Tag: iowa beer baron

New to Eastern Iowa Shelves: Summit, Goose Island, Tallgrass

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Some new brews will be hitting Eastern Iowa shelves or already available now. Summit has a new beer in their Union Series called Meridian Session ale, Goose Island has their 25th anniversary ale, and Tallgrass now has an IPA called Ethos. Here’s a little more info for each of these beers:

*Summit Union Series #1: Meridian Session Ale – Belgian Ale – 4.5% – Summit kicks off the new limited-release Union Seriessummit with Meridian Session Ale. Inspired by Belgian Enkel (single) style ales. Drinkable yet distinctive. Simple in design yet complex in character. Brewed with a single malt, Concerto Pale, that’s a rising star in the UK and a new hop variety called Meridian that was actually discovered by accident in Oregon (more on that story below). Of course, we called it Meridian Session Ale for a reason. So don’t let the whole single-minded thing keep you from ordering another round.

25th*Goose Island 25th Anniversary -ESB – 6.1% – Brewed as a collaboration between Goose Island Brewmaster Brett Porter, Senior Brewer Keith Gabbett, Pub Brewmaster Nick Barron and Alumni Brewmaster Greg Hall. Deep mahogany color, rich fruit aroma with notes of lilac, big malt body with touches of roast and a dry, crisp finish.

ethos*Tallgrass Ethos – 6.8% – IPA – This beer was known as Area 51 IPA during development. Ethos is our new West Coast style IPA…double dry-hopped using 6 different hop varietals. Juicy, citrusy, dank.

New Belgium adds 2 new beers to Lips of Faith Series

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newbelgiumNew Belgium Brewing (www.newbelgium.com) is releasing 2 new beers into the Lips of Faith series. Would love to hear thoughts on these two beers and where you can find them. The following is courtesy of beerpulse.com.

(Fort Collins, CO) – New Belgium Brewing, maker of Fat Tire Amber Ale and a wide variety of award-winning beers, has two new quarterly Lips of Faith offerings now available:Paardebloem, which is the newest collaboration with Red Rock Brewing in Salt Lake City, and Pluot.

Paardebloem is the sixth collaboration beer with Red Rock Brewing. The beer brings together a newbelgium#2diverse set of ingredients ranging from peach juice to dandelion greens. It blends funky brettanomyces with New Belgium’s house Belgian ale yeast, and includes a touch of wood-aged sour beer and Grains of Paradise. Paardebloem pours a light, hazy gold and is 9 percent ABV.

Pluot is a subtly sweet ale made from pluot juice, which is a hybrid of a plum and an apricot. Pluot is light golden, delivering fruity aromas and distinct esters. It is also created with house Belgian ale yeast and brettanomyces, bringing a hint of spice and a malty backbone. ABV is 10 percent. Both of these Lips of Faith selections will be available through July or until supplies run out.

“All three of these selections are bold statements of Belgian tradition, offering imagination in every pour,” said New Belgium Assistant Brewmaster Grady Hull. “The Lips of Faith series was created for those wanting to push their palate.”

As you begin your annual festival and beer-tasting planning, don’t forget to see if either New Belgium’s Tour de Fat (https://www.facebook.com/TourDeFat/events) or Clips Beer and Film Tour (https://www.facebook.com/ClipsBeerAndFilmTour/events) is coming to your area.

To find New Belgium beers near you, use the New Belgium Libation Location tool: http://www.newbelgium.com/beer.aspx. Pricing varies by location. You can also follow New Belgium on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/newbelgium and Twitter @NewBelgium.

Beer Review #103: Founders Breakfast Stout

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breakfastThere might not be a more proper beer for breakfast than Founders Breakfast Stout. I know that it is the time of year when people stop thinking about stouts and start heading into the lighter, more refreshing realm of the craft beer world. STOP! Don’t put away the stouts yet! This style of beer still holds a place among beers to drink during the spring and summer months.

I also realize that Breakfast Stout from Founders (www.foundersbrewing.com) shelf time has come and gone, and is now being replaced by All Day IPA (a great beer!) but I’ve been able to find a few four packs left and in my opinion this beer is tasting as good if not better than when it was initially released this year.

