The Brigade

 A few weeks ago, I was looking through a cupboard, and I came across a Black and Tan Turtle that my brother in-law Chad gave me.  Since it hadn't been used yet, I figured it was well past time to break it in.  What you see on the right was the result.  A really nice mix of a refreshing Pale Ale, with the smooth creamy Stout.  This is something I need to do more often.  Thanks Chad!

 I like green tea, and I like IPA's, so this has to be good right?  Not so much.  Don't get me wrong, I've had many beers that were way worse than this, but I will not be buying this again.  There was a green, plant like flavor that I could not get over to enjoy this brew.  To be honest, I was pretty disappointed.  No worries though, Stone makes lots of other great beers for all of us.

A few weeks ago, my Uncle Bill passed away.  I was blown away at the amount of people that showed up for his visitation.  For over 4 hours, there was a constant line of people coming to show their respect.  There was never less than 100 people (probably closer to 150) in line at one time.  Bill spent many years as a volunteer firefighter, and was obviously influential for many of his fellow firefighters.  At the funeral he had a firefighter escort and tribute.  It was one of the most touching ceremonies I've ever seen.  Below is my son, Joseph, in front of the Blasen Brigade fire truck that Bill built.  Bill's son Chuck is now carrying the torch, so to speak, as a firefighter himself, and can be seen at parades driving this truck around the Dubuque area.

 With Spring arriving, I figured it was time to brew an IPA of my own.  Of course I had to have an IPA while brewing for inspiration, so I chose Schlafly's Tasmanian IPA.  This is one of my favorites, easily in my top five IPA's.

This time I brewed an IPA with pellet Citra and Mosiac hops, and nearly a pound of home grown Nugget hops from the freezer.  I also added a large bottle of peach mango juice to the fermentor to enhance the citrus flavors from the hops.  This one is still in the fermentor, and will be transferred to a keg soon.  It should end up around 7% ABV, and so far, it smells amazing, regardless of what my wife says.

In the last blog, I introduced you to Arson, our Welsh Springer Spaniel puppy.  This is him after his first bath, as you can see, he was not impressed.  We are still working on potty training, but he sleeps through the night, is getting along with our other dog and our cats, and is fitting into our household nicely.  He's extremely smart and loving, and is turning into a really good dog.  Now if he'll just stop peeing in the house!

 In many of the online beer groups I'm in, people have been raving about Surly's Abrasive Ale, a Double IPA.  Surly is brewed in our neighbor to the north, Minnesota, and they recently started to distribute here in Iowa.  Every store I went to had quickly sold out of this brew, so I did what anyone would do, and grabbed a 4 pack on a recent trip to MN.  At $18 a 4 pack, I asked several people if it was worth it, and they all said yes.  After trying it, I'd have to agree.  http://surlybrewing.com/beer/abrasive-ale/  The Warrior and Citra hops hit you from the aroma, to the oil, to the tropical taste.  This beer is loaded with hops, yet at over 9% ABV is dangerously smooth and easy to drink.  I'm 3 for 3 with Surly beers so far, and really need to try more from them.  This is a brewery to keep an eye on.

One of the best parts of the Craft Beer craze, has been the access.  For years I've read about certain breweries or beers, and now I'm able to find many of them in stores locally without driving across the country.  It seems like a few of Breckenridge Breweries beers have been available in Iowa for a while now, but just recently, they've been distributing more variety to us.  This 72 Imperial was a gift from my friend Pat.  Now I owe him, because this was fantastic.  Smooth, thick, and creamy, this is what a Cream Stout should be.  http://www.breckbrew.com/brews/barrel-aged-72-imperial  This is a must try beer.

Next time you head to the store, be sure to pick up a beer that you haven't had before.  I like to do the 6 pack samplers, than if I really liked something I may go back for a 6 pack of that beer, it's a great way to see what's out there.

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Cheers!

