I fell a little behind in getting this beer rundown written up. This assortment of beers is from visits to breweries during beer week, as well as a stop by the Iowa Craft Beer Tent at the Des Moines Arts Festival.

I know that last one isn’t part of Beer Week, but it felt like a good way to cap off the event.

Beers 82-84: Fox Brewing Throwback Thursday

Fox brought back some of their past beers over the course of one night, tapping five gallon firkins every hour. I tried Frantix Fox, a coffee stout, Broken Snowblower, a spiced shandy, and their Slye Rye.

I’m not much of a coffee drinker, so while the Frantix was good, it’s not one I would revisit. Of the three I tried, the Slye Rye was probably the best all-around beer. My favorite was the Broken Snowblower, which mixed pumpkin beer with cider. I I always think of shandys as summer beers, so it was interesting to try one that’s more fall/winter focused. I’d like to try it again when the weather is colder.

Beers 85-87: Confluence Firkin Fest

Confluence rolled out alternate versions of their favorite beers, one per hour on a Friday afternoon. I guess it was kind of like Fringe, if the differences in realities were all beer related. I took a book and read for a few hours, sampling beers every few chapters.

I started off with Farmer John’s with coriander and orange peel. It had been a bit since I had Farmer John’s, so the additions didn’t really stand out to me. Next up was the Ayana’s Rhino Rye with blackberries, a slightly sweeter version of their rye, very flavorful. Finally, I ended withBlue Corn Lager with ancho chilies and roasted jalapeños. Very awesome, though I regret that it was the last beer I tried before going walking in the heat.

Beer 88: Chateau 4th St. Cascade Dark Ale

This wasn’t part of beer week, since it was a homebrew, but it would have been weird to save this for another entry. It’s become my beer of choice when going over to my in-laws. So dark, but still refreshing.

Beer 89: Fox Brewing The Iowegian

This is Fox’s red sale, aged I’m a Cody Road barrel from the Mississippi River Distillery. Very smooth. Sometimes whiskey barrel-aged beers are overpowered by the whiskey. With the Iowegian the whiskey and beer seemed to fuse perfectly. It’s a shame this was such a limited batch.

Beers 90-92: Iowa Craft Beer Tent

I made it down to the Arts Festival about an hour before it shut down, and most of the kegs at the tent were dry. I ordered a flight to try a few different things.

First off was the Waseya Cream Ale from Keg Creek in Glenwood. They call it “America’s original lawnmower ale,” so between this and the Broken Snowblower, my week was full of implements of yard work. Very smooth, and only 4.8% ABV.

Next up was the Madhouse Honey Pilsner, a light and easy to drink lager. It’s fine, but not my favorite Madhouse.

My last beer week brew was the Court Ave. One-Eyed Red, a red ale. I’d say it was the most flavorful of the beers I got at the tent.