Contrary Brewing Co. - "Pollinator" honey ale

While grabbing a plate of wings and some beers at El Bait Shop in downtown Des Moines a few days back, I spotted this brew on their (extremely extensive) menu. Looking for something softer to go with my dry-rub wings, I opted for this beer, called "Pollinator". It's a 5.50% ABV ale from Muscatine, IA-based Contrary Brewing Co., located right on the banks of the Mississippi on the Iowa / Illinois border.

The neatest part of this is that it's made with local Iowa honey. Sounds good, right? I've had a few ales made with honey over the years, all have been pretty good. This one doesn't disappoint - I think what I like most about this is the texture. The honey softens up and thickens the beer and gives it a slightly sweet aftertaste. The wheat here is somewhat mild, and really just forms the base to show off the particular soft sweetness of the honey. Quite refreshing and tasty, and at 13 IBUs it's great for beer drinkers who may not like overly fizzy or hoppy beers. I ended up getting a crowler of this to go, and was a nice beer to relax with after a long day of work!

Exile Brewing Co. - Beer in America's Heartland

Well, here I am - the land of corn, rolling plains, political town halls, and state fairs. I'm in Iowa this week for work, and of course no trip anywhere is complete without a tour of the local beer culture. I'm staying in Des Moines, and there are quite a few breweries here. Most are not necessarily within walking distance of my hotel, and fewer still have a full menu for dinner (which is what I needed at this point!) so enter Exile Brewing Co., located in a renovated historic factory not far from Pappajohn Sculpture Park in downtown Des Moines. Exile was a little over a mile from my hotel, so I just walked.

Lots of space inside - tables, booths, a large beer hall and event space, and a twenty-seat bar. Their draft list was respectable - about 12 beers on draft, many in the lighter German styles. But - like any good brewpub - there's something for everyone and I feel they had a good survey of light to dark. I was immediately drawn to their "G.G.", a 5.00% ABV dunkel: this style is essentially a dark German lager. Pours deep brown...look at that thick foamy cap!

Wow, great. This is a great example of this style - very malty, a little bit of caramel sweetness, and a soft texture with little carbonation. The caramel notes come through most noticeably on the finish, and the sweetness lingers for quite some time. Super tasty and great for fans of more traditional German styles.

It being Oktoberfest season (already), I of course opted to try their "Oktoberfest", a 5.90% ABV Marzen-style ale.

Made with Perle and Hallertau traditional hops, this ale combines lots of caramel malts and German malts for an ale in the old world style. However, it's honestly lighter in body than many of the Oktoberfest beers I've had over the years, and that's kinda nice. Some are just far too heavy and sweet and syrupy, and I think this expression gives some welcome softness and drinkability to a seasonal style. Another home run for Exile! They're 2 for 2 so far. 

Now was time for dinner, and I wanted something a bit lighter, so I opted for their "Lemon Trail", a 4.50% ABV lemon ale made with Lemon Drop hops and Pilsner malts. 

Very, very good. Unlike some other "lemon" beers on the market, this one really packs a lemony punch. Lots of lemon juice, lemon rind, and lemon pulp notes, and surprisingly not sour or tart. That's the biggest thing for me - lemon appears often as an ingredient in sour beers, and although sours have their place and time, I wasn't in the mood at the moment. So I'm glad it wasn't sour!

So yeah, definitely visit Exile if you're in Des Moines. Beer was super good, food was also excellent (had the bacon salsa burger!) and the service was great. I was impressed by the community feel, as well - lots of families eating dinner, some events going on in the adjacent beer hall, and people getting beer to go. A very enjoyable evening! Big shout out to Chris who told me more about the beers and answered all my random questions in preparation for this post. 

Great South Bay Brewery - Omnipollo / Tupinquim "Poli Mango" IPA

D'Vines got in a small shipment of these imperial IPAs from Omnipollo, which is one of those beer production companies that produces on contract under a variety of labels, including Great South Bay Brewing Co., located in Bay Shore, NY. Also listed on the can is Cervejaria Tupinquim, a brewery based in Porto Alegre, a city in the Rio Grande do Sul state of Brazil...not to mention a reference to Twelve Percent, LLC, the distributor. So it's anyone's guess who made this or where it came from.

This beer is billed as a 9.50% ABV "Brazilian-style" Imperial IPA brewed with polenta, and it looked intriguing, so I picked up a can.

OK, two things - first, what is "Brazilian style"? All I can find online are references to other beers called "Brazilian"; unfortunately there is no actual definition of the style. There is an Untappd review of a different beer claiming that the mango is what makes it Brazilian, but I mean, mango is a common ingredient in beer these days, and we don't see everything referred to a "Brazilian", do we? I suppose the fact there's a Brazilian brewery listed on the can is the major qualifier here.

Secondly - it's made with polenta. Polenta! The corn stuff? Interesting choice, but I prefer it pan-fried with eggs, not in my beer. I suppose a brewer could add polenta right to the mash as a substitute for corn or flaked wheat to give body to the beer...not sure how it would come out, but I guess I'll see soon enough.

Pours a deep golden amber color, generates a nondescript aroma of some kind of fruit. Can't place it.

This is really tasty! It's just a touch sweet, sort of milky, with a surprisingly-strong flavor of mango pulp. Hop profile is pretty mild with some booziness from the alcohol, mostly at the end. As the beer develops on the tongue, I'm detecting a slight dried fruit note, like dates. Maybe that's what I was smelling earlier. There's a thick, somewhat chewy texture to this beer, which one can only assume to be the polenta - tastes a bit like the "skin" of a corndog. Fresh finish with the mango really hanging on after swallowing.

I liked this. Mango is a great, refreshing fruit to use in any beer, and I'm glad to see it make an appearance in a somewhat heavier beer - often you see mango in lighter ales or goses, not "bigger" IPAs. Don't let the polenta scare you - there isn't a strong corn flavor, but it's definitely there, and the texture is somewhat like grits - chewy and mealy but not overly thick. I grabbed this for $5.99, which is a fair price for one; $24 is a bit much for a four-pack though.