Updates: Northside Oktoberfest October 3rd in Iowa City

August 17, 20152 Comments

I cannot wait to attend this event! Hopefully I can meet up with some fellow beer lovers and enjoy some excellent beer and some terrific food! Please let me know if you are going to attend as I would like to meet up and say hi to you all!

What: Northside Oktoberfest

When: October 3rd

Where: Market Street, Iowa City, IA (By John’s Grocery)

What: 500+ Beers

50+ Breweries including:

Backpocket Brewery

Bell’s

Zipline Brewing Co.

Founders Brewing Co.

Boulder Beer Company

Sutliff Cider

Boulevard

Massive TV broadcasting Iowa @ Wisconsin football game

Soda fest & games for the kids

Keg toss and other adult games

Food vendors on site

Ticket Info: BrewMaster Tickets: $50* (comes with Tailgate t-shirt, early entry to festival, special edition tasting glass, and participation in the Real Ale tasting contest)

General Admission Tickets: $35*
*Ticket prices will increase after September 1

You can purchase tickets at northsideoktoberfest.com or at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.

Sixpoint Brewing coming to Iowa with Abu Nawas Distribution

August 11, 20152 Comments

Just saw this release on Facebook from Abu Nawas distribution. More exciting beer news for us in Iowa! Cheers!

Abu Nawas Beverage Company

We are very excited to announce that we are going to be bringing the beers from theSixpoint Brewery to Iowa!

(Elkader, Iowa) – August 11th, 2015 – Abu Nawas Beverage Company is proud to announce the addition of Six Point Brewery to their beer portfolio. Starting August 27th, 2015, Iowa will be treated to the respected craft and highly-rated beers of Sixpoint Brewery from Brooklyn, New York. The Brewery began operations in the. Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn in 2004, when co-founder Shane Welch decided to open up his own brewery after relocating from his home state of Wisconsin. Shane got his start in home brewing while still a student at the University of Wisconsin. Since their inception, Sixpoint has garnered some major street cred in the craft beer industry as a leader in expertly crafted beers, excellent customer service, and innovative packaging design.
Abu Nawas Beverage Company is humbled, thankful and extremely excited to bring the outstanding beers of Six Point Brewery to the great State of Iowa. Abu Nawas will be carrying both cans and kegs for customers. Retailers interested in carrying Six Point products should contact Abu Nawas through their websitewww.abunawasbeverage.com.

Tallgrass Brewing Announces Explorer Series Starting in September

August 10, 20151 Comment

Very excited to share this news and look forward to trying each of these four beers. The following comes from Tallgrass Brewing’s Facebook page:

We’ve given you teasers, now here’s the full scoop. Next month the Explorer Series, a new line of specialty beers from Tallgrass, will officially launch with the release of Bourbon Barrel Buffalo Sweat. More on the first four beers below and many more to come in 2016! ‪#‎tallgrassbrewing‬‪#‎craftbeer‬ ‪#‎explorerseries‬

Each brand in the Explorer Series will be packaged in 4-packs of 12 oz. cans. A mix pack box containing one of each of the Explorer Series beers will be available November-December.

*Bourbon Barrel Buffalo Sweat: Tallgrass’ award-winning oatmeal cream stout, aged in bourbon barrels to create a rich, complex, medium-bodied beer with chocolate-espresso flavor and aroma with an oak barrel backbone. Available Sept-Dec.

*Big RICC: Russian Imperial Stout with coffee and chocolate. Bold coffee flavor and aroma with strong chocolate notes. Full-bodied and great for sipping. Winner of silver medal in coffee beer at 2014 U.S. Open Beer Championships. Available Oct-Feb.

*Wooden Rooster: The Rooster returns after an appearance earlier this year! Tallgrass’ Belgian-style Tripel ale, Velvet Rooster — the first-ever Tripel in a can — aged in rye whiskey barrels. It has a candy-like sweetness and slight spice, with vanilla, oak and rye whiskey prominent in aroma and flavor. Available October.

*Bourbon Barrel Vanilla Bean Buffalo Sweat with Cinnamon: Tallgrass’ highly popular winter seasonal, Vanilla Bean Buffalo Sweat, aged in bourbon barrels with cinnamon added during fermentation. Cinnamon is prominent in aroma and flavor along with vanilla, chocolate and espresso, with warm bourbon undertones. Available Nov-Dec.

Coming to Shelves: Stone, Lagunitas, August Schell, new Boulevard Collab

August 6, 20153 Comments

Some releases that will be hitting our market in the coming months…(to go along with Oktoberfest and Pumpkin Beers 🙂 have me pretty excited. The August Schell Noble Star Collection has been a huge success and I’m really looking forward to this next release. As for some local news, Big Grove Brewery will be holding their 2 year Anniversary party on August 29th. Below is their lineup for this can’t miss event:

Saturday, August 29 – The Anniversary Tailgate. Show up at 11am with your tailgating kit and spend the day with BGB. We’re serving up a hog roast, walk-chalking, and whatever else feels right. Don’t give that spot up, because live music from The Dawn starts at 6pm. It’s how we do it.

Here’s what we have for ANNIVERSARY BEER RELEASES:

Anniversary 2015 with JBC Coffee Roasters (DIPA with Harfusa Ethiopia organic coffee)

Batch 400 Collaboration with Third Base Brewery (super top secret, but it’s going to be super cool)

Richard the Whale (Heaven Hill bbl aged RIS)

Richard the Whale Sumatra with JBC Coffee Roasters (organic coffee variant)

Richard the Whale Super Secret Stout (wouldn’t you like to know?)

Oud Bruin (fermented for one year in Shorts Whiskey bbl with black chokeberries, name TBD)

Golden Brett Ale (fermented for 14 months in Opus One bbl, name TBD)

Onto some other news:

Stone Brewing – will be releasing another brew in the Stochasticity series titled Your Father Smelt of Elderberries. It’s going to be an amber ale with eldberberries added and come in at 8.8% and like all other Stochasticity releases be available in 22 oz bottles. Here’s more on this brew from Stone:

Stochasticity Project beers bravely explore lesser-trod territory. Imagine if you will emerging from the furthest depths of the dark, misty forest of time holding a chalice (perhaps one of catholically divine caliber) filled with an ale style dating back to medieval England. We find ourselves carried by the gait of hooves (which oddly sound like someone is clacking together two empty coconut halves) and happen upon a caste siege. Insults are being hurled from the walls above from …Frenchmen? Time to run away (after one last whack at the mighty stone castle walls with a broadsword) to discuss strategy just beyond the reach of catapulted bovines. Beer brewed with elderberries is freely shared. What strategies come from this? Trojan Rabbit! A brilliant ruse they’re sure to…catapult. Word to the wise, Sir Bedivere. Don’t strategize whilst drinking elderberry beer or the constables may show up at the end of your flick.

Lagunitas Brewing – according to mybeerbuzz.blogspot.com will be releasing a double alt called Doppel Sticky and will be part of their One-Hitter Series. This beer will be available in 12 oz bottles and come in 8.5%. No word on the drop date quite yet.

August Schell Brewing – two new beers coming out in the popular Noble

Star Collection. The first is called Apparent Horizon and is a Rye Berlin-style wheat ale that will come in the 25.36 oz bottles. The 2nd release is called Orbital Drift and is a berlin-style wheat ale. Release details have yet to be determined so stay tuned for more.

Boulevard Brewing and Cigar City – Boulevard has released details on its Collaboration #5. This beer will be brewed with Cigar City brewing and will be a tropical pale ale and will be part of the smokestack series coming in at 7.3% but it will be available in 12 oz bottle 4 packs instead of the 750mL. Release date is tentatively schedule for September of this year so be on the look out for this one. The hop bill sounds very promising. Here’s more from Boulevard on this brew:

Combining CCB’s expertise with tropical fruit flavors and Boulevard’s love of pale ales, Collaboration No. 5 – Tropical Pale Ale begins with a base of soft pilsner malt layered with Maris Otter, Munich and caramel malts. Huge late hopping with a blend of Mosaic, Citra, Lemondrop and Azacca lends bright flavors of mango, pear, blueberry and citrus to a pale ale featuring slightly toasted biscuit and caramel/toffee notes. Infused with freshly sliced grapefruit at the conclusion of the boil, our tropical pale ale is briefly aged on passion fruit and grapefruit at the end of fermentation resulting in a refreshing acidity and tropical fruit flavor and aroma. At 7.3 ABV and 55 IBUs, Collaboration No. 5 – Tropical Pale Ale finishes slightly tart with bright citrus character from dry-hopping with Lemondrop, Azacca andPacific Jade hops.

Exile Brewing Day at Reds Alehouse this Saturday 8/8/15! Beatnik Sour Cask w/Blueberries

August 5, 2015Leave a comment

The following email was received from Reds Alehouse:

You’ve probably seen Exile making the leap from Des Moines to Eastern IA the past few months. But what you haven’t seen is what’s going to be sitting on top of our bar this SATURDAY AUGUST 8TH. For the first time, Reds

and Exile would like to present:

Beatnik Sour Cask w/ Blueberries!

