New beers we will be seeing in Eastern Iowa on our shelves this week are:

*Big Sky Heavy Horse – Scotch Ale- brewery description:
“A full bodied, full flavored ale. Deep garnet red with a dense, creamy head of tan. Stone Thrower is fermented at a lower temperature and the brewing water is softened to be closer to that found in Scotland. Malts: Pale, Crystal Chocolate, Roast. Hops: Hallertau Tradition, East Kent Goldings.”

*Samuel Adams Longshot Series 2012
Brewery Description:
–A Dark Night in Munich – “a perfect combination of deep roasted malt character with a smooth, creamy finish. To develop his recipe and the rich color of the beer, Corey used a “staining” process in which he powdered the roasted malts and added them early on in the brewing process. The rich Munich malt sweetness comes through in the aroma of this traditional Bavarian wheat beer and the light caramel notes round out the brew.”
–Five Crown Imperial Stout – “a malt-forward Russian Imperial Stout style beer that combines the rich malt character with roasted barley and chocolate notes to balance the bitter hops undertones. Harnessing more than 20 years of homebrewing experience, Joe’s full bodied stout has a sweet aroma with fruit esters. This warming winter brew finishes with a malty complexity that lingers on the palate.”
–Derf’s Secret Alt – “Fred’s take on the traditional Düsseldorf Altbier style. It has a robust, full-bodied and well-hopped taste, with a surprising balance between bitterness and nutty-malty sweetness. Fred’s brew is packed with strong notes of chocolate and roasted malt and has the flavor complexity of an ale, with the hop makeup and creamy head of a pils.”

*Shipyard Smashed Blueberry–  brewery description:
“Smashed Blueberry is the newest beer in Shipyard Brewing Company’s Pugsley’s Signature Series line. This beer is a hybrid between a Porter and a Scotch Ale and has a rich mouth feel and a body of complex intensity. Upfront, there are distinct flavors of coffee and chocolate beautifully accentuated by the aroma of fresh blueberries. The finish features a delicate balance of sweet fruit and dry hops. This beer pairs well with glazed duck, ribs, barbeque, chocolate, and blueberry deserts. To fully experience all the flavors, Smashed Blueberry is best drunk at 55 degrees Fahrenheit. More about the beer: Malt: Pale, Crystal, Chocolate, Roasted Barley, Light Munich, Torrified Wheat Hops: Summit, Tettnang, Cascade Yeast: Top-Fermenting English Color: Dark Brown OG: 1.087 ABV: 9.0% Availability: 22oz Bottles, Kegs”

*Breckenridge Cans- Breckenridge brewery has now released 3 of their beers in 6 pack cans. The three available are:
-Summerbright
-Amber Ale
-Lucky U IPA

Check these brews out and let me know your thoughts.

Hitting shelves in Eastern Iowa this week are 4 beers, one an Iowa brew, the other 3 coming from very well-known and established breweries.

*Boulevard Rye on Rye- 11% ABV- Commercial description:
“Why Rye? A fair question, given this assertively flavored grain is more often associated with whiskey than with beer. Even in that arena, it has largely been eclipsed by corn and barley, the sources of bourbon and scotch, respectively. But when we procured some seasoned rye whiskey barrels from our friends at Templeton Rye, we asked ourselves, “Why not?” Why not brew a rich, tawny rye ale, then mellow it in the warmth of charred oak rye whiskey casks? Thus, Rye-on-Rye: a marriage of very similar, yet very different embodiments of this unique, distinctive grain. Two kinds of malted rye provide a spicy sweetness, giving way to notes of caramelized wood and the citrusy tang of Perle, Magnum and Saphir hops before easing into a dry, lingering finish. Rye-on-Rye’s body and character make it the equal to any sort of hearty stew or aged cheese. At the risk of seeming redundant, might we suggest pairing it with a classic pastrami-on rye? A rye beer with a hint of rye whiskey aroma, alongside a rye bread sandwich. Why not?”    

