Thoughts on Beer

Joey (right) and I (left) at the Festival

This past Sunday, the sixth annual Iowa Festival of Beers was held in Amana, next to Millstream Brewing.

This year was very exciting because of the opening of a few new breweries in the past year, including Peace Tree Brewing and Madhouse Brewing, along with the availability of “high-proof” beers.

In addition to the Iowa breweries, several of the area homebrew clubs, including those from Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, were able to share beers by several of their members.

Some of my favorites included Peace Tree’s Cornucopia, a farmhouse ale (saison), made with sweet corn.

Also, there were several beers from Old Man River Brewery and Restaurant in McGregor, Iowa that were very good, including a dunkel.

The local news was also there, and my friend, Joey, and I ended up in one of the cutaway shots (see the photo).  It was a great day with great beer.

Did you get to the Festival of Iowa Beers 2010?  What was your favorite?

Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale

It’s that time of year again, when the leaves lose their green color, it becomes cooler, and football season starts.  It’s also time for the fall seasonals!

One of my favorite styles is Oktoberfest, but Sierra Nevada was first to the punch for fall seasonals by releasing their Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale in early August.

It was a nice brown ale.  It initially smelled like roasted malt, with the flavor like roasted malt.  It finished with nice roasted aftertaste with a hint of chocolate.  It was a smooth brown ale that had just a hint of hop flavor.

Have you tried Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale?  what did you think?

New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red

If you remember from our trip to New Glarus Brewing Co., I had a pint of the Wisconsin Belgian Red, and was excited to take one of the bottles home to enjoy it later.  This beer has won several awards for New Glarus, including several Gold Medals at the Great American Beer Festival.

The other day, a couple friends and I cracked open the bottles of Wisconsin Belgian Red we had brought home.

First, the review: initially, it smells strongly like cherries.  The taste is a full cherry flavor. It continues with the cherry flavor.  It is a great beer, and, dare I say it, it almost was too intense. It left a great cherry flavor in my mouth.

Chocolate Cherry Layered Awesomeness

After we enjoyed a bottle of the Wisconsin Belgian Red, we decided to try something new: a layered chocolate-cherry beer.  As you can see in the photo, we used my favorite beer, Young’s Double Chocolate Stout (the can that has the Nitrogen releasing widget inside).  It was a hit!

The smooth chocolate flavor played very well with the strong cherry flavor, and the entire layered drink was great!  I had previously tried a different chocolate-cherry layered beer with Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat with the Double Chocolate Stout, but the use of the Belgian Red was a great choice.

Have you had the Wisconsin Belgian Red?  What was your take on this flavorful beer?

New Glarus Raspberry Tart

From our trip to New Glarus Brewing Co., I brought back a couple of the special beers, including the Raspberry Tart.  I had the Wisconsin Belgian Red at the brewery, and if this was anything like that, I would be in for a treat.

Initially, the raspberry smell is very intense.  With the first taste, it overwhelms you with raspberry flavor.  It tastes a bit sour then finishes with a strong, sweet raspberry flavor.  It was like a blend between a beer and raspberry wine.

It was a great beer!  If only they distributed around here…

Have you had the Raspberry Tart?  What was your experience?

Lindemans Faro Lambic

Last night, I had the chance to sample Lindemans Faro Lambic. Compared to the Lindemans Cuvee Rene Gueuze, this Lambic has a nice sweet attribute, due to the addition of candy sugar to the finished beer.

The beer smelled sweet with a hint of a sour, lemony scent. With the first taste, it started tart, and then, toward the back of the tongue it turned into a sweet flavor.  It left a taste of molasses or brown sugar in my mouth.  I loved the sour and sweet dynamic of the beer, much more than the overpowering sour flavor of the Cuvee Rene Gueuze.

I have no doubt I will purchase the Faro again.  Have you tried the Faro?  What was your experience?