Along with this funky, fresh, and delish cask pouring right in front of your face with the help of our old friend gravity, we’ll also be serving up Daytrotter Pale Ale and a special pre-release of Exile Chill Clinton, a double hemp amber ale.

Beers on at 11am followed by a 3:00 tapping of Blueberry Beatnik

2015 Bourbon County Lineup Announced

July 30, 2015Leave a comment

Thanks to the Beer Counselor for the link to the Chicago Tribune article announcing the lineup for 2015 Bourbon County Stout. Obviously, not sure what Iowa will see, but you can expect every year to be a Black Friday beer shopping spree and I’m sure it will continue to get busier. The following is courtesy of the Chicago Tribune:

Bourbon County Brand Stout

Bourbon County Brand Barleywine

Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout, made with Intelligentsia’s Los Delirios Nicaraguan coffee bean

Bourbon County Brand Regal Rye Stout, made with blackberry juice, cocktail cherries and sea salt

Proprietor’s Bourbon County Brand Stout, made with maple syrup aged in bourbon barrels, toasted pecans and guajillo peppers

Goose Island Rare Bourbon County Brand Stout, which is being aged for two years in 35-year-old Heaven Hill whiskey barrels.

To read further on each of these releases please view the article here, terrific read:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/goose-island-new-bourbon-county-stout-story.html#page=1

Northside Oktoberfest set for October 3, 2015 in Downtown Iowa City

July 29, 20151 Comment

The 20th year of the Iowa City Brewfest is coming upon us fast! Downtown Iowa City is the place to be on October 3 as the 20th annual Northside Oktoberfest will take place. Here’s more on this terrific beer and food festival for the coordinators:

The Northside Oktoberfest benefiting Iowa City area non-profits showcases the Bohemian nature of the Northside Marketplace with great craft beers, neighborhood food, beer games, Iowa football and much more! Join us on Saturday, October 3rd as we take over the streets of the Northside, just blocks north of downtown Iowa City to celebrate the 20th year of the Iowa City Brewfes – See more at: http://downtowniowacity.com/pages/events/northside-oktoberfest.php#sthash.65ZPGLlq.dpuf

General admission tickets are $35 and Brewmaster tickets are $50. Brewmaster tickets get you access to over 500 beers, exclusive access to REAL ALE contest samples and voting, 20th anniversary glass and t-shirt. Here is a sample of some of the breweries that will be in attendance:

Northside Oktoberfest will feature over 50 breweries, here are just a few:

Big Grove Brewery
Millstream Brewing Company
Merchant du Vin -Specialty Beer Importer since 1978
New American Brewing Co
Bell’s Brewery, Inc.
Cedar Ridge Distillery
Founders Brewing Co.
August Schell Brewing Company
Central Waters Brewing Company
Confluence Brewing Company
515 Brewing Company
Kalona Brewery
Buck Creek Companies
Peace Tree Brewing Company
Lakefront Brewery
Zipline Brewing Co.
Founders Brewing Co.
Boulder Beer Company
Sutliff Cider
Boulevard
Boone Valley Brewing
New American Brewing Co

– See more at: http://downtowniowacity.com/pages/events/northside-oktoberfest.php#sthash.65ZPGLlq.dpuf

Todd the Axe Man Update

July 24, 20151 Comment

Received the following email from Surly detailing the Todd the Axe Man release. Very excited for this beer to be available in cans! Cheers!

Next week Surly Brewing will be launching a new canned beer – Todd The Axe Man, a west coast-style IPA, http://surlybrewing.com/beer/todd-the-axe-man/

Todd The Axe Man was originally a collaboration brew with Amager Brgyhus in Denmark. Surly’s director of brewing operations Todd Haug visited the brewery in 2014 and brought them the Golden Promise malt Surly uses for several of its other beers, from the UK. Along with Citra and Mosaic hops, they brewed Todd The Axe Man, named by Amager in honor of Todd’s other career as a metal guitarist.

Todd The Axe Man became a firm favorite at the Surly Beer Hall in Minneapolis, so much so that Surly decided to can it. Cans of the new beer will be available across Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Chicago starting next week.

Artwork can be found here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/57697105/Surly%20Brewing/Todd%20The%20Axe%20Man.zip

Surly will be celebrating the launch of Todd The Axe Man on Monday July 27 at Pat’s Tap in Minneapolis from 3pm, http://surlybrewing.com/events/todd-the-axe-man-can-release-party-at-pats-tap/

Coming Soon: Next Boulevard Imperial X Stout, New Oskar Blues IPA, Founders, Great Divide, Alpine coming?

