Super Beer Weekend

 It's Super Bowl weekend, the biggest sporting event of the year.  Lots of people have big parties with family and friends, and as always, there's plenty of junk food and beer to go around.  Parties are great and all, but I prefer to spend the evening with my family and actually watch the game (still with junk food and beer, of course.)  I watch as many games as I can all season long, and I love watching the final showdown for the title.  These are the beers I've enjoyed both the week leading up to the big game, and during the game itself.

Ballast Point is relatively new to Iowa, and I've only had a handful of their brews so far.  Grapefruit Sculpin is an excellent IPA. I came across this bottle of Victory at Sea at HyVee a few weekends ago, and had to try it.  This 10% ABV Imperial Stout was fantastic.  Big bold flavors, yet surprisingly smooth and easy to drink.  I can't wait to try the peppermint version of it!

 With the good, comes the bad.  Indra Kunindra Curry Export Stout is what it sounds like.  A decent stout with curry, cumin, coconut, and kaffir lime.  To me, the curry and cumin were over powering, and I didn't get any coconut or lime flavor.  To be honest, I didn't even finish this beer, the curry was just too much.  I'm sure there are lots of people who would enjoy this one, but I am not one of them.

Even though I didn't enjoy this brew, I will still continue to try more of their beers.  Not every beer is for everyone, and one bad beer doesn't take away from all the good ones they make.  For instance, my favorite brewery Dogfish Head makes a couple that I truly dislike, yet they make up for it by making some of my favorite beers.  So, if you haven't given Ballast Point a try yet, please do....  Just maybe not this one.  http://www.ballastpoint.com/

While in Des Moines a few weeks ago, I picked up a few offerings from Backpocket and Exile Breweries.  It's great to have so many really good craft beer offerings made in the state of Iowa right now.  Exile has really been making a name for themselves in the past few years.  At the Last Great American Beer Fest, they scored a gold medal with Gigi, a dark lager.  With other great brews like Gorilla Press, Beatnik Sour, and Chill Clinton they are showing they are on their way to being a power house in the beer industry.
This time, I picked up some Raspberry Bohemian and Cherry Bohemian.  I tried the Cherry last night, and was quite impressed.  Tart and sour, and very easy to drink.  This would be a great beer to enjoy during the hot summer months, although, I enjoyed in quite a bit during the cold wintry night too.  http://exilebrewing.com/

The latest in Toppling Goliath's X-Hop series, X-Hops Gold, may just be the best.  The fruity hop aroma hit me as soon as I popped the top, and the beer poured hazey with the perfect head.  This was a great beer.  As usual Brew Master Mike loaded this brew with hops, yet kept it super easy to drink and had me wanting more. It also paired well with nachos, buffalo chicken dip, spinach dip, and the Super Bowl.  I couldn't have chosen a better beer to enjoy the biggest game of the year. http://www.tgbrews.com/index.html

Of course I did follow it up with Blood on the Blade, a Red IPA by Backpocket Brewery.   This was a completely different beer from TG Gold, but really just as good.  These guys are continuing to impress me, and I have become a big fan of theirs over the last year or two.  http://www.backpocketbrewing.com/

As for the game itself, I've heard a lot of people say it was boring, and I couldn't disagree more.  It was an excellent defensive battle that I found very exciting to watch.  I mean, a strip sack with a walk in touchdown?  How is that not awesome?  The halftime show however, was horrendous.  This is the biggest stage in the world, and the NFL keeps laying eggs.  Let's try for actual entertainment NFL!!

Well, that was some of my football weekend.  Feel free to tell me what your favorite brews of Super Bowl weekend were below in the comment section.  You can also follow me on Twitter: @Crinkletalk
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Beer show

The holidays have long since past, but the cold and snow are here to stay.  Sometimes a weekend get a way is just what our family needs.  In this case, the Des Moines dog show is a great excuse to get away, see some friends and family, and have some great beer.

Joseph was all smiles on the ride with two dogs to cuddle with.  Arson, and our friends dog Cherry, tried to sit on his lap the entire drive.  We had a fun afternoon visiting with friends and watching the dogs strut their stuff.  No points this time around for Arson, but he lights up in the ring, and is coming into his own.  Give him another 6 months to grow up and fill out, and                                                                                           he'll be a winner!

Joseph doesn't just enjoy the dog show, but now he enjoys visiting the local breweries too.  Thanks to his uncle Chad for introducing him to Peace Tree's rootbeer at their taproom this summer.  Luckily, my favorite Des Moines brewery, 515, has Peace Tree rootbeer by the bottle.

