Restaurant Review: Reds’ Alehouse; North Liberty, IA

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This past Friday night my wife and I had the pleasure of going out to eat with my parents and my sister and her husband. We had been talking up Reds’ Alehouse for a long time and since they live in Indiana, they had yet to try it. When we got there I noticed they didn’t have Bells Two Hearted Ale on tap, which is my go to beer. Usually when a place doesn’t have your go to, you are disappointed, but at a place like Reds where the kegs are ever-changing, it’s kind of nice because you get to try something new. Here’s the first beer I had:

 

**Rogue Ales Chatoe Rogue OREgasmic Ale**
An American pale ale and you know if Rogue makes it, it will be pretty good. The best part of this whole thing is that at Reds from 3-6 EVERYDAY it is happy hour! Two for ones baby!! A nice smooth pale ale that has the spicy fruit aroma and smell. Excellent beer for a summer day!

My dad decided to go with Rogue also, but he went a different direction with the style.
**Rogue Dad’s Little Helper Black IPA**
A somewhat new trend is taking the wonderfully bitterness and citrus flavor of IPAs and adding the nice roasted flavor of stouts, porters, and black lagers. When you drink this beer you get the hop flavor and bitterness right away and it finishes with the nice roasted maltiness.

We threw in a couple of standards (Moose Drool Brown Ale) and then we decided to try the flight. A flight of beers is something a bar/brewery puts together to let you try the different styles without having to order a pint of beer. We get smaller amounts to try. Reds’ flight on that Friday consisted of these four beers:
*Dieu De Ciel Peche Mortel which is an imperial stout that www.ratebeer.com gave 100/100. Its ABV is 9.5%
*Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast which is a stout with 7.5% ABV.
*Mikkeller USalive Belgian Wild Ale which has the hoppy aroma mixed with nice maltiness. Its ABV is 9.4%
*Mikkeller Big Worst which is an American Barley wine and its ABV is…….ready for this??……………18.5%

I’m not going to lie to you, the Big Worst scared the shit out of me, but since I was sharing it was worth trying. This flight of beers was amazing, I really enjoyed the Peche Mortel and the Beer Geek Breakfast stout, the USalive was a different style than I had ever had but would like to try more of that style. The Big Worst, although the 18.5% ABV was frightening to see, what is even more worrisome is the fact that the alcohol does not dominate this beer at all. You get a nice sweet beer with some hop bitterness and it is relatively smooth. A fantastic flight!!! If you want a beer experience in Eastern Iowa, Reds is your ticket. Check out their site www.redsalehousenl.com for constantly changing beer menu.

I talked about beer most of this review, but their food can’t go unnoticed. My wife always orders their seared tuna appetizer, which is always great. I had their Alehouse burger which I have yet to have a better burger in the area than this one. And the best was my mom’s order of Black and Tan onion rings. The best onion rings I have ever had! Thanks again to Reds and their knowledgeable wait staff and servers!

Beer News: Schlafly Beers coming to Eastern Iowa!

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Found this news from www.beernews.org coutesey of Schafly’s website.
“We’re now very excited to announce that beginning on August 1st of this year, Schlafly Beer will travel the Avenue of the Saints and Pale Ale, Kolsch, Dry Hopped APA and other year around and seasonal favorites will be available to Schlafly fans in Dubuque, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Davenport (Go River Bandits!), Burlington and the surrounding areas.”

Great news! More craft more for Eastern Iowa, hopefully the beginning of a great run of awesome beers coming in!

Beer News: Brewery Coming to Coralville, Iowa!!! FINALLY!!

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Finally, good news on the beer front for Eastern Iowa residents. The following comes from the Chicago Tribune. Can also be found at this link:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-ap-ia-iowaslargestbrew,0,3996981.story

Firm unveils plans to build Iowa’s largest brewery

CORALVILLE, Iowa—

A brewery with one location in northeastern Iowa has announced plans to open the state’s largest brewing operation in Coralville next year.

Backpocket Brewing announced Wednesday it will open a 25,000-barrel-per-year operation just off of Interstate 80 in Coralville’s Iowa River Landing district. Backpocket’s operation is currently based at Old Man River Restaurant & Brewery in McGregor. 

The Gazette reports the $5.3 million brewery is expected to open next summer. It will feature a large tap room and beer garden for the public.

Backpocket focuses on German-inspired beers. Brewmaster Jacob Simmons says the Coralville location will serve three purely German beers and two “hybrids.” He says their style features a longer brewing process.

Simmons says the proximity to major highways and the area’s demographics made the site a good fit.