Pappy Van Crinkle

 You may have heard of the legendary Pappy Van Winkle before.  When my good friend Pat came to visit recently, he brought this treasure to share.  This particular bottle had been aged for 20 years, and I think that time was well worth it.  This was easily the most complex bourbon I've ever had in my life, and may ever have again for that matter.  Pat was generous enough to share this rare find so we could enjoy the smooth, rich and chewy bourbon.  The taste of oak and vanilla and a bit of molasses was also evident.  If you ever have an opportunity to try this elusive White Whale do so, and you won't be disappointed.
Below is a combined haul that Pat and I had in possession, and it was worthy of a photo.

 How do you follow up maybe the best bourbon in the world?  With one of the best stouts that I've ever had, that's how.  By now, you're probably sick of me saying how great Deshutes Brewery is, but I can't help it.  They make amazing beer, and this is one of the best yet.  http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/brew/the-abyss You can click on the link for more of a description on this beer, but let me just tell you it was complex and amazing.  Thick, rich, black as midnight, great stout flavor with molasses cutting through.  This is another bottle that if you see it, don't let it get away, or you will deeply regret it.

 This is the first beer of the Planet series by Bell's that I came across, so I had to try it.  Now I wish I didn't.  I'm a huge fan of Bell's overall, but this one was definitely not to my liking.
http://bellsbeer.com/planets/mercury/  The Belgian style ale boast complex flavors, but I just tasted an "off" funk and straw.  This is not a beer I will be drinking again, but am still interested in trying more of their Planet series as I'm sure they can redeem themselves.

 Meet the newest addition to our family.  Arson is a 12 week old Welsh Springer Spaniel.  We will be his forever home, while co-owning him with the breeders so they can show him, and if he does well, maybe breed him a time or two.  For us, he's just part of the family.  He's moved right in taking over Toby's bed, chasing the cats, and unfortunately, peeing on everything!  We are still working on the potty training.  Toby and him are getting along great.  It can get a bit chaotic with the two of them, but hopefully now the rain will stay away, and we can play outside more.

In other news, my Uncle Bill passed away this week.  This has been a bit of a shock for the whole family.  I justed wanted to say how loving and kind he always was, and I'll never forget him.  Bill insisted on installing the first set of hand controls in my car when I was learning to drive, because he cared, and knew how important it was for me to be able to do normal things.  It's sad it takes losing someone to make you realize what an incredible group of friends and family you have in your life, and I've truly had amazing ones in mine.

Iowa Beer

 With new breweries popping up all the time, Iowa is quickly becoming a beer powerhouse state.  There are so many great options available it's hard to know where to start.  Toppling Goliath in Decorah has already made a name for themselves in the national beer industry.  Golden Nugget is a prime example of why.

Sure they make other great beers like Pseudo Sue that get more attention, and their barrel aged beers are really what has gained them national attention.  But when I'm looking for a great IPA, Golden Nugget is at the top of my list.  Now that this beer is readily available, I think it gets overlooked, but it's solid from start to finish.  Fresh hop aroma hits you right way, good solid malt backbone to compliment the loads of fresh nugget hops that go into this IPA.  Yet it's still incredibly smooth, and no too bitter.  Seriously in my top 3 best IPA's I've ever had.  Cheers to Clark and the gang at TG!
http://www.tgbrews.com/index.html

 I've heard a lot about this brewery online lately, but they don't sell in my neck of the woods.  Luckily, my amazing wife, Tonya, picked up this beauty on her latest business trip to Des Moines.

It's easy to see why this is a gold medal beer from the 2014 Great American beer Festival, especially as it warms to room temperature and breathes a bit.  Wow, there is a lot going on in this beer, from the chocolate to vanilla, great malt flavor, and again, it's extremely smooth and very drinkable.

Great work by the guys at West O Beer, I'm looking forward to trying more of their brews, and even have a Smoked Red Ale waiting in my fridge.  If you're in central or western Iowa, you need to seek their out their brews.
http://westobeer.com/

Okay, so Bell's isn't an Iowan brewery, but the are a Midwestern powerhouse.  This Michigan based brewery has been producing amazing beers for a while now, and it's great to see their expansion into Iowa.

Michigan is well known for their cherries, so it only makes since to make some beer with them.  Bell's produces another solid brew with their Cherry Stout, and they do a good job balancing the cherry flavor with their malt.

