This past weekend my wife and I needed to satisfy our sushi fix and so we hit up Konomi (http://konomigrill.com/) which is located in the Iowa River Landing development down by the new Marriott in Coralville. My favorite place for sushi, the whole area down there is actually very nice. After enjoying a bunch of sushi, this was our opportunity to finally get to Backpocket Brewery. I’ve been wanting to head over to this place since it opened and we finally got the chance. I’ve had Backpocket’s (http://www.backpocketbrewing.com/) dunkel a few times and really enjoyed it.

Upon walking in the door you are greeted by the hostess but the first thing I noticed was how nice the bar was and how busy the place was. I was happy to see that they let the place open; they didn’t try to hide the vats or the brewing supplies, in fact, I thought their picnic table area was cool for those who didn’t need a table or want to sit at the bar. You got actually sit at a picnic table right in the warehouse. They had four of their own on tap: Their Pennywhistle is a Bavarian wheat and I saw a lot of those being poured throughout the night, their Jackknife which is a German pale ale, their Wooden Nickel which is a Scottish lager, but the winner of the night for me was their stout called “The Second Coming”. A really nice stout with tons of roasted malt flavor. Among the beers brewed by the brewery they also had Green Flash Hop Head Red, Schlafly raspberry hefe, and one that escapes me at the moment.

We didn’t intend on eating their but after looking through the menu we decided on the beer cheese served with toasted bread. A great appetizer that paired well with the beer. We watched a little playoff baseball and enjoyed a few more brews, I intended to try all of their beers, but was really digging the stout so I stuck with it. After seeing their brick oven pizzas coming out, and noticing their special was an “au jus roast beef, garlic mashed potato, with horseradish sour cream sauce” as their special of the week, there was no way I couldn’t order it; right? The pizza was absolutely terrific, their crust is up there with some of the best I’ve had.

Talking with many beer people I know I get the feeling that Backpocket has not taken a hold of them yet because of their beer style selections. There is no pale ale, porter, or even the popular IPA there yet. My advice, give it time. This facility is gorgeous and I get the feeling they are determined to make the greatest beer around and I believe that in time this will happen. They are sticking with their roots from Old Main River Brewing……for now. I enjoy their dunkel and I really enjoyed their stout, they’re not a beer that you would put in your top 5 but they are all very drinkable and overall good. The overall experience at Backpocket has me yearning to get there as soon as possible. Great to have this place 20 minutes from my home! Check it out!

My wife and I recently returned from a trip to Kansas City, MO area where we stayed with some friends down there who I will refer to as Big Nuts and Moonbeam. While the trip wasn’t set out to be all about beer, but more of a nice, much-needed break, it turned out be a fantastic beer and food experience!

*Friday – The Flying Saucer – Kansas City MO http://www.beerknurd.com/stores/kansascity/

*Saturday – Pork N Pit (during Iowa football game) Sat. Night – Stuey McBrews http://www.stueymcbrews.com/

FRIDAY
When we arrived and Big Nuts and Moonbeam knew the perfect place to take us. The Flying Saucer is a place I’ve read about a few times in various beer magazines and websites and sounded like the perfect place for the weekend to begin….. and it did not disappoint. We started the evening with a few appetizers; the Rocket Tots, which are tater tots with peppers in them served with a side of chipotle sour cream. Sounds basic, but it was awesome! Along with that we had two giant soft pretzels served with a cheese sauce on the side. These weren’t your everyday pretzels, giant, soft, and chewy, a fantastic companion to a nice cold beer. One thing that the Flying Saucer does well is rotate seasonals into their massive beer lineup. I was excited to see Southern Tier Pumpking on tap and started off with that. Great pairing with the pretzel and tots.
Main course: I actually ordered the “Hungry Farmer” which was essentially a charcuterie plate. I went with the peppered salami, prosciutto, and a cheddar with chives in it. This was served with crackers and a mini loaf of fresh-baked french bread. I paired this with Lagunitas IPA and I honestly think I reached a moment of zen! The peppered salami was something I would go back to again; my wife got the Sheboygan side by side; which is two beer brats with kraut and spicy mustard. Great stuff! Would really love to see a german-inspired menu hit the CR/IC spot sometime.

SATURDAY
Iowa football game day. Nervous early and the game didn’t help, Hawks didn’t seem to play that great but to help matters we ordered some BBQ from a local joint in Lee’s Summit. The Pork N Pit, according to Big Nuts, has been around for a couple of years and seems to have a good following. I ordered something a bit different from my usual pulled pork sandwich. I ordered, for the first time in my life, the burnt ends and the smoked beef sausage. Besides marrying my wife this is the greatest decision I’ve ever made! Burnt ends are so amazing, words cannot describe, and I won’t try..you just need to order them sometime. If you don’t like them at the place you order them, then the place is shit hole and you need to find another. The smoked beef sausage was also amazing; juicy, smokey, and the perfect amount of fattiness to go along with a Boulevard Bob’s 47 Octoberfest brew. Their fries are also great; perfect amount of salt, excellent stuff. And I have to mention the smokey baked beans; they add pulled pork into the mix…wonderful! So, drinking during the game and eating copious amounts of bbq would make you lay down and take a nap, nope!! Let’s head out for some wings and tacos…onto Stuey McBrews!!  http://www.stueymcbrews.com/

