Since we have updated our website, we will no longer be updating this blog. Check us out at www.peacetreebrewing.com instead. Thanks for checking in!!

Grand Opening

Patron Saint of Workers

While we are awaiting our new website to appear, thought we’d put up one more post to do a little explaining about our March 19 grand opening date.  We set it almost as soon as we came up with this crazy idea to start a brewery because we had just read about it at church.  (Yes, this brewery has gone from idea to full production in less that 1 year!)  In the Catholic tradition, St. Joseph is the patron saint of workers and an annual feast honors his memory.  Because it happens during lent and in the lean days of winter, bread and liquid bread (modernly known as beer) were often a large part of these feasts.   Some festivals of strong beer have even popped up around this idea spurred on by German monks.

So with this in mind  our grand opening is this Friday, March 19 from 11-9pm.  The Knoxville Chamber Ambassadors will be doing the official ribbon cutting at 3pm followed by a toast and a blessing of the bock.  We will offer tours and tastings all day and the first 100 people will get a commemorative pint glass marking the occasion.  At 4pm Jon McLemore will grace us with his guitar and vocals.  At 6:30, Another Side of Jane, an acoustic duo will perform for a couple of hours.

After this we will start to be open three nights a week, Thursday and Friday from 4-10 and Saturdays from 1-10pm.  Of course you can always stop by and see Dani during normal business hours if you need a growler, a t-shirt, gift certificate or any other business.

Thanks for welcoming us!

something new on tap…

Joe just added a Scottish Wee Heavy to the line for tonight. I didn’t think he was going to share it….. what a swell guy!

PEACE TREE BREWING COMPANY BECOMES FIRST OFFICIAL VENDOR FOR “RED, WHEAT & BLEU” RECEPTION

From NSCHOF

KNOXVILLE, IOWA – Knoxville’s own Peace Tree Brewing Company has become the first business to commit to participating in the inaugural “Red, Wheat & Bleu” wine-, beer- and cheese-tasting special reception to be held on Wednesday, August 11, at the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum during the 50th annual Goodyear Knoxville Nationals presented by Lucas Oil. The reception is open to museum visitors on the first day of the four-day sprint car national championships, from 12:30 until 3:30 p.m., and it will be held on the museum’s air-conditioned second floor.

According to museum executive director Bob Baker today, “It is only appropriate that Knoxville’s new downtown brewery, owned by the McKay and Ziller families, has become the first vendor for our inaugural event. Dan McKay, daughter Megan and her husband Scott Ziller have been wonderful supporters of the non-profit museum, the race track and the town’s chamber of commerce for many, many years. We really are proud of their newest business venture and we thank them for helping us with this inaugural event. The chamber, the museum, the track and the fairboard are really going the extra mile this year to make sure that the 50th Knoxville Nationals is the biggest and best ever for our loyal fans!”

Those individuals interested in learning more about the Red, Wheat & Bleu wine-, beer- and cheese-tasting special reception at the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum are urged to visit www.sprintcarhof.com. Those interested in the Peace Tree Brewing Company should visit www.peacetreebrewing.com. Those seeking additional information on the 50th Goodyear Knoxville Nationals, presented by Lucas Oil, should log onto www.knoxvilleraceway.com.

Green T’s- just in time for St. Patrick’s Day!

Peace Tree Brewing Company just got some new t-shirts in. Bright Lime and Kelly Green. Stop by and pick one up. Only $15 plus tax. Have a wheat beer while you’re here too. No green beer here either- only the t’s are green.

Thanks for modeling Jodi and Todd!

Fan favorite…

Yesterday was another great milestone for our little brewery.  We did our first offsite sampling at Living History Farms for their Beer n’ Bread event.  Many of the Iowa breweries were present and it was fun to catch up with everyone and taste their samples.  Of what I got to taste, my personal favorite (other than ours of course) was Rock Bottom’s Amber Hemp ale.  The Iowa Brewers Union homebrew club was also out in force serving up great home brew. 

The event sold out so hopefully it was very successful for Living History Farms since it is a fundraiser for their great facility.  Joe was pouring his Hop Wrangler 3 IPA and a hefeweizen.  All five gallons of the Hop Wrangler was gone in exactly 46 minutes.  The hefeweizen was gone about an hour later.  Rookie mistake and next time we will know to bring bigger quantities!

It was also significant, because even though we ran out of beer very quickly, the fan’s voted our Hop Wrangler 3 as the favorite microbrew of the event.  We really appreciate all the support from our local friends who came out in support and had a great time making lots of new friends.  It is also fantastic to be so well received on our first road trip!!!

