Nothing 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.
CRAFT 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.
**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!
An 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 couple of big events featuring Big Grove Brewery and taking place at John’s Grocery and Blackstone Restaurant in Iowa City.
Big 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:
A 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:
Yesterday 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.
Hidden 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!
