Beer Local Fest Presented by 7G coming Friday, September 11th

local beerfestCome on out to Veteran’s Memorial Park (Kernel’s Stadium) on Friday September 11th and sample some of the finest beers from some the best breweries in Iowa. Sample over 50 beers from local breweries from 5:00-10:30! Here’s more from 7G Distributing:

TICKETS NOW ON SALE! Come celebrate all things IOWA! We had a change in venue and will now host this event at Veteren’s Memorial Stadium! Local brewfest at the ball park!

Drink Local: Sample over 50 different beers from Iowa breweries during the Beer Fest from 5-8 PM. Local beer available for purchase all festival long. Breweries to include: Millstream, Backpocket, Big Grove, Turner Alley, Kalona, Exile, Third Base, Lion’s Bridge, Another Road, Galena from Illinois, and more.

Eat Local: Food available for purchase from local food vendors from the New Bo market and the Kernel’s!

Listen Local: 8 Seconds will be performing in the evening! Another local artist will be playing during the beerfest- to be announced soon!

Shop Local: Local vendors will be selling art, jewery, and much more!

Support Local: All proceeds from the event will go directly to the MDA of Iowa.

Tickets: https://www.ticketreturn.com/prod2/Buy.asp?EventID=154150

Cost: $20 GA Beer Fest & Music-Full Access-ADVANCE
Sampling Time: 5:00-8:00
Live Music w/ 8 Seconds: 8:00-10:30pm

Cost: $25 GA Beer Fest & Music-Full Access
Sampling Time: 5:00-8:00
Live Music w/ 8 Seconds: 8:00-10:30pm

Cost: $5 GA Music Only
Live Music w/ 8 Seconds: 8:00-10:30pm
Where: Veterans Memorial Stadium

If you are interested in becoming a vendor for the event, please email michele.raymer@7gdistributing.com.

Restrictions: Must be at least 21 years old.
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Big Grove Brewery Richard the Whale Release Schedule and Tasting Notes

big grove

 

Here’s what we’ve been waiting for! The Big Grove Brewery Richard the Whale Release information big groveand tasting notes. The regular Richard the Whale was absolutely delicious and these variants are sounding amazing as well! I hope everyone gets a taste of what a great local Iowa brewery can do with dedicated brewers and staff. Cheers to Big Grove and I hope to see you at the 2nd Anniversary party!

Big Grove Brewery Thirsty happens.™ Richard the Whale Tasting Notes and Release Schedule

Click the link below to open up the PDF file to check the schedule! 

Richard the Whale Release Info (1)

Fall is upon us in August (and July)

fallWell, they’re here…….pumpkin beers. Now, I know that there are some people out there that despise the thought of these beers in general, some despise the thought of these beers prior to September, and some people absolutely go ape shit for these beers. Me, I’m indifferent. I like a pumpkin beer here and there, but it’s hard for me to get excited about pumpkin beers in this muggy ass Iowa humidity. However, there is a bit of a silver lining in all of the quite early pumpkin releases and that is the release of……drum roll…..MARZENS + Oktoberfest beers!! WOOHOO! Listen, I know these are “fall” beers, but honestly, I could easily drink a Millstream Oktoberfest, Staghorn from New Glarus, Ayinger Oktoberfest, Hacker-Prschorr, Bob’s 47 from Boulevard and so on. This is a style that yes, tastes superior in the fall, with the cool, crisp air while watching an Iowa football game or a…ahem…Buffalo Bills game (we will make the playoffs this year!!).

Octoberfest beers symbol the sign of cooling weather (hopefully), football season, and the falling of leaves. But, the pumpkins are also here! The spicy and in your face Schlafly pumpkin ale, O’Fallon pumpkin beer, Southern Tier’s Warlock and Pumpking, Dogfish Head Punkin, Ichabod from New Holland, Sam Adams Harvest Ale and Fat Jack, Rogues Pumpkin Patch and many more. Last year I remember Big Grove Brewery in Solon releasing Pumpkin Little Secret and absolutely loving it but that was closer to Christmas.  With all this being said, I want to know, what is your favorite fall beer? What do you look forward to most? Is it a marzen, is it a pumpkin? Well, vote below? I’m limiting the options to those available in Iowa and I’ll probably miss a few of those too, so please, if you choose other, comment which one! Cheers to beers and to fall!

Updates: Northside Oktoberfest October 3rd in Iowa City

I cannot wait to attend this event! Hopefully I can meet up with some fellow beer lovers and enjoy some excellent beer and some terrific food! Please let me know if you are going to attend as I would like to meet up and say hi to you all! northside octoberfest

What: Northside Oktoberfest

When: October 3rd

Where: Market Street, Iowa City, IA (By John’s Grocery)

What: 500+ Beers

50+ Breweries including:
Backpocket Brewery
Bell’s
Zipline Brewing Co.
Founders Brewing Co.
Boulder Beer Company
Sutliff Cider
Boulevard
Massive TV broadcasting Iowa @ Wisconsin football game
Soda fest & games for the kids
Keg toss and other adult games
Food vendors on site
Ticket Info: BrewMaster Tickets: $50* (comes with Tailgate t-shirt, early entry to festival, special edition tasting glass, and participation in the Real Ale tasting contest)
General Admission Tickets: $35*
*Ticket prices will increase after September 1
You can purchase tickets at northsideoktoberfest.com or at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.

