Des Moines Craft Beers: Court Avenue Brewery

This beer blog started as an assignment for my digital advertising class. During the semester I posted fairly regularly, but now that the semester is over I'm struggling to decide whether I want to keep blogging or not. And for those of you out there that blog or create content to post on the internet, you know it's hard work. I got pretty burnt out and thought I'd give it a rest for a while. But now I'm back with great beers and breweries to write about and I felt compelled to share these beers with everyone.

This Christmas I visited my family in West  Des Moines. They moved there two years ago and this is the first time I've spent more than just a day visiting. The other night my uncle and I decided to go out and visit breweries in the Des Moines area. This Christmas was a big deal because it marked the first holiday I was old enough to go out and drink and my uncle and I took full advantage of that. Throughout our night we visited three different breweries: Court Avenue Brewery, Exile, and 515 Brewery. I have a lot to say about each one, so I will write 3 posts, each dedicated to a specific brewery. 

Court Avenue Brewery

Court Avenue is a classy restaurant and brewery located at 309 Court Ave in Des Moines, IA. The bar section had a cozy ambiance with modern pop music playing in the background. The key to music in a bar is to have it playing at a level that people can enjoy listening to it, but not have to yell over it and Court Ave had a perfect balance. A few TV's lined the ceiling displaying that night's football game.

I looked at the menu for several minutes before making a decision. All their beers sounded great, but I wanted something a unique. With much deliberation and I picked the "brewers choice" which was an experimental beer called 21st Amendment Ale. One of the better beers I've had the opportunity to enjoy, this ale was aged in whiskey barrels. Poured with a light head, this red hued beer had an aroma of oak and wheat. Starts smooth on the palate with an initial tinge of sweetness and blended nicely with whiskey notes. 21st Amendment continued with a woody flavor that transcended the others and ended with a mild hoppy bitterness. A perfect beer to shout "cheers!" with. I rate this ale 4.5 and highly recommend it to anyone in the Des Moines area to try it before it's gone.  

Great Beers on College Hill

This past Tuesday was an intense day of studying for me. I spent 8 hours studying for my advertising class and decided I earned the right to go out and blow off a little steam. Usually I don't enjoy going out the bars on College Hill in Cedar Falls because of the college masses. Sitting in a cramped little bar surrounded by loud drunk college kids is not my idea of a fun night. But being a Tuesday evening all the college kids were absent from the bars allowing me to actually enjoy my beer and conversation with a friend.

Woodchuck Chocolate Raspberry 

My friend and I met up first up at The Other Place on the hill. When devoid of drunk rude college kids The Other Place is a rather pleasant place. They have good food and a cozy semi-rustic look with wooden booths. I only ordered one drink here and decided to try something new. The O.P. had just received a new case Woodchuck Chocolate Raspberry which I settled on as my drink of choice. 

The Chocolate Raspberry was a great choice. It had a full apple flavor to start with and ended with a sweet dark raspberry note. I have to note the chocolate flavor was lacking. In fact I don't think I could distinguish any chocolate flavor at all. Though despite the disappointing lack of chocolate, the sweet apple and dark raspberry flavor made a wicked combination for a delicious treat.

John, the manager of The O.P., talked to me about this new cider they just got and mentioned they were selling like hotcakes, so if this is a drink you'd like to try hurry into The O.P. while supplies last. I would rate this hard cider much higher than Woodchuck's pumpkin cider. (Honestly that pumpkin cider was a disgrace and never should have been made. Or Woodchuck brewers should have tried their own cider before bottling and selling it.) But the Chocolate Raspberry I give a solid 3.2 rating, which would have been higher if the chocolate flavor was more prevalent (or present to begin with.)  

Deschutes' Chasin' Freshies 

After The O.P. we walked down the hill to the Social House. I've only been into the Social House once before for a couple minutes. It's a classy little place. If the prices weren't so high and college kids didn't flood the place every weekend, I would find this bar to be right up my alley as far as style and theme goes. The second beer of my night was Deschutes' Chasin Freshies. I believe the Chasin Freshies was a saison and one of the most wonderful beers I've had the pleasure of consuming. Sitting pretty at 7.4% ABV this particular saison is packed with intense citrus flavors that smack you upside the head. I cannot stress how good this beer was. It starts with sweet citrus aroma then a tiny bit of hops for a mild hoppy pine flavor and a flood of fantastic pineapple flavor. Totally giving this beer a strong 4.6 rating. Go out to the Social House on College Hill and try this one for yourself and I'm sure you will agree to it's quality. 

6 Stouts That Won't Break the Bank

HyVee Wine and Spirits has a generally good collection of beers to choose from. I went through their beer cooler and created my own six-pack combination for $10. I chose six stouts from six different brewing companies and compared them all. Some were excellent, others merely decent. But for just $10 I thought they were all worth it. I drank all six stouts over the course of about a week. I was hoping to do this all in one weekend, but my work and school work had other plans for me.

The six stouts I chose were

1. The 8 Ball Stout: Lost Coast Brewery
2. Sierra Nevada Stout: Sierra Nevada
3. Uncommon Stout: Bent River Brewing
4. Kalamazoo Stout: Bells Brewery 
5. Dreamer Oatmeal Stout: Breckenridge Brewery
6. Moo Joo: Brau Brothers Brewery 

The 8 Ball Stout
The 8 Ball stout poured a deep brown in color and sat in the glass nearly black, similar to most stouts. A small head covered the top but dissipated in a moment of ten seconds. The aroma was thick with a robust chocolate note. On the front of the palate the flavor was light and marginally sweet and ended with a full chocolate flavor on the back of the palate leaving a mild roasted bitterness after flavor. The consistency was rather thin. This stout was good, but definitely not the best of the six.
ABV 5.8%
Rating 3.0





Sierra Nevada Stout
Rich nut brown in color, this stout poured also with a thin head. The head parted across the class as if Moses himself had parted it with his staff. The flavor moved moved across the palate smooth at first but became sharp, earthy, and bitter at the back of the palate. The aroma had a roasted earthy sent but not chocolaty. The Sierra Nevada was my least favorite stout and had a thin consistency to it.
ABV 5.8%
Rating 2.8




Uncommon Stout
This stout reminded me of a stout dwarves would raise their glasses to. The Uncommon Stout is an oatmeal stout and had an aroma of roasted coffee. The head poured a little larger than the last two stouts and lasted longer, about twenty seconds. Sitting serenely in the tulip glass, it reminded me of a cup of dark Colombian roast coffee. The consistency was smooth and creamy with notes of roasted oats and coffee and left a definitive coffee flavor on the back of the palate. With every sip an rich roasted earthy and coffee aroma wafted up to the nose. A great stout that I would enjoy buying again.
ABV 6.5
Rating 3.4




Kalamazoo Stout
The Kalamazoo poured a dark chestnut brown and looked like black glass reflecting back at you. It poured with small head that disappeared as quickly as it formed. It had a complex aroma full of roasted oats and dark chocolate notes. Thinner in consistency than the Uncommon Stout, but creamier and fuller than the first two. Sharp dark flavors rolled over the tongue with earthy notes on the back of the palate and a slight licorice note than transcended above the other flavors for a full bodied complex taste. Very enjoyable with lots happening in the mix of flavors.
ABV 6.0%
Rating 3.3




Dreamer Oatmeal Stout
This particular stout poured with almost no head at all and sat in the glass with a blackness as dark as a black bear's fur. The aroma was dark and earthy yet subtle compared to the others. My favorite of the six I tried, the Dreamer Oatmeal Stout was creamy and smooth in flavor and light on the palate with no bitter after flavor. Easy to drink and pleasing ion the tongue this was a stout I could easily have more than one.
ABV 4.9%
Rating 3.5





