Lion Bridge brining back “Hellscape” smoked helles and “Heartstrings” sour this month!

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Hellscape (Smoked Helles, 5.2%) – We included Weyermann Beechwood Smoked Malt into this traditional German Lager because we love delicious smoky treats. If you’re not familiar with smoked beers, grab a pint and see for yourself!

Heart Strings (Pineapple, Raspberry, Blueberry Sour, 5.5%) – Tropical pineapple melds with tart and tangy raspberry. A new sour to bring a little more love into your life.

Phase Three beer will be returning to Iowa!

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Weeks ago the unfortunate news came out that many popular and delicious craft beers where seeing their last days on shelves in Iowa due to their distributor pulling out of Iowa. With such a wide portfolio of beers it was just a matter of time before some of those breweries would be picked up by others. We’ve seen Weldwerks get picked up, Untitled Art as well, and I can now tell you that Phase Three will also be coming back to Iowa. Stay tuned for distro confirmation and dates as well! Cheers!

Scratch Brewing coming to Iowa via Abu Nawas!

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We are proud and grateful to call Marika and Aaron @ScratchBeer dear friends. We are not kidding when we say we truly consider them one of the most creative breweries this side of the Atlantic and perhaps, dare we say the world over both in philosophy and process. A farmhouse brewery near the Shawnee National Forest in Ava, Illinois. Named one of the top four breweries for foraged beer by Outside Magazine, and one of the most beautiful places to drink beer in the world by All About Beer Magazine, Scratch Brewing Company focuses on farmhouse beers and other styles brewed with home grown and locally farmed and foraged ingredients. The brewery has an ever rotating selection of styles enhanced by the innovative addition of local ingredients, such as nettle, elderberry, ginger, dandelion, maple sap, hickory, lavender, juniper, and chanterelle mushrooms. 

Trust us when we tell you, the place is magical, the on premise bread is legendary and the Serpent Room and the artwork by Brett Douglas Hunter is a bucket list experience.

SCRATCH BREWING BOTTLES:
Scratch Wild Carrot & Nettle Farmhouse Ale 12/500ml BOT – Blonde farmhouse ale brewed with wild carrots, lemongrass and lemon basil and fermented with our wild house culture. Easy drinking with a spicy, herbal, lemony finish. 5.2% ABV – IL

Scratch Foeder-Aged Porter 12/750ml BOT – Robust porter brewed with a hefty dose of chocolate malt and sweet cicely, then aged in our 7 bbl oak foeder from Foeder Crafters. Velvety smooth with a strong oak backbone and a hint of licorice and a very light acidity. 7.4% – ABV – IL

Scratch Basil IPA 12/750ml BOT – One of their all-time classics! This beer’s aroma comes from basil rather than hops, but plays with the chemical compounds present in both to make a beer that tastes intriguingly familiar. Brewed with lemon basil, sweet basil, and tulsi basil from our garden; honey from our friends at Royal Bee in Steeleville; grain from Sugar Creek Malt; and fermented with our house culture. Bright basil and hop-like aroma that tastes fresh now but stands up well to aging. 6.7% – ABV – IL

Scratch Roselle 12/750ml BOT – Farmhouse ale brewed with grain from Sugar Creek Malt and Southern Illinois-grown wheat and roselle plants and flowers from our garden. Lightly tart and earthy with a hibiscus-like aroma and flavors of cranberry and cherry, this beer has the terroir of late summer in Southern Illinois. 4.3% – ABV – IL

Scratch 131 – 12/500ml BOT – This unique farmhouse ale is an imprint of its place and time. Brewed with 131 different leaves, roots, bark, flowers, seeds, and fungi from the height of the growing season. It conveys a subtle earthiness and spice that is characteristic of our location in Southern Illinois. Scored a 97 in Craft Beer & Brewing’s 2023 ratings of Saisons: “Herbal and minty in the sip, with lemon zest, eucalyptus, and a vast range of herbal spice. Thorough but quirky and fast moving.” 5.3% – IL

Scratch Wild Grapevine Saison 12/500ml BOT – Farmhouse beer brewed with wild grape leaves and green grapes, and toasted grapevine; and fermented with our wild house culture. White wine-like fermentation character with a hint of tannin and a toasty vanilla-like finish from the grape vines. 5.2% – IL

Field Day “Baltic Fest” set for February 17th!

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Courtesy of Field Day Brewing:

Join us for Baltic Fest on February 17th at 4pm!

