Tag: iowa craft beer

Abu Nawas drops this week: Moonlight Meadery, Evil Twin, and Stillwater!

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A nice mix of brews and mead this week will be dropping from Abu Nawas. Here’s what’s coming this week:

MOONLIGHT MEADERY

  • Moonlight Little Apple 12oz CAN – Semi-Dry Hard Cider Aged in Rye Whiskey Barrels. Made with the finest New England Apples. 6.5% ABV.
  • Moonlight Them Apples CAN – Bourbon Barrel Aged New England Style Sparkling Sweet Hard Cider. Barrels Aged for a minimum of 6 months. 13.5% ABV.
  • Moonlight Thirteen 5 CAN – New England Style Honey Apple Wine. A pre-prohibition style of cider fermented with additional sugar to create 13.5% ABV – so strong we have to call it a wine.
  • Moonlight Razz What She Said CAN – Delicious Session mead made with raspberries. Deep Rich raspberry notes play off a smooth honey base, creating a luscious semi-sweet mead with bright carbonation and off-pink head. Perfect for the summer. 6.5% ABV.
  • Moonlight Kurt’s Apple Pie 375ml – Made with local apple cider with Madagascar vanilla and Vietnamese cinnamon. 14% ABV. Get your piece of the pie!. Two-time medal winner at the Mazer Cup International
  • Moonlight A Common Disaster 375ml – An Iowa collaboration with Scot Schaar of Crawford Brew Works in Bettendorf, this mead took 1st place at the 2016 Mead Free or Die competition. Wildflower honey, hand-roasted pineapples, and smokey chipotle peppers. Slightly sweet pineapple notes fade to a smokey chipotle finish. 14% ABV.
  • Moonlight Coffee in Bed 375ml – Honey wine fermented with natural Sumatra coffee. This is luscious dessert style mead that pairs wonderfully with German chocolate cake or tiramisu. 15.3% ABV
  • Moonlight Indulge 375ml – Made from Madagascar-Bourbon vanilla beans, Vietnamese Cinnamon, honey, water and yeast. Reminiscent of a cinnamon bun. Bronze medal winner at the 2016 Mazer Cup International
  • Moonlight Brazen 375ml – Mead with Meadowfoam honey, habanero peppers, and roasted cacao nibs. The sweet start sets the stage for the intensely strong heat that the habanero brings, with a rich creamy finish from the cacao nibs. 14% ABV.
  • Moonlight Desire 375ml – Award Winning Mead with blueberries, black cherries, and blackcurrants.  14% ABV.
  • Moonlight Destiny375ml – Aged in Utopian casks and released one barrel at a time, it takes over 2 years to perfect a single batch. This mead is complex with lots of fruits and honey notes while the oak adds some dryness for the perfect balance. Honey, Black Currant, Blueberry, and Dark Sweet Cherry
  • Moonlight Fling375ml – Semi-sweet and tart Strawberry Rhubarb Mead. 14% ABV.
  • Moonlight Iniquity 375ml – Honey, apple and cranberry. A sinful double play on the senses. Sweet and smooth apple that leads into temptation with a finish of light, tangy cranberry. 12%
  • Moonlight Kamasumtra 375ml – Mead with Madagascar-Bourbon Vanilla and Sumatra coffee. 14% ABV.
  • Moonlight Last Apple 375ml – Heavenly Mead Aged in Jim Beam Barrels. 16% ABV. Gold Medal winner at the 2015 Mazer Cup International
  • Moonlight Paramour 375ml – Black Currant, Black Cherry, Black Raspberry, Blueberry Mead. Rich and complex layers of juicy sweet berry flavor and soft tartness greet the palate. 13.9% ABV.
  • Moonlight Red Dress 375ml – Semi-sweet mead with red currants. 13.9% ABV.
  • Moonlight Sensual 375ml – Sweet Wildflower honey mead. 15.3% ABV.
  • Moonlight Sumptuous 375ml – Mead made from honey and mangos, sweet but not overly so. Deliciously smooth and wonderfully complex with a long-lasting finish. Enjoy with spiced Mexican, Thai or Indian dishes.
  • Moonlight Wicked 375ml – Mead with ginger and Madagascar-Bourbon vanilla. 14% ABV. Gold Medal winner at the 2014 Mazer Cup International, Bronze medal winner at the 2015 Mazer Cup International.
  • Moonlight Wild 375ml – Unprocessed wildflower honey and wild mountain-grown blueberries from Alton Bay NH combine to make this light, dry mead. Get the party started with Wild. Pairs well with fruits, cheese, and romantic activities. 14% ABV.