The first thing that grabs your attention with this brew is the fantastic artwork on the bottle label. A baby eating oatmeal for breakfast…easily one of the best labels and one of the reasons I first tried this beer years ago. The 2nd thing is the obviously the smell and taste. The aroma of coffee, chocolate, and roasted malt justify you cracking one of these bad boys open on Saturday morning and sit back and read your morning paper. The flavor is the same; the coffee and chocolate star but do not overpower with wonderful stout. Here’s more from the brewery:

You’ve got to love coffee to truly appreciate this phenomenal brew. Brewed with an abundance of flaked oats, bitter and sweetened imported chocolates, Sumatra and Kona coffee. We’re actually not sure if this is some type of coffee cake or a beer. Either way you can drink this ale with a fork. Breakfast Stout has an intense fresh roasted coffee nose toped with a cinnamon colored frothy head that seems to never fade and makes you wish breakfast could last forever.

I still believe you can find some four packs on shelves. This is an instance of beer where shelf life can help bring out the flavor; don’t shy away from buying it! Grab a few 4 packs and enjoy this terrific brew. Opening one these on a starry summer evening is the perfect ending to a summer night!

REVIEW

Style: Imperial Stout

ABV: 8.3%

Purchased at: Brother’s Market; Lisbon, IA

Pour: Thick brown/black pour with a brown head.

Aroma: Wonderful aroma of rich coffee and chocolate with roasted malts.

Flavor: Definitely a full-bodied stout. A ton of coffee and chocolate flavor with the roasted malt rounding it out nicely.

Ratebeer.com rating: 100/100

Beeradvocate.com rating: 100/100

Overall: A+

My recommendation: A go to seasonal for sure. Like I said above, you still could possibly find some on the shelves and it’s the perfect time to stock on a few four packs. A must try brew.

 

Confluence Brewing Keg Tapping Event

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confluenceConfluence Brewing will be holding a keg tapping for their latest beer, May day May day Maibock at the brewery May 1st, starting at 5:00! Check it out! Here’s the press release from the brewery:

MAY DAY MAY DAY…its time for yet another tapping of the GOLDEN KEG! Its time to move this crummy cold and chilly spring-time weather out of Iowa so we can enjoy our latest refreshing beer…MayDay  MayDay Maibock!. The tapping will start at 6PM on May 1st!

Tickets for a $2.00 pints from the Golden Keg go on sale at 5:00
p.m. (limit one ticket per person).
 

After the Golden Keg “kicks”, pints of MayDay MayDay Maibock will be sold
all evening for $3.50! Also new growlers of MayDay MayDay Maibock and refills of MayDay Maibock will be $2.00 off all night!

Beer Review #102 Hoppin' Frog Turbo Shandy

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hoppin' frogFinally! This past week in Eastern Iowa we were finally able to enjoy some nice spring weather. Temps hitting the high 60’s and low 70’s makes one think that the summer months and finally approaching (although snow is in the forecast for Wednesday. What the hell?). With the warmer months coming our taste for beer usually starts going for the lighter more thirst quenching styles. Many shelves have the summer beers stocked. We are burdened with the excess of Coronas, sugared up wine coolers, Shocktop’s nastiness, and the usual light fare of shit given to us by the “big 3”.  The question remains, what is out there for a craft beer lover that would fall under a “summer beer” category?

A style with a lot of buzz lately has been a shandy or radler style of beer. These “styles” are usually just a lager mixed with citrus juice/soda and makes for a great refreshing beer. Leinenkugel’s is pushing their summer shandy hard, in fact, I believe I saw it on the shelves in late February, but the pledge taste it gives off makes it only a one and done. Mike’s Hard Lemonade is very successful with their products and have recently entered the world shandies.

Usually a shandy has a relatively low ABV. So if you are wanting to mix the “hardness” of a Mike’s Hard Lemonade with the drinkability of a shandy, look no further than Hoppin’ Frog’s Turbo Shandy (www.hoppinfrog.com). At 7% it easily hits the hardness that you want, but the tartness hides it deceivingly making for a very refreshing, drinkable summer brew. From the brewery:

The release of our Turbo Shandy Citrus Ale is around mid June. Born from European tradition, our Shandy is a refreshing combination of lemon and light malt flavors. Unlike traditional shandys, Turbo Shandy, revs it up a couple of notches with a high-test, full flavored approach as only Hoppin’ Frog can do.

The citrus flavor dominates the beer. I actually forgot I was drinking a beer and thought I was sipping on a glass of Squirt soda for a while. While, this a style for me is hard to down more than one, it was very tasty, but I can see that this isn’t the type of beer for the craft beer snob, but for someone who just wants to chill on the patio, let the rays soak in, and enjoy a crisp, citrusy brew.

REVIEW

Style: Fruit beer, shandy

ABV: 7%

Purchased at: Woodman’s Market; Madison, WI.

