VIDEO: See what’s in store at Big Grove’s Cedar Rapids location

The Big Grove Brewery and Taproom in Cedar Rapids’ Kingston Yard development will be the brewing company’s fourth location.

But Big Grove leaders say the Cedar Rapids facility will provide an altogether different experience than any of their previous establishments — including a unique array of exclusive brews paying homage to the city’s Czech and German legacy.

“We’re going to be very community-driven,” said Hannah Coyle, events coordinator for the Big Grove Cedar Rapids taproom. “We have a whole team focused on making sure that we tie ourselves to Cedar Rapids through community outreach, making sure that we’re not only in the community, but we’re a part of it. We’ll be doing our best to have a hand in helping Cedar Rapids as a whole. Cedar Rapids is already a great community and kind of a catch-all for any kind of person, and Big Grove is like that already, too. We feel it’s just a perfect pairing.”

During a recent walk-through tour, crews were busy wrapping up their work in preparation for an anticipated opening in mid-December — now set to be the first project to open in the Kingston Yard development, formerly known as First and First West, a site once considered for a possible Cedar Rapids casino.

New beer style to take center stage

To date, Big Grove has been best known for its hops-forward India Pale Ale, or IPA, offerings, with the Easy Eddy IPA as its most popular brew. But there’s an entirely new brewing style coming to the Cedar Rapids location — one that’s more authentic to the area’s German and Czech roots.

“We’ll be going for more of those lager and pilsner styles,” said Andrew Mitchell, who will serve as the Cedar Rapids taproom’s general manager. “It’s a lighter, crisper, lower ABV (alcohol by volume) beer.”

The brewing process for those new beer styles will also be dramatically different, Mr. Mitchell said, utilizing an “open barrel” process.

“We’re going to have open fermentation vessels, not capped off in a controlled environment space,” he said. “You’ll see it actually frothing and bubbling over the top as the beer is being made, so you’ll get a little glimpse of what’s actually happening inside of that tank. It gives you a more authentic taste, as opposed to the enclosed tanks. You can make it work either way, but this is more toward the conception of the lager and pilsner brewing process.”

The new lager and pilsner brews, as yet unnamed, will be offered solely at the Cedar Rapids taproom for the time being, though they could be canned for wider distribution if demand warrants, Mr. Mitchell said.

“If something actually takes off and we think people would need to get in the store, we might consider it,” Mr. Mitchell said, “but we also want to give people a reason to come here and enjoy something that maybe they can’t get at any other location.”

Big Grove’s other locations also have site-exclusive brews, Big Grove co-founder and chief operating officer Mike Wehr said — the new Des Moines taproom, for example, caters to that area’s Italian heritage.

The Cedar Rapids taproom will also offer a range of other top Big Grove brews among its 40 tap offerings, and a series of seasonal brews will also be available at different times of year.

Big Grove co-founder Doug Goettsch said to learn more about lager and pilsner brewing techniques, he and other Big Grove associates spent eight days in Bavaria to learn German brewing practices first-hand.

He also said he welcomes the new brewing styles being offered at the Cedar Rapids taproom.

“It’s a softer approach,” he said. “There’s more available sugars, and we’ve come across a process to unlock some of the things that make the beer more approachable.”

Lagers and pilsners are brewed in a top-down process, rather than bottom-up, Mr. Goettsch said, and it can take 30 to 45 days to brew a lager or pilsner, versus an average of 14 days to produce an IPA.

“It’s cleaner, with a lower alcohol content,” he said. “It’s also usually done at a cooler temperature. The biggest thing we were told was that a good beer should invite you to have another. That’s the German concept. It’s not unusual for them to drink eight to 10 beers when they’re sitting down. As (head chef) Ben (Smart) said, we never drank a bad beer in Germany. Personally, for me, this style of beer is much more approachable to the average consumer.”

Facility to feature open floor plan, event space, outdoor service window

The Cedar Rapids Big Grove facility will comprise 18,000 square feet, including 10,000 square feet indoors and another 8,000 square feet of outdoor patio space. Total capacity, between the indoor and outdoor areas, should be between 550 and 600 patrons.

The entire facility features an open floor plan, with large windows reaching nearly from floor to ceiling and tinted windows, particularly in the brewing space, since sunlight can impact the fermentation process.

