UI grad hopes to fulfill beer dreams with Laureate Brewing

The Iowa City beer caves are a remnant of the city's rich beer culture, but that culture has seemed to have dried up as 150 years later there aren't any breweries within city limits.

A University of Iowa alumnus is hoping to change that.

Construction on the Laureate Brewing Co. began earlier this year and owner Kevin Burgess said he hopes to open its doors in time for the football season. The facility will be just south of Highway 6 near Stevens Drive and Southgate Avenue.

Burgess has been homebrewing for the past 15 years and said he is ready to take his passion to the next level.

"I'm excited to bring it to the commercial level and share my interest for craft beer with the community," he said.

Thus far, the process has been a learning experience for Burgess, who hasn't been formally trained in brewing and has minimal knowledge of business management, having studied Spanish in college.

"I have little or no experience, but what I've found is it's fun to learn," he said.

Burgess, who works as a life insurance salesman by day, grew up on the east side of Des Moines. He attended the University of Iowa, where he met his wife, and upon graduating in 2000, the couple moved to Seattle. It was in Seattle that he began developing a passion for craft beer and homebrewing, but he decided to move back to Iowa City with his wife and three kids to pursue his dream of operating a brewery.

The 42-year-old said he chose to relocate to Iowa City not only because it would be less expensive than Seattle to operate a business but also because of the city's beer culture and history.

"This town has a really strong beer community," he said. "There are people here who know more about beer than I do and I can't wait to meet them."

Burgess has been setting up a station at the Iowa City Farmers Market every other Saturday as a way to reach out to the community while also continuing to educate himself about brewing. He recently was approached by a couple farmers who expressed interest in growing hops for the brewery. Burgess said he would like to utilize locally grown ingredients whenever possible but will likely need to turn to neighboring states such as Nebraska and South Dakota for barley and other grains.

Burgess said he also plans to reach out to the community for financial support. In addition to Iowa Citians, Burgess has received support from people he knows in Seattle, Portland, Ore., and Des Moines. His goal is to raise $250,000 through online funding campaigns, a Community Source Capital campaign, and promissory notes from interested lenders.

"I'm just chugging along as fast as I can to get some pieces in place using my savings, and when I get to a point where I can pinpoint exact numbers I will then go to some people I've talked to and ask for some money, " he said.

In addition to reaching out to potential part-owners, Burgess also has reached out to local retailers such as Johns Grocery, as well as area bars and restaurants to carry his brews. During his time living on the West Coast, Burgess developed a liking for IPAs, or India pale ales, which will be just one of the beer styles he will offer. He plans to carry 10 styles in his taproom and has expressed interest in offering sour beers, which have grown in popularity in recent years. However, because sour beers are not his specialty, Burgess said he would be interested in working with other local brewers such as those at the Paha Hills Brewlab — which is expected to open just east of downtown Iowa City this summer — to carry their sour beers in his taproom.

This kind of collaboration, as opposed to competition, among brewers is something J. Wilson noticed serving as the Minister of Iowa Beer for the Iowa Brewers Guild. The Iowa Brewers Guild is a trade organization for brewers that aims to educate brewers and public about brewing in Iowa. The group also pushes for legislative action and Wilson attributes the growth of Iowa's craft beer scene to a 2010 law that allowed brewers to create beers with alcohol content up to 12 percent. This was beneficial for brewers because craft beers generally have higher alcohol contents than traditional domestic lagers. Wilson recently returned from a trip to Washington, D.C., where he lobbied for legislation to benefit brewers.

"Everybody's just working together and trying to educate our representatives as well as the consumers and the media," he said.

Wilson estimated there are currently about 55 breweries in Iowa and said an additional 30 could open their doors by the end of the year. There aren't any breweries currently in Iowa City, but there are several in the area including Backpocket in Coralville, Big Grove in Solon and Millstream in Amana. The Paha Hills Brewlab is expected to open its doors at 505 E. Washington St. in Iowa City later this summer.

"It will be exciting to see (Iowa City) add breweries of their own to the mix. It's a piece of local pride to have your own brewery," Wilson said.

Burgess, too, acknowledges the local pride that a brewery can offer for a community and hopes that Laureate Brewing Co. can fill that role in Iowa City.

"My thinking in this whole thing is I enjoy brewing beer, I enjoy drinking beer, and I enjoy talking to people about beer. And I want to share that with the town," Burgess said.