Tag: Beer in Iowa

Lion Bridge “Barrel-Aged January” schedule released!

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There’s no better place to warm up during the month of January in Iowa than Lion Bridge Brewing in Cedar Rapids as they have announced their “Barrel-Aged January” schedule! Beer, food, and more beer throughout the month of January, check the schedule below courtesy of Lion Bridge’s Facebook page:

BARREL-AGED JANUARY 2023

Saturday 1/7 at 11am —- THREE BEER RELEASES

Home-Baked 2023 (Imperial Stout w/ Hazelnut, Cinnamon, Cacao, Love, 11%) – Dessert for your desert island. Fudge and saigon cinnamon meld with a little bit of hazelnut goodness and bourbon barrel to produce something we liken to a cookie in beer form.

Vanilla Home-Baked (Imperial Stout/ Hazelnut, Cinnamon, Cacao, Vanilla, 11%) – We took our dessert for a desert island and dosed it with huge amounts of whole bean Madagascar Vanilla. An even more decadent treat!

Power Crystal (Imperial Stout w/Maple Syrup, 12%) – REWORK DESCRIPTION…. You have the power in you… Manifest/// Mind, body, spirit…. Collaboration with Illuminations Center for Enlightment in NewBo

Complimentary Donut Wall (while supplied last)

Food Special! Poblano Short Ribs on Goat Cheese Polenta 

Illuminations Center for Enlightenment will be at our Taproom with a Crystal display for sale from 12-4 

WED 1/11– Home-Baked 2022 – (Imperial Stout/ Hazelnut, Cinnamon, Cacao, Vanilla, 11%) – Last year’s Vintage of Home-Baked.

WED 1/18 Royal Wee 2017 (Barrel-Aged Scotch Ale, 10.5%) – A Lion Bridge deep cut for our loyal followers. Come try a BAJ beer from 6 years ago! Last keg in existence!

Saturday 1/21 11am- FOUR BEERS RELEASES!!!

Dark Money (Barrel-Aged Imperial Milk Stout w/Amburana wood, 12%) – Amburana wood aging contributes flavors akin to gingerbread. A fascinating addition to an already beautiful beer.

Percussive Maintenance (Barrel-Aged Macaroon Stout, 12%) – Aged 14 months in Willet Barrels, then blended with a heavy dose of toasted and untoasted coconut as well as cacao nibs. A decadent treat for a time when we need to savor every sip.

Forgotten Time (Barrel-Aged Barley Wine, 12%) – The real deal Barley Wine. Brewed in collaboration with our friends at Clockhouse Brewing. Aged for 18 months in 10-year-old Templeton barrels. Sherry, chocolate, dark fruit for days.

Remembered Time 2022 (Barrel-Aged Strong Ale, 12%) – Our first Barrel-Aged January Collaboration ever! We worked with our friends at Clock House to brew a rich Barley Wine and then blended it with some strong stout from our cellar to make something entirely new and amazing.

Brunch & Music !!

Food Special- Brunch Boards for sharing (4 or 2 people)

6-9pm Blake Shaw & Nolan Schroeder LIVE MUSIC 

ALL MONTH FOOD SPECIAL!

Maple Bacon Burger

Beef burger topped with house-made maple coffee jam, bacon, caramelized onions, lettuce and garlic aioli all on a pretzel bun and served with kettle chips or your choice of upgraded side. (Add a sunny side up egg and/or cheese!)

Suggested pairing Home-Baked 2023

Drink These! Dimensional/Marto 300 Series!

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I haven’t done a Drink This! write up in a while and after finishing off the 2nd beer of the collab between Marto Brewing and Dimensional Brewing I thought it would be the perfect time to talk about these 2 outstanding beers.

First off, I need to thank Zach Crawford for getting me a bottle of each of these brews. There’s always that beer guy in the back of my head telling me to cellar for a while and then kick them out randomly but I don’t have the will to do so…

Here’s the release info on these two collab beers courtesy of Marto’s Facebook page:

Two beers brewed by two breweries using the same ingredients and methods, designed to be mixed together.

Ok, yes, designed to be mixed together, only I didn’t, and I loved them both. So, after I give you my break down of each beer, if did blend the two I would love to hear your thoughts. Marto 300 West first!

300 West (Marto) – this beer comes in at 12.8% aged in Rabbit Hole bourbon barrels with maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla beans. Sometimes with cinnamon added to beers I can be a bit apprehensive as it can be an overwhelming adjunct, but not with this beer. The balance was spot on and maple and barrels are a match made in heaven. Add that cinnamon spice at the end and you really have a delicious, decadent beer, perfect for this time of year!

300 East (Dimensional) – this beer comes in at 12.8% aged in Blaum Brothers bourbon barrels with peanuts, peanut butter malted milk balls, marshmallow, and vanilla. Had this post Thanksgiving meal and it was the perfect dessert! I got a bit of the peanuts/peanut butter malted milk but the star of the show in this beer was the marshmallow! Once again, the balance of the beer was wonderful. Not one dominant flavor but a sample of each adjunct hitting you at different times. Damn tasty!

Overall: I love when Iowa breweries do collabs together, and when they go big like Dimensional and Marto did here the results can be amazing like they were with this series of beers! Definitely beers you can cellar, but definitely beers that you can drink right now, wish I had a few more! Turn the house lights off, light up the Christmas trees, fireplace going, soft music in the background and Drink These beers! Cheers!

Drink This! Marto Brewing Coco Mo

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marto

I was pretty stoked to see Marto Brewing crowlers make their way from Sioux City over to Eastern Iowa. I’ve been wanting to try these guys for a long time and hopefully within the next few weeks I’ll get to visit the brewery itself.

This beer is reminiscent of SingleSpeed’s Coconut Migration so just like with that one, you have to be a Pina Colada or pineapple/coconut combo fan to dig on this. On the flip side, this is could be a gateway beer for those Pina Colada lovers out there as well. Seeing this in Cedar Rapids goes to show the lengths these Iowa breweries will go and the time/travel/and hard work that they put in to get their beers into our hands.

POUR

Orange/yellow pour. Huge white head that dissipates quickly. Aroma of the tropics: coconut/pineapple sweetness. Almost a creamy mouthfeel to this beer. Very enjoyable on this hot and humid early Iowa Summer day!

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TASTE

I pretty much covered this already. It’s a pina colada lovers dream in beer form really. This is your perfect poolside companion except in crowler form!

OVERALL

There’s a time and place for every beer and the time and place for this one is right now. The heat is rolling in, the humidity is making your shirt cling to your sweaty back, it’s time for you to finish mowing your lawn, pulling your weeds, playing whiffle ball with your kids, and grab a chair, plop your sweaty ass down and crack one of these in your driveway and soak the day in! The perfect time to Drink This!