One of the hottest breweries in America is Dogfish Head. This brewery has become so sought after that they have had to pull out of many states because of increased demand and they can’t pump out enough of their wonderful beer. I had the opportunity to purchase some of their product while I was in Madison, WI; since then, they have had to pull out of that state also, which really really sucks because they don’t distribute to Iowa or Wisconsin.
Like most of their beers, it has a really nice back story that is too long for me to type out, so check out their site (www.dogfish.com) to get more info. The beer is very unique; it is brewed with cocoa powder, honey, chilies, and annatto (a fragrant tree seed). The flavor is somewhat sweet with a little bit of the cocoa and chilie coming through but not as much as I thought it would or as much as I wanted it to. It is very refreshing and very drinkable, at 9% abv you have to careful though.
Recommendation: With the demand so high, I highly recommend that any time you get a chance to try anything made by Dogfish you have to go for it, no matter the price or the style. Everything you will try from them will be unique and 9 times out of 10 will be very good.
REVIEW
 Pour: Orange pour with a medium white head.
Aroma: Aroma was somewhat floral, a little chocolate smell, and a little sweet fruit smell.
Taste: Lots of tastes going on with this beer. You get the sweetness of the honey, a little bit of chocolate and then at the end minimal heat from the chilie.
Overall: B-
Eastern Iowa Residents:You have to get on ebay or drive to a state that distributes their brew. Check out this link to find the nearest place that distributes Dogfish (http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/fish-finder.htm). The next time you go out of state for a vacation, hit up a liquor store and see if they have dogfish.

Decided to give this beer another try and I remembered why I hadn’t bough it in a while. The original BLue Moon beer was somewhat responsible for getting me into the craft beer scene. I still can do the occasional Blue Moon, but some of their other seasonal selections just don’t do the job. Rising Moon Spring Ale is wheat beer brewed with lime to give you that spring feeling. The label makes it seem like a promising beer, but I didn’t get much from the limes or even the wheat, just a really metallic flavor and some over the top sweetness from the malts
If you are starting up in the craft beer drinking scene this might not be too bad for you too drink, if you are a seasoned veteran than you must stay away from this brew.
REVIEW
 Pour: Amber pour with a nice white head.
Aroma: Malty and sweet aroma.
Taste: Flavor is metallic, plastic, and overlly sweet.
Overall: D
Eastern Iowa Residents:Available only during spring just about everywhere.

A friend of mine had recently brough over a six pack of O’Fallon Hemp Hop Rye (www.ofallonbrewery.com) to my house to taste. I was a little skeptical since I had never really heard of this brew before. The description of this beer says they use hemp seed to give the beer a nutty flavor and along with the rye there are many different flavors going on. Did I love this beer? No. I did however, find it drinkable, but I found myself wanting something a little more. Maybe it was more nuttiness or maltiness, not sure, I think I will have to try this one more time to find out.

If you do decide to try this beer let me know your thoughts.
REVIEW
 Pour: Amber pour with a nice white head.
Aroma: Malty and sweet aroma.
Taste: Flavor is sweet and malty, with a little nuttiness at the end.
Overall: B
Eastern Iowa Residents:Friend got it at his local Hy-Vee.

A friend of mine had recently brough over a six pack of O’Fallon Hemp Hop Rye (www.ofallonbrewery.com) to my house to taste. I was a little skeptical since I had never really heard of this brew before. The description of this beer says they use hemp seed to give the beer a nutty flavor and along with the rye there are many different flavors going on. Did I love this beer? No. I did however, find it drinkable, but I found myself wanting something a little more. Maybe it was more nuttiness or maltiness, not sure, I think I will have to try this one more time to find out.

If you do decide to try this beer let me know your thoughts.
REVIEW
 Pour: Amber pour with a nice white head.
Aroma: Malty and sweet aroma.
Taste: Flavor is sweet and malty, with a little nuttiness at the end.
Overall: B
Eastern Iowa Residents:Friend got it at his local Hy-Vee.

Sorry for the long delay between reviews, just got back from a small vacation. Onto the brew!!!
The next beer on my list is a pale ale from Boulder Beer Company (www.boulderbeer.com) called Hazed and Infused. I love pale ales and this one really came through. The description on this beer is that it is unfilered and “dry-hopped” which means hops were added after the fermentation process to give it a really nice hoppy aroma. An ABV of 4.85% makes this a very drinkable beer and will be nice and refreshing after mowing the lawn this summer. Looking forward to trying more from this brewery!
REVIEW
 Pour: A nice hazy orange pour with big white head.
Aroma: Floral hop aroma, some pine and citrus also.
Taste: Really nice and smooth hop flavor, citrus, and pine
Overall: B-
Eastern Iowa Residents: I have only seen this at Family Beer and Liquor in the East Dubuque. If you have seen it elsewhere in Eastern Iowa area please let us know!!

A beer that is glorified through commercials of beaches, good-looking women, and parties; Corona Extra has really become very popular in recent years. I’ll be honest, I could easily grade this beer as an “F”, it tastes and smells very skunky, but on a 95 degree day in Iowa, add a little lime and as long as it’s cold, it hits the………Screw it, this beer sucks, there are much better things to drink during the summer. If you want Mexican beers to drink go for a Negro Modello, Dos Equis Amber, or a Pacifico.
REVIEW
 Pour: I have never actually had a Corona poured in a glass before.
Aroma: Skunky aroma, not very pleasant.
Taste: Same as the aroma, skunky
Overall: F
Eastern Iowa Residents: Available everywhere. Save your money.

My local grocery store is always displaying beers from Point Brewery (www.pointbeer.com/point) out of Steven’s Point, WI. so I decided to try one of their six packs. I went with their White Ale. I guess I can sum this beer up pretty quickly, it wasn’t all that impressive. It wasn’t a terrible white ale, but it did nothing to stand out. It was drinkable but I wouldn’t throw the $6-$7 for another six pack of this. John’s White Ale and BLue Moon are better white ales than this one.
I will try their Cascade Pale Ale next to see if that one is any good.
REVIEW
 Pour: Hazy yellow pour with a white head.
Aroma: Light spice smell, wheat, and yeast.
Taste: Sweet flavor with the spice notes in the end.
Overall: C-

Eastern Iowa Residents: My local grocery store carries this beer and I have seen it at all Hy-Vee and major liquor stores. Looking at $6-$8 a six pack, save your money and grab a Millstream John’s White Ale or Blue Moon.