Moo Joo

Moo Joo is an oatmeal milk stout that poured without a head. When undisturbed in the glass Moo Joo had an appearance of polished obsidian. It had a smooth full bodied flavor with a silken consistency. Complicated notes of sweet, chocolate, and roasted coffee with a mild bitter bite. This stout will raise spirits and seems like a good beer to drink while contemplating deeply. Drinking Moo Joo makes me think of a black bearded huntsman easing himself into his handcrafted wooden chair in front of a roaring fire in a log cabin enjoying this stout.
ABV 5.8%
Rating 3.4

My three favorites were the Dreamer Oatmeal Stout, Moo Joo and Uncommon Stout. I noticed my favorites all had a creamy smooth finish which I find to be a trait necessary in a good stout. I also scaled the ratings a little because I know there are more fantastic stouts out there and I didn't want to discredit them by inflating the ratings of these 6, but for their cost these were quite enjoyable.  If you get the chance, go out and try these stouts and share what you think in the comments below. 

Cans are in Vogue in the Craft Beer World

From Bottles to Cans

Since the conception of this blog in early September I have had the opportunity to savor many a'good brews. Some of the craft beers I've enjoyed were poured from draught at local breweries and bars. Many others were bottled beers and ales bought from Happy's Wine and Spirits and HyVee. Thursday evening marked the occasion of the first canned craft beer I've purchased.

Cans are on the rise in the beer industry especially in smaller craft beer businesses. Cans vs. bottles has been a debate for years. In the past consumers viewed cans as containers for cheap generic beer and that bottles held the higher end craft beers. And in the past this made sense. Before canned technology reached the point it's at today bottles were better at preserving the integrity of the beer's flavor. There was also a perception of sophistication that came with drinking out of a bottle. The heftiness and solidity of the bottle in your hand made you feel what you were drinking was good quality. However the only thing in this world that is consistent is change and the beer industry is no exception. Cans are now made with better quality than in the past and are superior than bottles at preserving the flavor of the beer.

Perks of a can

Cans protect the beer from sunlight and air, both of which can damage the integrity of the beer's flavor. Nothing is worse than drinking a bottle of skunky beer after it's been sitting in the sun too long. Cans also have the advantage of being lightweight, don't break as easily, and are easier to stock than bottles. You can take cans with you to places bottles would be less ideal for such as hiking, biking, golfing, etc.

Canning beer is not only better for the consumers but also for the producers. Cans are cheaper to produce than bottled beer. Being more lightweight also means fewer trips for beer companies to make during distribution. For a business, if it makes money it makes sense.

Jumping on the Canned-wagon

Image from Mike on Flickr

Samuel Adams has even jumped on the 'canned-wagon'. Sam Adams designed a new can over the past two years and spent over a million dollars doing so. The one million dollar can has new features to enhance the drinking experience. You can read about the Sam Can on their blog.

1. a wider lid provides more airflow resulting in a slightly smoother taste
2. the opening is slightly further from the edge of the lid, making the opening closer to your nose and allowing more of the beer aroma to reach your nose
3. an extending lip places beer at the front of your palate
4. an hourglass ridge creates turbulence which pushes flavor out of the beer 

Beer Review

The Big Wood Bark Bite was a wonderful IPA purchased from Happy's Wine and Spirits. I didn't pour it into a glass to see how it looked, but the flavor said it all. The Bark Bite had a magnificent piney hop flavor with a fresh citrus undernote. At a refrigerated temperature the IPA was smooth and refreshing and left a lingering citrus flavor on the tongue with each sip. A great beer for you hop lovers. And my consensus on canned beer is that it is just as good, and dare I say better than bottled beer. Though I will miss the bottle tops and the weight and feel of the bottle in my hand.  

