Iowa Craft Brew Festival to Feature More Than 25 Iowa Breweries

Posted on June 14, 2012 by Emily Nichols

More than 25 Iowa breweries. More than 100 craft beers alongside a few other regional and national micro-brews. What more do you need to know?

The second annual Iowa Craft Brew Festival, presented by the Iowa Brewers Guild, will be held on Saturday, June 16 from 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. on the Locust Street bridge between 2nd Avenue and E. 1st Street in Des Moines.

“Iowa breweries are making quality, delicious craft beers,” said Jill Haverkamp, who is assisting with the marketing of the event. “The Iowa Craft Brew Festival is an excellent opportunity to see what all the Iowa breweries have to offer and learn more about the art of brewing beer. Buying and drinking local is an opportunity to support and put money back in the local economy.”

The inaugural Iowa Craft Brew Festival was a hit (the tickets sold out) and this year the Festival has been moved to the Locust Street bridge, which will give more beer-lovers the chance to attend the event and will provide more space for the Festival.

Your ticket fee gets you entrance into the Festival, unlimited beer samples, live music and food samples. Haverkamp also mentioned that attendee’s should bring a bit of extra cash to purchase food at the event and to purchase some merchandise (such as t-shirts, glasses, ect) from some of the breweries. Here are the ticket options and prices:

Ticket Options: (Purchase tickets here.)

General Admission Tickets – $20
VIP Admission tickets – ~~$25. (Being a VIP means that you’ll have exclusive early access into the Festival from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.)~~ SOLD OUT.
Day Of Admission Tickets – $30
Designated Driver Ticket – $5

A few others things to keep in mind:

The entrance of the Festival will be on the west side of the Locust Street bridge next to the YMCA.
The event will take place rain or shine!
Since the point of the Festival is to taste and enjoy multiple local beer samples, make sure you are responsible and bring a designated driver. (Obvious, I know, but I had to play mother hen there for a moment.)
Bring a pen and paper to write down what beers you enjoyed so you can purchase them again in the future. Or if you’re tech savy – just start a note in your phone!
View photos of the 2011 Iowa Craft Brew Festival by clicking here.

UnWINEd with Winefest’s “Sips in the City”

Posted on June 8, 2012 by Emily Nichols

Winefest is in full swing in Des Moines! There has been a weeks worth of events and it all culminates this weekend. One of my favorite, and most affordable, events during Winefest is “Sips in the City” (presented by Jethro’s BBQ), which will be held tonight, Friday, June 8, from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. at Nollen Plaza and Capital Square. It’s the perfect way to wind down the week with a little (or a lot) of wine and a few hors d’oeuvres from local restaurants such as: Americana, Baratta’s, Chocolaterie Stam, South Union Bread Cafe and more.

I had the opportunity of chatting with Nikki Syverson, Winefest’s Event Director, and Kelly Sparks of Socialize Events, who is also helping with the planning and execution of Winefest, and here’s what they had to say about “Sips in the City.”

Q: Why is “Sips in the City” the perfect event to start the weekend?
A: It’s a fun, low pressure way to experience wine and kick off your weekend. If you’re interested in learning more about wine – and what wine you like – Sips is a great way to taste hundreds of good value wines and talk with distributors and vintners.

Q: Why is “Sips in the City”/Winefest a great event for Des Moines?
A: This is the tenth year for Winefest. Besides supporting the wine and culinary industry, Winefest has raised approximately $350,000 for local charities and cultural organizations. It’s even attracted top names in the culinary world and created another great experience for members of our community.

Q: What are the highlights of “Sips in the City”?
A:The wine! The food! What’s not to highlight? Be sure to hit the Jethro’s and Dahl’s Grocery booths for some great food and explore all of the wines. If you want an extra special experience, check out the Willis VIP lounge with high end wines and even better food!

Q: Is the event held both outside and inside?
A:Booths will be set-up both inside at Capital Square and outside at Nollen Plaza. In the case of bad weather, all booths will be inside Capital Square.

Q: How many different wines and foods will be available for tasting at “Sips in the City”?
A: There are hundreds of wines from all over the globe and a great variety of food selections.

Q: Can you talk a bit about Jethros BBQ pit? (Sounds awesome!)
A: As the sponsor of Sips & the City, Jethro’s is pulling out all the stops to make sure attendees have some great food to go with the wonderful wines available.

Tickets to the event and VIP upgrades are available at the door or online at winefestdesmoines.com. Tickets are $40 in advance or $50 at the door with the option of upgrading to the Willis VIP Lounge for $25.

La Mie Offers Top-Notch, Reasonably Priced Breakfast and Lunch Options

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Emily Nichols

Gently sliced avocado placed on a bed of cream cheese and pesto sandwiched between artisan bread. Lunch at La Mie is served.

La Mie, a local bakery and cafe nestled in the Roosevelt shopping center, might be my favorite lunch spot in Des Moines. Honestly, everything I’ve tried on the menu has been top-notch, fresh and well worth the money. Owners Joe and Christina Logsdon have created a modern, energetic spot and I can’t keep it off my radar.

The salads are crisp and refreshing, the fruit is plump and sweet, the breads are incredibility flaky, and the desserts – don’t even get me started on how divine those are! But put all the high-quality foods and pastries aside – the prices are what are really exceptional. Only $5 for a made-from-scratch buttery croussiat fulled with tarragon chicken salad with cranberries, walnuts and celery? Yes, please. (Check out La Mie’s full menu here.)

If you haven’t been to La Mie for lunch or breakfast (or both!)- you are doing yourself a disservice. It’s the perfect spot to grab a fruit danish on the way to work and/or the perfect place for a nice lunch meeting in the afternoon. La Mie is one of my “go to” lunch spots in Des Moines.

My favorite lunch items at La Mie: La Mie has some great veggie options, such as the Avocado Sandwich (I hold the sprouts) and the gooey Grilled Brie and Provolone Sandwich. (If you’re a meat eater the chicken salad is good!) I usually go with house salad with almonds, cranberries, carrots, and feta or the fresh fruit for a side dish. The fruit side is not your typical lame fruit side. More than likely you’ll receive a mixture of fresh strawberries, pineapple, and blackberries – and probably a few other seasonal fruits that are juicy and flavorful. My favorite desserts at La Mie are the french macarons, the chocolate carmel tarte (pictured below) or the almond bar.

A few tips: If you’re going for lunch make sure you arrive a few minutes early. At about 11:40 p.m. a hefty lunch rush hits and sometimes it’s hard to find a table. Also, ample parking can be found in the back of the building if there’s nothing available in front of the store.