When the wifey says she wants to go out, one must find a worthy establishment for said wife. Luckily for us, Monie’s preferred destination was close to our headquarters in Hills in the very popular tourist destination of Kalona. And it happen to be her birthday. And she happens to love craft beer. And she loves flights of craft beer. And wood fired pizza. My shopping is done!
The brewery is one of the most comfortable of its kind. Big ‘ol couches with a nice fire to toast to and sparkling beer vats that we stared at like a huge aquarium. And a loooong row of draft beers that we stared at like it was an aquarium. We’ve been fans of Kalona Brewing Co. since we cracked open our first can of their “Heavenly beer brewed by mere mortals.” That’s their motto and its one of my favorite ones. With a slogan like that, you better be able to back it up. Wouldn’t you know it, they have no problem doing just that.
We ordered a traditional flight of their finest beers with the bartender-ess coaching us on each one. From the classic lager to a brew aged in bourbon barrels for a unique kick to your beer. A couple glasses and boards of the crafted ones later, our food was being presented to us like a couple rock stars. That’s how they made us feel, that’s why. And I told everyone that I played the triangle in a REO Speedwagon song that I couldn’t recall. The beer was working by the way.
Blessed is any restaurant that takes the time to make their onion rings from scratch. If so, it’s truly hard for me to not order them. They were light in batter and crunched like The Hulk throwing a car into building. That’s a good thing. We also ordered the Funghi pizza. Handmade dough with mushrooms, fresh spinach, mozzarella, and a balsamic reduction. Not only is the food tasty here, Kalona Brewing Co. utilizes ingredients grown and produced locally. A culinary practice The Iowa Gallivant will always have a sweet spot for.
It’s obvious that we had another great time in Kalona and we’re not going to be a stranger to their brewery. Iowa’s small towns have more treasures being discovered every year with Kalona bringing us back year after year. Thanks for the beer, Kalona Brewing Co. We experienced quite the board of education as your crew took us to flight school. (I could’t resist)
Hey! We loved their beer so much we made a homemade BBQ sauce with Free Range Honey Kolsch Style Ale. Find out how we made it in Iowa Recipe Quest: Cooking with Iowa’s Brews, Wines, & Spirits!
Thank for reading! -Team Goodvin
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