tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2146170447316959022024-03-05T09:55:53.498-06:00Yeast, Love, & HoppinessA non-snob beer tasting blog.Jessica • The Lovely Sidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18169450993520474555noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214617044731695902.post-53775541281089749752014-11-14T12:58:00.000-06:002015-01-16T10:28:13.797-06:00i-BEST | Iowa Brewers Education Seminar & Tippling<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Howdy folks! Greg here. Last weekend we had the pleasure of attending the first annual <a href="http://iowabeer.org/" target="_blank">Iowa Brewers Education Seminar & Tippling (i-BEST)</a>. We were kindly invited as blogger guests by <a href="http://brewvana.net/" target="_blank">J. Wilson</a>, <a href="http://brewvana.net/?page_id=2297" target="_blank">Beer Drinker of the Year in 2012</a> and author of <i><a href="http://brewvana.net/?page_id=2969" target="_blank">Iowa Pints: A Guide to Iowa Breweries</a></i>. The event was held at one of our favorite haunts: <a href="http://www.lionbridgebrewing.com/" target="_blank">Lion Bridge Brewing Company</a> in Cedar Rapids. One of the most fun parts was that it was held in the actual brewing area. Quinton has all of his shiny equipment behind glass windows for everyone in the brewery to see, but it is nice to actually get a close look at the equipment.</div>
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My favorite part was definitely the Lab 101 session. Here, Cory from <a href="http://www.gcfb.net/" target="_blank">Granite City</a> went over how to set up a lab. I’m not talking your home science experiment lab, but a legit lab jacket, microscope, and other fancy equipment I have no idea what is lab. He explained that one of the bigger issues in the craft beer market today is the lack of quality control. Most of the quality control can be done through keeping clean equipment and proper brewing. </div>
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What happens if an issue occurs? That is where a lab will make all the difference. It can be instrumental in narrowing down what nasties are getting into your beer and how. Of course all the big guys have one. When we visited Stone Brewing Co., they had a few. All the big beer companies have at least lab at each brewing facility. Why don’t the smaller craft breweries have labs? They can be expensive. The guys that are brewing on a two barrel system are going to have a hard time justifying spending that much money. </div>
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After Cory presented, Matt from <a href="http://www.backpocketbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Backpocket Brewing</a> gave a presentation as well. His was a bit different. He showed a lot of the not-so-technical or expensive ways to do quality control. Cory did a great job of showing what a brewery <i>should </i>do. Matt did a great job showing what a brewery on a limited budget <i>can </i>do. </div>
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One of the best parts about this event was being in the room with (and sitting next to) all of the brewers we respect, whose breweries we frequent and beers we enjoy. After his presentation, I was able to chat with Matt and several other of the other brewers. We also were nearby the <a href="http://kegcreekbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Keg Creek</a> guys. (Keg Creek is the brewery that gave me my first taste of a great saison.) I ended up telling him about how I won a homebrewing competition partly because trying his beer got me interested in that beer style. (We really need to get out to the other side of the state to hit Keg Creek up some time.) We also sat near the <a href="http://www.newamericanbeer.com/" target="_blank">New American</a> guys – really cool dudes and I’d love to visit their brewery. Definitely a stop on our next Des Moines area trip.</div>
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The next session was the Distributors' Panel, represented by 7G, Fleck, and Founders. Man! That was some interesting and intense conversation. Some of the convo put the panel in the hot seat, some of it was other brewers defending distributors as great partners. Understandably, it is very difficult to hand over your product to a 3rd party and wholeheartedly trust them to market it and get it out there while they have other breweries in their portfolio. I’ve dealt with distributors back in my days as an assistant manager at Hy-Vee. I’ve always seen what it’s like from the distributor’s side, but it was interesting to see it from the other point of view.</div>
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The last session we attended was a Spiegelau Glassware Demonstration. The beer flowed and the glasses clinked. In this demo we were given different glasses to compare to normal pint glasses. The beer was definitely better in the <a href="http://www.spiegelau.com/home/" target="_blank">Spiegelau</a> glass. The presenter said they are made from special sand that has more iron oxide than normal glass. Was the beer better because of the glass? I think the better look, smell, and taste is owed to the glass shape. These high quality glasses are fantastic though. The Spiegelau demonstration was interesting and entertaining – and we got to take home a box, which was awesome!</div>
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Regrettably, we had to head out before the <a href="http://iowabeer.org/" target="_blank">Iowa Brewers Guild</a> meeting and social hour. But we really enjoyed ourselves, enjoyed the seminars, and enjoyed meeting and chatting with all the good guys and gals making the Iowa beer we love. </div>
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Want to keep up with the good folks of <a href="http://iowabeer.org/" target="_blank">Iowa Beer</a>? Follow <a href="https://www.facebook.com/IowaBeer" target="_blank">Iowa Beer on Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/IowaBeer" target="_blank">Twitter here</a>.</div>
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<i>Get in touch if you'd like to meet 'n' drink or write a guest post!</i></div>
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Jessica • The Lovely Sidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18169450993520474555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214617044731695902.post-6279597262016267422014-11-14T10:22:00.000-06:002014-11-14T10:30:07.587-06:00Jessica's 5 Favorite Iowa Breweries<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So last week you got a peek at <a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/2014/11/gregs-5-favorite-iowa-breweries.html" target="_blank">Greg's top five favorite Iowa breweries</a>. Now it's my turn. It was reeeeally hard to narrow it down. For one, some of our favorites overlap (namely, Big Grove, Kalona, and Broad Street). Second, there are a lot of breweries with beer I really love but that we haven't gotten around to physically visiting yet – like Peace Tree.</div>
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But anywho, without further ado... here are five of my favorite breweries. (Though these be numbered, they are in no particular order.) :)</div>
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<b>1. <a href="http://www.oldemainbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Olde Main Brewing Co.</a> | Ames, Iowa</b></div>
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This Ames brewery/restaurant is where I first really discovered my love for craft beer. One sip of their OffKilter Scottish Ale and I was wondering what I'd been missing out on all those times I claimed to "not like beer that much." It's must-visit whenever I'm in the Ames area and brings back so many memories of good times with friends while sitting at the bar. It was also sorta a first date spot for Greg and I. ;)</div>
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<b>Tip: </b>If you're lucky enough to live near this brewery, hit them up on Wednesday nights. Pints of their tasty brews go for just $1.</div>
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<b>Try:</b> During the holiday season, try the Reindeer Fuel. Rich chocolate and roasty malts make this a wonderful winter beer.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I couldn't find my photos of our Confluence visit :( so this is borrowed from<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Confluence-Brewing-Company/292117497514780?sk=timeline" target="_blank"> their Facebook page</a> until I do. </td></tr>
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<b>2. <a href="http://confluencebrewing.com/" target="_blank">Confluence Brewing Company</a> | Des Moines, Iowa</b></div>
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While we had sampled their brews at beer fests, I became more familiar with Confluence while working at the NewBo City Market bar. They had me at South Side Citra Blonde. I'm not a big fan of lagers, but I love the Capitol Gold. Gray's Lake Nessie Scottish Ale, Farmer John's Brown, Wee Lassie, Camp Fire, and now the Milk Man – my list of beloved Confluence beers just keeps getting longer. Early last spring, we were finally able to make a quick stop in Des Moines to visit and spent a cozy couple hours sipping brews, playing cribbage, and enjoying the lakeside sunset.</div>
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<b>Try:</b> Everything. But really... lovers of citra hops (like myself) must try the South Side Citra. I cannot get enough of the stuff. </div>
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<b>3. <a href="http://www.millstreambrewing.com/" target="_blank">Millstream Brewing Co.</a> | Amana, Iowa</b></div>
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Good beer and good memories make this one of my favorites. The Amanas are a perfect halfway point for Greg and I, so Millstream makes a perfect little escape from the hustle and bustle of our weekends to just sit back with a beer. We love that there's always something going on here, from the brat festival (gotta love those flavored mini brats!) to live music. It's the best place to sit outside in the late summer, surrounded by blossoming hops. </div>
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<b>Try: </b>I really like the Back Road Stout on chilly nights and the Schild Brau Amber with practically anything. But my absolute favorite is the Schokolade Bock. </div>
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<b>Tip: </b>Schokolade is German for chocolate. ;)</div>
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<b>4. <a href="http://www.lionbridgebrewing.com/" target="_blank">Lion Bridge Brewing Company</a> | Cedar Rapids, Iowa</b></div>
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Great location, great beers, and great people – Greg and I make it in almost every weekend. And as much as we're there, I'm completely ashamed that I haven't gotten around to posting a full write-up on this brewery. Rest assured, it will be coming soon! It's in one of my favorite little neighborhoods in Cedar Rapids: the Czech Village. Plus, it's housed in a renovated grocery store – and I'm a sucker for renovated buildings. The flagship beers are solid and Quinton's been cranking out some tasty, experimental brews lately, too. I'm partial to the Workman's Compensation. It reminds me a bit of my beloved OffKilter, but smoother and more drinkable – plus, since it's a session I can drink more of it. :) </div>
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<b>Tip:</b> Order the munchies while you're there. The muffaletta fingers are mouthwateringly good.</div>
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<b>Try: </b>Whatever's on nitro. Lion Bridge has a rotating nitro tap. The smoked chocolate stout and workmans' comp are sinfully delicious on nitro.</div>
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<b>5. <a href="http://www.singlespeedbrewing.com/" target="_blank">SingleSpeed Brewing</a> | Cedar Falls, Iowa</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/2014/08/cedar-valley-beer-adventures-and.html" target="_blank">Greg and I visited this brewery</a> quite recently and I can't wait to go back. It's in an adorable downtown Cedar Falls location. The interior design is killer – industrial stools, cool fans, and pendant lights made out of growlers. The bartenders are very friendly and knowledgeable. It was a wonderful place to kill a couple hours sipping on their Roasted coffee stout. Yum.</div>
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<b>Try:</b> Their beer cocktails. It appeared that they're always experimenting and coming up with a new one. I really enjoyed the Roasted Russian Greg tried. Oh-so-very tasty.</div>
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Jessica • The Lovely Sidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18169450993520474555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214617044731695902.post-51539712251850936192014-11-11T08:13:00.000-06:002014-11-14T10:30:18.445-06:00Greg's Adventures in Homebrewing: The All-Grain Leap, Part 3: That Time I Won a Homebrew Competition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hey everyone! I’m back to tell you the tales of the BBQ & Brew event that took at the NewBo City Market in Cedar Rapids. After all of my all grain experiments and producing some decent beers, we thought it was time to enter a competition and see what other folks around Cedar Rapids thought about my work. </div>
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I entered two beers, a honey red ale and that magnificent saison I <a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/2014/11/gregs-adventures-in-homebrewing-all_7.html" target="_blank">mentioned in the last post</a>. The honey red was called Red-Headed Honey. Two guesses who the lovely red-headed lady that was named after? ;) That ale was the 1.0 product that my regulator died on during the first try. The saison was name Victorious Saison – a name chosen by my Welsh brother-in-law. (I think he named it wisely.)</div>
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The ladies really seemed to like the red. It was quite light and really smokey at the end. One lady I awnted to just give a bottle because she came back four or five times. The saison also got great reception by a wide range of folks. I was facing some stiff competition though. One guy made an amazing rye citra hopped saison that I kind of kept going back to for a taste because it was amazing! (Jess will agree.) The guy next to me made two: a blonde and a watermelon beer. Mixed together, the result was crazy good. Homebrew competitions never disappoint the taste buds. And it was a pleasure to chat with all the other homebrewers.</div>
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After the judging, the results were in. My saison got 1st place with the judges' vote! I was quite pleased to say the least. Jess and I knew the beer was good – it was nice to hear good things about it from the expert palettes. Some of the judges wrote comments on the score sheets. One said he'd pay money for that beer. (That was especially flattering come from a certain professional brewer whose brewery Jess and I frequent for tasty brews: Lion Bridge.) Toward the end of the day, Jess managed to swap beer for some of the BBQ. The guy who won 1st place with his chicken BBQ gave us chicken in exchange for some saison – and it was the best damn chicken I’ve ever had in my life! </div>
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On the way home we got a nice surprise. The guy who organized the entire event asked if we wanted the big BBQ & Brew banner. Of course, we did! And it is now hanging in my living room. </div>
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All right readers, that finishes this three-parter. Hope you enjoyed it and I’ll catch you next time.</div>
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-Greg</div>
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Jessica • The Lovely Sidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18169450993520474555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214617044731695902.post-22332567234839817892014-11-07T08:27:00.001-06:002014-11-07T08:27:26.545-06:00Greg's Adventures in Homebrewing: The All-Grain Leap, Part 2: Lessons Learned<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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All right! I’m back for part two of the all-grain leap series. In my <a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/2014/11/gregs-adventures-in-homebrewing-all.html" target="_blank">earlier post</a>, I went over the equipment that I had to upgrade to be able to start brewing with all-grain. The first recipe I made was a saison I found after some googling. I figured I would start with a good recipe and modify it from there after getting the process down. When starting all-grain, I’d suggest finding a recipe first. Creating your own is hard enough without having to add complexity of figuring out a recipe from scratch.</div>
