Sneak Peek: Backpocket Brrr Fest Dark Days BA Imperial Chocolate Stout

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Brrr Fest is a little less than two weeks away and all that are attending are in for a no doubt feast of wonderfully brewed beers by Iowa’s finest! Along with a stellar beer festival, party goers will have the opportunity to see how great the Iowa River Landing really is and how it’s becoming a destination for food and beer lovers! One of the many places is right across from where Brrr Fest will be taking place and that is Backpocket Brewery. Backpocket has been bringing out the big guns for years now during this festival and this year one of the beers they will be releasing is Dark Day and I just happen to be sipping on a bottle right now!(Thank you Aaron!) Before, I get too far into this brew, here’s the details for the brew:

Boiled for 24hrs, this BA imperial chocolate stout has multiple layers. The dark chocolate, cherry puree, toasted coconut & roasted pecans remind us of a classic german chocolate cake.

Pre-party info for Backpocket includes:

Pre-Party that include a pour of Dark Day, Maple Syrup BA Waffle Stout, an all you can eat breakfast, AND we’ll be releasing a pin variant at 10am!

Alright, let’s tear into this bad boy. As you can see by the picture, I’ve framed it up REAL nice!

– A nice viscous pour, thick with a small tan head. Smell of dark fruit and chocolate on the nose. Took a few sips with the beer being freshly poured and chocolate was dominant and blended very well with the barrel. With a beer like this, it’s best to let it sit or even just drink it room temperature. As the great Travis Lange will advise you, if you order a big stout, order another beer to drink while the stout sits and warms a tad…the fella is not wrong. Flavors pick up and sometimes if feels like you are drinking another tasty brew. When Dark Day warms, the cherries start to flood in and the slightest touch of coconut starts coming through. Chocolate still shines though..description says German Chocolate Cake which I’ve never had, but if it tastes like this, get me a slice soon! Definitely worth seeking, and if you’re heading to Brrr Fest, definitely a reason to stop into the Backpocket taproom! Along with this brew they’ve just released a DDH Galaxy version of Bubba, Tiki Sour is back and if you get there in time to try the Maple Syrup BA Waffle Stout you’ll be having yourself a lovely day.

Untitled Art, Blackstack, Modist, and Fair State beers coming via Pequod!

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Hazy IIPA v12 – 8% ABV 
Big juicy double ipa brewed with Citra, Mosaic, Nelson Sauvign, Chinook hops

Sweet & Sour Georgia Peachy O-Rings – Pontoon Brewing Collaboration
Kettle Sour Berliner Weisse style ale with Peach Puree, apple and Pineapple Juice plus Peach Ring candy. 

AFTER CAREFUL CONSIDERATION –  DDH IPA (7.5%)
Things happen fast around these parts. Sometimes you get time to ponder on it. Sometimes you just gotta go for it. Thoughtfully doubled additions of Azacca Cryo, Citra, Cashmere, Idaho 7 & NZ Motueka. Just do what feels right.

Who’s Idea is this? – Hazy Pale ale 4.8% ABV 
Hand selected Mosaic, New Zealand Nelson Sauvin & a dash of Columbus Cryo on a light & crispy Pilsner malt base. 

Local 755 – IPA 6.8% ABV 
Our Foggy Favorite. Azacca, Amarillo & a Gwop of Citra. Soft, Juicy & Hazy like 70’s Home Movies.


Intergalactic Sofa Ghost – DDH New England Hazy IPA

Skafl “snowdrift”- Hazy IPA 
SKAFL means “snowdrift” in Icelandic, and it’s our second iteration of this kinda-sorta winter hazy IPA. SKAFL is a hair more aggressive than your average hazy, leaning into a winter-appropriate blend of dankness and fruit, with a lightly bitter edge. Hazy IPA brewed with spelt, wheat, and oats, fermented cool with our favorite German ale yeast, and hopped intensely with hand selected Sultana, Strata, and Columbus Cryo. SKAFL blends overripe tropical fruit notes with the right amount of dankness.

Tmave Pivo – CZECH-STYLE DARK LAGERFair State makes lots of lagers, we put a fair number of them in cans, but we’ve somehow never married a dark lager and an aluminum tube before. Tmavé Pivo is the sort of beer brewers get excited about. An obscure lager style that kinda only gets made in one place? Sign us up! Tmavé Pivo, essentially “dark beer” in Czech, is the Bohemian cousin to German Schwarzbier. Malty, round, with some dark malt flavor but none of the acrid roast character one might find in a stout, Tmavé Pivo is everything we want dark lager to be.

