Firkin Fest

February 17, 2024

We have an exhaustive brew schedule at Confluence, which brings you guys at least 1 new beer every single week. This typically brings our yearly release total to roughly 100+ unique beers!

How the heck do we come up with new brew ideas? Well, aside from the imaginations of our amazing production staff, for many of our newer beers, it starts with some experimentation and customer feedback. To help assist us with making decisions on what to brew next, we host our annual Frozen Firkin Fest every year.

Before we get any further, you may be asking, what the heck is a Firkin? It is a vessel, also referred to as a cask, that we rack fermented beer into. We then pitch additional sugar into the cask, seal it up, then allow it to re-ferment and naturally carbonate and condition. We can also add different adjuncts, (fruit, chocolate, coffee, spices, etc), and use this as a way to test out how they will affect the finished product. Some of our fan favorites, including Gray’s Lake Nessie W/ Hazelnut Coffee, Becca’s Trifecta, and Saison Des Moines W/ Cranberries & Spruce Tips, all started with an experimental cask.

This event takes place in our outdoor beer garden every January, so bundle up and come thirsty! We’ll have over a dozen different experimental casks available for sampling. Just grab beer tickets inside, then redeem them as you make your way through the lineup. Don’t worry, we have heaters and hand warmers available so hopefully you don’t actually freeze at our annual Frozen Firkin Fest. Vote for your favorite, and you just might see it end up in cans!

ANNUAL EVENTS

Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest

September 30th 2023We hope that you can join us for our version of Germany’s most famous festival–Oktoberfest! As you enter our building, you’ll get an amazing look at our brewing equipment and fermenters that line the hallway on your way to the taproom. Enjoy the...

Halloween

Halloween

OCTOBER 28th 2022A favorite holiday of our taproom staff, we hope that you can join us for our annual Halloween party! We transform the taproom into Confluence BOOery for the day with spooky decorations, and also have buckets of candy available at every table for...

Chili Cook Off

Chili Cook Off

January 6, 2024We’re all too familiar with Iowa winters. The ice and snow and blistering cold tends to keep us inside a bit more than we’d like. So, every year on a mid January Sunday, just when we’re experiencing the coldest temps of winter, we give everyone a reason...

ChewBOCKa Fest

ChewBOCKa Fest

JANUARY 20, 2024Every year, we brew one of the most famous styles of German beer–the Bock. To celebrate, we throw a huge party dubbed ChewBOCKa Fest! In the 18th century, monks brewed this rich, bready beer for sustenance during their long Lenten fast. The first time...

St. Paddy’s Day

St. Paddy’s Day

March 17, 2023 4-11 PMWho doesn’t like to get their Irish on? Help us celebrate St Paddy’s Day with a pint of our Imogene Red Irish Ale or Thumbwise Irish Stout! Plus, we'll have new Confluence St Paddy's Day shirts available for purchase in the taproom (while...

Sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know about brewery updates!

South of Gray’s Lake
1235 Thomas Beck Rd
Des Moines, IA 50315
515-285-9005

Mon–Wed    4–10pm
Thursday      Noon–10pm
Fri & Sat       Noon–11pm
Sunday         Noon–9pm