Iowa-Grown Corn Featured in Beer on Tap at Iowa State Fair

by Cami Koons

A beer called Yield of Dreams is on tap at the Iowa State Fair and features corn grown across the state and donated by 18 Iowa farmers. 

The lager, brewed at Confluence Brewing Company in Des Moines, is a partnership between the Iowa Brewers Guild, the Iowa Corn Growers and Choose Iowa, which is promoting a slew of locally produced goods at this year’s state fair. 

This is the second year the groups have partnered to create the Yield of Dreams brew and offered it to fairgoers at the Iowa Craft Beer Tent. 

According to a press release, the beer is meant to represent the relationship between the craft beer and agriculture industries. Iowa Brewers Guild, a trade association for beer and cider brewers in Iowa, celebrates locally brewed beers through its “Brewed in Iowa” campaign. 

A beer called Yield of Dreams is on tap at the Iowa State Fair and features corn grown across the state and donated by 18 Iowa farmers. 

The lager, brewed at Confluence Brewing Company in Des Moines, is a partnership between the Iowa Brewers Guild, the Iowa Corn Growers and Choose Iowa, which is promoting a slew of locally produced goods at this year’s state fair. 

This is the second year the groups have partnered to create the Yield of Dreams brew and offered it to fairgoers at the Iowa Craft Beer Tent. 

According to a press release, the beer is meant to represent the relationship between the craft beer and agriculture industries. Iowa Brewers Guild, a trade association for beer and cider brewers in Iowa, celebrates locally brewed beers through its “Brewed in Iowa” campaign. 

“Building on last year’s success, there’s still no better place than the Iowa State Fair to enjoy Yield of Dreams, our signature brew celebrating all things Iowa,” the guild’s executive director Noreen Otto said. “Brewed right here in Iowa with Iowa corn, it’s an ideal way for fairgoers to cool off while directly supporting our state’s rich agricultural heritage.”

Two farmers from each of the crop reporting districts donated a little over a bushel of corn which was added to the brew at Confluence Brewing Company in June. 

Ralph Lents, president of the Iowa Corn Promotion Board and a farmer from Menlo, said beer is just one of the thousands of products made from Iowa-grown corn. 

“ICPB continues to invest in partnerships, like Yield of Dreams, to help strengthen corn demand while increasing corn knowledge across the state of Iowa,” Lents said in a release.  

The Iowa State Fair opened Thursday and finishes Aug. 17. Following the fair, Yield of Dreams will be available at taprooms across the state, including Confluence Brewing. 

Other Iowa-Grown Fair Goodies 

Choose Iowa, a marketing initiative from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, has cooking classes, contests and partnerships across the fair grounds. 

This year 30 food vendors have committed to use ingredients sourced from Iowa. The vendors have entered in Choose Iowa’s favorite fair food contest. Fairgoers through Aug. 13 can vote for their favorite food with local ingredients, including Yield of Dreams.

Eligible foods include exotic items like “The Butcher’s Donut” from Destination Grille, or a cinnamon crunch apple taco from the Iowa Specialty Crop Growers Association. There are also classic items like a pork chop on a stick from the Iowa Pork Tent, milk to go with a bucket of Barksdale’s State Fair Cookies and watermelon at Beattie’s Melon Patch. 

A full map of participants and a link to vote can be found at the Iowa State Fair website, or on the app. The winning vendor will be announced Aug. 15. 

Visitors can also get a free sample and a cooking lesson featuring local ingredients in The Kitchen at the Maytag Family Theatre Building each day at 1 p.m.

The classes vary in technicality from cooking a whole chicken, to stirring up some dill pickle lemonade or pairing wines with a spread of cheeses and bread. 

A schedule of the events can be found on the Choose Iowa Facebook page. 

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said Choose Iowa will be “highly visible” at this year’s state fair. 

“Whether you live on a farm or in a city, the Iowa State Fair offers something for everyone to connect with our state’s rich agricultural heritage,” Naig said.