July 23, 20151 Comment

Quite a few tidbits on this Thursday to pass along. The next Big Grove double IPA gets released tomorrow and I’ll also be pouring some fine Big Grove brews tomorrow during ragbrai in Solon, so if you’re around stop by and say hi. Onto the news this week:

**Boulevard Smokestack Series Imperial Stout X Cherry Tart – the next release in the series for Boulevard gets a little sour! They add tart cherries to fermentation. This brew will come in at 11% and will be available caged and corked in 750 mL bottles and be available in September.

**Oskar Blues Blue Dream IPA – the latest release from the brewery as it was recently unveiled at the Brevard, NC facility. Little is known about this release right now except it will be another can offering and will check in at 6.4% abv. Stay tuned for more on this brew.

**Founders Spectra Trifecta – following Mosaic Promise and Black IPA comes Spectra Trifecta. A kolsch style beer, this will be coming in at 5.9% and be available in September. Here’s more from the brewery:

Brewed in the traditional kolsch style, which requires fermenting ale yeast at a colder temperature and give she beer a clean finish without fruity yeast esters. This bright, golden beer is brewed with a trifecta of natural ingredients: earthy, floral and slightly sweet chamomile; a touch of citrusy lemongrass; and a hint of spicy fresh ginger.

**Great Divide Whitewater Hoppy Wheat – the newest seasonal release which was originally a gold medal winner at GABF in 1994 is back in 6 packs of cans and bottles. It checks in at 6.1%. Here’s more from the brewery:

WHITEWATER is an American wheat ale built for exploration. The bold hop profile adds complexity to this crisp, balanced ale, while hints of citrus, light floral notes, and a satisfying bitterness leave a perfect reminder of trails climbed and rapids subdued. Whitewater is the perfect complement to any adventure.

**Alpine Brewing hitting the Iowa Market in August – the beeradvocate forum is bursting with news that Alpine Brewing, which was recently acquired by Green Flash, will start hitting the market (Des Moines specifically) in August. According to some folks from Doll Distribution it will start with kegs and then bottles will roll out in November. I hope this means the same for Eastern Iowa!

*Any news or new beers you want to talk about? Send me a line: benmed15@yahoo.com

Restaurant Review: Mosley’s Barbecue and Provisions; Iowa City, IA

July 18, 2015Leave a comment

A building that once held the bar responsible for many drunken college nights has now been transformed into a modern, inviting, illuminating barbecue joint. As soon as I walked towards the Vine the smell hit me in the face. No, not the smell of stale piss and vomit that one could get a whiff on a weekend, but the wonderful smell of smoked meats. Walking into Mosley’s, takes you back a bit to the Fitzpatricks days and the Old Capitol days but now we are greeted by families, couples, and friends sitting around happily shoveling wonderful BBQ into their faces. The bar looked immaculate
and the glistening taps get your attention right away. Definitely a kid friendly joint which is plus for us, my kids love que and now we have another place to take them. But, oh, that smell! QUE THE SKYNRD!

Mosley’s is brought to you by Matt Swift and Corey Kent, both of whom have had big success in the area with Pullman Diner, Big Grove, Blackstone, 30hop, and of course Red’s Alehouse. Knowing the background of these two and their success it’s hard not to have extremely high expectations for a place, but man o man, they deliver!

Salivating as we get to our table I told my wife to do the ordering as I was up for anything on the menu. 1/2 slab of ribs and the Mosley sandwich which is a pulled pork butt with coleslaw, vinegar and their gold standard bbq sauce. Add a side of coleslaw, mac salad, and house made pickle slices, and wash it all down with a Big Grove Arms Race Pale Ale, we are set! Now the gold standard sauce is a carolina mustard sauce and it was my first experience having such a sauce. It went perfectly with the pulled pork! It was slightly sweet but not overly, great tang from the mustard and it paired well with the coleslaw. AWESOME SANDWICH! The ribs were terrific! Not mushy, completely off the bone. They hold to the bone just enough but once you sink your teeth in, they are tender with a little spice from their vinegar pepper sauce. The coleslaw was delicious and had a bit of sweetness to it. I missed out on the smoked sausage as they were out at that time but that is an item I plan on devouring the next time I visit. Our server was fast, friendly, and knowledgeable and the experience as a whole gets two thumbs up.

This was opening night at Mosley’s and my wife and I are already craving another trip back. The scary thing is that this place will keep getting better and better too which is going to make many BBQ fanatics in this area very happy indeed! Will be back sooner than later……hopefully this weekend again! Cheers!