Mobile beer truck rolls into special events in Iowa

First there were traveling wine wagons popping up in Iowa. Now there's a rolling beer truck.

Entrepreneurs Dillon Ferrara and Sam Mapes have launched Rolling Taps Beer Coe, a mobile company that sells tap beer at special events.

The pair refurbished a 1941 Chevrolet cab over engine mail truck into a 2018 rolling beer dispenser. They added a refrigeration unit that chills the tap beer, which is served from the side of the truck. Rolling Taps also sells beer in bottles and cans from a bar cart and large metal tub.

“We do events like weddings, festivals and RAGBRAI,” Ferrara said. The truck must be booked far enough in advance to allow them to get a temporary liquor license for an event, he said.

Rolling Taps can serve any type of beer, he said. Tap beers run $5 for a 16-ounce glass of beer and $1 for a glass of root beer.

More:This mobile wine bar is now open for business in an antique Volkswagen bus

The men also set up a station to check IDs and to sell tickets, which are used to pay for the drinks.

Ferrara formerly worked for a liquor distributor and Mapes operates an upholstery business that focuses on refurbishing classic cars.

Rolling Taps is based in Winterset but serves a wide area. Eventually, the men want to expand the fleet. “That’s the dream,” Ferrara said. “Right now we are just trying to build our name.”

The mobile beer truck joins two new mobile wine companies. Dena and Darren Fife have opened a mobile wine bar called Wine Wagen using a revamped 1968 Volkswagen bus.

And The Whimsical Wine Trailer opened in May. Owners Nikki and Ben Schneider rent the trailer for special events like receptions, showers and other things.

Call Rolling Taps at 515-537-4832 or 515-418-6790, visit www.rollingtaps.com or find it on Facebook.