A brewery that you are almost guaranteed good beer from is Bells Brewery out of Kalamazoo, Michigan. (www.bellsbeer.com) When I saw this six pack at John’s Grocery in Iowa City, IA I remembered that I had heard nothing but good things about this beer. I’ve started to become more of a fan of Imperial stouts than I was in the past so I thought I would give it a try and I was glad I did.  Double malts and five times the hops and you can definitely taste it, a great beer. According to their website, this beer is perfect to put in the cellar for a while as it ages very nicely.
REVIEW
POUR: Black pour with a nice thick brown head.
AROMA: Smell of hops and malts along with coffee and dark chocolate.
TASTE: Roasted malt with chocolate, coffee, and bitterness of hops.
OVERALL: A-   

EASTERN IOWA RESIDENTS: I have only seen this beer at John’s Grocery in Iowa City. If you’ve seen it elsewhere in Eastern Iowa please let me know.

A brewery that you are almost guaranteed good beer from is Bells Brewery out of Kalamazoo, Michigan. (www.bellsbeer.com) When I saw this six pack at John’s Grocery in Iowa City, IA I remembered that I had heard nothing but good things about this beer. I’ve started to become more of a fan of Imperial stouts than I was in the past so I thought I would give it a try and I was glad I did.  Double malts and five times the hops and you can definitely taste it, a great beer. According to their website, this beer is perfect to put in the cellar for a while as it ages very nicely.
REVIEW
POUR: Black pour with a nice thick brown head.
AROMA: Smell of hops and malts along with coffee and dark chocolate.
TASTE: Roasted malt with chocolate, coffee, and bitterness of hops.
OVERALL: A-   

EASTERN IOWA RESIDENTS: I have only seen this beer at John’s Grocery in Iowa City. If you’ve seen it elsewhere in Eastern Iowa please let me know.

A brewery that constantly puts out great beer is Goose Island (www.gooseisland.com). One of my favorites is their IPA.  A hop lover’s dream, this one packs a major hop punch but is still very smooth and delicious. Another great thing is that it is very affordable and available all around the Eastern Iowa location. I have yet to actually visit Goose Island, but have heard nothing but great things about it.

REVIEW
POUR: Dark orange color pour with a thick white head.
AROMA: Smell of hops and citrus is very evident.
TASTE: Citrus taste with hop bitterness that mellows out at the end.
OVERALL: B+     

EASTERN IOWA RESIDENTS: Available almost everywhere. $8 for a six pack and every bottle will be well worth it. An underrated IPA.

Early on in my beer drinking days I always thought that this was a treat. Once you start to develop a taste for other beers you realize that stuff you drank early on is actually beer that doesn’t need to exist. Not to knock on Red Stripe (www.redstripebeer.com), because on hot Summer day it is pretty satisfying, but compared to some of the beers that are available out there now this doesn’t even come close. Very watered down and the price tag for a six pack is close to $9 which is ridiculous.
I think the best thing about this beer is the commercials on TV.

REVIEW
POUR: Hazy yellow pour with minimal head.
AROMA: Smell is somewhat grainy/grassy. Not nearly as skunky as Corona.
TASTE: Not really a distinct taste. It isn’t bad, but nothing really sticks out.
OVERALL: D+       

EASTERN IOWA RESIDENTS: Available almost everywhere. With a $9 price tag you would think you would be treating yourself with something special but avoid it and get a really good beer for the $9 or even less.

Never thought I would like a pumpkin spiced beer, but I’ve tried two so far this year and have really enjoyed both of them. A friend of mine recommended trying a pumpkin ale and Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale (www.buffalobillsbrewery.com) was the first one I saw at the store. The beer itself is an amber ale which I am fond of and the added pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves made this beer a great session beer in my opinion. A beer to sip on a fall day watching a football game, it doesn’t get much better.  Might not be a beer you can drink a lot of, but for just sitting down and enjoying the drink it is excellent. 

REVIEW
POUR: Amber color pour with a small white head. Nice lacing on the glass.
AROMA: Smell of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg. Smells like fall should smell.
TASTE: Pumpkin pie sticks out but is not overwhelming. Very smooth.
OVERALL: B
Very happy I tried this and I recently bought a six pack of O’Fallon’s Pumpkin Ale to compare. Fall is a great time to be a fan of beer!

EASTERN IOWA RESIDENTS: Bills is available at John’s Grocery in IC and Family Beer and Liquor in East Dubuque, IL. Haven’t seen it at Hy-Vee, let me know if you find it anywhere else.

Never thought I would like a pumpkin spiced beer, but I’ve tried two so far this year and have really enjoyed both of them. A friend of mine recommended trying a pumpkin ale and Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale (www.buffalobillsbrewery.com) was the first one I saw at the store. The beer itself is an amber ale which I am fond of and the added pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves made this beer a great session beer in my opinion. A beer to sip on a fall day watching a football game, it doesn’t get much better.  Might not be a beer you can drink a lot of, but for just sitting down and enjoying the drink it is excellent. 

REVIEW
POUR: Amber color pour with a small white head. Nice lacing on the glass.
AROMA: Smell of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg. Smells like fall should smell.
TASTE: Pumpkin pie sticks out but is not overwhelming. Very smooth.
OVERALL: B
Very happy I tried this and I recently bought a six pack of O’Fallon’s Pumpkin Ale to compare. Fall is a great time to be a fan of beer!

EASTERN IOWA RESIDENTS: Bills is available at John’s Grocery in IC and Family Beer and Liquor in East Dubuque, IL. Haven’t seen it at Hy-Vee, let me know if you find it anywhere else.

A beer that gets great accolades just about everywhere is Brewery Ommegang’s Witte (www.ommegang.com). I’ve read about very often in All About Beer Magazine (which I highly recommend to anyone) and finally saw it on the shelves at a Hy-Vee liquor store in Marion, IA. It comes in a four pack and it is pricey at $9.99 a four pack, but I had to try it. Let’s just say that I was overwhelmed at how disappointed I was with this beer. All the accolades, reviews, etc. I think got my hopes up. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very drinkable white ale but I was expecting a lot more flavor. Give it a try a let me know what you think of it.
REVIEW
POUR: Hazy yellow orange color with a big white head.
AROMA: Smell of citrus and orange peel and corriander.
TASTE: Flavor was there for me, I got minimal orange peel/corriander flavor but not much else.
OVERALL: C       
Once again, was hoping for more, didn’t get it here.

EASTERN IOWA RESIDENTS: Now available at Hy-Vee in Cedar Rapids area, if you try it let me know what you think.