Custom beer created for City of Norwalk

Norwalk has claims to fame from pro athletes to movie stars, but their latest is a custom beer brewed specially for the town.

Norwalk’s Super Gold Ale was created by Dustin Strawn, head brewer at Court Avenue Restaurant and Brewing Company in Des Moines. The brewery makes custom beers for the Des Moines Art Festival and the Principal Park stadium. He jumped at the chance when asked to make one for Norwalk.

“This is our first kind of venture for a beer for one of our popular suburbs,” Strawn said. “It was a fun time.”

The planned debut for the drink will be next July so Strawn wanted to create a light and refreshing summertime drink. He used an American wheat beer recipe and combined it with grapefruit and lemon zests. The beer will be on tap in both of Norwalk’s upcoming hotels. Until then, there are still a few kegs available at the Court Avenue restaurant for people to try, Strawn said.

The beer is also being used as a way to commemorate the hometown heroes of Norwalk, said Norwalk Economic Development Director Hollie Zajicek. Actors Jason Mamoa and Brandon Routh, who both grew up in Norwalk and portrayed superheroes in their films, are featured on the beer’s label. Zajicek worked with Mamoa and Routh’s families to taste and vote on the flavor options for the final beer selection. She hopes other bars and restaurants in the area will want to serve the beer as well.

The beer’s label was designed by Norwalk resident Lucinda Sperry. Sperry was formerly the executive director of the Norwalk Chamber of Commerce and now works in marketing and business development for the Warren County Economic Development Corporation. She wanted to create something that reflected the heroic spirit of some of Norwalk’s most famous people including the city’s military standouts.