HUGE Crooked Stave drop coming from Abu Nawas!

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Tons of great Crooked Stave beers will be making their way to our shelves here in Iowa in the next week! Huge list so make sure to read through carefully!

CANS

  • Von Pilsner 12oz CAN – Unfiltered Keller Pilsner
  • CO WildSage 12oz CAN – Brett saison brewed with lemongrass and sage
  • St. Bretta 12oz CAN –  Brettanomyces citrus saison
  • Coffee Baltic Porter 12oz CAN – Baltic porter featuring rotating coffee roasters
  • Crooked Stave IPA  12oz CAN –  American style IPA
  • Do You Even Zest?! DIPA 12oz CAN – Citrus Double IPA ***NEW CAN*** Elevated from our experimental hazy IPA series, Do You Even Zest?! is a limited release loaded with an immense amount of hops and freshly zested citrus. This Citrus Double IPA was born out of our playful nature as brewers looking to challenge the status quo. Our team meticulously zests fresh citrus for each and every batch, which begs the question, do you even zest?
  • Sour Rosé 12oz CAN – Wild ale aged in oak barrels with raspberries and blueberries

750’s LIMITED

  • Framboise 2018  – Golden sour ale aged in oak barrels with Washington raspberries and vanilla beans.
  • Origins Vintage
  • Silly Cybies  – Belgian style dark ale aged in oak barrels with Washington raspberries
  • Mama Bears Sour Cherry Pie 2017  – Burgundy sour ale aged in oak barrels with Colorado Montmorency cherries
  • L’Brett d’Apricot 2017  – Golden sour ale aged in oak barrels with Colorado apricots
  • L’Brett d’Or  – Surreal golden sour ale aged in oak barrels
  • Surette Reserva Palisade Peach 2017 – Reserva saison aged in oak barrels with Palisade peaches
  • Nightmare on Brett Vintage – Dark sour ale aged in Leopold Bros whiskey barrels
  • Nightmare on Brett Sour Cherry 2017 l – Dark sour ale aged in Leopold Bros whiskey barrels with Colorado Montmorency sour cherries

375s

  • Sunnyside of Bruxelles  – Sunnyside Sour Red/Brown Ale brewed in collaboration with Yvan De Baets from Brasserie de la Senne.
  • Raspberry Origins
  • Blueberry Origins
  • Petite Sour Tart Cherry
  • Petite Sour Blueberry 2016 Vintage  – Mixed fermentation ale aged in oak with Washington blueberries
  • Petite Sour Raspberry 2016 Vintage  – Mixed fermentation ale aged in oak with Washington raspberries
  • Petite Sour Rosé  – 2016 Vintage  – Wild ale aged in oak barrels on fruit skins
  • Petite Sour Peach  – Mixed fermentation ale aged in oak with Colorado Palisade peaches
  • St. Bretta  – Brettanomyces citrus saison
  • Vieille  – Artisanal barrel-aged saison lightly dry hopped
  • CO Wild Sage  – Brett saison brewed with lemongrass and sage
  • L’Brett d’Or Vintage  – Surreal Golden Sour Ale Aged in Oak Barrels
  • L’Brett d’Apricot  – Golden sour ale aged in oak barrels with Colorado apricots
  • Raspberry Bianca WWB  – A new school gose brewed with lactose and added raspberries, brewed in collaboration with Omnipollo 
  • Key Lime Tau – Collaboration with Hawkshead Brewery, a mixed culture fermentation brewed with lactose, fresh lime peel and lemongrass
  • Progenitor  – Dry hopped golden sour ale
  • HopSavant  – American Brettanomyces IPA
  • Vieille  – Artisanal barrel-aged saison lightly dry hopped
  • CO WildSage  – Brett saison brewed with lemongrass and sage
  • Progenitor – Dry hopped golden sour ale
  • Nightmare on Brett Blueberry 2015 – Dark sour ale aged in Leopold Bros whiskey barrels with Washington blueberries
  • Nightmare on Brett Raspberry 2015 – Dark sour ale aged in Leopold Bros whiskey barrels with Washington Raspberries
  • Ampersand Vol. 3 Ch. 1 –  Golden Sour Botanical Ale, Aged in Ransom Old Tom Gin Barrels
  • Ampersand Vol. 3 Ch. 2 – Burgundy Sour Ale, Aged in Ransom Rye Whiskey Barrels
  • Wild Wild Brett Batch #200 –  American Wild Ale Aged With Raspberries and Dry Hopped
  • Surette Reserva Prunus Persica – Golden sour ale aged in oak barrels with peaches We have hand picked each Surette Reserva from unique batches that develop with indefinable complexity. Through embracing variation within our brewing seasons, each limited release is an expression of the terroir from which our fruit is sourced, the skilled stewardship of the farmers we work with, and the rustic beers we produce.

Drink This: Crooked Stave L’Brett d’or

l'brett d'or.jpgThank the Beer Gods for Abu Nawas! They are responsible for getting Iowans a chance to try Crooked Stave whose beers always challenge and satisfy the palate.  Crooked Stave specializes in barrel aged sours, wild ales, and saisons. When there’s a Crooked Stave delivery day, I’m usually in line to pick up a few bottles and I just so happened to be at Winestyles at the Iowa River Landing in Coralville doing a little beer shopping when I came upon their L’Brett d’or. Dry hopped sour aged in oak barrels? Yes please! Here’s more on this beer:

A dry hopped surreal golden sour ale aged in oak barrels that comes in at 7% ABV.

There have been a few variants released of L’Brett d’Or, none I’ve seen in Eastern Iowa but this dry hopped is excellent in many ways.

#1: This is the perfect gateway beer for those who are not 100% into sours/wild ales yet. It’s not too tart, don’t get me wrong, tartness is there, but an acidic vinegar bomb it is not. It’s sweet enough for fruit fans to get on board with and the Brett is very present but doesn’t dominate the flavor.
#2: For Brett fans, once you open up that bottle and get the aroma of Brett and oak you will be ready to dig into this beer. The sweetness of peaches and apricots mesh perfectly the with oak and you get a little bit of an herbal taste that I’m guessing comes from the hops.

#3: The complexity of flavors: As this beer warms a bit it brings out the peaches and apricots as I said above but there is some green apple and faint balsamic vinegar.

Would I buy again? Absolutely! I was happy to share this with some people but regret that I didn’t buy another bottle to selfishly drink by myself. I really want more of this and it would pair perfectly with a warm Iowa 4th of July weekend.

I’m not sure if Winestyles still has it in stock but check out Benz in CR as well, they carry quite a few Crooked Stave beers. If you find some, let me know where it’s at because I need more! If you are not satisfied with it and purchased multiples, get a hold of me and I’ll buy the rest from you. Get out there and Drink This!

Coming to Shelves: Green Flash Porter, Boulevard Session, Crooked Stave, Ballast Point Watermelon Dorado, Lagunitas Sour

Hoping to make my first trip to Quarter Barrel Arcade Brewery in Cedar Rapids this weekend and making a few pit stops at Lion Bridge and maybe a journey to Big Grove for a growler fill or 3. It should make for a great super bowl weekend. Some new beers will soon be gracing our shelves, some sound pretty unique and worth trying. Here we go:

cosmic*Green Flash Cosmic Ristretto – this is a baltic porter with Espresso beans and will become part of Green Flash’s new year-round lineup starting this month. It will be available in 22 oz bottles and clocks in at 8.2%. More on this brew from Green Flash:

Marvel at its rich black appearance with bruleed edges and mocha-colored beer foam. Breathe in its coffee aroma and sweet malts, and savor its smooth, espresso, chocolate flavor.

 

bully*Boulevard Frequent Flier Session IPA – Frequent Flier is the new name for their Pop-Up session IPA with a slight adjustment in the recipe along with new logo and its availability in cans. It checks in at 4.4% ABV.

stave*Crooked Stave – a ton of Crooked Stave releases upcoming. I’m not quite sure on their availability for us in Iowa but I will keep you posted with news on their releases. Lots of info on the releases of: Persica, Motif, L’Brett, Petite Sour, Salvador Cybies, Silly Cybies, Serenata Notturna, Hop Savant, Colorado Wild Sage, Surette, Nightmare On Brett at mybeerbuzz.blogspot.com here.

watermelon.jpeg*Ballast Point Watermelon Dorado and Thai Chili Wahoo – two new beers from Ballast Point that sound interesting. First is Watermelon Dorado, a double IPA brewed with….you guessed it! Watermelon! It checks in at 10% and sounds pretty damn refreshing. More on this beer courtesy of Ballast Point:

 

This Double IPA is not one to back down from big flavors. Mash, kettle, and dry hopping blend to create a huge hop profile that is balanced with a blast of watermelon.

thaiThai Chili Wahoo is wit beer brewed with thai chili, lime and ginger and checks in at 4.5%. More on this beer from Ballast Point:

Our Thai Chili Wahoo is a favorite in our tasting rooms for its complex balance of ingredients. Citrus and spice have long been a part of our Wahoo White. In this edition, we added a dose of Thai chilies, even more head from ginger, and a counterpunch of lime. The flavors in this beer need to be experienced first-hand, so grab one and try it for yourself.

lagunitas.jpeg*Lagunitas Aunt Sally – last but not least is the beer I’m most looking forward to besides Crooked Stave. Aunt Sally from Lagunitas Brewing is a sour ale that is dry-hopped and comes in at 6.2%. For those wondering….I believe it’s a kettle sour…I’m still looking forward to it! Stay tuned for more on this brew!

 

**Anything I’m missing? Drop me a line @benmed15@yahoo.com. Love to hear from Iowa breweries as well as bars for upcoming events! Please let me know and I will post your info! Thanks!

Crooked Stave Beers Hit Eastern Iowa Shelves!

staveI was very excited to get the following information from the beer and wine manager at the Oakland Road Hy-Vee in Cedar Rapids. Crooked Stave is here! Here’s what they are getting to us:

Crooked Stave Hop Savant 375 ml

7.99 per bottle

RateBeer  99

COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION

100% Brettanomyces Pale Ale. Dry Hopped Artisian Ale Fermented in Oak Foeders.

36% Citra, 36% Mosaic, 28% Simcoe.

 

Crooked Stave Vieille Artisanal 375 ml

7.99 per bottle

RateBeer 98

COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION

Vieille meaning “Old” is our artisinal barrel-aged Saison, lightly dry hopped. Each batch release is a diverse blend of Vieille casks that have taken on a soft Brettanomyces character before being lightly dry hopped. Dominated by a floral, citrusy hop character, a subtle herbal note and a tart finish, Vieille’s character exemplifies artisan Saisons.

 

Crooked Stave St. Bretta (Summer) 375 ml

9.99 per bottle

RateBeer 98

COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION

Whitebier Brewed with Blood Oranges(100% brettanomyces)

 

Crooked Stave Surette Provision Saison 375 ml

9.99 per bottle

RateBeer 98

COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION

Brewed with traditional harvest grams. Surette is a provision Saison with a tart and vinous character from extended barrel aging.