Scratch Brewing coming to Iowa via Abu Nawas!

We are proud and grateful to call Marika and Aaron @ScratchBeer dear friends. We are not kidding when we say we truly consider them one of the most creative breweries this side of the Atlantic and perhaps, dare we say the world over both in philosophy and process. A farmhouse brewery near the Shawnee National Forest in Ava, Illinois. Named one of the top four breweries for foraged beer by Outside Magazine, and one of the most beautiful places to drink beer in the world by All About Beer Magazine, Scratch Brewing Company focuses on farmhouse beers and other styles brewed with home grown and locally farmed and foraged ingredients. The brewery has an ever rotating selection of styles enhanced by the innovative addition of local ingredients, such as nettle, elderberry, ginger, dandelion, maple sap, hickory, lavender, juniper, and chanterelle mushrooms. 

Trust us when we tell you, the place is magical, the on premise bread is legendary and the Serpent Room and the artwork by Brett Douglas Hunter is a bucket list experience.

SCRATCH BREWING BOTTLES:
Scratch Wild Carrot & Nettle Farmhouse Ale 12/500ml BOT – Blonde farmhouse ale brewed with wild carrots, lemongrass and lemon basil and fermented with our wild house culture. Easy drinking with a spicy, herbal, lemony finish. 5.2% ABV – IL

Scratch Foeder-Aged Porter 12/750ml BOT – Robust porter brewed with a hefty dose of chocolate malt and sweet cicely, then aged in our 7 bbl oak foeder from Foeder Crafters. Velvety smooth with a strong oak backbone and a hint of licorice and a very light acidity. 7.4% – ABV – IL

Scratch Basil IPA 12/750ml BOT – One of their all-time classics! This beer’s aroma comes from basil rather than hops, but plays with the chemical compounds present in both to make a beer that tastes intriguingly familiar. Brewed with lemon basil, sweet basil, and tulsi basil from our garden; honey from our friends at Royal Bee in Steeleville; grain from Sugar Creek Malt; and fermented with our house culture. Bright basil and hop-like aroma that tastes fresh now but stands up well to aging. 6.7% – ABV – IL

Scratch Roselle 12/750ml BOT – Farmhouse ale brewed with grain from Sugar Creek Malt and Southern Illinois-grown wheat and roselle plants and flowers from our garden. Lightly tart and earthy with a hibiscus-like aroma and flavors of cranberry and cherry, this beer has the terroir of late summer in Southern Illinois. 4.3% – ABV – IL

Scratch 131 – 12/500ml BOT – This unique farmhouse ale is an imprint of its place and time. Brewed with 131 different leaves, roots, bark, flowers, seeds, and fungi from the height of the growing season. It conveys a subtle earthiness and spice that is characteristic of our location in Southern Illinois. Scored a 97 in Craft Beer & Brewing’s 2023 ratings of Saisons: “Herbal and minty in the sip, with lemon zest, eucalyptus, and a vast range of herbal spice. Thorough but quirky and fast moving.” 5.3% – IL

Scratch Wild Grapevine Saison 12/500ml BOT – Farmhouse beer brewed with wild grape leaves and green grapes, and toasted grapevine; and fermented with our wild house culture. White wine-like fermentation character with a hint of tannin and a toasty vanilla-like finish from the grape vines. 5.2% – IL

Cedar Rapids Brewing Society “Benzfest” set for Saturday, May 11th!

Press release:

The Cedar Rapids Brewing Society’s Drink Local Festival, previously held in August, is combining with Benzfest and will be moving to the second weekend in May.

The Cedar Rapids Brewing Society Benzfest will be held at Benz Beverage Depot on Saturday, May 11th. The event will include beers, ciders, meads, and spirits from a variety of vendors from around the Midwest and from homebrew clubs from around the state.

“We are very excited to continue our partnership with Benz. Combining these two great festivals will allow us to bring in even more vendors, while still featuring the many great homebrew clubs from around the state,” said Haley Rosendahl, Vice President of the Cedar Rapids Brewing Society. “Moving the event to May will hopefully result in more temperate weather than the previous Drink Local festivals in August.”