Microbrews at Broad St. Brewery in Reinbeck, IA

After weeks of trying to find the time and a ride out to Reinbeck, I finally succeeded. Every Sunday morning my close friend, Jon, and I meet for coffee and chess (and other occasional strategy games). This particular Sunday I requested that we visit the Broad St. Brewery in Reinbeck instead of our usual coffee shop. It would be a refreshing change from our predictable Sunday plans. Jon agreed with enthusiasm and we made the 26 minute trek from Cedar Falls to Reinbeck.

Ignore the first 2 steps as they pertain to my specific address. (now that my address is revealed, please no stalkers or paparazzi.)

Broad St. is a small brewery that adds character to the small town of Reinbeck. The moment you step through the door you feel a sense of coziness and community. Three sets of tables and wooden benches line the  right side of the wall. A handful of bar stools stand neatly at the bar counter, and behind the counter hangs the board naming all the current brews on tap. The last brew on tap, the Sticky Wicket, happens to be a guest brew at Singlespeed at the moment, so if you're interested in trying a taste of Broad St.'s microbrews you can head down to the Cedar Falls' Main St. and try a glass. The Sticky Wicket is a smooth light flavored IPA with a good balance of hoppiness and an ABV of 6.5% if my memory serves me right. 

Jon and I sat at the middle table and set up our chess board and bought a paddle to sample each microbrew. Billy Joel songs played in the background from the record player up at the bar counter. A few other men from town came in as well and sat up at the bar chatting among them-selves. The sense of community in the brewery was strong, especially when one of the men at the bar asked Jon and I if we'd like to try some of his homemade fried green tomato slices he brought in. In a bigger city no one would would have talked to us let alone offer us homemade food. (The fried tomatoes were still hot and quite delicious.) 

Broad St. Brewery is a nice little get away from the cities and offers a unique selection of microbrews. From the sample paddle I noticed that most of the beers had a sweetness to them. Not something I'm entirely accustomed to, but an interesting change of pace. The Black Porter and Sticky Wicket were my favorites on the paddle, but also of notice was their Oktoberfest, and the wheat beer though it's name eludes me. 

For you beer enthusiasts out there who like to go brewery hopping I want to encourage you not to miss this brewery. It may be in a small town but the beers have big flavor. 

Happy's Wine and Spirit's Has it All

My first encounter with the name Happy's Wine and Spirits was a "coming soon" sign with their name on it located on University Ave in Cedar Falls. If I remember correctly I was driving at the time which means I saw their sign last spring. (The story of why I'm not driving now might be presented in a future blog post.) I remember thinking it was interesting that they were opening just across the parking lot from HyVee Wine and Spirits. Though as a business major I know that's a good tactic. Being close to your competitor allows you both to benefit from the increased customer traffic that comes to the area for their weekend drinks.

This fall I finally traveled past Happy's and saw they were open for business. If I had my own car I probably would have stopped in earlier this fall to check it out. It wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that the next impression I received was a tweet Happy's posted about the Riding the Lion ale from Clown Shoes. I remember seeing the picture of that beer and reading the description and wanting it so badly. Unfortunately it wasn't until two weeks later that I finally procured a ride from a friend to take me out there to buy this outstanding looking beer. I fancy myself as an entertainer and artist and instantly was drawn to the brand name Clown Shoes and the fantastic bottle art that wrapped around it. The description of Riding the Lion goes as such;

Descended from a notorious clan of Scottish lore, head brewer Dan Lipke Channeled the Tartan tapestry encoded in his DNA to create a formidable Wee Heavy. The beer has been aged one hundred percent in fresh bourbon barrels. Ask yourself, "Who needs a reason to ride the lion?"   

A wonderful sounding beer if you ask me. I can't review the flavor yet because I'm waiting for the right moment to savor such a beauty. The first thing that struck me as I walked into Happy's Wine and Spirits was the vast and eclectic selection of drinks. They had the best selection of craft beer I've yet seen in Cedar Falls (sorry HyVee). Plus much more besides, though I didn't get the chance to wander the entire store so I can't be too specific as to their wares. You'll just have to visit and see for yourself.