A large horseshoe-shaped bar will dominate the center of the main taproom on the east side of the building, with tables and seating on all sides and a merchandise stand on the east end. The west end of the building will serve as a private dining area and event space that can be utilized for a variety of corporate or personal entertainment events, from weddings and graduations to music performances or theater events. The event space, with a capacity of about 140, has garage doors opening to the main taproom space, so it can also be accessed for extra seating when it’s not reserved for an event.

“We’ll host some of our own Big Grove events in that space as well,” Ms. Coyle said, including “true crime” style podcasts, trivia nights, movie screenings and more.

The entire north side of the building incorporates garage doors that can be raised or lowered as desired depending on weather conditions, creating an indoor-outdoor venue when opportunities are available. Polished concrete floors throughout the facility will make maintenance and cleanup easier.

Brown leather paneling lines the building’s walls and felt-backed wooden planks cover the building’s vaulted ceiling, which should make the Cedar Rapids taproom substantially quieter than other Big Grove locations, Mr. Goettsch said.

A walk-up window will be incorporated into the west side of the facility, allowing patrons to purchase their favorite beverage while walking throughout the Kingston Yard’s common areas or watching a show on the central event stage.

And an extensive mural on the south exterior wall of the facility will document key aspects of Cedar Rapids history, Ms. Coyle said.

Family-friendly, casual atmosphere; approachable food

As with other Big Grove Brewery locations, the Cedar Rapids taproom will offer a casual, low-key and family-friendly atmosphere.

“It’s a community gathering space,” Mr. Goettsch said. “Whether your kids have a softball tournament down the street or you’re having date night or celebrating a bachelor party, we hope to provide that space where anybody celebrating anything, or just looking to get out of the house, has a spot to come to enjoy that simultaneously, in the right environment, and feel comfortable.”

Patrons of all ages will be welcome at Big Grove, he added, and fencing surrounding the entire Kingston Yard property will prevent any possible walkaways.

Larger groups should be able to be seated quickly, even without making a reservation, Mr. Goettsch said. “You’ll be able to bring 12 or 14 people and walk in the door and find a spot,” he said. “That’s the benefit of this size.”

As far as food offerings, Mr. Mitchell said patrons should expect a wide variety of options — from wings, burgers, other bar snacks and “quick bites” to a full range of entrees for a night out with friends and family. While the specific menu is still being finalized with head chef Ben Smart, Mr. Mitchell said several items will cater to the area’s Czech and German background.

Big Grove will also make accommodations for dietary restrictions or other nutritional barriers, he said.

“Everyone will have an option here,” he said, “but we’ll have a portion of our menu that really leans toward that Czech and German heritage.”

And despite a large initial need for staff, Big Grove thus far hasn’t had significant issues hiring the dozens of employees it needs, including transferring staff from other Big Grove locations to ensure a smooth opening.

“We’ll have a lot of homegrown talent here,” Mr. Goettsch said. “We like to seed places with people that know how we want to do things. We try to make sure that we fit into each community as we go.”

Cedar Rapids a natural spot

Both Cedar Rapids and Des Moines have long been considered as new Big Grove locations, Mr. Goettsch said. Due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and a variety of other factors, Des Moines “popped up first,” he said, but “Cedar Rapids has been on our mind for a long time.”

Key partners in the overall Kingston Yard development, including Matt Swift, Nate Kaeding and Joe Ahmann, also simplified the entire process and gave the Cedar Rapids project a cooperative feel, he noted.

“This is the first new freestanding building since we built Solon,” he said, “so our financial obligations are different. But as part of the development, we thought this just made sense, because we wanted to help re-envision downtown Cedar Rapids across the river and make this connector between Kingston Village, Kingston Yard and downtown, so we’ve got people coming back and forth, rather just all on one side. I’ve been at quite a few shows at the (McGrath Amphitheatre) this summer, and every time I look down here and say, ‘man, they can see that (Big Grove) sign.’”

“There’s a lot of good things going on in Cedar Rapids,” he added. “The growth is still going on both sides (of the river) now, and I think that as we grow and the tenancy fills up here, I think you’re going to see a lot of growth in this little pocket of Cedar Rapids.”