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EVIL TWIN

  • Evil Twin Public Servant Teacher Edition 16oz CAN – This beer is to honor the teachers that educate our children. We ask you, fellow beer drinkers, to thank local teachers by sharing this beer with them. DIPA Dry hopped with Mosaic and Falconer’s Flight. 7% ABV.
  • Evil Twin Public Servant Firefighter Edition 16oz CAN – This beer is to honor the extraordinary commitment and courage of Firefighters. We ask you, fellow beer drinkers, to thank local Firefighters by sharing this beer with them. DIPA Dry-hopped with Mosaic, Simcoe and Ekuanot 7% ABV.

STILLWATER

  • Stillwater / Hoof Hearted Fruit on the Bottom 16oz CAN – Fruit (And Hops) On The Bottom is a “rotationally hopped” sour IPA with lactose, vanilla extract, yogurt, strawberry and banana. 6% ABV.
  • Stillwater Strawberry Shakerato 16oz CAN – Sour ale with strawberries, vanilla, coffee, cane & milk sugar. 5% ABV.
  • Stillwater Double Mocha Affogato Nitro Stout 16oz CAN – Double mocha affogato stout with cocoa nibs, cocoa powder, coffee & lactose. 6.5% ABV.
  • Stillwater On Fleek 12oz CAN – Imperial stout brewed with dark sugars and molasses. 13.0% ABV.

Big Grove Richard the Whale release set for Dec. 7th, both locations! Tickets on sale October 9th!

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Big news from Solon and Iowa City today as Big Grove has announced the release of their popular Richard the Whale brew! The release date is set for December 7th and the tickets will go on sale the coming Wednesday, October 9th! They will be doing another golden ticket release so look for that as well! Here’s more on this release:

This year, Big Grove Brewpub in Solon joins the fun! Richard the Whale, our bourbon barrel-aged Russian Imperial Stout returns for its annual party on Saturday, December 7. If you’re solely looking for a four-pack of bottles and collector’s glass, you’re invited to our Solon Brewpub! Tickets on sale Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 8:00am.

This ticket includes a collector’s glass and personal four-pack of Richard the Whale: 2 Richard the Whale, 1 Richard the Whale Coffee, 1 Richard the Whale Chocolate Hazelnut.

This package is $79.00 and can be purchased online here.

Golden Ticket beer, Richard the Whale Vanilla Coconut (500 mL), is exclusively available in Iowa City during the brunch bottle release party from 8:00-11:00am.

Tickets will be available through Eventbrite at this link.

Big Clown Shoes drop this week from Abu Nawas!

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A whole bunch of goodies coming to us from Clown Shoes this week courtesy of Abu Nawas. Tons of different syles including some fall/winter warmers coming our way!

