Tag: iowa beer baron

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.

New Belgium releasing Slow Ride Session IPA in cans

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slow rideThe following comes from mybeerbuzz.blogspot.com. (http://mybeerbuzz.blogspot.com/2014/10/mybeerbuzzcom-new-belgium-to-release.html)

Another session IPA hitting the market, it will be interesting to see how it matches up with the likes of Stone Go To, Founders All Day, Lagunitas Daytime. Here’s more from mybeerbuzz.

Here’s your breaking craft beer news of the day so tell your friends where you saw it first..  New Belgium will be releasing a NEW session IPA named Slow Ride IPA.  This beer will feature new artwork, it will be packaged in 12oz cans (and kegs) and come in at a sessionable 4.5% ABV.

What to drink? What to drink?

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lagunitasThree breweries have/are entering the Eastern Iowa market in the next few weeks. Great Divide is here, New Holland Brewing is on their way, and Lagunitas has had a little trickle of their beers around but a big rollout is coming. Adding those three breweries along with all the others that are currently on our shelves, the wonderful dilemma of what to buy because there are so many choices is out there. Now, I know the talk of some oversaturation is out there and that is for a different blog post, but I would like to know what beer are you looking forward to the most from these breweries? We will be able to do the same thing once Surly, Southern Tier, and whoever else decide to enter the market. Would love to hear some comments as well!

 

Next Founders Backstage Series Release: Big Lushious Chocolate Raspberry Stout

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foundersFounders Facebook page has given their Backstage Series Release for this winter and I’m very excited to get my hands a bottle of this outstanding sounding brew. Here’s the brewery update:

Announcing the next beer in our Backstage Series: Big Lushious, a chocolate raspberry stout that will be released for the holidays.

We plan to introduce Big Lushious, a chocolate raspberry stout, this December to mark the eleventh installment in our Backstage Series. Like all of our Backstage Series beers, Big Lushious will be sold in 750mL bottles, with a suggested retail price of $16.99 per bottle.

Big Lushious is a deep, rich stout that’s packed with flavor: roasted malts, all-natural dark chocolate, a subtle suggestion of burnt coffee grounds and a kiss of tart raspberries. At 7.8% ABV, it’s big, sumptuous and extravagant, but also balanced.

“We thought Big Lushious would make a great release for the holidays,” said Co-Founder and Vice President of Brand & Education Dave Engbers. “It’s a luxurious beer for us. It’s meant for bringing to parties and is perfect for sharing with friends and family after a feast.”

Big Lushious will be released in limited quantities across our distribution footprint beginning on Monday, December 1, and will be available at our taproom that same week. This will be our last Backstage Series release in 2014—look for more in 2015.

7.8% ABV