Panoramic Views: Iowa City's historic 'beer caves'

A rare glimpse into “beer caves” underneath the onetime Union Brewery in Iowa City this week was like a trip far back in time.

About 20 archaeology students, spelunkers, and building owners visited the caves in which fresh beer was once stored almost 40 feet beneath the Brewery Square building at the invitation of building owner Marc Moen.

The musty odor and dirt-covered floor couldn't detract from the overall impression that the beer caves are in remarkably good condition for something build approximately a century and a half ago.

“It was a completely different world down there in 1855,” said Marlin Ingalls, a historical archaeologist for the Office of the state Archaeologist at the University of Iowa.

Attorney Joe Holland has worked above the tunnels in the Brewery Square building for many years, but had never seen the tunnels.

“It gave me an appreciation for the hard workl and craftsmanship of the people who made them,” Holland said of the brief tour.

Insgalls had a theory about how workers could spend so much time working in dim light at 58 degrees.

“Free beer,” he deadpanned.

The trip down began with a elevator ride into a higher arched tunnel in the basement of the building that is now the spa area of La' James International College.

Next, visitors went through a massive steel doorway that is usually locked, down a short ladder, and into the entrance to a vertical shaft. Then it was down a very long step ladder into two large dimly-lit beer caves.

The caves form two large rooms, the largest at least 50 feet long, 20 feet wide, and 10 feet high. A channel that may have carried spring water or drained cask leakage runs down the center of one cave.

Ingalls said his main discovery on Wednesday visit were of a number of arches in the walls that have been filled in. They could lead to tunnels, or they could have been built in anticipation of future expansion that was not carried out.

“These are relatively promising,” Ingalls said. He believes it's likely that some of the “blinded” tunnels went to nearby bars and hotels.

Building owner Marc Moen and Ingalls hadn't been in the caves for over a decade. The only artifacts visible in the tunnel were some metal hoops that appeared to be from beer vats, and some liquor cans and beer bottles of modern origin.

Moen said one of his reasons for wanting to go back down was to see where an elevator shaft could be placed to access the tunnels for a future business use.

Moen said he's interested in opening the space up for a use such as a wine bar or coffee house with live music.

“I'm just amazed at the condition of the caves,” Moen said. “It just needs some cleaning up.”

Panoramic views by photographer Brian Ray

(Click an image to view)