For my first visit I scooped up a 6 pack of Stone Pale Ale, Ride the Lion, and Prairie's Pirate Bomb. The Pirate Bomb, at 14% alcohol by volume, I'm expecting to pack quite the punch. A cannon blast in a bottle. The Stone Pale Ale is on the smoother more conservative side of the IPA flavor spectrum but with a solid hoppy note. Though the craft beers ran a premium price, I can't say I've been much happier as far as purchasing decisions. If you're looking to buy a great tasting beer to enjoy back at home, I think Happy's Wine and Spirits will have what you're looking for.

Drinking Means Responsibility

Before this weekend approaches, I want to take this time to write about the responsibilities of drinking. For most college students the weekend is a time to cut loose and let off some steam after a hard stressful week of lectures and homework. Every weekend Cedar Falls Main St. and College Hill are packed with young adults looking to have a good time. As much fun as having a few drinks with your friends can be, a good night can quickly turn into a nightmare. There are certain ways to minimize the risks of going out and drinking.

• Have a designated driver
  If you and you're friends are driving somewhere to drink it is always a good idea to have a designated driver to get everyone home safely. I know some people think it's not cool to be sober while their friends seem to be having such a fun time drinking, but one night of sacrifice and staying sober is better than the consequences of drinking and driving. Besides, sometimes it's more fun to stay sober and watch the stupid shit your friends do while they're drunk. 
• Give up your keys
  If you go out to drink at a friends house, give your keys to a friend you trust. A fun night at a friends house can go from a night of revelry to a night in jail if you decide to drive home afterwards. And its a good idea to give up your keys right away because you might forget later after the alcohol has already impaired your judgement. 
• Have a taxi cab's business card in your wallet or purse
  Already had a couple drinks and you don't have a sober friend who can drive? Having a business card of a taxi service will solve any of those issues. 
• Keep a 1:1 ratio of alcoholic drinks to glasses of water
  This ratio won't prevent you from having a good time, and will make you feel so much better waking up the next morning. 

A few years ago when I first headed off for college, my dad gave me his advice about drinking.

1. it's better to go to a party than to host a party
2. if you host a party, lock up the power tools
3. don't let drunk people sleep in your bed. (you don't want anyone puking on it)

So with this advice in mind, go out and have a good time but remember to drink responsibly. 

Is Craft Beer Just a Perception?

Recent years has seen a cultural shift from mass produced generic beer to craft beers. Millennials have gravitated towards products that are labeled as "authentic", "craft", and "local". This cultural shift can be seen in the beer industry as well as coffee and other various consumer products. And since this rising trend started, large corporations have attempted to jump on the bandwagon and penetrate this growing market. Passionate consumers are in a rage that large corporations are taking words like "bespoke", "craft", and "artisan" and slapping them on their products in an attempt to appeal to this new wave of consumers. This is damn near sacrilege to most consumers looking for a true authentic product. How dare corporate giants claim to be "artisan" when they clearly do not put personal care into each individual batch of products using only the highest ingredients. How many words are going to be bastardized and mutilated by corporations just to earn a quick profit? Hamilton Nolan's article makes a good point on the marketing extortion of the word "bespoke".

But why can corporations get away with this? In all honesty I believe it's because of the hazy definitions of these words. Or at the very least companies can make an argument that their products fall into these "artisan" and "craft" categories because of their new unusual flavors or extra ingredients not added to past products.

flickr image by Mike

So how does this affect the beer industry and how is a beer defined as a "craft beer"? According to the Brewers Association craft beer is defined by 3 attributions; small, independent, and traditional.

Small
Annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less (approximately 3 percent of U.S. annual sales). Beer production is attributed to the rules of alternating proprietorship.

Independent 
Less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by an alcoholic beverage industry member that is not itself a craft brewer.

Traditional
A brewer that has a majority of its total beverage alcohol volume in beers whose flavor derives from traditional or innovative brewing ingredients and their fermentation. Flavored malt beverages (FMBs) are not considered beers.

