blonde fatale Peace Tree Brewing

Peace Tree Brewing in Knoxville Iowa is unable to keep up with demand for the "Blonde Fatale" beer they make....as soon as it is made, it is gone of the shelves of stores...
FROM PEACE TREE:
Blonde Fatale: This is an unfiltered Belgian Style Blonde Ale.  The beer is blonde in color from the pale malted barley varieties. It is delicately hopped with Styrian Golding and Celeia for medium bitterness and aroma.  Sugars are added for higher attenuation, following the practices of some Belgian brewers. Belgian ale yeast is used to add complex flavor esters. This beer is unfiltered and yeast is left in for additional conditioning. This beer is named Fatale because it is 8.5% alcohol by volume and will catch up with you if you’re not careful...

and at the brewery......I love the RED Rambler and the RYE Porter from Peace Tree---my favorite brewery in the state of Iowa....more about some links and the Blonde Fatale Beer below...

 I am wearing a Peace Tree T-shirt on the Oregon Coast from early October 2011....
George Clooney...I am not...
>>I have not tried this beer yet--but will soon...if I can find it...


HERE are some cool links about Peace Tree Brewing in Knoxville IA...
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/21818/60168
http://www.kcci.com/news/29887664/detail.html
http://www.peacetreebrewing.com/ 
http://desmoines.metromix.com/bars-and-clubs/standard_photo_gallery/behind-the-scenes-peace/2105087/content
http://mwbeercollective.wordpress.com/2011/04/14/brew-for-thought-peace-tree-brewings-red-rambler/
http://beergeno.me/2011/11/peace-tree-cider/

      Pour a craft beer tonight!

Beer in BEND OREGON

First off:  I am the world's worst blogger....
Betty and I went to Bend Oregon in early October

and had a great time!  We went to about 9 or 10 breweries.  Some of these were Rogue, Deschutes, 10 Barrel, Bend Brewing and Ninkasi Brewing.

The highlights for me were a Double Red at Ninkasi Brewing in Eugene Or.,

and a Bourbon Cask Ale at 10 Barrel Brewing in Bend Oregon...

The red was amazingly malting with generous hops

--but not overly done.  This was my first

Cask ale.  If you are unaware they

take a used bourbon barrel and age the beer

in the actual used bourbon cask...it was phenomenal!  See the pics wow, what a great trip!

Brew Haha in Davenport

I am going to the BrewHaha in Davenport Iowa on Sep 17th!  Betty and I will stay with her cousin Anna Handsacker in Davenport.  This is a different kind of Brewfest...it will have the national homogenized brews + many wonderful brews from the midwest--they will have games, cheese tasting, some wine tasting and brews to samples...I am excited...the info available is a little skimpy...we will see what happens...

http://wqpt.org/brew/ 

1-5 pm Saturday September 17th Davenport Iowa 

There will be a comedy troupe and the band Wicked Liz and the Belly Swirls. 

Octoberfest Beer Abounds!

I am so excited!  There are many Octoberfest Beers on the shelf if you have a store that carries many craft beers, I hope you do.  I want to try Summit Octoberfest and Bell's Octoberfest.  Love that Michigan beer...I hope Jen and Matt have tried lots of Bell's--speaking of Bell's--Oberon is about the PERFECT summer beer.  Shiner from TX has an Octoberfest, I don't know if I will try it, there beer has been underwhelming to me...
I would also like to try Spaten Octoberfest on the German side and a great pumpkin ale...I here Dogfish Head's Punkin' beer is awesome.......here is to Octoberfest beer!  Enjoy it while you can.
Hoptober is tasty from New Belgium also... 
Review of Bell's Octoberfest Beer
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/287/32695 
Summit Brewing's Octoberfest Beer Info:
http://www.summitbrewing.com/brews/oktoberfest  
Beer Info rates Octoberfest beers in a top ten category:
http://www.beerinfo.com/index.php/pages/bestoktoberfestbeer.html 

I certainly would be thrilled to try the Staghorn Octoberfest from New Glarus in Wis. and the Left Hand Octoberfest from Left Hand Brewing in Longmont Co.  I have not had a bad beer from Left Hand Brewing--Great Beer... 

Kansas Beer? YES!

