This Saturday, August 27th in downtown Rock Island the 2nd Annual River City Beer Festiv-ale will occur from 2-6PM http://www.ribco.com/index.aspx?deid=779. This is an opportunity for beer lovers in the Quad Cities to enjoy over 150 craft, import and micro beers. New this year will be 4 homebrew beers from the MUGZ club. Also there will be special releases starting at 3pm every half hour until 5:30pm; these are mainly limited releases so find your favorite, note the time and table and be there in time to get your sample.
If you want to know ahead of time what beers are going to be available, find a copy of a River Cities' Reader and find the insert with a guide to the event. It has a run down of the beers and tables that they are at, as well it provides a detailed description of each beer. Also included is a guide to WQPT's Brew Ha Ha, coming up in September.
Admittance is $20 for the event, included in that is a tasting glass, while supplies last, and 14 drink tickets. Be aware that some beers are up to 4 tickets each, so if you run out additional tickets can be purchased for .50 cents each. So bring some extra money if you plan on sampling lots of beers. As well I believe there will be a couple special drink tickets for the homebrew included for no charge, since it is not legal in Illinois to sell homebrewed beer.
I looking forward to this event. Last year it was a very fun fest without the long lines of some of the larger fests. If you do plan on imbibing a lot of samples please have a designated driver! Hope to see you at the fest on Saturday!
QC Beerguy
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
MUGZ Bus Trip
This past Saturday MUGZ, the homebrew club I belong to, went on a bus trip to Milwaukee. We made stops at six Milwaukee area breweries. St. Francis Brewery, Milwaukee Ale House, Rock Bottom Brewery, Stonefly Brewery, Lakefront Brewery and Leinenkugel's 10th St. Brewery. Each place had it's own special charm to it.
St. Francis is a purpose built brewery and restaurant in a stand alone building in St. Francis, WI. The building looks brand new still, even though they had opened in 2009. Scott the brewer gladly answered any question fired at him. What interested me was that they brew on only a seven barrel system with 3 fermentors, so needless to say Scott has to be on his toes to make sure he has all of his beers on tap. He mentioned that they are in the process of securing a relationship to do some contract brewing to ease the demand of their customers. Also Scott mentioned that he does very little water treatment, because the local water does not need any. I can attest since I had a kolsch and a dortmunder, both were clean and delicious. After too short of a time we are of to our next stop.
Milwaukee Ale House is right on the river and has a great view from the back porch and patio. I do not believe the brewer was available so we were able to just enjoy the beer. The first beer I had I did not care for, Solomon Juneau Extra Pale Ale, it was not the beer I thought I was ordering, my bad. The second beer I had I enjoyed much more, Ulao a Belgian Wit, a Belgian wheat with coriander, orange peel and ginger. Also the Ale House is one of the breweries on the downtown Milwaukee boat tour which a person can do on the weekends.
Next stop Rock Bottom Brewery, still in the downtown and still on the river making it another stop on the boat tour. After a bit of confusion we were seated and had lunch brats and burgers as well as beer. I had their brown ale it was good but not outstanding. Their brewmaster's specials are the way to go if you want the good stuff.
Onto Stonefly Brewery, they are in an up and coming area of Milwaukee. They have a really cool beer garden area and seem to be trying really hard to brew good beer. My first beer was a Scottish ale, unfortunately I am not a fan, Second beer was a stout and it was very good. Also I tried a sip of the porter and it was good as well. Lesson learned they make really good dark beer!
Next stop Lakefront Brewery, this is another of the stops on the boat tour, I believe. The back of the building overlooks the river. They have multiple places to find beer, on the back patio it is limited to 4 beers I believe. The first beer I had was the IPA, I have had it previously and I know I like it so that is why I decided upon it. Second beer was the Lakefront white an interesting Belgian Wit. This place is constantly running tours through it and makes really good beer. This is a must stop on your Milwaukee beer tour.
Last stop Leinies 10th Street, a place that normally does not do tour groups. So we were very lucky to score a chance to go through this brewery. We had an opportunity to try their Big Eddy Imperial Stout, as well as a really nice IIPA and a really good bourbon stout. This brewery originally was owned by G Heilemans to brew in and was sold to Leinie's (aka Miller Coors). It was really cool to see what a large brewery set up looks like and yet they make some tasteful beer with it.
So we had a long ride home and a couple of people made it eventful, but we made it home with everyone that left in the morning. Overall it was a very good day, If you want to see a cool video go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1bdVHpAFYE. You can see the QCBG in several pictures including the last with my beautiful wife!
QC Beerguy
St. Francis is a purpose built brewery and restaurant in a stand alone building in St. Francis, WI. The building looks brand new still, even though they had opened in 2009. Scott the brewer gladly answered any question fired at him. What interested me was that they brew on only a seven barrel system with 3 fermentors, so needless to say Scott has to be on his toes to make sure he has all of his beers on tap. He mentioned that they are in the process of securing a relationship to do some contract brewing to ease the demand of their customers. Also Scott mentioned that he does very little water treatment, because the local water does not need any. I can attest since I had a kolsch and a dortmunder, both were clean and delicious. After too short of a time we are of to our next stop.
Milwaukee Ale House is right on the river and has a great view from the back porch and patio. I do not believe the brewer was available so we were able to just enjoy the beer. The first beer I had I did not care for, Solomon Juneau Extra Pale Ale, it was not the beer I thought I was ordering, my bad. The second beer I had I enjoyed much more, Ulao a Belgian Wit, a Belgian wheat with coriander, orange peel and ginger. Also the Ale House is one of the breweries on the downtown Milwaukee boat tour which a person can do on the weekends.
Next stop Rock Bottom Brewery, still in the downtown and still on the river making it another stop on the boat tour. After a bit of confusion we were seated and had lunch brats and burgers as well as beer. I had their brown ale it was good but not outstanding. Their brewmaster's specials are the way to go if you want the good stuff.
Onto Stonefly Brewery, they are in an up and coming area of Milwaukee. They have a really cool beer garden area and seem to be trying really hard to brew good beer. My first beer was a Scottish ale, unfortunately I am not a fan, Second beer was a stout and it was very good. Also I tried a sip of the porter and it was good as well. Lesson learned they make really good dark beer!
Next stop Lakefront Brewery, this is another of the stops on the boat tour, I believe. The back of the building overlooks the river. They have multiple places to find beer, on the back patio it is limited to 4 beers I believe. The first beer I had was the IPA, I have had it previously and I know I like it so that is why I decided upon it. Second beer was the Lakefront white an interesting Belgian Wit. This place is constantly running tours through it and makes really good beer. This is a must stop on your Milwaukee beer tour.
Last stop Leinies 10th Street, a place that normally does not do tour groups. So we were very lucky to score a chance to go through this brewery. We had an opportunity to try their Big Eddy Imperial Stout, as well as a really nice IIPA and a really good bourbon stout. This brewery originally was owned by G Heilemans to brew in and was sold to Leinie's (aka Miller Coors). It was really cool to see what a large brewery set up looks like and yet they make some tasteful beer with it.
So we had a long ride home and a couple of people made it eventful, but we made it home with everyone that left in the morning. Overall it was a very good day, If you want to see a cool video go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1bdVHpAFYE. You can see the QCBG in several pictures including the last with my beautiful wife!
QC Beerguy
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Great Taste Weekend Part 2 Saturday
As usual some of our group headed over early and sat in line and decided our plan of attack. For the second year in a row we were sitting in the rain trying to do this, needless to say it was a bit hard to do. A friend of my wife and mine is a brewer and had a couple extra brewer passes; all we had to do was help pour some beer for him. No problem! My wife passed on going in early, so I went in with another friend to see what it was like before the mass of humanity was let into the grounds.
We made the rounds to all of the tents and tried a few beers that probably we could not have had because the line would of been to long. A couple of highlights were Omar, of Surly fame, pouring a couple of beers for us, including Darkness and the Real Ale tent which had some great beers in it.
When the event opened we met our group and set up base camp. Then made our way over to pour some beer for our friend, luckily he was located in a great position in between Great Lakes and Founders. So needless to say I enjoyed pouring beer and sampling beer from our neighbors. Plus our friend had a collaborative brew he was officially serving for the first time at the Great Taste, Black Zemon. It is a wonderful Black Sassion with crystallized ginger in it.
My favorite beers of the day were an Imperial Raspberry, aged in a red wine barrel from Shoreline Brewery, Goose Island's Broad Shoulders Barleywine, Jolly Pumpkin's Kriek Darkness and Black Zemon. It always amazes me that year after year one of the first beers I have is Darkness and I have a had time finding anything better than it, but this year I did find some that were better in my opinion.
It is a 5 hour long event but the way the time flies it only seems like a couple of hours before the event closes up. Seems like I never make it to all the beers I want, but needless to say I can not complain about a beer or two I did not get to drink.
After we helped our friend pack up we made our way back to the hotel and wound up crashing for the night while a number of our group made it downtown to wrap up the night. The next morning some of us went to Great Dane in Fitchburg for brunch and then headed home.
It was a fun weekend and I look forward to the upcoming beer events over the next few weeks. Next up bus trip to Milwaukee on Saturday for several visits to breweries and brewpubs.
QC Beerguy
We made the rounds to all of the tents and tried a few beers that probably we could not have had because the line would of been to long. A couple of highlights were Omar, of Surly fame, pouring a couple of beers for us, including Darkness and the Real Ale tent which had some great beers in it.
When the event opened we met our group and set up base camp. Then made our way over to pour some beer for our friend, luckily he was located in a great position in between Great Lakes and Founders. So needless to say I enjoyed pouring beer and sampling beer from our neighbors. Plus our friend had a collaborative brew he was officially serving for the first time at the Great Taste, Black Zemon. It is a wonderful Black Sassion with crystallized ginger in it.
My favorite beers of the day were an Imperial Raspberry, aged in a red wine barrel from Shoreline Brewery, Goose Island's Broad Shoulders Barleywine, Jolly Pumpkin's Kriek Darkness and Black Zemon. It always amazes me that year after year one of the first beers I have is Darkness and I have a had time finding anything better than it, but this year I did find some that were better in my opinion.
It is a 5 hour long event but the way the time flies it only seems like a couple of hours before the event closes up. Seems like I never make it to all the beers I want, but needless to say I can not complain about a beer or two I did not get to drink.
After we helped our friend pack up we made our way back to the hotel and wound up crashing for the night while a number of our group made it downtown to wrap up the night. The next morning some of us went to Great Dane in Fitchburg for brunch and then headed home.
It was a fun weekend and I look forward to the upcoming beer events over the next few weeks. Next up bus trip to Milwaukee on Saturday for several visits to breweries and brewpubs.
QC Beerguy
Monday, August 15, 2011
Great Taste Weekend Part 1 Friday Night
As I said it would probably be Monday before I got a new post up and look it is Monday. The group we went up with on Friday had a good day I believe. Our first beer stop once we left the QC was Galena Brewing in Galena, IL. This is a nice little brewpub in a very big tourist town. They have a good selection of beer as well as a good food menu.
I had two beers with my lunch. The first beer was a direct hop infused APA called Hop Rocket. It was light amber with a white head. Citrus hops predominate which pushes the malt to the background. Taste is much the same. Overall a good beer but not what I thought I was getting by the description of the beer. Next beer I ordered was a Hefeweizen, but the waitress misunderstood and I wound up with the IPA. This is a good beer as well again light amber with a nose of citrus hops, but the alcohol is more towards the front of this beer. It is a beer I could maybe have two of but no more due to the alcohol of the beer. We left Galena and next stop was Madison.
We arrived around 4:30pm in Madison just in time for rush hour, so we went to our hotels and then regrouped in about 20 minutes to hail a cab and head to downtown Madison for the pre-parties. First up was Great Dane, not necessarily a pre-party but always a good place to start an adventure in Madison. I had a couple of beers first Blackwatch Scotch Ale on Cask and then Verruckte Stadt German Pils. I really liked the Pils; it was probably one of the best beers I had that night.
A couple of the group headed out to try a secure a place at our next stop, but they only made it across the street to Madison's, I believe that is the name of the place, and found out there was free Goose Island on tap. So they texted us to let us know. By the time we made it inside and ordered our beers the free beer was gone, so my wife and I both paid $7 for a Goose Island beer, I had Pepe Nero and she had either Sophie or Matilda. I was very impressed with the Pepe Nero; it is a black Farm House Ale brewed with black peppercorns. It was a statement beer... very good.
Then we did make it to our next intended place, the Old Fashioned. Many in our group went for the namesake of the bar and ordered Old Fashions. I went for the special tappings from Red Eye Brewing, Dave's BrewFarm and Hinterland. Unfortunately I can not recall any of the beers, they were a few good ones, but I can not remember them. I did meet a cool gentleman selling his own beer books, Kevin Revonlinski. The main book he was pushing was The Wisconsin Beer Guide. The books looked cool but it was raining so I did not purchase one. Here is a website that links you so you can purchase the book http://www.pilsgrimage.com/.
We walked down the capital square to our next stop The Cooper Tavern, the brewery they were featuring was Lagunitas, I know a California beer at the Great Taste of the Midwest? I figured just go with it. The had both the IPA and Fusion VI on tap. We went inside to have some appetizers while enjoying our beers. While there I saw a friend and wound up having him introduce me to Ray Daniels. Ray was very nice to me and talked with me for a while. He even posed for a picture with me.
Our next stop was the Tipsy Cow and their featured beers were from Futhermore, Dark Horse and New Holland. Unfortunately I did not do a good job keeping track of the beers I had but they were good. Some of our group carried onto other places, but my wife and I called it a night and went back to the hotel room.
Next up my memories of Great Taste 2011.
QC Beerguy
I had two beers with my lunch. The first beer was a direct hop infused APA called Hop Rocket. It was light amber with a white head. Citrus hops predominate which pushes the malt to the background. Taste is much the same. Overall a good beer but not what I thought I was getting by the description of the beer. Next beer I ordered was a Hefeweizen, but the waitress misunderstood and I wound up with the IPA. This is a good beer as well again light amber with a nose of citrus hops, but the alcohol is more towards the front of this beer. It is a beer I could maybe have two of but no more due to the alcohol of the beer. We left Galena and next stop was Madison.
We arrived around 4:30pm in Madison just in time for rush hour, so we went to our hotels and then regrouped in about 20 minutes to hail a cab and head to downtown Madison for the pre-parties. First up was Great Dane, not necessarily a pre-party but always a good place to start an adventure in Madison. I had a couple of beers first Blackwatch Scotch Ale on Cask and then Verruckte Stadt German Pils. I really liked the Pils; it was probably one of the best beers I had that night.
A couple of the group headed out to try a secure a place at our next stop, but they only made it across the street to Madison's, I believe that is the name of the place, and found out there was free Goose Island on tap. So they texted us to let us know. By the time we made it inside and ordered our beers the free beer was gone, so my wife and I both paid $7 for a Goose Island beer, I had Pepe Nero and she had either Sophie or Matilda. I was very impressed with the Pepe Nero; it is a black Farm House Ale brewed with black peppercorns. It was a statement beer... very good.
Then we did make it to our next intended place, the Old Fashioned. Many in our group went for the namesake of the bar and ordered Old Fashions. I went for the special tappings from Red Eye Brewing, Dave's BrewFarm and Hinterland. Unfortunately I can not recall any of the beers, they were a few good ones, but I can not remember them. I did meet a cool gentleman selling his own beer books, Kevin Revonlinski. The main book he was pushing was The Wisconsin Beer Guide. The books looked cool but it was raining so I did not purchase one. Here is a website that links you so you can purchase the book http://www.pilsgrimage.com/.
We walked down the capital square to our next stop The Cooper Tavern, the brewery they were featuring was Lagunitas, I know a California beer at the Great Taste of the Midwest? I figured just go with it. The had both the IPA and Fusion VI on tap. We went inside to have some appetizers while enjoying our beers. While there I saw a friend and wound up having him introduce me to Ray Daniels. Ray was very nice to me and talked with me for a while. He even posed for a picture with me.
Our next stop was the Tipsy Cow and their featured beers were from Futhermore, Dark Horse and New Holland. Unfortunately I did not do a good job keeping track of the beers I had but they were good. Some of our group carried onto other places, but my wife and I called it a night and went back to the hotel room.
Next up my memories of Great Taste 2011.
QC Beerguy
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Heading to Madison and the Great Taste of the Midwest
Tomorrow we head up to Madison and then the Great Taste of the Midwest on Saturday. We will make a stop at Galena Brewing Company on the way up and then onto Madison to begin the hunt for a great place to pre party the night away.
Then it is up Saturday AM to get ready for the Great Taste, then off to sit in line and digest the program. At 1pm the fun begins, five hours of drinking beer with 6000 of our closest friends. Hope the weather behaves on Saturday, I am crossing my fingers.
If I am able to make coherent thoughts during the weekend I will try to blog, but then again it may be Monday before I can think properly.
If you are going look me up! I know I will be having a great time, since this is the most wonderful time of the year.
QC Beerguy
Then it is up Saturday AM to get ready for the Great Taste, then off to sit in line and digest the program. At 1pm the fun begins, five hours of drinking beer with 6000 of our closest friends. Hope the weather behaves on Saturday, I am crossing my fingers.
If I am able to make coherent thoughts during the weekend I will try to blog, but then again it may be Monday before I can think properly.
If you are going look me up! I know I will be having a great time, since this is the most wonderful time of the year.
