Friday night, December 3rd, sitting on a high raise table overlooking some of the best chefs in the state, maybe even the country, put on an absolute clinic on cooking, plating, and presenting some of the most wonderful food I’ve ever had put in front of me, all the while sipping on the yet to be released Richard the Whale Well Baked and Shadeshine IPA….I thought to myself…all food/beer lovers need to experience this one day and how lucky I was at that moment to get to take part in it. Big Grove has been the upper echelon on their releases, especially the Richard the Whale release, and every year they make it even more enjoyable with their food and beer offerings, but the one thing that shines even more than those things is just how amazing their staff is. Friendly, helpful, and just overall looking like they are happy to be there. This setup was a spectacle, setup like an Iron Chef type feel, video displayed on TVs showing the chefs plating, the amount of work and thought put into everything was evident. I won’t be breaking down every dish, I’ll trickle some pictures here and there, take a look and let your mouth water.
Watching the chefs put their talents on display for a 15 course dinner of foods that elegant was the ultimate treat. The care about what they serve, the interaction with the diners, and pure joy and smiles they had throughout the night was reflected in every dish. I do want to implore you, that if the chance to go to a Big Grove beer dinner is ever on the table for you, no matter what..do it…it’s worth it..it will be completely worth it….do not hesitate…this group of people simply do it the best!
Thank you Janelle for having me, thanks to all the chefs especially Ben, Sean, and T.J., thanks do Doug and Matt, thanks to Andy for sampling out some of their amazing beers…now it’s time to make your mouth water with some pictures! Cheers and thank you BG!
21 Beers of Bad Luck DIPA – Beer Zombies Collab We got together with the friends in the band Bayside to brew up a collaboration to celebrate the end of their tour ” 21 Years Of Really Bad Luck” a massive DDH Hazy DIPA with Citra, Mouteka & Galaxy. Get ready for a big blast of fresh citrus, over ripe guava, a whispering og stone fruit and a back end of bright grapefruit.
Cash Imperial Coffee Stout Imperial Coffee Stout Collaboration with Mostra Coffee. Notes of Dark Chocolate, Espresso and Rich Malt
Juice Wolf TIPA – Ferrous Falcon An unfiltered Triple IPA with a crazy grain bill highlighted by Golden Promise and Chit malt. This is dry hopped three different times with Cashmere, Citra, Galaxy, and Nectaron. Collaboration with Electric Brewing
Mosaic Revengeance DIPA – Beer Zombies Collab 100% Mosaic hopped version of Mason’s Revengeance. Collaboration with Beer Zombies Brewing!
Nice Spruce NEIPA An Unfiltered IPA with a resinous punch and a touch of fresh Spruce tips on the finish, it’s the season.
U Too Can Tropical Sour Between broken fingers, spilt coffee, snapped pencils, negative Tinder matches, and Tiger King season 2, we’ve all been through some shit, but if Toucan can make it through, U Too Can. Introducing U Too Can, our Tropical Sour brewed with wheat, barley and oat malt. Then conditioned on a blend of passion fruit, strawberry, banana and pink guava! Don’t stress, with 6.4% ABV you’ll be nice and relaxed.
Liquid Strata Crystals NEIPA Ever been shot into the Strata(sphere) so quickly that your crystals turned into liquids? Introducing Liquid Strata Crystals, our continued exploration into “What do hops taste like?” This Double Dry Hopped Strata New England IPA hopped & double dry hopped w/ Strata.
Blueberry Double Marbles Milkshake IPA Feeling BLUE? Well then we have the perfect marbles for YOU. Blueberry Marbles is back, and this time as a flavorsome double version! This milkshake DIPA is laden with a plentiful harvest of fresh blueberries, sweet vanilla, creamy milk sugar, and hopped with Mosaic to really compliment the sweet berry profile. Roll into the brisk weather and lose your marbles over a succulent blueberry juice bomb today! (8% ABV)
Away from the Norm Amber Making its way to you today is 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝗺 which is now available in cans for the very first time! This award-winning American Amber Ale recipe has dark shades of natural gold on full display. Moderately sweet maltiness is balanced with a steady hop profile for a smooth yet complex flavor. Meanwhile, subtle notes of dark molasses and caramel hover right under the palate and really boost the overall composition. (6% ABV)
Swerski Dunkel 𝗦𝗪𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗞𝗜 is a traditional German-style Dunkelweizen specially crafted for when da good guys storm the field in search for gridiron glory. A smooth dark wheat profile provides a rush of banana, chocolate, and sweet fresh bread flavor that’s sure to make da almighty Ditka proud (pictured last). (5% ABV)
DDH Double Space Boots DIPA This Double Dry-Hopped DIPA delivers a hefty cargo of Citra and Galaxy to create an atmospheric symphony of mango, pineapple, and bright citrus. Not to mention the metagalactic notes of fresh peach and melon that’s carried on the back of an extraterrestrial haze. Each 16oz can also features a temperature-sensitive ink on the “More” logo so you can finally enjoy your beer in the 4th-dimension. (8% ABV)
Morever DDH IPA We went on a quest of developing an IPA that one would want to drink again, and again, forever and forever. 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 is a beer with mid-level ABV, which utilizes Citra, Motueka, and Simcoe hops, for neverending flavors of pineapple, grapefruit, & tangerine, followed by slight bitterness and a smooth, refreshing finish.
Non-alcoholic Variety Packs Your favorite N/A beers now in a variety pack! West Coast IPA, Juicy IPA, Italian Pils & Floridaweisse all included in this 12pk! These are going to be a huge hit. See below for pricing & case quantity discounts.
Fishing With Horus Imperial Stout A 13% ABV imperial coffee stout w/ coconut, hazelnuts, coffee and maple syrup. This is our collaboration with our great pal Kyle From Horus Aged Ales out of Oceanside California.
Chubby Bunny: Hot Mango Loads of mango puree have been smothered with a touch of chocolate, and finished with habanero peppers and marshmallows. This combo is out of this world and will strike the curiosity of most beer drinkers.
Pie Face: Banofee Pie Louisiana celebrates their pie cravings with this well known southern pie “BANOFEE”… It features a heap of banana puree, is paired with a mountain of rich caramel sauce, and finished with a medley of cream to give it a rich, caramely gooy’ness that you will never forget. Spin to Win: Pitt Boss: Blueberry, Pomegranate, Black Currant: Three fruits perfectly matched by cupid himself. This brew features ungodly amounts of pure fruit. It is tart, rich, and features a wonderful mouthfeel.
Fruit Fusion: Apple Crisp Alamode This one will surely hit the top of our Untapp’d list as our last apple pie brew grew quickly as a local favorite. We have upped the ante with this medley by pairing apple puree with caramel, cinnamon, graham cracker, and a sea of soft serve ice cream! The soft serve turns our sour brews into a rich creamy (frothy) beer that makes it tough putting down the glass. Once you take a sip, you will want another… or ten 🙂
SPIN TO WIN: CROSSFIRE Next up in our popular Spin to Win series is CROSSFIRE! This series features fruit… lots of it… and ONLY FRUIT! This combo is super crazy with Watermelon, Cucumber, and Lime! It is light, refreshing, and a change of pace from the thicc boys! Don’t be confused.. we brought in pallet loads of fruit for this brew! It is tart, flavorful, and memorable!
ROLL THE FRUIT: MANDARIN COOKIES Our Roll the Fruit series features brews that are inspired by cannabis strains. Mandarin cookies is a popular strain that has hints of citrus and vanilla cookies… SO WE loaded this bad boy up with tons of Mandarin orange puree, kiwi, sweet orange, and a sugar cookie treatment! This one is solid… and super unique!
FRUIT FUSION: GARRETT’S JAM When a customer asks for a new brew… we deliver! This one is named after the patron who inspired the recipe. It features tons of banana, coconut, and topped with rich caramel and soft serve ice cream! What’s there not to love!?! This brew delivers.
Spin to Win: Guacamole There will never be a better beer for TACO TUESDAY!!!! This brew is totally off-center and features a well known fruit-AVOCADO! We bought a truckload of crushed avocados and added it to our sour base. We added a touch of lime, and a touch of cilantro and BAM! WE GOT GUAC! Time to get yours before this awesome brew is gone.