Clown Shoes:

  • Clown Shoes Apple Baron 16oz CAN – Brandy barrel-aged Wee Heavy Ale with a rich malt body and startling sweetness. An intense caramel apple aroma and notes of pineapple make for a rich palate of full-bodied flavor. 11% ABV. 🍎🍎🍎
  • Clown Shoes Hammer of the Lion 16oz CAN –  Imperial Stout blended with Wee Heavy Ale aged in Rum, Bourbon and Brandy Barrels. Rich malt sweetness paired with complex notes of Rum, Bourbon, and dark chocolate. 11% ABV.
  • Clown Shoes Undead Party Crasher CAN – Imperial Stout, with a kiss of smoke. Rich notes of coffee and chocolate mingle throughout an intense and full-bodied Stout. This beer is brewed with Holy Water, We are not kidding! 10% ABV. 🧛🧛🧛
  • Clown Shoes Pecan Pie Porter 16oz CAN – American Porter with All-Natural Pecan Pie Flavor. A seasonal favorite to go alongside a classic dessert, Pecan Pie Porter puts sweet dessert flavors inside a full-bodied and robust porter. 8% ABV.
  • Clown Shoes Bubble Farm 16oz CAN – American IPA maintains an approachable medium-body without sacrificing any of the full aroma and flavor of copious dry-hopping additions of Simcoe, Azacca, and Idaho 7 hops. 6.5% ABV.
  • Clown Shoes Leaving Atlantis 16oz CAN – This IPA uses Chardonnay Grape Must to showcase dry and tart flavors that perfectly suit the season, and any epic occasion. Huell Melon and El Dorado hops maintain crisp notes throughout in this refreshing offering. 7% ABV.
  • Clown Shoes Space Cake 16oz CAN –  Mosaic and Citra Hopped Double IPA features robust hop aromas that carry through to the strong juicy flavors of tropical citrus. A sweet and strong malt backbone pairs with a subtle booziness to make Space Cake an approachable DIPA fit for an extraterrestrial odyssey. 9% ABV.
  • Clown Pineapple Shoes Space Cake 16oz CAN – Pineapple Double IPA. Pineapple brings luscious tropical citrus flavor to this Double IPA. Matching that fruit flavor are juicy citrus hop notes from additions of Mosaic and Azacca hops. 7.77% ABV.
  • Clown Shoes Ride the Lion 2019 22oz – Bourbon Barrel Aged Wee Heavy. A strong malt body couples with rich bourbon notes to give this Wee Heavy a full range of malt flavor in this take on a classic Scottish style.10.5% ABV.
  • Clown Shoes Nillionaire 22oz – English Style Barleywine Aged in Rum Barrels with Vanilla Added. 11% ABV.
  • Clown Shoes Undead Party Crasher (formerly Vampire Slayer) 22 oz – Imperial Stout, with a kiss of smoke. Rich notes of coffee and chocolate mingle throughout an intense and full-bodied Stout. 10% ABV.
  • Clown Shoes Hammer of the Holy (2019 Vintage) 22oz – Imperial Stout aged in rum barrels and it incorporates holy water, signature dark malts, oatmeal, and malt smoked with demon-killing stakes. Dear Undead, “Die, monsters, die!” ABV: 11%

Dimensional releasing “Can-D-Bar” coconut imperial stout bottles 10/26!

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Big news out of Dubuque and Dimensional Brewing as they will be releasing a tasty-sounding imperial stout on October 26th. Can-D-Bar will be an imperial stout with coconut and chocolate and will be released in bottles as well! Here’s more from Dimensional on this release:

Saturday, October 26th, 11:00 AM Dimensional Brewing Company will be releasing bottles for the first time. Can-D-Bar is a imperial stout with a bunch of coconut and chocolate present in the beer. It reminds us of a tasty candy bar. We will be offering other to-go beer as well. Stay tuned for more beer updates.

Food- Chocolate Hog BBQ and Catering will be serving up their super delicious BBQ.

Music- Nate Jenkins starts at noon.

