Hellllloooooooo out therrrrrrre!
It's hard to believe that another year has zipped by our humble little establishment. With that being said, we have been working with our favorite breweries to bring in some super rad/fun/rare/tasty/boozy/yummy/delicious brews to ring in the celebration!
Twenty-one (21)! Winner winner, chicken dinner! Oh me oh my, check out the twenty-one (YES TWENTY...ONE) specialty brews we have on deck for our anniversary. Plus here is a sneak peek at the glassware we will be sliding your way with the purchase of a sandwich and flight!
1. PB Porter – 5.6% ABV | 30 IBU – Karl Strauss. Brewed for San Diego Beer Week 2012 An English-style Brown Porter brewed with organic peanut powder, cocoa nibs, and vanilla beans. The resulting brew is a beer’s answer to the peanut butter cup – a medium-bodied porter with smooth layers of peanut butter and milk chocolate.
2. Avant Guarde – 7% ABV | 27 IBU – Lost Abbey. From the French word "Garde" meaning something worth keeping, this Farmhouse Styled Ale is a most delicious companion to a loaf of freshly baked bread from the oven. Grab a seat on the porch, some soft cheese and a tree ripened apple from your grandmother's old orchard. Relax and watch the evening arrive as the afternoon sun is consumed by the illuminating moon over the gardens. They brewed Avant Garde for you, our friends and families. Here's to things worth guarding over.
3. Nelson – 7% ABV | 45 IBU – Apline. An outstanding hop from New Zealand, Nelson Sauvin, is generously used throughout the brewing and dry-hopping of this unique beer. European rye is added for a smooth, malty addition to flavor.
4. Indica Pale Ale – 7.5% ABV | 90 IBU – St. Oksar. Oskar Blues introduced three new beers during Saturday, March 24th's Collaboration Fest. Each beer was a joint effort with another craft brewery. We were fortunate enough to pick up their love child with Saint Archer, which was one of only two kegs of this experimental hopped lager that our good friends at Stone were able to get their fiendish fingers on.
5. Mongo – 8.5% ABV | 99 IBU – Port Brewing. Josh's Favoirte! A tribute beer brewed to honor the memory of a Port fallen solider, Columbus (a brewery kitten they nicknamed Mongo), who used each of his 9 lives in a short, but brazen, 10 months on this planet. This Big hop forward Double IPA featurs large amounts of Columbus and Amarillo hops and is very aggressive... like Mongo. We drink to you Mongo!!
6. Equinox Showers – 8.8% ABV | 65 IBU – Noble Aleworks. We stopped in to have a beer at Noble, and were greeted by Evan and Brad who had this suprise waiting for us for our Second Birthday. Thanks guys! Formerley known as T.B.A Showers, this fella is brewed with HBC366.
7. DIPA – 9% ABV | 118 IBU – Hangar 24. Jerry's Favorite! Assertive and drinkable. Double IPA is California’s gift to beer lovers. Theirs is brewed with four distinctly American hops: Centennial, Citra, Columbus and Simcoe, all beautifully balanced by five malts and generous additions of local orange blossom honey.
8. Semme Della Vita – 9.4% ABV | 30 IBU – Monkish. Belgian-style tripel brewed with pistachios and vanilla beans. We tried this beer for the first time at Brew Ha Ha'13 and instantly fell in love. It took some convicing to aquire, so we hope you all love it as much as we do!!
9. Denogginizer – 10% ABV | 90 IBU – Drakes. Leonard's Favorite! This a big bold beer hopped with an abundant amount of Simcoe and Amarillo with a touch of Ahtanum and Chinook. Mashed with Crystal malt and Caramalt for color and flavor to help balance out the hop assault.
10. Brandy BA Drakonic – 10.1% ABV | 40 IBU – Two-row malt is blended with Chocolate malt, roasted barley, and dark Crystal malts to make up the grist. Only one hop addition, Columbus, is added for bittering, allowing the abundance of malt in this beer to shine through. Enjoy the dense brownish head, the silky maltiness, and rich barrel aged flavors.
11. Judgement Day – 10.5% ABV | 25 IBU – Lost Abbey. A massive beer in every sense of the word. A stronger and more contemplative version of thier Lost and Found Ale. Judgment Day is the base beer for their Cuvee de Tomme. Many of the Trappist Breweries produce a version of beer which ages incredibly well for many years to come. And, since none of us knows when the end of the world is coming, we suggest you stock up with lots of Lost Abbey beers.
12. Axiom – 10.5% ABV | 28 IBU – Valiant. Delicious Graham cracker with a slight malty highlight. Cherry combines with raisin, some spiciness and a few alcohol esters. A rich caramel sweetness leads into a diverse mixture of malt characters. A taste of clove with a little herbal hops and a light hotness. This was another tasting room only addtion for our special day. Thanks Valiant!
