Tag: Backpocket Brewing

February is “Stout” month! What stout are you drinking?

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Ever since 1993, February as been designated “Stout” month. What better way to celebrate the end of January than by cracking a bottle/can of your favorite roasty stout? There are so many great stouts to choose from in our great state, but here’s what I’ll be sipping on this month…plus any others I may cross paths with!

**Lion Bridge Percussive Maintenance** – the perfect beer to pop open during February. I was lucky enough to procure a few bottles and also has this decadent baby on tap. One of the best beers in the state in my opinion. 12% can be scary, but it’s extremely well hidden. Sip on this one and relish it, maybe share it, but make sure you are sharing with someone worthy of this brew.

**Singlespeed Tip the Cow** – sometimes we take for granted those things that are readily available to us. Tip the Cow happens to be one of those beers, You can find it in almost any grocery store in the area and also happens to be a fantastic stout. Coffee and chocolate and I think I’ll have at least two of these!

**Big Grove Richard the Whale** – another harder to get beer that you can’t just pick up at your local grocery store…BUT…this baby is currently on tap at my local watering hole, Chameleon’s Pub and Grub in Mount Vernon, and once I drink that dry I still have a few bottles stashed in the cellar. If you were lucky enough to attend Richard Day, you probably have some variants to drink as well….LUCKY!

**Backpocket Cookie Junkie** – when I first saw this can I thought for sure this beer would be too sweet, but the balance of the peanut butter and the 175 pounds of sandwich cookies was perfect at not cloying at all. After a big winter feast, this is going to be my dessert!

**Clock House Pet Elephant** – the new kid to the party. Just released last weekend. This is an end of nighter, nightcap, grand finale beer. 14% is frightening, and when you finish that last sip it may seem at the moment you could handle another….hold tight….save that next bottle for another evening…get the fireplace going, turn on some Lord Huron lightly in the background, and savor every last drop of this nutter butter filled brew.

There they are! Those 5 for sure and hopefully some more stouts I run into along the way. What stout are you drinking this month and what else do I need to try? Cheers to Stout Month!

Backpocket, Trees Forever, and FNF restaurant group team up for “Recovery Red IPA”!

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Backpocket Brewing Company has partnered up with Trees Forever and the ReLeaf project for Cedar Rapids to help with planting trees in the community along with making a beer to help raise money for the project.  They have also collaborated with Cedar Rapids based FNF Restaurant group as they will have the beer on draft at their locations (LP Street Food, Cliff’s Dive Bar, The hip-stir, Bricks Bar and Grill, MOCO) to support the cause.  All of the grain and hops were donated by Backpocket suppliers and it will be a limited release in the Cedar Rapids metro. 

“Recovery Red” checks in at 6.5%.

September releases coming from Backpocket!

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Pretzel Stout – Chocolate stout that was infused with pretzels with a splash of peanut butter.

Oatmeal Stout – Experimental oatmeal stout that has a touch of vanilla (draft only/taproom release)

Cereal Killer – Hazy IPA with loaded with lactose, marshmallow and mosaic, azacca and equinox hops then infused with hundreds of pounds of fruity cereal.

Saturday Morning Raspberry/Feijoa – One of our favorites in the Saturday Morning smoothie sour series with the return of Raspberry and Feijoa which is a mix of strawberry, guava and pineapple fruit flavors. 

Backpocket 2nd Annual “Smoked Meat and Beer Pairing” set for August 12th!

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The first time when so well they’re going to do it again! Backpocket Brewery will be hosting their 2nd annual “Smoked Meat and Beer Pairing” on August 12th starting at 7 p.m. The menu is listed below as well as a link to get your tickets! Here’s more from Backpocket!

Tickets for our 2nd Smoked Meat and Beer Pairing are LIVE!! These sold out quickly last time!

Register on Eventbrite

Course 1: Texas Twinkies – Two large jalapenos filled with cream cheese, slow smoked brisket and shredded cheddar cheese while wrapped in bacon and slow smoked at 225 degrees for two and a half hours. The bite from the jalapeno is cooled by the cheese while the crispy bacon blanket is the perfect partner to the soft creamy filling. Served with 12oz. Bubba IPA.

Course 2: Beef Short Rib Tacos – Two handmade from scratch, flour tortillas filled with slow smoked beef short ribs, smoked yellow onions and pepper jack cheese grilled to melt the cheese slightly. We also took roasted corn and combined it with cotija cheese, lime and mayo with a little bit of tajin for a twist on the classic street corn. Served with 16oz. Tipsy in Tijuana.

Course 3: Homemade Banana Pudding – A classic bbq dessert option, we combine whipped cream with vanilla pudding layered on a bed of vanilla wafers and fresh cut bananas and topped with made from scratch whipped cream. Served with a 16oz. Hawktoberfest.

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.

Backpocket set to release “Wake the F Up” Barrel-aged Coffee Imperial Stout on 12/4!

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Stout weather is upon us and stout releases are on the horizon! Backpocket is releasing their popular “Wake the F Up!” barrel-aged coffee imperial stout on December 4th! Here’s more from Backpocket on this release:

𝚂𝙰𝚅𝙴 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙳𝙰𝚃𝙴‼️
Wake The F Up Iowa 2021: Barrel Aged Imperial Coffee Stout release party will be December 4th. This BA Stout was aged in Mississippi River Distilling Barrels for boozy flavors that blend perfectly with the locally roasted coffee from Wake Up Iowa. If you love coffee and barrel aged beers, you gotta get some of this!
Stay tuned for more details on the release party!

Backpocket releasing “That’s Tight! Vol. 5” this Friday (9/17)!

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Backpocket keeps their “That’s Tight” hazy IPA lineup going with the release of Volume #5 this Friday! This version will be double dry hopped with Loral and Zappa hops! It will be ready for you on draft and in 16 oz packs Friday! Here’s more from Backpocket on this brew:

We used our same hazy malt base from our other That’s Tight Series but we’ve changed  up the hops! Vol. 5 has been double dry hopped with Loral & Zappa hops for a nice balance of fruity and floral notes.

Available on draft and in 16oz/4pks Friday, September 17th!

Backpocket announces 9th Anniversary party for June 26th!

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Backpocket will be celebrating their 9th anniversary this June! Stay tuned for more details on this event that is going to take place on the 26th! Variants to be released along with their popular Anniversary stout and allotments will be posted and updated up until the day of the party so keep following Backpocket on social media! Cheers!

Backpocket releasing BA Wake the F Up Iowa Coffee Stout on 11/20!

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Cooler days are ahead and that means stout weather is upon on us! Backpocket will get the ball rolling with their release of Wake the F Up Iowa barrel aged coffee stout coming at us on November 20th!

2020 Wake The F Up Iowa: BA Imperial Coffee Stout returns Friday, November 20th!!
Wake The F Up Iowa will be available on draft and in 12oz bottles. 12 oz bottles will be $10 per bottle and will only be available in the Coralville Taproom. Bottles will be first come, first serve and will go on sale at 12pm on Friday. Limit 4 per person.Wake The F UP Iowa Pin Variant: Gingerbread
Made with WTFUI base with additional coffee, ginger snaps, maple syrup, vanilla, and ginger spice. This will be sold as 16oz crowlers for $13. Limit 1 per person.
We will also be serving up a YIPES variant. Yipes is our smoothie sour pin series. This pin starts off with TIKI SOUR BASE with strawberries, peach, coconut and spices. Yipes will be served as 16oz crowlers $9. Limit 1 per person.