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Abu Nawas drops this week: Against the Grain, B Nektar + Schramm Mead!

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Some brews and some mead this week being dropped by Abu Nawas! Here’s the latest:

AGAINST THE GRAIN

  • Against the Grain 35K 6/4/16oz CAN – ATG’s Infamous Milk Stout. 7.7% ABV.
  • Against the Grain The Brown Note6/4/16oz CAN – The brown ale to end all brown ales. Enjoy it, because there is no longer any reason to drink another. 5% ABV.
  • Against the Grain Citra Ass Down 6/4/16oz CAN – The Anticipated return of one of our Favorites. Double IPA brewed with Citra hops. It is sticky, hoppy and delicious. 8.2% ABV.
  • Against the Grain Pile of Face 6/4/16oz CAN – A Delicious American IPA from our Kentucky friends. 6.5% ABV.
  • Against the Grain Rico Sauvin IPA 6/4/16oz CAN – A Double India Pale Ale featuring a whole bunch of Nelson Sauvin hops GOODNESS! 8.2% ABV.
  • Against the Grain Mixed Case 750ml Includes:
    • 2 Bottles of Atilla the Hen – An imperial version of Kentucky Ryed Chiquen. A rye amber ale aged in rye bourbon barrels. 12.7% ABV.
    • 2 Bottles of 70K – Take awesome and double it can only result in double awesome. It’s math. This is essentially the 35K recipe doubled. Double roasty, double chocolatey, double creamy, double delicious. Then they decided to make it 2.5X awesome by aging it in Angel’s Envy barrels for a really, really long time. The bourbon and oak flavors perfectly compliment the massive flavors in the double mega imperial milk stout. You don’t swim in this beer, it swims in you! 13.1% ABV.
    • 2 Bottles of Johann Paycheque – A Wine barrel-aged sour with Brettanomyces. 6.5% ABV
    • 2 Bottles of Herbie Samplecock – French Saison to transcend the noise. Additions of Lemon Balm and Lemon Verbena to the aroma of herbs and fresh-zested lemon. French Saison yeast contributes a floral, peppery flavor and light-body, and a load of spelt in the mash keep it balanced with a hint of richness. Take that beautiful base beer, then age it 6 months with Brett Clausenii and you have a bright, funky, tart Saison with layers of citrus, herbs, hay, and acidity that bring this beer to a new level.
    • 4 Bottles of Brett The Hipman Hop – American Wild Ale. This beer is the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.

B Nektar

  • B. Nektar Zombie Killer 500ml – Deep Pink Cider with Michigan Star Thistle Honey and Tart Cherries. Perfection. 5.5% ABV.
  • B. Nektar Prickly Pear Kill All The Golfers 500ml.- Rich Honey and notes of Prickly Pear fruit contribute a mild sweetness followed by mildly bitter black tea and tart notes of lemon. 6% ABV.
  • B. Nektar Kill All The Golfers 500ml – Mead with Orange Blossom Honey, Black Tea, and Lemon Juice. 6% ABV. Think of A boozy Arnold Palmer!
  • B. Nektar Tuco Style Freakout 500ml. Mead with Orange Blossom Honey, Agave Nectar, Lime Juice, and Lime Zest. 6% ABV. #BreakingBad
  • B. Nektar Punk Lemonade Cider 500ml – Raspberry & Lemon Hard Cider. 100 % Gluten Free. Mildy tart apple and lemon character that flows into a light raspberry sweetness. Medium body with a full mouth experience balancing sweet, tart and acidity. Refreshing sweet/tart finish.
  • B. Nektar Core Crusher (Dry Cider) 500ml – Bone-dry hard cider. Encompassing the apple in its entirety. Slightly tannic with balanced acidity and medium body. Notes of earth and barn wood complement the dry, refreshing finish. 6.5% ABV
  • B. Nektar Believe (American Gods) 500ml – B.Nektar is excited to announce it has partnered with the critically acclaimed TV show American Gods. Believe is Fresh Pressed Michigan Cider and Orange Blossom Honey. 5.6% ABV.
  • B. Nektar Stupid Man Suit 500ml – Ruby Red Cider with Michigan Balaton Cherry, Raspberry, and Black Currants. Simply Delicious! 5.5% ABV. #DonnieDarko
  • B. Nektar Dragons Are Real (Dragon’s Milk barrel-aged mead) 375ml. For the Game of Thrones in you! Essential Elements – Wildflower honey, tart cherry juice, smoky chipotle peppers, and cacao nibs, aged in New Holland Dragon’s Milk barrels. 14% ABV 
  • B. Nektar Rhube Strawburg 500ml – Mead made with orange blossom honey, strawberry juice and pressed rhubarb. A combination from the Heavens 6.2% ABV.

Schramms

  • SCHRAMM BRAMBLE 12/375ML – Bramble possesses some of the most concentrated and delicious flavors in the world of fruit. Blackberries, black raspberries, heritage red raspberries, and boysenberries create a composite of harmony, poise, and mouth-watering proportionality. Densely fruity, dark, and wonderfully balanced – an expression of quality from branch to bottle.
  • SCHRAMM CHRISSIE 12/750ML – Chrissie balances the flavors of bright, juicy red currants, earthy, robust black currants and California True Source Certified orange blossom honey. This mead pairs beautifully with black pepper rubbed sirloin, a citrus salad or your favorite Kenneth McKellar song.
  • SCHRAMM GINGER 12/375ML or 12/750ml – Schramm’s Ginger is a full-throated, unapologetic expression of pure grated ginger and honey. Honey sweetness is balanced by full ginger flavor with a touch of spiciness, making this mead a perfect choice to pair with spicy Indian, Ethiopian or Thai cuisine, grilled Korean mackerel or flavorful sushi and sashimi. It also pairs well with dark chocolate and is a great addition to a whiskey ginger cocktail or a moscow mule. 14% ABV.
  • SCHRAMM MADELINE 12/375MLor 12/750ml – Schramm’s Madeline is our boysenberry mead, made with whole boysenberries and Michigan honey. A cross between European raspberry, common blackberry and American dewberry, the boysenberry has a unique tannic flavor which combines wonderfully with carefully selected premium honey. The resulting mead is thick, jammy and extremely flavorful and pours dark purple with a very smooth, lightly tart finish. This mead is a tribute to our favorite, tiny release to date, Madeline June Schramm Naeger. Ten percent of sales of this mead are donated to the Royal Oak Beaumont NICU, where Madeline spent nearly the first three months of her life. She was beautiful when she was born, but we know she will continue to mature beautifully with age. 14% ABV.
  • SCHRAMM MARIONBERRY 12/375ML – Marionberry is a melomel made purely from Willamette Valley Marion Blackberries. Like our ‘Blackberry’, Marionberry has a full, natural fruit acidity that is balanced by premium Orange Blossom honey sweetness to create an extremely flavorful mead. Very dark in color, the Marionberries provide a jammy, juicy fruit-forward character. This mead has great aging potential for many years, though it’s pure fresh fruit character may make it difficult to leave alone for long. 14% ABV.
  • SCHRAMM RASPBERRY 12/375ML or 12/750ml – Schramm’s Raspberry is a mead made from whole Michigan raspberries. The flavor is unmistakably fruity raspberry, reminiscent of Michigan summers, and is balanced by honey sweetness. Due to the high level of acidity from the berries, it can age gracefully for many years. A tribute to our home state’s strong fruit growing tradition, this was the first mead made by head meadmaker Ken Schramm. It holds a special place in our history as well as our cellar. This melomel pairs well with grilled Great Lakes salmon, salads, cheesecake, and summer evening bonfires by the lake. 14% ABV.
  • SCHRAMM RED AGNES 12/375ML – Schramm’s Red Agnes is finely balanced Melomel. Red currants provide deep floral aromatics, a fruitier initial impression, more focused acidity, and a stunning cardinal hue. This mead is dangerously drinkable with a delicately balanced acidity which allows the honey and fruit to sing in harmony together. 14% ABV

Ken Schramm to appear at Zwanze 2019 @Schera’s!

