millstream was acquired by Steve & Susan Charlier and their business partner Justin Cohanim while the previous owners, Tom & Teresa Albert, continued as owners of the adjacent Millstream Brau Haus. The new owners sought to maintain the brewery’s core, often traditional German-style beers while expanding the lineup to include more contemporary styles. They also added a canning line to adapt to the modern demand for this packaging format.

Tom, Teresa, and Justin launched the Positive Friday brand in 2021 to provide an avenue to their brewers for experimentation into new styles and a more nimble vehicle for them to get these new creations into the hands of beer lovers much faster, and to a larger audience than the more local-centric Millstream brand. As Justin explained to us, at Millstream the process to introduce a new beer can take months, with multiple pilot batches sold largely out of the taproom. With Positive Friday, they’ve created a separate entity, one in which they hand the reins entirely to their very experienced brewing staff and tell them to come up with something new and exciting – which immediately gets created and distributed within just a few weeks, and to a broader market at that.

As of this writing, they’ve released several new beers including both West Coast and New England Hazy IPAs, Wheat Ale, Vienna Lager, German Pils, and a rather bold Irish Red boasting a stronger than normal ABV. We’re looking forward to seeing what they come up with next.