Abu Nawas drop this week: Decadent, Evil Twin, Free Thought

May 17, 2019May 17, 2019Leave a comment

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Another big drop of some tasty brews coming from Abu Nawas in the coming week. Here’s what’s coming down the line:

DECADENT

CANS

Decadent Ales Bacon French Toast 16oz CANS – 8.4% IPA with Maple Syrup, Caramelized Sugar and Loads of Bacon

Decadent Ales Peach Frosted Pastry 16oz CANS –  8.6% DIPA with peaches, cinnamon and allspice added

Decadent Ales S’mores 16oz CANS –  9.1% All Mosaic Double Dry-Hopped DIPA brewed with Graham Crackers & Marshmallows

Decadent Ales Blueberry Frosted Pastry 16oz CANS – Mosaic Dry-Hopped DIPA brewed with Blueberries & Madagascar Vanilla Beans. 8.6% ABV.

Decadent Ales Coconut Almond Macaroon 16oz CANS – Double Dry-Hopped All-Mosaic IPA brewed with Coconut & Almond. 8.2% ABV.

Decadent Ales Double Toasted Marshmallow 16oz CANS – Dry hopped with a variety of hops featuring mosaic, Madagascar vanilla bean, marshmallows and a variety of candied, turbinado, coconut and other sugars create the mellow sweetness of campfire toasted marshmallow. 9.1% ABV.

Decadent Ales Ecto Cream Pop 16oz CANS – Vanilla makes this “ecto” brew unique from its companions. Or does the Ecto make it unique from its fellow Cream Pops? Double Dry-Hopped IPA with Madagascar vanilla bean, tangerine and orange zest added. 8.7% ABV.

Decadent Ales Ectoplasmic Orange 16oz CANS – All Citra double dry hopped IPA, with tangerine and orange zests added.

Decadent Ales Multiflora 16oz CANS – All Mosaic Double Dry-Hopped DIPA 9.7% ABV.

Decadent Ales Pecan Pie IPA 16oz CANS – Double India Pale Ale with Pecans and Maple Syrup. 5.2% ABV.

Decadent Ales Strawberry French Toast 16oz CANS – DIPA with Vermont Maple Syrup, sugar burned and caramelized stove top, juicy strawberries, and a touch of cinnamon. Notes of dough and pancake batter round out the finish. Good for breakfast. Great for dessert. 8.6%

Decadent Ales Strawberry Frosted Pastry 16oz CANS – Mosaic Dry-Hopped DIPA brewed with Strawberries & Madagascar Vanilla Beans. 8.6% ABV.

Decadent Ales Vermont Maple IPA 16oz CANS – Crisp base beer with a bitter touch that cuts the sweetness of Vermont maple syrup providing a pleasurable aroma on the tongue but still leaving you believing this is an IPA. 4.75% ABV.

Decadent Ales Winter Spice French Toast 16oz CANS –  Exactly like it sounds! Spiced Double India Pale Ale with Maple Syrup, Allspice, and Madagascar Vanilla Bean. 8.6% ABV

EVIL TWIN

Evil Twin / Decadent Delight #1 16oz CANS – The first collaboration with Evil Twin brewing. This imperial stout was brewed with pistachio. Coconut and cinnamon tie the nutty aroma with the roast and chocolate of the base. 11.7% ABV

Evil Twin 60 Day Dry Aged Stout 16 oz CANS – 6% Oatmeal Stout; a bit more easy going than the 90

Evil Twin 90 Day Dry Aged Stout 16 oz CANS –  milk stout brewed with dry-aged malt. 9% ABV.

Evil Twin Imperial Wedding Cake Break 16oz CANS –  yes, this is a beer brewed with an actual wedding cake. What started as a gift to a friend on his big day quickly made it online with crazy ratings and thus, the latest (one-time) iteration of Imperial Biscotti was born

Evil Twin Brewing Sour Sun Saft 16oz CANS – 8% Mosaic DIPA brewed with Black Currant & Mint

Free Thought

Free Thought Madcap 16oz CANS –  6% Sour Ale with Lapsang Souchong (a smoked tea), cocoa and Tamarind

Free Thought Superposition 16oz CANS – 8% Idaho 7 DIPA

Free Thought Principia 16oz CANS – Sour Ale brewed with Fennel Pollen, Meyer Lemon, Honey, & Milk Sugar. 6% ABV. ****VERY LIMITED**** FreeThought

Free Thought Sapere Aude 16oz CANS – “Dare to think for yourself!” Double IPA hopped with Citra, Whole Cone Citra, & Citra Lulupin Powder. 8.5% ABV.

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!

HUGE Crooked Stave drop coming from Abu Nawas!

May 10, 2019Leave a comment

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Tons of great Crooked Stave beers will be making their way to our shelves here in Iowa in the next week! Huge list so make sure to read through carefully!