I was traveling through Kansas recently on my way back from going to Oklahoma to drop my son off at the U of Oklahoma in Norman---and what should I find, a brewery or two.  I know you are amazed that I would stop at such a place!  We stopped at River City Brewing in Wichita KS, very friendly--had an awesome red beer by the name of Rock Island Red...it was well balanced.  I prefer reds that have some hops and are not just malty...this brew had it all.  I talked to the brewmaster Dan and he said they have some really cool imaginative brew coming up weekly!  Now there is an inspired guy!  You rock Dan...I really love the idea of using Bulleit Borboun infused cherries in a beer, that was last thursday I missed it.  Bummer....
Please give them a shot if you are ever in Wichita...
http://www.rivercitybrewingco.com/
Here is a great article---a bit long but very good about the struggles of trying to bring quality beer to you...
http://freestatebrewing.com/history 
The brew in cans shown is Halcyon Wheat from Tall Grass Brewing in Manhattan KS.
I thought this was a fine summer beer---had a little sweet to it and great unfiltered wheat color--very enjoyable. 
http://www.tallgrassbeer.com/ 

craft beer in cans!

Craft beer in cans?   Yes it is becoming more and more popular---Fat Tire from New Belgium comes in cans...so does Island Wheat from Capital Brewing in Middleton, Wisconsin.  SKA Brewing in Durango Co. Has most all of it's beer in cans---the ESB from them was very tasty, by the way.  Free State brewing in Manhattan KS--also does cans...so does Great River Brewing in the Quad Cities, I quite enjoyed the Roller Dam Red Ale...cans are here and it is a good thing!
Great River Brewing:
http://greatriverbrewery.com/ 
More to come soon on my visit to River City Brewing Company in Wichita KS.  I met the  very friendly brew-master (River City Brewing Co.) named Dan there--who is cooking up some awesome brew...One next week with Bulleit Bourbon cherry infusion...Wow!
http://www.rivercitybrewingco.com/ 

Festival of Iowa Beers~~at Millstream Brewing Amana IA Sept 4th

HERE IS THE INFO ON THIS IOWA BREW FEST,

I WOULD LOVE TO GO BUT--TIME MAY NOT ALLOW,

I WILL GO ON OCTOBER 1ST AND HAVE THE MILLSTREAM OCTOBER-FEST BEER

7th Annual Festival of Iowa Beers

September 4 1-5 pm

Tickets go on sale July 1st

Last year we had 12 Iowa craft breweries participating, 8 home brew clubs and 1150 people that enjoyed it all. We hope to have just as much fun this year too. Come down to the brewery to taste the best beers that Iowa has to offer and meet the brewers who make this magical stuff come to life as they serve you. Live music and local food will also be part of the event! Proceeds go the Juvenile Arthritis Foundation and Iowa Brewers Guild.

Again this year we will be limiting attendance to 1200 people. Tickets will not be available for sale the day of the event this year (unless we have not sold out so don't take any chances). Tickets will be available for sale in advance only. There will be two ways to obtain tickets, mail order or advance in person at Millstream Brewery.

Ticket price for the Iowa Beer Festival is $15.00 per person.

Starting July 1, 2010 you can purchase tickets at Millstream Brewing Company in Amana, IA. If you wish to order your tickets through the mail please send a SASE and a check or money order for the correct amount (payable to Millstream Brewery) to:

Millstream Brewing Company
835 48th Ave
Amana, IA 52203

Ticket orders must:
* Be postmarked on July 1st or later. Orders sent with postmarks earlier than July 1st will be returned to you unfulfilled.
* Include a self addressed stamped envelope (SASE).
* Include a check or money order for the correct amount, payable to Millstream Brewing Co.
* If your order is not able to be filled, your uncashed check or money order will be returned to you in the SASE that you sent with your order.

Craft Brewer in a Town with a Population of 220?