Some beer news out of Dubuque, as Dimensional is getting ready to release two new beers to us in the coming weeks! Here’s what’s on the horizon courtesy of Dimensional’s Facebook page:
We are jolly to say we have TWO barrel aged beers that are ready to come out of their long slumber in barrels. We will be doing this release the similar to way we did Anny/Lampy Rub release. Please read the following details carefully. *Hank(2021) is a 13.5% imperial stout aged for 14 months in Blaum Brothers Bourbon Barrels and then rested on peanuts, marshmallows and Cacao! Hank is a beautifully blended, rich stout that perfectly balances the adjuncts with the bourbon notes from the barrel. – Tickets for Hank will be sold online via Etix at 7pm on Sunday, December 12th at this link: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/6555720/ – Hank will be sold in 2, 500ml bottle packages.- The limit is one set per order. – If you score a ticket for Hank, bottle pick up will begin on December 18th at 11am at the taproom. – Proxies are allowed for pick up. They must have a screen shot or printed copy of the buyers ID and Etix ticket to be scanned upon pick up. *Flabongo: Blend One is a 6.9% kettle sour that was aged in a Blaum Brothers Gin barrel and then infused with pineapple, pink guava and orange puree. This tropical cocktail inspired liquid will definitely take you a warm place! – This gin barrel aged smoothie sour will be available in 750ml bottles. – Due to the low bottle count, we will be releasing this beer first come, first served at 11am on December 18th at our taproom. – Limits will be determined upon turnout and final bottle count. – For those of you lining up, we will open the garage up around 9am to keep ya’ll from getting frost bitten. Facebook event page will be up soon.
Lion Bridge Brewery once again is coming to save the usual bleak month of January by gracing us with some wonderful tasting beers all through the month as “Barrel-Aged January” is back!!!
The party before the party! Backpocket Brewing in Coralville will be hosting a pre-party before the big Brfr Fest event on Saturday, January 29th! Some amazing beers and tasty food plus much more, check it out:
Did you get your BrrrFest tickets? Join us at Backpocket for a BrrrFest Pre Party! We will be releasing our 2022 BrrrFest: Dark Day German Chocolate Cake Barrel Aged Imperial Chocolate Stout , and Maple Syrup BA Waffle Stout. We will be serving up ALL YOU CAN EAT breakfast from 9-11AM, and releasing a pin variant at 10 AM.
Tickets are $30 and include…(1) Ticket for all you can eat breakfast. (Breakfast will be served from 9 am to 11 am.)(1) 4.5 oz. pour of 2022 BrrrFest: Dark Day:German Chocolate Cake(1) 4.5 oz. pour of Maple Syrup BA Waffle Stout and early access to purchase (4)12oz bottles of BrrrFest Dark Day: German Chocolate Cake and (4) 12oz bottles of Maple Syrup BA Waffle Stout. ALL TICKETS MUST BE REDEEMED BEFORE 11 AM TO GUARANTEE AVAILABILITY!- FAQ-1. What are we having for breakfast? Breakfast will be Ham, Egg Bake, French Toast, Smoked Cheesy Hashbrowns, Yogurt Parfait Bar, Orange Juice and Coffee. 2. How many bottles can I purchase?Limit (4) BrrrFest Dark Day: German Chocolate Cake bottles per person. Limit (4) Imperial Waffle Stout per person. ABOUT THE BEER.BrrrFest Dark Day: German Chocolate CakeBrrrFest: Dark Day BA Imperial Chocolate Stout was Boiled for twenty four hours, this chocolate stout is the longest boil we have ever done. This imperial stout aged for 12 months has layers of different chocolate and caramel malts. With toasted coconut, roasted pecans, and a hint of cherry puree. Believe us when we say this dessert stout is not like the others. Imperial Waffle StoutImperial Stout barrel aged in maple syrup barrels for 12+ months infused with 150lbs of waffles, with maple syrup, and vanilla. TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE! https://www.eventbrite.com/…/brrrfest-pre-party-2022…Tickets are now on sale for our BrrrFest Pre Party!
Barrel Aged French Toast Stout A 13.5% imperial stout with maple syrup, cinnamon, cocoa nibs, vanilla beans and milk sugar. All the french toast flavors truly come out in this beer and who doesn’t love some homemade french toast for breakfast?
Viewers Like You Sour – PBS MN Collaboration Inspired by the Shrubs that farmers would drink during harvest time to replenish during long, hot days & steamy apple pies cooling on a window sill. We took a preposterous amount of Honeycrisp, Sweet Tango & Haralson Apple Cider & blended it with our Mixed Culture, Oak Fermented Berliner Base & a dash of Apple Cider Vinegar before conditioning on Cinnamon & Baking Spices.
Disintegration QIPA You won’t need much help smearing your lipstick after this one. We decided to make a tribute to one of the greatest break up albums of all time. Our Hand-Selected Strata surrounded by a supportive group of our selected Citra Cryo, Sabro Cryo, Mosaic Cryo, Amarillo Cryo, Azacca Cryo, Cashmere Cryo, Idaho 7 Cryo & Ekuanot Cryo. Boys may not cry, but they certainly do Cryo… Get lost in this one
Amarillo By Morning IPA We got together with our favorite Austin Oil Acolytes, Pinthouse Pizza, to give a little love to the king. An extremely tasty lot of Pinthouse’s selected Amarillo from Oregon and our selected Amarillo from Washington. Amarillo By Morning, Amarillos On My Mind.
