Make your calendar for June 8th folks! Shakespeare’s in Iowa City will be celebrating 20 years with a plethora of wondrous beers being tapped! Check it out!
Category: iabeerbaron
Drink This! Clock House Low Bandito Cherry/Coconut
One of my favorite tap rooms to visit is at Clock House Brewing. Something about that space that just makes me feel comfortable, and the fact that they are turning out some damn tasty brews too. I stopped in on a relatively slow Sunday afternoon and was lucky enough to have a pour of their Low Bandito Cherry/Coconut barrel-aged stout.
Low Bandito is their imperial stout and they’ve made some different variants of that tasty brew. I’ve had the vanilla, chocolate, coconut variant and really enjoyed that but the Cherry Coconut really stood out! Here’s more on this brew:
Driftless Glenn Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout. Aged on tart cherries and coconut
Wonderful aroma from the barrel that blends really well with the subtle coconut flavor. Cherry wasn’t prevalent right away but after it warmed the cherry really shined through. I ordered a Hazy Clock Tease while I let the Bandito sit for a while just to get more from that tart cherry. This checks in at a 9.6% but it was trying not to order a second draw.
I’m not sure how much of this brew Todd and Clock House have left so you might want to make the trek to downtown CR to get yourself a taste of this delicious brew. It is CR Craft beer so that can be your reason to get out and Drink This!
HUGE Crooked Stave drop coming from Abu Nawas!
Tons of great Crooked Stave beers will be making their way to our shelves here in Iowa in the next week! Huge list so make sure to read through carefully!
CANS
- Von Pilsner 12oz CAN – Unfiltered Keller Pilsner
- CO WildSage 12oz CAN – Brett saison brewed with lemongrass and sage
- St. Bretta 12oz CAN – Brettanomyces citrus saison
- Coffee Baltic Porter 12oz CAN – Baltic porter featuring rotating coffee roasters
- Crooked Stave IPA 12oz CAN – American style IPA
- Do You Even Zest?! DIPA 12oz CAN – Citrus Double IPA ***NEW CAN*** Elevated from our experimental hazy IPA series, Do You Even Zest?! is a limited release loaded with an immense amount of hops and freshly zested citrus. This Citrus Double IPA was born out of our playful nature as brewers looking to challenge the status quo. Our team meticulously zests fresh citrus for each and every batch, which begs the question, do you even zest?
- Sour Rosé 12oz CAN – Wild ale aged in oak barrels with raspberries and blueberries
750’s LIMITED
- Framboise 2018 – Golden sour ale aged in oak barrels with Washington raspberries and vanilla beans.
- Origins Vintage
- Silly Cybies – Belgian style dark ale aged in oak barrels with Washington raspberries
- Mama Bears Sour Cherry Pie 2017 – Burgundy sour ale aged in oak barrels with Colorado Montmorency cherries
- L’Brett d’Apricot 2017 – Golden sour ale aged in oak barrels with Colorado apricots
- L’Brett d’Or – Surreal golden sour ale aged in oak barrels
- Surette Reserva Palisade Peach 2017 – Reserva saison aged in oak barrels with Palisade peaches
- Nightmare on Brett Vintage – Dark sour ale aged in Leopold Bros whiskey barrels
- Nightmare on Brett Sour Cherry 2017 l – Dark sour ale aged in Leopold Bros whiskey barrels with Colorado Montmorency sour cherries
375s
- Sunnyside of Bruxelles – Sunnyside Sour Red/Brown Ale brewed in collaboration with Yvan De Baets from Brasserie de la Senne.
