Border Hopfest releases list of breweries and beers!

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borderOn May 24th, from 1-5, Backpocket Brewing is hosting Border Hopfest and they have just released details on what breweries are coming and what they are bringing. The big name on the card is Surly Brewing company. Here is who is coming and what they are bringing:

MINNESOTA
Surly Brewing
beers: TBD

Lucid Brewing
*Saison
*Air Golden Ale
*Foto IPA

Flat Earth Brewing Company
*Cygnus X-1
*Xanadu Porter
*TBD

Summit Brewing
*Saga IPA
*TBD
*TBD

Brau Brothers Brewing
*Strawberry Wheat
*Alternative Imperial Alt
*Paradox Black IPA

WISCONSIN

Great Dane Brewing
*Uber Bock
*Imperial Vanilla Stout
*Imperial IPA
*Peck’s Pilsner
*Crop Circle Wheat
*Velvet Hammer Bock

NEBRASKA

Empyrean Brewing
*Imperial Mango IPA
*Carpe Brewem Black Ale
*Chaco Canyon Gold Blonde Ale

Storz
*Triumph Lager
*Gold Crest Amber
*Wood Duck Wheat
*Mugs Pale Ale

MISSOURI
Schlafly
*Biere de Garde
*Session IPA
*Yakima Wheat

 

1st Boulevard Backroad Beer: Entwined Ale

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entwinedThe following information comes from http://www.beerpulse.com. Boulevard coming out with a “Backroads Beer” series and the first one to be released is Entwined Ale. Here’s more:

Glossy black six-packs trundled down the bottling line last Friday, signaling a new direction for the Boulevard Brewing Co. Entwined Ale, a malt beverage brewed with Muscat grape juice, will be the first release under Boulevard’s Backroads Beers.

Beer Review #116: Central Waters Satin Solstice Imperial Stout

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centralEven when warm weather approaches I still like to kick back on the deck on a summer evening and enjoy some stouts. Imperial stouts are usually associated with cold weather but I would consider them year-round. There are quite a few good ones out there right now and with Central Waters Brewing entering our market (www.centralwaters.com)

Smooth and creamy with the nice flavor of chocolate, coffee, and  the nice warming sensation you get from the alcohol makes this an imperial stout that will frequent my fridge. More from Central Waters:

This smooth, creamy stout and a crackling fireplace are the perfect answer to a wintry evening in Wisconsin. The rich coffee flavor compliments the “warm, fuzzy feeling” you get from the abundant alcohol. Formerly a winter seasonal, named Satin Solstice.

While barrel-aged stouts are all the rage it is nice having this along with some Old Rasputin to keep on hand. Maybe not the best to age too long, but it will last a while in the fridge or cellar and not have too much of the flavor compromised. Central Waters is doing some really great things and it’s great to see their brews on our shelves here in Eastern Iowa.

REVIEW

STYLE: Imperial Stout

ABV: 7.5%

PURCHASED AT: Johncy’s, North Liberty, IA

POUR: Deep black pour with a medium tan head.

AROMA: Coffee sticks out in this Imperial stout.

TASTE: Coffee, chocolate, and hint of caramel sweetness.

Ratebeer.com rating: 96

Beeradvocate rating: 86

Overall: B

My recommendation: A nice imperial stout to have as an option.

Boulevard Saison-Brett coming back shelves!

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boulevardThe following information is courtesy of http://www.beerpulse.com. The popular Smokestack Series from Boulevard is welcoming back Saison-Brett, my favorite from the series, and it should be hitting shelves very soon. More from beerpulse:

Boulevard Saison-Brett releases today in the Kansas City area. Other cities will see this Smokestack Series Limited Release soon.

Here’s more info on Saison-Brett from ratebeer.com:

Saison-Brett, based on our very popular Tank 7, is assertively dry hopped, then bottle conditioned with various yeasts, including Brettanomyces, a wild strain that imparts a distinctive earthy quality. Though this farmhouse ale was given three months of bottle age prior to release, further cellaring will continue to enhance the “Brett” character, if that’s what you’re after.

Coming to Shelves: Bells Cans, Sierra Nevada Hoptimum/So. Hemisphere

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bellsEastern Iowa should be seeing some familiar faces on shelves soon but in a different form. Bells will be releasing Oberon and Two Hearted Ale in cans, (who’s ready to tailgate?). Did everyone get some Blacknote? I have one and am looking forward to popping the top! Also coming is Sierra Nevada’s Hoptimum and Southern Hemisphere Fresh Hop IPA. Here’s more courtesy of http://www.beerpulse.com:

Four-packs of both Oberon and Two Hearted (16 oz. cans) have begun shipping from our brewery.

Sierra Nevada:

Five hop varieties conspire for flavor domination inHoptimum®, our hopped, dry-hopped and torpedoed Imperial IPA. We’ve made every one of its 100 IBUs count, so hold tight on the whirlwind journey of grapefruit rind, pine, herbs and tropical fruit.

sierraThe second of five beers in our 2014 Harvest series, Southern Hemisphere Harvest®capitalizes on the springtime hop harvest in New Zealand—yup, opposite of our fall hop harvest! Several varieties are picked, dried and shipped to us within just seven days, and we pack their fresh floral and herbal flavors and aromas into this complex, kiwi-inspired IPA.

Lion Bridge Brewery Updates: Beer Dinner + Patio

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lion bridgeI just received the following from Lion Bridge Brewing’s newsletter. A beer dinner is coming up and the menu looks absolutely specular! A lot of great things happening at Lion Bridge and the Czech Village in Cedar Rapids, check them out! Here’s more:

Hello from Lion Bridge Brewing Company!


The taproom has been open for about 6 weeks now and we have been overwhelmed by the positive reception, and overwhelmed by the amount of beer we have gone through.

We would like to thank everyone who has been able to come in for a beer and look forward to seeing you again in the future.

Look for a full battery of acoustic panels the next time you come in (should help make our old grocery store a little quieter), a patio will be put in here soon, and we are installing a projector so we can get a movie night up and running in the not-so-distant future.

We will keep you informed as we add new beers to our line up and we are excited to have our first beer dinner coming up.  The dinner includes 5 courses and 5, half-pints of Lion Bridge beer.

Where: Lion Bridge Brewing Company
             59 16th Avenue SW
             Cedar Rapids, IA
             52404
When: Tuesday, May 6th @ 6:30pm
Cost: $50

Contact us at: info@lionbridgebrewing.com or reply to this email if you want to reserve a spot. Please include the number in your party and a contact phone number.  We will call to confirm your spot later this week. 

This is spur of the moment, and we are keeping it small, so please don’t hesitate.

Menu for this dinner is:

-Bar Snack of toasted barley with mixed nuts
(Belgian Amber Ale)

-Homemade Brewer’s Grain Bread with Local Butter and Radish

(Živá Voda: Pilsner)

-Asparagus Soup with Pistachio Cream
(Mad Maximillion: Belgian IPA)

 
-Beer Braised Brisket with Herb Sauce and Baby Potatoes in Browned Butter and Chives
(Sticke Altbier)
 
-Strawberries and Cream with Pretzel Crumble
(Smoked Chocolate Stout)
 

Now that our schedule is stabilizing, look for more email updates (but not too many) about new beers and events for the summer and beyond. 

Thanks for your interest in local beer.

Cheers!
The LBBC

Stone Smoked Porter w/Chipotle Peppers hits May 5th

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stoneThe following comes from beerpulse.com:

(Escondido, CA) – Stone Brewing Co. has released a new beer just about every week it seems and the first week of May will be no different. Stone Smoked Porter with Chipotle Peppers arrives in stores the week of May 5th. More below on the beer…

In 2006, Chris Carroll, a longtime member of Team Stone, took that adage literally, proposing that we produce a one-off version of our venerable Stone Smoked Porter made spicy from the addition of chipotle peppers. We gave it a shot and found that those smoked jalapeños melded quite naturally with the smoldery peat-smoked malt that gives the beer its flavor and moniker, creating a deep, roasty quaff with a carefully restrained tingle of tasteful capsaicin heat in the finish.

Hops bill: Columbus & Mt. Hood
Malt Bill: Pale Malt, Crystal 75, Chocolate Malt, Peat-Smoked Malt
Packaging: 22oz Bottles and Draft
Stats: 5.9% ABV / 53 IBUs

 

Toppling Goliath 2014 Assassin Release Details

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toppling goliathThe following comes Toppling Goliath’s website: http://www.tgbrews.com:

Assassin Gold Label 2014

Posted on April 23, 2014 by Clark

Soon, our barrels of Assassin (our barrel aged imperial stout) will be ready to be blended and bottled.  We had been planning on having a brewery only release at our taproom brewery, but have decided against it.  As those of you know that have visited us, our taproom is quite small and has very limited parking.  Although we have offered all we can, we have been unable to secure any additional parking for this years event.  That fact, coupled with the number of our loyal fans that make the trek, have left us with the tough decisions of deciding against a release.  Not wanting to let you down is the main reason we are doing this.  We have decided that when the time comes and the beer is in bottles, most of it will be released to distribution.  This will undoubtedly disappoint some local people, so we are going to offer all mug club members the chance to purchase one bottle each, at cost.  The details of this will be emailed to all members after we bottle it.  Also, to pay back all the loyal locals who come in on a daily basis, I will from time to time just bring a case over with out announcement and it will be for sale at cost while supplies last. Who knows, maybe even a keg or two will show up too!

This years Assassin could be one of our best.  The barrels Mike was able to acquire are yielding very exciting flavors and a smoothness in the body that helps carry these flavors to your senses when sipping the treasure.

As far as Kentucky Brunch Gold Label and Mornin’ Delight, we have not decided what to do.  Although we want to see all of you in person for a release, we may have grown too large for our current location.   Mike is guessing we may yield 200 -400 bottles of Kentucky Brunch Gold.

Our long term goal is to have releases at our new brewery, which is better suited for parking, music, bottle share, etc.  Hopefully we will be ready for that in 2015.

Thanks again for supporting us and our endeavors to please you with our creations.  Making great beer and providing you with the best possible experience when you visit is our driving force!    -Clark, Barb and Mike