Tomorrow, we welcome our third full timer, Paul Stanley.   Paul has been a faithful customer from the beginning and we are really excited for him to join our team.  He will be helping Joe as we get started bottling and then will be delivering our beer as we get retail accounts set up.  He may be manning the tap room bar some too so be sure to give him a warm welcome! 

If you want to see us out again soon, we will be sampling at Honey Creek on Friday the 12th for All That Jazz: Wine, Jazz, Blues and Brews.   And don’t forget, next Friday, the 19th is our grand opening!!  Cheers!

Happenings

It’s been a busy month at Peace Tree Brewing Company. Last week, we bottled and mailed out a variety of beers for the World Beer Cup set to take place in Chicago next month. There are around 3 thousand entries. To bring a medal home would be HUGE. Wish us luck! Scott has been working on labels and Megan’s already setting up beer accounts in Iowa City, Des Moines and Ames. Peace Tree Brewing Company has had a great start and we owe it all our patrons and of course, great beer.

Our Open House will be March 19th  11 am – 9 pm. Ribbon cutting will take place at 3 pm. The Beer n’ Bread fundraiser is this Saturday, March 6th, 3-6 pm at Living History Farms. We will be serving our Hop Wrangler IPA 3 and Hefeweizen. Visit www.lhf.org or call 515-278-5286 for more info. All That Wine, Jazz, Blues, and Brews is March 12th & 13th 6 pm at Honey Creek Resort. Our beer will be there also… not sure which ones yet. Check out www.honeycreekresort.com for more details and look at upcoming events on their homepage.

Starting March 26th, Peace Tree Brewing Company’s Taproom will be open for craft beer tasting Fridays and Saturdays. Hours: Thurs. 4-10 pm, Friday 4-10 pm and Saturday 1 pm – 10 pm. I’m also here Mon- Fri 8:30 am to 5 pm if you want to get a root beer or hefe growler.

Thanks for the great article Ryan! (Knoxville’s Journal Express)

A beer isn’t just a beer. A truly great beer is the outcome of a myriad of tests, constantly tweaking the intricate process of brewing, and balancing the most minute of flavors. Through this dedication to craft, The Peace Tree Brewing Company has emerged at lightning speed with a collection of distinct and truly local brews set to sell throughout Iowa.

With the vast majority of Iowa’s 23 breweries found in larger cities such as Des Moines, Dubuque, and Cedar Rapids, Peace Tree is a rarity – a vibrant microbrewery nestled in a small town. Yet there is nothing small about Peace Tree’s ambitions. The brewhouse features four fermenting tanks, is capable of brewing 3,720 gallons and four different beers simultaneously, and is prepared to begin filling and shipping more than 78,000 bottles of their three signature beers: Red Rambler red ale, Rye Porter, Hop Wrangler 3 IPA, as well as their own traditional root beer.

Each of the Peace Tree Brewing Co.’s original beers is the creation of brewmaster, Joe Kesteloot. Since being tapped in early July, Kesteloot wasted no time developing tasty brews of all origins and varieties. Dark stouts, Edelweiss, Pilsner, even an Orange Ale celebrating the Hawkeye’s Orange Bowl turned up in the process.

Since the beginning, Peace Tree Brewing Co. has welcomed the community of Knoxville and beyond to share in its development and relish its creations. The brewery opens its doors each Thursday, inviting the public to relax in the fully restored taproom to taste and discover all that Peace Tree has to offer.

Now recognized in the Iowa Wine and Beer guide, Peace Tree has also put Knoxville on the map for tourism and is already attracting customers from as far as Des Moines, eager to experience Knoxville’s only microbrews in a welcoming, professional setting.

With so much excitement from the community and beyond Peace Tree Brewing Co. is elated be start sending its beer across Iowa for beer-lovers everywhere to discover and appreciate.

-Ryan Formanek

mmm…..IPA

IPA Wort

Joe is currently brewing his 3-way IPA which will be labeled Hop Wrangler 3. He’s using a combination of American and English malt and hops and a Belgium yeast. IPA’s are known for their intense bitterness. I just have to add it’s my (Dani’s) personal favorite and I’m super excited Peace Tree Brewing Co will have 620 gallons of it!

Our first big brew is in the making!!

Joe milled in Friday and after making a few adjustments to the new system, brewed a 20 bbl batch this weekend! The hefeweizen is now fermenting and the yeast is creating big happy bubbles.