Iowa Spring-Summer 21 - 11

If visual arts tickle your fancy, check out Figge
Art Museum.
Have a heart for nature? Spend some time on
the riverfront bike paths and at Sunderbruch Park's
hiking and mountain biking trails and at Vander
Veer Park and Conservatory. Whether for practicality or enjoyment, hop on the Channel Cat Water
Taxi, which carries you to Davenport, Bettendorf
and Moline.
Davenport is home to bars that please discriminating cocktail palates, like RAW, Me & Billy, UP
Skyba, and The Phoenix. You can wander the QC
Ale Trail for a taste of local craft beers-and even
get prizes according to the number of breweries
you visit.
Looking for a bite to eat? Head to The Half
Nelson, to Front Street Brewery, Brew Pub & Eatery,
or to Harris Pizza (home of the Original Quad City
Style Pizza).
The Channel Cat
WaterTaxi connects

BIG CITY BURBS

Davenport, Bettendorf

Make West Des Moines your spirited destination
for a capital experience.
The Spirits. Begin your explorations at The
Foundry at Valley Junction in West Des Moines.
The 1890s railcar repair barn and iron foundry has

THE FOUNDRY DISTILLING COMPANY

and Moline.

been reclaimed as a distillery, a European-style
food and beer hall with a colorful mix of vendors,
and a homey place to unwind.
The Foundry Distilling Company at The Foundry
was started by Scott Bush, whose initial foray into
Iowa spirits began in 2002. Inspired by his
great-grandfather, a Prohibition " entrepreneur "
making rye whiskey, Bush established Templeton
Rye. After he sold controlling interest in Templeton
Rye in 2016, he began work on the Foundry
distillery.
The spirits experience here is as creative as its
setting. You can take a one-hour guided tour of
the distillery facility-which can even include a
personalized bottle. You can sample and purchase
the Foundry mainstays, vodka, gin, and rum.
You can also get a taste of the distillery's BrewerDistiller Alliance Series. Both beer and spirits begin
with a mash " porridge " of heated grains (called
wort by brewers and wash by distillers). Foundry
uses the mash recipe from partner breweries to
make distilled liquors. Picture yourself sipping a
Left Hand Brewing milk stout, Stone Arrogant
Bastard, Surly Furious IPA or a Peace Tree Blonde
Fatale-and pairing it with the liquor it inspired.
For the ultimate visitor experience, go the

The Foundry Distilling Company tasting bar in West Des Moines is housed in a former railcar barn and iron foundry.

SPRING/SUMMER 2021 11

Iowa Spring-Summer 21

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Iowa Spring-Summer 21