Abu Nawas drop this week: Big Prairie drop! (Apple Brandy Noir anyone?), and Evil Twin

March 29, 2019March 29, 2019Leave a comment

Abu Nawas bringing us a big release of Prairie beers in the coming week, including the highly sought after Apple Brandy Barrel Noir! Here’s more from Abu:

EVIL TWIN

Evil Twin H is for Hops 16oz CAN – Dry-hopped Gose. 4.5% ABV.
Evil Twin Bible Belt 16oz CAN – Evil Twin version of the Legendary Collab. Bible Belt takes elements we love from Prairie Bomb! and combines them with Evil Twin Brewing’s world-famous stout, Even More Jesus. 13% ABV.

Prairie

NEW DROPS

Prairie Bible Belt Bottles 12/12oz Bottles – Prairie Version of A Collab of Epic Proportions. Bible Belt takes elements we love from Prairie Bomb! and combines them with Evil Twin Brewing’s world-famous stout, Even More Jesus. 13% ABV.
Prairie Oh! Fudge 12/12oz Bottles – Imperial stout brewed with brownies. 11.5% ABV.
Prairie Apple Brandy Barrel Noir 12/12oz Bottles. We received 4 cases of this and it will go to the top 4 supporters of Prairie this week!
RESTOCK

Prairie Blueberry Boyfriend 24/12oz CAN – Sour Ale with Blueberries and Lemon Zest. 5.4% ABV
Prairie ERA 24/12oz CAN – Hoppy Delicious Farmhouse Ale. 4% ABV.
Prairie No Chill 24/12oz CAN – Milk Stout with Spaceship Earth Coffee in a CAN. 5.1% ABV.
Prairie Flare 24/12oz CAN – Gose brewed with orange and coriander. Perfect while yearning for Spring. 5.4% ABV.
Prairie Imaginary Friends 24/12oz CAN – American IPA bursting with Tropical and citrus notes. 7% ABV.
Prairie Vape Tricks 24/12oz CAN – Sour ale aged on cherries. 5.9% ABV.
Prairie Hulk Hands 24/12oz CAN – Gose dry hopped with Falconer’s Flight and Cascade Hops. 5.4% ABV.
Prairie Phantasmagoria 24/12oz CAN – Double IPA that’s big on the late boil and dry hopping. 8.0% ABV.
Prairie Picnic 24/12oz CAN – A Delicious Sessionable Pale Ale. 5.5% ABV.
Prairie Standard 24/12oz Bottles – Light, crisp farmhouse ale dry hopped with Motueka hops, a lovely New Zealand hop with a spicy lime like flavor and aroma. 5.6% ABV.
Prairie Bomb 12/12oz 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 Deja Vous 12/750ml Bottles – Bottle conditioned farmhouse ale with Hibiscus and Brettanomyces Bruxellensis.

Prairie-Evil-Twin-Bible-Belt-Imperial-Stout-12OZ-BTL

Prairie Double Dunk and Xmas Bomb 2018 Coming Soon!

November 1, 2018November 2, 2018Leave a comment

double dunk.png

Two big releases from Prairie should be gracing our shelves very soon in Eastern Iowa, hopefully within the next few weeks, as Double Dunk and Xmas Bomb 2018 should be hitting distro very soon in our fine state. Stay tuned for the exact release date for these two brews!

Double Dunk is their imperial stout that is brewed with oreo cookies and will clock in at 13% ABV. It’s going to be a heavy hitter so watch out!

Xmas Bomb! 2018 is an imperial stout and will also check in at 13%.

Best “New” Beers of 2016

January 3, 2017January 3, 2017Leave a comment

Oh yes, another Top 10 list. Everyone loves to read a top 10 list; either to trash it, agree with it, discuss it, or do all of the above. My top 10 list of favorite “new” beers of the year has certain criteria to meet. The beer must:

1: Be a beer I had not tasted previously

2: Must be available for purchase at Eastern Iowa breweries, restaurants, or liquor stores.

That’s it.

This list could easily be 25-50 beers deep, but I finally got it down to 10. Last year my list was a tad excessive so I refocused, recollected, and thought long and hard. This is purely subjective and I know I probably left one off that made your list so feel free to respond with your top 10, top 5, or just your favorite of the year. So, without further ado, in no particular order, the Baron’s Top 10:

**Prairie Pirate Noir – I just had this beer this past weekend and was absolutely blown away. Part of 4 variants released recently in Eastern Iowa and this one was my favorite of the 4. All very good, but this one stood out. Rum barrels shine a bit more in this beer than in Pirate Bomb! A very viscous stout and perfect for a chilly Iowa day. I would love more of this!

