Tag: iowa craft beer

New Stone Stochasticity Project beer hitting shelves June 2nd

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stoneThe following information comes courtesy of http://www.beerpulse.com.

(Escondido, CA) – In hopes that Stone Brewing Co. manages to escape the Cocos Fire unscathed, the company is planning a special release for the first week of June. Stone Stochasticity Project Quadrotriticale slated for a June 2nd release. Below is some marketing copy on the beer.

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A lost member of the Stone Vertical Epic Ale series:
When testing the inherent makeup of the quadrupel—the warmest and darkest of Trappist monastery beer styles—we added triticale, a hybrid grain combining the pleasant flavor of wheat with the elemental durability of rye. We originally explored this nouveau twist on a traditional style in 2010, when brewing a test batch of a potential beer in our Stone Vertical Epic Ale series. Brewmaster Mitch Steele reached for and subsequently improved on that pilot recipe, bringing it to life as part of the Stone Stochasticity Project. The result is a quad that’s lower in sweetness, but rich with dried fruit and spice nuances.

Border Hopfest releases list of breweries and beers!

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borderOn May 24th, from 1-5, Backpocket Brewing is hosting Border Hopfest and they have just released details on what breweries are coming and what they are bringing. The big name on the card is Surly Brewing company. Here is who is coming and what they are bringing:

MINNESOTA
Surly Brewing
beers: TBD

Lucid Brewing
*Saison
*Air Golden Ale
*Foto IPA

Flat Earth Brewing Company
*Cygnus X-1
*Xanadu Porter
*TBD

Summit Brewing
*Saga IPA
*TBD
*TBD

Brau Brothers Brewing
*Strawberry Wheat
*Alternative Imperial Alt
*Paradox Black IPA

WISCONSIN

Great Dane Brewing
*Uber Bock
*Imperial Vanilla Stout
*Imperial IPA
*Peck’s Pilsner
*Crop Circle Wheat
*Velvet Hammer Bock

NEBRASKA

Empyrean Brewing
*Imperial Mango IPA
*Carpe Brewem Black Ale
*Chaco Canyon Gold Blonde Ale

Storz
*Triumph Lager
*Gold Crest Amber
*Wood Duck Wheat
*Mugs Pale Ale

MISSOURI
Schlafly
*Biere de Garde
*Session IPA
*Yakima Wheat

 

1st Boulevard Backroad Beer: Entwined Ale

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entwinedThe following information comes from http://www.beerpulse.com. Boulevard coming out with a “Backroads Beer” series and the first one to be released is Entwined Ale. Here’s more:

Glossy black six-packs trundled down the bottling line last Friday, signaling a new direction for the Boulevard Brewing Co. Entwined Ale, a malt beverage brewed with Muscat grape juice, will be the first release under Boulevard’s Backroads Beers.

Boulevard Saison-Brett coming back shelves!

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boulevardThe following information is courtesy of http://www.beerpulse.com. The popular Smokestack Series from Boulevard is welcoming back Saison-Brett, my favorite from the series, and it should be hitting shelves very soon. More from beerpulse:

Boulevard Saison-Brett releases today in the Kansas City area. Other cities will see this Smokestack Series Limited Release soon.

Here’s more info on Saison-Brett from ratebeer.com:

Saison-Brett, based on our very popular Tank 7, is assertively dry hopped, then bottle conditioned with various yeasts, including Brettanomyces, a wild strain that imparts a distinctive earthy quality. Though this farmhouse ale was given three months of bottle age prior to release, further cellaring will continue to enhance the “Brett” character, if that’s what you’re after.

Lion Bridge Brewery Updates: Beer Dinner + Patio

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lion bridgeI just received the following from Lion Bridge Brewing’s newsletter. A beer dinner is coming up and the menu looks absolutely specular! A lot of great things happening at Lion Bridge and the Czech Village in Cedar Rapids, check them out! Here’s more:

Hello from Lion Bridge Brewing Company!


The taproom has been open for about 6 weeks now and we have been overwhelmed by the positive reception, and overwhelmed by the amount of beer we have gone through.