*Angry Cedar Flash Flood Pale Ale– Nothing posted on their website but from my understanding this beer can only be purchased in a growler; correct me if I’m wrong.

*Ommegang Art of Darkness – 8.7% ABV- Commercial Description:
“Let us now acknowledge the dark arts of brewing. Our limited edition Art of Darkness Ale is deep, dark and magical, with champagne-like carbonation and rich matiness from a complex recipe of multiple barley and wheat malts, as well as flaked oats. Using no spices or flavorings, Art of Darkness gains all its rich aromas, tastes, and apparent spiciness from the malts and Ommegang’s proprietary house yeast. There are no secret ingredients or magical incantation. There is only Ommegang brewers’ creating the finest quality dark, strong ale of complex and deep character. Art of Darkness is a fine ale to enjoy immediately, and is excellent to cellar.”

*Bells Consecrator Doppelbock- 8% ABV- Commercial Description:
“Consecrator is a traditional doppelbock-style fermented with a Bohemian lager yeast. Reddish brown in color, with a mild hop profile, Consecrator is a well balanced, full bodied beer with hints of caramel and molasses in its smooth, malty finish. Brewed for a Fat Tuesday release. “

Let me know if you have tried any of these beers and what your thoughts are. Did I miss a new release? Please let me know! Thanks!

Will start of this weeks post updating the Founders release. There will still be the release parts at Reds Alehouse in North Liberty, (www.redsalehousenl.com) but Founders products won’t be in Eastern Iowa stores until the 20th. If you see it beforehand, please let me know. Onto what’s new on shelves.

Schlafly Irish Extra Stout– not really new, but I forgot to post on this last week. For this beer, think Guinness but with an 8% ABV. Sounds tasty! Here’s the brewer’s description:
“This full-bodied and full-flavored rich, dark ale has a malty sweetness balanced with plenty of hops to create the perfect stout.”

Available in 12 oz 6 packs.

O’Fallon B.D.S. Belgian-Style Dark– Brewer’s description:
“We brewed this Belgian-style dark ale (ALC:10% by VOL., SRM: 20, IBU:42) in July, 2010 and transferred it several weeks later into freshly drained Port barrels. For the next 11 months the beer worked in and out of the French oak barrels as the temperature in the brewery fluctuated with the seasons. In June 2011 we bottled the beer and put it aside to allow the flavors of the wood and the beer to marry and mellow. The result is spicy-sweet with hints of raisin and caramel that mingle with the dark fruit notes and oak from the barrels. We love this unique brew and hope you will too!”

Available in bombers.
*If you see anything new on the shelves please let me know or if you try ones that I have listed let me know what you thought of them. Drink up.

Will start of this weeks post updating the Founders release. There will still be the release parts at Reds Alehouse in North Liberty, (www.redsalehousenl.com) but Founders products won’t be in Eastern Iowa stores until the 20th. If you see it beforehand, please let me know. Onto what’s new on shelves.

Schlafly Irish Extra Stout– not really new, but I forgot to post on this last week. For this beer, think Guinness but with an 8% ABV. Sounds tasty! Here’s the brewer’s description:
“This full-bodied and full-flavored rich, dark ale has a malty sweetness balanced with plenty of hops to create the perfect stout.”

Available in 12 oz 6 packs.

O’Fallon B.D.S. Belgian-Style Dark– Brewer’s description:
“We brewed this Belgian-style dark ale (ALC:10% by VOL., SRM: 20, IBU:42) in July, 2010 and transferred it several weeks later into freshly drained Port barrels. For the next 11 months the beer worked in and out of the French oak barrels as the temperature in the brewery fluctuated with the seasons. In June 2011 we bottled the beer and put it aside to allow the flavors of the wood and the beer to marry and mellow. The result is spicy-sweet with hints of raisin and caramel that mingle with the dark fruit notes and oak from the barrels. We love this unique brew and hope you will too!”

Available in bombers.
*If you see anything new on the shelves please let me know or if you try ones that I have listed let me know what you thought of them. Drink up.