FilmScene and 7G Team Up for Grit & Grain: The Bourbon County Stout Story

December 8, 2015December 8, 2015Leave a comment

filmscence FilmScene in Iowa City, (a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to enriching the cultural vitality of the Iowa City area through film that challenges, inspires, educates, and entertains), is teaming up with 7G Distribution for some Bourbon County tasting as well as showing the film Grit and Grain: The Story of Bourbon County Stout. Here’s more on this event slated for December 10th!

Grit & Grain: The Story of Bourbon County Stout

FilmScene is partnering with 7G Distributing to celebrate Goose Island’s legendary Bourbon County Stout! Sip on some Bourbon County while viewing Grit & Grain, a documentary that shares the craftsmanship of the stout and captures the passion and dedication that goes into each barrel.

Each ticket includes two 8oz. pours of limited Bourbon County Stout plusFREE samples of other Goose Island beers, and all-you-can-eat FilmScene popcorn!

Come throughout the night and enjoy this event in FilmScene’s Gallery space! 7G Distributing will also have a photo booth, door prizes and giveaways, and more!

Date/Time:
Thursday, December 10th
5:30pm – First Sampling Session
6:00pm – First Screening of Grit & Grain

7:00pm – Second Sampling Session
7:30pm – Second Screening of Grit & Grain

8:00pm – Third Sampling Session

Ticket Price:
FilmScene Members: $20
General Public: $25

Blackstone Presents: One Night Stand with Stone Brewing on Dec. 11th

December 6, 2015December 6, 2015Leave a comment

A great looking lineup coming to Blackstone Restaurant in Iowa City as they present One Night Stand with Stone Brewing. Here’s the official release:

Guest Review: Brazen Open Kitchen; Dubuque, IA

December 5, 2015December 5, 2015Leave a comment

brazen The following review comes from Meat, excellent review that leaves your mouth watering. I NEED SOME FRIED CHICKEN!! Here it is, thanks again Meat!

My wife and I were able to have our first date night since our son was born so we decided to go to Dubuque’s best new restaurant, Brazen. Located in revamped Millwork District, the old exposed brick couple with the open kitchen theme makes for an eclectic atmosphere.

When seated, we ordered drinks (my wife got a Surly coffee bender and I a gin martini). The server then brought bread and butter (bread was great. Chewy inside crunchy exterior with a slight char).

For the first course we ordered a crab cake. I have not had great experience with crab cakes recently (I wanted duck tacos but she insisted). As per usual, she made the right call. The crab cake was tender and full of jumbo lump crab meat with very little binder. It sat on a carrot romesco sauce and topped with a cranberry fermented fennel. The combination of the sweet crab meat, earthy and spicy romesco, and tangy/pungest fennel made this a home run. I only got two bites!

Next we split a wedge salad. Which was good. Good ingredients. Good flavors.

For the entree my wife ordered the fried chicken which was the best either of us have ever had. Flavorful and juicy, if I cooked that I’d eat it everyday. In fact, I am about to polish off the leftovers in the fridge after I type this. Served with the chicken was a corn bread stuffed with goat cheese and onions. The flavor was good but the combo of the cornbread texture and goat cheese texture made it a bit of a chalky mouthfeel. The chicken was outrageously good and I don’t care enough about cornbread to take anything away from that fact.

I ordered the short rib with braised kombu and celery over a spiced carrot puree (I think it was the same romesco as the crab cake) and oyster mushrooms. The beef was wonderfully tender and flavorful. This was a very savory dish which I enjoyed immesnly. The only thing that we both agreed the dish could use was some heat and/or some acid (gastrique or some kind of vinegar). I would absolutely order it again. Washed it down with a pseudo sue!

No question that this is Dubuque’s best restaurant. Hopefully this starts a trend of similar restaurants coming to Dubuque.

Now in going to hammer that cold chicken!

Check out more on Brazen by visiting their website here: Brazen Open Kitchen

Turner Alley Brewing + Devotay Restaurant Announce Beer Dinner for Jan. 25th

December 3, 2015December 3, 2015Leave a comment

Turner Alley Brewing out of Cedar Rapids will be teaming up with Devotay restaurant for a beer dinner coming at your January 25th. It will be a 4 course meal with 4 beers paired with each dish and tickets will be $40 and are available @www.brownpapertickets.com. Here’s the official release:

Ballast Point Pineapple Sculpin Coming to Bottles

December 3, 2015December 3, 2015Leave a comment

Ballast Point will continue with another off-shoot of their popular Sculpin IPA by adding Pineapple Sculpin to the lineup joining the likes of Habanero Sculpin and Grapefruit Sculpin. I cannot confirm if Iowa will receive shipments of this beer or when it will be available yet but stay tuned for more on distro news. Here’s more information on this beer courtesy of the folks at Beer Street Journal:

Ballast Point Pineapple Sculpin combines the aggressive but balanced IPA with the tropical twist of pineapple. If it is anywhere near as addictive as the Grapefruit edition, warn your liver now.

Our Sculpin IPA is a great example of what got us into brewing in the first place. After years of experimenting, we knew hopping an ale at five separate stages would produce something special. The result ended up being this gold-medal winning IPA, whose inspired use of hops creates hints of apricot, peach, mango and lemon flavors, but still packs a bit of a sting, just like a Sculpin fish.

