Millstream Brewing Company

October 28, 2008
I like to stop in here now and again, all their beers are very good and the building is quaint and very nicely decorated. There are no tours, but the staff will talk with you about anything. When the weather permits they have a nice beer garden.

January 9, 2008
Amana Brewing is located in the main Amana Colony, and driving in you get the entire visual tour of the colony as the brewery is at the end of the drive, located in a small wooden building near the factory, so essentially you just follow the smokestack to reach the brewery. We visited in the winter, so the patio out front wasn’t in use, but it appears that they have a few tables and chairs for the tourists and visitors to sit and enjoy a drink, because, frankly, the inside is an uncomfortable place to drink. It’s a tasting room with a small bar, and if it’s busy you’ll find yourself shoulder-to-shoulder with other folks. Large windows let you peer into the brewery, and the taproom is adorned in brewania and gifts: steins, bottles, shirts and hats, with historic brewery artificats and decorations lining the walls above your head. What’s available depends on the season, but on tap in December was the wheat, IPA, vienna, stout, and John’s Generation witbier, and bottles of each of these were for sale as well. You can either sample for free (please tip) or buy a plastic cup pint for around $2.75, which really is a great deal. I picked up a couple of swing-top 1 L bottles for $7 each (fantastic deal if you homebrew or handbottle), and I left with a greater appreciation for this brewery, simply because I like they way they operate and I like their setup

August 1, 2007
Visited on a Sunday afternoon. Located in the Amana Colonies, which I guess is a touristy place. I wouldn’t have gone there except for the beer, but that’s just me. The place itself was really small, and when we were there, it was kinda crowded. The guy behind the taps was friendly and gave me one ounce samples when I requested, and the beers themselves weren’t that expensive. They were all ok. The ones I had were not by any means bad, but nothing I had to stock up on and bring home. I would not drive to again while driving along I-80 for the beer, but if I ever got to the point in my life where the Amana Colonies seemed like fun to me, I’d stop back in.

July 30, 2007
You have to know what you like when you go in to buy or you can try a 14 oz. cup of any brew they have for $2.75. I will say the German Pilsner is refreshing and has a crisp taste.

December 3, 2006
Try and plan your visits here for May and October when they have fests. At all other times, it’s still really nice to sit outside in their hop garden and drink a pitcher. As I remember, they close fairly early when it is not a festival, so make sure you check on the hours. The shop sells Millstream beeriphernalia. You can get the John’s Generations here in the one liter flip cap bottles.

September 16, 2006
nice, but small brewery with a gift shop and biergarten. tasting room - gift shop has glassware, hats, shirts and six packs of their beer and soda available. great place to take a break while in the Amana colonies.

August 16, 2005
Great place to have a beer in an historic location. No inside seating, but in the summer there’s an impromptu beirgarten, surrounded by what was originally a German commune, now kind of a tourist trap for woolens, furniture, and fruit wines (many wineries, but only this brewery). Food is limited to landjaeger sausages at the bar, but samples are freely given, and take-home is available in sixpacks and stoppered 750 ml bottles. Growlers filled too.

July 30, 2005 [ Updated June 19, 2007 ]
Cool place located in the historic town of Amana. The brewery itself is a small, unassuming building with a patio outside covered by a trellis with hops growing on it. It’s a nice place to sit and enjoy their beer. If you’re there for Octoberfest it is a real blast, as the town was originally settled by German immigrants. There are several good German restaurants in town. They also host the Annual Festival of Iowa Beers (usually held in September).

July 14, 2005
Went on a Sunday morning, this was my third visit to this quaint little brewery, and it was definatley the quietist. Walked around an empty showroom(thank goodness) and had a owner tell me what was good and all about the new brews.

June 26, 2005
Stopped in June 2005. Amana itself is a waste of time, but Millstream makes some good brews and their little beer shop and patio is worth the diversion off I-80.