Indiana Homebrewers Advance

Congratulations to the following Indiana homebrewers for advancing to the second round of the National Homebrew Competition. We swept the Specialty Beer category.

 

Gary Awdey Valparaiso   1st – Standard Cider & Perry
Larry Barnhart Kokomo Howard County HC 1st - Bock
Keith Baute & John Showalter Indianapolis MECA 2nd – American Ale
Harry Bielawski St. John BOSS 1st – Melomel (Fruit Mead)
Nathan Compton Indianapolis FBI 3rd – American Ale
Corbin Elliott & Benjamin Starrett Carmel   2nd – Specialty Beer
Agatha Feltus Noblesville FBI 1st - Porter
Tom Ferguson & Jon Colyer Greentown Howard County HC 3rd - Pilsner
Jason Hall Indianapolis   1st – Smoke & Wood-aged
Dustin Kirk & Dennis Nee Munster Boss 3rd – Dark Lager
Andrew Korty Indianapolis FBI 3rd – English Brown Ale
Robert Lusin & Allen Birdsell Schererville Illiana Beer Rackers 1st – Specialty Beer
Michael Pearson Indianapolis MECA 1st – India Pale Ale
2nd – Strong Ale
Jason Rich Claypool   2nd – Traditional Mead
3rd – Other Mead
Tom Sakowski Schererville   3rd – Standard Cider & Perry
Mark Schiess Carmel FBI 3rd – Belgian Strong Ale
Bill Staashelm Indianapolis MECA 1st – Strong Ale
Bengamin Starrett & Corbin Elliott Carmel   3rd – Specialty Beer
Brian Steuerwald Brownsburg FBI 1st – Amber Hybrid
2nd – Smoke & Wood-aged
2nd – European Amber Lager
3rd – European Amber Lager
3rd – Belgian and French Ale
Jeff Thomas Goshen   3rd – Traditional Mead

Misc News – April 28

FDHSHORTBKL Girls Pint Out wonders if Flying Dog is being too cheeky.

Falls City is returning to Louisville. article - article 

Anchor Brewing is sold. Probably won't make much difference. article

Every brewery needs a cool delivery truck:

BigWoodsTruck

 

WhiteMackay Whyte & Mackay who bring us many good Scotch Whiskys now offers a Whisky & Cola premix in a can. Yike. 4.5%

CMB_IPA_PKG_LOGO


Great label, huh? Christian Moerlein

Twisted Pine Brewing Company of Boulder will release Ghost Face Killah Chili Beer on May 5th, calling it the hottest beer on earth. They say it has Anaheim, Fresno, jalapeno, serrano, habenero, and ghost chili peppers. But they don't say anything about the Scoville units. press release

The 4th Annual Kentucky Brew-Off homebrew competition will be at Alltech's Lexington Brewing on May 22nd. You brew it on site that day and submit it for judging a month later. Use their house yeast. No fruit, spices, rye, or experimental. Use their selection of hops. Winners are brewed by them for draft and entered in the pro-am. info

 


This Weekend: Friday:

People's Brewing Tasting Room Grand Opening. Lafayette Starting at noon.

Beer Tasting. Liquor Locker, Evansville. 4-7pm

Beer Tasting. Parti Pak, Greenwood. 5-7pm

Beer Sampling. Norma's Fine Wines. Indy. 6-8pm

Beer Tasting. Cap n' Cork, Coldwater Rd. Ft. Wayne. 5-7pm

Beer Tasting. Moggers Restaurant, Terre Haute. 5:30pm

Saturday - AHA Big Brew Day:

Big Brew & Garage Sale. Great Fermentations, Indy. 10am

Post-Dark Lord Day Beer Tasting at Parti-Pak, Greenwood. Including BYOB. 1-6pm.

Sahara Mart (East, Bloomington) annual Beer & Wine Tasting. Noon-4pm.

Dark Lord Day reports

Dark Lord Day. Your golden ticket allowed 4 bottles this year until that became 3 and then 4 again (complaints are starting to be blogged about that). 15% ABV. 700 calories.

Pictures:

and articles:

None of the promised tasers appeared but one person was transported by EMTs after he jumped off the band stage.

Misc News – April 24

Bee Creek Brewery get a large amount of ink in the Brazil Times.

Scotty's and Thr3e Wise Men get ink in the Star.

Zink has signed up a new drink. ResurrectionAnti-Hangover Drink. We can't make this stuff up. "Resurrection is a non-alcohol, no caffeine, herbal-based lightly carbonated beverage made from all-natural ingredients.
Its proprietary formulation helps to prevent hangovers by constricting the formation of free radicals that produce flu like symptoms responsible for headache and nausea." Basically a bunch of Vitamin C, B3, B6, and B12.

lindemans-faro Due to promotion by Merchant du Vin and World Class Beverages and the sweet style of Lindemans Lambics, theirs are probably the biggest selling Framboise, Kriek, Peche, Cassis, and even Pomme in the state. WCB's Beer Spy shows 42 outlets for the 12-ounce bottle of Kriek. In June a Faro will join the lineup. Instead of using fruit, simple candi sugar is used to give a flavor of caramel, brown sugar, or even marmalade.

