The 4th annual Dubuque on Ice Brewfest is slated to take place on Saturday, February 21st starting at 1:00 and ending at 5:00 p.m. It takes place at the Mystique Ice Arena in Dubuque with a VIP entrance time slated for noon. $35 general admission and $50 for VIP tickets. Tickets will be on sale starting December 10th. Last year saw many breweries in attendance including Exile, Toppling Goliath, Big Grove Brewery and many more. A great event and I hope to see you there! For more info visit www.dubuquebrewfest.com!
Tag: iowa craft beer
Coming to Shelves: Deschutes Pine Drop? Bells Planet Series Continues..
Something that hasn’t been 100% confirmed but looks to be inevitable is a new Deschutes beer being added to their Bond Street Series lineup. Go along with Hop in the Dark, Chasin’ Freshies, and Foray, Pine Drop IPA will soon be bottled. What was once a draught only offering, as the name suggests, will be a Piney IPA that will use chinook, millennial, centennial, and northern brewer. More from the brewery courtesy of beerstreetjournal.com.
This lively IPA delivers a crisp and light malt body with ample citrus and pine notes from Chinook and experimental hops. Inspired by the aromas and silence we experience when exploring the scenic pine forests just up the road from our brewhouse.
Deschutes Pinedrops IPA will be available in 12oz bottles as a part of the Bond Street Series. Other offerings in the series include Chasin Freshies, Foray, and Hop in the Dark.
Style: IPA
Hops: Millennial, Northern Brewer, Chinook, Centennial, Experimental
Malt: Pilsner, Pale, Munich, Crystal, Cara PilsAvailability: 12oz bottles, Draft.
Arrival: TBA
Also coming to shelves is the third Bells Planet Series offering. Mercury will be hitting shelves in December and is a Belgian Single. Here’s more from Bell’s Brewery:
MERCURY
The Winged Messenger
STYLE: Belgian Single
RELEASE DATE: December 2014
ABV: 4.8%
COLOR: Pale, straw
GLASSWARE: Snifter
TASTING NOTES: Light and sessionable like its namesake, the third release in the Bell’s Planet Series, Mercury: The Winged Messenger, was inspired by the Belgian Single, a style traditionally brewed by monks in Belgium for their own consumption.
This interpretation has bready and grainy notes from Belgian malt, herbal and balanced characteristics from the hops and a subtle, but spicy character from the Belgian yeast. Fruity notes of pear are also present in this light, bright and complex session beer.
Bells Brewery Kick Off to Christmas Dec. 19th @ Reds Alehouse
I just received the following email from Reds Alehouse. Sounds like Bells is bringing some heavy hitters on the 19th! Some things we haven’t seen in Eastern Iowa before and Oracle on tap will be really nice! Hope to see you there! Here’s the list of brews:
Iowa Breweries Gift Giving Guide 2014
Did everyone survive Bourbon County day?! We can now get back to a little normalcy in the beer world. Hope Thanksgiving went well and everyone drank some tasty brews but now it’s on to Christmas! And what better way to show someone you love them than with some great Iowa beer and apparel! (I was going to use the word swag but I think I’m too old). Below is a list I’ve compiled with the help of some great Iowa breweries of items that they have for sale. I’m a sucker for glassware and shirts from breweries so this stuff is right up my alley. The links that follow should take you to each breweries store, please let me know if a link is not working.
Millstream Brewing Company – Amana, IA:
*Clothing – shirts and hats ranging anywhere from $10-$50
*Glassware – pint glasses to growlers from $4.25 – $35.
*Miscellaneous – signs, koozies, coasters and more!
Baron’s pick: The new Millstream tshirts are pretty sweet and a good price at $17.50, but I think their old school metal sign is the way to go especially if you have a nice little Beer Cave to hang it in. Sign clocks in at $15.70.
http://shop.millstreambrewing.com/
Firetrucker Brewery – Ankeny, IA:
*Clothing – this upstart brewery has 2 t-shirts, a sweatshirt and kick-ass looking biking t-shirt to choose from ranging from $25-$135.
*Glassware – a 16 oz pint glass with their sweet looking logo at $12.
*Miscellaneous – stickers and coasters from $2-$5.
Baron’s pick: Going with the sweatshirt for $55 and the pint glass for $12. Love the logo on both, especially with a nice stout poured behind it.
http://www.firetrucker.com/swag.php
Singlespeed Brewery – Cedar Falls, IA:Shamefully I haven’t been to Singlespeed yet, but I’ve heard great things are happening in Cedar Falls. My New Year’s Resolution is to drink more at all Iowa Breweries! 🙂
*Clothing – t-shirts, hoodies, and brewers shirts ranging from $20-$50.
