Des Moines will be the place to be this coming weekend as Confluence Brewing will be celebrating their 11 year anniversary starting at 11 a.m.! Live music, food trucks and multiple beer releases throughout the day will be taking place. Take a look below for the schedule courtesy of Confluence’s Facebook page:
We are celebrating our 11th year of making good beer and we hope you can join us!
Come on down to the beer factory on our birthday for a special celebration filled with live music, food trucks, commemorative glassware and new beers for you to take home.
Schedule: Live Music with Ducharme Jones 12-2:30pm Live Music with Buckmiller Schwager Band 3-5:30pm Food Trucks: Pie Mates & Street Eats *Purchase any 2 anniversary beers (to-go) and receive a free 11th-anniversary glass!
Anniversary Beer Releases: 1. Peanut Butter Cup Porter (Contains Nuts & Lactose) 2. Bourbon Barrel Aged Ferryman’s 3. Ferryman’s Chocolate Old Fashioned 4. Ferryman’s Dark Chocolate Turtle * to read about each beer, head to our events tab and you can see each release with their tasting notes!
Threading The Needle Combining some of our favorite elements from West Coast & New England style IPAs with comically drinkable results. Utilizing a water profile between what we typically do for either of the two with a fairly balanced sulfite to chloride ratio & a tightly knit combo of Strata, Mosaic, Talus, Simcoe & El Dorado Cryo that will have you in stitches. Sew what if we couldn’t pick a side? 6.5%
Strictly Business Getting serious with our buds at Corporate Ladder Brewing Co. in Palmetto, Florida. Creating synergies with boundless upside between our combined approaches to IPAs along with some of our selected NZ Nectaron, NZ Nelson Sauvin & Experimental HBC 1019. It might look like we’re having fun, but when it comes to these hops… we’re strictly business. 8.4%
Local 755 Our Foggy Favorite. Azacca, Amarillo & a Gwop of Citra. Soft, Juicy & Hazy like 70’s Home Movies. 6.8%
Phase Three All Cases are 6/4pk 16oz Cans Re-load Fresh DDH Perpetual Sounds We brought back one of our favorites, Perpetual Sounds, but gave it the DDH treatment at nearly seven pounds per barrel of beautiful Pacific Northwest fruity blueberry tea focused Mosaic and peachy-grapefruit forward Amarillo.. 7.7%
DDH Synchrophaser Within the stratified layers of the DDH Synchrophaser, Vic Secret unveils its tropical undertones and piney resonances, while Strata interjects with notes of passionfruit and dank cannabinoids, together crafting a 7.8% ode to your taste buds. Where two hops converge and diverge, reminiscent of planes in both aerial and metaphysical dialogues.
Re-load Fresh DDH Double Pixel Density We brought up the ABV of our regular Pixel Density to 8% and gave it our double dry hop treatment of some sticky-icky fruity citra and citra cryo.
Chromatic Obsession An amber ale brewed with a classic combination of British 2-row, British Crystal, and British Chocolate malts and finished with a hefty dose of dark brown sugar. This beer goes down easy with a nice caramel finish that’s perfect for sipping around the fire pit. 6.2%
Interstellar Illusions This beer has effervescent, almost sparkling carbonation, and the flavor and aroma are dominated by the classic Belgian yeast used for fermentation. 7%
Re-load Fresh P3 Pils New recipe in March of 2023! – A crispy clean lager with flavors reminiscent of lightly toasted bread, a touch of citrus, and herbal tea. A craft lager for every day drinking. 4.7%
Equilibrium Brewing Astronomical Twilight
Axioms of Probability
Even More Balanced
Fluctuation
Laboratory Dynamics
Mobius
POG Bubbles
Photon
Southern Lights
String Theory
Wave Length
Great Notion Blueberry Muffin
Pog Frog
Hedge Beer
Puddletown Punch
RIPE
Van Beer
Fruit Burst: Strawberry Lemonade – Smoothie-Style Sour – 6% ABV
Another favorite flavor in our Fruit Burst Sour Series is back! A heavily fruited Smoothie-Style Sour bursting with Strawberry and Lemon. Sweet, juicy, and slightly tart.
