Clock House Brewing is bringing back two tasty brews tomorrow (2/24)! As soon as the doors open at 3:00, you’ll be able to get your hands and lips on their Black IPA and their ever popular Orange Xxxplosion brews! Here’s more from Clock House:
We have two beers returning to the taproom this Friday, February 24th!
Orange XXplosion: This sour features a trio of orange citrus fruits including: Tangerine, Cara Cara Orange, and Southern Hemisphere Oranges. Thus, creating a complex plethora of flavor that XXplodes out the glass.
Black IPA: Comprised of carefully selected Black malts to achieve a deep, rich roasted dark malt flavor with hints of chocolate and rye. Bittered and dry-hopped with Centennial, Mosaic, and Amarillo hops that attribute to classic bitter pine notes.
Both of these will be available in 16oz 4-packs, growlers, and draft!
Ever since 1993, February as been designated “Stout” month. What better way to celebrate the end of January than by cracking a bottle/can of your favorite roasty stout? There are so many great stouts to choose from in our great state, but here’s what I’ll be sipping on this month…plus any others I may cross paths with!
**Lion Bridge Percussive Maintenance** – the perfect beer to pop open during February. I was lucky enough to procure a few bottles and also has this decadent baby on tap. One of the best beers in the state in my opinion. 12% can be scary, but it’s extremely well hidden. Sip on this one and relish it, maybe share it, but make sure you are sharing with someone worthy of this brew.
**Singlespeed Tip the Cow** – sometimes we take for granted those things that are readily available to us. Tip the Cow happens to be one of those beers, You can find it in almost any grocery store in the area and also happens to be a fantastic stout. Coffee and chocolate and I think I’ll have at least two of these!
**Big Grove Richard the Whale** – another harder to get beer that you can’t just pick up at your local grocery store…BUT…this baby is currently on tap at my local watering hole, Chameleon’s Pub and Grub in Mount Vernon, and once I drink that dry I still have a few bottles stashed in the cellar. If you were lucky enough to attend Richard Day, you probably have some variants to drink as well….LUCKY!
**Backpocket Cookie Junkie** – when I first saw this can I thought for sure this beer would be too sweet, but the balance of the peanut butter and the 175 pounds of sandwich cookies was perfect at not cloying at all. After a big winter feast, this is going to be my dessert!
**Clock House Pet Elephant** – the new kid to the party. Just released last weekend. This is an end of nighter, nightcap, grand finale beer. 14% is frightening, and when you finish that last sip it may seem at the moment you could handle another….hold tight….save that next bottle for another evening…get the fireplace going, turn on some Lord Huron lightly in the background, and savor every last drop of this nutter butter filled brew.
There they are! Those 5 for sure and hopefully some more stouts I run into along the way. What stout are you drinking this month and what else do I need to try? Cheers to Stout Month!
Big Grove Brewery has added “Citrus Surfer” to their year round release portfolio. Released to markets earlier this week on now available on tap at all Big Grove locations, this is the perfect beer to get into the warmer weather mindset, or to add to your Super Bowl Party spread! Here’s the press release courtesy of Big Grove Brewery:
[Iowa City, IA]: Today, Big Grove announced a brand-new fruited wheat release to join their year-round beer portfolio. Now pouring in their Iowa City, Solon, and Des Moines taprooms, Citrus Surfer is loaded with real orange and lemon citrus at a crushable 4.8% ABV. Each taproom will feature citrus-inspired culinary dishes to celebrate the beer release.
A refreshing new twist on Big Grove’s past award-winning wheat beers, Citrus Surfer offers fans “significant drinkability,” according to Andy Joynt, Director of Brewing. The brewery team produced ten concept batches spanning eight months, beginning with research and development at their Solon pilot brewery before scaling to their Des Moines system as an intermediate step, ultimately crafting the beer for full-scale production at the Iowa City brewery.
“The finish and aromatics were something we focused on. We wanted pop with the right citrus flavor, plus a clean and satisfying finish, bringing you back for another sip,” remarked Joynt.
