Beer Review #6: Ale Asylum Bedlam!

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The next beer I am reviewing is Ale Asylum Bedlam.  Ale Asylum(www.aleasylum.com)  is located in Madison, WI. There are some awesome beers for us Eastern Iowans that are only a couple hours drive to the north. The state of Wisconsin has a great detour of breweries right off of Highway 151 out of Dubuque that goes straight into Madison. So far, the Ale Asylum stands out the most to me. Bedlam! is one of the better beers I’ve had in a long time. Bedlam! is an unfiltered IPA. On with the review.
Pour:Dark orange pour with a nice white head.
Aroma: Amazing woody and citrus hop aroma.
Taste: Taste starts with biter citrus, hops, and finishes nice, creamy and smooth. Terrific!
Overall: B+

Eastern Iowa residents: Unfortunately, Ale Asylum only distributes around Madison and Milwaukee areas. The great news is that it is only a 2 hour drive away. Bedlam!, I believe is seasonal, hopefully that will change as this is one of my favorites today.

Wig and Pen; Coralville, IA

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The Wig and Pen (http://www.wigandpeneast.com/) located in Coralville, IA has been a frequent destination for my family and friends as well as Hawkeye football, basketball, and wrestling fans for a long time. My wife and I just stopped in for a pizza and I forgot how terrific their beer selection is. The Wig and Pen has many varieties of beer from the US and Imports. Their craft/micro selections include many Sam Adams, including their seasonal, Rogue, Boulevard, and many more. To go along with the good beer selection is the wonderful food and the fantastic atmosphere. We usually order the Flying tomato Pembroke Gardens and an order of wings. Their onion rings and burgers are also very good. A great place, great food, good beer, and a great atmosphere. The next time you are in the Coralville, IA area check out the Wig and Pen.

Beer Review #5: Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale

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The next beer I am reviewing is Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale. Dogfish Head(http://www.dogfish.com/) is a brewery that was established in 1995 in Delaware that does some great things with beer. You must try their IPAs. Onto this beer.
Pour:Dark red and brown pour with a medium sized white head
Aroma: Aroma of caramel, sugar, malts.
Taste: Flavor of nuts, hops, and brown sugar. Very smooth and very good. Lots of flavors going on this beer and it all goes well together. Good stuff!
Overall: B+

Eastern Iowa residents: I’ve seen this beer at Hy-Vee spirits, John’s Grocery in Iowa City, and Family Beer and Liquor in East Dubuque, IL.

Beer Review #4: Guinness Draught

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Guinness can now be found in roughly 80% of bars/restaurants in eastern Iowa. Many, if not all, grocery stores carry this wonderful beer in either 4 pack cans or 6 pack bottles. Guinness is a dry Irish stout that has been made since the late 1700’s. A thick, creamy, and smooth beer. If you are new to trying different beers this one might not be the one to try right away, it does look intimidating, but it is very smooth. http://www.guinness.com/
Aroma: Mainly a coffee maybe caramel smell.
Pour: Very dark with a creamy off-white head.
Taste: Very creamy with somewhat of a coffee flavor. Also some nuttiness thrown in there.
Rating: I’m a huge fan of this beer, give it a shot: A

Beer Store: Benz Beverage Depot; Cedar Rapids, IA

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Just visited about a week ago and thought I would pass along my thoughts for any people in this location looking for a place to buy some good beer. The first thing I noticed about this store is that it has many beers I haven’t seen before and also has things to make homebrew. Also, a huge selection of wine and fine foods. Prices seemed reasonable and many different styles were available. Check out their website http://www.benzbeveragedepot.com/ for more info.

Beer Review #3 New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red

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If you know beer you will know the New Glarus only distributes to the state of Wisconsin. Luckily, eastern Iowans only have to travel as far as Platteville, WI to get their hands on their favorite New Glarus beer. http://www.newglarusbrewing.com/ About a 15-20 minute drive from Dubuque and the Wal-Mart, liquor stores, and gas stations have a decent selection from this brewery. Onto today’s beer.
New Glaus Wisconsin Belgian Red is brewed used tons of cherries from the state of Wisconsin and is not a beer for chugging. According to www.ratebeer.com there are 1 pound of cherries in every bottle. A wonderful beer for dessert.