*Glassware – pub glasses, flasks, growlers ranging from $6-$60.
*Miscellaneous – gifts cards and bottle openers.
Baron’s pick: The beer glasses. Gift cards are available in any amount as well.
http://www.singlespeedbrewing.com/gear/default.aspx
Lion Bridge Brewery – Cedar Rapids, IA: A spot you can probably find me at on any given weekend. So thankful that they have opened up so close to home. Along with great beer the food is damn good as well (pork nachos anyone?).
*Clothing – t-shirts ranging in color. Nothing on the website yet but they do have a little shop setup in the brewery. I believe I got the last powder blue and red!
*Glassware – If you are a beer glass junkie like myself Lion Bridge can set you up. Taster glasses, pint glasses, snifters, etc. All there, all for sale…I believe. Along with growlers and meowlers.
*Miscellaneous – CSA. Their community sponsored ales program. A one time fee gets you discounts, a t-shirt, growler, 1st growler fill, and growler fills on speciality beers all for $80 I believe.
Baron’s Pick: Well, I’ve already picked up a shirt, glasses, and the CSA will be joined soon. So I guess I’ll recommend all three!
515 Brewing – Clive, IA – Anytime I’m in the Des Moines area I make a stop at 515. Love the people here, love the atmosphere and love the beer! No online shop as of now but stop in and have a pint and grab something to take home with you.
*Clothing – last time I was there they had 3 different t-shirts to choose from. I got a sweet looking gray with the logo on it.
*Glassware – I vaguely remember a few different glasses to choose from. I bought a nice snifter, perfect for a nice stout or porter!
Baron’s Pick: – Love the t-shirt I own and my snifter, I highly recommend!
Toppling Goliath – Decorah, IA – Arguably the most recognized Iowa brewery has some really cool gear to pick up. I recently picked up a King Sue Teku glass (now kicking myself in the ass for not getting an Assassin Teku as well).
*Clothing – t-shirts, sweatshirts, a nice little pseudosue pack consisting of a hat, shirt, and two coasters.
*Glassware – well, the King Sue and Assassin Tekus rock the shit. Got one, want more. They also have pint glasses, chalices, snifters, with not just the TG logo, but their specific beer logos.
*Miscellaneous – openers, stickers, and coasters.
Baron’s Choice – The Teku is the obvious choice for me. These are awesome!
Confluence Brewing – Des Moines, IA – Confluence keeps rolling out some excellent brews. Really enjoyed Ayana’s Rhino Rye and hope to see it again in the future!
*Clothing -They have sweatshirts, bike jerseys, T’s and other apparel.
*Glassware – 64 oz and 32 oz growlers.
*Baron’s Choice – pick up a t-shirt. I’m not sure what color scheme they have as they don’t currently have an online store, but give them a call or drop them an email. http://www.confluencebrewing.com/
Peace Tree Brewing – Knoxville, IA – Another brewery making big splashes is Peace Tree. Located in Knoxville, this brewery has some really sweet looking apparel and other offerings.
*Clothing – t-shirts and bicycle shirts ranging from $15-$75.
*Glassware – awesome looking glassware and even a cool pint glass and opener set.
*Miscellaneous – bottle caps, openers, patches, labels and more.
*Baron’s Choice – I love the Peace Tree Beanie found here:http://store.peacetreebrewing.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=0001013. Added to my wishlist!
Big Grove Brewery – Solon, IA – nothing has been hotter than Big Grove in Solon. With the amount of attention and recognition they get you’d think they would have been open for years, but it’s only been one! So much good things being created here both beer and food wise, makes this another frequent destination of the Baron.
*Clothing – upon walking in on my last visit I saw the wall to my left had new Big Grove t-shirts made by Tailgate Clothing company! Wonderfully comfortable shirts that always look great. I will be adding all three to my collection.
*Glassware – growlers and the last I was there they still had a few 1 year anniversary tulip glasses for sale. Awesome glasses, highly recommended!
Baron’s Choice – I must own the shirts! They are awesome! You will not be disappointed! Check them out on your next visit. I have 1 year anniversary glass that I great like it’s one of my own children and a growler that I fill frequently! All great stuff!
**This holiday, support your local brewery. The above are a few of the wonderful places we are lucky enough to have in our state. I assume most places have gift cards available as well. Below is a link to the complete list of Iowa breweries, find one near you, go there, drink beer, and buy some shit!**
Baron’s Guide to Thanksgiving and Beer
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I thought it would be fun to breakdown Thanksgiving Day and pair some craft beers with what would be my typical meal. Now, 15 years ago, Busch Light reigned supreme and would flow freely along with some boxed wine and a few bottles of booze. Times change and thankfully so do the drinks. I saw the guys at fullpint.com do this and thought it would be good to see an Eastern Iowa version of what beers to get.
