Modern Times coming to Iowa via Pequod!

November 5, 2021Leave a comment

Another week and another big time brewery bringing their beers to our shelves. This time, it is Modern Times coming to us using Pequod Distribution! Not sure on the timeframe of the release but it looks like Modern Times will be getting us their beers quarterly. Stay tuned for more, and take a look below at some of the possible beers we will be seeing!

Fortunate Islands – Tropical Pale Ale
Fruitlands w Passionfruit and Guava – Fruit Gose
Laser Rain Gose – Gose w/cucumber, lime, & guava
Orderville – Hazy Mosaic IPA
Space Ways Hazy Nelson IPA – Hazy IPA with Nelson, Motueka, and simcoe
Sparkle Wolf – West Coast Ipa w/El Dorado and Mosaic
Terebellum – Hazy IPA w/El Dorado, Motueka, Mosaic, and Vics secret
Alien Radio Hazy DIPA – Hazy Citra, Idaho 7, Crystal, Simcoe
Fractal Realm – DIPA w/citra, Idaho 7, cashmere
Dungeon Map West Coast IPA – West Coast IPA w/strata, mosaic, nelson, cent

Limited release series

Glimmer Void 2020 w/ Vanilla 12 x 375mL BA Red Sour with Strawberries & Vanilla
News from Nowhere: Moscatel Cuvvee – red sour cuvee aged from 14-52 months in red wine, cognac, and sherry barrels. Then racked in Setubal Moscatel sherry pipes for 4 months
Phantom Twilight – We aged this foeder-fermented saison in a terracotta amphora for two months before racking onto second-use Montmorency and Balaton cherries. The result is a stunning spectacle of funk with restrained acidity and a delightful mineral and berry character.
Forgotten Landscapes aged in Tawny Port Barrels with Nectarines (Burial Collab) 2020 Release BA Fruited Sour
Cosmic Entity Pecan Pie Edition -This marvelously decadent imperial dessert-stout is loaded with house-toasted pecans, house-roasted coffee, coconut, cocoa, and vanilla.

Reds Alehouse tapping Surly BA Darkness and Darkness on Friday 11/12 @ 5 p.m.!

November 4, 2021Leave a comment

Reds Alehouse in North Liberty will be hosting a special tapping of Surly’s popular barrel-aged Darkness and regular Darkness on Friday November 12th starting @ 5 p.m.! Here’s more from Reds:

With the Minnesota Gophers coming to town we thought why not have special tappings?!Tapping at 5pm will be Surly BA Darkness’20 and Surly Darkness’20 to pair side by side with a Seafood Special coming from our own Chef Al!Can’t wait till 5 for darkness? Have a couple new happy hour pints from surly while you wait! We’ll also be tapping Caribbean Dream- Sour and Midway Hazy- Hazy IPA.Grant From Surly will be here from 5-7 passing out samples and some swag!

Backpocket set to release “Wake the F Up” Barrel-aged Coffee Imperial Stout on 12/4!

November 3, 2021Leave a comment

Stout weather is upon us and stout releases are on the horizon! Backpocket is releasing their popular “Wake the F Up!” barrel-aged coffee imperial stout on December 4th! Here’s more from Backpocket on this release:

𝚂𝙰𝚅𝙴 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙳𝙰𝚃𝙴
Wake The F Up Iowa 2021: Barrel Aged Imperial Coffee Stout release party will be December 4th. This BA Stout was aged in Mississippi River Distilling Barrels for boozy flavors that blend perfectly with the locally roasted coffee from Wake Up Iowa. If you love coffee and barrel aged beers, you gotta get some of this!
Stay tuned for more details on the release party!

Iowa Eats: the hip-stir opens in Marion! A Must Visit Restaurant!

November 3, 2021Leave a comment

Last night I was lucky enough to get to visit the latest restaurant being opened by the guys who have brought us Bricks, Local Pour, Cliff’s Dive Bar, and Moco Game Room! The hip-stir in Marion is officially opened and let me tell you, you’re going to want to check this place out! The food, ambiance, drinks, and staff made this a place that I will be frequenting!

Upon entering from the back alley you walk up a small flight of stairs and are greeted with a amazingly creative interior. Booth seats enveloped by wooden barrels and old parlor-esque hanging lamps coming down from the ceilings really give the comfortable vibe of your favorite speakeasy/pub. Upon being greeted by the friendly staff, we were sat in one of the wooden barrel booths to the delight of my kids.

