Abu Nawas Rolling out some new Beers this Tuesday!

November 16, 2018November 16, 2018Leave a comment

Abu Nawas distribution will be supplying our shelves with some terrific sounding beers just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. This coming Tuesday you should be seeing the following beers hitting distro in the CR/IC area:

*Evil Twin
image_thumb[3].jpg Evil **F is for Fruit Salad 16oz Can – Gose:

Let’s face it – we all like to put labels on things. It just makes us feel more comfortable. What assumptions have people made about you based on your race, religion, gender, the way you dress, or even the beer you drink? We did in fact label this year for your convenience. It has a fresh tartness, a twist of salt and a balanced fruitiness – apparently a complete reflection of your personality. We hope you like what this label says about you?

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*Evil Twin It’s Soul Good, Man 16oz Can. – IPAFor the Breaking Bad Fans among you! Better Call Saul!

If you’re committed enough, you can make any story work

*Evil Twin Tart Cherry Soup Superior 16oz Can – lactose IPA brewed with tart cherries.

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Evil Twin Pineapple Flava Influencer 16oz Can:

This is The Flava Influencer IPA and it is an IPA brewed with oat, lactose, vanilla, pineapple and gooseberry. The beer will hit 7.8%-AbV and it will be packaged in 16oz cans at Dorchester Brewing in Boston, MA

Stillwater
*Stillwater Extra Extra 16oz Can – Double brut india pale ale

Stillwater Dank Dank 16oz Can – dank double IPA

Omnipollo
*Omnipollo Maz 16oz –

Maz, formerly known as Mazarin, is my take on a “thinker’s beer”. Rather than being big and undecipherably complex I wanted to create something that would calm a hop yearning nerve without fuddling the brain too much. In other words, a lavishly hopped ale of judicious ABV — an Extra Special Pale Ale if you will.

In fact, so extra special that it snatched a gold medal at the Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival in 2013.

Iowa Celebrating a Jolly Pumpkin Wedding!

November 9, 2018November 9, 2018Leave a comment

jolly

Our favorite sour-only brewery has sent Abu Nawas a few things that are only going to be sent to a very limited set of non-Michigan places, including a special beer Ron Jeffries brewed in honor of his son Daemon’s wedding next weekend in Hawaii. The wedding beer is Keiki No More (Children no more…) It’s brewed with raspberry, lime and lime peel, and then aged in wood 5 months and given another dose of raspberries. We are encouraging everyone to raise their glass to the happy couple when they have the beer and tag Jolly Pumpkin with the below hashtags: #JollyWedding #FromIowaWithLove

Here’s more on Keiki No More:

Keiki No More is a saison base that was then refermented with raspberry, lime, and lime peel. This is a very special beer, brewed in celebration of the marriage of Ron and Laurie’s son Daemon and his bride Ashley. The addition of raspberry has given this beer a brilliant pink grapefruit hue. Eruptions of sweet raspberry jam and our house funk fill the nose. While the tastes of raspberry cobbler, ripe raspberry funk, subtle hints of key lime pie, and light acidity, will have you falling head over heels in love.

This beer will be on draft in Iowa at Marquee Pizza, El Bait Shop, and Cheese Bar. Along with that big and super limited release Abu Nawas will also be bringing limited supplies of the below Jolly Pumpkin beers as well. If you can get to Marquee, Cheese Shop, or El Bait Shop, order Keiki No More, raise your glass and toast the newlyweds but also toast Jolly Pumpkin and their staff and be grateful that our state gets their wonderful beers!

Prairie Double Dunk and Xmas Bomb 2018 Coming Soon!

November 1, 2018November 2, 2018Leave a comment

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Two big releases from Prairie should be gracing our shelves very soon in Eastern Iowa, hopefully within the next few weeks, as Double Dunk and Xmas Bomb 2018 should be hitting distro very soon in our fine state. Stay tuned for the exact release date for these two brews!

Double Dunk is their imperial stout that is brewed with oreo cookies and will clock in at 13% ABV. It’s going to be a heavy hitter so watch out!

Xmas Bomb! 2018 is an imperial stout and will also check in at 13%.

Eden Speciality Ciders Hitting Iowa Shelves Next Week via Abu Nawas Distro!

