iowa oldest Brew pub

ESTD. 1992

brewing is back in the quad cities

Having been in continuous operation since 1992, founded by brewer and engineer, Steve Zuidema, and co-operated with his wife, Jenni Ash. The brewery’s humble beginnings started with a 7-barrel brewhouse in the basement of the current Pub & Eatery location, located on River Drive in downtown Davenport.  The 100+ year old building is nestled along the banks of the Mississippi River, in downtown Davenport, Iowa, in what was known from the late 1800’s into the early 1900’s as the “Bucktown” neighborhood.  In those days, River Drive was known as Front Street, and the Bucktown neighborhood itself was known for its plethora of drinking establishments and houses of ill repute.  This reputation gained Davenport its title of “Wickedest City in America”, back in those days. When Front Street opened it’s doors, there were no other breweries operating in the area. That would change just a year later and at the time, unknowingly shape the brewing market in the Quad Cities thirty years later.

a short opening

In 1993, just months after opening Front Street Brewery, the “Great Flood of the Mississippi River” engulfed most of downtown Davenport, and completely submerged the original basement-level brewery, along with the entire brew pub.  Before succumbing to the disastrous then record setting flood waters, friends and loyal customers worked around the clock sandbagging and pumping water, in a futile effort to save Front Street.  Out of this tragedy, one of Front Street’s flagship beers, Raging River IPA, was born.

scaling up

In 2012, the brewing operations were relocated to their current location in The Freight House, just four blocks west of the brew pub, on River Drive.  The brewery itself was also upgraded to something on more of a commercial scale, and included a 15-barrel brewhouse and four 15-barrel fermentation vessels.  This move allowed the restaurant to expand seating and kitchen space, while allowing a taproom to open inside the new brewery.  The new brewhouse was designed by Steve himself, and custom built by Crawford Company, under Steve’s direction.  Today, the Brewing Division of Crawford Company is a formidable player in the brewing equipment space, and our brew house is the grandfather of their brewing equipment line.

new era

In 2016, Front Street Brewery, Inc. was acquired by the current ownership group, who launched the brewery into full scale distribution, while maintaining the quaint atmosphere and great pub food Front Street goers have come to expect.  Releasing our most popular beers into the market was a game-changer and signaled the growth of FSB.

historic flood

Unfortunately, in April of 2019, Davenport experienced its worst flood in history, which ultimately engulfed the current Pub & Eatery location after a temporary flood barrier breached just 50 yards from the front door.  Everything in the building was completely destroyed after the basement and about 18” of the main floor remained under water for nearly two weeks.  After nearly six months of clean up and reconstruction, the Pub & Eatery has reopened to the public, with lots of upgrades and a fresh new look.

present day

In 2022, we expanded our craft beer distribution into western Wisconsin and western Iowa in 2023 as we continue to look for opportunities to share our products with the market. Our Taproom and Pub & Eatery both continue to be local favorites for handcrafted beer and creative food. All of our efforts are back by an amazing, dedicated industry staff.