Tag: iowa beer baron

Abu Nawas drop this week: Big Prairie drop! (Apple Brandy Noir anyone?), and Evil Twin

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Abu Nawas bringing us a big release of Prairie beers in the coming week, including the highly sought after Apple Brandy Barrel Noir! Here’s more from Abu:

EVIL TWIN

  • Evil Twin H is for Hops 16oz CAN – Dry-hopped Gose. 4.5% ABV.

  • Evil Twin Bible Belt 16oz CAN – Evil Twin version of the Legendary Collab. Bible Belt takes elements we love from Prairie Bomb! and combines them with Evil Twin Brewing’s world-famous stout, Even More Jesus. 13% ABV.

Prairie

NEW DROPS

  • Prairie Bible Belt Bottles  12/12oz Bottles – Prairie Version of A Collab of Epic Proportions. Bible Belt takes elements we love from Prairie Bomb! and combines them with Evil Twin Brewing’s world-famous stout, Even More Jesus. 13% ABV.
  • Prairie Oh! Fudge 12/12oz Bottles – Imperial stout brewed with brownies. 11.5% ABV.
  • Prairie Apple Brandy Barrel Noir 12/12oz Bottles. We received 4 cases of this and it will go to the top 4 supporters of Prairie this week!

    RESTOCK

  • Prairie Blueberry Boyfriend 24/12oz CAN – Sour Ale with Blueberries and Lemon Zest. 5.4% ABV
  • Prairie ERA  24/12oz CAN – Hoppy Delicious Farmhouse Ale. 4% ABV.
  • Prairie No Chill  24/12oz  CAN –  Milk Stout with Spaceship Earth Coffee in a CAN. 5.1% ABV.
  • Prairie Flare  24/12oz CAN – Gose brewed with orange and coriander. Perfect while yearning for Spring. 5.4% ABV.
  • Prairie Imaginary Friends  24/12oz CAN – American IPA bursting with Tropical and citrus notes. 7% ABV.
  • Prairie Vape Tricks  24/12oz CAN – Sour ale aged on cherries. 5.9% ABV.
  • Prairie Hulk Hands  24/12oz CAN – Gose dry hopped with Falconer’s Flight and Cascade Hops. 5.4% ABV.
  • Prairie Phantasmagoria  24/12oz CAN – Double IPA that’s big on the late boil and dry hopping. 8.0% ABV.
  • Prairie Picnic  24/12oz CAN – A Delicious Sessionable Pale Ale. 5.5% ABV.
  • Prairie Standard  24/12oz Bottles – Light, crisp farmhouse ale dry hopped with Motueka hops, a lovely New Zealand hop with a spicy lime like flavor and aroma. 5.6% ABV.
  • Prairie Bomb  12/12oz  Bottles – The Beer that started it all for Prairie. Imperial Stout aged on coffee, cacao nibs, vanilla beans and chili peppers. 13.0% ABV.
  • Prairie Deja Vous 12/750ml Bottles – Bottle conditioned farmhouse ale with Hibiscus and Brettanomyces Bruxellensis.

 

Firetrucker Tropical Burn coming to cans April 4th!

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Firetrucker will be releasing their popular mango double IPA in cans on Thursday April 4th, starting at 4:00 p.m. at the brewery in Ankeny. Here’s more info on this release courtesy of Firetrucker’s Facebook page:

☀️We think you’ve waited long enough…

😎Kick off patio season with a Tropical Burn in your hand! This DIPA with a one-two punch of mango is the perfect beer to take anywhere you go!

🔥Release is set for April 4th! Grab all the 4-packs you can carry starting next Thursday before they are available anywhere else. This 16oz can is full of 8.5% ABV goodness, so drink responsibly!

Big Grove Releasing “Morgan Horse” barrel-aged maple imperial stout on 4/20! + 3 others!

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Big news from Big Grove this week as they prep to release “Morgan Horse” barrel-aged maple imperial stout on April 20th along with 3 variants of that brew. With that, they will be releasing “Color TV”, their double dry hopped New England style IPA as well. Both Big Grove locations will be participating in the release. Hope to see you there, check below for more info!

If you’re a fan of our Richard the Whale parties—or fond of fun parties in general—here we go again! Saturday, April 20 is the release of our new Barrel-Aged Maple Imperial Stout, Morgan Horse + 3 AWESOME variants.

Joining Morgan Horse at the party is the second coming of Color TV, our Double Dry Hopped New England Style IPA brewed with galaxy hops. Arrive early for brunch and stick around for what will be an all-day party. 9:00AM Doors Open. Free coffee for anyone in line.