We would like to thank everyone who has been able to come in for a beer and look forward to seeing you again in the future.

Look for a full battery of acoustic panels the next time you come in (should help make our old grocery store a little quieter), a patio will be put in here soon, and we are installing a projector so we can get a movie night up and running in the not-so-distant future.

We will keep you informed as we add new beers to our line up and we are excited to have our first beer dinner coming up.  The dinner includes 5 courses and 5, half-pints of Lion Bridge beer.

Where: Lion Bridge Brewing Company
             59 16th Avenue SW
             Cedar Rapids, IA
             52404
When: Tuesday, May 6th @ 6:30pm
Cost: $50

Contact us at: info@lionbridgebrewing.com or reply to this email if you want to reserve a spot. Please include the number in your party and a contact phone number.  We will call to confirm your spot later this week. 

This is spur of the moment, and we are keeping it small, so please don’t hesitate.

Menu for this dinner is:

-Bar Snack of toasted barley with mixed nuts
(Belgian Amber Ale)

-Homemade Brewer’s Grain Bread with Local Butter and Radish

(Živá Voda: Pilsner)

-Asparagus Soup with Pistachio Cream
(Mad Maximillion: Belgian IPA)

 
-Beer Braised Brisket with Herb Sauce and Baby Potatoes in Browned Butter and Chives
(Sticke Altbier)
 
-Strawberries and Cream with Pretzel Crumble
(Smoked Chocolate Stout)
 

Now that our schedule is stabilizing, look for more email updates (but not too many) about new beers and events for the summer and beyond. 

Thanks for your interest in local beer.

Cheers!
The LBBC

Stone Smoked Porter w/Chipotle Peppers hits May 5th

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stoneThe following comes from beerpulse.com:

(Escondido, CA) – Stone Brewing Co. has released a new beer just about every week it seems and the first week of May will be no different. Stone Smoked Porter with Chipotle Peppers arrives in stores the week of May 5th. More below on the beer…

In 2006, Chris Carroll, a longtime member of Team Stone, took that adage literally, proposing that we produce a one-off version of our venerable Stone Smoked Porter made spicy from the addition of chipotle peppers. We gave it a shot and found that those smoked jalapeños melded quite naturally with the smoldery peat-smoked malt that gives the beer its flavor and moniker, creating a deep, roasty quaff with a carefully restrained tingle of tasteful capsaicin heat in the finish.

Hops bill: Columbus & Mt. Hood
Malt Bill: Pale Malt, Crystal 75, Chocolate Malt, Peat-Smoked Malt
Packaging: 22oz Bottles and Draft
Stats: 5.9% ABV / 53 IBUs

 

Toppling Goliath 2014 Assassin Release Details

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toppling goliathThe following comes Toppling Goliath’s website: http://www.tgbrews.com:

Assassin Gold Label 2014

Posted on April 23, 2014 by Clark

Soon, our barrels of Assassin (our barrel aged imperial stout) will be ready to be blended and bottled.  We had been planning on having a brewery only release at our taproom brewery, but have decided against it.  As those of you know that have visited us, our taproom is quite small and has very limited parking.  Although we have offered all we can, we have been unable to secure any additional parking for this years event.  That fact, coupled with the number of our loyal fans that make the trek, have left us with the tough decisions of deciding against a release.  Not wanting to let you down is the main reason we are doing this.  We have decided that when the time comes and the beer is in bottles, most of it will be released to distribution.  This will undoubtedly disappoint some local people, so we are going to offer all mug club members the chance to purchase one bottle each, at cost.  The details of this will be emailed to all members after we bottle it.  Also, to pay back all the loyal locals who come in on a daily basis, I will from time to time just bring a case over with out announcement and it will be for sale at cost while supplies last. Who knows, maybe even a keg or two will show up too!

This years Assassin could be one of our best.  The barrels Mike was able to acquire are yielding very exciting flavors and a smoothness in the body that helps carry these flavors to your senses when sipping the treasure.

As far as Kentucky Brunch Gold Label and Mornin’ Delight, we have not decided what to do.  Although we want to see all of you in person for a release, we may have grown too large for our current location.   Mike is guessing we may yield 200 -400 bottles of Kentucky Brunch Gold.

