Kansas City Beer Festival Announcement

August 24, 2013Leave a comment

Just got this info to pass along any readers that might be in the Kansas City area:

I wanted to send information about a big event happening in the region that might be of interest to your readers for a weekend getaway. The Fifth Annual Kansas City Beer Festival in Kansas City, Mo., is taking place Saturday, Sept. 28 at KC Live! in the Power & Lights District located in Downtown Kansas City.

Featuring more than 60 craft beers from local, regional and other breweries around the world, the KC Beer Fest will be worth the drive and a great excuse for a weekend trip for your readers. Additionally, a portion of funds will benefit two charitable organizations, Kansas City Care Clinic and AIDS Service Foundation of Greater Kansas City.

Tickets went on sale this week, and I wanted to share the official news release for more information in case you’d like to include on upcoming regional events calendars or include a blurb in your publication.

You can view the news release athttp://powerandlightdistrict.com/index.cfm?page=news, which includes all details, but please let me know if you have questions.

Thank you for your consideration,

Kenneth Martin

Beer Review #110: Clown Shoes Brewing Genghis Pecan Pie Porter

August 14, 2013Leave a comment

The name alone sold me on this beer. I hadn’t done any research, read any reviews, got any feedback at all on this beer. I just saw it on the shelves at Benz Beverage Depot and took a shot. This was my 2nd Clown Shoes beer to try, I first had their Clementine White Ale a few years back and thought it was ok. This beer however, I had high hopes for! I pictured a nut-brown type flavor with a bit more sweetness and a little more thickness and roasted flavor to along with the porter style. Here’s the brewery description:

Our new Pecan Pie Porter no longer uses extract, but rather brown sugar and pecans roasted by friends at The Gallows in Boston. Buddy Hadry, a rep at Bella Vista in PA, gave me the name for this beer, the second Pecan beer now that he has named. Thank you, Buddy!

This beer had in past been brewed with pecan extract and recently Clown Shoes changed to using fresh roasted pecans. The beer definitely had some roasted notes and a subtle pecan and brown sugar flavor but not as much as I was hoping. Definitely not liquid pecan pie.

This was not a bad beer, just didn’t hit the expectations that I had for it. I think it could have actually been a tad sweeter and for some reason, I wanted to be blown away the flavor of the pecans and I just wasn’t. The mouthfeel was a bit too thin for me and what I like for porters. Once again, not a bad beer at all, just missed the mark in some departments for me. I think pecan is an underutilized ingredient in beer and this was just the 2nd beer I’ve had with it in beer. The Stone Woot Stout I’ve enjoyed and I know Abita Brewing and Lazy Magnolia have a pecan beer, but if any brewers are thinking have using this nut in their beer my advice would be not to skimp on the pecan! The perfect balance of malts and nuts in a beer would Rogue’s Hazelnut Brown Ale. If that can be done with pecans, I’m in!

REVIEW

STYLE: Porter

ABV: 7%

PURCHASED AT: Benz Beverage Depot; Cedar Rapids

POUR: Medium sized tan head, dark black pour.

AROMA: Roasted malts, nuts, coffee.

TASTE: Very subtle, maybe too subtle, flavor of pecans and brown sugar. A bit thin on the mouthfeel.

Ratebeer.com rating: 92

Beeradvocate raing: 85

Overall: C

My recommendation: Decent porter, but once again, a bit misleading. Was looking for a post supper dessert beer but this wasn’t one to do that.

Beer Trip: 3 Floyds Brewery; Munster, Indiana

August 6, 2013August 8, 20131 Comment

A few weeks back as my wife and I were traveling to Chicago with her brother and his future old lady, the comment of someone saying we have time to either stop and shop at an outlet mall or head to Munster, Indiana to go to 3 Floyds brewery is a definite possibility. As tears of joy sprang to my eyes, everyone was on board for the trip to the brewery. Having traveling companions that also enjoy good food and great craft beer is always a plus and makes for an even better experience. No planning whatsoever, just a trip over, so the possibility of getting a few cases of Zombie Dust was really up in the air. So often I see a Facebook message from 3 F’s saying they are sold out of Zombie Dust, so I wasn’t going in with high hopes.