A release day party for our Baltic Porter with stick pokes on the patio! A red hot iron stick poke caramelizes the sugars in your beer creating a unique experience for the drinker. Firepits and burners will be placed all around the patio with tabletop firepits.

In November we brewed a 10.5% Baltic Porter that lagered in Silver Oak California Cab barrels that aged 15 year Weller for 10 months brewing a really complex, malty, high ABV, highly drinkable porter.

Let’s drink some beers around the fire! Tickets are available now for $10 or $15 day of and include your first beer, a smores buffet (with boozy marshmallows), and a hot chocolate station for 21+.

Tickets HERE!

Cedar Rapids Brewing Society “Benzfest” set for Saturday, May 11th!

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Press release:

The Cedar Rapids Brewing Society’s Drink Local Festival, previously held in August, is combining with Benzfest and will be moving to the second weekend in May.

The Cedar Rapids Brewing Society Benzfest will be held at Benz Beverage Depot on Saturday, May 11th. The event will include beers, ciders, meads, and spirits from a variety of vendors from around the Midwest and from homebrew clubs from around the state.

“We are very excited to continue our partnership with Benz. Combining these two great festivals will allow us to bring in even more vendors, while still featuring the many great homebrew clubs from around the state,” said Haley Rosendahl, Vice President of the Cedar Rapids Brewing Society. “Moving the event to May will hopefully result in more temperate weather than the previous Drink Local festivals in August.”

Look for tickets for the Cedar Rapids Brewing Society Benzfest to go on sale soon and stay tuned for announcements on vendor lineup. Follow CRBS on Facebook for announcements. https://www.facebook.com/CedarRapidsBrewingSociety

Superstition Mead, Timber Ales, and Urban Chestnut coming from Abu Nawas!

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750ml Bottles:

  • Superstition Aphrodisia (Batch 27) 12/750ml BT – Aphrodisia is a style of mead known as a pyment. Variants of Aphrodisia have won bronze, silver and gold medals at the Mazer Cup, The Festival of Barrel Aged Beers (FOBAB), and the RateBeer Best Competition. Batch 27 is made with Syrah grapes, and Arizona wildflower honey. and is blended from new American oak and White Series barrels. 13% ABV – AZ
  • Superstition Aphrodisia (Batch 20) 12/750ml BT – Aphrodisia is a style of mead known as a pyment. Variants of Aphrodisia have won bronze, silver and gold medals at the Mazer Cup, The Festival of Barrel Aged Beers (FOBAB), and the RateBeer Best Competition. Batch 20 is made with California syrah grapes, Arizona mesquite honey and is blended from new American oak and White Series barrels. 13% ABV – AZ
  • Superstition Aphrodisia (Batch 21) 12/750ml BT – Aphrodisia is a style of mead known as a pyment. Variants of Aphrodisia have won bronze, silver and gold medals at the Mazer Cup, The Festival of Barrel Aged Beers (FOBAB), and the RateBeer Best Competition. Batch 21 is made with California cabernet grapes, Arizona wildflower honey and is blended from new American oak and White Series barrels. 13% ABV – AZ
  • Superstition Blueberry Hex 12750ml BT – A delicious expression of blueberries and wildflower honey in a semi-sweet package. Lovers of rich fruit forward flavors will rejoice. 14% ABV – AZ
  • Superstition Blueberry Spaceship Box 12/750ml BT – Blueberry Spaceship Box, the top rated hard cider in the world, a spectacular blend of sweet and tart, of apple and blueberry. 5.5% ABV – AZ
  • Superstition Pillars of Creation 12/750ml BT – The sister product to the top rated Blueberry Spaceship Box. Pillars Of Creation is an apple cider made with both tart and sweet dark cherries for a flavor that will keep you coming back for more. Tart and juicy, it’s the perfect bubbly drink for any time of year! 5.5% ABV – AZ
  • Superstition Meadery Ginger Voodoo 12/750ml – A top rated Metheglin (Spiced Mead) in the world on Untappd, this semi-sweet ginger mead is beautiful and offers a unique and refreshing take on what a spiced mead can be. 13.5% ABV – AZ
  • Superstition Meadery Lagrimas de Oro 12/750ml – Lagrimas de Oro is an off-dry made with Arizona mesquite honey aged in bourbon barrels. It won our first medal at The Mazer Cup in 2013 (a silver) and took gold in 2018. We love these “Tears of Gold” 13.5% ABV – AZ
  • Superstition Marion 12/750ml BT – Marion won a Gold Medal at the Mazer Cup International Mead Competition and is ranked as a top 50 mead in the world on Ratebeer.com with a score of 100 points. Marion is a delicious semi sweet mead made from blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and Arizona wildflower honey. 13.5% ABV – AZ
  • Superstition Meadery Tahitian Honeymoon 12/750ml BT – Perfect sundowner in this mead fermented with Tahitian vanilla beans and aged on American oak. Chill and sip on your deck as you reflect on the finer things in life. Pair this unique drink with dark chocolate or enjoy as a nightcap. 13.5% ABV – AZ
  • Superstition Peanut Butter Jelly Crime 12/750ml BT –  Blueberry mead with peanut butter. Peanut Butter Jelly Crime is a PB&J sandwich in a bottle. This classic American sandwich is nostalgic and a really cool part of the collective American identity. This product has proven to be an instant cult classic, with releases selling out quickly and even once crashing our website. It is ranked as a top 50 mead in the world on Ratebeer.com with a score of 99 points and is a top 50 mead in the world on Untappd.. 13.5% ABV – AZ

