Catchy title right? Check out the gigantic keg/mobile tavern as it rolls into Coralville on July 20th from 12-3. There will be $3 Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA pints and $8 growler fills while the Market Grille cooks up some great food. Check it out!
Tag: iabeerbaron
Restaurant Review: The Pig and Porter; Cedar Rapids NewBo District
The wait is over…The Pig and Porter has finally opened and I was able to make a trip over with wife and my 2 year old daughter (she did better than I thought she would, and yes! they have high chairs!). I’ve had my eye on this place as soon as the sign went up in front, anytime you include the fine swine, you know it’s gotta be good!
The bar is the first thing you see when walking in and a big chalkboard with all the beer that they have on tap. Lion Bridge Kundera Kolsch? 90 degrees, yes, I think so. Tank 7, you bet! Anyway, 12 beers on tap plus High Life in a bottle, my guess is the lines will be rotating quite a bit.
A busy night as the outdoor seating was starting to pick up, we were initially sitting where the sun was hitting but their server was kind enough to ask if we’d like to move which was a great gesture. So we moved close to the open kitchen, which I love, as you get to see the chefs in their element.
The menu. New American cuisine, with small plates and large plates to share with someone else. There was no doubt we were going to start with the garlic fries and that’s what we went with. I’ve had many a french fry as has my wife, and she declares these as the GREATEST FRIES she’s ever had! They were served with house made smoked ketchup AND french onion dip which were both on point. The fries were crispy on the outside with the perfect amount of salt and the great garlic flavor and nice and soft in the middle. I know it’s fries, but I get excited about great fries. I’ve had too many that were a mushy damn nightmare. Not these, order these, and order more ketchup + onion dip! We licked that bowl clean!
After the fries we were lucky enough to get a taste of the Red Hot Sausage with house smoked beans. The sausage was made in house as were the beans and topped with an over easy egg, homemade corn bread croutons, and some thin sliced onion! AWESOME! Loved it. The sausage was spicy so make sure you have a cold beer nearby but it was packed with flavor. The house-made beans were some of the best beans I’ve ever had. A little sweet, a little smoky and a perfect pairing with that sausage. Crack that egg yolk over the top of all of it and it could make for a heavenly breakfast. 
The green beans. The dishes that chefs come up with amaze me at times, and this is one. On paper it doesn’t sound too appealing to me but I’m so glad my wife wanted to order it because it was fantastic! The green beans were served in an eel sauce, with, I believe,smoked eel and crispy shallots. SO…F’ing….GOOD. Order this. (Pacifier not included)
And then the Caesar salad. Perfectly dressed with pickled green grapes and parsnip croutons. Wonderfully refreshing for the hot day and something I’ll probably order every time I go. I’ll take a bowl full of those grapes on the side as well. 
Another great addition to the Cedar Rapids Food scene. We had many dishes and enjoyed each one, but the menu still has a lot to offer as that roasted chicken did not go unnoticed! My wife and I highly recommend it! Andi, the server, and Will Monk, co-founder, were so helpful and kind. Terrific atmosphere with terrific people running the show. Congrats to Will and a tip of the hat to the chef and kitchen staff. We will be back for sure and hopefully soon! For more info on The Pig and Porter visit their Facebook page here: The Pig and Porter
Stone Bringing Back Unfiltered IPA: Enjoy By 09/05/16 Coming August 1st
A beer I was unable to land the last time it was released will be making another appearance on our shelves here in Eastern Iowa starting August 1st. Stone Enjoy By 09/05/16 Unfiltered IPA will be available in 12 oz and 22 oz bottles and check in at 9.4%.
The last time this was released it didn’t last long on the shelves so make sure you get to your local bottle shop quick to snag a few! Here’s more from Stone on this release:
STONE ENJOY BY 09.05.16 UNFILTERED IPA
#NOFILTER FRESH
In most cases, skipping a step is a bad thing. Not this time. This version of Stone Enjoy By IPA omits the part where we filter out the extra yeast, hop sediment and proteins that build up in beer as a natural result of the brewing process. Though it may sound like it, this missed step was no misstep. By letting this IPA go unfiltered, its peach and tropical fruit hop flavors are amplified while its golden-hued color takes on a hazy appearance. Like its filtered counterpart, this IPA is brewed specifically NOT to last, and is shipped immediately to ensure hopheads get their hands on it as soon as possible.