- Raspberry Origins
- Blueberry Origins
- Petite Sour Tart Cherry
- Petite Sour Blueberry 2016 Vintage – Mixed fermentation ale aged in oak with Washington blueberries
- Petite Sour Raspberry 2016 Vintage – Mixed fermentation ale aged in oak with Washington raspberries
- Petite Sour Rosé – 2016 Vintage – Wild ale aged in oak barrels on fruit skins
- Petite Sour Peach – Mixed fermentation ale aged in oak with Colorado Palisade peaches
- St. Bretta – Brettanomyces citrus saison
- Vieille – Artisanal barrel-aged saison lightly dry hopped
- CO Wild Sage – Brett saison brewed with lemongrass and sage
- L’Brett d’Or Vintage – Surreal Golden Sour Ale Aged in Oak Barrels
- L’Brett d’Apricot – Golden sour ale aged in oak barrels with Colorado apricots
- Raspberry Bianca WWB – A new school gose brewed with lactose and added raspberries, brewed in collaboration with Omnipollo
- Key Lime Tau – Collaboration with Hawkshead Brewery, a mixed culture fermentation brewed with lactose, fresh lime peel and lemongrass
- Progenitor – Dry hopped golden sour ale
- HopSavant – American Brettanomyces IPA
- Vieille – Artisanal barrel-aged saison lightly dry hopped
- CO WildSage – Brett saison brewed with lemongrass and sage
- Progenitor – Dry hopped golden sour ale
- Nightmare on Brett Blueberry 2015 – Dark sour ale aged in Leopold Bros whiskey barrels with Washington blueberries
- Nightmare on Brett Raspberry 2015 – Dark sour ale aged in Leopold Bros whiskey barrels with Washington Raspberries
- Ampersand Vol. 3 Ch. 1 – Golden Sour Botanical Ale, Aged in Ransom Old Tom Gin Barrels
- Ampersand Vol. 3 Ch. 2 – Burgundy Sour Ale, Aged in Ransom Rye Whiskey Barrels
- Wild Wild Brett Batch #200 – American Wild Ale Aged With Raspberries and Dry Hopped
- Surette Reserva Prunus Persica – Golden sour ale aged in oak barrels with peaches We have hand picked each Surette Reserva from unique batches that develop with indefinable complexity. Through embracing variation within our brewing seasons, each limited release is an expression of the terroir from which our fruit is sourced, the skilled stewardship of the farmers we work with, and the rustic beers we produce.
Abu Nawas drops this week: More Hubbard’s Cave and Une Annee
I’m not sure what everyone else things but Abu Nawas getting us Hubbard’s Cave beers to our market sure has been a treat! Love what these guys are doing and look forward to trying everything they release. Here’s what’s coming down the line this week from Abu Nawas:
- Hubbard’s Cave: Fresh IIPA V5 (Citra, Mosaic) 16oz CANS – While these tropical fruit bomb hops need no further description, we’d also like to note that in addition to the subtle changes to the malt bill/brew process to amplify body/sweetness we made beginning with last week’s release (V29), this is the first batch trying a different yeast strain from what we’ve been using. We won’t spoil all the surprises but just want to say we think everyone will be pleased with the results.
- Hubbard’s Cave: Fresh IIPA V30 (Chinook, Idaho 7, Simcoe) 16oz CANS – This one is another new addition to the V series, Fresh IIPA V30, but keeping with the updated malt base and yeast profile beginning with V5. Chinook and Idaho 7 in the boil (or whirlpool, rather) give this one a nice piney and lightly bitter backbone, then a bit of each along with a large charge of Simcoe in the dry-hop drives this home while also yielding a beautiful bouquet of tropical fruit.
