Textile TapHaus opens satellite taproom in Atkins

ATKINS — A new satellite taproom is bringing a mainstay to Atkins’ Main Street with the fourth expansion of a Dyersville brewery.

Textile TapHaus, opened in May, is bringing to this Benton County town a growing trend in Iowa: the rapid expansion of local breweries and taprooms across the state.

“You could tell there’s a lot of new homes and neighborhoods around town, and there was nothing really here for them to do,” owner Tom Olberding said. “We thought it would be neat to bring as much of the brewery as we can to this town.”

The new taproom, with more than 20 taps featuring brews from Textile Brewing Company, River Ridge Brewing and other Iowa producers, is solidifying Textile’s rapidly growing footprint across northeast Iowa. After acquiring River Ridge Brewing in Bellevue and opening another taproom in Cascade, the fourth location will be part of the brand’s foundation as it settles.

If you go

What: Textile TapHaus

Where: 76 Main Ave., Atkins

Hours: 3 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday

Website: textiletaphaus.com/

Details: Open for dine-in and carryout with a full menu of locally brewed beers, sours, Bavarian pretzels and flatbreads. Patio service available seasonally.

The space

Inside the restored former Atkins apartment building is a dining room where industrial charm and historic finishes replicate vibes similar to Textile’s Dyersville and Cascade locations.

“Since it has the Textile name, we wanted it to look and feel as much like the brewery as we could get,” Olberding said. “I feel like we did a pretty good job of that.”

The building, which previously served as a general store for what used to be a “railroad town,” brings similar parallels to the brewery’s Dyersville location, which was renovated in 2019 after being built as a gasoline engine factory in 1908 and serving as a sewing factory from 1910 to 2017.

Interior details stitch together authentic historical nods at every turn.

Over the concrete bar, early 20th century sewing machines have been transformed into one-of-a-kind chandeliers by Tomy toy designer Chris Huisman of Dyersville. Functional tap handles feature actual tools of the textile trade, re-employed to pour beer. Edison light bulbs drape the front windows and glow with their old-fashioned wiring at every turn.

Table tops have been made out of old sewing tables; original hardwood floors have been restored to their former glory; and reclaimed wood from local barns accents walls. Sewing tools, sewing machines and sewing tables are repurposed from the Dyersville factory’s stock left in that building before it was renovated.

The Atkins location also features a full patio for warm-weather months, with an upcoming calendar of summer activities like volleyball.

The beer

Textile TapHaus keeps nine Textile beers, two River Ridge beers and several other rotating guest breweries on tap — all showcasing ever-evolving Iowa talent in a growing local craft beer scene.

“It’s to get people to try new things, really,” said Preston Geerts, manager of the Atkins location.

“Craft beer people tend to like variety and something new. We don’t keep the same thing on tap real long,” Olberding added.

With Textile beers produced using local hops and grains whenever possible, the owner said the brand’s diversity is its strength across beer types, particularly with traditional German and European styles.

“Other breweries tend to focus on one or two styles of beer,” he said. “We feel like we’re solid in all types.”

Light lagers, one of their specialties, showcase a certain talent as one of the hardest beers to brew, he said. Unlike with IPAs, hops cannot be used as easily to cover up imperfections or flaws.

The Atkins Ale, one of their signatures noted as a good “gateway” to the brand’s offerings, is a prime example of their strengths in balanced brews.

Textile’s sours also stand out, he said, because they “still taste like beer.”

“We don’t over fruit our beer,” Olberding explained. “We do have different flavored sours, but it’s more of a subtle flavoring so that the beer still is at the forefront.”

The food

With a full menu of massive Bavarian pretzels, flatbreads and cauliflower-crust pizzas, food is not an afterthought at the taproom.

Adorned with layers of toppings, shareable pretzels become a sweet or savory entree in their own right — from cinnamon rolls to pizza.

“We just wanted something to keep people there for maybe one more beer,” Olberding said. “It’s like being at a festival in Munich — the Bavarian pretzel and the beer cheese.”

With no need for fryers or a full kitchen, the model also works well for adaptive renovations at new locations like Atkins.

The owner

A Dyersville native, Olberding returned to Iowa several years ago after managing pharmacies for CVS Pharmacy in Georgia. After returning to Iowa to do the same, the opportunity to buy a sewing factory and transform it into a brewery presented itself.

With encouragement from a friend, he learned how to make beer and started renovating the building, thinking it would be a side business as he continued to work as a pharmacist.

In less than four years since he first opened in Dyersville, he now runs four locations.

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