The beer is anticipated to create a big wave in Iowa, giving Blue Moon Belgian White and Leinenkugel’s Wheat drinkers a more widely available, Iowa-made alternative. “Although Iowa is not coastal, nor is it a state known for its surfing, Citrus Surfer represents that mentality and a laid-back approach to life and the moments it brings,” said Bryan Farrell, Director of Integrated Sales & Marketing. “Iowans love to seek out new experiences and travel, especially in the winter months. We’re offering a call-to-action for fans to ‘Find Your Moment’ through trip and experience giveaways.”
Throughout 2023, Big Grove will be giving away flights, Airbnb gift cards for unique Iowa rentals, and other fun offers and experiences. Fans can enter to win flight vouchers to any destination of their choosing, redeemable at major Iowa airports (CID, DSM, DBQ, SUX, ALO). Keep an eye out for more waves of giveaways and experiences throughout the spring and summer months. To enter, go to biggrove.com/pages/find-your-moment.
Check out your favorite local beverage shop to catch the closest Citrus Surfer near you. Citrus Surfer is available on draft, six-packs, and 12-packs at a majority of retail locations across Iowa.
There’s no better place to warm up during the month of January in Iowa than Lion Bridge Brewing in Cedar Rapids as they have announced their “Barrel-Aged January” schedule! Beer, food, and more beer throughout the month of January, check the schedule below courtesy of Lion Bridge’s Facebook page:
BARREL-AGED JANUARY 2023
Saturday 1/7 at 11am —- THREE BEER RELEASES
Home-Baked 2023 (Imperial Stout w/ Hazelnut, Cinnamon, Cacao, Love, 11%) – Dessert for your desert island. Fudge and saigon cinnamon meld with a little bit of hazelnut goodness and bourbon barrel to produce something we liken to a cookie in beer form.
Vanilla Home-Baked (Imperial Stout/ Hazelnut, Cinnamon, Cacao, Vanilla, 11%) – We took our dessert for a desert island and dosed it with huge amounts of whole bean Madagascar Vanilla. An even more decadent treat!
Power Crystal (Imperial Stout w/Maple Syrup, 12%) – REWORK DESCRIPTION…. You have the power in you… Manifest/// Mind, body, spirit…. Collaboration with Illuminations Center for Enlightment in NewBo
Complimentary Donut Wall (while supplied last)
Food Special! Poblano Short Ribs on Goat Cheese Polenta
WED 1/11– Home-Baked 2022 – (Imperial Stout/ Hazelnut, Cinnamon, Cacao, Vanilla, 11%) – Last year’s Vintage of Home-Baked.
WED 1/18Royal Wee 2017 (Barrel-Aged Scotch Ale, 10.5%) – A Lion Bridge deep cut for our loyal followers. Come try a BAJ beer from 6 years ago! Last keg in existence!
Saturday 1/21 11am- FOUR BEERS RELEASES!!!
Dark Money (Barrel-Aged Imperial Milk Stout w/Amburana wood, 12%) – Amburana wood aging contributes flavors akin to gingerbread. A fascinating addition to an already beautiful beer.
Percussive Maintenance (Barrel-Aged Macaroon Stout, 12%) – Aged 14 months in Willet Barrels, then blended with a heavy dose of toasted and untoasted coconut as well as cacao nibs. A decadent treat for a time when we need to savor every sip.
Forgotten Time (Barrel-Aged Barley Wine, 12%) – The real deal Barley Wine. Brewed in collaboration with our friends at Clockhouse Brewing. Aged for 18 months in 10-year-old Templeton barrels. Sherry, chocolate, dark fruit for days.
Remembered Time 2022 (Barrel-Aged Strong Ale, 12%) – Our first Barrel-Aged January Collaboration ever! We worked with our friends at Clock House to brew a rich Barley Wine and then blended it with some strong stout from our cellar to make something entirely new and amazing.
Brunch & Music !!
Food Special- Brunch Boards for sharing (4 or 2 people)
Beef burger topped with house-made maple coffee jam, bacon, caramelized onions, lettuce and garlic aioli all on a pretzel bun and served with kettle chips or your choice of upgraded side. (Add a sunny side up egg and/or cheese!)