Mobius Porter We’ve gone through great lengths to refine the process to yield a Rich and Creamy Flavor and mouth feel to showcase the decadent flavors yet leave the harsh taste that dark grains can often leave behind. Incredible mouthfeel yet not cloyingly sweet to aid in its drinkability.
Alleyway Brew IPA Alleyway Brew has healthy dose of white wheat, flaked oats with a large dry hop of Nelson from Hop Revolution and Citra. Alleyway Brew pours an extremely vibrant opaque yellow with potent flavors of tangerine, passionfruit, mango, and Riesling grape with lighter notes of berry, and New Zealand earth. Alleyway Brew has a creamy mouthfeel and our signature #EQjuice finish that will have you windmilling in the pit at your next NYHC show.
Double Fractal Gosper Island DIPA Our Double Fractal Series brings you all the goodness of our Fractal and Super Fractal series but in DIPA format. Named after the famous Gosper Island Fractal Set pictured on the label, Double Fractal Gosper Island combines our fractal fermentation, simple 2-row base malt bill, and the brand new HBC 586 hop. If you’re unfamiliar with the still unnamed HBC 586 Hop, read MANGO MANGO MANGO! Pouring a vivid yellow, a dominant ripe tropical mango profile leads into supporting notes of guava, lychee and assorted creamy citrus creamsicles making this a liquid tropical fruit medley. With a luscious body and our escalating #EQjuice profile, Double Fractal Gosper Island will have you seeing fractals and spirals after a few juicy sips.
Fractal HBC 586/Citra IPA Fractal HBC 586/Citra pours a vibrant yellow releasing complex aromas and flavors of mango, green grapes, dank grass, passionfruit, and earth. The taste follows the aroma with a resinous creamy mouthfeel and a firm but rounded bitterness.
Island Crush Sour Our newest Sour IPA uses crushed white grapes, passion fruit, pink guava, and pineapple to bring you beach vibes year around. Island Crush pours a tropical yellow sunrise releasing waves of thirst-quenching flavors of tropical paradise in drink form. This tropical fruit bowl medley is fruity, vibrant and is buoyed by a luscious and creamy finish with a #BalancedAcidity that’ll make you feel like you’re chilling on the beach.
Y’all Really Need Science DDH DIPA- Cerebral Collab Y’all Really Need Science uses a big base of oats & wheat and adds a hop bill of Citra, Nelson, and Strata, before a healthy double dry hop. Y’all Really Need Science pours bright yellow with an aroma of assorted citrus and dank grass. The flavor profile is loaded with citrus, peach fruit cup in syrup, ripe mango slices, lime gummies, and weed in a crazy drinkable dank finish loaded with #EQjuice.
Astro Fluff IPA Astro Fluff takes one of our latest tropical fruit forward IPA’s and adds astronomical addition of Marshmallow. Pouring like a glass of hoppy haze milk custard, you’ll instantly get pleasant whiffs of tropical fruit salad topped with marshmallow fluff and Grandma’s peaches and cream. Big flavors of passionfruit, fresh squeezed OJ, mango sorbet, and melted orange vanilla creamsicles transform into a luscious mouthfeel leading into a Big Bang of rainbow melon and our #EQjuice finish.
Lion Bridge Brewing is giving all of us an early holiday gift as they prepare to release 3 new beers this week! Here’s what’s coming down the line and all available for pre-order as well:
**Raspberry Cheeseshake (Fruited Sour, 5.5%) – A kettle-soured golden ale with copious amounts of Raspberry, a healthy dose of cheesecakey goodness, and a graham cracker finish. Hope you saved room!
**Blueberry Cheeseshake (Fruited Sour, 5.5%) – A kettle-soured golden ale with copious amounts of Blueberry, a healthy dose of cheesecakey goodness, and a graham cracker finish. Hope you saved room!
**Oakonut Delight (Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout with Coconut and Caramel added, 9.5%) – Coconut and chocolate and caramel blend with a carefully selected blend of barrel aged beers from our cellar to produce this liquid treat.
Volcano Sauce Sour The tectonic plates have shifted, letting forth an eruption of gushing blackberries and blueberries. Each burst filled with milk sugar & vanilla for creamsicle smoothness. A freshly canned sour ale with explosively delicious flavor.
Cherry Lime Freeze Sour Sour Ale brewed with cherry, lime and vanilla frozen yogurt.
