Tag: iowa beer baron

Blackstone Restaurant Hosting Stone Brewing Tap Takeover Dec. 11th

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blackstone

Blackstone restaurant in Iowa City will once again be hosting a tap takeover of sorts as Stone Brewing will be invading their tap lines with some tasty suds. So far, I ‘ve heard the following will be available at this event:

-Barrel-aged Arrogant Bastard
-Depth Charged Arrogant Bastard
-Stone + Sierra Nevada NXS collab (blend of a dry hopped IPA + barrel-aged IPA
-Enjoy By on Randall
-Xocoveza

plus more to come! Stay tuned for further details on this event, hopefully I’ll have more information on Monday!

Bricks Bar and Grill Cedar Rapids Planning “Bricks University” Beer Education Program

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bricksA fantastic opportunity to talk, learn, and taste all things beer is coming up from the folks at Bricks Bar and Grill in Cedar Rapids. Bricks University classes will be starting in January and will feature New Belgium Brewing Company. More classes will follow each month and the cost will be $25 per class. Here’s more info from Sam Tracy of Bricks:

We wanted to put together a program that allows people to be correctly educated about craft beer, so we’re bringing the best sources possible: the people brewing and selling the beer for featured breweries.  The goal is to have this be a laid back and fun thing that people of all levels of knowledge will be able to enjoy but also learn from.
The actual ‘classes’ include the following for $25:
– 30 minutes (or so) “lecture” that will cover some form of the brewing process or beer history (this is yet to be decided per class so far but will depend on each presenters strong suit).  Prior to this, everyone will be able to choose a pint out of the featured brewery’s core beers to sip on while they listen.
– 30 minutes (or so) “lab” that will include a pre-determined flight of four beers (there may be some fun surprises) that the rep or brewer will go through and talk about styles and expectations, how to enjoy, etc.
– The rest of the time is up basically for people to hang out, ask questions, enjoy the food provided, and just have a good time socializing in general.
The first class will be on January 23rd from 2-4 pm and will feature New Belgium.  The rest are not fully set in stone but we’re looking for the following months to be:
  • Peace Tree (February)
  • Boulevard (March)
  • Founders (April)
  • Big Grove (May – “Graduation Party”)
This is something we would like to continue doing on a fairly set schedule so in the future we will bring in different breweries.

Restaurant Review: Sauce Bistro; Cedar Rapids, IA

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IMG_2204.JPGcr sauceA Friday night date night with my wife led us to the Czech Village as it does so often. We usually hit Lion Bridge for few tasty beverages and have a few bites to eat but tonight we wanted to hit the new restaurant in town, Sauce. Located  507 C Street SW this building was scheduled to be demolished due to the flood of 2008. Luckily, it was saved, gutted, and turned into a wonderful restaurant. Here’s the statement on Sauce’s website:

Sauce is a finer dining restaurant with a great atmosphere, food, and drinks.

We wanted to give Cedar Rapids something they have not had before and that everyone could enjoy.

Sauce’s menu is entirely seasonal and that will be reflected in the dishes we serve, to the wines and drinks we recommend.

We work with as many local providers as possible to source our menu. We are not looking to cut corners, especially with the quality of our products.

After a pre meal beer at Lion Bridge, (Sorachi Liberaci x 3), we headed up a block or two to Sauce. Upon entering, we noticed the chalkboard that listed all the local farms where the produce, fruit, and meat comes from, and another chalkboard on the opposite wall showcasing the local beers that are on tap. Drink local, eat local always appeals to us so we were excited to see the menu. 

IMG_2205.JPGThe dinner menu is ever-changing, I think the lunch menu IMG_2206.JPGmight have a more set options,actually, here’s a link to the lunch menu: www.crsauce.com/menu.html,  but everything sounded tasty. We started with an appetizer of chicken fajitas with a sriracha creme fraiche, paired with Turner Alley Pils and that plate didn’t stand a chance. Main course was a little difficult to choose because all the options sounded great.

My wife decided to go with the special which was a Berkshire pork ragu with mustard greens over top of tortellini I believe. It was excellent, filling, and fresh. I ordered the seared scallops which were served on a bed of buttermilk chive mashed potatoes, and smoked paprika oil DELICIOUS! Paired my scallops with another Sorachi Liberace from Lion Bridge and I was as close to a food/beer coma as you can come.

Overall, the wait staff was very knowledgeable and friendly. The room was a bit dark (sorry about the pictures), but was a perfect setting for a date-night evening. Will I go back? Absolutely, and I can’t wait to see what’s on the menu next time!

Big Grove Beer Lecture Set for Dec. 4th @Cornell College; Mt. Vernon, IA

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big groveI just received the following info on a beer lecture that is set to happen on Dec. 4th at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon with Big Grove brewery pouring their terrific beer and also talking history of beer styles. Here’s the official release from Big Grove:

Big Grove Brewery.

Thirsty Happens.™
For Immediate Release.

Cornell College Hosts Big Grove Beer Lecture – recorded as the soberest lecture ever given in Mount Vernon.

On December 4, 2015, at 6:00pm, Cornell College in Mount Vernon will host Big Grove in its first Beer Colloquium at the Garner President’s House. We will be pouring our favorite BGB beers that night, and giving an informal talk on the history of the styles, as well as the design and goals of the individual beers.

We are giving this lecture to help raise funds for the Cornell College Department of Music and Pandemonium – a group of beer lovers, to be sure – and because we’re all too broke to otherwise contribute money to the College’s general fund. Tickets are $45 per person (limit 50), and will go on sale Friday, November 13 (that’s not ominous at all).

The beers that we will be discussing are:

BoomTown – the abbreviated history of German brewing the United States, and its influence on cream ale.

Big Grove IPA – Steele’s research on export pale ales from the 18th and 19th century, and their relation to current trends in West Coast IPA.

Arms Race Pale Ale – a brief discussion of the last 40 years of craft brewing, and the trend line of single hop pale ales and IPAs. Also a brief foray in Citra and its lineage.

Que Sera Berliner-style Weisse – technique and results of hot side acidification procedures.

TBD – we will also bring one or two special release beers to taste and discuss, depending on availability.

Discussion will be lead by Big Grove Head Brewer Bill Heinrich, with a reception after the event to question the Big Grove brewery team.

Please contact Big Grove Brewery for reservations at (319) 624-2337 or bgbsolon@gmail.com. You can also find us on Facebook (Big Grove Brewery) or Twitter (@biggrovebrewery) if that’s your preferred method of communication.

Cheers, z

The Brewery Staff
Big Grove Brewery

Brrr Fest Set for January 30th, 2016 @ Coralville Marriott

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brrfestThe 2016 Coralville Brrr Fest is set for January 30th and once again will be held at the Coralville Marriott and Convention Center. Here’s more on the event:

Save the Date!
 
When: Saturday, January 30, 2016
Where: Coralville Marriott Hotel & Conference Center
Time: 1:00pm – 4:00pm

The time has come to start making your plans for BrrrFest 2016! Once again, BrrrFest will feature amazing breweries from across Iowa and the Midwest. 
 
Continuing this year, BrrrFest beer lovers will have the opportunity to buy bottles of the beers they love most. That’s right. BrrrFest will be selling beer from select breweries including some limited release offerings that are very hard to come by so you can take some of BrrrFest home with you! A working list of beer available for purchase will be available on the BrrrFest website soon. 
 
Ticket Information:
 
Regular Entry*: $30
*Includes BrrrFest 2016 tasting glass
Brewmaster Entry (only 500 available, sold online only!)**: $45
**Includes early admission (12:00 PM), a Brewmaster 2016 special tasting glass, and access to talk with brewers.
Tickets go on sale online on BLACK FRIDAY (November 27, 2015) at 8:00 AM and will be available in person starting Monday, December 7, 2015 at Coralville City Hall, Coralville Hy-Vee, and John’s Grocery.
We have sold out every year so don’t delay. The Black Friday release is a less than subtle message… BrrrFest tickets make great gifts! Make sure you get yours early. Remember, proceeds from the event benefit Coralville 4thFest and the Iowa Brewers Guild… so you are enjoying brew’s for a few great causes! Thank you in advance for your support.
We are looking forward to another fantastic BrrrFest!
-BrrrFest Committee

Reds Alehouse Presents: Toppling Goliath and Surly Takeover Info for 11/13/15

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redsA great looking list of brews will be tapped at Red’s Alehouse this Friday starting at 11:00 a.m and continues throughout the day. Here’s the info from Reds:

ANNOUNCEMENTS!!

This Friday’s beer lineup and details!

There will be NO Happy Hour on draft beers this Friday.

toppling goliath8oz and 16oz pours will surlybe offered on most beers.