Mondo’s Reunion Brewery Hosting Beer Dinner July 20th
Coralville’s Mondo’s Reunion Brewery will be hosting a beer dinner Wednesday July 20th at their Coralville Strip location. 5 beers paired with 5 different courses for $40. Below is the menu for this event:
July 20th @ 7 p.m. – Mondo’s Reunion Brewery
Course 1
Lager
Cold smoked salmon, capers, crostini and avocado.Juice Factory – pale ale
Local green garden salad with herbs, beets and crispy onion strings with a mint/honey vinaigrettePub Ale
Grotto Misto with fresh Cod, green beans, cauliflower, lemon fennel and garbanzo beans served with malt aioliHermit- belgian golden strong
Linguini with prosciutto di parma, basil and garden tomatoesSchwartz-
Tiramisu
Drink This: Crooked Stave L’Brett d’or
Thank 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!
Kickshaw Barrel Works Releases Account List for Upcoming Release
Kickshaw Barrel Works’ owner/founder Bill Heinrich has the list of accounts that will be selling Kickshaw’s first release which is scheduled to be happening the 1st week of August. Very excited for this release and to see what Bill has in store for us! Here’s the list courtesy of Kickshaw’s Facebook page:
Initial list of accounts for the first Kickshaw release:
Off-premise!
John’s Grocery, Iowa City
Benz Beverage Depot, Cedar Rapids
North Dodge Hyvee Wine and Spirits, Iowa City
Mount Vernon Road Hyvee Wine and Spirits, Cedar Rapids
Lion Bridge Brewing Co., Cedar RapidsOn-premise!
Lincoln Wine Bar, Mount Vernon
Club 76 The Lodge, North Liberty
Red Vespa, Solon
Big Grove Brewery, Solon
Lion Bridge Brewing Co., Cedar RapidsThe first run is going to be pretty short, but if you’d like to get on board with some Kickshaw, please let me know and we’ll see what we can do. And there will be more coming, barring any catastrophes.
Big Grove Tap Invasion @Mosleys 6/25 for “Pig Pedal Classic Bike Ride”; 12 TAPS!
Big Grove Brewery will be invading Mosleys this Saturday June 25th as part of the Pig Pedal Classic Bike Ride. This ride raises money for Children’s Cancer Connection and Mosley’s is one of the stops on the tour. Here’s more info on how to become part of this great fundraiser:
Click the registration link below! Ride to raise money for a great cause and wrap it up with a Hog Roast and live music included with registration. Hosted by Mosley’s Barbecue and Provisions, the 1st Annual Pig Pedal Classic is for all skill levels with the goal to raise a pigload of money for Children’s Cancer Connection. It’s going to be a party – register via the link below!
Timeline:
• 8:30: Registration at Mosley’s
• 9-9:30: Pre-Party/Breakfast, 9:30 leave *Breakfast Included
• Hilltop Tavern (9:45 arrival, 10:30 leave)
• Reds (11:15 arrival, 1:00 leave) *Lunch available for purchase
• 30hop (1:30 arrival, 2:30 leave)
• Mosley’s (3:00 arrival- party all night)
• 3:30 band Catfish Murphy starts at Mosley’s
• Hog Roast included with admission starts at 4:00
• Raffle
Register here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1161526020535609/
Along with those stops, at Mosleys, Big Grove Brewery will be taking over the lines with these 12 offerings:
Arms Race
Que Sera w/Rhubarb
Que Sera
Que Onda Rojo
Boomtown
West Main Wheat
BGB IPA
DeFacto
Barleywine
Espresso Russian Imperial Stout-featuring Harfusa Espresso from JBC
Nitro Coffee Stout-Asopcafa Colombia
Dirty Little Secret
Not only can you get some BGB beers at Mosleys but they will be offering a variant of Que Sera at each stop on the ride. Here’s what each bar will offer:
Hilltop-Cucumber Mint
Mosely’s-Rhubarb
30Hop-Raspberry Honey,
Reds-Strawberry Rhubarb & Basil
A Quick Trip To SingleSpeed Brewing Company
This past weekend my wife and I were traveling to Dike for a fundraiser and decided to set some time aside to travel to downtown Cedar Falls to visit SingleSpeed Brewery. I had never been to SingleSpeed but only had their white IPA at a beer festival, which I found refreshing, so I was looking forward to checking out another Iowa brewery.