Since Chad and Annie met us for the dog show, I knew they had to visit the 515 tap room with us.  The parking lot was packed, and the tap room was just about full on this Saturday afternoon, but luckily for us a table opened up at the perfect time.  I would also like to add, that this was my second visit to 515, and both times the staff was extremely friendly helpful even with a busy tap room.  Maybe it's a good thing that I don't live in Des Moines, because I'd be visiting this place all the time.

Chad and I both ordered the 4 beer sample flight and we were ready for take off.

The beers from left to right, Dart Dodger, OJ IPA, Mediocre Pale Ale, and Castaway Porter.

The first 3 I tried at my last visit, and knew they were all top notch IPA/Pale Ales.  Don't ask me to pick a favorite, because I can't.  Which ever one I was drinking was my favorite.

What really surprised me was the Castaway Coconut Porter.  There are several coconut beers on the market now, and this was the first that I've had.  I was reluctant since I'm not a huge fan of coconut, but this beer blew me away.  Extremely smooth, and well balanced, there are great roasty malt flavors with a very subtle hint of coconut that blends well with the porter.  I love IPA's, but this is the beer that I've been craving since I came back home.  Great job, once again by the folks at 515!  www.515brewing.com

Happy New Beer!

 The holidays are over, it's time to go back to our regular lives, try to lose weight, and get prepared for the worst of what winter has to offer.  It's not all bad though, there are usually a few left over goodies from holiday gatherings to enjoy, NFL playoffs are starting (even if my Lions aren't in them....again,) and if you're lucky you may have acquired some good beers throughout the holiday season.

While this wasn't a beer bought during the holidays, I figured it was the perfect time to enjoy one of my favorite beers of all time, Enigma from New Glarus Brewing.  Sweet, tart, sour, and incredibly complex, this beer shows why people outside the cheese state think so highly of this brewery.  Enigma is easily one of my top 3 favorite beers of all time.
http://www.newglarusbrewing.com/index.cfm/beers/ourbeers/beer/enigma

 The holidays are a great time to eat too much food, drink some great beer (or whiskey,) and catch up with friends and family.  When ever my friend Pat comes to town, you know there is going to be some drinking, and inappropriate things said, that make you laugh and shake your head at the same time.  Pat made a beer run to Chicago and came back with some Bourbon County variants, and some Zombie Dust.  He also picked up a 15 year old bottle of Pappy Van Winkle, and was kind enough to share a glass.  Last year, he brought a sample of the 20 year old Pappy (the holy grail for whiskey drinkers,) the 15 year old Pappy is the slightly more attainable, more in your face little brother.  The taste is very similar, but with a a bit more of that whiskey burn.

Not to be outdone, I shared a bottle of the elusive 120 Minute IPA from Dogfish Head.  This 18% behemoth was surprisingly drinkable, and showed an incredible balance of hops and malt.  This was the perfect beer to follow up such a fantastic whiskey with.  It was a short visit, but as always, great to see Pat, Jenn, and Zoe again, and of course be able to share some amazing drinks.

The other night, I had the opportunity to meet up with my friend Dan.  He was back in Iowa visiting family, and we decided to meet for a few beers, and do an Iowa/Deleware beer exchange.  We met a Single Speed Brewing in Cedar Falls, where we had the chance to meet and talk with a few of their brewers.  It was great to finally meet Austin after talking with him on social media for several months, and also nice to meet Matt, their new Head Brewer.

All 3 of these guys know how to brew great beer, and are all a lot of fun to hang out with.  I really enjoyed "Tip the Cow" Expresso Milk Stout.  It was smooth, creamy, and roasty.  I thought it was exceptionally balanced.  I would also highly recommend their Cocoa Mint Stout, Brewed x 2, and Ambidextrous IPA, and really everything else they have to offer, you just can't go wrong there.  http://www.singlespeedbrewing.com/

When we left the brewery, I gave Dan his goody bag of Toppling Goliath beers, some home brew and a few other local brews.  I wasn't ready for what he put in my car in exchange.  I guess it pays to be friends with a brewer, but this was a bit over the top! Thanks Dan for your generosity, I will try to even things out next time around.  Cheers!

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Hopsimus Overdrive

 Is there anything better than 1980's action movies? Rambo, Tango and Cash, Die Hard, and Tremers where all fantastically big, in your face movies from the past. Like those, Maximum Overdrive was one of those big budget, over the top, cheesy, yet highly entertaining movies that I loved to watch growing up and still thoroughly enjoy today.  So when I brewed a 12.5% Double IPA, I was reminded of these big, crazy movies, so I named the beer Hopsimus Overdrive.

 Here is my first glass of this behemoth. It needs a bit more time to increase the carbonation level, but overall I was thrilled with what I tasted.  The sweetness of the malt was well balanced by the loads of fresh hops, and the honey and grape juice shined through without overpowering or being cloyingly sweet.  This beer may actually have been better with more hops, maybe even some time aging on some oak, but that's more just nitpicking.  I'm very happy with how it turned out, and expect it to get even better with a little time.

 A good way to follow up such a powerful beer is with something completely different. Toppling Goliath's Rover Truck is full of roasty and chocolatey goodness. Very smooth, this brew is perfect to enjoy with some desert, and actually paired quite nicely with some peanut M&M's. Yet another quality TG beer that probably gets overshadowed by all their fantastic IPA's.

This oddly named Barrel Aged Barley Wine brewed by Backpocket is one of the best beers I've had all year. Old Bufflehead is exactly what I want in a great Barley wine. Thick, perfectly balanced sweetness and bitterness, and aged to absolute perfection in Cedar Ridge bourbon barrels, this was a great beer to enjoy while watching the Iowa Haweyes play for the Big 10 title. The higher ABV of the beer also helped ease the loss.

I hope everyone enjoys the holidays, and Santa brings you lots of great beer! Cheers!

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Save the Ales!

 After many moths away, it was time to brew again.  This time I brewed a partial mash Double IPA.  I had 7 pounds of home grown hops (mostly Nugget) to create this monster brew with (with another pound of Mt Hood reserved for dry hopping.)  Jared provided me with 3 pounds of honey and 128 oz of white grape juice to make this the biggest beer that I've ever brewed before.  This bad boy should end up right around 12% ABV!

Of course every brew has it's own set of problems.  This one my yeast didn't take off.  Luckily, I have a guy for that.  Jerry at Bluff Street Brew Haus in Dubuque always has me covered for all of my brewing needs. http://www.bluffbrewhaus.com/  This beer is now happily bubbling away in the fermenter thanks to the extra yeast from Jerry.

 Did you know there's another brewery in Decorah, that's not called Toppling Goliath?  On a chilly Halloween afternoon I took a road trip with Jared, Chad, and Larry to grab some "to go" beer from TG, and to check out Pulpit Brock Brewing.

We sampled several of the beers they had available, some good, some not so much.  The best of the day was The Pour Over Porter, a 6.5% ABV Porter brewed with coffee.  The taproom was cramped, but I was with good company and the Iowa game was on the TV, so I didn't care.  This place is worth checking  out, and I look forward to trying more of their brews.  http://www.pulpitrockbrewing.com/

Unita Anniversary Barley Wine was not what I was hoping for.  Big, bold Barley Wine's are some of my favorite beers, but I ended up being very disappointed with this one.  Maybe the bottle I had was mishandled some how, and the beer wasn't as good as a result, but this is not even a beer I would take another chance on when there are so many delicious Barley Wines available like Killer Penguin or Olde School Barleywine.

This was the last of my vacation beers that I brought back from Deleware.  It's too bad I didn't have room for more beers like this.  Morning Glory Expresso Stout is a 9% AVB stout that's thick and roasty, with a nice balanced coffee flavor, and it drank surprisingly smooth.  This one is a definite must buy if you see it.

There are tons of great beers coming out soon that I hope to get my hands on.  TG Sosus and King Sue, and of course, with Black Friday coming  Bourbon County Stout will be released too.  It's time to start collecting brews to share with the family and friends over the holidays so keep your eyes out!  Don't forget the great local breweries too.  A growler from Single Speed, 515, or Millstream is the perfect thing to share at holiday parties.

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Fall

 How can you not love this time of year?  The leaves are changing, the heat and humidity is gone, pumpkin beer are everywhere, and of course, football is back!  I admit, I enjoy putting on a comfortable hoodie and sipping a nice imperial stout this time of year, but can you ever go wrong with a good IPA?  I don't think so.  Toppling Goliath does it again with another fantastic Double IPA, Hopsmack.  http://www.tgbrews.com/beer.html#smack
This brew falls in line with every other Double IPA from TG.  Great aroma, well balanced between the sweet malts, and the bitter hops, and a load of citrus flavor from what I can only imagine as the ton of hops Brew Master Mike put in this batch.  Keep your eye on TG, they are hinting at big things to come on their social media accounts.  I just hope I can try whatever it is, before it's gone!

There is my friend Dee walking Arson around the show ring at the Mason City Dog show a few weeks ago.  Arson was super excited to back at a dog show, but pranced around the ring like a champ.  Still no points for him, but he won his group and took Winners Reserve.  Not bad for a 9 month old. The best part of the day for me was spending time with Joseph and Arson, and seeing the bond between boy and dog grow every day.

Also, congratulations to Pam and Duane along with Aldo for taking Best of Breed on Saturday and Best of Show on Sunday making Aldo a Grand Champion!

 My little guy turned 10 this week, and it's been amazing to watch him grow.  He's smart and funny, and turning into a wonderful young man.