Yes there is craft beer in a town of 220 in the Midwest!  Brau Brothers Brewing 

in little LUCAN Minnesota--I would love to make a roadtrip to this little brewery,
especially when there is a Fest going on...they have a very interesting beers, and have 
seen their beers in Cyclone Liquors in Ames IA, and Hy-Vee in Ames.
Give them a shot, the amber I tried was yummy!  Looking forward to trying more
Brau Brothers and going to Lucan someday...
  >>URL<< 
http://www.braubrothersbrewing.com/ 

Sam Adams Octoberfest is in at Sam's Club

Sam Adams Ocoberfest is in at Sam's Club.  Why is this a big deal?  Because of the wonderful malty flavor and the price.  This beer is only $21.96 per case for quality beer.  I would highly recommend it.  The usual price per six is $8.99, so your saving is $14.00 per case.  I would not drink it for 4-6 months to let it bottle condition.  In my experience, it is better that way.  A big bargain for one of my all time favorites.  Don't bother with Leine's Octoberfest, it is very weak.  DON'T MISS THIS BARGAIN AT SAM'S, YOU WON'T REGRET IT AND IT GOES VERY FAST!  Tyranena Brewing is Lake Mills Wisconsin makes a great Octoberfest, but it sells out fast...Other great Octoberfest choices I will be writing about soon.  One last thing if you live in Story City area and don't have a Sam's membership let me know.

A short drive for QUALITY BEER!

A couple of places in Iowa that would be a lot of fun if you have not been there:
PEACE TREE BREWING IN KNOXVILLE, IOWA
http://www.peacetreebrewing.com/
and
MILLSTREAM BREWING IN AMANA, IOWA
http://www.millstreambrewing.com/Home_Page.html
I am planning to attend Octoberfest in Amana the day after my birthday
on October 1, 2011...I have not had their Octoberfest brew, so I will look
forward to it, and let you know.
There is a possibility that I will be going to the "Brew-Ha-Ha in Davenport
IA, on September 17, 2011
http://wqpt.org/brew/
Saturday, September 17, 2011
LeClaire Park, Davenport, Iowa 
1:00-5:00pm      

2008 at New Belgium--Follow your Folly

A very fun trip to Ft. Collins in 2008, met may old friend Jeff Welsh at we had a nice time, the tour at New Belgium was awesome, lots of freebies, very nice people!  They welcomed me as Iowegian...We also went to Odell and I was impressed with 90 Schilling, Easy St. Wheat and the Odell IPA.....
Left Hand Brewing in Longmont Co. was a lot of fun too...love those Colorado brew.
Oskar Blues is Lyon Co. is a place I really want to sample some quality craft beer.
The first pics have may kids Emma and John with me...they put up with my brewery visits!

Peace Tree Brewing In Knoxville IA

One very fun place to try in Iowa would be Peace Tree Brewing in Knoxville IA.  I have been very impressed with them.  I love the "Red Rambler" because you not only get great malt flavor--but the hops are not left behind like many "reds".  I would truly give this place a try!  Very Fun!  They are open Thurs nights, Friday Nights and Sat from 12noon-10pm.  A friend of mine loves the Rye Porter--the Double IPA is loved by many beer geeks in Iowa City.  The hop wrangler is very tasty also...there will be more offerings coming soon.  There is also "Cornucopia"...Blonde Fatale, Hefeweizen, Imperial Stout and soda like root beer and cream soda....As of right now I would say Peace Tree is the best in Iowa, followed by Millstream in Amana.  Give Peace Tree a whirl, you won't be disappointed.  Very fun brewery with great graphics and style!  Oh yeah Joe the brewmaster is a great guy too...
http://www.peacetreebrewing.com/

Yeah for Cali!

I don't usually get excited about California, because I don't get to go there very often.  I would love to see the Chargers play in San Diego though.  Today, there was a law change in California concerning the tasting of beer at microbrews:

Small craft beer brewers won exemption Monday from expensive food safety rules that have to be followed by restaurants. It's the same exemption now enjoyed by winery tasting rooms.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed AB1014, which gives breweries the ability to set up their own tasting rooms, according to an analysis, "where samples can be tasted, enjoyed and promoted."

It is nice to see an even playing field when it comes to tasting, wine should not have an advantage over beer.  Speaking of Cali, I would love to go to Chico Ca., and go to Sierra Nevada Brewing, one of the largest craft brewers in the USA.  Try the green label Pale Ale from Sierra Nevada, very good beer, a classic CA pale ale.  San Diego also has a fantastic brew scene, Stone is highly regarded, Arrogant Bastard from them is rated very well...