Look for tickets for the Cedar Rapids Brewing Society Benzfest to go on sale soon and stay tuned for announcements on vendor lineup. Follow CRBS on Facebook for announcements. https://www.facebook.com/CedarRapidsBrewingSociety

Lua Brewing “Sonder” blend bottles available at the taproom!

Courtesy of Lua’s Facebook page:

SONDER BLEND NO. 1 (5.0%)

Sonder No. 1 was brewed with a variety of raw grains and was fermented and aged in white wine barrels with our house culture of bacteria and wild yeast for over a year, softening the edges of the bright tartness. It was then bottle conditioned for over two years.

Three-plus years in the making, Sonder No. 1 is funky and slightly tart, but more strongly steeped in oak and vanilla notes, owing to its age in barrels. It was naturally carbonated in the bottle.

SONDER BLEND NO. 3 (3.5%)

Sonder No. 3 is a rustic Berliner Weisse, brewed with floor malted Pilsner malt and a variety of raw grains, including Iowa buckwheat and winter red wheat. It was fermented and aged in white wine barrels with our house culture of bacteria and wild yeast for over a year before being naturally refermented in the bottle.

Berliner Weisse, a revered historical style, has gotten a bad rap lately. Slushified American kettle sours, while often tasty, are not Berliner Weisse. They’re just not. This presentation of Sonder is our interpretation of a true authentic Berliner, and we are very proud of it.

These beers, like all presentations of Sonder, are a representation of this time, of this place, and of us.

Both SONDER bottles are available to enjoy here at our taproom.

Lion Bridge 2024 “Barrel-Aged January” Lineup Announced!

Courtesy of Lion Bridge’s website:

Barrel Aged January 2024 Beer Releases

Home-Baked 2024 (Imperial Stout w/ Hazelnut, Cinnamon, Cacao, Love, 11%) – Dessert for your desert island. Fudge and saigon cinnamon meld with a little bit of hazelnut goodness and bourbon barrel to produce something we liken to a cookie in beer form.

Vanilla Home-Baked (Imperial Stout/ Hazelnut, Cinnamon, Cacao, Vanilla, 11%) – We took our dessert for a desert island and dosed it with huge amounts of whole bean Madagascar Vanilla. An even more decadent treat!

Couples Skate (Barrel-Fermented Brett Beer w/whole peaches, 6.5%) – A slightly awkward first encounter that has led to happily ever after. We crushed 500lbs of Michigan peaches straight from the tree and let them rest on hand-selected wild barrels from our wood cellar for 8 months.

Oco Noco (Imperial Milk Stout w/Coconut, 11%) – We took an exceptional Imperial Milk Stout, aged it in Bourbon barrels for a year, and then put an obscene amount of toasted and un-toasted coconut into it until beer and confectionary treat melded seamlessly together. Simple, but oh so decadent.

Forgotten Time 2024 (Barrel-Aged Barley Wine, 12%) – The real deal Barley Wine. Brewed in collaboration with our friends at Clockhouse. Aged for 28 months in 10-year-old Templeton Rye Whiskey barrels. Sherry, chocolate, dark fruit for days.

GAZPROM! 2019 (Russian Imperial Stout w/Maple Syrup, 12%) – Viscous, and black. After primary fermentation this oily, Russian giant is re-fermented in bourbon barrels with Great River Maple dark syrup then blended back together to add consistency and complexity. 2016 GABF Bronze Medal Winner for Specialty Beer.

Shadow Puppet (Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout, 13%) – Aged 36 months in Cedar Ridge Bourbon Barrels and blended to bring an amazing beer out of the darkness. Notes of dried dark fruits, chocolate, sherry, oak, caramel, and vanilla.

Home-Baked Whiskey Release …. details coming soon!

Week by Week breakdown:

Week 1

1/4 Live Music – Trevor Treiber 6-8 PM

1/6 BEER RELEASE : Home-Baked 2024

1/6 BEER RELEASE : Vanilla Home-Baked 2024

1/6 Raffle for FREE Lion Bridge Merchandise!

Food Special (starting 1/3)

Pork Tenderloin with a Maple Vanilla Glaze atop Blue Cheese Macaroni

Smoked Gouda Burger

Three Layer Coconut Cream Cake


Week 2

1/13 BEER RELEASE : Couples Skate

1/13 BEER RELEASE : Cellar Release – Barrel-Aged Oco Noco 2022

1/13 Live Music – Severio Lancieri 6-8 PM

1/13 Country Night! Come dressed in your best cowboy/western look!