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It was a little interesting getting the ingredients from the homebrew store. I basically went in not knowing what I needed to do and the lady at <a href="http://www.biyhomebrewsupply.com/" target="_blank">BIY Homebrew Supply</a> helped me out quite a bit. I gave her the list and she got me the grain I needed and ground it for me. I also didn’t realize hops should be kept cold to preserve their flavor. (You always come out of BIY with beer supplies <i>and</i> extra knowledge.) The hops that come in extract kits are kept in the kit warm which may make them deteriorate more quickly than if they were chilled. Before I go any further we need to go over the beer making process or you may have no idea what I am talking about later on.</div>
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<b>Step 1: Choose Your Ingredients</b></div>
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Here is the recipe design phase and the most important step. This step determines what type of beer you’re going to make and what your plan will be for making your brew.</div>
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<b>Step 2: Grind and Mash the Grain</b></div>
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In this step, grain is soaked in hot water to release the sugars in the grain. This sugar is what the yeast munch on to create alcohol in the beer.</div>
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<b>Step 3: Drain and Rinse the Grain</b></div>
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This process is referred to as lautering. Water is drained off the grain and collected. This sugary water is part of the liquid that will be produced into beer. That liquid is referred to as wort. </div>
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Next, the grain is rinsed with hot water to get any more sugars that may have been left behind after the initial drain-off from before. That process is called sparging. The sparge water is drained into the same container the wort was collected in and the result is a lot of very sweet and sugary wort.</div>
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<b>Step 4: Boil the Wort</b></div>
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Next, the wort is boiled with hops and possibly other additives that give beer its bitterness and aroma.</div>
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<b>Step 5: Cool the Wort</b></div>
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That boiling wort needs to be brought down to a temperature that will allow yeast to flourish in the sugary goodness of the wort. At this point, everything must absolutely be sanitized or unwanted bacteria may infect the beer.</div>
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<b>Step 6: Put the Wort in a Fermenter with Yeast</b></div>
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The boiled wort is now transferred to a fermenting vessel and yeast is added. After a few days your wort should be some legit beer.</div>
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<b>Step 7: Bottle/Keg Your Tasty Homebrew</b></div>
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After fermentation, the beer is put into some type of storage vessel – usually bottles or a keg. Some beers may need additional aging. After bottling or kegging, you are ready to drink the fruits of your labor. You should taste your creation throughout the entire process to make sure no changes need to be made, but I’m sure that is a sacrifice you are willing to make.</div>
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So now that you know the process... I used my shiny new turkey fryer and brought a bunch of water up to temperature and mashed the grain in my new mash tun and went through the steps of brewing. In the end, the beer was pretty damn good. I was amazed how good it was compared to the extract kits. </div>
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After the early (probably a little to early) success, I decided to make an Irish red completely from scratch. I spent a few hours getting all the parameters how I think I would have wanted them. I got the ingredients and everything was going well until not too soon after initially draining the wort from my mash tun, I shattered my hydrometer. Specific gravity is an important measure throughout the process and I now had no way to measure it. I moved forward since I was already into the process. When it came time to boil, the propane regulator on my burner died. It was roughly 8 at night and there was no way I was going to be able to get another one. I’m ever so grateful Jess likes me as much as she does because I was a very, very grumpy person after having to dump 7 gallons of wort, (which should have been around 5 gallons of beer) down the drain.<br />
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After the epic failure, I purchased 2 hydrometers and an extra thermometer because those are made of glass as well. I thought the burner I had was a little weak and got one that had a bit more power. It was a 30-pound propane regulator instead of the measly 10-pounder I had before. The result is pictured above. So, I now have a blast furnace. I can't say I’ve had a problem getting anything to boil since. The next try was the same recipe and it turned out pretty well. I’ll elaborate on that a bit more next time. The next post will be about a little competition I entered at NewBo City Market earlier this year. Bye for now!</div>
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-Greg</div>
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Jessica • The Lovely Sidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18169450993520474555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214617044731695902.post-86055128998384906972014-11-06T10:21:00.000-06:002014-11-06T10:21:22.192-06:00Greg's Adventures in Homebrewing: The All-Grain Leap, Part 1: Equipment & Upgrades<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hey all! So over the last year I have been pretty lax in my updates with how the homebrewing has gone. Well, there has been a whole pile of stuff that has happened and I couldn’t possibly fit it all in one post. I guess I could but that wouldn’t be any fun would it? The first part of this little trilogy will be about getting a hold of all of the equipment. The second will feature some of the good, the bad, and upsetting experiences we’ve had with all grain. Finally, you’ll get to hear all about the homebrew competition I entered at NewBo City Market in Cedar Rapids.</div>
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I needed to upgrade a few items to get the equipment up to par for all-grain brewing. The biggest piece was a mash tun. What is a mash tun you ask? Why that is a very good question, faithful reader. A mash tun is the device used to mash grain. Not a very good answer, huh?</div>
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A major ingredient in beer is grain. Those grains can include: barley, oats, wheat, etc. To make beer out of theses grains, the beer maker roughly grinds the grain and soaks it in water at a certain temperature to extract sugars out of the grain. The temperature will depend on the grain and the amount of fermentables the brewer would like to get from the grain. That heated water is drained off of the grain after soaking and that water contains all the sugars that were removed from the grain. At this point, that sugar water is called wort. Wort is then boiled with hops and fermented to make the lovely drink we call beer.</div>
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<a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/2013/11/and-homebrewing-adventures-begin.html" target="_blank">The previous brewing post showed us using extract to brew</a>. (Hard to believe it's been a year!) By using extract, a brewer does not have to go through the work of extracting all the sugars out of the grain, so a mash tun is not needed. Using only extract can limit your freedom to experiment, but it is a heck of a lot less work to make beer that way.</div>
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I made my mash tun out of a Rubbermaid cooler, a valve used in home plumbing, a braided hose, and various other fittings. <a href="http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/cheap-easy-10-gallon-rubbermaid-mlt-conversion-23008/" target="_blank">I used this guide as a reference for the parts I needed</a>. I had to improvise a bit because I could not find some parts, but it is at least a place to start. The entire thing cost me somewhere around $70 if I remember correctly. Personally, if I had to do it again I would use an Igloo cooler since they seem to be easier to find.</div>
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The other piece of equipment I needed was a larger pot and a propane burner. The burner is a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-SP10-High-Pressure-Outdoor/dp/B000291GBQ/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1415162923&sr=8-8&keywords=bayou+classic+pot" target="_blank"> turkey fryer burner available here</a>. The burner is very good on its own, but you will want to upgrade the regulator. We’ll get to that in the next post. The other item I needed was a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-1044-44-Quart-Stainless-Steel/dp/B000VXHKMC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415162923&sr=8-1&keywords=bayou+classic+pot" target="_blank">44 qt pot like the one here</a>.</div>
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These are the major equipment upgrades. If you are wanting to take the leap, be mindful you’ll need to get a propane tank or two. That will add another $50ish per tank. I got two to make sure I wouldn’t run out mid-boil. A tank seems to last about 5 or 6 batches depending on boil times. Total cost to make the leap was in the $300-$350 range – so be prepared for the extra cost. It is worth it no doubt!</div>
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Okay, all. That’s where I am going to leave it for now. Next post will go over some of the learning experiences I’ve had: the good, the bad, and the ugly. See you next time!</div>
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Jessica • The Lovely Sidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18169450993520474555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214617044731695902.post-70465717695511051622014-11-05T14:12:00.001-06:002014-11-05T14:12:08.102-06:00Greg's 5 Favorite Iowa Breweries<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We've been away for far too long! (And we have the backlog of half written brewery reviews and blog posts to prove it.) But we are here – still sipping on craft beer and homebrewing away. Today, Greg shares his five favorite breweries in our great state of Iowa. (Keep a lookout for Jess' favorite breweries later this week – we might share a love for beer, but we don't share all favorites! So without further ado, add these hoppy destinations to your to-visit list: </div>
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<b>1. <a href="http://www.broadstreetbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Broad Street Brewing</a> | Reinbeck, Iowa</b></div>
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Pictured above, this is definitely my favorite in Iowa. It is located in the small town of Reinbeck and I’ve never had a bad beer at this establishment. The inside is small and cozy and the head brewer is a pretty cool guy. Jess and I try and make it whenever we visit my family by Waterloo. </div>
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<b>Must-Try:</b> The Coo Coo Cachoo ESB.</div>
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<b>Tip: </b>Check out their events. We went to one featuring the former quality manager for Guinness – she showed folks <a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/2013/11/how-to-taste-beer-like-pro-event-broad.html" target="_blank">how to taste beer like a professional</a>. </div>
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<b>2. <a href="http://www.biggrovebrewery.com/" target="_blank">Big Grove Brewery</a> | Solon, Iowa</b></div>
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This gem is located in Solon and while they boast good beer, the food is awesome. Seriously, really really good. They use local ingredients as much as they can and the quality really shows. </div>
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<b>Must-Try: </b>The Brussels sprouts (when in season). And the parm fries. You don't be disappointed.</div>
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<b>3. <a href="http://www.kalonabrewing.com/" target="_blank">Kalona Brewing Company</a> | Kalona, Iowa</b></div>
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I was really impressed with Kalona when we went. There are very few breweries that I go to that I want to take a growler of everything I’ve tried back home. This was one of those places. Every beer that had was delicious. If anyone were to ask me which beer I would recommend by them, I would say try them all. Every beer they do is great!</div>
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<b>Must-Try: </b>Several sampler flights because one just won't do. And the artichoke dip.</div>
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<b>4. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Another-Road-Brewing/225604440948579" target="_blank">Another Road Brewing</a> | Marion, Iowa</b></div>
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This is a somewhat new brewery in Marion. It sits in the bottom of a law office and is very small. The brewer makes great beer and as of writing this post, I believe they are still making 10 gallon batches. Haven't heard of the place through traditional marketing? This place is growing in popularity just due to word of mouth. (That's how we heard of them!) It’s a great place to just chill and have some beers – and some popcorn as a snack.</div>
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<b>Tip: </b>Watch their Facebook page for new brews. And if you want to try one, get there early. The beers go quick! And if the popcorn gives you a hankering for something more, ask the bartender for a Ramsey's menu. You can order a sandwich and they'll walk it right over.</div>
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<b>5. <a href="http://exilebrewing.com/" target="_blank">Exile Brewing Company</a> | Des Moines, Iowa</b></div>
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If you’re in the capital city of Des Moines, this brewery is great place to visit. I really like their style. The building is really cool. All their beers have ladies' names and feature pinup-like girls from the 1940’s. </div>
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Jessica • The Lovely Sidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18169450993520474555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214617044731695902.post-27551868055489024482014-10-17T08:46:00.001-05:002014-10-17T08:46:58.689-05:00Swag Brewery | Brew Candles Kickstarter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitPnZgH_twBlAwB1bh7qf0NfavMR9bKV5odOwfNDvjdAlU4F8wJgfk2hwys4AutibcYiJJoPU39FG7R_l65aM44N2JuIqNDkdv55ObtLjvK5-D9o3Fyo2MARSb3mxmUS19oB-X744FryY/s1600/BrewCandles_mockup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitPnZgH_twBlAwB1bh7qf0NfavMR9bKV5odOwfNDvjdAlU4F8wJgfk2hwys4AutibcYiJJoPU39FG7R_l65aM44N2JuIqNDkdv55ObtLjvK5-D9o3Fyo2MARSb3mxmUS19oB-X744FryY/s1600/BrewCandles_mockup.jpg" height="416" width="640" /></a></div>
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Something I've wanted for a very long time is a candle that smells like an IPA. I mean, who can resist that fresh, hoppy aroma? I would love to have hoppy goodness wafting throughout my apartment. Swag Brewery to the rescue.</div>
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Swag Brewery is the cool online boutique for craft beer swag. They make <a href="http://www.swagbrewery.com/collections/beer-soap" target="_blank">wonderful beer soaps</a> that feel great on the skin and smell delicious – and, no, don't leave you smelling like you took a bath in a keg. They also make <a href="http://www.swagbrewery.com/collections/hop-candy" target="_blank">hop candy</a>, which is the perfect way to tide over a hophead until happy hour. (<a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/2013/10/swag-brewery-craft-beer-soaps-and-hop.html" target="_blank">Check out my review post on Swag Brewery's beer soap and hop candy here</a>.) </div>
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The good folks over at Swag Brewery have now launched a <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1737256457/brew-candles-beer-inspired-aromatics" target="_blank">Kickstarter to fund their brew candles</a> – beer-inspired soy wax candles in three amazing scents: apricot wheat, vanilla porter, and hoppy IPA. If these candles smell anything like Swag Brewery's soaps (which I'm sure they will), they're going to smell amazing. I'm already planning: burn vanilla porter in the winter, apricot wheat in the spring, and hoppy IPA in the summer. Year round beer smells in my apartment. Yum.</div>
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What I also love about these candles are the simple glass jars and great labels. Clean, modern design with a hint of vintage. They're not a candle you have to hide in a candle holder. These will fit into any decor, including the man cave. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heaven in a jar? Nope, just a hoppy IPA scented brew candle from the geniuses at Swag Brewery.</td></tr>
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Here's a bit more info straight from the Kickstarter page:</div>
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<b><span style="color: #783f04;">Will they smell like stale beer?</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">Nope! That's been done before. We think filing your house with the smell of cheesy stale beer is pretty disgusting. Instead, we focused on amping up the most desirable aromas of our favorite craft beer styles to create these amazing scents:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">Apricot Wheat: <i>The lightest and fruitiest of the three, this candle gives off notes of apricot, sweet grain, and spice. The wax will be a pale amber color.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">Vanilla Porter:<i> The darkest of our three candles, Vanilla Porter smells like warm vanilla, brown sugar, and blackberry. The wax will be a dark ruby brown color.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">Hoppy IPA: <i>Herbal, spicy, and earthy notes give fans of IPA's and Pale Ales exactly what they're looking for. The wax will be a medium amber color.</i></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #783f04;">What will you use the money for?</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">Since we already have the recipes and designs prepared, we'll use the money for:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">1) Ingredients.<i> Candles don't just appear from thin air. They're made of amazing things like high-quality wax, lead-free wicks, and beer-inspired fragrances!</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">2) Labels.<i> We want you to know what that awesome wax-filled jar thing sitting in front of you is. So we're putting labels on them.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">3) Packaging. <i>Once the candles are poured and labeled, we'll put them in a nifty custom retail box that keeps them fresh and dust-free. Once they're in this box, they'll go into at least one (and sometimes two) more boxes to keep them safe for shipping. Each of these boxes has to be custom-designed to accommodate candles.</i></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #783f04;">What's in it for me?</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">Check out the rewards on the right side of this page! No matter what you contribute, you get something awesome like Brew Candles or Beer Soap in exchange. More information about the reward products can be found on our website: <a href="http://www.swagbrewery.com/">www.swagbrewery.com</a>.</span></div>
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These candles would make lovely gifts for the beer loving guy or gal in your life – especially if thrown in a cool, industrial style basket with some beer soap, hop candy, and a six-pack of their favorite brew. </div>
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<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1737256457/brew-candles-beer-inspired-aromatics" target="_blank">Head over to the Brew Candles Kickstarter page</a> to learn more about candles and the special rewards you'll receive by donating to the cause. (And making a house smell like an IPA is definitely a great cause to get on board with.) </div>
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Jessica • The Lovely Sidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18169450993520474555noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214617044731695902.post-29289653898784610302014-08-29T08:07:00.002-05:002014-08-29T08:07:27.821-05:00Tapping into Alcohol Sales | Interesting Infographic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://haysfirm.com/images/liquor-laws-infographic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://haysfirm.com/images/liquor-laws-infographic.jpg" /></a></div>
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Infographic thanks to <a href="http://haysfirm.com/" target="_blank">Hays Firm</a>.</div>
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Jessica • The Lovely Sidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18169450993520474555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214617044731695902.post-87882169327146896492014-08-22T13:30:00.000-05:002014-08-22T13:30:00.491-05:00Cedar Valley Beer Adventures (and Misadventures): Brew in the Loo II, SingleSpeed Brewery, Broad Street Brewing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The best kind of weekend is a weekend full of beer – especially at a beer fest, a brewery we've never been to before, and a tried-and-true favorite brewery. Here's the story of our Cedar Valley weekend at Brew in the Loo II, SingleSpeed Brewing, and Broad Street Brewing Co:<br />
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We've never left a beer fest early. Okay, I take that back. We've left a few early because we'd had enough enough to drink, tried everything we wanted to try, and wanted something to eat. But we've never left because there wasn't enough to drink. I guess there's a first for everything.</div>
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Last year, Greg and I ventured to Brew in the Loo on a whim. We heard about it, we liked the idea of sipping beers on a baseball field, and we loved that the proceeds benefit the local Boys & Girls Club. We had a blast. It wasn't a huge fest. There wasn't a huge turnout or huge variety. But there were some solid local beers mixed in among some from distributors. And there was plenty of time to talk to the brewers and get to know them, their brewery, and their beer on a more personal level. It's where we tried and fell head-over-hops for Broad Street Brewing. (You can <a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/2013/08/brew-in-loo-waterloo-ia.html" target="_blank">read about our first Brew in the Loo experience here.</a>)</div>
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So we put Brew in the Loo II on our calendars early this year. We bought our $15 tickets in advance and set aside a weekend to hit up the beer fest and then visit Broad Street in Reinbeck on our way back to Cedar Rapids. After a hearty lunch to prepare us for our beer tasting, we headed to the ballpark. When we arrived, it was pretty empty. We reminded ourselves that it was at first last year, too, and that people and breweries started filtering just a little late. It was not the case this year.</div>
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Within thirty minutes, we'd made our rounds and tasted every beer at the festival. Not because of a lack of crowds – we waited in line a few times. But because of the sheer lack of beer. Everything there – except for Broad Street's stand – was distributor. Now, I have nothing against distributors. They help get the beer around and there were some good beers at the festival. But it was disappointing that there weren't more local beers, more craft beers, more Iowa beers. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last Year's Brew in the Loo – we had a blast!</td></tr>
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We sat down at a table to discuss our disappointment and options. And we decided to leave. We felt bad, but at least our $30 would go to benefit the Boys & Girls Club. We looked up the address for a brewery in Cedar Falls that I'd always wanted to visit and we hit the road. (Side note: We weren't the only ones.)</div>
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If a beer festival doesn't give you a beer tasting adventure, you make your own beer adventure. Neither of us had either ventured to Cedar Falls. We found our way to the charming little downtown and <a href="http://www.singlespeedbrewing.com/" target="_blank">SingleSpeed Brewing</a>, where we knew immediately upon entering that we'd made the right decision.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSMEySDvwdk4CTAJwp2geU608BxnUfImxLlLDTc4T7tzsWoMf21n88XHPcMm68iZZsCmkqUYBcI2gTZM_jEwWacoJPmP1d8TnS7Cjs0mGElycCEC1QH1iWCRjPQcD6crbGRBZi6NM4RYU/s1600/IMG_20140809_162102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSMEySDvwdk4CTAJwp2geU608BxnUfImxLlLDTc4T7tzsWoMf21n88XHPcMm68iZZsCmkqUYBcI2gTZM_jEwWacoJPmP1d8TnS7Cjs0mGElycCEC1QH1iWCRjPQcD6crbGRBZi6NM4RYU/s1600/IMG_20140809_162102.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Downtown Cedar Falls is so charming!</td></tr>
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SingleSpeed served up an nice variety of beers, all of which we tried on one of their flights. Both of us ended up absolutely LOVING the Roasted. Plus, they mix beer cocktails, which I find intriguing and unique. Greg ordered one of their Roasted Russians, a SingleSpeed take on a White Russian using their Roasted. I tasted it. And it was delicious. I also really liked their Kinship and Belgian IPA.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmShz2VROgxfCQNJgTUHxLk3qydkowa_SaTPwUvI9p8W9grJ5XmWQFK0G9qh5mxinyDDpdl9ts8P_kSocuWGn_m3078H90V-ySAaubnnTvTaM5ye9Uo39X-pEzIQMyXgi4GAgpmJPaKeQ/s1600/IMG_20140809_162338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmShz2VROgxfCQNJgTUHxLk3qydkowa_SaTPwUvI9p8W9grJ5XmWQFK0G9qh5mxinyDDpdl9ts8P_kSocuWGn_m3078H90V-ySAaubnnTvTaM5ye9Uo39X-pEzIQMyXgi4GAgpmJPaKeQ/s1600/IMG_20140809_162338.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love the vibes and decor in SingleSpeed.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_C6BSg5LPegLVF-Si3H-lURbl0WsHEVidNYdwOjpbHzdUXy48d-6O0BBieiJ7sUugW4j7CrWxDa4sloj0h_8qtW6K880kxD__vYMCE3hNjTkILbpDacddzplC0h4Dy5W5ruvFdz11f9M/s1600/IMG_20140809_162448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_C6BSg5LPegLVF-Si3H-lURbl0WsHEVidNYdwOjpbHzdUXy48d-6O0BBieiJ7sUugW4j7CrWxDa4sloj0h_8qtW6K880kxD__vYMCE3hNjTkILbpDacddzplC0h4Dy5W5ruvFdz11f9M/s1600/IMG_20140809_162448.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Time to catch our flight! ;)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjus9BOqa2IkuFpEKQpMfz2E9c4m_C1BrD0YxyZAPr1sHy1uFGMCkcPinQlH-P1xWvAdzLJMPrP6jsUbDlwAMX8sMkQIccXASNHjctqrbGnhcpib95Hup_tdxUkyUdk5OM3QfL_SUc004M/s1600/IMG_20140809_172529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjus9BOqa2IkuFpEKQpMfz2E9c4m_C1BrD0YxyZAPr1sHy1uFGMCkcPinQlH-P1xWvAdzLJMPrP6jsUbDlwAMX8sMkQIccXASNHjctqrbGnhcpib95Hup_tdxUkyUdk5OM3QfL_SUc004M/s1600/IMG_20140809_172529.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roasted was the big winner of the day.</td></tr>
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The beer is good. And the brewery is cool. I couldn't stop admiring all of the cool design touches and unique features. Vintage stools. Pendant lights made out of growlers. Sweet ceiling fans reminiscent of vintage fans, but double-headed. A tall chalkboard flanked by shelves of Iowa spirits, growlers, and brewery swag – plus one of those cool library-style ladders that slides along the shelves.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmGSvKTlnKAS1ZVYGrmqzpIoRufqmEQlHst2_F0tIZyjEFqIjCOi0MB3xr-hLU2MJtgVmInH0MTb74-IPZc-pFhOeX0o7sTlaS2dY-W_MvG-E5DWLXOfzy1NVqrSDjJNigZ8uNZAjJz8M/s1600/IMG_20140809_162409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmGSvKTlnKAS1ZVYGrmqzpIoRufqmEQlHst2_F0tIZyjEFqIjCOi0MB3xr-hLU2MJtgVmInH0MTb74-IPZc-pFhOeX0o7sTlaS2dY-W_MvG-E5DWLXOfzy1NVqrSDjJNigZ8uNZAjJz8M/s1600/IMG_20140809_162409.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheers to beer chalkboards!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3A7PMwrsaUedAwD2qoVKkwQXeKv2CW9obSbHSv_h5w32Mu5BBhryWHG8JsQ6d2d3hliKPg-5iuhyphenhyphenMAbsNoJEYnuboyqW51_K-F2YjNV0JuLWlENrnUbr-n0GfPXvHiOG8R0FDI_fOjg/s1600/IMG_20140809_162416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3A7PMwrsaUedAwD2qoVKkwQXeKv2CW9obSbHSv_h5w32Mu5BBhryWHG8JsQ6d2d3hliKPg-5iuhyphenhyphenMAbsNoJEYnuboyqW51_K-F2YjNV0JuLWlENrnUbr-n0GfPXvHiOG8R0FDI_fOjg/s1600/IMG_20140809_162416.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Going to have to DIY some of these growler lights.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_TCCh7DIyaQeo_1UizYx5iogCl-EPWg0Amqp871kdd-YIWoqhiRvQX_HYDacCZG4d0eB8nXo21UGm4rhm4zX59BK3n5AnbGS_Krj968NcEg7eBqjngzM85qvM5gQ4FoHAue_MVUjkGU/s1600/IMG_20140809_180518.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_TCCh7DIyaQeo_1UizYx5iogCl-EPWg0Amqp871kdd-YIWoqhiRvQX_HYDacCZG4d0eB8nXo21UGm4rhm4zX59BK3n5AnbGS_Krj968NcEg7eBqjngzM85qvM5gQ4FoHAue_MVUjkGU/s1600/IMG_20140809_180518.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where the magic happens. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaBdgocIn0SBxBDJbqy4pXu6Ln3ArW8cvtw49QPrTNnb8cEZrmk_s2yVtqiLCzJ9jKDj2OdLE68M2ZDTtvC3dehTksJiPJFHFQtpAmQjVsCT1hFTr_HtE5d8E2XVIP_WIfS_fiyO0eHW8/s1600/IMG_20140809_162827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaBdgocIn0SBxBDJbqy4pXu6Ln3ArW8cvtw49QPrTNnb8cEZrmk_s2yVtqiLCzJ9jKDj2OdLE68M2ZDTtvC3dehTksJiPJFHFQtpAmQjVsCT1hFTr_HtE5d8E2XVIP_WIfS_fiyO0eHW8/s1600/IMG_20140809_162827.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Character and cool fans.</td></tr>
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Our favorite part about stopping by this brewery was the conversation. It's always a pleasure to encounter and chat with friendly craft beer fans. One man we chatted up also attended Brew in the Loo – and left early. I also got to meet one of the brewing staff who I've tweeted with and toasted on UnTappd. Oh, how we love discussing local breweries and homebrewing with this folks. There's so much to talk about and so much to learn from other beer nerds.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZNM8MewnO5QOfc4D9nwv9e2prfi-yu1cIGTnhBEBLNL_Ku8mC5l91i9m36FfFgGJG5fbISE_izzOLPe_kN0QnE85FEpLcf2rqvL6KhUC9i0cqPnOcifbCvtxtwt8yHzyn4PXCoGhDaU/s1600/IMG_20140809_172517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZNM8MewnO5QOfc4D9nwv9e2prfi-yu1cIGTnhBEBLNL_Ku8mC5l91i9m36FfFgGJG5fbISE_izzOLPe_kN0QnE85FEpLcf2rqvL6KhUC9i0cqPnOcifbCvtxtwt8yHzyn4PXCoGhDaU/s1600/IMG_20140809_172517.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another Roasted before we leave!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxC2NNkDjp4iRaVTVguPKaPhS2mgiirr9CvU6tkOiIq-BpJlNAaaHA0k6Ux0-Ssi-q8WjxHv0_lYSJR6VhBaogvbtxALssY_WJYHgN7JIssQ7kxGZeqChAsTsIloTUQ2Kh95FvnkD-oBg/s1600/IMG_20140809_180525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxC2NNkDjp4iRaVTVguPKaPhS2mgiirr9CvU6tkOiIq-BpJlNAaaHA0k6Ux0-Ssi-q8WjxHv0_lYSJR6VhBaogvbtxALssY_WJYHgN7JIssQ7kxGZeqChAsTsIloTUQ2Kh95FvnkD-oBg/s1600/IMG_20140809_180525.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A warm, welcoming place to put back a pint.</td></tr>
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After several pints and lots of beer talk at SingleSpeed, we hit the road for Reinbeck. We hadn't been to Reinbeck since their event hosted by the former Director of Quality from Guinness. (We blogged about the awesome <a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/2013/11/how-to-taste-beer-like-pro-event-broad.html" target="_blank">How to Taste Beer Like a Pro event here</a>.) We'd been wanting to make a trip back forever since the brewer Trevor never ceases to impress us. (The vanilla porter he served up at BrrrFest in Coralville was sinfully tasty.) Unfortunately, Trevor wasn't in the brewhouse. But plenty of patrons were, sipping on beer and having a good time. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB8Iz8j1t9sM-qSNXFSPw6ibXHOrILCLDzYIIc51gGXKefhqSwebBHYSn5nmeRpdGO5m9-Mt2yFJ9AfpwUJLjIAeF3j9mYN7v4vU7fHyW_XwIOcDkZ5tLa50WIchcCDaLaH6047waDMz8/s1600/IMG_20140809_192900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB8Iz8j1t9sM-qSNXFSPw6ibXHOrILCLDzYIIc51gGXKefhqSwebBHYSn5nmeRpdGO5m9-Mt2yFJ9AfpwUJLjIAeF3j9mYN7v4vU7fHyW_XwIOcDkZ5tLa50WIchcCDaLaH6047waDMz8/s1600/IMG_20140809_192900.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Broad Street beers – one of our favorite breweries. </td></tr>
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We snagged one of the booths, a couple pints, and a cribbage board. Broad Street is one of those cozy little breweries that you just feel at home in. I love that the booth seats are actually old church pews. And I love the red velvet cushions on top of them! As the sun set over Reinbeck, we drank beer and Greg beat me at a game of Cribbage. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfLJ7Aomg8vvrI-p5iA7boUwp0WLHSn8h1pOGNt_3qV7JJXJLArNRflYMJGfihOEO5jX3HHceGIw6xUGTZ2jBaX-R6WIofUYcLxveVAZ-J9SYyeTkcrfNaSYhIjlgUB0WXCshMp5nifh4/s1600/IMG_20140809_193816.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfLJ7Aomg8vvrI-p5iA7boUwp0WLHSn8h1pOGNt_3qV7JJXJLArNRflYMJGfihOEO5jX3HHceGIw6xUGTZ2jBaX-R6WIofUYcLxveVAZ-J9SYyeTkcrfNaSYhIjlgUB0WXCshMp5nifh4/s1600/IMG_20140809_193816.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beer and cribbage pair so well together.</td></tr>
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While Brew in the Loo II left something to be desired, I'm glad that we were able to spontaneously make a failure into a successful brewery day. Will Brew in the Loo III be on our festival list next year? I'm not sure. It was disappointing to see a festival not live up to its potential. Was it a case of breweries not wanting to come because of a low turnout last year? Or was it case of people not turning out because the first year wasn't big enough for them?</div>
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I still think Brew in the Loo has potential. And I'll be rooting for it. The Bucks baseball field is a great location with plenty of room for yard games, live music, and picnic benches – all of which they did last year and this year. If the breweries get on board, the beer drinkers will. If the beer drinkers get on board, the breweries will. If you brew it, they will come. If you just distribute it, I don't think they will.</div>
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Check out <a href="http://www.singlespeedbrewing.com/" target="_blank">SingleSpeed Brewing online</a> and on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SingleSpeedBeer" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.</div>
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Check out <a href="http://www.broadstreetbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Broad Street Brewing Co. online</a> and on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Broad-Street-Brewing-Co/129310887127345" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.</div>
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And, of course, be sure to visit both when you're in the Cedar Valley!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz8F3u7QleVT0Us8M5I9nj1Tqk0uiUA3j_VCyMEW8JGzt0415PiWp5-MgEv_sJ9RZmyzVJq1Kiotuyrpugy1Y23TvYbHwGena7UNKozvTZ-Z8juYkp9uC4f7i1qrr0RjCpOM7UMaXlPbo/s1600/Untitled-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz8F3u7QleVT0Us8M5I9nj1Tqk0uiUA3j_VCyMEW8JGzt0415PiWp5-MgEv_sJ9RZmyzVJq1Kiotuyrpugy1Y23TvYbHwGena7UNKozvTZ-Z8juYkp9uC4f7i1qrr0RjCpOM7UMaXlPbo/s320/Untitled-3.jpg" height="118" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/YeastLoveandHoppiness" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="http://www.twitter.com/yeastlovehops" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/yeastlovehops" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> | <a href="http://www.instagram.com/jessjhansen" target="_blank">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://untappd.com/user/yeastloveandhoppiness_jess" target="_blank">Jess Untappd</a> | <a href="https://untappd.com/user/yeastloveandhoppiness_greg" target="_blank">Greg Untappd</a></div>
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<i>Get in touch if you'd like to meet 'n' drink or write a guest post!</i></div>
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Jessica • The Lovely Sidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18169450993520474555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214617044731695902.post-22795761657888537522014-06-02T12:55:00.001-05:002014-06-03T10:58:20.677-05:00Beer Fest Alert! 2014 Algona Beerfest this Weekend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNnykak0Wv9knkKSBA2c5WKnbc98wBH4gWqPZ5-7onEuIDrBjlUpzO6L6qjMAixd7t_qLMy61Ns0evYDqKniSfEY3IWXAVQmH5kN1NZi07KkHVb9aG_qI511d6ZIvaX4mMXmYZt-MuSEg/s1600/beerfest+logo+bw+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNnykak0Wv9knkKSBA2c5WKnbc98wBH4gWqPZ5-7onEuIDrBjlUpzO6L6qjMAixd7t_qLMy61Ns0evYDqKniSfEY3IWXAVQmH5kN1NZi07KkHVb9aG_qI511d6ZIvaX4mMXmYZt-MuSEg/s1600/beerfest+logo+bw+2014.jpg" height="462" width="640" /></a></div>
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It's officially my favorite time of year: beer fest season. Greg and I had so much fun hopping from fest to fest last summer: sipping on craft brews, discovering new breweries, and making chit chat with fellow beer geeks. </div>
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This coming weekend, we're venturing to the <a href="http://www.algonabeerfest.com/" target="_blank">2014 Algona Beerfest</a>. They've got a stellar lineup of Iowa and other Midwestern breweries, including:</div>
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If you're looking to join us in the yeast, love, and hoppiness this weekend, here are the details:</div>
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Let us know if you'll be attendance so we can meet up and bottoms up!</div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/YeastLoveandHoppiness" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="http://www.twitter.com/yeastlovehops" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/yeastlovehops" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> | <a href="http://www.instagram.com/jessjhansen" target="_blank">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://untappd.com/user/yeastloveandhoppiness_jess" target="_blank">Jess Untappd</a> | <a href="https://untappd.com/user/yeastloveandhoppiness_greg" target="_blank">Greg Untappd</a></div>
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Jessica • The Lovely Sidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18169450993520474555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214617044731695902.post-53151837737621776282014-06-02T12:43:00.001-05:002014-06-02T12:43:30.424-05:0010 Beer Must-Haves for Summer<div style="margin: 0 auto; width: 600px;">
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Porch drinking weather is finally here! It's the season for road trips to breweries, beer festivals, and just enjoying the great outdoors with an ice cold brew. To celebrate summertime, I've rounded up ten must-have beer items to ensure <i>hoptimum </i>enjoyment during these fair weather months.</div>
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<a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=6410876&.svc=copypaste&id=110622360" target="_blank">1. A personalized mini-keg growler.</a></div>
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I gifted Greg with one of these for his birthday. (What a lucky guy!) These growlers resemble kegs, can be personalized with words and designs, and are – dare I say – downright adorable.</div>
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<a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=6410876&.svc=copypaste&id=95432595" target="_blank">2. A summer-sized beer journal.</a></div>
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<i>Dear Diary, Today I tasted the best IPA of my life...</i> With all the tasty saisons, India pale ales, and shandies you'll be sipping on this summer, it's best to take note of your favorites. This little notebook is the perfect size for your June, July, and August sampling adventures.</div>
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<a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=6410876&.svc=copypaste&id=106658098" target="_blank">3. A season-appropriate bottle opener.</a></div>
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Why choose a boring bottle opener when you can crack open a cold one with a real conversation piece? We think this fishy bottle opener would be especially suited for your fishing excursions. </div>
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<a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=6410876&.svc=copypaste&id=104716898" target="_blank">4. Crafty, clever beer glasses.</a></div>
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I dabble in html, but this blogger loves her beer. These glasses give new meaning to 'beer nerd' and are just too clever to pass up. </div>
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<a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=6410876&.svc=copypaste&id=110622094" target="_blank">5. Pop some hop candy.</a></div>
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Craving cascade hops during your work meeting? No need to wait until 5 o'clock. Pop a piece of tasty hop-flavored hard candy to tide you over until happy... er, <i>hoppy</i> hour.</div>
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<a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=6410876&.svc=copypaste&id=110622123" target="_blank">6. Suds up with beer soap.</a></div>
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I love love love beer soap. And while Swag Brewery's vanilla porter soap is my favorite, the apricot wheat was just made for summertime. Once you soap up with beer, you don't go back.</div>
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<a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=6410876&.svc=copypaste&id=102662828" target="_blank">7. Gold rush glasses.</a></div>
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First of all, these are cool because they're recycled from beer bottles. Second of all, the distressed gold leafing is gorgeous. Beer o'clock has never been so fancy. Cheers!</div>
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<a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=6410876&.svc=copypaste&id=102660871" target="_blank">8. Beer Nerd board game.</a></div>
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This is the ultimate board game for beer lovers. Answer beer trivia questions. Blind taste samples of beer. It's fun <i>and</i> educational. You can adjust the game difficulty based on the three beers you pick for the blind taste tests. Brew newbies could do a lager, IPA, and porter. Beer snobs can up the challenge by choosing three similar IPAs or three similar porters. </div>
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<a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=6410876&.svc=copypaste&id=109723678" target="_blank">9. Beer decor.</a></div>
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Bring some bar flavor into your kitchen or dining area with a cute beer themed print or poster. I especially dig this 'Good People Drink Good Beer' sign.</div>
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<a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?.embedder=6410876&.svc=copypaste&id=109544592" target="_blank">10. Wooden beer tote.</a></div>
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Last but certainly not least, make sure you're toting around your beer in style this summer. Ditch the flimsy cardboard six-pack carrier and carry around this handsome wooden tote instead. It even has a bottle opener on the side for ultimate convenience. </div>
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What are you summertime beer essentials?</div>
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Jessica • The Lovely Sidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18169450993520474555noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214617044731695902.post-40273421506863304052014-01-28T12:30:00.002-06:002014-01-28T12:31:45.880-06:00Q&A Quickie | What's the best chocolate beer available?<div style="margin: 0 auto; width: 600px;">
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Jonathan's Question:</div>
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What is the best chocolate beer available? I'm looking for one to replace Sam Adams Chocolate Bock. (from Jonathan) </div>
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Jess' Answer:</div>
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Mmm, chocolate! Here are my top three chocolaty choices...</div>
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1. <a href="http://millstreambrewing.com/Schokolade_Bock.html" target="_blank">Millstream Schokolade Bock</a></div>
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My first choice would be an Iowa craft beer, of course. Brewed at Millstream in the Amana Colonies, this is my favorite of their delicious brews. It's a smooth, Bock style beer that perfectly balances malt with subtle chocolate.</div>
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2. <a href="http://www.boulderbeer.com/beers/shake-chocolate-porter" target="_blank">Boulder Beer's Shake Chocolate Porter</a></div>
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When I get a chocolate beer craving, I reach for this newfound favorite. The brew hails from Colorado – it's great from bottle, but fantastic if you can get it on tap. Malts paired up with notes of cocoa and fudge make this irresistible.</div>
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3. <a href="http://www.samuelsmithsbrewery.co.uk/organicchocolatestout.html" target="_blank">Samuel Smith's Organic Chocolate Stout</a></div>
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Imported but possibly easier to find than the Colorado and Iowa craft beers (depending on where you live), I can't finish up this post without recommending a beer from our other Sam. Lots of chocolate meets toasty vanilla and roasty malts to create a devilishly-sweet brew.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What's <i>your</i> favorite chocolate beer?</span></div>
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Got a quick (or not so quick) question? Email us at doppelbloggers@gmail.com.</div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/YeastLoveandHoppiness" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="http://www.twitter.com/yeastlovehops" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/yeastlovehops" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> | <a href="http://www.instagram.com/jessjhansen" target="_blank">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://untappd.com/user/yeastloveandhoppiness_jess" target="_blank">Jess Untappd</a> | <a href="https://untappd.com/user/yeastloveandhoppiness_greg" target="_blank">Greg Untappd</a></div>
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Jessica • The Lovely Sidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18169450993520474555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214617044731695902.post-41618770583853907992014-01-21T12:34:00.003-06:002014-01-21T12:34:55.212-06:00Beer Job(s) Alert! | Cedar Rapids, IA | Oskaloosa, IA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Hey Iowa beer lovers (...especially those of you residing in the Cedar Rapids or Oskaloosa area)! Two great brew hangouts are hiring – an up-and-coming brewery AND a pub! </div>
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<a href="http://www.lionbridgebrewing.com/" target="_blank">Lion Bridge Brewing Company</a> (a small, brand new, soon-to-be-opening brewery in Cedar Rapids) is now hiring for their taproom and kitchen! Check out the post on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=477187372386492&id=346615768776987" target="_blank">Lion Bridge Brewing Company Facebook page</a> for how to apply! (We got to try some of <a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/2013/10/brewnost-cedar-rapids-ia.html" target="_blank">Lion Bridge's brew at BrewNost</a>!)</div>
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<a href="http://thecellarpeanutpub.com/" target="_blank">The Cellar Peanut Pub</a> (a historical train station that's been lovingly revamped into a filled-to-burst-with-beer bar) is also looking for weekend help! Check out the details on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152200727476369&set=a.449406786368.222945.41020306368&type=3&src=https%3A%2F%2Fscontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-prn2%2F1512808_10152200727476369_490538832_n.jpg&size=597%2C84" target="_blank">The Cellar Peanut Pub Facebook page</a>. (And check out <a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/2013/07/the-cellar-peanut-pub-oskaloosa-iowa.html" target="_blank">our review of the Peanut Pub here</a>!)</div>
