Fat Joe

In the craft beer world, beer releases are the "in" thing at the moment.  For those of you that don't know, a beer release is when a brewery makes a special/limited quantity/and highly sought after beer.  They set a date and time, and people line up around the block (literally) just for a chance at purchasing a bottle or two.  Some times these release are about the prestige of getting said bottle and posting pictures on social media, sometimes it's about sharing a few beers in line with others who share your interest, and sometimes it's all about the beer.  Pulpit Rock Brewery in Decorah, Iowa is quickly becoming known for all their beers, and is starting to draw huge crowds for their beer releases.  This release was no different.

Fat Joe, a 13% abv Imperial Barrel Aged Coffee Stout had people lined up overnight, over 12 hours early on a cold, Iowa winter night so they could get their hands on a few bottles.  But that wasn't all, why release 1 beer, when you can release 4?  Aside from the highly sought after bottles of Fat Joe, they released 3 other beers in crowlers.  Barundi Pour Over Porter (6.7% abv coffee porter,) Bu-Bear-ee (7% abv blueberry pastry sour,) and a collaboration with Mikerphone Brewing out of Chicago, Rock the Mikerphone (an 8% abv Double IPA brewed with Fruit Loops.)

If standing in line for twelve hours in the middle of winter for a bottle of beer isn't your thing, that's alright.  I missed the morning release, but stopped by the brewery early afternoon to enjoy their fantastic tap list (same as the morning) and there were still plenty of crowlers available.  When I got there the taproom was fairly calm, closer to an average Saturday, although, by the time I left it was standing room only again.  With that tap list, I'm not surprised.

I met with one of the Co-Head Brewers, Bob for several beers, and he was kind enough to record another podcast.  The first was recorded in August 2016 and can be found on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=crinkletalk+podcast

Before I add the latest link, I'll just share a few thoughts on some of the beers.  Barrel Aged Pudgy (13% abv barrel aged stout with vanilla) is thick, chewy, decadent, and loaded with smooth vanilla.  This is an outstanding beer that I could drink all the time.  Fat Joe had a little thinner mouth feel, but had a huge coffee flavor.  it also drank dangerously smooth.  Neither of these beers felt like a 13% abv brew, making them both delicious and dangerous!  Also shown below is the Mixed Bear-ee, a 7% Pastry Sour made with blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.  One of the things that stuck out about this beer was how you could taste each type of berry in it, but also how well they all blended together.  Their Pastry Sours are a good mix of sweet and tart, making them extremely easy to drink them.

Mixed Bear-ee, BA Pudgy, and Fat Joe

It's easy to see why this little brewery in NE Iowa is making a huge name for themselves in the craft beer world.  They make world class beer, and are also world class people.  A special thanks to Bob for taking time out of a busy day to share a few beers and record a podcast with me.  Also, thanks to Justin and Mike for working with Bob at making some of the best beers we can buy, and everyone at Pulpit Rock for hosting another great event.  http://www.pulpitrockbrewing.net/

A few things about my podcast, I will be putting forth more of an effort to make this a regular thing, releasing no less than 1 a month.  Soon, you will notice a new logo (Thanks Dan,) a sponsor, Uncle Medard Outdoors https://unclemedard.com/, and I'll be working at having the podcast released on iTunes and Google Play.  For now, it is available on Patreon,  It's OK if you don't have that app, you can stream it or download it from their website.  https://www.patreon.com/Crinkletalk or click below
http://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:266142226/sounds.rss