On Saturday, May 20th, the Local Craft Cellar in Cedar Rapids (7085 C Ave. NE A1) will be celebrating their 1 year anniversary, and to no one’s surprise, Jason and staff will be celebrating in style with some amazing deals and samples of their wonderful supply of beer and food items! Their store hours will be 10am-4pm and Dimensional Brewing will be there pouring samples from about 11-3. Also, Edgewood Locker will be there grilling up samples of brats from 11-1:30. If you haven’t signed up for their bottle lottery, the 20th of May is going to be the last day for your to register as well!
Casita High Fives and Good Vibes 6/4/16oz CANS – Triple NE-IPA with Simcoe, Citra, Strata & Ekuanot. 9% ABV – NC
Casita Bladow! 6/4/16oz CANS – If Big Stout is your Jam, this is it! A BIG breakfast stout brewed with Dynamite Roasting Company Coffee, Oats, and Lactose. 11.5% ABV
Casita / Evil Twin – Retro Series – Ryan & the Beaster Bunny 6/4/16oz CANS – Saison brewed with Honey – 7% ABV -CT
Casita / Stillwater Artisanal Business 6/4/12oz CANS – Formerly Known As On FLEEK. Imperial Stout brewed with Molasses and Muscovado Sugar. 13% ABV.
NIGHTMARE BREWING COMPANY:
Nightmare Brewing Mizuharitsuke 6/4/16oz CANS – Triple IPA with Moshio Salt, triple dry hopped with Pacific Sunrise, Talus, and HBC 630 hops. 11.3% ABV NY
Nightmare Brewing Agam Kuan 6/4/16oz CANS – Masala Chai Imperial Stout brewed with Jaggery Tea and cold aged on Indian vanilla and toasted chai spices. 16% ABV – NY
Nightmare Brewing Bamboo Torture 6/4/16oz CANS – Imperial IPA brewed with Bamboo Shoots and Dry-Hopped with Akoya & Dragon Hops. 9.6% ABV – NY
Nightmare Brewing Colombian Necktie 6/4/16oz CANS – Gose Soured on Colombian Mangoes, with Lulo, Soursop and Colombian Lime zest. 7.2 ABV – NY
Nightmare Brewing Chelsea Grin 6/4/16oz CANS – SOUR ALE, soured on Strawberries and Raspberries with Earl Grey Tea and Bergamot Orange Zest. 6.7% ABV – NY
Nightmare Brewing Drawn and Quartered 6/4/16oz CANS – Quadruple dry-hopped Imperial IPA With Nelson Sauvin, Galaxy, Enigma & Citra. 10% ABV – NY
Nightmare Brewing Flayed 6/4/16oz CANS – Imperial Oat IPA with Azacca, Zythos, Galaxy and Pacifica. 9.6% ABV – NY
Nightmare Brewing Glasgow Smile 6/4/16oz CANS – Gose soured on Wild Scottish Bilberries with Heather, Lemon Zest, Raspberries and Blueberries. 6.7% ABV – NY
ABOMINATION BREWING COMPANY:
Abomination Terp Fog (Northern Lights) 6/4/16oz CANS – Abomination Terp Fog (Northern Lights) 6/4/16oz CANS – DDH DIPA that is mind meltingly dank, delicious and the perfect beverage to be sippin’ 8.6% ABV – CT
Abomination Brewing Flying into the Fog 6/4/16oz CANS – Icarus Brewing Collaboration. Insanely juicy DIPA double dry hopped with a mind blowing amount of Columbus and Riwaka. 8.9% ABV – CT
Abomination Brewing The Key To the City of North Haven 6/4/16oz CANS – Smoothie Sour Ale Brewed with Cherry, Blackberry, Rhubarb, Ice Cream Mix, Lactose, and Vanilla Beans. 9% ABV – CT
ABOMINATION / SKYGAZER / BRACH AND BLADE Who the F*** Put Carrot In the Cake!? (Sour + Stout Edition) 6/4/16oz CANS – Note that this case will contain 1/2 Stout Cans & Half Sour Cans of this beer – A three way collaboration – Imperial Stout Ale brewed with Carrot, Chocolate, Cream Cheese, Cinnamon, & Granola – 10% ABV – CT + Imperial Sour Ale brewed with Carrot, Apricot, Cinnamon, Granola, Cream Cheese, & Milk Sugar – 7% ABV – CT
SKYGAZER BREWING:
Skygazer Watercolors Margarita 6/4/16oz CANS – Sour Ale Passion Fruit, Mango, Lime, and Blood Orange, plus a little touch of a special flavor to give it that true margarita vibe! 5.5% ABV – CT
Skygazer Watercolors Go To’s Cherry Peach 6/4/16oz CANS – Skygazer’s signature Watercolors sour ale, dosed with just the right amounts of Cherry and Peach purees! A perfect Go To sour! 5.5% ABV – CT
Skygazer Watercolors – Synergy #5 – Cotton Candy 6/4/16oz CANS – Sour Ale Brewed with Blackberry, Blueberry, Raspberry, Blue-Raspberry Cotton Candy, Milk Sugar And Marshmallow. 5.5% ABV – CT
ABOMINATION / SKYGAZER / BRACH AND BLADE Who the F*** Put Carrot In the Cake!? (Sour + Stout Edition) 6/4/16oz CANS – Note that this case will contain 1/2 Stout Cans & Half Sour Cans of this beer – A three way collaboration, SKYGAZER / ABOMINATION / BRANCH AND BLADE – Imperial Stout Ale brewed with Carrot, Chocolate, Cream Cheese, Cinnamon, & Granola – 10% ABV – CT + Imperial Sour Ale brewed with Carrot, Apricot, Cinnamon, Granola, Cream Cheese, & Milk Sugar – 7% ABV – CT
Another can’t miss food and beer event coming from the great people at Backpocket Brewing! Their 11th Anniversary Dinner Party is set for June 9th and the menu will highlight Tex-Mex inspired BBQ! Here’s more courtesy of Backpocket!