375ml Bottles:

  • Superstition La Petite Mort 12/375ml BT – Double Dark Belgian Candi Syrup, Barrel Aged Mead with Cacao Nibs & Raspberries added. Aged in Toppling Goliath Assassin Barrels! 13% ABV – AZ
  • Superstition Vermouth Barrel Aged Aphrodisia 12/375ml BT – Cabernet and Grenache grape mead, aged in Vermouth barrels for 9 months. 13% ABV – AZ
  • Superstition Coffee Marion 12/375ml BT- Made with coffee custom roasted by our friends at Mostra Coffee in San Diego, California. Coffee Marion is a fun spin on the Superstition style as we pair coffee with rich dark fruit flavors. 13.5% ABV – AZ
  • Superstition Aphrodisia Barrel Aged Vestalia 12/375ml BT – Grenache and Cabernet grape mead, aged in Aphrodisia barrels. 12.5% ABV – AZ

500ml Bottles:

  • Superstition WHITE SERIES 12/500ml BT – The Cream of the crop of what Superstition is about. (2 sets of 6 variants – Berry White, Black Berry White, Blue Berry White, Straw Berry White, Piña Colada White, Stone Fruit White)

CANS:

  • Superstition BeeLini 24/12oz CANS – BeeLini is a bubbly session mead made with white peaches and honey, and drinks like a bellini in a can. BeeLini is the perfect accompaniment to a great brunch and it is impossible to sip without a smile. 6% ABV – AZ
  • Superstition BeeMosa 24/12oz CANS – Your favorite mimosa inspired mead is now available in 12oz cans. This bubbly session mead with oranges is perfect for brunch, poolside, or whatever adventure awaits you. 6% ABV – AZ
  • Superstition Crystal Sail 24/12oz CANS – Crystal Sail is your license to chill in the form of a delightful bubbly mango at a crushable 6% ABV. Let your imagination sail away on the good-good-good-good tropical vibrations in this beautiful 12oz can.
  • Superstition Dune Bloom 24/12oz CANS – Wild West inspired session mead is now available in 12oz! This bubbly mead is made with prickly pear and invokes the vibrant terroir of the Southwest and the ephemeral character unique to Arizona’s Sonoran desert. 6% ABV – AZ

TIMBER ALES:

  • Timber Ales French Toast by Campfire 6/4/16oz CANS – Snack Sized Stout at Snack Sized ABV. Conditioned on Maple Syrup, Coffee from Mostra Coffee in San Diego and Cinnamon. 6% ABV – NY
  • Timber Ales Insomniac’s Daydream (Citra, Nelson) 6/4/16oz CANS – Insomniac’s Daydream is TA’s rotating IPA series. This variant of our series has been dry-hopped with Nelson and Citra hops. 7% ABV – NY
  • Timber Ales / Horus Aged Ales / Mindful Ales Collab. Vanilla Maris 6/4/16oz CANS – The return of this spectacular Barleywine Aged on a Blend of Selected Vanilla Beans. 12% ABV – NY
  • Timber Ales When Daydreams Go Dark 6/4/16oz CANS – All CITRA Double IPA. 8% ABV – NY
  • Timber Ales Fallen Between the Lines 6/4/16oz CANS – Hazy IPA with Citra, Enigma, & Mosaic. 7% ABV – NY

URBAN CHESTNUT BREWING COMPANY:

  • URBAN CHESTNUT GERMAN PORTER 6/4/16oz CANS – German Porter with notes of Dark chocolate, roast coffee. A lager that’s as rich as it is robust, and as dark as it is strong—does it get more German than that? UC’s version of the classic “Starkbier” is rightfully hefty, in both the ABV and mouthfeel departments. Less fruity than your traditional English recipes, this German Porter is best enjoyed after a long, hard day of winter chores… or, around a warm fire with friends and family this holiday season! 7% ABV – MO
  • URBAN CHESTNUT Prickly Pear Ku’damm 6/4/16oz CANS – Prickly Pear Berliner Weisse. Prickly Pear Berliner Weisse is pale gold and hazy with clean, lemon-like tartness, light body and light doughy-ness. 4.2% ABV – MO
  • URBAN CHESTNUT ZWICKEL 6/4/16oz BOTTLES- Bavarian Lager. Pronounced ‘zv-ick-el’, the flagship lager of Urban Chestnut. It is an unfiltered, unpasteurized, German classic that finishes as a smooth-drinking, naturally cloudy bier. 5% ABV – MO
  • URBAN CHESTNUT ZWICKEL 6/4/16oz CANS – Bavarian Lager. Pronounced ‘zv-ick-el’, the flagship lager of Urban Chestnut. It is an unfiltered, unpasteurized, German classic that finishes as a smooth-drinking, naturally cloudy bier. 5% ABV – MO
  • URBAN CHESTNUT DORFBIER 6/4/16oz CANS – Munich Dunkel. Some refer to the Dunkel style as the original bier of Munich and its surrounding villages (Dörfer). This everyday bier ranges in color and sweetness depending on the amount of Munich and roasted malts used. The sweetness of the malt is then balanced by the use of another Bavarian friend…the Hallertau hop…in this specific case, Hersbrucker, grown near Wolnzach, Hallertau. 5.2% ABV – MO
  • URBAN CHESTNUT Big Shark Tangerine Radler 6/4/16oz CANS – Tangerine Radler. In German, “Radler” means cyclist and it also means: Bier-mixed-with-soda. 4.2% ABV – MO
  • URBAN CHESTNUT STAMMTISCH 6/4/16oz CANS – German Pilsner. A “Stammtisch” is an informal group meeting held on a regular basis – more directly translating to ‘table for regulars’. Our Stammtisch was brewed to celebrate this idea of community and socializing. It’s a traditional German Pilsner featuring a blend of Hallertau and Strisselspalt hops, giving it a pronounced herbal and spicy aroma. It’s crisp and dry with a light grainy malt profile. We think it’s the perfect accompaniment to any gathering. 5.4% ABV – MO
  • URBAN CHESTNUT SCHNICKELFRITZ  6/4/16oz CANS – Bavarian Weissbier. The unmistakable characteristics of this Bavarian Weissbier are achieved with a yeast that is decidedly fruity and phenolic. You may note clove, nutmeg or even vanilla and/or banana-like aromas and flavors. 5% ABV – MO

Iowa Eats: Either/Or; Des Moines, IA

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I wrote this review for Little Village Magazine which you can check out by clicking HERE:

The latest venture from the group that brought you Lua Brewing company has seemingly taken over Grand Avenue in West Des Moines! Either/Or restaurant (6222 Grand Ave. Des Moines) opened their doors in early Fall of 2023 and has been consistently busy since. 

“Lua is about craft beer and food. It was our first, so it’s always our baby, but it’s small. Either/Or is bigger on just about every scale. We still do craft beer and handmade food as well as we can, but we have cocktails, we have a private event space, we have a huge patio with green space and a playscape and five fire pits. We have twice as many team members and so much more space. At Either/Or, you can do date night or you can do family night or you can do Friendsgiving. It’s really flexible for any occasion,” said owner Scott Selix. 