Bell's is one of those breweries that at any given time, you will find some in my collection, they just make good beer.  Period.

It seems spring has come early in Iowa this year.  The sun is out, the snow is mostly gone, and even the birds are chirping.  Spring is an interesting time of year, because you want to start drinking the lighter beers like IPA's and Wheats, but I know I still have some great Stouts in my collection that I can't let go to waste.  Either way, I know it's time to fire up the grill, and of course enjoy some great craft beer while doing so!

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For other Iowa beer releases and reviews, also check out @iabeerbaron on Twitter.
Also, check out my fellow small town Iowan, Ronnie at http://lifetimebeerbook.blogspot.com/
Remember, life is to short to drink bad beer.

The Land of Cheese and Beer

 In my last blog, I said how New Glarus was one of my Top 3 favorite (non-Iowan) breweries and Enigma is a huge reason for that.
This is a Sour Brown Ale (see link below,) aged with cherries in oak barrels.  If you're not familiar with sour beers, this will be a beer experience like none other.  It's sweet, sour, smooth, yet complex, and always leaves you wanting more.  The first time I had one, I was bewildered by such a brew, and about half way through the glass, I decided it to be one of the beers beers I've ever had.  That still hold true today.  This is a limited release, and only sold in Wisconsin, so hurry to the land of cheese and beer before it's gone!

Pictured below is their Belgian Red with loads of cherries.  It makes the perfect desert beer, it's very sweet, so you might want to share the bottle with someone.
http://www.newglarusbrewing.com/index.cfm/beers/ourbeers/beer/enigma

Desert in a glass

Several weeks ago I brewed a Porter with my fater in-law Larry.  Two weeks ago, I kegged the beer along with a very strong pot of dark roast coffee, and what you see below is the end result.  This young beer already had a thick foamy layer, leading to a smooth, and thick body for a very tasty beer.  This one needs to age a bit, and maybe a touch more carbonation, but it is a winner.  Thanks Larry for the help brewing, now you need to come over and help drink the "Old Man's Coffee Porter."

I'm going to keep this entry short, and in turn, will be adding another very soon.  A few Iowa beers will be highlighted next time.

Cheers!!!

Time sure flies!  I intended to write this over a week ago, and I still need to keg my Coffee Porter.  Sometimes I tell Tonya to get a better job so I can be a stay at home dad/brewer.  She just tells me to be quiet and go to work.

 My wife saw this beer when we were at the store, and said I should try it.  I decided to take her advice, and I was pleasantly surprised.  The Castaway Chocolate Orange IPA by Thomas Creek was much lighter than I expected, and had nice freshness from both the hops and the orange peel.  The chocolate was very subtle yet added a nice addition to the flavor profile.  I believe this was my first offering from Thomas Creek, but after having this, I know it won't be my last.

 I first had a Killer Penguin 2 years ago, and it easily became one of my top 5 favorite Barley Wines.  I know I should have let this beer age for a bit, but sometimes you have to live for the moment.  Guess what?  It's still a fantastic beer.  Thick, sweet, hoppy, but not overly bitter.  This is the way I want my Barley Wines.  Congratulations Boulder Beer Company on another fine brew!

I have a hard time when someone asks me what my favorite style or beer is, because it really depends on what beer I feel like that day.  As for breweries?  There are so many amazing breweries in Iowa right now, I won't even try to answer that question.  I will say, that at this current time, my 3 favorite non-Iowa breweries are Dogfish Head, New Glarus, and Deschutes.  Out of those 3, I can honestly say that Deschutes is the only one that I've enjoyed every beer of theirs that I've has so far.

 Foray IPA was no exception to this.  This is just what I'm looking for in a Belgian IPA.  Light, crisp, tart, not too much funk, not too bitter, and easy to drink.  (By the way, the 2nd glass from this bottle was much cloudier and more interesting that the first.)  On a side note, when ever I go to a breweries website, and it asks for your birthdate, I always enter mine, even though it takes longer to do so sometimes.  Anyone else do the same thing?

