Misc Stuff – Jan 28

As of this morning there are only 125 online tickets to Winterfest. All the brewpubs probably have some still. Weather says 25°and sunny. Doors will open at 2:30pm. Beer starts flowing at 3:00.

RateBeer Best Awards have Three Floyds sitting on top of the list. Dark Lord variations at #4, 5, and 7. Dreadnaught at #26, Behemoth at #69. They are also the 25th best brewpub.

FFF also garnered style awards for best English Pale Ale (Blackheart), best American Pale Ale (Alpha King), 2nd best IPA (Dreadnaught), 4th best Strong Lager (Decimator Doppelbock), 5th best Strong Ale (Behemoth Barleywine), and of course the 3 Dark Lord variations weren't forgotten.

Crown Liquors in Fisher s is the 31st best liquor store and Keg Liquors in Clarksville is #44.

In other awards, NABC Public House is the 10th best beer bar and the Rathskeller in Indy is the 50th best restaurant for beer.

Some tastes:

• Barley Island Dirty Old Helen Sour Brown – A bit thin-bodied and cidery.
• Ram Replicale Java Oatmeal Stout – Nice tiny notes of oatmeal ashy dryness (think Sheaf Stout).
• Ram Big Red IPA – Newly tweaked for more west coast hop bitterness. Highly recommended.
• Sun King Amarillo the Princess Warrior – Amarillo and Warrior hops of course. An excellent combination. Less citrus than Amarillo's Cascade cousin; Warrior's Nugget-style bittering. Ends up being an American IPA but not a big northwest bomb. 9%. Make it a regular.
• Sun King Clementine Porter – Proper color. Proper but lightish mouthfeel. Bitter without a specific hop signature. A. 5/6%
• Sun Kin Java Mack – Reddish brown from the Scottish base. Very mild cold coffee notes. More than pianissimo without even a threat of overwhelming. 5.3%.
• Upland Komodo Black IPA – Amarillo and Simcoe dry hopped with lavender. Stout brown, opaquer than Bad Elmers. An IPA first with a deep bitter malt in the middle, pushing the bitter hop aside. Long black malt finish of course. 6.5%. 65 IBU.

Sun King now has community recycling bins in the back area. Papers, cans, and plastics can be dropped off freely.

The World Class Staff, Ron Smith, and Carrie Crow took the Cicerone test. Results (and Carrie's article about the test) soon.

Carrie has started Girls Pint Out. A meet-up group for women in Indy.

Meet Kendra Travez, the brewster at the Indy Granite City.

The U.S. ban on Haggis may be lifted soon. Don't schedule your Robbie Burns night yet though.

Jay Brooks rants effectively about the neopros bashing AB about Haiti, for putting their brand on canned water, for issuing a press release. article

Burger King plans beer-selling Whopper Bar in South Beach.

Swedish students stage beer pipeline protest at nearby brewery. They want a pipeline to their student union.