Clock House Brewing is bringing back two tasty brews tomorrow (2/24)! As soon as the doors open at 3:00, you’ll be able to get your hands and lips on their Black IPA and their ever popular Orange Xxxplosion brews! Here’s more from Clock House:
We have two beers returning to the taproom this Friday, February 24th!
Orange XXplosion: This sour features a trio of orange citrus fruits including: Tangerine, Cara Cara Orange, and Southern Hemisphere Oranges. Thus, creating a complex plethora of flavor that XXplodes out the glass.
Black IPA: Comprised of carefully selected Black malts to achieve a deep, rich roasted dark malt flavor with hints of chocolate and rye. Bittered and dry-hopped with Centennial, Mosaic, and Amarillo hops that attribute to classic bitter pine notes.
Both of these will be available in 16oz 4-packs, growlers, and draft!
It’s always fun when you are traveling through a big town or city and see a random restaurant/bar/tavern pop up on a neighborhood corner far seemingly far removed from the chains that have taken over main drag USA. Heading down a street in the Oak Hill Jackson neighborhood in downtown Cedar Rapids and seeing a lovely sign of a cow with a halo over its head was a welcomed sight! Sacred Cow Tavern was calling my name and I couldn’t wait to answer!
Opened in October of 2022 as a the brainchild of the FNF restaurant group, this restaurant has quite a history, including being a church a few different times! This restaurant group is known for a wide range of food items that can satisfy any diet and they’ve done an amazing job incorporating vegan/vegetarian dishes to be part of their main menu as well. Appetizers, smash burgers, sandwiches, wings, salads and much more with a wonderfully revamped image of those dishes and executed perfectly as well as their vegan/vegetarian options that are more than just a black bean burger, this menu is packed with flavor.
The ambiance upon walking in gives you complete comfort, a homey vibe and a place where you don’t necessarily want to leave. First point of order….BEER…..need to check out the beer menu. Although Sacred Cow does not have any tap beer, they do offer a variety of cans from local breweries plus a fully stocked bar for mixers and wine. I went light, a Backpocket 319 lager, knowing that I was going to be putting some food away.
It was restaurant week and so, like many other local establishments, Sacred Cow had a few specials that they were advertising. One special was Elote Chicken Wings. If you’re not familiar with elote, it’s a popular Mexican street dish of corn on the cob slathered in mayo/cream sauce dusted with chili powder and cilantro. Sacred Cow took the sauce dimension, added some grilled corn and cilantro to their extremely crispy chicken wings and final result were some of the best and most creative wings I’ve had! Hoping these find their way to the menu!
The other special item for “Restaurant Week” was a walking taco smashburger. I’m a lover all of kinds of burgers and smashburgers are always hard to pass up, add walking taco ingredients to it and I’m sold. A smashed patty, perfectly cooked, topped with cheese, doritos, a cilantro lime crema and lettuce was more than a mouthful in every bite! Excellent burger, something I would order again.
Overall, this is a place I hope to be a patron of for a long time to come and I hope many more neighborhood bars begin popping up in our area. Sacred Cow Tavern is definitely a welcoming place for any and all! Cheers!
If you’re in the Des Moines area and are craving a delicious stout, Confluence Brewing is where you need to head! Every Friday they are releasing new beers! Check out their stellar lineup for this month:
Friday February 10th
Friday February 17th
Saturday February 25th
Saturday February 18th is Frozen Firkin Fest!
It’s that time a year for another Frozen Firkin Fest! We’ll be tapping 10 different experimental cask conditioned beers at noon in the beer garden (yes, beer garden). There’s only one of each, so when they’re gone, that’s it! Plus, this year we have a package deal for $20 that includes a pair of Confluence drinking gloves and 10 beer tickets!
-Ferryman’s w/ Sweet Potato
-Ferryman’s w/ Pecans
-Lemon Bar Wizard
-Blackberry Vinaigrette Wizard
-DSM IPA w/ Coffee
-Port Wine & Berry Brulee
-Coconut ChewBOCKa
-Farmer John’s Salsa Verde
-Farmer John’s Mango Habanero
-Imogene w/ Vanilla & Pistachio
Saturday, February 25th 50’s Dad Brunch!