Our long term goal is to have releases at our new brewery, which is better suited for parking, music, bottle share, etc.  Hopefully we will be ready for that in 2015.

Thanks again for supporting us and our endeavors to please you with our creations.  Making great beer and providing you with the best possible experience when you visit is our driving force!    -Clark, Barb and Mike

Interview with David Bryan, owner/brewer New American Brewing; Ankeny, IA

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New American BrewingAnother newer brewery in Iowa is New American Brewing located in Ankeny Iowa. Brewer/owner David Bryan was kind enough to take time out from his schedule to answer a few questions about his brewery and his beer. To find out more about New American Brewing visit their website at: www.newamericanbeer.com.

Q: What was your story before opening New American? How did you get involved in brewing?
I have been in the telecommunications business for the better part of a decade both here in Iowa and in Kansas.  My wife is from the Des Moines area so we moved here to be closer to family.  I had been brewing beer at home for about 7 years and became very passionate about the process.  One of the best parts of brewing for me was always getting to share my beer with other people.  I began thinking of turning pro several years ago and really started to research what it would take to make it happen.  During this research and planning phase I met my business partner and we began planning our brewery together.  After almost a year of finding funding, shopping for equipment, leasing a space, and building the brewery we sold our first keg in Nov of 2013.
Q: Do you feel any pressure to follow beer trends and brew what’s popular?
No, I don’t feel any pressure to follow trends.  I have always brewed the beer that I like to drink and if I couldn’t brew what I like to drink, I don’t think if would have nearly as much fun.  I started the brewery to pursue my passion for creating great beer, not to do what other people expected me to do.
Q: How many beers will be available at the brewery? Any plans for seasonals or special releases?
Right now we don’t have any beer available at the brewery, we are draft distribution only.  Currently we have 2 core beers that we will offer year round.  Independence Pale Ale and 1789 Porter.  We are going to rotate our IPA seasonally.  For the spring we have Shenanigans Session IPA.  As we move through the year we will offer a Double IPA, and Black IPA, possibly a brown or red IPA for the fall.  We also have a winter only beer called Elves’ Revenge, a 9% winter warmer spiced with Vanilla, Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
Q: What is the beer that you are most excited about?
I’m really excited about changing up our IPA seasonally.  It give me a chance to brew different beers throughout the year and not get bored.  I love hoppy beers and I really like brewing and experimenting with different techniques.  Changing our IPA offering gives me a chance to do this and keeps a fresh new beer in the marketplace throughout the year.
Q: Was opening a brewery in Des Moines area pretty easy? Was their any resistance? 
No, opening a brewery was not easy.  It was very challenging and stressful with long hours and lots of  work.  With that being said, Iowa is a great place to open a brewery.  Iowa has a lot of things going for it, like self distribution, reasonable tax codes, alcohol laws that are fairly progressive, and most importantly the people of Iowa have received new breweries with open arms and are very excited to support local businesses.  There are still a few laws and that breweries would like updated and made better, but overall Iowa is a great place to be a brewer.  
Q: Can you discuss short term/long term goals for the brewery?
Short term we are looking to add growlers to the brewery.  We would like people to be able to come to the brewery, try our beer, see what we are all about and be able to take beer home with them to enjoy.
Long term we are looking to add a full tasting room with some type of outdoor space and expand our current brewing capacity.  That would mean that we would buy a larger brew house and increase our fermentation space.  Right now both my business partner and I still have full time jobs outside of the brewery, in the future we are looking to be working at the brewery full time.
**Beer not available at the brewery yet but you can New American Beers at the following locations:

~el Bait Shop

~University Library Cafe

~The Exchange

~Confluence Brewing Co. 

~515 Brewing Co.

~Louie’s Wine Dive

~On The Rocks

~O’malley’s 

~Praire Trail Hy-Vee 

~The Keg Stand

~OverTime

~Dublin Bay Pub & Grill

~Number 7 Brewing Co.

~Thunderhead Sports Bar & Grill