Big news out of Cedar Rapids as Iowa Brewing Company will be coming off of their ever popular Cousin Eddie Thanksgiving Day party and on Black Friday releasing Barrel-Aged Imperial Oja and variants. Here’s a rundown of this release courtesy of Iowa Brewing’s Facebook page:
We’re releasing FOUR barrel-aged beer variations of our popular Oja Baltic Porter. Availability starting on Black Friday.
Barrel-Aged Imperial Oja – Regular
Barrel-Aged Imperial Oja – Double Vanilla
Barrel-Aged Imperial Oja – Cordial Cherry
Barrel-Aged Imperial Oja – Praline Coconut
All four variations have been aged in Cedar Ridge bourbon barrels.
It’s that time of year! For the 3rd year in a row I’ve teamed up with Gly-Mawr The Local in Mt. Vernon, IA to put together an Iowa-only beer advent calendar! We tried to include as many Iowa breweries as possible and also to include different options than we had last year! With that being said, I’ll be giving one calendar away to one lucky winner! Here’s how you can win!
**Comment on any of my Facebook/Twitter/Instagram pages (@iabeerbaron) where this link is posted by telling me your absolute favorite Iowa brewed beer, Iowa brewery and tag one of your friends and share the post!
-Deadline: Last time to comment to enter the drawing will be Wednesday, November 16th @ 8:00 p.m. I will be randomly drawing a name and will contact the winner. Pick up times for the calendar are as follows:
Please spread the word! There are a few calendars left for purchase as well and they make wonderful gifts! Cheers and good luck! For more info on the calendar please click HERE!
Lua Brewing will be the place to be as they are welcoming 3 new beers to their portfolio this coming Friday September 16th! A collab with Pulpit Rock and another with Horus Aged Ales out of California! Here’s the latest from the folks at Lua:
Two and a half years ago, we spent some time with our friends from @prbrewing and designed a stout recipe destined for barrels. Our friendship with the team at Pulpit is a special one, having such admiration for their beer long before Lua materialized. We look to the team there to inspire us, and push us to constantly improve our craft. We also have immense respect for them personally, and admire their integrity and care for their customers and community.
The beer we came up with was straightforward, a double mash, long boil stout that rested for well over 2 years in bourbon barrels. Two of these barrels were exemplary in our eyes, and worthy of showcasing on their own, unblended. The beer became Wistful, an homage to the time it was brewed, before the residual sugar arms race really reared its head.
WISTFUL BARREL #1 (14.9%) Imperial stout aged in a single Buffalo Trace bourbon barrel. Limit is one (1) 375mL bottle per person.
WISTFUL BARREL #2 (14.9%) Imperial stout aged in a single Blanton’s bourbon barrel. Limit is one (1) 375mL bottle per person.
GRACKLE (15%) Kyle from @horusagedales came over to the Hawkeye state a few months ago and helped us brew this big ol’ stout. Imperial stout conditioned on a whole buncha macadamia nuts, walnuts, almonds, coconut, cinnamon, vanilla, & cacao nibs. Limit is two (2) 750mL bottles per person.
TWO WAYS to order:
– The good old fashioned line! Grab your favorite lawn chair and camp out. You’ll be handed a ticket for your bottles in line, and doors open at 11AM for purchases. Cutoff for tickets will be 10:30AM. Stay, have some pours, & hang .
– Online ordering through TOAST! Bottles go live at 10:45AM CST. Proxies are allowed (just make sure your proxy has your order number and name ready at pickup). All bottles MUST be picked up at the Lua Taproom by end of service (11pm) on 9/16.
See you all this Friday. Who’s ready for a #PatioStout?!
Pretzel Stout – Chocolate stout that was infused with pretzels with a splash of peanut butter.
Oatmeal Stout – Experimental oatmeal stout that has a touch of vanilla (draft only/taproom release)
Cereal Killer – Hazy IPA with loaded with lactose, marshmallow and mosaic, azacca and equinox hops then infused with hundreds of pounds of fruity cereal.
Saturday Morning Raspberry/Feijoa – One of our favorites in the Saturday Morning smoothie sour series with the return of Raspberry and Feijoa which is a mix of strawberry, guava and pineapple fruit flavors.