Join us in celebrating our 11th Anniversary with a Smoked Meat & Beer Pairing Dinner! Our menu will be Tex-Mex BBQ inspired featuring traditional Tamales, Chipotle Pork Tacos, Mexican Bunuelos, and so much more. We invite all of our Backpocket family and friends to attend! Tickets are limited, so make sure you reserve your spot!
Tickets will be $65 per person, and include a starter, appetizer, main course & dessert. Each course will have a beer or cocktail pairing! We can’t wait to see you there!
You now have after works plans! Tomorrow, May 5th, Clock House Brewing is bringing back “Low Bandito”, their imperial stout aged in tequila barrels with habanero, limes, cocoa nibs, vanilla, and cinnamon! Here’s more on this release courtesy of Clock House’s Facebook page:
Coming in hot! Low Bandito will be back in the taproom this Friday, May 5th.
This Imperial Stout was boiled for over 14 hours then barrel-aged in Añejo tequila barrels for over one year. Habanero peppers, limes, cacao nibs, vanilla beans, and cinnamon were then added in the secondary to pull massive flavors of Mexican chocolate and stone fruit.
This will be available in 500 ML bottles and on draft! Bottles are limited. $22 per 500 ML bottle.
Another month is here and that means more beers coming to us from Lion Bridge! 3 new releases will be hitting tap lines and distro this month! Here’s what’s coming from the Czech Village:
RELEASE DATE 5/3
Ice Lion (West Coast Double IPA, 8%) – A bright and bold IPA. Talus, Nelson Sauvin, Mosaic, and Motueka create a unique hop experience that plays well with a welcomed bitterness.
RELEASE DATE 5/9
Lion City Hard Lemonade (6.6%)
A seltzer with real lemon, as well as lemonade flavor.
RELEASE DATE 5/23
Chaos Dimension (Hazy IPA, 7.2%)
When copious amounts of Nelson Sauvin and Citra collide, what emerges is a dimension of the most delicious form of chaos imaginable.
Fat Orange Cat FOC Someone In My Head ENIGMA 6/4/16oz CANS – DIPA Double Dry Hopped with ENIGMA. 8.75% ABV – CT
Fat Orange Cat FOC Walkabout Passionfruit Orange Guava 6/4/16oz CANS – Fruited Sour Ale with Passionfruit, Orange and Guava. 5.3% ABV – CT
Fat Orange Cat FOC All Cats Are Grey in the Dark 6/4/16oz CANS – FOC Legendary White Stout – 7.2% ABV – CT
Fat Orange Cat FOC I Don’t Like Mondays 6/4/16oz CANS – NE-Style IPA hopped with Mosaic & Simcoe. 7.3% ABV – CT
Fat Orange Cat FOC Who Let the Boomers Out? 6/4/16oz CANS – Smooth Pale Ale with a delightful finish. Hopped with Amarillo, Citra and Mosaic – 5% ABV – CT
Fat Orange Cat Jalapeno Jack Mild 6/4/16oz CANS – Pale Ale infused with a generous amount of jalapeño peppers. The process creates a unique brew with the aroma and flavor of jalapeño without the heat. 5% ABV – CT
MARLOWE ARTISANAL ALES:
Marlowe Artisanal Ales Asking Kindly NELSON 6/4/16oz CANS – Delicious IPA with a spotlight on Nelson hops. 7% ABV – CT
Marlowe Artisanal Ales Eager To Share 6/4/16oz CANS – Outstanding American Pale Ale brewed with Citra and Mosaic hops. 5.4% ABV – NY
Marlowe Artisanal Ales The Way Things Were 6/4/16oz CANS – An Ode to Vermont and a certain Hoppy Creation that started a revolution. Pale Ale brewed with Warrior, Columbus, Chinook, Centennial, and Simcoe. Absolutely divine! 5.5% ABV – NY
Marlowe Artisanal Ales Ploosh 6/4/16oz CANS – Extra Special Bitter ESB Ale brewed in balance with English malts and hops. 5.4% ABV – NY
Marlowe Artisanal Ales Despite All Odds 6/4/12oz CAN – Delicious Imperial Pale Ale. 8% ABV – NY
TOX BREWING:
Tox Brewing Copperhead 6/4/16oz CANS – Delicious American Amber Ale. A real crowd pleaser here! 5.8% ABV – CT
Tox Brewing Digitox 6/4/16oz CANS – Hoptimally saturated Double IPA with Nelson & Citra. 8.5% ABV – CT
