Northwestern Notes

Lafayette Brewing's Winter Warmer is February 13th. Too bad it's sold out already. Went on sale last Tuesday at 10:06am. (10:06?) When we got there at 2pm they were gone.

Lafayette also has new swing-top 1-liter growlers. New: $9. Refill: $5. Tues. Refill: $4.

• Winter Lager – Heather lager with meladonin malt, Celeia and Sazz hops. 6.1%. Basically a big Munich lager. The noble hop presence keeps it bright.

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Figure 8 Brewing in Valparaiso hasn't started production yet. They are now working on the floor of the brewery. A full description is at the News button of their web site.

In the most out of focus picture ever, Jon Uban checks the new flat Figure 8 floor after a day of grinding.

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Brickworks Brewing in downtown Hobart is rapidly becoming a hometown restaurant and their brewing can barely keep up with demand. Only 2 were on tap on our visit but Rubus Wheat, Wind Chill Factor, Potawatomi Porter, and Hoar Frost are due up this winter.

• Browncoat Brown Ale – Dark clear light American Brown with infinitely-lasting tan head. A+ for looks. Light aroma. Massive chocolate malt belies the light color.
• Cornerstone Bitter – American Pale Ale with wake-up bitter NW hops tang.

 

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 Crown Brewing in Crown Point has 7 beers on tap.

• Xtacy of Gold Blonde - "Our lightest offering. Brewed to be drinkable without too much flavor". Oops. 4.1%
• Blueberry Wheat – The Weiss with flavoring, ala Back Road. Nice tang without being obnoxious. Tang is the correct word. 4%
• Lady in Red – Malty Scottish 60/-. Went down quickly. Nae, richt noo.
• Crown Town Brown – Maris Otter and Fuggles. My favorite. Simple presentation of basics puts it dead square in the middle of the Southern Brown kingdom. 4%. Please, put this on a handpull.
• Winter Warlock – Cinnamon, nutmeg, clover of a pumpkin but lots of pine and cascade citrus makes it a 2002 Sierra Nevada Celebration.
• Industrial Porter – Solid, broad taste band incorporating roast and toast encompassed by a flight into fresh beer brightness around the edges. Halo effect?
• Special Force Ale – The Crown flagship is an unfiltered IPA with 7 hop applications of Summit, Centennial, and Cascade. A Cascade hop bomb worthy of the Alpha King Challenge. 5.8%

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Three Floyds' Brewpub is one of my two favorite beer bars in Indiana. Great guest list on tap and more goodies in bottles. Always good conversation at the bar. And a big selection of house beers.

• Ham on Rye – A collaboration with Piece Brewery. Aroma of smoked ham. Not just any ham. Certainly not one of those clove-infested spiral-cut hams they sell for 89¢ per pound right after Christmas. A real Virginia smoked damn ham that you have to soak for a day before slicing and pan-frying. They should export this stuff to Bamberg. 6.2%
• Admiral Lord Nelson British Strong Bitter – Emphasis, of course, on "bitter". Hey, there's apricot; distinctly apricot. Neat. 6.8%
• Grosser Kurfurst Munster Dunkel – Dark amber Vienna. Subtle caramel is the keynote. It's darn near normal. 5.8%
• Black Sun Stout – Black American Stout. Very black – which just enhances the surprising lightness of body. All that chocolate, molasses, etc. that you expect without getting into the coffee realm. 7%.
• Stay in School - Let's let is grow a bit more. Dull, dark persimmon color. Aged 6 months in a Palo Santo barrel and another year in a bourbon barrel. Not yet drinkable. Discussing this beer is tantamount to judging Obama's presidency after 1 year with 7 more to go.