November 1, 2018November 1, 2018Leave a comment

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If you’re a fan of ciders you can start rejoicing as Abu Nawas has announced that they will be getting Eden Speciality Ciders and the distro for those will be starting next week. Here’s more from Abu Nawas:

We’ve been working for years to bring you the incredible cider from way, way northern Vermont. We are honoured to bring you Eden Ciders of Newport, Vermont

Eden produces a wide range of unique Ciders with the jewel of crown being their Ice Ciders–their versions are the most sought after and highly prized examples of this unique form of cider made in North America. It takes over 8 lbs. of apples to make one 375ml bottle of ice cider! We have all their offerings in limited stock! All are 375ml Skinny Tall Bottles. Heirloom Blend, Honey Crisp and Barrel Aged Northern Spy.

Another product from Eden that we are extremely excited about is the Orleans Aperitif Ciders. A Farm to Bar alternative to the more industrial European Aperitif Wines commonly used in cocktails. We will sell these as a mixed case of 2 bottles each of Herbal, Bitter and Wood. All are 750ml.

In October of last year, the United States Association of Cider Makers released a set of style guidelines for cider. The purpose was to start providing some broad standards to a category that is nearly as diverse as wine and beer. The intention ultimately is to give cider drinkers a better chance of choosing a bottle off the retail shelf or the restaurant menu that they might actually enjoy drinking. One key distinction in the guidelines is between ‘Modern’ cider and ‘Heritage’ cider. Heritage ciders are made exclusively from apples – without other fruits, spices or non-apple flavourings. Modern ciders are made from dessert variety apples, whereas Heritage ciders are made with heirloom and cider variety apples and are likely made with more traditional wine-making approaches. Because of the very limited supply, we are doing a mixed case of each of the Heritage Ciders as well as one bottle each of Eden’s flagship ciders: Dry Sparkling and Imperial Rose.

And Lastly, we have the latest addition which is Eden Authentic Heritage Cider in a Can. Hailed by the New York Times as “the best canned cider I have ever had.” Their words not ours, but we wholeheartedly agree. Made from 100% New England Apples, this off-dry cider is packed with flavor without the cloying sweetness of a lot of commercial ciders. Refreshing, immensely drinkable, this cider will see you through your entire meal.

Jester King SPON series coming to Schera’s in Elkader June 23rd!

June 2, 2018June 2, 2018Leave a comment

jester king.png Huge news out of Elkader yesterday as Schera’s restaurant announced a Jester King beer tasting event on June 23rd. Here are the deets:

We are really excited to bring a stellar lineup of Jester King beers to Iowa for the first annual SPON Day on June 23, 2018 at Schera’s in Elkader. Jester King’s SPON series are their 100% spontaneously fermented beers inspired by authentic Belgian Lambic. They are incredibly delicious and wickedly impossible to find outside of Jester King’s tasting room and select beer festivals. We are also really excited to announce that we’ll be joined by Jester King co-founder Jeffrey Stuffings for the event!

Here is the list of SPONs that will be at this event:

2017 SPON Three Year Blend (Blend 5) (Included with ticket)
2017 SPON Blueberry & Pitaya
2017 SPON Peach & Apricot (Included with ticket)
2017 SPON Syrah & Sangiovese
2016 SPON Albariño & Blanc du Bois (Limited Samples)
The ticket pack includes:

Nine 3.5oz. Jester King Pours: 2017 SPON Three Year Blend (Blend 5), 2017 SPON Peach & Apricot, Bier de Lenoir, Grim Harvest, Song of Binding, Part & Parcel, Figlet, Vague Recollection 2017, Saison Americaine
SPON Day Glass
SPON Day T-Shirt
750ml Bottle of Jester King Le Petite Prince
Food During the Event (Cajun Shrimp, Red Beans & Rice, Vegetable Gumbo, Beignets)
Additional Jester King beers (including more SPONs) will be on tap that day on a cash basis.
The event will take place at Schera’s Restaurant in Elkader from Noon to 5pm. We will be selling tickets online at midwestalehouse.com starting this Saturday, June 2 at 9am. Tickets will be at the door on the day of the event. Proper ID will be required for all ticket holders.

Ticket packs are $97.50 plus $2.50 processing fee. Ticket price includes 7% sales tax. Please note–you will need the names and t-shirt sizes of everyone you are purchasing tickets for. Designated Driver tickets will be available as well.

