When Larry Beilke retired from Midland Power last December after more than 30 years with the co-op, he knew exactly what was on tap for his future: brewing craft beer.
"I brewed my first batch in our home basement, but that was my only batch because of the smell!" recalls Beilke who received a Mr. Beer kit as a white elephant gift at a Christmas party in 2010. "That’s when I made my first beer in that kit," Beilke said. "And it got me interested in beer and the beer-making process. I got excited about it and learned more and more. I always wanted to do the next level of difficulty."
As Beilke’s knowledge of brewing grew, so did his passion.
In 2016, he expanded his production and started brewing commercially. Acquiring space on Sumner Avenue in Humboldt, TractorLift Brewery was born. The name was inspired by the old elevator next door that had been used to raise tractors between floors when it had been an implement dealership.
For the next five years, Beilke made beer and sold it wholesale to restaurants and bars, and entered his beer in Iowa State Fair contests.
"Then, due to Covid, sales dropped 75 percent. I had to either stop and be done with it, or open a taproom to sell beer directly to customers to help increase margins and sustain the business. I bought the rest of the building and opened the TractorLift taproom in July 2021," Beilke said.
Since then, the brewery has become a popular local venue. With its comfortable, café style atmosphere, the taproom features a dozen handcrafted beers on tap (with 30 varieties on rotation), and regularly hosts local musicians and a wildly popular monthly trivia night.
Taking care of co-op members
Beilke is well known in the Humboldt area, having worked for Midland Power for 31 years. He started his co-op career as a temporary laborer before working his way onto the line crew and then into his longtime role as an energy services advisor in the Humboldt office.
"People in the country deserve the same services as those in town – good TV, water, internet, and technology. Over the years, we sold all types of products to give people a better way of life so they could have the same services taken for granted by those who live in town," Beilke said, looking back at his long career with the REC.
Through his work in energy services, Beilke helped members with electrical issues, including questions about electric consumption, energy efficiency, new technology, including heat pumps, water heaters, electric vehicles, and electrical safety.
Learning the value of work
Beilke credits his love of community to his childhood growing up on a dairy farm near Sauk Centre, Minn., about four and a half hours north of Humboldt. With five siblings (three brothers and two sisters), he remembers learning the value of work from an early age.
"I remember doing chores in all types of weather – shoveling snow to get to the hog house and chicken coop. One of the things I remember most on the farm is the very harsh winters we had," he said.
But there was fun, too.
"We lived near lots of lakes, which meant fishing and swimming in summer. Our farm was near Fairy Lake, a popular spot to hang out on weekends. We had snowmobiles and did lots of sledding. It was a good life and a good way to grow up," he said.
Beilke graduated from Sauk Centre High School in 1981. In September of 1986, he enlisted in the Army, where he learned to work on helicopter rotor systems, a skill he utilized throughout his life.
Around that same time, he met his wife Lauri (formerly Wigans), from Renwick who had attended college in nearby Waseca, Minn., and was working at a local veterinarian’s clinic in Sauk Centre.
"I came back home (from basic training) in March 1987, Lauri and I got married, and then I went (alone) back to Ft. Eustis, Va.," Beilke remembers. He had already signed up to serve in Germany, and traveled to his overseas assignment in April 1987, leaving his new wife in Sauk Centre. Five months later, in September 1987, Lauri moved to Germany to join her husband.
After returning stateside, Beilke was stationed in Fort Carson, Colo., then ultimately decided to leave the Army and move to Iowa.
"Lauri got a job right away at Fort Dodge Laboratories. That is why we ended up in Humboldt (in 1991)," he said.
Ice storm leads to REC career
With his wife working in Fort Dodge, Beilke needed local employment and found a part-time farm services job in Humboldt. However, it was temporary, and he prepared to get laid off in the winter.
Then came the Halloween ice storm of October 1991, an event etched into the minds of anyone working in the Iowa electric utility business at the time. That storm brought down utility poles and powerlines throughout central Iowa, leading to major repair and clean-up efforts.
Through family and neighbor connections, Beilke learned that Humboldt County REC was looking for part-time help cleaning up after the storm, removing wires from the ditches, and doing other cleanup work.
"Because of the ice storm, I got a job," Beilke recalled. Beilke also learned that due to an upcoming retirement at the co-op, there was going to be an opening in the REC’s line department. Beilke applied for and was offered the job.
"I started working on the line crew, took training through the Merchant Powerline Job Training & Safety distance-learning (correspondence) program, earned my lineman certificate, and worked in the line department for eight years," he said.
In 1999, another retirement at the co-op led Beilke into his long-time role in energy services. With his typical enthusiasm, Beilke jumped right in. There was much to learn about electric appliances, heating and cooling, water heating, consulting with REC members one-on-one, and leading member education activities.
It was a position he held until his retirement last year.
What’s on tap?
"I've had very little free time working full time at the co-op and operating the brewery," Beilke said. "I want to operate TractorLift to make it more financially sustainable."
Beilke said he also looks forward to traveling more and spending time with his family.
Beilke and his wife Lauri have two daughters: Kiersten (who was recently hired at Midland Power as a member care specialist in the Humboldt office) and husband, Marcus Gatewood, who live near Thor with their two-year-old son, Cass, and Shelby, who lives with her husband, Chris Weigle, in Ames. Most of
Beilke’s family still lives in Minnesota, including his dad, age 92, of Sauk Centre.
But when asked where you’ll be able to find him most days, he doesn’t hesitate to answer.
"You’ll be able to find me at the brewery," he said.