By: Natalie Berg
In Stillwater, Oklahoma you can be promised three things: good people, crazy game days, and great beer. The Iron Monk brewery, started by Dave Monks and Jerod Millirons offers its customers a range of delicious craft beers that will surely leave you feeling satisfied.
Iron Monk brewery opened in 2014, and six short months later the Taproom followed. It is the perfect spot for anyone looking for a bar with a relaxed atmosphere and a friendly staff. Upon enter the taproom you see an open layout room full of picnic tables, board games, and a beer can wall featuring their uniquely artistic cans. The bar is located near the back, and a giant window allows customers to view the brewing process. Tours are available at Iron Monk every Saturday at 2:00pm and 4:00pm. For only $15 the customer will receive a background of Iron Monk, information on how beer is made, the opportunity to taste raw ingredients, a pint glass, and 4 samples of their choice. and create alcohol and CO2 (the carbonation). For more details definitely stop by on a Saturday.
Iron Monks consistently works on creating new flavors of beer. An example is the Land Run 100, created specifically to honor the Land Run 100 bike race that happens in Stillwater annually. Along with that, Iron Monk typically has one sour on tap; presently they are offering a boysenberry sour that is absolutely magnificent and for those insta-savvy people who want a great snap, it is pink!This is currently a temporary brew, so if you find yourself to be as passionate as I am, make sure you mention it to a brewer so it has potential to become permanent.
Iron Monk’s more stable brews offer tastes with a deep chocolate tone to an airy pale ale. Several of the names of the beers are inspired by Stillwater. The Exit 174 Rye Pale Ale is made completely
Iron Monk Brews Craft Beer and Good Vibes
One of the brewers, Cody Driscoll, is well versed in the art of brewing beer. He started with home brewing as a hobby, quickly finding a passion in the production of beer. While walking through the room full of 40 and 80 liter steel barrels, Driscoll comfortably explains the processes that occur in each. The process is complicated, if you want an in-depth explanation of how beer is made I highly recommend going to a tour. However, I came away with a decent, and simple, idea of the process. The first step is to convert the starches to sugars creating a sweet substance called wort (I hope it tastes better than it looks). From there this liquid moves into the kettle for an hour before adding hops. The hop flowers, used to balance the sweetness in beer, are used in every beer made. After this step, the fermentation process begins. Yeast is added to the liquid to eat the sugar with Oklahoman ingredients. The Stilly Wheat is crisp, refreshing, and has hints of lemon citrus flavors.Some of their deeper flavors include the Chocolate Habanero which tastes faintly of chocolate and leaves you with a slight kick of spice at the end. The last honorable mention is the Velvet Antler, an amber ale that is easy to drink and according to Iron Monk “pairs well with Pink Floyd Tribute Shows.”
When asked about the next steps for Iron Monk, Driscoll stated that “we are trying to saturate Oklahoma before expanding to other states.” Since many students at Oklahoma State University are from out-of-state, the fact that they will not be available in other states for a few years should create a sense of urgency. Why? Because this brilliant brewery is one that you cannot miss out on. With craft beers that offer a range of deep flavor and unique taste, this brewery presents the public with beverages unlike any other. My suggestion? Head over to Iron Monk the next time you want a special beer-filled afternoon or evening.