3 F’s is very easy to get to, 20 minutes or so outside of Chicago, a nice easy drive from Iowa. It was around 2ish in the afternoon when we pulled in on a Friday and the amount of people heading into the brewpub was quite impressive. A line to get in to eat, a line at the beer take out-door, but never fear! Once you reach this great destination, patience is the key. You CANNOT go in and hang by the bar and order a beer, you must wait for a table or chair, then sit and they will serve. So, after putting our names down for a late lunch, we got in line to buy some brew to take home. OUT OF ZOMBIE DUST was the greeting, but that was ok because I was to make up for not getting bottles to trying in fresh on tap for the first time, and then repeating a few more times. I was able to procure a case of Gumballhead and a few random bombers of greatness (Dreadnaught, Panzer Wolf).

The brewery is very hard rock/punk concept but at the same time there were multiple tables with their kids eating as well. We got a table in about 15 minutes and then tried to decide what to eat. The menu was very unique but intriguing at the same time. The table behind us commented a few times about how great the food was so it was tough to choose. My wife and spilt the brisket tacos, pulled pork, and tator tot poutine. All were fantastic! The brisket was melt in your mouth tender, the pork with flavorful without being overly sweet, and poutine had tons of flavor. All washed down with fresh beer making it a wonderful experience. (Check out their menu here). The artwork on the way to the pisser was great and worth time to check out as well, featuring the Gumballhead cat.

With the kind of food and beer you can get, mix in a great and knowledgable wait staff, Munster is a must visit location for all craft beer lovers. 3 1/2 hours or so from Iowa City is well worth the drive. I can’t wait to go back!

Beer(s) Review #109: Deschutes Mirror Pond, Black Butte, Chainbreaker

July 17, 2013Leave a comment

Welcome to Iowa Deschutes! For the next few weeks Deschutes Brewing (www.deschutesbrewery.com) will be all over Eastern Iowa with multiple release parties. If you are in Des Moines, Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, or North Liberty check out my link here for dates and times. I was contacted by a Deschutes Rep about the events and the possibility of attending a few and they were kind enough to send a few bottles of their beers to my place to try out. So, for the first time ever you are getting a triple beer review! Hooray!

I’ve had Deschutes multiple times, enjoyed it a bunch while I was in California last summer and since they started distributing to Illinois I hit up Family Beer and Liquor for some of their products. The only special release of theirs today I’m just focusing on the beer that was sent to my doorstep. A little bit less wordy than most of my reviews, but here we go:

Mirror Pond Pale Ale
Style: Pale Ale
ABV: 5%
Ratebeer.com: 90
Beeradvocate: 88

Pale Ales seem to be getting closer and closer to just being IPAs lately. With 3 Floyds Zombie Dust and Toppling Goliath pseudoSue dominating the style and our palates, anything less just seems an afterthought. Mirror Pond however, holds its own. The citrus from the cascade hops shines through and is balanced perfectly with the malts. Maybe a bit sweet, but the bitterness from the hops is a great contrast to that. At 5%, this a perfectly sessionable pale ale and with the sweetness from the malts could make for a nice transition beer for the non-hopheads.

From the brewery:

This is base camp, where any craft brew exploration begins. A distinct hop nose and hop-forward flavor make Mirror Pond the quintessential Pale Ale. It is aromatically complex, multi-layered, and unmistakably “right.”

OVERALL: B

Brew #2:
Black Butte Porter
Style: Porter
ABV: 5.2%
Ratebeer.com: 97
Beeradvocate.com: 94
Along with the Mirror Pond this is the beer that put Deschutes on the map. A nice mix of roasted malts, coffee, chocolate. Not overally sweet, a nice balance between the bitterness and the sweetness. Maybe a bit thin on the mouthfeel, but this isn’t a stout either. A bit of tobacco on the aftertaste. This is a great, straightforward example of a terrific porter.

OVERALL: A-

From the brewery:

With a dark beer as our first and flagship brand, Black Butte defined Deschutes as a radical player. A slight hop bitterness up front enhances the distinctive chocolate and roasted finish. It’s prized for its creamy mouthfeel and intense complex flavors.

