About Maquoketa Brewing

Born of the desire to combine the love of craft brewing with a strong sense of community pride, Maquoketa Brewing officially opened its doors on January 1, 2021. Despite the ill-fated timing of launching during a global pandemic, Mark and Judy Lyon are thrilled to have the taproom and brewery open to the public!

As an extension of a humble homebrewing hobby among a few friends, Mark & Judy decided to establish a local brewpub. This highly anticipated addition to downtown Maquoketa allows local beer lovers to enjoy a locally brewed beer without having to travel a considerable distance. Mark, a Maquoketa city councilman since 2017, was inspired by an article in The Atlantic, entitled “Eleven Signs a City Will Succeed.” This article outlined eleven characteristics of thriving communities, many of which Maquoketa enjoys. The last indicator of a flourishing community, according to the author of the article, was a local craft brewery. With that, the spark was lit!

With a little research, one can find that this is not the first brewery to serve Maquoketa residents. However, it is the first in over 100 years. Iowa instituted a ban on brewing five years prior to federal Prohibition, shuttering Maquoketa’s own brewery. In recent years, the craft brewing industry has enjoyed a significant resurgence in popularity with many micro-breweries popping up throughout the US. With this and Mark’s well-timed retirement, it was decided that it was high time Maquoketa had a brewpub of its own!