Tag: Founders Brewing

Upcoming Oakland Road Hy-Vee Beer Dinners

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foundersReceived the following email from Oakland Road Hy-Vee in Cedar Rapids:

We are coming up on an exciting time in craft beer, we are going to celebrate everything about craft beer with back to back weeks of recognizing everything that is great about craft beer. We are going to start off with the first annual Cedar Rapids Craft Beer Week. You will see lots of events going on right here in Cedar Rapids that week which will lead right into American Craft Beer Week which will focus on all American Craft Brewers. We will host a few events during these weeks and couple of which will be two fantastic beer dinners.  If you are interested in either of these beer dinners, please email me back to reserve your spot today. These should fill up fast so please be kind and only reserve a spot if you are sure you can make it.

 

Cedar Rapids Craft Beer Week(May 2nd– May 9th)

American Craft Beer Week(May 11th-May 17th)

Founders Beer Dinner Monday May 4th 6:30-8:00 Social time with a beer starting at 6:15 25 Dollars per person Beer samples as well!! First Course Cheesy Beer Dip with Garlic Crisps (Served with Centennial IPA) Second Course Goat Cheese Roasted Beet Salad with Rubaeus Vinaigrette(Served with Rubaeus Raspberry Ale) Third Course ChimiChurri Seared NY Strip Steak Risotto Cakes (Served with Dirty Bastard Ale) Forth Course Double Chocolate Torte with (Served with Porter)

Tallgrass Beer Dinner Thursday May 14th 6:30-8:00 Social time with a beer starting at 6:15 25 Dollars per person Beer samples as well!! First Course Red Chili Bacon Wrapped Brat Skewers (Served with Pub Ale) Second Course Coconut Chicken Curry Soup (Served with Ethos IPA) Third Course Fresh Crab cake Sliders with Remoulade Sauce(Served with Velvet Rooster Belgian Tripel) Fourth Course Oatmeal Stout Float (Served with Buffalo Sweat Oatmeal Stout)

KBS Release at Oakland Rd. Hy-Vee starting at 5:00 tonight

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kbsThe following email comes from Oakland Road Hy-Vee in Cedar Rapids as the highly anticipated KBS release hits Iowa today! Here’s the following from Oakland Road:

We will be releasing Founders KBS today at 5:00 p.m. via a lottery system. We have found this to be the most fair way of doing it when you have limited quantities to go around. Starting at 4:30 today we will hand out raffle tickets and if the demand is greater than the amount of beer we have on hand  we will draw winners. Thanks for your understanding in this situation where its impossible to make everyone happy.

Keg List for Blackstone’s Tap Wars #2 for December 23!

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Another great night is in store for craft beer lovers in Iowa City area as Blackstone presents Tap Wars 2! Blackstone is really pulling out all the stops to give beer lovers the chance to try some hard to get brews and also showcasing the great stuff we have in Iowa. Tuesday night, it’s national power Founders Brewing taking on the local up and comer from Solon, Big Grove Brewery. Should be a great night, here are the beers that will be showcased:

foundersFounders:
CBS
2013 Backwoods
Imperial Stout(2015)
Dirty Bastard
Curmudgeon 
All Day IPA
Red’s Rye 


big groveBig Grove:
Progeny Sour
Kraul Farms Raspberry Progeny – cask
Double Dry Hopped Arms Race – cask
IPA
Pumpkin Little Secret
Whiskey Little Secret
Russian Imperial Stout  
Que Sera
Que Onda Roja

Baron’s Guide to Thanksgiving and Beer

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turkeyHappy Thanksgiving everyone! I thought it would be fun to breakdown Thanksgiving Day and pair some craft beers with what would be my typical meal. Now, 15 years ago, Busch Light reigned supreme and would flow freely along with some boxed wine and a few bottles of booze. Times change and thankfully so do the drinks. I saw the guys at fullpint.com do this and thought it would be good to see an Eastern Iowa version of what beers to get.

**Early and often Beers**– while watching the football game with fellow family members and waiting for the bird to finish up cooking, it’s good have other options available other than the typical light beer, and Eastern Iowa now has a plethora of excellent, low abv brews.

 

Baron’s recommendation:

*Founders Brewing All Day IPA – 4.7%
*Lion Bridge Workmen’s Compensation – 4.7% (growler only – coffee variation dynamitbig grovee as well)
*Lion Bridge Whirligig – 4.5% (growler only, a Baron Favorite)
*Big Grove Que Sera Berliner Weisse – 4.4% (growler only)
*Destihl Brewing Here Gose Nothin’ – 5% (A little higher ABV and sour but I can down a few)
*Stone Levitation – 4.4% very tasty amber.

**Dinner Beers** – the food has made it’s way to the table and you are looking for a bottle of something to share with some loved ones. I’m in agreement with many beer lovers that the perfect style of beer for Thanksgiving are Saisons. And being a saison lover, there are quite a few to choose from around Eastern Iowa. I also think maltier IPAs go well with the majority of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

Baron’s recommendation:

*Saison Dupont – 6.5%
*Boulevard Tank 7 – 8.5%
*Lion Bridge Untitled Saison – 6.5% (growler only)
*Deschutes Zarabanda – 6.3%lion bridge
*Sierra Nevada Celebration – 6.8%
*Bells Two Hearted – 7%

**Time for Dessert** – as with most holidays there is usually a table reserved just for desserts. Now, you should have a cooler reserved for dessert beers.  I would have loved to include New Glarus on this list and they would be at the top but they aren’t distributed anywhere outside of Wisky. So for dessert I would go with:

Baron’s Recommendations:

*Schlafly Pumkin Ale – 8% – a no-brainer here. One of the better pumpkin beers on the market.
*Big Grove Russian Imperial Stout- this beer pairs excellent with dark fruits. Had it at the brewery in Solon with some of their pickled bing cherries and was blown away. (growler only)
*Millstream Raspberry Latte Stout – ? ABV – Millstream’s newest offering has me craving more. A great millstreamcombo of raspberry and stout that’s perfect for dessert.
*Stone Xocoveza – 8.1% – if you’re lucky enough to still have a bottle this would be a perfect way to end the evening. Chocolate, cinnamon, and coffee makes this the perfect beer after a big meal and the heat does a nice job of warming you up for a chilly Iowa November evening.

**As always, I’m sure I missed a bunch of beers. Feel free to send me your list and if you hear of any news, would like a guest review post, or questions drop me a line!**

 

Coming to Shelves: Rogue, Lagunitas?, Founders, Enjoy By, more!

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A lot of tidbits in this update as we have a bunch of beers hitting shelves and I know I missed a bunch so feel free to drop me a line if I missed anything. On to the update!

rogue**Rogue** – going with their recent VooDoo Doughnut releases, Rogue is coming out with Lemon Chiffon Crueller Ale. A cruller for those who don’t know is just a style of donut. Another interesting flavor from Rogue and their VooDoo Doughnut lineup.

lagunitas**Lagunitas**- it’s been so great having Lagunitas in Iowa. Wonderfully affordable and even better tasting, Lagunitas is right up with Founders and Stone hitting our market. Their newest beer hasn’t been confirmed for Iowa and sounds very  limited. I’ll try to keep everyone updated if we see it here. Lagunitas Born Yesterday is a take on their pale ale recipe. Here’s more from Lagunitas on the beer:

 

founders**Founders** – according to Founders twitter account Big Lushious has been brewed and bottled and set for delivery. Here’s the tweet:

Founders Brewing Co. ‏@foundersbrewing 2m

2 minutes ago

Big Lushious is on the bottling line today. Available beginning November 24: http://ow.ly/E4dLy 

More from the brewery:

We plan to introduce Big Lushious, a chocolate raspberry stout, this December to mark the eleventh installment in our Backstage Series. Like all of our Backstage Series beers, Big Lushious will be sold in 750mL bottles, with a suggested retail price of $14.99 per bottle.


Big Lushious is a deep, rich stout that’s packed with flavor: roasted malts, all-natural dark chocolate, a subtle suggestion of burnt coffee grounds and a kiss of tart raspberries. At 7.8% ABV, it’s big, sumptuous and extravagant, but also balanced.

“We thought Big Lushious would make a great release for the holidays,” said Co-Founder and Vice President of Brand & Education Dave Engbers. “It’s a luxurious beer for us. It’s meant for bringing to parties and is perfect for sharing with friends and family after a feast.”

Big Lushious will be released in limited quantities across our distribution footprint beginning on Monday, November 24 (note: updated from Monday, December 1, as previously announced),and will be available at our taproom that same week. This will be our last Backstage Series release in 2014—look for more in 2015.

destihl**Destihl Brewing** – coming out with another sour beer in their Wild Sour Series. I was fortunate enough, thanks to sLim, to try their Gose and really really enjoyed it so I will try to get my hands on this one as well. It is a Flanders Red that will clock in at 6.1%. More from the brewery:

Flanders Red is an acidic, sour ale with an initial impression of tart cherries and sour candy that dissipates into a complex palate displaying both a sharp lactic sourness with a backbone of caramel and biscuit malt profiles and minimal hop character. The dry, wine-like finish accentuates the complex malt profile and bright fruit notes showcased in this brilliant red colored hybrid of a modern Flanders and German-style sour.