Brew #3
Chainbreaker White IPA
Style: White IPA
ABV: 5.6%
Ratebeer.com: 88
Beeradvocate.com: 83

This is a style that I haven’t been to fond of in the past, but this beer has given me a bit of hope. Take the citrus from IPA style beers, add the Belgian yeast from your favorite hefe, white ale, or saison, put them together and you get this refreshing white IPA! Neither the hops, nor the yeast overpower you. The blend is perfectly done, which makes this another sessionable brew from Deschutes.

Overall: B

From the brewery:

Brewed with wheat and pilsner malt; this IPA displays beautiful citrus aromas from Cascade and Citra hops that meld with the esters of Belgian yeast. Think thirst quenching hopped-up wit beer with enough IBUs to warrant the IPA name.

Iowa Beer Review #108: Confluence Brewing Des Moines IPA

July 8, 20132 Comments

As the state of Iowa starts getting more breweries opening up and more breweries bringing their beer from outside states in, the competition for shelf space becomes harder and harder. Luckily, there are a bunch of Iowa breweries holding their own in the craft beer world, and one of those is Confluence Brewing Company (www.confluencebrewing.com). Located in Des Moines, Confluence is right in the middle of the ever-expanding craft beer movement with the likes of Exile, Raccoon River, Court Avenue, and 515. From the brewery:

As the capital of Iowa, Des Moines constantly surprises first-time visitors with its mix of expected agrarian heritage and influences and unanticipated cosmopolitan flare. So too, with Des Moines IPA, an American take on a world beer: India Pale Ale (IPA). Iowa’s steady, well balanced nature is reflected in this IPA with its mix of medium body, lighter color and plenty of malt flavor to balance the massive hop impact. Citrusy and piney hops from the Pacific Northwest offset the robust malt flavor of the two-row barley and medium crystal malts. Des Moines IPA proudly represents the Hawkeye State in the category of American IPA, a favorite of beer connoisseurs all across the country.

As I finished my shopping at the downtown Cedar Rapids farmer’s market, I decided to hit up Benz Beverage Depot to grab a few brews. As much as I would love to see Confluence come in six packs, I think the quart bottles kick ass. A unique, refreshing look that stands out on the shelves, and that is what sucked me in.

I’ve heard mention of their Des Moines IPA from people of twitter and facebook, so that’s what I decided my first Confluence beer would be. Upon returning back home, I sat on my deck, opened up the quart jug and shared with my brother-in-law. Not knowing what to expect, the first impression that I got was the tropical fruit aroma that made way into the wonderful bitter, pineapple taste. The quart didn’t last long, and we both were really impressed at the balance and drinkability this beer presented.

I haven’t had any other offerings from Confluence yet, but if their IPA is a sign of their other offerings, I think it’s safe to say that this brewery can be a major playing the craft beer game, I’m just trying to figure out a time to visit the brewery to see what else they have in store. Awesome beer as the Hawkeye state slowly continues to find its niche in the craft beer world! Find this beer and enjoy!

REVIEW

STYLE: IPA

ABV: 6.8%

PURCHASED AT: Benz Beverage Depot; Cedar Rapids

POUR: Hazy yellow, thick white head

AROMA: Tropical fruit aroma is clear, as well as the hop presence.

TASTE: Pineapple shines and is rounded out nicely by the hops and malts.

Ratebeer.com rating: 81

Beeradvocate raing: N/A

Overall: B+

My recommendation: Very impressive offering and happy that this is an Iowa brewed beer. Get out and buy a quart, support the state, and get yourself a fantastic beer!

Beer Review #107: Goose Island Sofie Paradisi

July 2, 2013Leave a comment

When AB-InBev bought Goose Island a few years back, I vowed to stay away from their beers solely on the basis of any trying to support craft breweries. It hasn’t been all that difficult to do, except for the occasional Bourbon County Stout, Matilda, or Sofie. But now, after trying Sofie Paradisi, the task may prove to be more daunting than originally thought.

I know many of you will scoff at the idea of not drinking Goose Island just because InBev owns it now, and that’s fine, to each his own. But when a beer gets this much pub and chatter about it, you just have to get your hands on it. Well, I wasn’t able to find this beer anywhere in Iowa, but on a recent trip up north to Madison my wife and I stopped and ate at the Craftsman Table and Tap (http://www.craftsmantableandtap.com/) in Middleton, WI. A really great beer menu to go along with some fantastic food (I recommend the pulled brisket sandwich and a side order of cheese curds) my eyes darted right to where the listing for Sofie Paradisi was. YES! Finally!

The difference between Goose Island Sofie and Goose Island Sofie Paradisi uses grapefruit instead of orange peel. The grapefruit is definitely in the nose along with the earthiness that accompanies a saison style brew. Along with grapefruit rind you get yeast, grassiness, and a little hop bitterness. Overall, a highly drinkable beer. More from the brewery:

60% Ale Aged in barrels with grapefruit rind and juice, 40% Ale (Base Sofie)

Now the question is…which one is better? If you’ve had both feel free to cast your vote below. I’m still up in the air, I would love to have Paradisi a few more times before giving my final verdict.

REVIEW

Style: Fruit Beer/Saison

ABV: 6.7%

Purchased at: Craftsman Table and Tap; Middleton, WI

Pour: Golden pour with a thick pillowy head.

Aroma: Yeast, grapefruit, earthiness

Flavor: A bit of oak, grapefruit, yeast, a bit peppery

Ratebeer.com rating: 97

Beeradvocate rating: 95

Overall: A-

My recommendation: A perfect summer beer. Really would love to get my hands on a few bottles of this. Terrific brew!

Iowa Beer Review #106: Great River Dirty Blonde

June 25, 20131 Comment

Keeping the theme of Iowa beers this week, we move on down the Mississippi to Davenport, IA to review a brew from Great River Brewing Company (www.greatriverbrewery.com). One of their beers is already a mainstay in my fridge and that is the Redband Coffee Stout which packs a huge coffee punch and is also remarkably smooth, but we are going to focus on one of their newer releases, their Dirty Blonde Chocolate Ale.

When one thinks of chocolatey beers, you go right into stouts and porters, but with this brew, you are getting a lighter beer with subtle hints of chocolate. The six-pack design is poised to sell just from looks alone but if you are a beer drinker who is in to pilsners, blondes, or even mass-produced BMC, this might be a perfect companion to your summer days/nights.

You got a faint hint of bittersweet chocolate on the nose once the can is cracked. The first sip is where you get the chocolate, and if you forgot their would be chocolate in this blonde ale, this first sip might take you aback a bit. After the first chocolate flavor, the subtleness and refreshing qualities of a blonde ale took over. It was easy to put down a six-pack of this and I’m looking forward to grabbing another one of these off the shelves.

Like the Peace Tree Sidekick Kolsch, this isn’t going to be a beer that knocks your socks off like some Imperial IPAs or barrel aged stouts, or anything like that. It’s just an easy drinking, perfect for the summer months, unique blonde ale that anyone can enjoy.

REVIEW

Style: Blonde ale

ABV: ?

Purchased at: Hy-Vee; Marion, IA

Pour: Light yellow pour, drank from the can or pour.

Aroma: Nice smell of chocolate initially.

Flavor: Chocolate flavor right away and then mellows into a nice blonde.

Ratebeer.com rating: 32

Beeradvocate.com rating: 85

Overall: C+

My recommendation: Very enjoyable and unique. If you want something easy drinking this is a great choice.

Iowa Beer Review #105: Peace Tree Sidekick Kolsch

June 12, 20131 Comment

Looking for that beer that you grab out of your fridge in the garage after doing some yard work? Or a brew to grab and then sit in your lawn chair and listen to a ball game on the radio? Or just a nice, crisp, refreshing Iowa brewed beer that hits the spot in any situation? Well, look no further than Peace Tree Brewing’s Sidekick Kolsch (www.peacetreebrewing.com). When drinking a Kolsch style brew you should be light fruit flavor, minimal hop presence, slight bitter and dry finish to the beer, and Sidekick does is a very strong representation of this style.