No tickets required. This event will be hosted at both the Iowa City Taproom and Solon Brewpub. More info to be released in the coming weeks. Thanks for the support!

Cobble Hill/Lion Bridge Beer Dinner Set for April 4th!

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Lion Bridge Brewing and Cobble Hill restaurant, both in CR, have announced the date for their popular beer dinner. April 4th is the date, and if you want tickets you might want to jump on this quick as last year’s event sold out in 2 days. One of Iowa’s best breweries and one of Iowa’s best restaurants together for a night leading to a can’t miss event. Click HERE for the link to tickets and more info on the event below.

Come celebrate the birthdays of two of your favorite local businesses: Cobble Hill and Lion Bridge Brewing! Cobble Hill turned 6 in February and Lion Bridge is coming up on year 5, this month!

Head Brewer of Lion Bridge, Quinton McClain, and Executive Chef Andy Schumacher, and their teams, have put together a 5 – course meal with beer pairings, beginning with a welcome pint and a snack at the bar for your first course. The menu and pairings will highlight, complement, and celebrate the skills of these two talented individuals and the diverse teams that assist them.

This will be an experience not to be missed! Unique and well loved beers from Lion Bridge will be paired with imaginative dishes from the Cobble Hill team.

Price includes all tax and gratuity. All you have to do is show up and enjoy!

This Week from Abu Nawas: Evil Twin, Stillwater, and more!

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Abu Nawas will be dropping some favorites as well as some new releases in the coming week to our shelves. Here’s what’s coming:

EVIL TWIN

  • Evil Twin The Pure and Simple 16oz CAN – Hazy NE-Style Double Dry-Hopped Session IPA. 4.5% ABV

  • Evil Twin Even More Coco Jesus 16oz CAN – Even More Jesus with Maple Syrup and Coconut Added.

  • Evil Twin No Hero 16oz CAN – Delicious Oatmeal Stout 7% ABV.

  • Evil Twin Brewing 90 Day Dry Aged Stout 16oz CAN – Evil Twin’s ode to the delicious complexities of loooong dry-aged beef!! The first in a series of new Stouts specifically designed to complement the decadent, blue-cheesy funk of a 90-day dry-aged Ribeye.

  • No Snowflake Ever Falls in the Wrong Place 16oz CAN -Brand new, fresh-as-can-be 7% Double Dry-Hopped NE IPA

  • Evil Twin Aun Mas Cafe Jesus 12oz CAN – 12% Imperial Stout brewed with Coffee Collective Espresso

  • Evil Twin Aun Mas Todo Jesus 12oz CAN –  12% Imperial Stout. Amalgamation of every Aun Mas Variation. Brewed with Chili Peppers, Cinnamon, Cocoa Nibs, & Coffee

STILLWATER

  • Stillwater Critical Thinking 16oz CAN – Imperial Stout from Brian. Killer Imperial Stout in a 16oz Can! 11% ABV.

  • Stillwater Mainstream Pop 16oz CAN – Double IPA brewed with Amarillo, Citra and Mosaic hops. 8% ABV.

  • Stillwater On Fleek 12oz CAN – Imperial Stout Collaboration with Ryan Witter-Merrithew formerly of Siren/Fano. Dangerously drinkable at this alcohol level. 13.0% ABV.

  • Stillwater Double Nothing Nitro 16oz CAN –  Nitro Dopplebock collaboration with Oliver Brewing. Malty/Nitro double feature makes this super soft and wonderful. 8% ABV

    • Stillwater Shaken Not Stirred 16oz CAN – 6% “Whiskey” Sour Nitro Ale

  • A remarkable release of very special, extremely limited 3-yr barrel (!!!) Barrel-Aged Cuvees. Designed as an expression of Petulant Natural Wines, each of these releases spent more than 3 years in French & Hungarian Oak, and then bottle conditioned for another 2 years to achieve the perfect, soft level of carbonation and mouthfeel. An extraordinary set of releases from Stillwater, in very limited quantities, never to be repeated:-

    • Stillwater Preternatural Cuvee 1 through 5. 10/750ml Bottles Package. Total of 10 Bottles per set. – 6 Sets Total

    1. Preternatural Cuvee #1 – 9.2% Blended BA Farmhouse ale with Sauvignon Blanc juice; very limited

    2. Preternatural Cuvee #2 – 8.6% Blended BA Farmhouse ale with Viognier juice; very limited

    3. Preternatural Cuvee #3 – 8.8% Blended BA Farmhouse ale with Cab Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, & Viogner juice; very limited