Tox Brewing EFT – NELSON SAUVIN 6/4/16oz CANS – EFT is not only a cute lil’ Newt with toxic skin (don’t eat one), but it’s also the name of Tox’s rotating hop IPA series. Consistent whirlpool hops paired with Nelson Sauvin followed by a sizeable dry hop dominated by Nelson Sauvin. Big Notes of Wine Grape, Berries, and Ripe Melon! 7% ABV – CT
Tox Brewing Placebo Effect 6/4/16oz CANS – We love our fancy craft beer like family, but sometimes even we just want to enjoy some yellow fizzy stuff. Delicious American Cream Ale. 5.2% ABV – CT
TIMBER ALES:
Timber Ales When Daydreams Go Dark 6/4/16oz CANS – All CITRA Double IPA. 8% ABV – CT
Timber Ales Pancakes by Campfire 6/4/12oz CANS – Stout Conditioned on Maple Syrup, Coffee, & Banana. 6% ABV – NY
Timber Ales I Must Be Dreaming 6/4/16oz CANS – Sour w/ Blueberries, Peaches, Graham Cracker, Vanilla Beans & Milk Sugar. 6% ABV – NY
Timber Ales Fallen Between the Lines 6/4/16oz CANS – NE IPA with Citra, Enigma, & Mosaic. 7% ABV – NY
Twelve Percent Beer Project Snappy LITE 4/6/12oz CANS – Super light, crushable house lager. 4% ABV – CT
LASTING BRASS BREWING:
Lasting Brass Supreme Clientele 6/4/16oz CANS – NE IPA with Mosaic & Mackinac Hops. 6.5% ABV – CT
Lasting Brass Wrath of the Nunchucks 6/4/16oz CANS – Imperial Milk Stout brewed with milk sugar, peanut butter and marshmallow. Inspired by a peanut butter and fluff sandwich. 10% ABV – CT
SKYGAZER BREWING:
Skygazer Watercolors Go To’s Cherry Peach 6/4/16oz CANS – Skygazer’s signature Watercolors sour ale, dosed with just the right amounts of Cherry and Peach purees! A perfect Go To sour! 5.5% ABV – CT
Skygazer Watercolors – Synergy #5 – Cotton Candy 6/4/16oz CANS – Sour Ale Brewed with Blackberry, Blueberry, Raspberry, Blue-Raspberry Cotton Candy, Milk Sugar And Marshmallow. 5.5% ABV – CT
ABOMINATION / SKYGAZER / BRACH AND BLADE Who the F*** Put Carrot In the Cake!? (Sour + Stout Edition) 6/4/16oz CANS – Note that this case will contain 1/2 Stout Cans & Half Sour Cans of this beer – A three way collaboration, SKYGAZER / ABOMINATION / BRANCH AND BLADE – Imperial Stout Ale brewed with Carrot, Chocolate, Cream Cheese, Cinnamon, & Granola – 10% ABV – CT + Imperial Sour Ale brewed with Carrot, Apricot, Cinnamon, Granola, Cream Cheese, & Milk Sugar – 7% ABV – CT
JOLLY PUMPKIN ARTISAN ALES:
Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere 6/4/16oz CANS – Farmhouse Ale. This delicious, low-calorie, farmhouse ale is named for Ron’s Jack Russell who was struck by a car but bounced back in fine tenacious Jack Russell fashion. This farmhouse ale is brewed for those of us who have been knocked down, have picked up, dusted off, and carried on undaunted. Golden, naturally cloudy, can-conditioned, and dry-hopped for a perfectly refreshing balance of spicy malts, hops, & yeast. TIME IN OAK: 2 Months. 4.5% ABV – 24 IBU – MI
Jolly Pumpkin Calabaza Blanca 6/4/16oz CANS – Farmhouse Witbier. Blanca is a low-calorie farmhouse witbier brewed in Belgium’s beer blanche tradition. Spiced with orange peel & coriander, you’ll find it refreshingly tart, with a wonderfully dry finish. A year round favorite for sure. TIME IN OAK: 2 Months. 4.8% ABV – 15 IBU – MI
Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza 6/4/16oz CANS – Wild Artisan Golden Ale. Oro is brewed in the Franco-Belgian tradition of strong golden ales. Spicy and peppery with a gentle hop bouquet and the beguiling influence of wild yeast. Named one of the top 25 beers in America by Men’s Journal. Great American Beer Festival Gold medal winner for the Belgian & French Ale category. TIME IN OAK: 6-9 Months. 8.0% ABV – 30 IBU – MI
Jolly Pumpkin iO Saison 6/4/16oz CANS – Wild Saison. Aged in oak with wild yeasts & can conditioned, iO Saison is a unique creation brewed with rose hips, rose petals, & hibiscus giving this saison a character & color all its own. This very vibrant, bright, rose-colored saison has floral & spice notes mixed with hints of tartness from foeder aging & the hibiscus flowers. A beautiful piece of art presented in a glass. Cheers and mahalo plenty! TIME IN OAK: 3 Months. 6.4% ABV – 15 IBU – MI
