Bell’s “The Planet Series” coming in August

June 6, 2014Leave a comment

Bells Brewery will be releasing a “Planet Series” of beers according to http://www.beerpulse.com and a Bell’s press release. The list is below and there are some very intriguing offerings that will be coming out, but it looks like it’s going to be limited. Here’s more:

(Comstock, MI) – In the same tradition as our Batch and Wheat Series,’ Bell’s Brewery, Inc.is proud to announce The Planet Series.

It will feature seven different beers each inspired by a different piece of music from the composer Gustav Holst. Each beer will be limited and released both in six-packs and on draft according to the arrangement of Holst’s composition across all area’s Bell’s distributes to.

The first Planet beer will be released this August with each successive entry debuting about every two months after. The final beer is scheduled for release in July 2015.

“Our two most successful brands come from a couple of my great literary references. This time, I took inspiration from a great piece of music,” said Larry Bell, Bell’s President and Founder.

“This piece, being in seven movements, gives us a lot of freedom to innovate and create,” he added.

Holst conceived the idea for “The Planets” in 1913 with the first complete performance occurring in 1920. Each movement of the suite is named after a different planet and its corresponding astrological character

The lineup:
“Mars, The Bringer of War” – Double IPA
“Venus, The Bringer of Peace” – A Blonde Ale brewed with honey, apricot, vanilla and cardamom
“Mercury, The Winged Messenger” – A Belgian Single
“Jupiter, The Bringer of Jollity” – A malt forward Brown Ale
“Saturn, The Bringer of Old Age” – A Bourbon Barrel-aged Barleywine
“Uranus, The Magician” – Black Double IPA
“Neptune, The Mystic” – A beer inspired by Dr. Bell’s Medicinal Stout, one of Larry Bell’s homebrews that also helped inspire Eccentric Ale

More information will be released as it becomes available on the Bell’s website (bellsbeer.com) as well as on its social media channels (Facebook, Twitter and Google+).

Iowa Craft Brew Festival list of Beers

June 3, 2014Leave a comment

images

The following information comes from http://www.iowabeer.org. Here is a list of breweries and beers that will be attending the Iowa Craft Brew Festival on June 14th in Des Moines.

515 Brewing
*OJ IPA
*Mexican Spring

Anchor Brewing
*Anchor IPA
*Anchor Liberty

Albia Brewing Company
*Avery Pale Ale
*Albia IPA
*Soap Creek Shandy
*Grant & Benjamin’s Root Beer

Backpocket Brewing Company-Coralville, IA

TBD

Big Sky Brewing Company-Missoula, MT

Big Sky IPA

Big Sky Moose Drool Brown Ale

Blue Moon Brewing Company-Golden, CO

Blue Moon Belgian White

Blue Moon Summer

Boone Valley Brewing Company-Boone, IA

Roxie Irish Red Ale

Iron Horse IPA

Double IPA

Hefeweizen

Midnight Stout

Dunkelweizen

Boston Beer

TBD

Boulevard Brewing Company-Kansas City, MO

Wheat

Pop-Up IPA

80-Acre

KC Pils

Zon

Brick Street Brewing Company-Woodbine, IA

TBD

Broad Street Brewing Company-Reinbeck, IA

Sticky Wicket

CooCooCachoo

Pale Ale

CIB Brewery-Carson, IA

Pott. County Purple (Belgian Trippel IPA)

John’s Sour Ale Batch #2 (aged on charred burr oak staves)

Strawberry Tart (sour American Ale fermented with strawberries)

Confluence Brewing Company-Des Moines, IA

TBD

Court Avenue Restaurant & Brewing Company-Des Moines, IA

ESB

Biere de Garde

Bock (Cody Road Bourbon barrel-aged)

Belgian Golden Strong (aged in a wine barrel with caramelized blueberries)

Crispin Cider-Colfax, CA

Crispin Original

Crispin Pear

Crispin Blackberry Pear

Deb’s Brewtopia-Elkader, IA

TBD

Empyrean Brewing Company-Lincoln, NE

Third Stone Brown

Super Nova Summer Ale

Watchman IPA

Dark Side Vanilla Porter

Burning Skye Scottish Ale

Exile Brewing Company-Des Moines, IA

TBD

Founders Brewing Company-Grand Rapids, MI

All Day IPA

Dirty Bastard

Dry Hopped Pale Ale

Great River Brewery-Davenport, IA

Dirty Blonde Chocolate Ale

The Herd IPA

Tripel Crank

Golden Ale

Granite City Food & Brewery-Cedar Rapids, Clive & Davenport, IA

TBD

Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company-Chippewa Falls, WI

Summer Shandy

Sunset Wheat

Kalona Brewing Company-Kalona, IA

TBD

Keg Creek Brewing Company-Glenwood, IA

Apricot Wheat

Keg Creek IPA

Impure Thoughts Saison

Waseya Cream Ale

Lake Time Brewery-Clear Lake, IA

8:08 Coffee Brown Ale

Chasing Sunsets Amber Ale

Lion Bridge Brewing Company-Cedar Rapids, IA

Iron Lion (Belgian Strong Ale w/ Hibiscus and Ginger)

Ryed in the English Countryside (English Rye IPA)

Workman’s Compensation (Dark Mild)

Živá Voda Czech Pilsner

Untitled Saison

Lost Duck Brewery-Fort Madison, IA

TBD

Madhouse Brewing Company-Des Moines, IA

Honey Pilsner

Pastime Pale Ale

Hopburst IPA

Oak-Aged Imperial Red

Sumatra Coffee Stout

Maple City Brewing Company-Osage, IA

Sage Hopper IPA

Dam Sweet Wheat

Kealiher’s Irish Red Ale

Osager Weiss

Millstream Brewing Company-Amana, IA

White IPA

Schild Brau Amber Lager

Hefe “r” Weissen

Iowa Pale Ale

Old-Fashioned Root Beer

Moonstruck Meadery

TBD

Nebraska Brewing Company

TBD

New American Brewing Company-Ankeny, IA

1789 Porter

Independence Pale Ale

Shenanigans Session IPA

Double IPA

New Belgium Brewing Company-Fort Collins, CO

Fat Tire Amber Ale

Snapshot

Rampant Imperial IPA

Ranger IPA

Summer Helles

Number 7 Brewery-Ankeny, IA

Drunken Sailor IPA

Number 7 Amber

TBD

Okoboji Brewing Company-Spirit Lake, IA

Veneration IPA

Shot in the Dark Vanilla Cream Stout

Boji Blue Pale Ale w/ Apricots

Coffee Porter

Olde Main Brewing Company-Ames, IA

Dinkey Wheat®

Off KILTer Scottish Ale

Lemontyme Lemon Ale

Peace Tree Brewing Company-Knoxville, IA

Blonde Fatale

Red Rambler

Hop Wrangler

Sidekick

Royale 41

Indecision Dark IPA

Rye Porter

Templeton Hop Wrangler

Raccoon River Brewing Company-Des Moines, IA

Vanilla Cream Ale

Homestead Red

Bandit IPA

Cerveza Negra

TBD

Redd’s Brewing Company-Milwaukee WI

Redd’s Apple Ale

Redd’s Strawberry

Schlafly-St. Louis, MO

Pale Ale

Helles Summer Lager

Dry Hopped APA

Yakima Wheat

IPA

Kolsch

SingleSpeed Brewing Company-Cedar Falls, IA

Stout (un-named)

IPA Blanco (White IPA)

Smith & Forge-Memphis, TN

S & F Hard Cider

Spoetzel Brewing Company-Shiner, TX

Shiner Ruby Redbird

Shiner Bock

Shiner Wild Hare Pale Ale

Stone Brewing Company-San Diego, CA

TBD

Summit Brewing Company

TBD

Tallgrass Brewing Company-Manhattan, KS

Halcyon Wheat

8-Bit Pale Ale

Ethos IPA

Pub Ale

Thunderhead Brewing Company

Golden Frau Honey Wheat

Cropduster IPA

Cornstalker Dark Wheat

Leatherhead Red

Toppling Goliath Brewing Company-Decorah, IA

Zeelander IPA

Smoove Opferator Brown Ale

Pseudo Sue Pale Ale

Dorothy’s New World Lager

Third Base Brewery-Cedar Rapids, IA

IPA

Session IPA

Hefeweizen

TBD

Twisted Vine Brewery-St. Charles, IA

Nugget IPA

Old Crusty’s Scottish Ale

Twisted Blonde (wine barrel-aged)

