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.  

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. 

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.

A Steady Speed at Singlespeed

It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to."

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

Click photo for link to SingleSpeed website

I sure was swept off my feet when I walked into Singlespeed brewery for the first time. As I opened the door the first thing I noticed was the small cozy interior. Framed prints of art depicting beers and bicycles lined the red brick walls. A long wooden bench sat along the right wall with two small tables, while several high top tables stood on the left. Two little round tables sat in each corner window overlooking the Main St. of Cedar Falls. The bar stood at the back of the welcoming room beckoning me to come closer. The surrounding atmosphere and quaint decorations were soon forgotten as my head tilted back to take in the entire blackboard of with the beer menu upon it written colorfully in chalk.

My head got dizzy just staring at seven different microbrew options, the likes of which I’ve never seen before. I didn’t know what to expect. I needed to put all this stimulus in context. The bartender, a ruggedly handsome fellow who looked to be in his late 20’s maybe early 30’s, was hard at work writing new beer names on the menu as I made my way over. Briefly I explained to him the nature of my visit and said I was in search of the best brew in the Cedar Valley, to which he replied, “Well the best beers are here.” And if this is true, my search ended quicker than it begun, but I will still have to continue to other breweries before I can make a decision on that point.

I arrived at Singlespeed with the intentions of having an interviewer with a brewer or manager who could shed some light on the business, how it started, and explain some of the technical aspects of the brewing process, however that didn’t happen as planned. The assistant brew manager was too heavily laden with work to be able to come out to chat, though he expressed much enthusiasm in getting to talk to someone so interested in the beers they craft with such artistry. So for today I had to content myself with simply ordering a beer and writing my opinion about it’s flavor.

After trying a couple samples, I narrowed my choice to their Saison Six. Apparently a saison contains some hops but not enough to categorize it as an Indian Pale Ale. (I had no idea there were other beers other than IPA’s that contained hops. I always assumed by definition, a hoppy beer was an IPA.) But I digress.

Beer Review: Saison Six

The official description of the Saison Six offered by Singlespeed goes as follows; “The latest launch in our Experimental Saison Series. This one steers West of traditional, featuring a handful of fruit-forward hops while restraining the clove-like, spicy notes. We are describing it as tropically cool. We aren’t certain what that means though.”

Honestly this entire description basically went over my head, so I will present my average drinker description in a moment. I don’t particularly care for hoppy beers. I think they taste either like soap or pine tree. However this saison beer was different from other hoppy beers I’ve tried in the past. The hoppy flavor was much more subtle with a true fruity undertone. So ultimately I would describe the flavor of the Saison Six as a mellow pine tree relaxing on the beach surrounded by tropical oranges. If you can take that mental image and think of it as a flavor, that is what the Saison Six tasted like to me.

I would definitely get this beer again presented the opportunity, but not until I’ve also tried some others first. I would recommend the Saison Six for all you beer lovers who enjoy hops or for those of you looking for an easy transition into the realm of hoppy beers. Since I don’t particularly enjoy hoppy beers myself, this was the perfect microbrew to help me transition into the hoppy realm. So how would I rate this beer on a 5 star system? I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5.

Beers with Bennett: An Introduction

Greetings to all you beer fans out there. My name is Bennett Becicka and I am a senior marketing major studying at the University of Northern Iowa (Go Panthers!). I am currently taking a digital advertising class and have to create a digital presence across several different social media. Our class project is to generate and post content over a topic we are passionate about. I have chosen beer! Which makes this the best class project ever! Who doesn't want to drink beer and get a grade for it?

My personal branding statement sums me up along with my goal for this project. I am a goofy, fun-loving, enthusiastic college student interested in reviewing beers and their venues because I want to generate ideas of what works and doesn't work for my future ambition of owning a bar. So what is my plan for this blog exactly? Well, I plan on going all around the Cedar Valley finding the best craft beers, microbrews, and unusual bottled beers from breweries and retailers and reviewing them. I have little prior knowledge about the brewing process or any correct terminology about beer or their descriptions, so my reviews should resonate with the average consumer. I am not a beer snob by any means.

My blogging will not just stop at reviewing and critiquing beers and their venues. I will also share my new knowledge about beers and how they differ as I educate myself on the subject. Also there will be some interviews with brew masters who will help explain the brewing process for all of you who have thought about home brewing and just haven't quite gotten to it yet. So stay tuned for more Beers With Bennett; "beer reviews by the average drinker, for the average drinker".