The Heat Is On!

 After a long and stressful week at work, and with the arrival of hotter and humid weather, I chose a few good beers to relax and cool off with this weekend.  My first choice was Raygun IPA from Backpocket Brewery http://www.backpocketbrewing.com/  This is a brewery I really need to tour, as I've heard from several people the brew house and taproom are beautiful.  Well guess what?  There beer is pretty good too.  I've been most impressed with my last two offerings from them.  Cane Blade (mentioned in the last entry) and this 7% ABV, Galaxy hopped Raygun IPA.  This is what I look for in an IPA.  Well balanced, great aroma, bitter, but not overpowering, and drinks like a 4% beer.  Cheers to Backpocket!  Featured in this picture in Jawbreaker from Skylanders.  Joseph insisted he was featured this entry!

I picked up this Clementine White Ale on my Spring trip to Delaware, and it seemed like to perfect time to enjoy this brew.  I was right!  This citrus, sweet, white wheat was just what I needed to cool off in the humid weather.  To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from this beer, but I was pleasantly surprised.  The citrus was perfectly balanced with the spices, wheat, and Belgian yeast.  This is an easy drinking White Ale that would be perfect on the beach, camping, or just relaxing in the back yard.  

Recently I've seen a few people on the beer boards that have made the trek to the West Coast, and would post all these beers that I've only read about before.  So when I came across Ballast Point's Grapefruit Sculpin at Family Beer and Liquor in East Dubuque, I had to try it.  http://www.familybeer.com/ I'm glad I did.  This was an excellent,  well balanced IPA whose flavors and aroma married perfectly with the citrus of the grapefruit. They did a great job of keeping the grapefruit subtle so it blended perfectly with the citrus of the hops, and showing why this is an award winning IPA.   http://www.ballastpoint.com/
Next time you're in the East Dubuque area, stop into Family Beer and Liquor (the store with the best name) and check out the amazing Craft Beer selection that Tim has amassed for our enjoyment.

Other than making it easier to enjoy some great summer brews, the hot and humid weather has also helped the Jalapeno peppers grow.  I've received two bags of peppers from my brother in-law Jared, and today I put them to good use.  A quick and easy pickling recipe will keep these pickles fresh and delicious all year round.  If only we had a bigger fridge so I could do more!

I'm currently lining up a tour with what may be the Midwest's best brewery, and will post more about that as soon as the details are ironed out.  I also hope to be meeting up with Dan from Dogfish Head Brewery in a few weeks when he makes a trip back to Iowa, so hopefully we can share a few brews together.

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Summer

Summer is in full swing.  So it's time for outside activities, which in our house is mostly going to the pool and playing outside with the dogs.  I haven't had time for fishing this year, but I did make time to go to the Blasen Family Golf Outing a few weeks back.  This is me and my brother in-law Marty enjoying the ride from my nephew Charlie.  Charlie (age 9) was a pretty good driver, and much safer than his older brother Jake (age 11.)  After two holes with Jake driving, I took the wheel to finish up the coarse.  I had a great day with my dad, Marty, and the boys, and was able to catch up with some family I haven't spent much time with lately.  I also enjoyed a Founder's All Day IPA, and a few Blue Moons in the golf cart.  I would've have more of the Founder's, but Casey hogged it all.  Next year, I'll know better get there early!!

What's the best thing to do on the hottest weekend of the year.  Of course the answer is go camping!!  Last weekend we met up with Chad and Annie for a sweaty weekend outdoors (with the occasional trip inside their camper to cool off.)  We enjoyed a few brews by the fire (you know, because it wasn't  hot enough so we really needed to make a fire.)  The stand out brew for me was Cane Blade from Backpocket Brewing.  It's a deceptively smooth double IPA that was very delicious.  I've heard from a reliable source, they will have a new wheat beer and a Quad coming out in the near future.  I was also able to pick up a bottle of their new Raygun IPA on the way home.  I just hope it's as good as the Cane Blade.