But are these requirements really necessary to be a craft brew, or have we deviated from the traditional meaning of the word craft? The word craft is of Germanic origin and means "an activity involving skill in making things by hand", among other definitions. How do we judge how much skill is necessary during the beer making process to brand the beer as craft? No one can really say because it's so subjective. But I'd say the entire beer making process takes skill and knowledge. I wouldn't be able to read a book about the brewing process go home that night and make a good batch of beer.

Certain advertised craft beers such as Blue Moon and Shock Top are not actually craft as defined by the Brewers Association because their parent companies, MillerCoors and Anheuser-Busch respectively, are too large to fulfill the small size requirement. But the size of the company doesn't detract from the quality their beer. Tom Long, the CEO of MillerCoors, stated in an opinion piece to CNN "We respect the fact that some of our fellow brewers would want to differentiate themselves, but we're convinced that the ultimate assessment of our beers will not come from an industry organization, but instead from America's beer drinkers." I agree and believe that the size of the company shouldn't dictate if a beer is craft.

So what about being independent? Every beer is produced to have a specific quality to it whether it's a light beer, dark beer, ale, porter or IPA. The process of brewing is a craft in and of itself, so I believe that anyone who brews regardless of being independent can produce craft beers. So with all these requirements thrown out the window and by the definition of craft every beer is technically a craft beer. But what makes certain beers more special? PERCEPTION. "Craft beer" is a perception held in the mind of consumers and nothing more.

A List of Iowa Breweries

Gov. Chet Culver passed a law in 2010 allowing Iowa breweries to brew beers with a limit of up to 12% alcohol by weight (15.2% alcohol by volume). Before the passing of this law, the maximum limit was only 6%ABW. The old law stifled creativity and growth in the brewing industry and put Iowa at a disadvantage. Since 2010 and the amending of this law the number of Iowa breweries has more than doubled and more keep popping up across the state. And not only are more beers being brewed, but Iowa is receiving national attention for it's quality beers.

Award winning home-brewer and certified beer judge, J. Wilson, traveled across Iowa visiting every brewery and upcoming brewery and compiled a comprehensive list in his book aptly named Iowa Pints. This book contains a map of Iowa showing all the locations of the breweries, their addresses, and a couple page description of every brewery. There is also a section on the basics of brewing to help educate readers about the brewing process, which I found to be very helpful. So for anyone planning on taking a trip across Iowa, brewery hopping, or just interested in beer, this is a must buy book.

What Kind of Beer Drinker Are You?

Everybody seems to have a unique drinking style, but we never seem to notice it about ourselves. It's only our friends' styles that we seem to notice. Thrillist.com posted an article depicting 43 different types of beer drinkers, and I have to say I find them amusing and strangely accurate.

I have a friend from home who drinks only Bud Lite. (And I don't make fun of him for it, it's a personal choice. Just perhaps the wrong one...) According to Thrillist.com my friend is labeled as "The Light Beer Loyalist". Every time we hang out for a night of drinking I can count on him to have a giant rack of Bud Lite cans. He will try the occasional sip of some other beer someone offers him, but rarely is another kind of beer seen in his hand. Another close friend of mine likes anything strong and abrasive. This pertains mostly to his hard liquor, but he enjoys a good dark brew as well. His favorite being Guinness Stout, and since he's actually been to Ireland he claims it's better across the Atlantic. I wouldn't know, but I don't think a bottle of Guinness changes flavor just because it's been shipped across an ocean. This particular guy is obviously "The Guy Who Orders Guinness and Always Insists it's Better in Ireland". I've been able to label a few other friends from the list as well. I myself am probably "The Guy Just Trying to Pad His Untapped Stats". Or at least I've become that guy since I've started this blog and attempt to catalog my beer exploits.

Curious to know what kind of beer drinker you and your friends are? Visit Thrillist.com and find out!