- Hubbard’s Cave: Coco Van 16oz CANS – From the Brewery: “Last time we made this beer we added more coconut than we’ve ever used and our backs paid the price when it came time to dig out the fermenter. This time we said backs be damned and added even more! We’re left with a thick and decadent coconut bomb of an imperial stout that goes down far too smooth for 12%.” ***Very Limited***
- Hubbard’s Cave: Mocha Pot de Crème16oz CANS –From the Brewery: “This is a brand new addition to the PdC series! We were, as always, excited to team up with our friends Brian and Josh at Abacus Coffee Roasters for our coffee addition on this beer. When we told them we wanted something to pair with a thick and chocolatey lactose stout, they came back with El Salvador Red Honey Bourbon, and we couldn’t be happier with the results. Smooth, creamy, and bursting with coffee, this one lives up to its name. ***Very Limited***
- Une Annee: Framboise 16oz CANS – American Wild Ale Fermented with Raspberries. 6.5% ABV ***Now in a Snazzy 2 Pack CANS***
- Une Année Le Seul XXVI (Boysenberry)24-CANS – 2pk16oz – Another in our Le Seul series makes its debut in cans! We’ve continued blending bits of our Brett culture into each batch of Le Seul to reduce acidity and add a little complexity, but that hasn’t stopped us from adding copious amounts of fruit to them! This batch saw a heaping addition of Boysenberries yielding a mild bitterness and strong aromas/flavors of sweet, jammy fruit. ***Now in a Snazzy 2 Pack CANS***
- Une Année Le Seul XXVIII (Tangerine)24-CANS – 2pk16oz – We have a new member of the Le Seul family with LS XXVIII (Tangerine). Falling in line with our other recent Le Seul releases, this one has a subtle tartness and a light Brett profile, with a luscious Tangerine aroma which brings Sunny D and daydreams of playing outside to mind. A springtime crusher! ***Now in a Snazzy 2 Pack CANS***
Thew Brewing + Firetrucker Brewery Tap Takeover @Tin Roost set for 4/25!
Thew Brewing Company and Firetrucker Brewery will be co-hosting a tap takeover tomorrow night (4/25) at Tin Roost in North Liberty starting at 6:00! Three beers from each brewery will be available and also a Super Smash Brothers tournament will be taking place as well. Here’s more on this event:
We’re hosting a Super Smash Bros Tournament (Nintendo Switch) and Tap Takeover with Thew Brewing Company & Firetrucker Brewery on Thursday, April 25 from 6-9 pm! We’ll have 3 beers on tap from Thew and 3 beers on tap from Firetrucker – Beers TBA. We’ll have flights available too! Stop by Tin Roost to sign-up for the Tournament anytime before 4/25 – only 24 spots available, first come first served. FREE to play, we’ll have prizes to the top 3 finishers including swag from Roost and the breweries!
Beers Available:
Firetrucker Brewery:
Oakily Doakily Sour – Flanders Red
Double Mango Citra Tropical Burn Infusion – Double IPA
Buffalo Trace BA 2 Alarm Red
Copper Cat – Hard Ginger Beer w/ LimeThew Brewing Company:
Citrus Kölsch
Whatchoo Talkin’ Bout, Willis Dady? (Wheat)
Sounds Interesting (coffee chocolate blonde)
Iowa Brewing Company releasing barrel-aged In-Tents Smores Stout 5/11/19!
Some exciting news out of Cedar Rapids as Iowa Brewing Company has announced their release on “In-Tents”, a barrel-aged Smores stout. The release will come on May 11th, right before the Benz Beverage Depot beer festival. To get more info read below or check out Iowa Brewing’s event release on Facebook by clicking here:
𝗜𝗻-𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 was brewed last year to celebrate our second anniversary. A huge imperial s’mores stout with tons of pale and biscuit malt, chocolate malt, roasted barley, and graham flour for a rich full flavor with notes of cookies and a touch of char. Afterwards we rested on pure liquid cacao and a blend of Madagascar and Tahitian vanilla beans. Half of the batch was put into Four Roses barrels and a vanilla bourbon barrel to rest for (almost) a year, and finished with cocoa nibs, graham crackers and marshmallows.
Two variants will be available in 375ml bottles:
𝗕𝗔 𝗜𝗻-𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 – Aged in Four Roses bourbon barrels plus a vanilla bourbon barrel and finished with cocoa nibs, graham crackers and marshmallows.
𝗕𝗔 𝗜𝗻-𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗲 – Aged in Four Roses bourbon barrels plus a vanilla bourbon barrel and finished with cocoa nibs, graham crackers, marshmallows, and Trung Nguyen Legendee coffee.
Stop by before Benz Beerfest starts and be the first to grab a bottle, these won’t last long. Bottle shares will be allowed in line, please line up at our patio door and keep any open containers inside the patio.
