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Baron Family Beer Festival Results, Year 9: Big Grove Reigns Supreme!
Year 9 of my family’s beer festival is in the books and it was another great year of tasting some excellent brews. The cool thing about our beer festival is that there are many different palates and finding one beer that satisfies all of them can be really tough. Most of the guys prefer IPAs/Saisons/Sours and many of the ladies prefer stouts, porters, and fruit beers.
THE SCORING
Every year it’s a blind tasting. We usually try to break it up throughout the day. Along with it being blind, here’s how we score it:
Appearance /5
Aroma /5
Taste /15
Drinkability /5
So the total is out of 30 with the highest obviously being crowned the champion. Now, I’ve never won, my wife has won 3 times, my brother twice, and even my brother-in-law has a gold medal. What beer could I bring to this beer fest that everyone would enjoy? Nothing says Merry Christmas like a 12% imperial IPA, so at the very least, if I didn’t win I can drown my sorrows and get drunk. Onto the results:
8th Place – Exile Chill Clinton Double Hemp Amber – I liked the taste of this beer, I think for most, the aroma was what got this a low score which led to people automatically not enjoying it. My brother-in-laws entry.
7th Place – Toppling Goliath Rover Truck Stout – This is an ok stout. I didn’t score it terribly low but out of the two stouts we had this one was missing something. My sister-in-law’s entry.
6th Place – Peace Tree Blonde Fatale – I
really enjoy this beer and scored it well. I don’t think anyone really disliked it, but I don’t think anyone was in love with it either. My mom’s entry.
5th Place – Stone Saison – a good saison, I enjoyed it, but missing a few things for a top 3 finish. My brother’s entry.
4th Place – Backpocket Wake Up Iowa Stout – a 
very good showing for Backpocket with this beer. Between the 2 stouts I thought this one had more roasty malts and good coffee flavor compared to the TG stout. My dad’s entry.
3rd Place – Alpine Nelson – loved this brew! This was my 2nd place winner and it just missed out on 2nd place. Lovely addition to our ever-expanding beer options in Iowa. My wife’s entry.
2nd Place – Ballast Point Sculpin – a fresh bottle of 
Sculpin is tough to beat and this beer was fresh! Apparently right off the truck and into our glasses and an excellent 1st showing for Ballast Point, this was my brother’s entry and he almost won, except………….THE BARON BROUGHT HIS GAME!
1st Place – Big Grove Brewery Trident XII – not only am I thrilled I actually won for once and I didn’t have to sit in the shadow of others for the 9th straight year but I won with an Iowa brewery and a place I pretty much visit every other day. Trident is on point. An excellent brew, and dangerously drinkable. My favorite moment is when tasting this, knowing it was mine, my brother looks down the table and mouths the words: “holy shit” Big Grove has won many awards since they’ve opened, but this has to be one of the better awards they’ve won 🙂 A lovely beer. I have pictures of my celebration but this is a PG site. A win for the Baron!
The wheels are already turning for next year’s beer fest. We’ve decided it will be an all Iowa brewery beer festival which will be great, so the question is, what should I bring next year?
Stone Brewing Releases 2016 Calendar
2016 STONE SEASONALS
Stone Pataskala Red X IPA
7.3% • 12oz 6pks & draft • Red IPA made w/special Red X malt from Germany. February – May
Witbier
(5-6%) • 12oz 6pks & draft • Our first bottled wit will be a modern, unconventional spin on a classic Old World style. June – September
Stone Coffee Milk Stout
5% • 12oz 6pks & draft • A bittersweet, creamy, coffee‑laced stout. October – December2016 STONE IMPERIAL SEASONALS
Stone Americano Stout
(8.4-9%) • 12oz 6pks & draft • Espresso American Stout, inspired by (and named after) the Americano coffee style. February – May
Mystery IPA
(8.2-8.8%) • 12oz 6pks & draft • Super unique and delicious IPA. Will be revealed late spring! June – September
Stone Xocoveza for the Holidays & the New Year
8.1% • 12oz 6pks & draft • Our awesome-to-cellar spiced mocha stout returns to herald the time of year when the joyous spirit of giving is in the air and good behavior is generously rewarded. October – December2016 NEW RELEASE
Hoppy blonde
(4.7-5.3%) • Cans & draft • Would you expect a blonde brewed by Stone to be anything less than hoppy? Neither would we. And in cans, no less. June2016 STONE SPECIAL RELEASES
2016 Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine
(11-11.5%) • 22oz & draft • Our famous barley wine, this year dry‑hopped w/Pekko hops. February
2016 Dogfish Head / Victory / Stone Saison du BUFF
7.7% • 12oz 6pks & draft • The extraordinarily unique (and sometimes polarizing) rotating-between-the-breweries-every-year collaboration of three longtime friends: Sam Calagione of DFH, Bill Covaleski of Victory & our very own Greg Koch. March
2016 Stone Imperial Russian Stout
(10.5-11%) • 22oz & draft • Earning a perfect 100 score on RateBeer, this is one of our most cellarable beers. March
Stone Spotlight Series release
TBD • 22oz & draft • The result of a Stone Brewing Team competition. California release only. May
Stone RuinTen Triple IPA
10.8% • 22oz & draft • A stage dive into a mosh pit of hops. June
Stone Farking Wheaton w00tstout
(13-13.5%) • 22oz & draft • This righteously flavorful, partially barrel‑aged, superhero version of an imperial stout is returning for its fourth edition. July
Stone 20th Anniversary IPA
(8-9.5%) • 22oz & draft • You can bet that our 20th Anniversary IPA will be nothing short of a monumental celebration of big‑character flavor. AugustSTONE 20TH ANNIVERSARY ENCORE SERIES
Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout
9.2% • 22oz & draft • The bitterness of hops traded for the bitterness of unsweetened chocolate, with flaked oats added to provide creaminess and body. January
Stone 6th Anniversary Porter
8% • 22oz & draft • Our venerable smoked porter cranked up a notch or three, owner of a superlative score of 100 on RateBeer. April
Stone 02.02.02 Vertical Epic Ale
7.5% • 22oz & draft • Originally only 300 cases were made. We’re upping it a little this time around. July
Beachwood / Heretic / Stone Unapologetic IPA (v2.0)
(8.5-9.5%) • 22oz & draft • Part reissue, part update. Our collaborators will use the original recipe as the jumping‑off point! August
Mixed 4pk: Stone 5th Anniversary IPA, Stone 10th Anniversary IPA, Stone 15th Anniversary Escondidian Imperial Black IPA, Stone 20th Anniversary IPA
(8-11%) • 22oz 4pk Box • Our famously seminal, groundbreaking, hoppy anniversary favorites! September
Stone 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA
8.9% • 22oz & draft • A decidedly British and royally delicious IPA, with the hops, malts and yeast all coming from the UK. OctoberSTONE ENJOY BY IPA SERIES
Stone Enjoy By 02.14.16 Black IPA
9.4% • 22oz & draft • This onyx yin to our golden, freshness‑envelope‑pushing yang rewards hoppy beer enthusiasts with amazingly in‑your‑face dankness and tropical & stone fruit hop flavors. January
Stone Enjoy By 02.14.16 Unfiltered IPA
9.4% • 12oz 6pks, 22oz & draft • We don’t always have a filter, so why should our beer? The hop aromas will be even more intense in this #nofilter version of Stone Enjoy By IPA. January
Stone Enjoy By 04.20.16 IPA
9.4% • 12oz 6pks, 22oz & draft • Devastatingly dank, über hoppy and, as always, made with a fresh stash of more than 10 different hops. March
Stone Enjoy By 05.04.16 Black IPA
9.4% • 22oz & draft March
Stone Enjoy By 05.30.16 Tangerine IPA
9.4% • 12oz 6pks, 22oz & draft • Puréed tangerines introduce a hop‑pushing tang to our famously “brewed‑not‑to‑last” double IPA. April
Stone Enjoy By 07.04.16 IPA
9.4% • 12oz 6pks, 22oz & draft May
Stone Enjoy By 07.25.16 Black IPA
9.4% • 22oz & draft June
Stone Enjoy By 09.05.16 Unfiltered IPA
9.4% • 12oz 6pks, 22oz & draft August
Stone Enjoy By 10.31.16 Tangerine IPA
9.4% • 12oz 6pks, 22oz & draft September
Stone Enjoy By 11.25.16 Black IPA
9.4% • 22oz & draft October
Stone Enjoy By 12.25.16 IPA
9.4% • 12oz 6pks, 22oz & draft NovemberSTONE ENJOY AFTER BRETT IPA SERIES
Stone Enjoy After 04.20.17 Brett IPA
7% • 750ml • Really? Cellar an IPA? Yes. Brettanomyces brings about charmingly unpredictable complexities of spice, funk, acidity and more. March
Stone Enjoy After 10.31.17 Brett IPA
7% • 750ml September
Coming to Shelves: Rubaeus Cans, Boulevard Chocolate Ale w/Raspberries, Stone, Ballast Point
Some new beers should be gracing our shelves in the near future, some we’ve seen before and some with a slight twist. Let’s get on with the update:
*Founders Rubaeus Cans– Founders’ popular raspberry beer will be coming in 12 oz cans and I believe is now going to be a year round offering.
*Boulevard Chocolate Ale w/Raspberries – Boulevard is amplifying its winter release of chocolate ale by adding raspberries to the beer. Here’s more on this beer from Boulevard:
We’re always looking for playful new ways to approach the art of brewing, so we invited back celebrated chocolatier Christopher Elbow to reimagine our very popular collaboration, Chocolate Ale. Elbow has earned a worldwide reputation for his ability to harmonize all kinds of flavors with chocolate. For this exciting new version has has paired the bright flavors and aromas of raspberry for a fresh take on an old favorite.
*Ballast Point Ginger Big Eye IPA – Ballast Point once again taking one of their core IPA beers and adding a adjunct to it. This time it’s their Big Eye IPA and adding ginger to it. This beer checks in on 7% and will be available in 22 oz bombers.
