Bur Oak Land Trust nature work! Join us in Iowa City on Saturday, October 14th from 9:00am-12:00pm at the Bur Oak Land Trust, a collection of nine preserved natural areas in Iowa. We need 20 people to help burn the prairie, remove invasive species, maintain trails, or plant prairie seed! Sign up here!
The Details:Join us in Iowa City on Saturday, October 14th from 9:00am-12:00pm at the Bur Oak Land Trust, a collection of nine preserved natural areas in Iowa. We need 20 people to help burn the prairie, remove invasive species, maintain trails, or plant prairie seed! Afterwards we’ll head to a local event partner for a FREE Surly beer. Join us and do some good!When: Saturday, October 14th from 9:00am-12:00pm, with a free Surly beer to follow
Where: O’Mara Newport Woods Property
4319 320th St NE
Iowa City, IowaThe link to the main Surly Gives a Damn page can be found here:
http://surlybrewing.com/surly– gives-a-damn/
The direct link to the sign-up for this event can be found here (this can also be accessed from the main SGAD page):
Tag: iowa beer baron
Drink This! Big Grove Thunderdome Unfiltered Double IPA
Ahhh……it sure is nice to have the Hopocalypse back at Big Grove. A new double IPA released every two weeks, the first one being an unfiltered double with Mosaic and Citra and pairing it with some korean chicken wings? Yes please!
Last Friday Big Grove started this year’s Hopocalypse series and the first release was Thunderdome. Here’s the description of this brew courtesy of Big Grove:
This year’s Hopocalypse series starts with a hazy unfiltered inspired recipe for a big fruit forward Double IPA kickoff. Big pineapple, melon, and mandarin orange flavors, full-bodied mouthfeel with a soft bitterness. Welcome to the Thunderdome.
Featured Malts: Flaked Wheat, Red Wheat, Flaked Oats, & C60
Hops: El Dorado, Mosaic Lupulin, & Citra Lupulin
Huge fruit notes and a very well hidden ABV makes this an extremely drinkable IPA. The hops shine with the perfect balance of bitterness and flavor. The hops used are evident as you get citrus, tropical and melon flavors with just enough malt to round it out. Big Grove nailed this one, and like I said above, pairing it was some spicy Korean chicken was the perfect companion. I would love to see this one stick around for a while but from what I hear it’s going fast on the tap lines! A few select places in CR and IC have had it, but I’m not sure what remains. The Hopocalypse concept is brilliant, new double IPA every two weeks, all of which will be different. I’m particularly stoked to see what they have in mind for the “Futuristic Double IPA”. If you want to see what Big Grove is releasing next just click here.
With Hopocalypse taking over for the next few weeks and Lion Bridge having Dangler on tap, Eastern Iowa hopheads should be in heaven for while as they support their local breweries! Thunderdome won’t be around long, so Drink This! while you still can!
Big Grove Hopocalypse Returns this Friday 8/25! Thunderdome Unfiltered DIPA 1st of 6 releases!
If you’re ready for the Hopocalypse you need to get to Big Grove brewpub this Friday, August 25th in Solon! They will be releasing 6 different beers with this series; one every 2 weeks. The first of the releases is called Thunderdome. Here’s the info on this one:
Thunderdome is an unfiltered double ipa with flaked wheat, flaked oats, and red wheat in the grist. Mosaic, Citra, and El Dorado are the featured hops. It’s very fruit forward with light bitterness.
The schedule following Thunderdome consists of:
9/8: Fury Road (English style DIPA)
9/22: War Rig (Black DIPA)
10/6: V8 Interceptor (Midwest DIPA)
10/20: Wasteland (New Zealand DIPA)
11/3: Tomorrow-Morrow Land (Futuristic DIPA)
Pretty terrific sounding lineup! Hope to see you at Big Grove!
Drink This! Big’s BBQ Jackhammer Stout
Living in a small college town like Mount Vernon, IA it’s nice to have a few great options when it comes to beer and food. Chameleon’s Pub and Grub with about 10 craft beer lines focusing on the local breweries such as Big Grove, Lion Bridge, and Reunion and up a couple shops from Chameleon’s we have Lincoln Winebar that has the best pizza in the state along with a huge wine list and some very good craft beer bottles as well. Adding to those two places is a new BBQ joint right down the block.
Big’s BBQ is a welcome addition to the area adding a cuisine we didn’t have. Terrific ribs, brisket, and pulled pork are just a few of the options at Bigs, but what is really great (especially for me) is that they are also a brewpub. Turning out their own beer starting with 2 on their opening week, Big’s currently has around 6-7 of their own on tap. Last night, I was able to try their Jackhammer Stout. Checking in at 8.5%, this stout delivers in all aspects that you would like a stout to deliver in the flavor profile. Perhaps a bit thin but the roastiness along with chocolate and coffee with a tad of some dark fruit makes for a very drinkable stout with a very well-hidden 8.5% ABV.
Pair this beer with some ribs, brisket, or a sandwich and it’s a tough combination to beat. They’ve only been open for a few months but I like what the future holds for this place for both food and beer. You’ll have to make the trek to Mt. Vernon, and if you do, hit up Chameleon’s for a Lion Bridge Workman’s Comp, head to Winebar for a terrific pizza and then walk down the block for some ribs and Drink This! Jackhammer Stout at Big’s! Cheers!
Beev and Poge BEERCast: All Things Iowa Beer
A few good friends and I were asked to be on a special craft beer edition of the Beev and Poge Podcast, if you have an hour of time and want to give it a listen just following the link below. Scott did a great job moderating the discussion as we talk all things Iowa beer. A great time was had as were some tasty beverages!
Ames Hosting Foodies and Brew Event August 4th!
The City of Ames will be hosting a Foodies and Brew event in their downtown area on Friday August 4th from 6 – 9 p.m. This event showcases local restaurants, chefs, brewers and gives attendees a chance to visit each vendor and then pick their favorites for the “People’s Choice Award”. Here’s more on this event:
Join us on Friday, August 4th in downtown Ames for Foodies & Brew – a special evening event that features local cuisine and regional craft beer sampling!
Local restaurateurs and chefs will showcase their talents by providing samples of unique food creations. Event attendees will be encouraged to visit each station and vote for the People’s Choice Award. A selection of craft beers will also be available for sampling, and each attendee will receive a souvenir glass.
WHEN: August 4th, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
WHO: Featuring musicians Ben Shrag & The Cautionaries, Sean Huston Combo and Evan Campbell.
WHERE: On the corner of Douglas and Main in Downtown Ames, IA
COST: Tickets are $30 in advance ($35 day of the event)
Foodies & Brew is a fundraiser for the Main Street Cultural District to support beautification and growth of the downtown business district.
Click here for tickets! I will be attending and I hope to see some of you there! Cheers!
Bar Review: The Map Room; Cedar Rapids, IA
Add The Map Room to the ever-growing list of great bars/restaurants in Cedar Rapids. What used to be Stella’s, located at 3rd St. SE right across from the Backpocket Pilot Pub, The Map Room is the perfect place to meet up with co-workers, have a quick drink, an order of one of their unique fry baskets or even grab yourself a burger.
This place is what you want your local bar to be; cozy, comfortable, friendly wait staff, good beer and booze list, and some very good fries and burgers. The prices on the food were very friendly and the unique offerings make it a great place to try their different burger and fry basket toppings. I was pleasantly surprised to see they had SingleSpeed/Pulpit collab Coconut Migration, which has become my favorite beer of the summer so far, along with an Alpine, Lion Bridge, and many more offerings. Around 10-12 tap lines and a nice booze selection as well.
On my visit I enjoyed a Coconut Migration (or 2) and although I wasn’t very hungry the fries were calling to me. I went with the Cusco Fries, which come with a beef gravy, onions, tomatoes, and a cilantro type pesto. They were terrific with the perfect amount of spice and went perfectly with the beer. The Map Room is the perfect place to go before a Kernels game, meet for post work beers, have a quick bite to eat and enjoy the comfort that this cozy bar creates. This is a bar that I will be stopping at when I’m in downtown CR. Check it out if you get to the area, you won’t regret it! Cheers!
Cedar Rapids Beer Nuts Present: 6th Annual Homebrew Festival, Saturday August 19th
Beer lovers, mark your calendars for Saturday, August 19th as the Cedar Rapids homebrew club, Beer Nuts, will have their 6th annual Homebrew Festival. There will be 100 unique beers by some of the area’s best homebrewers as well as food provided by The Sausage Foundry. Add live music from The Surf Zombies and you have yourself a nice little Saturday. $20 for tickets in advance and $25 at the door. Get to Benz Beverage Depot on the 19th, sure to be a great event!
Drink This! SingleSpeed + Pulpit Rock Coconut Migration Double IPA
Sweltering hot and humid Iowa summers make you yearn for a beachside drink while overlooking the ocean, well, for me they do and thankfully SingleSpeed Brewery and Pulpit Rock Brewery have teamed up for a collab that brings the tropics to Iowa. We are missing the white sandy beaches and crystal clear ocean but we have the drink…we have the drink!!
Visiting Need Pizza I was honestly a bit skeptical of ordering this beer as it didn’t seem coconut and a double IPA would go well together. I ordered a small sample and my skepticism was immediately put to rest! Pineapple and coconut are very evident and extremely refreshing, not too overpowering and the hop profile does not overpower or get lost with the toasted coconut. A very creamy double IPA that goes down easily. As I stated in my untappd check-in, if a double IPA and a Pina Colada banged the shit out of each each this would be their love child.
Here’s more from the brewery on this beer:
American Double IPA, rested on toasted coconut
A Pulpit Rock Brewing Co. (Decorah, IA) / SingleSpeed Brewing Co. Collaboration
Brewing with the guys from Pulpit Rock is like taking a vacation. This time around our destination is the tropics. If you like Piña Coladas and/or getting caught in the rain you’re probably gonna be feeling this beer. If you don’t like either of those things, well that sucks for you. We still recommend ordering one.
This is a Pina Colada in beer form, but for me, it tastes even better. If you don’t like coconut, then, as SingleSpeed said, sucks for you, if you enjoy coconut and tropical fruits this a beer you must seek out this summer. Thankfully, Need Pizza and I believe Bricks had it in Cedar Rapids, for how long? I’m not sure, but I hope this beer hits more lines. Possible beer of the year so far for me. Drink This! this summer!
Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Across America coming to Reds Alehouse Thursday, June 29th
Sierra Nevada will be bringing their popular Beer Camp Across America to Reds Alehouse in North Liberty on Thursday, June 29th. Some great sounding beers in this years’ Beer Camp lineup, here’s the list:
