New Green Flash Beers hitting the Market in November

October 24, 2014Leave a comment

Coming in November, Green Flash brewing will ship out Soul Style IPA and Jibe Session IPA. Here’s more below on each brew courtesy of www.thefullpint.com.

About Soul Style IPA

Confident that the brewing team would develop an outstanding single IPA, the name “Soul Style” refers to the grace of the rarely seen, soul style surfer who leans way back on the board, making each difficult maneuver appear effortless. Soul Style is the Green Flash approach the art of crafting the perfect IPA. Citra, Simcoe and Cascade hops are layered to allow bright tropical citrus to mingle with waves of floral notes that break gently on the palate. Soul Style IPA is 6.5% ABV with 75 IBUs.

Brewmaster, Chuck Silva’s Tasting Notes for Soul Style IPA

Appearance – Orange Gold with bright white beer foam

Aroma – Very floral with tropical fruit including ripe mango and a hint of orange blossom honey

Flavor – Starts with a mellow pale malt sweetness then transitions to pungent hop flavors with grassy notes and a lingering but clean bitter finish. Dominant flavors – Clementine, Mango, Orange-Blossom

About Jibe Session IPA

With the wind at their backs, the Green Flash brewers made a sharp change in direction producing “JIBE”. But true to form, the Session IPA was brewed in an extreme way. Green Flash set out to produce to lowest ABV possible and still achieve bold, complex IPA flavor and body. Jibe Session IPA is a 4.0% ABV, 60 IBU “session” beer made with layers of Simcoe, Cascade and Amarillo hops. The flavor profile and mouth feel will satisfy consumer demand for a full-flavored Green Flash interpretation of the popular style.

Brewmaster Notes – Jibe Session IPA

Appearance – Yellow Gold with fluffy white beer foam

Aroma – Fresh, woodsy pine, eucalyptus, and Oroblanco grapefruit.

Flavor – Verdant hop leaf flavors dominate the lean body with a crisp mouth feel and lingering Oroblanco pithy bitterness.

Millstream releasing barrel-aged Schild Brau + Backroad Stout

October 10, 20141 Comment

The following comes from a Millstream Brewing Facebook post:

We’ve been aging our Schild Brau Amber & Back Road Stout in Cedar Ridge Whiskey barrels for the last 9 months! Now at long last we are bottling them in 22 oz bombers. Look for these very limited batch of barrel aged beers in Cedar Rapids & Iowa City next Friday for a special release.

Bomb has hit!

October 9, 20141 Comment

From Oakland Road Hy-Vee and also got a Facebook message from Johncy’s Liquor Store in North Liberty as well. Prairie Bomb and Pirate bomb have landed!

We have 2 fantastic beers that have just hit the floor. We have reloaded on Prairie Bomb and have received Pirate Bomb as well, which is Prairie Bomb aged in rum barrels. Stop in a grab a bottle while supplies last. Thanks and have a great day.

Imperial Stout aged on Coffee, Cacao Nibs, Vanilla Beans & Chili Peppers

Bomb! is an imperial stout aged on espresso beans, chocolate, vanilla beans, and ancho chile peppers. All the flavors meld to create a truly unique beer. The peppers add just the right amount of heat to compliment the intense coffee and chocolate flavors.

ABV 13%

El Bait owners possibly opening Iowa Craft Beer Restaurant

August 4, 20141 Comment

I received the following information from my good buddy sLim and also the link is from dmjuice.com. El Bait Shop looks like they will be opening an all Iowa craft beer restaurant with 75 Iowa beers on tap and serve Iowa food products. Here’s the original article from dmjuice.com.

Full Court Press is known for its great beer bars with international themes like The Royal Mile (British) and Hessen Haus (German). For its next project, the group is aiming a little closer to home.

The Iowan Craft Beer Hall will feature more than 75 Iowa beers on tap and serve predominately Iowa food products. Iowa now has more than 50 breweries producing beer, which should provide plenty of beers to choose from.

But one thing Full Court Press is still looking for is a location. The group is currently seeking developers to find the right location downtown.

“We can’t keep up. We need a space that’s all Iowa,” Full Court Press partner Jeff Bruning said of the beers at El Bait Shop. “The Little Giant Beer Summit we put on is kind of the festival version of what we’re going to do. The Iowan will have the best of what Iowa Breweries have to offer.”

Bruning said The Iowan Craft Beer Hall is an idea he and his partners have been brewing up for years, ever since he tried his first Peace Tree beer.

“People thought we were crazy in 2006 when we put 105 taps up on the wall for craft beers (at El Bait Shop),” Bruning said. “Now there are all these Iowa breweries starting to come up at the same time the craft beer industry is blowing up; things are going so well that Iowa beer warrants a bar dedicated to it.”

Bruning said that Des Moines IPA from Confluence was El Bait Shop’s best selling beer in 2013 and that six out of the bar’s top 10 selling beers were from Iowa.

Full Court Press has put on a number of beer events, including Oktoberfest, the Little Giant Beer Summit and Des Moines Beer Week. The Iowan Craft Beer Hall is not affiliated with the Iowa Craft Beer Tent.

Featured breweries at The Iowan Craft Beer Hall could include:

515 Brewing (Des Moines), Albia Brewing (Albia), Backpocket Brewing (Coralville), Boone Valley Brewing (Boone), C.I.B. (Chefs In Black) Brewery (Carson), Confluence Brewery (Des Moines), Exile Brewing (Des Moines), Firetrucker (Ankeny), Granite City (Clive), Great River (Davenport), Kalona Brewing (Kalona), Keg Creek Brewing (Glendale), Madhouse Brewing (Newton), Millstream Brewing (Amana), New American Brewing (Ankeny), Peacetree Brewing (Knoxville), Rock Bottom Brewery (West Des Moines), Sutliff Cider (Lisbon), Toppling Goliath Brewing (Decorah), Twisted Vine Brewery (St Charles), Van Houzen Brewing (Newton), West O Beer (West Okoboji) with more to be added in the future.

Goose Island finalizes Bourbon County Stout Lineup

August 3, 20141 Comment

The following article comes courtesy of Chicago Tribune writer Josh Noel. Another Black Friday release should see beer lovers hitting the liquor stores early! Cheers!

Goose Island has finalized its roster of 2014 releases in its vaunted Bourbon County Stout series, all of which will be released, as usual, on Black Friday. This year that lands on Nov. 28.

Beergraphs.com lists seven of the world’s top 20 beers as from the Bourbon County Stout series. The rankings may be due for a shakeup.

Here’s Goose Island’s lineup:

Bourbon County Brand Stout: Same recipe has always, this bourbon barrel-aged stout will be available nationally in four-packs.

Proprietors: The second annual release under the Proprietor’s Bourbon County Brand Stout will feature panela sugar that’s made into a syrup with coconut water, Cassia bark (which is essentially cinnamon) and cocoa nibs. (Last year’s version, a stout aged in rye whiskey barrels with toasted coconut, might have been the brewery’s best release of 2013.) Available only in Chicago, in 22-ounce bottles.

Vanilla Rye: Goose’s previous stab at a Vanilla Bourbon County Stout beer, in 2010, remains one of the brewery’s most-lauded beers ever. A return seemed inevitable, and here it is — sort of.

This incarnation is aged in rye whiskey, instead of bourbon, barrels. Goose is using barrels from four different distilleries, then blending the results before bottling. Each rye barrel is aging with two pounds of vanilla beans from Mexico and Madagascar. There will be limited nationwide availability in 22-ounce bottles.

Coffee: An annual staple, but with a different coffee infusion every year, the 2014 incarnation features Rwandan coffee from Intelligentsia. Available in four-packs nationally.

Barleywine: This beer debuted last year and will be similar to the original, featuring “third use” barrels — former Kentucky bourbon barrels that later housed Bourbon County Stout before hosting the barelywine. Available in four-packs of 12-ounce bottles.

Boulevard Hibiscus Gose next in Backroads Series

August 1, 20141 Comment

The following information comes from Boulevard press release and also http://www.beeradvocate.com. Really excited to try this one!

Boulevard Brewing (Kansas City, MO) recently released the first offering in their new Backroads Series, Entwined Ale. The series is described as “journey off the beaten path.” A little fun for both the drinker and the brewer.

Poised to be the next release is Boulevard Hibiscus Gose. The German-style salt beer uses hibiscus flowers, coriander, and of course, sea salt.

Expect Boulevard Hibiscus Gose in 12oz bottles.

Style: Gose (Hibiscus, Coriander, Sea Salt)
Availability: 12oz Bottles
Arrival: TBA

Beer Tasting w/ a Brewer at 515 Brewing; Clive, IA 8/3/14

July 29, 2014Leave a comment

I’ve had the pleasure of going to 515 Brewing in Clive, IA a handful of times. Sure, I wish I was closer, (or they were), so I could frequent more often, but these folks are what make craft beer great. I was just sitting enjoying a few brews with friends when owner/brewer Dave Ropte sat down and talked to us about all things beer for a good hour. It was great. Informative, honest, and just a pleasant experience. I highly recommend anyone who is the the Des Moines area on August 3 to check this event out. Their beer is terrific and the folks are even better! Here’s more from 515’s Facebook page:

Join us for a brewer-led beer tasting this Sunday. Purchase a brewer-designated beer flight between 1:30 – 2p with the tasting starting at 2p. (4-5oz pours for $8). Our brewers will talk about each selected beer and answer any questions you have about the beer or the brewery.