Waters for the kids…beer for me. A nice mix of craft beers and domestic bottles were available along with some creative cocktails (ordering at least 1 next time) and a number of wines for the wine lover to choose. The hard part was coming up….narrowing down what to order! Every single thing on the menu sounded unique, creative, and most importantly delicious. I could be wrong but many items seem to be asian inspired which is perfectly fine with me! Onto the food:

*CALLAHAN WINGS – the wings were mammoth! Definitely not your traditional wing, these were oven baked and had a tangy/spicy sauce that seemed to be a mix of a buffalo/sweet and sour/orange chicken combination with big chunks of funky blue cheese. Terrific! These were a meal in itself and that tangy sauce hit the spot!

*HOT FRIED CHICKEN SANDWICH – Usually when your read hot fried chicken you are thinking Nashville hot or maybe a spicy breading, well the hip-stirs’ version might be even better. A kimchi sauce…that’s right…kimchi sauced chicken sandwich with black garlic ranch. Simply delicious! Sweet and spicy and don’t forget those seasoned waffle fries on the side!

*BIGGER BETTER BURGER #1 – just an outstanding hamburger. Probably a top 5 all time burger. Two brisket patties, velveeta cheese, mustard sauce, onion, the coup de grace…pickled fresno chiles. The taste of the burger patties itself was delicious, add the accompaniments and it’s on another level. I’m a huge fresno chile fan and to get these pickled on this burger added a wonderful sweet and briney heat element. Excellent burger!

*PORK BELLY STEAM BUNS – this item right here will be ordered every time…without question. Sometimes steam buns can either be too pillowy and thick and too sweet…the hip-stir completely nailed the buns themselves. Not super thick, but enough to hold the ingredients on the inside. The pork belly was crispy and delicious and every steam bun needs that crunch and freshness from a cucumber. Add the kimchi sauce and you have a deathbed meal right here! THE BEST!!

OVERALL: Can’t say enough good things about the place really. I was blown away and it will be a place I return to frequently. My picture taking skills are shit and don’t do it justice by any means so you simply have to visit on your own. Marion has some great things going for it and the hip-stir certainly adds a unique and delicious destination to an up and coming area! Thank you Tim and staff!

Kinship signs with Pequod; plus beers from Blackstack and Company Values

October 30, 2021October 30, 2021Leave a comment

FROM PEQUOD:
We are super pumped to share MORE exciting news with you… We have partnered with Iowa’s very own Kinship Brewing! We will be distributing these beers in the Eastern part of the state only. For specifics on where we will be able to distribute, please reach out to your sales person directly.
“We have a passion for making good beer and fostering a thriving community.”
-Kinship Brewing
**Specific beers to be announced soon!**

Ghost Stories TIPA
Do you believe in ghosts? Bust out your flashlights, ‘cause sh*t’s about to get spooky. Terrifying quantities of our Hand-Selected Strata, Idaho 7 Cryo, Simcoe & El Dorado. Regardless of if you’re a true believer or not, this one is ghastly.

Building Blocks Strata & Spelt DIPA
A simplified (relatively) expression of some of our favorite raw materials. The ones we can take a leap with and know we have something close to home to land on. This version is comprised of Briess Pilsner Malt, Weyermann Speltmalz & our hand selected Strata from the amazing folks at Indie Hops & our beloved LA3 yeast.

Convey Ideas
Rainbow Sherbert inspired smoothie-style fruited sour with Raspberry, Lime Juice, Orange Juice, & Vanilla

Weather the Storm
Hurricane tiki inspired smoothie-style fruited sour with tangerine, passionfruit, pomegranate & lime

Drink This! Lion Bridge Silvia

October 29, 2021Leave a comment

In the day and age where hazy IPAs, fruited sours, and pastry stouts are the craze and dominate the release landscape of craft beer, Lion Bridge brewery in Cedar Rapids release a style of beer that my taste buds have been craving….a farmhouse ale! YES! REJOICE! As much as I love every style of beer I was ready for this one to hit my lips! Brett, barnyard funk, and wonderful hop aroma, exactly what I needed!

*STYLE – Farmhouse Ale
*ABV – 5%
*AVAILABILITY – On tap and in bottles

We hand-selected a blend of Brettanomyces and wild beer from our wood program and then dry-hopped it with Vic Secret hops and naturally carbonated kegs and bottles.
The nose is superb. Vic secret hops pair perfectly with the brett to give it that wet hay/barnyard smell that makes farmhouse ales so spectacular. First sip was exactly what I was hoping for, hops up front with the funk on the back of the tongue, wonderful dry finish and slightly tart – just right and just what I was looking for in this beer!
If you’re a funk head, love brett, and are looking to go back in time a bit in the craft world, this beer is a must try! It’s on tap now or you can stock up your cellar as it’s available in bottles too! Get out there and DRINK THIS beer!