This was his second year in football (3rd and 4th graders.)  A lot has changed since last year, he tried harder, payed closer attention in practice, and has become more confident.  The little Cougars went 4-0 on the season!

Thanks to couch Mike for another great season, you always do a fantastic job with the kids.  Also, thanks for letting me help out on the sidelines during the games, I had a blast doing it.

 So this entry is a bit more family centered, but it's still a beer blog.  So here's a must try beer for everyone.  The Kimmie, The Yink, and the Holy Gose, it's more than just a great name.  You can read more info on the beer on the link.  https://avbc.com/the-kimmie-the-yink-the-holy-gose/

Gose is a fairly new style of beer to me, but so far, I've really enjoyed the few I've had, and I think this one would be great on hot summer day.  I could definitely envision enjoying some on Pat's boat on the Rock River fishing for catfish.

How do you celebrate your son's 10th birthday, and your In-Laws 40th Wedding Anniversary?  I think everyone know playing rotten vegetable baseball, drinking good beer, eating too much food, and going to a giant pumpkin patch is the answer!  Above is Joseph taking a swing at a zucchini.  Pictured to the right is Joseph with his two uncles, Chad and Jared.    http://www.pintersgardensandpumpkins.com/  Apparently Pinter's is the place to be during the fall.  With activities like giant chess and checkers, tether ball, a corn maze, giant tire obstacle coarse, and tons more, we kept the family busy for nearly 5 hours.  By the way, I had Chad and Jared on the ropes before I made a stupid move and they capitalized on it.  Nice win guys, I'll get you next time!  Also a big congratulations for 40 year of marriage to Larry and Ruth!!

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515 Show Dogs

 Arson, our 7 month old Welsh Springer Spaniel, was old enough for his first dog show.  We took him to Des Moines the day before the show to leave him with his breeder and co-owners Dee and Peggy.  When he wasn't at the show, he was able to play with his sister, two other Welsh Springer Spaniels, and  a whole litter of adorable Clumber Spaniels.

After we dropped him off, we went to Jethro's BBQ and had a fantastic dinner.  We shared a basket of fried pickles, and I feasted on a brisket sandwich and tater tot casserole.  Extremely filling, and probably the best meal of he weekend. After some swimming to wear off the meal, we called it a day, and went to be early so we could get up for the dog show the next morning.

Although he didn't win his first show, he stood great for the judge, and pranced around the ring like he's been there before.  His next show will be in October.  As you can see from above, Joseph was very excited and proud to see him in the ring.

Arson in the ring with Dee

OJ IPA, Mediocre Pale Ale, Reaper In the Rye, Dart Dodger

What do you do after a dog show?  You get some beer, of course!  A quick drive to Ankeney to visit the best HyVee there is, and it also an amazing Craft Beer selection.  If you're visiting the area, this is a must visit.  I picked up an 8 pack sampler (some listed below,) and after a few more stops, we made the best stop of the day.  515 brewing.  http://www.515brewing.com/ 

After hearing about their OJ IPA and Mediocre Pale Ale for months, I needed to try them for myself.  The staff behind the bar was excellent.  Friendly, and very knowledgeable, they gave me some great recommendations to fill up the remainder of my beer flight.  I won't go into the wonderful hoppy flavors, or great malt backbones, or even the spicey rye in the Reaper, because I think this is something everyone needs to experience for themselves.  I'm so glad I stopped to try a few of their beers, and really wished I would have filled up a growler before I left, because some Dart Dodger sounds perfect about now.  In short, this place is the real deal.  They have amazing beers, that are as good or better than advertised, and I can't wait to go back to try more.  Cheers to everyone at 515!!

New to Iowa, and to me, is Six Point Brewing.  http://sixpoint.com/  The Iowa beer groups seemed very excited by the arrival of the New York brewery, and after my first beer, I can see why.  Resin is a 9.1% ABV Double IPA, and it's deceptively smooth.  This is exactly what I look for an a Double IPA.  Big, sweet, not too bitter, but still a ton of hop flavor.  This is a brew that I will be drinking again.

Also fairly new to Iowa is Funkwerks.  Raspberry Provincial was a nice way to end my evening after a few IPA's.  Sweet and tart, this Berliner Wiesse beer is loaded with raspberries.  It reminded me of some of the Belgian style raspberry and cherry beers from New Glarus.  A perfect beer for a humid Iowa day.  This seems to be the theme of this entry, but again, I need to try more of their brews, because this one was delicious.  http://www.funkwerks.com/content/OurBeer/RaspberryProvincial.aspx

Another great beer weekend in Des Moines, and I didn't even get to some of my favorite places like Court Avenue Brewing or El Bait shop.  Of course, with 515's beer being so good, I'll be hard pressed not to spend my visits with them every time I visit the area.

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