Tag: iowa beer baron

Baron’s Guide to Thanksgiving and Beer

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turkeyHappy Thanksgiving everyone! I thought it would be fun to breakdown Thanksgiving Day and pair some craft beers with what would be my typical meal. Now, 15 years ago, Busch Light reigned supreme and would flow freely along with some boxed wine and a few bottles of booze. Times change and thankfully so do the drinks. I saw the guys at fullpint.com do this and thought it would be good to see an Eastern Iowa version of what beers to get.

**Early and often Beers**– while watching the football game with fellow family members and waiting for the bird to finish up cooking, it’s good have other options available other than the typical light beer, and Eastern Iowa now has a plethora of excellent, low abv brews.

 

Baron’s recommendation:

*Founders Brewing All Day IPA – 4.7%
*Lion Bridge Workmen’s Compensation – 4.7% (growler only – coffee variation dynamitbig grovee as well)
*Lion Bridge Whirligig – 4.5% (growler only, a Baron Favorite)
*Big Grove Que Sera Berliner Weisse – 4.4% (growler only)
*Destihl Brewing Here Gose Nothin’ – 5% (A little higher ABV and sour but I can down a few)
*Stone Levitation – 4.4% very tasty amber.

**Dinner Beers** – the food has made it’s way to the table and you are looking for a bottle of something to share with some loved ones. I’m in agreement with many beer lovers that the perfect style of beer for Thanksgiving are Saisons. And being a saison lover, there are quite a few to choose from around Eastern Iowa. I also think maltier IPAs go well with the majority of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

Baron’s recommendation:

*Saison Dupont – 6.5%
*Boulevard Tank 7 – 8.5%
*Lion Bridge Untitled Saison – 6.5% (growler only)
*Deschutes Zarabanda – 6.3%lion bridge
*Sierra Nevada Celebration – 6.8%
*Bells Two Hearted – 7%

**Time for Dessert** – as with most holidays there is usually a table reserved just for desserts. Now, you should have a cooler reserved for dessert beers.  I would have loved to include New Glarus on this list and they would be at the top but they aren’t distributed anywhere outside of Wisky. So for dessert I would go with:

Baron’s Recommendations:

*Schlafly Pumkin Ale – 8% – a no-brainer here. One of the better pumpkin beers on the market.
*Big Grove Russian Imperial Stout- this beer pairs excellent with dark fruits. Had it at the brewery in Solon with some of their pickled bing cherries and was blown away. (growler only)
*Millstream Raspberry Latte Stout – ? ABV – Millstream’s newest offering has me craving more. A great millstreamcombo of raspberry and stout that’s perfect for dessert.
*Stone Xocoveza – 8.1% – if you’re lucky enough to still have a bottle this would be a perfect way to end the evening. Chocolate, cinnamon, and coffee makes this the perfect beer after a big meal and the heat does a nice job of warming you up for a chilly Iowa November evening.

**As always, I’m sure I missed a bunch of beers. Feel free to send me your list and if you hear of any news, would like a guest review post, or questions drop me a line!**

 

Madhouse Brewing Barleywine Release Party Nov. 20 info

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madhouse

2014 Madhouse Barleywine Release Party

Where: Madhouse Brewing Company. 501 Scott Ave. Des Moines, IA. 50309

When: Thursday, Nov. 20th. 6-10pm.

What: Madhouse will be hosting an open house to celebrate the release to two barrel-aged Barleywines:

2014 Barleywine. Aged 10 months in Tennessee whiskey barrels. 10.5% abv. Aromas of butterscotch, whiskey, caramel and oak. Rich and creamy texture with flavors of brown sugar, fig, molasses, and baking spice.

2014 Gnarlywine. Barelywine aged 20 months in Jasper Winery Port barrels. 13.0% abv. Dark fruit and currant aromas blend with caramel and chocolate flavors.

 

This will be the first opportunity to purchase bottles of these products. Tastings and pints will also be available. We will also be opening remaining bottles of 2013 Barleywine for sampling.

Extras-

Bottle Share: Guests are encouraged to bring bottles of home-brewed or commercial examples of their favorite Barleywine for sharing.

 

Meats and cheese samples will be available which are selected by Madhouse staff to pair with Barleywine.

 

Music provided by DJ Brodacious

For more info-

Brewing phone- 515-988-5535

info@madhousebeer.com

Distribution Rumor: Avery Brewing coming to Iowa in 2015?

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averyThe latest gossip I’ve been hearing about breweries entering the Iowa market takes us to Boulder, Colorado and Avery Brewing company (www.averybrewing.com). While the brewery is undergoing another expansion from my sources it sounds like once expansion is complete in 2015 they will be looking to expand distribution into Iowa. Their 1.55 million gallons wasn’t enough to cover their previous distribution map and had to pull out of some states and put further distribution on hold. Now, with the new brewery it looks like they could be producing up to 500,000 barrels of sweet, wonderful brew.

There is not definite confirmation on this rumor quite yet but it sounds pretty promising so stay tuned to further developments. In the meantime, checkout and do a little research on Avery brews here: http://averybrewing.com/our-ales/

**If you have any beer news, rumors, a review you would like posted, feel free to drop me an email at benmed15@yahoo.com.

Free State Brewing heading to Iowa Shelves

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free stateFree State Brewing recently released the following information:

Iowa, we are coming to you! The Free State Brewing Co. will begin distribution in The Hawkeye State mid-November. Stay tuned for more info.

Wednesday | 11 – 12 >> Saturday | 11 – 15

If you are in the Des Moines, Ames or Iowa City area, look for Free Staters making appearances at select locations around town as we launch in Iowa. Stay in touch via Facebook or Twitter for details on time and place.