Sixpoint Brewing coming to Iowa with Abu Nawas Distribution

sixpointJust saw this release on Facebook from Abu Nawas distribution. More exciting beer news for us in Iowa! Cheers!

We are very excited to announce that we are going to be bringing the beers from theSixpoint Brewery to Iowa!

(Elkader, Iowa) – August 11th, 2015 – Abu Nawas Beverage Company is proud to announce the addition of Six Point Brewery to their beer portfolio. Starting August 27th, 2015, Iowa will be treated to the respected craft and highly-rated beers of Sixpoint Brewery from Brooklyn, New York. The Brewery began operations in the. Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn in 2004, when co-founder Shane Welch decided to open up his own brewery after relocating from his home state of Wisconsin. Shane got his start in home brewing while still a student at the University of Wisconsin. Since their inception, Sixpoint has garnered some major street cred in the craft beer industry as a leader in expertly crafted beers, excellent customer service, and innovative packaging design.
Abu Nawas Beverage Company is humbled, thankful and extremely excited to bring the outstanding beers of Six Point Brewery to the great State of Iowa. Abu Nawas will be carrying both cans and kegs for customers. Retailers interested in carrying Six Point products should contact Abu Nawas through their websitewww.abunawasbeverage.com.

Tallgrass Brewing Announces Explorer Series Starting in September

explorerVery excited to share this news and look forward to trying each of these four beers. The following comes from Tallgrass Brewing’s Facebook page:

We’ve given you teasers, now here’s the full scoop. Next month the Explorer Series, a new line of specialty beers from Tallgrass, will officially launch with the release of Bourbon Barrel Buffalo Sweat. More on the first four beers below and many more to come in 2016! ‪#‎tallgrassbrewing‬‪#‎craftbeer‬ ‪#‎explorerseries‬

Each brand in the Explorer Series will be packaged in 4-packs of 12 oz. cans. A mix pack box containing one of each of the Explorer Series beers will be available November-December.

*Bourbon Barrel Buffalo Sweat: Tallgrass’ award-winning oatmeal cream stout, aged in bourbon barrels to create a rich, complex, medium-bodied beer with chocolate-espresso flavor and aroma with an oak barrel backbone. Available Sept-Dec.

*Big RICC: Russian Imperial Stout with coffee and chocolate. Bold coffee flavor and aroma with strong chocolate notes. Full-bodied and great for sipping. Winner of silver medal in coffee beer at 2014 U.S. Open Beer Championships. Available Oct-Feb.

*Wooden Rooster: The Rooster returns after an appearance earlier this year! Tallgrass’ Belgian-style Tripel ale, Velvet Rooster — the first-ever Tripel in a can — aged in rye whiskey barrels. It has a candy-like sweetness and slight spice, with vanilla, oak and rye whiskey prominent in aroma and flavor. Available October.

*Bourbon Barrel Vanilla Bean Buffalo Sweat with Cinnamon: Tallgrass’ highly popular winter seasonal, Vanilla Bean Buffalo Sweat, aged in bourbon barrels with cinnamon added during fermentation. Cinnamon is prominent in aroma and flavor along with vanilla, chocolate and espresso, with warm bourbon undertones. Available Nov-Dec.

Coming to Shelves: Stone, Lagunitas, August Schell, new Boulevard Collab

big groveSome releases that will be hitting our market in the coming months…(to go along with Oktoberfest and Pumpkin Beers 🙂 have me pretty excited. The August Schell Noble Star Collection has been a huge success and I’m really looking forward to this next release. As for some local news, Big Grove Brewery will be holding their 2 year Anniversary party on August 29th. Below is their lineup for this can’t miss event:

Saturday, August 29 – The Anniversary Tailgate. Show up at 11am with your tailgating kit and spend the day with BGB. We’re serving up a hog roast, walk-chalking, and whatever else feels right. Don’t give that spot up, because live music from The Dawn starts at 6pm. It’s how we do it.

Here’s what we have for ANNIVERSARY BEER RELEASES:

Anniversary 2015 with JBC Coffee Roasters (DIPA with Harfusa Ethiopia organic coffee)

Batch 400 Collaboration with Third Base Brewery (super top secret, but it’s going to be super cool)

Richard the Whale (Heaven Hill bbl aged RIS)

Richard the Whale Sumatra with JBC Coffee Roasters (organic coffee variant)

Richard the Whale Super Secret Stout (wouldn’t you like to know?)

