Misc News – Dec 31

Flat 12 Bierwerks opened yesterday (see that post).

Three Pints Brewpub’s tanks are plumbed and if the Feds get out there with a license they are ready to start brewing as early as next week. First up: Scottish, Light wheat, IPA, Porter, Red. Meanwhile they are having problems with local code folks over signage and an outside walk-in.

Black Swan Brewpub has 10 vessels on site and DJ is busy setting things up for a March opening.

Thr3e Wise Men has beer conditioning and Jan 10 may be Omar’s opening. Kegs for distribution to the Scotty’s Brewhouse chain are being cleaned and a massive grain silo has brought a bit of country to the Broad Ripple area.

Three Floyds has Jinx Proof Pils on tap and some in bottles. Krunk Monk 9% WeizenBock is also on tap.

Doug Osburn writes “I am in need of a Bells Beer Batch 9000.  I was hoping to collect the complete six pack of a Bells Batch 6000, 7000, 8000, 9000, 10000 and 25th Anniversary. - somehow I missed the 9000 when it came out, but have all the others. If any of the other beer geeks out there have some I would be willing to pay or trade for it...(I have a couple Oskar Blues in the fridge right now.)” Doug.Osburn@MultiPkg.com

Jason wants to remind everyone that tickets for the Winterfest aren’t at brewpubs. Get them online or at Indianapolis-area Crown Liquors stores. He also wants to remind Brugge, Broad Ripple Brewpub, and Barley Island to contact him to confirm that they will be there.

Tastes:

• People’s Mr. Brown (on tap at the Black Swan) – Fine tuned to be a classic hoppy American Brown (if such a thing exists).
• Black and Tan with Bell’s Double Cream Stout and Two-Hearted – Unlayerable. Smooth dark ESB that gives character of both light and dark.

The Ram’s 999th batch will be an Imperial IPA which will go on tap in late February.

More Michigan beer: Paw Paw Brewing Company now open says the Kalamazoo Gazette. Where’s Paw Paw? Go to the Old Hat in Lawton and turn north.

While in Michigan, check out Kalamazoo Beer Week. Jan 10-14.

Time Magazine highlights Sam Calagione.

“Alabama Criminal Codes state transporting more than five gallons of alcohol is a felony offense punishable by no less than one year but no more than five years in prison.” That’s scary. article

SlashFood picks 8 beers of 2010. Your results may vary. “What makes Infinium extra-special: It's the first new beer style created under Germany's beer-purity law, the Reinheitsgebot, in more than four centuries.”

Now that “energy drinks” are somewhat regulated, Pabst comes out with Blast by Colt 45 to debut in April. Will come in strawberry, lemonade, raspberry watermelon, grape, and blueberry pomegranate.

Flat 12’s Opening Night

Flat 12 Bierwerks opened just in time for New Year’s Eve growlers (even if 2 days of sales paperwork needs to be done by the accountant). About 200 people came through the doors to try the 4 beers on tap and most purchased growlers.

• Upside Down Blonde – Hits the target. Slight lemonness. Refreshing. Proved popular at the taps.
• Half Cycle IPA – 104 IBU of Simcoe and Summit plus dry-hopping with a pound per barrel. That’s a lot of citric bitterness but the overall effect is far from raw, tooth enamel scraping IBUs.
• Porter – Smooth and sweet. Got a growler.
• Glazed Ham Porter – Cloves and a bit of smoky on the sweet porter. Glazed. Ham, er clove. And quite a bit of it.

An official launch party is planned for Binkley’s Kitchen in a few weeks. Stay tuned.

Coming up: American Wit, Puppet Show Pale, Amber Ale.

Bob Mack has more to say and a video at his  World Class Beverages Blog.

 

IndianaBeer.com Survey recap

Anonymous,

Thanks for the 4 comments to Cindy’s post earlier in the month. Now it’s time to reply.

-- This is a great resource, and I always like seeing an update in my RSS reader.

Thanks. Getting updates via RSS feeds are the bomb. I use Google Reader to show posts at about 60 blogs from DUI Blog to Potable Curmudgeon. It even brings all news from anywhere that includes the words Indiana and Beer without the word Artest (easy to set up with Google News).

-- I would like to see more "valid" reviews about the new beer releases. If these new beer releases are just a notification, then that is fine but they are always accompanied by a short review that is inevitably positive or super positive. I would like to think that every IN brewery is making fantastic beer all the time, but I know that is not true. We need to hold IN breweries accountable to make the best quality beer and that will help every one. . . Occasionally I can read between the lines on the reviews ex-sulfur taste in a lager= not so good, and I know you don't want breweries to hate or fear this resource, but I would enjoy a little more honesty.

Yeah. It’s a constraint we live by. We’re sort of the home town shopping paper that isn’t going to take sides in the local election. Beers really get panned completely but probably less than 10 beers we’ve tried this year were really poorly made. An A+ in the review indicates a really superior beer. There were about 2 dozen of these in 2010.

-- Also please keep homebrew related articles and announcements coming.

Brian and Greg gotta get their blogger hats on more often.

-- The only thing I would change is add twitter. I know Bob is at many events and it would be good to get twitter updates on events in case I miss one on the calendar.

Twitter isn’t in the plans right now. No fancy phone access to say “Hdng frm Ram to RBDntwn for a Blitzen”.

I refer to the calendar all the time to make plans. (drives my wife nuts). It’s available on better phones at http://www.indianabeer.com/calendar.html

Thanks for the feedback.

Bob.

Misc News – Dec 29

Flat 12 Bierwerks will open for business tomorrow, Thurs, Dec 30. at 4pm. Much like its near neighbor, Sun King, it will have a tasting room and growler sales. See you there. location. Initial beers are Flat12 Upside Down Blonde, Flat12 Porter, Half Cycle IPA and Glazed Ham Porter.

New Albanian bottles to debut later this winter. Early February. Hoptimus, Elector. Distribution at first will be in the Kentuckiana area.

The 2010 Knights of the Beer Roundtable Beer of the Year - Brugge Brasserie's Spider

Tastes:

• Nogne-O Winter Ale - Quite carbonated. Solid caramelly Porter. Not spiced at all.
• Two Brothers Northwind Imperial Stout - Hugh brown head. Aromas of Chocolate, roast, butter. Yep, a Diacytl bomb. Thick, almost syrupy mouthfeel. Maybe butter and chocolate go together but this is just too blatant.
• Rock Bottom, 86th St, Indy Cask Conditioned Blitzen Black IPA - Blitzen’s review here said “Pure Black IPA and Pure Cascade grapefruit nose and similar taste. Could be 40 IBU plus lots of late addition hops. 6.5%”. If Liz didn’t dry-hopped a cask with even more Cascades I’ll turn in my Bitter Beer Face T-shirt. Fresh, fresh grapefruit comes on strong and stays in the finish until your next bathroom break. Hop heads rejoice (and get there quickly).
• RB86th Imperial Stout – 1/8” coating of tan head that, rather than dissipating, slides onto the side of the glass like a skin. Remarkably persistent. Low aroma. Roast, and bitter balance. Mature. A+

At the Kalamazoo Beer Exchange, the prices change every 15 minutes; driven by drinking patterns. article

“Lead us not into temptation. Just tell us where it is; we'll find it.” – Sam Levenson

From Bottoms Up Beer

Morgan/Monroe, Two Counties Strong

Took a road trip to try Bloomington Brewing’s Ole’ Floyd Belgian Ale. Floyd Rosenbaum’s 1000th batch. It’s served attractively in a tulip glass with no head. None. Medium brown. Raisin and fig aroma. A bit of tartness gives a good 3-way balance of bitter, sweet, and tangy. 7.5%.

Also on tap are the regulars, Freestone Blonde, English Mild, Ruby Bloom Amber, Quarrymen Pale, B-Town Brown, and Big Stone Stout. Seasonals include a Double Hopped Pale (42 IBU), and Java Porter (on CO2, Nitro, and Cask Conditioned – the same 3-tap treatment given the Quarrymen Pale right now).

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Across town, Upland is combating the 7.5% with their own perennial Winter Warmer on tap at 8.5% ABV. Bright leather color. A neutral American Barleywine with a classic aroma and little spritzes of clingy head. No flaws or harshness. Seems like it should take a few years to reach this state of maturity.

All the bottled Winter Warmer is gone from Bloomington liquor stores and growlers are $17 at the brewery. You might want to check a 6-pack out of your local library liquor store while it’s still around. Aging for a couple of years is perfectly fine.

The reserved issues of this years Upland Sour Ales have been taken away by patrons and it’s now first-come-first-served on the Blueberry and Strawberry Lambics as well as some bottles of Dantillion that weren’t picked up. $20.

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After a drive north through the abandoned but plowed lane of the Morgan Monroe State Forest, Martinsville beckons. Jeez-O-Pete’s Old Northside Tavern on the north side (of course) of the square serves ice cold bottles of Wilbur Brewing’s Country Mellow with their ham sandwiches and the Biography Channel on TV. The ONT is an old-line tavern but with an odd veneer of modern made to look old.

Country Mellow, at 8% could well be called a British Strong Ale and Wilbur’s flagship brand. Aroma: Did I mention it was served in a bottle? Color: Did I mention it was served in a brown bottle? Taste is a mild brownness, caramel, and slight oxidation. The lingering finish is exactly the same. Now to let it warm while I enjoy the Polish ham and cheese sandwich. . . Warmer, this beer brings out some complex fruits and loses the oxidation.

Misc News – Dec 22

It’s time to renew your mug club memberships.

Big Woods Brewing is expanding again. They are going across the street (ok, alley) to put in a new keg washing facility. “Last week, Ed, Jeff, Tim and Dave travelled to the Tall Grass Brewery In Manhattan Kansas and bought their inventory of kegs.  With more kegs and more space to clean and store the empties, we'll be able to brew more often and start to meet the demand for our beer at more locations around the state.”

Tastes:

• Bier Brewery and Taproom Dark German Wheat. Fairly dark. Not overly sweet like many. Yes, it’s the season as shown by the Bier Tree at right.
• Bier Brewery and Taproom Winter Porter. Thick body. Made with star anis and a bunch of other wintery spices but they are quite subtle. 6.5%
• Bier Brewery and Taproom Chocolate Mint. Yep, a chocolate mint stout. Semi-sweet baker’s chocolate and a pound of mint. Again subtle. More subtle than “a pound of mint” would suggest. Got a growler.
• Broad Ripple Brewpub Wee Alec Heavy. Kevin’s malty Scotch Ale returns at 7.7%. Big foamy head through the handpull that lasted through the entire quaff. Potent but not brassy. We wonder if Kevin has a vertical stashed away.

Coming up at Bier: Tripel, Barleywine, Smoked Brown, and variations with wine-barrel oak chips.

Also, according to Jim Herters’ column in Great Lakes Brewing News:

• Back Road. Now Available: No. 9 Barleywine and the corresponding Small Beer. Christmas Ale (a Baltic Porter).
• Barley Island. A Barley Wine in January.
• Crown Brewing. Now on: Winter Warlock (through February). Coming: Industrial Porter. Bourbon barrel aged Grand Poobah Imperial Stout. Batch 100 Black IPA and AlkoholikA Blonde Dopplebock in January.
• Great Crescent Brewery. Now available: Bourbon’s Barrel Stout aged in Maker’s Mark barrels – made expressly for Bourbon’s Bar & Grill in Lawrenceburg. Chocolate Porter in January.
• Half Moon. No on tap: Steel Curtain Stout. 7.0% Scottish. Honey-Rye (7.1%) in January.
• People's Brewing. Ardell Scottish Ale. Small-batch IPA in January.
• Sun King. Imperial Stout in January.

Pelican Brands of Carmel has purchased the Napa Smith Brewery & Winery. Pelican was the exclusive sales agents for Napa Smith before and has taken them into 17 states. article

The British Medical Journal (BMJ) finds that alcohol can’t be absorbed through skin abstract. And that white wine slows down digestion of cheese abstract.

Bell's Event - Dec 22

Tomorrow, December 23rd, from 5p.m.-11:30p.m. at Dicky's Wild Hare, 2910 Maplecrest Rd., Fort Wayne, (260)496-0590, there will be a celebration of "Bell's beers including the tapping of the last in the batch series, the Batch 10,000. Homage to the Homebrewer with 101 Malts/Fermentables and 60 varieties of hops! Live Music , Great Food, Great People."

Misc News – Dec 20

Scott Bort gives Shoreline ink in the Post-Trib. Reports that some of the barrel-aged bombers are in Michigan City liquor stores but all that’s left at the brewpub are Lost Sailor Imperial Stout and Discombobulation Celebration Ale. Also that more bombers will be distributed by Cavalier next year. article

Santa’s Little Helper is on tap at Big Woods. 11.5 ABV “with a nice ‘seasonal’ finish”.

Tamre & Jake pair Indiana-available beers with Christmas foods. Ham, Turkey, Chicken, Bread Pudding at Girl’s Pint Out Blog

Heavy Seas 2011 lineup unveiled

Paste Magazine’s 25 best new American beers of 2010. #25: Likcy Basartd Ale. #20: Sierra Nevada Tumbler Autumn Brown. #15: Brooklyn Sorachi Ace. #10: Oskar Blues Gubna. #5: Lagunitas Little Sumpin Wild Ale #1: Surly Four.

Police in Sheffield, England, and South Yorkshire have the authority to slap a £80 on-the-spot fine and a 48-hour “get out of here and don’t come back” on anyone drunk and looking to be a “potential troublemaker”. “People have the choice to pay the fine or attend two sessions where they discuss the consequences of alcohol misuse.” article

Misc News – Dec 19

Darren sent us this next week’s tap list at the Bier Brewery and Taproom.

On Wednesday December 22nd at 3pm, the Bier Brewery will release four of our newest biers.

Christmas Chocolate Mint Stout - Highly anticipated bier made with Ghiradelli chocolate and organic mint for a nice, balanced blend of holiday happiness.

Problem Child IPA - 2006 Beer Geek Challenge winner Sean Tucker stopped by and helped brew his winning recipe. 7.8% alcohol and 90IBUs.  This bier was never brewed commercially, so here it is, better late than never.

Winter Porter - Robust porter with a touch of Briess cherry-wood smoked malt. Also added was Star Anise, Juniper Berries, and Sweet Orange Peel. The nice thing is that all of these ingredients are blended so well together and balanced to be sure to warm you up on a cold winter night.

Rye Pale - We didn't think we could make our PDG Pale any better, well we did. It was the addition of Rye Malt that did it. It has a nice spiciness that compliments the C hop additions.

We have only about 80 growlers of each of these gems starting on Wednesday at 3pm.  All of these biers will also be featured at the Winterfest this January, these are 4 of the 9 biers we will be taking.

Also, this short week, a little something all over the state:

• Wed 21st: 12 Bell's beers at the Chatham Tap, Downtown Indy. 6pm+
• Wed 21st: Beer tasting. Pikk's Tavern, Valparaiso. 5-6pm
• Thurs 23rd: Rick & Jeff Tours bus pub crawl to Louisville's breweries. $25. 502-807-7531. email
• Thurs 23rd: Bell's Batch 10,000 tapping and Ugly Christmas Sweater party. Chubby Trout, Elkhart. 6pm-midnight
• Thurs 23rd: Beer Tasting. Big Red Liquors, Bloomington. 6-8pm
• Thurs 23rd: Beer Sampling. Chalet Party Shoppe, CR 17, Elkhart. 4-6pm
• Fri 24th: (These are probable since they’re every Friday but not confirmed on this Sunday morning)
• Beer Tasting. Crown Liquors, Downtown Indy. 3-7pm
• Beer Tasting. 21st Amendment, Broad Ripple. 5-7pm
• Beer Tasting. Liquor Locker, Evansville. 4-7pm

Oaken Barrel’s seasonal Epiphany is back on tap. A Belgian Tripel with both sweet and spicey notes.

Flat 12 Bierwerks gets ink in the Indianapolis Business Journal.

“The plan is to produce five beers to offer at bars and package stores and seven beers exclusive to the tasting room. The first round of offerings include a winter seasonal called Glazed Ham, an India Pale Ale called Half Cycle, an Upside Down Blonde, and a porter and amber ale still in search of clever names. Growlers will go for $12 and refills will be $8.”

Misc News – Dec 17

Skip Duval made his Alcatraz public debut with a tapping party for Penitentiary Pilsner. Oh, and he has an assistant now – Dan Krzywicki of Great Fermentations comes in once a week to help out.

• Penitentiary Pilsner - Creamy and clean. Not Czech hoppy but more Cream Ale-y.
• Rock Bock – Light tawny brown. Medium to strong malt gives good mouthfeel. Caramel comes through the low IBU. 6% ABV. Pretty good stuff.
• Conjugal Visit Hefeweizen – Skip’s first stuck mash was recovered to produce a very cloudy hefe with sweet bready banana esters. A+ Bought a growler (half price ($4) on Thursdays).

