It’s not surprising Stone has a bunch of new brews slated for release in 2018. It seems they have something new on the shelf every week. Here’s a look at this years’ calendar:
Category: Uncategorized
Saturday Morning Glory @ Big Grove’s Richard the Whale Release
First of all, my brother in law thought “Saturday Morning Glory” would be the perfect name for a tailgating beer, so any brewers that want to jump on to that go for it!
Big Grove’s Richard the Whale bottle release was the perfect way to start off your Saturday morning if you’re a beer lover. For this release, if you bought a ticket you received 2 bottles of Richard the Whale, 1 bottle of Richard Coffee, 1 Richard glass, and also the opportunity to drink many fantastic beers on tap. Even if you didn’t get a ticket, the beers on tap were still an option.
So, to start off the morning I went with some Coffee Richard on tap, waiting patiently until that 10:00 tapping of Jean Luc Richard. What seemed like a simple bottle release was just a bit more at Big Grove. Along with all the tremendous beer on tap, the real treat was to be able to shoot the shit with the guys and girls who bring us this terrific beer. The opportunity to talk with the folks responsible for putting on an event, knowing there hasn’t been much sleep and some long ass days and they greet, smile and talk to everyone they can; so thanks to Chad, Danny, Rabbit, Doug, Matt, and Chef Smart..a terrific event and I’m looking forward to the next!
So many great conversations with the fellas from 7G, who are great beer conversationalists all the time, so cheers to Collin, Clint and Garrett from 7G! Also, Bob and Dave from Need and as always, the guy who should be in the Dos Equis most interesting man in the world commercials, Jeremy from Club 76.
Richard and the variants tasted amazing, although I didn’t eat the buffet I’m kind of kicking myself as it looked terrific. Bellied up at the bar with a some great stouts I was offered a glass of Big Grove’s Easy Eddy from Mr. Swift. He told me they switched the yeast strain and what he poured came back as a hazy, juicy, hop bomb. It was delicious! Easy Eddy is tasting great right now folks! They also had a double dry hopped IPA on tap that was very tasty.
Overall, the new space in Iowa City was perfect for hosting this event and the folks who run the show really knocked it out of the park. Beer, food, conversation, (not to mention the sweet ass swag BG has going right now), all made for a fantastic event. When Big Grove has their next release, there’s no question I’ll be there and there’s no question they will try to top how great Saturday’s Richard release was! Check out those sweet as Richard labels as well! Cheers BG!
Rundown of Big Grove Richard the Whale Release!
Lion Bridge announces 2018 Barrel-Aged January lineup!
Lion Bridge Brewery in Cedar Rapids sure has helped beer lovers stay warm through the long winter of month of January with their Barrel-Aged January the last few years, and they have released 2018’s lineup. As usual, it looks and sounds like it’s going to be delicious! Cheers and hope to see you there!
New Holland 2018 Release Calendar
Drink These! Lion Bridge BA Gobble Wobble and Coffee Kolsch
A great time for some great beer here in Eastern Iowa. Many local breweries have been busting their ass with some spectacular releases and one of those breweries is Lion Bridge. Last week I was able to make it down and get to taste one of their seasonals in Gobble Wobble and one that we see every now and then in Coffee Kolsch.
Let’s start with the Kolsch. We visited Iowa Taproom last fall the first time I had it and I must say I was a bit apprehensive as I thought the Kolsch style with a coffee adjunct just wouldn’t be that great….but I was completely off in that thinking.
Here’s more on this brew:Our Herr of the Dog Kolsch with a healthy dose of Peruvian light roast coffee added before kegging. A delightfully different beer. Coming in at 4.6%
This is an anytime of day beer. The coffee nose is intoxicating and the flavor isn’t overpowering coffee but definitely there and delicious. I want this with my bacon and eggs or for a post meal drink. If you’re not into the Kolsch style I promise you’ll still dig this beer. Coffee and beer lovers can rejoice, Lion Bridge nailed it with this brew! I just hope it’s still on tap for this coming weekend!
Onto the seasonal release of Gobble Wobble. There are many beers that mark the beginning of fall for me…Founders Breakfast Stout is one for sure and Lion Bridge Gobble Wobble is another! Here’s more on this brew:
Wild Turkey Bourbon barrels set the table, but this rich, malty brown ale is the main dish. No Thanksgiving table is complete without a glass or two of this hearty brew.
Gobble Wobble is an Imperial Brown ale that is aged in Wild Turkey barrels. This is the perfect beer for the chilly fall months as the nuttiness that the brown ale gives you is not necessarily consumed by the booziness of the barrel. Don’t get me wrong, the barrel is evident….and makes this beer even more delicious.
Get these and drink these two while you can, they may not be around much longer!
Guest Review by sLim: Barn Town Brewery
Thanks for the great review sLim!
A brewery that had a moderate amount of buzz surrounding it before opening in Spring of this year was Barn Town Brewing. It’s located in far West Des Moines, in a strip mall with several other new local businesses. Because of this, it’s nothing special from the outside but it does still catch your eye when you drive by.
Upon walking in, I noticed the old timey, country-ish decor and atmosphere that the name suggests they’d have. It’s not my fav per se but it’s well done and I thought the staff rocking flannel shirts was a nice touch. They feature a crowler machine which I’m glad to see more and more breweries switching to. The design on their crowlers is really neat too!
Like a lot of breweries, they started out with just few of their own beers and nothing too noteworthy. Very quickly however, they made the smart decision to offer a bunch of different pale ales & IPA’s (7 out of 17 in their current lineup). Even smarter of them was for most of them to be the hazy variety that are made with popular hops like citra, mosaic, amarillo, etc. This definitely brings in the hopheads and on the Thursday night I was there, the place was full. The quality of the beers justifies this as all 4 beers I tried were fantastic and i’ve heard nothing negative about the beers here from anyone…hop forward brew or otherwise.