Velocirabbit IPA Using the same amounts of Mosaic, Simcoe and Chinook as Laser Raptors, this beer has a powerful berry aroma and nice pine note. The oats and wheat maintain the creamy mouthfeel that Laser Raptors is known for, lending the lower ABV the ability to make a crispy break just as the hops surprise your palate.
How Now Brown Cow PB/Chocolate/Coffee Milk Stout The weathers getting colder. How Now Brown Cow will warm you right up. Drinkable peanut butter cup meets coffee all wrapped up in a Milk Stout. Get ready for rich aromas of peanut butter, light roasted coffee, and a smooth chocolatey finish.
Species x Hyperthermic DIPA Certain yeast strains of Norwegian origin, known as “kveik”, can ferment at extremely high temperatures with little to no off-flavors. Popular with craft brewers for good reason, we naturally decided to put a lot of these strains in the same beer. On top of this, we scrounged around for some additional strains and species of yeast that also perform well at kveik-like temperatures. The result is a big-bodied juice chimera for the ages.
Drippin’ on the Cheap DIPA Drippin’ On The Cheap DIPA drinks like absolute silk!! Smooth, Mosaic’s berries & dankness stealing the show upfront, with Citra’s stone fruit and candied clementine to balance it all out.
TDH Sponge Bath DIPA Our constant pursuit of pillowy hop perfection leads us down many paths, but some combinations lather better than others. Triple helpings of our hand selected Citra Cryo, Mosaic, Cashmere Cryo & Strata. Soothing and refreshing, just like a sponge bath at Burning Man. Relax, Rinse & Repeat.
Pyramid Scheme TIPA Our hand selected strata and simcoe with some preposterously stinky new zealand motueka & nelson sauvin on a spelt heavy base. Believe us, you’re gonna want to get in on the ground floor of this one.
Local 755 IPA Our Foggy Favorite. Azacca, Amarillo & a Gwop of Citra. Soft, Juicy & Hazy like 70’s Home Movies.
Fugazi Italian Style Pils Italian-Style Pils dry-hopped adoringly with Czech Kazbek. It’s the Real Deal.
Hex Code Quantum Mirror x REM5 VR Lab x Modist Lager brewed with Premium Pilsner malt, milk sugar, marshmallows, pineapple, toasted coconut and Madagascar vanilla beans
Knees in the Breeze There’s not much better than the open road, driving up the west coast, Knees in the Breeze and not a care in the world. Now imagine, after a long day of cruising, cracking open a balanced West Coast IPA. Introducing Knees in the Breeze, our West Coast IPA w/ pale ale malts, wheat malt, hopped & dry hopped w/ Simcoe, Citra & Cryo El Dorado.
Cinnamon Roll – Gold Stout Bakery in a glass! This gold stout is a liquid cinnamon roll in a glass. Perfectly balancing the Cinnamon which can be overdone, and landing in at only 8% ABV. I mean, who doesn’t like cinnamon rolls?! **Lactose Free**
Non-alcoholic Smores Dark Brew Think of the regular Untitled Art S’mores stout, but now in a non-alcoholic form! This beer will have you warmed up and feeling like you’re sitting by the fire roasting marshmallows. If you’re looking for a N/A option for Thanksgiving, the Smores Dark Brew is the way to go!
Huntley Helles The perfect lounging lager is back and crisper than ever! Whether it’s to beat the end of Summer heat, or embrace the coming of the Fall season, 𝗛𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘀 has you covered and coming back for more. (4.5% ABV)
Arga Strawberry/Kiwi Seltzer MADE WITH REAL FRUIT. AGRA Strawberry Kiwi is a delicious blend of ripe juicy strawberry and fresh kiwi nectar.
Amplify The Absurdity Sour This smoothie style sour ale with raspberry, banana, vanilla and marshmallow comes together for a decadent treat in liquor form! We took our base sour ale recipe and amplified it with some of the most delicious flavor combos we could think of along with a healthy dose of milk sugar.
Add November 20th to your beer calendars and plan a trip to West Des Moines to get in line for the release of Barn Town’s BA Cicada Killer! Here’s more from Barn Town on this sought after release:
Mark those calendars! Saturday, November 20th, BARREL AGED CICADA KILLER is back in two new versions! We are super stoked about these two and look forward to you getting your hands on them! First, COCONUT FUDGE! Thicc and brewed with a ton of toasted coconut and cacao nibs aged for over a year. Second is CINNAMON, COCONUT, CARAMEL, & CHOCOLATE, also aged for over a year. Both will be in new formats of 500 ml bottles. Stay tuned for allotment and price info.
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Facebook event page will be up soon.
