Category: beer baron

MORE, Equilibrium, Mason Ale Works, Humble Forager, and Untitled Art coming from Pequod!

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Bartlett Maibock  6.2% ABV (’tis the season)
𝗕𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗯𝗼𝗰𝗸 is a brand new lager brewed in honor of our future taproom in the heart of downtown Bartlett. This German-Style Maibock balances the rich, bready malt core with assertive hops for a dry and celebratory finish. Like most springtime beers, the subtle hop character is balanced toward floral and earthy making it a bold and lively lager that’s worth celebrating with your friends and family on new endeavors. 

Secret Cosmos DDH Hazy IPA  7% ABV 

 This Double Dry-Hopped IPA is brimming with Vic Secret, Galaxy, and Mosaic hops. Crack open a can and witness the stars align with astronomical notes of tropics such as pineapple and passionfruit, alongside a cosmic medley of berries and stone fruit. Experience this supernova of flavor today. (7% ABV)

Strheum – Strawberry Rhubarb Fruit sour 7.2% ABV 

Newly canned for the first time, our previously draft-only fruited sour is packaged and on our shelves today! 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗵𝗲𝘂𝗺 is a kettle sour that’s jam-packed with farm fresh rhubarb and lusciously juicy strawberries for a balanced infusion of robust sweetness followed by a refreshing tart finish.

Shadows West coast IPA 6.7% ABV Inspired by the early days of the midwestern emo music scene, this classic West Coast IPA has a dynamic blend of Citra, Columbus, and Simcoe that really showcases a bold and electric hop profile. Pensive woody resin has subtle jolt of citrus pulp quickly fades into an herbaceous ensemble that’s incredibly snappy and clean.

Infinity Polar Vortex Triple IPA  – Northern Monk Brewery collaboration  Click the EQ logo above for a Rad video for this label
Brewery Release 3/28/22 Infinity Polar Vortex pours deep bright yellow and has a strong nose of resinous pineapple, bright citrus, grass, and a touch of apple candy. This fruit punch smoothie packs a medley of fresh squeezed OJ, deep papaya, Anjou pear, melon, and candied lime, with complex assorted berry notes throughout.

Astrophysics IPA  6.5% ABV (case only)
Astrophysics pours a vibrant milky yellow with heavy aromas of starfruit, passionfruit, tangerine Pez, and dank hops. Flavors of sweet orange flesh, passionfruit juice, cantaloupe, and gummy peach rings transition to notes of berry and yuzu before a Big Bang of our #EQjuice rainbow melon finish. 

dHop5 Dbl IPA 8.5% ABV  (case only) Brewery release date 3/17/22
dHop5 pours a milky yellow releasing aromas of bright passion fruit, peach rings, lime, and pineapple juice all integrated with a sorbet twist. The taste is a bright creamy tropical flavor that is dangerously drinkable and balanced with our signature #EQjuice finish.

Energy Equals Dbl IPA 8% ABV (case only)
We start with MC² as a base and incorporate the well received process we like to refer to as the ‘Energy Dry Hop’ which gives this beer an intense brightness and flavor. Energy Equals has enhanced flavor characteristics of mango, pineapple, citrus, and apricot. With the new technique in place, we notice a much deeper flavor profile while being extremely bright and lighter in body.

MC2  Dbl IPA – 8% ABV (case only)
It pours a hazy tangerine color, releasing bright tropical notes of mango, pineapple, and apricot. MC² tastes like succulent mango juice loaded with chewy hop resins.

Gwion and the Witch – Cinnamon Bun Pastry stout 13.5% ABV 
Next up in this Pastry Stout series. Gwion and the Witch is a Cinnamon Bun Style Pastry Stout. Thick buy not syrupy with perfect amounts of cinnamon and notes of Frosting on the nose. Fun beer 

Nelsonomicon Hazy DIPA – Ogopogo Collab
Collaboration with Ogopogo Brewing (San Gabriel, CA). This Hazy Double IPA is packed full of Nelson, Citra and NZ Cascade Hops

Citra Revengeance Hazy DIPA – Beer Zombies Collab
Beer Zombies Brewing Collaboration. Double Dry Hopped Hazy Double IPA with 100% Citra Hops

Sweet Creams are made of these – Fruited Sour 
Milkshake inspired ale with huge amounts of raspberries and blueberries added with vanilla and lactose. Thick body with tart raspberry and blueberry notes.

Respeto – Mexican Style Lager  (cases only) 
Gold medal at the Ensenada Beer Festival in the Mexican Lager Category!

Foggy Footpath DDH DIPA (Fairstate brewed)
A Hazy DDH Double IPA that was brewed at Fairstate Brewing, made with Citra Cryo, Mosaic, and el dorado Cryo hops.  The beer was described as bright, soft and “made with a lot of hops”. 

Kumquat Mango Smoothie Seltzer (it’s pretty amazing) 
I’ll be honest I don’t recall what Kumquat is supposed to taste like, but the Mango in this is from the ataulfo Mango, also known as the Honey mango. It bright, tropical and bursting with true mango goodness!

Meet the Brewer: James Heckathorn, Court Avenue Brewing!

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Who are the people that are brewing the wonderful beer in the state of Iowa? I’m sure some of you know many of them and others, maybe not. I thought it would be great to get to know the brewers of Iowa, their backgrounds, their likes, and what they have coming up in the future. First up, Court Avenue Brewing’s James Heckathorn!

NAME: James Heckathorn

BREWERY: Court Avenue Brewing Co.

LOCATION: 309 Court Avenue; Des Moines, IA

How long have you been brewing and where have you brewed?

I will have been brewing professionally 2 years in August of this year. Before that, I worked at various other breweries in FoH positions – Twisted Vine, 515 and then Reclaimed Rails, where I was given the opportunity to brew on their pilot system. I had about 3-4 beers that were well received, especially under the tutelage of Mike Street, who gave me excellent guidance and advice throughout. It’s how we became such good buds! 

Aaron Knapp, the brewer before me at CabCo, was also bartending at Reclaimed with me and when he was getting ready to take on his new adventure at Epic Brewing in Colorado, he asked me to apply for his position at CabCo. I didn’t feel ready but my friends and family rallied behind me and encouraged me to apply and the rest is history. 

What is the size of your brewery?

Court Avenue Restaurant and Brewing Company is a 7bbl system. A Specific Mechanical 2 vessel that has seen its fair share of brewers, hah! We are nearing 26 years here at CabCo and this system is at least that old. Being so manual and involved, it really brings a certain aspect of romanticism to brewing that I find appealing. Most days, at least! 

What beer from Court Avenue would you pick to give to complete
stranger to try and why?

I would honestly give people two beers, one to show where we come from and one to show where we are going.

Pointer Brown Ale is the oldest recipe in house, a beer that has been consistently brewed since we opened our doors in 1996. It’s an English Brown Ale, so expect chocolate, caramel with a touch of dark fruit and a full mouthfeel that is infinitely drinkable. A true Iowa classic. 

Earthbound NEIPA is our newest flagship that I began developing about a year ago. Hazy IPA is the style that got me into brewing and it continues to be a style I am passionate about. This is my take on the archetypical representation that everyone has come to expect in hazy IPA. Citra, Mosaic and a bit of El Dorado, plenty of oats and wheat malt and a low flocculating yeast strain. Earthbound is the first step forward in a modern vision of CabCo.

Who would be at your drinking table, dead or alive, to share a beer with?

This is a great question! Fritz Maytag – he did so much for craft beer and it would be cool to get insight into the beginnings of modern craft beer; Christopher Hitchens – He was a witty guy and I think he’d keep drinking long after everyone else had left the table. Would be a bender for the ages; Conan O’Brien – I could be his friend, definitely. 

Do you have a favorite food and beer pairing?

A pilsner and sushi or spicy wings with an IPA!

What is your favorite beer in the world not made by Court Avenue and why?

Ayinger Bavarian Pils is a beer that continues to stay with me and luckily we can get it here. Any well done German pilsner, really. 

Anything you’d like to pub for Court Avenue?
We will be releasing our 4 -way collaboration with Flix Brewhouse, Reclaimed Rails and Brightside Aleworks on the 31st of March. Cosmic Bear is a massive imperial pastry stout that was aged on star crunch and marshmallow. 

I also gotta mention our Mug Club – It’s the best way to become a CabCo insider and it comes with a whole mess of perks for $40 a year. 10% off your tab, 24oz pints in your mug for the same price of a regular pint, a Mug Club Party every month where we shower you with a new beer release and free food, and last but not least, exclusive bottles that are only available to Mug Club members. Rumor has it the next bottle is an Eagle Rare BA imperial stout aged on a ton of vanilla beans…..

Huge thank you to Mr. Heckathorn for taking the time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions! Make sure to say to him and the other staff at Court Avenue Brewing when you visit, sign up for their Mug Club and keep an eye out for the Eagle Rare BA imperial stout! Cheers!

Untitled Art, Humble Forager, and Blackstack coming from Pequod

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Green Time Machine Pixie Mix Seltzer 
Bursting with Apple and Watermelon flavors, this Pixie mix will take you back to the simpler days of riding bicycles and drinking those juice boxes, nostalgia at it’s finest. 

Coastal Sunrise V6 – Fruit breakfast sour  6% ABV

This new beer is made with peaches, Pineapple, Vanilla beans. Maple Syrup, pecans and cinnamon. From Austin – “Imagine a Pineapple Peach cobbler with pecans and maple syrup.” – wonderful, just wonderful

NEW – Foggy Footpath DDH DIPA 
A brand new Hazy IPA made @ Fairstate brewing featuring Citra Cryo, Mosaic, and El Dorado cryo hops!

City pages – “Best IPA”  Hazy IPA  7% ABV 
Despite our best efforts we’ve never got this when they were around. Hand selected mosaic & mosaic cryo with a beautiful lot of nelson sauvin from New Zealand. Figured since we were the only ones voting this year, we could do the tally ourselves!
Too Soon – Fruit sour – 8th State brewing Collab
Imperial Berliner Weisse w/ Pineapple, Plum, Rhubarb & Passionfruit (7.2%)
The second act of our collab in 3 parts with our buds @the8thstatebrewing from Greenville, SC Imposingly quantities of Juicy Pineapple, Bassy Plum, Punchy Rhubarb & Passionfruit Nectar with delightfully tart Foeder Fermented Mixed Culture Imperial Berliner Weisse Style Base. Too Tasty… Too Soon?

Lua releasing multiple beers Saturday, April 2nd!

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Lua Brewing out of Des Moines will be releasing some amazing beers in bottles and cans on Saturday, April 2nd! This is going to be an immensely popular release and it’s first come/first serve so plan accordingly! Here are the details from Lua:

Barrel Aged Stouts and Our First Can Release

Please join us Saturday, April 2 at 11am for our first CAN RELEASE. We’ll also release two new barrel-aged stouts.

The stouts will be released in 4-packs with two 375mL bottles of each blend for $100. Cans will be in 4-packs. All will be sold on a first come, first served basis when we open at 11am. Limits TBD.

WANDER (14.2%) is a blend of imperial stout bases aged 23 months in Willett and Weller bourbon barrels. Baker’s chocolate, espresso, vanilla, barrel.

FLEETING (13.9%) is a blend of imperial stout bases aged two years in Weller and Heaven Hill Rye barrels, before being rested on a massive amount of coconut. Rich fudge and coconut.

SUN FOR MILES (6.6%) is our new *flagship* hazy IPA. Generous amounts of your favorite hops were added both in the whirlpool and at dry-hopping, giving Sun For Miles bright flavors of POG juice, white peach, and sticky cannabis.

TINY BEAM OF LIGHT (5.7%, not pictured) is our beloved all-citra Hazer Lazer™. Crushable, sessionable, yet immensely flavorful, TBOL boasts dank aromas of nectarine, melon, and passionfruit. This beer is meant to be consumed in multiples.

SCIENCE IS MAGIC THAT WORKS (9.0%) is the result of some seriously cutting edge science in collaboration with our buds at Toppling Goliath and Sapwood Cellars. We utilized a revolutionary thiol-releasing yeast strain from Berkeley and Phantasm, a new-age form of powderized grape skin from New Zealand that is loaded with thiol-precursors. Mash hops, whirlpool hops, and a generous dry-hop with some of TG’s dank, extraordinary Nelson Sauvin hops produced huge notes of passionfruit and sauvignon blanc grapes. Thanks to TG and Sapwood for pushing the envelope with us on this one.

NAPPING UNDER THE ECHO TREE (7.0%) is a fruited sour featuring dragonfruit, passionfruit, mango, and guava.

SOME GRACE (7.0%) is a berry donut inspired sour, and features Oregon marionberry, boysenberry, blackberry, blueberry, and over 2,000 Krispy Kreme glazed donuts.

“Zach Morris Cellphone” coming back April 13th from Lion Bridge!

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Another re-release coming from Lion Bridge as they are bringing back “Zach Morris Cellphone” on April 13th! Here are the details from Lion Bridge on this brew:

Zack Morris Cell Phone (Hazy IPA, 6.8%) – This beer is based on a mixed drink of the same name that maybe never existed. Back in days of yore, Quinton, founder of LBBC, was told by a barfly to order a ZMCP and that it contained orange. When he went to order it, the bartenders shrugged their shoulders, and the barfly had vanished. In an attempt to bring closure to this mystery, we have made a massively dry-hopped hazy IPA with orange puree and hope that it brings Quinton some peace.

Taproom opens at 3pm, available on draft and to-go packs! 

Untitled Art, Artisanal, MORE, Weldwerks, Modist, Blackstack, and Wild Minds coming from Pequod this week!

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Juice Drops Mango Lotus IPA – Collaboration with Toppling Goliath (limited amount available)
Here’s the 2nd collab between TG and UA, this time brewed at Untitled art. Juice Drops is an IPA featuring Lotus hops, accented with Mango Juice and mango puree. 

Warheads Seltzer
A mixed variety of the Warhead Sour candy seltzer including:

  1. black cherry
  2. watermelon
  3. blue raspberry
  4. Green Apple

Warheads Xtreme Ale Sour beer  
A mixed variety of the Warhead Sour candy ales including:

  1. Watermleon
  2. lemon
  3. blue raspberry
  4. Green Apple 

NEW – Brain Fuzz
Inspired by the classic Lime Rickey. Tart citrus and sugary cherry meld perfectly into a comfy nest of marshmallow sweetness. Luscious and vibrant red, and bursting with stone fruit. 

Main Course – DDH DIPA
DDH DIPA 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 is back and tasting juicier than ever! Viscously dry hopped with Citra and Idaho-7 for a banquet of peach marmalade, glazed pineapple gummies, and ripe starfruit with a pear-like, melony finish. Subtle bitterness provides some balance to the predominant juice composition which makes this NEIPA truly a chef d’oeuvre. (8.3% ABV)

Pineapple Dbl Marbles 

Our latest installment of our Marbles series is a certain kind of nautical nonsense that will make even the crabbiest of flounders say “shiver me timbers!” 𝗣𝗶𝗡𝗲𝗔𝗽𝗣𝗹𝗲 𝗗𝗼𝗨𝗯𝗟𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗥𝗯𝗟𝗲𝗦 is a Milkshake-style DIPA with Pineapple, Vanilla, and Milk Sugar and a scrupulous helping of both citra and chinook hops. A tropical upsurge of pineapple heaves a coffer of straight dole whip that resolves with a bounty of sweet island tang. (8% ABV)

Blueberry Cobbler

Sour Ale brewed with vanilla, milk sugar, graham cracker, blueberry puree & with natural flavors added

Juicy Bits IPA
Our flagship IPA features a huge citrus and tropical fruit hop character from the Mosaic, Citra & El Dorado hops and softer, smoother mouthfeel from the adjusted water chemistry, higher protein malts, and lower attenuation. The end result is a beer reminiscent of citrus juice with extra pulp, thus the name Juicy Bits.

Pineapple Upside Down
We think we bested Betty Crocker on this one. 🍍🙃 🍰
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Berliner

Mosaic Extra Extra Juicy Bits
MXXJB is *always* fashionably late (tag that friend 😆) but you know they’ll be looking fabulous by the time they show up, and keen on all the hot gossip. Rumor has it that this Hazy DIPA is bursting at the seams with notes of pineapple and tangerine.. talk about a diiiiva.⁠

Werk – IPA 
This 6.2% IPA has been around the block before, (for this iteration, we made some notable modifications to the grain bill, as well as significantly increased the amount of dry-hop additions) absolutely loves attending brewery safety meetings, is a real hard werker, but knows how to punch out right at 5pm and certainly doesn’t take werk home.

Key Lime Pie 
Key limes, vanilla beans, and a hint of graham cracker?.. YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS and you best believe we’re welcoming back Key Lime Pie with arms wide open. In case you haven’t had a chance to try KLP yet, this 4.2% citrusy Sour Ale is tart, creamy, complex, and dangerously drinkable.. 

Juicy Fish DBL IPA – Pinthouse brewing Collab
Juicy Fish is a delectable 8.6% DIPA that is bursting at the seams with papaya, guava, pineapple, and grapefruit, brewed in collaboration with our buddies over Pinthouse Brewing in Austin, TX. This fruit-bomb DIPA is a mashup between their flagship Hazy, Electric Jellyfish, and of course, our beloved Juicy Bits.

Crippling Predictability – Triple IPA  (Blackstack Brewing
Collaboration)
Two of Minnesota’s finest breweries coming together to knock out a banger IPA. or as the cool kids say – “This shit slaps”. A Modist x Blackstack collaboration New England Triple IPA w/ Maris Otter, Boho Pils, wheat & flaked oats. Hopped & double dry hopped with Black Stack’s selected Cashmere, our own select Citra, Strata, Sultana & Cryo El Dorado.

Olde Omen – Bock
All ye who drink this elixir beware, ancient traditions and rituals are upon thee. Steeped in history and celebrations, this beer is our Modist omen of fun times.

Introducing Olde Omen our Bock Dark Lager Bier w/ heritage German Munich Malts, hopped with Sultana, long boiled & lagered.

Dreamyard – Hazy IPA 
An New England IPA that’s made from oats and wheat. Splendidly hazy with aromas of stonefruit, pineapple, and citrus. An insane amount of Citra and Sultana hops per barrel make this beer an incredibly juicy and citrusy treat with an approachable level of bitterness.

Dear Diary – Triple IPA – TIPA (10.0%)
Dear Diary, what a day it’s been… Misunderstood quantities of hand-selected Strata, Michigan Chinook, El Dorado & Cashmere Cryo. What does it all mean? …and furthermore, who cares?

Piano Lessons  – Dbl New England IPA – DIPA (8.1%)
How much did you practice this week? Be honest… Diligent additions of Hand Selected Citra Cryo, El Dorado & Mosaic Cryo with A sprinkle of Sabro. I swear, it sounded way better at home. Can I switch to guitar?

Glyn-Mawr Winery in Mount Vernon starting “The Local Beer Club”!

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Glyn-Mawr Winery-The Local in downtown Mount Vernon has decided to build off of their popular wine club and offer a Local Beer Club for those interested. The link to the form is below and is free to join but signing up requires an obligation to purchase one variety 12 pack per quarter. This is an awesome deal for any beer lovers and would be a great gift as well! Check out the details below and click the link to sign up:

We’re so excited to roll out The Local Beer Club as a partner to our Wine Club!

This clubs offers a loyalty program to our customers, filled with savings & perks!

As a beer club member, you will enjoy:

🍺 15% off your variety 12-pack each quarter!

🍺 10% off all branded merchandise AND 10% off growler fills everyday!

🍺 Half price on our new growlers!

🍺 Invitations to beer club member exclusive events!

🍺 A free Local pint glass with pick up of your first order!

Our club is free to join…your obligation is agreeing to purchase one variety 12-pack per quarter (we curate the 12-pack) to take home and enjoy!

If this sounds like something you’d enjoy, just complete this Google form to get started!

https://forms.gle/xJFJGYAshH24Ru8f6

Clock House bringing back “Java Gypsy” with 2 variants on March 11th!

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A personal favorite makes it’s return as Java Gypsy is coming back to Clock House with a two variants available! Release is on March 12th, here’s more from Clock House:

JAVA GYPSY is back on Friday March 11th. And this year we brewed up something special for you! We brewed not 1 but 2 specialty brews for you, featuring our friends from @roasterscoffeehiawatha and @roastedonross .

For the first variant we decided to team up with Roasters Coffee House in Hiawatha! One of our favorite beans from them in the past has been their medium roast Caramel Pecan. If you can remember way back to our very first coffee porter (yes the one without a name) we actually used this flavored bean to craft that delicious brew. These beans provide very strong notes of pecan and sweet caramel that meld together in perfect harmony.

We teamed up with Ross Street Roasting Co and ordered a variety of their delicious offerings. After cold steeping three types of beans we were blown away by the results. All three were unique and delicious. It was hard to select our favorite from the group! After much thought and consideration we decided on their Bohemian Gothic. This bean gave our porter notes of chocolate and subtle smoke without coming across bitter. We’re excited to release this delicious offering! Be sure to look for their beans in stores.

We will be selling mixed 4-packs for $14. And each volume will be available on draft as well.

Lion Bridge 8th Anniversary this Saturday (3/5)! Crushberry Sour and Shindig Hazy IPA releasing!

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A big weekend of beer, music, food and fun is coming up at the Lion Bridge Brewery taproom in the Czech Village in Cedar Rapids as the brewery celebrates their 8th Anniversary! They will be releasing two new beers, Crushberry Sour and Shindig Hazy IPA, Winterland will be playing, there will be free cake and of course their tasty food menu! Party starts when the doors open at 11 a.m., band starts at 5!

Here’s more on the two new releases:

Crushberry Kettle sour – 6.7% – For our 8th Anniversary, we wanted to come up with something that embodies the “terroir” of Cedar Rapids. When Crunchberry Day gives its sweet aromatic embrace to our fair city, we are children again; innocent and giggling. We hope this beer if fun for you. Drink on Crunchberry Day for extra enjoyment.

Shindig – (Hazy Double IPA with, Idaho 7, Galaxy, Bru-1, Sabro, Vic Secret 8.8%) – 8 years is no small feat for a small business. We are grateful for your support and we are grateful for super pungent tropical hazy IPAs. Cheers!