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If you are excited about this year’s Zwanze Day at Schera’s in Elkader you have even more reason to be excited as Ken Schramm, founder of Schramm’s Mead and the author of The Compleat Meadmaker, will be their to celebrate. Mr. Schramm will also be bringing a few kegs of his award winning Meads with him! Here’s more on this exciting announcement courtesy of Schera’s restaurant:

 Schera’s is delighted to announce Ken Schramm, the founder of Schramm’s Mead and author of the bible of mead-making The Compleat Meadmaker, will be joining us for this year’s Zwanze Day celebration.

 Ken is considered by experts and connoisseurs alike as the authority on mead, and Schramm’s meads are consistently ranked as the #1 meads on rating sites such at BeerAdvocate and Ratebeer. Even more exciting, Ken will be bringing several kegs of his outstanding, award-winning meads for you to experience at Zwanze on September 28, 2019.

 Finding Schramm’s Mead on tap is an ultra rare occurrence; to find multiple offerings in one place outside of Ferndale, Michigan is completely unheard of! Zwanze 2019 will be the first time Schramm’s comes to Iowa, heralding it’s arrival to the state, and making us one of only a small handful of markets where it is available.

 Don’t miss out on this chance to meet a true giant of the craft industry. Signed copies of his book The Compleat Meadmaker will be available for advance purchase.

 We are working to finalize the details of Zwanze 2019 featuring Schramm’s Meads. Tickets will be available for sale this week, with a final announcement email going out in a day or two. We appreciate your patience with us and tolerating our multiple emails and delayed ticket sales. We are over the moon that Ken Schramm will be joining us and have no doubt that once again Schera’s will be offering one of the best Zwanze Day experiences in the the world.

Big Grove Releasing “Velvet” vanilla imperial stout +”Lunar Tourist” hazy IPA in bottles/cans July 20th!

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Another can’t miss Big Grove release approaches as they are set to release “Velvet” vanilla imperial stout and “Lunar Tourist” hazy IPA with South African hops on Saturday July 20th! Here’s more!

Saturday, July 20, Big Grove Brewery is releasing two new beers on draft and in bottles + cans.

Velvet | Vanilla Imperial Stout with Madagascar Vanilla
Lunar Tourist | Hazy Double IPA with South African Hops

Arrive early for brunch and stick around for what will be an all-day party. 9:00AM Doors Open. No tickets required. This event will be hosted at both the Iowa City Taproom and Solon Brewpub.

Abu Nawas drops this week: Moolight Meadery + Clown Shoes

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More tasty treats getting dropped in Iowa this coming week courtesy of Abu Nawas. A nice mix of beer and some meads from Moonlight Meadery highlight this week! Here we go!

 Moonlight Meadery Cans and Bottles:

  • Razz What She Said 12oz CAN – Delicious Session mead made with raspberries. Deep Rich raspberry notes play off a smooth honey base, creating a luscious semi sweet mead with bright carbonation and off-pink head. Perfect for the summer. 6.5% ABV.
  • Thirteen  12oz CAN – New England Style Honey Apple Wine. A pre-prohibition style of cider fermented with additional sugar to create 13.5% ABV
  • Little Apples 12oz CAN – New England Style Semi-dry and sparkling Hard Cider fermented in newly emptied rye whiskey barrels for a minimum of 3 months. 6.5% ABV.
  • How Do You Like Them Apples 12oz CAN –  Semi-dry Sparkling Hard CIder Aged for six months in rye whiskey barrels. 13.5% ABV.
  • Kurts Apple Pie 375ml Bottle – Made with local apple cider with Madagascar vanilla and Vietnamese cinnamon. 14% ABV. Two-time medal winner at the Mazer Cup International
  • Monkey Business 375ml bottle – Limited Release Banana Chocolate Orange Vanilla Mead, 14% ABV Sweet. We poured this at Hunahpu’s Day 2019 and the crowd went absolutely bananas for this mead…