Summer Seasonals

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There are many beers out there that taste great no matter what time of year it is. I can enjoy a good stout when it is 90 degrees and muggy and still be refreshed. Pale and IPA’s taste great all year around and good porter has that warming feeling during the winter holidays but also does the trick on a warm sunny afternoon. However, beer does have it’s seasons and right now, of course, we are in the middle of summer so I would like to take a look at some beers I’m familiar with drinking that are only available during the summer season.

**Bells Oberon Ale**                                 
5.8% ABV
Available: Any good liquor store
Style: Wheat Ale
Maybe my favorite “summer” beer, this wheat ale is nice and fruity with nice grassy hop finish. The citrus is what sticks out to me in this wheat beer as some wheats I’ve had come across bland, this one packs a flavorful and refreshing punch. The perfect summer beer! It is available on tap at Red’s Alehouse in North Liberty, IA!

**Goose Island Summertime**
ABV: 5%
Style: Kolsch
Available: Any good liquor store.
Kolsch style comes from Germany that has clear yellow color with some hoppiness and less bitterness than most lagers. Since Goose Island has sold to AB-InBev I’ve found myself trying to get away from their beers just so I’m not putting money in the pockets of AB-InBev, but Goose Islands’ beers make that difficult at times because some are very good. This one has the flavor of apricots and peaches and then finishes with lemon flavor. Nice crisp and refreshing.

**Boulevard Zon**
ABV: 4.4%
Style: Belgian White
Available: Any good liquor store.

The summer seasonal from one of my favorite breweries is Boulevard’s Zon. This is a take on a classic German Witbier (white).  You have the classic orange peel and coriander flavor which makes this beer greatly refreshing on a hot summer day. Have your Blue Moon drinking friends give this one a shot, not only are you getting them into craft beer but you are getting them away from Coors produced beer, which Blue Moon is.

**Dogfish Head Festina Peche**
ABV: 4.5%
Style: Berliner Weiss
Available: Dogfish is getting more and more scarce around the midwest; I have seen it in Illinois and Wisconsin yet though.

Another beer experience courtesy of Dogfish Head Brewing. Festina Peche is Berliner Weiss beer that fermented with peaches. This beer is full of peach flavor and is close to being champagne like in flavor. If you are a fan of peaches then this is the brew for you.

**Anchor Summer Beer**
ABV: 4.6%
Style: Wheat Ale
Location: Any good liquor store.

Summer wheat ale brewed with all malts and 50% of that is malted wheat. The malted wheat is where the flavor comes from as this beer doesn’t have your normal citrus aroma or flavor that comes with many wheat beers. However, this beer is still very crisp and refreshing and is great on a summer day.

I’m sure I missed some brews to talk about. Make sure you try to have a few summer seasonals before they go and we are then replaced with my favorite time of year; Fall seasonals!! Let me know your thoughts!

 

Beer Review #60: Grumpy Troll Slow Eddie Jalapeno Ale

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STYLE: Spiced/Herb/Vegetable Ale

ABV: 3.7%

PURCHASED AT: Grumpy Troll Brewery; Mt. Horeb, WI

My wife and I take numerous trips up to Madison, WI which is only a 2.5 hr drive from our front door in Mt. Vernon; and usually this trip entails numerous stops to multiple places that serve the fine nectar that is beer. On every trip we notice the face of a troll that symbolizes the town of Mt. Horeb. After passing it so many times we finally stopped in to check out Grumpy Troll Brewery. (www.thegrumpytroll.com)
 I can’t remember what I ordered to eat but I do remember enjoying their stout and also trying out their Jalapeno beer. The beer is obviously brewed with Jalapeno peppers and has the same aroma. The flavor is slightly sweeter than I was expecting and finished with a little bite of spicy jalapeno. This isn’t a beer for everyone; I think you would either like it or hate, I enjoyed it but I think one would be my limit. I do think this would be a perfect beer to use when cooking up a big batch of chili.
REVIEW
Pour: A nice golden pour with a small white head. Minimal lacing.
Aroma: Smell of jalapeno peppers.
Taste: Jalapeno flavor that is slightly sweet and a little spicy at the end.
Overall: C
Eastern Iowa Residents: A little trip up north to Mt. Horeb, WI is the only place to get it. If you are a beer fan you must get to Wisconsin at some point to check out their breweries and they also have great distribution up there.
Would I Buy Again?: Yes, but this beer is one and done.

Lunch Review: Lincoln Cafe; Mount Vernon, IA

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A place that is constantly mentioned as one of the best places in Eastern Iowa to eat is in my town of Mount Vernon, Iowa called Lincoln Cafe. (www.foodisimportant.com) Here’s the description from their website:

“Lincoln Café is a small independent restaurant serving food in a way that makes us, and hopefully you, happy. We cook what we like to eat and source local and organic whenever possible. We’re friends with our farmers. We like to call it “honest food.”

