Tag: Lion Bridge Brewery

Lion Bridge Releasing “Coconut Disaster” cans 11/24! Taproom Release!

Leave a comment

coconut disaster.jpg

It’s been a wonderfully busy month in Eastern Iowa for beer releases, and another can’t miss release will be taking place on Saturday, November 24th as Lion Bridge Brewery will releasing “Coconut Disaster in their taproom starting at 11 a.m.! Here’s more from the brewery on this release:

Come celebrate Small Business Saturday in Czech Village, Cedar Rapids and enjoy our Coconut Disaster Porter!

6 packs available to-go! Food Specials available from our kitchen!

We will also have holiday gift baskets and some new really awesome merchandise for sale just in time for the holidays!

Cheers!

Film Scene Hosting Brewmaster Movie Showing Beer Tasting Nov. 5th!

Leave a comment

filmscenceFilm Scene in Iowa City will be hosting a special showing of the documentary Brewmaster on November 5th. For $18 ($15 for Film Scene members) you get your ticket to the movie and beer tastings from some of Iowa’s finest breweries including Big Grove Brewery, Lion Bridge, and Iowa Brewing Company.

Along with those fantastic breweries they will be tapping a 2015 Goose Island Bourbon County Stout! Check out Film Scene’s link for more info on this special event and also check out the trailer to the documentary “Brewmaster”.

Film Scene Link

Lion Bridge Cucumber Kolsch Returns July 31st

Leave a comment

lion bridgeA summer favorite will be making it’s way back to the tap lines as Lion Bridge will be releasing their annual summer crowd pleaser Cucumber Kolsch on July 31st. Here’s more info on the release courtesy of Lion Bridge’s release:

Join us for the release of one of our summer favorites!

Cucumber Kolsch: a light, clean, 4.6% abv and highly drinkable kölsch with a refreshing cucumber twist.

200 pounds of locally sourced Bass Farms L.L.C. cucumbers went into this bright summer beer.

Local gardeners are hard at work growing and providing fresh produce to our community and farmers markets. Some prefer to can and pickle their fresh garden harvests, but here at Lion Bridge we ferment and keg our fresh produce to bring a refreshing summer beer to YOU!

lion bridge.jpg

Lion Bridge Brewery Presents: Dinner w/ Chef Regina Escalante!

Leave a comment

lion bridgeA wonderful sounding menu that will no doubt include some wonderful beers, here’s the press release on the latest local beer dinner courtesy of Lion Bridge and Chef Escalante! This sounds like a can’t miss event!

Join us for a unique evening with Chef Regina Escalante from Merida, Mexico on August 6th at Lion Bridge Brewing Company.

Regina studied Culinary School and Restaurant Management at the prestigious Paul Bocuse Institute in France. She has worked at some of the finest restaurants in Paris, Lyon, and Marseille before returning to her hometown in Merida, Yucatan to start her own restaurant, Merci. She worked at Michelin star restaurants such as La Table de Lancaster with Chef Rochetau; the Hotel Crillon, with Chef Christopher Hache in Paris; and at Le Petite Nice, under Chef Gerald Passedat in Marseille.

Regina started her career under the tutelage of Chef Cheryl Lewis in Portland, Maine as well as Chef Roberto Solis from Mexico at the young age of 17. Regina’s mother is American and her father is from Merida, Mexico. The fusion of Mexican, American, and French cultures from her upbringing manifests itself in her dishes and creations.

Regina and her husband Vincent Ros opened the doors of their own restaurant Merci in 2014, where they focus on serving breakfast, brunch, and lunch chef-inspired, locally sourced dishes.

Regina was named one of “Mexico’s Top Chefs” by The Larousse Institute at the young age of 29.

Chef Regina Escalante has worked with The Nature Conservancy on a project to protect the traditional milpa systems of the Mayan and supports urban farming projects to empower her French-style cuisine and invite her consumers to support local products; in this meeting of worlds we are taken deep into the Maya Forest to discover how milpa farming systems continue to evolve to protect seed diversity and stop deforestation.

Regina is also part of the Slow Food Movement.

She will be presenting at Newbo Evolve™ in Cedar Rapids the weekend of August 4-5 and hosting a 4-course dinner at Lion Bridge Brewing Company on August 6. We will have suggested beer pairings with all of her courses.

lion bridge.jpeg

Drink This! Lion Bridge Teachable Moment

Leave a comment

lion bridgeThese last few days in Iowa have been hotter than…(insert your favorite expression here), and what better way to cool down than with a delicious local brew. With a great week of releases from Big Grove (cans), 3rd Base, and others, I was able to get to Lion Bridge to try their latest release, Teachable Moment, a New-England style IPA. Here are the deets on this brew:

Creamy, soft body, a hazy appearance and a juicy punch from Amarillo, Citra and Simcoe.