I will say, walking into the place it looks like a college bar/pool hall. The atmosphere is not something I would correlate with a place that has amazing food, but this was some of, if not the best bar food I’ve ever had. The menu is huge, with wings, tacos, sandwiches aplenty. It took me a while to decide what we wanted since the menu has over 30 different styles of winds, 20 some different tacos, it was overwhelming. We decided to get 10 of the Bar-a-cha-cha wings, which are hot thai honey and BBQ wings. Big Nuts and Moonbeam ordered the award-winning Adobe, and they get them charred and double dipped! Awesome stuff! We also had the Jalapenoroll, which was egg roll stuffed with cream cheese, sour cream, pepper jack, and parmesan, and some bacon and fresh ranch dipping sauce; tremendous! The beer selection was small but still had the local go-to which is Boulevard and I was very happy to see Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale and Deschutes Black Butte Porter on tap. We also decided to order “The Real McCoi Spicy Fish Tacos” which were a fish taco topped with asian slaw and asian vegetables. Think, stir fry mixed with a taco. Great stuff! Add a game of darts to the mix and it was the perfect evening! 

My wife and I recently returned from a trip to Kansas City, MO area where we stayed with some friends down there who I will refer to as Big Nuts and Moonbeam. While the trip wasn’t set out to be all about beer, but more of a nice, much-needed break, it turned out be a fantastic beer and food experience!

*Friday – The Flying Saucer – Kansas City MO http://www.beerknurd.com/stores/kansascity/

*Saturday – Pork N Pit (during Iowa football game) Sat. Night – Stuey McBrews http://www.stueymcbrews.com/

FRIDAY
When we arrived and Big Nuts and Moonbeam knew the perfect place to take us. The Flying Saucer is a place I’ve read about a few times in various beer magazines and websites and sounded like the perfect place for the weekend to begin….. and it did not disappoint. We started the evening with a few appetizers; the Rocket Tots, which are tater tots with peppers in them served with a side of chipotle sour cream. Sounds basic, but it was awesome! Along with that we had two giant soft pretzels served with a cheese sauce on the side. These weren’t your everyday pretzels, giant, soft, and chewy, a fantastic companion to a nice cold beer. One thing that the Flying Saucer does well is rotate seasonals into their massive beer lineup. I was excited to see Southern Tier Pumpking on tap and started off with that. Great pairing with the pretzel and tots.
Main course: I actually ordered the “Hungry Farmer” which was essentially a charcuterie plate. I went with the peppered salami, prosciutto, and a cheddar with chives in it. This was served with crackers and a mini loaf of fresh-baked french bread. I paired this with Lagunitas IPA and I honestly think I reached a moment of zen! The peppered salami was something I would go back to again; my wife got the Sheboygan side by side; which is two beer brats with kraut and spicy mustard. Great stuff! Would really love to see a german-inspired menu hit the CR/IC spot sometime.

SATURDAY
Iowa football game day. Nervous early and the game didn’t help, Hawks didn’t seem to play that great but to help matters we ordered some BBQ from a local joint in Lee’s Summit. The Pork N Pit, according to Big Nuts, has been around for a couple of years and seems to have a good following. I ordered something a bit different from my usual pulled pork sandwich. I ordered, for the first time in my life, the burnt ends and the smoked beef sausage. Besides marrying my wife this is the greatest decision I’ve ever made! Burnt ends are so amazing, words cannot describe, and I won’t try..you just need to order them sometime. If you don’t like them at the place you order them, then the place is shit hole and you need to find another. The smoked beef sausage was also amazing; juicy, smokey, and the perfect amount of fattiness to go along with a Boulevard Bob’s 47 Octoberfest brew. Their fries are also great; perfect amount of salt, excellent stuff. And I have to mention the smokey baked beans; they add pulled pork into the mix…wonderful! So, drinking during the game and eating copious amounts of bbq would make you lay down and take a nap, nope!! Let’s head out for some wings and tacos…onto Stuey McBrews!!  http://www.stueymcbrews.com/

I will say, walking into the place it looks like a college bar/pool hall. The atmosphere is not something I would correlate with a place that has amazing food, but this was some of, if not the best bar food I’ve ever had. The menu is huge, with wings, tacos, sandwiches aplenty. It took me a while to decide what we wanted since the menu has over 30 different styles of winds, 20 some different tacos, it was overwhelming. We decided to get 10 of the Bar-a-cha-cha wings, which are hot thai honey and BBQ wings. Big Nuts and Moonbeam ordered the award-winning Adobe, and they get them charred and double dipped! Awesome stuff! We also had the Jalapenoroll, which was egg roll stuffed with cream cheese, sour cream, pepper jack, and parmesan, and some bacon and fresh ranch dipping sauce; tremendous! The beer selection was small but still had the local go-to which is Boulevard and I was very happy to see Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale and Deschutes Black Butte Porter on tap. We also decided to order “The Real McCoi Spicy Fish Tacos” which were a fish taco topped with asian slaw and asian vegetables. Think, stir fry mixed with a taco. Great stuff! Add a game of darts to the mix and it was the perfect evening! 

