Stone will be the latest brewery coming out with a sessionable IPA as their Go To IPA is slated to hit markets in March this year. The advertisement below gives you an idea of what to expect from the this brew. Also coming in the next few months will be another can option coming from Founders. This time it’s their Centennial IPA hitting the canning line.
Got news? Drop me an email!
Deviating a bit from my last posts as the best “new” beers of the year, I’m going back to a topic that usually gets a lot of great beer talk going throughout the Eastern Iowa beer lovers: The Best Beers of 2013!
Now, all of these beers have to have been available for purchase at any Eastern Iowa beers stores, brewpubs, or breweries. There are a few that stayed on from last year and some brand new ones this year. Overall, it was a really great year for beer in Eastern Iowa and the future continues to look promising. These are all beers I’ve TRIED this year, I have some that are still in the cellar that haven’t been cracked, so I might have left some off. Feel free to email me your list of the best in Eastern Iowa or your state this year! I’ll do this in 5 installments, so without further ado…….
**Big Grove Brewery Good Day to DIPA**
My favorite release so far from the folks in Solon, IA. A wonderfully balanced double IPA that gives you the citrus, reisonous pine, and the balance of the malts that we seek in our double IPAs. If you haven’t visited this place, the beer is excellent and food is just as good. A must visit location if you are in the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City area. A dynamite combo is this double IPA with their Korean Chicken wings. My mouth is watering!
RATEBEER: N/A
BEERADVOCATE: N/A
**Toppling Goliath Mornin’ Delight**
I’m not sure if I’ve wrote about a beer as much as I have about Mornin’ Delight. The original release garnered a bit of publicity, but it has blown up into much more since that wonderful Saturday morning in Decorah. This and the Kentucky Brunch release might highlight my favorite beer moments of 2013! The trade demand out there is incredibly high for this brew so if you still have a bottle of the greatness, count yourself lucky!
From the brewery:
Brewer’s Choice, debuted at Great Taste of the Midwest 2011. A Russian Imperial Stout. Breakfast of champions, just add pancakes. Made with real maple syrup and a super secret brewers’ ingredient.
RATEBEER: 100/100
BEERADVOCATE: 100/100
**Founders Backwoods Bastard**
When I think of the fall/winter season this is the first beer that pops into my head. One of the first real “big beers” to hit the chilly months and it is the perfect accompaniment to a chilly autumn or brutally cold winter day. Didn’t finish your case of this? No worries, it ages pretty damn nice as well. From the brewery:
Big and delicious for your ’perty mouth. Expect lovely, warm smells of single malt scotch, oaky bourbon barrels, smoke, sweet caramel and roasted malts. A bit of earthy spice and a scintilla of dark cherries. It’s a kick-back sipper made to excite the palate.
RATEBEER: 100/100
BEERADVOCATE: 96/100
**Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout**
As much as I try not to support Anheiuser Busch, I just can’t ignore this brew. It really is that damn good and the variants I’ve had are also excellent. I was fortunate enough to be in East Dubuque, IL area during the release and walked right in to get my allotment. If you haven’t visited Family Beer and Liquor the management there are some of the nicest, most helpful people around. Black Friday will never be the same! From the brewery:
“I really wanted to do something special for our 1000th batch at the original brewpub. Goose Island could have thrown a party. But we did something better. We brewed a beer. A really big batch of stout-so big the malt was coming out of the top of the mash tun. After fermentation we brought in some bourbon barrels to age the stout. One hundred and fifty days later, Bourbon County Stout was born-A liquid as dark and dense as a black hole with a thick foam the color of bourbon barrels. The nose is a mix of charred oak, vanilla,carmel and smoke. One sip has more flavor than your average case of beer. It overpowers anything in the room. People have even said that it’s a great cigar beer, but I haven’t yet tried a cigar that would stand up to it.” Brewmaster Greg Hall;
RATEBEER: 100/100
BEERADVOCATE: 100/100
**Stone Enjoy By….**
For my last beer on this installment I go with one of my all-time favorites. Say what you will about Stone, they turn out some fantastic beers and this one is my favorite. A brewery that isn’t scared to push the envelope and give us beer drinkers a unique experience which we enjoy 9/10, hits a major home run every time with this brew! And the good news? We should be seeing more of this on our shelves next week! From the brewery:
You have in your hands a devastatingly fresh double IPA. While freshness is a key component of many beers- especially big, citrusy, floral IPAs- we’ve taken it further, a lot further, in this IPA. You see, we specifically brewed it NOT to last. We’ve not only gone to extensive lengths to ensure that you’re getting this beer in your hands within an extraordinarily short window, we made sure that the Enjoy By date isn’t randomly etched in tiny text somewhere on the bottle, to be overlooked by all but the most attentive of retailers and beer fans. Instead, we’ve sent a clear message with the name of the beer itself that there is no better time than right now to enjoy this IPA.