IMG_0380.PNG

It was a sweltering 93 degrees outside when I ordered this brew and it went down quick. The beauty of this beer is not only how deliciously juice it is or how smooth it goes down but it checks in at 5.5% which means a couple of these on a hot day won’t get you too cockeyed! The haze craze continues and this is one that you should get down to the Czech Village to try, pair it with Lion Bridge’s chicken salad sandwich and you’ll be refreshed and ready to tackle the heat! Fill a growler or meowler and watch the kids play in the sprinkler while you sip this; what ever you decide to do you should Drink This! brew!

Drink This! Lion Bridge Tidbits Pale Ale

Leave a comment

lion bridgeWarmer days bring out patio drinking beers and Lion Bridge Brewery definitely has one of those on tap right now! Tidbits is the brewery’s version of a pineapple pale ale that is made with simcoe, comet, and eukanot hops and a whole bunch of pineapple.

The nose on this beer is purely tropical. The pineapple shines but there is some grapefruit and other citrus in the nose. Mouth watering to start and then the pineapple really shines on the tongue. Definitely not overly sweet at all, fresh pineapple taste and not candied or “jolly rancher” sweetness that some beers present. This is one that would be perfect on the Lion Bridge patio while enjoying some brisket tacos. Here’s more on this brew from Lion Bridge:

We made a Pale Ale with healthy doses of Comet, Eukanot & Simcoe hops, then added an even healthier dose of unfermented Pineapple! The result is a true tropical treat!

*KEEP COLD AT ALL TIMES! CONTAINS UNFERMENTED FRUIT.

IMG_0329.PNG

Like I said, this beer sings lawn mower beer/warm weather beer/patio beer/driveway beer/ etc. I’m not sure how long this tropical beauty will be around so make sure you get down to Lion Bridge and have a pint or two! Warm days approach so Drink This! brew!

Best of Iowa Beer (Part 2 of 2)

Leave a comment

baron.jpgFinally, after a few weeks I’m finally getting back to finishing the Top Ten list that everyone’s been waiting for….(crickets)…..Anyway, with all the great things happening in the Iowa beer scene, every year making a list becomes that more difficult. There are so many breweries I would like to visit, and some I wish I could spend more time at. New Year’s Resolutions are always fun but sometimes get forgotten. I, however, will make one of my Resolutions happen…I will make it to some more Iowa breweries, I will continue supporting my local breweries, and I will continue supporting the Iowa Beer Community! Onto the final five!

backpocket*Backpocket 5th Anniversary Stout – many are hailing this as their Iowa Beer of the Year and it would be hard to argue. I thought I had missed out on this beer until a lunch trip to Backpocket Pilot Pub in downtown Cedar Rapids and to my astonishment, 5th Anniversary was still on the lines. After a Grinch-like smile, I went ahead and ordered one…..and then another….and then…kidding, only two but it totally lived up to the hype. If you still are sitting on bottle..you lucky bastard…

The deets:

12.3% ABV

Russian Imperial Stout

third base*Third Base Miserable in Mexico – I had this beer at the 2017 Brrr Fest (missing this year unfortunately) and was blown away. Jim has been making some great beers for a while now and has 3rd Base as an under the radar brewery.  Miserable and Mexico would have been the perfect beer to have these past few weeks in chilly-ass Iowa. Booziness from the bourbon, a bit of heat from the pepper and a ton of chocolate. Boozy Mexican hot chocolate..yes please! Well done Jim and 3rd Base!

The deets:

12.5% ABV

It all started when we put our “Endless Descent Into Ruin” imperial stout in a bourbon barrel and let it rest for 8 months. It emerged as “Miserable.” We then took Miserable and infused it with chocolate and chili peppers. Grown up Mexi Hot (Cold) chocolate

pulpi*Pulpit Rock Rechoncho – Another Brrr Fest 2017 beer and another imperial stout to add to my list. Another brew similar to a Mexico hot chocolate but with some added vanilla to it. Pulpit Rock has become a big time player in the Iowa beer game in a short amount of time and 2018 will be even bigger and better for them.