50’s Dad Brunch is back with a trio of “Dad” beers!
GERMANY: Kulmbacher Brauerei:For more than 600 years, Kumlbacher has been synonymous with craftsmanship, tradition and original enjoyment. With its roots in the beer town of Kulmbach, Franconia, on the former estates of the Cistercian monastery of Langheim, that was founded in 1349. Kulmbacher – Kapuziner – Monchshof Cans & Bottles and MiniKegs:
Kulmbacher Kapuziner Weisse 26/4/500ml (16.9oz) CANS – Hefe-Weissbier is a classic wheat beer specialty. Lively and fruity, with the typical top-fermented note. This naturally cloudy beer is brewed with fine yeast according to the Capuchin Friars Order brewing tradition and strictly in accordance with the German Purity Law. Unmistakable in taste and appearance, you can enjoy Kapuziner wheat beer in style in a CAN now. 5.4% ABV
Kulmbacher Kapuziner Weisse 2/5L MINIKEG (two-pack) – Hefe-Weissbier is a classic wheat beer specialty. Lively and fruity, with the typical top-fermented note. This naturally cloudy beer is brewed with fine yeast according to the Capuchin Friars Order brewing tradition and strictly in accordance with the German Purity Law. Unmistakable in taste and appearance, you can enjoy Kapuziner wheat beer in style in a 5L MiniKeg. Enough for a MiniParty. 5.4% ABV
Kulmbacher Monchshof Kellerbier 2/5L MINIKEG (two-pack) – A brilliant unfiltered Amber Lager from Kulmbacher Brewery in northern Bavaria, Mönchshof is brewed in a monastery that was founded in 1349. Take a sip of this luscious beer and you’ll immediately be transported to a German biergarten, surrounded by the aroma of fresh hops, busty waitresses carrying impossible numbers of frothy beer mugs, old men in lederhosen with round, red noses, and . . . . well, you get the point. This is what German beer is all about. Mönchshof Kellerbier is the most widely drunk Kellerbier in Germany. 5L MiniKeg, Enough for a MiniParty. 5.4%
Kulmbacher Monchshof Schwarzbier 2/5L MINIKEG (two-pack) – The velvety, roasted malt aroma and deep, dark, almost black color are the defining characteristics of this naturally unfiltered Schwarzbier from Monchshof. Velvety taste, light malty sweetness and irresistible, flowery hop bitterness, that sets it apart from all others and is a drink for people who know their German Beer. 4.9% ABV
Ritterguts Gose Brewery: Original Ritterguts Gose since 1874. Brewed under the moto: Reliability, Modesty and Quality. They use the classic open fermentation method for their Gose; an old brewing method that has become increasingly rare in the course of the industrialization of beer production in the last century. The advantages of fermentation in open, large vats compared to industrial tanks are a slower and more natural maturing process as well as the possibility of skimming off the bitter foam, with its undesirable flavours, from the surface of the fermenting beer. This allows our yeast to develop its flavours particularly well and untainted. The beers are not pasteurised i.e., they are not heated to high temperatures during bottling in order to make them last longer. This guarantees Ritterguts Gose’s magnificent and unblemished taste, not to mention that it is also better for the environment. Due to the high levels of natural lactic acid the Gose remains stable without added thermal treatment. In addition, the beers are unfiltered, preserving the valuable ingredients of yeast – you can taste it!