Abu Nawas Drops: FOC, Prairie, Pasteur Street, Kupziner, Mahr’s Brewing, Timothy Taylor, Ridgeway Brewing

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Another big drop coming from Abu this week. Let’s get on with it:

FAT ORANGE CAT

  • Fat Orange Cat Someone In My Head16oz CAN – Double Dry Hopped New England style DIPA with Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe, & Apollo. 8.8% ABV.
  • Fat Orange Cat It’s Not Yesterday Anymore 16oz CAN – New England style IPA. Gorgeous hazy blonde colored brew with soft pine, uplifting lime zest, and hearty hoppy bitterness on the finish. Hopped with Azacca, Eureka and Mosaic. 7% ABV.
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Prairie

  • Prairie Basic Becky 355ml Bottles – Imperial stout with honey-roasted pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice, and pumpkin spice coffee. 13% ABV. Pumpkin Spice Latte Anyone? 🎃🎃🎃
  • Prairie Oh! Fudge355ml Bottles – Imperial stout brewed with brownies. 11.5% ABV.
  • Prairie Bomb 355ml Bottles – The Beer that started it all for Prairie. Imperial Stout aged on coffee, cacao nibs, vanilla beans and chili peppers. 13.0% ABV. 💣💣💣
  • Prairie Blueberry Boyfriend 12oz CAN – Sour Ale with Blueberries and Lemon Zest! Just in time of the heat wave. 5.4% ABV.
  • Prairie Karate Chimp 12oz CAN – Sour Ale with Apricot, Mango and Tangerine. 5.4% ABV.
  • Prairie No Way Frosé12oz CAN – Sour Ale with Lime Zest, Strawberry and Pineapple and Juniper. Perfect Summer Beer. 4.9% ABV.🌞🌞🌞

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Pasteur Street

Hailing all the way from Saigon, Vietnam! Pasteur Street Brewing Company (PSBC) started with the simple idea to combine American craft brewing techniques with fresh and exotic Vietnamese ingredients to create amazing craft beer.

  • Pasteur Street Passionfruit Wheat 330ml CAN – Delisiousy refreshing Classic American style wheat beer made with fresh-squeezed passionfruit from Da Lat, Vietnam. 4% ABV.

Kupziner

  • Kapuziner Weisse 5L Mini-Keg (two-pack) – The most refreshing beer in the world. Malted wheat and special yeast give Kapuziner Weissbier its light touch and distinctive taste – a yeasty tang offset by a solid malt body and a delightful tropical fruitiness. Unfiltered yeast lends a hazy, seductive look. 5.4% ABV.
  • Monchshof Kellerbier 500 ml swing top – Well-bittered and unfiltered Amber Lager.
  • Monchshof Kellerbier 5L Mini-Keg (two-pack) –  Well-bittered and unfiltered Amber Lager.
  • Monchshof Schwarzbier 500 ml swing top – Delicious and classic black lager.
  • Monchshof Schwarzbier 5L Mini-Keg (two-pack) –  Delicious and classic black lager.
  • EKU Pils 5L Mini-Keg (two-pack) –  Clean bright straw-toned malts and pretty European noble hop character backbone this delicious and approachable pilsner.

Mahr’s Brewing

  • Mahr’s Der Weisse Bock 500 ml – Extra strong and malty hefeweizen from Bamberg, Germany.
  • Mahr’s Hell 500 ml – Helles lager, a Bavarian classic.
  • Mahr’s Mastodon Lager500 ml – Collaboration with the metal band, it’s a fantastic unfiltered kellerbier.
  • Mahr’s Pilsner500 ml – Hopped up pils from Bamberg, the cultural heart of Franconian culture (and brewing!)
  • Mahr’s Ungespundet Lager (Kellerbier) 500 ml – The “U” Mahr’s flagship unfiltered lager.

 

Timothy Taylor

Timothy Taylor Landlord500ml Bottle – The drinkers’ favorite Bitter, classic pale ale with a complex citrus and hoppy aroma. A recent survey revealed that Landlord has the highest proportion of drinkers who call it their favorite ale. And it has won more awards than any other beer, winning both CAMRA’s Champion Beer of Britain and the Brewing Industry Challenge Cup four times. 4.3% ABV.

