Coming to Shelves: Prairie, Ballast Point, Lips of Faith, Mikkeller

January 19, 2016January 19, 2016Leave a comment

prairie artisan ales Urging everyone who can make it to get to Lion Bridge for Barrel-Aged January. So many great beers are being pumped out by Quinton and crew! Also, Buster from Big Grove sounds like it’s going to make its anticipated return at the end of the month. Add the opening of Quarter Barrel and Iowa City Brewlab to the mix and things are looking good for Eastern Iowa breweries. Onto the news:

(courtesy of Prairie’s website)
*Prairie:

–Ape Snake –is a dark, dry hopped farmhouse ale. We’ve taken our dark farmhouse base and dry hopped it with Falconer’s Flight and Centennial hops. The combination of yeast and hops create an explosion of flavors, and this beer will continue to develop as it ages. Check it out in 500ml bottles and on draft at your favorite restaurants and bars!

–Barrel-Aged Bomb! –is the result of our world famous imperial stout, Bomb!, that was tucked away in wooden barrels for several months. Vanilla and caramel notes balance the big flavors from the whiskey barrels and come together for an extremely complex yet balanced experience. This beer will be available in 12oz bottles.

(courtesy of mybeerbuzz.blogspot.com)

*Mikkeller – Mikkeller will be releasing 3 beers that SHOULD hit our market.

-Stick in the Ear – A west-coast style IPA that checks in at 6.5% ABV.

–Mastodon Mother Puncher – an IPA that is made with passionfruit and checks in at 6.6% ABV.

–Recipe 1000 – is an ale aged in Chardonnay barrels and comes in at 9%

*New Belgium Lips of Faith Golden Ale – is a collaboration with Belgium’s Hof Ten Dormaal and is brewed with sunflower seeds and wild carrot root. An interesting sounding brew to say the least. Here’s more on this one courtesy of beerstreetjournal.com:

Hof Ten Dormal is a farmhouse brewery nestled in the countryside of Tildonk, Belgium. Part of the brewery was damaged by fire in 2014. In a “New” Belgium to “real” Belgium collaboration, the two breweries are creating this upcoming Lips of Faith offering, Golden Ale.

Described as a springtime offering, Golden Ale is brewed with new Mosaic, and old (read: traditional) Saaz hops. The breweries malted sunflower seeds, and nuanced this beer with wild carrot herbs. You didn’t think this was going to be just a regular old golden ale did you?

A deliciously uncommon springtime beer, our Golden Ale brewed with Hof Ten Dorsal blends modern Mosaic hops and malted sunflower seeds with Old World ingredients such as Saaz hops, spelt, and wild carrot herbs. It’s New and Old Belgium together in a bottle.

New Belgium Lips of Faith Golden Ale will be a draft, and 12 ounce bottle offering (4 packs for the first time).

Style:Golden Ale (w/ Sunflower Seeds, Wild Carrot Herbs)
Hops: Mosaic, Saaz

Availability: 12oz Bottles, Draft
Release: TBA

7% ABV

*Ballast Point Orange Vanilla Fathom – this is an IPL base style with orange and vanilla idea. The idea is to get an orange creamsicle flavor. It will be available in 22 oz bombers and possibly on tap. Here’s more courtesy of Ballast Point:

Our Orange Vanilla Fathom India-Style Pale Lager continues our quest for exploration. The piney and citrus hop aromas of our India-Style Pale Lager combine with sweet orange and creamy vanilla – while staying true to classic lagering techniques. Brewed with a touch of nostalgia, it may remind you of a childhood treat, but this one is just for adults.

*Know of anything new hitting our shelves soon? Drop me an email @benmed15@yahoo.com or post a comment. Thanks!

Baron’s Best of 2015: The Final Chapter

January 12, 2016January 12, 2016Leave a comment

best of Let’s finish this drug out list off once and for all. With 2015 in the books, 2016 is starting out on a great foot as Lion Bridge’s Barrel-aged January has kicked off and the tapping of Royal Wee is a day away (Wed. 13th). Buster from Big Grove is getting released at the end of the month and Quarter Barrel has opened their doors. Lots of great things in store for Iowa in 2016.