13. 2014 Classic Russian Imperial Stout – 10.6% ABV | 60 IBU – Stone. This stout is so thick, rich and well, sinful, you might worry that you'll be doomed to the fiery pits just for thinking about a sip. Rest assured, however, that even though this seemingly pernicious brew is indeed as black as sin, they guarantee that no actual sin was committed in making it... you'll have to add that on your own. This massive and intensely aromatic beer abounds with notes of anise, black currants, coffee, and roastiness, and its heavy palate is nothing to be trifled with!
14. Galaxian – 11% ABV | 100 IBU – Bootlegger's. Get ready for this gnarly barley wine ale with a taste from outter space! Galaxian's mission is to attack your interplanetary tastebuds from launching a bodacious amount of Australian Galaxy hops with rich notes of toffee aimed straight for your palate! Double dry hopping advances the citrus and passion fruit notes to the next level leaving you stoked for more. Hold on to this far-out barley wine ale, space cadets... it will age for light-years! Bring your inner gamer to take on Galaxian and remember "Mission: Drink Galaxian!"
15. 2010 Old Guardian – 11.6% ABV | 80 IBU – Stone. Barley wines are traditionally hefty brews, but ours is downright excessive. The huge maltiness of this beer is only tamed by an equally prodigious addition of hops, creating a rich, slightly sweet, caramel-hued ale infused with assertive bitterness and bright hop notes, all culminating in a pleasing dryness. While it will evolve into an even more glorious brew with age, this beer's delicious onslaught of flavors will seriously challenge your ability to wait any longer to drink it.
16. Marleywine – 11.9% ABV | 60 IBU – Golden Road. Named after their favorite 11 year old, Marley, daughter of their co-founder Tony Yanow, Marleywine is a smooth, full-bodied barleywine with aromas of toffee, caramel and a hint of vanilla. This beer has a warming finish with chocolate and light cherry notes.
17. Chocolate Big Deluxe – 12.2% ABV | 85 IBU – Ritual. A massive wall of flavor and so dark it actually absorbs light, and treated with Parliament chocolate. A deeply rich and complex Russian Style Imperial Stout brewed with no less than 10 different malts as the backbone. They brewed this one with oats to add an additional layer of silkiness along with a healthy dose of locally roasted coffee to make this a truly amazing beer. Sip slowly with a friend and enjoy the rich flavors
18. Agave Maria – 13.5% ABV | 50 IBU – Lost Abbey. Continuing The Lost Abbey’s crusade to expand and experiment with new beers and barrel-aging techniques, Agave Maria’s base is a new strong-ale brewed with Agave nectar and aged in both Anejo and Reposado barrels for a minimum of 10 months, the first tequila barreled beer to hit The Lost Abbey’s entire distribution network.
19. Hammerhead – 13.8% ABV | 83 IBU – Hangar 24. Hammerhead is a big, complex, American-style Barleywine featuring two English caramel malts and four American hops. Hammerhead’s character is enhanced by dry hopping and then aging the deep amber liquid for six months in charred oak rye whiskey and bourbon barrels. Layered flavors of toffee, vanilla, brown sugar, spice and rye whiskey lead to a warm and slightly bitter finish. This is a strong ale, meant to be sipped, savored and enjoyed.
20. Pugachev's Cobra – 13.8% ABV | 85 IBU – Hangar 24. This rich, black beauty with a thick caramel head is bursting with aromas of chocolate, vanilla, oak, bourbon, licorice and dark fruits, while flavors of chocolate-covered plum, sweet malt, bourbon, and roasted coffee explode on your palate. This is no ordinary beer; three different dark roasted malts and rich maple syrup are combined in a truly unique brewing process to create complexity and depth. Once fermented, it’s then aged for eight months in freshly emptied bourbon barrels.
21. Bourbon County Stout – 14.2% ABV | 60 IBU – Goose Island. Brewed in honor of the 1000th batch at their original Clybourn brewpub. A liquid as dark and dense as a black hole with thick foam the color of a bourbon barrel. The nose is an intense mix of charred oak, chocolate, vanilla, caramel and smoke. One sip has more flavor than your average case of beer.
Save this very special Tuesday April 22nd, 2014 AD and come early for some limited edition The Iron Press loot and great beer before any of the taps pop. As always (well almost always), DJ LexaKhan will be crushing it through our bouncing speakers. Check back with us soon to see what we will be pouring and what goodness Chef Andrea will be serving up that night.
Smoochies, The Iron Press Crew