Ridgeway Brewing

  • Ridgeway Imperial Stout 330ml Bottle – Imperial Russian Stouts. 10% ABV.
  • Ridgeway Imperial Barley Wine 330ml Bottle – Imperial English Barleywine. 10% ABV.
  • Ridgeway Querkus Smoked Porter 500ml Bottle – Smoked/oaked porter, Querkus is made with a blend of Scottish peated whiskey malt and traditional English pale malts, as well as real English hops. 5.8% ABV.

Zwanze Day tap list @Schera’s Released!

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Zwanze Day quickly approaches and Schera’s in Elkader is prepping to make this a day beer lovers will not forget! They’ve just released their tap list and it is a Lambic and Mead lover’s dream! Here it is:

Pullman/Kroul Farm Dinner Year #4: Truly Delicious!

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Year #4 of the popular Pullman/Kroul farm dinner is in the books and once again the staff outdid themselves. Chef Smart and Pullman staff continue to present inspiring and beautiful dishes to attendees of this event and this year was no different. Considering they were cooking over an open flame on a close to 90 degree Sunday, you may have thought there would be hiccup….not at all! Every dish, start to finish was excellent!

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DISH #1
Za’atar eggplant gallette, sungold tomato, ricotta salata, green chile zhoug
Canteloupe gazpacho, coconut, cucumber, mint
Rosemary skewered Mussels, lemon-caper aioli, roasted red pepper

The perfect way to start the evening! A chilled gazpacho with melon and cucumber to cool off the hot evening and then digging into the mussel with a fresh caper aioli. Finish it off the somewhat spicy gallette and its flaky crust….I’ll take more of that gallette please!

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DISH #2

Wood-fired chanterelle mushrooms, grilled diver sea scallop, sweet corn, brown butter sabayon, pickled apple, hazelnut, sweet basil

The second dish might be my favorite of the night! A perfectly cooked scallop served alongside sweet corn and chanterelle mushrooms…absolutely outstanding! And anytime brown butter is added to a dish it makes it that much more exquisite…just an outstanding dish.

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DISH #3

Cedar plank trout, herb roasted marble potatoes, marinated cherry tomato, blistered green beans, horseradish & smoked trout roe cream, fines herbes

Extremely fresh fish and perfectly cooked vegetables made this the perfectly placed dish amongst the courses. The added touch of the horseradish to give it a little bite was very nicely done.

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DISH #4

Pavelka’s point Lamb Merguez with blistered shishito & onion
Roasted zucchini, confit summer squash, blistered radish, garlic, mint & red chimichurri

I love the idea of serving dishes family style and this lamb sausage dish not only tasted wonderful but was visually appealing as well. The sausage had a little heat to it and blistered shishito peppers were the perfect accompaniment. Delicious!

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DISH #5

Short rib Shepherd’s pie, roasted carrot, onion, celery root, thyme
Grilled prime cut of Kroul Farm’s beef
Roasted pumpkin & bitter greens with fresh chevre & apple-onion-pancetta agrodolce

I did say the scallop was my favorite until I remembered the short rib shepherd’s pie! Creamy and delicious with melt in your mouth beef. This is a dish for the cooler months for sure but it tasted damn good on a warm Sunday night as well! The prime cut of beef was perfectly cooked and seasoned and was melt in your mouth!

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DISH #6

Gooey butter cake & bourbon poached pears with maple cream, rosemary caramel, spiced streusel & candied ginger

I don’t consider myself much of a dessert guy but all 4 years of this dinner the crew has put together some of tastiest desserts I’ve ever had and this year was no different. The butter cake was extremely moist and the poached pears still had some crunch in them and were not mushy at all. The cake was paired wonderfully with one of the best coffees I’ve ever had, a chai cream coffee.

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Special thank you to the Kroul family for hosting once again and to Cory Kent and Chef Ben Smart and staff. A truly remarkable meal and I look forward to next year’s event! Cheers!