QC Beerguy
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Standard American Lager 1B
Next up is 1B Standard American Lager
Aroma: Little or no malt aroma, may be grainy, sweet or corn like. Hop aroma non to light , spicy or floral. Low level yeast characteristic is optional. No diacetyl.
Appearance: Pale straw to medium yellow color. White head that does not persist. Crystal clear.
Flavor: Crisp and dry with barely perceptible grain or corn. Hop is low to non-existent. High carbonation provides some acidity. No diacetyl or fruitiness. Balanced between malt and hops, does not lean to far either way.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied from the high percentage use of adjuncts such as rice and corn. Very highly carbonated with a slight carbonic bite.
Comments: This is the middle brother of the American Lagers. It has a bit more aroma, flavor and is a bit more substantial than the Light American Lager. Strong flavors are not acceptable in this beer. This is the standard bearer for the mass-market brewers. Base malt is two or six row malt with up to 40% adjuncts corn or rice. This is the lawnmower beer your dad drank, before the introduction of the Light American Lager.
Numbers: IBUs(bitterness) 8-15, SRM (color) 2-4, OG (potential) 1.040- 1.050, FG(finished) 1.004- 1.010, ABV(alcohol by volume) 4.2-5.3%
Examples: Pabst Blue Ribbon, Miller High Life, Budweiser, Kirin Lager, Molson Golden, Labatt Blue, Coors Original.
As I mentioned this is the middle brother of the American Lagers, in between the Light and Premium American Lagers. This is the style of beer perfected by the influx of German brewers in the 1800's and became a favorite of the American public. The rise of this beer can be attributed to the repeal of Prohibition and the return of the GI's from WWII. Also this is the beer that your grandfather and father drank, probably also the first beer you drank. This is a difficult beer to brew cleanly and consistently, so the brewers that work at Bud, Miller, Coors are actually very adept at their craft. Also in a way it can be attributed to the rise of craft beer, the many people that drank this started looking for something more. So thank you Standard American Lager.
QC Beerguy
Aroma: Little or no malt aroma, may be grainy, sweet or corn like. Hop aroma non to light , spicy or floral. Low level yeast characteristic is optional. No diacetyl.
Appearance: Pale straw to medium yellow color. White head that does not persist. Crystal clear.
Flavor: Crisp and dry with barely perceptible grain or corn. Hop is low to non-existent. High carbonation provides some acidity. No diacetyl or fruitiness. Balanced between malt and hops, does not lean to far either way.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied from the high percentage use of adjuncts such as rice and corn. Very highly carbonated with a slight carbonic bite.
Comments: This is the middle brother of the American Lagers. It has a bit more aroma, flavor and is a bit more substantial than the Light American Lager. Strong flavors are not acceptable in this beer. This is the standard bearer for the mass-market brewers. Base malt is two or six row malt with up to 40% adjuncts corn or rice. This is the lawnmower beer your dad drank, before the introduction of the Light American Lager.
Numbers: IBUs(bitterness) 8-15, SRM (color) 2-4, OG (potential) 1.040- 1.050, FG(finished) 1.004- 1.010, ABV(alcohol by volume) 4.2-5.3%
Examples: Pabst Blue Ribbon, Miller High Life, Budweiser, Kirin Lager, Molson Golden, Labatt Blue, Coors Original.
As I mentioned this is the middle brother of the American Lagers, in between the Light and Premium American Lagers. This is the style of beer perfected by the influx of German brewers in the 1800's and became a favorite of the American public. The rise of this beer can be attributed to the repeal of Prohibition and the return of the GI's from WWII. Also this is the beer that your grandfather and father drank, probably also the first beer you drank. This is a difficult beer to brew cleanly and consistently, so the brewers that work at Bud, Miller, Coors are actually very adept at their craft. Also in a way it can be attributed to the rise of craft beer, the many people that drank this started looking for something more. So thank you Standard American Lager.
QC Beerguy
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Lite American Lager
This blog is going to be a start of a series of blogs throughout time breaking down the beers in the 2008 Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) Guidelines. What I hope to do with this series is to help educate my readers as well as myself on the styles of beer. So I am starting with "1A" Lite American Lager.
Aroma: Little or no malt aroma, may be grainy or even have corn aroma. Hops little or none, if present spicy or floral. Any yeast character is optional if present. Certainly no diacetyl.
Appearance: From almost clear yellow to a pale yellow. White head does not persist. Crystal clear, absolutely no haze!
Flavor: Crisp and dry with barely perceptible grain or corn. Hop is low to non-existent. High carbonation provides some acidity. No diacetyl or fruitiness.