*Big Grove Brewery Desperate Measures – this golden sour ale aged in Opus One wine barrels was released along the same time that Richard the Whale was for Big Grove. A well balanced sour that gives you that sour pucker but some fruit sweetness and bit of barrel that help this beer make the list. Would love this for a summer brew too!

*Alpine Nelson – I never had the opportunity to try any Alpine beers prior to Green Flash acquiring them but I’m guessing that Nelson couldn’t have been much better than what we got in bottles…I could be wrong but I really enjoyed this beer. The Nelson Sauvin hop shines in this beer and goes perfectly with the rye malt. Lots of flavor, excellent balance, and extremely drinkable!

*Lagunitas Born Yesterday – bottled and shipped the very same day? Yes, Lagunitas pulls this one off and the freshness of this beer really showed. Citrus and tropical fruits shine in this 6.5% beer and if it was readily available this would always be in my fridge. I hope Lagunitas releases this one again….so good.

*Lion Bridge Brewery Yard Sale – so happy to see this beer back on tap at Lion Bridge as another citra hop forward brew makes the list. I had this for the 1st time back in May and remember getting two growlers filled after my first taste. Such a great brew.

*515 Brewing The Basil Protocol – I’m a sucker for a good farmhouse/saison which this beer is, but I admittedly am not the biggest fan of basil. I like it ok, just not a bunch, so when I tried this beer I went in thinking I wouldn’t dig it. I was totally wrong. The basil is there but it meshes so well with the cucumber and pepperiness of the saison to make a wonderfully refreshing beer. Not to mention enjoying it when it was 100 degrees outside…another perfect summertime beer!

*Firetrucker Tropical Burn – might be one of the hottest (popular) beers made in Iowa right now and rightfully so. Huge mango and tropical fruits on the nose and on the palate. Galaxy and citra with fresh mangoes makes this a well-balanced double IPA. Very drinkable, but be aware of that 9.1% ABV.

*Big Grove 15 Minuteman – part of the “Citra Triad” release from Big Grove. 15 Minuteman once again showcases the citra hop. Super smooth and refreshing, this is another beer that can get you into trouble because of it’s drinkability. Minuteman and Trident made for a fun couple trips to Big Grove over the holidays!

*Bells 30th Anniversary Stout – I really loved this beer. It wasn’t barrel-aged but man, this was packed with flavor. Tons of dark chocolate, some dark fruit, and as with many stouts got better as it warmed. I wish I would have the restraint to have aged a couple but I saw them, salivated, drank them.

*Big Grove/3rd Base Que Amarillo – am I homer for Iowa beers or what? That wasn’t the intention but it’s hard not to be when so many of our local brewers are kicking out great beers and Que Amarillo is one that stood out to me. I could be wrong, but I believe this was brewed with Jim at 3rd Base Brewery…feel free to correct me if I’m wrong. A Berliner-weisse that is hopped to high hell with Amarillo hops. If you don’t like your Berliner-Weisses’ too sour, this one’s for you. Tasty and refreshing. Maybe if I ask Bill and Jim nicely they will keep brewing it?

*Boulevard The Calling – Boulevard did a major overhaul of their portofolio in 2015 and some where hits and some not so much in my opinion. One beer that they did a great job on was The Calling. I admittedly am not a huge fan of their Single-Wide IPA so when I saw that they were adding a double IPA to their Smokestack 4 pack series I was excited to try it. Oranges and pineapple with a bit pine round out this heavily hopped double.

*Central Waters Space Ghost – an imperial stout that is brewed with ghost peppers. It sounds like a one and done beer as some of these can be overwhelming with heat, but this is beautifully balanced and gives you just enough heat but not overpowering to go along with the richness from the stout.

*Big Grove Famine – I got to pour for Big Grove at an famiine event in Dubuque last spring. I got to pour Arms Race, IPA, Que Sera, and….FAMINE! What a treat that was. Introducing a community to this beer and to Big Grove was exciting and I would love to do it again. When people asked what it tasted like, Collin (fellow pourer) and I had to take a drink just to remind ourselves how good it was. Part of the Hopocolaypse series this past Spring. I hope to see a return this year as well!

Avery Coming to Iowa in February?

January 11, 20161 Comment

avery Social media outlets and beer forums giving out the info that we should be seeing Avery Brewing hitting our shelves in Iowa next month (February) through Johnson Brother’s Distribution. Add this to the news that Odell is in line for an Iowa release soon as well and our shelves are filling up with amazing beer! More news on Avery release will hopefully be coming soon.

