Category: iowa beer news

Lion Bridge “Barrel-Aged January” is here!

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Saturday 01/07 Release @ 11 AM

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 2023

(Imperial Stout w/ 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%)

Imperial Stout with Maple Syrup Collaboration with Illuminations Center for Enlightment in NewBo.

Aslin, Blackstack, MORE, 56 Brewing, and Mason Ale Works coming from Pequod!

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Aslin Brewing

  • Tyson’s Grandma- Pecan Pie IPA
  • Pinkies Up- %18 AVIPA
  • Master of Oranges- Dbl IPA
  • Totally Cannon- Holiday Smoothie Sour

BlackStack Brewing

  • Case of the Mondays NEIPA

MORE Brewing Co.

  • More to Life- American Lager
  • Cherry Chocolate Dbl Marbles
  • Hophorescent- TDH Hazy IPA

56 Brewing

  • Uncharted Territory- Stout
  • SSippi Squeeze- IPA

Mason Ale Works 

  • Hop Smash IPA
  • Hazy IPA
  • West Coast IPA
  • Wonky Kong IPA
  • Zombie zWhip Fruited Sour

Reunion releasing “All Gas, No Brakes” Triple IPA collab with Wake Brewing!

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Just in time for your Christmas holiday and to warm you up for this upcoming snowstorm is a triple IPA from Reunion in collaboration with Wake Brewing! The last time these two got together for a collab they made one of the better beers of the year. Get yours this weekend! Here’s more from Reunion’s Facebook page:

Fresh off the line! ALL GAS NO BRAKES is our collab Triple IPA brewed with the coven @wakebrewing. Keep your eyes out as this Nelson Sauvin and Summit hopped monster makes its way to bars and stores shelves starting this weekend.

Modist, Fair State, Blackstack, Untitled Art, 56, MORE, Aslin, and Drekker coming from Pequod!

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Modist Brewing Co.

Ritual Night– 8% Mexican dark chocolate stout brewed with roasted chocolate malts, cocoa nibs, milk sugar, Mexican vanilla beans, cinnamon & Ancho chili peppers

Teal Label– WestCoast IPA brewed with Maris Otter Pale Ale malt, kettle hopped and dry hopped with our hand-selected Columbus Cryo, Simcoe, Strata & Citra

Forbidden Canyons– New England Double IPA brewed with pale ale malted barley, malted oats, malted wheat, flaked rye. Whirlpool hopped and double dry hopped with our hand-selected blend of Mosaic, Citra, El Dorado Cryo, Ekuanot Cryo and Sabro

Aslin Brewing

  • Tyson’s Grandma- Pecan Pie IPA
  • Pinkies Up- %18 AVIPA
  • Master of Oranges- Dbl IPA
  • Totally Cannon- Holiday Smoothie Sour

BlackStack Brewing

  • Plead The Fifth- Anniversary Quad IPA 

Drekker Brewing Limited Quantities

  • Braaaains Cranberry, Cherry, Plum
  • There Will Be Prrrt
  • Mass Shadows- NEIPA
  • Creepers Pet- Cider Smoothie Sour

Fair State Coop

Mr. Falcon- Hazy IPA Barrel Theory Collab

The Get Down- Coffee Stout

Lobster Stuffed With Tacos- BA Imperial Stout Bottle Logic Collab

Hop Water– new limited NA option!

MORE Brewing Co.

  • More to Life- American Lager
  • Cherry Chocolate Dbl Marbles
  • Hophorescent- TDH Hazy IPA

56 Brewing

  • Uncharted Territory- Stout
  • SSippi Squeeze- IPA

Untitled Art Brewing

  • Orange Soft Sour
  • Cherry A La Mode

Lion Bridge “Barrel-Aged January” schedule released!

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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 

Illuminations Center for Enlightenment will be at our Taproom with a Crystal display for sale from 12-4 

WED 1/11– Home-Baked 2022 – (Imperial Stout/ Hazelnut, Cinnamon, Cacao, Vanilla, 11%) – Last year’s Vintage of Home-Baked.

WED 1/18 Royal 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)

6-9pm Blake Shaw & Nolan Schroeder LIVE MUSIC 

ALL MONTH FOOD SPECIAL!

Maple Bacon Burger

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!)

Suggested pairing Home-Baked 2023

Clock House “Peanut Panic Porter” returns today plus the debut of “Cedar Rapids Pale Ale”!

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A couple of brews hitting the tap room at Clock House Brewing today (12/9)! Peanut Panic Porter, (a personal favorite), and Cedar Rapids Pale Ale hit the tap lines! Heres’ more on these two releases:

Peanut Panic Porter: Brewed with hand crafted specialty malt from Miller Malting Co, This chocolate forward base was then complemented with 300 lbs of dry-roasted peanuts late in the boil. We later added a bed of cacao nibs to add even more chocolate goodness to this delicious treat.

Cedar Rapids Pale Ale: A traditional West Coast style Pale Ale brewed with Whole Cone Cascade hops for bittering and throughout the whirlpool. Expect this to be easy drinking with floral notes and clean bitterness.

Reunion announces “Imperial Banshee” taproom only release for December 10th!

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A perfect opportunity for you to check out Reunion’s stellar new taproom in downtown Iowa City or head back to old faithful on the Coralville strip, either way, make sure you get to one of those locations as they prepare to release “Imperial Banshee” barrel-aged stout! Here’s more on this release courtesy of Reunion’s Facebook page:

Our feared IMPERIAL BANSHEE Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout gets a dual release at both ReUnion Iowa City and the Coralville Taproom on Saturday, December 10th. This special 2022 vintage was aged for TWO YEARS in bourbon barrels. Stay tuned for more release details…

Drink These! Dimensional/Marto 300 Series!

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I haven’t done a Drink This! write up in a while and after finishing off the 2nd beer of the collab between Marto Brewing and Dimensional Brewing I thought it would be the perfect time to talk about these 2 outstanding beers.

First off, I need to thank Zach Crawford for getting me a bottle of each of these brews. There’s always that beer guy in the back of my head telling me to cellar for a while and then kick them out randomly but I don’t have the will to do so…

Here’s the release info on these two collab beers courtesy of Marto’s Facebook page:

Two beers brewed by two breweries using the same ingredients and methods, designed to be mixed together.

Ok, yes, designed to be mixed together, only I didn’t, and I loved them both. So, after I give you my break down of each beer, if did blend the two I would love to hear your thoughts. Marto 300 West first!

300 West (Marto) – this beer comes in at 12.8% aged in Rabbit Hole bourbon barrels with maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla beans. Sometimes with cinnamon added to beers I can be a bit apprehensive as it can be an overwhelming adjunct, but not with this beer. The balance was spot on and maple and barrels are a match made in heaven. Add that cinnamon spice at the end and you really have a delicious, decadent beer, perfect for this time of year!

300 East (Dimensional) – this beer comes in at 12.8% aged in Blaum Brothers bourbon barrels with peanuts, peanut butter malted milk balls, marshmallow, and vanilla. Had this post Thanksgiving meal and it was the perfect dessert! I got a bit of the peanuts/peanut butter malted milk but the star of the show in this beer was the marshmallow! Once again, the balance of the beer was wonderful. Not one dominant flavor but a sample of each adjunct hitting you at different times. Damn tasty!

Overall: I love when Iowa breweries do collabs together, and when they go big like Dimensional and Marto did here the results can be amazing like they were with this series of beers! Definitely beers you can cellar, but definitely beers that you can drink right now, wish I had a few more! Turn the house lights off, light up the Christmas trees, fireplace going, soft music in the background and Drink These beers! Cheers!