Downtown Cedar Falls is quite lovely, my first trip, local shops and restaurants and best of all…a brewery. Very quaint and comfortable upon entering with quite a few people getting growler fills to take home and enjoy on what was a hot Saturday afternoon. I didn’t have time to take a tour or eat but I was able to get a flight of brews.
Here’s what we tried:
*Brewed X2 – imperial coffee brown ale
*Victory Dance – IPA with citrus and tropical flavor. Very refreshing.
*Tip the Cow – espresso milk stout.
*Mosaic – single hop series brew.
All were very enjoyable. Really dug the Victory Dance and could have enjoyed quite a few of those but the star to me was the Mosaic! Part of their Single hop Series, this pale ale showcased the tropical fruitiness of this great hop! Loved this beer, very drinkable!
Single Speed will be opening up another brewery in what was the Wonder Bread building in Waterloo. I believe they will still operate out of their Cedar Falls brewery as well. More on the new brewery here.
An overall fun albeit quick trip to this brewery. Very excited for their future and what they will offer when the new brewery is complete. Would love some of that Victory Dance and more from the Single Hop Series. Well done SingleSpeed, excited for my next trip to Cedar Falls!
Beer Camp Across America Coming to Reds Alehouse Tuesday June 14th
Sierra Nevada’s popular Beer Camp Across America hits Reds Ale House taplines tomorrow night! (Tuesday June 14th). The 6 one-time only beers are West Latitude, Stout of the Union, Moxee-Moron, Family Values, Pat-Rye-Ot, and Sweet Sunny South. Get to Reds tomorrow night and check them out! More info on the press release below!
Drink This: Pulpit Rock Loopy Lynn Double IPA
I should have probably done a post about something a bit easier to get a hold of, but I think many Iowa beer lovers make the trek to Decorah a few times a month to get the latest and greatest for TG, so why not talk about the latest double IPA I really enjoyed that you can get in Decorah as well?
This past Friday night at Blackstone in Iowa City, there was a Pulpit Rock tap takeover. One of the newest and hottest breweries in Iowa filled the lines at Blackstone with liquid gold. I was very excited to try the Joy of Almonds, which was on nitro, and that didn’t disappoint. Sometimes I think nitro can take away from the flavor of the beer, but not for this one. The other big beer I was excited about was the special release of Loopy Lynn. Loopy Lynn is double IPA dry hopped with Citra and Eureka hops. I was lucky to even get a glass as I arrived at 5:30 for a 5:00 tapping and almost missed out (Thanks Sam!).
Loopy Lynn has that huge aromatic citra nose and the hazy golden/orange pour looks like a glass of orange juice. The beauty of this double IPA is that the flavor lasts from first sip to last swallow. Lingering flavor of grapefruit, orange, and a bit of pine from the Eureka added to the “dankness” that makes this a dangerously drinkable 8.14% double IPA.
Decorah has been a beer destination for some time now with Toppling Goliath, now Pulpit Rock adds to that trip. Make sure to stop in. This is old news for some, but make sure you stop in and try the goods at Pulpit.
Only a few places in Eastern Iowa that have had Pulpit on tap has been guest lines at Lion Bridge, Iowa Brewing Company and the folks at Need Pizza. Or, just take a drive to Decorah and indulge in both great breweries there! The hashtag from the folks at Pulpit is perfect: #stinkjuice. Drink this #stinkjuice!