Baron’s Best of 2015: Part 3

January 8, 2016January 8, 20163 Comments

best of Man, I’m sure dragging this out! Things to do folks! Here we are with part 3 of my favorite beers of 2015. Once again, these are beers I’ve had for the first time and are available for us to purchase here in Eastern Iowa. I appreciate the comments some of you folks are leaving with your thoughts and what you liked to drink in 2015, keep them coming in! Part 3, let’s do it!

*Surly Darkness – this is just the imperial stout, non-barrel aged version as I was to slow to get to the store to get myself a bottle of the b.a. version. Even so, I really enjoyed the basic imperial version of this beer. I’m not huge on dark fruit stouts usually, but this one was so wonderfully balanced that I wouldn’t think twice about buying a few more bottles of this. Chocolate covered cherries, coffee, dark chocolate, and other dark fruit flavors round out this excellent brew!

*Toppling Goliath X-Hops Gold – the best of the X-hops series in my opinion. Lot of fruit in this beer; honeydew melon, pineapple, some citrus round out this easy drinking pale ale. I’ve heard it’s similar to King Sue in the flavor profile but I haven’t had the most recent batch of the King, but I would gladly take a few more bottles of this.

*Blackberry Farm Saison – I thought about putting their Summer Saison in and also their Fall Saison that is aged in oak barrels, but I keep going back to their regular Saison. Crisp, dry, and gives you that belgian yeast with the spiciness of black pepper and fruitiness of lemon. Lovely brew, a staple in my fridge.

*Big Grove Brewery Richard the Whale – what a great beer and the variants were excellent as well, but I’m going back to the regular Richard as my favorite of the 3 (although the Hazelnut tastes amazing right). Richard is a Russian Imperial Stout aged in Heaven Hill barrels. A lot of great chocolate notes from this beer and as it warms it tastes even better as the bourbon starts to shine. Creamy, delicious, and warming, Big Grove really knocked this one out.

*Lion Bridge Sorachi Liberace – a sorachi ace hopped saison? Yes please! I drank a ton of this beer during the fall months. Citrus flavor from the hops meshes perfectly with the saison yeast. This beer is perfect for anytime of the year and hopefully will be available for drinking a growler on the deck this summer and listening to baseball games.

Oskar Blues 2016 Release Schedule

January 7, 2016January 7, 2016Leave a comment

oskar blues.jpg

FilmScene Presents: HomeBrew Fest Saturday Jan. 30th 4-7 pm

January 7, 2016January 7, 2016Leave a comment

From Joe at FilmScene:

FilmScene is putting together a local Homebrew event on-site here in our downtown Iowa City cinema, and with a few homebrewers already on tap, we’re wondering if anyone else would like to participate and share their brews?

Exact date and details are below. Admission for patrons is a donation to our nonprofit

HomeBrew Fest @ FilmScene
Date: Saturday, January 30th
Time: 4-7pm, Gallery Space
Tix: $10 (donation to FS?)
Includes: Tastings (while supplies last) + FilmScene Popcorn
Copy: Join us for the first ever Homebrew @ FilmScene event. Sample a range of classic and unique creations from talented local homebrewers. Admission includes samples and endless FilmScene popcorn.

If you are interested in joining, and sharing your brews with a crowd of connoisseurs and moviegoers, contact joe [at] icfilmscene [dot] org

Eastern Iowa Tropical Burn sightings courtesy of Slim

January 6, 2016January 7, 2016Leave a comment

Short’s Burger and Shine-Iowa City

shorts As you may have already seen, the Mango DIPA is tapped and flowing at Short’s Burger and Shine in Downtown Iowa City. If you’ve never been, you need to change that soon! As if this wasn’t already one of the prime dining locales, you can add one more reason to the laundry list of great things that this restaurant offers; TROPICAL BURN! A limited brew by Firetrucker Brewery, Tropical Burn is a Mango double IPA that comes in at 9.1%. It features 4 types of hops including the Australian Galaxy and Citra. What results is a hazy, orange pour that reminds you of fruit juice. There’s loads of mango in the nose as well as the taste which goes down smooth and carries a mild, lingering bitterness.

It was tapped this past Monday and it’s really tough to think of a better venue to enjoy one of these at than Short’s. It’s the diverse and interesting combinations of the burgers and chicken sandwiches that make this place great. The names are catchy by themselves and then you read what makes up each burger and it’s on. My personal favorite is the Tingley, with Green chili, pepper jack, avocado mayonnaise. You can’t go wrong with any of them. Especially once it’s served to you; you know you’re in for a tremendous dining/brew experience.

Brr Fest-Marriott Coralville

It’s been confirmed that Tropical Burn will be available at Brr Fest. One of the premier tasting events in the state of Iowa, Brr Fest is Saturday, January 30, at the Coralville Marriott Convention Center. There’ll be nearly 100 breweries this year! Look for the logo and enjoy some delicious Mango along with some of our other beers!

Baron’s Best of 2015: Part 2

January 4, 2016January 4, 2016Leave a comment

best of Here we go with part 2. Part 1 dominated by Iowa breweries so Part 2 I’ll mix it up a bit more. Once again, criteria has to be: 1) Available for purchase in Iowa in 2015 2) A beer I’ve ever tried before.

**Anchorage Brewing Love Buzz Saison – a style I’ve grown to love more and more and with Anchorage, Blackberry Farm (spoiler), and Lion Bridge constantly available, this is a style I’ll continue to enjoy! Roses, peppercorns, and orange peels star in this wonderful brew from Anchorage.

**Toppling Goliath Thresher – pale wheat ales were 1st introduced to me at Merkles’ Bar across from Wrigley in the form of 3 Floyds Gumballhead on tap. That was when I 1st started getting into craft so that beer and style are always exciting for me to try. Toppling Goliath takes a pale wheat and adds that TG IPAness to it. Very crushable and refreshing.

**Prairie Apple Brandy Noir – enjoyed this bottle for the 1st time at Lincoln Winebar thanks to Jesse. Served at a perfect temperature, this beer was one to sip on and enjoy. Apple cider, caramel, dark fruits and a bit of burn from the booze made this a perfect winter stout…I just wish I had more.

**Big Grove Brewery Trident XII – I think if there was a gun to my head and I had to pick my favorite beer I tried this year, this might be the winner. Melon and citrus flavors combine to bring this 11%ish double IPA seem like a deceitfully drinkable IPA.Plus, you know, I won my family beer fest with this brew.

**Oskar Blues Death By Coconut – I heard the 1st release of this was lacking coconut, luckily I got the second batch of this. This beer is an almond joy in beer form. Enjoyed it tailgating prior to the Iowa/Gopher game and hoping to see more of it our shelves. Oskar Blues outdid themselves with this one.

**515 Passe – had this all the way down in Parkville, MO at the Parkville Beer Festival. Dave and company might have made the best pale ale in Iowa with this beer. The perfect combination of citrus and tropical fruit make this one of the better beers of the year. 515 is just a fantastic place to visit and I wish I could get to Des Moines more often.

**Tallgrass Big RICC – I think if there was a vote on the best Tallgrass beer Big RICC might take home the gold. A 10.2% Russian Imperial Stout coming in a can that has a perfect balance of roasty malts, chocolate, and coffee. I hope Tallgrass keeps pushing this one down their lines!

Part 2 in the books! Let me know your thoughts!

Lion Bridge Brewery “Barrel-Aged January” Schedule

January 3, 2016Leave a comment

Here it it! The schedule for Lion Bridge Breweries “barrel-aged January” is here and it looks wonderful!

Tues 1/5 – CSA member private event – Oktobot 3000 pre-release party (This event is for members only. If you aren’t a member of the our Community Supported Ales Program, be sure to get one for you or as a gift for your loved ones for the holiday. It’s the gift that keeps on giving: http://www.lionbridgebrewing.com/store/)

Weds 1/6 – Oktobot 3000 public release, Barrel-Aged January glassware release and festive polka from Czech Plus.

Fri 1/8 – Oktobot 5000 release! This is our Imperial Barrel-Aged Oktoberfest, Oktobot 3000, aged in Cedar Ridge Bourbon Reserve Barrels.

Saturday 1/9 – Englert Theater Collabeeration release. Local Talent Robust Porter. Not a barrel-aged beer but a great day to come out and enjoy some a delicious new beer from Lion Bridge.