**Reunion Tank Puncher – I hope folks were able to try this beer from Reunion and I hope they decide to make more of it as well. This was my entry into my family beer festival and eventual gold medal winner (back to back for me :). This is the perfect beer for the tropical hop crazed beer lover. Reunion was out the last time I checked, let’s hope they get this one up and rolling again!

**Lion Bridge Gobble Wobble – take a traditional style brown masterfully done by Lion Bridge and age it on Wild Turkey barrels…what do you get? An excellent cold weather brew! The taste from the barrel pairs well perfect with the nuttiness of the brown to give you the a great companion to warm you up this winter.

**Kickshaw Pipo– watermelon shines in this sour/blonde beer from Kickshaw. Stocking up on this one as I’m looking forward to a few glasses of this during the summer months but damn it sure is tasty along side a salad and even better with some fish tacos! Looking forward to more from Bill and Kickshaw!

**Summit Unchained: Dark Infusion – this beer made my Drink This! write up. You can view that here: https://iabeerbaron.com/2016/11/05/drink-this-summit-dark-infusion-coffee-milk-stout/. Summit gave us one of the best stouts of the year IMO and luckily I’m still able to grab four packs of this from the shelves. Almost chocolate covered caramel with some coffee splashed in. Stout lovers will rejoice for this brew. No need for barrels, this is perfect as is.

Odell Jolly Russian– I must have a thing for rum that was apparent until drinking this and Pirate Noir. So many great barrel aged beers available to us this year and I was happy to get a chance to try this one. The dark roast and coffee flavors blend nicely with the rum barrel. I would love a few more bottles of this!

**Big Grove Brewery Richard and Pralines – keep the barrel-aged year going with a brew from a local brewery. Big Grove has made their mark with some great pales/IPAs and their popular Richard the Whale and variants. This variant adds a bit of sweetness to Richard. If you can still get a pour of this, order yourself an Arms Race as this warms and then you’ll be in for a real treat. With the opening of the new brewery on the horizon it will be interesting to see what Big Grove has in store for us!

**Pulpit Rock Loopy Lynn – a relative newcomer to the Iowa beer scene and right across the street from TG, Pulpit Rock has become a big time player making some awesome brews! I had this double IPA at a Pulpit tap takeover at Blackstone Restaurant in Iowa City and was blown away. City shines though on this juicy double. I really want more of this!

**Pulpit Rock For the Joy of Almonds – liquid Almond Joy. Amazing beer on its own or for dessert. Pulpit takes their milk stout and ages it on toasted coconut, cocoa nibs, and almonds to give you silky, smooth, delicious stout. Pulpit brews are starting to pop up more in the Eastern Iowa area. Need Pizzeria in Cedar Rapids has had them on frequently and Reds Alehouse is starting to get some kegs as well. Great things coming out of Decorah.

**Toppling Goliath Double Dry Hopped Sue – How do you make an already impressive and sought after beer more impressive and sought after? Double Dry hop that bad boy and that’s what Toppling Goliath did with PseudoSue. More hops equals more hazy goodness from this beer. Hopefully this makes a return this summer as this would make a fine companion to some grilling in the Iowa heat.

Honorable Mentions:
Odell Elephunk, 3rd Base Friends Forever, Pulpit Rock Mighty Fine, New Holland Dragon’s Milk Coconut Rum Reserve, Lagunitas High Westified, Prairie Apple Brandy Noir, Big Grove Raspberry Que Sera.

There’s the list. There were some beers I wish I could’ve tried but missed out on, there were some that would make many lists and some that made mine but not even scratch the surface of yours. My New Year’s Resolution is keep trying to get to the Iowa breweries. I would love some more Alluvial and 515 in my life. I would love to see what beers made your list. Maybe it’s time for another Best of Iowa poll? Happy New Year!

Prairie Christmas Bomb Hitting Stores Soon

November 27, 2016November 27, 2016Leave a comment

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:

Fall is bleeding out into chilly nights, and we’re at that time when the seasons start to shift and the spice hits the fan. Cuddle up into that ugly seasonal sweater, grab your best glass, and get ready to welcome Prairie Christmas Bomb! back into your life. Christmas Bomb! is our signature stout spiced with cinnamon. It has become a tradition here at Prairie Artisan Ales to produce this seasonal treat. This is our third brew, and as always we’re bringing you a brand new label.