Streetstyle Sesh – Juicy Session IPA – 4.5% ABV
A great skate sesh deserves a great sesh IPA! And that’s exactly what you’ll find in Streetstyle Sesh IPA, created for the Des Moines Streetsyle Open. The tropical flavors of Mosaic & Citra will Barley Slide across your tongue, bringing full flavor and aroma. Yet the ABV is low enough to keep your steez up for all your grinds, flips, manuals and more… Keep Cool! Drink Fresh! Skate On!
EVIL TWIN BREWING NYC – OUR MOST POPULAR IPA 6/4/16oz CANS – Flagship IPA brewed and Double Dry-Hopped with all Citra hops. 6% ABV – NYC
EVIL TWIN BREWING NYC – DANG QUESADILLA 6/4/16oz CANS – West Coast IPA. Brewed with all Citra. Dank, crisp, fresh. 6.7% ABV – NYC
EVIL TWIN BREWING NYC – I SWEAR I’M ADDICTED TO BLUE CHEESE 6/4/16oz CANS – Classic Belgian Quadrupel. Notes of malts, dark fruits & subtle spice. 10.2% ABV – NYC
EVIL TWIN WILL THIS BELGIAN BEER DESERVE YOUR RESPECT? 6/4/16oz CANS – Belgian Strong Golden Ale – 12% ABV – CT
EVIL TWIN BREWING NYC – THE WEATHER JUST WENT FROM 90 TO 55 LIKE IT SAW A STATE TROOPER 6/4/16oz CANS – Double Dry-Hopped with Citra and Galaxy. Beautifully Crisp ‘n Juicy. 6.5% ABV – NYC
EVIL TWIN BREWING NYC – BUZZIN’ – CITRA + CASHMERE + SABRO 6/4/16oz CANS – Double Dry Hopped Pale Ale with Citra, Cashmere, & Sabro, brewed with organic wildflower honey. BEEPUBLIC collab. 5.5% ABV – NYC
EVIL TWIN BREWING NYC – FRUIT FOR THOUGHT 5 6/4/16oz CANS – Sour Ale inspired by some delicious autumn-forward stone fruits. Made with Cranberry & Plum, we added a little extra Cinnamon, Vanilla, & Brown Sugar for some extra pie flavors. 6.6% NYC
EVIL TWIN BREWING NYC – THE GREAT AUTUMNAL EQUINOX STOUT 6/4/16oz CANS – We’ll let the ingredients do the talking for this one… Imperial Stout Brewed With Almond, Vanilla, Muscovado Sugar, Maple, Marshmallow Coffee, Raspberry And Chocolate. 12.55% ABV – NYC
EVIL TWIN OUDE EVIL 6/4/16OZ CANS – Malt Liquor. Enjoy straight from the can. Cheers, friends! 8% ABV – CT
EVIL TWIN HOP FOR A BETTER FUTURE – SIMCOE 6/4/16oz CANS – Simcoe NE DDH DIPA. 8% ABV – CT
EVIL TWIN BOZO BEER 6/4/16OZ CANS – 17.2% Imperial stout brewed w/ molasses, lactose, chocolate, almond, hazelnut, vanilla bean, cinnamon, oak spiral, chili, marshmallow, muscovado sugar, chestnut, and coffee. 17.2% ABV – CT – Please note that like a fine wine, this beer’s vintage runs a year back. Hence 2022!
EVIL TWIN EVEN MORE JESUS 6/4/16oz CANS – Evil Twin OG Imperial Stout – 12% ABV – CT
A tradition unlike any other returns in 2023 as Iowa Brewing Company in downtown Cedar Rapids (708 3rd St. SE, Cedar Rapids) will be putting on their annual “Cousin Eddie Party” on Thanksgiving Day! Starting bright and early at 7 a.m. and going to noon, it’s a perfect way to start Thanksgiving morning with family, or get a good buzz before dealing with family…your call. Showcasing their “Cousin Eddie” breakfast ale and celebrating the culture of Cousin Eddie and a wonderful beer, Iowa Brewing will be the place to be Thanksgiving morning! Here’s more courtesy of the brewery’s Facebook page:
“You serious, Clark?”