We area also selling Jester King bottles at midwestalehouse.com. We have almost 30 beers on offer, including rare bottles that seldom, if ever, leave Jester King in Texas. These bottles will be ready for pickup on the day of the event or at Schera’s after the event. So you will be able to purchase bottle even if you are unable to attend. PICKUP ONLY–NO SHIPPING IS AVAILABLE! There may be some odds and ends available for sale on the day of the event, but if so, will be extremely limited.

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Abu Nawas Bringing Tre Fontane to Iowa!

April 6, 2018April 6, 2018Leave a comment

Tre Fontane.jpg Big news coming again from Abu Nawas as they continue to supply our state with wonderful beers and they do it again! Tre Fontane, the 11th Trappist beer in the world from the only Trappist Brewery in Rome, will be gracing our shelves starting next week! Cheers to Frederique and Abu Nawas! Here’s the release on this awesome news!

We are we are humbled, honored and grateful to have been chosen to bring Iowa the latest Addition to the Authentic Trappist Beer Family. Tre Fontane Tripel The Abbey of the Tre Fontane is located in Rome in the sacred place where the martyrdom of St. Paul occurred in 67 AD.

The Abbey takes its name from the three fountains which miraculously appeared where the head of the apostle hit the ground in three locations after he was beheaded. Hence the name, Tre Fontane (Three Fountains). Today the Abbey is surrounded by beautiful eucalyptus trees which were planted by Monks starting in 1870. These trees were planted with the belief that eucalyptus had healing qualities that could prevent malaria. In actuality, eucalyptus does not prevent malaria. However, the trees do require a tremendous amount of water, therefore draining the surrounding swampy terrain. As a result the mosquitos, which later were determined to be the actual cause of malaria, disappeared as the swamps dried up. In 1873 with in-depth knowledge of the trees, the Trappist community began production of Eucalyptus oils and extracts.

These products have strong balsamic and antiseptic properties with intense, aromatic scent. They are also a pleasant digestive. In early 2000, thanks to the discovery of an ancient beer recipe, the monks began brewing Tre Fontane using the surrounding eucalyptus as a spice. Several years of intense work have now improved the quality, and finally, in May of 2015, Tre Fontane Tripel was awarded the ATP brand (Authentic Trappist Product). Tre Fontane is the 11th Trappist Beer in the world and the only Trappist Brewery from the ancient holy city of Rome.

Une Annee Beers Hitting Iowa Shelves with Abu Nawas?

February 15, 2018February 15, 2018Leave a comment

une annee.png A little rumor making its way around has Illinois based brewery Une Annee is coming to Iowa through Abu Nawas and it sounds like it’s going to happen sooner than later. If you don’t know much about Une Annee they are Belgian inspired brewery with Belgian inspired beers located in Niles, IL. Expect sours, wild ales, lambics, stouts, and much more from these guys! Hopefully more information will trickle in, but this is an exciting brewery to hit our shelves if/when it happens. Stay tuned for more, in the meantime, check out their website to learn more about their brews: uneannee.com

Lambic and Gueuze Fans Rejoice! Abu Nawas Bringing Brouwerij Boon to Iowa!

August 3, 2017August 3, 2017Leave a comment

More great brews being brought in by Abu Nawas! The following information is courtesy of Abu Nawas Distribution:

We are excited to announce our new partnership with the award winning Brewery Boon. From the traditional Oude Gueuze Lambic to Limited Editions to Fruit Lambics Boon is the gold standard. Boon brands are perennial award winners. It is an honor and privilege to bring the Boon tradition and spectacular brands to Iowa.

Team Abu Nawas Beverage

A little Boon History:

Since 1975, Boon Brewery has been owned and run by Frank Boon, one of the pioneers of the authentic lambic and gueuze revival. But the first signs of the brewery date back to 1680, as a farm-brewery and distillery in the village of Lembeek. In 1860 Louis Paul bought the brewery to brew only lambic and faro. From 1875, he began bottling gueuze lambic. In 1898, Pierre Troch bought the brewery. But after the economic crisis of 1927, it came into the hands of Joseph De Vits. His son, Rene, is renowned for the production of soft and fine gueuze lambic. As Rene De Vits had no children, he sold the brewery to Frank Boon.