    4. Preternatural Cuvee #4 – 8.3% Blended BA Farmhouse ale with Pinot Noir, Cab Sauvignon, & Viogner juice; very limited

    5. Preternatural Cuvee #5 – 9.3% Blended BA Dark Farmhouse ale with Petite Syrah juice; very limited

OMNIPOLLO

  • Omnipollo Pleroma 12oz CAN – 6% Raspberry Crème Brulee Sour Ale
  • Omnipollo Shploing!  12oz CAN – IPA with marshmallow, graham cracker, salt and lactose sugar, it’s a MANGO S’MORES IPA. 7% ABV.
  • Omnipollo / ET  Rainbownade IPA 12oz  CAN – IPA brewed with grapefruit passion fruit, mango, raspberry and blueberry. 7% ABV.
  • Omnipollo / ET Pink Lemonade IPA 12oz  CAN – Pink Lemonade-style 7% ABV.
  • Omnipollo /ET Coffenade IPA 12oz  CAN – Coffee IPA brewed with Lemon. 7% ABV.
  • Omnipollo Agamemnon 16oz CAN – Omnipollo’s beloved, original 12.5% Maple Syrup Imperial Stout is back and better than ever in 16oz cans.

Thew Brewing 1st Anniversary Party announced for 3/16!

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thew

Thew Brewing will be celebrating their 1 year anniversary on Saturday, March 16th starting at noon. They will be releasing “Darkest Corners”, a barrel aged imperial stout at 5 p.m. Check below for more details. Happy Anniversary Thew!

Celebrate our first anniversary with us!

– Bottle release of Darkest Corners, barrel-aged imperial stout at 5 p.m. $20 each, limit 2 per person
– BOGO River Kings Kölsch all day
– Imperial stout in the Randall (infuser)
– $4 full pours of all other beers on tap (does not apply to kölsch or Randall)
– Free cake while it lasts
– For each beer purchased, receive an entry for prizes (you choose which prize you want to be entered for). Drawing will be at 10 p.m., you don’t need to be present to win.

We’re giving away:
* Brewmaster level Thew Crew membership (eight free beers a month for a year)
* $50 Thew Brewing gift card
* Four River Kings tickets to game of your choice
* Two field-level River Kings tickets to the April 20th game vs. Bismarck Bucks

Drink This! Lion Bridge King Cake…Happy 5 year LB!

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It really can’t be a surprise that this beer is my latest Drink This! addition. The winter months have been draining and soul sucking at times, but Lion Bridge has been able to lift us by the chin and say, “drink our beer, everything will be ok”. Not sure they would actually say that but Quinton does kind of look like the next coming of Jesus and actually, if he would run for President, I would vote for him or maybe Ana would be a better fit..??? any hoo…it’s no secret the demand that this beer has received, and that’s not why it’s my Drink This! choice. Publicity plays a big role into a sale, and this beer has been pubbed by many (yours truly included), but when your background has delivered and delivered on numerous occasions you can understand why at a 3:00 release on Tuesday afternoon, on your 5th Anniversary party you have line snaking almost outside your door, you have now hit that upper echelon of expectation.

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Expectation has always been there for Lion Bridge for every beer they’ve made. They expect quality, always have, and their gold medals show that. Now, however, they’ve hit the ever demanding beer lover, beer trader, beer connoisseur level of the craft market. When you’re a brewery that makes a wonderful pils (ziva voda returns soon), a terrific IPA (yard sale), a gold medal English Mild, and a hazy IPA that I can’t wait to see again (Majestic Beast), and now pair that with their Barrel-Aged January greatness that included the January mainstay Gazprom! and it’s variants along with my beer of the year nominee Home Baked, you’ve set yourself up to be an in demand brewery. Which leads us to….

**King Cake** – 5th Anniversary beer, brilliantly released on Fat Tuesday and a beer that dominates your tastebuds. It’s so easy to critique the things you don’t care for in a beer sometimes, but it sure is nice to appreciate the beauty of an amazing beer and taste what the brewers intended for you to taste. Decadence is the word used by Lion Bridge and that is spot on. That’s the perfect word to describe this beer, a caramel, chocolate, toffee, masterpiece really. So, for those who got it, sit back, sip on it, maybe share a taste with a buddy or loved one and just appreciate it.