Yeah, we are serious! It’s that time of year for our Annual Thanksgiving Day Cousin Eddie Party. Doors will open at 7:00AM and stay open until noon.
The deets: – Cousin Eddie Breakfast Ale (Barrel-Aged) – Cousin Eddie Breakfast Ale – Patio open with space heaters – Expanded taproom into brewery/production area – Special Edition Cousin Eddie t-shirts
For the newbies: – Come dressed as Cousin Eddie (if possible) – Show up in your PJs (no birthday suits) – We will be busy; please be patient – If you see a jello mold with cat food, don’t eat it
As the weather cools and summer turns into fall, tap lines and shelf space start being consumed with delicious marzen, Oktoberfest, and fresh hop beers from many of Iowa’s wonderful breweries and from breweries around the world. As fall comes into our lives our bodies are telling us to consume more hearty and energy packed foods to prepare ourselves for winter…so…I guess what the fall season tells us to do is drink beer and eat good food….with that being said, what are the favorites from the local brewers, chefs, and people working in the food and beer world for pairing these wonderful beer styles to their favorite dishes? Let’s find out:
Quinton McClain – Brewer/Owner Lion Bridge Brewery, Cedar Rapids – “For Lion Bridge’s Oktobot 3000, definitely schweinsaxe. (roasted ham hock or pork knuckle) For Lion Bridge Robofest, I would go with tailgating foods… wings, brats, soft pretzels, tacos. It’s an easy drinker, but has a beautiful European Malt Character that pairs well with good conversation and finger foods.”
Alec Travis – Brewer/Owner Field Day Brewing, North Liberty – “Festbiers are pretty good for pairing with almost anything! Marzens have a touch more of that caramel profile that I think go well with some savory fatty stuff. For me, I’d pair that with a pork chop or pork shoulder or something. Maybe some herbed risotto as a side!”
Todd and Blake Viall – Brewers/Owners – Clock House Brewing, Cedar Rapids – “We came up with a jalapeño popper chicken griller wrapped with applewood smoked bacon, side of pineapple coleslaw, and dessert of coconut flan!”
Aaron Vargas – Owner – Backpocket Brewery, Coralville – “Savory for sure. Pork, whether it is a brat or schnitzel. Something about the fat in there is where it is at!”
T.J. Lytle – Chef- Big Grove Brewery, Solon – ” Yeah, I have a few. Can’t go wrong with a pretzel, beer cheese and the spicy vinegary mustard. Literally one of my go tos. The other 2 are something my grandma always did. She passed away a couple years ago but we used to have a big family gathering at her house and she would make these, my mom still makes them every year and we enjoy them. I just tweak it a little bit . My grandma was very Polish so she always made Haluski, and pierogies. The haluski is a soft noddle with cooked down cabbage. We added bacon just because who doesn’t love bacon haha. Finish with a bunch of black pepper and butter. Sooo gooood. The pierogies was always my favorite. She would buy the store bought in a bag which I have a sweet spot for but homemade really is a game changer. In my filling I use russet potatoes, stone ground mustard, cheese, salt and white pepper. We would cook down a bunch of onions, sausage, remove the sausage and cut it thin. Throw it back in with the pierogies. A bunch of butter. Top with a bunch of scallions. Literally one of the best things I enjoy. Really reminds me of home and a lot of good memories with my family!”
Shane Knipper – Brewer- Dimensional Brewing, Dubuque – “Stateside, I tend to lean towards a basic bratwurst from a local meat locker, with a German horseradish mustard and sauerkraut. I also really like a festbier with currywurst. If you can get some authentic Brezen, Schnitzel, Rouladen, or Spaetzle, that’s definitely the way to go, but can be hard to find locally. Basically, any hearty meal.”