CANS

Von Pilsner 12oz CAN – Unfiltered Keller Pilsner

CO WildSage 12oz CAN – Brett saison brewed with lemongrass and sage

St. Bretta 12oz CAN – Brettanomyces citrus saison

Coffee Baltic Porter 12oz CAN – Baltic porter featuring rotating coffee roasters

Crooked Stave IPA 12oz CAN – American style IPA

Do You Even Zest?! DIPA 12oz CAN – Citrus Double IPA ***NEW CAN*** Elevated from our experimental hazy IPA series, Do You Even Zest?! is a limited release loaded with an immense amount of hops and freshly zested citrus. This Citrus Double IPA was born out of our playful nature as brewers looking to challenge the status quo. Our team meticulously zests fresh citrus for each and every batch, which begs the question, do you even zest?

Sour Rosé 12oz CAN – Wild ale aged in oak barrels with raspberries and blueberries

750’s LIMITED

Framboise 2018 – Golden sour ale aged in oak barrels with Washington raspberries and vanilla beans.

Origins Vintage

Silly Cybies – Belgian style dark ale aged in oak barrels with Washington raspberries

Mama Bears Sour Cherry Pie 2017 – Burgundy sour ale aged in oak barrels with Colorado Montmorency cherries

L’Brett d’Apricot 2017 – Golden sour ale aged in oak barrels with Colorado apricots

L’Brett d’Or – Surreal golden sour ale aged in oak barrels

Surette Reserva Palisade Peach 2017 – Reserva saison aged in oak barrels with Palisade peaches

Nightmare on Brett Vintage – Dark sour ale aged in Leopold Bros whiskey barrels

Nightmare on Brett Sour Cherry 2017 l – Dark sour ale aged in Leopold Bros whiskey barrels with Colorado Montmorency sour cherries

375s

Sunnyside of Bruxelles – Sunnyside Sour Red/Brown Ale brewed in collaboration with Yvan De Baets from Brasserie de la Senne.

Raspberry Origins

Blueberry Origins

Petite Sour Tart Cherry

Petite Sour Blueberry 2016 Vintage – Mixed fermentation ale aged in oak with Washington blueberries

Petite Sour Raspberry 2016 Vintage – Mixed fermentation ale aged in oak with Washington raspberries

Petite Sour Rosé – 2016 Vintage – Wild ale aged in oak barrels on fruit skins

Petite Sour Peach – Mixed fermentation ale aged in oak with Colorado Palisade peaches

St. Bretta – Brettanomyces citrus saison

Vieille – Artisanal barrel-aged saison lightly dry hopped

CO Wild Sage – Brett saison brewed with lemongrass and sage

L’Brett d’Or Vintage – Surreal Golden Sour Ale Aged in Oak Barrels

L’Brett d’Apricot – Golden sour ale aged in oak barrels with Colorado apricots

Raspberry Bianca WWB – A new school gose brewed with lactose and added raspberries, brewed in collaboration with Omnipollo

Key Lime Tau – Collaboration with Hawkshead Brewery, a mixed culture fermentation brewed with lactose, fresh lime peel and lemongrass

Progenitor – Dry hopped golden sour ale

HopSavant – American Brettanomyces IPA

Vieille – Artisanal barrel-aged saison lightly dry hopped

CO WildSage – Brett saison brewed with lemongrass and sage

Progenitor – Dry hopped golden sour ale

Nightmare on Brett Blueberry 2015 – Dark sour ale aged in Leopold Bros whiskey barrels with Washington blueberries

Nightmare on Brett Raspberry 2015 – Dark sour ale aged in Leopold Bros whiskey barrels with Washington Raspberries

Ampersand Vol. 3 Ch. 1 – Golden Sour Botanical Ale, Aged in Ransom Old Tom Gin Barrels

Ampersand Vol. 3 Ch. 2 – Burgundy Sour Ale, Aged in Ransom Rye Whiskey Barrels

Wild Wild Brett Batch #200 – American Wild Ale Aged With Raspberries and Dry Hopped

Surette Reserva Prunus Persica – Golden sour ale aged in oak barrels with peaches We have hand picked each Surette Reserva from unique batches that develop with indefinable complexity. Through embracing variation within our brewing seasons, each limited release is an expression of the terroir from which our fruit is sourced, the skilled stewardship of the farmers we work with, and the rustic beers we produce.

Two new brews coming from Lagunitas

May 9, 2019May 9, 2019Leave a comment

It looks like Lagunitas will be releasing a couple of new brews and hopefully they will be arriving in time for summer as they both sound very refreshing. According to mybeerbuzz.blogspot.com, one will be a “wet-hopped juicy ale” that will be a part of their “One Hitter Series”, and the other will be an unfiltered version of “A Little Sumpin Ale”. Here’s more courtesy of mybeerbuzz.blogspot.com:

sumpin hazy

This is A Little Sumpin’s Hazy Ale and it looks like a new name for A Little Sumpin’ Unfiltered Ale. This “unfiltered take on sumpin’ classic” will hit 7.5%-AbV and you are looking at the 12oz Limited Release bottle.

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This is Phase Change and it will be a “seasonally unexpected wet-hopped juicy ale” that hits 7.2%-AbV. This beer will be part of the 2019 OneHitter Series and you’re looking at the 12oz bottle.

Thew Brewing + Firetrucker Brewery Tap Takeover @Tin Roost set for 4/25!

April 24, 2019April 24, 2019Leave a comment

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Thew Brewing Company and Firetrucker Brewery will be co-hosting a tap takeover tomorrow night (4/25) at Tin Roost in North Liberty starting at 6:00! Three beers from each brewery will be available and also a Super Smash Brothers tournament will be taking place as well. Here’s more on this event:

We’re hosting a Super Smash Bros Tournament (Nintendo Switch) and Tap Takeover with Thew Brewing Company & Firetrucker Brewery on Thursday, April 25 from 6-9 pm! We’ll have 3 beers on tap from Thew and 3 beers on tap from Firetrucker – Beers TBA. We’ll have flights available too! Stop by Tin Roost to sign-up for the Tournament anytime before 4/25 – only 24 spots available, first come first served. FREE to play, we’ll have prizes to the top 3 finishers including swag from Roost and the breweries!

Beers Available:

Firetrucker Brewery:
Oakily Doakily Sour – Flanders Red
Double Mango Citra Tropical Burn Infusion – Double IPA
Buffalo Trace BA 2 Alarm Red
Copper Cat – Hard Ginger Beer w/ Lime

Thew Brewing Company:
Citrus Kölsch
Whatchoo Talkin’ Bout, Willis Dady? (Wheat)
Sounds Interesting (coffee chocolate blonde)

Brazen + Saint Burch teaming up for seafood dinner May 1st!

April 23, 2019April 23, 2019Leave a comment

Two of the best chefs in the state of Iowa will be teaming up to bring the area an amazing 10 course seafood dinner on May 1st at Saint Burch Tavern in Iowa City. Chef Ben Smart of Big Grove/St. Burch fame will be partnering with Chef Kevin Scharpf of Brazen and Top Chef fame to bring you what will no doubt be the culinary event of the year in the state.

Tickets are almost gone so act quickly if you want to attend this event. Below is the menu and you can also click HERE for tickets!

Abu Nawas Drops for this week! Hubbard Cave/Une Annee

April 19, 2019Leave a comment

Another drop of terrific brews coming from Abu Nawas as Hubbard’s Cave and Une Annee will be getting some more of their great beers to us next week. Here’s what’s coming:

Le Seul XXIV (Plum) 24-CANS – 2pk16oz – American Wild Ale Fermented with Plums. 6.5% ABV. From The Brewery: “This beer is being released for just the second time ever and for the first time in cans! With this batch we’ve continued blending bits of our Brett culture into our original mixed-culture base, allowing more of its character to shine and also resulting in a more restrained acidity. We also threw so much plum purée at this one that even our centrifuge couldn’t get it clear! The result is a complex and refined, yet easy-drinking crusher fruit bomb of a sour beer.”
Hubbard’s Cave: Fresh IIPA V28 (Ariana, Jarrylo, Pekko) 24-CANS – 4pk16oz – Fresh IIPA. 8.5% ABV. From The Brewery: “We were feeling a little poetic in crafting this one, paying homage to springtime with Jarrylo being named after the Slavic God of fertility and Pekko named after the Finnish God of farming. The result is a lightly tropical, herbal and earthy IIPA that hits the mouth soft and sweet, but finishes dry and crisp with a light bitterness…keeping in tradition with our hoppy beers landing square between the coasts’ respective styles.”
Hubbard’s Cave: Fresh IIPA V29 (Falconer’s Flight, Michigan Copper) 24-CANS – 4pk16oz – Fresh IIPA. 8.5% ABV. From The Brewery: “This batch saw a few tweaks to the brew process resulting in a moderate increase in sweetness, more amplified body, and a smoother bitterness. [read: more juicy] Playing with the new base profile, we’ve got floral and citrus character from the Falconer’s Flight while Michigan Copper is more known for its fruit punch and cherry candy-like flavors, with both imparting notes of pine resin.” 8.5% ABV.

Treats in 750ml Bottles:

Hubbard’s Cave: Bananas Foster 12-750ml Bottles – Imperial Stout with Cinnamon, Maple Syrup, Vanilla and Bananas. 12% ABV.

Hubbard’s Cave: Coffee and Cakes 12-750ml Bottles – Imperial Stout Brewed with Coffee from Chicago ABACUS Coffee and Maple Syrup. 12% ABV.

Iowa Brewing Company releasing barrel-aged In-Tents Smores Stout 5/11/19!

April 15, 2019April 15, 2019Leave a comment

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Some exciting news out of Cedar Rapids as Iowa Brewing Company has announced their release on “In-Tents”, a barrel-aged Smores stout. The release will come on May 11th, right before the Benz Beverage Depot beer festival. To get more info read below or check out Iowa Brewing’s event release on Facebook by clicking here:

𝗜𝗻-𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 was brewed last year to celebrate our second anniversary. A huge imperial s’mores stout with tons of pale and biscuit malt, chocolate malt, roasted barley, and graham flour for a rich full flavor with notes of cookies and a touch of char. Afterwards we rested on pure liquid cacao and a blend of Madagascar and Tahitian vanilla beans. Half of the batch was put into Four Roses barrels and a vanilla bourbon barrel to rest for (almost) a year, and finished with cocoa nibs, graham crackers and marshmallows.

Two variants will be available in 375ml bottles:

𝗕𝗔 𝗜𝗻-𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 – Aged in Four Roses bourbon barrels plus a vanilla bourbon barrel and finished with cocoa nibs, graham crackers and marshmallows.

𝗕𝗔 𝗜𝗻-𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗲 – Aged in Four Roses bourbon barrels plus a vanilla bourbon barrel and finished with cocoa nibs, graham crackers, marshmallows, and Trung Nguyen Legendee coffee.

Stop by before Benz Beerfest starts and be the first to grab a bottle, these won’t last long. Bottle shares will be allowed in line, please line up at our patio door and keep any open containers inside the patio.

Contrary Brewing celebrating 4 year anniversary starting April 12th!

April 9, 2019April 9, 2019Leave a comment

Contrary Brewing Company in Muscatine will be celebrating their 4 year anniversary this coming weekend (4/12)! There will be food, music, and the highlight of the weekend will be the release of “Mexican Pariah” a barrel-aged imperial stout. Here’s more from Contrary:

4th Anniversary Weekend Highlights!
Along with special beer tappings all weekend, enjoy the following:

Friday, April 12th 6pm – Sun Green (FREE Concert)

Saturday, April 13th Noon – Barrel-aged Mexican Pariah Imperial Stout bottle release! 22oz bomber($20), extremely limited quantities.

Saturday, April 13th 3pm – tapping of Mexican Pariah Imperial Stout coffee variant.

Sunday, April 14th Noon – Brand New BBQ (award winning BBQ) and help us kick the kegs! We will serve all the special tappings until gone or 6pm.

Freethought Brewing hitting Iowa and other Abu Nawas news!

April 8, 2019April 8, 2019Leave a comment

Another new brewery will be making their way into the Iowa market as Freethought brewing will be brought to us by Abu Nawas. More from Abu on this brewery:

This month we proudly introduce a brand new gypsy-brewing outfit that we’ve been working behind the scenes with for some time now, and which is finally ready to see the light of day…FREETHOUGHT. This is the brainchild of Ben Clayton and Ryan Jorgenson. For Ben & Ryan, FREETHOUGHT is a vehicle to design charming, sophisticated beers that spark imagination. Central to this aim, is an extreme focus on ingredients. With a strong culinary background at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, the pair have spent years studying the provenance and seasonality of ingredients, in addition to the heightened expression of flavor that comes from marrying just the right elements at just the right time of year. The beers of FREETHOUGHT take ingredient combination and selection to an entirely different level than anyone we’ve seen before, and we are certain that these guys are about to get seriously noticed. You heard it here first. To start, two spectacular debuts…

Principia – 6% Sour Ale brewed with Fennel Pollen, Meyer Lemon, Honey, & Milk Sugar (very limited 16oz cans)

Sapere Aud – 8.5% Double IPA hopped with Citra, Whole Cone Citra, & Citra Lulupin Powder (very limited 16oz cans)

Sapere Aud 1/6 bbl – 8.5% Double IPA hopped with Citra, Whole Cone Citra, & Citra Lulupin Powder (very limited Draft)

Along with the Freethought announcement, there will be more Abomination and Fat Orange Cat brews hitting the shelves:

Fat Orange Cat Sweet Jane Blues 16oz CAN – 7.9% Milkshake IPA brewed with Vanilla, Lactose & Fresh Blueberries.
Fat Orange Cat Launch 16oz CAN – 8% NE-Style DIPA
Fat Orange Cat Little Blue Penguin 16 oz CAN – 6.6% Nelson & Motueka NE-Style IPA
Fat Orange Cat Remove The Beer From The Bottom of the Ocean 16oz CAN – 7.5% Eureka & Mosaic NE-Style IPA