Ballast Point Pineapple Sculpin IPA is a draft, and 12 ounce bottle potential.

Style: IPA (w/ Pineapple)
Availability: 12oz Bottles, Draft.
Release: TBA

7% ABV

Fulton Brewing out of Minneapolis Coming to Iowa

December 3, 2015December 3, 2015Leave a comment

fulton Found news courtesy of BottleCaps80 on beeradvocate that Fulton Brewing out Minneapolis will be launching in Iowa at the Keg Stand in Des Moines on Thursday Dec. 3rd featuring six tap lines with bottles to follow soon after. I’m not sure if this is Des Moines area only release of if Eastern Iowa will eventually see it as well. Here’s the tweet from The Keg Stand on the Fulton launch:

kegstand ‏@kegstanddm 6h6 hours ago

Getting freaky with @fultonbeer tomorrow night

Stay tuned for more info on this release and also check out Fulton Breweries website for their beer and brewery info: Fulton Beer

Stone Enjoy By 2-14-16 Unfiltered IPA Coming to Iowa

December 2, 2015December 2, 2015Leave a comment

Saw this at mybeerbuzz.blogspot.com and also on Stone’s website. An unfiltered IPA will be the latest from the Enjoy By Series. Iowa is on the list of markets to receive it. Here is more from Stone’s website:

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.

Central Waters Tap Takeover @ Red’s Alehouse Tuesday Dec. 1st!

November 30, 2015November 30, 2015Leave a comment

The following comes from Red’s Alehouse Facebook page. Central Waters tap takeover with some heavy hitters on the menu; sounds like a great time in North Liberty tomorrow (Tuesday Dec. 1st): reds

This cold and rainy weather is only good for one thing.
Central Waters Brewing Company barrel aged beers, that’s what!

Tomorrow, Reds will be tapping the following beers from our Wisconsin friends:

2014 Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout
2015 Bourbon Barrel Stout
2014 Bourbon Barrel Aged Scotch Ale
Call Me Ol’ Fashioned
(American Strong aged in Brandy barrels with cherries and orange peel)

along with Cassian Sunset and Slainte Scotch Ale

Rainy days are good for some things I suppose!

Restaurant Review: Need Pizzeria; Cedar Rapids, IA

November 30, 2015November 30, 2015Leave a comment

need So many great restaurants in the Eastern Iowa area that it is difficult to choose at times. During a latest trip down to Benz Beverage Depot for some fine ales my wife and I decided to give a newer pizza place in the downtown area a try. So off to Need Pizzeria we went! Here’s more about Need:

Need Pizzeria was founded by David Stephan and Robert Wagner. David is a native Cedar Rapidian, Washington HS Grad. Robert is from Cascade, Iowa and has lived in Cedar Rapids for many years. Their industry relationship began following high school; working together at CR Country Club. Each owner has cut their teeth in multiple restaurant/bar locations with a combined 20+ years of experience in 3 states.

IMG_2216.JPG.jpeg There was a lunch special of a bratwurst pizza with sriracha glazed bacon and mashed potatoes that struck my interest right away. Upon walking in I noticed the uniquely designed coolers for the Iowa beer taps. Old refrigerators that were housing beers from Lion Bridge, Big Grove, Backpocket, Exile, etc. Very cool idea.

I knew I would be getting the Brat speciality IMG_2215.JPG.jpeg pizza so my wife and I wanted to test just a basic pie so we went with a pepperoni pizza. While waiting we of course ordered a couple of brews. I went with the Lion Bridge Sorachi Liberace and my wife a coffee stout.

The look and smell of the pizzas alone told us we made the right decision for lunch. Chewy crust, excellent sauce, and a bit of spiciness from the pepperoni made this a terrific pie. Loved it! I’m a big fan of just a plain pepperoni pizza and this one hit IMG_2211.JPG.jpeg the spot! Onto the brat pizza! Sweetness from the caramelized onions, a bit of heat from the sriracha glazed bacon and the perfect amount of fattiness and spice from the brat made this a pizza worthy of ordering again and hopefully them making again!

Overall, a great lunch, plenty of leftovers as the portions were very big. A trip we will be taking again very soon! Check out Need if you are in the downtown Cedar Rapids area!

Surly Darkness Descends on Iowa Nov. 30th!

November 25, 2015November 25, 2015Leave a comment

Received word (and a bottle of Darkness, woohoo!) from Surly Brewing that Darkness will indeed be hitting Iowa shelves starting on Nov. 30th! This russian imperial stout checks in at 11.5% and comes in 750 mL bombers. Here’s more on this year’s version of Darkness:

Our 2015 vintage bottling of Darkness features a screeching bat-nightmare by local artist Brandon Holt. No creature is more adept at navigating in the Darkness than a bat. Emerging from a deep and ancient cave, this year’s twisted nocturnal creature has evolved a et of adaptations well suited to detecting and devouring uncommon nourishment.

Notes of chocolate, coffee, dried tart cherries, and raisins emirate from his lair. If you can evade the talons and teeth, the think body of this Russian imperial stout finishes sweet, with a piney resinous character.