Category: Beer

Beer Review #85: Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

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One of the most in-demand breweries in America today is Dogfish Head. Their beers are so sought after that if you get your hands on some you could make some pretty good money put hacking them off on ebay. Luckily, a trip to Chicago for me usually results in bringing a few of their beers back to the great state of Iowa. I always make sure to get my hands on some of their 60 minute because it is a fantastic IPA.

I’ll be honest, some of the Dogfish beers I’ve had, didn’t really do it for me, but I will say, no matter which ones you try, it will be a unique beer drinking experience for you. They go above and beyond most brewers out there with trying new recipes, ingredients, and flavor combinations. Luckily, they also make a great IPA. Here’s the description from the brewery:

“Our flagship beer. A session India Pale Ale brewed with Warrior, Amarillo & ’Mystery Hop X.’ A powerful East Coast I.P.A. with a lot of citrusy hop character. THE session beer for beer geeks like us! 6% abv 60 ibu Tasting Notes: Citrus, cedar, pine & candied-orange flavors, floral. Food Pairing recommendations: Spicy foods, pesto, grilled salmon, soy-based dishes, pizza. Glassware recommendation: Pint Wine comparable: Busty Chardonnay In case you care… the average 12 oz. serving has 209 calories.”

At only 6% this makes for an all-night drinking experience. This beer alone puts Dogfish brewery (www.dogfish.com) in my Top 5 wishlist (which will be coming out soon) of breweries to get to the Eastern Iowa marketplace. Fantastic hop flavor, slight bitterness, a bit of cedar taste, and a smooth malt finish. Fantastic! Once again, the nearest place to get it is Chicago, if you know of someone making a trip there, have them stop at a Binny’s a set you up with some Dogfish products.

REVIEW

STYLE: India Pale Ale

ABV: 6%

PURCHASED AT: Binny’s Beverage Depot; Schaumburg, IL

Pour: Hazy orange pour with a thick white head.

Aroma: Citrus, pine, and floral smell.

Taste: Citrus and pine, with some orange peel in there as well. Wonderful!

Overall: A-

My Recommendation: Buy as much Dogfish product as possible; try them all. If you don’t like them, it wouldn’t be difficult to find a trade partner.

 

Reds Alehouse Release Party: Green Flash Brewing Friday July 20th

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Just received an email from Reds Alehouse announcing a Green Flash brewing release party on Friday July 20th starting at 3p.m. I’ve been waiting a long time for Green Flash to hit Eastern Iowa, and now they are going to do it in style. Reds always does an amazing job with these release partys and I think this will be the best one yet. If you haven’t tried anything Green Flash, you MUST!!!! especially if you are a hophead. Come to North Liberty Friday and buy me a beer!
Here’s the official release from Reds:
“Attention, beer nerds and beer lovers alike! Green Flash Brewing has decided to mosey on over to our neck of the woods, and we here at Reds Alehouse have landed the official release party! It will be taking place this Friday, July 20th at 3pm until the sun goes down (or even way after the sun goes down if you want)! I think the fact that they are coming to us from all the way out west, in San Diego, California is making me want to use cowboy and western lingo, so bear with me! 🙂 We are lucky enough to have seven Green Flash beers on draft. 

 
Hop Head Red
West Coast IPA
Extra Pale Ale
*Imperial IPA
*Barleywine
*Trippel
*Double Stout
 
We are the only people in the area to get kegs of these awesome beers, with the exception of Hop Head Red and West Coast IPA!  We will also be doing a glass giveaway! For this, our standard pint night rules apply. One glass per person and it’s first come first serve until they’re gone! So get your hop heads and your big beards in here to help us celebrate this extraordinary brewery coming to Iowa! It’s sure to be ‘a hog-killin’ time’ (a GREAT time in western slang, in case you didn’t know)!
 
Cheers,
Whit
 *Not available for Happy Hour”

Distribution News: Green Flash, Lagunitas, Terrapin, Bells cans?

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A lot to talk about this week in regards to distribution to Eastern Iowa. We have some good news and some bad news, or at least discouraging news. Let’s get the bad news out of the way first.