Christmas Bomb! will bring you great comfort and joy in this dark and roasty brew. You’ll find the coffee, ancho chilies, vanilla, and cacao nibs you know and love, but they brought a friend this time. The addition of cinnamon warms this brew evoking the seasonal spirit of spice and cheer.

Prairie Christmas Bomb! is a seasonal favorite that can be found in 12oz bottles and 1/2 and 1/6 Kegs. Shipping started this week and will finish up next week, so get ready start seeing it in stores soon.

Cheers!

Also the brewery will be releasing a barrel-aged version of xmas Bomb in a brewery only release on December 3rd. If you know of anyone in the Oklahoma City area. Here’s more on this release:

Brewery Release: Barrel Aged Christmas Bomb

If there’s one thing we really enjoy doing over here at Prairie Artisan Ales, it’s putting delicious stouts in delicious barrels and spreading barrel aged cheer to all our faithful friends. This year, to ring in the holiday spirit just a little more, we’ve decided to have our next brewery only release on Saturday December, 3rd. Making this day extra special, we’ve also decided to release two limited barrel aged beers. That’s right, two. First, is our beloved imperial stout, Noir, aged in sherry barrels from our friends at Rocky Mountain Barrel Company. Appropriately named Sherry Barrel Noir. There’s only 850 bottles of this delightful, boozy fare. Next, we decided to take our famous seasonal Christmas Bomb! and age it in whiskey barrels because nothing says Christmas like cinnamon, vanilla, chocolate, Spaceship Earth coffee, ancho chiles, and WHISKEY. There will be roughly 2800 bottles of this seasonal delight but we know it won’t last long.

A few details to highlight the day of the release:

– This will be held at our production facility located at 120 S West 8th St. Krebs, OK. 74554

– Bottle release hours: 10am – sold out

Draft hours: 10am – sold out

– Sherry Barrel Noir, 12oz bottles – $12 each, 6 bottle limit.

– BA Christmas Bomb!, 12oz bottles – $12 each, 6 bottle limit.

– First come, first serve.

– Specialty draft and growlers TBD.

– Only newly purchased and the 16oz growlers from our previous released will be filled.

– Cash and credit accepted.

Trio of Prairie Beers to be Released this Month!

June 2, 2016June 2, 2016Leave a comment

prairie artisan ales Prairie will be releasing 3 beers this month. 2 of which we’ve seen and 1 that is new and going to be added to their year round lineup. Here are the brews:

**Prairie Americana -Meet Prairie Americana, our dry hopped farmhouse with Brett. Start thinking of the prominent hop aroma and flavor of an IPA. Top that with Brett, and you have an American style Brett ale with approachable hop characteristics and a tart finish. Now, stop thinking and grab a glass. Prairie Americana will be available in 16.9oz bottles and on tap.

**Prairie Paradise– It’s about to get really hot outside. How about a cold glass of refreshing Imperial Stout. Yep, you heard that right. Brand new to our line up is Prairie Paradise. We took a stout, gave it a hint of vanilla and a good deal of toasted coconut and created one season defying, genre bending brew. Imperial stouts are usually thought of as a cold weather beer, but here the coconut and vanilla blend push the image of the stout into a year round, all season style. Prairie Paradise will be available exclusively on tap and in kegs.

**Prairie Apple Brandy Noir – We are also bringing back an old favorite. Prairie Apple Brandy Barrel Noir is coming back for another go around! So, if you missed it the last time, now is your chance to go out and experience a great variation on the barrel aged Imperial Stout. Smooth and boozy, Apple Brandy Noir is heady enough to lure you into its lair but sweet enough to not overpower the complexity of the stout. Barrel aged in Apple Brandy Barrels, this brew is full of chocolate notes, with hints of apple, oak, and brandy. This is a beer to cherish, because it won’t be around for long. Apple Brandy Barrel Noir is a special limited release, found only in 12oz bottles.

Stone Enjoy By 5-30-16 Tangerine IPA and Prairie Releasing a Double IPA

February 28, 2016February 28, 2016Leave a comment

stone **Stone Brewing company will be releasing their next Enjoy By beer soon. Enjoy By 5-30-16 will be brewed using Tangerines and should be hitting distro soon. Stone continues to take this very popular line of beer and make a few additions and tweaks to it.This will be available in 22 oz bottles and will check in at 9.4%. Really looking forward to trying this one so be on the lookout for Stone Enjoy By 5-30-16 Tangerine IPA.

**Prairie will be releasing a double IPA in the near future as they prepare to brew and send out Phantasmagoria. No details on the hops being used in this beer and I think this might be the 1st Prairie IPA we’ve seen available? Super stoked to try this one when it comes out, stay tuned for more!

Coming to Shelves: Prairie, Ballast Point, Lips of Faith, Mikkeller

January 19, 2016January 19, 2016Leave a comment

prairie artisan ales Urging everyone who can make it to get to Lion Bridge for Barrel-Aged January. So many great beers are being pumped out by Quinton and crew! Also, Buster from Big Grove sounds like it’s going to make its anticipated return at the end of the month. Add the opening of Quarter Barrel and Iowa City Brewlab to the mix and things are looking good for Eastern Iowa breweries. Onto the news:

(courtesy of Prairie’s website)
*Prairie:

–Ape Snake –is a dark, dry hopped farmhouse ale. We’ve taken our dark farmhouse base and dry hopped it with Falconer’s Flight and Centennial hops. The combination of yeast and hops create an explosion of flavors, and this beer will continue to develop as it ages. Check it out in 500ml bottles and on draft at your favorite restaurants and bars!

–Barrel-Aged Bomb! –is the result of our world famous imperial stout, Bomb!, that was tucked away in wooden barrels for several months. Vanilla and caramel notes balance the big flavors from the whiskey barrels and come together for an extremely complex yet balanced experience. This beer will be available in 12oz bottles.

(courtesy of mybeerbuzz.blogspot.com)

*Mikkeller – Mikkeller will be releasing 3 beers that SHOULD hit our market.

-Stick in the Ear – A west-coast style IPA that checks in at 6.5% ABV.

–Mastodon Mother Puncher – an IPA that is made with passionfruit and checks in at 6.6% ABV.

–Recipe 1000 – is an ale aged in Chardonnay barrels and comes in at 9%

*New Belgium Lips of Faith Golden Ale – is a collaboration with Belgium’s Hof Ten Dormaal and is brewed with sunflower seeds and wild carrot root. An interesting sounding brew to say the least. Here’s more on this one courtesy of beerstreetjournal.com:

Hof Ten Dormal is a farmhouse brewery nestled in the countryside of Tildonk, Belgium. Part of the brewery was damaged by fire in 2014. In a “New” Belgium to “real” Belgium collaboration, the two breweries are creating this upcoming Lips of Faith offering, Golden Ale.

Described as a springtime offering, Golden Ale is brewed with new Mosaic, and old (read: traditional) Saaz hops. The breweries malted sunflower seeds, and nuanced this beer with wild carrot herbs. You didn’t think this was going to be just a regular old golden ale did you?

A deliciously uncommon springtime beer, our Golden Ale brewed with Hof Ten Dorsal blends modern Mosaic hops and malted sunflower seeds with Old World ingredients such as Saaz hops, spelt, and wild carrot herbs. It’s New and Old Belgium together in a bottle.

New Belgium Lips of Faith Golden Ale will be a draft, and 12 ounce bottle offering (4 packs for the first time).

Style:Golden Ale (w/ Sunflower Seeds, Wild Carrot Herbs)
Hops: Mosaic, Saaz

Availability: 12oz Bottles, Draft
Release: TBA

7% ABV

*Ballast Point Orange Vanilla Fathom – this is an IPL base style with orange and vanilla idea. The idea is to get an orange creamsicle flavor. It will be available in 22 oz bombers and possibly on tap. Here’s more courtesy of Ballast Point:

Our Orange Vanilla Fathom India-Style Pale Lager continues our quest for exploration. The piney and citrus hop aromas of our India-Style Pale Lager combine with sweet orange and creamy vanilla – while staying true to classic lagering techniques. Brewed with a touch of nostalgia, it may remind you of a childhood treat, but this one is just for adults.

*Know of anything new hitting our shelves soon? Drop me an email @benmed15@yahoo.com or post a comment. Thanks!

Baron’s Best of 2015: Part 2

January 4, 2016January 4, 2016Leave a comment

best of Here we go with part 2. Part 1 dominated by Iowa breweries so Part 2 I’ll mix it up a bit more. Once again, criteria has to be: 1) Available for purchase in Iowa in 2015 2) A beer I’ve ever tried before.

**Anchorage Brewing Love Buzz Saison – a style I’ve grown to love more and more and with Anchorage, Blackberry Farm (spoiler), and Lion Bridge constantly available, this is a style I’ll continue to enjoy! Roses, peppercorns, and orange peels star in this wonderful brew from Anchorage.

