The Iowa Brewers Union homebrew club was formed in Des Moines, IA in 1998 and has been going strong ever since. We currently have around 60 active members and are always looking to welcome new members into the club. Along with our monthly meetings and Jimmy Carter Happy Hour, IBU participates in many events around the community throughout the year. Some recent highlights include serving homebrew samples at the Iowa Craft Beer Festival, the Iowa’s Premier Beer & Food Festival, and participating in the Des Moines Botanical Garden’s ‘Music In The Garden’ series.
Along with sharing beers with each other and helping educate the public on homebrewing, our club members are active participants in homebrewing competitions.
National Pro-Am Medals
- 2022: Randy Daniels & KC McKinney with Confluence Brewing Co. – Gold Medal 2022 GABF Pro-Am – Kaltrauch
National Homebrew Competition Award Winners:
- 2022: Aaron Reif – Gold Medal Imperial Stout | Aaron Reif – Silver Medal Scottish Heavy
- 2021: Tony Schubert – Gold Medal Gueuze | Zack Rice & Tyler Wright – Silver Medal Baltic Porter
- 2019: Zack Rice & Aaron Reif – Gold Medal Scottish Light
- 2018: Tony Schubert – Gold Medal Mixed-Fermentation Sour
- 2017: Aaron Reif – Gold Medal Scottish Light | Austin Jones – Bronze Munich Dunkel
IBU Brewer Of The Year:
- 2021: Randy Daniels
- 2019: Aaron Reif
The IBU has also served as a place where many of our local professional brewers have finetuned their craft before going pro.
Iowa Breweries Formed By Past IBU Members:
- Confluence
- Brightside Aleworks
- Twisted Vine
- Big Rack