Partner Highlight: Millstream Brewing Co.

We love partnering with local businesses, and Millstream Brewing Co. is doing some pretty amazing things in Amana!

Millstream Brewing Co. was founded in 1985 in Amana, IA by two local home brewers.  It is Iowa’s original, and oldest, craft brewery and the 9th oldest operating brewery in the United States! Millstream began creating and selling craft sodas in 2007.

Millstream produces about 3,000 barrels of soda each year, which is the equivalent to just under 1 million 12 oz. bottles. You can find Millstream beers in 7 states, including the entire state of Iowa! Millstream’s craft sodas are sold nation-wide, through 20 different distributors. And, you can find their craft Root Beer, Sarsaparilla, Cream Soda, Orange Cream Soda, Black Cherry, and Grape Sodas at Dan and Debbie’s Creamery in Ely!

The Millstream team operates on a “work hard – play hard” model. “We don’t have a lot of rules. We encourage our employees to be independent, take risks and let them know that it’s okay to fail. This approach creates passion and allows us to surround ourselves with people that we have fun working with and that welcome our approach,” said Steve Charlier of Millstream Brewing Co.

“The ultimate compliment we can hear from a customer is…”Where can I buy this?”“ said Charlier. “We are constantly testing new products and exploring expansion opportunities.  This is a part of our daily business model.”

You might not think that soda and cows have anything in common, but then, you’d be wrong! Millstream Brewing Co. partners with a local farmer who monitors their brew schedule and brings her truck and wagon to the brewery at the end of each brew day. She carts off the grain and feeds it to her very happy cows! And FYI – the cows love root beer too!

We might be biased, but our favorite way to enjoy a Millstream soda is to buy an icy cold bottle on a warm summers day at our creamery and enjoy a scoop of handcrafted ice cream with it! Or, better yet, enjoy an ice cream float with Millstream Soda! Choose any of our 16 different ice cream flavors in our dipping cabinet, and any flavor of Millstream soda together! We have seen some pretty inventive combinations, but our favorite is the good ole reliable root beer with our vanilla bean ice cream.

Stop in and enjoy some locally crafted ice cream and soda today!