SingleSpeed “Tip the Cow Day” is this Saturday (1/15), and here’s the lineup!

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Courtesy of SingleSpeed’s Facebook page, here’s what the brewery has in store for Saturday’s event!

•𝐒𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝 – Double Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Milk Stout (11.4% ABV).Twice the barrels, twice the fun. First, 12 months in Cedar Ridge Bourbon Barrels. Second, 3 months in Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Bourbon Barrels.
•𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐 – Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Milk Stout (10.9% ABV).Two cows walked into a barrel 12 months ago… and finally, they awakened.
•𝐓𝐢𝐩 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐰 ‘𝐕𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐧’ – Milk Stout (6.2% ABV).All of the cocoa and espresso goodness you’ve grown to love in Tip the Cow, with an extra layer of decadence
.•𝐓𝐢𝐩 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐟 – Session Milk Stout (4.5% ABV).2x GABF ‘Session Beer’ medalist… What more do you need to know?

Might want to get to Waterloo this weekend! Cheers!

Untitled Art, Mason Ale Works, Hoosier, Octopi, and MORE beers coming from Pequod!

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Chocolate Coconut Candy – 8% ABV
A Pastry Stout with Coconut and Chocolate 

Beer Zombie – Hawks Blood – Horus Collab – Triple IPAHawks Blood, DDH West Coast Triple IPA 11% (Collab Horus Aged Ales)
Collaboration with Horus Aged Ales (Oceanside, CA) Double Dry Hopped with Motueka, Citra, Nelson, & Hibiscus. BEER POURS A RED COLOR

Beer Zombie – Zombie Whip – 8-Bit Brewing Collab
Peaches & Cream, Heavily Fruited Sour Ale 8% (Collab with 8-Bit Brewing Company)
Heavily fruited with peaches, vanilla, and lactose. Collaboration with 8-Bit Brewing Company

Down with the Thiqqness – Pastry Stout 13% 
Pastry Stout with Graham Cracker, Vanilla, Marshmallow Fluff, Chocolate, & Coffee

Spin to win – Strawberry Banana Coconut v2: medium thickness pour
Round two of this beast is hitting the taps here at the Hoosier Brewing Co soon! The first round of this beauty holds a strong 4.20 on Untapped! There is a ton of strawberry and banana in this recipe and we finish it with a light touch of coconut making this one heavenly brew. 

Fruit Fusion: Limoncello Soft Serve: thin pour
Our next version of Fruit Fusion comes from a super popular drink combo but with a twist! We use loads of Limoncello softserve ice cream along with tons of real Lemon, and finish with a heavy dose of Limoncello smoothie mix! This one is super unique and will please the sour beer fans for sure.

PIE FACE: Blueberry Caramel Cheesecake: medium pour
Our Pie Face lineup is still our strongest brand and this new brew might hit the top of the charts! It is freak’n delicious. We paired fresh pureed blueberries with jug after jug of caramel topping and finished with our cheesecake crust treatment. 

NEW – Astronaut – Imperial Peanut Butter Porter

POG – passion fruit/ Orange/ Guava Sour – (7.2% ABV)
𝗣𝗢𝗚 is our brand new fruited sour making it’s way to the market! The name stems from the blend of Passionfruit, Orange, and Guava which give it’s delicious tangy flavor. Tropical oscillations converge with a sharp acidic kick for a blast of fruit-punch! After one sip, you’ll want to play for keeps. 

MORE to Life – Helles Lager – (4% ABV)
A fresh batch of 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 available now for all those looking for some crispness cheer(s)! This classically brewed American Lager is brewed with American malt, rice, and corn and is truly festive during any season. Lagered in our traditional horizontal tank, this certified crisper lends an intricate yet sessionable experience that will always keep you coming back for MORE….and cheers to the good life! 

Need Pizza and Pulpit Rock Brewing teaming up for a Beer Dinner on January 27th!

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Beers and menu still to be determined, but Need Pizza in Cedar Rapids will be a hosting a beer dinner with Pulpit Rock Brewing Company out of Decorah. The event is scheduled to take place on January 27th and tickets are going on sale this Friday, January 7th! Follow the link below to stay up to date via Facebook page on this event for beer and food details! Cheers!

https://www.facebook.com/events/414499143754519/?ref=newsfeed

Beer Baron’s Top 10 of 2021!

