Rampant IPA is our May brew of the month
With supplies of spring’s seasonal brews dwindling, I’ve decided to suggest a spring-ish beer that is not only brewed year-round, but also offers a level of hop bitterness that exceeds anything else ...
12 Oz. Curls
The bittersweet effects of the 2012 drought
Though brewers said the hot, dry summer of 2012 brought an increase in sales due to beer drinkers looking to quench their thirst, there were also consequences. Brewers say the drought’s effect on the...
Big Sky IPA is our April brew of the month
Call me crazy, but I have been so eager to go camping that I set up my tent in my basement one afternoon. I even inflated my sleeping pad, put it in the tent and laid on it.
I cannot wait for the ...
The Hops: The Iowa City Beer Riots of 1884
In the second half of the 19th century three breweries operated along Linn and Jefferson streets. Their money and influence ruled much of the Northside’s economy, and they were known as the German Be...
The Hops: Irish-Style Extra Stout by Schlafly Brewery
As if the Irish reputation was not already soaked in stout and whiskey, the county council in Ireland’s County Kerry approved a motion that would allow residents in rural areas to drink and drive. Th...
The Hops: A handy guide to aged beer
In December, I drank my last bottle of 2009 Anchor Christmas Ale. That’s right: I drank a three-year-old beer—ceremoniously, too. I poured the ruby-brown brew into a gold-rimmed Christmas Ale pint gl...
The Hops: Great River Brewery’s Farmer Brown Ale is our brew of the month...
Two weeks after their 800-pound canning line was stolen last summer, the brewers at Davenport’s Great River Brewery welcomed Charlene to their team. Hauled from Colorado on a rental truck, Charlene i...
The Hops: Two Lutherans, a Presbyterian, an Episcopalian and a Baptist walk into a bar...
At first they seem like a group of old frat buddies meeting after work. Over pizzas and pints, they commiserate over troubles at the office. They discuss sports and the hard luck of favorite teams. T...
The Hops: St. Bernardus Christmas Ale by Brouwerij St. Bernardus – Watou, Belgium...
‘Tis the season for holiday beers, a time when breweries release festive winter warmers or special one-offs made with top secret ingredients, and a time that for me is the most exciting part of the s...
The Hops: What’s New for the Craft Beer Consumer?
For two years, a collaboration of brewers from the Boston Beer Company and Weihenstephan worked to develop a unique new beer. The result, the champagne-like Infinium, was brewed in accordance with th...
The Hops: Breakfast Stout by Founders Brewing Company – Grand Rapids, MI...
My plan to recommend a tasty and potent weizenbock this month fell through, so I have decided to suggest a stout that is so good I drank it for breakfast while camping in September: Breakfast Stout, ...
The Hops: Cleaning up Kinnick
The sun has yet to rise but the full moon still hovers over the western horizon. Its pale light illuminates the trash strewn parking lot behind Kinnick Stadium. Cars dodge garbage bags and piles of d...
The Hops: Schlafly Pumpkin Ale by Saint Louis Brewery, St. Louis, MO
Though I love carving pumpkins for Halloween, and finishing Thanksgiving dinner with a slice of pumpkin pie, pumpkin-flavored beer never appealed to me; it seemed like a bad combination. However, it ...
The Hops: Educating the Masses
When golfing, Kent Ball will drink Miller Lite because it’s refreshing, watery and usually cheaper than bottled water. It is a beer, he said, that he does not have to think about on hot, sunny days; ...
The Hops: Rayon Vert, by Green Flash Brewing Company, San Diego, CA
September is a time for football (oh, sacred game) and funk. Brettanomyces funk, that is. Affectionately known as Brett, Brettanomyces is a strain of yeast used in many Belgian beers. It imparts a da...