Tailgating Beers 2013

August 28, 2013August 28, 20135 Comments

As another Iowa Hawkeye football season approaches I sit here wondering what happened to all the talk of Bells canning their beers or Founders All Day IPA hitting shelves. I was banking on Founders All Day IPA being my go to this tailgating season, but the delay in the canning and then the delay in the distribution leaves Iowa without it for now. So, what other options do I have? I know some people are rebels and take in bottled beer, I personally, find that to be a pain in the ass. Bottles take up more rooms, can break, and are more difficult to dispose of. I know Founder’s Centennial is coming out and I haven’t had anything from Okoboji Brewing or Wild Onion yet so that’s why they aren’t on there. Anything I missed, feel free to comment!

**CORALVILLE WINE AND SPIRITS NOW HAS 12 packs of Founders All Day IPA**

So let’s breakdown what craft beer we can find in cans and whether or not it could make for a tailgating option. These are beers we can find in Eastern Iowa:

*Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat -4.2% ABV – Is this considered craft now that AB-Inbev owns it? I don’t think it is but it is better than slugging pack 30 BMC products. Not my favorite, but a step in the right direction.

*Great River Brewing 483 Pale Ale – 5.3% ABV – definitely a solid choice. Supporting the Iowa craft beer scene and getting a solid pale ale in return. The 5.3% ABV isn’t too high, but maybe not as sessionable as some would like.

*O’Fallon Brewing 5 Day IPA – 6.1% ABV – an average IPA that might go down well when the heat is sweltering for the first game, but maybe too well. ABV is getting up there. 1 or 2 of these and then hit the lighter stuff.

*Tallgrass 8-Bit Pale Ale- 5.2% ABV – I will more than likely have some of this on hand. A couple of these will do nicely with the food and the hot day. Not too high on the ABV, which is nice for a 2:30 kickoff.

*Great River Brewing Big Cock IPA – 7.0% ABV – too heavy for this guy, but some might want to get a bit pissed quick. The name is also kind of a turn off for me.

*Samuel Adams Boston Lager – 4.9% – another one that will probably be iced in my cooler. Very sessionable and after all these years this beer still tastes good.

*Tallgrass Brewing Buffalo Sweat – 5.0% – this one might be a bit to creamy for the first few game, but once the cooler months role in, I will definitely be enjoying this for breakfast.

*Great River Dos Pistolas – 4.8% – this vienna lager might just be perfect this Saturday. Decent flavor, low ABV, pairs well with food. Might have a winner.

*Tallgrass Ethos IPA – 6.8% – as much as I would love to sit and drink this stuff this weekend, the ABV might be a bit too high, but maybe just a few?

*New Belgium Fat Tire – 5.2% – a decent pick, must not hitting my taste buds correctly at the moment.

*Tallgrass Halcyon Wheat – 5.0% – would be very refreshing for this hot weekend and the ABV would make this work well.

*Big Sky Moose Drool – 5.3% – my wife really enjoys this beer so it will be in the cooler, a nice break for the usual light beer nightmare that consumes most tailgates.

*O’Fallon Wheach – 5.1% – really good fruit beer that will do nicely this weekend. I only can do around 2 of these before the sweetness takes over.

*New Belgium Ranger IPA – 6.5% – maybe…but probably not. A good choice for an IPA, just not a tailgating beer unless 3-4 is your limit for the day which this would work great.

*Great River Redband Stout – 6.0% – same category as Buffalo Sweat, once the cooler months arrive this is great for breakfast.

*Sam Adams Octoberfest – 5.3% – might see this in my cooler as well. Always a must try seasonal and now available in cans!

*Sierra Nevada Pale Ale – 5.6% – nearing the line of too high ABV but it worked well for me last year.

I guarantee I’m leaving some great beers off this list so please let me know what I’m missing. Chances are there will be a nice mix of brews in the Baron’s cooler and more than likely some Grain Belt as well. Might sneak a few bottles in but not too many. Have a safe and enjoyable first tailgate everyone!

**Forgot Peace Tree Sidekick** Thanks for the head’s up Todd!

Beer Review #107: Goose Island Sofie Paradisi

July 2, 2013Leave a comment

When AB-InBev bought Goose Island a few years back, I vowed to stay away from their beers solely on the basis of any trying to support craft breweries. It hasn’t been all that difficult to do, except for the occasional Bourbon County Stout, Matilda, or Sofie. But now, after trying Sofie Paradisi, the task may prove to be more daunting than originally thought.

I know many of you will scoff at the idea of not drinking Goose Island just because InBev owns it now, and that’s fine, to each his own. But when a beer gets this much pub and chatter about it, you just have to get your hands on it. Well, I wasn’t able to find this beer anywhere in Iowa, but on a recent trip up north to Madison my wife and I stopped and ate at the Craftsman Table and Tap (http://www.craftsmantableandtap.com/) in Middleton, WI. A really great beer menu to go along with some fantastic food (I recommend the pulled brisket sandwich and a side order of cheese curds) my eyes darted right to where the listing for Sofie Paradisi was. YES! Finally!

The difference between Goose Island Sofie and Goose Island Sofie Paradisi uses grapefruit instead of orange peel. The grapefruit is definitely in the nose along with the earthiness that accompanies a saison style brew. Along with grapefruit rind you get yeast, grassiness, and a little hop bitterness. Overall, a highly drinkable beer. More from the brewery:

60% Ale Aged in barrels with grapefruit rind and juice, 40% Ale (Base Sofie)

Now the question is…which one is better? If you’ve had both feel free to cast your vote below. I’m still up in the air, I would love to have Paradisi a few more times before giving my final verdict.

REVIEW

Style: Fruit Beer/Saison

ABV: 6.7%

Purchased at: Craftsman Table and Tap; Middleton, WI

Pour: Golden pour with a thick pillowy head.

Aroma: Yeast, grapefruit, earthiness

Flavor: A bit of oak, grapefruit, yeast, a bit peppery

Ratebeer.com rating: 97

Beeradvocate rating: 95

Overall: A-

My recommendation: A perfect summer beer. Really would love to get my hands on a few bottles of this. Terrific brew!

Beer Release News: Green Flash, Widmer, Goose Island

June 17, 2013Leave a comment

Some news on some harder to come by beers has made its way to the Baron. Green Flash, Widmer Brothers, and Goose Island all have beers that should be making their way into our market in the next few months and a couple of these might be harder to come by than others. Here we go!

Green Flash Citra Session IPA – My sources tell me that is beer is only going to be available on draft at these locations (so far): Parlor Ciy, The Mill, Reds Alehouse, and Lot 1 (Dubuque). Should be seeing this brew this week! More on this beer:

ABV: 4.3%
BA Score: 81
RB Score: 87

From the brewery: A pale gold citrusy brew with notes of lemon and floral undertones, this is the perfect summer IPA.

Widmer Brothers Kill Devil – Kill Devil is a brown ale made with brown sugar and molasses and then aged in rum barrels. The date for this is not quite definite yet but hopefully in the next few weeks. More on this beer:

ABV: 9.5%
BA Score: 83
RB Score: 90

From the brewery: Aged in Puerto Rican rum barrels, and brewed with Sweet Barbados and Blackstrap molasses, palm sugar, and Calypso hops, Kill Devil’s flavor and name were inspired by the ingredients used by Caribbean distillers.”

Continue reading →

Beer Review #99: Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

March 25, 2013Leave a comment

The very first barrel-aged beer America stills stands strong today as Goose Island’s Bourbon County Stout continues to make beer headlines nationwide as one of/if not the best barrel-aged beer around. I got up very early on a cold Iowa Tuesday morning to capture the prize of a few four-packs of this brew, and was glad I did. As I have slowly evolved into a barrel-aged beer lover, I’ve come to appreciate what the booze offers a really good crafted stout. Earlier in my beer drinking days, I would have scoffed, and possibly spit this beer out proclaiming it to be too boozy and downright undrinkable, but now, I relish the opportunity to taste the vanilla from the bourbon and oak flavor from the barrel.

Goose Island has made many headlines in the beer world this last few years as the Evil Empire that is AB-InBev bought them out, and as much as I avoid buying the big 3, I’ve also come to appreciate that Goose Island hasn’t sacrificed their quality of product with the buyout…. yet, and I hope they never do.

From the brewery:

“I really wanted to do something special for our 1000th batch at the original brewpub. Goose Island could have thrown a party. But we did something better. We brewed a beer. A really big batch of stout-so big the malt was coming out of the top of the mash tun. After fermentation we brought in some bourbon barrels to age the stout. One hundred and fifty days later, Bourbon County Stout was born-A liquid as dark and dense as a black hole with a thick foam the color of bourbon barrels. The nose is a mix of charred oak, vanilla,carmel and smoke. One sip has more flavor than your average case of beer. It overpowers anything in the room. People have even said that it’s a great cigar beer, but I haven’t yet tried a cigar that would stand up to it.”

I will be letting a few four packs age and hopefully at some point I can put together a vertical tasting of this beer, but as I was sipping the last one, (about 2 weeks ago), and as it warmed, it might have been the best barrel-age I’ve tasted. The aroma of the vanilla shines through the longer this beer sits, and as I finished the last half of it, it started tasting like a liquid form of an almond joy candy bar. Anyone else get that flavor? Such a great beer to sit and sip on, especially on a cold winter night! The alcohol warms you up nicely but does not overpower the fantastic flavor of this wonderfully well-crafted brew. Cheers!

REVIEW

Style: Imperial Stout

ABV:15%

Purchased at: Hy-Vee

Pour: Viscous black pour, very thick.

Aroma: Bourbon sweetness, vanilla, coconut.

Flavor: Chocolate flavor, the bourbon is there, coconut is well. Liquid almond joy (that can get you drunk)

Ratebeer.com rating: 100/100

Beeradvocate.com rating: 100/100

Overall: A

My recommendation: A fantastic beer, proceed with caution as a few of these could put you on your ass pretty quick. If you are not into barrel-aged beers this would be something great to try with a group of people at a tasting event.