Mouthfeel: Very light body from use of adjuncts. Highly carbonated causing an acidic bite.
Comments: This is the lightest of the lawnmower beers. It is made to be thirst quenching and to not really have any flavors. Looking to please the vast majority of the public. Has up to 40% corn or rice adjuncts added to the base malt of either 2 or 6 row malt. This is meant to be a session beer, so you can have several at a setting.
Numbers: IBUs (bitterness) 8-12, SRM (color) 2-3, OG (potential ) 1.028-1.040, FG (finished) 0.998- 1.008, ABV(alcohol by volume) 2.8-4.2%.
Examples: Bitburger Light, Sam Adams Light, Miller Light, Bud Light, Coors Light, Amstel Light.
Needless to say this is a beer that is very close to water due to the way it is brewed. At the mega brewers the actual water the beer down to achieve their desired beer. It is difficult to brew a beer this light. The adjuncts are added for two reasons first make the beer less expensive to make and second to make it more palatable to the largest amount of people. Not a favorite of mine but it does sell well in the United States, where Bud Light is the largest selling beer.
QC Beerguy
Aroma: Little or no malt aroma, may be grainy or even have corn aroma. Hops little or none, if present spicy or floral. Any yeast character is optional if present. Certainly no diacetyl.
Appearance: From almost clear yellow to a pale yellow. White head does not persist. Crystal clear, absolutely no haze!
Flavor: Crisp and dry with barely perceptible grain or corn. Hop is low to non-existent. High carbonation provides some acidity. No diacetyl or fruitiness.
Mouthfeel: Very light body from use of adjuncts. Highly carbonated causing an acidic bite.
Comments: This is the lightest of the lawnmower beers. It is made to be thirst quenching and to not really have any flavors. Looking to please the vast majority of the public. Has up to 40% corn or rice adjuncts added to the base malt of either 2 or 6 row malt. This is meant to be a session beer, so you can have several at a setting.
Numbers: IBUs (bitterness) 8-12, SRM (color) 2-3, OG (potential ) 1.028-1.040, FG (finished) 0.998- 1.008, ABV(alcohol by volume) 2.8-4.2%.
Examples: Bitburger Light, Sam Adams Light, Miller Light, Bud Light, Coors Light, Amstel Light.
Needless to say this is a beer that is very close to water due to the way it is brewed. At the mega brewers the actual water the beer down to achieve their desired beer. It is difficult to brew a beer this light. The adjuncts are added for two reasons first make the beer less expensive to make and second to make it more palatable to the largest amount of people. Not a favorite of mine but it does sell well in the United States, where Bud Light is the largest selling beer.
QC Beerguy
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Upcoming Beer Events
Here are some upcoming beer events that we may be attending. First up Tour de Brew on Sunday, August 7th. For those who do not know what this is, it is the biannual tour of the Quad City area breweries and beers bar, all by bicycle. Starting at Bent River Brewery meeting up at 11:30 AM, then traveling to Blue Cat, Front St., Great River, Sylvan Island and finally Moline Bier Stube. It will be a great day both weather and company wise, so if you do not have anything to do come on down and ride the river and enjoy a few beers.
Next event is Great Taste of the Midwest http://www.mhtg.org/great-taste-of-the-midwest in Madison, WI on Saturday August 13th, it is a sold out event, but you can probably find tickets for sell in the entry line. Hopefully there will not be tickets gougers and they would sell it to you for face value of $50. My wife and I along with some friends are heading up on Friday to enjoy some of Madison's fine establishments. Looking forward to being around 6000 of my closest friends and enjoying the day.
August 27th is a big day for beer events both local and around the Midwest. My wife and I along with another couple will be in Des Moines for Urban Assault http://www.urbanassaultride.com/participate to ride our bicycles around downtown Des Moines. Also on the 27th are various fests including Port of Potosi Brew Fest, Great Nebraska Beer Fest, Midwest Brewers Fest and a local event River City Festiv-ale. It is in downtown Rock Island from 2-6pm and includes many craft brews as well as some beer from our local homebrew Club MUGZ http://www.ribco.com/index.aspx?deid=779. Should be a great beer weekend; find an event to attend and enjoy your beer responsibly.
Sunday September 4th is the Festival Of Iowa Beers http://www.millstreambrewing.com/Events.html#Festival_of_Iowa_Beers in Amana, IA across the street from Millstream Brewing. As the name states this festival is only Iowa Beers, both craft breweries and homebrew clubs participate. It is a fun day and with a limit of 1200 people not quite as crowded as Great Taste. Another great benefit is the opportunity to have a discussion with the brewer from your favorite brewery as he or she pours your beer.
The following weekend on Saturday, September 10th is Thirsty Troll Brew in Mt. Horeb, WI. This is a really cool event held on the local baseball field and all under one tent. There are 25 breweries attending mainly from WI with a couple from just outside the border of WI. The event runs from 1-5pm and well worth the amount you pay. For those that can not make it to Great Taste this is a great opportunity to try the WI breweries that attend both events.
Our last major festival of the outdoor season is Oktoberfest at Amana, IA http://www.festivalsinamana.com/oktoberfest.html on September 30th and October 1st. We usually find ourselves at Millstream Brewing enjoying a keg of their Oktoberfest beer while listening to the German bands they have. Also there are events all around Amana and the Fest Hall is always hopping with beer and German bands. It is a great time.
Hopefully you can find your way to one or more of the fests I listed or even find one I am not aware of. Go enjoy some great beer and great company. One word of warning is to enjoy the event responsibly and if needed, find a ride home other than driving if you imbibe too much.
QC Beerguy
PS Happy IPA day folks! Hopefully you have enjoyed at least one IPA today.
Next event is Great Taste of the Midwest http://www.mhtg.org/great-taste-of-the-midwest in Madison, WI on Saturday August 13th, it is a sold out event, but you can probably find tickets for sell in the entry line. Hopefully there will not be tickets gougers and they would sell it to you for face value of $50. My wife and I along with some friends are heading up on Friday to enjoy some of Madison's fine establishments. Looking forward to being around 6000 of my closest friends and enjoying the day.
August 27th is a big day for beer events both local and around the Midwest. My wife and I along with another couple will be in Des Moines for Urban Assault http://www.urbanassaultride.com/participate to ride our bicycles around downtown Des Moines. Also on the 27th are various fests including Port of Potosi Brew Fest, Great Nebraska Beer Fest, Midwest Brewers Fest and a local event River City Festiv-ale. It is in downtown Rock Island from 2-6pm and includes many craft brews as well as some beer from our local homebrew Club MUGZ http://www.ribco.com/index.aspx?deid=779. Should be a great beer weekend; find an event to attend and enjoy your beer responsibly.
Sunday September 4th is the Festival Of Iowa Beers http://www.millstreambrewing.com/Events.html#Festival_of_Iowa_Beers in Amana, IA across the street from Millstream Brewing. As the name states this festival is only Iowa Beers, both craft breweries and homebrew clubs participate. It is a fun day and with a limit of 1200 people not quite as crowded as Great Taste. Another great benefit is the opportunity to have a discussion with the brewer from your favorite brewery as he or she pours your beer.
The following weekend on Saturday, September 10th is Thirsty Troll Brew in Mt. Horeb, WI. This is a really cool event held on the local baseball field and all under one tent. There are 25 breweries attending mainly from WI with a couple from just outside the border of WI. The event runs from 1-5pm and well worth the amount you pay. For those that can not make it to Great Taste this is a great opportunity to try the WI breweries that attend both events.
Our last major festival of the outdoor season is Oktoberfest at Amana, IA http://www.festivalsinamana.com/oktoberfest.html on September 30th and October 1st. We usually find ourselves at Millstream Brewing enjoying a keg of their Oktoberfest beer while listening to the German bands they have. Also there are events all around Amana and the Fest Hall is always hopping with beer and German bands. It is a great time.
Hopefully you can find your way to one or more of the fests I listed or even find one I am not aware of. Go enjoy some great beer and great company. One word of warning is to enjoy the event responsibly and if needed, find a ride home other than driving if you imbibe too much.
QC Beerguy
PS Happy IPA day folks! Hopefully you have enjoyed at least one IPA today.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Grand Canyon Sunset Amber Ale and Horseshoe Bend Pale Ale
I received a couple beers from Arizona from Grand Canyon Brewing Company in Williams, AZ http://www.grandcanyonbrewingco.com/ brought back to me by my daughter and mother-in-law. I only have a bottle of each due to an accidental drink of 4 beers of the six pack by my wife's uncle, oh well no biggie! I still will enjoy drinking these two beers.
First up Sunset Amber Ale, it pours a light amber with a light tan head that is moderate lasting in length. The beer is crystal clear, guessing that means it is filtered. Aroma is a soft caramel sweetness complemented by a slight graininess with a hint of piney hops as well. Taste is slightly sweet caramel with a bit of huskiness and noticeable hop presence. The beer seems to be a bit thin bodied, not as much body as I would expect from this style of beer. The beer is 5.4% ABV. I like this beer as well it is from a really cool area of the country. For a grade I give it a "C+". A nice beer to drink but there are better beers out there of this style.