Camping at Lake Red Rock, we were only 14 miles away from Knoxville, so it would've been a shame if we didn't check out Peace Tree Brewing.  Luckily for us, the heat gave us a great excuse to go into town, and sit in the air conditioned taproom for a bit.  Pictured to the left is No Coast IPA.  This 7.25% American IPA was just what I needed to cool down.  A mixture of pine and citrus from the hops in the well balanced brew, that was just bitter enough to make it interesting, yet still easily drinkable.

The other beer I had was their Templeton Sidekick, a 6% ABV Kolsch aged in Templeton Rye barrels.  Kolsch is near the bottom of the list of beers I would normally order, but I am a sucker for Templeton Rye Whiskey.  I actually really enjoyed this beer, and you won't hear me say this a lot, but it would've been even better if there was less whiskey flavor to it.  I think maybe mixing the barrel aged beer with the unaged Kolsch, would've made this an even more enjoyable beer.

I also took home a growler of Hop Wrangler, a 6.25% ABV, Belgo-American IPA.  This is the beer that really made me take notice of what Peace Tree was doing years ago.  I have to say, my will power is pretty amazing, as it's still in my fridge.  Come on Friday night!!

After ditching us guys for some ice cream our families met us back and the tap room, and Joseph was able to enjoy his first brewery made rootbeer.  (His hair is getting so long, it went into the rootbeer before he even had a chance to taste it!)  A few minutes later, his uncle Chad made him laugh so hard, he ended up with rootber all over his face.

I was very impressed with the tap room.  They refinished an old industrial building and turned it into a beautiful gathering place.  I would also like to point out, that their service was top notch.  If you're in the Knoxville area, I would highly recommend stopping by for a few beers.  Overall, we had a nice afternoon at the taproom, and after going back out into the heat, we probably should have stayed there longer.  http://www.peacetreebrewing.com/

Arson and Toby playing tug-o-war when we got home (and it cooled down!)

I know, I know, I said I'd review Toppling Goliath's collaboration with Mikkeller.  I didn't forget, here's Nelson Schmelsson shown to the right, along with the new bottle caps from TG.  Wow!  That's it, just wow!  I thought this beer was absolutely amazing!  The powerful hop aroma hits you as soon as you open the bottle, and gets even better as you pour it.  Dank.  Dank is thrown about a lot in beer boards lately, and it really fits this brew.  Dank to me is just another was of saying hoppy goodness.  This beer has plenty of that, and a solid, malty body to go with it.  To be honest, this is one of the best beers I've had all year.  Congrats to Clark, Mike, and the rest of the Hop Patrol at TG, and the guys at Mikkeller for making such a fantastic Double IPA!  http://www.tgbrews.com/
Word on Twitter is that TG will be releasing their Morning Delight in the near future.  This has been another of those elusive TG beers I haven't had yet, but will do my best to get a hold of this year, and of course, write about.  I also hope to have more from TG coming up, so keep checking back.

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I know you're all surprised that I'm starting this entry off with yet another Toppling Goliath beer.  This time I went for the Mosiac hop bomb Pompeii.  It's exactly what I've come to expect in an IPA from TG.  Loads of amazing aroma, good malt body, and loads more of hop flavor with not too much bitterness.  They always do a great job of balancing their IPA's just right so they're incredibly hoppy without being overly bitter.  Another great example of a Midwest IPA.

I've been saving this bottle for over 6 months to split with my brother in-law.  So, when he came over on Father's Day (to bring me the bottle of Pompeii,) I had to open it up.  This has to be one other the better Barley Wines I've ever had.  Another perfectly balanced beer with the thick, sweet malt, and citrus, hoppy bitterness.  Now I wish I would've grabbed a few more bottles when it came out!

You may also notice my son's new Skylander toy holding my Father's Day gift, a new beer bottle opener/magnet.

Lagunitas Sucks!  Great name and even better beer.  This is by far my favorite offering from Lagunitas that I've had so far.  They make very solid IPA's, but most are just a bit too bitter for my taste.  This one I found not quite so bitter, with a ton of citrus hop aroma and flavor that makes it a pretty damn good brew.  https://lagunitas.com/beers/sucks

I haven't had a lot of Mikkeller beer in the past, what I had was always good, but not blow me away good.  To be honest, their high price tag is usually enough to keep me from trying more.  I found this IPA, Better Half, while I was on vacation, and decided to give it a try.  I was very pleased.  It is a solid IPA, with great aroma and flavor, but again, just a bit too bitter on the back end for me.  But still, if it was a bit cheaper, I would have no problem buying a 6 or 12 pack of these for camping.  They also recently brewed a Double IPA with Toppling Goliath called Nelson Schmelson, which will be in my next entry.  I've heard mixed reviews of it, but I'm very excited to try it.

One of my favorite breweries, Single Speed out of Cedar Falls, got together with another good Iowa brewery from Iowa City, Backpocket.  They brewed this magnificent Golden Bock.  This is not a style I would normally buy, but I decided to support my local breweries, and was rewarded for it.  Huge, thick, malty body, with loads of hoppy goodness.  For less than $5, this 7% ABV treasure is an absolute steal.

I'm about 2 weeks out from my last spinal steroid injection, and yet again, no super powers.  Oh well, at least I'm starting to get relief from the back pain again.  Who knows, maybe next time.  Tomorrow is my family's annual golf outing, I'll be riding along in the golf cart enjoying a few brews instead of golfing, so we'll see what makes it into the next entry.  I also hope to be doing a brewery tour or two soon.

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Don't forget: Life's too short to drink bad beer!

Dogfish Head

Sometimes you just need to get away.  One of my favorite spots to go is Rehoboth Beach, DE.  Great beaches, seafood, amazing beer, and lots of things to do with the family.  Every time I go to the East Coast, I have to pick up some Yuengling Lager.  I know some craft beer enthusiast may give me a hard time about that, but you can't beat a Yuengling Lager on a warm summer day at the beach or at home in the back yard.  https://www.yuengling.com/  For the same price as Budweiser, you get a full flavored lager you can actually enjoy.  They are America's oldest brewery for a reason.  They know how to make good beer.

About 12 years ago, I stopped at a brewpub in Rehoboth Beach for lunch with my wife and my sister.  Not being that into craft beer, I ordered the Pale Ale (about the only beer I really liked at the time.) It was fantastic.  I saw a sign for a Punkin Ale, I've never heard of such a thing, so I decided to be adventurous and give it a try.  What I tasted blew my mind, and changed my life forever.  Since that beer, I've been trying all different styles of craft beer, and have been homebrewing for nearly 10 years.  All because we stopped at Dogfish Head for lunch.  http://www.dogfish.com/

The brewery was started by Sam Calagione 20 years ago, and he pushed the limits of what beer could taste like.  One of the things that he was a pioneer in was continuous hopping.  Prior to that  all brewers added the hops at the beginning and the end of the boil, with some adding a third edition in the middle.  Sam used this old electronic football game, and a bucket with holes drilled in it to shake, and drop the hops in throughout to boil.  It may sound silly now, but it was revolutionary at the time.  Now Dogfish Head is famous for their continually hopped IPA's like 60, 90, and 120 Minute IPA. Below, is the original 10 gallon Sabco Brew Magic that Sam used to start the company, which is now the 11th largest Craft Brewery in the country.

One of my favorite brews is the Palo Santo Marron. http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/year-round-brews/palo-santo-marron.htm   It's a 12% ABV Brown Ale aged in the tanks seen here.   Some of those tanks are made of Oak to age beers like Burton Baton as well.  By now you may be wondering how I've gotten all these pictures of this amazing brewery?  The answer is Dan Weber.  Dan is a fellow Iowan who worked for Millstream Brewery before leaving for Dogfish Head nearly 4 years ago.  Here's a bit of info in this link.  https://badassbeer.wordpress.com/2014/01/19/dogfish-head-newsletter/
Dan is now the brewery supervisor at Dogfish Head, and with luck, and help from my brother in-law, Chad, I was able to get a private tour of the brewery from him.

Not only was I blown away by the shear size of the brewery, I was also blown away by Dan's generosity.  He took me and my father in-law, Larry around the entire brewery for nearly 2 hours on his afternoon off.  He indulged me lots of pictures and questions.

Dogfish Head is a special place for me, as it sparked my passion for craft beer, I've even received an email from Sam Calagione years ago.  So for Dan to take time out of his day to show me around, it was truly amazing.  Hopefully I'll get to buy him a beer at Single Speed or Toppling Goliath next time he's in Iowa.