Sam Adams was a great company for getting me, and many others into craft and home brewed beers.  These days, I don't drink much from them, but every now and than it's nice to have something familiar.  I have always enjoyed their Imperial White.  This one is spicey, hoppy, not too heavy, and that makes it a great beer any time of the year.  Cheers to Sam Adams and all                                              they have done for the brewing community!

This is how I start my day in Iowa

This morning I clicked the unlock button on my key fab, and saw the door locks slowly creep up (instead of their usual snap to attention.)  I guess that means it's cold outside?  Even though it protested a bit, my car did start, and I made it to work on time.  During the day, I was trying to decide what new beer to enjoy on this ridiculously cold day in Iowa.  For some reason I had the Oasis song Wonderwall in my head, and than I had this in my head all day "and after all, you're my Narwahl."  Luckily I have one in my fridge!

 This is one of those beers that I think actually lives up to the hype.  I don't think it's the most complex Imperial Stout in the world, but it's a damn good one.  It's thick, sweet, balanced with bitterness, and very smooth to drink.  This doesn't have to be the last beer of the night when you drink it, because it leaves you wanting more.  There are a lot of Imperial Stouts that may be good, but are so thick and heavy, you just don't want another brew for awhile.  I think Sierra Nevada does a good job with balancing this beer to make it everything we love about Imperial Stouts, yet making it easy to drink.

Finally, in the real world, my Aunt Joanie passed away last night.  Joanie and Joe lived next to my grandmother when I was growing up, and we would see them often.  They are two of the kindest and caring people I know.  I remember Joanie watching me sometimes as a kid when I was sick.  She'd let me lounge in her recliner and we'd watch old episodes of things like the Brady Bunch.

The two of them always had smiles on their faces, big hugs to give, and the love they had for each other and their families was always evident.  My heart goes out to Uncle Joe for losing the love of his life, and I know Joanie is already in heaven beginning her new journey.

Thanks to April for the pictures, and her updates throughout the process.  I'm sending prayers and love for the family, and I'll see you all soon.

Holidays/Beer/Life

 My last blog ended with me starting to prepare a "Best Of" beer list for the year.  As I was getting it together, I noticed many other bloggers and beer writers were doing the same thing, so I decided to leave it to them and enjoy the holidays.

The last few years, my parents have rented a cabin for the weekend so we can all get together for the holidays.  It gives us a chance to catch up with each others families, without many outside distractions.  There's no wifi, no TV, not much for stores around either.  It's just a time to come together and enjoy each other. In that spirit, I thought I'd write less about the beer rating and more how I felt in the moment.

 Pictured to the right is my father, Dick, rocking the rare double 'stash.

 Every year, my brother in-law Dale, and myself, bring a variety of beer to share for the weekend.  We sampled many good brews while watching a family talent show.  Luckily, the spirits also helped us enjoy my mom's version of Willie Nelson's Pretty Paper.  We heard stories from my dad, a dance from my niece, and saw a puppet show amongst other talents.

There was no snow this year, so the kids couldn't go sledding, so they had to find other things to keep them entertained.  Below, My son, Joseph's displaying a scar drawn by Malia in her effort to entertain herself and keep the boys calm.

Fresh from Germany

Christmas eve, we usually go over to the in-laws for supper and few drinks.  Pictured to the right is a few of the better brews from the evening (even though Larry may not agree.)

My boss recently went to Germany to visit her son.  While there, they toured a brewery and brought me this 22% ABV gem.  It drank like a whiskey, but had the taste of a sweet IPA.  I found it similar to Dogfish head's 120 minute IPA.

My Christmas Haul (Tonya is getting very good at buying beer)

Larry, Gary, Pam, and Sherri

 Saturday after Christmas we went over to Tonya's aunt Pam's house for their annual Christmas gathering.  As usual, there was too much food, beer, wine, and whiskey.  I always enjoy going over, it's always a fun time, and you never know what specialty beer or whiskey will be passed around.

 The last holiday gathering is always at my in-law's house the weekend of New Years.  There's always plenty to eat and drink there too.  We all bring interesting beer selections for sampling, some we've been saving for months to share.  Anchor Christmas Ale changes every year, and we always sample the current one.  Some are better than others, but they've all been good.

