Tag: iowa craft beer

Brewery Ommegang Releasing Joemmegang in May

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ommegangBeer Street Journal just posted a release stating the Brewery Ommegang will be releasing a coffee ale in May of this year. Joemmegang will be released shortly after their next Game of Thrones brew. Here’s more from www.beerstreetjournal.com:

Cold-aged with a custom mixture of cocoa nibs, 1/3 espresso blend, 1/3 sumatra and 1/3 Papua New Guinea beans. Mahogany hue with red hightlights and creamy tan head. Aroma dominated by cold-brewed coffee, milk chocolate and caramel – rounded out with aromatic hints of fruit and figs. Taste is of sweet malts and smooth, rich coffee and chocolate. Pleasantly fruity notes from both the yeast and coffee beans.

Ommegang Joemmegang is on the brewery’s release calendar for May, 2015. To be available in 750ml bottles.

Style: American Strong Ale (w/ Coffee, Cocoa Nibs)
Availability: 750ml bottles, Corked & Caged
Release: May, 2015 (Estimated)

7.5% ABV

On Tap @RedsAlehouse for Brrr Fest this Saturday

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redsThis Saturday marks another year for Coralville BrrrFest and Reds Alehouse along with Big Grove Brewery and 30hop are providing shuttle service to and from the festival. This will be my first time I will be using the shuttle service and after receiving the following email with the tap list for Saturday at Reds, I’m picking the perfect time to use this service. It’s going to hard to find a better selection of beers on tap at one time as Reds will have 18 of Beeradvocate’s top 250 beers on tap at one lovely, wonderful, tasty time! Here’s the list courtesy of Reds Alehouse:

It’s Brrr Fest time and Reds is bringing you the greatest tap line up in the history of draft beer!  18 beers selected from Beer Advocate’s 
Top 250 Beers

 in the World! It’s Reds #top250campaign!
2014 Goose Island Bourbon County
2013 Goose Island Bourbon County Barleywine
2014 Deschutes The Abyss
2014 Founders Breakfast Stout
2013 Stone Imperial Russian Stout BBA
2013 Stone Imperial Russian Stout
2014 Founders Backwoods Bastard
Evil Twin Imperial Biscotti Break
2014 Founders CBS
Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier
Prairie Ale Prairie Bomb!
Unibroue La Fin du Monde
Ayinger Celebrator Dopplebock
North Coast Old Stock Ale Cellar Reserve Aged in Brandy Barrels
St. Bernardus ABT 12
Stone Enjoy By 2.14.15
Toppling Goliath PseudoSue

We will also have Bell’s Two Hearted and Bell’s Winter White tallboys
Reds will also be providing a FREE shuttle service to Big Grove, Brrr Fest and back to Reds from 11 am to 8 pm. Everyone is welcome on the shuttle at no cost!

Update: Dates for Oskar Blues and Hopslam in Eastern Iowa

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hopslamiaWell, it looks like we may be waiting a tad longer for Oskar Blues and Hopslam to hit our shelves in Eastern Iowa. I just saw a tweet from Johncy’s Liquor Store in North Liberty:

3m3 minutes ago

Hopslam February 2nd. Oscar blue January 27th

If you hear of any other places with different release dates please let me know. I’ve heard rumors of Oskar Blues cans at certain locations but haven’t confirmed. Cheers!

Cityview Winter Brewfest 2015 set for Feb. 22 and Keg Stand in Des Moines, IA

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keg standReceived this link from Facebook. If you are in the Des Moines area Feb. 22nd Cityview Brewfest at the Keg Stand in Des Moines. Below is the official release:

Sunday, February 22, 2015 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM (CST)

West Des Moines, IA

If you’ve been to Brewfest, then you know you don’t want to miss our all new Winter Brewfest!

$15 gets you umlimited samples of over 150 beers from 1-3 p.m.

There will be a chili bar available for an additional $5.

Get your TICKETS now, only 300 available!
Have questions about Cityview’s Winter Brewfest 2015? Contact Cityview

Visit http://brewfest.dmcityview.com/ for more information.

Founders KBS to be Distributed starting March 30th

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kbsI just received the following tweet courtesy of Founders Brewing Company:

3m3 minutes ago

Announcing KBS Week 2015, March 9-14: . Distribution release = 3/30.

One of the most highly anticipated releases of the year is only a few months away. It will be interesting to see how liquor stores handle sales. Will it be similar to BCS releases or will they simply put it on the shelves and have first come first serve? Either way, can’t wait to get my hands on this once again! Cheers!

Funkwerks Brewing is Coming to Iowa!

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funkwerksPrairie Trail Hy-Vee out of Des Moines just tweeted and confirmed that Funkwerks Brewing out of Fort Collins, CO will be hitting the Iowa market hopefully in the next 60 days. Here’s the tweet from Prairie Trail:

 · 38m38 minutes ago

Well… is the BIG NEWS!! is hoping to have inventory in the next 60 days. Super excited for this!!!!!

Being a Saison fan I’m very excited for this news. To learn more about Funkwerks check out their website: http://www.funkwerks.com/content/OurBeer/Saison.aspx

Stone Baird/Ishii Japanese Green Tea IPA Collab Hitting Shleves

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stoneJust came across the following news on thefullpint.com that another Stone Collab will be hitting our shelves in the coming weeks. It is a Green Tea IPA that I’ve heard great things about. Very excited to try this brew. Here’s more from thefullpint.com:

Hops Bill: Warrior, Crystal, Helga, Aramis & Sorachi Ace

Distribution: AK, AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA and Puerto Rico
And more info from Stone:
A wonderful spirit of camaraderie, cooperation and mutual support exists in the world of craft brewing. We have harnessed this spirit fully in the crafting of this special collaborative brew dedicated to the resilient people of Japan who are bravely endeavoring to overcome the tragedy of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami. We tip our brewing hats to the quiet elegance and humble sophistication of Japanese culture through the judicious addition of Japanese whole leaf green tea to this big, bold, spicy and herbal IPA. Cheers, Japan!