Talking with my source and it seems that Lagunitas brewing has taken the route that Stone has and has not been returning calls/emails regarding getting their products to our fine state. The thing that really sticks out to me is that they have been doing their test market research in the Waterloo/Cedar Falls area, which might have played a huge role in their reasons not to come to Iowa. No offense to those beer drinkers in Waterloo/Cedar Falls, but if you are going to do a test market on craft beer drinkers, to me the obvious choices would be Cedar Rapids/Iowa City and the Des Moines area. So, things aren’t looking as promising as they once were for those products.

Onto the good. Green Flash will be here next week!!!!! John’s Grocery will be hosting a tasting, a huge display in their beer department, sometime in the next week. The product should be on the shelves by Tuesday or Friday at the latest. I will let you know if I hear anything further. For more info, make sure you like John’s Grocery’s facebook page. Johns is going to have most of Green Flash’s year-round offerings and also are hoping to have La Freak as well. Green Flash brews come in four pack bottles and range from $8-12 usually. Great news! http://www.greenflashbrew.com/our-beers.php/

Rumors are also swirling that we could see Terrapin Brewing hitting the shelves by the end of the year. For more info on them, here’s a link to their website: http://terrapinbeer.com/
I’ve had a few of their beers and usually came away impressed.

Also, look for Bells brewery to start having some cans towards the end of the summer, going into fall. They will be canning Oberon and Two Hearted Ale. They will be similar to how New Belgium has canned their beers, coming in tall boy four packs. Tailgating could get mighty dangerous this year if I’m drinking two hearted. Hope to have more news out next week, get to the store, get some Green Flash West Coast IPA, and enjoy your weekend.

Cityview Brewfest Des Moines, IA; July 14th 2012

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This weekend Cityview Brewfest will be located at Principal Park in downtown Des Moines. There will be 450 beers and admission $28 at the door and includes unlimited samples. This years list of beers will come from the following breweries:
*Anchor Brewing; San Francisco, CA
*August Schell
*Backpocket Brewing; Coralville, IA
*Bells Brewing
*Big Sky Brewing
*Boston Brewing Co.
*Boulevard Brewing
*Breckenridge Brewing
*Buffalo Bills Brewing
*Brau Brothers
*Capital Brewing
*Chameleon Brewing
*Widmer Brothers
*Redhook Brewing
*Fort Collins Brewing
*Toppling Goliath; Decorah, IA
*Granite City
*Great River Brewing
*Lakefront Brewing
*Lost Coast Brewing
*Madhouse Brewing; Newton, IA
*Sierra Nevada and many more…

Check out the video below or follow the link for more information. http://brewfestdsm.com/

Beer Review #84: Hinterland Luna Coffee Stout

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Man, I love stouts. The more the merrier for me, and even on a hot day I have no problem pulling a stout beer out of the fridge, pouring that bad boy, letting it sit for about 5 minutes, and taking it outside and enjoying it on the deck. Some stout lately seem to be more on the porter side of things lately, which is fine, but when I want a stout, I want a thick, creamy, easy drinking brew with hints of chocolate, coffee, and bit of smokiness.  So, what does Hinterland give me?

A relatively new brewery to Eastern Iowa shelves is Hinterland Brewery. Located in Green Bay, WI this newcomer can found in just about every liquor store now in Eastern Iowa. Year round offerings from this brewery include their pale ale, amber ale, IPA, and the beer I’m going to review today; their Luna Stout.

From the brewery: ( http://www.hinterlandbeer.com/)
” Luna Coffee Stout pours pitch black with hues deep mahogany. The two finger, fluffy, tan head recedes slowly leaving a nice, full lace for a very impressive look. With a solid, yet not overpowering aroma of coffee, you can still smell a hint of chocolate. The bold, rich taste of creamy coffee doesn’t overwhelm the rest of the flavors leaving a hint of chocolate to finish. On a cold winter night, you couldn’t ask for a better cold beer to warm you up.”

This was a pretty in your face coffee stout. Coffee dominates the senses as you can smell it right when you crack open the bottle. (Side note: Had this on nitro tap at The Old Fashioned in Madison, WI. Great stuff!) The pour is pitch black with the aroma of the coffee blasting through. Flavor is the same; dominate coffee with a hint of bitter dark chocolate. Let’s check my list for the perfect stout:

Thickness: Check
Creaminess: I would say right in the middle. Not as creamy as I like, but right between a porter and a stout.
Chocolate/Coffee/Smoke: Double Check on the coffee
Easy drinking: Check

All in all, a really great brew that satisfies what most stout fans are looking for. Not a fan of coffee? Then this probably not the brew for you, luckily I’m addicted to coffee so this is right up my alley.

REVIEW

STYLE: Coffee Stout

ABV: 4.8%

Purchased at: Hy-Vee

Pour: Black pour, thick tan head.
Aroma: Coffee dominates.
Taste: Luna coffee is the star of this brew.
Overall: B

My recommendations: If you like coffee, this is your stout. Also, this beer comes in 16 oz four packs. So, not your typical sized bottles; lots of beer in one bottle.

Distribution News: Lagunitas, Green Flash, Stone not coming??

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Some good news and bad news this week regarding distribution. I guess it is not necessarily bad news, but according to my source the whole Stone Brewing to Iowa thing isn’t looking good right now. Speaking with distributors and beer vendors, Stone has not/is not getting back to them regarding their products hitting shelves in Eastern Iowa, so a bit of a snag there. Not sure what the delay is, but it doesn’t look like that will be happening this summer.

Onto the good news. My source says that Lagunitas AND Green Flash are 1-2 months away from hitting shelves in Eastern Iowa. Fantastic news! If you haven’t had the chance to try the beers from these breweries you should, they are a real treat. Check out the brews from Lagunitas here: (http://www.lagunitas.com/beers/index.html) Really like their IPA and Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’.
Here is a list of Green Flash brews: (http://www.lagunitas.com/beers/index.html) Their Palate Wrecker and West Coast IPA are some of the best IPAs I’ve ever had.

I will post more when I hear more! Cheers!

Beer Review #83: Leinenkugels Honey Weiss

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I will start off this review and say that nothing that Leinenkugels makes has impressed me except for their Big Eddy series. Not that their stuff is not drinkable I just find it to either be watered down or artificial in taste. Since I just came back from the great north, I thought I would review a Wisconsin product, Leinenkugels’ Honey Weiss. (www.leinie.com)
Brewer’s description: “Honey Weiss has a taste that’s light, crisp and slightly sweet.” 

Man, I’m just not getting this one. People must buy it because it is an easy beer to drink. I get no honey flavor, it can hardly be described  as a Weiss beer, minimal American wheat flavor. Watered-down brew to me. I think this could be a brew they could back and tweak the recipe on and make it much better than it currently is; I think they should do that with many of their products.

On a positive note, if you are looking for a light, refreshing, easy drinking brew, this would be one for you to go with. An inexpensive beer, that is widely available, however, I will be looking elsewhere.

REVIEW

STYLE: Wheat Ale

ABV: 4.92%

Purchased at: Anywhere

Pour: Light gold pour, small white head.
Aroma: Mild wheat aroma, a little citrus.
Taste: Little wheat and citrus.
Overall: D

My recommendations: There are too many great craft brews that have surpassed Leinenkugels wheat beer or even fruit beer. I would avoid this beer and ask your beer monger, or me, what to go for.

Iowa Brewery News: Milllstream Releases

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Millstream Brewing out of Amana www.millstreambrewing.com has a couple of beers about to hit the shelves. Both are re-releases, although one was only on tap at the brewery a few years ago. The first one is their Hefe”r”weissen. Here’s Millstreams’ description of this brew:
“Our Summer Seasonal beer is about to be released in just a few short days.  June 6th we will be bottling this anticipated brew! Our German-styled Hefeweissen is quite sweet and fruity, with a full body and light in color.  Other flavors that can be savored are banana and cloves.  Hefeweizens are very lightly hopped so they have very little bitterness and harshness.  German wheat beer brewers do not add coriander or other botanicals and spices to their beer as Belgian brewers do. This is the main difference between a Hefeweissen and a Belgian Wit Style Beer.
 “Hefe” means yeast, “Weizen” means wheat.  Hefeweizen is a top fermented, unfiltered, bottle conditioned wheat beer with a noticeable yeast sediment and a cloudy appearance.  It is left unfiltered for extra flavor and aroma.”