1/13 Raffle for FREE Lion Bridge Merchandise!

1/14 Make Your Own Face Stein (tickets) 2-4 PM

1/16 Tuesday Night Trivia 6-8 PM

1/18 Magic Show 6-7 PM

Food Special (starting 1/10)

BBQ Ribs and Cornbread / Mac & Cheese and Green Beans

BBQ Bacon Burger

Apple Turnovers with Bourbon Caramel Sauce and Whipped Cream


1/20 BEER RELEASE : Forgotten Time Barley Wine 2024 edition

1/20 BEER RELEASE : Cellar Release – GAZPROM 2019

1/20 Raffle for FREE Lion Bridge Merchandise!

1/20 Open Night Mic 7-9 PM

1/23 Tuesday Night Trivia 6-8 PM

1/25 Live Music – Carson Parker Cello Duet 6-8 PM

Food Special (starting 1/17)

Hearty Beef Stew

Lamb Meat Pies

Apple Turnovers with Bourbon Caramel Sauce and Whipped Cream

Week 3


1/27 BEER RELEASE : Shadow Puppet

1/27 BEER RELEASE : Home-Baked Whiskey

1/27 Raffle for FREE Lion Bridge Merchandise!

1/28 Cedar Rapids Brewing Society Happy Hour 3-5 PM

Food Special (starting 1/24)

Pesto Flatbread with Goat Cheese and Candied Pecans

Cranberry and Barleywine Braised Brisket with Roasted Kale and Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes 

Raspberry Tart

November releases from Lion Bridge!

Courtesy of Lion Bridge email:

Mallow Gold (Imperial S’mores Stout, 9.0%) – We brewed an exceptionally decadent stout and s’moresified it! Marshmallow, Ghanaian Chocolate, and Graham Cracker meld beautifully in this campfire beer.

Dream Catcher (Black IPA w/Simcoe and Cascade, 7.1%) – Scary things can lurk in the dark. But so can delicious hoppy things! Don’t be afraid of the dark base beer. Dream Catcher is all you wanted in an IPA, and all you didn’t even know you wanted!

Tox Brewing, Nightmare, Abomination, Fat Orange Cat, Clown Shoes, and Front Porch beers coming from Abu Nawas!

TOX BREWING:

  • Tox Brewing Poltergeist 6/4/16oz CANS – Double Dry Hopped Triple IPA with Galaxy, Citra, Nelson Sauvin, and Mosaic. 10% ABV – CT
  • Tox Brewing Ink – Dark Stuff 6/4/16oz CANS – Sour Ale brewed with Blackberry, Black Currant, Blueberry, Sweet Cherry, Plum, Lactose, & Vanilla. 6% ABV – CT
  • Tox Brewing Double Dart 6/4/16oz CANS – Double Dry Hopped DOUBLE Dart Frog IPA! loaded with Nelson, Riwaka and Motueka⁠. 8.5% ABV – CT
  • Tox Brewing Digitox 6/4/16oz CANS – Hoptimally saturated Double IPA with Nelson & Citra. 8.5% ABV – CT
  • Tox Brewing Copperhead 6/4/16oz CANS – Delicious American Amber Ale. 5.8% ABV – CT
  • Tox Brewing Fugu 6/4/16oz CANS – Citra, Cashmere, & El Dorado IPA. Immensely aromatic and complexly hoppy for its crushable nature, Fugu combines a carefully selected combination of American hops 6.5% ABV – CT
  • Tox Brewing Training Wings 6/4/16oz CANS – Beautiful American Pale Ale with Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe. 6% ABV – CT

ABOMINATION BREWING:

  • Abomination Brewing Forbidden Pumpkin 6/4/16oz CANS – Imperial Milkshake IPA Double Dry Hopped with Citra and Mosaic then fermented atop a monstrous amount of Pumpkin, Spices, Vanilla, & Milk Sugar. This hazy IPA pairs perfectly with hoodies, fall hikes and nights out by the fire pit with friends! 9.3% ABV – CT
  • Abomination Brewing Midday Snack Choc PB Banana 6/4/16oz CANS – Stout brewed with Peanut Butter, Chocolate Sauce, Vanilla Ice Cream, & Banana. 7.7% ABV – CT
  • Abomination Brewing Midnight Snack Chocolate Fondue 6/4/16oz CANS – Double Pastry Imperial Stout with Chocolate Cream, Vanilla & Pound Cake. 14% ABV – CT
  • Abomination Brewing The Harvester Soursop, Tangerine and Blueberry 6/4/16oz CANS – The Harvester is a rotating series of fruit forward sours exploring how various fruit combinations play off each other in a sour ale. Brewed with Soursop, Tangerine, & Blueberry. For a Harvester Slushie, Stick in in Freezer. Wait 2 Hours. Open. Pour. Enjoy & Thank us later! DO NOT FORGET ABOUT THE BEER YOU STUCK IN THE FREEZER 🙂 7.1% ABV – CT

FAT ORANGE CAT:

  • FAT ORANGE CAT FOC X Abomination – Twelve Lives & Still Wandering 6/4/16oz CANS – Ferociously juicy Double Dry Hopped Double IPA. Featuring a handpicked blend of some of our favorite hops; Lotus, Cashmere, Citra and Mosaic. 9.5% ABV – CT
  • Fat Orange Cat FOC Purrkatory (Mexican Blend) 6/4/16oz CANS – Imperial Milk Stout with Single-Origin Mexican Coffee!⁠ 11% ABV – CT
  • Fat Orange Cat FOC All Cats Are Grey in the Dark 6/4/16oz CANS – FOC Legendary White Stout – 7.2% ABV – CT

CLOWN SHOES BREWING:

  • Clown Shoes Pumpkin Sombrero 6/4/16oz CANS – Mexican-Style Chocolate Stout with Pumpkin Puree! 7% ABV – MA
  • Clown Shoes Harvest Blender 6/4/16oz CANS – Smoothie IPA with Plum, Peach, Apricot Purées and Lactose. Hopped with Citra and Galaxy. 7% ABV – MA

FRONT PORCH BREWING:

  • Front Porch Neil’s Donut Apple Crumb 6/4/16oz CANS – Imperial Stout brewed with Apple Crumb Donuts. 10% ABV – CT
  • Front Porch Reverse Mermaid HBC 586 6/4/16oz CANS – IPA jam packed with tropical HBC586, and Citra, Mosaic, Strata. 6.6% ABV – CT
  • Skygazer X Front Porch Boba Bliss Pink Guava 6/4/16oz CANS – Creamee Bubble Tea Sour Ale brewed with Pink Guava. 5% ABV – CT
  • Front Porch Twisted Sisters 6/4/16oz CANS – Delicious IPA brewed Loral, Ekuanot , HBC 586 hops. 6% ABV – CT – This Beer is in Collaborations with Pink Boots Society, an organization that aims to assist, inspire and encourage women and non-binary individuals in the fermented/alcoholic beverage industry to advance their careers through education.
  • Front Porch Thank You 6/4/16oz CANS – DIPA with Sabro, Hallertau Blanc, Enigma, Huell Melon and El Dorado. 8% ABV – CT

Confluence celebrating 11 years on Saturday October 21st!

Des Moines will be the place to be this coming weekend as Confluence Brewing will be celebrating their 11 year anniversary starting at 11 a.m.! Live music, food trucks and multiple beer releases throughout the day will be taking place. Take a look below for the schedule courtesy of Confluence’s Facebook page:

We are celebrating our 11th year of making good beer and we hope you can join us!

Come on down to the beer factory on our birthday for a special celebration filled with live music, food trucks, commemorative glassware and new beers for you to take home.

Schedule:
Live Music with Ducharme Jones 12-2:30pm
Live Music with Buckmiller Schwager Band 3-5:30pm
Food Trucks: Pie Mates & Street Eats
*Purchase any 2 anniversary beers (to-go) and receive a free 11th-anniversary glass!

Anniversary Beer Releases:
1. Peanut Butter Cup Porter (Contains Nuts & Lactose)
2. Bourbon Barrel Aged Ferryman’s
3. Ferryman’s Chocolate Old Fashioned
4. Ferryman’s Dark Chocolate Turtle
* to read about each beer, head to our events tab and you can see each release with their tasting notes!