Tag: iowa craft beer

Madhouse Releasing Freedom Toast January 24th!

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Madhouse brewing will be releasing their bourbon barrel aged wee heavy, Freedom Toast, on Thursday January 24th! Along with that they will have 3 other beers available, 2 on draft and one available in bottles as well. Check it out below!

2019 FREEDOM TOAST
Bourbon barrel-aged Wee-Heavy with the addition of Iowa maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla. 13.5% ABV. Available draft and 375ml bottles. $12/bottle.

BLUEBERRY FREEDOM TOAST
Freedom Toast with the addition of blueberries. Available on draft at event only.

GINGER…SNAP!
Wee-Heavy variant made with maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, nutmeg, and clove. Available on draft at event only.

JUNIPER SATORI
Gin barrel-aged sour saison with juniper berries. 7.0% ABV. Available draft and 750ml bottles. $15/bottle.

As always, bottle shares encouraged!\

More on this event and release can be found on Madhouse’s Facebook page here!

An Evening with Central Waters @ El Bait Shop set for Jan. 10th!!

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This coming Thursday night, January 10th, El Bait Shop is hosting an excellent lineup of Central Waters brews! Tap lines open up @ 4 for some hard to get Central Waters greatness. If you’re in the area make sure to stop in and get a taste, here is what will be on tap!

Central Waters Black Gold
Central Waters XX
Central Waters Cassian Sunset
Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Cherry Stout
Central Waters Rum Barrel Coconut Porter
Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Barleywine
Central Waters Pilot Batch: Rose Pinot
Central Waters HHG Pale
Central Waters Mudpuppy Porter

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Abu Nawas bringing Nightmare Brewing to Iowa and many other releases!

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Abu Nawas is at it again as they will be bringing Nightmare Brewing, a contract brewery out of New York, to our shelves in Eastern Iowa. The brews that we will be seeing are:

  • Nightmare Brewing Drawn and Quartered 16oz CAN – Quadruple dry-hopped Imperial IPA With Nelson Sauvin, Galaxy, Nelson & Citra
  • Nightmare Brewing Drawn and Quartered 1/6- Quadruple dry-hopped Imperial IPA With Nelson Sauvin, Galaxy, Nelson & Citra

Along with the welcoming of Nightmare Brewing to our shelves, we will be getting some Clown Shoes beers as well:

  • La Pinguina en Fuego 12/22oz BOT –  Beware of the Fiery Nun! Imperial Stout Aged in Rum Barrels.
  • Luchador en Fuego 12/22oz BOT – Mexican Style Chocolate Imperial Stout Aged in Bourbon Barrels.
  • Snow On Maple The Tree 12/22oz BOT –  An Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels that had premium maple syrup aging in them.
  • Snow On Maple The Tree 1/6 bbl  –  An Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels that had premium maple syrup aging in them.

And to cap off the week with Abu Nawas they will have the following back from Evil Twin and Stillwater:

  • Evil Twin Even More Jesus 16oz CAN
  • Even More Jesus   1/6
  • Evil Twin Even More Pecan Jesus 16oz CAN
  • Evil Twin F is for Fruit Salad 16oz CAN
  • Evil Twin Brewing Imperial Doughnut 16oz CAN
  • Stillwater Insetto 12oz CAN
  • Stillwater Nitro Double Nothing 16oz CAN. Both this and Faux Fur sold out last week, more in stock for this week!
  • Stillwater Faux Fur 16oz

Iowa Beer Baron’s Iowa Beer of the Year: Big Grove Macaroon Richard

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big groveAs we countdown the hours until 2018 is behind us and we ring in 2019, it’s time to name my 2018 Iowa Beer of the Year. So many wonderful brews came to us from our local breweries across the state that it made this a challenging task. In fact, I had a hard time narrowing my list of 10 for new Iowa beers of the year…which you can see if you click here.  So…without further ado, my Iowa Beer of the Year is…..

 

 

Big Grove Macaroon Richard!!

Imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels, featuring organic toasted coconut & almonds.

The Richard the Whale release of 2018 was a very memorable experience. The line of guys waiting to get in and sharing beers with everyone, the wonderful food, the great conversation, and of course….the beer.

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I was expecting coffee to be my favorite just because I love coffee in barrel aged stouts. Macaroon was a bonus to get the others and then I went ahead and tried it on tap….BLOWN AWAY!!! The nose, creaminess, sweet but not over the top/coconut sugar sweet and the nuttiness from the almonds meshed so damn good together that I needed to have another glass…and then another one that night at the Solon location, and then another for lunch the next day…well, you get it, I really loved this beer and that is why it is my 2018 Iowa Beer of the Year winner! Congrats Big Grove and I’m looking forward to the 2019 Richard release!

 

 

Forbes Magazine Names JBC Roasters out of Madison one of 12 best in nation!

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How does this pertain to the Iowa beer scene? Well, JBC are the coffee roasters that Big Grove uses for their Coffee Richard the Whale brew. Here’s a link to the article or it is quoted below. Awesome achievement!

Forbes ranks Madison coffee roaster as one of 12 best in the nation

By Jeff Dahdah Wisconsin 4:18 PM ET Dec. 25, 2018

Forbes has ranked Madison-based JBC Coffee Roasters as one of the 12 best coffee roasters in the U.S.

“The pioneering Johnson family continues to set the coffee bar high in Madison, Wisconsin, always nailing the roast,” the article says about JBC.

Michael Johnson, part owner of JBC, said he was honored to be listed as one of the nation’s best.

“It just really feels good to be recognized for all the hard work that team has put forth in carrying out high grade and try to evaluate the coffee service around Wisconsin.” Johnson said.

The exposure has been good for business. Johnson said there’s been a steady stream of new people coming in to try the coffee.

With just five people working to perfectly pick, roast and brew the coffee, the company said it means a lot to them that people notice the care they put into the drink.

“We’re always trying to up our game to the next level and it feels great to be recognized,” said Danny Fallon, JBC’s brand ambassador.

JBC has been recognized in the past as one of the best small coffee makers in the nation by CNN’s Fortune Magazine. It’s also a two-time Good Food Award Winner.

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