Cedar Rapids Beer Week Happenings May 6th-14th: Mount Vernon Road Hy-Vee

Leave a comment

cr beer week.pngCedar Rapids Beer Week is right around the corner and one place that will focus on the local breweries during that week is Mount Vernon Road Hy-Vee. Below is a list of brewery spotlights that the store will focus on. During the week of May 6th-14th there will be many beer happenings around CR. Check out Go Cedar Rapids to follow all of the goings on by clicking here.

Here is what’s going down at Mount Vernon Road Hy-Vee:

Firestone Walker Hitting Eastern Iowa Shelves Week of May 8th

Leave a comment

firestone

A few sources have confirmed that Firestone Walker brewing will soon be shipping their beers to Iowa and Eastern Iowans will be seeing them on the shelves the week of May 8th. Firestone will be distributing their beers with Johnson Brothers.

For more info on Firestone Walker’s beers visit their website by clicking here and also stay tuned as we get more details on what beers we’ll be seeing on our shelves. Cheers!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame! (Craft Beer and Local Food Offerings at Vets Memorial Stadium, Cedar Rapids)

2 Comments

kernels.gifNothing beats a nice summer day sitting in the seats at a baseball game, sipping on a cold brew and scarfing on a hot dog.

Cedar Rapids Kernels baseball has begun another year and I thought it would be nice to look at what they offer besides the fizzy yellow beer and a hot dog (although both tastes pretty damn good at a ballgame!).

I corresponded with Kernels’ Food and Beverage Manager Brett Heikkila and he listed quite a few options for craft beer lovers and also some local restaurants setting up stations at Vets.

lion bridgeCRAFT BEER
**Quite a few excellent craft options at Vets Memorial as they have the “Craft Cabin” which is located behind section 113 and rotates beers in throughout the season.  The “Craft Cabin” is currently serving Cedar Rapid’s own Lion Bridge beer. 

millstream**Behind section 103 you will find the Millstream Brewery Shack.  They feature 4 beers from Millstream Brewery in Amana;

Kernels Bases Loaded Pale Ale

Schild Brau

John’s White Ale

German Pilsner

**Behind section 114 you will find Johnson Brothers Beer Stand which offers beers from 3 different breweries; Bell’s, Deschutes, and Surly. Currently you will find these offerings:

Surly Hell

Surly Furious

Oberon

Fresh Squeezed

FOOD
It’s hard for me to pass up stopping at Klement’s Hot Dog stand on the 3rd base line and order my usual dog with grilled onions, sauerkraut, mushrooms and mustard but Vets does offer some fantastic alternatives and local alternatives as well!

In the middle of the concourse, between sections 109 and 112, you will find the local food vendors which, this year, includes Q-Dogs BBQ! Q-Dogs is offering their BBQ Sundae and their pulled pork sandwiches. 

There is also Hacienda and La Cantina (owned by brothers). They share a food stand throughout the season offering nachos, burritos, etc.

Plenty of great eats and drinks at the ballpark in CR this summer. Get out and check out a Kernels game! Non-craft drinkers, don’t worry, still plenty of macro beer too! See you at the ballpark this summer! 

Abu Nawas Beverage Bringing Mikkeller San Diego to Iowa Market starting April 19th!

Leave a comment

mikkellerAn excellent piece of news to start the holiday weekend as Abu Nawas Beverage has announced that they will be distributing Mikkeller San Diego to the Iowa Market. The news comes from Abu Nawas’ own Frederique Boudouani:

A new brand deeply rooted in the friendship of two world-renowned breweries–Mikkeller and AleSmith Brewing Company–this project seeks to merge the best craft beer traditions of Europe and Southern California while exploring the boundaries of modern beer brewing. Expect super fresh, hoppy beers as well as classic European styles. Available at your favorite retailers and imbibing establishments starting April 19, 2017

Big Grove Happenings: April 20th +21st Richard Reserve Tapping, Que Sera w/Strawberry + Rhubarb. Plus Blackstone hosting Richard Reserve and Barrel-Aged Darkness Tapping

Leave a comment

big groveA couple of big events featuring Big Grove Brewery and taking place at John’s Grocery and Blackstone Restaurant in Iowa City.

**Thursday April 20th – John’s Grocery – Big Grove Brewery Richard Reserve(Richard the Whale aged in a Eagle Rare barrel w/ JBC roasters Panama Geisha coffee) growler fills.

 

**Friday April 21st – Blackstone Restaurant – Big Grove Brewery tapping Richard Reserve at Blackstone along with Que Sera with strawberry and rhubarb. They will also have Surly Brewing Barrel-aged Darkness and Pentagram as well.

Tasty things happening in Eastern Iowa with Big Grove, Blackstone, and John’s. Make sure you get out and hit up one of these events!

Upcoming Big Grove Brewery Happenings…Pralines and Richard Growler Fills Anyone?

Leave a comment

big groveBig Grove Brewery in Solon will be having a special cask tapping along with a 3-course pairing coming up this Friday in Solon. First thing, the beer. They will be tapping a cask of Que Sera with charred grapefruit, smoked sea salt, and roasted coriander. Along with this wonderfully refreshing sounding beer will be a paired 3 course meal. The meal will consist of:

**Aleppo and grapefruit glazed local turnip with a tarragon and radish puree, smoked Marcona almonds, and scallions
**Miso and avocado mousse with seared diver scallop and smoked nori
**Olive oil upside down cake with fresh grapefruit, candied ginger and a spiced yogurt

big grove.jpgbig grove2

This tapping will be happening this Friday April 7th!

