New Deschutes Beers Coming in October

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deschutesMore Deschutes coming our way! Hop Trip and Chasin’ Freshies coming in October!

Breakdown of the these two beers:
Hop Trip – American Pale Ale – 5.5%

Chasin’ Freshies – IPA – 7.4%
Ratebeer: 81

The following is courtesy of beerpulse.com:

(Bend, OR) – Deschutes Brewery is taking full advantage of its close proximity to some of the world’s leading whole flower hops this season, releasing two fresh hop beers later this month. Hop Trip, now in its ninth year of bottling, is full of freshly harvested Crystal hops that travel from the fields at Oregon’s Sodbuster Farms and into the brew kettle – all in a matter of hours. Chasin’ Freshies, in its second year in the Bond Street Series, uses Gamache Farms’ famed fresh Amarillo hops for this year’s vintage.

Cam O’Connor, brewmaster at Deschutes Brewery, said, “Fresh hop season is one of my favorite times of the year. The number of different beers that are made with fresh hops gives people an unlimited selection to choose from. All the amazing flavors and aromas that permeate from fresh hop beers are really exciting for me. I feel like a kid in a candy store sometimes during this season.”

The highly celebrated Hop Trip has been enjoyed by Deschutes Brewery fans for nearly a decade and is once again offered in 12-ounce bottle 6-packs as part of the Bond Street Series lineup. Why the longevity for this particular brew? Not only does it taste fantastic, but there’s a great story. The brewery team rushes over to the Willamette Valley each year to pick, bag and load up fresh whole flower hops. They quickly return to Bend, Oregon and dump these freshly harvested jewels into the brew kettle. The result? A perfect pale ale with a uniquely citrus punch and fall spice flavor. 5.5% Alcohol by Volume (ABV); 38 IBUs

Chasin’ Freshies, dubbed after the ski town pastime of chasing fresh powder on the slopes, hit the scene last year with some well-carved turns. Rather than the heirloom Cascade hops of the 2012 version, the brewers changed things up for 2013 and feature the fresh and bold Amarillo hops in this IPA. Fresh hop beer lovers will appreciate the bold, juicy aroma and flavor that comes but once a year. 7.2% Alcohol by Volume (ABV); 65 IBUs

Both beers will be available in most of the 22 states where Deschutes Brewery beers are sold, starting in October.

 

New to Shelves: Boulder returns, Wasatch, Squatters

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boulderI just saw this update from John’s Grocery’s Facebook page:

2.5 tons of new beer just showed up on our doorstep (we did the math). From Boulder we now have Mojo, Hazed and Infused (bottles and cans), Sweaty Better, Hoopla Pale Ale (in cans!) and Flashback. Traveling all the way from Park City, Utah we have Wasatch Ghost Rider, Apricot Weizen, and pumpkin Ale. Finally we have Squatters from Salt Lake City bringing Chasing Tail, Full Suspension, and Hop Rising. 

 

Here’s a quick breakdown of these beers and what to expect from each:

BOULDER
Mojo -IPA – 7.2%
Ratebeer: 94

Hazed and Infused – American Pale Ale – 4.85%
Ratebeer: 87

Sweaty Betty – Wheat Ale – 5.9%
Ratebeer: 40

Hoopla – American Pale Ale – 5.7%
Ratebeer: 57

Flashback – Brown Ale – 6.8%
Ratebeer: 93

Wasatch

Ghostrider – White IPA – 6%
Ratebeer – 87

Apricot Weizen – Fruit Beer – 4%
Ratebeer: 33

Pumpkin Ale – Spice/Vegetable Beer – 4%
Ratebeer: 90

Squatters

Chasing Tail – Golden Ale – 4%
Ratebeer: 29

Full Suspension – American Pale Ale – 4%
Ratebeer: 72

Hop Rising – American Pale Ale – 4%
Ratebeer: 87

**Lots of new beer to try. If you try one of these brews I would love to hear your thoughts.**

Beer Review #111: Mikkeller Sort Gul Black IPA

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mikkellerMikkeller beers are usually a very adventurous brewery to buy from. Very cool artwork on the labels that usually don’t tell you much about the beer but for some reason I always go for it. Their beer usually costs a bit more but I have yet to be absolutely disappointed in any that I’ve tried.

