See inside Field Day, North Liberty’s first brewery

Field Day Brewing Co. started as a simple Facebook message. Co-founder of the new North Liberty brewery Joe Selix and his team wanted to open a brewery but none of them knew how to brew beer. Joe Selix's brother Scott Selix, however, is the president of the Iowa Brewers Guild and suggested reaching out to Alec Travis, although he figured Mr. Travis would not join the project. “It all started with a basic text message asking him if he wanted to meet for a beer and to talk and then we created a 20,000 square foot brewery,” Joe Selix said. “Sometimes it goes that way.” Mr. Travis is now a co-founder and the head of brewery operations at Field Day Brewing Co. He is behind the four vessel, 15 barrel system within the brewery. “There are four tanks we’re cooking on and each barrel is 31 U.S. gallons, so we’re brewing 30 kegs worth of beer in one batch,” he said. “It’s custom made out of California and it’s the first type of system like this that they’ve ever put together. I’ve been working with them since early 2021 on the design for it to make sure it’s functional with what we want to represent. It allows us to brew classic European lagers the traditional way.” The new brewery and restaurant will open on Aug. 1, a project that began at the end of 2020, when Joe Selix began discussing the brewery with his old and new partners. The team broke ground in May 2022 on its 925 Liberty Way location. The 14-month project has resulted in a building with two rooms for dining, a mezzanine and outdoor seating. While building the space, Joe Selix said the team ran into supply chain shortages but did remain on schedule. When fully operational, the brewery will have between 80 and 100 people on staff.

A clear vision

When the team first started brainstorming, Mr. Travis said the plan for Field Day Brewing Co. was clear from the beginning. “When you walk in, we wanted to give that wow factor and that was one of the first things we told our architects and designers,” he said. “ ... For us, it was about bringing a new space that people hadn’t seen before, that isn’t your average tap room. We looked at what people have done and what people enjoy and are trying to figure out how to best serve them.” The all-inclusive ideal remained a top priority as the restaurant came to fruition with a children’s playground in the front of the building. Joe Selix wanted to make sure the business was a place he can bring his three children and the whole family can enjoy the space. “That’s our biggest thing, to have people come as you are and be who you are and be comfortable here,” he said. “We think that people will really like the setting we’ve put together.” Even the music is for everyone as the business will use curated playlists with tunes from all generations, Joe Selix said. The branding was also created cohesively, he said, by Seattle-based firm Blind Tiger which specifically works with old craft breweries. The teal, cream, or- ange, yellow and green are featured across the building in seating and decorations.

Food and drinks for the whole family

Executive Chef Jake Wegmann has created a broad menu for patrons of the new brewery, many that pair well with the 15 brews made in house. “I put a lot of time and effort into adding some familiar pub favorites, like our loaded fries menu, and then had some fun with other options like a housemade veggie burger,” he said. “We’re trying to make things from scratch in house but doing it for speed and volume while doing it well.” Some specialties from the business include “mega pretzels” that are bigger than traditional Bavarian pretzels and come in Field Day, pickle, Chicago and dessert styles. There are aso brewery fries, appetizers, burgers and sandwiches. Field Day plans to also do higher end beer dinners to showcase Mr. Wegmann’s talents as a chef. Joe Selix said his favorite item is the pickle pretzel, but his current favorite pairing is the dessert pretzel and the chocolate Porter. “When you’re done with the meal and you are ready to throw in the towel, it’s perfect,” he said. “We’ll do a five ounce pour and a dessert pretzel and everything is great.” Both Joe Selix and Mr. Travis currently enjoy the Vienna Lager the most of the current brews made in house. The beer is a mix between a hoppy and a malted brew that Mr. Travis says is good at any time of year. “It’s a single, decocted multistep lager that showcases Vienna malt,” he said. “It’s the perfect balance at 5.7%. It’s a bit malty while being bright and still really easy to drink.” It was one of the first brews Mr. Travis made with the custom setup, which reassured Joe Selix that the Field Day team was on to something. “Anytime you’re brewing in a new system it’s tricky because it’s brand new,” he said. “And the system Alec has here is completely custom and different than what he’s brewed on from the past. That beer out the gate, was like oh my gosh. If your first beer out of the gate is this good, you’re just going to continue to get better. He knows how to make great beer.” The drink that surprised Mr. Travis the most was the Frenzy Mimosa, which is fermented with mango and passion fruit and includes oranges and peaches as well. The kettle sour is 7.7% alcohol but tastes like it has less alcohol in it. He said he wasn’t expecting the beer component to be hidden under the bright fruit flavor. Alongside the brews, there will be various seltzers and sours on tap that are brewed on the premises, including some smoothie sours.

Serving the community

North Liberty doesn’t have another brewery of its own — something that drew Joe Selix and the other co-founders to the market. “North Liberty has 20,000 plus people and it doesn’t have a brewery, and that’s crazy to me,” he said. “We’re getting by because there are some great ones in the area. Big Grove, Backpocket, Reunion, they’re all kick ass places but North Liberty itself, with 20,000 people, didn’t have a brewery. North Liberty needs a home and that’s what breweries have always been. They’ve always been a gathering place for the community and North Liberty hasn’t had one. So, we’re stoked to just be right here.” Iowa has 126 breweries, which is 33rd in the nation. Joe Selix said the state is underserved and Field Day Brewing Co. is one of many breweries looking to fill the gap. He said the business is taking the community’s needs into consideration as it begins its tenure. Most of the founders of Field Day also own Tin Roost, a restaurant located next door at 840 W. Penn St., which opened in 2017. “We like this community and it’s growing like crazy,” he said. “They’ve been very good to us. (Field Day) is very community focused and we like being around this area. It’s just a nice place to be that’s growing. It’s the perfect location.”