Pictured to the left are some of the fermenting tanks.

We also got to sample a few beers prior to our tour.  I enjoyed a Festina Peche, Grateful Dead American Beauty (a new favorite of mine,) 90 Minute IPA, and a Palo Santo Marron.

Pictured to the right are kegs waiting to be shipped out, about 2 weeks supply or so.  We saw them on the way into the bottling facility and I had to grab a couple of photos of all that beer.  Below are about 2 weeks worth of beer bottled and ready to be shipped out.  It was hard not to pull a Scrooge McDuck and dive into all that wonderful beer!

On our tour, Dan showed us brewhouse 1 and 2, the wood room, the fermenters, brite tanks, keg fillers, the warehouse, the bottling line, the laboratory, and more.  This was a day that I won't be forgetting for a very long time.  To be in the mecca of Craft beer was truly awe inspiring.  And, after 2 hours of standing and walking, my legs were shot, so the best thing for us to do, was head back to the beach side condo for some more beer!

In case you didn't know, Dogfish Head also has a distillery.  It had been in the brewpub, but it's growing so much it has a new home at the brewery.  This is the distillery as they're still getting it ready for operation.  Their Honey Brown Rum is ridiculous, and my mother in-law, Ruth is a big fan of their vodka.
http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-spirits/index.htm

After a great week on the beach with my family, it was time for the 19 hour car ride home.  Never a fun thing!  We made it back home safe and sound, and are trying to get back into our regular schedule (also not easy.)  I had to try out my new IPA glass this week.  Dispite being packed into our car like sardines on the drive home, my Dogfish Head IPA glass made it safe too.  Picture is my Triple Double IPA.  After a few weeks in the keg, this brew has come into its own.  This is one of my favorite beer that I've brewed in the past 2 years.

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Cheers!

Is this Beer Heaven?

 With all the amazing beer and brewery choices out there, it gets a little overwhelming when choosing what to have.  Lately, I've decided to stick with the breweries I know and love, and try more of what they have to offer.  This week, I started off with InterGalactic Warrior from Toppling Goliath.  http://www.tgbrews.com/beer.html#igw  All they do is make great beer, and this just helps add to their growing legend.  To be honest, when they first started out, I kind of scoffed at their name and reason behind it.  I thought this tiny brewery in Iowa has no business going after the "big guys."  Boy was I wrong.  Clark and the gang have done nothing but produce amazing beer, and have truly made a name for themselves in the craft beer world.  They've proven they can brew terrific beer, grow at a reasonable pace, and have one of the best marketing plans in the business.  People just can't get enough of them, and with good reason.  Cheers to TG, and another fantastic IPA in IGW.

      Another Iowa brewery that should get more attention is WestOBeer.  This is only the second beer of theirs I've had, and I have really enjoyed each one.  http://westobeer.com/styles/  This is their Smoked Red Ale.  It already had a non believer in me, as I don't particular care for smoked beers or Red Ales.  Again, I was forced to rethink my preconceived notions, as this beer was incredibly enjoyable.  Just a hint of smoke, great malty balance, and very smooth.  I was extremely impressed with this brew.  Now, they just need to start distributing to my side of the state!

 I like to think I make some pretty good beers too, maybe not on the same level as the two mentioned above, but still pretty good.  This is my Triple Double IPA.  Brewed with 3 kinds of hops (Citra, Mosiac, and home grown Nugget,) and sitting at 7% ABV, I'm pretty pleased with the way this beer has turned out.  If I'm nitpicking, I would replace the Mosiac hops with either more Citra or some Galaxy hops the next time.  Other than that, I have enjoyed my first two glasses from the keg.  This beer is very young, and I expect its flavors to round out a bit in the upcoming weeks.

Pictured above is our new Welsh Springer Spaniel puppy Arson, and his new best friend, our Golden Retriever, Toby.  Arson is finally making progress on his potty training, and has really become a part of the family.  We are all so glad he's a part of home, well, maybe the cats aren't.

I have a private tour set up up with on of my favorite breweries in the whole world.  Tune in next time to read all about it!

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Cheers!

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.