*Stone Americano Stout – Stone Brewing will be releasing another stout. According to B.A. member Bottlecaps80 this beer will be an Imperial Stout with Espresso and come in at 8.5% ABV. More from Stone:
Founders Releases 2016 Release Schedule
Some changes to their schedule and a few unknowns but here it is:
Odell Coming to Iowa Soon
The following was passed along to me by @bdattilo on Twitter and makes it sound like Iowa will be seeing Odell on the shelf soon:
That’s right…we’re looking for a talented Iowa/Nebraska sales rep to join our team! http://odellbrewing.com/jobs/
Stay tuned for more details!
Tallgrass Brewing Announces Core Lineup Changes
The following informations comes courtesy of Tallgrass Brewing’s newsletter. Some changes to their core lineup and the addition of 3 new beers and the subtraction of 3 as well. There will be no more Ethos IPA, Velvet Rooster, 16-Bit, as well as 2 seasonals Halcyon Wheat and Ginger-Peach Saison. Here’s more from Tallgrass:
Regional Brewery Announces Changes to Core Lineup
Restaurant Review: Hudson’s Southside Tap; Iowa City, IA
A visit to a familiar area of Iowa City was in store for my wife and I as we were on our way to visit Hudson’s Southside Tap in Iowa City. We used to live in the Pentacrest Apartment complex downtown (very close to the bars….too close to the bars) and frequently visited the Pancheros on that side of town. Oh how I wish Hudson’s would have been there during that time!
Walking into the restaurant you are greeted with an inviting pub feel. Dark wood tables and a bar area that highlights the booze and taps. Very cozy, a place that I could spend hours in and feel right at home. I of course noticed the 40 tap handles on the back wall and was excited to dig into a few beers.
On the menu, I was expecting basic 
pub fare, but Hudson’s gives you more than that. An upscale pub fare if you will. When checking out new places I like to order multiple items, or I’m a fat ass who overeats, could be either of those…but anyway, I started with some basic chicken wings.
I’m a big fan of great chicken wings…not breaded (except for the Wig and Pen, love those), fried until crisp, with the perfect amount of sauce, and I must say, Hudson’s has some of the best wings I’ve had in some time. Their homemade blue cheese dressing and ranch where icing on the cake. Would go back to try their other sauces, but I would have no problem ordering the basic Frank’s sauce wings again.
There are also some slider options on the menu and I went with the pulled pork slider. Perfect amount of sauce, excellent pork with a touch of smokiness, very good slider. My wife had a short rib philly cheese steak with jalapeno cream 
cheese. It was excellent, albeit a bit messy, but something we would order again. My main dish was the shrimp po’ boy. I’m a po’ boy junky, would eat them everyday and this one added it’s own touches to a traditional sandwich. A creole spiced may addition added to this sandwich. The shrimp were huge and cooked perfect and the bread was crunchy on the outside but nice and chewy in the middle.
All of these items, (I finished everything) were washed down with a Big Grove Brewery Que Sera and then a Boulevard Tank 7. For being relatively new they did a nice job getting Iowa beers on tap and I can see more Iowa tap handles as Hudson’s continues to get their feet wet.
There hadn’t been much of a reason for me to visit Iowa City’s south side anymore, but Hudson’s has now given me that reason. Looking forward to going again….oh yeah, we took our loud 1 year old daughter and wait staff couldn’t have been more friendly and playful with her. Highly recommend a visit to this local tap!
FilmScene and 7G Team Up for Grit & Grain: The Bourbon County Stout Story
FilmScene in Iowa City, (a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to enriching the cultural vitality of the Iowa City area through film that challenges, inspires, educates, and entertains), is teaming up with 7G Distribution for some Bourbon County tasting as well as showing the film Grit and Grain: The Story of Bourbon County Stout. Here’s more on this event slated for December 10th!
Grit & Grain: The Story of Bourbon County Stout
FilmScene is partnering with 7G Distributing to celebrate Goose Island’s legendary Bourbon County Stout! Sip on some Bourbon County while viewing Grit & Grain, a documentary that shares the craftsmanship of the stout and captures the passion and dedication that goes into each barrel.
Each ticket includes two 8oz. pours of limited Bourbon County Stout plusFREE samples of other Goose Island beers, and all-you-can-eat FilmScene popcorn!
Come throughout the night and enjoy this event in FilmScene’s Gallery space! 7G Distributing will also have a photo booth, door prizes and giveaways, and more!
Date/Time:
Thursday, December 10th
5:30pm – First Sampling Session
6:00pm – First Screening of Grit & Grain7:00pm – Second Sampling Session
7:30pm – Second Screening of Grit & Grain8:00pm – Third Sampling Session
Ticket Price:
FilmScene Members: $20
General Public: $25
Blackstone Presents: One Night Stand with Stone Brewing on Dec. 11th
A great looking lineup coming to Blackstone Restaurant in Iowa City as they present One Night Stand with Stone Brewing. Here’s the official release:
