Good beer can come in a can. Oskar Blues (www.oskarblues.com) Dales’ Pale Ale is one of the best pale ales I’ve had in a long time. This beer is brewed with 4 different kinds of hops and does have 6.5% ABV which seems like quite a bit for a pale ale. The alcohol does not dominate the flavor of this beer though as the hops shine through. No longer do we have to worry about drinking shitty canned beer while grilling, tailgating, at the beach, Oskar Blues (and now many more craft beers) have come canned to save the day. The one bad thing……….not available in Iowa yet:( However, they are working their way over, and they are available in Wisconsin. Not to far away. If you see this great brew available in Iowa, let me know.
Enjoyed this on tap at the Sports Column in Denver, CO. Fantastic on tap as well.

REVIEW
POUR: Copper colored pour with nice sizeable head.
AROMA: Smell of hops, citrus, and a faint hint of malts.
TASTE: Awesome hoppy flavor with a hint of caramel at the end.
OVERALL: A-

EASTERN IOWA RESIDENTS: Not available yet, but it won’t be long before you see this on shelves at your liquor store or Hy-Vee.

A brewery that seems to continue to do things right is Rogue Brewery out of Oregon (www.rogue.com).  I’m a fan of their hazelnut brown beer so I thought a chocolate stout would be superb. Usually, you can’t go wrong with stouts in general and when you add chocolate and oats to the mix it always has a chance of being great. I’ve had it out of the bottle, but recently found out they had this on tap at Reds’ Alehouse in North Liberty, IA and got to try it on tap. This beer is a winner all-around. A must try out of the bottle and it tastes even better out of a tap.
REVIEW
POUR: Dark chocolate pour with a brown head.
AROMA: Chocolate, oats, coffee, and caramel.
TASTE: Nice chocolate flavor with oats, and a little hop bitterness at the end. OVERALL: A-

EASTERN IOWA RESIDENTS: Select Hy-Vees carry it, and so does John’s Grocery at times. Recently found it on tap at Reds’ Alehouse in North Liberty, which is must try if you are in that location. If you’ve tried it, let me know what you think!

If you are a fan of wheat beers and have not tried Hacker-Pschorr Hefe Weisee you are missing out. A very good wheat beer that is brewed with 60% wheat and 40% barley for a refreshing beer. Made in Munich, this beer is a go too for many wheat fans. I do like this beer, however, there are other German Hefe’s out there that can trump this. A little pricey but it is worth it, especially if you have not tried it yet.

REVIEW
POUR: Hazy golden yellow pour with a thick white head.
AROMA: Wheat, banana, and bubble gum aroma; maybe a grassy smell as well.
TASTE: Wheat and banana flavor with lemon zest at the end.
OVERALL: C

EASTERN IOWA RESIDENTS: I have seen this beer at every Hy-Vee and liquor store in Eastern Iowa that have decent selections. Also John’s has many Hacker-Pschorr products, including their Octoberfest, which I have yet to try.
If you’ve tried it, let me know what you think!

I remember when my wife first brought this beer home and I was thinking that any beer named after a grocery store in Iowa City was going to be awful. I couldn’t have been more wrong. If you like Blue Moon, Shocktop, and white ales, then you must try this beer. A really great example of how a white ale should taste. Breadiness, spicy with corriander and orange peel. Very easy to drink and very refreshing. Another great thing about this beer is that it is brewed in Amana, IA at Millstream brewing (www.millstreambrewing.com) which is only 20 or so minutes from my front door. Sadly, I haven’t been there to drink but that is on my to do list. (Road trip anyone?)
REVIEW
POUR: Hazy yellow pour with a nice thick white head. Great lacing on the glass.
AROMA: Smell of citrus, corriander, and orange peel.
TASTE: Spicy flavor of corriander and orange/citrus. Sweet finish.
OVERALL: B+

EASTERN IOWA RESIDENTS: I have seen this beer at every Hy-Vee and liquor store in Eastern Iowa that have decent selections. Very affordable and a very good beer. Check out the brewery in Amana also.

I remember when my wife first brought this beer home and I was thinking that any beer named after a grocery store in Iowa City was going to be awful. I couldn’t have been more wrong. If you like Blue Moon, Shocktop, and white ales, then you must try this beer. A really great example of how a white ale should taste. Breadiness, spicy with corriander and orange peel. Very easy to drink and very refreshing. Another great thing about this beer is that it is brewed in Amana, IA at Millstream brewing (www.millstreambrewing.com) which is only 20 or so minutes from my front door. Sadly, I haven’t been there to drink but that is on my to do list. (Road trip anyone?)
REVIEW
POUR: Hazy yellow pour with a nice thick white head. Great lacing on the glass.
AROMA: Smell of citrus, corriander, and orange peel.
TASTE: Spicy flavor of corriander and orange/citrus. Sweet finish.
OVERALL: B+

EASTERN IOWA RESIDENTS: I have seen this beer at every Hy-Vee and liquor store in Eastern Iowa that have decent selections. Very affordable and a very good beer. Check out the brewery in Amana also.

A brewery that you are almost guaranteed good beer from is Bells Brewery out of Kalamazoo, Michigan. (www.bellsbeer.com) When I saw this six pack at John’s Grocery in Iowa City, IA I remembered that I had heard nothing but good things about this beer. I’ve started to become more of a fan of Imperial stouts than I was in the past so I thought I would give it a try and I was glad I did.  Double malts and five times the hops and you can definitely taste it, a great beer. According to their website, this beer is perfect to put in the cellar for a while as it ages very nicely.
REVIEW
POUR: Black pour with a nice thick brown head.
AROMA: Smell of hops and malts along with coffee and dark chocolate.
TASTE: Roasted malt with chocolate, coffee, and bitterness of hops.
OVERALL: A-   

EASTERN IOWA RESIDENTS: I have only seen this beer at John’s Grocery in Iowa City. If you’ve seen it elsewhere in Eastern Iowa please let me know.

A brewery that you are almost guaranteed good beer from is Bells Brewery out of Kalamazoo, Michigan. (www.bellsbeer.com) When I saw this six pack at John’s Grocery in Iowa City, IA I remembered that I had heard nothing but good things about this beer. I’ve started to become more of a fan of Imperial stouts than I was in the past so I thought I would give it a try and I was glad I did.  Double malts and five times the hops and you can definitely taste it, a great beer. According to their website, this beer is perfect to put in the cellar for a while as it ages very nicely.
REVIEW
POUR: Black pour with a nice thick brown head.
AROMA: Smell of hops and malts along with coffee and dark chocolate.
TASTE: Roasted malt with chocolate, coffee, and bitterness of hops.
OVERALL: A-   

EASTERN IOWA RESIDENTS: I have only seen this beer at John’s Grocery in Iowa City. If you’ve seen it elsewhere in Eastern Iowa please let me know.

A brewery that constantly puts out great beer is Goose Island (www.gooseisland.com). One of my favorites is their IPA.  A hop lover’s dream, this one packs a major hop punch but is still very smooth and delicious. Another great thing is that it is very affordable and available all around the Eastern Iowa location. I have yet to actually visit Goose Island, but have heard nothing but great things about it.

REVIEW
POUR: Dark orange color pour with a thick white head.
AROMA: Smell of hops and citrus is very evident.
TASTE: Citrus taste with hop bitterness that mellows out at the end.
OVERALL: B+     

EASTERN IOWA RESIDENTS: Available almost everywhere. $8 for a six pack and every bottle will be well worth it. An underrated IPA.