Travis Lange – Head of Sales – Iowa Brewing Company, Cedar Rapids – “Of course you can’t go wrong pairing these beers with more traditional fare, like pork schnitzel, bratwurst and soft pretzels topped with cheese, dill and smoked meats. But my go-to food pairings are carnitas tacos and venison chili. Hearty, spicy foods that meld nicely with the herbal and earthy hop edge.”
Jim Johnston – Brewer- 3rd Base Brewing, Cedar Rapids -“My favorite would be Zweigle’s White Hots on a caraway seed bun.”
Joe Dooley – Chef – Need Pizza, Cedar Rapids – “Smoked & reverse seared Iowa chops. Apple cider braised red kraut. And roasted acorn squash with enough butter & brown sugar to choke a friggin donkey. First thing I’m in the mood for when the weather turns, & it’s on the menu for tonight!”
Jeremy Freerks – Club 76 The Lodge, North Liberty – “Personally as a compliment, I’d like to say the richness of the gravy and meat of sauerbraten pairs well with the maltiness of that those beers. I also believe as a compliment oven baked brats and kraut caramelizes nicely to match most Oktoberfest/marzens. I think fresh kraut on a brat can easily bring together sweetness of the brat and sour of the kraut for the bang of fresh hop beers as a compliment and contrast. Same goes for Hot German Potato salad. Sweet and sour with the bacon backbone is a solid choice for a fresh hop IPA.”
Aptitude Test – 8% What do you wanna do when you grow up? Flabberghastingly full of our hand selected Mosaic & Citra Cryo with a little sprinkle of fairy dust for posterity. Congratulations… According to this test, when you grow up, you’re gonna be… disappointed.
DDH Local 755 HBC 638 IPA – 8% Our favorite fog dog gets an extra layer of dopeness in the form of a third additional dry hop consisting of Experimental HBC 638 from the fine folks at Yakima Chief & The Hop Breeding Company. Even more love on top of our hand selected Azacca, Amarillo & Citra. Saturated salutations from our house to yours.
I Thought you’d Never Ask IPA – 8.1% Who, me? Long overdo blend of some of our favorite varietals: our hand selected Citra Cryo, Idaho 7 Cryo & El Dorado in questionable quantities. Just remember… All you have to do is ask
Landline NZ Pils
Strata….But Make it POP! – 7% It turns out that “popping more” can be an incredibly difficult thing to quantify for a lab that is trying to screen hop lots as they come in. Showcasing some of our favorite selected lots, in this case Strata & Strata Cryo, & putting them out to pasture with Cryo Pop, a blend from Yakima Chief Hops specifically formulated for dry hopping during primary fermentation.
Thanks In Advance Triple IPA
The Great BlackStack Bake-off Cherry Pie – 6.6% The Beginning Of A Beautiful Saga Inspired By Some Of Our Favorite Crusty Boiz & Late Nights Fretting Over Soggy Soufflés. Our Mixed-Culture, Foeder-Fermented Berliner Base Conditioned On Crumpet Loads of Sweet & Tart Cherries with Painfully Polite Additions of Graham Crackers, Cinnamon, Vanilla & Milk Sugar.
