Bread & Butter
Hops, Skip and a Jump
T
via BIT Brewery
hough many things ground to a halt during COVID, the opening of local breweries was not one of them. Despite opening shortly before, or in the midst of, the pandemic, these four breweries managed to gain a footing and expand Eastern Iowa’s craft beer scene to new communities.
A BIT Brewery 26 N 4th St, Central City, Bitbrew3.com Opened July 2020
Housed in a beautiful brick-façaded building, BIT was founded by three friends who bonded
over home brewing and eventually decided to turn their hobby into a B business. The acroBremer nym BIT stands Brewing for Best in Company Threes and A D is a referBIT Brewery Maquoketa ence to the Brewing C friendship beHouse Divided tween co-ownBrewery ers Jason Levenhagen, Scott Whitson and Jeff Hempstead. BIT opened in July 2020 and has *Please travel with a lived to tell about it— designated driver another victory in the face of a business climate dramatically altered by COVID. The inside of the brewery is a bright wood and brick space with two dining rooms separated by a sliding barn door, cheery blue chairs lined up at the bar and an array of musical instruments on the wall as a nod to Levenhagen’s day job as a music teacher. There are 13 taps that feature a cast of beers that rotate on a two-week cycle and always includes two ciders and two sours. Additionally, if you stop by on Thursdays you can sample that week’s small-batch keg, a special one-off from the imaginations of the brewers. BIT also has a kitchen serving appetizers, desserts and specialty pizzas that you can see being made in the brick oven in the corner behind the bar. Beers are available in 4 oz tasters, 16 oz glasses or 13 oz tulips for some varieties, and 32 and 64 oz growlers. I wanted to sample a few things so I opted for the 4 oz tasters and tried the Black Betty Stout, the Oofda Imperial Red Lager and the guava cider. Stouts are one of my favorite styles of beer and Black Betty didn’t disappoint with toasty chocolate and coffee notes and a
robust but balanced flavor. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the imperial red ale, but it was my favorite. They say you eat (or drink) with your eyes first, and the Oofda draws you in right away with a beautiful amber color. It’s pleasantly sweet but not cloying and has a light and clean flavor profile. Lastly, I tried the guava cider. I often find ciders to be sugar bombs but this one surprised me. It was refreshing, and it offered a balanced sweetness that doesn’t overwhelm other flavors and really, truly tastes and smells like guava. At 4.6 percent ABV, it is the perfect option for lightweights like myself and could be paired with almost any food option. —Tiffani Green
Emma McClatchey / Little Village
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B Bremer Brewing Company 102 & 104 W Bremer Ave, Waverly bremerbrewingcompany.com Opened November 2021, Closed Mon.-Wed.
I am convinced some of the Iowaiest bars in Iowa can be found in Waverly (located about 20 miles
CEDAR RAPIDS CZECH VILLAGE/ NEW BOHEMIA
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JOHN@NEWBO.CO • (319) 382-5128 40 April 2022 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV305