Say “Lembeek” in English and you hear “Lambic”. Lembeek was traditionally a “stokershol”, a distiller’s hideaway. During the many wars of the 12th century Lembeek was a free city: you could brew beer and distill gin without paying taxes. Dozens of distilleries (43 in all) and brewers set up. The French occupying forces in 1794 scrapped the tax-free status. To avoid this a public servant was on occasion bribed to notify false declaration by the brewer on the kind of brew he had brewed. But because of the number of brewers and distillers, the French called Lembeek “Le Village d’alambique (the village of stills). Gradually, the “biere di Lembecq” became “Biere d’Alambique”, the first references to lambic!

Abu Nawas Beverage Bringing Mikkeller San Diego to Iowa Market starting April 19th!

April 13, 2017Leave a comment

An excellent piece of news to start the holiday weekend as Abu Nawas Beverage has announced that they will be distributing Mikkeller San Diego to the Iowa Market. The news comes from Abu Nawas’ own Frederique Boudouani:

A new brand deeply rooted in the friendship of two world-renowned breweries–Mikkeller and AleSmith Brewing Company–this project seeks to merge the best craft beer traditions of Europe and Southern California while exploring the boundaries of modern beer brewing. Expect super fresh, hoppy beers as well as classic European styles. Available at your favorite retailers and imbibing establishments starting April 19, 2017

Beer Review #123: Blackberry Farm Classic Saison

October 13, 2015October 13, 2015Leave a comment

Not as mainstream sexy as barrel-aged anything, sours, or double IPAs, but I sure do love a great Saison. With Lion Bridge having had 2 excellent saison releases and Big Grove releasing their own Saison, I’ve been spoiled recently and I know found a bottle to join my Tank 7 and Saison-Brett fix.

Knowing I was going to have a group of friends visiting this past weeekend I knew a beer tasting would be inevitable. I really wanted to find something that they would all enjoy and I know we’ve all loved tasting different Saisons in the past. So, with that thought, I headed over to Benz Beverage Depot asked the staff what they recommend and Blackberry Farm was the winner. I recently only heard of Blackberry Farm from some Twitter posts and was liking what I was reading but I didn’t know that they were distributed to Iowa, so it was definitely a pleasant surprise to see them offered at Benz as I haven’t seem them at the Hy-Vees I visit. Another fantastic offering brought to us from the folks at Abu Nawas distributing!

Ok, the tasting was terrific and this beer shined. Citrus on the nose, with earthy hop aroma. Hazy golden pour with a nice thick white head. Lemon zest and apricots dominate the flavor profile with some wheat and earthiness on the finish. With a relatively mild Iowa fall day, this beer really hit the spot and I wish I would have made some shrimp to seafood to pair with it. More on this beer from the brewery:

Saison “Classic Saison” This is a Belgian-style farmhouse ale. The aroma is dominated by fruity esters reminiscent of citrus fruits along with a moderate earthy and floral hop aroma from the use of Noble-type hops in the brewing process. Has a deep gold, hue that is often hazy, and a voluminous head on pouring as a result of the bottle-conditioning and high natural carbonation. The beer is medium-bodied and has a very refreshing effervescence which, along with a fairly low alcohol content of 6% by volume, makes this a beer to be enjoyed on a warm day by itself or with a wide range of foods, whether casual or fine dining. Complex flavors and aromas in this beer are a result of the special yeast used in fermentation combined with the additional complexity added by bottle-conditioning in large bottles for at least six weeks before being released.

I was very impressed with this beer. If you enjoy Tank 7, enjoy Lion Bridge’s Cucumber Saison or their new Sorachi Liberace Saison, Hennepin, and other offerings we can get here than this is a beer for you to try. $14.99 price tag for a 750 corked and caged bottle was well worth and a beer I will definitely revisit. Researching Blackberry Farm has given me a reason to possibly take a visit to Tennessee as they do many special releases as well. Check them out folks, keep their beers coming!

STYLE: Saison

ABV: 6%

PURCHASED AT: Benz beverage depot

POUR: straw gold with a massive head

AROMA: lemon zest, citrus, wheat

TASTE: lots of lemon zest, apricots, wheat/earthiness

RATEBEER.COM RATING: 95/100

BEERADVOCATE RATING: 89/100

OVERALL: A-

My recommendation: If you’re not a Saison fan, you probably don’t want to drop $15 on a 750 ml of this. However, if you dig saisons the $15 is well-worth the price in my opinion. Every trip I make to Benz will consist of a purchase of some Blackberry Farm beer from now on.