Ritterguts Gose Bottles:
Ritterguts Gose 20/500ml bottles – Ritterguts Gose is the oldest existing Gose brand in the world! They still brew this unique beer in the old-fashioned way, using genuine Gose yeast with special ingredients like coriander and salt. Gose‘s refreshing characteristics are developed through an additional lactic acid fermentation, which produces a round and harmonious acidity. The classic, open fermentation and the long, cold maturation makes it exceptionally well balanced. Enjoy a piece of the best Leipzig tradition – Cheers: Goseanna! 4.7% ABV – DE
Ritterguts Spezial-Gose 20/500ml – Ritterguts Spezial-Gose is a crossover between Belgian Wit and Leipzig Style Gose. Brewed with various wheat and barley malts, spiced with finest bergamot peel from southern Italy and coriander seed. For this new creation we use a lot more hops. Summit for bittering, Cascade and Aurora for the citrus-like aroma. 5.2% ABV – DE
BELGIUM: Brasserie De Achelse Kluis: The Trappist Achel has been brewed since 1850 within the walls of De Achelse Kluis under the supervision of the monk community. No beer was brewed between WWI and 1998. Today we brew 4 different beers.
Achel Trappist Bottles:
Achel 8º Bruin 24/330ml bottles – Authentic Trappist Belgian Dubbel brewed by the Trappist Monks of the St. Benedictus Abbey at Achel, Belgium. 9% ABV
Achel Trappist Extra 6/750 ml – Authentic Trappist Belgian Quadrupel brewed by the Trappist Monks of the St. Benedictus Abbey at Achel, Belgium. 9.5% ABV
Brasserie De Blaugies: Small family craft brewery. All beers produced in our facilities are unfiltered and bottle conditioned. The adventure began with the parents, Pierre-Alex and Marie-Noëlle CARLIER – POURTOIS, the first brew took place on March 24, 1988. The eldest son, Kévin CARLIER, graduated in Biotechnology, is now head of the Brasserie with his parents, his wife Bérangère DESCHAMPS and his father-in-law Claude DESCHAMPS. The brewery of Blaugies is in the centre of the triangle formed by three cities: MONS(Belgium), MAUBEUGE(France) and VALENCIENNES (France). It is located in the welcoming area of the “Les Hauts Pays” nature reserve. Blaugies Bottles:
Blaugies La Moneuse 12/375ml bottles – Named for A.J. Moneuse, a famous local bandit and ancestor of the brewers’ family, this classic farmhouse ale encapsulates all the qualities of a great saison – it’s earthy aromatic, and complex, but also dry, nicely hoppy, abundantly yeasty, and just a bit musty. Brasserie de Blaugies is truly a family operation. Founded in 1988, the brewery began with a husband and wife who prided themselves on brewing in small batches by hand – in the garage of their 300-year-old farmhouse, no less. In keeping with traditional brewing methods, all their beers are unfiltered and refermented in the bottle. 8% ABV – BE
Blaugies Darbyste 12/375ml bottles – Darbyste, a drier, more flavorful variant of the traditional Belgian wit or blanche, is a saison made with wheat and fermented with fig juice. It comes from an old family recipe and is named for John Darby, a temperance preacher whose parishioners were oddly moved by a “soft drink” they claimed was just fig juice. At 5.8 percent, it’s a great summer beer – spritzy but full of character. Brasserie de Blaugies is truly a family operation. Founded in 1988, the brewery began with a husband and wife who prided themselves on brewing in small batches by hand-in the garage of their 300-year-old farmhouse, no less. In keeping with traditional brewing methods, all their beers are unfiltered and refermented in the bottle. 5.8% ABV – BE
Blaugies Saison d’Epeautre 12/375ml bottles – Saison D’Epeautre, a true farmhouse ale with unmistakably Belgian character, is made in a unique traditional style, using spelt and barley malt in the mash. It’s nice and dry, with a hint of wheaty tartness and a hardy texture that expresses the character of spelt, a primitive strain of wheat. Brasserie de Blaugies is truly a family operation. Founded in 1988, the brewery began with a husband and wife who prided themselves on brewing in small batches by hand-in the garage of their 300-year-old farmhouse, no less. In keeping with traditional brewing methods, all their beers are unfiltered and refermented in the bottle. 6% ABV – BE