Tox Brewing Coffee and Donuts 6/4/16oz CANS – Collab. w/ Little House Brewing. Imperial Stout with coffee, donuts, strawberry, raspberry & vanilla. 10% ABV – CT
Tox Brewing Fugu 6/4/16oz CANS – Citra, Cashmere, & El Dorado IPA. Immensely aromatic and complexly hoppy for its crushable nature, Fugu combines a carefully selected combination of American hops 6.5% ABV – CT
Tox Brewing Training Wings 6/4/16oz CANS – Beautiful American Pale Ale with Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe. 6% ABV – CT
Tox Brewing Muscaria 6/4/16oz CANS – Calling all Mosaic and lovers. Double Dry Hopped Mosaic DIPA with Cascade and Citra through various stages of the whirlpool and dry hop. Dangerously smooth for its ABV and has huge notes of dank citrus, mango, flowery berries, and a touch of sweet tropical candy. 8.2% ABV – CT
Skygazer X Front Porch Boba Bliss Pink Guava 6/4/16oz CANS – Creamee Bubble Tea Sour Ale brewed with Pink Guava. 5% ABV – CT
Front Porch Twisted Sisters 6/4/16oz CANS – Delicious IPA brewed Loral, Ekuanot , HBC 586 hops. 6% ABV – CT – This Beer is in Collaborations with Pink Boots Society, an organization that aims to assist, inspire and encourage women and non-binary individuals in the fermented/alcoholic beverage industry to advance their careers through education.
Front Porch Thank You 6/4/16oz CANS – DIPA with Sabro, Hallertau Blanc, Enigma, Huell Melon and El Dorado. 8% ABV – CT
EREDITÁ BEER:
Eredita Papapils 6/4/16oz CANS – Crisp German-style Pilsner. Tettnang and Mittelfrüher hops from Seitz Farms, located in the Hallertau-region of Germany. Bright notes of lemongrass and freshly baked bread are to be experienced with PapaPils. 4.8% ABV – CT
Eredita Pragmatism CITRA 6/4/16oz CANS – Single-hop New England Pale Ale featuring Citra hops grown in the Pacific Northwest! 5.1% ABV – CT
CLOWN SHOES BREWING:
Clown Shoes Pumpkin Sombrero 6/4/16oz CANS – Mexican-Style Chocolate Stout with Pumpkin Puree! 7% ABV – MA
Clown Shoes Pumpkin Sombrero 1/6bbl KEG – Mexican-Style Chocolate Stout with Pumpkin Puree! 7% ABV – MA
Clown Shoes Harvest Blender 6/4/16oz CANS – Smoothie IPA with Plum, Peach, Apricot Purées and Lactose. Hopped with Citra and Galaxy. 7% ABV – MA
Clown Shoes Harvest Blender 1/6 bbl KEG – Smoothie IPA with Plum, Peach, Apricot Purées and Lactose. Hopped with Citra and Galaxy. 7% ABV – MA
NIGHTMARE BREWING:
Nightmare Brewing Matricide 6/4/16oz CANS – Imperial Stout with Toasted Coconut, Roasted Almonds, Ecuadorian Cacao, Madagascan Vanilla and Lactose. 15.1% ABV – NY
Nightmare Brewing Gunga Rao 6/4/16oz CANS – SOUR IPA – Gunga Rao is Soured on Pineapple & Coconut, with Moroccan Mint, Sabro, Kohatu & Cashmere hops. 8.3% ABV – NY
Nightmare Brewing Chelsea Grin 6/4/16oz CANS – SOUR ALE, soured on Strawberries and Raspberries with Earl Grey Tea and Bergamot Orange Zest. 6.7% ABV – NY
Nightmare Brewing Glasgow Smile 6/4/16oz CANS – Gose soured on Wild Scottish Bilberries with Heather, Lemon Zest, Raspberries and Blueberries. 6.7% ABV – NY
Nightmare Brewing Flayed 6/4/16oz CANS – Imperial Oat IPA with Azacca, Zythos, Galaxy and Pacifica. 9.6% ABV – NY
Nightmare Brewing Blood Eagle 6/4/16oz CANS – Scandinavian Sour Ale Soured on Lingonberries, Hawthorn Berries, Cloudberries & Comice Pears with Strawberries, Plums and Tart Cherries. The fan favorite is back! 7.5% ABV – NY
Nightmare Brewing Agam Kuan 6/4/16oz CANS – Masala Chai Imperial Stout brewed with Jaggery Tea and cold aged on Indian vanilla and toasted chai spices. 16% ABV – NY
Nightmare Brewing Bamboo Torture 6/4/16oz CANS – Imperial IPA brewed with Bamboo Shoots and Dry-Hopped with Akoya & Dragon Hops. 9.6% ABV – NY
An early happy 4 years to Lua Brewing! Starting next Monday, October 9th, they will be releasing beers and having food specials throughout the week. Here’s what they are starting with on Monday courtesy of their Facebook page:
Our 4th Anniversary week kicks off ONE WEEK from today, and we are starting it off with everyone’s favs.