Tapping at 11:00am:
Toppling Goliath Brewing Co. PseudoSue (no growlers)
TG Golden Nugget
TG Dorothy’s Lager
TG Light Speed (no growlers)
TG Smoove Opferator
Surly Brewing Company Furious
Surly Overrated
Surly Cacao Bender
Surly Todd the Axe Man (no growlers)
Surly Dumpster Fire

Tapping at 5:00pm:
TG Sosus (no growlers)
TG Zeelander (no growlers)
TG Thresher (no growlers)
Surly Brett Mikkels (no growlers)
Surly Abrasive (no growlers)
Surly Pentagram (no growlers)

Tapping at 7:30:
TG Mornin’ Delight (no growlers)
Surly Darkness (no growlers)

Details:
Starting at 5:30, tickets will go on sale for a 7oz pour of Mornin’ Delight AND Darkness. 1 ticket per person, $25/ticket, must be present and 21+ to purchase. If there is any beer left after all tickets have been collected, 7oz pours can then be purchased.

Beer Man Murph, Brewmasta Mike, and Chris Flenker from TG along with Omar, Jordan, Splinter, and Holly from Surly will be at Reds that evening. Man, that’s a whole lot of bigwigs under one roof!!

If you’re at Kinnick tailgating the next day, look for all of us! We’ll be floating around!

Official Big Grove Brewery Press Release on Citra Triad!

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big groveHere it is! Pretty pumped for these releases!

Big Grove Brewery. Thirsty Happens.™

For Immediate Release.

“A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”

December 15, 2015. On that date, my fellow Tree Chuggers, ask not what your Citra can do for you, but what you can do for your Citra.

As we review the year that is rapidly waning, we see all of the detritus from every batch of Arms Race that we’ve coaxed through our little facility. Hundreds of pounds of Citra were used, hundreds of hours were spent brewing. We’ve managed to fill some kegs, to slake some thirst, and to almost entirely fail to keep up with the amount of Pale Ale that people want.

Because we now know that we will never keep up with Arms Race, we’ve adapted to a new paradigm: “If you cannot sustain the volume, you may at least expand on the intensity.”

THE CITRA TRIAD

Arms Race Pale Ale – 6% ABV American Strong Pale Ale, hopped with Citra, Citra, and more Citra. It’s the aromatic hop bomb that you’ve all come to know and periodically drink when it’s available.

BGB-15 Minuteman – 9% ABV Double IPA. Well, we might as well use some more Citra to get the point across that there are hops in there. We’re going to build it the way we build our DIPAs: dry body, rich hops, and subtle alcohol.

Trident XII – 12% ABV Imperial IPA. How do you prevent the Cold War from going hot? Mutually Assured Desensitization.

RELEASE DATES

We will launch the Triad on December 15 at 3pm. The fallout will occur on December 19 at selected Big Grove accounts, when we simultaneously open the three silos to the broader public.

Dasvidanya,

The Brewery Staff
Big Grove Brewery

Project PAM newest addition to Founders Backstage Series

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pamThe following comes from Founders Facebook account:

We invite you to venture into the shadows of our brewers’ minds with the latest addition to our experimental Backstage Series, Project PAM. It’s a nod to our deep, abiding love for Black IPAs and maple syrup bourbon barrel-aging.

Project PAM, developed under a shroud of secrecy for years, will be available in our Taproom on November 20 and across all states we distribute to in late November. As for the origins of the name? Well, they will always remain a bit of a mystery.

Say hello to the fourteenth addition to our popular Backstage Series: Project PAM. Like all Backstage Series beers, Project PAM will be sold in 750 mL bottles. It will be available in our Taproom starting on November 20, 2015 and will be available across our distribution footprint in late November with a suggested retail price of $14.99.

Black IPAs have long been a staple in our Taproom and at our annual Black Party – a celebration of experimental, dark beers – and Project PAM combines this with our deep, abiding love for barrel-aging. It’s an invitation to venture into the shadows of our brewers’ minds and discover their mad genius. In development under a shroud of secrecy for years, Project PAM is brewed with an abundance of hops including, Chinook, Nugget, Centennial, Amarillo, El Dorado and Mosaic. It’s balanced with Crystal and Midnight Wheat malts and finally aged in maple syrup bourbon barrels to add complex oaky bourbon notes and the sweetness of maple syrup. Project PAM clocks in at 10.8% ABV.

As for the origins of Project PAM’s name, it will forever remain a bit of a mystery – but, we will share that it’s a nod to the cellar coding system used by Jason Heystek, the head of our barrel-aging program and star of the dark and brooding label that adorns its bottle.

Our Backstage Series is made up of boundary-pushing, experimental beers. We affectionately call it “the brewers’ playground,” where intent is to take the diehard Founders fan experience to a wider audience—though all of the beers are released in limited batches. Since its introduction in the summer of 2011, our Backstage Series beers have quickly become some of the most sought-after releases in the industry.