Brasserie De La Senne: One of the only two breweries in Brussels proper, the other one being Cantillon. Brewer and cofounder Yvan De Baets literally wrote the textbook on Saison and its history. The mantra of the brewery is honouring the traditional ways of brewing beer: unfiltered, unpasteurized, free of any additives and using only the finest raw materials of the highest quality and proudly made in Brussels. They produce strong beers, but their great specialty is beers that are light in alcohol. They strive to show that there is not necessarily a need for alcohol to get flavour. Light beers further allow prolonging the pleasure – and therein lies the reason for the beer’s existence. The brewery owes its name La Senne river from which Brussels was born more than a thousand years ago De La Senne Bottles:
De La Senne Taras Boulba 24/330ml bottles – Noble Hop Session Beer. THE OG aka The World’s best session hop bomb! 4.5% ABV – BE
De La Senne Zinnebir 24/330ml bottles – Belgian Pale Ale. Zinnebir is a golden, perfectly balanced Pale Ale. It develops fruity and hoppy flavours that recall dry apricots and orange marmalade. The ensemble leans on a malty note, as well as a nice bitterness. Born in the basements of a Brussels squat in 2002, it is the founding beer of Brasserie de la Senne. 5.8% ABV – BE
Brasserie De Ranke: Perhaps the brewery that is the epitome of the hop revolution that took the world by storm. Founded as a weekend project by two friends, Nino Bacelle and Guido Devos, De Ranke is very unusual for a Belgian brewery because it produces hop-forward beers. In fact, it uses German Hallertau hops and Brewer’s Gold hops to brew XX, the hoppiest beer in Belgium, and if that wasn’t enough, they produce an annual beer called XXX, which is even more hoppy. They’re exciting beers unlike any other made in Belgium. De Ranke Bottles:
De Ranke XX Bitter 24/330 ml – Legendary hoppy Belgian pale ale. Brewed with (whole-cone only!) Brewers Gold & Hallertau Mittelfrüh hops. Their most bitter, high-fermenting beer. Despite its low alcohol content, it produces a very rich, long lasting, full flavour. 6% ABV – BE
BRITAIN:
Coniston / Ridgeway Brewing Co. Award winning and seminally British in both brewing tradition and styles offered, and brought back to modern drinkers.
Coniston Bottles:
Coniston Bluebird Bitter 12/500ml Bottles – Traditional English Bottle Conditioned Bitter. The intense resinous character which is the beer’s hallmark. Ain’t nothing like the real thing! 4.2% ABV – GB
Coniston Bluebird Premium XB 12/500ml Bottles – Bluebird XB combines two of the great themes of ale brewing to produce something distinctive and new. The fine tradition of English Pale Ale is about quaffing, refreshment and complexity of flavor without alcoholic strength. Then throw in new wave American hop variety Mount Hood with robust citrus aromas and the result is a smooth ale with floral hints, light malt tones and a hoppy freshness. 4.2% ABV – GB
Coniston Old Man Ale 12/500ml bottles – A radically different beer… it has roast barley added to the pale and crystal malts. It has a deep burnished copper color, a rich port wine aroma, a big chocolate and creamy malt palate and a dry, grainy, roasty finish balanced by hop bitterness and tart fruit. It is a remarkably complex beer that deepens and changes as you sup it. 4.2% ABV – GB
This month continues to see some great beer releases in Iowa, and now Lion Bridge is bringing back three excellent beers! Fun Size, Wolf Shirt, and TAG will all be coming back to the Lion Bridge portfolio! Here’s more courtesy of Lion Bridge:
Release date: February 15th
SPRING THEMED Fun Size (Porter with Vanilla and Chocolate, 5.2%) – Madagascar Vanilla Beans and cacao nibs yield big, delicious surprises in this small beer.
Wolf Shirt (Hazy IPA w/Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe, 7.2%) – This beer is not a shirt. But wolf shirts are awesome. This beer is awesome.
Release date: February 28th
Tag Tangerine (Tangerine Wheat Beer, 4.2%) – Inspired by German “Radlers” that combine soda and beer to produce a light and refreshing beverage. Tag is a juicy and hazy wheat beer with the zesty citrus bite of tangerine. Enjoy a Tag! Enjoy the Day!