Beer menu link – Here are the beers I tried and my thoughts on said beers:
Contrary Reaction (3.75/5) – Berliner Weisse – It’s a fun little sour, good balance of sourness and tartness. They mention an apple note which I got and it was pleasant
Hop Skewer (4.75/5) – Hazy, dry-hopped IPA w/ el dorado & citra hops – Oh yeah, it was hazy alright. This was awesome, I knew little about el dorado hops going into this but I now know that I like them. The best thing about this beer was that it was juicy and not bitter…AND it also wasn’t dank. Sometimes these types of beers have a lingering onion-y note that I can’t stand. They also may have the cat-piss aroma. This beer had neither.
Beggars Night (3.75/5) – Pumpkin and sweet potato ale – I enjoyed this; just on the brink of being too much pumpkin but you should know what you’re getting into when you get this style of beer. Smooth and a lot of flavor for a relatively low ABV.
- Chowdah (4.25/5) – Double dry-hopped DIPA – This was the one I’d heard about and that seems to have gotten some mention on the beer forums. I wouldn’t go as far as to say you need to try this beer but you won’t be disappointed if you do. I normally don’t like DIPA’s but this is one I can enjoy. Normally they taste like an IPA on steroids to me but this one was smooth and malty without being too sweet. There’s plenty of great hop flavor courtesy of the mosaic hop (which is my personal favorite…hop), but again…not overly so and there’s not much lingering bitterness. Give this one a whirl if come across it.
The beers were terrific and these guys have potential to make a bigger name for themselves if they start distributing. The final thing to try out was their food and man, they delivered here as well! Check out their menu here and you’ll find it’s a fun mix of burgers, “sandos”, wings, and craft mac & cheeses. The mac and cheese is very customizable and you better believe I was all over that. The pasta would have been great by itself but I added on some bleu cheese, buffalo sauce, and fried chicken and due to this, I was loving life. It was the best mac & cheese I’ve ever had. I’m just one person but as far as I’m concerned, Barn Town is now the best brewpub in the DSM area. You should go there if you like beer and other things that are good.
Big Grove Brewery Richard the Whale Bottle Release set for Saturday, December 2nd!
Huge news from Big Grove Brewery today as they have officially announced the release of Richard the Whale bourbon barrel aged stout bottles. Click HERE to get the presale event website!
Here’s more on this event from Big Grove:
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Summit Brewery Announces 2018 Release Calendar
Madhouse Brewing Updates Beer Portfolio
Madhouse Brewing has updated their beer portfolio with a list of new releases and the discontinuing of some as well. Below is their Facebook post of their updated beer lineup:
Free and open to the public.
Madhouse Brewing Company is releasing several new beers and making an official change to our flagship brews. Take a look at our new lineup:
-Honey Pilsner- No changes!! This is our best-selling flagship beer, and we will continue to brew and distribute our Pilsner.
-Pastime Pale Ale- Discontinued. This was the first beer we ever released. We know there are some people who really enjoy the Pastime. This has not been an easy decision.
-Hopbust IPA- Change of recipe. We will continue to brew and sell our flagship Hopburst IPA. We have changed the malt used in the beer, however, and are now using 100% Falconer’s Flight hops. The ABV has been dropped to 6.2% (previously 7.2%) to increase drinkability. We have spent a lot of time developing this new recipe, and are really excited about the new version.
-Oak-Aged Imperial Red- Discontinued. Another beer we have enjoyed making, but have decided to stop production for now.
-Sumatra Coffee Stout- Discontinued. A great coffee stout, but has become over-shadowed by our barrel-aged stouts such as the Carpe Diem.
NEW RELEASES!!!-Monk Town- Belgian-style Dubbel Ale. This beer will join the Pilsner and IPA in our lineup of flagship beers. Legend has it that the city of Des Moines was born of the French colonial name, Riviere des Moines, literally meaning “River of the Monks.” Dark malt flavors and Belgian yeast aromas of banana and spice. Check out the design work by Flying Hippo! 6.8% ABV. Available 4-pack, 12oz bottles.
-Citra Storm IPA- Double New England-style IPA. 100% Citra hops. Hazy, juicy, and aromatic. You’re gonna want to try how Madhouse does the beer style that is taking the nation by storm! 7.8% ABV. Draft only. Look for this beer at your local growler station.
-Fountain of Youth- Oak barrel-aged, wild yeast sour ale made with “super fruits” including acai, pomegranate, and locally grown aronia berries from Berry Meadows. Design by Flying Hippo. 7.2% ABV. Available 750ml bottles.
-2017 Bourbon Barrel-Aged Wee-Heavy- Imperial Scotch-style ale aged in bourbon barrels. The first of our winter release barrel-aged beers. Caramel and toffee aromas with sweet malt flavors. 13.5% ABV. Available 750ml bottles.
-Alexander-Heavy- Wee-Heavy variant with chocolate and nutmeg. Flavor profile inspired by the classic cocktail, the Brandy Alexander. 13.5% ABV. Draft only, tap-room only.
Barrel-Aged release schedule-
Looking ahead, here is our 2017-2018 Bourbon barrel-aged beer release schedule:
-VIP- December release. This will be released on Friday, Dec.15th at the annual holiday party at Jasper Winery.
-Freedom Toast- January release. We will be bottling this for the first time.
-Carpe Diem- February release.
-El Jefe- March release.
Sour Barrel-Room-
Our sour barrel-room/events space is now complete. Keep us in mind for groups up to 50 people. Contact events@madhousebeer.com or 515-988-5535 for more info.
