Bier in the Brau house?

After a long, hot walk to town from our RV camp, a nice cold beer was just what we needed. Millstream has a brewery and a restaurant in the historic downtown of Amana. The ambience is a historical lesson in itself: The tables are all made from local downed trees, and the benches are made from reclaimed telephone poles. The Amana Colonies were communal and completely self-sufficient from the 1880s until the 1930s when they made the decision to change their mission and trade with the outer world. Their furniture building skills are evident today in the Brau Haus.

Hubby chose the fish and chips, and I chose the Bratwurst (from Amana meat company, locally made of course). He chose the Winter Wheat beer, and I chose, I know I am in a rut, the amber. Both were excellent. The only disappointment was that I chose German potato salad as my side, and the waitress said that they were not offering it because they make it from scratching they haven’t got it right yet. What? Where is grandma when you need her? I wanted some warm potatoes, spiced with vinegar and just the right amount of bacon...I almost offered to go make some for them!

There are other dining choices in Amana, including a very traditional German restaurant, a wood fired pizza company and cafes. Don’t miss the cafe and bakery, unless you really, really can’t eat bread or home baked treats. The whole wheat bread just melts in your mouth, and the streusel, pies and cookies are irresistible . We were blown away by the cherry rhubarb pie. Now, there is no denying that we are wine snobs. Most of the wine in Iowa is super sweet, and some, like South Dakota, is made from rhubarb. My opinion? Eat the pie, skip the wine.