RATEBEER: 100/100
BEERADVOCATE: 96/100
There’s part 1 of “THE LIST”, stay tuned to more in the next few weeks! Don’t agree or do agree? I would love to hear your thoughts, unless you’re an uppity prick, then nevermind!
Coming and going soon is Stone’s popular Enjoy By series. This time you must Enjoy By 9-13-13 and if you don’t get it quick you might not get it all. John’s Grocery in Iowa City posted the following on their Facebook page:
I’LL BE BACK!!!!
Find me tomorrow-Friday at John’s (late morning delivery)
I won’t be here for long!!!
Also hearing that Johncey’s in North Liberty has it in stock as well. (thanks Phil Kassel)
I haven’t heard or seen anything from Hy-Vees in Eastern Iowa or Benz Beverage Depot. If your favorite beer store has it, please drop me a line so I can update as quickly as possible. If you’ve been living under a rock or are new to the craft beer world here’s the brewery’s description of Enjoy By:
You have in your hands a devastatingly fresh double IPA. While freshness is a key component of many beers- especially big, citrusy, floral IPAs- we’ve taken it further, a lot further, in this IPA. You see, we specifically brewed it NOT to last. We’ve not only gone to extensive lengths to ensure that you’re getting this beer in your hands within an extraordinarily short window, we made sure that the Enjoy By date isn’t randomly etched in tiny text somewhere on the bottle, to be overlooked by all but the most attentive of retailers and beer fans. Instead, we’ve sent a clear message with the name of the beer itself that there is no better time than right now to enjoy this IPA.
I hope everyone had a great Christmas and got to drink some wonderful beers. I’m hoping to get this list done by New Year’s Day so here we go with part 3 0f 5.
NEXT 5
Stone Ruination 10th Anniversary IPA – Imperial IPA – 10.8%
Yes, another Stone brewery beer is on this list. But that has to tell you how great their beers are and how lucky we are to have them on our liquor/grocery store shelves in Eastern Iowa. This beer was my favorite of the year until I ran into their Enjoy By IPA, but still an amazing beer. Huge citrus hop presence in the nose and the flavor is much the same. It was one of those beers that you were lucky to try one, but if you saw 20 bottles you should buy the whole lot. Description from the brewery:
And as Stone Ruination IPA turns 10, we thought we’d make ourselves a nice little birthday present to celebrate. But what kind of selfish jerks would we be if we didn’t share?! Behold, the Stone Ruination Tenth Anniversary IPA. (Clever name, eh? That’s why us folks in the Marketing Dept. get the big bucks!) It’s an amped-up version of Stone Ruination IPA, with a bit more malt to bring the abv up from 7.7% to 10.8%, and a very heavy dose of hops. “Classic” Ruination uses 2.5 pounds of hops per barrel–which is more than double the amount we use in any other of our core beers–but for Stone Ruination Tenth Anniversary IPA, we went double again, using an impressive 5 pounds of hops per barrel, including about a pound each of Citra and Centennial in the dry hop. (Hell. Yes.)
Suggested Pairings, provided by “Dr.” Bill Sysak
Appetizers: Kimchee, ceviche, bacon-wrapped jalapeños (or habaneros)
Entrées: Salt and pepper shrimp, jambalaya, roasted pork chops with apple sauce, pineapple curry
Desserts: Apple pie with caramel sauce, toffee bars, spiced carrot cake
Cheeses: Aged Cheddar, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Roquefort, Mimolette
Cigars: Ashton Classic Majesty, Litto Gomez Diez, Don Pepin Garcia Blue Label Invictos Corojo Robusto
Evil Twin Biscotti Break – 8.4% – Imperial Porter
A perfect beer to drink during the winter months in Iowa. Nice robust flavors of nuts, biscuits, coffee, dark chocolate, and malts. The flavor is sweet, caramel and coffee dominate with a nice bitter finish. I’ve seen mixed reviews on this one and the price tag is relatively hefty, anywhere from $15-$20 for a bottle, but definitely worth seeking and trying in my opinion. From the brewery:
Editors note: the first edition was brewed at Fanø Bryghus, Denmark for the Beer cruise Rome-Barcelona, June 2011 and held 7.5% ABV.
Porter made with espresso, vanilla and toasted almonds for the Beer cruise Rome-Barcelona, June 2011. Italy has a certain “je ne sais quoi” – fab food culture, highly decadent history of art and cool countryside. Some might argue the people are loud and flamboyant, they steal our women, and their soccer players melodramatically flop on the pitch. Listen – that’s all part of the secret Italian ingredient – keep it cool, confident, arrogant and extravagant. Forza Italia!
Malt beverage with almonds, vanilla beans and coffee added.
Founders Double Trouble – 9.4% – Imperial IPA
Another relatively new brewery in Eastern Iowa this year that has multiple beers on my list. I think it goes to show that local breweries are going to have to up their game a bit to compete for shelf space with the craft beer greats such as Founders and Stone. Powerful double IPA with strong citrus flavor. Very drinkable and be cautious as it comes in at 9.4% ABV. Great stuff, can’t wait for spring release! From the brewery:
An imperial IPA that was brewed to turn your world upside down. Hops have got you coming and going. Pungent aromatics up front paired with a malt balanced backbone and a smooth bitter finish. 86 IBUs.
Sierra Nevada Hoptimum – 10.4% – Imperial IPA
The first time I had this beer I was enjoying one with my brother. His first comment upon opening the beer is that it smelled heavily of weed, which I guess must be a good thing, because this beer blew me away. In your face hop presence in both aroma and flavor. A very aggressive beer, not for virgin craft beer drinker. From the brewery:
A group of hop-heads and publicans challenged our Beer Camp (#19) brewers to push the extremes of whole-cone hop brewing. The result is this: a 100 IBU, whole-cone hurricane of flavor. Simply put- Hoptimum: the biggest whole-cone IPA we have ever produced. Aggressively hopped, dry-hopped and torpedoed with our exclusive new hop varieties for ultra-intense flavors and aromas.
Hops, hops and more hops are the stars of this big, whole-cone Imperial IPA. Resinous ‘new-school’ and exclusive hop varieties carry the bold and aromatic nose. The flavor follows the aroma with layers of aggressive hoppiness, featuring notes of grapefruit rind, rose, lilac, cedar and tropical fruit – all culminating in a dry and lasting finish.
Beer specs:
ABV: 10.4%
Original Gravity: 22.8 Plato
Final Gravity: 4.5 Plato
Bitterness Units: 100 IBU
Color: Orange Amber
Bittering Hops: German Magnum
Aroma Hops: Simcoe & New Proprietary Variety
Dry Hops: Simcoe & New Proprietary Variety
Torpedo Hops: Citra & Chinook
Malts: Two-row Pale, Golden Promise, Munich & Wheat
Yeast: Ale
Great River Redband Coffee Stout – 6% – Stout
Brewed in the great state of Iowa used with their local coffee shops coffee beans this an intense coffee stout. Huge coffee flavor that pairs perfectly the dark chocolate and roasted malts in this stout. Nice bitter finish that lingers for a bit. A great beer, and glad to have this made in Iowa. From the brewery:
We love our local roaster’s New Orleans Iced Coffee so much we decided to use their beans in our brew. Redband Stout is made with Indonesian and Ethiopian beans using our 18-hour cold brew extraction method, resulting in a satisfying brew with intense coffee aromatics. The marriage of two of our favorite beverages.