As I finished my 10K race for the Ronald McDonald house this past Sunday in Iowa City in a dead-heat to claim first place, barely being inched out by a Kenyan who won the Boston marathon two years ago, I could only think of one thing…..Where can I get a beer after this?

Of course I’m lying, I didn’t do a 10K, I did a 5K, and I didn’t run one second of that 5K. Not sure if there was a Kenyan involved, didn’t mean to stereotype, but it was a nice leisurely stroll through some cool neighborhoods in Iowa City, but my good deed was done, and I think I earned myself a cold brew. My wife and I walked the 5K with her brother and his lady friend and they suggested we hit up Stella for a quick bite to eat afterwards. After all, it was only 10 in the morning, and we were pretty hungry and also looking for an excuse to have a drink.

For those not aware, Stella restaurant is what used to be Melorse Market, very close to Kinnick stadium in Iowa City. Walking in, the first thing I noticed was the great tap selection of beers they had. All from Iowa, nothing else. The decor of the restaurant was great but we decided to enjoy their patio. I had intended on a bloody mary, but seeing Toppling Goliath Golden Nugget on tap changed my mind really quick. This is a must try beer, and my vote for the best beer in Iowa. We didn’t plan on shoveling our faces too much so my wife and I shared a breakfast sandwich, and I also noticed they made their own sausage patties there.

The sandwich was great and refreshing with avocado on it and the sausage patties were spicy with just the right amount of sage in them, hardly any grease whatsoever. Before we left I made the comment that I could have sat there forever because along with a few Toppling Goliath brews, they also had Peace Tree Hop Wrangler, Great River Stout and Pale Ale, Millstream John’s Generation white ale, and many more. Would like to back again very soon!

Restaurant Review by sLIM: Raccoon River Brewing Company, Downtown Des Moines, IA
A restaurant/brewpub I talked about going to ever since I had moved out to the Des Moines area was Raccoon River. It’s just never seemed to work out that we made it down there to check out their offerings. It’s slightly off the beaten path. Most of the damage in downtown DM gets done in the Court Avenue District around 3rd and 4th street. Raccoon River is on 10th which is a bit of a walk from there. But sLIM decided enough was enough and piled in to his VW and set course for the fairly young (est. 1997) but buzz-worthy brewpub known as the Raccoon River Brewing Company.
I was not disappointed. A dimly lit and elegant setting greeted me upon entering.  It reminded me a little of Court Ave Brewing Co but the main dining area was more open and had a bar area immediately where you walk in and right up the stairs. The expansive 2nd floor area is what caught my attention and sold me over. This is a place that values serving good food and brews but also provides a cool hangout where you and your buddies can lounge even if you’re not necessarily out for a nice meal. Upstairs, they provide several high quality billiards tables and seating which is perfect if you’re looking for a more chill environment.  Sometimes at nice places like this, I feel pressured to order a ton of things and spend a lot. Not the case here.
Onto the brews: the first I tried was their Chocolate Porter. The name escapes me, but maybe that’s because it wasn’t anything special to begin with. Not a bad brew, still very drinkable, but I didn’t get any aroma or hint of chocolate. Perhaps it was just a bad batch, I would consider trying it again but it was a little disappointing.  The next I tried was their Bandit IPA. The bartender informed me this was their most popular along with their Homestead Red, which I did not get around to trying. Bandit more than made up for the Porter. Very hoppy and contained a high ABV that gave it a little extra kick. Solid IPA, overall.  Ole’ Slim could have kicked back and slammed these all night but he didn’t want to wake up all sluggish and shitty come the next morning.
Finally the food, I didn’t bring my full appetite but I had to at least try an appetizer.  They had some unique but affordable dishes that you can check out on their website (http://www.raccoonbrew.com/), but I settled on the Bean and Corn Fritters. At fist look, they just appeared to be glorified hush puppies. If I want hush puppies, I won’t come to RRBC, I’ll just zip down the road to the Long John Silver’s on Douglas thank you very much! But I was pleasantly surprised, the fritters were money! Very tasty and they came with a jalapeno dipping sauce which complemented them nicely.
Raccoon River is a winner in my book. I was only there for a little over an hour but enjoyed myself quite a bit and I’ll be back. They cater to just about anything you’re looking for in a night out. The location allows for a more sophisticated crowd that wasn’t debating between there and Buffalo Wild Wings for their evening eating options. I didn’t used to say this, but now I’m convinced that a trip to downtown DM is not complete without a stop to RRBC…Cheers!