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Jessica • The Lovely Sidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18169450993520474555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214617044731695902.post-14401892263746655352013-11-20T18:48:00.003-06:002013-11-20T18:50:45.967-06:00And the homebrewing adventures begin!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been wanting to try a bit of home brewing for a while now. There is a great home brew store in Marion by the name of <a href="http://www.biyhomebrewsupply.com/">BIY Home Brew Supply LLC</a>. Jess and I visited a month or so ago and were pretty impressed by the amount of stuff packed into that little store. When we walked in, the owner was super helpful and gave us just about all of the information we would need to start home brewing. The store also carries all the stuff you would need for wine and cheese making if that's more your style. </div>
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A couple weeks later (after a ton of online reading and video watching) I decide to take the plunge and drop the $200ish needed to get started up homebrewing. I opted for the <a href="http://www.brewersbestkits.com/equipment1.html">premium beer kit made by Brewers Best</a>. I got the one with a glass carboy so I that I wouldn't have to worry about scratching it. The lesser kit was only about $20 less than the best one he offered, so there was no reason to get one that wouldn't hold up. I asked Jess what she would like to brew for the first beer and she chose a robust porter. Loaded up on the supplies, we headed back to her place and dove in. Surrounded by boxes and kit pieces, we looked like little kids on Christmas morning. All of the stuff we needed was right there, so we set the date to wait until the next weekend to get to work.</div>
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The weekend before last, we started our first ever batch of homebrew. Here is the quick, high level process of brewing beer: Heat up some water, steep grains, boil water, add extracts and hops, boil it for a while, add more hops, boil it for a while, add more hops, boil it, then stick it in a bucket with yeast and wait. That process took about 3 hours. After about 24 hours our "little yeasties" as Jess likes to call them, started going to work and the one way valve started releasing C02.<br />
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I did have a bit of a worrisome moment. The heat in my apartment broke and I had 2 days of 55-60ish degree temps that stopped the fermentation process. Once the heat was fixed, I transferred the wort to a glass carboy and it picked right back up. We should be able to bottle shortly and see how it is. Can't wait!</div>
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Jessica • The Lovely Sidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18169450993520474555noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214617044731695902.post-40646261704444517642013-11-13T12:29:00.003-06:002013-11-13T12:30:48.285-06:00How to Taste Beer Like a Pro | EventBroad Street Brewing Co. in Reinbeck, IA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPudnY6WYC_Z6nXXoKcCDOUYThB4hMwUQ6nJzDGl-pZtGN5LyiJvmIGeSq820MTzu_Pl8-QtHprWAXGbb68-5_wQ4yaO6Io6sqY2tJcJboB-A-WMBhEWXRan7XN3-ha-264IQWfLeoxIU/s1600/j.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="90" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPudnY6WYC_Z6nXXoKcCDOUYThB4hMwUQ6nJzDGl-pZtGN5LyiJvmIGeSq820MTzu_Pl8-QtHprWAXGbb68-5_wQ4yaO6Io6sqY2tJcJboB-A-WMBhEWXRan7XN3-ha-264IQWfLeoxIU/s200/j.jpg" width="90" /></a>Back at the end of August, Greg and I attended <a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/2013/08/brew-in-loo-waterloo-ia.html">Brew in the 'Loo</a> and got our first taste of Broad Street Brewing Co.'s beer. It was love at first sip. The <a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/2013/08/brew-in-loo-waterloo-ia.html">Reinbeck brewery's Black Porter and Sticky Wicket won out as our favorites of the whole festival</a>. And we loved getting to visit with Trevor about his brewery and brews. Broad Street Brewing Co. when to the top of our breweries-to-visit list. A couple weekends ago, we finally got around to it.</div>
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On November 2, we hopped in the truck and drove the hour and a half route through the country to Reinbeck, IA to spend our Saturday night learning How to Taste Beer Like a Pro. We'd been meaning to get up to Reinbeck and this event sounded too fun and interesting to pass up! Plus, we'd be learning about beer from Ann Fahy-Gust: former Director of International Quality at Guinness Brewing, brewery director of Newcastle, brewing engineer with MillerCoors. We'd really be learning from a pro!</div>
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When we pulled into the tiny town of Reinbeck, the Broad Street Brewing Co. sign glowed big and bright – couldn't miss it! Entering the small brewery, we found it to be packed with charm and beer lovers of all ages. We loved the details on the ceiling, red painted walls, chalkboard menu, and wall of glass overlooking the brewing equipment. Very cozy vibes happening here – perfect for chilly end-of-autumn nights like that one.</div>
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Since we were early for the actual event, we decided to start out with a sampler of four beers – even though we'd tried and loved most of them before. They had a delicious pumpkin brew on tap that I liked, but my beer heart still belonged to the Black Porter. Greg's favorite is the tasty Coo Coo Cachoo ESB. (But really, none of Broad Street's beers disappoint!) </div>
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The cozy brewery soon got cozier. We slid into a booth with some other couples of all ages and from all different parts of Iowa. It was a great time with great beer, chatting with friendly Iowans about Iowa, craft beer, and homebrewing. Good people make an already fantastic event so much more fun. </div>
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When everyone got settled, Ann Fahy-Gust took the stage (or, well, chair in this case) and taught us all How to Taste Beer Like a Pro. Greg and I have been at this beer tasting stuff for a little while now, so some of it was a review. But we learned a lot, too! Like what temperature different beers should ideally be served at. And that dark beers are often "lighter" than light beers. (Guinness does sit on top of Blue Moon or cider when you order a Black and Blue or Snakebite.) </div>
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As our tasting glasses got filled up with different Broad Street brews, we all observed the different aspects of beer. Haziness and transparency. Head and lacing. Hops and malts. How you should actually sniff your beer with a "little rabbit nose" rather than take a big smell of it. (Rapid little sniffs help you tap into the fragrance better.) And how even the darkest beers can be seen through if you tilt the glass. (There was a hilarious moment when everyone tipped their glasses of Black Porter and <i>Ooooh'ed</i> at being able to see through the dark beer. Really wish I could have caught that on video!)</div>
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Lots of beer, lots of beer talk, and lots of laughter – we had an absolute blast in this little Reinbeck Brewery and can't wait to go back.</div>
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Thanks for the great time and great beer, <a href="http://broadstreetbrewing.com/">Broad Street Brewing Co</a>!<br />
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Give<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Broad-Street-Brewing-Co/129310887127345"> Broad Street Brewing Co. "like" on Facebook</a> to keep up with their events and brew news.</div>
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Jessica • The Lovely Sidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18169450993520474555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214617044731695902.post-10587504420372696962013-11-05T12:20:00.001-06:002013-11-05T12:20:33.105-06:00Brewery Roadtrip | Part 3: Great River Brewery in Davenport, IA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our final stop on the little Quad Cities brewery roadtrip was <a href="http://greatriverbrewery.com/">Great River Brewery</a> in Davenport. I'd experienced a bit of Great River though our beer tasting travels. Sadly they were out of the Dos Pistolas beer that Jess and I sampled at Brew in the 'Loo and both LOVED. Happily, they'd just tapped a new beer. I can't say this phrase ever came out of my mouth before Great River came into my life... I love Big Cock! Big Cock IPA, that is. It was a little too much fun to come up with all of the Big Cock jokes we could think of. All joking aside, the beer was really hoppy and pretty delicious.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great River Brewery, all decked out for fall.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They'd just tapped Big Cock IPA the day before while we were at Front Street.</td></tr>
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We enjoyed a flight of <a href="http://greatriverbrewery.com/">Great River</a>'s beers, then proceeded to drink some our favorites. For me, the winner of the day was Redband Stout, a milk stout flavored with coffee. I can't get over how cool and cute (I know, weird word for beer glasses) the can-shaped glasses at Great River were. I might have to purchase one or two next time we visit. (And hopefully they'll have that delicious Dos Pistolas back on tap!)</div>
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<a href="http://greatriverbrewery.com/">Great River</a> concluded a weekend filled to the brim with beer. We had a great, laidback time putting back a few brews at their bar, chatting with a few locals, and hearing all about the crazy Big Cock tapping party that had gone on the day before. Sounds like we missed out on a wild time, but I think our weekend couldn't have worked out more perfectly. Each brewery really had its own soul. And every one of them had fantastic beer. And fantastic beer is, of course, what we're always on the lookout for.</div>
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Check out first and second stops: <a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/2013/11/brewery-roadtrip-part-1-front-street.html">Front Street Brewery</a></div>
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in Davenport and <a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/2013/11/brewery-roadtrip-part-2-bent-river.html">Bent River Brewing Company</a> in Moline!</div>
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<i>Get in touch if you'd like to meet 'n' drink or write a guest post!</i></div>
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Jessica • The Lovely Sidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18169450993520474555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214617044731695902.post-7218711682284257812013-11-05T12:20:00.000-06:002013-11-05T12:20:03.767-06:00Brewery Roadtrip | Part 2: Bent River Brewing in Moline, IL<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The second brewery stop on our little roadtrip awaited us across the Mississippi in Moline, Illinois. Spoiler alert! This brewery turned out to be our favorite of the three we visited! Immediately upon stepping foot in the place, we felt right at home at <a href="http://bentriverbrewing.com/">Bent River Brewing Company</a>. It's one of those eclectic downtown drinking establishments that we just can't resist pulling up a stool at the bar, settling in with a few pints, and chatting about beer with locals and visitors alike. If we lived here, you can bet we'd be here <i>all the time</i>.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shiny fermenters right in front of us!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXeWedNI7AWHK6kNYUsobErwn4YaKy7krDoxsL-C-dmKqCsxnK32OwiRf0Vq9NqBu6ZeUL7A_RPXcDDqOWTy1kZgupi26gGZPRkWIsX1A_O6FnTuj0hwbGgLq6xVs9VkVcONuRaklsMOM/s1600/g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: start;"><img border="0" height="66" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXeWedNI7AWHK6kNYUsobErwn4YaKy7krDoxsL-C-dmKqCsxnK32OwiRf0Vq9NqBu6ZeUL7A_RPXcDDqOWTy1kZgupi26gGZPRkWIsX1A_O6FnTuj0hwbGgLq6xVs9VkVcONuRaklsMOM/s200/g.jpg" width="70" /></a>We nabbed a couple seats at the bar right in front of all the fermentation and wort tanks. It was the first time we'd been up close and personal with brewing equipment. Most places seem to contain it in a different room or at least behind glass. The bartender was happy to tell us all about the tanks... and the beer they brewed in them. Speaking of beer, <a href="http://bentriverbrewing.com/">Bent River</a>'s Uncommon Stout is AMAZING! Do you like coffee? I don’t and I love this beer! Jess <i>does </i>and she loves this beer! The brewers here take the nasty bitterness out of coffee and leave a very strong yet pleasant coffee taste. We tried three of their other beers in a flight, too, but that Uncommon Stout was without a doubt the champion of the brewery.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beer flight at Bent River!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtr0NQxC0LmnO-umLb-jgVxcdu-Y1LRjpR5V0DXwgqVBBqaKyTYuSxrA0Tl5EyWnJjTORM1CoQ3_rCdN0PhuQpt2xfSPuFPmdbtKgVjiQYLnqG50mq-LslJGUtPLD3nTtsbZJpqOIaN9A/s1600/735f3d723e9111e3898c22000ab5c5cc_8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtr0NQxC0LmnO-umLb-jgVxcdu-Y1LRjpR5V0DXwgqVBBqaKyTYuSxrA0Tl5EyWnJjTORM1CoQ3_rCdN0PhuQpt2xfSPuFPmdbtKgVjiQYLnqG50mq-LslJGUtPLD3nTtsbZJpqOIaN9A/s640/735f3d723e9111e3898c22000ab5c5cc_8.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I was no stranger to the deliciousness of Bent River's Uncommon Stout. I'd had the pleasure of trying a bottle of it at Old Chicago back in Ames about a year ago. However, I'd heard very good things about how amazing it is on tap. It was suggested that I take my Uncommon pint with a splash of their raspberry wheat beer. Well, I fell head over heels for that raspberry-coffee concoction. (No, not in a drunken stupor kinda way... in a head-over-heels-in-love kinda way.) When our stomachs started growling, we decided to stay and eat. I'm glad we did. Besides having top notch beer, Bent River serves up seriously scrumptious fare. Greg devoured the chicken strips, while I reveled in a burger on a pretzel bun and mouthwatering mashed potatoes covered in quite possible the best gravy I've ever had. </div>
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A guy sitting next to us at the bar ordered up an Uncommon Car Bomb. An Uncommon Stout take on the traditional car bomb, I couldn't resist ordering myself one. It was like a milky sugary coffee bomb. If any of you have the option, go try it. It is pretty darn delicious! The company and atmosphere of Bent River did not disappoint. As the night went on, the place filled up with locals, other first-timers, and even a wedding party!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPudnY6WYC_Z6nXXoKcCDOUYThB4hMwUQ6nJzDGl-pZtGN5LyiJvmIGeSq820MTzu_Pl8-QtHprWAXGbb68-5_wQ4yaO6Io6sqY2tJcJboB-A-WMBhEWXRan7XN3-ha-264IQWfLeoxIU/s1600/j.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="67" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPudnY6WYC_Z6nXXoKcCDOUYThB4hMwUQ6nJzDGl-pZtGN5LyiJvmIGeSq820MTzu_Pl8-QtHprWAXGbb68-5_wQ4yaO6Io6sqY2tJcJboB-A-WMBhEWXRan7XN3-ha-264IQWfLeoxIU/s200/j.jpg" width="70" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://bentriverbrewing.com/">Bent River</a> was an all-around fantastic experience that we just can't stop talking about. Great food, great beer, great people, great bartenders and service, and a great atmosphere all came together to make it an unforgettable place that we really didn't want to leave. Bent River also has a new brewery facility on Rock Island. We didn't hit it up on this trip, but we're planning a trip back for BOTH <a href="http://bentriverbrewing.com/">Bent River</a> locations very soon. Guess we just can't stay away from that Uncommon Stout. ;)</div>
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After <a href="http://bentriverbrewing.com/">Bent River</a>, we went back to Davenport to cheer on the Red Sox in the hotel bar and get a good night's sleep before visiting the final brewery on our list: Great River.</div>
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Check out our first stop at <a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/2013/11/brewery-roadtrip-part-1-front-street.html">Front Street Brewery</a></div>
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and our final roadtrip stop at <a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/2013/11/brewery-roadtrip-part-3-great-river.html">Great River Brewery</a>.</div>