Stone**Stone Brewing** –  Enjoy By 12/26 and Stone Master of Disguise both are scheduled to be shipped out of California on November 14th. Not sure when we will see it on shelves but it shouldn’t be much after the 14th date. More on Master of Disguise from a previous post here: https://iabeerbaron.com/2014/10/17/1st-look-at-stone-master-of-disguise-imperial-golden-stout/

 

Huge news of Green Flash purchasing Alpine Brewing as well. If they add Alpine to the Iowa market we have a tough lineup of beers on the shelves to beat! As always, if you have news, rumors, or reviews you would like posted drop me an email! Cheers!

Next Founders Backstage Series Release: Big Lushious Chocolate Raspberry Stout

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foundersFounders Facebook page has given their Backstage Series Release for this winter and I’m very excited to get my hands a bottle of this outstanding sounding brew. Here’s the brewery update:

Announcing the next beer in our Backstage Series: Big Lushious, a chocolate raspberry stout that will be released for the holidays.

We plan to introduce Big Lushious, a chocolate raspberry stout, this December to mark the eleventh installment in our Backstage Series. Like all of our Backstage Series beers, Big Lushious will be sold in 750mL bottles, with a suggested retail price of $16.99 per bottle.

Big Lushious is a deep, rich stout that’s packed with flavor: roasted malts, all-natural dark chocolate, a subtle suggestion of burnt coffee grounds and a kiss of tart raspberries. At 7.8% ABV, it’s big, sumptuous and extravagant, but also balanced.

“We thought Big Lushious would make a great release for the holidays,” said Co-Founder and Vice President of Brand & Education Dave Engbers. “It’s a luxurious beer for us. It’s meant for bringing to parties and is perfect for sharing with friends and family after a feast.”

Big Lushious will be released in limited quantities across our distribution footprint beginning on Monday, December 1, and will be available at our taproom that same week. This will be our last Backstage Series release in 2014—look for more in 2015.

7.8% ABV

Founder’s Double Trouble back this week!

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double troubleThe popular Founder’s Double Trouble will be making its way back to Eastern Iowa shelves and for a lot of liquor stores it should be hitting this week! I’m not sure on the allotment for many places so if you seek out and find some, let me know availablity please! Thanks and enjoy! More on the brew:

An imperial IPA that was brewed to turn your world upside down. Hops have got you coming and going. Pungent aromatics up front paired with a malt balanced backbone and a smooth bitter finish. 86 IBUs.

Ratebeer: 100/100
Beeradvocate: 94/100

Coming to Shelves: New Belgium, Boulevard, Founders

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boulevardHave some beers that are going to be making their way to Eastern Iowa shelves soon. Some are new and some are seasonals that we’ve seen before. From beerpulse.com.

Coming from Boulevard for the Tasting Room pack:
*ESB
*Ginger-Lemon Radler

Here’s more from the brewery:

Brewmaster Steven Pauwels encourages our brewers to brew whatever they’d like and then the best beers are given the opportunity to leave the brewery to be shared with a wider drinking audience. The two Year-Round beers featured in our upcoming package will be Unfiltered Wheat Beer and Single-Wide IPA. Rotating in from the Tasting Room series will be an ESB (Extra Special Bitter) and Ginger-Lemon Radler.

foundersFrom the Founders:
Rubaeus
Old Curmudgeon

From the brewery:

Be on the lookout for Rubaeus, our summer seasonal. It will be available in May–or earlier in some of our markets. It’s brewed with fresh raspberries added during multiple stages of fermentation.

Curmudgeon Old Ale, an old ale brewed with molasses and an insane focus on the malt bill, then oak-aged, has already started hitting shelves and draft lines. It’s our April-June specialty release.

New Belgium is releasing a familiar brew but also has a collab in the works with 3 Floyds.

From New Belgium:
Skinny Dip
FOCOllaboration w/Odell Brewing (American Pale Ale)
Gratzer Ale w/3 Floyds

gratzerGratzer is a Polish beer style composed primarily of oak-smoked wheat. More from the brewery:

NEXT WEEK:

Skinny Dip makes a comeback this summer as the Revival Beer in bottle Folly Packs. This full-bodied, highly drinkable beer made its mark as a summer seasonal.

JUNE 1ST:

We teamed up with our hometown hop heroes at Odell to brew a FOrt COllins collaboration. Our proximity allowed sharing of ingredients to create this unique Pale Ale. If only we could employ prairie dogs that in habit the space between us to courier the Fawcett malt, an Odell standard, we used to complement our favored Centennial, Cascade and Citra hops.

In the heart of the Midwest is a very small brewery with a very big reputation. In spite of their super limited distribution, Munster, Indiana’s 3 Floyds is known far and wide for beers like Alpha King, Dark Lord and Dreadnaught. We got together and brewed a gratzer with them and in June we’ll release it as part of the Lips of Faith series.