My most recent Mikkeller purchase was their black IPA, Sort Gul. I was drawn by the awesome artwork on the label and then seeing black IPA made it a no-brainer.

Dark mahogany pour with a nice thick tan head. Toasted malt aroma with dark chocolate and then the hoppy pine aroma as well. Huge lacing on the glass. On the first sip you get the roasted malt flavor and then the citrus from the hops comes through. Not overpowering, great mix with the roasted malts. Very drinkable beer.

I get that the price tag on Mikkeller beers can be a bit hefty, but they sure a fun brewery to try. This was a very good black IPA. I would go back to this one without any hesitation.

REVIEW

STYLE: Black IPA

ABV: 7.3%

PURCHASED AT: John’s Grocery; Iowa City, IA

POUR: Medium sized tan head, dark black pour.

AROMA: Roasted malts, piney hops.

TASTE: Roasted malt flavor balance nicely by the hops.

Ratebeer.com rating: 98

Beeradvocate raing: 88

Overall: B+

My recommendation: Give it a shot. If you’ve had Black Top from New Glarus you will definitely enjoy this brew.

Tailgating Beers 2013

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8bitAs another Iowa Hawkeye football season approaches I sit here wondering what happened to all the talk of Bells canning their beers or Founders All Day IPA hitting shelves. I was banking on Founders All Day IPA being my go to this tailgating season, but the delay in the canning and then the delay in the distribution leaves Iowa without it for now. So, what other options do I have? I know some people are rebels and take in bottled beer, I personally, find that to be a pain in the ass. Bottles take up more rooms, can break, and are more difficult to dispose of. I know Founder’s Centennial is coming out and I haven’t had anything from Okoboji Brewing or Wild Onion yet so that’s why they aren’t on there. Anything I missed, feel free to comment!

**CORALVILLE WINE AND SPIRITS NOW HAS 12 packs of Founders All Day IPA**

So let’s breakdown what craft beer we can find in cans and whether or not it could make for a tailgating option. These are beers we can find in Eastern Iowa:

*Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat -4.2% ABV –  Is this considered craft now that AB-Inbev owns it? I don’t think it is but it is better than slugging pack 30 BMC products. Not my favorite, but a step in the right direction.

*Great River Brewing 483 Pale Ale – 5.3% ABV – definitely a solid choice. Supporting the Iowa craft beer scene and getting a solid pale ale in return. The 5.3% ABV isn’t too high, but maybe not as sessionable as some would like.

*O’Fallon Brewing 5 Day IPA – 6.1% ABV – an average IPA that might go down well when the heat is sweltering for the first game, but maybe too well. ABV is getting up there. 1 or 2 of these and then hit the lighter stuff.

*Tallgrass 8-Bit Pale Ale- 5.2% ABV – I will more than likely have some of this on hand. A couple of these will do nicely with the food and the hot day. Not too high on the ABV, which is nice for a 2:30 kickoff.

*Great River Brewing Big Cock IPA – 7.0% ABV – too heavy for this guy, but some might want to get a bit pissed quick. The name is also kind of a turn off for me.

*Samuel Adams Boston Lager – 4.9% – another one that will probably be iced in my cooler. Very sessionable and after all these years this beer still tastes good.

*Tallgrass Brewing Buffalo Sweat – 5.0% – this one might be a bit to creamy for the first few game, but once the cooler months role in, I will definitely be enjoying this for breakfast.

*Great River Dos Pistolas – 4.8% – this vienna lager might just be perfect this Saturday. Decent flavor, low ABV, pairs well with food. Might have a winner.

*Tallgrass Ethos IPA – 6.8% – as much as I would love to sit and drink this stuff this weekend, the ABV might be a bit too high, but maybe just a few?

*New Belgium Fat Tire – 5.2% – a decent pick, must not hitting my taste buds correctly at the moment.

*Tallgrass Halcyon Wheat – 5.0% – would be very refreshing for this hot weekend and the ABV would make this work well.

*Big Sky Moose Drool – 5.3% – my wife really enjoys this beer so it will be in the cooler, a nice break for the usual light beer nightmare that consumes most tailgates.

*O’Fallon Wheach – 5.1% – really good fruit beer that will do nicely this weekend. I only can do around 2 of these before the sweetness takes over.

*New Belgium Ranger IPA – 6.5% – maybe…but probably not. A good choice for an IPA, just not a tailgating beer unless 3-4 is your limit for the day which this would work great.

*Great River Redband Stout – 6.0% – same category as Buffalo Sweat, once the cooler months arrive this is great for breakfast.

*Sam Adams Octoberfest – 5.3% – might see this in my cooler as well. Always a must try seasonal and now available in cans!

*Sierra Nevada Pale Ale – 5.6% – nearing the line of too high ABV but it worked well for me last year.

I guarantee I’m leaving some great beers off this list so please let me know what I’m missing. Chances are there will be a nice mix of brews in the Baron’s cooler and more than likely some Grain Belt as well. Might sneak a few bottles in but not too many. Have a safe and enjoyable first tailgate everyone!

**Forgot Peace Tree Sidekick** Thanks for the head’s up Todd!

Pumpkin Time!

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pumpkinIt’s still August and it’s hotter than hell, but we are surrounded by pumpkin beers on our shelves. The question is, which one do we choose. I just received an email from Hy-Vee outlining the many pumpkin beers they are carrying. I didn’t see O’Fallon on their yet, hopefully we get that one in the next few months. So, which is your go to? (I liked Schlafly and Sam Adams, didn’t care for New Belgiums at all).

Ace Pumpkin Cider

9.99 per 6 pack

Commercial description

We first made this cider three years ago in 2010. It has become extremely popular since then. We add cinnamon, cloves and allspice to fermented apple juice to produce a 5 per cent cider which tastes like pumpkin pie. It is orange in color with a full rich taste that makes you want more….we carbonate the cider, cold- filter it four times before we bottle and keg it. This cider is released after Labor Day and is ideal for Halloween through Thanksgiving; although some customers think we should make it year round. It is the first Pumpkin cider to be made out West. One word for ACE PUMPKIN, delicious!

Schlafly Pumpkin Ale

9.99 per 6 pack

Rate Beer 96

Commercial description

A full-bodied, deep reddish amber beer made with pumpkin and butternut squash and spiced with nutmeg, clove and cinnamon. Celebrate the bounty of harvest with this rich, malty ale and invoke the season of plenty.

Jolly Pumpkin La Parcela 750 ml

12.99 per bottle

Rate Beer 97

Commercial description

Ok, so the joke was that Jolly Pumpkin doesn’t brew a pumpkin beer. Well, now we do. Just this one. Packed with real pumpkins, hints of spice, and a gentle kiss of cocoa to liven the soul. An everyday easy way to fill your squashy quotient. Guess now folks will have to find something else to joke about…

New Belgium Pumpkick

7.99 per 6 pack

Commercial description

What’s that bite of tartness doing in a pumpkin beer? Adding the unexpected kick of cranberry juice to brighten this traditionally spiced seasonal ale. PUMPKICK is brewed with plenty of pumpkin juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, but it’s the cranberries and touch of lemongrass that send your tastebuds sailing.

 

Rogue Pumpkin Patch 750 ml

10.99 per bottle

Rate Beer 91

Commercial description

The newest addition to the Chatoe Rogue series is Pumpkin Patch Ale, a beer made using fresh pumpkins grown in a patch that borders Rogue’s 42 acre hop yard. The pumpkins are picked, loaded into Rogue’s farm truck, driven immediately 77 miles to our brewery in Newport, quickly roasted, and pitched into the brew kettle to create a batch of Pumpkin Patch Ale.

Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin 22 oz

8.99 per bottle

Rate Beer 89

Commercial description

Smashed Pumpkin is a big-bodied beer with a light coppery orange color and pleasing aroma of pumpkin and nutmeg. The OG and final Alc./Vol. provide the structure and body. Pale Ale, Wheat and Light Munich Malts combine with the natural tannin in pumpkin and the delicate spiciness of Willamette and Hallertau Hops to balance the sweetness of the fruit. To fully enjoy all the flavors, this ale is best drunk at 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Smashed Pumpkin pairs well with sharp cheeses, nuts, lamb, hearty stews and desserts like flan or pumpkin pie. Chefs find this an excellent beer to cook with in dishes such as braised short ribs.

