Tag: Craft Beer

Pumpkin Time!

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pumpkinIt’s still August and it’s hotter than hell, but we are surrounded by pumpkin beers on our shelves. The question is, which one do we choose. I just received an email from Hy-Vee outlining the many pumpkin beers they are carrying. I didn’t see O’Fallon on their yet, hopefully we get that one in the next few months. So, which is your go to? (I liked Schlafly and Sam Adams, didn’t care for New Belgiums at all).

Ace Pumpkin Cider

9.99 per 6 pack

Commercial description

We first made this cider three years ago in 2010. It has become extremely popular since then. We add cinnamon, cloves and allspice to fermented apple juice to produce a 5 per cent cider which tastes like pumpkin pie. It is orange in color with a full rich taste that makes you want more….we carbonate the cider, cold- filter it four times before we bottle and keg it. This cider is released after Labor Day and is ideal for Halloween through Thanksgiving; although some customers think we should make it year round. It is the first Pumpkin cider to be made out West. One word for ACE PUMPKIN, delicious!

Schlafly Pumpkin Ale

9.99 per 6 pack

Rate Beer 96

Commercial description

A full-bodied, deep reddish amber beer made with pumpkin and butternut squash and spiced with nutmeg, clove and cinnamon. Celebrate the bounty of harvest with this rich, malty ale and invoke the season of plenty.

Jolly Pumpkin La Parcela 750 ml

12.99 per bottle

Rate Beer 97

Commercial description

Ok, so the joke was that Jolly Pumpkin doesn’t brew a pumpkin beer. Well, now we do. Just this one. Packed with real pumpkins, hints of spice, and a gentle kiss of cocoa to liven the soul. An everyday easy way to fill your squashy quotient. Guess now folks will have to find something else to joke about…

New Belgium Pumpkick

7.99 per 6 pack

Commercial description

What’s that bite of tartness doing in a pumpkin beer? Adding the unexpected kick of cranberry juice to brighten this traditionally spiced seasonal ale. PUMPKICK is brewed with plenty of pumpkin juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, but it’s the cranberries and touch of lemongrass that send your tastebuds sailing.

 

Rogue Pumpkin Patch 750 ml

10.99 per bottle

Rate Beer 91

Commercial description

The newest addition to the Chatoe Rogue series is Pumpkin Patch Ale, a beer made using fresh pumpkins grown in a patch that borders Rogue’s 42 acre hop yard. The pumpkins are picked, loaded into Rogue’s farm truck, driven immediately 77 miles to our brewery in Newport, quickly roasted, and pitched into the brew kettle to create a batch of Pumpkin Patch Ale.

Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin 22 oz

8.99 per bottle

Rate Beer 89

Commercial description

Smashed Pumpkin is a big-bodied beer with a light coppery orange color and pleasing aroma of pumpkin and nutmeg. The OG and final Alc./Vol. provide the structure and body. Pale Ale, Wheat and Light Munich Malts combine with the natural tannin in pumpkin and the delicate spiciness of Willamette and Hallertau Hops to balance the sweetness of the fruit. To fully enjoy all the flavors, this ale is best drunk at 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Smashed Pumpkin pairs well with sharp cheeses, nuts, lamb, hearty stews and desserts like flan or pumpkin pie. Chefs find this an excellent beer to cook with in dishes such as braised short ribs.

 

Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale

9.99 per 6 pack

Commercial description

Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale is a crisp and refreshing wheat ale with delightful aromatics and subtle spiced flavor

 

Point Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale

8.99 per 4 pack

Rate Beer 89

Commercial description

Ale brewed with pumpkin and spices. Handcrafed using real pumpkin and savory pumpkin pie spices and hints of all natural cinnamon and nutmeg. Perle hops balance with rich Munich, Roasted, and Caramel malts for the full-bodied taste and exceptional flavor.

Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin

7.99 per 6 pack

Commercial description

A perennial favorite at our Brewery Halloween party, this reddish amber ale is perfect for fall. Real pumpkin adds a full body and sweetness, while deep roasted malts lend a toasty finish to this subtly spiced brew.