Next Monday (10/9) we will be slinging $4.44 Lua Smush sliders alllll dang day, accompanied by THREE new nostalgia inspired, smoothie-esque sour beers (draft only).
Our annual celebration will include Iowa City, Des Moines, and Solon
Wednesday, October 25, pre-sale begins at biggrove.com for our favorite party of the year! Mark your calendar, set an alarm, tell Siri to remind you… whatever it takes! The 2023 RtW celebrations will be held in Iowa City, Des Moines, and Solon featuring a pair of new beers alongside the Richard 4-packs + Golden Ticket. Here’s a cute stack of pics from the 2022 parties to get the good vibes flowin’.
BA American Imperial Stout – Go back to old-school bottle share days with bomber bottles of this classic Barrel-Aged American Imperial Stout. Heavy and balanced, no adjuncts or wild flavorings, just good old-fashioned barrel-aged stout 15.7%
Graham Cracker Pastry Stout – Pastry Stout with Chocolate Malt & Natural Flavors 11%
Newtro Hard Seltzer – Korean-style hard seltzer with rice and mango puree. 5%
Punch Out Vodka Smoothies (Bermuda, Laguna) – 6%
White Grape Sour – Sour Ale with White Grape Juice 6%
New Zealand Lager – 5.5%
Non-Alch – Berliner Weiss, Cerveza con Limon, Citra Session, American Gold Lager, Italian Pilsner, Orange Peel Wit, West Coast IPA & Variety Pack!
Florida Seltzers – Same case cost as Carbliss and High Noon. Untitled Art uses real fruit and 0 waste malt base from the de-alcholized Non-Alch beers!
DDH Bold – Triple hazy IPA with talus and citra hops 10%
DDH Whimsical Nature – DIPA with Citra and Lotus 7.5%
TDH Triple Creme – This triple dry hopped 10% triple IPA got a massive dose of amazing Citra that’s super expressive and hits all the citra notes we’ve come to love. Brewed with nearly 50% oats and a small hit of milk sugar for smoothness and balance. 10%
Lulz Apple Cinnamon – A seasonally appropriate extension of our classic LULZ Crisp Apple but with a little bit of spice from the cinnamon; reminiscent of apple pie. 5%
Platinum Jubilee – Triple Dry Hopped Double IPA 8.0%- Our buds over at the Chatterbox Pub are celebrating their 100th anniversary this year. As the oldest continually operating bar in the Twin Cities, we got together to make a lil congratulatory banger to celebrate. With New Zealand Nelson Sauvin, Cashmere, and New Zealand Nectaron. 8%
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Imperial stout brewed w/ molasses, lactose, chocolate, almond, hazelnut, vanilla bean, cinnamon, oak spiral, chili, marshmallow, muscovado sugar, chestnut, and coffee. 17.2% ABV – CT – Please note that like a fine wine, this beer’s vintage runs a year back. Hence 2022!
. My grandma was very Polish so she always made Haluski, and pierogies. The haluski is a soft noddle with cooked down cabbage. We added bacon just because who doesn’t love bacon haha. Finish with a bunch of black pepper and butter. Sooo gooood. The pierogies was always my favorite. She would buy the store bought in a bag which I have a sweet spot for but homemade really is a game changer. In my filling I use russet potatoes, stone ground mustard, cheese, salt and white pepper. We would cook down a bunch of onions, sausage, remove the sausage and cut it thin. Throw it back in with the pierogies. A bunch of butter. Top with a bunch of scallions. Literally one of the best things I enjoy. Really reminds me of home and a lot of good memories with my family!”
