Iowans Name the Best Beer in the State for 2024

One Iowa beer has been voted the best of the best for 2024!

Since 2016, the Des Moines Register has done a 'Beer Bracket' to determine the best beer made here in our state. They start with a whopping 64 beers and narrow it down to just one champion. Thanks to 16,328 votes from 912 people, Tip the Cow from SingleSpeed Brewing was the champion for 2024!

SingleSpeed Brewing first got its start in Cedar Falls, but has since opened additional taprooms in Waterloo and Des Moines. It was up against another Eastern Iowa-based brewery in the finals: Big Grove Brewery. Here's how SingleSpeed describes Tip the Cow on their website:

"Have you ever reveled in the essence of a chocolate-covered espresso bean? How about in the form of a beer?  This full bodied, creamy, milk stout has been touched by the gentle hand of Sidecar Coffee Roasters, resulting in a rich, but smooth option, boasting notes of roast and cocoa alongside velvety sweetness."

SingleSpeed's Tip the Cow may have been the winner this year, but not by much. The Des Moines Register reports that it only beat out Big Grove's Easy Eddy by 31 votes!  The final four for the 2024 competition also included Toppling Goliath's Pseudo Sue Double Dry-Hopped and Peace Tree's Blonde Fatale. Here are the other breweries featured in the bracket:

• Lua Brewing, Des Moines
• Backpocket Brewing, Coralville
• Keg Creek Brewing, Glenwood
• West O Beer, Milford
• Flix Brewhouse, Des Moines
• Twisted Vine Brewery, Des Moines
• Crawford Brew Works, Bettendorf
• Exile Brewing Co., Des Moines
• Lake Time Brewery, Clear Lake
• Millstream Brewing Co., Amana
• NoCoast Beer Co., Oskaloosa
• 515 Brewing Company, Clive
• Fenceline Beer Lab, Huxley
• Brightside Aleworks, Altoona
• Pulpit Rock Brewing Co., Decorah
• House Divided Brewery, Ely
• Pivo Brewery, Calmar
• Confluence Brewing Co., Des Moines
• Jefferson County Ciderworks, Fairfield
• Lion Bridge Brewing Co., Cedar Rapids

This actually isn't the first time Tip the Cow has won the Register's Best Beer Bracket. It was also the champion back in 2019! Last year's winner was Peace Tree Brewing Co.'s Blonde Fatale.

What's your favorite Iowa beer? Let us know in the comments or by sending us a message on our station app!