Lakefront Pumpkin Lager

8.99 per 6 pack

Commercial description

Pumpkin Lager is brewed with pumpkins in the mash, spices added during the boil, and lightly hopped. The rich specialty grains and lager fermentation combine to produce the taste and the texture of pumpkin pie.

Kansas City Beer Festival Announcement

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kcJust got this info to pass along any readers that might be in the Kansas City area:

I wanted to send information about a big event happening in the region that might be of interest to your readers for a weekend getaway. The Fifth Annual Kansas City Beer Festival in Kansas City, Mo., is taking place Saturday, Sept. 28 at KC Live! in the Power & Lights District located in Downtown Kansas City.

Featuring more than 60 craft beers from local, regional and other breweries around the world, the KC Beer Fest will be worth the drive and a great excuse for a weekend trip for your readers. Additionally, a portion of funds will benefit two charitable organizations, Kansas City Care Clinic and AIDS Service Foundation of Greater Kansas City.

Tickets went on sale this week, and I wanted to share the official news release for more information in case you’d like to include on upcoming regional events calendars or include a blurb in your publication.

You can view the news release athttp://powerandlightdistrict.com/index.cfm?page=news, which includes all details, but please let me know if you have questions.

Thank you for your consideration,

Kenneth Martin

Shipyard Brewing Mint Chocolate Stout hitting shelves

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mintShipyard Brewing will be releasing a new brew to their Signature Series line starting in November. A mint chocolate stout should be available in 22 oz bottles soon. I’ve seen Shipyard products sporadically on Eastern Iowa shelves so I’m not exactly sure who is going to be carrying it. I know they are distributed by Dimitri Wine and Spirits out of Davenport. Let me know if you see this brew on your shelves. More from beerpulse.com:

Portland, ME) – Shipyard Brewing Company is adding a new beer to Pugsley’s Signature Series: Shipyard Mint Chocolate Stout. More on this imperial stout below…

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ABV: 9%

Description: Mint Chocolate Stout is a dark, silky beer with aromas of chocolate and licorice. Smooth chocolate and coffee flavors upfront lead to a subtle spearmint finish. To fully enjoy all the flavors of this ale it is best drunk at 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

Malt: Pale, Flaked Barley, Chocolate, Roasted Barley, Rolled Oats, Whole Wheat, Black, Caramunich II

Hops: WGV (Whitbread Golding Variety), Perle

Yeast: Top-fermenting English

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Look for it in 22 oz. gold foil-topped bottles and draft from November through February.

New to Shelves: Boulevard Pop-Up Session IPA

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boulevardAnother sessionable IPA is/will be hitting shelves in Eastern Iowa very soon, in fact it might already be there. Boulevard’s Pop-Up Session IPA is their newest year-round offering. Here’s the breakdown of the beer:

Style: IPA
ABV: 4.2%

More info courtesy of Boulevard’s webpage:

Boulevard Pop-Up Session I.P.A. joins its big brothers Single-Wide and Double-Wide in our trailer park of hop-centric beers. This “session” model is built for frequent excursions, with a very drinkable character and relatively low bitterness tucked behind a big, fruity hop aroma.

Madhouse Brewing Belgian Golden Ale releases next week!

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madhouseThe next part of the successful Madhouse Brewing (www.madhousebeer.com) Venture Series is due to hit Eastern Iowa shelves next week. Their summer seasonal Belgian Golden Ale will be making its way to Eastern Iowa. From the Madhouse Brewing Facebook page:

This Belgian Golden Ale features the Nelson Sauvin hop from New Zealand. This hop variety is named for its aromatic similarity to Sauvignon Blanc wines. This creates a complex aroma which mixes the spice and clove from the Belgian yeast with tropical fruit and citrus from the hops. This beer finishes clean and crisp to make it the perfect summer release. 

I’m really excited for this release as I’ve been exploring more Belgian style brews lately. Also, if you haven’t had their Maple nut-brown, I’ve seen some bombers still on the shelves. I really enjoyed that beer, give it a shot! Support Iowa craft beer!