Thew Brewing 1st Anniversary Party announced for 3/16!
Thew Brewing will be celebrating their 1 year anniversary on Saturday, March 16th starting at noon. They will be releasing “Darkest Corners”, a barrel aged imperial stout at 5 p.m. Check below for more details. Happy Anniversary Thew!
Celebrate our first anniversary with us!
– Bottle release of Darkest Corners, barrel-aged imperial stout at 5 p.m. $20 each, limit 2 per person
– BOGO River Kings Kölsch all day
– Imperial stout in the Randall (infuser)
– $4 full pours of all other beers on tap (does not apply to kölsch or Randall)
– Free cake while it lasts
– For each beer purchased, receive an entry for prizes (you choose which prize you want to be entered for). Drawing will be at 10 p.m., you don’t need to be present to win.We’re giving away:
* Brewmaster level Thew Crew membership (eight free beers a month for a year)
* $50 Thew Brewing gift card
* Four River Kings tickets to game of your choice
* Two field-level River Kings tickets to the April 20th game vs. Bismarck Bucks
This week from Abu Nawas: HUGE Evil Twin Drop!
Abu Nawas continues to get Iowans some delicious brews and this coming week will be no different as they will be bringing a whole bunch of new and returning Evil Twin beers to Iowa; many of them new releases so will start with those:
Evil Twin – New Releases:
*Evil Twin Learn What is to be Taken Seriously 16oz CAN – NE IPA
*Evil Twin Grand Cru 16oz CAN -21-month Maple Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout & Barley Wine Blend.
*Evil Twin Grand Cru Cuvee 16oz CAN -a double barrel-aged blend of 21-month Maple Bourbon and Marsala Wine Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout & Barley Wine Blend.Evil Twin – Draft Releases:
*Evil Twin A Man Who Does Not Love IPAs Loves Too Much – 8% Double Dry-Hopped Galaxy & Wai-iti DIPA,
*Evil Twin Key Lime Pie IPA – IPA brewed with Graham Crackers & Key Limes. 7% ABV
*Evil Twin Learn What is to be Taken Seriously
*Evil Twin Poetry is What Gets Lost in Translation brewed at Westbrook, hopped with Moteuka, Idaho 7, & Citra
*Evil Twin This Must Be Where IPAs Go To Die – Double Dry-Hopped Hazy IPA Hopped with Wai-iti, Amarillo, & Citra
*Westbrook / Evil Twin OFYMD – Piña Colada Imp Stout 12.8% ABV
*Evil Twin I Love you my Stout – Jeppe Famed Stout 12% ABVReturning Evil Twin Beers:
- Evil Twin Even More Jesus 16oz CAN
- Evil Twin Even More Pecan Jesus 16oz CAN
- Evil Twin Hazelnut Imperial Biscotti Break 16oz CAN
- Evil Twin Wet Dream 16oz CAN (Brown Ale with Kenyan Coffee!)
- Evil Twin A is Apricot 12oz CAN
- Evil Twin B is For Blueberry 16oz CAN
- Evil Twin E is For Elderberry 16oz CAN
- Evil Twin F is For Fruit Salad 16oz CAN
- Evil Twin G is For Grapefruit 16oz CAN
- Evil Twin Rhubarb Compote 16oz CAN
- I Don’t Know How to Put This but This IPA Is Kind of a Big Deal 16oz CAN
Iowa Brewing Co. Barrel Aged Oja Release Info
This coming Saturday, Dec. 22nd, Iowa Brewing Company will be releasing their Barrel-aged Oja and variants. Below are the deets for this event. Cheers!
BARREL AGED OJA RELEASE INFO
Doors open at 11am on Saturday, December 22nd.
German Chocolate Cake Oja: 375ml bottle, $13, two per person.
Rye Barrel Aged Oja: 375 ml bottle, $10 each, one per person.