Oud Bruin (fermented for one year in Shorts Whiskey bbl with black chokeberries, name TBD)

Golden Brett Ale (fermented for 14 months in Opus One bbl, name TBD)

Onto some other news:

stoneStone Brewing – will be releasing another brew in the Stochasticity series titled Your Father Smelt of Elderberries. It’s going to be an amber ale with eldberberries added and come in at 8.8% and like all other Stochasticity releases be available in 22 oz bottles. Here’s more on this brew from Stone:

Stochasticity Project beers bravely explore lesser-trod territory. Imagine if you will emerging from the furthest depths of the dark, misty forest of time holding a chalice (perhaps one of catholically divine caliber) filled with an ale style dating back to medieval England. We find ourselves carried by the gait of hooves (which oddly sound like someone is clacking together two empty coconut halves) and happen upon a caste siege. Insults are being hurled from the walls above from …Frenchmen? Time to run away (after one last whack at the  mighty stone castle walls with a broadsword) to discuss strategy just beyond the reach of catapulted bovines. Beer brewed with elderberries is freely shared. What strategies come from this? Trojan Rabbit! A brilliant ruse they’re sure to…catapult. Word to the wise, Sir Bedivere.  Don’t strategize whilst drinking elderberry beer or the constables may show up at the end of your flick.

lagunitasLagunitas Brewing – according to mybeerbuzz.blogspot.com will be releasing a double alt called Doppel Sticky and will be part of their One-Hitter Series. This beer will be available in 12 oz bottles and come in 8.5%. No word on the drop date quite yet.

orbital driftAugust Schell Brewing – two new beers coming out in the popular Noble

apparent horizonStar Collection. The first is called Apparent Horizon and is a Rye Berlin-style wheat ale that will come in the 25.36 oz bottles. The 2nd release is called Orbital Drift and is a berlin-style wheat ale. Release details have yet to be determined so stay tuned for more.

collab 5Boulevard Brewing and Cigar City – Boulevard has released details on its Collaboration #5. This beer will be brewed with Cigar City brewing and will be a tropical pale ale and will be part of the smokestack series coming in at 7.3% but it will be available in 12 oz bottle 4 packs instead of the 750mL. Release date is tentatively schedule for September of this year so be on the look out for this one. The hop bill sounds very promising. Here’s more from Boulevard on this brew:

Combining CCB’s expertise with tropical fruit flavors and Boulevard’s love of pale ales, Collaboration No. 5 – Tropical Pale Ale begins with a base of soft pilsner malt layered with Maris Otter, Munich and caramel malts. Huge late hopping with a blend of Mosaic, Citra, Lemondrop and Azacca lends bright flavors of mango, pear, blueberry and citrus to a pale ale featuring slightly toasted biscuit and caramel/toffee notes. Infused with freshly sliced grapefruit at the conclusion of the boil, our tropical pale ale is briefly aged on passion fruit and grapefruit at the end of fermentation resulting in a refreshing acidity and tropical fruit flavor and aroma. At 7.3 ABV and 55 IBUs, Collaboration No. 5 – Tropical Pale Ale finishes slightly tart with bright citrus character from dry-hopping with Lemondrop, Azacca andPacific Jade hops.

Exile Brewing Day at Reds Alehouse this Saturday 8/8/15! Beatnik Sour Cask w/Blueberries

sour caaskThe following email was received from Reds Alehouse:

You’ve probably seen Exile making the leap from Des Moines to Eastern IA the past few months.  But what you haven’t seen is what’s going to be sitting on top of our bar this SATURDAY AUGUST 8TH.  For the first time, Reds
and Exile would like to present: 
Beatnik Sour Cask w/ Blueberries!  
Along with this funky, fresh, and delish cask pouring right in front of your face with the help of our old friend gravity, we’ll also be serving up Daytrotter Pale Ale and a special pre-release of Exile Chill Clinton, a double hemp amber ale. 
Beers on at 11am followed by a 3:00 tapping of Blueberry Beatnik

 

2015 Bourbon County Lineup Announced

Goose Island chicagoThanks to the Beer Counselor for the link to the Chicago Tribune article announcing the lineup for 2015 Bourbon County Stout. Obviously, not sure what Iowa will see, but you can expect every year to be a Black Friday beer shopping spree and I’m sure it will continue to get busier. The following is courtesy of the Chicago Tribune:

  • Bourbon County Brand Stout
  • Bourbon County Brand Barleywine
  • Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout, made with Intelligentsia’s Los Delirios Nicaraguan coffee bean
  • Bourbon County Brand Regal Rye Stout, made with blackberry juice, cocktail cherries and sea salt
  • Proprietor’s Bourbon County Brand Stout, made with maple syrup aged in bourbon barrels, toasted pecans and guajillo peppers
  • Goose Island Rare Bourbon County Brand Stout, which is being aged for two years in 35-year-old Heaven Hill whiskey barrels.

To read further on each of these releases please view the article here, terrific read:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/goose-island-new-bourbon-county-stout-story.html#page=1