Big Grove Brewery will be on hand serving some of their delicious food and refreshing brews this coming Friday night (4/21) at Duane Banks Field in Iowa City as the University of Iowa takes on Nebraska! If you’re looking for something today this would be the perfect night to take the family to a ball game! Here’s what Big Grove is bringing:
Big Grove Brewery is excited to share our first food and beer concession pop-up at Duane Banks Field Friday night when the Hawkeyes take on Nebraska at 6:05 in Iowa City.
The special concession menu includes: • BGB Burger • Banh Mi • Chef’s Ben’s Chocolate Chip Cookies • Easy Eddy hazy IPA • Citrus Surfer citrus wheat • Boomtown golden ale
It’s Junior Hawk Club Night at the ballpark with postgame fireworks, too! Bring the family and we’ll see you for Hellerball under the lights!
Tickets: • $10 Adults • $5 Youth • $20 Friday 4-Pack Includes 4 tickets and a $10 concession voucher, Must buy in multiples of 4, Must be purchased in advance, Not available after 4pm Central the day before the game, Not available for purchase on game day, Use promo code BBFOURPACK to order
The latest restaurant endeavor from the creative minds of FNF restaurant group will be officially opening their doors to the public this coming Tuesday! (4/18) Taco Gato (209 3rd St. SE) is the newest restaurant in downtown Cedar Rapids and features spins on Mexican and southern cuisine.
I was lucky enough to be invited to the soft opening this past Friday night and was joined by three kids. The decor of the place is definitely Mexican inspired and my kids enjoyed seeing the array of Luchador wrestling masks around the restaurant. The bar was dimly lit as light from the beautiful stained glass showcased the many bottles of booze that go towards the many cocktails Taco Gato offered.
Upon seating and seeing the menu my kids are instantly drawn to anything that reads “queso”. So, a starter of salsas (red/traditional + tomatillo) along with guac and the ever popular queso. Chips were delicious and well seasoned. I’m a sucker for tomatillo salsa and would put it on about anything. A great start to the meal. Queso didn’t stand a chance.
I let the kids decide what to order as my focus automatically goes to fish tacos and pastor tacos. My son went with the fried crawfish tacos but also wanted to try the shrimp and grits, and my daughters went with the gumbo. Enough to feed an army but grateful my kids are willing to try and experience new foods.
The flavor on every single dish was out of this world. The fish tacos were perfectly cooked….crunchy and a delicious batter. Your taco orders of two come in a bento style serving box accompanied by delicious refried beans, rice, and fried edamame. I’ll get the fish tacos every time! Pastor were just as good…fresh pineapple pico and perfectly cooked pork. I was lucky enough to get a small bite of the fried crawfish tacos as my son isn’t exactly the best at sharing meals, especially when they taste as good as this.
The gumbo was excellent. A dark roux with copious amounts of crawfish and chorizo. Wonderful and filling! The star of the show that everyone raved about however was the “Almost Shrimp and Grits”. Cotija creamed corn, chorizo, collards, and enough blackened shrimp to feed an army. So much flavor, so delicious. Besides the tacos, if there’s a dish that Taco Gato can use as a calling card it may be this one!
Overall: Another wonderful dining experience. It’s what you come to expect from the FNF restaurant group…wonderfully talented, creative, and inspired dishes that make visiting their establishments an always memorable experience. Can’t recommend enough, opening Tuesday to the public! Cheers!
