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

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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?

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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

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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!

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*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

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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!

Ramsey’s Wine Bistro in Marion Hosting Tallgrass Beer Dinner Wed. March 15th!

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tallgrassHidden amongst the throng of shops, stores, bars, there is a terrific little bistro in Marion, Iowa called Ramseys. One of my favorite places to go have a panini (the Italian is my favorite) and a hidden gem for craft beer lovers. Yes, it’s a wine bistro with an array wines, but Ramseys also has a stellar craft beer lineup as well!

Next Wednesday, Ramseys will be hosting a beer dinner featuring Tallgrass Brewing beers. The lineup is as follows:

Potato & Leek soup with Buffalo Sweat
Devils on Horseback with Vanilla Buffalo
Irish Boxty w/ smoked trout with 8bit
Bangers & Mash with King Buffalo
Burnt Oranges with Raspberry Jam

$40 a person and seating is limited so contact Ramsey’s at this number: (319) 447-1700

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Drink This! Madhouse Carpe Diem

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madhouseAn obvious choice for a Drink This! post but this beer is soooo damn good it’s worth another mention. People lining up anticipating the release, constant social media mentions of the brew and the beer trader pages with the many ISO: Madhouse Carpe Diem tell me that this isn’t a hidden secret of a brew and many of you already know about its greatness.

There are a few releases that I get excited about every year and this is one of them. Since Madhouse has made this beer, every year it has gotten better to the point where I would say that this year’s version is as satisfying and delicious of a beer that I can remember having. Some might say it’s too sweet, or not enough coffee, yadda yadda, to each their own, but for me, pretty damn close to perfection.

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Stores sold out fast but call around, maybe there are a few hiding somewhere or maybe Madhouse still has it on tap, or maybe you need to be one of people on the beer trading sites that put out the:

ISO: 2017 Madhouse Carpe Diem

I’m not sure what protocol is but I like to buy a beer and be able to try it, so if you are able to score one, my opinion is to drink it fresh; taste that delicious maple, coffee and chocolate as it mixes perfectly with the oats to make a creamy breakfast masterpiece! One of the best beers coming out of Iowa folks!

Do what you need to do and make sure you get to Drink This brew! Cheers!

2017 Benz Beerfest set for Saturday May 13th!

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benzThe 13th annual Benz Beverage Depot Beerfest has been announced and is set for Saturday May 13th! Tickets are available for purchase by visiting www.benzbeerfest.com.

There are two different ticket options.
1. General admission – $25 and goes from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

2. V.I.P admission – $35 starts at 1 p.m

Last year’s event was terrific! Many fantastic local and regional breweries showcasing some of their excellent brews. I hope to see you there! Stay tuned for a list of breweries and beers as they become available!