Alluvial Brewing | Ames, IA
Beer Trip: Alluvial Brewing in Ames, Iowa
Experiencing Iowa State University is what brought us to Ames, but we of course had to seek out the local brewery scene while we were in town. Alluvial Brewing actually sits just outside of the city, but has everything you could want in a great brewery.
The Brewery
Alluvial sits in the country in a rustic building on a nice chunk of land with prairie grass and a vineyard (not part of the brewery, but of neighboring Prairie Moon Winery next door) surrounding it. They, of course, utilize this ideal scenery with a large outdoor patio space opening up to the indoor area via overhead garage doors.
The indoor space is comprised of three somewhat separate areas. The first is the bar area, featuring a smaller seating section just as you walk in - this area features unique, custom paintings that we were told were created by the owner’s father-in-law.
The second section is the largest portion of the building and features an elevated stage for live music, which is the first time we’ve ever seen this in a brewery! The third area is tucked away upstairs and features an old-school arcade style Tetris game, a large sectional couch, and a bar overlooking the downstairs. The entire place is complete with lots of natural lighting and light wood timber.
The Beer
Alluvial offered plenty of beer choices to choose from with 15 different taps. Their brewing style was really all over the board: multiple IPAs and imperial stouts, a witbier, Irish red, schwartzbier, and a traditional lager. One thing that has us stumped is how they determine names for their beers - each were quite unique, including titles such as the Lontra, Morannon, and El Buey Loco.
An “alluvial” found in nature is the fan-like deposits of soil created by running water, such as a stream or a flood plain. Alluvial the brewery actually utilizes this shape in their logo, and several of their beers reflected a floral or earthy tone in them. Our personal favorite example of this was the Root to Rhizome, which was a ginger beer made with locally produced ginger on the nearby farm. While we aren’t big ginger beer fans typically, this was incredibly refreshing and would be delicious in a Moscow Mule. The Malachai Milk Stout was another great beer that possessed a chai latte like taste - it was actually served on nitro, so it was nice and smooth.
Food, Merch, & More
Alluvial doesn’t serve food; however, features a variety of snacks from local farmers including flavored cheese curds, beef sticks, and more. They also have a few to-go beers on tap, including some reserved for “VIP” customers.
As far as merchandise is concerned, Alluvial had several shirt choices, hats, glassware, and even some biking gear. We found that Iowa is a big biking hub, and Alluvial provides for those patrons with a large bike rack and tire pump out front.
Alluvial offered us a great experience with good beer and very friendly staff - we even met a nice couple on our afternoon trip! We will have to return someday for a concert to get the full experience.
Cheers1