For Jack Daniels fans, the Green Label is back. Not as sweet and $5 less.

CBS's The Early Show has a segment on GQ's 50 Beers to Try Before You Die. GQ link - CBS link. Watch suited talking heads try Allagash White, Hennepin, and Dales Pale Ale, Rodenbach Grand Cru, Anchor Steam, and Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout in proper glassware. But no, the the Sam Smith brewery is not near Heathrow.

Pianists among you may want to try your hand (well, both hands) at "Good Old German Beer" from 1909 by Harry Von Tilzer and Vincent Bryan. The pdf is here.

belgian beers....

Who would think.... One of the best places to find great Belgian beers for consumption is BJ's in Greenwood. Counted more than ten different Belgians + if we're lucky we have one of their own Belgian styles on tap!

Upcoming Fort Wayne Events

Friday, April 23rd - Free beer tasting at Cap n' Cork (Covington Plaza) from 5p.m.-7p.m. Stop by and sample some beers and perhaps find a new favorite beer for summer drinking.

Monday, April 26th at J.K. O'Donnell's Irish Ale House - Belgian Beer Dinner from 6p.m.-8p.m. Cost is $35 plus tax and gratuity and seating is limited. Stop in at J.K.'s or call them at (260)420-5563 to sign up for this event.

Misc News – April 21

Dark Lord Day rules: Doors open at 11am. Golden Tickets guarantee Dark Lord until 5pm. After that you may purchase without a ticket. Closes at 8pm. Cash only. No children. Please don't bring kegs (including corney kegs) to the tasting tables. No camping.

Now all 11 clubs have reports and pictures about the Woodford Reserve barrel aging here on IndianaBeer. Thanks all.

Thr3e Wise Men get ink in the Indiana Daily Student.

Christian Moerlein to open Brewery in Cincinnati. Actually a "world-class gastropub microbrewery". Sited between the Reds and the Bengals stadiums. Opens summer, 2011.

Ever seen the world's (unconfirmed) oldest bottle of Gueuze? This is your chance. Here's a 6-minute video of Ebenezers' Pub Cellar in Lovell, ME.

George Prochnik says "a study completed in the summer of 2008 in France found that when music was played at 72 decibels, men consumed an average of 2.6 drinks at a rate of one drink per 14.51 minutes. When the sound level was cranked up to 88 decibels, the numbers spiked to an average of 3.4 drinks, with one consumed every 11.47 minutes."

Misc News – April 19

At the Brewers of Indiana Guild annual meeting on Saturday they added four more people to the Board of Directors: Roger Baylor of NABC, Doug Dayhoff of Upland, Clay Robinson of Sun King, and Tim Walsh of Crown Brewing. The Officers stay mostly the same. Ted Miller as President, Greg Emig as Vice President, Jeff Eaton as Secretary, but John Hill is taking over as Treasurer which was a Jeff Eaton post.

Vine and Table in Carmel had Single Malt Scotch tastings set for today (Bruichladdich) and Tues, the 20th (Arran) but they have been cancelled due to the European ash cloud.

Not everyone knows this but the change in the election day opening law will allow sales on May 4th's election day according to the B.I.G.'s attorney.

This week in what to do:

Thank Heaven for Beer says 32% Beer to Hit Shelves in US (at least in Cal and NYC) and have news video about Tactical Nuclear Penguin's arrival.

Synopsis: Distributor in Columbia, MO, sends 1,500 cases of Bud to die in a landfill since they were past the expiration date. 50 cases survived. Two employees' jobs probably won't. article

In Britain Molson Coors to launch 'clear beer for women'. Sounds like Zima is back.

Jay Brooks thinks Coors latest "microbrew", Colorado Native, is Native But Unnatural.

Old Crown Coffee Roasters - April 16

I recently visited Old Crown Coffee Roasters in Fort Wayne not for coffee mind you because I am not a coffee drinker, but because I have been hearing about the good craft beer selection that is available there. You read correct. They have beer to drink there and beer is available for carryout and a nice selection I must say. According to the beer list I was given, they currently have beers from Tyranena, Mad Anthony, Eel River, Founders, Jolly Pumpkin, Left Hand, Stone, Anchor, Red Hook, Sierra Nevada, Cantillon, Bass, Boddington's, Fullers, Samuel Smith, Guinness, Hofbrau, Weihenstephaner and more just to give you and idea of the beer list and to name a "few". Typically, they add something new every week to their beer list. Besides serving beer, they have full bar service, food, and of course their coffees. This is a kid friendly establishment. Their website is www.oldcrown.com. They are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/oldcrown and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/oldcrown. This establishment is located at 3417 No. Anthony Blvd. The phone # is (260)422-5282. Currently their hours are: M-Th (7a.m.-8p.m.),
Fri. (7a.m.-10p.m.), Sat. (8a.m.-10p.m.), and Sun. (8a.m.-6p.m.). I was told that the hours may be changing, so you may want to call them to be sure they are open.

Misc News – April 16 + Microbrewers Festival news

Sun King enticed Dustin Boyer away from Spencer's Stadium Tavern and now has poached Adrian Ball away from the Ram. He'll move the first of May.

Yesterday the news said "The Indiana Economic Development Corp. offered TailGate Beer up to $1.85 million in performance-based tax credits and $100,000 in training grants based on the company's job-creation plans.  The city of Franklin will consider additional incentives at the request of the Johnson County Development Corp."

Today the news says the TailGate brewery has only initial approval from the city. "At least one commission member questioned whether the city should be providing funding to the brewer without having seen a business plan or other financial documents. The taxpayer-funder Franklin Development Corporation is expected to spend $2.3 million to help renovate a building in the Franklin Business Park for TailGate."


This from the Brewers of Indiana Guild about the Microbrewers Festival (July 17).

Festival Improvements

  • Expanded on to the Indianapolis Art Center grounds - almost twice as large
  • Two entrances, one north and one south
VIP Tickets
  • $50 and on sale now
  • One hour early admission to the festival
  • VIP tasting glass
  • Separate VIP entrance
  • Limited to 500 tickets
Regular Tickets
  • $35 and on sale May 17
  • Two available entrances, Opti Park and Art Center
  • Purchase Online or at Indiana Breweries or Crown Liquors
  • Advance purchase only - WILL BE SOLD OUT THE DAY OF
Designated Driver Tickets
  • $10 and on sale May 17
  • Available for day-of sale
  • Art Center entrance
The admission has been increased to 5000 people this year, up from 4200 last year. It would appear that despite this increase, the large increase in festival space will create a much less crowded festival overall. We're working on pulling in additional breweries for the summer festival to make it the largest yet in every aspect. Hopefully the additional hour of tasting that is available with the VIP ticket will help the die-hard beer lovers to try their most desired beers with little or no lines before the masses move in at 3PM.
Speaking of those VIP tickets, they are available for sale here.

Misc News – April 15

BigWoodsExtenwion Work has started on Big Woods' new brewery extension (right).

People's Brewing's tasting room will open this next Friday, April 16th. Six taps, growlers. Cool detail: The wood for the bar was contributed by about 40 friends. April 30th will see a grand opening celebration.

Location: 2006 N. Ninth St.

Hours: Starting today, noon to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday

Price: New growlers are $12, $8 for refills.

Grand Opening party, April 30, noon+


upland-bourbon-barrel-winter-warmer upland-double-dragonflyUpland Maibock will be back next week, Bourbon Barrel Warmer will be out in bottles later this month and Double Dragonfly will hit the shelves in bottles next month in 22oz bombers. 9.1% ABV. They also have some of this year's lambics available at the brewery.

They have also announced the 2010 UpCup Homebrew Competition and AHA Rally on May 15th. Entries are due May 7th. Here's the « The Upland Brewing Company


 

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0FbMJNlCinJ95T3uUxaDpJAx022WmJ6vm4l90qvcqP4gqSnAh4b4_ORc8WFiJPuNKi9wKTLc_NG9zUglQ4lyv7Th88qQW6Wl4wsGuxHTD5VkcEa6urw32GCcbBBXwbeHEcupvTuWJJU/s1600/nabc+ad+with+jesse.jpgNew Albanian is serving its possibly lightest beer ever - Hop-O at 3.5% ABV. "Hop-O was a cereal beverage of less than 1% abv produced by the Southern Indiana Brewing Company during the early years of Prohibition, except that the brewery subsequently was raided, shut down and the owner arrested in 1921 after federal agents determined the alcohol content to be well above 3%."

Oh, it gets better than that:

Indiana Brewer Indicted - He Is Accused of Trying to Bribe Federal Prohibition Agent
Louisville, Ky. March 16. – Indictments charging bribery were returned by a Federal Grand Jury here today against Michael Schrick, former President of the Southern Indiana Brewing Company, and J.H. Booth, both of New Albany, Ind. They are alleged to have attempted to bribe J.L. Asher, Federal prohibition agent, with money and commissions amounting to $100,000 a year to get assistance of that official in transporting illegal beer to Louisville from New Albany. They were released on bond.
Federal agents who said they were concealed in a closet, told the Grand Jury the two men were trapped in Asher's room in a hotel here in January while Schrick and Booth were in the act of paying Asher the first installment of $2,000.
New York Times, Mar 17, 1922

And even better:

Indianapolis, Jan 3 - Judge Albert B Anderson today promised a rigid investigation of alleged promises of immunity from criminal action to high officials of the prohibition division at Washington to Michael Schrick, a brewery owner of New Albany, Indiana. Roy A Haynes, director prohibition enforcement said Mr. Andrews, chief of the bureau of litigation at the department, and John Owen, former campaign, manager of Senator James U Watson and alleged go-between, were named by Schrick today.
Marion (Ohio) Daily Star, Jan 3, 1924


Today's scary headline with little behind it is brought to you by The DePauw: Sunday alcohol sales may create more problems for Indiana citizens than solutions. Seems Hoosiers for Beverage Choices has said "But this points to even more inconsistencies in Indiana law. Now we can go to a microbrewery at 2 a.m. to buy beer, but we can't go to a grocery store."

HBG brings us Scenes From a Beer Dinner: Nøgne Ø at Recess.