This coming Saturday, April 8th, Big Grove will be hitting up the 1st Avenue Hy-Vee in Iowa City with some special….Pralines and Richard anyone? Here’s what they are bringing to Hy-Vee on Saturday:

From 12-5 this Saturday:
*Growler fills of Pralines & Richard, Blood Orange Arms Race, and Barrel Aged Que Sera with Cranberries.
100% sales are going towards Tour de Shank

Dubuque “The Tappening” is Happening Saturday June 10th!

Leave a comment

Tappening Poster 2017 (1).jpg

*Scott Birney is a creative mastermind!*

The City of Dubuque will once again play host to “The Tappening” this coming summer. Saturday June 10th is the day and the kickoff party for Dubuque’s River Festival event that features a list of bands.

The Tappening is a celebration of premier craft beers and their brew masters from around the State of Iowa and the tri-state area. Tap in for a day of live music, terrific beer vendors, and plenty of fun.

Located in the Port of Dubuque and on the banks of the Mississippi River, The Tappening serves as the kickoff party for Saturday night’s activities at America’s River Festival.

Here is confirmed so far with many more still to come!

  • Another Road Brewing
  • Backpocket
  • Baraboo Brewing
  • Barn Town Brewing
  • Bent River Brewing
  • Big Grove
  • Catfish Charlies
  • Confluence Brewing
  • Duber
  • FireTrucker Brewing
  • Front Street Brewing
  • Galena Brewing Co
  • Generations Brewing Co
  • Franklin Street Brewing
  • Iowa Brewing Co
  • Jubeck Brewing
  • Millstream
  • Mississippi River Distilling
  • Paradise Distilling
  • Potosi Brewing
  • River Ridge Brewing

More info can be found by clicking here. Stay tuned for more details as more brewery names are being added along with beers being offered.

Upcoming Big Grove Beer Releases: Brewpub in Solon and Brewery and Taproom in Iowa City

Leave a comment

big groveA list of exciting releases are coming from the folks at Big Grove. Both the Brewpub in Solon and the Brewery and Taproom in Iowa City have a nice array of brews coming to those locations. Que the music, let’s break it down:

THURSDAY
Solon Brewpub: A barrel fermented Que Sera aged with Peaches is being tapped for opening.
Iowa City Brewery and Taproom: will release a Cranberry variant and a Blackberry variant of Que Sera. Time still TBA, so follow Big Grove on Facebook for that announcement!

FRIDAY
Solon Brewpub: Irish Cow Bomb cask, Zadar! Milk Stout from Hell w/Almonds, Vanilla beans, JBC coffee and Jamison soaked Oak staves..

All of these releases coming soon and don’t forget that today (Wednesday) they tapped a barrel-aged Barleywine that is available at both locations. Stay tuned for me details on future releases from both the Big Grove Brewpub and the Big Grove Brewery in Taproom! Cheers!

Big Grove Brewery and Taproom Iowa City Set to Open Wednesday, March 15th!

Leave a comment

big groveYesterday I was lucky enough to get to check out Big Grove Brewery and Taproom in  Iowa City and try some of the amazing food and beer. Special thanks to Mr. Chad Young for the invite, the guy is a class act.

My wife and I parked in the back of the building and immediately noticed the huge outdoor patio area that will be a perfect place to enjoy multiple Big Grove IPAs this summer as well as a place to do some tailgating this fall. As you walk into the building you see what every beer lover loves to see; beautiful tap handles staring back at you waiting to pour you a lovely brew. I knew this place was going to be big, but I didn’t realize how big until actually walking through it. The brewery part itself was huge, add a stage and a green room for live music, a back area that will have a SHUFFLEBOARD!!! (YES!!!!, I’m a sucker for shuffleboard), and a ping-pong table, and the regular dining area and you have one big space.

big grove 5.jpgbig grove 6.jpgbig grove 7.jpg

The food and beer were on point. If you’ve had Chef Benjamin Smart’s food at the original Big Grove and Pullman then you know your expectations are going to be high going in and he and his staff did not disappoint. You walk up to place your order and you get a buzzer when your food is ready. You go and pick up your tray and dig in to your meal. My wife and I had the house salad which was refreshing and kind of cooled me down while eating some the Smoked Tapatio wings. The wings were spicy but the perfect burn for me. We also shared the Queso Fundido which could come with chips or homemade corn tortillas, we opted for the tortillas and very happy with that decision. Just to round out the night I had to have a couple of tacos. I went with the pescado(fish) taco and pork belly pastor tacos. Both were awesome but the sauce on that fish taco was amazing and I’ll be ordering many of those in the future.

big grove 1.jpgbig grove 2.jpgbig grove 3.jpgbig grove 4.jpg

Overall, amazing day to say the least. Many hours will be spent in Iowa City at Big Grove for myself and my family in the future. They will be opening up this Wednesday to the public so make sure you get over there and check it out. Thanks again to Chad Young, Chef Smart, Danny Standley and Doug Goettsch for the hospitality and congrats to them all!