Pour: Blonde pour with a medium white head.

Aroma: Lemon fruit scent, maybe some yeast notes as well.

Flavor: The sweet lemonade is there. I described it as very close to drinking a Squirt soda.

Ratebeer.com rating: 39/100

Beeradvocate.com rating: 79/100

Overall: C+

My recommendation: A hot day, this works well. The only drawback for me, not enough beer flavor and too sweet. A good 22 oz bottle to share with somebody.

Beer Review #102 Hoppin’ Frog Turbo Shandy

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hoppin' frogFinally! This past week in Eastern Iowa we were finally able to enjoy some nice spring weather. Temps hitting the high 60’s and low 70’s makes one think that the summer months and finally approaching (although snow is in the forecast for Wednesday. What the hell?). With the warmer months coming our taste for beer usually starts going for the lighter more thirst quenching styles. Many shelves have the summer beers stocked. We are burdened with the excess of Coronas, sugared up wine coolers, Shocktop’s nastiness, and the usual light fare of shit given to us by the “big 3”.  The question remains, what is out there for a craft beer lover that would fall under a “summer beer” category?

A style with a lot of buzz lately has been a shandy or radler style of beer. These “styles” are usually just a lager mixed with citrus juice/soda and makes for a great refreshing beer. Leinenkugel’s is pushing their summer shandy hard, in fact, I believe I saw it on the shelves in late February, but the pledge taste it gives off makes it only a one and done. Mike’s Hard Lemonade is very successful with their products and have recently entered the world shandies.

Usually a shandy has a relatively low ABV. So if you are wanting to mix the “hardness” of a Mike’s Hard Lemonade with the drinkability of a shandy, look no further than Hoppin’ Frog’s Turbo Shandy (www.hoppinfrog.com). At 7% it easily hits the hardness that you want, but the tartness hides it deceivingly making for a very refreshing, drinkable summer brew. From the brewery:

The release of our Turbo Shandy Citrus Ale is around mid June. Born from European tradition, our Shandy is a refreshing combination of lemon and light malt flavors. Unlike traditional shandys, Turbo Shandy, revs it up a couple of notches with a high-test, full flavored approach as only Hoppin’ Frog can do.

The citrus flavor dominates the beer. I actually forgot I was drinking a beer and thought I was sipping on a glass of Squirt soda for a while. While, this a style for me is hard to down more than one, it was very tasty, but I can see that this isn’t the type of beer for the craft beer snob, but for someone who just wants to chill on the patio, let the rays soak in, and enjoy a crisp, citrusy brew.

REVIEW

Style: Fruit beer, shandy

ABV: 7%

Purchased at: Woodman’s Market; Madison, WI.

Pour: Blonde pour with a medium white head.

Aroma: Lemon fruit scent, maybe some yeast notes as well.

Flavor: The sweet lemonade is there. I described it as very close to drinking a Squirt soda.

Ratebeer.com rating: 39/100

Beeradvocate.com rating: 79/100

Overall: C+

My recommendation: A hot day, this works well. The only drawback for me, not enough beer flavor and too sweet. A good 22 oz bottle to share with somebody.

Beer Review #100: Surly Hell

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surlyLike most people who have tried their beers, I have really taken a liking to Surly’s product (www.surlybrewing.com). Furious, Abrasive, Bender, and Coffee Bender are all fabulous beers that I’ve tried from them. Lately, a buddy and I have taken to ordering some beers from places like france44.com and halftimebeverage.com. France44 works out really well if you are in the mood for some Surly beers and with my buddy’s latest order he took a shot on a Surly beer neither one of us had tried yet.

I will be the first to admit that I haven’t had much experience with dortmunder or helles style beers but after trying Hell, it seems to me that Surly is doing this style justice. The name was kind of misleading to me at first; I was thinking of some sort of chipotle or pepper beer but instead, Hell is referring to the German word for light.  This beer was definitely light in the pour with a golden hazy pour with a nice sized head. Very bready and yeasty in the aroma. Definitely get the pils malt with the first few drinks and the bread follows through with a hint a lemon citrus. Slight hops follow to round out this extremely drinkable offering from Surly. Maybe the perfect accompaniment to a summer BBQ? I think this would do nicely.  Description from the brewery:

Finally, a Surly beer my German mother will drink. She says this one tastes like a bier from back home. Not unlike a Zwickel Bier from Germany, Hell is our filtered and fermented with lager yeast, American hops takes a back seat to the Pils malt sweetness and fresh bread aroma. The color is well… hell (Deutsch for light). It’s fiendishly drinkable, and you don’t have to sell your soul to get another.