Newest Beer Label Approvals from Beerpulse

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bullyI love Beerpulse (www.beerpulse.com). Not only do they have constant news from the beer world but one of my favorite things is when they show the newest label approvals for beers yet to be released. It gives us a great opportunity to take a look and plan out what is ahead. Now, not all of these beers will be available in Iowa, in fact, we might not see any of them. But I know there are readers that come to this blog that will travel to different states to get their hands on beers that we can’t get in Iowa. Below is a list of the newest label approvals, a brief description, and their link to beerpulse.com. Are any of these beers worthy of a drive to Chicago? Madison? Minny? Are any of these beers, whose brewer’s beers are usually on our shelves, absolutely a must to get into Iowa? I would love your thoughts! Here is a sampling:

Pipeworks Brewing Company  (http://www.pipeworksbrewing.net/)

*Raspberry Truffle Abduction Imperial Stout – http://beerpulse.com/beer/pipeworks-raspberry-truffle-abduction-imperial-stout-2/
*Chipotle Smoked Porter – http://beerpulse.com/beer/pipeworks-chipotle-smoked-porter/

Bear Republic Brewing Company – http://bearrepublic.com/

*Cafe Racer 15 Imperial IPA –http://beerpulse.com/beer/bear-republic-cafe-racer-15-double-ipa-2/

Summit Brewing Company – http://www.summitbrewing.com/

*Another IPA – http://beerpulse.com/beer/summit-another-ipa-2/

Boulevard Brewing Company – http://www.boulevard.com/

*Mid Coast IPA – http://beerpulse.com/beer/boulevard-mid-coast-ipa/

*Westside Rye Ale – http://beerpulse.com/beer/boulevard-westside-rye-ale/

Magic Hat Brewing Company – http://www.magichat.net/

*DeVEILed Amber Ale – http://beerpulse.com/beer/magic-hat-deveiled-amber-ale/

*Seance Saison – http://beerpulse.com/beer/magic-hat-seance-saison/

Dogfish Head Brewing Company – www.dogfish.com

*Northfield Mount Hermon Ale – http://beerpulse.com/beer/dogfish-head-northfield-mount-hermon-ale/

Really excited for the Boulevard series they are coming out with. Also, I think I would head to Madison to get my hands on the Cafe Racer 15 from Bear Republic. To check out all the recent label approvals head over to http://beerpulse.com/beers/ with more from Lakefront, Alaskan, Anchor, Slyfox, Bells, Shipyard, and more!

 

Founders Devil Dancer Has Arrived!

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foundersNew to Eastern Iowa shelves is Founders Devil Dancer. Just the lastest great beer from Founders (www.foundersbrewing.com) to hit our shelves. Grab a 4 pack and enjoy! Here’s more about the beer:

Ratebeer: 99/100

Beeradvocate: 89/100

From the brewery: Founders most complex, most innovative, most feared and yet most revered ale produced. Massive in complexity the huge malt character balances the insane amount of alpha’s used to create this monster. More IBU’s than any brewery has documented, more than you would believe and dry-hopped for twenty-six days straight with a combination of 10 hop varieties. Dangerously drinkable and deliciously evil. We dare you to dance with the Devil. 112 IBUs

Surly Brewing to Iowa Update

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surlySome possible evidence that Surly Brewing could land in Iowa from http://www.beerpulse.com as the brewery has signed with Johnson Brothers Distributing. Everything said in this article is a definite positive in terms of getting this wonderfully breweries beers on our Eastern Iowa shelves.

Brooklyn Center-based brewery chooses St. Paul-based distributor to help expand Surly’s future footprint in Minnesota

(Brooklyn Center, MN) – Surly Brewing Company today announced Johnson Brothers as its newest Minnesota beer distributor.

Surly Brewing has been distributing its own beer since its inception in January 2006. It now supplies beer to more than 500 bars, restaurants and liquor stores throughout the Twin Cities and at various locations across the state.

As consumer demand continues to grow, Surly will work with Johnson Brothers to expand its network of on and off-premise accounts, enhance its brand reach, and find a more efficient way to distribute its beer. Surly Brewing will maintain its relationships with beer distributors in the northwest Twin Cities suburbs, Duluth and Rochester.

Omar Ansari, Founder and President of Surly Brewing said: “We wanted to partner with someone who understood our company. Johnson Brothers was the ideal partner. We’re both growing, family-owned Minnesota companies and it was clear that they understood the Surly Way. Surly couldn’t take its next steps without a partnership like this.”