GIVE AWAY TIME!!! Win an Iowa Beer Advent Calendar!!

October 27, 20212 Comments

It’s that time of year! For the 2nd year in a row I’ve teamed up with Gly-Mawr The Local in Mt. Vernon, IA to put together an Iowa-only beer advent calendar! We tried to include as many Iowa breweries as possible and also to include different options than we had last year! With that being said, I’ll be giving one calendar away to one lucky winner! Here’s how you can win!

Comment on any of my Facebook pages where this link is posted by telling me your absolute favorite Iowa brewed beer, Iowa brewery and tag one of your friends!
Comment on my Instagram account by doing the same. Tell me your favorite Iowa brewed beer, Iowa brewery and tag a friend!

-Deadline: Last time to comment to enter the drawing will be Sunday, November 14th @ 8:00 p.m. I will be randomly drawing a name and will contact the winner. Pick up times for the calendar are as follows:

Wednesday, Nov 24th, 10-4
Friday, Nov 26th, 12-8
Saturday, Nov 27th, 8-8

Please spread the word! There are a few calendars left for purchase as well and they make wonderful gifts! Cheers and good luck! For more info on the calendar please click HERE!

Gezellig releasing 4 new brews across the state today!

October 26, 2021Leave a comment

A busy Tuesday in the beer newsroom as Gezellig has announced they are releasing 4 new beers to hit distro today! Be on the lookout and give them a taste! Here’s what’s coming our way:

Heavens To Betsy – Hazy IPA-
Our goal here was a divine experience. A magical juicy IPA with some of the old reliable citrusy hops and a few spunky young guns. Plus a brand spanking new yeast fabled to kick off strawberry jam notes. Citra, Ekuanot, and IA Cascade assure you the water is warm. Talus, Bru-1, and Callista hops convince you we all forgot our trunks too.

Horoscope Homies – Juicy DIPA
Aside from beer, we share a love of astrology, healing crystals, and celestial objects. Recently our horoscopes predicted we would brew an otherworldly juicy DIPA with friends and who were we to argue?
Gemini, Galaxy, and Eclipse hops are the shining stars of the show, no pun intended. Cosmic Punch yeast also pitches in to play Major Tom to our Ground Control perfectly.

Cranberry Side Dish – Fruited Sour
Fruity, festive, and enough ABV to help you truly connect with everyone and everything around you. That’s what this delightful sour beer is all about.
First we soured, then we fermented with a Kveik & Saison yeast blend, and finally we blended in just the right amount of Cab Sauv barrel-aged sour beer.
The cherry on top, if you will, was cramming this complex concoction full of cranberries, cherries, and red plums. She’s perfect for pairing around a holiday table or an excellent liquid lunch for festively fighting off scurvy.

Señor Pudín – Rice Pudding Inspired Milk Stout
Señor Pudín says whether you call it arroz con leche or rice pudding, we can all agree it’s a delicious dish!

Inspired by that truth, we used a decadently enhanced milk stout as our ring and let a baker’s half dozen of ingredients wrestle it out for pudding-esque flavor supremacy. Hopefully Tag Team would be proud.

Toasted rice flakes, milk sugar, cinnamon sticks, jumbo raisins, and vanilla beans make this bad boy a worthy option when packing a lunch seems too hard

Backpocket Brewing releasing “Mallow Vibes” kettle sour this Friday! (10/29)

October 26, 2021Leave a comment

Another Friday release coming at us this week! Backpocket will be releasing “Mallow Vibes” kettle sour. This berliner weisse is brewed using marshmallows, orange puree, orange sherbert, vanilla, and milk sugar! Here’s more from the brewer:

Mallow Vibes is our newest marshmallow themed kettle sour series. This berliner weisse base has loads of marshmallows and our first batch has a heavy dose of Orange Puree, orange sherbert, with a hint of vanilla and milk sugar. Mallow Vibes: Orange Marshmallow will be available on draft and in 16oz/4pks on FRIDAY! Mug Clubbers swing in to the Coralville Taproom on Thursday for your FREE POUR!

Thew Brewing releasing “Older and in the Wayer” triple IPA this Friday! (10/29)

October 26, 2021Leave a comment

Thew Brewing Company in Cedar Rapids will be paying homage to their “Old and in the Way” IPA with the release of “Older and in the Wayer” Triple IPA this Friday! Here’s more on this release courtesy of Thew:

Celebrate with us on Friday – Old and in the Way is turning another year older. Do you know what that means?We’ve got a special release for you – Older and in the Wayer – triple IPA – made just for you to celebrate Old and in the Way!Join us in the taproom on Friday – we’ll have popcorn and a few additional surprises us our sleeve.