This past summer I waited with baited breath on the release of Ballast Point’s Watermelon Dorado, seeking that refreshing melon flavor that defines summer. When it finally arrived and I cracked my first one, the overwhelming jolly rancher watermelon flavor was a bit too much for me. I know some of you enjoyed it, and that’s great, but it just wasn’t for me.
Fast forward to two weeks ago. Sitting at the C + D Lounge with the one and only William Heinrich and he brings out a bottle of his Pipo. An oak aged golden ale I suppose? with local Kroul Farms watermelon added. First sip, watermelon + watermelon rind, perfect flavor. Not over the top “fake” melon additive, but the real, fresh out of the garden melon flavor that I had been seeking. The acidity was very balanced and the brett really blended well with the melon flavor. This is the beer I had been seeking this summer, and even though I’m looking out my window at the snow falling, I have another bottle of Pipo sitting in front of me waiting to be cracked for a perfect Iowa winter day!
Had paired this beer with Thanksgiving dinner. It went very well with turkey, ham, and some smoked ribs, but it really shined with just a dinner salad with some vinaigrette!
Cheers Bill, you nailed this one and I can’t wait to see what else you have in store! Pipo is in stores, get to your local store, grab a couple of sixers and then a few bottles of Pipo and Drink This!
It used to suck to have a birthday in the month of January, but thankfully Lion Bridge Brewery just turned what is usually a shitty, cold, dark, month into a glorious, beer-filled month! Lion Bridge Brewery in Cedar Rapids just released the details on their Barrel-Aged January releases and lineup looks outstanding. These are going to be some can’t miss beers folks so I hope you get to try as many as possible. Here’s the release deets courtesy of Lion Bridge’s Facebook page which you can view 
Here’s a look at Boulevard’s 2017 release schedule with a few new brews that will be making their way to our shelves. A kolsch will join the year-round lineup while a new imperial stout and imperial pilsner will make it’s way to the Smokestack Series. Two new beers have been added in the sour series and a milk stout is added to the seasonal rotation. The Limited Releases will have 7 new beers so stay tuned on their releases. Here’s the full schedule:
Here’s Bell’s 2017 release calendar. They will be giving Mars: The Bringer of War double IPA its second-go round. Check out the calendar below for more releases. Cheers!
Expect to see Prairie Christmas Bomb hitting our shelves in the next week or so as the beer has been released for distro. Here’s more on this brew:
Thanksgiving Day is right around the corner and with these cooling temps, fall is definitely in the air and winter is right around the corner here in Iowa. What better way to get in the holiday spirit than hitting up your local and gold medal winning brewery and enjoy their latest barrel-aged creation!
Mt. Vernon Road Hy-Vee in Cedar Rapids will be releasing Lion Bridge Brewing Maple Disaster bottles starting at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday November 22nd. This brew has been aged on Cedar Ridge bourbon barrels. There is a 1 bottle limit on from 5-6 and any bottles left will be up for sale. The bottles will be 750 ml flip tops.
It seems like forever ago since we saw Abrasive on the shelves but this week it should be making its long awaited return. Surly Abrasive should be hitting the shelves in Iowa as early as tomorrow! Here’s more on this brew: