Keg Creek Brewing Co. Moving To Town Square

Keg Creek Brewing is closing its taproom and production facility south of town later this month but it’s not last call for Glenwood’s hometown brewery.

The brewery is moving and will reopen in early October on the east side of Town Square at 17 N. Vine St. in a building that previously housed Vine Street Cellars winery. Randy Romens, Keg Creek Brewing co-founder and a minority owner, announced the move at last week’s Glenwood City Council meeting. Romens said majority owner Matt Kirsch has found a buyer for the property at 22381 S. 221st St. that has housed the brewery’s production plant and taproom since 2018. The business has been listed for sale since last March. A new business will move onto the property, but it will not be a brewery.

Romens noted that the brewery will remain for sale after the move.

“If he could have sold it as a brewery, he would have,” he said. “Matt and Jeni still want to keep the brewery open, but we are looking for purchasers or leasers.”

Romens said Keg Creek Brewing will remain open at its present location until the last weekend of September and plans are to have the new Vine Street location open by Homecoming weekend (Oct. 4-5).

After the move, beer will be brewed in the two-story building behind the main storefront and taproom on Vine Street, but not at the same brewing capacity as the current location.

“We’ll be able to produce more than the original site (Sharp Street) but not what we’re doing now,” Romens said.Keg Creek has the capacity to serve 20 different beers at one time at its current location and will have up to 17 taps available on Vine Street, Romens added.

The new location will have an outdoor seating area and consideration is being given to offer a limited number of food items, Romens said.

Romens added that the move will occur after approval is given by some state agencies, including the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, which must approve the address change.

Keg Creek Brewing Co. opened at its original location,  111 Sharp St., in October 2011. The business evolved from a group of home beer brewers, who met regularly to exchange recipes and sample one another’s beer. When the Keg Creek Home Brewers earned nearly half of the top 20 places at a beer judging competition in Schleswig, Romens, John Bueltel, Art Renze and Grant Hebel decided to make a sizeable investment and start a brewery in the former Breadeaux Pizza building. The brewery had a temporary opening during RAGBRAI’s visit to Glenwood in 2011 and its official grand opening in October 2011, coinciding with the community’s Homecoming celebration.

The brewery has continued to grow since its opening 13 years ago. The brewery expanded its production, distribution and taproom ties after Matt and Jeni Kirsch became majority owners of the business six years ago. Keg Creek beers are sold in several communities in Iowa and Nebraska.