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Jessica • The Lovely Sidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18169450993520474555noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214617044731695902.post-52059911833174126742013-11-05T12:19:00.000-06:002013-11-05T12:19:34.415-06:00Brewery Roadtrip | Part 1: Front Street Brewery in Davenport, IA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdiTYKWMyNpgwuVdbsEzs9-Axxi-Gn1nr76TAx1-qGmv78QZ1SZuUNsRHBYRPTcCk6IBzTglm9eQYp8FuPSRQnyf7AmIqvF_7gK01CH9gBmiFYBJxVABJa3_arwLnZ0Q5Zh6OkUE_hyphenhyphenlE/s1600/bdc3009c3e8211e387d122000a1faff1_8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdiTYKWMyNpgwuVdbsEzs9-Axxi-Gn1nr76TAx1-qGmv78QZ1SZuUNsRHBYRPTcCk6IBzTglm9eQYp8FuPSRQnyf7AmIqvF_7gK01CH9gBmiFYBJxVABJa3_arwLnZ0Q5Zh6OkUE_hyphenhyphenlE/s640/bdc3009c3e8211e387d122000a1faff1_8.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXeWedNI7AWHK6kNYUsobErwn4YaKy7krDoxsL-C-dmKqCsxnK32OwiRf0Vq9NqBu6ZeUL7A_RPXcDDqOWTy1kZgupi26gGZPRkWIsX1A_O6FnTuj0hwbGgLq6xVs9VkVcONuRaklsMOM/s1600/g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="66" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXeWedNI7AWHK6kNYUsobErwn4YaKy7krDoxsL-C-dmKqCsxnK32OwiRf0Vq9NqBu6ZeUL7A_RPXcDDqOWTy1kZgupi26gGZPRkWIsX1A_O6FnTuj0hwbGgLq6xVs9VkVcONuRaklsMOM/s200/g.jpg" width="70" /></a>On the weekend of October 26 and 27, the lovely lady and I took a somewhat spontaneous mini roadtrip to the Quad Cities for three breweries. The first of these was <a href="http://www.frontstreetbrew.com/" target="_blank">Front Street Brewery</a> in Davenport. We'd hadn't heard of Front Street before looking up breweries in the area and we couldn't recall trying any of their beer at festivals either. We were in for a treat!</div>
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Though we took a little detour and walked almost right up to the building the first time before turning around and accidentally walking in the other direction, we finally arrived at Front Street. Its interior was warm and cozy: full of exposed brick, industrial light fixtures, old time Davenport photographs, and beautiful, burnished wood finishes. The place oozed historical charm. Definitely my kind of hangout.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Beer, now there's a temporary solution." - Homer Simpson (Wise words, my man.)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When faced with picking beers at Front Street, we just had to go with a flight!</td></tr>
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We commenced our little visit with a sample of Front Street's eight beers. The flight provided lots a variety in style. (Of course, we had to "tap in" every single beer on Untappd. You can add us as fellow beer buddies on the app: <a href="https://untappd.com/user/yeastloveandhoppiness_jess">yeastloveandhoppiness_jess</a> and <a href="https://untappd.com/user/yeastloveandhoppiness_greg">yeastloveandhoppiness_greg</a>.) The food menu (and smell of other diners' meals) was enticing! We weren't hungry enough for supper yet, but I had to munch on a salty, soft pretzel dipped in a delicious jalapeno cheese sauce. Next time we go back, I'm going with an empty stomach and chowing down on their beer mussels.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tasty pretzel and delicious jalapeno cheddar dipping sauce.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.frontstreetbrew.com/" target="_blank">Front Street</a> really impressed us. Being a small restaurant, brewpub type of business, it fondly reminded us of our favorite brewery Olde Main... just smaller and cozier. The flight showcased some really good beers, but we definitely had our favorites that came out on top. My favorite was the seasonal Oktoberfest. Jess loved the Bucktown Stout, which is named for a notorious red light district that occupied the neighborhood some 100 years ago. Beer and a history lesson!<br />
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Thanks for the tasty, cozy welcome to Davenport, <a href="http://www.frontstreetbrew.com/">Front Street</a>! :)<br />
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After finishing off our pints of Oktoberfest and Bucktown Stout, we ventured across the Mississippi River to our second stop: Bent River in Moline, Illinois.<br />
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Check out our next two stops: <a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/2013/11/brewery-roadtrip-part-2-bent-river.html">Bent River Brewing Co.</a>, then<a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/2013/11/brewery-roadtrip-part-3-great-river.html"> Great River Brewery</a>.</div>
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Jessica • The Lovely Sidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18169450993520474555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214617044731695902.post-78281839821793534262013-10-29T12:31:00.000-05:002013-11-04T09:46:57.200-06:006-Pack | Pick Six Beers for Autumn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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"When the chill northeast wind blows, And winter tells a heavy tale, When pyes and dawes and doobes and crowes Do sit and curse the frostes and snowes, Then give me ale."</div>
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The snow isn't here yet, but cold weather beer season is. That 16th century English verse was spot on. On these increasingly crisp days and chilly nights, give us ale... or a lager. 'Tis the season for smoky porters and rich, smooth stouts. On cozy nights in, we like to hit up a store that lets us "Pick Six." We each pick three beers for a six-pack and settle in for a night of beer-drinking and Netflix-binge-watching. So we rounded up our six favorite craft and import beers to enjoy this fall.</div>
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If we could put together our own autumn six-pack, this would be it:</div>
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I let Greg pick first. And turns out, he ended up nabbing <i>my </i>favorites for <i>his </i>list! (But hey! Great minds drink alike, right?) Greg's side of our autumn six-pack would include:</div>
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<b style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://weihenstephaner.de/site.php?lang=eng" target="_blank">Weihenstephaner Korbinian</a></b><b> - </b>Roasted malts, toasted cocoa, dark fruits, and tasty toffee come together in this dark, delicious doppelbock that wins out as Jess' all-time favorite. There's nothing exceptionally "seasonal" about this beer, but it's a solid, slightly sweet dark beer to keep you warm on cold nights. Speaking of warm, Korbinian improves as its temperature warms. It's just as (if not more) tasty at room temperature than it is chilled. Our preferred method of consumption is, of course, das boot. Prost to the Germans for this great doppelbock.<br />
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<b><a href="http://bentriverbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Bent River Uncommon Stout</a></b><span style="font-weight: bold;"> -</span> This java beer is truly set apart from the rest. It's exploding with coffee taste... and I love it. (You won't hear that from me about a coffee-flavored beer very often.) We just happened to take a trip to Bent River and taste this dark beauty on tap, but more details about that are on the way in an upcoming blog post. Uncommon Stout is deep, dark, and delicious. And when you add a splash of Bent River's Raspberry Wheat, well... it's darn right decadent. </div>
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<b><a href="http://www.oldemainbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Olde Main Brewing Reindeer Fuel</a></b> - The brewer of this beer holds a special place in our hearts. Located back in our college town of Ames, it's our favorite craft brewery. (It's also where we first hung out just the two of us! Awww.) Jess couldn't get enough of this seasonal chocolate porter last winter. Somehow, I missed out on it the entire time I lived in Ames. She raved about it and I finally got to taste it at the Festival of Iowa Beers in downtown Des Moines this past summer. Chocolatey goodness plus a super subtle hint of (dare I say) peppermint... it was freaking fantastic! It's like the holidays all bundled up into one delicious beer.</div>
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Even though he <strike>stole</strike> borrowed my fall faves, I still have some others in mind for my side of the six-pack. To complete our autumnal "Pick Six," I'd have to include:</div>
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<b style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.samuelsmithsbrewery.co.uk/" target="_blank">Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout</a> </b><b>- </b>On cold autumn nights, I love curling up on the couch and spending quality time with my beloved Samuel Smith. (I think Greg will understand.) Of all the wonderfully rich imperial stouts and porters I've had the pleasure of tasting, this one rings out as a go-to favorite. (Sam Smith knows his stuff.) Black, creamy, and complex, this imperial stout comes on strong and finishes smooth.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.tallgrassbeer.com/" target="_blank">Tallgrass Brewing Zombie Monkie</a> </b>- This is a new beer to my autumn arsenal. A robust porter filled with the flavor of roasty malts and dark chocolate, it's rich, delicious, and ideal for fall afternoons. All tastiness aside, I also have to commend Zombie Monkie for their super cool can designs. </div>
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<b><a href="http://stillwaterales.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Stillwater Artisanal Folklore</a> </b>- I'm a big, big fan of anything by Stillwater Artisinal (especially their saisons), but this mythic traditional ale that I tried last weekend has become my new Stillwater favorite. It's a Belgian Strong Dark Ale (yum!) that's deep, dark, rich, slightly smokey, and reminiscient of my beloved Weihenstephaner Korbinian (though a little heavier on the finish and not as wonderful when it hits room temperature). Still, it's a perfect beer to turn into an autumn drinking tradition.</div>
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What six beers would you consider your go-to fall favorites? </div>
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Jessica • The Lovely Sidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18169450993520474555noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214617044731695902.post-4180444829864630312013-10-22T12:12:00.001-05:002013-10-29T12:32:21.973-05:006-Pack | A Notebook for Every Beer Lover<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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While we live in a day and age of handy dandy smart phone apps like <a href="http://www.beercitizen.com/" target="_blank">Beer Citizen</a>, <a href="http://www.ratebeer.com/" target="_blank">RateBeer</a>, <a href="http://www.taphunter.com/" target="_blank">TapHunter</a>, and <a href="https://untappd.com/" target="_blank">Untappd </a>(speaking of which, you should add both <a href="https://untappd.com/user/yeastloveandhoppiness_jess" target="_blank">me </a>and <a href="https://untappd.com/user/yeastloveandhoppiness_greg" target="_blank">Greg </a>as your friend)... there's still something to be said for a good old fashioned notebook.</div>
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My beer adventures began with a simple $6 address book, in which I jotted down the Appearance, Smell, Taste, Mouthfeel, and Overall Impression of beers that I organized in alphabetical order by brewery. But these beer-dedicated booklets put my little red notebook to shame.</div>
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With Christmas looming in the not-so-far off future, it might be time to start thinking about the beer lover on your list. Whether they're a cultured beer consumer who has been around the block of breweries a few times, a beginning beer taster embarking on their early adventures on the craft beer scene, or a beer aficionado dabbling in (or diving into) homebrewing, there's a notebook out there to record everything.</div>
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6-Pack posts are roundups of our favorite beer-related things. For this 6-Pack, we rounded up 6 notebooks for beer lovers. Whether it's Christmas, a birthday, or a little "just because" gift, these 6 booklets have our stamp of approval!</div>
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For the going-green beer guzzler.</div>
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1. <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/MADEbyQ?section_id=8136199" target="_blank">Recycled Beer Notebooks</a> - $12</div>
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For the friend that loves to reduce, reuse, and recycle, reward them for their environmental thoughtfulness by giving them a 100% recycled, handmade notebook made from 6-pack carriers. This Etsy crafter makes each notebook with 50 pages of 100% recycled paper and a nifty envelope pocket on the inside. The empty pages are ideal for jotting down beer notes and the envelope is a great place to stash ticket stubs from brew festivals. And revamped 6-pack carriers? We think that's 100% awesome.</div>
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For the classy craft beer connoisseur.</div>
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2. <a href="http://www.moleskine.com/us/collections/model/product/beer-journal" target="_blank">Moleskin Beer Journal</a> - $20</div>
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It doesn't much more classy than a classic Moleskin notebook, and now they've introduced a special journal just for beer. The suave, discerning beer snob in your life will appreciate the 5 themed sections and 5 tabbled sections to personalize and organize to their heart's content. Included in this sleek booklet is a beer glossery, pouring tips, and notes on glass types so they can whip it out and impress their friends. Throw in the tasting notes, homebrew log, recipe space, favorite address section, blank pages for comments, and 202 adhesive labels, your connoisseur will be prepared for anything and everything.</div>
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For the brew fest-going beer geek.</div>
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3. <a href="http://www.33books.com/products/33-bottles-of-beer" target="_blank">33 Bottles of Beer</a> - $4</div>
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This powerful, pocket-sized journal is perfect for the beer-fest goer hopping around from town to town, brewery to brewery, festival to festival. Designed for beer geeks by beer geeks, the journal provides an easy and speedy way to keep track of beer tasting. It's as simple as checking a few boxes and jotting down a few basic facts so that the beer geek can get back to tasting all those brews without worrying about forgetting their festival favorites.</div>
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4. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Homebrew-Journal-Ingredients-Observations/dp/0760345899?tag=polyvore006-20" target="_blank">The Homebrew Journal</a> - $18</div>
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For the creative, crafty homebrewer.</div>
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When the time has come for the brew lover to venture out on his (or her!) own, this journal guides the way. It provides handy templates for the homebrewer to record 50 batches of brewing activities. From the name to the recipe to the bottling day, there are separate grids for grains, hops, adjuncts, yeasts, and costs, plus fields and checkboxes for IBUs, original and final gravity, ABV, water type and amount, boil temps and durations, and more. The homebrewer may brew and brew to their heart's content with generous space for additional notes and helpful calculations in the appendixes. </div>
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For the fun, free-spirited fan of beers. </div>
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5. <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/glass_of_beer_1_notebook-130074186778370854" target="_blank">Glass of Beer Notebook</a> - $16</div>
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Sometimes all you need is a glass of beer. Forget the fuss and focus on fun with this 80-page, spiral-bound notebook. It's simple, but we must say that those bubbles are quite stunning. Best of all, it's versatile enough for any beer lover to scribble down anything from beer reviews to beer festival dates to homebrew recipes to beer blogging ideas. When it comes to beer, more really is more. And this notebook can be used for more options than any others. Cheers!</div>
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For the brand new brew newbie.</div>
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6. <a href="http://www.kegworks.com/little-book-of-beer-tasting-journal-notebook-1478-p178214" target="_blank">Little Book of Beer Tasting</a> - $4</div>