More Tastes:

• Upland 2010 Strawberry Lambic – Brewed in 2009. Strong, bright lambeek to a tart balance. Crisp and refreshing – a summer beer. Not a lot of strawberry left.
• Sun King Walking on the Sun – Sunlight Cream Ale with about 18 Scoville units of heat from roasted peppers. Nice slow bite. Less hot that cinnamon gum. Very little pepper taste, just a bit of heat. Lets make it a regular. Go Cold Sweat. Unfortunately the keg it lasted 3 days in the tap room with no immediate plans to return.

Upland has a “Local’s Twelver” variety pack on the shelves with the slogan “Nature’s idea of beer”. 2-each of Wheat, Dragonfly, Bad Elmer’s Porter, Pale, Am Brown, and a Seasonal. A peek inside turned up Oktoberfest at my local Krogers. $15. Good price.

Keeping up with Girls Pint Out, The Mans Town is starting a sorta-similar social organization in Indy. First meeting in mid January.

Two words: Brandy Barrel-aged Poppa Skull. and a new tank at FFF.

Headlines: Is change in alcohol I.D. law in the cards? and Change needed in alcohol laws

The Muncie Star-Press editorializes for Sunday Sales.

The Hoosier Beer Geeks and Goose the Market in Indy are proud to announce a new club to feed your curds-and-whey craving and appetite for artisanal ales. Register in the Beer and Cheese Club before Dec. 31st and get a 1 year subscription to Beer Advocate Magazine! $99 per 4 monthly allotments of farmstead cheese paired with craft beer plus tasting notes and HBG reviews. Call the Goose to register: 317.924.4944

The HBG seems to be done posting their Metromix collaboration detailing the breweries of Central Indiana – augmenting their Where To Drink in Indianapolis from a year ago.

• Alcatraz Brewing Company
• Broad Ripple Brewpub
• Barley Island Brewing Company
• Brugge Brasserie
• Oaken Barrel Brewing Company
• Ram Restaurant and Brewery
• Rock Bottom – Downtown
• Rock Bottom - College Park
• Sun King Brewing Company
• Upland Brewing Company
• Wilbur Brewing Company
• Breweries with Indy outposts (Upland, Granite City, BJ’s)
• Other Breweries in the Greater Indy Area (Big Woods, Bloomington, Half Moon, Lafayette, People’s, Power House, Upland)
New and Proposed Breweries in the Indy Area (Bier, Flat 12, Thr3e Wise Men, Triton, Black Swan, 3 Pints, Brownfield, Blue Republic)

Sun King. Coconut Wee Mac. Just sayin.

Brewpublic sorts out the Rock Bottom/Gordon Biersch merger. “A source associated with Rock Bottom’s brewing department, who asked to remain confidential, tells us that it now looks like things with the RB-GB merger “aren’t going the way (the most of brewers) had hoped” telling Brewpublic ‘We’re less than a month into this thing and the new CEO has decided to start making changes to our beer program. He wants us to standardize at least four, and possibly up to six of our beers across the entire company.’ ” article

Martyn Cornell has sorted out what ales really were called back in the Victorian era. article

It’s always winter in your refrigerator.

Fort Wayne Tasting Events - Dec 16

There are two (2) events taking place tomorrow, Dec. 17th:

Belmont Beverage, Time Corners, from 5p.m.-7p.m . will have New Belgium Brewing Company beers to sample.

Cap n' Cork, Dupont Road, will have a holiday beer tasting from 5p.m.-7p.m.

The S & V Liquors Holiday Extravaganza that took place at the Illinois Road location on Dec. 4th had a whopping turnout of 702 attendees!! This was a fantastic turnout and it exceeded last year's attendance. Congrats to the fine folks at S & V Liquors!

I posted a survey on Dec. 3rd regarding this website. If you have not already responded to the survey, please take the time to do so. We would greatly appreciate hearing from more of our readers. Thank you to those that have responded and we appreciate your readership!

Misc News – Dec 13

A second-hand email we’ve received seems to indicate the Winterfest ReplicAle for 2011 will be an Imperial Double Stout. New Albanian Brewing Company is putting together a recipe based on Ackerman’s Imperial Stout brewed by the Southern Indiana Brewing Co. both before and after Prohibition.

Philip Ackerman and Frank Senn opened the Senn and Ackerman Brewing Co. in Louisville in 1876. It thrived and was merged into the Central Consumers Corp. in 1901 and closed in 1916.
Philip Ackerman became the brewmaster and superintendent of the re-incorporated Southern Indiana Ice & Brewing Co. after prohibition (Previously the Paul Reising Brewery) with a 100 bbl brewing plant. A $50,000 refurbishment was made and 3.2% beer rolled out of the plant on Sept 7, 1933. 19 The factory was locally known as Ackerman's Brewery.
Brands included Amsterdamer Bock; Great Eagle; Gold Crest; Imperial Double Stout; India Pale Ale; Daniel Boone; Ackerman’s Royal Munich, Vienna Select, and Old Rip.
The brewery, unable to make a profit in a competitive city, closed on November 15, 1935. The building site was used by the Polar Ice Co. until 1969 when the lot became a Holiday Inn Express.

Spec's:  OG 20 deg Plato.  ABV: circa 8%.  IBU: 35-40.
Grist Bill:
80%  Rahr 2 row pale
5% Briess Aromatic
5% Briess Dark Chocolate
5% Briess Roasted Barley
2.5% Briess 80 degree caramel
2.5% Briess cherry smoked malt
Hops:
Single addition at boil of your choice to achieve 35-40 IBU.

