Ever since 1993, February as been designated “Stout” month. What better way to celebrate the end of January than by cracking a bottle/can of your favorite roasty stout? There are so many great stouts to choose from in our great state, but here’s what I’ll be sipping on this month…plus any others I may cross paths with!
**Lion Bridge Percussive Maintenance** – the perfect beer to pop open during February. I was lucky enough to procure a few bottles and also has this decadent baby on tap. One of the best beers in the state in my opinion. 12% can be scary, but it’s extremely well hidden. Sip on this one and relish it, maybe share it, but make sure you are sharing with someone worthy of this brew.
**Singlespeed Tip the Cow** – sometimes we take for granted those things that are readily available to us. Tip the Cow happens to be one of those beers, You can find it in almost any grocery store in the area and also happens to be a fantastic stout. Coffee and chocolate and I think I’ll have at least two of these!
**Big Grove Richard the Whale** – another harder to get beer that you can’t just pick up at your local grocery store…BUT…this baby is currently on tap at my local watering hole, Chameleon’s Pub and Grub in Mount Vernon, and once I drink that dry I still have a few bottles stashed in the cellar. If you were lucky enough to attend Richard Day, you probably have some variants to drink as well….LUCKY!
**Backpocket Cookie Junkie** – when I first saw this can I thought for sure this beer would be too sweet, but the balance of the peanut butter and the 175 pounds of sandwich cookies was perfect at not cloying at all. After a big winter feast, this is going to be my dessert!
**Clock House Pet Elephant** – the new kid to the party. Just released last weekend. This is an end of nighter, nightcap, grand finale beer. 14% is frightening, and when you finish that last sip it may seem at the moment you could handle another….hold tight….save that next bottle for another evening…get the fireplace going, turn on some Lord Huron lightly in the background, and savor every last drop of this nutter butter filled brew.
There they are! Those 5 for sure and hopefully some more stouts I run into along the way. What stout are you drinking this month and what else do I need to try? Cheers to Stout Month!
Tip the Cow day approaches! This Saturday (1/14) in Waterloo, hit up SingleSpeed Brewing Company to get your hands and tastebuds on some excellent brews! Here’s what is releasing this Saturday:
Roll call: Saturday’s 𝘩𝘺𝘱𝘦𝘳-𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 Tip the Cow Day releases.
ꜱᴀᴄʀᴇᴅ (11.4% ABV): The intensity level of the distinctive barrel character is elevated beyond anything we have presented in a release before, creating a flavor ride filled with immense depth and personality. Waterloo (Draft) Exclusive.
ᴛᴡᴏ ᴄᴏᴡꜱ (10.9% ABV): The journey to the barrel had worn on our beloved cow friends. Both arrived weary from the travel. Once they reached their destination, they settled in for an extended oak-rest. A full year later, just in time for the day created in their honor, they are awake, they are refreshed, and they are ready to visit your palate. Available on tap and in bottles at our Waterloo Taproom + on tap in our Cedar Falls Taproom.
ᴄᴏᴄᴏɴᴜᴛ ᴍɪɢʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ (7.4% ABV): If you like Piña Coladas, and/or getting caught in the rain, you’re gonna be feeling this beer. Available on tap at both locations, limited can quantity available at our Waterloo Taproom.
The key to not missing out on these three? This Saturday, January 14. 11am at our Waterloo Taproom. Be there.
A bid day in Cedar Falls approaches as SingleSpeed Brewing has announced the date for their popular “Zach’s Mexican Donuts Day”! There are 3 tiers available for purchase so make sure you read carefully and the link to the tickets follows the descriptions. Here’s more courtesy of SingleSpeed:
Imagine Coco on the TVs, while you listen to Live Bossa Nova Music, with a beer in one hand and a donut in the other. Now envision kicking off your Saturday with access to hyper-limited beer and custom donut holes on top of that… Welcome to ZMD DAY 2022.
This will be a ticket holder only event from 9:00AM-11:00AM. You will have access to Hyper-Limited releases of Barrel-Aged Double Donuts, Blueberry Streusel (Fruited Pastry Sour), alongside Zach’s Mexican Donuts! __________________________________
TICKET DETAILS:
Tier #1: The Donut Hole || $15
– Early access to Zach’s Mexican Donuts Day
-(1) Set of 4 one-of-a-kind Commemorative ZMD DAY 2022 Coasters
-(1) Commemorative ZMD Day 2022 Glass filled w/ the ZMD Day Beer of your choosing
– Donut Hole / Beer Pairing for the limited releases courtesy of Icon Donuts
– Access to the hyper-limited draft options: Barrel Aged Double Donuts & Blueberry Streusel Sour
– Live music by Marcus DeJesus
-—————————————
Tier #2: The Cake Donut || $35
– Early access to Zach’s Mexican Donuts Day
-(1) 500ml bottle of Double Donuts – 2022 (Barrel-Aged)
-(1) Set of 4 one-of-a-kind Commemorative ZMD DAY 2022 Coasters
-(1) Commemorative ZMD Day 2022 Glass filled w/ the ZMD Day Beer of your choosing
– Donut Hole / Beer Pairing for the limited releases courtesy of Icon Donuts
– Access to the hyper-limited draft options: Barrel Aged Double Donuts & Blueberry Streusel Sour
– Live music by Marcus DeJesus
-—————————————
Tier #3: The Ultimate Fritter || $55
– Early access to Zach’s Mexican Donuts Day
-(1) 500ml bottle of Double Donuts – 2021 (Barrel-Aged)
-(1) 500ml bottle of Double Donuts – 2022 (Barrel-Aged)
-(1) Set of 4 one-of-a-kind Commemorative ZMD DAY 2022 Coasters
-(1) Super Cool Commemorative ZMD Day 2022 Glass filled w/ the ZMD Day Beer of your choosing
– Donut Hole / Beer Pairing for the limited releases courtesy of Icon Donuts
– Access to the hyper-limited draft options: Barrel Aged Double Donuts & Blueberry Streusel Sour
– Live music by Marcus DeJesus
-—————————————
**Doors will open back up to the public at 11:00AM, in which you may (are encouraged to) stay for The Diplomats playing from 11:00AM-2:00PM, and, of course, more food and beer!**Get your tickets by clicking the following link:
Courtesy of SingleSpeed’s Facebook page, here’s what the brewery has in store for Saturday’s event!
•𝐒𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝 – Double Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Milk Stout (11.4% ABV).Twice the barrels, twice the fun. First, 12 months in Cedar Ridge Bourbon Barrels. Second, 3 months in Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Bourbon Barrels. •𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐 – Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Milk Stout (10.9% ABV).Two cows walked into a barrel 12 months ago… and finally, they awakened. •𝐓𝐢𝐩 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐰 ‘𝐕𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐧’ – Milk Stout (6.2% ABV).All of the cocoa and espresso goodness you’ve grown to love in Tip the Cow, with an extra layer of decadence .•𝐓𝐢𝐩 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐟 – Session Milk Stout (4.5% ABV).2x GABF ‘Session Beer’ medalist… What more do you need to know?
Might want to get to Waterloo this weekend! Cheers!
What a year it has been! With all that is going on our local breweries still put out a ton of amazing beers and this was the toughest “Top 10” I’ve had to come up with. As the year winds down, a heartfelt thank you to all the brewery/restaurant workers out there working their butts off to get us excellent beers and delicious food while trying to keep their businesses afloat. Keep supporting local people!
List criteria: *Beer must have been released in 2020 *Iowa brewed only *Annual releases not counted unless a new adjunct was added to the beer
I know that I’ve missed many, my goal in 2020 was to get to as many Iowa breweries as possible and I was able to get to many that I hadn’t been before and hopefully that trend continues in 2021. After you read my list I would love to hear what your Top 10 is this year! Follow me on twitter @iabeerbaron or join the Iowa Beer page on Facebook. Cheers to you all!
*Richard the Whale Vietnamese Coconut Coffee – 12.5% – the last few years of the Richard release, the golden ticket addition has added excitement but also even more creativity from the BG brewers and crew to up the ante every year to produce an amazing beer and this year was no different. The balance between the coffee and coconut blends perfectly with barrel and the vanilla rounds it out perfectly. A truly decadent and delicious beer. To quote Virginia Madsen from “Sideways”, “You know, the day you open a Richard the Whale Vietnamese Coconut Coffee….that’s the special occasion”.
Big Grove Richard the Whale Vietnamese Coconut Coffee
*Lion Bridge Off Grid – 6.6% – there may not be a better beer to showcase the trying year many people have faced in 2020. Off Grid was brewed after the derecho storm left many in the Cedar Rapids area without power, shelter, etc. Brewing with generator power, not only did Lion Bridge get beer to us, they gave us one of the best IPAs brewed in Iowa in 2020 and I hope we get a taste of it again in 2021….minus the derecho.
Lion Bridge Off Grid
*Barn Town Nelson Sauvin Neon – 6.5% – as Barn Town’s Neon is becoming more available in Eastern Iowa, it has certainly taken its place amongst my ever revolving beer fridge as a staple. However, Barn Town decided to showcase different hops in their popular IPA and after tasting Nelson Sauvin Neon, dare I say I want more of this version? I love Nelson hops and the addition of this adds a nice peppery finish to an already delicious citrus IPA.
*Lua Algorithm – 4% ABV – trips to Des Moines in the last year certainly have been more common to get some to go beers from many of the breweries in that area and one certain stop has been Lua. Lua’s lineup of beers range from wonderful pilsners, hoppy IPAs, BA stouts, and one their extremely popular Pushpop lineup of brews! There were many that I really enjoyed but Algorithm was the one that stood out to me most. The combo of orange, mango and peaches can be enjoyed any time of the day! Lua is currently doing curbside only for the foreseeable future so make sure you place an order with them and pick up some amazing beer and food!
*Clock House Peanut Panic Porter – 5.5% – Clock House has had an amazing year with their beer releases and with the addition of a canning line they can get us our favorites more efficiently and timely. Of all the beers I’ve had of theirs this year, (I think I’ve had them all), their Peanut Panic Porter stood out. I’m a huge porter fan, Founders Porter is still one of my all-time favorite beers, and when Clock House added peanuts to this beer I was sold. Now, this isn’t a overly sweet “peanut butter” beer, this is boiled raw peanuts and some added cocoa nibs making this one of the best porters I’ve had and definitely the best peanut porter I’ve ever had. Still on tap I believe, give it a shot!
*Big Grove HDTV – 9.2% – galaxy hops gone mad! Big Grove took their popular Color TV and added a bunch more galaxy hops to it to give us this baby! A wonderful welcome addition to Richard the Whale day, HDTV is not only delicious, but it’s deceptively drinkable coming in at 9.2%. You still may be able to find cans of this in the wild or certain bars (Club 76 has it on tap).
Big Grove HDTV
*Single Speed Barrel-Aged Double Donuts – 10% – aged in Cedar Ridge single malt whiskey barrels? Yes please! Single Speed took inspiration from their popular Zach’s Mexican Donuts, threw it in some amazing whiskey barrels and barrel-aged Double Donuts was born! Luckily I have a few cans left of this and I have every intention to sit by the fireplace and watch the snowstorm blow in tomorrow night and sip and enjoy this wonderful brew!
*Pulpit Rock Double Dave-O – 7.6% – I remember having this beer way back in January at Marquee Pizza in Coralville during their anniversary celebration. Marquee always did a great job getting Pulpit Rock on tap (Thanks Sam!) when many places couldn’t and I remember thinking that it’s going to be nice being able to visit here, have some great food and sip on some Pulpit beers…..things have changed a bit because of the pandemic but Pulpit sure has adapted to the changing times and have done an amazing job getting their cans available in certain locations around Eastern Iowa (Need Pizza + Reds Alehouse). Double Dave-O stood out because of the hop profile. Citra and mosaic, two of my favorites made this a quenching IPA leaving me wanting another one!
Pulpit Rock Double Dave-O
*Dimensional Imperial Cinna-Man Bun – 11.7% – there are some beers that you can be a little hesitant to order because you’ve already played it out in your head how it was going to taste. With this particular beer, I thought for sure it would be way too sweet for me with over the top cinnamon, admittedly I was completely wrong. Dimensional brought balance to a beer that could have gone the complete opposite direction, especially for a pastry stout. Another great fall/winter beer to sip on, wish I had some more of it!
