Full Bloom Brewhouse | Oskaloosa, IA
Beer Trip: Full Bloom Brewhouse in Oskaloosa, Iowa
Unless you are from the area, you likely won’t find your way to Oskaloosa - but the town’s local brewery is worth the trip! Full Bloom Brewhouse provides an awesome atmosphere in an old barn that you won’t encounter elsewhere - and they offer pretty good beer, too!
The Brewery
Having visited hundreds of breweries, many of them tend to be set up similarly and often blend together in the mind. Full Bloom bucks that trend, and its facility is one that we’ll definitely remember. They occupy a big, red barn that was originally built for an apple orchard that once surrounded the grounds. As you might imagine, the structure was built to last, constructed entirely out of wood with large, timber columns, thick slab floors, and an exposed plank ceiling. The lower level features the walk-up bar, along with lots of bright teal tables and hints of light pink, giving off an ambiance of a spring bloom (just like their namesake).
The upstairs area is even more impressive, with two different sections set up like a kids’ clubhouse. Each side has a variety of activities, from foosball to pool to Connect 4 and even a play place for toddlers. Each of these items blends in with the miscellaneous couches and tables, providing plenty of seating. If weather allows, Full Bloom also has a nice-sized elevated deck with additional seating overlooking a walking and biking trail.
The Beer
Full Bloom maintains 6 to 7 of its own brews, along with 2 or 3 guest taps at any given time. Of those, they have four flagships consisting of an IPA, lager, red, and a wheat, and the other brews of theirs rotate as they run out. We were able to meet John, the owner and head brewer, during our visit, and he talked us through their small brewing setup in the basement. One advantage of brewing in small batches is that they don’t need huge amounts of ingredients to experiment. Because of this, he has been able to utilize the walnuts from the tree out front into a beer, as well as miscellaneous fruits from his own house, which we thought was pretty cool and adds a story behind the pour.
Almost all of their brews (at least on our visit) had an ABV of 5% or less, so we were able to try several before heading out. Perhaps our favorite was the Blossom, which is their flagship wheat. This one reminded us of a Blue Moon with its spices, but you also get nice hints of lemon instead of orange. The other brew worth noting is their only IPA on tap, Renew. This beer is really smooth for an IPA, and it also incorporates fruits, but this one offers nice orange notes.
Food, Merch & More
In addition to beer, Full Bloom offers cider, wine, and several mass-produced N/A beers. They also have a unique food menu of soft pretzels and nachos, but their real passion is gourmet hot dogs. They have roughly 8 different options to choose from, with toppings varying from onions and peppers to mozzarella and pepperoni. We were interested enough to sample one, and it was just what we needed to tide us over until we left town. Their merchandise section was really limited, but they do have a few shirts, a hoodie, and a beanie, as well as a few different brewery stickers.
It’s awesome that a small town like Oskaloosa has such a cool brewery in its backyard. Nothing beats good beer inside a local hangout, and Full Bloom Brewhouse offers the perfect place to do just that.
Cheers!
