Zach's Mexican Donuts

Very good beer for dessert after a very good meal at SingleSpeed in Waterloo. I never like to complain about beer, but if I would I might say that are too many extra spices, chocolate and coffee in this stout. But when my wife sipped a sample of mine, she said, "All I taste is beer." So I really oughta not complain.

California Moby

I love this Double IPA. The California style and yeast keep it light in body but the flavors of citrus hops over a strong malt backbone make for a great experience.

Victory Dance

For my birthday, Sandy took me out to SingleSpeed's new brewpub and restaurant in Waterloo. They've done a beautiful job turning the Wonder Bread factory into a classy urban meeting place. The staff was helpful and friendly (at least to us).

The food was remarkable. We had locally sourced salads with croutons made from spent grains, which were even tastier than I expected.

I sampled several of their beers and found it hard to eliminate any from my list of favorites. But I do want to make mention here of this especially nice IPA full of tropical fruit flavor and aroma. A happy birthday, for sure.

Tip the Cow

A chilly Saturday in November meets a rich, sweet, warming espresso milk stout from Cedar Falls. Happy Saturday!

Session One

Great beer in a great tasting room! Tropical flavored hops moving my salivary glands and making me hungry. An excellent APA. I'm going to take home a growler for our Super Bowl party.

Perestroika

Once again this year it so happened that on my birthday I stopped by SingleSpeed Brewing in Cedar Falls. The day was special enough for them to release a new batch: of Perestroika, a very full bodied, dark roasted stout with flavors of coffee and burnt toast.

On the way to the brewery Sandy and I had stopped at the nearby Kitchen Wines & Brew Shop to pick up supplies for my next batch of homebrew. There we talked with a local homebrewer about pale ales and stouts. I casually mentioned that we were on the way to SingleSpeed for a beer because it was my birthday and his face lit up. He said, “It’s my birthday, too.”

Isn’t it great how often life gives the opportunity to say “Cheers!”?

Since we share the same birthday (just 11 years apart) and since we share the same love for good beer, I predict that from here on out this guy and I are going to be the best of friends. . . if only I could remember his name.

SingleHop Chinook

I had to wait a few minutes for alterations when I picked up my new Easter suit at a menswear store on Main St., Cedar Falls. So while Sandy shopped in some knickknack stores I strolled down to SingleSpeed's tasting room to see what was new. Food is new there, I'm happy to see. The menu looked good; I'll have to go back when I can stay longer. I ordered what the guy on the stool next to me was having -- a SingleHop Chinook, part of an ongoing SingleHop series. Featuring the unique flavor profile of one variety at time makes a good learning experience. I learned I like Chinook.

Their description is accurate and pretty much well said: This American IPA features the Chinook hop variety, know [sic] for its resinous pine notes and distinctive grapefruit character.  Chinook is a versatile hop that provides this ale a solid bitterness laid alongside a pyramid of aromatics.

 

Flight APA

I’m just now home from a wonderful date with my wife. For my 47^th birthday, she took me on a tour of Main Street, Cedar Falls and a sampling of beers of a wide variety of styles: Lambic, funky Saison, a Chicago brewed Belgian style, and a German Dunkel to take home for another day. The highpoint had to be dinner at Montage. Their ahi tuna was wonderfully perfect, made even better by the aperitif just before at SingleSpeed Brewery, pictured here.

  

  

The Flight APA was a nicely balanced ale with refreshing hop flavors of grapefruit. I highly recommend it.