Their other beer about to be released is part of their Brewmasters’ Extreme Series, it is Raspberry Trippel. From the brewery:
“For those of you anticipating our next high gravity beer, it’s about to be released.  On June 6th we will be bottling our Raspberry Tripel. This brew was first brewed and only available on tap at the brewery in 2010.  It was brought back into production at the request of our customers at Millstream.   This beer is brewed with real raspberries and has a big nose of fresh raspberry notes.  It is very smooth with a mellow raspberry  and whole grain flavor that has a subtle tartness in the end.  This unfiltered Belgian Tripel has a light yellow/pinkish color and carries the alcoholic warmth of a well done high gravity beer. “

Beer and Baseball: Match Made in Heaven

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My family and I are heading to Los Angeles in July to catch a Dodger game or two. It’s going to be a pretty special event as my son has never been to a Dodger game and he is really caught up in baseball right now, and my parents, who have been Dodger fans forever, are also coming along. It should be great, but to make it even better would be to have some great craft beer to drink at the ball game.
I understand that nostalgia plays a big role in baseball. So when you go to Wrigley, slamming back a few Old Style’s is the way to go. But, on this trip to LA, I’m looking for more. So, I’ve done some research, and with some help from a few other websites and blogs have found that craft beer is booming at MLB parks; and below is a list of beers available at some of them. One thing to keep in mind, no matter what. Is that the prices are suck terribly.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS
I’ll start with my team. Well…. I wished I wouldn’t have researched it. It looks like the only options that I’ve seen are Firestone Walker and Sam Adams. The Firestone Walker will cost around $13. Not sure the wallet will be able to handle too many of those. Damn!!!!!!!

Philladephia Phillies
Might have to go to a Phillies game just to drink their beer. Awesome selection! Dogfish Head, Troegs, Victory, Sierra Nevada, and many others! Maybe the best park to drink craft at.

Getting closer to Iowa.

Chicago White Sox
Not a whole lot, but still some solid choices. You could have Bell’s Oberon and many of the Leinenkugel’s products are available as well.

Chicago Cubs
Old Style. The last time I was there I believe I had something from Goose Island as well? Can’t remember what? Anyone wanna fill this one in?

Kansas City Royals
Boulevard products and New Belgium as well. While watching the Royals on TV I noticed their postgame is sponsored by Boulevard. Love that they keep the big 3 out of that.

Minnesota Twins
Maybe the midwest winner here. Surly has exclusive rights to sell Bandwagon at Target Field and other Surly products as well as Summit and Grain Belt. Worth the trip to watch the pathetic Twins this year.

St. Louis Cardinals
Pretty nice selection. Boulevard, O’Fallon, Schlafly, and New Belgium.

Want more fields? Check out http://worstbeerblogever.com/2012/05/major-league-baseball-craft-beer-guide-a-look-at-all-30-stadiums/ for more. Lots of great options!

Another link to check out: http://thefullpint.com/beer-news/craft-beer-pairs-well-with-baseball/

Let me know if I missed anything!

Sources: http://worstbeerblogever.com/2012/05/major-league-baseball-craft-beer-guide-a-look-at-all-30-stadiums/

Beer Review #81: Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA

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Finding a terrific IPA under $10 is getting kind of hard these days. Two Hearted, Stone IPA, and Green Flash all come in around $10 or higher. However, Bear Republic’s Racer 5 is an affordable and fantastic tasting IPA. The only crappy part is, we have to go to Madison, WI to get it. Not available in Eastern Iowa yet, but hopefully it will be soon.

From the brewer: “This hoppy American IPA is a full-bodied beer brewed American pale and crystal malts, and heavily hopped with Chinook, Cascade, Columbus and Centennial.
There’s a trophy in every glass”

Four different hops used in this brew. Huge pine aroma with sweet malty smell that follows. Nice hop presence, the bitterness is there but it is mild, not over the top hop dominant like many west coast IPAs but enough to satisfy the hopheads out there. Very drinkable brew for the summer months.

REVIEW

STYLE: American India Pale Ale

ABV: 7.0%

Purchased at: Woodmans; Madison, WI

Pour: Orange/copper pour with a medium white head.
Aroma: Piney hop aroma with light malt smell.
Taste: Piney, citrus smell that blends well with the sweetness of the malts.
Overall: A-

Recommendation: Excellent IPA if you can get your hands on it. I recommend everyone to take a beer pilgrimage to Madison, WI and stock up on some beers you can’t find around here.