**Early and often Beers**– while watching the football game with fellow family members and waiting for the bird to finish up cooking, it’s good have other options available other than the typical light beer, and Eastern Iowa now has a plethora of excellent, low abv brews.
Baron’s recommendation:
*Founders Brewing All Day IPA – 4.7%
*Lion Bridge Workmen’s Compensation – 4.7% (growler only – coffee variation dynamit
e as well)
*Lion Bridge Whirligig – 4.5% (growler only, a Baron Favorite)
*Big Grove Que Sera Berliner Weisse – 4.4% (growler only)
*Destihl Brewing Here Gose Nothin’ – 5% (A little higher ABV and sour but I can down a few)
*Stone Levitation – 4.4% very tasty amber.
**Dinner Beers** – the food has made it’s way to the table and you are looking for a bottle of something to share with some loved ones. I’m in agreement with many beer lovers that the perfect style of beer for Thanksgiving are Saisons. And being a saison lover, there are quite a few to choose from around Eastern Iowa. I also think maltier IPAs go well with the majority of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
Baron’s recommendation:
*Saison Dupont – 6.5%
*Boulevard Tank 7 – 8.5%
*Lion Bridge Untitled Saison – 6.5% (growler only)
*Deschutes Zarabanda – 6.3%
*Sierra Nevada Celebration – 6.8%
*Bells Two Hearted – 7%
**Time for Dessert** – as with most holidays there is usually a table reserved just for desserts. Now, you should have a cooler reserved for dessert beers. I would have loved to include New Glarus on this list and they would be at the top but they aren’t distributed anywhere outside of Wisky. So for dessert I would go with:
Baron’s Recommendations:
*Schlafly Pumkin Ale – 8% – a no-brainer here. One of the better pumpkin beers on the market.
*Big Grove Russian Imperial Stout- this beer pairs excellent with dark fruits. Had it at the brewery in Solon with some of their pickled bing cherries and was blown away. (growler only)
*Millstream Raspberry Latte Stout – ? ABV – Millstream’s newest offering has me craving more. A great combo of raspberry and stout that’s perfect for dessert.
*Stone Xocoveza – 8.1% – if you’re lucky enough to still have a bottle this would be a perfect way to end the evening. Chocolate, cinnamon, and coffee makes this the perfect beer after a big meal and the heat does a nice job of warming you up for a chilly Iowa November evening.
**As always, I’m sure I missed a bunch of beers. Feel free to send me your list and if you hear of any news, would like a guest review post, or questions drop me a line!**
Coralville Brrr Fest Set for January 24th!
Save the Date!
When: Saturday, January 24, 2015
Where: Coralville Marriott Hotel & Conference Center
Time: 1:00pm – 4:00pm
The time has come to start making your plans for BrrrFest 2015! Once again, BrrrFest will feature amazing breweries from across Iowa and the Midwest.
Continuing this year, BrrrFest beer lovers will have the opportunity to buy bottles of the beers they love most. That’s right. BrrrFest will be selling beer from select breweries including some limited release* offerings that are very hard to come by. You’ll be able to take BrrrFest home with you for the second year – awesome! *A working list of beer available for purchase will be available on the BrrrFest website soon.
Ticket Information:
Regular Entry*: $30
*Includes tasting glass
Brew Master (limited number available)**: $45
**Includes special tasting glass and early admission (12pm)
Tickets go on sale online on BLACK FRIDAY (November 28, 2014) and will soon be available in person (we will send out another note soon to let you know).
We have sold out every year so don’t delay. The Black Friday release is a less than subtle message… BrrrFest tickets make great gifts! Make sure you get yours early. Remember, proceeds from the event benefit Coralville 4th Fest and the Iowa Brewers Guild… so you are enjoying brew’s for a few great causes! Thank you in advance for your support.
Coming to Shelves: NB Rampant cans, Boulevard, Sierra Nevada, Bells Wheat Beer Glass
Payday coming up on Thursday and I’m looking forward to adding a few beers to my fridge this week. I still haven’t gotten my hands on Pirate Bomb! from Prairie yet and hopefully I can still find it, and I’m hoping Toppling Goliath makes an Eastern Iowa drop this week as well. I need to find some of Millstream’s Raspberry Latte Stout and stock up on that as well. Last week I was able to pick up some Bells Double Cream Stout which is a favorite this time of year and I was lucky enough to get a few more bottles of New Belgium’s fantastic Hop the Pond the IPA which would be a welcome sight if it went year round. Hoping to see a few of you Friday night at Blackstone’s Border War! Onto some news tidbits!
**New Belgium Brewing** – the can craze continues as New Belgium will be offering their Rampant IPA in cans. The following comes from beerstreetjournal.com:
The hop profile heavily features Mosaic and Calypso, bringing stone fruit flavors to the front seat. We’re talking peaches, apricots, things like that. Centennials are in there too, rounding out the aroma with a big citrus blast. Rampant also offers a sturdy malt backbone to balance the flavor in such wonderful way. It is a really great beer, like really great…
New Belgium Rampant IPA will be available in 12oz cans. Release date to follow.
Style: Imperial IPA
Hops: Mosaic, Calypso, Centennial
Malts: Pale, BlackAvailability: 12oz Bottles, Draft. 12oz Cans (Soon)
**Boulevard Brewing** – Boulevard will be releasing “Last Splash” will be their 3rd release in their Backroads Beer series and this one is a wet-hopped ale. From Boulevard’s Instagram:
We’re bottling Last Splash, an upcoming wet-hopped Backroads beer, for an early November release today. This beer showcases Nugget hops that were shipped to us within hours of being harvested.
**Sierra Nevada**– this December Sierra Nevada Brewing will be sending out a wild hop IPA. According to their website these are southwest hops that were found “while scrambling down hillsides near their home in New Mexico”. This will be the 5th and final release of the Harvest series of 2014 and the hop varietal they are using is called “Neomexicanus” which has melon, citrus, and apricot aroma and flavor. Here’s some quick stats from the fellas thefullpint.com:
Quick stats on Harvest Wild Hop IPA:
- ABV—6.5%
- BU—55
- Hop(s)—Neomexicanus
- Malts—Two-row Pale, Caramel
**Bells Brewing** – Bells Brewing has released a glass designed specifically for wheat beers. Here’s the description of the glass from Bells.
Bell’s was approached by renowned Austrian glassware manufacturer Spiegelau with an exciting partnership opportunity to create a custom Bell’s Wheat Beer Glass. Knowing how big of a role wheat beers play at Bell’s, we were excited for the opportunity to give wheat beers some attention and elevate the experience of drinking this flavorful, complex style of beer. Designed to elevate the experience of drinking not only Bell’s Oberon Ale, Winter White and Oarsman Ale, the glass is poised to become the new standard for enjoying all wheat beers.
What makes the Bell’s Wheat Beer Glass enhance the enjoyment of wheat beers more so than a standard pint glass or hefeweizen glass?
• Raw quartz silica combined with Speigelau’s state of the art production methods help beer sustain head retention and carbonation
• Ultra-pure quartz material makes for unsurpassed clarity and flawless true color presentation of wheat beers
• Laser cut top lip of the glass resulting in crisp, clean delivery of the beer during each sip
• Larger body / bowl of the glass to capture and concentrate more of the delicate, complex aromas that are unique to wheat style beers
• Mouth opening delivers beer evenly across the palate to enhance the distinct mouthfeel, and harmony of sweetness and acidity that comes from the wheat malt in the beer
• Lip at the bottom of the bowl that results in a slight “slosh” after every tip of the glass, causing the carbonation to be re-activated, releasing more of the aromatics after each drink
• Thin walls maintain proper beer temperature longer
Madhouse Brewing Barleywine Release Party Nov. 20 info
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2014 Madhouse Barleywine Release Party Where: Madhouse Brewing Company. 501 Scott Ave. Des Moines, IA. 50309 When: Thursday, Nov. 20th. 6-10pm. What: Madhouse will be hosting an open house to celebrate the release to two barrel-aged Barleywines: 2014 Barleywine. Aged 10 months in Tennessee whiskey barrels. 10.5% abv. Aromas of butterscotch, whiskey, caramel and oak. Rich and creamy texture with flavors of brown sugar, fig, molasses, and baking spice.
2014 Gnarlywine. Barelywine aged 20 months in Jasper Winery Port barrels. 13.0% abv. Dark fruit and currant aromas blend with caramel and chocolate flavors.
This will be the first opportunity to purchase bottles of these products. Tastings and pints will also be available. We will also be opening remaining bottles of 2013 Barleywine for sampling. Extras- Bottle Share: Guests are encouraged to bring bottles of home-brewed or commercial examples of their favorite Barleywine for sharing.
Meats and cheese samples will be available which are selected by Madhouse staff to pair with Barleywine.