Weds 1/13 – The Royal Wee (Wee Heavy aka Strong Scotch Ale) release. Aged in Cedar Ridge Peated Whiskey, Apple Brandy and Dark Rum Barrels. Music by IrishJam

Sat 1/16 – Cherry Wood Stave Royal Wee release. A portion of the Royal Wee batch aged in Cedar Ridge Cherry Stave Whiskey Barrels.

Weds 1/20 – Cabernet Saison. We took a batch of our Untitled Saison and aged it in single-use Cabernet Sauvignon barrels from Piña Napa Valley. Some lively accompanying jazz music provided by Traffic Jam.

Sat 1/23 – Maple Disaster – Our GABF Gold Disaster at Meux re-fermented with copious amount of Great River Maple dark syrup and barrel aged. Great River Maple will be on hand to sample maple products, and Eduskate will be printing Maple Disaster t-shirts on demand.

Weds 1/27 – GAZPROM! release. Our Russian Imperial Stout aged in Cedar Ridge Single Malt Whiskey barrels with a re-fermenation from a lot of maple syrup. Our favorite Grateful Dead tribute band, Winterland, will be closing out the month.

Cheers and hope you can join us for a great January!

Baron’s Best of 2015 Part 1

December 31, 2015December 31, 20156 Comments

best of.png I always enjoy looking back on a year of great beer drinking and this year was probably the best. So many great beers to choose from and what makes it even better is that there are so many great beers brewed here in Iowa that will makes this list. Don’t get me wrong, tons of good stuff on the shelves, but bringing home a growler of fresh Arms Race or Workman’s Compensation makes it that much more special to live in Eastern Iowa and have the opportunity to support our local breweries.

This year’s list will be dominated by Iowa breweries, these are all beers that were/are available for purchase in Iowa that I had for the FIRST TIME EVER in 2015. You won’t see the Bourbon county’s or the KBS, I know that they change year by year but I’m going to leave them off this list. I haven’t visited a few newer breweries in Iowa which I know I need to. Everyone has their favorites, let me know what I need to try! 30 beers on the list this year and it was difficult coming to just 30. This is Part 1 of 5, let’s roll!

*Lion Bridge Brewery GAZPROM! – a russian imperial stout aged in rye and brandy barrels that Lion Bridge gets to us in the months Iowans need to be warmed up! January and February in Iowa suck, but Lion Bridge’s release of GAZPROM! makes them a little more tolerable. Plus, the tshirt released was badass too!

*Big Grove Brewery Buster – let’s keep the Iowa breweries rolling with a triple IPA that was released last Spring. Big Grove had a dominant year with their IPA releases and their Richard the Whale releases. This triple was juicy as hell and scary drinkable. Coming in at 11.3%, this bad boy could lead to a good night’s sleep.

*Pulpit Rock Mr. Hoppy Pants – one of the newer breweries in Iowa is located across the street from Toppling Goliath in Decorah. I was lucky enough to stop in and have a pint and loved what those breweries are brewing up. Mr. Hoppy Pants is a double IPA brewed on a rotating hop schedule so this brew might change from time to time. Not sure of the hops in the draw I had but I loved it. Aromatic and crushable, visit Pulpit Rock, they are an up and comer to keep an eye on.

*Exile Raspberry Bohemian – this one might keep some talk stirred as I picked this over their Cherry Bohemian and I think many folks enjoyed the cherry more..not me. I think I just enjoy raspberry in my beer more than cherry flavor, just a personal preference and that’s why Raspberry gets my nod over Cherry. Either way, both beers were great and I would venture to say that Exile nailed it with both of them.

*Turner Alley Czech Village Pilsner – a style that’s not as “sexy” as the imperial IPAs or the barrel-aged beers of the world, but a style that seems lost in the mix is pilsners. Travis at Turner Alley has taken what some would consider a boring style and made a crisp, refreshing, balanced pilsner that I would put up against most out there. Looking forward to see what Turner Alley has in store for 2016.

*Firetrucker Black Walnut Alcova Brown Ale – another “basic” style that seems like it got lost in the shuffle of beer styles, gets amped up with the addition of 100 black walnuts. This is a beer I can drink anytime of the year and that nutty aftertastes shines through making this beer a perfect example on how to make a great brown.

**Part 2 coming soon! Iowa brewery dominant so far. Let me know your thoughts!