Backpocket Anniversary Party set for June 29th!

May 24, 2019May 24, 2019Leave a comment

Backpocket Brewing will be celebrating their 7th Anniversary next month as they host their anniversary party and will be releasing their highly sought after Anniversary Stout! Live music, food, and most importantly delicious beer aplenty. Here are the deets on the party:

On Saturday, June 29th join us for our private Anniversary Party from 9am – 11am. DJ NYJ will be spinnin tracks from 9am – 12pm as we release our 7th Anniversary Russian Imperial Stout. You’ll want to stick around because we will have all you can eat breakfast, timed pins, a surprise brewery only bomber release at 11am, and live music from The Surf Zombies from 4 – 6 pm.
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Tickets will be on sale for the general public Tuesday, May 28th at 8am.
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General Ticket Holders will receive:
(1) Bottle of 7th Anniversary Stout.
(1) Bottle of our 7th Anniversary Stout Double Barrel (Rum and Bourbon) Variant
(1) 4 oz. Pour of 7th Anniversary (Bourbon ONLY)
(1) Exclusive 7th Anniversary Glass
(1) Ticket for ALL YOU CAN EAT breakfast.
Access to a party exclusive pin variant.
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VIP tickets are $110 and will include..
(1) Bottle of 7th Anniversary Stout.
(1) Bottle of 6th Anniversary Stout
(1) Bottle of our 7th Anniversary Stout Variant Double Barrel (Rum and Bourbon) Variant
(1) 4oz. Pour of 7th Anniversary (Bourbon ONLY)
(1) Exclusive 7th Anniversary Glass
(1) Ticket for ALL YOU CAN EAT breakfast.
Access to a party exclusive pin variant

Gezellig Brewing in Newton opening June 7th!

May 22, 2019May 22, 20193 Comments

Newton, IA will be the home of Iowa’s newest brewery as Gezellig Brewing will be opening their doors on June 7th! Before the doors to the brewery open however, you will be able to try their beer if you’re in the Muscatine or Pella area as Bonnie’s on the Avenue in Muscatine and the Cellar Peanut Pub in Pella will have the following brews on tap from Gezellig: Turn Down for Brown, Newtonian Haze IPA, and Kviek and Subscribe IPA. These beers will be tapped at 1:00 this Friday, May 24th at those two locations.

Here’s more info on a couple beers mentioned above, and stay tuned for more info on the opening of this brewery. If you want some Gezellig beers on your lines, reach out to them via their Facebook page by clicking here.

Onto the brews:

*Newtonian Haze – Newtonian Haze checks all the boxes. Plenty hazy, a huge fruity nose, and it’s quaffable as all get out. Massive pineapple, papaya, and passionfruit leap out and say ‘it’s gonna be one of those nights, Jim’. Super-charged lemon lime pineapple coats your tongue but doesn’t overstay its welcome. If you wanted a milkshake, Dairy Queen is down the street. This right here is a drinking beer.

*Turn Down for Brown -Cool kids beware. Your old man loves this beer and wants to tell THOSE 3 stories all night on repeat. Slight roasty coffee, sweet chocolate, and a hint of vanilla from German Ariana hops are rounded out by a bittering addition of UK Challenger and carefully selected caramel malts. Hunker down in brown town buddy. It’s gonna be a long night.

Shakespeare’s Celebrating 20 years on June 8th w/ Richard Macaroon, Carpe Diem, GAZPROM!, and more being tapped!

May 15, 2019

Make your calendar for June 8th folks! Shakespeare’s in Iowa City will be celebrating 20 years with a plethora of wondrous beers being tapped! Check it out!

We will be celebrating 20 years with fabulous hard to find beers pouring outside and free food inside!
We will have Big Grove Richard the Whale Macaroon, Madhouse Carpe Diem, Bourbon County Stout 2016, Lion Bridge Gazprom!, Hubbard’s Cave Mocha Pot de Creme, plus more to come so check back!

Exile + Uinta team up for Brut IPA Collab! Backcountry Brut set for June 7th release!

May 15, 2019May 15, 2019Leave a comment

Here is some big news out of Des Moines as Exile and Uinta Brewing have teamed up to brew “Backcountry Brut”, a Brut IPA. Here’s more on this release courtesy of Exile!