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It may be small, but this tiny booklet packs a big punch. This pocket-sized tasting notes journal has room for recording important info for about 15 beers. Each space includes a template for brewery name, beer ABV, balance of tastes, and much more. The helpful template introduces newbies to thetelements of beer tasting. It's the perfect tasting notebook for a beginning beer lover to get their toes wet in the big, wide world of craft beer. Plus, it's made in the USA with 100% post-consumer recycled material and 100% renewable green energy. (So your eco-conscious buddy might dig this one, too.)</div>
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I have my heart set on that 33 Bottles of Beer one, but I'd gladly take one of each! Which beer booklet seems to have been made for you? And what do you use currently to record your beer tasting escapades?</div>
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Jessica • The Lovely Sidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18169450993520474555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214617044731695902.post-1927946496642541772013-10-17T13:03:00.000-05:002013-10-18T09:12:23.376-05:00Cedar Rapids Beer Nuts Homebrew Festival Benz Beverage Depot | Cedar Rapids, IA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn8Qhno9G1nv861dc9TQcN3jJBZgWuVXZue2jtiUjOj20CDAeWcWr8eBSAOnWpFsUHxk0owifPufu-RfzMDx6a8Ruz37ToAj6TRzmHv9jtwjHsxdxbhZgZcv-n8ZDl2dPIbIPQXbZ4384/s1600/1381277_10201212881982356_1062311420_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn8Qhno9G1nv861dc9TQcN3jJBZgWuVXZue2jtiUjOj20CDAeWcWr8eBSAOnWpFsUHxk0owifPufu-RfzMDx6a8Ruz37ToAj6TRzmHv9jtwjHsxdxbhZgZcv-n8ZDl2dPIbIPQXbZ4384/s640/1381277_10201212881982356_1062311420_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPudnY6WYC_Z6nXXoKcCDOUYThB4hMwUQ6nJzDGl-pZtGN5LyiJvmIGeSq820MTzu_Pl8-QtHprWAXGbb68-5_wQ4yaO6Io6sqY2tJcJboB-A-WMBhEWXRan7XN3-ha-264IQWfLeoxIU/s1600/j.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPudnY6WYC_Z6nXXoKcCDOUYThB4hMwUQ6nJzDGl-pZtGN5LyiJvmIGeSq820MTzu_Pl8-QtHprWAXGbb68-5_wQ4yaO6Io6sqY2tJcJboB-A-WMBhEWXRan7XN3-ha-264IQWfLeoxIU/s1600/j.jpg" /></a>On Saturday afternoon, we ventured out into the gorgeous fall weather to the second annual <a href="http://www.crbeernuts.org/" target="_blank">Cedar Rapids Beer Nuts Homebrew Festival</a>. After all the European beers we sampled at <a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/2013/10/brewnost-cedar-rapids-ia.html" target="_blank">BrewNost </a>the night before, we were excited to put them in contrast to some Iowa homebrews.<br />
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The first festival of its kind in Iowa, there was no commercial beer served. Homebrews only! Greg and I have had an interest in homebrews for a while now, but haven't had the opportunity to taste any. So this was a treat!<br />
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The event took place at <a href="http://www.benzbeveragedepot.com/" target="_blank">Benz Beverage Depot</a> in downtown Cedar Rapids. This was also our first trip to Benz, which will definitely become our go-to Cedar Rapids hot spot for buying beer. Outside the store, beer tents and food vendors were set up and the band Randomonium played. Proceeds from the event benefited <a href="http://www.pintsforprostates.org/" target="_blank">Pints for Prostrates</a>. (Cheers to drinking beer for a good cause!)<br />
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I wasn't sure what to expect from homebrews, but it was love at first sip. I was really impressed with the quality of beers and range of creativity in making them. Greg and I love these kind of events where you can get up close and personal with the beers by talking to the person who actually brewed it. We like to soak up the beer knowledge! One brewer had an especially educational table where he showcased the differences in yeast. Tasters got to sample two wheat beers that were exactly the same in everything except for the yeast, and then sample two blonde beers that were exactly the same in everything except for the yeast. We've known the difference that hops makes, but it was really great to taste the yeast differences.</div>
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As far as favorites went, five brews really stood out to me.</div>
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<b>The Ol' Twig & Cherries </b>(brewed by: Adam Ross, MUGZ) was a silky smooth and just-decadent-enough beer that tasted of delicious cherries. The <b>2% Chocolate Milk Stout </b>(brewed by Adam Ross, MUGZ) was a scrumptious, chocolate-flavored stout that tasted like dark chocolate, perfectly balanced between sweet and bitter. </div>
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While I'm not usually a fan of lemon beers (particularly shandies), the <b>Lemon Party</b> (brewed by Steven Prochaska, Cedar Rapids Beer Nuts) won my taste buds over as a double dry hopped citra saison with coriander. Yum, yum, and yum. I'm a sucker for saisons, hops, and coriander. It was a lemony-delish, hoppy saison and so refreshing. </div>
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I didn't think I'd like the <b>Sweet Tater</b> beer (brewed by Tom Tapp, Cedar Rapids Beer Nuts), but I was proven wrong. Turns out, sweet potato and spices churn out a delicious taste similar to pumpkin beers. And lastly, I really enjoyed the <b>Iowa Honey Saison</b> (brewed by David Scheil, CRAZE). I can't resist a good saison and I loved the honey undertones over this one.</div>
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I liked almost everything I tried. There were just a few that aren't generally a style I'm fond of anyway. Looking at the <a href="http://crbeernuts.herokuapp.com/" target="_blank">complete list of beers</a> that were there, it's clear that I did not try enough of them! </div>
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Let's hear from Greg...</div>
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At the home brew event, the entire time I was wanting to buy the stuff I tried. Then immediately I realized I couldn't. There were some phenomenal beers there that I did not expect from small batch homebrewing. My top pick was a chocolate mint beer! Yeah, you read that right. Chocolate mint. It was like drinking a girl scout cookie. I'm usually not huge fan of beers like that (especially ones with a lot of chocolate flavor), but this one was done really well. </blockquote>
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The event and all those beers got me very interested in homebrewing. I'm not sure if I'm actually going to do it yet, but it might be fun. </blockquote>
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Greg liking a chocolate beer?! As the girl that consistently gives Greg a sip of her beer and sees his nose wrinkle a bit as he mutters something about it being too chocolately... that homebrewer was definitely doing something the right. The chocolate mint beer was soooo delicious! In fact, I think it wins as overall favorite of the day.</div>
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After spending Friday night at <a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/2013/10/brewnost-cedar-rapids-ia.html" target="_blank">BrewNost </a>and Saturday afternoon at the Homebrew Festival, we loaded up on a mix-and-match six-pack of beer and cider from Benz Beverage Depot to drink on Sunday afternoon and round off our weekend full of beer. As Greg so eloquently put it: Good beer and lovely company made a wonderful weekend! Way to make a girl blush! ;)<br />
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Give the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CedarRapidsBeerNutsHomebrewClub" target="_blank">Cedar Rapids Beer Nuts Homebrew Club</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Benz-Beverage-Depot/33523079519" target="_blank">Benz Beverage Depot</a> a "like" on Facebook to stay up to date on their news and events.</div>
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<i>Get in touch if you'd like to meet 'n' drink or write a guest post!</i></div>
<br />Jessica • The Lovely Sidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18169450993520474555noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214617044731695902.post-13297023490456241022013-10-16T10:05:00.000-05:002013-10-18T11:53:54.718-05:00BrewNost | Cedar Rapids, IA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I don't usually kiss and tell, but thanks to smooching das boot and the 90 likes that followed... I won a ticket to <a href="http://brewnost.com/" target="_blank">BrewNost</a> at the <a href="http://www.ncsml.org/" target="_blank">National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library</a>! (A big, big thank you and cheers to all those who gave my photo a like on Facebook.)</div>
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Of course, I needed a date and didn't dare leave Greg out of the beer-drinking festivities. So we made sure to buy him a ticket. When we arrived at the museum on Friday evening, the Czech and Slovak Museum was all aglow with red and orange lights.<br />
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<b>Beautiful autumn night? Czech.</b></div>
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It couldn't have been a more perfect night to spend outside near the river. Warm enough to enjoy the beautiful outdoors, and just cool enough to sport a sweater or jacket... it was a lovely night with a clear night sky and crisp breeze.</div>
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<b>Fantastic venue? Czech.</b></div>
The gorgeous <a href="http://www.ncsml.org/" target="_blank">National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library</a> (which Greg and I have been meaning to visit but saving for a rainy day or winter weather) was a stunning and spacious venue for the event. Tables were set up both inside the main hall and banquet room of the museum, as well as outside on the patios and in a tent.<br />
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<b>Delicious foods? Czech.</b></div>
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Sauerkraut, potatoes, smoked salmon on wild rice, pulled pork, caprese sticks, and several tasty little morsels that I can't even remember the names of. Cookies, cakes, and other sweet treats. There was no shortage of delicious tidbits to enjoy throughout the evening, all prepared by area restaurants.</div>
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<b>Fun entertainment? Czech.</b></div>
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A band playing in the tent, strongman / beer toss / and beer slide games to play, a small slice of the museum (including the gift shop) to browse. Greg felt extra manly all night because he dinged the bell multiple times on one of those hammer-swing, strength tester games. He also won a pretty nifty bottle opener for sliding a liter of beer down a table without spilling. What a champ!</div>
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<b>Good people? Czech.</b></div>
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People of all ages came together at this event. We love love love talking beer - sharing our favorites, swapping opinions, and, of course, learning about beer from others. It's always great to make new friends in the process, too! :)</div>
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<b>Whiskey, wine, and beer? Czech, czech, and CZECH!</b></div>
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And of course, our cups runneth over with all the beer to try. Beer from around the world, beer from across the US, and even beer from right here in Cedar Rapids: the much anticipated Lion Bridge Brewery brewed a beer especially for the event. There was also wine, whiskey, and mead to be tasted. But about that Lion Bridge brew...</div>
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<b>First taste of Lion Bridge Brewing Company beer? Czech!</b></div>
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In Spring 2014, a new brewery is set to open up in my favorite Cedar Rapids neighborhood: the Czech Village. And we cannot wait! <a href="http://www.lionbridgebrewing.com/" target="_blank">Lion Bridge Brewing</a> owner and brewmaster Quinton McClain (whom we had the delight of meeting at <a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/2013/10/oktoberfest-in-amana-brats-bier-and.html" target="_blank">Oktoberfest </a>last weekend) custom-brewed Živá Voda specially for the event and it turned out to be one of our favorites of the night. We look forward to tasting more from <a href="http://www.lionbridgebrewing.com/" target="_blank">Lion Bridge</a> in the not so distant future.</div>
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<b>Trip for 2 to Prague?! Czech! (Just kidding...)</b></div>
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Prague is in my top five of places I'm longing to visit (just after England, Ireland, and Italy). Since I won the Facebook contest, I thought I'd try my luck at a raffle. We both bought tickets for the Prague trip raffle, but some very lucky person won. Someday, someday... ;)</div>
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BrewNost was a fantastic event. With the beautiful venue, array of food, and variety of imported beers, it was unlike any beer event we've attended so far. We're definitely planning on a day to browse the museum and next year we'll be purchasing tickets to attend BrewNost again. It's a great event for Cedar Rapids and makes me proud and excited to be a new resident at such a great time. </div>
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Be sure to like <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BrewNost" target="_blank">BrewNost</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/National-Czech-Slovak-Museum-Library/97687943939" target="_blank">The National Czech and Slovak Museum</a>, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lion-Bridge-Brewing-Company/346615768776987" target="_blank">Lion Bridge Brewing Company </a>on Facebook to follow news and updates.</div>
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<i>Get in touch if you'd like to meet 'n' drink or write a guest post!</i></div>
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Jessica • The Lovely Sidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18169450993520474555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214617044731695902.post-88636708035435172502013-10-15T10:23:00.003-05:002013-10-16T10:07:48.962-05:00Guest Post | Beer FestivalLittle Giant Beer Summit @ El Bait Shop | Des Moines, IA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Please welcome one of our favorite fellow craft beer scene couples to Yeast, Love, & Hoppiness. While Greg and I were donning our <a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/2013/10/diy-oktoberfest-garb-dirndl-lederhosen.html" target="_blank">lederhosen and dirndl</a> and <a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/2013/10/oktoberfest-in-amana-brats-bier-and.html" target="_blank">drinking bier at Oktoberfest in the Amanas</a>, DSM brew-loving duo Jason and Ash were indulging in Iowa craft beer at the Little Giant Beer Summit at El Bait Shop in downtown Des Moines.<span style="font-size: x-small;"> (Photo above from <a href="http://elbaitshop.com/" target="_blank">El Bait Shop</a>.)</span> And here's how it all went down...</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Guest Post | Little Giant Beer Summit</span></div>