 

Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale

9.99 per 6 pack

Commercial description

Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale is a crisp and refreshing wheat ale with delightful aromatics and subtle spiced flavor

 

Point Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale

8.99 per 4 pack

Rate Beer 89

Commercial description

Ale brewed with pumpkin and spices. Handcrafed using real pumpkin and savory pumpkin pie spices and hints of all natural cinnamon and nutmeg. Perle hops balance with rich Munich, Roasted, and Caramel malts for the full-bodied taste and exceptional flavor.

Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin

7.99 per 6 pack

Commercial description

A perennial favorite at our Brewery Halloween party, this reddish amber ale is perfect for fall. Real pumpkin adds a full body and sweetness, while deep roasted malts lend a toasty finish to this subtly spiced brew.

Lakefront Pumpkin Lager

8.99 per 6 pack

Commercial description

Pumpkin Lager is brewed with pumpkins in the mash, spices added during the boil, and lightly hopped. The rich specialty grains and lager fermentation combine to produce the taste and the texture of pumpkin pie.

Kansas City Beer Festival Announcement

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kcJust got this info to pass along any readers that might be in the Kansas City area:

I wanted to send information about a big event happening in the region that might be of interest to your readers for a weekend getaway. The Fifth Annual Kansas City Beer Festival in Kansas City, Mo., is taking place Saturday, Sept. 28 at KC Live! in the Power & Lights District located in Downtown Kansas City.

Featuring more than 60 craft beers from local, regional and other breweries around the world, the KC Beer Fest will be worth the drive and a great excuse for a weekend trip for your readers. Additionally, a portion of funds will benefit two charitable organizations, Kansas City Care Clinic and AIDS Service Foundation of Greater Kansas City.

Tickets went on sale this week, and I wanted to share the official news release for more information in case you’d like to include on upcoming regional events calendars or include a blurb in your publication.

You can view the news release athttp://powerandlightdistrict.com/index.cfm?page=news, which includes all details, but please let me know if you have questions.

Thank you for your consideration,

Kenneth Martin

New Beer from Tallgrass and Distribution Updates

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tallgrassTallgrass Brewing is at it again as joining their new farmhouse ale on the shelves is going to be a robust porter called Zombie Monkey. Not only is this great news as porters seem to be playing second fiddle style-wise, rumor has it that this canned brew will come with a tactile grip on the can!

 

 

 

Many people have been asking questions about updates on breweries hitting the Eastern Iowa market, and while news has been slow but rumblings still persist. One brewery I had heard about is Alaskan Brewery so I reached out to them and here is what I received in return:alaskan

It is true that we’re looking at our expansion options for 2014. This year, we successfully filled in one hole in our distribution by beginning to sell in New Mexico, which is great. So, we’re hoping that we can do something equally cool in 2014, possibly Iowa, possibly Illinois. We’ll see. In the meantime, stay excited. We’ve got a great Pumpkin Porter being released in our Pilot Series in a few weeks!
Cheers,
Alaskan Brew Crew
Hopefully more updates will follow. Still waiting to hear from Odell.

Shipyard Brewing Mint Chocolate Stout hitting shelves

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mintShipyard Brewing will be releasing a new brew to their Signature Series line starting in November. A mint chocolate stout should be available in 22 oz bottles soon. I’ve seen Shipyard products sporadically on Eastern Iowa shelves so I’m not exactly sure who is going to be carrying it. I know they are distributed by Dimitri Wine and Spirits out of Davenport. Let me know if you see this brew on your shelves. More from beerpulse.com:

Portland, ME) – Shipyard Brewing Company is adding a new beer to Pugsley’s Signature Series: Shipyard Mint Chocolate Stout. More on this imperial stout below…

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ABV: 9%

Description: Mint Chocolate Stout is a dark, silky beer with aromas of chocolate and licorice. Smooth chocolate and coffee flavors upfront lead to a subtle spearmint finish. To fully enjoy all the flavors of this ale it is best drunk at 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

Malt: Pale, Flaked Barley, Chocolate, Roasted Barley, Rolled Oats, Whole Wheat, Black, Caramunich II

Hops: WGV (Whitbread Golding Variety), Perle

Yeast: Top-fermenting English

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Look for it in 22 oz. gold foil-topped bottles and draft from November through February.

Stone Enjoy By 9-13-13 Hits Eastern Iowa Shelves

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stoneComing and going soon is Stone’s popular Enjoy By series. This time you must Enjoy By 9-13-13 and if you don’t get it quick you might not get it all. John’s Grocery in Iowa City posted the following on their Facebook page:

I’LL BE BACK!!!!
Find me tomorrow-Friday at John’s (late morning delivery)
I won’t be here for long!!!

Also hearing that Johncey’s in North Liberty has it in stock as well. (thanks Phil Kassel)

I haven’t heard or seen anything from Hy-Vees in Eastern Iowa or Benz Beverage Depot. If your favorite beer store has it, please drop me a line so I can update as quickly as possible. If you’ve been living under a rock or are new to the craft beer world here’s the brewery’s description of Enjoy By:

You have in your hands a devastatingly fresh double IPA. While freshness is a key component of many beers- especially big, citrusy, floral IPAs- we’ve taken it further, a lot further, in this IPA. You see, we specifically brewed it NOT to last. We’ve not only gone to extensive lengths to ensure that you’re getting this beer in your hands within an extraordinarily short window, we made sure that the Enjoy By date isn’t randomly etched in tiny text somewhere on the bottle, to be overlooked by all but the most attentive of retailers and beer fans. Instead, we’ve sent a clear message with the name of the beer itself that there is no better time than right now to enjoy this IPA.

Beer Review #110: Clown Shoes Brewing Genghis Pecan Pie Porter

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clown shoesThe name alone sold me on this beer. I hadn’t done any research, read any reviews, got any feedback at all on this beer. I just saw it on the shelves at Benz Beverage Depot and took a shot. This was my 2nd Clown Shoes beer to try, I first had their Clementine White Ale a few years back and thought it was ok. This beer however, I had high hopes for! I pictured a nut-brown type flavor with a bit more sweetness and a little more thickness and roasted flavor to along with the porter style. Here’s the brewery description:

 

Our new Pecan Pie Porter no longer uses extract, but rather brown sugar and pecans roasted by friends at The Gallows in Boston. Buddy Hadry, a rep at Bella Vista in PA, gave me the name for this beer, the second Pecan beer now that he has named. Thank you, Buddy!

This beer had in past been brewed with pecan extract and recently Clown Shoes changed to using fresh roasted pecans. The beer definitely had some roasted notes and a subtle pecan and brown sugar flavor but not as much as I was hoping. Definitely not liquid pecan pie.

This was not a bad beer, just didn’t hit the expectations that I had for it. I think it could have actually been a tad sweeter and for some reason, I wanted to be blown away the flavor of the pecans and I just wasn’t. The mouthfeel was a bit too thin for me and what I like for porters. Once again, not a bad beer at all, just missed the mark in some departments for me. I think pecan is an underutilized ingredient in beer and this was just the 2nd beer I’ve had with it in beer. The Stone Woot Stout I’ve enjoyed and I know Abita Brewing and Lazy Magnolia have a pecan beer, but if any brewers are thinking have using this nut in their beer my advice would be not to skimp on the pecan! The perfect balance of malts and nuts in a beer would Rogue’s Hazelnut Brown Ale. If that can be done with pecans, I’m in!

REVIEW

STYLE: Porter

ABV: 7%

PURCHASED AT: Benz Beverage Depot; Cedar Rapids

POUR: Medium sized tan head, dark black pour.

AROMA: Roasted malts, nuts, coffee.

TASTE: Very subtle, maybe too subtle, flavor of pecans and brown sugar. A bit thin on the mouthfeel.

Ratebeer.com rating: 92

Beeradvocate raing: 85

Overall: C

My recommendation: Decent porter, but once again, a bit misleading. Was looking for a post supper dessert beer but this wasn’t one to do that.