Exile Brewing and Uinta Brewing brew collaboration Brut IPA

Exile Brewing (Des Moines, IA) and Uinta Brewing (Salt Lake City, UT) announce Backcountry Brut, a collaboration double brut IPA brewed at Exile for Des Moines Beer Week.

“Collaboration beers represent what we love about craft brewing – community, experimentation, and great beer. We are big fans of Uinta and are excited to have them at our place to brew, share stories, and enjoy a few beers.” Said Joey Hansen, head brewer at Exile. After deliberation, brewers at each respective brewery settled on a double brut IPA. “It would be perfect in a dry, sunny climate like Utah or a humid Iowa summer,” says Hansen.

“We love the spirit of collaboration beers and see it as a way to connect with beer enthusiasts in markets we don’t get a chance to spend much time in” said Jeremy Worrell, Director of Marketing at Uinta Brewing. “Believe it or not, there is an abundance of Iowa natives now living in Utah and we consider this their chance to tip the ‘ol cap to those back home” said Worrell. “The team at Exile have been incredibly welcoming through this whole process and we couldn’t have asked for a better experience.”

Backcountry Brut will be packaged in limited quantities of 6-pack bottles and kegs which will only be available for purchase in Iowa. Release date is set for June 7^th, 2019 and will be available on tap and in bottles during Des Moines Beer Week.

Drink This! Clock House Low Bandito Cherry/Coconut

May 13, 2019May 13, 2019Leave a comment

One of my favorite tap rooms to visit is at Clock House Brewing. Something about that space that just makes me feel comfortable, and the fact that they are turning out some damn tasty brews too. I stopped in on a relatively slow Sunday afternoon and was lucky enough to have a pour of their Low Bandito Cherry/Coconut barrel-aged stout.

Low Bandito is their imperial stout and they’ve made some different variants of that tasty brew. I’ve had the vanilla, chocolate, coconut variant and really enjoyed that but the Cherry Coconut really stood out! Here’s more on this brew:

Driftless Glenn Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout. Aged on tart cherries and coconut

Wonderful aroma from the barrel that blends really well with the subtle coconut flavor. Cherry wasn’t prevalent right away but after it warmed the cherry really shined through. I ordered a Hazy Clock Tease while I let the Bandito sit for a while just to get more from that tart cherry. This checks in at a 9.6% but it was trying not to order a second draw.

I’m not sure how much of this brew Todd and Clock House have left so you might want to make the trek to downtown CR to get yourself a taste of this delicious brew. It is CR Craft beer so that can be your reason to get out and Drink This!

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

March 21, 2019March 21, 2019Leave a comment

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!

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

March 8, 2019March 8, 2019Leave a comment

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

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

March 3, 2019March 3, 2019Leave a comment

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.

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: Hoof Hearted and Abomination Launch in Iowa! +Stillwater and Omnipollo

March 1, 2019March 1, 2019Leave a comment

Two new breweries will be launching in Iowa in the coming week through Abu Nawas as Hoof Hearted Brewery out of Columbus and Abomination join the fray. Here’s more on these two new breweries courtesy of Abu Nawas:

ABOMINATIONis the brainchild of Josh Arno & Joe Feldman – two nomadic and extremely talented young brewers based out of eastern PA. What drew us to Abomination from the start is their exuberant, modern take on traditional beer styles. We think their approach to craft beer making is the perfect balance of educated skill, based on years of brewing experience with a strong background in chemistry, combined with a youthful irreverence for beer normalcy. Abomination are boundary pushers, and we think they are some of the guys who are most capably set to carry us to the next horizon of craft beer. To kick March Madness off in style, we have for you one brand new, superb (albeit VERY limited)

HOOF HEARTED. We could not be more thrilled to welcome these guys to the Abu Nawas Family. A cult-status, rockstar brewery from Columbus, Ohio, Hoof Hearted (in our humble opinion) is making some of the very best beer out there, and combines that with absolutely genius artwork. HH will be a big focus of ours for 2019, and as such we are beyond psyched to kick the March off with a couple of superb, new releases…

Along with those new breweries here’s what else is making the rounds this week:

Stillwater:

Action Bronson 7000 16oz CAN – Dry-Hopped Sour Ale brewed with Muscat Grapes. 4.5% ABV
Extra Dry 16oz CAN – A Saison brewed with sake rice and dry hopped with Citra, Hallertau Blanc, and Sterling. 4.2% ABV.

Off Color.:

Dino’smores 12oz Bottle — Imperial stout brewed w/ graham flour, marshmallow, molasses, cocoa nibs & vanilla bean. 10.5 ABV.

Omnipollo:

Beglo 12oz CAN — All-Simcoe Post-Skate IPA 6% ABV. #GlobeSkateboards
Maple Blueberry Pancake Bianca Lassi Gose, 16oz CAN — Blueberry Maple Pancake Lassi Gose ale brewed with blueberries, lactose sugar & maple syrup. 6% ABV
Noa Pecan Mudcake 12oz CAN — Legendary Omni’s Imperial Stout. 11% ABV.

Abomination:

Midnight Snack 16oz CAN — 10% Walnut Imperial Chocolate Milk Stout

Hoof Hearted:

Slø Turbø 16oz CAN — DIPA hopped exclusively w/ New Zealand varietals and a laser-focus on Nelson Sauvin. 8.5% ABV
Rosé Gosé 16oz CAN — Gose with Himalayan Pink Sea Salt, Coriander, Hibiscus, then soured with Lactobacillus and fermented with Saison yeast. 4.2% ABV

Abu Nawas Drops this week; Last ever call for Yellow Belly!

January 25, 2019February 15, 2019Leave a comment

If you haven’t heard or read yet, Omnipollo will be discontinuing their popular Yellow Belly beer over a trademark dispute which you can read more about here. With that being said, this spring will be the last time you will ever be able to get your hands as this will be the final release of this popular beer. Expect a late spring drop of bottles with the same pricing as last year.

Along with that here are more releases coming from Abu Nawas:

Evil Twin restocks

Evil Twin  Even More Pecan Jesus 16oz

Evil Twin  Imperial Biscotti Chili Hazelnut Break 16oz CAN and 1/6 barrel keg

Evil Twin  Imperial Doughnut Break 16oz CAN

I Don’t Know How to Put This but This IPA Is Kind of a Big Deal  16oz CAN and 1/6 barrel kegs.

Evil Twin  OFYMD 16oz CAN (Westbrook collab Lactose/Muscavado/Pineapple Imperial Stout)

Evil Twin / Omnipollo Rainbownade 12oz CAN (IPA with grapefruit, passionfruit, mango, raspberry and blueberry)

Evil Twin / Omnipollo  Coffenade 12oz CAN (Coffee IPA with a twist)

Evil Twin / Omnipollo Shploing 12oz CAN (Mango smores IPA)

A is for Apricot 12oz CAN (Fruit Berliner series!)

B is for Blueberry 16oz CAN (same)

G is for Grapefruit 16oz CAN (Yup)

F is for Fruit Salad16oz CAN (FRUIT SALAD!!!!)

A couple new ones from Evil Twin this week,

Evil Twin Consumed 15 Today, Diane 16oz CAN and 1/6 barrel kegs-  7% Double Dry-Hopped All Galaxy IPA

Evil Twin Banana Immune to Good Advice 16oz CAN and 1/6 barrel kegs – 10.7% Banana Imperial Maple Stout

Omnipollo reloads
Omnipollo Oaxaca 16oz CAN (Mango margarita slush IPA, 16oz cans)
Omnipollo Nebuchadnezzar 16oz CAN (Double IPA, 16oz cans)
Omnipollo Fatamorgana 12oz CAN (Double IPA, scaled up hombrew recipe with an according disdain for economics)
Omnipollo Lustro 12oz CAN (IIPA that straddles that east coast/west coast debate)
Omnipollo MAZ 12oz CAN (Super hopped pale ale w/oats, 16oz cans)
Omnipollo draft:
Omnipollo MAZ 1/6 ( Super hopped pale ale w/oats)
Omnipollo Oaxaca 1/6 (Mango margarita slush IPA)
Omnipollo Shoutao 1/2 (peach/lactose IPA)

Omnipollo NEW:

Omnipollo Lila 16oz CAN and 1/6 barrel kegs – 8% Whipped Lemon Cream Almond Frosted Cinnamon Roll Imperial IPA

Omnipollo PB&J Bianca 16oz CAN and 1/6 barrel kegs – 6% Fruited Lactose Gose brewed with Peanut Butter