Deschutes Black Butte XXVI hitting shelves

black butteI haven’t seen or heard anyone picking up or seeing bottles of this on the shelves, but according to a Ratebeer email this brew hit shelves the 27th. Still waiting on confirmation from a few beer retailers but it should be here soon. Here’s the press release:

26th Birthday Reserve
Unavailable
Porter
Limited Quantities
Alc. 10.8%
22 oz serving
Our 26th anniversary Imperial Porter was aged in bourbon barrels and dry spiced with Theo Chocolate’s cocoa nibs, revealing hints of vanilla and chocolate. Pomegranate molasses and Oregon cranberries complement the robust flavor with a hint of fruit and just enough tart to make you smile. 

Malt: Pale, Wheat, Midnight Wheat, Chocolate, Crystal
Hops: Millennium, Cascade, US Tettnang
Other: Theo Chocolate Cocoa Nibs, Pomegranate Molasses, Cranberries
Barrel-Aging: 6 Months in Bourbon (50%)

Released June 27th, 2014
Pairings
Toasted Walnut Buttermilk Pancakes with Cranberry Maple Syrup 
Black-Pepper Crusted New York Steaks with Black Truffle Vinaigrette
Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates with Prosciutto

Guest Review: sLim Reviews Eatery A; Des Moines, IA

eatery AThanks for the review sLim!
Been too long since my last guest review. Time to shake off the cobwebs and get back at it! I’ll start it off by getting the word out on a fairly new dining venue in the Ingersoll corridor of Des Moines, located at 2932 Ingersoll Ave . The restaurant goes by the name “Eatery A”. Initially I thought I was going to be dining at an Italian Restaurant. But upon reading the menu, it appears they’re labeled as a Mediterranean. The first of which sLim has ever been to (I mean, would you ever expect a guy who goes by the name of sLim to eat at a place that didn’t have chicken-fried steak on the menu?).
The inner and outer décor suit the place very well. Very modern and artistic, their large, elevated patio overlooks quaint Ingersoll Avenue. The inside was upscale and welcoming at the same time. Think along the lines of a slightly more casual Cheesecake Factory.
Happy Hour-This establishment is really pushing their happy hour specials to bring in customers. It runs from 3-6, EVERY day of the week. At this time, you can get half-price pizzas and half-price wine and draft beers. The pizzas are roughly 12’’ which can easily feed one person or two people with moderate appetites. I was impressed by how many people were there at 5 on a Tuesday. While the restaurant was booming, it still gave off a relaxed atmosphere. I would highly recommend taking advantage of these specials the first time you go there, and with it being offered 7 days a week they are accommodating to nearly anyone’s schedule.
Beer-Their selection is respectable. Their wine selection is a bit more extensive but there are enough beer offerings to satisfy your typical craft brew junkie. It was good to see mostly Iowa breweries featured in their limited tap offerings (Confluence, Millstream, and Backpocket). The more notable beers are offered in bottles (Ommegang Abbey, Stillwater Statewide Saison, and Green Flash Double Stout). They did a good job of making sure all styles were covered so that virtually any food item on their menu would have a corresponding drink that would pair well.
Food-As I stated earlier, the pizza is what I came to try. While they have 14 different offerings, all priced at $13, they are not the types of pizzas you would see offered at Godfather’s. If you’re like me, you wouldn’t know what you were getting yourself into based off of the unfamiliar names of the ingredients.  Rest assured, your server can clear things up for you and help you select one that would like. I went with the #5 which was somewhat of a gyro turned pizza conglomeration. I was impressed; the gyro meat combined with the white sauce is what stood out to me the most. Many of their other menu offerings look very worthwhile in addition to their well established wood-fired pizza.
All in all, this is a fine new restaurant to the Des Moines area, perfect for nearly any occasion. They are doing a lot of things right and I believe it’ll translate to success in the long run. There are several other places nearby so that you could make quite the experience out of a trip to this area. You could grab a post meal dessert/drink at Crème cupcake or a drink on the patio at the original Wellman’s. No shortage of options in this area but whatever the case, be sure to include Eatery A in on your next visit to the Ingersoll corridor.

Update on Iowa City/Coralville’s newest beer bar: 30 Hop

30hop

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Iowa River landing’s website recently gave its Facebook followers an update on the progress of 30 Hop, which is an American Grill and Craft beer bar. Owners of Big Grove Brewery, Blackstone, Vesta, and Reds Alehouse have announced a possible opening at the end of July and recently hired a chef. Here’s the article courtesy of http://www.iowariverlanding.com:

30hop will be the next business to open in the Iowa River Landing. It is a restaurant/bar with the area’s first rooftop patio. Located directly east of the University of Iowa Healthcare Clinic on the corner of 2nd Avenue and 9th street as guests turn to approach Von Maur.

After utilizing the owners’ network of Big Grove Brewery, BlackStone, Reds Alehouse, and Vesta in search of a chef with a fresh perspective, 30hop is excited to announce the hiring of Ryan Funk as Executive Chef.

Ryan is originally from Iowa City, graduated from the Art Institute of California-San Diego before helping Top Chef contestant, Brian Malarkey, open Burlap restaurant in San Diego. After the corporation shifted focus, Ryan was integral in the transition of Burlap restaurant to another concept, Searsucker. This is where he furthered his culinary skills working alongside voted San Diego best Chef Anthony Sinsay. During his time in culinary school, Ryan was a student worker allowing him to gain extra mentoring from some of the best Chef Instructors in the Nation.

Ryan will provide a refined perspective on modern American cuisine for 30hop. He will focus on introducing fresh & seasonal ingredients in a creative way, while making the dishes approachable and unique with an Asian inspired twist.

30hop is looking to open towards the end of July. The restaurant is currently looking to hire 130 employees. Please email Managing Partner Dan Blum at dan@30hop.com for questions, employment information, and to set up an interview. Ryan Funk is available at ryan@30hop.com. The website is under construction, but is available at www.30hop.com.

Bell’s “The Planet Series” coming in August

bellsBells 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

 

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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

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

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

deschutes

 

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

Deschutes Doppel Dinkel Bock

(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

Deschutes Foray Belgian IPA label

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

Deschutes Black Butte XXVI

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!

 

999401_521468181258814_1893418816_nGet ready Dubuque. We are ready to celebrate with you. Retro Beer will be launching in Dubuque, Iowa at various locations the week of June 2nd! 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 5th from 4-6pm.
  • On Friday, June 6th 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.

1619362_659154430823521_2454454448649266294_nGo 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/

Relay For Life_ Retro  Beer

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 2nd 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

green flashHuge 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.

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

southern tierI 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.

 

dogs on skisOne 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