Pour: Pours a nice red color with a small white head.
Aroma: Tons of cherry smell comes out in this beer.
Mouthfeel: Sweet and tart
Flavor: Not just a subtle cherry flavor but intense cherry flavor with some tartness. Smoothe and unique, a very pleasant beer that I have in my fridge all the time.
Overall: Not a beer for all occassions but excellent for what it is. A

Let me know if you try it and what you think!

Beer Review #2: Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar

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I have come to appreciate most of, if not all of the Rogue products.  Rogue Ales is located in Newport, OR ( http://www.rogue.com/) and they make some wonderful beers. Known mostly for the Dead Guy Ales and Double Dead Guy Ale we stumbled upon Hazelnut Brown Nectar at our local Hy-Vee store in Marion, IA.
POUR: This beer pours a nice dark brown color with a tan medium-sized head.
AROMA: The thing that sticks out is the aroma of hazelnuts, fantastic smelling and makes you want to dive right in.
MOUTHFEEL: One of the smoothest beers I’ve had with the creamy hazelnut flavor and a smooth finish.
TASTE: The hazelnuts stick out but are not overpowering, the malts and caramel flavorings are evident.
OVERALL: This beer is damn near perfect for me A+
HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!

Keil's Bar in Bellevue, IA

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Visiting family and friends in Bellevue I was informed that this little river town has a new bar. Located on main street in Bellevue, Keil’s was refreshing from the usual wide opened bar, small beer list, and loud music that usually accompanies most of Bellevue’s watering holes. This bar is different. A small, quaint bar, nicely decorated, only serving peanuts for food, and best of all, a really good beer selection. Of course they have the usual light beers, but also on the menu were many stouts, wheats, IPAs, pale ales, and porters. A fresh change of pace and a place I recommend if you are ever in Bellevue, IA. Best of all, right across the street is some damn fine BBQ.

Keil’s Bar in Bellevue, IA

1 Comment

Visiting family and friends in Bellevue I was informed that this little river town has a new bar. Located on main street in Bellevue, Keil’s was refreshing from the usual wide opened bar, small beer list, and loud music that usually accompanies most of Bellevue’s watering holes. This bar is different. A small, quaint bar, nicely decorated, only serving peanuts for food, and best of all, a really good beer selection. Of course they have the usual light beers, but also on the menu were many stouts, wheats, IPAs, pale ales, and porters. A fresh change of pace and a place I recommend if you are ever in Bellevue, IA. Best of all, right across the street is some damn fine BBQ.

Beer Tasting Review #1 Boulevard Wheat

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Ok, so the first beer I’m going to review is the beer that got me into trying craft beers. I can’t remember the first time I had this beer but I do remember thinking, “wow, this is the best tasting beer I’ve ever had”. So today’s beer is Boulevard Wheat, brewed by Boulevard brewing company in Kansas City, MO.  If you want to know more about this brewery or beer check out this website: www.blvdbeer.com
On with the tasting:
Pour: Beer has a hazy yellow color with a nice white foamy head.  Lacing sticks to the glass. What is lacing?  Lacing is the white, foamy residue that sticks to the side of your glass. A good thing!
Aroma: You can smell the wheat very clearly and some citrus notes also.
Taste: Very refreshing and easily drinkable. The wheat is unfiltered so it sticks out more and has hit of citrus, mostly lemon with it.
Overall: B-
Recommendation: I know so many people who drink nothing but Bud, Miller, and Coors. If you are one of those people, and you might have a slight interest in expanding your beer tasting palatte, I highly recommend starting here with Boulevard Wheat. Tasty, refreshing, easy to drink, and more importantly for Iowans, easy to come by.
Eastern Iowa residents: this beer is widely available in our area. Check your supermarket, Hy-Vee for sure will have it, or my favorite places to buy, Benz in CR or John’s Grocery in Iowa City.

Check back in a couple of days for another review.