Like a good Catholic and Bavarian, I imagine the Pope will relax with a brew or two after Saint Patrick’s Day Mass—and I guarantee he will not be drinking Guinness. Instead, he will probably kick back a couple bottles of the beer of the month: Paulaner Salvator. Sometime around the seventeenth century, it was decided […]
Food & Drink
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The Hops: Duvel's Maredsous Brune 8
Ironically, a beer once brewed by celibate monks is an ideal beer for Valentines Day: Maredsous Brune 8.
Though it is now contract-brewed by Duvel, Maredsous Brune 8 is still a showcase of Benedictine abstinence. It is a dubbel that can be served in a tulip glass or chalice. The color is very deep brown. Three fingers of slightly tinted, thick head will settle to a thin lacing. It smells a little wine-like, but thankfully it is all beer with scents of yeast, caramel, toffee, fig, plum, apple, red grapes, brown sugar, spice and molasses. The taste is surprisingly dark and roasted with flavors of caramel, toffee, brown sugar and molasses. An earthy hop bite lingers on the cheeks and tongue after each sip and black pepper spice eventually emerges. The dark fruits, especially the red grape flavor, sneak in as the beer warms, but they are not as prominent as they are in the smell.
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Remembering The Red Avocado
In the midst of this season of affection, it is with regretful hearts that we commemorate the closing of one of Iowa City’s most beloved eateries, The Red Avocado. As we reflect on the loss of our premier vegan/vegetarian/organic sanctuary, we think back on summer hours spent lounging on the patio, sangria in hand, Dustin Busch strumming the mood. Or huddling in the entryway mid-winter, stamping snow off our boots and greeting our neighbors, anticipating a fantastic meal in the company of good friends.
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The Hops: Millstream Brewery's Back Road Stout
Politically speaking, Rick Santorum and I are a couple universes apart. However, to my amazement we apparently have one thing in common: an appreciation for good beer. Last month Santorum made a campaign stop at the Millstream Brewing Company in Amana and enjoyed a pint of Back Road Stout–an excellent oatmeal stout I coincidentally decided to make January’s beer of the month.
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The Hops: Breckenridge Christmas Ale
It is once again time for celebratory holiday beers and winter warmers. While some are sub-par and gratuitous (another excuse to add a truckload of hops to a handful of malts), others gain such praise that they are brewed year-round. Some are even worthy of cellaring and comparing with previous holiday vintages.
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The Hops: Unibroue’s La Fin du Monde & Trois Pistoles
Unibroue’s La Fin du Monde & Trois Pistoles Though Canada’s Thanksgiving tradition may be a little different, our hockey-loving neighbors to the north brew the ideal beer pairings for a US-style Turkey Day. Tripel is excellent with turkey and La Fin du Monde, brewed by Unibroue in Chambly, Quebec, is a perfect choice for Thanksgiving […]
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The Hops: Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen
October is my favorite month. Sweatshirt weather, colorful foliage, Big Ten football and Halloween spookiness. It cannot be beat. The evening air is tinged with the campfire-like smoke of wood-burning stoves and far-off burn piles in the country, giving the month its own aroma. Whenever I catch that scent, I think of cool October evenings […]
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The Hops: September 2011 Brews of the Month
Named after an 18th century innkeeper and brewer, and traditionally served in glasses specially designed for drivers of horse-drawn carriages, Kwak provides the shift toward maltier brews that autumn weather brings.
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Date Night
So you think you know the Iowa City food scene? With several new restaurants opening their doors of late, it may be time for you to reconsider your options. If you’re looking to impress the belly-dancing goddess from College Green you finally scored a date with, allow us to recommend a few of the dishes […]
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On the Table
Imagine five-hundred humpback whales. Twelve max-weight 18-wheelers. These amount to one million pounds–or the milestone reached by Iowa City’s Table to Table, a charitable organization that rescues food to support local service agencies that assist the hungry, homeless and at-risk. And for the first time in its 15-year history, Table to Table rescued more than […]
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The Hops: Hefeweizen
August kind of sucks. Summer vacation ends (for those who still have it), there is no reason to drive to Missouri for fireworks and the beginning of football season is painfully close. Basically, it is 31 days of heat, humidity and perseverance. Thankfully, there is hefeweizen. Brewed with over 50 percent malted wheat, refreshing on […]
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The Hops: Native Brew
Though it may look like any other fountain of sudsy goodness, the tap line behind the bar at Short’s Burger & Shine (18 South Clinton St.) is an icon. Its ever-changing cast of 10 Iowa-brewed beers symbolizes…