The style of this beer isn’t one that is often talked about currently. IPAs, barrel-aged, sours, are dominating headlines with most craft beer drinkers but if you want to try different styles and try them when they are done right, I think Surly can be proud of this beer. This could also quite possibly be a great transition beer for those looking to get into the craft beer world. Rumblings of Surly wanting to expand a bit continues through the midwest and here’s hoping that they make it south to the lovely state of Iowa.

REVIEW

Style: Helles/Dortmunder

ABV:4.5%

Purchased at: France44.com

Pour: Golden straw color with a thick white head.

Aroma: Bread, yeast, light citrus.

Flavor: Lots of breadiness with lemon and bit of hops.

Ratebeer.com rating: 90/100

Beeradvocate.com rating: 88/100

Overall: B

My recommendation: A great beer for the style, extremely drinkable. Surly continues to do things and if you can get up north to Minnesota to get some, buy a bunch, or order from france44.com. 

Founders KBS Release Update: New to Shelves this Week

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kbs I haven’t been able to get a firm answer from other liquor stores but I can confirm that John’s Grocery will be having a release of Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout on Tuesday,  April 2. The plan right now is for a 5:00 p.m. release with a limit of 1 four pack per customer. If you here of any other releases from Hy-Vee, etc. please drop me a line.

More from Founders: Eastern Iowa will be seeing both Devil Dancer and Doom. The time of arrival is still unknown at this point but I will keep you posted on that. Below is a description of each brew:

Devil Dancer*Devil Dancer –Founders most complex, most innovative, most feared and yet most revered ale produced. Massive in complexity the huge malt character balances the insane amount of alpha’s used to create this monster. More IBU’s than any brewery has documented, more than you would believe and dry-hopped for twenty-six days straight with a combination of 10 hop varieties. Dangerously drinkable and deliciously evil. We dare you to dance with the Devil. 112 IBUs

*Doom – Doom is unleashed when Founders’ award-winning specialty doomImperial IPA, Double Trouble, is aged in bourbon barrels for four months to create a distinct flavor experience. So, while Double Trouble is brewed to turn your world upside down, Doom is brewed to tear it apart: pungent hops conspire with boozy bourbon notes to send your senses spinning.

rampantAlso new to shelves this week is New Belgium’s Rampant Imperial IPA which is replacing their Belgo IPA.

 

Guest Review: Slim Reviews 515 Grand Opening!

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515Thanks to Slim for the review. Sounds like 515 is has a very promising future in the craft brew business! Can’t wait to get out there to try some of their great beers.

I was fortunate enough to attend this fabulous event put on by the good folks at 515. I had done some research on them through their website (http://www.515brewing.com/index.html). It appears to be just a few former home brewers who decided to make their dream plan come to fruition.  I had heard from a friend who visited their taproom a couple of weeks ago that he highly approved of the entire operation. Solid brews and atmosphere. This got me even more excited to head down there and see what all the buzz was about. When I saw the baron’s post on their grand opening event, it was simply game, set, match, on finding the right time to check out 515 brewing.

 I wasn’t really sure what to expect in terms of attendance before I arrived. They advertised that the first 50 through the door would receive a free 515 t-shirt. Although the freebie was enticing, my main motivation for getting there as it opened was to secure a table for me and my two accomplices during the event. For the purposes of anonymity, we’ll refer to them as “Terrible Terry” and “Iceman Jr.” There was a sizable amount of people in line as I pulled up so being that my free t-shirt hopes were dashed, I focused squarely on getting in line to try one of their tasty brews before they ran out. They clearly did a good job of advertising the event; in fact, by the look on some of the brewers’ faces, they probably did too good. I also was astonished by the turnout but it’s clearly a good thing. It’s another sign that craft brewing has made it here and will hopefully be here for a long time to stay. 

I was also unsuccessful at securing a table and it did not appear they had very many set out; possibly to allow for more room for the high number of guests that they had anticipated. The taproom is about what you’d expect. It was spacious and had a home feel to it. It is bigger than most taprooms I have been to before and I think it will serve them well. I didn’t see a space for a patio, however. It is my guess that they are addressing this issue and will possibly have something set up for this summer. It would put the finishing touch on an already great venue. They did have a food vendor available on this day but the brewery itself does not serve food at this time.

