Saint Charles changing brand to Tellurian Brewing

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

When Cort and Lanie Sanvig welcomed the public into Charles City’s own Saint Charles Brewing Co. in January of 2019, they thought they had a great name for their micro-brewery, inspired by regional history, as the community was once called Saint Charles.

“Long story short, we did not realize there actually was a St. Charles, Iowa,” Lanie Sanvig said. That discovery has led to the local brewery now becoming “Tellurian Brewing.”

St. Charles is a city in Madison County with a population of around 700, according to the 2010 census. It is part of the Des Moines-West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area.

“Des Moines is full of breweries, and people saw ‘St. Charles’ and just assumed we were down there,” Sanvig said, adding that there are also communities called St. Charles in Missouri, Illinois and Minnesota. “Believe it or not, we got confused for them as well.”

The Sanvigs tossed around ideas for a name change, and Cort, the brewmaster, stumbled across the word “Tellurian,” which is defined as an inhabitant of Earth.

“That kind of felt right; it felt like the direction we wanted to go,” Lanie said. “We really just wanted to be more grounded, and we thought the name Tellurian would give us a better identity.”

The connection to the planet is a vibe the Sanvigs are looking for, and a way they want to be identified. Sanvig said that on Earth Day last week, the brewery gave away tree seedlings to customers, and more than 350 trees were planted. On Saturday, they cleaned up trash along the Cedar River, and anyone who volunteered in the effort received a free beer.

The name is also not nearly as widely-used as Saint Charles is, although there is a natural gas company in Houston, Texas, with the name.

“This way, people will know the Tellurian brewery is in Charles City,” Sanvig said. “It’s the same beer, and the same fun stuff, just a new name.”

The name change is going to be gradual. Lanie said they will be redoing the top of the building over the next few months, with new signage up in June or July. They will also do some painting and sprucing up. The brewery will also be getting bigger tanks.

The new “Tellurian” T-shirts just arrived at the beginning of this week, with new labels for the cans coming by the end of the summer.

She said that she and Cort still have 100% ownership of the business. In a little over two years of operation, the brewery, located at 100 South Main St., right next to Subway and across the street from the courthouse, has steadily grown, despite the setbacks created over the last year by the COVID pandemic.

Tellurian features craft beers brewed in house, and Cort produces seasonal flavors and adds varieties of stouts and porters as they continue to grow.

Lanie said that Cort is always coming up with new varieties, and also sticking with a lot of the local favorites. There will be some seasonal fruited beers featured this summer.

“Cort does an amazing job with the beers. He’s always willing to try something new,” Lanie said. “He works so hard to try to make the perfect beer.”

Distribution continues to grow as well, as brews are available locally at The Pub on the Cedar, Comet Bowl and Hot Shots.

The brewery is starting to bring more live music and other entertainment back.

“At this point, we don’t want to pack the house,” Lanie said. “We don’t want people shoulder to shoulder here, but we want people to start being able to do things again, as long as they play it safe.”

The outdoor area features a patio with about a dozen picnic tables that has been expanded around half of the building.

“People felt a lot safer coming because they could be at a picnic table, far enough away from other groups,” Lanie said.

Cedar River Pizza still delivers to customers during business hours, and Tellurian will continue to have occasional different food trucks on the premises.

The business is also starting to host private parties, business gatherings, graduations and other functions.

Lanie said the brewery is open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays to the public, and on Sundays through Wednesdays groups or families can reserve the location and essentially “have the place to themselves.”

Lanie said she and Cort have been very appreciative of the support they’ve received from the community, and beyond.

“We try make this an environment for everybody,” she said. “We try to make it welcoming and fun. It’s a lot of work, but we like it.”