Second up Horseshoe Bend Pale Ale, its pours a light orange hue with a white head that dissipates after a couple of minutes. Again crystal clear, filtered again? Aroma is grainy and malty sweet, hops are in the background not hoppy as I would expect from an American Pale Ale. Taste is predominately of sweet malt with a noticeable Cascade hop presence. It is medium bodied bordering on light bodied, a bit thinner than anticipated. This is a beginner's APA, one that the American Larger drinker can drink. I would give this beer a "C-". Not what I would expect from an APA, I need more hops and more body, Please!
I am very pleased that I received these two beers as a gift from Arizona and had an opportunity to try them. Even better would be to have the chance to go to Grand Canyon Brewing Company and try these beers fresh from the tap. When I make it to the Grand Canyon, Grand Canyon Brewing Company is a must stop for us!
QC Beerguy
First up Sunset Amber Ale, it pours a light amber with a light tan head that is moderate lasting in length. The beer is crystal clear, guessing that means it is filtered. Aroma is a soft caramel sweetness complemented by a slight graininess with a hint of piney hops as well. Taste is slightly sweet caramel with a bit of huskiness and noticeable hop presence. The beer seems to be a bit thin bodied, not as much body as I would expect from this style of beer. The beer is 5.4% ABV. I like this beer as well it is from a really cool area of the country. For a grade I give it a "C+". A nice beer to drink but there are better beers out there of this style.
Second up Horseshoe Bend Pale Ale, its pours a light orange hue with a white head that dissipates after a couple of minutes. Again crystal clear, filtered again? Aroma is grainy and malty sweet, hops are in the background not hoppy as I would expect from an American Pale Ale. Taste is predominately of sweet malt with a noticeable Cascade hop presence. It is medium bodied bordering on light bodied, a bit thinner than anticipated. This is a beginner's APA, one that the American Larger drinker can drink. I would give this beer a "C-". Not what I would expect from an APA, I need more hops and more body, Please!
I am very pleased that I received these two beers as a gift from Arizona and had an opportunity to try them. Even better would be to have the chance to go to Grand Canyon Brewing Company and try these beers fresh from the tap. When I make it to the Grand Canyon, Grand Canyon Brewing Company is a must stop for us!
QC Beerguy
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Newt's Rochester, MN
Last night I was in Rochester, MN and checked out a new place. I went to Newt's http://cccrmg.com/newts_menus.htm a bar and grill know for it burgers, they have at least 12 burgers on the menu. Also they serve sandwiches, salads and appetizers. I ordered the Juicy Lucy, a Minnesota delicacy I believe, it is a burger that has the cheese on the inside of the patty. On the first bite most of the cheese in my burger was on my plate. The burger was very good, but I would not say that this is the best burger I ever ate. Now onto the beer.
They had 10 taps including Miller Lite, Stella, Fat Tire, Oberon, Summit EPA, Sawtooth Ale, Furious, Black Butte Porter, Crispin Cider and Rouge Chocolate Stout. Not a bad selection, but nothing out of the ordinary either. Bottle and can selection includes beers from Bell's, 21st Amendment, Surly, Great Lakes, Founder's, Dark Horse as well as the mass produced beers as well. Overall the beer selection is pretty good for a burger place.
I went to the newest location in Rochester, just opened in July. The place was very busy and they have no where near enough parking for their customers. I would say to definitely consider this place if you are in Rochester. But my first choice for Rochester is still Whistle Binkie's, but it is always a good idea to branch out every once in a while.
QC Beerguy
They had 10 taps including Miller Lite, Stella, Fat Tire, Oberon, Summit EPA, Sawtooth Ale, Furious, Black Butte Porter, Crispin Cider and Rouge Chocolate Stout. Not a bad selection, but nothing out of the ordinary either. Bottle and can selection includes beers from Bell's, 21st Amendment, Surly, Great Lakes, Founder's, Dark Horse as well as the mass produced beers as well. Overall the beer selection is pretty good for a burger place.
I went to the newest location in Rochester, just opened in July. The place was very busy and they have no where near enough parking for their customers. I would say to definitely consider this place if you are in Rochester. But my first choice for Rochester is still Whistle Binkie's, but it is always a good idea to branch out every once in a while.
QC Beerguy
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