IndianaBeer: September 2010

Misc News – Sept 30

Bloomington Brewing 14 taps and 2 handpulls are filled with goodies.

The English Mild is lightish tan/brown with plenty of cars-something character and only 5 IBUs to balance. 4.7% ABV. It's on CO2 and the handpull. Yummy.
The Homegrown Pale using fresh hops from Floyd's patch has a fresh pungency in a light brown/copper ale with 27 IBU. Right nice.
Quarryman Pale is the threesome right now CO2, Nitro, and Handpull to get a good feel of the dispensing difference.

Saison d'Houbleon will be out any day now. Unfiltered 7% farmhouse with 40 IBU. The nose belies the underlying bitterness. Professional stuff.
A 2nd batch of Yakima Rye IPA will dry hop for 14 days and another 6 days on a new batch of hops before being tapped.
Four oak barrels of C2 Grand Cru – the second collaboration with Schafly and O'Fallon are aging in New Albany. 2 bourbon barrels, 2 port barrels. One of each will get smoked figs added. Eventually all four barrels will be served individually and blended to a fifth offering. Look for it at Winterfest in January.

Lafayette Brewing's Phoenix Strong Ale is on tap. 42 IBU. 7.6% ABV. "Brewed with pale, crystal and chocolate malts and hopped exclusively with English-grown Phoenix hops. Mahogany in color, this full bodied brew is malty yet retains an expressive hop character. Complex flavor profile highlights hints of toffee and tobacco. Stop by and have a pint or two of the Phoenix Strong Ale, this ale was last seen at the brewpub back in '07."

Eric Strader looks at The Livery in Benton Harbor, MI. and at Oktoberfest Beers.

This weekend's Anstich kegs at the New Albanian's Public House, to be tapped at 5pm and empty before 6pm – Thurs: Huppendorfer Vollbier. Fri: Günther-Bräu Lagerbier. Sat: Weissenohe Monk’s Fest.

38 year old Big Red Liquors gets ink in the Indiana Daily Student (as if any IU students don't know about Big Red).

Tickets are selling well for this weekend's Valparaiso Brewfest. article

Brewfest Valpo. Valparaiso. 1-5pm. $35/$40 VIP-$55.

Also this Saturday:

Louisville Craft Beer Week Volkfest. BBC Taproom, Main Street. 3pm - Midnight

Upland Oktoberfest, Bloomington. 11am - 1am.

Microbrew Festival for Giving Sum, Rathskeller, Indy. 2-5pm. $25/$30.

Weko Beach Brewers Festival, Bridgman, MI. 3-9pm. $20/$25.

Upland has a flyer out in the interstate rest stops. I don't think they'll mind if we reproduce it here. Click to biggify.

Indiana Senator James Merritt (R-Indy) is starting to talk about canning the card-for-carryout law. "deluged with complaints". article 1 article 2

The groceries and convenience stores have been sending out press releases again about how the liquor stores' monopoly on cold sales is discrimination. The "Change it Indiana" petition is back up "51,000 people have signed" (which is the same as last winter – so there has not been a grass roots effort at all). We'll keep linking to articles so you can follow the fun. article

If you can read and understand this article in the Journal of Proteome Research (The Proteome Content of Your Beer Mug) we really really want you to blog on IndianaBeer.com. Sentence chosen at random: "Protonated phthlates [dibutylphthlate (plasticizer), m/z 279.159086; bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, m/z 391.284286] and polydimethylcyclosiloxane ions [(Si(CH₃)₂O)₆ + H]⁺; m/z 445.120025] were used for real time internal mass calibration."

We're told 6 new breweries are upcoming in St. Louis.

Sam Adams will release an Oak Aged Double Red and a Wee Heavy real soon now. In fact the Wee Heavy is out in a few areas.

Rodenbach Vintage 2008 should hit the shelves in 750ml bottles in November.

Rick Lyke is planning a 10-day Belgian trip for 14 people in September, 2011. To be one of them, see Realbeer.com

Remember Malt Liquor? Here's the history.

Misc News – Sept 26

Figure 8 Brewing gets beer and rock climbing ink on the Brewers Association website.

The Three Floyds/Brewdog collaboration will be called Bitch Please. Oats. Peated malt. Green Bullet, Nelson Sauvin, and Motueka hops. Wha? While some will come back to the U.S. sometime, good luck finding any . article

Oaken Barrel's Oaktoberfest is out and another batch of Apple Buzz will hit the taps in mid-Oktober.

The Hoosier Beer Geeks run a bracket on 28 Oktoberfest Beers. You'll need to see their post to find out the winner.

Eric Strader looks at local hops, Terrapin beer, and the Round Barn Brewery

Rita gives me ink in Beer Buzz, I give her electronic ink right back.

Here's some pictures from the Cask-conditioned day at the Louisville Craft Beer Week.

The Michigan Brewers Guild scored $74,000 in federal grant money to promote Michigan-grown hops. article

15 stein-in-the-face occurrences is a new record at Oktoberfest. article

Budweiser sales were down 9% in 2009 and is down another 9% so far this year. Under-30s are turning to "craft beers" (read Sam Adams). A-BInBev plans to hand out 500,000 samples by mid-October and partner with Facebook so folks turning age 22 and up can get a free beer on their birthdays. article

If You Want to be Well drink beer that is pure and
healthful. Our Special Export Beer is absolutely
pure, properly aged and fermented, and is made
from the best materials money can buy. We spare
neither care, cash nor brains in the brewing of
this perfect beer, and the rich, inimitable flavor
is the natural consequence. Drink Special Export
- the beer that tells.

C L Centlivre Brewing Co.
Phone 62,
Made in Ft. Wayne

Misc News – Sept 22

Mike asks the 7 basic questions of DJ McCallister about the upcoming Black Swan Brewpub in Plainfield.

What to do this weekend (there are also a lot of tastings).

Friday, Sept 24

Louisville Craft Beer Week Firkin Friday. 35 cask beers at BBC, St. Matthews, Louisville. $30.

Chalet Party Shoppe Fall Fest. CR 17, Elkhart. O'fests, etc. 6-8pm. Free.

Sat, Sept 25

Noblesville Brewfest. Moose Lodge, 950 Field Dr. $20/$25

Louisville Craft Beer Week Strassenfest. New Albany Riverfront Amphitheater. 3-11pm

Sun, Sept 26

Louisville Craft Beer Week Kegs & Eggs. NABC Bank Street Brewery. Breakfast and Beer pairing. 11am-3pm

Louisville Craft Beer Week Craft Brews Cruise. Belle of Louisville.

Rodney continues his report on the GABF with a lot of pictures.

dfh-3f-poppaskull Word has it Three Floyds and Dogfish Head are following up their Popskull collaboration of last year with Poppaskull. Belgian this time. With Cardamom. Barrel-aged. 9.5%.

Word also has it Guinness Foreign Extra Stout will return to the United States in October. word

GABF winners available in Indiana

80 categories times 3 medals each (full list). That's a bunch 'o beer. But which ones can you actually try here? Most aren't distributed in Indiana. Many, like Founders Endurance IPA were seasonals or specials that were never sent past the brewery's home town. Some have come and gone like New Belgium's Eric's Ale. Sigh. But store shelves do have these:

Indiana:

Three Floyd's Munsterfest is available in 22oz bottles at many stores.
Sun King's Dominator Dopplebock was a seasonal last February. It'll no doubt be back before the snow disappears (do you remember snow?).
Sun King's Golden Slumber is listed as "retired" but may just show up again in a Silver edition.
Rock Bottom 86th St.'s Naked Oatmeal Stout was a seasonal last July. We'll bet Liz will brew it again as it got raves at the bar and the Denver bravos were right on.

Small Brewer of the Year: Mad River – They are handled in Indiana by Cavalier and the Steelhead series, Double Dread Imperial Red, and Mad Belgian Golden Strong are on shelves. Last year's GABF Gold John Barleycorn Barley Wine will be back this fall (ahhh, autumn) but the medal went to the '06 version.

Similarly, Bell's Expedition Stout took Bronze in Aged Beer with the 1995 version.

Now available (links are to World Class Beverages' Beer Finder):

Clipper City Heavy Seas Gold Ale
Clipper City Heavy Seas Marzen
Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat
Goose Island Bourbon County Stout
Mad River Steelhead Extra Pale
Ommegang Three Philosophers
Pyramid Audacious Apricot
Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar
Rogue Shakespeare Stout
Sam Adams Honey Porter
Sam Adams Latitude 48 IPA
Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Jack and Kens Ale (Barleywine)
Sierra Nevada Estate Homegrown Ale (Organic IPA)
Shmaltz He'Brew Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A. Double Rye IPA
Two Brothers Domaine DuPage French Country Ale

Great Divide's Colette Saison will be back in March, 2011.

Left Hand Fade to Black will be back in November.

Oh, and there's Miller Lite, Old Milwaukee, and Miller Genuine Draft that took the medals in American Lager/Light Lager. Plus Michelob Amberbock. You might also find Hamm's and Old Style in places, they won medals.

Happy hunting.

Misc News – Sept 21

Quick sips:

New Albanian Citra Dry-hopped American Mild. Much dry-hopping on 22 IBU base. (Dry hops don't count as IBUs even though they give an initial aroma attack). Grapefruit and Tangerine. Malt comes through second. Then a lingering bitter finish. American Brown? 3.8%
NABC bracket APA Summit – Single hop playoff. Dry and spicy
NABC bracket APA Warrior – Similar bitterness. Smoother. Grassy. Nice. Advance this one to the semis.
Weissenohe Altfrankisches Kloisterbier – On tap at NABC's Public House. $6.50/ . liter. Cream, pure thick cream mouthfeel. Toasted marshmallow without being annoyingly sweet. Hops are hidden. 5.2%. Magnificent dessert beer. Not a desert island beer but a wonderful experience.

napa-smith Carmel-based Pelican Brands has bought the Napa Smith Brewery & Winery in Napa, CA. Pelican was previously the sales rep for the company and has expanded the distribution to 8 states. The plan is to take Napa Smith nationwide in 2011. It has already been introduced to Indiana shelves.

Falls City is back with a 1930s Pale Ale recipe. FC was brewed by a consortium of Louisville tavern owners in 1906. Closed in 1978, the brand was used by Sterling in Evansville on a mass/generic beer. Now the name is back with the pre-bland recipe. They are hopping the River and coming to the NABC Public House today.

Now here's a bad idea. Beer Popsicle – with complete instructions.

Recycling, Alsbach, Germany, style"Please help us separate"

Oktoberfest, Munich – A few years back

This is a reprint of our trip report from 2005. Seems like a long time ago. Here's a current Oktoberfest slideshow.

We spent only one day at Oktoberfest. This included 5 one-liter mugs of beer. Guess who had to help who with hers. Take the train like we did, there's no way to drive home. Or to read your notes from later in the night.

Oktoberfest is an annual celebration started to honor some prince's wedding in 1810 (actually Ludwig I, but who cares). 16 days. 6,000,000 people, an equal number of beers (at $8.50 per), an equal number of pretzels, and an almost equal number of chickens and sausages giving their lives to honor the prince and princess. There's lots of history and tradition but Oktoberfest now is a very large carnival with very large rides, hundreds of food stalls, and 9 beer "tents" that hold up to 7,000 people each.

To grasp the experience, think of a typical midwest State Fair with the race track covered with rides and the 4H pavilions replaced by beer tents. It seems about the same size.

Two concepts to grasp about the beer. 1) Only the big 6 brewers in Munich get to sell beer. Hacker and Pschorr both have tents because they got in before they merged. Plus there's two Paulaner and two Spaten tents for some reason. 2) The beer served is not a big Oktoberfest Marzen beer that we're used to in the States. It's a slightly darker and slightly stronger Hell they call a Festbier. So if you're looking for a Oktoberfest-beer-lover's experience, wander the Indiana brewpubs in September. They almost all make an Oktoberfest and are each proud to make the best in the state.

Oktoberfest is first and foremost a party. 3/4 of the area is devoted to rides for those who don't throw up easily. The beer tents may also require a strong stomach since liter sized mugs are the only portion. After dark it's dancing on the tables (or at least on the benches) and chanting soccer cheers - or even chanting "Hang on Sloopy"). Gilley's of Bavaria.

The "tents" are really permanent structures, each with at least 3 pouring stations and at least one huge kitchen. All are flanked by outside seating - a good thing because all of the seating inside is reserved after 5pm by hotels and businesses in Munich for their guests. Oh, opening hours are 11am to 11pm.

Augustiner

At night it gets a little louder.

Augustiner served their Edelstoff Hell exclusively. A couple of others had a choice but if you ordered without specifying you got their lighter beer.

Hacker

Hacker served an Oktoberfest beer. The average age here was 15 years younger than in the Augustiner tent. Our Munchener friend, Oliver, told us in Bamberg that the Augustiner tent is where all the people who are serious about beer go, since it's the best.

Omar, this one's for you.

Hofbrau

The Hofbrau tent was very empty in the afternoon.

Hofbrau made the waitresses stand in a line to buy a ticket to get the beer or
food to serve to the patrons. This slowed down service quite a lot.

Lowenbrau

Getting on toward 5pm the tables get empty waiting for people with reservations.

The Lowenbrau lion roars, drinks his beer, and wags his tail up and down.

Paulaner

Here, three sections out of about 30 were not reserved. By 7 pm they were full. This wasn't the best beer but I'll be darned if I can read my notes - maybe "not a great beer too puppy". I can read "a table w/ 5 guys with sticks all the way up to their eyeballs" but don't know what that means either.

Armbrustschutzenzelt Paulaner

This Paulaner tent was less than half full in the afternoon.

Pschorr

A light colored hell served here.

Spaten

Schottenhamel Spaten

Food

Vendors occupy all the space in front of the tents and a lot of space in front of the rides. You could stay the entire 16 days and never eat the same food twice. Weisswurst, Maultaschen, Leberkase, Sauerkraut, Schweinswurstel, Rahmschwammerl, Jungschweinsbraten, Kalbsbrust, Haxe, Spanferkel, Sauerbraten, Tellerfleisch, Forellenfilet, Kase of all kinds, Gulasch, Hendl, Strudel, Kucherl, Dampfnudel, Fleischpflanzerl, Schlachtschussel, Gemuseeintopf, Zungenfilet, Radis, Ochsenbrust, Kalbsbraten, Roulade, Bofflamott, Schweinsbraten, Bratwurst, Leberkas, Suppes of all kinds. Even spare ribs, corn on the cob, and popcorn. Plus of course pretzels.