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Another year in the books, and like every year since I’ve been doing this blog and releasing my Top 10 I was once again blown away by the amazing beers that our Iowa brewers and their staff have made for us this year! Not only that, the resiliency shown by breweries/restaurants/bars during the past few years cannot be overlooked and huge thank you to all service industry workers! Cheers to you! Onto the TOP 10!
LIST CRITERIA
*Beer must have been brewed in Iowa
*Beer must have been released in 2021
*Annual releases not counted unless a new adjunct had been added to that particular beer

Like every list, I know opinions will differ and I’m looking forward to reading what your top 10 list was for this year! Once again, so many beers, so little time, and I know I wasn’t able to even scratch the surface as to the beers I wanted to try!

**Big Grove Richard the Whale Chocolate Coconut Cake– – this year’s “Golden Ticket” beer during the Richard the Whale release, and like every year, it does not disappoint. Chocolate and coconut shine as this is wonderfully balanced, great for any time of the day, another win for Big Grove with this beer!

**Lion Bridge Silvia – Farmhouse ales are a style that goes overlooked and thankfully is making their way back to some breweries, and Lion Bridge not only made a great one, but possibly my favorite beer of the year. It was a perfect accompaniment to the Thanksgiving dinner table..not just one bottle either…If you’re a saison/farmhouse ale fan this is one to definitely try!

**Pulpit Rock Island Life – first enjoyed on a guy’s trip to Decorah and was blown away by the wonderful tropical flavor this beer brought. Maybe the setting had a lot to do with it, but I’m pretty sure it’s just a great beer to drink!

**Gezellig Long Story Short – 4.9%– smoothie sours/seltzers were all the rage in the beer world this past year and Iowa breweries sure made a whole lot of good ones. One of my favorites comes from the lovely folks in Newton, Iowa at Gezellig. Strawberry starbursts and pomegranate helped make this a flavor packed brew!

**Lua Brewing Dawn – 13.5% – part of last year’s “Resolution” I set for myself was trying to make it to Central and Western Iowa more often to taste what the breweries are pushing out there, especially the ones that don’t get much distro to Eastern Iowa..I kind of failed in that endeavor, however, I did get to Des Moines a few times and was able to procure some Lua brews! One that really stood out was this imperial stout. Coffee and a hint of vanilla make this decadent brew stand out, and hides that ABV very well! Looking forward to more from Lua in 2022!

**Clock House Brewing Barrel Aged Peanut Panic Porter – 12% – the base beer was one of my favorites in 2020 and then adding it to barrels and resting it on peanuts, cocoa nibs, and vanilla really added more depth to an already wonderful beer. The misconception from some was that this was a peanut “butter” beer, not the case, straight up peanuts and the balance of the flavors comes through remarkably!

**Adventurous Easy Peel (triple dry hopped Mosaic)- 8.3% – the 2nd Easy Peel I’ve had this year and I think the Mosaic barely beats out the El Dorado for me. Both very good and the combo of the mosaic hops and cryo mosaic hops really stands out. Excellent beer, any of the Easy Peel beers from Adventurous would be a safe bet!

**Lion Bridge Percussive Maintenance Macaroon – 11% – Chocolate and coconut paired with a great barrel is hard to go wrong and Lion Bridge balances this beer perfectly. There are some beers that you’ll always remember opening and pouring and this is definitely one of those for me. One to sip on yourself or share with someone you care about….a moment making beer for sure! One of the best of the year!

**Lua Pushpop: Because My Heart is in Iowa – Lua Pushpops can be hard to come by if you live in Eastern Iowa, luckily they sometimes drop a few beers off at Tin Roost in North Liberty to get us a taste here in Eastern Iowa. Mango and cherry beer, super thick and delicious. Lua dominated the slushie/sour landscape in the beer world! A trip to Des Moines in needed soon!

**Dimensional You Down with OCP – 13.1% – Pastry stouts can be hit and miss with me. Many are too sweet for my liking, and the adjuncts are too dominate over the base beer, but not with this one…Dimensional added 100 lbs each of oatmeal cream pies, oatmeal cookies, and toasted coconut to this big beer and it worked wonderfully. Not too sweet at all, in fact, if the 13.1% wouldn’t drop me I could easily see myself sipping on glass #2 letting the beer warm me up in the Iowa winter!

“Keeping it Craft” season 2 ep 3 from Lion Bridge Brewery!

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Keeping it Craft hits the Czech Village and gets some insight on the upcoming “Barrel-Aged January” with Lion Bridge Brewery owner/brewer Quinton McClain!