That said, we also enjoy keeping up with the latest trends in high end dining and hopefully a harmonious mix of those two things finds its way onto your plate.

Bios:

Chef/Owner:
Lincoln Café was opened in 2001 by Matt Steigerwald after moving to Iowa from North Carolina. Before that he ran and/or cooked in several restaurants including Magnolia Grill in Durham, Vertigo in Raleigh and Helen’s in Richmond.

Chef de Cuisine:
A native of Cedar Rapids, Andy Schumacher entered the culinary world in NYC attending the French Culinary Institute and working in the City’s restaurant scene. He moved back to the area in late 2007 and started working at the Café. He now is chef de cuisine and heads up the Lincoln’s charcuterie program.”

ONTO LUNCH: My wife and I recently dined there for lunch after numerous supper visits. They had two specials on the board and I ordered one of them which was a cajun shrimp sandwich. I ordered this with fries (an extra $1.50 but worth it). The shrimp were massive and lightly battered with a great seasoning, the cajun mayo was fantastic and the super soft bun they served it on topped off a great lunch. Their fries are homemade/handcut and are terrific.
My wifes’ meal was a BLT with an avocado mayo. Tons of crisp bacon and the avocado mayo was superb. All in all a great meal, a very affordable lunch that left you satisifed instead of hitting up the local fast food pit. I highly recommend this place for lunch or dinner.

Beer Review #59: Rogue Half-E-Weizen

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STYLE: Wheat Ale

ABV: 5.2%

PURCHASED AT: Hy-Vee Wine and Spirits; Marion, IA

Rogue Ales is known for making some really fantastic beers. This beer is described as a Belgian-Style blonde mixed with unfiltered wheat and barley. It has the classic hefeweizen appearance of a very cloudy yellow/gold/orange pour with a huge white head. The aroma of cloves, bananas, and bread really stick out in this beer. The flavor is what makes Rogues’ ales different from most; for most common hefeweizens it is cloves and banana, maybe some bubble gum and bread flavors; this beer however has a peppery taste, kind of tobacco like flavor, and then finishes with the cloves. Unique and pretty refreshing. I would classify it as a hybrid between an American wheat beer and a German Hefeweizen.

REVIEW
Pour: A nice cloudy yellow/orange pour with a huge white head. Lacing everywhere on the glass.
Aroma: Smell of cloves, bread, and bananas.
Taste: Starts different from most hefeweizens, tobacco and pepper, but finishes with the banana and cloves.
Overall: C+
Eastern Iowa Residents: I purchased this at Hy-Vee in Marion and have seen it at Johns in Iowa City and other Hy-Vees.
Would I Buy Again?: Yes, hefeweizens taste great in the summer and are very refreshing.

Denver Beer Trip: Day 3

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Day 3 in Denver started off a little sluggish. Most of us were recovering from a night of drinking and got off to a slow start. I think we were lucky making it in time for the first pitch of the Rockies/Cardinals game at 1 that afternoon but we got there and it was awesome. We got some sort of luxury suite, priced around $70, that sounds expensive but it was worth it. Sat on the first base line, a perfect view, if it got to warm we could go in to the air-conditioned suite and enjoy some good brew, and good food. Never had to wait in line for a piss either which is always a plus. I spent most of the game drinking Oskar Blues Dale Pale Ale. I did try the Sandlot brewing, (which is brewed at Coors) Amber ale, but found it unremarkable and switched back to Dales. We saw a great 4-2 game and then we were off to my sought after destination; Great Divide Brewery.
Great Divide is located just down the block from Coors Field and it fills up quick for a game. We were able to secure a nice table outside and enjoy the weather while sipping on a nice Chocolate Yeti. This being my second trip to Denver, I think Great Divide is my favorite place to enjoy a beer. After the chocolate Yeti I switched to a light and refreshing raspberry ale. Great Divide doesn’t serve food but there was a food truck parked right outside their doors that was serving people constantly.

After Great Divide we refreshed a bit at the hotel and then were off to Rock Bottom Brewery. There beers did not impress as much as other places we had stopped but I was impressed with the sweet setup of a pour your own beer table. We sat at a table where you actually dispensed your own brew. They keep track by the ounces poured I believe. This could have gotten out of hand but we handled it pretty well and didn’t get too overboard. The highlight of this stop was the shrimp and lobster tacos that we ordered. Easily one of the best meals of the trip and something I could eat on a day-to-day basis.

After this the night is pretty much a blur. All in all a great day, Great Divide was the highlight for me. One night left to go!

NEXT UP DAY 4: Wynkoop, another trip to the mountains