McClain family…what a joy these last 5 years have been. Your class and focus on local has been such a welcome addition to the community and I’m very thankful I’ve had the opportunity to converse with you both. I would be remiss not to involve Alec Travis in this post…hard working, talented, class act who has been at Lion Bridge since the beginning…..such a great crew, with great leaders. Happy 5 Lion Bridge, King Cake was the perfect beer for this anniversary so it’s time to Drink This! beer!

Moco Game Room + Hot Dog Bar brings new meaning to having a Beer + a Dog

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Cedar Rapids’ newest restaurant takes a classic pairing and adds their own twist. Moco Game Room and Hot Dog Bar is the latest culinary adventure from Tim Kindyl and Justin Zehr, who have given has Bricks Bar and Grill and what is probably Cedar Rapids’ best new restaurant from 2018, Local Pour Street Food.

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At Moco they have taken the simple food of a hot dog and have jacked up the ingredients to give us many delicious and fresh options on the popular tubular meat. Located in an older Cedar Rapids neighborhood, right next to Old Neighborhood Pub, E Ave NE, this place has the feel of going to your dad’s local watering hole.

I took my 3 kids in for an early Sunday lunch and all 3 have been raving about it since we left. My son enjoyed the Frito Chili Cheese dog which was an excellent chili dog, my daughters shared a walking nacho platter which was enough for 3-4 people if not more. I went with a New York dog which comes with sauerkraut, onion, and mustard but also had to try the Bahn Mi dog which comes loaded with pickled veggies, fresh avocado and cilantro. The Bahn Mi was my favorite as those flavors always taste fresh and delicious to me but I think I’ll be dreaming of that Frito dog as well. This place has enough options that you can try a different dog almost every time you visit.

With hot dogs there has to be beer and Moco has a nice lineup of brews. I had the Barn Town Peach Milkshake IPA and my go to Bells Two Hearted. Any beer can pair well with a dog.

Overall, just a great place to take your family and have a dog, nachos, and a couple of brews while the kids play foosball or shuffleboard. Check out Moco folks!

 

This Week from Abu Nawas: Huge Prairie Drop!!

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prairie artisan ales

A huge Prairie drop will be coming next to Eastern Iowa courtesy of Abu Nawas. There will be some new releases as well as some familiar faces, check the list below!

  • Prairie Okie Bottles – Imperial Brown Ale aged in Whiskey Barrels. 12% ABV.
  • Prairie Flare CAN – Gose brewed with orange and coriander. Perfect while yearning for Spring. 5.4% ABV.
  • Prairie Imaginary Friends CAN – American IPA bursting with Tropical and citrus notes. 7% ABV.
  • Prairie Vape Tricks CAN – Sour ale aged on cherries. 5.9% ABV.
  • Prairie Hulk Hands – ***Iowa First*** Gose dry hopped with Falconer’s Flight and Cascade Hops. 5.4% ABV.
  • Prairie Phantasmagoria CAN – Double IPA that’s big on the late boil and dry hopping. 8.0% ABV.
  • Prairie Picnic CAN – A Delicious Sessionable Pale Ale. 5.5% ABV
  • Prairie Standard Bottles – Light, crisp farmhouse ale dry hopped with Motueka hops, a lovely New Zealand hop with a spicy lime like flavor and aroma. 5.6% ABV.
  • Prairie Bomb Bottles – The Beer that started it all for Prairie. Imperial Stout aged on coffee, cacao nibs, vanilla beans and chili peppers. 13.0% ABV.
  • Prairie Bible Belt Bottles – Prairie Version of A Collab of Epic Proportions. Bible Belt takes elements we love from Prairie Bomb! and combines them with Evil Twin Brewing’s world-famous stout, Even More Jesus. 13% ABV.
  • Prairie Deja Vous 750ml Bottles – Bottle conditioned farmhouse ale with Hibiscus and Brettanomyces Bruxellensis.

Madhouse Announces Carpe Diem Release for March 15th!

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Another highly anticipated beer release from an Iowa brewery has been announced as Madhouse Brewing has slated March 15th for the release of their wonderful Carpe Diem! Here’s more deets on this release:

The official release event for the following beers-

2019 Carpe Diem- Bourbon barrel-aged Imperial Breakfast Stout with oats, chocolate, Kona coffee, and bourbon barrel-aged Iowa maple syrup. 13.5% ABV. Available draft and 375ml bottles. $12/bottle. Limit 6.

Coffee Diesel- Collaboration with Mars Cafe. Dark sour ale with cold press coffee. 7.4% ABV. Available draft and 375ml bottles. $8/bottle.

Bottles shares encouraged!