Available on Draft:
German Chocolate Cake Oja – $8 6oz pour (half tulip)
Rye Barrel Aged Oja – $7 6oz pour (half tulip)Bottle shares will be allowed in line, please line up at our patio door and keep any open containers inside the patio.
Parking: There is free street parking surrounding the brewery, as well as parking ramps within walking distance. Please do not park in the YMCA parking lot across the street.
Iowa Beer Baron’s Top 10 Iowa Beers of 2018!
This is always a fun but difficult list to compile. Looking back at 2018 Iowa breweries all over the state have made some fantastic beers this year and continue to do so, as we as consumers are very lucky to have such excellent brewers in our state.
Living in Eastern Iowa it has been great to be able to get Big Grove, Lion Bridge, SingleSpeed, and Reunion in cans to go along with the great beers that are already available. I’m sure 2019 will be just as, if not better than 2018 in the year of Iowa beer.
For my list, these are beers that had to have been released in 2018. There are many that I didn’t try, so if your favorite didn’t make the list, my bad, chances are I didn’t get around to trying it. I would love to hear your favorites of 2018. All 10 of these have the chance to be awarded the most prestigious award a brewery can get: The Iowa Beer of the Year Award. GABF, eat your heart out. Beer of the Year will be awarded in my next post! Here we go:
**Big Grove Big Ed 7.8%– this one was a no doubter for me. I was stoked when they released and I’ll be stoked every time they re-release. A case or two every time for me please Big Grove. This juicy double IPA is one of Iowa’s best and is worth seeking out and is a challenger for Iowa Beer of the Year!
**Toppling Goliath Term Oil Maple Cakes – a quick trip to Decorah (which is never a bad thing) and my first trip to TG’s new spot allowed me a pour of this delicious beer. A bourbon barrel aged stout with maple. Absolutely delicious and a perfect breakfast beer!
**Pulpit Rock Seriously Bro’?6.1% – Marquee Pizza celebrated their 1 year anniversary with a terrific taplist that included two beers brewed by Pulpit Rock especially for this anniversary; one of which was Seriously Bro? a milkshake IPA. While, I’m a little behind on the milkshake IPA craze, this one was packed with orange zest and a hint of vanilla. Delicious!
**Lion Bridge Brewing Tidbits –6.7%– this beer was my summer staple. A delicious pale ale brewed with unfermented pineapple led to a tropical and refreshing beer to enjoy in the midwest heat all summer long. I hope to see this one again this summer!
**Barn Town Pink Guava Massacre – 4.6% ABV -between this and Little Drippy from Dimensional for my favorite two Iowa sours of the year. Guava in a beer just works so damn good and with this sour it was spot on. Luckily, a few places in Eastern Iowa got some bottles of this so I was able to indulge. Well done Barn Town, keep this one coming!
**Lion Bridge Spice Must Flow 8% ABV – this is the perfect beer for me in the fall and winter months in Iowa. Maple Syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg added to a black ale screams cold weather drinking! Lion Bridge added this in cans which made for an easy taste by walking my ass to the fridge.
**Pulpit Rock Koffee and Doughnuts 6.8% ABV – breakfast in glass is served. Pulpit took their Pour Over porter and added a shit load of donuts to it and you have a Koffee and Doughnuts. Hope this one pops back up again as this was delicious.
**Big Grove Richard the Whale Macaroon 10% ABV – their Richard base with the addition of toasted coconut and almonds…this beer blew me away and I couldn’t wait to get another glass. Big Grove has had an amazing year and their beers have been fantastic. This one might have topped them all though!
**Dimensional A Little Drippy – 5.5% ABV – the new kid on the block came out with a bang and has made some terrific beers and these guys are just going to keep getting better. I enjoyed every beer I had at Dimensional but A Little Drippy just hit on all cylinders. Once again guava got the taste buds and the addition of passion fruit and mango make this one damn fine sour!
**Big Grove Color TV – 7.8% ABV – a double dry hopped hazy IPA that lets the galaxy hop shine. Another winner by Big Grove and hopefully another beer that they will make again….and again. Looking forward to what these guys have in store for 2019!
