Q&A with Peace Tree Brewing

Peace Tree Brewing Company in Des Moines, Iowa was founded with history at the forefront of their mission—to brew handcrafted, full-flavored beers with a great attention to quality that would be shared with friends and strangers alike, all while acting as a catalyst for conversations, new friendships and more. Read on to learn more about their founding or checkout their website for more information.

Q. What's your name?

A. Taylor Evans

Q. What is your title?

A. Taproom Manager

Q. How did you come up with the name of your bar / brewery?

A. Our name, Peace Tree Brewing Company, serves as a reminder of our past – where different cultures met to discuss, trade and come to agreements.

The Peace Tree is a historic grand sycamore that was located near the town of Red Rock, under what is Lake Red Rock today. Supposedly, the old sycamore -which was once estimated to be the 2nd largest in North America – was a place where Native Americans met for generations, then became a meeting place for fur traders. Indian treaties were negotiated here and there is some speculation that it marks the Red Rock Line.

When Red Rock Dam was built in the late 1960s to create a reservoir for the Des Moines River, the Peace Tree – as much as 500 years old by this time – was left standing and could be seen rising out of the waters nobly for years since.

Our hope is that the beer made under the Peace Tree label will be shared with friends and strangers alike and act as a catalyst for conversations, new friendships and important agreements – in line with the lore of the Peace Tree of Red Rock.

Q. What is your bar / brewery most known for?

A. Everyone seems to have a Blonde Fatale story... this easy-drinking 8.5% Belgian-style Strong Ale won a Gold Medal at the 2014 World Beer Cup.

Q. What beer / brands inspired you in creating your own brand?

A. Joe, our head brewer, was inspired by Belgian ales and wild sours, but we also love playing with hops.

Q. The aliens have finally had enough, you get to eat one last item from your bar / brewery's menu before they evaporate earth. What would you eat?

A. Hmm, pizza... tacos... taco pizza... pizza tacos?

Q. What Beers are in your fridge right now?

A. Aside from our own brews, we love supporting our fellow Iowa breweries and would proudly argue that we have one of the most underrated beer scenes around!

Q. What is your guilty pleasure beer(s)?

A. Y'know, there's really a beer for every occasion, right? I nearly always keep some Grain Belt on-hand in my garage fridge and it's delicious.

Q. What did you do before you got into beer?

A. Life before beer...? I owe it all to my old college days.