West O Beer-West Okoboji, IA

West O Pilsner Lager

West O Smoked Red

Holy L Session India Pale Lager

Honeysuckle Saison

10FOOT10 Double IPA

Woodchuck Cider-Springfield, VT

Amber

Granny Smith

Pear

Raspberry

Summer

Worth Brewing Company-Northwood, IA

Queen’s Pride Honey Lager

Devil’s Delight Dark Lager

Cascadian Concussion Black IPA

Zipline Brewing Company

TBD

Deschutes future releases: Bock, Belgian IPA, Black Butte XXVI

June 2, 2014Leave a comment

The following information comes from beerpulse.com. More beers heading to our shelves this summer, should be great beers all summer long!

(Bend, OR) – Deschutes Brewery shared a newsletter update this week including some info on upcoming beer releases. More below…

—

Doppel Dinkel Bock 10.5% Alc. by Vol. / 17 IBUs

This third Conflux Series brew features a collaboration with Distelhauser Brewery of Germany who have been brewing beer since 1811.

A connection between our two breweries was discovered over 10 years ago, so we decided it was high time we created a beer together to celebrate this beautiful relationship.

Our brewmasters decided on a Doppel Dinkel Bock or Imperial Spelt Beer. Spelt is an ancient species of wheat traditionally used to bake bread, but the malty, wheat and slightly spicy flavors of this ingredient combine with very fragrant notes (including bubblegum, clove, banana, and just a hint of citrus), to give this beer a ton of flavors and an outstanding aroma. Double down with this Doppel Dinkel Bock collaboration…its smooth, full bodied and drinkableness (is that a word?) will make the Bavarian in you, very proud! CONFLUX SERIES NO. 3

AVAILABILITY: Late June in 22 oz. bottles and on draft in limited quantities in most states where Deschutes Brewery beers are sold

Foray Belgian Style IPA 6.5% Alc. by Vol. / 60 IBUs

A brand-new addition to our lineup, this beer made its way into bottles the same way all of our Bond Street Series beers do – by being a popular “experiment” at our pubs. When our “focus group” of pub patrons rave about one of our pub exclusive beers loud enough and for long enough, we make every attempt to make it more widely available to our fans. This bright golden color and medium bodied Belgian Style IPA complement dry, fruity esters and tropical fruit flavors. Foray is a journey during which Belgian yeast delivers hints of apples and pear, and the citrus Galaxy hop aroma make this a trip worth taking. BOND STREET SERIES

AVAILABILITY: June – September in 22 oz. bottles and on draft where Deschutes Brewery beers are sold

Black Butte XXVI ~11% Alc. by Vol.

Each year, we celebrate our anniversary with a huge double version of our flagship Black Butte Porter. Our brewers love to experiment and they always add some fun new ingredients to this beer. In the
past, we’ve added chilies, chocolate nibs, dates, figs and tart goodness. This year, we’ve added cranberries, pomegranate molasses and Theo’s cocoa nibs to this 50 percent bourbon barrel-aged awesomeness. Like all of our Reserve Series beers, we encourage you to drink one upon its release and put some away for later. Some things just get better with age! Head on over to our Bend or Portland Pubs on June 27th for a snifter or bottle of this beer. We’d love to celebrate with you! RESERVE SERIES

AVAILABILITY: June 27th in 22 oz. wax-dipped bottles and on draft in limited quantity in all. 25 states where Deschutes Brewery beers are sold.

Retro Beer Company Launching in Dubuque, IA June 2nd!

May 30, 2014Leave a comment

Get ready Dubuque. We are ready to celebrate with you. Retro Beer will be launching in Dubuque, Iowa at various locations the week of June 2^nd! We would love for you to come out and meet the Retro Beer team. Here are two events we would like to invite you to:

Hartig Drug in Dubuque will be hosting a beer tasting on June 5^th from 4-6pm.
On Friday, June 6^th we will have a tent at the Dubuque Relay For Life from 5-10pm giving away free promotional items such as Retro Beer bottle opener key chains and T-shirts! Come say hello.

Go to the link below to learn about the rest of launch week, and be sure to follow us on our Retro social media sites!

Retro Beer Launch Week: https://www.facebook.com/events/588174581290784/

Q: How did Retro Beer Company come to be?

