Iowa Brewing Company takes home medal for “Tragedy of the Common”

A Cedar Rapids brewery took a top honor at an international beer contest last week.

Iowa Brewing Company of Cedar Rapids won a silver medal at the 2018 World Beer Cup for their American-style amber lager, Tragedy of the Common.

Hosted by the Brewers Association, a trade association of small and independent American craft brewers, the competition took place during the Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America in Nashville, Tenn. The awards were announced May 3.

Judges selected winners in 101 categories, from a total of 8,234 beers entered by 2,515 breweries from 66 countries. SingleSpeed Brewing, with taprooms in Cedar Falls and Waterloo, also took home a medal, winning bronze for Ring Around the Gose in the Leipzig-style gose or contemporary gose category.

Matthew Wolf and Brian and Craig Stephan opened Iowa Brewing Company at 708 Third St. SE, Cedar Rapids, in May, 2016. In an email, Wolf said, 'Tragedy of the Common is made in the spirit of San Francisco's unique steam beer style, and is available on tap and in stores throughout most of Iowa. It also won a Silver Medal at the 2016 Great American Beer Festival. As the label says: The lesson of the Commons is about how the greed of a few can ruin a resource that is shared by many. This lager takes aim at the flavorless by bringing bready and caramel notes balanced by spicy hops to a beer for all seasons!”