Their cuisine can be described as elevated American fare with the focus being on the quality of the food that they put out. All of their burgers are ground in house, juices squeezed fresh for their amazing cocktails, and the always fresh and never frozen concept. “We have a great team. Our head brewer, Zack, did the draft beer list with input from all of us. Our chefs, James and Cesar, did the food menu. And then it was a group effort on making high-end cocktails. So it was a collection of people. And the one thing they all had in common was we created what we like. The beer list has Bierstadt and Sierra Nevada and Confluence and Lua, but also High Life and Duchesse, because that’s what we like to drink. The food menu was a collection of foods we’ve been inspired by. Cesar, our chef de cuisine, is of Mexican heritage, and so there’s some fresh Mexican inspired dishes. But he and James love Asian food as well, so there’s some Asian influence. We also make homemade bologna, which is a very lengthy process and is distinctly European/American. We grind our own burgers everyday, and we only source 100% Iowa-sourced Certified Angus Beef. We pretty much said “let’s create a restaurant we’d want to dine at,” and that’s what we did! So the food is approachable, but unlike stuff you’ll find elsewhere and always homemade (see the Bologna).” 


On why the ownership group chose this particular location for Either/Or, Selix responded, “It’s actually just barely east of the WDM border, so still in Des Moines by about 100 yards. But I played soccer at the soccer fields just south of Either/Or. Some partners on the building showed us the space and once whit and I saw it, we were set on it being a restaurant. Those partners live within walking distance, so they saw potential in the building. And then we saw it right away too. The huge patio, the connection to my old soccer club, the great location on Des Moines’ front porch from WDM, it all came together pretty quick with the tremendous team we have.” 

On this particular Friday, I had the pleasure of taking my two daughters with me to check out this restaurant. They are both familiar with Lua Brewing as we’ve frequented that place many times, and so when I told them the owners of Lua(Scott and Whitney Selix) have opened a restaurant and we are going to get to try it tonight, they were extremely excited. Upon entering, you are greeted with colorful and eclectic decor. The bar pops and the open kitchen gives you an inside look at how your dishes are put together. A very cool, casual, and comfortable feel right away. 

We were seated immediately, although the place was already very busy. The menu had many options that appealed to us so limiting what to order was a tall task for 3 hungry patrons. The beer list was loaded with delicious options, noticing that Lua had multiple beers on tap made my decision easy though.

BEER
I went with their latest double IPA, Dancer. Although it checks in at 8.6% ABV, it’s scarily drinkable and I had to convince myself to not order another. I love the hop combo on this beer and the creamy texture it brings. Lua makes some of the best beers in Iowa and this one is right up there for me as a favorite. Fantastic beer, a beer of the year candidate for sure! 

APPETIZER

Quite a few delicious options on the appetizer portion of the menu, but the clear cut favorite that my daughter’s chose were the Mexican cheese curds. If cheese curds are on the menu, there’s a 99% chance that my kids would have me order them. These cheese curds, however, were very much more inspired than just your basic fried cheese curd. House battered and served with pickled fresno chiles, cilantro and a chipotle ranch dressing these were some of the best cheese curds any of us had ever eaten. The perfect bite consisted of a curd, a pickled fresno, and a leaf of cilantro with just a tiny bit of dressing. It hit all the taste buds. A great dish. 

MAIN COURSE

We decided to do a bit of sharing and order a couple of sandwiches. I asked our waiter what Either/Or was known for besides the smash burgers, the fried bologna was recommended. I also wanted to try a vegetarian dish so I got the Italian mushroom sandwich. This bologna sandwich is unlike any you have had. It’s not your Oscar Meyer bologna sandwich. It’s made in house and the flavor is off the charts. Almost a pepperoni spice to it, it melts in your mouth and they stack this sandwich high with it. An excellent sandwich. The mushroom melt made you forget you weren’t eating meat. Loaded with perfectly cooked mushrooms and topped with a delicious homemade giardiniera and a side of jus, this sandwich would be perfect for not only a vegetarian diet, but even the biggest carnivores can get behind a sandwich this tasty! 

DESSERT
There was no question what dessert we were going to order. My kids have been rice pudding lovers since they were little. Either/Or’s rice pudding was extraordinary. Either/Or added some apple compote and then topped their pudding off with a sesame tuile, which is a baked wafer. A great final dish to cap off a really wonderful meal. 

OVERALL
I’m really excited to see what Either/Or brings to their menu and what they will come up with for their seasonal offerings. Their menu is ever changing and the way they play with fresh ingredients and the detail put into their dishes is commendable and appreciated. This place will be consistently busy, their food is delicious and approachable. This ownership group is doing all the right things and they continue to set the bar high for other establishments. If you are in the West Des Moines area, this is a must stop for a truly wonderful meal!