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by Jason Scholbrock (add us on <a href="https://untappd.com/" target="_blank">Untappd </a>– <a href="https://untappd.com/user/ashbrux" target="_blank">Ash </a>& <a href="https://untappd.com/user/jscholbrock" target="_blank">Jason</a>)</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">Saturday, October 5</span><sup style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">th</sup><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"> was one of those perfectly crisp autumn days. Cool air and a slight breeze. Perfect weather for a beer festival – just not the fall festival you’re thinking of! </span><a href="http://elbaitshop.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; text-align: start;" target="_blank">El Bait Shop</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">, quite possibly the greatest beer bar in the world, hosted the “Little Giant Beer Summit” touting their parking lot festival as the “home to the largest selection of Iowa beer in one place, ever.” It lived up to the hype! </span></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">My wife, </span><a href="https://twitter.com/ashbrux" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; text-align: start;" target="_blank">Ash</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">, and I are avid craft beer consumers and huge proponents of buying (or in this case, drinking) local. We were very excited for the Little Giant because we would get to try some brews that are rarely found in our Central Iowa stomping grounds (e.g. </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/GuerrillaBrewingCo" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; text-align: start;" target="_blank">Guerrilla</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">, </span><a href="http://www.cibbrewery.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; text-align: start;" target="_blank">C.I.B.</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">, </span><a href="http://broadstreetbrewing.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; text-align: start;" target="_blank">Broad Street</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">, </span><a href="http://www.singlespeedbrewing.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; text-align: start;" target="_blank">SingleSpeed</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">). There were also a few very new breweries on display (</span><a href="http://www.newamericanbeer.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; text-align: start;" target="_blank">New American</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">, </span><a href="http://franklinstreetbrewing.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; text-align: start;" target="_blank">Franklin Street</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">, </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kalona-Brewing-Company/441057302602150?ref=br_tf" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; text-align: start;" target="_blank">Kalona</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">, </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/HopHeadsBrewing" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; text-align: start;" target="_blank">Hopheads</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">). In all there were roughly 30 breweries (and many more beers) from Iowa represented.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">One of the sweet commemorative glasses (image courtesy of </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151736656148801&set=a.437221173800.223709.62283018800&type=1&theater" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;" target="_blank">El Bait Shop</a><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">)</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">Now to the beers! Ash loves her hops so she tried the following beers: Iron Horse IPA (</span><a href="http://www.boonevalleybrewing.com/" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;" target="_blank">Boone Valley</a><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">), 10 Foot 10 (</span><a href="http://westobeer.com/" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;" target="_blank">West O</a><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">), Coo Coo Cachoo (Broad Street), Great Pumpkin Imperial Stout (</span><a href="http://www.millstreambrewing.com/" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;" target="_blank">Millstream</a><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">), Citra Pale Ale (New American), Oak-Aged Imperial Red (</span><a href="http://www.madhousebeer.com/" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;" target="_blank">Madhouse</a><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">), Three-Toed Dog Robust Belgian White Ale (</span><a href="http://www.vhbrewing.com/" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;" target="_blank">Van Houzen</a><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">). Standouts for Ash included: the Imperial/Double IPA from West O was outstanding and fruity; the Pumpkin Imperial Stout was “so freaking good”; Madhouses’s Imperial Red was delicious as usual; Van Houzen keeps cranking out tasty high ABV brews; Broad Street and New American had solid first outings but can take a few lessons from their elder brethren. I prefer darker and balanced beers but I am open to try anything. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here is my list: Brewed X2 (SingleSpeed), Double Whammy (Kalona), Great Pumpkin Imperial Stout (Millstream), Dethhanger Quadruple Brown Ale (C.I.B.), No Worries IPA (Hopheads), Chocolate Cherry Brown Ale (Guerrilla),</span><b style="font-family: inherit;"> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Three-Toed Dog Robust Belgian White Ale (Van Houzen). My thoughts on these beers: I enjoyed finally having a SingleSpeed since I’d heard many good things from friends in Cedar Falls; was also good to try something from newbie Kalona; Millstream’s Pumpkin Imperial comes with my highest recommendation (<a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/2013/09/clashing-pumpkins-6-pumpkin-beer-reviews.html" target="_blank">Jessica was spot on</a>) – it’s so delicious, unique, and perfect for this season; C.I.B. always does sours well; Hopheads is off to a good start but they’re diving into a saturated market; really enjoyed talking to the brewmaster from Guerrilla and partaking in his chocolate-cherry brew – complete with caramelizing red-hot poker; Van Houzen always does well with their high-ABV brews.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">The “red-hot poker” caramelizes a delicious Guerrilla brew (photo courtesy of the </span><a href="http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/25/my-take-what-i-learned-from-my-46-day-beer-only-fast/" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;" target="_blank">infamous</a><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">J. Wilson at</span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"> </span><a href="http://brewvana.net/" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;" target="_blank">brewvana</a><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">)</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">All in all, the Little Giant Beer Summit was a huge success full of tasty and rare small-batch local elixirs! I hope it continues as we have plenty of great breweries in our state to feature. Make a trip to</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://www.iowacraftbeertent.com/map.php" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">one near you soon</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">– or make a trip to<a href="http://elbaitshop.com/" target="_blank"> El Bait Shop</a>. Keep supporting these guys and remember to drink local!</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://brewvana.net/?p=2898" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Here is J. Wilson’s take</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">on the Little Giant. Have you been to a beer festival recently? Did you discover a new beer or brewery? Until next drink…CHEERS!</span></div>
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Thanks so much, Jason and Ash! I'm so glad to hear that you dig <a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/2013/09/clashing-pumpkins-6-pumpkin-beer-reviews.html" target="_blank">Millstream's Great Pumpkin Imperial Stout</a> as much as I do. (Greg's not a pumpkin beer fan, but that just leaves more pumpkin stout for me!) </div>
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I have to admit that we're pretty jealous we couldn't be there. Sounds like a great time! But we were getting our Bavarian on and couldn't be in two places at once. That's where brew-lovers like Jason, Ash, and YOU come in! <a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/p/guest-post.html" target="_blank">Write up a guest post</a> for Yeast, Love, & Hoppiness! We're always excited to hear from you. :)</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/p/guest-post.html" target="_blank">Send us</a> your beer reviews, your reasons for loving favorite bars and breweries, and your experiences at beer festivals and events. We'd love to feature you </span>– whether you're Iowa-based, out-of-state, or beyond! Just email us at <a href="mailto:doppelbloggers@gmail.com">doppelbloggers@gmail.com</a>.</div>
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Jessica • The Lovely Sidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18169450993520474555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214617044731695902.post-13164017122380431902013-10-14T09:52:00.002-05:002013-10-14T09:52:36.637-05:00Beer Weekend | We can "barley" describe the fun!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As partners in brew tasting, nothing makes us happier than spending quality time drinking beer together. Date night = beer. Always. As long as there's beer involved, I think Greg will vouch that I'm pretty easy to please. :) So it was a delight to spend nearly our entire weekend trying new beers... especially when the events took place in our own backyard of Cedar Rapids.</div>
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We spent Friday night at BrewNost, Saturday afternoon at the Beer Nuts Homebrew Festival, and followed up Sunday's Fall Festival with a six-pack of new beers to try. </div>
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More details, photos, and separate blog posts to come on our BrewNost and Homebrew Festival experiences. (Here's a clue... both events were awesome!)</div>
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Have you tried any new beers, attended any events, or hung out at a cool bar or brewery lately? <a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/p/guest-post.html" target="_blank">Write a guest post for us</a>! </div>
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Jessica • The Lovely Sidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18169450993520474555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214617044731695902.post-69574210032588398802013-10-10T09:00:00.000-05:002013-10-14T09:46:32.393-05:00Oktoberfest in Amana: Brats, Bier, and Hammerschlagen!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXeWedNI7AWHK6kNYUsobErwn4YaKy7krDoxsL-C-dmKqCsxnK32OwiRf0Vq9NqBu6ZeUL7A_RPXcDDqOWTy1kZgupi26gGZPRkWIsX1A_O6FnTuj0hwbGgLq6xVs9VkVcONuRaklsMOM/s1600/g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXeWedNI7AWHK6kNYUsobErwn4YaKy7krDoxsL-C-dmKqCsxnK32OwiRf0Vq9NqBu6ZeUL7A_RPXcDDqOWTy1kZgupi26gGZPRkWIsX1A_O6FnTuj0hwbGgLq6xVs9VkVcONuRaklsMOM/s200/g.jpg" width="140" /></a>Ever wanted to go to the real Oktoberfest? Me, too. Too bad Germany is all the way on the other side of the world. But next to the town I live in, there's a pretty darn good Oktoberfest celebration. Last year I completely missed it and have been kicking myself ever since. So, Jess and I made it a point not to miss out on the festivities this year. Our buddy Dan even ditched Des Moines for the weekend to join us.</div>
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So what's so great about Oktoberfest? Pretty much everything! Beer, games, food, and costumes. What's not to love?</div>
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Jess and I decided that we were going to<a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/2013/10/diy-oktoberfest-garb-dirndl-lederhosen.html" target="_blank"> try and make our own costumes for Oktoberfest</a> by popping tags at Goodwill and getting crafty. (<a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/2013/10/diy-oktoberfest-garb-dirndl-lederhosen.html" target="_blank">Read more</a> about<a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/2013/10/diy-oktoberfest-garb-dirndl-lederhosen.html" target="_blank"> our DIY lederhosen and dirndl here.</a>) They turned out pretty awesome!</div>
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We spent Friday night hanging out at my apartment, putting the final touches on our costumes, eating the world's best (mine) guacamole, and drinking beer. To kick Oktoberfest off right, Jess and I shared a boot of her favorite Weihenstephaner Korbinian. Good times were had by all! </div>
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The next day, we got up, got costumed up, and headed to the <a href="http://amanacolonies.com/" target="_blank">Amana Colonies</a>. When we arrived, we noticed that there weren't as many people dressed up in lederhosen and dirndls as we'd hoped. That just meant that we got to be some of the cool kids in the crowd that day! And sparked instant comradery between us and our fellow costumed celebrators. The first thing we wanted was food, so we headed straight to the Oktoberfest tents, got hooked up with our tickets, and went inside. We all ended up with a the #1 lunch plate, which got us a brat on a bun, German potato salad, and a cherry or apple strudel. Good food, though the German potato salad paled in comparison to the stuff they serve at Hessen Haus. (That red cabbage really makes a difference in Hessen Haus' mashed version!)</div>
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To wash down our hearty German food, we also had to get our first liter of beer for the day... and it had to be in one of those giant beer mugs! It wouldn't be Oktoberfest without 'em! We filled our mugs up with <a href="http://www.millstreambrewing.com/" target="_blank">Millstream's Oktoberfest</a>. <a href="http://www.yeastloveandhoppiness.com/2013/07/beer-and-brats-festival-at-millstream.html" target="_blank">Millstream</a> brews up some good beer and their Oktoberfest is no exception. (They also make some killer root beer and cream soda, if you're into that sorta thing.)</div>
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After food and beer, we spent some time in the festhalle listening to a band and watching the brat-eating contest. From there we went to the barn for my favorite part of the day: hammerschlagen and the keg toss. Hammerschlagen is a pretty simple game and a lot of fun. Check out <a href="http://www.blogger.com/:%20http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_4EfUU2dGM" target="_blank">how it works here</a>. You have a tree stump, some nails, and wedged hammer. (I can just imagine a bunch of bored, drunk German guys coming up with this game back in the day. Haha!) You go around in a circle, taking turns giving your nail a hit with the wedge edge of the hammer. First one to hit their nail in flush with the stump wins! Jess, Dan, and I all went one round. I actually tied with a lady, so we went on to a one-on-one hammer off. It's really a shot to the man-parts to lose a hammer game to a lady, but she was good.</div>
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After taking second place in hammerschlagen, I had to try to reclaim my dignity in the keg toss. Jess and Dan sat this one out. I did okay with a 15-foot toss. The winner got a 27-foot toss, which is a crazy long way to throw a keg! Another guy accidentally threw his keg into the fence. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrlWOuGC46F2bZEeORsuLWySMaymwzbVQuNvnvCbVvQwkpQaXkDeBMP-UljYw-S0Wq5HsExmQfZrWdO2HBb_R7EbWmeLaop4cYNk-BECDD0ysVNpfOjfx46ClXzgXPwcWP8EyZAQa9ez4/s1600/mosaicd510a925f3caf1eafd99765e31b16952181e36cc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrlWOuGC46F2bZEeORsuLWySMaymwzbVQuNvnvCbVvQwkpQaXkDeBMP-UljYw-S0Wq5HsExmQfZrWdO2HBb_R7EbWmeLaop4cYNk-BECDD0ysVNpfOjfx46ClXzgXPwcWP8EyZAQa9ez4/s640/mosaicd510a925f3caf1eafd99765e31b16952181e36cc.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We returned to the beer tent, filled up our mugs with another liter, and settled in at a picnic table where we had an awesome time meeting and talking beer with other festival-goers and I enjoyed myself another brat. Our Oktoberfest experience was a definite success. </div>
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Next year, would you like a crazy fun time filled with brats, games, and beer? Hit up Oktoberfest in Amana! Be one of the cool kids and dress up. Play a few games of hammerschlagen. And drink some good beer.</div>
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Prost!</div>
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To <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.442534122532497.1073741830.393788760740367&type=1" target="_blank">see all of our photos from Oktoberfest</a>, check out <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.442534122532497.1073741830.393788760740367&type=1" target="_blank">our Oktoberfest album on Facebook</a>!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz8F3u7QleVT0Us8M5I9nj1Tqk0uiUA3j_VCyMEW8JGzt0415PiWp5-MgEv_sJ9RZmyzVJq1Kiotuyrpugy1Y23TvYbHwGena7UNKozvTZ-Z8juYkp9uC4f7i1qrr0RjCpOM7UMaXlPbo/s1600/Untitled-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz8F3u7QleVT0Us8M5I9nj1Tqk0uiUA3j_VCyMEW8JGzt0415PiWp5-MgEv_sJ9RZmyzVJq1Kiotuyrpugy1Y23TvYbHwGena7UNKozvTZ-Z8juYkp9uC4f7i1qrr0RjCpOM7UMaXlPbo/s320/Untitled-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Get in touch if you'd like to meet 'n' drink or write a guest post!</i></div>
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Jessica • The Lovely Sidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18169450993520474555noreply@blogger.com0