Goose Island Fleur will be brewed year-round starting this summer. It is flavored with hibiscus and komnbocha tea.

Ommegang Tripel Perfestion at 8.9% silll be out in May.

Stone's 2010 Imperial Russian Stout hits the shelves next Monday.

redhook-eisbock-28-bottle Redhook Eisbock 28. "Ice Processed Winter Warmer". This could turn out strange on so many levels. Lessee,  EKU 28 is a trademark of Kulmbacher, and oh, Eisbock's are thought to be illegal to make in the U.S. Since AB/InBev has a third of Redhook and they have lawyers it could become interesting.

Gleaners Food Bank is moving into the old Monarch Beverage warehouse near the Indy Airport.

PBS's Great American Brew Trail will be 23 half-hour programs visiting 26 Michigan breweries. They are now taping.  Airs this fall. press release


From the Indy Star: Franklin -- San Diego-based TailGate Beer will establish a production, packaging and distribution facility in Franklin Business Park, creating up to 150 jobs over the next three years. Hiring will begin in 2011. TailGate will receive up to $1.85 million in performance-based tax credits and $100,000 in training grants from the Indiana Economic Development Corp. more from Inianapolis Business Journal

From the Tailgate web site: TailGate Beer is The Unofficial Beer of America’s Unofficial Pastime. It is owned and operated right here in beautiful San Diego, by a 24 year old graduate out of SDSU. Over 2 years old, TailGate Beer strives to become the lifestyle brand that people anywhere and everywhere can identify with. Pony up with a company that is innovative, fresh and categorically unique across the board! TailGate Beer currently has employment and internship opportunities available. Contact TGB for more details.

The now have their Blacktop Blonde, Hefeweizen, Amber Wave, Brown Ale, IPA, and a seasonal Sweet Stout contract brewed and distributed in San Diego and Los Angeles.

Oh, and this: TailGate Beer is more than just a variety of delicious craft brews from San Diego, California. It is more than just an incredibly clever marketing concept that fills a void in the life of tailgating fans everywhere. It’s the whole package! It’s about great fun with good people. TailGate Beer embodies beer drinkers’ deepest fantasies. A beer you can identify with and really drink. Tailgaters take their job seriously and TailGate Beer strives to brew the perfect craft style beers that can be enjoyed swig after swig. Don’t settle for a watered down version of what you really want. Pony up to the beer that is original, drinkable and categorically unique across the board.

Tyranena Beers in Fort Wayne - April 13

These beers are being delivered this afternoon at Acme on East State, S and V on Dupont Rd. and at Old Crown Coffee Roasters on No. Anthony. If they become available at other places, I will write another blog as to where.

Misc News – April 12

Oops. We omitted the Duneland Homebrewers Association from the Woodford Reserve Barrel Aged Homebrew Update. That has been corrected.

800 Carlsberg workers walked out because they are now only allowed to drink beer during lunch. article 

The best sculptures made of beer cans you will see today.


Marston's has told the world about their to-be-patented "FastCask™ " yeast beads that might revolutionize Real Ale. You see one problem with the active yeast in a Real Ale cask is that the cask has to sit for a day or two after moving for the yeast to settle before it can be served. Who wants cloudy beer now that the world has invented glasses instead of lead tankards? That's a problem for festivals, trains, boats, planes, and just about anybody that jostles a cask. And for pubs who need to have room for lots of kegs sitting on their sides, ready to tap without moving them around.

FastCaskBeadsTheir solution is a process that produces sponge-like yeast beads that still let the yeast work for a secondary fermentation but "drop bright" at the drop of a hat.

They're secretive about how they make the beads Pedigree, E.P.A. and Wychwood Hobgoblin are available in the UK with this system – aimed at getting their main beer brands into new venues and increase Real Ale sales. Hurrah.

It won't hit the US for quite some time and, according to the CAMpaign for Real Ale newspaper, What's Brewing, still has to be "approved" by CAMRA to be called Real Ale. Marston's, wanting to keep on CAMRA's good side probably won't release the technology without both a solid patent and CAMRA's approval. Sigh.

cask_breather1 These guys still haven't approved the cask breather that blocks excess oxygen from spoiling the beer within a few days.

But it does seem that within just a couple of years our breweries may be able to offer a hassle-free "Real Ale" that any good beer bar can then offer to us. Until then, Real Ale seems to be something we'll only find in a very few brewpubs.

Woodford Reserve Barrel Aged Homebrew Update

WoodfordReserve

Last October: Chris Morris, the Master Distiller at Woodford Reserve hosted a Bourbon Dinner at the Ram. That night it was suggested the homebrew clubs might like to experiment with barrel-aging and a once-used charred white oak barrel from their hidden vale in Versailles, Kentucky would be a perfect medium.

Less than a week later John Kruse of Woodford Reserve's parent company, Brown-Forman, had contacted us to confirm they would be happy to donate the barrels and Anita Johnson of the Brewers Cup competition of the Indiana State Fair had agreed to create a special category at the July judging for the finished products.