Dimensional Imperial Cinna-Man Bun
*Clock House Sweet Innocence – 5.2% – 42 lbs of black cherries added to this kettle sour which made for a truly refreshing beer to sip on on hot ass August night in Iowa. This is a beer that I hope to see again during the warmer months and if you haven’t tried it, if Clock House does release it again, it’s worth the trip to Cedar Rapids!
Clock House Sweet Innocence
There is the list! It’s always fun to compile but never easy to narrow down! With such a trying year in the beer/restaurant industry it is amazing on how these breweries have adapted to keep their businesses alive and to also keep us stocked with beer. A huge cheers to all of them and I hope you continue to support your local brewery and businesses. I know I probably missed your favorite of the year so please let me know what your list looks like! Cheers!
This category of stouts will not include imperial/barrel aged/pastry/adjunct except coffee! Those will be broken down into another category down the road! Thanks to everyone who has participated in the voting and to the brewer’s making the beer! Cheers!
Stout is a dark, top-fermented beer with a number of variations, including dry stout, oatmeal stout, milk stout. The first known use of the word stout for beer was in a document dated 1677 found in the Egerton Manuscripts, the sense being that a “stout beer” was a strong beer, not a dark beer.
From BA: NEIPA is essentially an unfiltered IPA or Double IPA that’s been aggressively hopped. Appearance ranges from slightly hazy or cloudy to opaque or muddy. Dry-hopping, the use of high-protein grains (flours, flaked oats, wheat), certain yeast strains, water chemistry, CO2 levels, and other techniques may also contribute to the beer’s haze and mouthfeel. But the overall goal is typically a hazy, juicy IPA packed with fruity and floral flavors
SingleSpeed brewing company is hosting a virtual happy hour with legendary Iowa wrestling coach Dan Gable on May 20th starting @ 5 p.m! Here are the deets on this exciting event courtesy of SingleSpeed’s website:
What is Dan going to talk about?
All kinds of stuff. Wrestling. Beer. The Olympics. Community. Toughness.
Can I ask Dan a question?
You sure can. There are two ways to do this.
OPTION ONE: Fire your question our way via email. Rachel will select the best of the best to present to Dan. rachel@singlespeedbrewing.com
OPTION TWO: Join the live chat on 5/20 and ask your question in real time. We will be monitoring the chat and will try to get as many questions to Dan as time permits.
I’m not on Facebook, is there another way to watch?
You bet. We don’t know exactly what this will be, but we promise to figure it out before 5.20 and we will share that information here.
We have an early list of breweries and beers that will be available at the 2020 Coralville BrrrFest thanks to the folks at flitebrite. You can access and create your untappd wishlist for the event by clicking here
Here’s the list, I’ll continue to post updates as they come in. Cheers!
-515 Brewing Company
*Dunkel on the Haterz
*Mexican Spring
*OJ Gets Lei’d
*Poobah of Passe
*Puppy Jake -5ive Cities Brewing Company -7 Hills Brewing Co.
*Baca Inocula
*Betty’s Private Reserve
*Bi-Polar Vortex
*Bold Blavatsky
*Cerebral Haze
*Muddy Tugger w/Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup -Alluvial Brewing Company -Backpocket Brewing -Barn Town Brewing
-Bent River Brewing Company
*Barrel-Aged Marshmallow Stout
*Chocolate Covered Banana
*Lactobaxpress
*Liquified -Big Grove Brewery
*Buster
*Cask Sera w/white peppercorn + pineapple
*Easy Eddy Strawberry Pineapple Milkshake
*Experimental Sour w/passion fruit, raspberry + vanilla
*Justice for Barb
*Richard the Whale Vanilla Coconut
*Snowbird
*Static
*White Stout
*Xibalba Wade Wisely -Boone Valley Brewing -Brightside Aleworks -Carroll Brewing Company
*Black Lager
*Carroll Red
*India Pale Ale
*Mild
*Tokyo Pils -Cedar Ridge -Clock House Brewing -Confluence Brewing -Contrary Brewing
*Finger Licken’ Good
*German’s Chocolate Cake
*Punch You in the Eye
*Zoom Doggy (w/maple & cinnamon) -Court Avenue Brewing Company -Crawford Brew Works -Dimensional Brewing
*Dad Bod
*Denim Venom
*Easy Steve
*Gussied Up
*Jumbled Up: Hazel
*Sweet Acoustics -East Grove Meadery -Exile Brewing Company -Fat Hill Brewing Company -Fenders Brewing
*Morning Ride -Firetrucker Brewery
*Black Magic Coffee Stout
*Brigade Ale
*Burnout Brown
*Destination IPA East Coast Style
*Tropical Burn Mago DIPA -Fishback and Stephenson Cidery
*Maple Starship
*Salty Poser -Fox Brewing
–Franklin Street Brewing -Front Street Brewery
–Gezellig Brewing Company
*From Zero to Iffy
*Hug Deal Gone Sideweiss
*Tank in the Frank! -Green Tree Brewing -Iowa Brewing Company
*Barrel-Aged In-Tents w/ Trung Nguyen Legendee Coffee
*Barrel-Aged OREOja
*Bohemian Rapids
*Cousin Eddie’s Breakfast Ale
*David Hefehoff
*Double Barrel Hang Fire
*Eagle Lime
*Jinkies! – Lotus, Exp. 07720, Exp. 09326
*Oja’s Peanut Butter Cup Porter -Jackson Street Brewing
*4 Non Blondes
*Hell’s Half Acre Stout – French Toast
*Imperial Chocolate Peanut Butter Treat
*Nannerbock
*Sioux City Sours & Barrel Aged Stouts -Jefferson County Ciderworks -Kalona Brewing Company -Keg Creek Brewing Company
*Brick Red Ale
*Illuminator VII
*Kashmir Kush DIPA
*Mas Mexican Style Lager
*Moongold Apricot
*Rehashed IPA -Lake Time Brewing
*Funfetti
*Haze of Our Lives
*Lost Dutchman
*Oreo Speed Wagon
*Peanut Butter Porter
*Welcome to the Jungle Juice -Lark Brewing Company -Limestone Brewers -Lion Bridge Brewing Company -Millstream Brewing Company -Mississippi River Distilling –Mistress Brewing Company -NoCoast Beer Co. -Parkside Brewing Company
*Belly Dancer Chai Stout
*Kyle
*No Scurvy
*Raspberry Mother -Peace Tree Brewing Company -Pivo Brewing
*Balltown Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Brownie Milk Stout
*Dorchester British Best -Pulpit Rock Brewing Company -Quarter Barrel Arcade & Brewery -Reclaimed Rails Brewing -ReUnion Brewery
*Cosmic Creamsicle Juice Factory
*Imperial Banshee (2019)
*Ocean Sprayed Cranberry Gose
*Reunion Lager
*Rock ‘N Roll Bus Driver
*Tank Puncher IPA -Second State Brewing
*Schwarzbier
*Vienna Lager -SingleSpeed Brewing
*A-Two-Hoo
*Gable
*Hard Won Not Done
*Slightly Heightened Conversation V2.0
*Tip the Cow
*Tip the Cowconut
*Two Cows (Walk into a Barrel)
*Victory Dance -Thew Brewing
*Candy Double Tappa
*Hello Hazy
*Lit Up Like A Christmas Tree -Third Base Brewing
*At the Heart of Winter
*Smoak ‘Em If You Got ‘Em -Toppling Goliath Brewing
*Cherry Fandango
*Dorthy’s New World Lager
*Dragon Fandango
*King Sue
*Mornin’ Delight
*Pompeii
*Pseudo Sue
*Supa’ Sumo
*Term Oil -Torrent Brewing Company -Twisted Vine Brewery
*5 Horizons Black Lager
*Cali-Steamer
*Snowlicious
*Twisted Blonde
*Westown IPA
*Whadda Juicebag -West O Beer -Wild Culture Kombucha -Wilson’s Hard Cider
*Old Blue
*Pina de Iowa
*Sutliff Hard Cider -Worth Brewing
Tier #1: The Donut Hole || $15
iabeerbaron.com 