"iowa" news and stories

A weekly look at the draft selections in beer-friendly bars across the country.

Who says Iowa can't be home to a beer haven?

Since 2006, El Bait Shop has housed over 100 draft beers (and plenty more in bottles) smack dab in central Iowa, making this "shop" not only a Des Moines beer mainstay, but a national beer destination as well, finding its way onto best bar lists in publications like DRAFT Magazine and Esquire.

Why does the U.S.'s 112th largest city need 105 draft lines? Well, where better than in middle America to feature American-made beers? That's the goal at El Bait Shop, according to bar manager, Charles Johnson. "We have the largest selection of American craft beer in the world," said Johnson, explaining what makes their draft selection unique.

It's hard to have more than 100 draft lines without delving into the large array of imported beers that a lot of bars lean on. By sticking with mostly American "micro" brewers, El Bait Shop not only supports smaller brewers, but has also found a way to separate their draft selection from the crowd. It also gives the bar the opportunity to show off some local Iowa brewers who's products don't always find their way to the coasts, like Great River and Peace Tree.

Find the giant beer list that gave El Bait Shop their niche after the jump...

Remember back in October when I posted about the independent movie, King Corn? The movie wasn't in wide release when we first mentioned it, and so a number of you expressed interest in seeing it, but weren't able to find a screening anywhere. It's gotten wider distribution over the last six months, but for those of you who haven't been able to find the time or place to see it, I've got partially good news for you. A twenty minute clip of the film is now available on AOL video site, which means that I can embed that chunk of the movie here, for your viewing pleasure.

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It all started pretty simply. Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, interested in food production in this country, cast their eyes on corn growing in Iowa. They head for Greene, Iowa, a town from which they both happen to descend. They lease an acre of land from a local farmer and plant their corn. They stay with their crop, all the while doing research into cattle feed lots, the production of high fructose corn syrup, the diabetes epidemic in this country and the ways in which agriculture reform in the seventies set us up for the farming situation that we currently face.

If you are interested in food production in America, King Corn is a film to see. It is honest and fairly free from schtick. It presents the issues clearly, gives the experts opportunities to talk and makes me want to steer clear of most commercial brands of foods (since everything seems to contain high fructose corn syrup these days).

The film opened in New York today and will be showing across the country throughout the fall. For all the dates and cities, click here. The YouTube trailer is inserted after the jump for those of you who'd like to give it a gander.

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Grist, that handy resource for environmental news and commentary, is spending the next two weeks focusing on food in a series called Sow What? They are diving into the heartland, talking to writers and researchers, taking a look at sustainable farming practices and generally trying to provide good information about the world of food that's out there these days.

Currently they have an article up about industrial agriculture in Iowa, a quiz in which you can test your own knowledge about food and farming, a look at Confined Animal Feeding Operations (pig farms) and a slide show of images from the sustainable food revolution. They'll continue to post information over the next two weeks, so make sure to check back and see what else they have to say.

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After getting stuck under a lawnmower, Des Moines radio personality Van Harden says that he lost his taste for bread completely. Harden said "Doctor's can't explain it," but it could be the case that he experienced a side effect as doctors revived him from anesthesia after his surgery. With no appetite for bread, Harding was essentially living an Atkins-style life, but he did miss the taste pizza even though he didn't actually want to eat the wheat-based crusts.

Necessity is the mother of invention, so Harden came up with a 100% cheese crust pizza, complete with toppings. Think of it as being a stuffed-crust pizza, without the actual crust. Over the weekend, in what appears to be the first release of the product, over 200 were sold at two Des Moines Hy-Vee stores. More store are scheduled to offer the Atkins-friendly, gluten-free pie soon.

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