Millstream Buys Colony Inn: Iowa Time Machine June 21, 2016

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On June 21, 2016, a nineteenth‑century Amana landmark and Iowa’s oldest microbrewery quietly joined futures, rewriting a chapter of small‑town food and drink history. When Millstream Brewing Company purchased the Colony Inn, the deal linked two powerful stories: the communal, German‑speaking heritage of the Amana Colonies and the late twentieth‑century craft beer movement in Iowa.

The Colonies began as a nineteenth‑century communal society of German Pietists. They turned to tourism and heritage interpretation after the “Great Change” reorganization in 1932, when communal economic life gave way to private ownership. The Colony Inn building itself dates to 1860 and became one of the first restaurants opened to the general public under private ownership after reorganization, turning hospitality into a key part of Amana’s new economic base.

Millstream Brewing, founded in 1985, emerged at a very different moment as Iowa’s first modern microbrewery and the first brewery in Amana since 1884, tapping into a growing national enthusiasm for craft beer while leaning heavily on the community’s German brewing traditions. By the early twenty‑first century, both the Colonies and Millstream faced the challenge of attracting new generations of visitors without losing the historic character that made the place distinctive.

The deal allowed Millstream to maintain its original taproom while creating a larger venue for pairing Amana‑made beer with German‑inspired dishes, in partnership with local producers such as the Amana Meat Shop and Smokehouse. For the Colony Inn building, which had long anchored a corner of Main Amana, the change meant a new life that preserved its hospitality function while shifting from family‑style dining toward a bierhalle model more closely aligned with visitor expectations for an evening gathering place. #Iowa #OTD #History #Food #Drink