More great brews being brought in by Abu Nawas! The following information is courtesy of Abu Nawas Distribution:
We are excited to announce our new partnership with the award winning Brewery Boon. From the traditional Oude Gueuze Lambic to Limited Editions to Fruit Lambics Boon is the gold standard. Boon brands are perennial award winners. It is an honor and privilege to bring the Boon tradition and spectacular brands to Iowa.
Team Abu Nawas Beverage
A little Boon History:
Since 1975, Boon Brewery has been owned and run by Frank Boon, one of the pioneers of the authentic lambic and gueuze revival. But the first signs of the brewery date back to 1680, as a farm-brewery and distillery in the village of Lembeek. In 1860 Louis Paul bought the brewery to brew only lambic and faro. From 1875, he began bottling gueuze lambic. In 1898, Pierre Troch bought the brewery. But after the economic crisis of 1927, it came into the hands of Joseph De Vits. His son, Rene, is renowned for the production of soft and fine gueuze lambic. As Rene De Vits had no children, he sold the brewery to Frank Boon.
Say “Lembeek” in English and you hear “Lambic”. Lembeek was traditionally a “stokershol”, a distiller’s hideaway. During the many wars of the 12th century Lembeek was a free city: you could brew beer and distill gin without paying taxes. Dozens of distilleries (43 in all) and brewers set up. The French occupying forces in 1794 scrapped the tax-free status. To avoid this a public servant was on occasion bribed to notify false declaration by the brewer on the kind of brew he had brewed. But because of the number of brewers and distillers, the French called Lembeek “Le Village d’alambique (the village of stills). Gradually, the “biere di Lembecq” became “Biere d’Alambique”, the first references to lambic!
I just received the following tweet from Alaskan Brewing Company:
Co-Founder Geoff Larson was mentored by the staff at Millstream, a craft brewery in Amana, where he worked as a short-term visiting brewing apprentice in 1985. “Iowa was where I brewed at a commercial level for the first time. Those were exciting days early in my brewing career, learning from excellent craftsmen and getting to know and appreciate the hard-work ethic of the people of Iowa. Their passion for their community and their work has left a lasting impression on me.” said Larson.
The Tappening in Dubuque, IA, part of America’s River Festival will be taking place this Saturday starting at noon. VIP tickets have all been sold out but general admission tickets are still available. Visit 
Big Grove Brewery will be adding a new IPA to their lineup as they tap “Easy Eddy” this coming Friday, May 26th at 3:00. This is an unfiltered IPA that checks in at 6.5%. It will also be tapping Saturday at Big Grove Brewery and Taproom upon opening. Here are the deets on this refreshing sounding brew: