Gezellig named best Iowa brewery

Gezellig Brewing Company was voted the best brewery in Iowa in an online poll by KCCI 8 News.

The poll was posted July 24 on the TV station’s Facebook page. Voters were instructed to choose between five breweries using the social media site’s emoji reactions. As of press time Monday, the post had garnered more than 3,100 reactions, or votes.

Gezellig Brewing Company earned 933 votes in KCCI’s poll. Peace Tree Brewing Co., of Knoxville, earned 726 votes. Timbukbrü, of Clarion, earned 717 votes. Marto Brewing Co., of Sioux City, earned 470 votes. Fenders Brewing, of Polk City, earned 224 votes.

Owned by Betsy Duffy and Mindi Vanden Bosch, Gezellig Brewing Company has only been open in Newton for roughly two months. Nevertheless, Duffy said she was “tickled pink” when she found out the results.

“It’s pretty cool to have this kind of support and just to have people believe in us the way that they have,” Duffy said. “I am just really proud of everyone … It’s actually pretty nice validation for all of the time we’ve put into everything and it’s just really exciting.”

Currently, Gezellig Brewing Company is brewing beers for the Great American Beer Festival beginning in October at Colorado. The Newton brewery will enter five beers into the three-day festival.

Also in the works is Gezellig’s State Fair Sour, a rye sour aged in red wine barrels with candied ginger and oranges. The beer is set to debut at the Iowa Craft Beer Tent at the Iowa State Fair this year.

Duffy said locals will still be able to try the new brew at brewery’s taproom along the 400 block of West Fourth Street North in Legacy Plaza.

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com