In Coralville Iowa, not too far from my basement, (about 90 miles) lies Backpocket Brewing. I really like this brewery. They have a restaurant (Which I’ve never been to) and host brewing workshops and have some of the best names for their beers: HAWKTOBERFEST, Blood on the Blade Red IPA, Jack Knife, Penny Whistle, Slingshot German Dunkel. Pretty cool, eh?
Another thing I really like about their beers is that the bottled ones sold in stores are all bottle-conditioned. This means we home brewers can ranch the yeast from them to make our own. I also kind of respect a brewery that uses a more old-world approach like natural carbonation. There’s no real advantage and it takes longer to bottle condition. But that’s how they choose to do it.
Dike Mavis Artist depiction circa 1999
I would really like to go to this place and check out their taproom and restaurant. However, this place is deep in Hawkeye Territory. I’m not worried about being around Hawkeyes, the fans, the city, or anything like that. I’m afraid of myself. Something comes over me when I get close to Iowa City. If I stay too long, I turn into a drunken, fist-pounding, patriotic version of Mr. Hyde. That city has unexplainable effects on many people, such as University of Iowa alums. I may need to go with my wife and kids to keep me in check. I’ll behave when they’re around. It would also be good because Dike Mavis, my alter-ego from college, may still be wanted by local law enforcement in Iowa City and Coralville. Police wouldn’t be looking too closely at a guy accompanied by a wife and kids while searching for Dike Mavis.
I’ve tried several of these Backpocket brews and I gotta say two things…
- They’ve all been great
- But not very consistent with style. (Red India Pale Ale? Is it red or is it pale?)
An example would be the Slingshot German Dunkel. Fantastic beer! It’s extremely close to one of my favorite styles; Märzen. However, a Dunkel needs to be “DARK”. That’s what Dunkel means in German. This beer is more amber in color.
Did I care? Absolutely not. I gave no shits about it because this was a fantastic beer. However, when you go to any Iowa grocery store, such as Hy-Vee to grab a sixer or two, just remember that the beer you get might not be exactly what is described…but you’ll still like it.
Mike's Basement Brewery 