 A newer tradition we've been doing is a "Chopped" contest.  The women get 3 ingredients to cook with, and the guys get another 3 to try out.  This year, the women had raspberry yogurt, Triscuts, and mangos.  They made cheesecake, smoothies, pie, and taco casserole.  All of them were very good, but I was partial to Tonya's taco casserole (she was also the overall winner of the night.)

 The men cooked with cottage cheese, Funions, and Tobasco Sauce.  We made a cheese ball, a cheese dip, a cottage cheese cup, and fried cheese balls.  Jared and Chad tied for first for the guys, but I was still pretty proud of my cheese balls.  I liked them, and I hate cottage cheese.

 After all that food, we needed a keg of Christmas beer to wash it down, right?  Seems like we barely even put a dent in it.  Larry and I are still drinking from it.  The rest of the weekend we enjoyed games, presents, watching football, and of course, more food and beer.

Below, is a picture of my homebrewed Amber Ale, and another Christmas must from Schlafly.

My Nugget Galaxy Amber Ale

This is my dog Toby.  This has nothing to do with beer, but he is my constant companion.  Working at a veterinary office, he gets to come to work with me nearly every day.  This is him showing off at the office after getting groomed.  Toby is a goofball, that loves attention, treats, and playing with our cats.  Too bad the cats don't enjoy him as much.  He's a bit bored this time of year, since it's too cold for playing fetch so I try to get him plenty of toys and rawhides to distract him (although, earlier this week he did destroy Joseph's foam football.)  For him,,Spring can't get here soon enough!

Family is what keeps us going.  Beer is there to join us on our journey.  I think of it like music.  There are songs that come on the radio and take you back to a specific time or feeling in your life.  For example, every time I hear Everclear's Santa Monica, I think of the road trip to Delaware with my friend Waylen in is Mustang convertible.  Having a good beer can evoke those same feelings.  Take this Dogfish Head 61 Minute IPA, it's a typical Dogfish Head brew, but I'll never forget the first time having one at their brewpub in Delaware with my sister Amy, and my wife Tonya.  So don't forget to enjoy those moments with those who are important to you, and give your dog an extra scratch on the head to remind them you love them,

The holidays are over, and it's time to brew more beer.  Larry came over to help me brew a coffee porter (a gift he received last Christmas.)  And since we were brewing, we might as well enjoy a good brew too!  A few days later, the porter is happily fermenting away, I'll have to find some good coffee to add at kegging time in a few weeks.

I can't believe it's been that long, but 5 years ago, Tonya and I lost our twin girls.  They died pretty far along during pregnancy.  We were both so excited about her being pregnant again.  I was a bit nervous about twins, but I was up for the challenge.  Unfortunately it didn't work out that way.  After they passed, we had to go to Iowa City so they could be delivered.

Tonya, myself, and my mom got to spend about an hour holding them before we had to say goodbye.  It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life, but I will always cherish that hour I had with my little girls.

And along the lines of the little things we remember, I'll never forget the text I got from my friend Dan that day as we waited for the doctor.  Dan had recently had a heart attack, and that day had a pacemaker put in.  His text simply read "anyone need a jump?"  A little levity was welcome on such a draining day for us.

I'm not sure why, but this week has been particularly emotional for me.  I don't know what makes this different than other years.  I do sometimes think how are lives would be different with them around.  I can almost picture the two of them in princess dresses singing Let it Go, and annoying their older brother (who would secretly love it.)  I think about them every day, and can't express my sadness for not having them in my life.  I also try to do my best to appreciate what i do have, an amazing wife, and unbelievable son, and great friends and family.  To me, that is what the holidays and life is all about.

Sorry this post got off topic and is written a bit choppy, but sometimes, I feel writing can be a bit therapeutic.  Anyway, I'd love to know what drink you enjoyed most during the holidays, post it below in the comments, and i may feature it in my next post.  To see what I'm drinking and how it rates, follow me on Untappd, search for Crinkletalk, or follow me on Twitter - @Crinketalk.  Until next time, Prost!