List of 2015 Coralville Brrr Fest Breweries

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brrfestThis should be another great event, and by looking at this list there should be some absolutely phenomenal beers to try. Hope to see you there! Here’s the list from Backpocket Brewing’s Facebook page:

Brrrfest Brewery list is located below. Going to be a great event. List is subject to change… but we doubt it will at this point.

Backpocket
Broad Street
Lost Duck
515
Racoon River
Confluence
Kalona Brewing
Mason City
West O
Court Ave
Boone Valley Brewing
Keg Creek
Buck Creek Brewing
Third Base
Big Grove
Madhouse
Single Speed
Exile
Worth
Millstream
Peace Tree
CIB
Great River
Toppling Goliath
Cedar Ridge
Twisted Vine
Lion Bridge
Another Road Brewing
New American
Firetrucker
Bent River
Blue Cat
Granite City
Potosi
Founders
Empyrean
Schell
New Belgium
Goose Island
Tallgrass
Bell’s
Schlafly
Baraboo
Boulevard
Summit
Lagunitas
Left Hand
Two Brothers
Oskar Blues
Zip Line
Galena Brewing Co.

Restaurant Review: QDogs BBQ Company; Marion, IA

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q dogsA BBQ restaurant 15 minutes from my door? YES PLEASE! I crave BBQ very often, and yes, I dabble in it at home and most of the time I can kick out some pretty decent food. But when you get a place like Q Dogs (http://qdogsbbqcompany.com/) who put in the time to make consistent and fantastic BBQ, my choice to cook or go out is made much simpler. When you walk into a BBQ joint for the first time you aren’t sure if you are going to get the paper plate/picnic table style or like Q Dogs, a spotless, clean, a spacious restaurant.

You are greeted right away by a hostess who helped guide me through the menu. For my first trip I went with the basic pulled pork sandwich, brisket sandwich, and the kids got a pulled pork slider. The sides were fries dusted with their BBQ dry rub, smoked cheesy potatoes, and coleslaw. The brisket was thick and juicy with tons of flavor. The pork had just the right amount of smoke, not to overwhelming, just the perfect amount, and it was extra tasty with a bit of their homemade spicy BBQ sauce. A first trip that lead to a second:

For the second go ’round I came home with half rack of ribs, pulled pork with coleslaw (called the Q Dog), and some BBQ nachos for the kids. The ribs were meaty, smoked perfectly, and the dry rub and with just a tad bit of sauce made me craving these the next day as well. The Q Dog sandwich was terrific. Tons of pork piled on a bun with sauce and apple cider slaw. The BBQ nachos are piled with pulled pork, nacho cheese, BBQ sauce, and sliced pickled jalapeños. Another successful trip that will lead to a third soon.

Talking with the staff the meats are smoked for at least 20 hours at a low temp. Beer on tap had your basic swill but also some Lagunitas IPA, Great River Milk Stout, and Sam Adams line, and also Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ in bottles. Not bad , and it seems like they are open to having more craft as well.

Overall, a must try for BBQ fans looking to scratch that savory, smoky, itch. Check out their website for their menu here: http://qdogsbbqcompany.com/menu.html

Top 15 Iowa Beers of 2014: Part 3

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The final installment has finally arrived. Looks like it’s going to be a rough week weather-wise in Eastern Iowa so I hope everyone has a fridge stocked full of their favorite brews. This was such a hard list to come up with and I think my 2015 version will be even more challenging as the breweries keep making terrific beer. We are a few weeks away from Coralville Brrr Fest so if you haven’t gotten your ticket yet head over to http://www.coralville.org/index.aspx?nid=604 and do so! I hope to see many of you there! Onto part 3:

lion bridge**Lion Bridge Brewing Whirligig** a griesette (sp?) style beer that has the aroma and flavor of bazooka bubble gum, grass, and pepper. If this beer was canned or bottled it would be a perfect tailgating beer for Iowa football Saturdays. This beer goes to show that not everything has to be imperial or barrel-aged to have great flavor. Very similar to Saison style beers with the difference being the low ABV and a more distinct hope profile? Not 100% on that stat, either way a terrific brew.

**Toppling Goliath David** – I was lucky enough to get a bottle of this from fellow toppling goliathcraft beer lover @storminspank. This double IPA was brewed in collaboration with Treehouse Brewing out of Massachusetts. Citra and mosaic hops shine in this beer making it very refreshing and drinkable. Another example of TG’s dominance in the IPA category.

big grove**Big Grove Arms Race Pale Ale** – a staple for me with continuous growler fills. The good news is a bar in my town of Mt. Vernon actually has it on tap, so thanks to Bill and Nick at Chameleon’s Pub and Grub for having this as a choice. Big Grove just turned 1 and already made a mark, the sky’s the limit for the folks in Solon; both beer and food.

**Lion Bridge Untitled Saison** I’m a sucker for great saisons and Quinton at Lion lion bridgeBridge nailed it with this brew. So quenching and refreshing, I long for them to have this on tap again. I almost put their Pink Peppercorn Saison on here but it was pretty limited, but damn, that was an awesome brew as well.

toppling goliath**Toppling Goliath King Sue** – there isn’t much left to be said about the year TG has had. High demand nationwide, full flavored, refreshing beers, and King Sue might be close to being the best of the best. I hope to see this beer produced again sooner than later.

Some great beers on my list. What does your Top 15 look like? If the year 2014 gives us any indication at the direction of Iowa Craft Breweries, in 2015 we will be in for a real treat. Cheers!