7 HILLS BREWING COMPANY

7 HILLS BREWING COMPANY. Named for the comparison made years ago in Dubuque about the number of hills in Rome and Dubuque, plans were made in 2016 for the southwest corner of 11th and Washington in the Millwork District. The 7 Hills Brewing Company restaurant and microbrewery planned to open there in February 2017.

Keith Gutierrez served the company as the business manager. Tim Conlin was educated at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Sean Carter, the brewmeister, earned several North Amerucan Beer Festival medals while he was working for Galena Brewing. Plans called for keeping seven beers on tap year-round, including a stout, an IPA, a Pilsner, a red ale, a kettle sour, a brown ale, and an Imperial Cherrywood Smoked Porter. There would be a special featured brew each month and an occasional small-batch Friday when a special unique beer had been brewed and would be served until it was gone. (1)

In January, 2024 the company managed the former Millwork Ballroom in the Novelty Iron Works Building at 333 E. 10th St. The site, capable of holding crowds over 400 people, had been renamed 7 Hills Ballroom and was used to host weddings and other large events. 7 Hills Event Center operated at 1018 Jackson. The space was used for hosting weddings, corporate meetings, and private gatherings with capacity of around 150 people. 7 Hills restaurant and brew house at 1085 Washington was available for casual events. Company officials suggested that future plans might include relocating the main ballroom entrance to Washington Street to be closer to the other 7 Hills operations. (2)

7 Hills practiced sustainability. Its efforts resulted in the business receiving a bronze-level Green Brewery Certification through the Iowa Waste Reduction Center which measured breweries on their environmental compliance, waste management, energy efficiency, water quality, and conservation and environmental planning. (3)

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Source:

1. Donovan, John B. "Check Out What's Brewing in Dubuque," Julien's Journal, Online: http://juliensjournal.com/2017/01/31/check-out-whats-brewing-in-dubuque/

2. Nieland, Grace, "7 Hills Takes Over Millwork Event Center," Telegraph Herald, January 16, 2014, p. 1A

3. Jordan, MJ, "Meals from Our Own Backyard," Green Horizons, (supplement to the Telegraph Herald) June 6, 2024, p. 10