The deets:

12.2% ABV

Spanish for Pudgy – this decadent stout was brewed with Ancho and Chipotle chile peppers, cocoa, cinnamon, Mexican vanilla beans, & coffee.

barn town*Barn Town Brewery Pulp Non-Fiction – the new kid on the block has taken off pretty damn fast as a must try brewery! I finally got to visit and not only were the beers tasty but the food was excellent as well. Check out my write-up on Barn Town here: I was pleasantly surprised to this brew on tap at 30hop and have since seen some Barn Town pop up at a few other Eastern Iowa locations and hopefully we see them hit even more spots in 2018. A hazy, NE style juice bomb full of the murky, hoppy goodness!

The deets:

7%

A juicy & hazy NEIPA brewed with Simcoe, El Dorado & Citra. Roy-al-ly hopped!

lion bridge*Lion Bridge Majestic Beast – I’ve been a fan of all of Lion Bridge’s IPAs when released but it seems recently they’ve really upped their game. Dangler was delicious, they now have Triple IPA that’s been barrel-aged slightly and one that I hope that they bring back is Majestic Beast. A 7% IPA that is extremely drinkable made with a journey into Lupulin powderes. Lion Bridge continues to impress, in every beer style, in food, in what it means to be a local business. More of this please!

The deets:

7%

First foray into lupulin powders has produced this mirthful beverage. By using a hop with the green plant material removed we are only dry hopping a concentrated version of the aromatic oils found in eukanot and mosaic. Resinous and tropical; potent yet graceful.

There you have it! The list of Best of Iowa beers 2017. Chances are your list looks a bit different but that’s what makes drinking and trying local beer great! It was stressful, I’m sweating and need a beer. I also have to give a shout out to Nick Jubeck for creating the Iowa Beer Baron logo at the top of the post! Thanks man, check out and like his Facebook page by clicking here: Cheers to the breweries who make the beers, the restaurants and bars that serve them and cheers to 2018!

Lion Bridge Barrel Aged January continues with Single Barrel Oud Bruin!

Leave a comment

lion bridgeBarrel-aged January at Lion Bridge Brewing company continues this week as they release their single barrel Oud Bruin. That’s not all from Lion Bridge this week as they also have some delicious sounding Coconut Imperial Brown Ale that will be tapped this Friday! I’m hoping to stop by this Sunday, so if you’re there give me a shout! Here’s more from Lion Bridge for this week:

The focus of week 1 was malt. Rich and lip-smacking maltiness. We hope you made it in to try the Mole XXXX. It was a delicious, nutritious?, spicy beer, and it sold out in a few hours. XXXX Mild and Eis Mild are still around if you weren’t able to make it in. Also unique and amazingly malty beers and made in slightly larger quantities.

This week we start off on the other end of the spectrum…acidity. We dabbled in an Oud Bruin (Flemish Style Sour Brown Ale) in 2017 which was really nice, but I dare say that with this 2018 version we are almost near perfection. In September 2016, we managed to score some fruited whiskey barrels from a guy who knows a guy who knows a gal, that already had a plethora of beautiful yeast and bacteria stuck in their tiny wooden pores. We brewed a 20bbl batch of our Oud Bruin base beer, filled these magic barrels, and waited…and waited…and waited. November 2017 we were like, “Hey, let’s see what we got.” And what we got was a “LET’S HI-FIVE THIS IS AMAZING!!” transformation. Cherry pie cherries, chocolate, bright acidity and loveliness just loveliness. We will eventually blend all the barrels together to make a bottled version, but we chose a barrel we especially loved to present it, unblended, as part of Barrel-Aged January 2018. We hope you enjoy Barrel #354.

We will have live music by Justin Goodchild this fine eve from 6-8pm.

Friday, 1/12 – In kind of a last minute epiphany, we decided not to empty every Wild Turkey Barrel of our Gobble Wobble. We saved 2 barrels with the idea that they were destined to become our Coconut Imperial Brown Ale. And guess what…they have become that. Ya, I know…pretty pretty exciting. The beer had a couple more months in the Wild Turkey barrels to smooth a bit more and soak up some booze, and then we blended it with a lot of toasted coconut. The result is a harmonious beverage that melds barrel and beer and coconut and longing for for warmer months and coziness with winter shelter. If acidity and “sour” beers ain’t your thing, don’t stray too far. On Friday, this beer will give you a warm hug.

Sunday 1/14 – We will pour a super limited 5 gallons of a coffee version of the liquid hug described above. We open at 11am!

And, as mentioned in the header…We are now opening for Lunch on Friday (11am), and 11am on Saturday and Sunday as well. You can now stop pacing about and get yourself to Lion Bridge earlier to get your Barrel-Aged January fix.