Field Day Brewing, North Liberty IA
24 July 2026
Field Day is just north of Iowa City. I had visited (and loved) Big Grove Brewing in Iowa City on two previous trips but decided to try another spot this time. I’m telling you, Field Day is giving Big Grove some worthy competition here!
The space is huge and new and clean with a large outdoor area as well that isn’t shown here. There’s even seating up above the bar (at the end of the first photo in the row above) for overflow. Rather than “pick your own” flights, they have three pre-set options and I did two of the three. Here is the first, their “FD Faves” flight, described from left to right:
FW Lime – American Light Lager w/Lime, 4.3% – Honestly, I did not expect to like this one BUT I REALLY DID! The lime was at just the right level and the overall effect was immensely refreshing.
Crimson Crystal – Amber Ale, 5% – This is another winner (a theme you’ll hear throughout this post), interesting, with all the right flavors, and very enjoyable.
Cinder & Silk – Oatmeal Nitro Stout, 6% – I would be hard pressed to come up with a better name for this, a perfect Oatmeal Stout. Even though it’s not Winter, I would gladly have a pint of this.
Girl Talk – Sour (Berry and Lemon), 4.5% – This was very sour but in the very best way with perfectly blended flavors. I learned later from my server that they’ve made this for a couple of years and it will be coming off the menu soon because too many people are shying away from it because of the name (I mean seriously, guys, how fragile are you??). It will be replaced by a new sour that I was given a taste of, Chit Chat, and this one reins in the sour to be a more crowd-pleasing beer, almost like a Berliner Weisse in some ways.
This is an oddity called the Deviled Egg Burger, a 1/4 pound patty with white cheddar, arugula, and a “deviled egg sauce.” Strange as it sounded, I ordered it because I love deviled eggs and this was really quite tasty! The house side salad was also top notch, and the biggest chunks in the accompanying bleu cheese dressing were not those on the top but the ones below the surface. Five stars for the food here!
The second flight I had was their “Hops Flight,” described left to right:
Bromance – West Coast IPA, 6.9% – This and the next beer in this flight are their two flagship IPAs. I’m not generally a fan of West Coast IPAs but this one could win me over — it was easily my favorite of all I’ve had in this style. My only reservation was the same one I have of all West Coast IPAs, an abundance of piney resin in the taste..
Juice Belly – Hazy IPA, 7% – This beer made me wish I’d been sitting outdoors where I could sip it in style in the open air. It was wonderful with a nice pop of juice and a good balance of hop bitterness.
Drift – Hazy IPA, 6.8% – For this beer, they used New Zealand hops to give it both tropical and white grape flavors. It was exceptionally smooth and while I’m not yet a fan of NZ hops, I could learn to be if I had this beer by my side.
Overall, Field Day was a great choice and it’s wonderful to know there are two great breweries in Iowa City. I don’t know if I’ll be back this way again, but I know where I’m stopping if I am.