Clown Shoes

  • Pineapple Space Cake 16oz CAN – Pineapple Double IPA. Matching the fruit flavor are juicy citrus hop notes from additions of Mosaic and Azacca hops. 7.77% ABV.
  • Coconut Sombrero 16oz CAN – Summer seasonal Mexican chocolate stout infused with tropical coconut flavors. 7% ABV.
  • Lil Crispy 16oz CAN – Beautiful Sessionable Pale Ale. 4.8% ABV.
  • Itaska Loonidragon 22oz Bottle – Bourbon Barrel aged Russian Imperial Stout brewed with Coconut. ABV: 11%
  • Bubble Farm 12oz 6Pack and 12Pack CAN –  Easy Drinking IPA Brewed with Columbus hops and dry-hopped with Simcoe, Azacca, and Idaho 7, this easy-drinker will quickly float to the top of your everyday favorites list. 6.5%
  • Clementine 12oz 6Pack and 12Pack CAN – Delicious Clementine witbier. 6.0%
  • Mango Kolsch 12oz 6Pack CAN – Kolsch, dry-hopped with Huell Melon hops and all-natural mango flavor. 5.5% ABV.

 

 

Abu Nawas Drops this week: Fat Orange Cat, Stillwater, Abomination

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A bunch of new brews from 3 great breweries will be hitting the shelves next week from Abu Nawas. Let’s get to it!

FAT ORANGE CAT

  • Fat Orange Cat Blood Orange Billy 16oz CAN – Blood Orange NE-IPA. 6.66% ABV
  • Fat Orange Cat Lorenzo Blue 16oz CAN – New England DIPA LOADED with Galaxy and Citra. 8% ABV.
  • Fat Orange Cat Sweet Jane Pineapple 16oz CAN –  Milkshake IPA brewed with Vanilla, Lactose, Coconut, & Pineapple. 7.9% ABV.
  • Fat Orange Cat FOC All Cats Are Grey in the Dark 16oz CAN –  White Stout – A light colored stout with a hint of coffee and strong notes of both chocolate and vanilla. 7.2% ABV.

STILLWATER

  • Stillwater ASMR Frisson 001 16oz  CAN –  Sour ale brewed with wild blueberry, rolled oats & milk sugar. 6% ABV.
  • Stillwater Log Out 16oz  CAN – Double India pale ale quadruple dry-hopped with Mosaic, Galaxy, Citra, and Nelson Sauvin. 9% ABV.
  • Stillwater This is only a Test Stout 005 CAN – Imperial Stout brewed with Ginger, Chili peppers and Sichuan Peppercorn 11% ABV
  • Stillwater Extra Dry 16oz CAN – A Saison brewed with sake rice and dry hopped with Citra, Hallertau Blanc, and Sterling. 4.2% ABV.
  • Stillwater Artisanal Ales Extra Extra 16oz CAN -Double Brut IPA. 8% ABV
  • Stillwater  Rhinestones & Sequins 16oz CAN – Sour Brut Double IPA brewed with Sauvignon Blanc Grapes. 8% ABV.

Abomination Brewing

  • Abomination Brewing Bedtime Stories 16oz CAN –  Imperial Milk Stout with Graham Crackers, Flaked Oats, Vanilla Beans and Marshmallows. 9.3% ABV.
  • Abomination Brewing Rotting Earth 16oz CAN – Double IPA with a blend of Ariana, Pacific Jade, Eukanot and Denali. 9.3% ABV.
  • Abomination Brewing Shotgun Sour 16oz CAN – Sour Ale brewed with Black Currant, Apricot, & Peach. 6.1% ABV

Brazen + Saint Burch teaming up for seafood dinner May 1st!

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Two of the best chefs in the state of Iowa will be teaming up to bring the area an amazing 10 course seafood dinner on May 1st at Saint Burch Tavern in Iowa City. Chef Ben Smart of Big Grove/St. Burch fame will be partnering with Chef Kevin Scharpf of Brazen and Top Chef fame to bring you what will no doubt be the culinary event of the year in the state.

