The following comes from a Millstream Brewing Facebook post:
We’ve been aging our Schild Brau Amber & Back Road Stout in Cedar Ridge Whiskey barrels for the last 9 months! Now at long last we are bottling them in 22 oz bombers. Look for these very limited batch of barrel aged beers in Cedar Rapids & Iowa City next Friday for a special release.
From Oakland Road Hy-Vee and also got a Facebook message from Johncy’s Liquor Store in North Liberty as well. Prairie Bomb and Pirate bomb have landed!
We have 2 fantastic beers that have just hit the floor. We have reloaded on Prairie Bomb and have received Pirate Bomb as well, which is Prairie Bomb aged in rum barrels. Stop in a grab a bottle while supplies last. Thanks and have a great day.
Imperial Stout aged on Coffee, Cacao Nibs, Vanilla Beans & Chili Peppers
Bomb! is an imperial stout aged on espresso beans, chocolate, vanilla beans, and ancho chile peppers. All the flavors meld to create a truly unique beer. The peppers add just the right amount of heat to compliment the intense coffee and chocolate flavors.
ABV 13%
It’s always great when a new restaurant or bar with an exciting new concept opens up. I’ve been reading about the Chop House for a few weeks and finally had an opportunity to be around downtown Iowa City and decided to give it a go. It’s located right next to the Englert Theater, can’t miss it. Here’s the Iowa Chop House statement:
At the Iowa Chop House, we believe that great food starts with local, fresh ingredients. That’s why we source only the finest sustainable seasonal ingredients from hard working local farmers. Located in historic downtown Iowa City, we proudly carry on the tradition of culture and quality that is unique to our community.
The hostess offered us a quick tour before showing us our seats. She pointed out that the tables and part of the bar are from a refurbished barn. The “beer barn” was also made to look like a rustic old barn. More on the beer barn later, a terrific concept.
We were shown to our seats, people were starting to filter in for lunch so I’m glad we got there right at opening. The menu had everything from burgers to steaks with some great sounding apps as well. Here’s a link to the menu:http://theiowachophouse.com/iowachophouse_menu.pdf I thought the prices were very fair and I believe the food is locally sourced and then I was told about “The Beer Barn”! The Beer Barn is such a refreshing idea, especially for a craft beer lover as I am. If you want to order from the Beer Barn wall you are given an electronic wrist band. The wall had about 8 Iowa-only beers on tap, a fe
w of which I’ve never had. The band gives you a max of 28 oz of beer. You have several glass sizes to choose from so you are not stuck with a 12 oz pour of something you didn’t care for. You put your band over the electronic sign for the beer you want, get a blue/green light, and start pouring your beer. You can use the 28 oz on whatever beers are on the wall. A fantastic concept! I got to try Firetrucker brewery (http://www.firetrucker.com/)for the first time, they had Exile beers (http://exilebrewing.com/) as well and finished with a Lion Bridge saison (http://www.lionbridgebrewing.com/) and Big Grove arms race http://www.biggrovebrewery.com/)!
The good news is if you want more than 28 oz you can get your band reset as well and if you don’t want what’s on the Beer Barn wall they have a huge selection of bottles and more tap lines. The barn was just a great interactive way for people to talk beer and get to try some new brews as well.
Onto the food! The burger was great! One of the more flavorful burgers I’ve had in a while and went well with the Firetrucker porter. I got to talk to the manager for a while and he was very friendly and he did say that they 
are pretty much booked up for the next few weekends, so if you want to get there to check it out, head for lunch or make an online reservation. Overall, a place I will be heading to when I find myself downtown and want to escape what can be the madness of college bars and shitty beer or escape the unoriginality of fried chicken fingers and ground beef nachos. Check it out, keep these new places going!
A couple of really good brews will be making their way back to Eastern Iowa beer shelves in the coming weeks. Founders Harvest Ale is just coming off the bottling line and should be hitting shelves soon.
Another favorite for many folks is Schlafly’s Tasmanian IPA. This beer should be hitting Eastern Iowa by next week. Here’s more on each brew:
Founders Harvest Ale
Ratebeer: 99
Beeradvocate: 95
ABV: 7.6%
This liquid dream pours a hazy golden orange straw color with a large puffy white two-finger head. First sip of this beer rewards with a super juicy hop presence bursting with fresh orange and lemon citrus then continues to introduce toasted malt undertones.
Schlafly Tasmanian IPA
Ratebeer: 99
Beeradvocate: 95
ABV: 7.2
Schlafly Tasmanian IPA is brewed with 100% Australian hops. The Tasmanian hop, Galaxy, is a strong, aromatic variety that is different from traditional strains of the Pacific Northwest. Our brewers developed a recipe that showcases the hop’s unique flavors of citrus and pineapple.
Got the following information from Destihl Brewing’s website and also the picture is courtesy of http://www.craftcans.com.
Our new Wild Sour Series includes several beer styles that derive their tartness from wild fermentation in an extended sour mash process. Unlike our Saint Dekkera® Reserve Sour Series, which are long-term aged and soured in oak barrels, our Wild Sour ales not barrel-aged, but they are still soured with our same spontaneous, wild creatures derived from our Reserve Sour barrels.
Three breweries have/are entering the Eastern Iowa market in the next few weeks. Great Divide is here, New Holland Brewing is on their way, and Lagunitas has had a little trickle of their beers around but a big rollout is coming. Adding those three breweries along with all the others that are currently on our shelves, the wonderful dilemma of what to buy because there are so many choices is out there. Now, I know the talk of some oversaturation is out there and that is for a different blog post, but I would like to know what beer are you looking forward to the most from these breweries? We will be able to do the same thing once Surly, Southern Tier, and whoever else decide to enter the market. Would love to hear some comments as well!
Founders Facebook page has given their Backstage Series Release for this winter and I’m very excited to get my hands a bottle of this outstanding sounding brew. Here’s the brewery update:
Announcing the next beer in our Backstage Series: Big Lushious, a chocolate raspberry stout that will be released for the holidays.
We plan to introduce Big Lushious, a chocolate raspberry stout, this December to mark the eleventh installment in our Backstage Series. Like all of our Backstage Series beers, Big Lushious will be sold in 750mL bottles, with a suggested retail price of $16.99 per bottle.
Big Lushious is a deep, rich stout that’s packed with flavor: roasted malts, all-natural dark chocolate, a subtle suggestion of burnt coffee grounds and a kiss of tart raspberries. At 7.8% ABV, it’s big, sumptuous and extravagant, but also balanced.
“We thought Big Lushious would make a great release for the holidays,” said Co-Founder and Vice President of Brand & Education Dave Engbers. “It’s a luxurious beer for us. It’s meant for bringing to parties and is perfect for sharing with friends and family after a feast.”
Big Lushious will be released in limited quantities across our distribution footprint beginning on Monday, December 1, and will be available at our taproom that same week. This will be our last Backstage Series release in 2014—look for more in 2015.
7.8% ABV
A new brew coming this fall from Deschutes will join the likes of Jubelale, Hop Trip, Chasin’ Freshies, and The Dissident. Zarabanda is a collab beer with chef Jose Andres and will come in 22 oz bottles. It is a saison spiced with pink peppercorns, dried lime, lemon verbena, and sumac. Really looking forward to trying this!
When: October
What: Collaboration Beer with Chef Jose Andrés (22-ounce bottles and draft)
An energetic and passionate combination of the culinary and craft brewing worlds, Zarabanda is a spiced Saison that’s been years in the making. Created through a unique collaboration between renowned chef José Andrés and Deschutes Brewery brewers. They worked together throughout this spiced Saison‘s development, infusing the final product with the authentic and distinctive flavors that represent Andrés’ innovation along with Deschutes’ enthusiasm for experimentation and adventure. Zarabanda provides a complex malt body formed from a generous use of Vienna and Spelt malts. A classic Saison yeast strain contributes light fruit esters, which are complemented by aromatic dried lime, flowery pink peppercorn, lemon verbena and savory sumac. Stay tuned for detailed launch event announcements.
Where: Limited year-round availability in most states where Deschutes is sold
Beer Geek Information: 6.1% ABV | 13 IBUs
The following information comes courtesy of http://www.beerpulse.com. Another variant added to Stone’s Smoked Porter repertoire.
We decided early on that we wouldn’t do seasonal beers for the sake of doing seasonal beers. Summer ales and winter lagers certainly have a ring to them. Big-beer focus groups prove consumers get a kick out of them, and macrobrew marketing analyses suggest they sell well. But for us, beer comes first, much as Stone Smoked Porter came first. Actually, it came second — oddly enough, in the form of a seasonal. Our co-founder and original brewmaster, Steve Wagner, thought it would be an innovative, warming creation suited for winter…and it was.
This version, released in the literally gray area separating sunshine and snowfall, incorporates dark chocolate and orange peel, making for a semisweet, citrus-nuanced porter that comes across like a break-apart chocolate orange enjoyed by a campfire. It’s not a seasonal-it’s just a phenomenal beer, regardless of the time of year. Throw out the calendar and enjoy.
ABV: 5.9%
Distribution: Nationwide
Release Date: Starting 10/6/14