What a show! A nearly hour long chat with Lion Bridge Brewing Company’s Head Brewer Quinton McClain. From turning a brutal month like January into a celebrated holiday with their Barrel Aged January, to the history behind Lion Bridge, and the intricacies behind the barrel aging process, we cover a lot of ground. Raise your favorite beverage and enjoy the ride!

Weldwerks, Wellbeing, and Southern Grist coming from Pequod!

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!Sponch! Cookie inspired Sour wheat ale Sour Wheat Ale Brewed with Strawberry Puree, Toasted Coconut, Marshmallow, Milk Sugar, and SPONCH Cookies

Cherry Cobbler Berliner Berlin-style sour ale brewed with Cherry Juice, graham cracker, cinnamon, vanilla, milk sugar, almond & with natural flavors added.

Passion Fruit Mango Cheesecake Berline Berlin-style sour ale brewed with Passion Fruit, Mango, cheesecake, milk sugar & graham cracker.

Coffee Coconut Stout – 8% abv Imperial Milk Stout Brewed with Toasted Coconut, Milk Sugar and Peruvian Coffee from Zoe’s Cafe. 

Bamm Bamm Rubble Rubble Sour wheat ale Sour Wheat Ale brewed with Fruity Pebbles Cereal, Strawberry, Milk Sugar, Vanilla + Marshmallow.

Weld Pilsner – Czech style pilsner Czech-style Pilsner. You know the drill, we’re sure: Czech Pilsner. Crisp. Refreshing. Crushable. The perfect lawn mower / breakfast / camping / fishing / post-run / BBQ / boat party / #sundayfunday beer. It’s good with everything and for every celebration or mundane day. Tuesday? YES! Wedding? YES! Chores? Double YES!! Whatever it is, this beer is the perfect way to indulge.

Juicy Bits Hazy IPA 
Our flagship IPA features a huge citrus and tropical fruit hop character from the Mosaic, Citra & El Dorado hops and softer, smoother mouthfeel from the adjusted water chemistry, higher protein malts, and lower attenuation. The end result is a beer reminiscent of citrus juice with extra pulp, thus the name Juicy Bits.

Intentional IPA delivers the distinctly and delightfully bitter characteristics of Mosaic and Citra hops, refreshingly punctuated with pineapple and peach notes. This sessionable IPA offers a full-flavored, alcohol-free experience for any intentional occasion. Intentionally brewed to savor the moment, acknowledge the things that bring us gratitude, and inspire kindness to #RaiseWellbeing.

Hellraiser Dark Amber is the beer to drink when you are out with your friends ready to have a great time. This hop-forward amber has the perfect balance of floral aroma and spicy hops to delight the palette of craft beer enthusiasts everywhere. 

Victory Citrus Wheat is the first non-alcoholic craft beer enriched with a full spectrum of all-natural electrolytes, vitamins, protein, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatories. Purpose-brewed with a hint of orange zest, this functional NA beer pairs well with anytime fitness activities and post-recovery workouts to replenish hydration and quench thirst. Our crisp citrus wheat NA beer is only 85 calories, offered in 16oz cans and brewed with a hint of orange zest. Upgraded with Buoy, a formula of electrolyte supplements developed to meet the hydration standards of the World Health Organization, WellBeing Victory Wheat is worthy of the title “World’s Healthiest Beer”!

Heavenly Body Golden Wheat is based on a Great American Beer Festival award-winning recipe. This American-style wheat has more flavor than its light lager cousins. We add a hint of cascade and German traditional hops for a slightly citrus character that balances the lighter malts. It’s dry, crisp, and smooth with a full-bodied mouthfeel. With only 68 calories, this is the perfect NA craft beer for after sports, yoga, marathon training, or anytime you are taking care to watch what’s going into your heavenly body.

Parallel – This Fruited Sour Ale is brewed with lactose, and massive amounts of passion fruit and raspberry purees! Just like our traditional fruited sour beers, Parallel is loaded with tons of real fruit, giving the beer a beautiful bright color and refreshing tropical, tart flavor.

Clock House releasing a Black IPA December 31st!

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🔥Join us this Friday, December 31st at noon as we release Clock House Black IPA🔥Comprised of carefully selected Black malts to achieve a deep, rich roasted dark malt flavor with hints of chocolate and rye. Bittered and dry-hopped with Centennial, Mosaic, and Amarillo hops that attribute to classic bitter pine notes. Available in 16oz 4-packs, growlers, and on draft.