Tickets are almost gone so act quickly if you want to attend this event. Below is the menu and you can also click HERE for tickets!

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Abu Nawas drop this week: Big Prairie drop! (Apple Brandy Noir anyone?), and Evil Twin

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Abu Nawas bringing us a big release of Prairie beers in the coming week, including the highly sought after Apple Brandy Barrel Noir! Here’s more from Abu:

EVIL TWIN

  • Evil Twin H is for Hops 16oz CAN – Dry-hopped Gose. 4.5% ABV.

  • Evil Twin Bible Belt 16oz CAN – Evil Twin version of the Legendary Collab. Bible Belt takes elements we love from Prairie Bomb! and combines them with Evil Twin Brewing’s world-famous stout, Even More Jesus. 13% ABV.

Prairie

NEW DROPS

  • Prairie Bible Belt Bottles  12/12oz Bottles – Prairie Version of A Collab of Epic Proportions. Bible Belt takes elements we love from Prairie Bomb! and combines them with Evil Twin Brewing’s world-famous stout, Even More Jesus. 13% ABV.
  • Prairie Oh! Fudge 12/12oz Bottles – Imperial stout brewed with brownies. 11.5% ABV.
  • Prairie Apple Brandy Barrel Noir 12/12oz Bottles. We received 4 cases of this and it will go to the top 4 supporters of Prairie this week!

    RESTOCK

  • Prairie Blueberry Boyfriend 24/12oz CAN – Sour Ale with Blueberries and Lemon Zest. 5.4% ABV
  • Prairie ERA  24/12oz CAN – Hoppy Delicious Farmhouse Ale. 4% ABV.
  • Prairie No Chill  24/12oz  CAN –  Milk Stout with Spaceship Earth Coffee in a CAN. 5.1% ABV.
  • Prairie Flare  24/12oz CAN – Gose brewed with orange and coriander. Perfect while yearning for Spring. 5.4% ABV.
  • Prairie Imaginary Friends  24/12oz CAN – American IPA bursting with Tropical and citrus notes. 7% ABV.
  • Prairie Vape Tricks  24/12oz CAN – Sour ale aged on cherries. 5.9% ABV.
  • Prairie Hulk Hands  24/12oz CAN – Gose dry hopped with Falconer’s Flight and Cascade Hops. 5.4% ABV.
  • Prairie Phantasmagoria  24/12oz CAN – Double IPA that’s big on the late boil and dry hopping. 8.0% ABV.
  • Prairie Picnic  24/12oz CAN – A Delicious Sessionable Pale Ale. 5.5% ABV.
  • Prairie Standard  24/12oz Bottles – Light, crisp farmhouse ale dry hopped with Motueka hops, a lovely New Zealand hop with a spicy lime like flavor and aroma. 5.6% ABV.
  • Prairie Bomb  12/12oz  Bottles – The Beer that started it all for Prairie. Imperial Stout aged on coffee, cacao nibs, vanilla beans and chili peppers. 13.0% ABV.
  • Prairie Deja Vous 12/750ml Bottles – Bottle conditioned farmhouse ale with Hibiscus and Brettanomyces Bruxellensis.

 

Madhouse Announces Carpe Diem Release for March 15th!

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Another highly anticipated beer release from an Iowa brewery has been announced as Madhouse Brewing has slated March 15th for the release of their wonderful Carpe Diem! Here’s more deets on this release:

The official release event for the following beers-

2019 Carpe Diem- Bourbon barrel-aged Imperial Breakfast Stout with oats, chocolate, Kona coffee, and bourbon barrel-aged Iowa maple syrup. 13.5% ABV. Available draft and 375ml bottles. $12/bottle. Limit 6.

Coffee Diesel- Collaboration with Mars Cafe. Dark sour ale with cold press coffee. 7.4% ABV. Available draft and 375ml bottles. $8/bottle.

Bottles shares encouraged!