Follow this link to view their full list of beers! http://www.freestatebrewing.com/beer/

Prairie Christmas Bomb hitting shelves in a few weeks; will Iowa see it?

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christmas bombPrairie Artisan Ales will be releasing Christmas Bomb in the coming weeks with their normal Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Georgia distro and also through Shelton Brothers. The question is, will Iowa will be seeing any of this? I’m guessing it will be similar to Pirate Bomb and we will get a limited number. Here’s more on Christmas Bomb, sounds delicious!

In just a few more weeks, Christmas Bomb! will be hitting the shelves. This beer is the amazing base beer we all know and love with the addition of Christmas spices. With the weather starting to cool off and the leaves changing colors, I can’t think of a better beer for the season. This beer will see normal distribution in OK, TX, AR, GA and through the Shelton Brothers.

 

New Green Flash Beers hitting the Market in November

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soul styleComing in November, Green Flash brewing will ship out Soul Style IPA and Jibe Session IPA. Here’s more below on each brew courtesy of www.thefullpint.com.

About Soul Style IPA

Confident that the brewing team would develop an outstanding single IPA, the name “Soul Style” refers to the grace of the rarely seen, soul style surfer who leans way back on the board, making each difficult maneuver appear effortless. Soul Style is the Green Flash approach the art of crafting the perfect IPA. Citra, Simcoe and Cascade hops are layered to allow bright tropical citrus to mingle with waves of floral notes that break gently on the palate. Soul Style IPA is 6.5% ABV with 75 IBUs.

Brewmaster, Chuck Silva’s Tasting Notes for Soul Style IPA

Appearance – Orange Gold with bright white beer foam

Aroma – Very floral with tropical fruit including ripe mango and a hint of orange blossom honey

Flavor – Starts with a mellow pale malt sweetness then transitions to pungent hop flavors with grassy notes and a lingering but clean bitter finish. Dominant flavors – Clementine, Mango, Orange-Blossom

About Jibe Session IPA

With the wind at their backs, the Green Flash brewers made a sharp change in direction producing “JIBE”. But true to form, the Session IPA was brewed in an extreme way. Green Flash set out to produce to lowest ABV possible and still achieve bold, complex IPA flavor and body. Jibe Session IPA is a 4.0% ABV, 60 IBU “session” beer made with layers of Simcoe, Cascade and Amarillo hops. The flavor profile and mouth feel will satisfy consumer demand for a full-flavored Green Flash interpretation of the popular style.

Brewmaster Notes – Jibe Session IPA

Appearance – Yellow Gold with fluffy white beer foam

Aroma – Fresh, woodsy pine, eucalyptus, and Oroblanco grapefruit.

Flavor – Verdant hop leaf flavors dominate the lean body with a crisp mouth feel and lingering Oroblanco pithy bitterness.

Beer Review #119: Great Divide Oatmeal Yeti

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photo (1)A new brewery that has hit Eastern Iowa Shelves is Great Divide. I’ve had the pleasure of visiting downtown Denver on multiple occasions and sitting outside at the brewery and enjoying a few Yetis after a Rockies’ game. A brewery that has a really solid arsenal of beers I had never had the pleasure of enjoying an Oatmeal Yeti until this past weekend. I can’t remember the price tag on this brew, but it’s matched beers I’ve paid $15-20 for easily. This beer is brewed with rolled oats and raisins.

Here’s more on this brew:

Much like its legendary predecessors, this Yeti is big, bold and dark.  The addition of rolled oats softens Yeti’s notoriously roasty backbone and the small amount of raisins added in the brew kettle create a unique dark fruit character.  Just as admired as those that came before it, Oatmeal Yeti Imperial Stout is a softer beast.

Now, for those big beer drinkers that have had or would like to have Cigar City Marshal Zhukov, this brew would be the perfect warm up for you. For me, Marshal Zhukov had too much dark fruit flavor to go along with that viscous stout consistency, glad I tried it, don’t need it again. However, Oatmeal Yeti, brewed with raisins, has that dark fruit, but not overpowering and then the creaminess of a fantastic oatmeal stout. The only that sucks is that this is only a seasonal brew. I’m kicking myself for not grabbing a few more bottles of this to enjoy during the fall months.

STYLE: Imperial Stout

ABV: 9.5%

PURCHASED AT: Oakland Road Hy-Vee

POUR: Dark black with a thick, tan head.

AROMA: Dark chocolate and coffee.

TASTE: Dark chocolate and coffee with a touch of dark fruits.

Ratebeer.com rating: 99/100

Beeradvocate rating: 93/100

Overall: B+

My recommendation: Really enjoyed this brew! My kind of dark fruit stout, not too much, just the right amount. I would like more of this!

 

Bells Planet Series “Venus” coming next!

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venusI found the following information on http://beerstreetjournal.com/new-releases/. Bells Planet Series is coming with the follow up to Mars and 2nd of the series, according to Beer Street Journal, Venus is bottled and ready to ship. I really enjoyed Mars and and Venus will be quite a bit different but it sounds damn tasty all the same. It’s going to be a blonde ale with vanilla beans, cardamom, apricot juice, and honey. It will come in at 7.5% and be available in 12 oz bottles. Here’s more courtesy of Beer Street Journal and Bells press release:

 The second release in our Planets Series starts with spicy, fruity and light citrus notes along with herbal notes from cardamom in the aroma. Apricots contribute a very distinct tart character and sweetness from the vanilla rounds out the finish. More than 60 pounds of hand sliced vanilla beans were used to ferment this strong fruit and spice beer with a complex herbal fruit character.