Pequod releases this week featuring Untitled Art, Equilibrium, Modist, MORE, and Well Being!

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Astrophysics IPA
Our love of Space, Science, Photons, E=MC^2, General and Special Relativity, and Galaxy hops come together in Astrophysics. Astrophysics takes the laws of physics and applies it to astrological theories to answer the hows and whys of our planets, stars, and galaxies. We find staring at the night sky and asking ourselves our own hows and whys is more enjoyable with a nice crushable IPA featuring 100% our hand selected Galaxy hops.

Maple Blueberry Lemon Grunt Sour
Pastry sour ale with blueberry, lemon juice & other natural flavors. Grunts are biscuit or dumpling-topped stewed fruit desserts that are cooked on the stovetop in a covered Dutch oven or cast iron skillet. The dessert is native to New England. They are very close to cobblers in construction but the topping is steamed cooked on the stovetop rather than baked.

Mexican Style Chocolate Pot De Creme Stout
Imperial stout with macadamia nuts, cinnamon, vanilla, cocoa & chocolate. This dessert is typically very creamy and pack a serious dose of dark chocolate. Spiced with cinnamon and cayenne, they have a subtle, lingering heat.

Moonguts DDH DIPA
Double Dry Hopped New England Double IPA – New England double IPA w/ flaked wheat, malted oats, & barley hopped & double dry hopped w/ Citra, Nelson Sauvin, Cryo Sultana & Cryo El Dorado.

Oatrich Oatmeal Dbl Stout
Oatmeal Double Stout – Double Stout w/ flaked oats, malted oats, Golden Promise, caramel malt, roasted chocolate malts. Rich in flavor and texture thanks to an extended boil and 30% oats in the malt bill.

Monogatari Gose
𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗶 is a Gose with crushed Black Limes and Kabosu citrus and packs quite an elaborate palate. The black limes are dried out in the sun until they lose all water content, turning black and savory which imparts a wild citrus/smoke funk. The Kabosu carries some sharp zest character tempered with honey-like sweet undertones which all plays very nicely with the overall composition of the base sour. (6.5% ABV)

Blackberry Dbl Marbles Milkshake DIPA
We’re bringing back a popular winter-friendly Marbles for you to enjoy as the temperature continues to plummet. 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗗𝗼𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀 is a doubled version of our original Blackberry Marbles recipe but with double the hops, double the fruit, and double the FUN. This Milkshake DIPA is loaded with Blackberry, Vanilla, Milk Sugar, and hopped with hefty amount of Mosaic hops. An incredibly silky mouthfeel and a delightfully hoppy finish with nearly zero bitterness makes this Marbles a juicy drupelet of fruity flavor. (8% ABV)

Intentional IPA
Intentional IPA delivers the distinctly and delightfully bitter characteristics of Mosaic and Citra hops, refreshingly punctuated with pineapple and peach notes. This sessionable IPA offers a full-flavored, alcohol-free experience for any intentional occasion. Intentionally brewed to savor the moment, acknowledge the things that bring us gratitude, and inspire kindness to #RaiseWellbeing.

Hellraiser Dark Amber
Hellraiser Dark Amber is the beer to drink when you are out with your friends ready to have a great time. This hop-forward amber has the perfect balance of floral aroma and spicy hops to delight the palette of craft beer enthusiasts everywhere. 

Victory Wheat 
Victory Citrus Wheat is the first non-alcoholic craft beer enriched with a full spectrum of all-natural electrolytes, vitamins, protein, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatories. Purpose-brewed with a hint of orange zest, this functional NA beer pairs well with anytime fitness activities and post-recovery workouts to replenish hydration and quench thirst. Our crisp citrus wheat NA beer is only 85 calories, offered in 16oz cans and brewed with a hint of orange zest. Upgraded with Buoy, a formula of electrolyte supplements developed to meet the hydration standards of the World Health Organization, WellBeing Victory Wheat is worthy of the title “World’s Healthiest Beer”!

Heavenly Body Golden Wheat
Heavenly Body Golden Wheat is based on a Great American Beer Festival award-winning recipe. This American-style wheat has more flavor than its light lager cousins. We add a hint of cascade and German traditional hops for a slightly citrus character that balances the lighter malts. It’s dry, crisp, and smooth with a full-bodied mouthfeel. With only 68 calories, this is the perfect NA craft beer for after sports, yoga, marathon training, or anytime you are taking care to watch what’s going into your heavenly body.