- Victory Otto
- Hoppin' Frog DORIS
- Hoppin' Frog Naked Evil
- Upland Lambics
- Stone Vertical Epic
- Founders CBS
Wise Guys Liquors Rare Beer Sale - Merrillville
This Saturday, starting at 9am, Wise Guys Liquors will be collecting names for a lottery drawing to buy some rare beers. Per their Twitter feed @wiseguysliquors the beer for purchase includes:
Indiana Beer News - October 26
This week:
- Today - Beer Sampling. Chalet Party Shoppe, Cassopolis St, Elkhart + US 33, Goshen. 4-6pm
- Thursday - Pie'd Piper Pumpkin Ale tapping. Ram Downtown Indy. 6pm Including pumpkin carving contest.
- Thursday - El Gallo Negro tapping. Sun King, 6-9pm
- Thursday - Hoosier Beer Book Signing for Black Dog Books at G. Simone's, 112B S. Main St. Zionsville. 6-8pm
- Friday - 3rd Annual Vine & Table Whisky & Fine Spirits Expo. Montage, Indy. 5-9pm. $50/$125
- Friday - IX - Ninth Anniversary Ale unveiling. New Albanian's Bank Street Brewhouse. 6pm+. Plus decommissioning of "Brew History: All Bottled Up" beer bottle exhibit in the parking lot.
- Friday - Beer Tasting. Cap n' Cork, New Haven, Ft. Wayne. 5-7pm
- Friday - Beer Tasting. Liquor Locker, Evansville. 4-7pm
- Friday - Beer Sampling. Norma's Fine Wines. Indy. 6-8pm
- Friday - Beer Tasting. Moggers Restaurant, Terre Haute. 5:30pm
- Friday - Beer Tasting. Vine and Table, Carmel, 3-7pm
- Friday - Beer Tasting. Crown Liquors, Downtown Indy. 3-7pm; Carmel, Fishers, US31 & Shelby, &106th & Michigan. 4-7pm
- Saturday - 25 beer and candy pairings. Kahn's 86th St. Indy. 5-7pm
Flat 12's Wanamaker Wet Hop Ale "uses Indiana-grown Centennial, Chinook and Cascade hops. Our good friend Neal Danison contributed hops from his Wanamaker, Indiana property. And Flat12 brewer Sean Lewis contributed some Porter, Indiana-grown hops."Be glad we're not in Texas where beer is ale and ale is beer. article
Beer Geeks special keg tapping
"Terrapin Beer Co. from Athens, GA, will be on tap in Indiana one day only, Friday October 28th at Beer Geeks Pub in a collaboration with the Shmaltz Brewing Company. Reunion Ale '11 is a Dark Ale brewed with cocoa nibs from Olive and Sinclair in Nashville, vanilla, and chili peppers. This beer has been brewed to benefit the Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research. Besides the Reunion, Beer Geeks will have a bunch of great craft and import beer flowing from their other 19 handles. Maybe even a surprise or two. Not into beer? Ciders, Mead and Gourmet Sodas are on their menu as well. We'll be selling t-shirts as well as hand-signed copies of Shmaltz Brewing Founder Jeremy Cowan's book, Craft Beer Bar Mitzvah, which, like the Reunion Ale, proceeds will go to the Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research. So bring some friends, hang out, try some great beer and support a great cause."
If you can't make it but still want to help, you can go to http://www.imbcr.org/ to donate.
If you can't make it but still want to help, you can go to http://www.imbcr.org/ to donate.
BCCA Indianapolis Trade Show
The IBC chapter of the BCCA held its annual trade show last Sunday with the expected results - a sold-out table roster and a couple of hundred people wandering around looking and lusting at lots of bottles, cans, labels, and other breweriana. It's always a good time and you should have been there.
The next swap in Indiana is November 26th in Fort Wayne. Free admission for buyers and browsers.
The next swap in Indiana is November 26th in Fort Wayne. Free admission for buyers and browsers.
"Get Him to the Geek"
Jason Owens has spent four years trying to open the bar where he wanted to go have a drink. His efforts have paid off as Beer Geeks has just celebrated its first year in business proving that others in the region also want to go to his bar and have a drink. Of course striking the craft beer iron while it is hot didn't hurt either.
Not Your Typical Dive Bar
Well, from appearances, it is exactly your typical dive bar. Sandwiched between a pizza joint and a burrito place, the unassuming facade of Beer Geeks isn't inviting the masses from the outside with bright, flashy lights and a wall of picture windows letting you peer at the patrons inside. There is one iron gated porthole that lets in absolutely the bare minimum of natural light. At 3pm when the door opens you have to adjust your eyes to take in the darkness, tempered only by the glow of fluorescent.
"I wanted that dark bar, downtown Chicago feel: low ceilings, dark and intimate. I wanted a dive bar with a purpose," Jason explains to me. "I got some of my ideas from Bone Dry, the booths, tables and chairs. And I always had the idea for the leather couches. First thing I did when I got in here was get the carpet." The carpet, the exact color escapes me now, only contributes to the dark atmosphere. In contrast to all of it are the white ceiling tiles that even the whitest guy could jump and hit."This is the kind of bar I hung out in Chicago. I always wanted to open a place where I wanted to go drink." And that's the prevailing theme with Jason. He fell in love with the Chicago Blues scene and offers Tuesday Bluesday. Local bands and musicians come play on Saturday nights to add to that intimate bar setting. It's everything you might expect to find in downtown Chicago.
The Craft Beer Phenomenon
"Bone Dry had been rotating craft beers before the movement ever became huge. It was just something different than your Millers or Buds. You will never find those here."
My journey into craft beer started at Beer Geeks with a bottle of Hoppin' Frog's BORIS. As I was chatting with Jason I was slowly sipping on a snifter of Hoppin' Frog's DORIS, completing my circle so to speak. Recently, Wise Guys Liquors advertised a rare beer sale with one of those bottles being DORIS, which I had already had!
"It's all about the relationship with the distributors. I take care of them, they take care of me. If there is one barrel left in the state, they give me a call and say, 'Hey, there's one barrel left and we're bringing it to you.'"
That's a great position to be in. When you are tapping kegs from all over the states it pays to grab the barrels that might not be available anywhere else in Indiana. Now I'm sure the folks in Indianapolis get a large selection as well thanks to distributors down south. But the rotating selection up here separates Beer Geeks from even the breweries that can trade their own beer for another's.
"Every time you come to Beer Geeks it is like a brand new bar. Yesterday we had 'Old Blarney' but today it's gone. I'm about to go put on 'Zombie Dust.'"
And away he went, back into his labyrinth of kegs and lines and swapped out one for another. As he was cleaning the line of the 'Old Blarney' pouring it into a pitcher he offered a taste of an 'Old Blarney,' 'Zombie Dust' mix. I passed but the other patrons at the bar were more than happy to try.
That's how it has to go here. There is no set day and time for beer rotation. If a keg is empty, Jason wastes no tap space and grabs another brew. It makes Beer Geeks a year round brewfest.
And the clientele certainly helps lend that feel too. When I was there chatting with Jason there were maybe a dozen people in the place. Although I was the one pressing him for answers, every patron was waiting to hear the story behind the bar. At times, the topic changed from Beer Geeks simply to beer. There is no more enjoyable experience than drinking a great beer and talking about great beer with people who share the passion.
The Palate Requires There Be NO SMOKING
The town of Highland does not have a smoking ordinance.
"Totally my decision," Jason says.
"So this wasn't because you were serving craft beer?"
"No, but I know how much that means to craft beer drinkers."
It certainly is an added benefit to walk into Beer Geeks and not be engulfed in a haze of secondhand smoke. Most of us know that to truly enjoy a craft beer you have to invoke all five senses and that can be a little difficult when all you smell is nicotine addiction and all you taste is stale air. But it all goes back to Jason's concept of the bar he wants to drink in.
This is also a good thing for the beer selection. It all comes down to his palate. He alone selects the beer and sometimes, on a rare occasion, he may let a distributor talk him into a beer without actually tasting it. As far as I can tell, this has backfired only one time.
"One time I got a keg of Pink Killer Beer. It was grapefruit infused. Probably the worst beer I've had in my life. I went through the keg in three days. The girls really loved it."
Word of Mouth
"I advertised one time. I ran a weekly Friday ad for a month in the Times advertising a Blues event. Oh, and one time I sent stickers or coasters to a brewfest and nobody had any idea the place existed."
I cheerfully retorted, "But you have about 3,000 friends on Facebook."
"Yeah, but half of them are from Brazil. You know how Facebook is, people see 'beer' and they just go crazy. One girl 'liked' one of my keg tapping's yesterday. I did that in September! I hope she wasn't expecting to come in here and order it."
Jason takes the time to announce every new beer on tap and he's pretty good about staying up to date. Between Facebook (Beer Geeks), Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/beergeekspub and his own website, http://www.beergeekspub.com/, you can always stay up to date on what's going on.
I asked him how much sleep he's lost in his first year of business.
"I haven't lost any sleep. Sure it keeps me busy, between [the three aforementioned media], bar tending, working another job (yes, he works another job), and running the business I certainly have been busy. But I have a lot of help."
The Future
Beer Geeks, with little to no publicity or fanfare, is slowly becoming a staple in the craft beer scene here in Northwest Indiana. Although the vast majority of the public may be unaware of its existence, the fans of craft beer flock quite frequently to enjoy a pint, tulip, or snifter of the newest ale to arrive on the scene. It even manages to attract a few hipsters thanks to the offering of PBR ($3 tall boys only).
When I asked Jason about the future of Beer Geeks he offered me a surprising response:
"I want to open a blues bar."
Indiana Beer News - October 19
This Weekend:
Roger tells us about Madison's Soup, Stew,Chili, and Brew.
Today - Book Signing for Hoosier Beer. 4-7pm. Sun King.- Saturday - South Bend Brewfest. Century Center. Noon-4pm. $30.
- Saturday -Big Woods Brewing Quafftoberfest. Nashville. With new Bourbon Barrel Stout and Alt. 11:30am-10pm.
- Saturday - Movember Crawl for a Cause. Mass Ave, Indy. 6pm+. $20/$25 incl Upland beer at Front Page, Ball & Biscuit, Old Point, Rathskeller, Chatham Tap.
- Sunday - BCCA Indianapolis Breweriana Trade Show, La Quinta, Emerson Ave., Indy. 9am-about noon. Free attendance.
Roger tells us about Madison's Soup, Stew,Chili, and Brew.August Schell will release a Burton Ale: " As is traditional for British brewers, Schell’s added sugar in the kettle, and some Dark Candi Syrup. Finally, the Burton Ale is hopped with Nugget and Goldings, fermented with a British ale yeast, dry-hopped, and aged for 3 months prior to release." press release
Writers' wars. Martyn Cornell doesn't think the Oxford Companion to Beer is as accurate as it should be (understatement alert). Jeff Alworth isn't thrilled either. There's even a correction wiki.
Travel & Leisure Magazine lists the 12 best US beer gardens.
Indiana Beer News - October 16
Shoreline's board:
People's Brewing is getting 4 new 50bbl vessels and will be distributed statewide by Cavalier.
While at the Village Bottle Shoppe on Sagamore Pkwy in West Lafayette we saw 3 items worth mentioning:
- Hopz cigars. Yep, with a z. Large hop-soaked and $12.39 each
- Mad Hatter Royalle Hopquila. Hop-infused vodka. $32.50
- Oh, and Peanut Butter Vodka.
Sarah tells us about Bloomington Brewing's Farmhouse Ale:
Each year we brew a special beer for our “Homegrown” series, primarily from the harvest of our Cascade hop vines at Loesch Farm. This year’s harvest was light due to the terribly wet spring which was then followed by a long mid-summer drought. Nevertheless, our small harvest has yielded a beautiful golden Farmhouse Ale which we brewed soon after the fall equinox with aromatic, Vienna and two-row malts. This effervescent Farmhouse ale has a wonderfully light maltiness and a soft cascade hop balance which doesn’t overpower. This is a refreshing beer with a gentle lingering sweetness, perfect with for quaffing with friends on a cool fall evening. Join us soon for a pint at Lennie’s. A single batch is all we have and like this glorious Indian summer, it will be gone far too soon. ABV 4.2%
The final BrewBracket Stout bracket (Thanks Mike). Watch for the next one in the spring.