Another year in the books, and like every year since I’ve been doing this blog and releasing my Top 10 I was once again blown away by the amazing beers that our Iowa brewers and their staff have made for us this year! Not only that, the resiliency shown by breweries/restaurants/bars during the past few years cannot be overlooked and huge thank you to all service industry workers! Cheers to you! Onto the TOP 10! LIST CRITERIA *Beer must have been brewed in Iowa *Beer must have been released in 2021 *Annual releases not counted unless a new adjunct had been added to that particular beer
Like every list, I know opinions will differ and I’m looking forward to reading what your top 10 list was for this year! Once again, so many beers, so little time, and I know I wasn’t able to even scratch the surface as to the beers I wanted to try!
**Big Grove Richard the Whale Chocolate Coconut Cake– – this year’s “Golden Ticket” beer during the Richard the Whale release, and like every year, it does not disappoint. Chocolate and coconut shine as this is wonderfully balanced, great for any time of the day, another win for Big Grove with this beer!
**Lion Bridge Silvia – Farmhouse ales are a style that goes overlooked and thankfully is making their way back to some breweries, and Lion Bridge not only made a great one, but possibly my favorite beer of the year. It was a perfect accompaniment to the Thanksgiving dinner table..not just one bottle either…If you’re a saison/farmhouse ale fan this is one to definitely try!
**Pulpit Rock Island Life – first enjoyed on a guy’s trip to Decorah and was blown away by the wonderful tropical flavor this beer brought. Maybe the setting had a lot to do with it, but I’m pretty sure it’s just a great beer to drink!
**Gezellig Long Story Short – 4.9%– smoothie sours/seltzers were all the rage in the beer world this past year and Iowa breweries sure made a whole lot of good ones. One of my favorites comes from the lovely folks in Newton, Iowa at Gezellig. Strawberry starbursts and pomegranate helped make this a flavor packed brew!
**Lua Brewing Dawn – 13.5% – part of last year’s “Resolution” I set for myself was trying to make it to Central and Western Iowa more often to taste what the breweries are pushing out there, especially the ones that don’t get much distro to Eastern Iowa..I kind of failed in that endeavor, however, I did get to Des Moines a few times and was able to procure some Lua brews! One that really stood out was this imperial stout. Coffee and a hint of vanilla make this decadent brew stand out, and hides that ABV very well! Looking forward to more from Lua in 2022!
**Clock House Brewing Barrel Aged Peanut Panic Porter – 12% – the base beer was one of my favorites in 2020 and then adding it to barrels and resting it on peanuts, cocoa nibs, and vanilla really added more depth to an already wonderful beer. The misconception from some was that this was a peanut “butter” beer, not the case, straight up peanuts and the balance of the flavors comes through remarkably!
**Adventurous Easy Peel (triple dry hopped Mosaic)- 8.3% – the 2nd Easy Peel I’ve had this year and I think the Mosaic barely beats out the El Dorado for me. Both very good and the combo of the mosaic hops and cryo mosaic hops really stands out. Excellent beer, any of the Easy Peel beers from Adventurous would be a safe bet!
**Lion Bridge Percussive Maintenance Macaroon – 11% – Chocolate and coconut paired with a great barrel is hard to go wrong and Lion Bridge balances this beer perfectly. There are some beers that you’ll always remember opening and pouring and this is definitely one of those for me. One to sip on yourself or share with someone you care about….a moment making beer for sure! One of the best of the year!
**Lua Pushpop: Because My Heart is in Iowa – Lua Pushpops can be hard to come by if you live in Eastern Iowa, luckily they sometimes drop a few beers off at Tin Roost in North Liberty to get us a taste here in Eastern Iowa. Mango and cherry beer, super thick and delicious. Lua dominated the slushie/sour landscape in the beer world! A trip to Des Moines in needed soon!
**Dimensional You Down with OCP – 13.1% – Pastry stouts can be hit and miss with me. Many are too sweet for my liking, and the adjuncts are too dominate over the base beer, but not with this one…Dimensional added 100 lbs each of oatmeal cream pies, oatmeal cookies, and toasted coconut to this big beer and it worked wonderfully. Not too sweet at all, in fact, if the 13.1% wouldn’t drop me I could easily see myself sipping on glass #2 letting the beer warm me up in the Iowa winter!
We have two beers returning to the taproom this Friday, February 24th!
.
