A recent tweet from the wonderful Chad Young of Big Grove announced that they will be releasing their Buster Triple IPA next week. Here’s more:
Next week
@BigGroveBrewery#Buster is back! Limited bottles and draft. Freshest samples in the world at#BrrrFest next Sat.#thirstyhappens#IPAx3
Mosleys BBQ and Provisions will be hosting a BBQ and Beer dinner with Big Grove Brewery on January 22nd! More info below:
BBQ+Beer Dinner is set for Jan. 22 with our friends from
@BigGroveBrewery pairing brews with our finest barbecue over 4 courses. Tickets are $40 and they’ll go fast—reserve your seat by emailing mosleysic@gmail.com.
Food and beer pairings will be:
*Burch the Bear paired w/ smoked Ham hocks
*Quick n’Dirty w/ stuffed pork loin
*Blood Orange Arms Race w/beef rib
*Espresso Imperial Stout paired with pecan diamonds & bourbon whip.
I realize it’s only been a handful of hours since Lion Bridge released this wonderful beer to the population but as the four packs are selling like hotcakes and the tap lines are getting hit harder than…(insert your own pun) I feel the need to implore you to try to get a taste of their latest wonderful barrel aged January release, Home Baked.
A barrel aged imperial stout with saigon cinnamon, cocoa, and hazelnuts that clocks in at 11% and drinks like it’s around 6. The booze is well hidden, the hazelnuts shine as the beer warms and this is the perfect beer for a month that most Iowans would like to skip over. Grab a draw, grab a four pack, and find a nice fire place to sit and sip my friends. Cheers Quinton, Alec, Ana and crew!
Lion Bridge still has many beers up their sleeve for barrel aged January, but man, they came out swinging with a heavy hitting knockout to start. Like I said earlier, I’m not sure how long this one will last, so if you get a chance, get a taste and drink this brew!
Madhouse brewing will be releasing their bourbon barrel aged wee heavy, Freedom Toast, on Thursday January 24th! Along with that they will have 3 other beers available, 2 on draft and one available in bottles as well. Check it out below!
2019 FREEDOM TOAST
Bourbon barrel-aged Wee-Heavy with the addition of Iowa maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla. 13.5% ABV. Available draft and 375ml bottles. $12/bottle.BLUEBERRY FREEDOM TOAST
Freedom Toast with the addition of blueberries. Available on draft at event only.GINGER…SNAP!
Wee-Heavy variant made with maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, nutmeg, and clove. Available on draft at event only.JUNIPER SATORI
Gin barrel-aged sour saison with juniper berries. 7.0% ABV. Available draft and 750ml bottles. $15/bottle.As always, bottle shares encouraged!\
More on this event and release can be found on Madhouse’s Facebook page here!
This coming Thursday night, January 10th, El Bait Shop is hosting an excellent lineup of Central Waters brews! Tap lines open up @ 4 for some hard to get Central Waters greatness. If you’re in the area make sure to stop in and get a taste, here is what will be on tap!
Central Waters Black Gold
Central Waters XX
Central Waters Cassian Sunset
Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Cherry Stout
Central Waters Rum Barrel Coconut Porter
Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Barleywine
Central Waters Pilot Batch: Rose Pinot
Central Waters HHG Pale
Central Waters Mudpuppy Porter
Abu Nawas is at it again as they will be bringing Nightmare Brewing, a contract brewery out of New York, to our shelves in Eastern Iowa. The brews that we will be seeing are:
Along with the welcoming of Nightmare Brewing to our shelves, we will be getting some Clown Shoes beers as well:
And to cap off the week with Abu Nawas they will have the following back from Evil Twin and Stillwater:
As we countdown the hours until 2018 is behind us and we ring in 2019, it’s time to name my 2018 Iowa Beer of the Year. So many wonderful brews came to us from our local breweries across the state that it made this a challenging task. In fact, I had a hard time narrowing my list of 10 for new Iowa beers of the year…which you can see if you click here. So…without further ado, my Iowa Beer of the Year is…..
Big Grove Macaroon Richard!!
Imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels, featuring organic toasted coconut & almonds.
The Richard the Whale release of 2018 was a very memorable experience. The line of guys waiting to get in and sharing beers with everyone, the wonderful food, the great conversation, and of course….the beer.
I was expecting coffee to be my favorite just because I love coffee in barrel aged stouts. Macaroon was a bonus to get the others and then I went ahead and tried it on tap….BLOWN AWAY!!! The nose, creaminess, sweet but not over the top/coconut sugar sweet and the nuttiness from the almonds meshed so damn good together that I needed to have another glass…and then another one that night at the Solon location, and then another for lunch the next day…well, you get it, I really loved this beer and that is why it is my 2018 Iowa Beer of the Year winner! Congrats Big Grove and I’m looking forward to the 2019 Richard release!