 

Iowa Eats: Goldfinch Tap & Eatery; Marion, IA

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Last night I was lucky enough to attend a soft opening at Goldfinch Tap & Eatery (740 10th St. Marion) and I’m already eager to get back and try some more things on their menu.

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Goldfinch is headed by Andi Sofranko (Lincoln Winebar fame) and Chef Brandon Banaszek (Pullman fame) and is located in the old Louie’s Scoreboard location in Marion. With the addition of Goldfinch, Marion has a lot of beer/food offerings. Ramseys, Uptown Snug, Zoeys, and Tomasos are all located in the same area, so definitely an up and coming spot!

Let’s get to the nitty gritty. First thing on my mind…..

BEER
What looks to be an ever changing tap list that appeals to every beer drinker. Many local brews from Lion Bridge, Big Grove, SingleSpeed, Clockhouse and more to go along with the domestics of a Busch Light. Easy Eddy was my pick and it went down great with the apps we had.

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FOOD
The appetizer selections at Goldfinch are going to be a hot spot. A lot of great options to choose from, at the time they were out of the Buffalo Cholouah wings so we went with french onion dip, cheese balls, and loaded fries. Great pub food selections. The french onion dip was outstanding. I was worried it would be too sweet but was not, excellent starter. Cheese balls were good and crispy on the outside and served with a side of ranch..what’s not to love? The cheese fries were a nice combo of crispy bacon, green onion, and then a cheddar cheese/ranch combo which played together nicely. My kids loved them all!

 

At the time we arrived, they were out of their main entrees, which wasn’t a problem, although every one of them sounded great. Cavatelli with a sweet corn sauce??? YES PLEASE!! We went with some mac and cheese, pork tenderloin, and their burger. All tasty, all packed with flavor. The pork tenderloin will no doubt be an item they sell a lot of and this one is crispy and not over breaded. The burger was wonderful. I love a burger where the meat shines and this one does! Mac and cheese with crumbled bacon is just something that everyone should have!

 

Tip of the cap to the chefs and staff at Goldfinch, a busy soft opening night that they pulled off. They will be opening their doors to the public this Friday (9/13) @ 3:00 p.m. and then 2:45 on Saturday for the Iowa/Iowa State game. Happy hour is everyday from 3-6 so make sure to take advantage of their awesome list of cocktails, beers, and wine! Check it out!

Iowa Brewing releasing Double Barrel Hang Fire + more on Oct. 12th!

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Iowa Brewing announcing another big release coming this fall! On October 12th they will be releasing double barrel Hang Fire, a variant of last year’s anniversary Hang Fire release. Along with Hang Fire, they will be releasing some other brews as well. Here’s more courtesy of Iowa Brewing:

For our first anniversary we brewed an Imperial Stout called Hang Fire. For our second anniversary we released four barrel-aged variants of it (Aquila-Nilla, Brunch AF, Rubus & Templeton). But that wasn’t all… The legacy of Hang Fire continues! We took one of the Templeton Hang Fire barrels and put that back into a fresh Rye barrel for an additional year! Behold! Double Barrel Hang Fire, two years in barrels and finished with chipotle, cinnamon and cocoa nibs.

But that also isn’t all…

Once upon a time we had a Belgian-style Tripel that we called, Tripel. We put some of that Tripel into a Cedar Ridge port wine barrel which was used to create one of their Single Malt silver label whiskies. We then let that barrel chill for two years! This magic liquid is now known as Barrel-Aged Tripel and will also be available in bottles.

“Is there more?” you ask…

Yes! We will be debuting the newest batch of our Juicy-Hazy IPA series, Jinkies! AND perhaps something else that’s extra fun, so stay tuned…..

Pricing TBD
Double Barrel Hang Fire, 375 ml bottle
Barrel-Aged Tripel, 375 ml bottle
Jinkies!, 16 oz. 4-pack