RamWR1Rules of the competition: Judging will be by the Beer Judge Certification Program category 22C – Wood-Aged Beer except that styles where barrel-aging is a fundamental requirement for the style will be allowed. (we go into detail here for the purists)

A face-to-face meeting with John and Anita, a few dozen emails, lots of discussion by the clubs, internal coordination within Brown-Forman, one large UPS shipment, planning and execution by the Brewers of Indiana Guild Winterfest committee and . . .

On the last day of January: Eleven Indiana homebrew clubs each took home a barrel that once held and matured 50 gallons of Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

They have until June 26th to finish their beer and deliver three bottles for judging on July 10th. They'll also bring some for the public to taste at the awards presentation (open to the public – ticket information later).

Now we're at the half-way mark between getting the barrels and submitting the final beers and it's time for a report.

In keeping with the strict BCJP policy of anonymity, we're not going to disclose here which style of beer each club is making but we can tell you they include American Stout, Braggot, Oatmeal Stout, Old Ale, Scotch Ale, and Trappist Ale.

Links to these clubs can be found here.

- Bloomington Hop Jockeys

We racked our beer into the barrel about the middle of March.  There were 7 of us who volunteered to make a batch per certain specifications.  We all congregated after fermentation was complete to rack into the barrel.  The barrel is housed in the basement of another member at a steady temp.  We will likely age the beer for around 2 months prior to racking into bottles for submission to the state fair.

WR-BHJ1

- Columbus Area Classic Alers

The saga of the CACA Woodford Barrel Aged beer has been a tumultuous one. The burden of a bourbon barrel brought our brew club to the brink of a full-blown brouhaha. There have been casualties to our club roster, and some whisperings among club members about a possible voodoo hex upon our barrel to have created such strife. However, the Barrel project has gone much smoother once we laid the Beast down to rest on March 5. In that same spirit of good fellowship over good beer, we hope that our xxxxx will rise triumphantly from its barrel and repair club rifts with its tastiness.

The Barrel is in a location that will change temperature with the season in order to move in beer in and out of the wood and give our beer more of that tasty oak flavor.

Contributors: Doug Talley, Travis Law, Paul Beggs, Andy Greenlee, Tom Kotowski, Michael Calvin, Joseph Bray, and Jon Fischer. The beers were mostly brewed separately, with a few brewers teaming up at one location.

They aren't certain how long it will stay in the wood. The beer will most likely be aged to a club consensus on taste.

WR-CACA - Duneland Homebrewers Association (Valparaiso area)

WR-Duneland2 Did a group brew in Barb Kehe's 3bbl kettle at Rick Szevery's house. more pictures

Contributors: Dan McBride, Bruce and Barb Kehe, Tim Clifford, Bob and Debbie Hyndman, Rick Szevery, Dave Allwardt, Pete Gregar, Kent Eichsteadt, Perry Kreps, Jan Marquart, Mike & Maureen Foos.

The barrel is in Pete Gregor's basement and they will get in three months aging, being put in mid-March.

We plan on taking samples beginning next week, and we will age the beer until we deem it "conditioned" or until it has to come out for the competition, whichever comes first. Lessons Learned: 50+ year old men should not carry bourbon barrels down steep basement stairs.

WR-Duneland

- Fermenters of Special Southern Indiana Libations Society (New Albany area)

We made our beer on March 14 after Dennis Barry's organizational help.  Our beer style is xxxxx which weighed in with an original gravity of xxxx (3 bagger is all I'm allowed to tell you).  We made the beer at Bob Capshew's barn with many (~30) of the club members participating on a cold, rainy day.  The mash was done in a 60 gallon stainless steel mash tun filled to the brim.  The wort was boiled in 5 different brew pots then chilled and combined back into the 60 gallon vessel for fermentation.

Scott Boyer cultured xxxxx yeast for the fermentation.  The fermentation took off quickly after aerating the wort.  Wort blew out of the stainless steel lid for the next two days.  We racked the brew into the barrel on March 28.  The barrel will remain in the unheated portion of the barn until we keg/bottle it.  We expect to leave it in the barrel until shortly before we need to present it for the competition.  We also made 20 gallons of dubbel and 10 gallons of a small Belgian ale on the same day!

Secret ingredients include previous bourbon barrel experience in the club (we do live closer to bourbon country than any other Indiana club), a proven recipe and our pet dinosaur, Farquahar, pulling for a successful brew.

- Foam Blowers of Indiana (Indy area)

WR-FBI2 Everyone brewed on their own using a base recipe.  We actually encouraged everyone to vary it a little bit so we'd end up with a fairly broad representation of the style that we could choose from and blend at the end.

We had some long discussions and went with something fairly big to support the bourbon character but slightly unusual.

We barreled  on March 28th to give everyone time to brew.  We took a little extra time to really think through the process as a group and make some good decisions.

Contributors: Agatha Feltus, Ron Smith, John Morrical, Sandy Cockerham, Carl Nelson, Brian Steuerwald, Joe Werner, Andrew Korty, Don St. Peters, Eric King, Mark Schiess.

It's in a warehouse, I'd describe it as "semi-climate controlled".

We expect it to age 1-2 months in the cask.

One of the interesting things we found out when we blended all of the individual contributions to make the final beer was that, while all of the beers were good, the final blended beer was better than any of the starting beers.  We had hoped that would happen, but it was nice to see it realized.  As a club project we all had a lot of fun, so much so that we're already talking about what we're going to put into the barrel after we uncask this one.

WR-FBI1

- Howard County Homebrew Club (Kokomo)

WR-HCHC-1 Did a group brew with about 10 brewers in a 2-car garage on a rainy day. Went into the barrel the last weekend of March.

Contributors: Tom F, Jon C, Jeff G, Brent G, Larry B, Jason L, Mike R, Tom R, Sean S, Saratoga.

It is in a basement, so temps should be pretty consistent.

Based on the awesome results the Half Moon got with 1 month we will plan on a month and go from there.

We brewed and fermented in one location to minimize the chances of contamination or fermentation off-flavors. The only variables were the mash and the boil.

- Indiana Brewing and Drinking Society

IBADS brewed "almost 70 gallons of beer" over Valentines Day weekend. Also built a barrel stand and got in some beerpong at the Wischmeier's. more pictures at their web site

Contributors: Ben Schy, Ben Maxson, Shawn Wischmeier.

IBADS-BB1 IBADS-BB2

- Mad Anthony Serious Homebrewers (Fort Wayne)

WR-MASH Did a club group brewday on January 23rd, even before they had the barrel. They racked to the barrel on February 8th.

16 members contributed to 60 gallons which was done in 12 5-gallon batches. 53 gallons went into the barrel and the rest is reserved for topping off evaporation and bottling "base beer" for a future tasting. After 5 gallons goes to the state fair, we plan to have 3 gallons left for each of the 16 members.

Contributors: Brian Spaulding, Bob Gilmore, Gene Languell, Kyle Alberda, Chris Tallman, Jeff Pruitt, Ross Heironomous, Ken Schannen, Karl Landmeier, Dennis Plank, Dave Stahl, Matt Overman, Jon Cutler, Steve Snyder, Ben Molenhouse, Phil Comparet.

All 12 carboys were fermented together in a climate controlled location. The barrel has been aging well in a member's pole barn alongside another MASH club barrel project at steady fermentation temps.

We believe our club had a few weeks head start by brewing the beer before the barrels were distributed. At last taste a few weeks ago, it had already developed a noticeable bourbon character in the nose. We estimate the beer will be aged in the barrel for roughly 3 months.

Our club has been fortunate to have done a bourbon barrel project in advance of receiving the Woodford barrel and learned a few tips along the way:

- Age the barrel a few feet off the ground if possible for easier racking. We set carboys on a stand about 8 feet off the ground, racked into the barrel resting on a shelf about 3-4 feet off the ground and will then rack from that height to carboys/kegs on the floor level.

- We've found it best to brew and age all carboys together for easier racking and keeping stable fermentation temperatures. It certainly helps that a club member has a massive pole barn with attached 2 bedroom apartment for all club brewing projects. Don't underestimate the volume and importance of water for a brewday of this size.

- When racking into the barrel, rack 2 or 3 carboys at a time. It takes a long time to rack 53 gallons.

- We keep extra base beer in a corny keg with a touch of Co2 near the barrel for easy topping off of angel's share.

- In order to attempt to give everyone their even share of beer when the aging is complete, we plan to rack into carboys/kegs on top of a digital scale and fill by weight.

- Michiana Extract & Grain Association (Mishawaka)

WR-MEGA The blend after we filled the barrel tasted good and even a little better with some of the Woodford Reserve mixed in.

We had everyone brew at home, we felt we were short on time anyway and this was a faster option than trying to get everyone together.

Contributors: Andy Walton, Chip Lewis, Steve Gruver, Ken Beachy, Frank Vest, Dave Tripp, Lou Feil, Dave McVeigh, John Raczkowski, Bronson Barnhart, Jim Karr.

We do have it in a climate controlled area for now but when it gets warmer this summer we will need to build a foam box to put around the barrel and cool it with a spare window air conditioner. We will age until we have a group consensus to remove it.  Right now we are thinking around the one year mark.

It was a pretty straight forward process, the transfer in was easy.  The transfer out might be a little harder.  St Pats of Texas has a barrel transfer device for around $125 which our group might invest in.

- Ohio Valley Hombrewers Association (Evansville)

Did a group brew day on Feb 14. brewed 65+ gallons in Kenny's barn, fermented it all in a 75 gallon cornie.  Here's pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cnorrick/sets/72157623349523539/

Contributors: Chris Norrick, Kenny Lucas, Dwayne Delaney, John Mills, John Dipple, Peter Federick, Don Heisler, Jeff Smith, Dutch DeHaan & Jack Frey's first homebrewed batch in several years.

Filled cask on March 9,2010, We will have to remove some in June for the judging this summer, but expect we will continue to age the rest longer. The barrel is in a member's basement doing it's thing.

WR-OHVA-3 WR-OHVA-1

- TIppecanoe Homebrewers Circle (Lafayette)

WR-THC1 Had a group brew at the February meeting and had 4 batches brewed then. The rest were done individually.

Contributors: Mark Schiess, Nancy and Carl Hartmann, Lloyd Chatham, Jarrod Doucette, Sean Terrill, Bob Foley, Alan Schwab, Kurt Brenneman, Scott Moll, Mike Booth, Linda Swihart.

THC decided to brew xxxxx for our barrel.  Edgar Chatham adapted a recipe which he had brewed in the past which was printed in Zymurgy. The original gravity was xxxx, and the final gravities were around xxxx for an alcohol content of xxxx%, and xxxx IBUs.  We had intended to do a group brew for the barrel, but in the end we had 11 participants, and we could not get all of the batches brewed on the same date.  We had a mini group brew at the February THC meeting, and had 4 batches brewed then.  The rest were done individually. 

WR-THC2 The barrel is in Edgar's basement, which is not finished, but is dry, and approximately 65 degrees this time of year.  Based on our previous barrel project, we expect one month to be sufficient time to get an appropriate level of Bourbon character in the beer.   I am enclosing a few pictures of the fill day.  The only people missing from the group photo are Linda Swihart and Kurt Brenneman.

Misc News – Apr 11

World Beer Cup had 3,330 entries from 642 breweries and 2,000 at the awards dinner. 7 winners from Indiana. Congratulations!

Crown Brewing Industrial Porter, Bronze, Brown Porter

Rock Bottom, Indy, Sub Zero, Old Ale

Sun King Dominator Dopplebock, Bronze, German-style Doppelbock or Eisbock

Sun King Sunlight Cream Ale, Silver, Golden or Blonde Ale

Three Floyds Behemoth, Gold, Imperial Red Ale

Upland Oktoberfest, Silver, Amercan-style Amber Lager

Upland Helios Pale Ale, Bronze, English-style Summer Ale

Logo-CrownBrewing-200Logo-RockBottom Logo-SunKingLogo-ThreeFloyds-3  Logo-Upland-1

Others we can (probably) get in Indiana:

Miller Red Dog
Pabst Old Style
Pabst Lone Star
Harpoon UFO Hefeweizen
Unibroue Ephémère
Dogfish Head Red & White
A-B RedBridge
Ommegang Biere de Mars
Rogue Smoke Ale
Sierra Nevada Pilsner
Clipper City Heavy Seas Marzen
Troegs Troegneator
Pabst National Bohemian
Coors Light
Boulevard Pilsner
Mickey's Malt Liquor
Pabst Colt 45
Lakefront Riverwest Stein
Full Sail Session Black
A-B Landshark
Asia Pacific Tiger
Founders Dirty Bastard
Schlafly Kolsch
Widner ALT
Baltika N°8 Wheat
Odell Red Ale
Founders Imperial Stout
Allagash White
Ommegang Witte
Leffe Blonde
Boon Geuze Mariage Parfait
Boon Oude Geuze
Bruery Oude Tart
Ommegang Abbey Dubbel
Sam Adams New World Triple
Weyerbacher Merry Monks
Unibroue Fin du Monde
Brooklyn Local 2
Summit Extra Pale Ale
Michelob Pale Ale
Clipper City Heavy Seas Pale Ale
Goose Island India Pale Ale
Widmer Drop Top
Shepherd Neame Spitfire
Redhook Mudslinger
Founders Porter
Russian River Porter
Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout
Sam Adams Irish Red
Clipper City Heavy Seas Gold Ale
Founders Centennial IPA
BrewDog Hardcore IPA
Goose Island Nut Brown Ale (See Below)


Logo-GreatCrescent2 Great Crescent Brewery has officially moved to 315 Importing St., Aurora (SR 56). This is one block northeast at the corner of Importing and Mechanic. New accounts include Bourbon's and Whitey's in Lawrenceburg.

Dustin Boyer has been the bartender and guiding light at Spencer's Stadium Tavern in Indy since it opened five years ago. Friday, April 23rd will be his last day. "So, now as he leaves the tavern to join our brethren at Sun King Brewery, we hope you will join us and invite any and all of your friends who have ever patronized the tavern to join us throughout the day Friday, April 23rd, if not all day, in bellying up to the bar, ordering your favorite, tipping a glass to your faithful bartender and wishing him well as he heads toward a bright, sunny, busy, married future."

Goose Island is going to stop making Nut Brown Ale and Oatmeal Stout. At least in bottles. Still will be at the brewpubs. "In the competition for fermentation capacity, tap handles, and shelf space, Nut Brown and Oatmeal Stout have been disadvantaged by the increasing popularity of hoppy, wheat, sour, and barrel aged beer styles." The last batch of both is in stores now.

The TTB has put up guidance on Label Approval for personalized bottling – weddings, birthdays, etc.

Mad Anthony Brewing Company Anniversary Week

Mad Anthony Brewing Company will be celebrating their 12th anniversary from April 12-18 with these events according to their Brewsletter I received this afternoon:

April 12 - Retro Pint Night - $1.00 pints of select Mad Brew. Also tapping this year's Anniversary Ale, an Imperial IPA.
April 13 - Pizza & Growler - Special prices on specialty pizzas and $5.00 growler refills on select beers. Pizzas for dine-in only.
April 14 - Mug Club Wednesday - All mug club members receive $2.75 mugs on select Mad Brew and 20% off all food orders (dine-in only). A guest beer from Brugge Brasserie "Tripple de Ripple" will also be released.
April 15 - Wings & Pitchers - .35 cent traditional wings (dine-in only) and $10.00 pitchers of select Mad Brew. Beer release for this day is Java Porter.
April 16 - Brew & Q - Growler fills of the Anniv. Ale from 5p.m.-7p.m. (limit 1 per person) and each Mad Anthony location will be serving ribs, pulled pork, smoked brisket, and combination plates. BBQ will be available for carryout. A special release of Cask Conditioned Ale will be tapped at the Fort Wayne location at 5p.m.
April 17 - Shrimp & Crawfish Boil - Enjoy buckets of beer - Boiled Peel & Eat Shrimp and Cajun spiced Whole - Boiled Crawfish all day while quantities last.
April 18 - Buy One Get One 1/2 Price - Buy one entree and get the second of equal or lesser value for 1/2 price. Also available will be $8.00 pitchers of select Mad Brew.

Heading to a Tin Caps game? At Concession 101 Mad Anthony Ol' Woody Pale Ale is available and Summer Daze Wheat will be available in May. Mad Brew bottles are available in the outfield concession, home plate concession, and the suites concession. Come out and support the Tin Caps and the local brewery!

Upcoming Fort Wayne Beer Tastings

Mark your calendar for the following FREE beer tastings at these Cap n' Cork (www.capncork.com) locations. These tastings are for ages 21 & over and all are on Fridays from 5p.m.-7p.m.:

April 9 - Dupont Rd., April 16 - Lima Rd. & Georgetown Square, April 23 - Covington Plaza, and April 30 - Coldwater Rd.

Join in the fun and perhaps find a new favorite beer!

Reminder to check the Calendar on this website for beer events around the State of Indiana.

Misc News – Apr 8

The Brewers of Indiana Guild seems to have Twitter and Facebook pages.

Dark Lord Day gets ink in the Chicago Sun Times. Confirmation that the $15 price will stay, that it's 700 calories per bottle. The last sentence is a bit worrying though. "We have about 12 cops around with their Tasers all warmed up and waiting. Don't say I didn't warn ya." Anybody want my reservations at the Hampton? Since even 10-year-olds, autistic children, Jets fans, and genitals are taser targets in Indiana, I think I'll pass.

saison-du-buff-front-invert

Seriously? Parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme? I remember having an omelet with those spices back in the 60s. Oh, and a pizza.

Today's picture: Speight's Brewery in Dunedin, New Zealand, where my sister is visiting.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31R88NYVbCAhddDYx-U7DuY-PtK878DcRctXtGZGkZdJq4nyl0fgW1CJ5SNXBIRJWF84NRlbup-6jHOQsNF-7l10NNsyRw49fhJ_rNGVeYe1fGyEUSo66Jc3NoQwywHVsGp9jobbJrL1E/s1600/IMG_2387.jpg

 

meantime The Meantime Brewing Co's new bar on the Royal Naval College grounds in Greenwich has Michael Jackson's bottle collection on display.

Misc News – Apr 5

The B.I.G. responds to a Indy Star editorial, saying microbreweries can be toast of tourism industry.

Uberweizen is back for the summer at Oaken Barrel.

Sun King gets ink in the Indianapolis Star.

Everybody in northwest Indiana gets ink in the NWI Times.

From Jeffersonville's neighboring good beer restaurants: If you are looking for a great place to enjoy Thunder Over Louisville, on Saturday, April 17th, then look no further than the river bank in Jeffersonville, IN. Buckhead Mountain Grill and Rocky’s Sub Pub will host their 3rd Annual Craft Beer Festival for Thunder, which will showcase local craft beer favorites like Dogfish Head Aprihop, Three Floyds Rabbid Rabbit, Three Floyds Drunk Monk, Founders Double Trouble, Bell’s Barrel Aged Hell Have No Fury, Stone Sublimely Self Righteous Ale and many more.

This Craft Beer Festival is a family-friendly event. Adult Tickets are $85 per person and kids 6-12 years old are $25. Kids under the age of 6 are free. There will be arts and crafts for kids to participate in. All tickets include a dinner buffet and NON-Alcoholic beverages.

Brewers, brewery reps and distribution reps will be serving at this event and will be available to talk “beer” throughout the day. Gates open at 2pm and event will be open till after the fireworks. Please call today for reservations. 812-284-2919 or 812-282-3844.

From Ron Smith: Guided Beer Vacations to Belgium and Germany!

Now through the end of April (about the next 4 weeks) is the timeframe where I need to get firm commitments from people. You can read about my Belgium Trip here (http://www.beermba.com/belgium-beer-vacations.php) and my Germany Trip here (http://www.beermba.com/germany-beer-vacations.php). There is also some general information here (http://www.beermba.com/beer-vacations.php). These are great trips designed to maximize the enjoyment of beer lovers that want to see these parts of the world without all the stress, planning, etc. While being primarily beer-focused, we also break it up and visit many of the usual tourist sites as well. Thus, even non-beer lovers will really enjoy them, but the true beer lover will be in heaven on these trips.

10 Brilliant Beer Bottles and Cans.