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The TTB has new rules about recalls and caffeinated alcoholic beverages. “The FDA letter warned the industry members that as it was used in their products, caffeine is an unsafe food additive, and therefore the products are adulterated under section 402(a)(2)(C) of the FFDCA, 21 U.S.C. 342(a)(2)(C). Among other things, the FDA letter stated that ‘FDA is not aware of any publicly available data to establish affirmatively safe conditions of use for caffeine added directly to alcoholic beverages and packaged in a combined form’.“

Watch Upland’s Gigantor tank go through the roof. YouTube (NSFWS)

Amazon’s estimated delivery date for John Holl’s Indiana Breweries is May.

Neal’s corner:

Watch a guy in a British pub eat a 1,359,000 Scoville unit chili pepper. The Naga Viper.

“The world’s most expensive beer.” Made from Antarctic ice. article

Shoreline Barrel Aged Beers (and more)

I picked up a bomber of each of this winter’s Shoreline barrel-aged beers and convened a panel to taste them. (The picture at right is last year’s label, sorry).

The beers are all barrel-aged for at least a year. All but the Seven Red were on Bourbon barrels.

• Sum Cens Double IPA (Summit and Centennial hops)
• Curse The Goat Dopplebock
• Discombobulation Celebration Ale (English Barley Wine)
• Big Bella Heavy Scotch Ale
• Lost Sailor Imperial Stout
• Red on Red - Seven Red Rye Ale aged in French Shiraz barrels

The Panel: Derrick Morris (Indiana Breweriana collector),
Chip Viering (“Collecting your emptys since 1978”),
Marv Keenan (Gambrinus Society homebrewer who makes every batch in wood),
Don St. Peters and Phil Hunter of the FBI and Indiana State Fair Brewers Cup
(but not really representing either, just drinkin beer and
makin notes and trying not to get all BJCP about it).

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The tastes:

Sum Cens Double IPA (Summit and Centennial hops)

Floral and spice tones, just a touch of bourbon. Guessing 9-10% ABV. Big hop aroma but no hint of bourbon. Huge flavor, extremely find bubbles, thick body. Barleywine, pure and simple (so is DFH 120, dammit). Good color. Alcohol is large, sweet, hops good, one dimensional. Vanilla. Strong alcohol. Nose in style of Dbl IPA. Barleywine is a good description. Syrupy alcohol and wood nose. Monochromatic. Served in a 10oz glass at the bar (obviously). 3.2 stars (of 5).

Curse the Goat Dopplebock

Weak start. Subtle oakey aroma. Big flavor, mostly from bourbon barrel. Dark amber color possibly from barrel. Little resemblance to a dopplebock. Great color. Alcohol hidden very well. Great sweet nose. Warming. Lose the malt to the alcohol, bourbon? Oxidized finish. Nice bock flavor. Finishes with alcohol aftertaste but too heavy. Malt of the Scottish style. More married than Sum Cens and more straightforward. 2.2 stars

Bottle info: “Aged in a 15 year old Bourbon barrel for at least one year.”

Discombobulation Celebration Ale

Malty. Aroma complex. Rich flavor, lots of barrel flavor. Good caramel color. Sweet malt nose. Malt cleaned. Very little hops. Sweet, alcohol hidden. Sweet finish. Little vanilla and chocolate on finish. Molasses nose. Not heavy on alcoholic taste. Very pleasant aftertaste with the molasses present at finish. I like. Vary mature and well married. These were all brewed in 2008 so they have well more than a year of maturity and this one shows it off best. 3.4 stars

Big Bella Heavy Scotch Ale

Nice big bourbon flavor, wonderful bourbon scent. Love it. Aroma of barrel. Darker than usual for Scotch Ale. Carbonation slight, about normal. Transparent. Malt flavor of the style allows dark barrel flavors to punch through. Ruby red color. Bourbon upfront. Whiskey permeates wood finish. Malty. Lots of barrel. Nice blend of Bourbon barrel aging and your favorite Scot Ale. No hint of alcohol. Still has interesting edges – like getting licked by a cat’s tongue. My favorite. 4.4 stars

Lost Sailor Imperial Stout

Fan-freakin-tastic. Wonderful rich color and flavor. Silk, velvet. Very little aroma, not of hops, nor alcohol, nor barrel. Not much hop flavor either, contrary to style. Big malt flavor and body. Oak barrel not especially noticeable. Motor oil black. Bourbon barrel comes through. Malt, alcohol, no hops. Smooth malt, vanilla, coffee, chocolate. No nose, didn’t get my attention. Alcohol present on back end. Heavy bourbon nose with aftertaste. Dark but small aroma. Whiskey & barrel, then dry & spicy. Lightish body. 3.4 stars

Seven Red on Red

Rye Ale aged in Shiraz French oak barrel. Lovely white head tops a perfect red color. Flavorful, festive, hoppy, fruity. Some acidity from the wine barrel aging. Finishes dry. Very fine celebration ale. Nice combination of wood and beer. Nice color. Nice spiceyness. Good Beer. More wood. Celebration Ale with a hit of spice for the holidays. Will warm you up on a cold December day. Malt flavor with a hint of chocolate. Acidic. Discussion goes to tannins which makes sense. Especially well received after the heavier Bourbon barreled beers. 4.4 stars

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As happens, there were more bombers beers on the table, so we continued.

Lafayette Brewing Star City Lager

Nice upfront, great lager flavor like Duquesne's from the 70s. Touch sweet, nice carbonation, refreshing. Very delicate noble hop aroma, Light, refreshing, slight citrus flavor. More flavor, especially of hops, than typical lager. Musty nose. Clean light, little sweet malt, and good clean hops. Pilsner light. Straw nose, light lager that is clean in taste with a dry aftertaste. When first opened had a Bohemian skunk that cleared rapidly to a more mainstream noble pils. 2.8 stars

Brewery’s description: “This Dortmund-style lager is brewed with imported pilsner and Vienna malts to create a medium-bodied golden lager. Imported Styrian Golding Hops provide solid bitterness to back the malt foundation. A well balanced, classic German lager.” ABV 5.0%, 32 IBU

Crown Brewing Crown Brown

Hand capped. Very tasty and light caramel up front. Almost coffee-like back end. Slight to sweet to dry. Slightly smoky aroma. Color just right. Burnt caramel flavor a bit much for a brown (more appropriate for a porter). Astringent finish from dark roasted malt, otherwise slightly sweet aftertaste. Good malt, Sweet, Little to no hops. Astringent finish from bitter tannins. Very dry finish. Clean nose, roast, chocolate to molasses on the back end. Desert anyone? Well carbonated. No flaws. Drinkable Southern Brown. 2.6 stars

Brewery’s description: “The Crown Brown is gorgeous dark brown ale which has a gentle malt sweetness supported by a nutty, light caramel character that lasts throughout the pint. It is brewed with imported English Maris Otter Barley Malt and Fuggle hops giving it a dry finish and low hop bitterness making it readily suited for any time of day or night.” ABV 4.1%, 22 IBU.

  Schlafly Reserve 2007

New American Oak from Missouri. Big hefty flavor in front stays and stays. Not hoppy like most Barley Wines. Very light in color for style. Good flavor bu t too light in every respect. Good oak nose. Light color. Light sweet malt. Great flavors with alcohol hidden pretty well. No oak in finish. Good head, malt nose. Light with no hint of Barleywine fruits but a sweet candy flavor that lingers on the pallet. Missed style but drinkable. Not cloying or sweet but long lasting. 2.0 stars

Bell's Batch 10,000

Sweet taste, big flavor. No aroma at all. Big full flaovr, hops, malt, and prune or plum esters (fruity). Not too strong. Very enjoyable. 9.2%! Guessed 6.8%. Amazingly concealed. Nice brown coffee color. Sweet malt. Nice hop balance. Good beer for Xmas. Very good at hiding alcohol. Malt nose, hop presence, Winter Warmer without the alcohol taste. Grayish brown. Drinkable but a bit nondescript. I need a 40. 4.0 stars.

Bell’s says: “The last of a series, Batch 10,000 Ale looks back to our roots, symbolizing the end of the home-brewing season with a creative take on "cleaning out the brewing supplies closet".  After combing through the catalogs of many malt and hop suppliers, our brewers used over 100 different malts, grains, and other fermentables, and followed them up with a blend of  60 different hop varietals between the kettle additions and dry-hopping. The resulting beer presents a deep, chocolate brown hue and offers roasted and caramel notes from the malts mixed with an assertive hop character. Sharply bitter, the beer possesses a full mouthfeel without being heavy and will withstand aging in your cellar, if you prefer.”

Harviestoun Ola Dubh Special 30 Reserve 2007 aged in a 30-year Highland Park barrel.

Vanilla scnet. Smooth. Velvet. Very dark. Big tan head. Swet vanilla. Delicate, smooth flavor. Aged. Whisky barrel is not obvious. Serious but irresistible. Motor oil black. Smoooth vanilla, sweet malt, love it. Coffe and chocolate notes. Clean nose, dark roast malt. Rich flavor, dark roast coffee. Smooth on pallet. Hint of single-malt Scotch on backend nose. Mouthfeel is a bit flat with little carbonation. 5.0 stars.

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What better setting than what Chip calls “the ultimate man cave”; Derrick’s basement?

Thr3e Wise Men – Beer in the Tanks

There’s been lots of activity in Broad Ripple’s new Thr3e Wise Men Brewing Co. Kitchens assembled, a bar built, inside finished as a high-grade restaurant (but still keeping picnic tables for a relaxed “tasting” atmosphere).

Omar and his two assistants, Allen Simons and Keely Thomlinson made the first batch (a Blonde) on Thursday. No problems, cleaning up by 2pm. Coming up will be a Brown, Double IPA, IPA, Stout, and Porter – leading to an VIP party on Jan 8th and  a public opening right afterward.

The long open-plan bar with barrels and picnic tables at the Broad Ripple Ave. end.

Fermentors behind glass.
To the right, a walk-in serving tank room will process growlers.

Brand new manifold for 5 serving tanks and 6 kegs.

And where is Thr3e Wise Men? It’s on Broad Ripple Ave just east of the Monon trail (across from the McDonalds) (the old Peaches Record store but that’s going back a way).

Flat 12 Bierwerks – Beer in the Tanks

Rob Caputo has been busy building the Flat 12 brewing system and now life is going to get crazier.

Back in August, Bierwerks was an empty dirty building, four guys, some tee-shirts, some marketing concepts, and a blog. Now the blog and the Hopstar concept is still there but the building isn’t empty. A 20/40 bbl DME system is up and running and there are three batches in process – IPA, Blonde, and a Porter. Rob will quickly add another IPA, a Milk Stout, and a Blackberry Porter.

The room in front of the large brewing space will be a rough-wood sided Tap Room for samples and growlers. Flat 12 biers will also be available in better pubs starting in downtown Indy.

No opening date has been set. Our guess is early January.

Every real country needs a brewery.
Every real brewery needs an old Philco refrigerator and a wire spool.

And where is Flat 12? It’s at 414 N. Dorman St. between New York (eastbound) and Michigan (westbound) just east of the 65/70 downtown section and east of the railroad tracks.

Misc News – Dec 10

Barley Island’s Brass Knuckles Oatmeal Stout gets good ink in the Chicago Tribune.

“Among several winners, my favorite came from Barley Island Brewing Co., a small brewery in Noblesville, Ind., that distributes in just two states beyond its home turf: Illinois and Kentucky. Barley Island's Brass Knuckles Oatmeal Stout offers a fantastically roasted coffee-chocolate body with a mild creaminess from its oats. At 4.9 percent alcohol, it is deeply sessionable.”

Tastes:

• Broad Ripple Brewpub Apple Chucker – The menu says “Midwest heirloom apple juice was added during the boiling of this amber ale. The cider imparts a tartness that blends beautifullyu with the Crystal Malt’s sweetness. ABV 5.5%”. Apple is indistinct. Sort of a slightly fruity Mild or Southern Brown. Solid. Will be a hit.
• Rock Bottom, 86th St, Indy Old Curmudgeon – Double (or a bit less) IPA with Chinook and Amarillo hops. 7.7% ABV. With three weeks of aging, it has a floral orangey aroma and corresponding tastes. Very smooth-edged and drinkable, especially for such a big beer.
• RB 86th Seasonal Stout – An Imperial Stout at 7.6%. Small persistent tan head. Order early to let it warm up. Bittersweet chocolate and graininess from big malt bill.
• Rock Bottom, Downtown Indy, Old Curmudgeon – Imperial Red (maybe). Like Jerry says, “It's a strong ale that is red and ridiculously hopped!”. ABV in the 7s. Amarillo and Atomium hops. Way more drinkable than most Double Reds. (er, make that Ahtanum. Thanks. Glad someone reads this)
• RBDI Naughty Scot – When this was released on Nov 11th we said “Creamy yet with a lightness. Seems like a cross between a Scottish and a Porter rather than a gigantic Scotch Ale. Malt trumps hops. Warms to give a stronger, almost Barley Wine, quality. 8.9%. A+”
  After a month’s more aging it’s turned into almost an Old Ale. Dark brown but still easily see-thru. Little aroma. Hits directly on the tongue with punches of alcohol, malt, whisky, malt, blue fruits, and malt. Bitter finish on back of tongue while the front of the tongue still has a drying old aleness. Still A+
• Upland Dantilon – Nose is pure lambic yeast. So is the taste. This style doesn’t really allow for other, say fruit, flavors.
• Upland Strawberry Lambic – No red in color. Very sour on the cheeks. Quickly goes from a strawberry sweetness to a big lambic sour to lingering lambicness. Nice. Representative of Upland’s offerings.
• Three Floyds / Dogfish Head Poppaskull – Bright yellow with a creamy thin head. Funk in nose and Belgian in taste. A+ for complexity.
• New Holland Brewing Imperial Hatter IPA – Bold, raisiny. Sweet trumps bitter in the end. Still, easy drinking.
• New Holland Barrel Aged Dragons Milk – Smooth, nay, silky. Melt-in-your-mouth type of silky. A sweet stout with side notes of oak and vanilla. A+

Both Barley Island locations have their Humbugger Christmas Ale. “a malty dark ale, brewed with brown sugar, spiced with cardomom, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and bitter orange.  9.3% ABV, growlers available to go.  Loosely based on Humbug rock candy (British) that is made with brown sugar and mint.”

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Jason has a large article in Indy’s Metromix about the Tomlinson Tap Room and the 8 new brewpubs.

If you live in Michiana you need to be reading Eric Strader’s Beer Nuts blog in the Elkhart Truth. This week he looked at where to find Bell's Batch 10,000 on tap.

If you live further west, you need to be reading Scot Bort’s All Hopped Up column in the Post Trib. This week he has a video about Crown Brewing’s Grand Poobah Russian Imperial Stout – both the new batch and the earlier batch that was aged in a Woodford Reserve barrel for 8 months. Next month a wood-aged blond dopplebock.

http://blogs.post-trib.com/bort/2010/12/cb-grand-poobah.html

Draft Magazine’s 12 breweries to watch in 2011 includes Sun King.

Upland’s Winter Warmer Barleywine is back on the shelves. 8.5%. Schwarz Black Lager is due out in January.

New Holland’s Brewers’ Whiskey is available in bottles (in Michigan). Made with beer wash. article

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CNBC takes 2 minutes to show The Art of Scotch Tasting.

The famed Brickskeller pub in Washington DC is going to close on December 18th.

December

This week on tap at Powerhouse: Jack the Bum APA, Two Dave's IPA, Dark Rye IPA, and Dragonsbreath Imperial Red Ale.

Poppaskull has appeared in the stores around town as well as in the keg cooler at Powerhouse. We also have some other specialty kegs waiting for an open line.

Sitting in the floor is a Maker's Mark barrel aging Diesel Oil Stout, not sure of the expected tapping date yet. We are making Winterfest plans and some of the staff have started planning their trip to Munster for Dark Lord Day!

CACA is currently taking orders for new club shirts and brewing the Replic Ale for Winterfest. Some of the members are making the trek to Shelbyville Sunday to brew with Bill Ballinger!

Misc News – Dec 8

This week’s doings:

• Wed: Tapping of Old Curmudgeon Imperial IPA at Rock Bottom, 86th St, Indy. 6pm
• Wed: Beer Diner. Club LaSalle, South Bend. 7pm. $60. details
• Wed: Guest Brewer Discussion. Barley Island Restaurant and Brewhouse, Broad Ripple. 6:30.
• Thurs: Tapping of Old Curmudgeon Imperial IPA at Rock Bottom, Downtown Indy. 6pm
• Sat: Dark & Fruity Beer Class. Towle Theater, Hammond. 4pm. $25
• Sat: Tickets go on sale for Winter Warmer (Feb 12). Lafayette Brewing. They sell out in a few hours.

Sunday Sales editorials:

• Post-Tribune – State should legalize Sunday alcohol sales
• Ft. Wayne News Sentinel - Let's take another look at Sunday alcohol sales ban – The benefits of lifting it outweigh all the potential problems.
• Indy Star – Heavyweights battle, public left out

John Holl’s travel guide to Indiana breweries isn’t printed yet but he’s already promoting it an Beer Sessions Radio in a 19-minute interview (scroll down a bit), listen to the music the first 5 minutes. Hits for FFF, NABC, New Boswell. Then absinthe talk (which isn’t a bad thing). Bonus segment with Schmaltz’s Jeremy Cowan at the same link.

From New Albany: “This Saturday (December 11), Chef Josh Lehman is soliciting your opinion with free samples of frites and sauces. From 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., the Bank Street Brewhouse kitchen crew will offer guests free samples of frites in the form of an assortment: Different cuts of potatoes, different types of potatoes (russets, sweet, Yukon gold) and different sauces for accompaniment, including the seven sauces currently on the menu, along with ten new ones (green curry, rosemary aioli, blue cheese, dill lime aioli, horseradish, hot chili, mango ketchup, peanut sauce and more). Patrons are asked to vote for their favorite cuts, types and sauces. But there's even more. There will be frites fried in duck fat (which makes everything taste better), and also a special beer for the event.”

Colorado is trying to stop pubs from selling beer under 4% ABV. Why? because it’s already against the law. article 

Ol’Glory beer can’t put the pledge of allegiance on their bottles. article

The problem of beer":  That it is within a 'bottle', i.e. a boundaryless compact 2-manifold homeomorphic to the sphere.  Since beer bottles are not (usually) pathological or "wild" spheres, but smooth manifolds, they separate 3-space into two non-communicating regions: inside, containing beer, and outside, containing you.  This state must not remain. Get your Klein bottle opener here.

Best British headline of the day: JD Wetherspoon flushed with success at Loo Awards

IndianaBeer.com Survey - Dec. 3

Do you like the indianabeer.com website as it is?

What beer-related information do our readers want us to keep or not keep?

What beer-related information would our readers like to have added to this website to keep you interested in indianabeer.com?

Would you like to see indianabeer.com join Facebook and Twitter?

Here is your chance to speak up!!

Thank you!

Fort Wayne News - Dec. 3

A reminder that tomorrow S & V Liquors on Illinois Road is hosting their Holiday Extravaganza from 5p.m-8p.m. This is a free event (21 yrs. of age or more) with over 100 different beers, wines and liquors for your sampling enjoyment. There will also be cheese samples from the Cheeseman Factory.

Belmont Beverage (http://www.belmontbev.com) has opened a new store at 10311 Illinois Road (where Jamison Meats was previously located). Their phone # is (260)387-5701. I did a walkthrough of the beer area with Ron the Store Manager and the beer area includes: 13 shelves of beer, a beer cave with five (5) beer shelves and 9 cold case doors. The Grand Opening will take place after the 1st of the new year and there will also be free beer tastings throughout the year. Stop by and welcome Ron and his staff to the Illinois Rd. area and see what he has to offer.

Misc News – Dec 3

Upland Gigantor vat gets press (and video) at WTIU. article

The Geeks try HopKilla at the Black Swan blog

New Albanian's Public House are pouring Jewbelation 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 in succession over the next few days. details

Great Crescent tells us "The Great Crescent Brewery brewed a stout aged in barrels from Maker's Mark distillery for a local restaurant and it's now available on tap at Bourbon's Bar and Grill in downtown Lawrenceburg, IN. We also have a limited amount of growlers available at the brewery. This beer is a bigger version of our stout with 7.2% ABV and 65 IBU's, it conditioned very nicely in the barrels without becoming overdone."

People's Mr. Brown is available throughout the state in draft form through Cavalier.

New Albanian's Public House seems to be heading toward more U.S. micros and less imports. Roger tells why.

The Bier Brewery and Taproom in Indy has a Dunkelweiss and a Pumpkin on tap this week. Coming later: Chocolate Mint Stout and a Dubbel.

Tastes:

• Shoreline 15th Anniv IPA - Bright yellow. Small citric nose. Light malt and good amount of floral citric bitterness. Finish shows complexity approaching a Belgian IPA.
• Sun King Winter Storm Warning  (on tap at the Rathskeller) – Darkish and reddish (but that could be the lighting). Strong ESB. Aroma a malt and plastic(!) glass. Spiciness and a dry finish make it very quaffable for an 8% beer.
• Sun King Winter Storm Warning (from a firkin) – A bit more flat which accents a late hit of clover and dark malt.

The Rathskeller's Christmas lights and Phil Pierle's guitar
made Sun King's Winter Storm Warning tapping festive.

The BW3 in downtown Indy has not really gone back to the old tappage since last March's Final Four. At that time more BMC replaced good seasonals with 2 Bud Light, 2 Miller Lite, and 2 Coors Light taps. There's 6 more from the Big 3 (including Sam Adams). DFH 120 hasn't been on the premises since. We await your return to the dark side.

What does that portend for 2012's Superbowl? Is it a coincidence that Bud Light and the Colts are both colored blue and white? Will ABInbev buy all the taps in town? Will the 2012 Winterfest find a home (the State Fairgrounds is reportedly booked solid for truck parking)?

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After 2 weeks on Sunday, a show on a Monday, Brew Masters is moving to Thursdays at 8pm. Still the History Discovery Channel (thanks).

Wynkoop and Breckenridge are merging. "The joint venture will create a brewing force with over four decades of craft beer experience, a production brewery with a potential annual capacity of approximately 60,000 barrels, three brewpubs, eight restaurants, and combined brewing production of nearly 40,000 barrels of craft beer in 2010." more

"A Devon pub suffered a loss of trade yesterday after a tractor towing a trailer of manure crashed and dumped its 14-tonne load on the doorstep." article

Hint: When making your mulled wassail remember that alcohol evaporates at 173°F.