By late 2014, Surly Brewing will be significantly increasing annual beer production when it moves into its new destination brewery. Once the brewery is fully operational, Johnson Brothers, through its Artisan Beer Company, will help Surly distribute significantly more beer to bars, restaurants, and liquor stores across Minnesota and eventually to customers in other states. [BeerPulse note: Johnson Brothers has a presence in 16 states including all states adjacent to Minnesota.]

“We are extremely proud and excited to be partnering with Surly, one of this region’s truly great craft breweries,” said Todd Johnson, Chief Operating Officer of Johnson Brothers. “We look forward to working closely with Surly and helping make these fantastic beers available to even more beer lovers throughout Minnesota. They can’t build that new brewery soon enough.”

New Craft Beer Magazine for IPAD Review

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craftA new craft beer magazine, appropriately titled Craft Beer Magazine, has been launched as an app for IPAD users! It is completely free to download and anyone who downloads it will be a one month free subscription. I was able to get a first hand look of the new magazine and I was pretty impressed with the content.

The magazine’s opening pages give you a brief tutorial on how to navigate through using your IPAD. It then delves into a brief history of craft beer in America which gave some great insight on how and when the craft beer boom started. I really enjoyed the visuals involved after reading through the article and thought it was perfect way to wrap up a great piece of writing. 

Articles varied throughout, picking up stories from other countries, recipes, new innovations in craft beer (peel top cans from Madtree Brewing), and beer reviews. (A nice write-up on Rhizing Bines). 

What also makes this a great and unique app is the interaction you can have with video, polls, and links throughout the magazine, making it perfect for the tech savvy craft beer lover. So if you are interested in some craft beer related readings check out Craft Beer Magazine on iTunes here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/craft-beer-magazine/id643848007

 

Beer Review #103: Founders Breakfast Stout

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breakfastThere might not be a more proper beer for breakfast than Founders Breakfast Stout. I know that it is the time of year when people stop thinking about stouts and start heading into the lighter, more refreshing realm of the craft beer world. STOP! Don’t put away the stouts yet! This style of beer still holds a place among beers to drink during the spring and summer months.

I also realize that Breakfast Stout from Founders (www.foundersbrewing.com) shelf time has come and gone, and is now being replaced by All Day IPA (a great beer!) but I’ve been able to find a few four packs left and in my opinion this beer is tasting as good if not better than when it was initially released this year.

The first thing that grabs your attention with this brew is the fantastic artwork on the bottle label. A baby eating oatmeal for breakfast…easily one of the best labels and one of the reasons I first tried this beer years ago. The 2nd thing is the obviously the smell and taste. The aroma of coffee, chocolate, and roasted malt justify you cracking one of these bad boys open on Saturday morning and sit back and read your morning paper. The flavor is the same; the coffee and chocolate star but do not overpower with wonderful stout. Here’s more from the brewery:

You’ve got to love coffee to truly appreciate this phenomenal brew. Brewed with an abundance of flaked oats, bitter and sweetened imported chocolates, Sumatra and Kona coffee. We’re actually not sure if this is some type of coffee cake or a beer. Either way you can drink this ale with a fork. Breakfast Stout has an intense fresh roasted coffee nose toped with a cinnamon colored frothy head that seems to never fade and makes you wish breakfast could last forever.

I still believe you can find some four packs on shelves. This is an instance of beer where shelf life can help bring out the flavor; don’t shy away from buying it! Grab a few 4 packs and enjoy this terrific brew. Opening one these on a starry summer evening is the perfect ending to a summer night!

REVIEW

Style: Imperial Stout

ABV: 8.3%

Purchased at: Brother’s Market; Lisbon, IA

Pour: Thick brown/black pour with a brown head.

Aroma: Wonderful aroma of rich coffee and chocolate with roasted malts.

Flavor: Definitely a full-bodied stout. A ton of coffee and chocolate flavor with the roasted malt rounding it out nicely.

Ratebeer.com rating: 100/100

Beeradvocate.com rating: 100/100

Overall: A+

My recommendation: A go to seasonal for sure. Like I said above, you still could possibly find some on the shelves and it’s the perfect time to stock on a few four packs. A must try brew.