Put simply, we are three friends that wanted to make a difference in the world and have fun doing it. We were literally sitting around a table drinking beer one night, and we talked about how we can make a difference. This led to our idea to launch a beer that gives back.

Q: 100% of your profits go to local causes, was this the initial intent when you started?

No, we originally were thinking we would do 10% or 20% like others have done, but after talking with some distributors and retailers, we figured out quickly this was not enough to make a difference. We went all in at 100%.

Q: You guys will be going to Dubuque, IA soon, what attracted you guys to Dubuque?

We were attracted to the rivertown story that Dubuque has to offer. A town full of history, hard working people, and good ol’ Midwest values. Dubuque has a great community and great craft beer focus. Dubuque is just like Retro Beer in that we have a local community focus and a great craft beer! We felt like our Retro values of community, generosity, and philanthropy would really resonate with the people here. We also wanted a market that represents America in the best possible way. If our message resonates here, it will work in other cities where people care about each other and care about giving back as well.

There is a booming craft beer focus in Dubuque. We believe this is the place to launch our purpose for great craft beer enthusiasts. One thing about Iowa is….they love their beer!

Q: How would you describe your beers? What styles do you offer?

Our first beer launching on June 2^nd is our Give-a-Shift Czech Style Pilsner. It is a crisp Pilsner that tastes great after a long day. Our hope is consumers will always enjoy more than one beer, which helps out our causes even more.

Q: Will there be any new beers coming in the future?

Yes, we already have our next beer named and are working on bringing it to market in the fall. For-the-Record Belgian Ale is a palate satisfying, not too overpowering, quality Belgian Ale. It has a high level of hops but the flavor is nicely balanced out for a smooth flavor.

Q: Will your beers be on tap at various Dubuque locations or be available in bottles?

It will only be available in bottles to start because we found out that you need to commit to large minimum keg quantities from keg suppliers. Since we are just launching we are not ready for that yet, but we hope to be soon.

Q: What beers, brewers, or breweries were your inspiration?

We really like Lagunitas and are inspired by their focus on quality beer. We also draw inspiration from some of the great Retro beers like PBR, Coors, Guinness, and the original craft beer, Sam Adams.

Q: Is there anything else the public needs to know about Retro Beer Company?

I know it is cheesy but our tag line really says it all…Retro Beer Company, ”Shifting the purpose behind beer!”

Huge Green Flash Hop Odyssey Update: 2014 Releases

May 29, 20142 Comments

Huge update on Green Flash future releases for their Hop Odyssey series. This update is courtesy of http://www.beerpulse.com. Short version:

White IPA
Available: Jun-July

Citra Session
Aug-Sept.

Cedar Plank
Oct.-Nov.

Symposium IPA
Oct-Nov.

It sounds like Eastern Iowa should have all of them except maybe the Cedar Plank as that sounds a bit more limited, but I could be wrong on that front.

Long version courtesy of http://www.beerpulse.com:

(San Diego, CA) – Green Flash Brewing Co. announced this week that the latest beer in its Hop Odyssey / Epic Journey (which is it?) series will make its taproom debut on June 3rd. Distribution will follow soon thereafter. There are still three more beers to be released in this collection later in the year. Below is a sneak preview.

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WHITE IPA
EPIC JOURNEY, LIMITED RELEASE
While developing the recipe for our White IPA, we lined up malted wheat and more than a dozen hop varieties to select the three hops with the most citrus character: Simcoe, Amarillo and El Dorado. A citrus hop explosion leaps from the glass with big tangerine aromas up front, while hop flavors of bitter orange zest dominate and linger to the finish.

INDIA PALE ALE
IBU’S: 95 ABV: 7.0% AVAILIBILITY: JUN-JUL

CITRA SESSION
EPIC JOURNEY, LIMITED RELEASE
Our Citra Session™ IPA is brewed with high-quality Marris Otter and Vienna malt but the flavor is dominated by the Citra hops introduced throughout the boil and again in the dry hop for maximum aroma intensity. Notes of lemon, orange and grapefruit make this hop-laden brew a perfectly potable summer session IPA.

INDIA PALE ALE
IBU’S: 40 ABV: 4.5% AVAILIBILITY: AUG-SEP

—

[No Label Approval Yet]

CEDAR PLANK
EPIC JOURNEY, LIMITED RELEASE
Cedar Plank™ Pale is the result of fresh innovation applied to San Diego favorite, 30th Street Pale®. This well-hopped brew is aged with Spanish Cedar, which imparts an intense cigar-box cedar aroma. Peppercorn spiciness and tannins from the wood enhance the bitter hop flavors with a long, lingering finish. A refined twist on a best-selling local beer.

INDIA PALE ALE
IBU’S: 44 ABV: 6.0% AVAILIBILITY: OCT-NOV

—

SYMPOSIUM IPA
EPIC JOURNEY, LIMITED RELEASE
Originally created for the 2008 Craft Brewers Conference, Symposium IPA™ was brewed in true San Diego form, with input from several local brewers. Extravagantly hopped with Simcoe, Tomahawk, Amarillo, Cascade and Centennial layered throughout the brewing process, this beer is pale copper and medium bodied.

INDIA PALE ALE
IBU’S: 75 ABV: 7.0% AVAILIBILITY: OCT-NOV

Southern Tier Update, Millstream’s newest Xtreme Release

May 29, 2014Leave a comment

I just received word from a very reliable source that Southern Tier Brewing coming to Iowa has been put on the backburner until at the earliest 2015. A lot can change between now and then but that is the latest word on their distribution to Iowa. Still waiting on more for news on Oskar Blues, Lagunitas, Alaskan, and a few others. Hope to see a few new brews on the shelves this summer, if not, Eastern Iowa shelves have a abundance of terrific brews on the shelves.

One brewery we can always rely on is Millstream. They will be releasing their newest Xtreme Series brew soon and it is going to be a Black IPA called Dogs on Skis. Here’s more about this beer from www.millstreambrewing.com.

This beer takes on the characteristics of both a very hoppy IPA and a Stout all in one beer. It showcases the malty, coffee, roasted notes as well as the bitterness that continues to play in an IPA.   We also partnered up with one of our local favorite bands, Dogs on Skis, to come up with this special beer!

8% ABV     87 IBU     20 OG         5.5 FG
Malts: 2 Row, Munich 20L, ESM         Hops: Millennium, Cascade,
Chocolate, Black Wheat, Roasted                 Willamette, Mt Hood

                                               Available June – August

New Stone Stochasticity Project beer hitting shelves June 2nd

May 16, 20141 Comment

The following information comes courtesy of http://www.beerpulse.com.

(Escondido, CA) – In hopes that Stone Brewing Co. manages to escape the Cocos Fire unscathed, the company is planning a special release for the first week of June. Stone Stochasticity Project Quadrotriticale slated for a June 2nd release. Below is some marketing copy on the beer.

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A lost member of the Stone Vertical Epic Ale series:
When testing the inherent makeup of the quadrupel—the warmest and darkest of Trappist monastery beer styles—we added triticale, a hybrid grain combining the pleasant flavor of wheat with the elemental durability of rye. We originally explored this nouveau twist on a traditional style in 2010, when brewing a test batch of a potential beer in our Stone Vertical Epic Ale series. Brewmaster Mitch Steele reached for and subsequently improved on that pilot recipe, bringing it to life as part of the Stone Stochasticity Project. The result is a quad that’s lower in sweetness, but rich with dried fruit and spice nuances.

Stone Saison coming in Mid-April

March 25, 2014Leave a comment

Their first real “seasonal” beer according to beerpulse.com is coming this April. More from beerpulse.com:

Though the company has released beers like Double Bastard Ale on an annual basis, it has been steadfast that those not be considered “seasonals.” That changes with Stone Saison which is branded as a “spring-to-summer” beer according to marketing materials.

As a Saison fan I’m very excited to see what Stone brings to the table with a Saison. Their Matt’s Burning Rosids was very good, very smoky, and pretty heavy on the ABV being in a 22 oz bomber. With the Saison 6-packs I’m hoping for a more moderate 6% ABV and having a few after the first few morel mushroom hunting sessions of the spring. Here’s more from Stone:

In spring 2011, Stone bought the farm, literally, taking over 19 acres of fertile Southern California soil where we now grow pristine fruits, vegetables, herbs and more for our Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens restaurants. A taste of our homespun farm-to-table is provided in this farmhouse ale stoked with lemon zest, lemon thyme and lavender straight from Stone Farms. This spring-to-summer saison is citric and herbal on the palate with a dry, peppery finish. Thanks to the infusion of fresh West Coast ingredients, Stone Saison isn’t your everyday saison. It’s our saison — 100% Stone. Celebrate the sunny season with an authentic taste of our farm and, with it, our commitment to quality.

New to Shelves this Week: Off Color, Stone RIS, Peace Tree

March 24, 2014Leave a comment

Some brews and breweries hitting shelves and tap lines this week have quite a few people excited. I was lucky enough to be at the Sanctuary in downtown Iowa City last Tuesday and got to try Off Color Brewings Dino’smores! An imperial stout that really gives you the marshmallow/graham cracker/chocolate that I was hoping to taste. Really, really enjoyed it. It would be the perfect accompaniment to a nice fall evening! I know Off Color has Dino’smores on certain taplines (Reds Alehouse,Sanctuary) but I’m not sure who else has it. Scurry and Troublesome from Off Color are available as well but I can’t tell you exactly who has them, I would contact your liquor store. Here’s more on those 3 Off Color beers, if you see more from them or know who else has their bottles/taps, drop me a line. Thanks!

Off Color Dino’smores:
Ratebeer: 94/100
Beeradvocate: 91/100
Style: Imperial Stout
From the brewery:
Imperial Marshmallow Stout brewed with graham crackers, cocoa nibs, & vanilla beans

Off Color Scurry:
Ratebeer: 84/100
Beeradvocate: 84/100
Style: Altbier
From the brewery:
Honey beer with molasses and oats
Don’t let the color scare you. This surprisingly dry beer retains all the aroma and nuance of honey (from bees) and molasses (not from bees) creating the perception of sweetness through cool, controlled fermentation. Because we’re sweet enough dammit.

Off Color Troublesome:
Ratebeer: 87/100
Beeradvocate: 87/100
Style: Gose
From the brewery:
Most brewers spend a lot of time and effort keeping lactobacillus out of their breweries; it was the first thing we brought in (it still has to stay in the corner though). We blend together two different beers to make Troublesome. The first is a somewhat uninteresting wheat beer and the second is an overly acidic & funky beer fermented solely with lactobacillus. We blend the two beers together with coriander and salt at the tail end of fermentation to create a mild, lemony tartness and a fuller sensation of mouthfeel. And yes, it’s hard to make.

Also coming this week is Stone Russian Imperial Stout and Peace Tree No Coast. I haven’t had either of these beers yet so I’m really excited to give them a try. The Stone RIS and Peace Tree beers should be available for purchase tomorrow, not sure on when/if we will see them on tap. Here’s more on these two beers.

Stone Russian Imperial Stout:
Ratebeer: 100/100
Beeradvocate: 97/100
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
From the brewery:
“There’s no question that Stone Imperial Stout is revered among enthusiasts,” states Stone CEO Greg Koch. “I know, because I’m one of ’em and I can hardly wait for it to come out each year!” Some may think that a late Spring release for a special brew of this sort is an odd time for it to come out onto the market. Koch justifies this with the rationalization “What better than a warm time of year to come out with a brew that tastes great as it warms up!” That’s because “ice cold” is certainly not the appropriate way to serve the beer. Nearly without exception, the darker, richer and more alcoholic a brew is, the warmer the serving temperature should be. The Stone Imperial Stout label describes the brew as being “intensely aromatic (notes of anise, black currants, coffee, roastiness and alcohol) and heavy on the palate…expect this mysterious brew to pour like used motor oil and taste even heavier! Serve at 55 degrees.”

Oskar Blues Heading to Iowa?

March 4, 2014Leave a comment

Just received the following picture from a friend on twitter. If you read carefully the bottom of the first paragraph that is posted you will see the following, “Oskar Blues will also add distribution in Missouri, West Virginia and IOWA in 2014.”

Some great news here if it holds up, let’s hope it does, especially since we got the big N-O from Odell for distribution. Here is a quick list of beers available from Oskar Blues:

YEAR ROUND BREW
*Dales Pale Ale
*Mama’s Little Yella Pils
*Old Chub – Scottish Strong Ale
*Deviant Dales – IPA
*G’Night – imperial red
*Gubna- Imperial IPA
*Ten Fidy – Imperial Stout