Toppling Goliath Kentucky Brunch Release Review

June 5, 2013Leave a comment

Toppling Goliath is making me want to pack up and move to Decorah, IA! After another great event and fun-filled weekend in Decorah, it’s pretty safe to say that Toppling Goliath (www.tgbrews.com) is becoming a midwest power in craft beer. Along with being able to hit up the brewery a couple of times, my wife and I got to spend an evening in Decorah checking out local businesses and eating some really good food.

We rolled into Decorah around 5 p.m. and I was just itching for a TG brew, so we headed right to the brewery with the intention of only having 1 beer and then grabbing a bite to eat. Well, after a pseudoSue for me and a rover truck for my wife, I went back to the bar and was going to buy some bombers of Sue, when all of a sudden I saw!…… a beautiful tap handle that can make your mouth water and your legs quiver….that’s right, Mornin’ Delight was just getting tapped! Now, the intent was to have one a go, but when you see something this rare and delicious being tapped in front of you, you must stay and enjoy….. so we did. The deliciousness of this beer has not been overstated at all; breakfast in a bottle folks, all the elements.

When we finally left the taproom we checked into our hotel, Hotel Winneshiek. (www.hotelwinn.com) My wife had read something about the best cook in Decorah being at a restaurant called La Rana. We had a really great meal there and they also had Toppling Goliath on tap. Highly recommend checking this place out on your next visit to Decorah as the burger was phenomenal!

In the morning, we had breakfast at T-Bocks which really impressed me because of them using local eggs, cheese, and meat. Really enjoyable breakfast, and we actually went back for lunch. My one complaint, if I have any, is that they don’t make their own ranch dressing, it’s hidden valley, but oh well.

We were also able to check out the co-op downtown which was really impressive! Great food options and also not a bad beer selection either.

Anyway, we got to the brewery for the Kentucky Brunch release at 7:45 and the people! OH THE PEOPLE! I couldn’t believe the amount for an 8:00 a.m opening! It just goes to show when you have a class act for a business the people are going to flock to you. I got sticker #12o something, and was hoping to get a taste of the Kentucky Brunch, but they were calling out by numbers and only got to the 90s before the keg went dry. Damn! Lesson learned though, get their earlier! As we waited we enjoyed some great brews, talked with some great people, and just enjoyed the day. As we got in line to get our beer it was great to see Clark from Toppling Goliath personally greeting everyone as they left. People from St. Louis, Minneapolis, Indiana, etc. had made the trek for this beer and I am very grateful I was able to get my hands on one!

If you are a craft beer lover, you have to take some time this summer and get to Decorah, the craft beer capital of Iowa!

Sierra Nevada Hoptimum has Arrived…..Finally!!

June 4, 20131 Comment

It seem I’ve been waiting on this beer to hit our shelves for a while now, and according to John’s Grocery’s facebook page, Sierra Nevada Hoptimum is currently in stock on their shelves. Along with Founder’s Devil Dancer, these two have made it a nice week of hops for Eastern Iowa hopheads. Enjoy the brew!

Sierra Nevada Hoptimum:
Ratebeer.com: 100/100
Beeradvocate: 93/100

From the brewery:

A group of hop-heads and publicans challenged our Beer Camp (#19) brewers to push the extremes of whole-cone hop brewing. The result is this: a 100 IBU, whole-cone hurricane of flavor. Simply put- Hoptimum: the biggest whole-cone IPA we have ever produced. Aggressively hopped, dry-hopped and torpedoed with our exclusive new hop varieties for ultra-intense flavors and aromas.

Hops, hops and more hops are the stars of this big, whole-cone Imperial IPA. Resinous ‘new-school’ and exclusive hop varieties carry the bold and aromatic nose. The flavor follows the aroma with layers of aggressive hoppiness, featuring notes of grapefruit rind, rose, lilac, cedar and tropical fruit – all culminating in a dry and lasting finish.

Beer specs:
ABV: 10.4%
Original Gravity: 22.8 Plato
Final Gravity: 4.5 Plato
Bitterness Units: 100 IBU
Color: Orange Amber
Bittering Hops: German Magnum
Aroma Hops: Simcoe & New Proprietary Variety
Dry Hops: Simcoe & New Proprietary Variety
Torpedo Hops: Citra & Chinook
Malts: Two-row Pale, Golden Promise, Munich & Wheat
Yeast: Ale