I’ll start with distribution news. My source has told me that we can mark it down that Stone will start showing up on our shelves in Eastern Iowa come June or July. No date has been confirmed but those are the months they are looking at. Not sure what beers from Stone we will see right away but any of them is great for us.

Nothing new this week really on the shelves but next week expect a major impact from Sierra Nevada as we will see Sierra Nevada Pale Ale cans showing up on our shelves and possibly Torpedo. That one I cannot confirm but Pale Ale will definitely be there. Should make tailgating even more fun this fall.

But the best news for next week is the arrival of Sierra Nevada Hoptimum. I just had a bottle last weekend and all I can say is, “WOW!!” An intense, in your face, kick in guts, double IPA. If you are a hophead, this is the beer for you. Here’s the description from the brewer’s site.
“A group of hop-heads and publicans challenged our Beer Camp brewers to push the extremes of whole-cone hop brewing. The result is this: a 100 IBU, whole-cone hurricane of flavor. Simply put- Hoptimum: the biggest whole-cone IPA we have ever produced. Aggressively hopped, dry-hopped and torpedoed with our exclusive new hop varieties for ultra-intense flavors and aromas.
Hops, hops and more hops are the stars of this big, whole-cone Imperial IPA. Resinous ‘new-school’ and exclusive hop varieties carry the bold and aromatic nose. The flavor follows the aroma with layers of aggressive hoppiness, featuring notes of grapefruit rind, rose, lilac, cedar and tropical fruit – all culminating in a dry and lasting finish.”

Search these out and let me know your thoughts!