Onto the beers! They had a full lineup on tap for this event. In the past, they have had a few of their offerings in addition to making some taps from Confluence Brewing available (http://confluencebrewing.com/). The first I tried was 515’s “Numb Nut”. It is a spicy brown ale that 515 describes as tasting like Christmas. I have mixed feelings on this brew. I did enjoy the creativity that was put into the making of this beer. However, I was turned off by the aroma, not the kind of taste I look for in a brown ale. Not for one moment am I trying to take anything away from what is a good beer, it just wasn’t for me. 

The beer that went the fastest was the “OJ IPA”. The keg was dry in an hour.  Terrible Terry is partly known for his classic one-liners. He delivered one when he ordered this brew, “I’ll take an OJ Simpson IPA!” he said as he made his choice. It was the right choice, it’s wonderful wheat IPA that has a HUGE kick of orange/citrus. We immediately saw why it was so popular.  Iceman Jr. also tried the Numb Nut and I think he liked it more than I did. The two of us then tried “Belgian Paradise”. It was a Belgian-style white ale that also delivered more flavor than a typical brew of that style. Finally, Terry gave the Lil’ Tart (only beer available under 5.0% ABV) a try. The name is deceiving, there’s A LOT of Tart. I remember hearing him say that he didn’t like the Jalapeno beer offered by Bent River Brewing at the Brr fest back in January. So I wasn’t surprised that this was not a hit with him either. The tart in Lil’ Tart is very prominent and is definitely not for everyone.  The next time I attend, I’m looking to try the “Stout of the Closet” for sure. 

515 lived up to my expectations and then some. Anybody who considers themselves craft brew enthusiasts needs to hit up this fine establishment. I recommend checking their facebook page/website before you visit in order to make sure they have several brews available. They keep this list updated and I would discourage going if they have less than 4 of their brews available. I’m sure you would still enjoy yourself but you’ll get the best experience if you go when they have a full line-up of their exceptional beers on tap.  

Beer Review #99: Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

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bcsThe very first barrel-aged beer America stills stands strong today as Goose Island’s Bourbon County Stout continues to make beer headlines nationwide as one of/if not the best barrel-aged beer around. I got up very early on a cold Iowa Tuesday morning to capture the prize of a few four-packs of this brew, and was glad I did. As I have slowly evolved into a barrel-aged beer lover, I’ve come to appreciate what the booze offers a really good crafted stout. Earlier in my beer drinking days, I would have scoffed, and possibly spit this beer out proclaiming it to be too boozy and downright undrinkable, but now, I relish the opportunity to taste the vanilla from the bourbon and oak flavor from the barrel.

Goose Island has made many headlines in the beer world this last few years as the Evil Empire that is AB-InBev bought them out, and as much as I avoid buying the big 3, I’ve also come to appreciate that Goose Island hasn’t sacrificed their quality of product with the buyout…. yet, and I hope they never do.

From the brewery:

“I really wanted to do something special for our 1000th batch at the original brewpub. Goose Island could have thrown a party. But we did something better. We brewed a beer. A really big batch of stout-so big the malt was coming out of the top of the mash tun. After fermentation we brought in some bourbon barrels to age the stout. One hundred and fifty days later, Bourbon County Stout was born-A liquid as dark and dense as a black hole with a thick foam the color of bourbon barrels. The nose is a mix of charred oak, vanilla,carmel and smoke. One sip has more flavor than your average case of beer. It overpowers anything in the room. People have even said that it’s a great cigar beer, but I haven’t yet tried a cigar that would stand up to it.”

I will be letting a few four packs age and hopefully at some point I can put together a vertical tasting of this beer, but as I was sipping the last one, (about 2 weeks ago), and as it warmed, it might have been the best barrel-age I’ve tasted. The aroma of the vanilla shines through the longer this beer sits, and as I finished the last half of it, it started tasting like a liquid form of an almond joy candy bar. Anyone else get that flavor? Such a great beer to sit and sip on, especially on a cold winter night! The alcohol warms you up nicely but does not overpower the fantastic flavor of this wonderfully well-crafted brew.  Cheers!

REVIEW

Style: Imperial Stout

ABV:15%

Purchased at: Hy-Vee

Pour: Viscous black pour, very thick.

Aroma: Bourbon sweetness, vanilla, coconut.

Flavor: Chocolate flavor, the bourbon is there, coconut is well. Liquid almond joy (that can get you drunk)

Ratebeer.com rating: 100/100

Beeradvocate.com rating: 100/100

Overall: A

My recommendation: A fantastic beer, proceed with caution as a few of these could put you on your ass pretty quick. If you are not into barrel-aged beers this would be something great to try with a group of people at a tasting event.