I’ve just come back from Family Beer and Liquor and if you are a fan of craft/micro/imports and are ever in the Dubuque area, you need to check out Family Beer and Liquor in East Dubuque. You could spend hours looking at the selection of beer that they have there. Hard to find beers, many of which are advertised with a Beer Advocate rating to show how good or bad the beer is. It is almost impossible to leave there with 1 six-pack of beer. I highly recommend this beer store. Been there? Let me know what you think. Check out their website http://www.familybeer.com/
Beer Review #8: Samuel Adams Brown Ale
Pour:Lighter brown pour with a small tan/off-white head.
Aroma: Smell of toasted nuts, malts, and caramel.
Taste: Flavor of nuts and caramel with a little bit of in the end. A good brown ale! My only problem with this beer is that I have become a drinker of Rogue’s Hazelnut Brown Nectar, but this brown comes in second.
Overall: C
Eastern Iowa residents: I have seen this beer in all Hy-Vees, liquor stores, and sometimes in smaller grocery stores. You should have no problem tracking this one down.
Beer Review #7: RJ Rocker's Son of a Peach
The next beer I am reviewing is RJ Rockers Son of a Peach. RJ Rocker’s Brewery ( http://www.rjrockers.com/verify.asp) is in South Carolina. This brewery opened in Spartanburg, SC in 1997. I found this six-pack at Benz Beverage Depot in Cedar Rapids, IA and decided to give it a try. I was glad I did.
Pour:Hazy yellow pour with a medium-sized head. Nice lacing on the glass.
Aroma: Distinct aroma of peaches and wheat, almost a wine-like smell.
Taste: You definitely get the peach flavor but it is not overpowering and meshes nicely with the wheat. A really great beer for a summer day.
Overall: B
Eastern Iowa residents: The only place I’ve seen it has been Benz Beverage Depot in Cedar Rapids. If it is available elsewhere please let me know! UPDATE: Hy-Vee is now carrying RJ Rocker products!
Beer Review #7: RJ Rocker’s Son of a Peach
The next beer I am reviewing is RJ Rockers Son of a Peach. RJ Rocker’s Brewery ( http://www.rjrockers.com/verify.asp) is in South Carolina. This brewery opened in Spartanburg, SC in 1997. I found this six-pack at Benz Beverage Depot in Cedar Rapids, IA and decided to give it a try. I was glad I did.
Pour:Hazy yellow pour with a medium-sized head. Nice lacing on the glass.
Aroma: Distinct aroma of peaches and wheat, almost a wine-like smell.
Taste: You definitely get the peach flavor but it is not overpowering and meshes nicely with the wheat. A really great beer for a summer day.
Overall: B
Eastern Iowa residents: The only place I’ve seen it has been Benz Beverage Depot in Cedar Rapids. If it is available elsewhere please let me know! UPDATE: Hy-Vee is now carrying RJ Rocker products!
Beer Review #6: Ale Asylum Bedlam!
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
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
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
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
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
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!