**Toppling Goliath Thresher – pale wheat ales were 1st introduced to me at Merkles’ Bar across from Wrigley in the form of 3 Floyds Gumballhead on tap. That was when I 1st started getting into craft so that beer and style are always exciting for me to try. Toppling Goliath takes a pale wheat and adds that TG IPAness to it. Very crushable and refreshing.

**Prairie Apple Brandy Noir – enjoyed this bottle for the 1st time at Lincoln Winebar thanks to Jesse. Served at a perfect temperature, this beer was one to sip on and enjoy. Apple cider, caramel, dark fruits and a bit of burn from the booze made this a perfect winter stout…I just wish I had more.

**Big Grove Brewery Trident XII – I think if there was a gun to my head and I had to pick my favorite beer I tried this year, this might be the winner. Melon and citrus flavors combine to bring this 11%ish double IPA seem like a deceitfully drinkable IPA.Plus, you know, I won my family beer fest with this brew.

**Oskar Blues Death By Coconut – I heard the 1st release of this was lacking coconut, luckily I got the second batch of this. This beer is an almond joy in beer form. Enjoyed it tailgating prior to the Iowa/Gopher game and hoping to see more of it our shelves. Oskar Blues outdid themselves with this one.

**515 Passe – had this all the way down in Parkville, MO at the Parkville Beer Festival. Dave and company might have made the best pale ale in Iowa with this beer. The perfect combination of citrus and tropical fruit make this one of the better beers of the year. 515 is just a fantastic place to visit and I wish I could get to Des Moines more often.

**Tallgrass Big RICC – I think if there was a vote on the best Tallgrass beer Big RICC might take home the gold. A 10.2% Russian Imperial Stout coming in a can that has a perfect balance of roasty malts, chocolate, and coffee. I hope Tallgrass keeps pushing this one down their lines!

Part 2 in the books! Let me know your thoughts!

Prairie Christmas Bomb Returns this week!

November 9, 2015Leave a comment

If you were a fan of last years Christmas Bomb! (I think you can still find bottles) this year’s version will be releasing this week and next according to Prairie. This years version is their stout brewed with cinnamon bark. Last years’ version was brewed with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Not sure if it is the same recipe or altered a bit but look for it soon! Here’s more from Prairie:

It seems like Christmas rolls around faster and faster every year, and it’s right around the corner from us again. We are releasing Christmas Bomb to celebrate the season so be on the lookout for this special release this week and next. This year we’ve taken our favorite stout, Bomb, and spiced it with cinnamon bark for that iconic holiday aroma and flavor. This beer will be in 12oz bottles and kegs on tap around your favorite establishments. Celebrate the season!

Cheers!
Wes

Coming to Shelves: 2 new Prairie Beers, Rogue Voodoo, Green Flash Tangerine Soul Style

October 23, 2015Leave a comment

There will be some new beers making their way to shelves in the coming weeks and months, 3 of which Iowa will see, and the two Prairie beers sound like they will make it up here but I haven’t confirmed that yet. Here’s more on these brews:

*Prairie! Flare – is a Gose with added citrus. More from Prairie on this beer:

First up, Prairie Flare! Flare (yes, that’s how we are spelling it) is our gose that we have added citrus fruit to. This beer is slightly tart, a little salty, and has a nice balance from the fruit and spices. Look for this beer in 16.9oz bottles and on tap at your favorite pubs!

*Prairie Vanilla Noir – imperial stout aged in whiskey barrels and then the addition of vanilla beans. Here’s more:

Next on the list is one of our barrel aged beers, Vanilla Noir! We have taken our imperial stout base and aged it in whiskey barrels for about half a year, then dosed it with vanilla beans. I’m not sure there will be a better beer for the greatly anticipated cooler weather!

Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Mango Astronaut Ale – yep, that’s the name of this brew as they once again team up with Voodoo Doughnut. Here’s more on this one:

In this collision of crazies, Rogue teams up again with world-famous Voodoo Doughnuts to celebrate two of the greatest inventions on planet earth: beer & doughnuts. Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Mango Astronaut Ale was inspired by the Voodoo Doughnut Mango Tango, a doughnut filled with mango jelly and topped with vanilla frosting and a tangy orange powder.

*Green Flash Tangerine Soul Style IPA – Green Flash adds tangerine zest to their IPA that is brewed with citra, simcoe, and cascade hops. This will be a year-round beer added to their lineup.