Visit their Facebook page for more or follow them on Twitter:
@515brewing
http://www.facebook.com/515Brewing?fref=photo

Restaurant Review: Brix Cheese Shop and Wine Bar; Iowa City, IA

July 14, 20142 Comments

I’ve told my wife if I could open up any type of restaurant or bar it would be a charcuterie, cheese and beer store. Food and beer go hand in hand and at Brix Cheese Shop and Wine Bar in Iowa City, (209 N. Linn St.) they have a huge selection of great cheese and meat pairings. Obviously, as the name of the restaurant implies, they have a massive selection of fine wines. Unfortunately, the Baron doesn’t really know a damn thing about wine, (I enjoy it, just don’t know much), but I did notice that they had 6 craft taps. After talking to the waiter, who was wonderfully patient with me and knowledgeable, he said they always carry a Toppling Goliath brew and are constantly rotating their taps. I went for a Destihl Brewing stout and on the recommendation of the waiter, ordered the Monger’s Choice which ended up being half a sheeps milk and half a goat’s milk halved with some sort of ash consistency that paired great with my beer. Along with some strips of pancetta and crunchy, chewy bread, I was in heaven.

Along with the great meat and cheese selections they had a huge menu full of sandwiches as well. This is going to be a stop I make frequently when in that area of Iowa City. Very impressed with the staff and selection and even if you don’t know much about wine, they have some excellent beers on tap as well. I can’t wait to get back! Cheers!

Perennial and New Belgium Lips of Faith Collab: Salted Belgian Chocolate Stout

July 8, 20141 Comment

I post this not knowing whether or not we will be getting this beer in Iowa, but I am assuming that we will since we have seen most of, if not all of, New Belgium’s Lips of Faith series beers. This one really has my attention as I have heard and read nothing but good things about Perennial and the name of the beer alone makes my mouth water. Here’s more on the beer courtesy of Feast Magazine written by Stacy McCann:

Perennial Artisan Ales has announced a collaboration with New Belgium Brewing out of Fort Collins, Colorado. The new edition, a Salted Belgian Chocolate Stout, will be a part of New Belgium’s Lips of Faith series to be released later this year.

The collaboration itself, as Emily Wymore of Perennial explains, is the result of friendship. Lauren Salazar is the Wood Cellar and specialty brand manager at New Belgium as well as a good friend of the Perennial crew. Wymore explains that Salazar approached Perennial last year about brewing together for their Lips of Faith series, and Perennial was quick to accept with what Wymore describes as both honor and excitement.

Considering Perennial’s previous success with stouts, Salazar suggested they work together on “a stout with a twist.” Together, the two breweries decided on a Salted Chocolate Belgian Stout. According to Wymore, both breweries then brewed a test batch and decided on a final recipe, which co-founder Phil Wymore and head brewer Cory King will brew alongside New Belgium staff this August in Fort Collins. In addition, Salazar will join Perennial in October to celebrate their third anniversary and brew the collaboration on Perennial’s own system.

Wymore and the Perennial crew see this opportunity as unlike many they’ve come across, especially considering the vast reach of the New Belgium audience.

“To give this project scale,” explains Wymore, “the volume produced by New Belgium of this beer alone will be more than Perennial produces in a year.”

Jubeck’s New World Brewery opening in Dubuque July 17th!

July 8, 20143 Comments

Jay Jubeck has announced that his brewery in Dubuque will be opening their doors on July 17th. They currently feature 5 beers on their website:

Golden Hybrid Beer

A light hybrid session beer of blondish gold hue with a slight honey-like sweetness and a mild herbal hop character.

Lavender Honey-Wheat

A delightfully refreshing light wheat ale with a subtle spicy herbal flavor.

Warrior Stout

A bold imperial stout with a full-bodied, roasty, malty flavor.

Dark IPA

Wonderfully dark and slightly roasty, but not too much roasted malt bitterness.

Apricot Pale Ale

American pale ale style beer finished with a healthy dose of citra hops and dried apricots, added late in the boil, for a subtle fruity flavor.

Jubeck recently interviewed with KCRG to discuss the upcoming opening. Here’s the link to that interview:

http://www.kcrg.com/dubuques-jubeck-new-world-brewery-to-open-july-17th-20140708