Summers Wheat and other Midwestern Beers

Summer is a good time for Wheat beers, not very hoppy with a an easy drinking flavor...I wish I could say more about beers from dogfish head or San Diego or others but I have not been exposed to all of them.  For Midwestern summer beers--I like Bell's Oberon the best--wonderful craft beer flavor--next would be Boulevard unfiltered wheat, New Belgium Sunshine Wheat, Island Wheat from Capital Brewing in Middleton WI and Leine's Sunset Wheat...for me Oberon is the winner at Bell's in Michigan, I hope you like this one Jen and Matt, I am sure you have had it before...New Belgium is not really a Midwestern beer, but close.

Craft beer or not?

   Some people say Leine's is not craft beer--partly because it is owned by Miller.  I think if you enjoy it and like and its different, it is craft beer--the Leine's family still has plenty of input into the product.  I still enjoy the Leine Lodge newsletter...you can get it sent to quarterly by going to Leinie.com.  My favorite would have to be Creamy Dark followed by Fireside Nut Brown and Red.  Honey Weiss and Summer Shandy are too mellow for me, Honey Weiss on tap is not bad...Berry Wiess is like soda pop.  Like I said at the beginning I don't mean to offend anybody, but its just not for me...if you like it great!  Some other old favorites are easy drinking Fat Tire from New Belgium in Ft. Collins Co. and Sam Adams Octoberfest...this one is better if you let it bottle condition for about 4-6 months.  I love Autumnal Fire from Capital Brewing in Middleton Wi. (Madison)--watch out for this one--is close to 8%.
   I do recommend visiting both the Leine Lodge in Chippewa Falls Wi. and the afore mentioned New Belgium...in 2007 New Belgium gave away free bottle openers, free coasters and had $1 nice small posters...if you like that kind of thing.
  Next time I let you know a little about my visits to the Leine Lodge in Wisc., or Capital Brewing in Middleton or the visit to New Belgium, Odell and Left Hand Brewing all in Colorado.

What draws me to craft beer

   I have always liked beer.  At least since I was 18 or 19.  The problem I faced in the late 70's or early 80's was that I was very tired of the blandness of mass produced big brewery beer.  Very boring, no flavor.  A friend of mine named Doug bought me some Beck's dark in about 1982 or so...I loved it, but it was a special order--that was a drag!  So I just went back to Coors light or Miller light (and I am not knocking these beers--because they are very popular, I just don't want to do it anymore)  In Iowa Falls, IA, there was no flavorful beer to find.  The craft beer revolution was just starting and had no idea that Sierra Nevada and Samuel Adams were starting to develop very cool, thrilling beer...
   In about 1991 or so, I had my first Samuel Adams Boston lager, I thought it was very strong, but very good--at least very interesting, I wasn't sure what to think at first, but I was thoroughly intrigued!  I had be drinking a classic lager at that time--Leine's original or Leinenkugel's 24 pack long necks...they were only 11.99 at the time--as case.
  Needless to say after having that first Samuel Adams Boston Lager and trying a few others I was hooked--many people have called me a beer snob, I may be, but I just have a huge curiosity to try new craft beers and see if they are something I like...it is really fun!  As you get older it not about copious quantities, but about flavor (by the way, I don't feel Sam Adams is strong anymore)
  One of my goals with this blog is to turn people on to craft beer that may like Leine's Honey Weiss or Blue Moon, or Fat Tire and step out into some others kinds of beer that are NOT over the top with hops but accessible--to most everyone.  Join me please...
  I never want to offend the various "Light" beer drinkers--this blog may not be for you...if you want to explore flavor come along.  Like I said to my daughter who is in food science at ISU, craft beer is like chocolate chip cookies with walnuts, ghiradelli dark chocolate, real butter--and real vanilla.  Mass produced light beer is like store bought dollar store chocolate chip cookies...the "craft" is the most important part--craft brewers work so hard to produce flavorful beer that will excite and bring you back for more.  Their heart and souls are put into it...it is very important to create something very good and different--with much care--this is craft beer.
  Next time I will talk about some of my favorite breweries to visit--and why, and a few of my favorite brews...so many beers to try--so little time!