Here's what's new at the 11th Iowa's Premier Beer, Food and Wine Expo
Brian Taylor Carlson- Location: Hy-Vee Hall at the Iowa Events Center, 730 3rd St., Des Moines
- Hours: Friday, Nov. 9, 4-9 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 10, 1-8 p.m.
- Tickets: Available through iowaeventscenter.com starting at $35.
Two days of unlimited beer, food and wine tastings are coming.
The 11th annual Iowa's Premier Beer, Wine & Food Expo takes place Nov. 9-10 at Hy-Vee Hall in downtown Des Moines.
Attendees can sip and sample items from some of the Midwest’s best breweries, wineries and restaurants. Mingle while listening to live music and checking out speakers and activities on the Pub Crawl, Vino and What’s Cooking Stages. And the beer and wine you sample can be purchased to take home.
General admission tickets are $35 for a one-day pass and provide access to the show floor, samples from vendors and restaurants, and all three stages for demos.
Here's what's new for 2018
Great Grocery Giveaway
Hy-Vee will be hosting its Great Grocery Giveaway on Friday at 6 p.m. One lucky person will be randomly selected to win free groceries for a year. Finalists have been selected from each store and the winner will be announced at the show.
Canned wine and cocktails
The expo will feature canned wine and cocktails and have a specialty area near the checkout where attendees can purchase both before leaving the expo.
Tailgate areas
Look for tailgate areas with TVs for watching football games.
Restaurant Tailgate Challenge
Fans can vote for their favorite restaurant bite by voting with a charitable donation. Donations will be collected at each restaurant booth. The restaurant that raises the most money wins. All proceeds from this friendly competition will benefit Variety, a children's charity.
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Participating restaurants
- Baratta's Italian Restaurant, Catering & Events
- Blaze Pizza
- Butchers BBQ & Brews
- Dino's Bar & Grill
- District 36 Wine Bar & Grille
- Fresh Café & Market
- Fresh Mediterranean Express
- Fuzzy's Taco Shop
- Gastro Grub & Pub
- Iowa Events Center
- Iowa Machine Shed
- Mama Mia's
- Pasquale's Food Service
- P.F. Chang's
- Pigasus Pizza Box
- Scratch Cupcakery
- Wahlburgers
Show features
Gourmet Pairing Experience
This exclusive dining experience is unique to the expo and located on Level 1 of Hy-Vee Hall. It pairs a tapas-style multi-course meal made by one of Des Moines' top chefs with select wine or beer. Representatives from wineries and breweries will be on hand to educate about their products. Reservations can be made in advance on a first come, first served basis with limited seating for 20.
Tickets are $50 for the dinner alone, or purchase a $70 ticket package that includes the gourmet pairing experience and admission into the expo.
Namaste for Soleil
Grab some friends and Namaste for Soleil as the expo partners with Power Life Yoga and Soleil Mimosas. An hour of yoga taught Saturday morning inside the Beer Garden by a Power Life Yoga instructor begins at 11 a.m. Yoga is followed by a giant mimosa toast.
Tickets are $35 and include admission to the expo.
Live music
Brian Congdon will perform at the invite-only VIP Party on Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. On Saturday, the area transforms into a lounge open to all with live music from Richard Arndt from 5 to 7 p.m.
Bottle and coat check
All attendees who wish to purchase beer and wine at the show are invited to leave their selections at the bottle check for no charge so they can freely roam and enjoy the rest of the event. Once ready to leave, simply head back to the area and check out.
Curbside pickup will be available with help from volunteers. Purchase six or more 6-packs of beer or bottles of wine and get 15 percent off your order.
Bookmark these frequently-updated dining guides
- Where to eat in downtown Des Moines
- The essential East Village dining guide
- The ultimate list of local Ankeny restaurants
- The 2018 West Des Moines restaurant guide
What's happening on stage
Here's the full schedule of what's happening on the Blaze Pizza What's Cooking Stage, the House Wine Vino Stage and the Confluence Brewing Pub Crawl Stage.
Friday, Nov. 9
Blaze Pizza What's Cooking Stage
- 6-7 p.m.: Dawn Musgrove, New Day Catering Company (There's an app for that)
- 7:30-8:30 p.m.: Chef Nick Marino, Hilton Des Moines Downtown with Dave Morgan, SingleSpeed Brewing Co. featuring Dan Gable
House Wine Vino Stage
- 6-7 p.m.: Paul Rachmuth, United Spirits, Inc.
- 7:30-8:30 p.m.: Sam Clikeman, Big Lost Meadery
Confluence Brewing Pub Crawl Stage
- 6-7 p.m.: John Martin and Eric Selander, Confluence Brewing Company
- 7:30-8:30 p.m.: Max Keller, Exile Brewing Co.
Gourmet Pairing Experience
- 6:30-8 p.m.: Jason Scafuri, Waukee Hy-Vee with Marc Carrigan, Foley Family Wines
- 7-8:30 p.m.: Aaron Lenz, Hotel Pattee with Tom Crowder, Southwest Wines
Great Grocery Giveaway
- 6 p.m.: Hall B (enter to be a contestant at the Hy-Vee booths in Hall A)
VIP Reception Area
- 6-8 p.m.: Music by Brian Congdon (must have VIP reception invitation to attend)
Saturday, Nov. 10
Blaze Pizza What's Cooking Stage
- 2-3 p.m.: Sterling James and Scott Schnicke, Blaze Pizza
- 3:30-4:30 p.m.: Jeremy Brittain, Dino's Bar & Grill
- 5:30-6:30 p.m.: Hassan Atarmal, Fresh Mediterranean Express (Baba Ghanoush)
House Wine Vino Stage
- 2-3 p.m.: Austin Gangel, Precept Wine
- 3:30-4:30 p.m.: Jean Arnold, Kate Arnold Wines
- 4:30 p.m.: Floral Winner Announcement
- 5 p.m.: Cake Winner Announcement
- 5:30-6:30 p.m.: Marc Carrigan, Foley Family Wines
Confluence Brewing Pub Crawl Stage
- 11-12 p.m.: Namaste for Soleil, Beer Garden (separate ticket required)
- 2-3 p.m.: Joe Kesteloot, Peace Tree Brewing
- 3:30-4:30 p.m.: Jeff Heng and Jeff Postal, Mistress Brewing Company
- 5:30-6:30 p.m.: Tony Schubert, Iowa Brewers Union (Home Brewing)
Gourmet Pairing Experience
- 6-7:30 p.m.: Matt Drennan, Flemings Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar with Ben Poole, Johnson Brothers
- 6:30-8 p.m.: Alex Strauss, West Lakes Hy-Vee with Chris Anderson, Odell Brewing Co.
Live music
- 5-7 p.m.: Music by Richard Arndt (open to all ticket holders)
Iowa's Premier Beer, Wine & Food Expo
Location: Hy-Vee Hall at the Iowa Events Center, 730 3rd St., Des Moines
Hours: Friday, Nov. 9, 4-9 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 10, 1-8 p.m.
Tickets: iowaeventscenter.com; $35 for general admission and Namaste for Champagne; $50 for one multi-course dinner; $70 ticket package to include the gourmet pairing experience and admission.