First Look: Stubborn German Brewing Co. in Waterloo

Call it tenacity, determination or plain old stubbornness. After months of demo, construction and brewing, co-owners Chris and Tammy Rahn opened Stubborn German Brewing Co. in downtown Waterloo on Wednesday, April 27.

As The Scoop reported in April 2015, Chris Rahn was a homebrewer for more than a decade before deciding to open his own brewery. Named as a tribute to their (and Waterloo’s) German heritage, Stubborn German offers a portfolio of seven year-round, German-style beers like the Waterloo Wheat, Fountain Creek Kölsch and a Munich dunkel named Schitzengiggles. The brewery also features seasonal brews like Mom’s Irish Red and Bean Tree Coffee Stout, made with beans from Bean Tree Cafe down the street. Beers are poured in delicate Spielgelau glassware with each style of beer in its appropriate vessel. Flights and to-go growlers are also available.

The Rahns worked on the construction of the tasting room along with friends and family, who helped build a bar made partially of barrel staves and high-top tables. No food is served at the brewery, but customers are welcome to bring in food or order delivery from area restaurants. They can pull up one of the 100 seats indoors or enjoy the 25-seat Biergarten out front.

Stubborn German is open Wednesday and Thursday from 4:30 to 11 p.m., Friday from 3 p.m. to midnight, Saturday from noon to midnight and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. Here’s a first look at what to expect when you head over the Mississippi River to Waterloo: