Where to Find Great Beer and Wine in Cedar Valley, IA

Tap into a thriving craft beverage scene in Waterloo, Cedar Falls and the surrounding communities.

By Amy Antonation on December 27, 2023

Katie B Photography

If you get thirsty in Waterloo and Cedar Falls, there’s no shortage of establishments to visit for a libation – but all over the Cedar Valley, plenty of neighborhood bars, breweries and wine bars will welcome you. When exploring the craft beverage scene, locals can point new arrivals to not only the best spots in the city, but also the ones in smaller communities.

Cheers to Beer in Cedar Valley

No matter where you land in the Cedar Valley, there’s a watering hole that can become your local pub of choice. 

Anton’s Garden, an outdoor, Old World-style biergarten, welcomes weekenders in downtown Waterloo’s Newton Park, and neighboring Cedar Falls is home to Double Tap bar and arcade (look for the “Tap Tap” sign on Main Street) as well as the Ragged Edge Art Bar and Gallery.

North of the sibling cities are Waverly’s Wooden Foot Saloon and Fredericksburg’s veteran-owned and -operated Sarge’s Distillery. And just 30 minutes east of Waterloo, Independence is home to Denali’s on the River, an elevated sports bar that serves local and regional brews with views of the Wapsipinicon River and River Ridge Golf Course. 

In Reinbeck, Ben Robertson launched the Dig Inn, a combo record store and bar he describes as “an unexpected space in an unexpected place” in late 2019. After a 20-year career in IT and living “all over the place,” says Robertson, he moved to the community to take over his grandfather’s farmstead. Rather than working the land, he took over a defunct brewery in town and added records to its inventory.

The Dig Inn has just four taps, but Robertson also maintains a cooler stocked with 80 to 90 different beers at any time. He admits the brews are the main attraction for local customers, though he does draw record collectors who are happy to discover the suds. 

“We get people from all over. In Iowa, everything is spread out and people are willing to travel. I know record collectors, so I hoped people would travel [here] – and they do,” he says. 

While Robertson brings in beer from all over, his draft list skews heavily local, with three of his four taps usually reserved for Hawkeye State brews. 

Jeff Adkins

“There are a lot of really amazing breweries in Iowa,” he says before reeling off some of favorite destinations, including SingleSpeed Brewing, which has taprooms in both Waterloo and Cedar Falls. “It’s a hidden gem for beer.” 

He also credits Iowa drinkers for being open-minded: “I’m lucky people are willing to try new things,” says Robertson. “I have a group of guys who drink Busch Light, and I’ll give them a taste of a bubblegum-strawberry sour. Some of them will say, ‘It’s not for me’ – and some will say, ‘That’s interesting!’” 

Other notable breweries are Bremer Brewing Co. in Waverly, Allerton Brewing Co. in Independence and Second State Brewing in Cedar Falls.

Katie B Photography

In Search for Fine Wine in Cedar Valley?

But those looking for a different kind of bubbly (think Champagne!) to enjoy can visit the Wine Shop in downtown Cedar Falls, too. 

Owner and sommelier Dana Swasand opened the wine bar in March 2023, where she offers over 75 wines by the glass, along with charcuterie boards and a handful of cheese-forward small plates. The space also has a retail area where customers can nab a bottle of their favorite wine from the bar or opt for a new-to-them beverage. 

Swasand stocks mostly Old World wines, partly because she prefers their flavor profile and because they’re great value for customers. 

“Part of my job as a sommelier is to find spectacular wines at great price points. To get really good quality in California, you’re paying a lot. Think about the cost of production and an acre of land – it all gets factored into the price of the bottle. [In Europe,] you can have not-very-expensive wines that are of exceptional quality,” she says. 

Like Robertson, Swasand has also noticed customers are ready and willing to leave their beverage comfort zones, and she’s been especially surprised by the intense level of interest drinkers as young as their mid-20s are showing when it comes to learning about wine. 

“In Cedar Falls, whether it’s craft beer or martinis, there’s definitely a growing scene,” she says. “You have a lot of different places like the Brass Tap [beer bar], where they’re all Cicerones and know their stuff, and the Stuffed Olive doing martinis. You have some really knowledgeable people who are pushing customers.”