Music provided by DJ Brodacious
For more info- Brewing phone- 515-988-5535 info@madhousebeer.com |
Coming to Shelves: Rogue, Lagunitas?, Founders, Enjoy By, more!
A lot of tidbits in this update as we have a bunch of beers hitting shelves and I know I missed a bunch so feel free to drop me a line if I missed anything. On to the update!
**Rogue** – going with their recent VooDoo Doughnut releases, Rogue is coming out with Lemon Chiffon Crueller Ale. A cruller for those who don’t know is just a style of donut. Another interesting flavor from Rogue and their VooDoo Doughnut lineup.
**Lagunitas**- it’s been so great having Lagunitas in Iowa. Wonderfully affordable and even better tasting, Lagunitas is right up with Founders and Stone hitting our market. Their newest beer hasn’t been confirmed for Iowa and sounds very limited. I’ll try to keep everyone updated if we see it here. Lagunitas Born Yesterday is a take on their pale ale recipe. Here’s more from Lagunitas on the beer:
**Founders** – according to Founders twitter account Big Lushious has been brewed and bottled and set for delivery. Here’s the tweet:
Founders Brewing Co. @foundersbrewing 2m
Big Lushious is on the bottling line today. Available beginning November 24: http://ow.ly/E4dLy
More from the brewery:
We plan to introduce Big Lushious, a chocolate raspberry stout, this December to mark the eleventh installment in our Backstage Series. Like all of our Backstage Series beers, Big Lushious will be sold in 750mL bottles, with a suggested retail price of $14.99 per bottle.
Big Lushious is a deep, rich stout that’s packed with flavor: roasted malts, all-natural dark chocolate, a subtle suggestion of burnt coffee grounds and a kiss of tart raspberries. At 7.8% ABV, it’s big, sumptuous and extravagant, but also balanced.“We thought Big Lushious would make a great release for the holidays,” said Co-Founder and Vice President of Brand & Education Dave Engbers. “It’s a luxurious beer for us. It’s meant for bringing to parties and is perfect for sharing with friends and family after a feast.”
Big Lushious will be released in limited quantities across our distribution footprint beginning on Monday, November 24 (note: updated from Monday, December 1, as previously announced),and will be available at our taproom that same week. This will be our last Backstage Series release in 2014—look for more in 2015.
**Destihl Brewing** – coming out with another sour beer in their Wild Sour Series. I was fortunate enough, thanks to sLim, to try their Gose and really really enjoyed it so I will try to get my hands on this one as well. It is a Flanders Red that will clock in at 6.1%. More from the brewery:
Flanders Red is an acidic, sour ale with an initial impression of tart cherries and sour candy that dissipates into a complex palate displaying both a sharp lactic sourness with a backbone of caramel and biscuit malt profiles and minimal hop character. The dry, wine-like finish accentuates the complex malt profile and bright fruit notes showcased in this brilliant red colored hybrid of a modern Flanders and German-style sour.
**Stone Brewing** – Enjoy By 12/26 and Stone Master of Disguise both are scheduled to be shipped out of California on November 14th. Not sure when we will see it on shelves but it shouldn’t be much after the 14th date. More on Master of Disguise from a previous post here: https://iabeerbaron.com/2014/10/17/1st-look-at-stone-master-of-disguise-imperial-golden-stout/
Huge news of Green Flash purchasing Alpine Brewing as well. If they add Alpine to the Iowa market we have a tough lineup of beers on the shelves to beat! As always, if you have news, rumors, or reviews you would like posted drop me an email! Cheers!
Coming to Shelves: New Belgium Session + Great Divide Titan Cans
New Belgium will be adding another brew to their repertoire coming this January as they are set to join the popular session IPA movement by giving us Slow Ride Session IPA. Here’s more on this release from the folks at beerstreetjournal.com:
Geared for sessioning, Slow Ride is cushioned with tropical aromas and fruit-forward hops. Ready, set, go slow.
New Belgium Slow Ride is targeted for both cans and bottles, year round. Official announcement from the brewery to follow.
Style: Session IPA
Availability: 12oz Bottles, 12oz Cans, Draft.
Arrival: January, 20154.5% ABV
Also coming in 2015 will be Great Divide adding cans to their lineup. The first of which will be their Titan IPA. More from beerstreetjournal.com:
TITAN IPA is a big, aggressively hopped India Pale Ale brewed for hop disciples. It starts out with piney hop aromas and citrus hop flavors, and finishes with a nice rich, malty sweetness that is balanced with crisp hop bitterness.
Great Divide Titan IPA will be available in 12oz cans for the first time in early to mid 2015.
Style: IPA
Availability: 12oz Bottles, Draft. (Current) Cans, 20157.1% ABV
