A craft brewing group has signed a lease for the 7,000-square-foot building at 114 E. Fourth St. in Des Moines' East Village, the former home of Twisted Vine Brewery, with plans to open a new spot called Atrum Brewing by mid-December. The deal brings new life to a space that sat empty after Twisted Vine closed in early July.
From Arizona to Iowa
Behind the new venture are Noel Garcia and Brett Aelred Dettler, who are partnering with Chuck Powell to launch Atrum Brewing, according to Business Record. Aelred Dettler said the group's push is to at least have the building open and a kind of soft opening around the middle of December, though the article notes the opening's timing depends on local and federal licensing. The group had actually been scouting space in Wichita, Kansas, before shifting gears once the former Twisted Vine location became available.
Powell, who previously worked at Twisted Vine Brewery and lives in Wichita, is the one who suggested opening a business in the East Village space, the report states. Aelred Dettler started his brewing industry career in the early 2010s and previously partnered in Arizona Wilderness Brewery in Gilbert, Arizona, before selling his portion of that business. He now works as controller for Thompson Golf Group. Garcia, for his part, built another brewery in Gilbert, Arizona, before leaving the brewing business altogether — until this new opportunity came along.
A Historic Bank Building Gets New Life
Part of the appeal, according to Aelred Dettler, was the building's past as an old bank. The history of the building as an old bank and how that history has been preserved during upgrades made the building an attractive proposition, he said, per the same account. Atrum plans to remove some tables and chairs in favor of more comfortable seating, add more televisions, and possibly install fire pits on the patio.
On the food and drink side, Atrum intends to serve its own beer alongside beer from other breweries, with plans to partner with other local breweries to expand its beer menu. Rather than opening a full kitchen right away, the group plans to start by partnering with food truck vendors to offer food to customers, potentially hosting two or three trucks at a time.
Landlord Sees Momentum in East Village
Tim Rypma, who owns the building at 112 E. Fourth St., said the quick leasing of the former Twisted Vine space shows momentum in the East Village and downtown Des Moines. It shows that businesses want to relocate there and it shows there is a growing and thriving community, Rypma said. He added that apartment vacancy in the East Village is in the single digits, a sign of the neighborhood's draw for both residents and businesses.
The broader numbers back up that sense of growth. Multifamily vacancy across the Des Moines area was 6.3% in the first half of 2026, down slightly from 6.8% at the end of 2025, according to a separate Business Record report. Average asking rents rose 2.9% to $1,216 over that same period, and downtown Des Moines accounted for 38% of the nearly 3,160 apartment units under construction in the metro area. Twenty proposed multifamily developments could add another 4,732 units to the region over the next three years if they all move forward.
The East Village's residential pipeline includes The Aston East Village, a seven-story, 228,400-square-foot building at 603 E. Sixth St. with 161 apartments and about 4,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space, an estimated $44 million project according to the city of Des Moines. Tenants were expected to begin moving into that building in November 2026, according to a report from the outlet. That influx of new residents could add to the customer base Atrum Brewing is hoping to tap just a few blocks away.