Beer Changes with the Weather

 As the weather gets colder, you'll find many beer drinkers turn to darker, thicker beers like Stouts.  I am no exception to that, not to say I still don't enjoy a good Pale Ale, Lager, or IPA too.  Some of the best Stouts in Iowa, and in the country are from Millstream Brewery in Amana, IA.  http://www.millstreambrewing.com/  They are the oldest craft brewery in Iowa, and I think with all the new exciting choices of breweries we have these days, they sometimes get forgotten.  I'm here to tell you, that is a big mistake.  Their standard brews are perfect examples of high quality, dead on representations of their styles (i.e. Bock or Pilsner.)

But Chris really showcases his creativity with their Brewmaster's Extreme Series.  The Great Pumpkin Imperial Stout is exactly what I crave in the

fall.  It's a thick and complex Stout with loads of smooth pumpkin flavor.  This is one of my favorite pumpkin beers, and must have every autumn.

New to the lineup this year is the Raspberry Latte Stout.  I love a good coffee beer, but they are not easily found.  I thought Chris found a perfect balance of his great Stout, good strong coffee flavor (but not over powering,) and just a hint of raspberry.  Being a home brewer, I know how hard it is to blend the flavors properly, and on this beer there are so many great ones coming together it would have been very easy to mess this up.  I thought they nailed it.  This is a great beer that I can't wait to share with my brother in-laws at our next get together.

 When I first started to truly appreciate good beers, New Belgium was a mainstay for me.  These day, I don't buy them very often any more.  Is this because they aren't a great brewery?  No, it's because there are so many excellent options out there, I rarely buy the same beer multiple times anymore.  Sometime it's nice to get back to a familiar taste.  Their 1554 Black Lager is a perfect brew for that.  It's an extremely smooth beer, but still packed with complex flavors.  I think this is an excellent beer to try if you think you don't like dark beers, this may be the one to change your mind.

 The Bitter End by Two Brothers as an interesting take on a Pale Ale.  Good hop balance, and an unusual grain choice made this beer memorable to me.  I haven't had much from this brewery, but what I've had, has always been good and solid.  This is certainly a brewery worth trying.

 The beer I got from Doug (thanks to the Lions, see my last post,) was St. Bernardus Prior 8.  It's a tradition Abbey Dubbel, and it's exactly what I want and expect from this style.  It's thick and sweet with just a bit of the alcohol burn you'd expect from a Dubbel.  This is a great beer, and made all the better, because it was free and the Detroit Lions won.  Thanks Doug!

 I have some friends that I occasionally supply with some of my home brew.  A few weeks ago, I gave Pam a bottle of my Nugget Galaxy Amber Ale, and was surprised with a 6-pack sampler of New Glarus.  They are one of my favorite breweries, but you can only get them in Wisconsin.  Next time you get there, skip the cheese and check them out.  http://www.newglarusbrewing.com/

Spotted Cow is a mainstay for them, it's a light, yet flavorful brew that any beer drinker can enjoy, not just us beer geeks.

Speaking of beer geeks, I've been seeing this beer pop up on the Iowa beer Baron's Twitter feed lately (@iabeerbaron,) so I thought I should try it.  I was not disappointed.  Sour beers are an acquired taste.  The ones I like, I really like, and the ones I don't, I would never drink again.  This falls into the first category.  It's a great blend of maltiness and sour, and I found it very refreshing.  This is my first beer that I've tried from Destihl, and I can't wait to try more.  http://www.destihl.com/




Below is my brother in-law Dale.  He's one of my family members that appreciates a good beer.  So when the family got together for thanksgiving, I had to share a Dale's Pale Ale with him.  This Pale Ale is loaded with hop flavor and bitterness, but also has a great malty backbone to balance that out.  Oskar Blues is another brewery that I have enjoyed the few selections that I've had so far, and can't wait to get a hold of more.  http://oskarblues.com/


My next blog, I will list some of the best beers I've had this year.  Please feel free to share your favorites in the comments below.  You can also follow me on Twitter @Crinkletalk or on Untappd - Crinkletalk.