Headline: Man believes he is in heaven after finding a free beer truck. Body: Before being sent to Northwest Community Hospital, he told police he didn’t think he had done anything wrong. article
The numbers are in for Munich's 2011 Oktoberfest: 7.5 million liter of beer consumed (half a million more than in 2010); 6.9 million visitors; and only 58 fights involving the traditional mugs, or steins, popular at the fest (down from 62 the year before). Organizers were pleased by sales, having feared a backlash against the new record price (9 Euros; about $12) for a liter.
Growlers!
Following twitter today, I came across this Indianapolis Star article.. Get Your Growler On
I was slightly disappointed. Who ever did their research on local growlers available for purchase left off so many options!
The five listed in the article : Barley Island, Bier, Granite City, RAM - Fishers, and Triton. Are great places to go, but what about:
Flat 12
Sun King
Rock Bottom
Black Swan
Tomlinson Tap Room
Upland
Thr3e Wisemen
And these are just a small selection of growlers available out there! not to mention breweries outside of Indianapolis or within a short drive, in Lafayette, Bloomington, Kokomo.
on a small side note different note: New Day Meadery - Offer Growlers for their Ciders & Meads!
I know that everyone wants to jump on craft beer train... but if you are going to report about local beer, make sure you at least get more than 5.
Support local!
*thank you for letting me say my two cents*
I was slightly disappointed. Who ever did their research on local growlers available for purchase left off so many options!
The five listed in the article : Barley Island, Bier, Granite City, RAM - Fishers, and Triton. Are great places to go, but what about:
Flat 12
Sun King
Rock Bottom
Black Swan
Tomlinson Tap Room
Upland
Thr3e Wisemen
And these are just a small selection of growlers available out there! not to mention breweries outside of Indianapolis or within a short drive, in Lafayette, Bloomington, Kokomo.
on a small side note different note: New Day Meadery - Offer Growlers for their Ciders & Meads!
I know that everyone wants to jump on craft beer train... but if you are going to report about local beer, make sure you at least get more than 5.
Support local!
*thank you for letting me say my two cents*
Indiana Beer News - October 12
This busy week:
- Tonight: Book Signing for Hoosier Beer. 6:30 boring speech. 7:30 Pub Quiz. Shoreline, Michigan City. No charge.
- Tonight: Sierra Nevada Brewmaster, Steve Dresler, at Binklley's Kitchen. 7pm+.
- Tonight: Flat 12 tap takeover. Stacked Pickle, Fishers. 5-9pm
- Tonight: Release of Triton Brewing Bourbon Barrel Stout and Victory Lane Bourbon Milk Sout (collaboration w/Flat 12). 3pm+
- Tonight: Greenbush Brewing Company Indiana launch. Fiddler's Hearth, South Bend. 5pm+
- Thursday: Tapping of All Hops Go To Heaven. Ram Fishers. 6:30pm
- Thursday: Big Red Beerfest. Bloomington. $30. 6-9pm
- Thursday: Belgian Beer Dinner. Club LaSalle, South Bend. Menu
- Thursday: Sierra Nevada tap takeover Alley Bar, Bloomington.
- Friday: Big Red Beerfest. Bloomington. $35. 6-9pm
- Friday: True Brew signing. Lawrenceburg Public Library. 6-8pm. Samples by Great Crescent. $25
- Saturday: Unveiling of NABC/Great Crescent/Turoni's collaboration Steamboat Common. At Soup, Stew, Chili and Brew, Madison. A fundraiser for the Howard Steamboat Museum. 11am-4pm
Saturday: Porter's Perfect Pint Festival. Hawthorne Park, Porter. $35/$40. 1-5pm - Saturday: Wandering Owl Wine & Beer Trail. Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve. Evansville. 3-6pm. OVHA, Turoni's, etc. $35/$40. 812-479-0771 x 107 for tickets and info.
- Saturday: Brocktoberfest Specialty Beer Festival. Brockway Public House, Carmel. 4-8pm.
- Saturday: Triton Brewing Grand Opening. 5-11pm.
- Saturday: Gonzo Fest, Monkey Wrench, Louisville. 3-11pm. $20/$25/$30
Did you know the 2012 North American Beer Bloggers Conference could be in Indy? Roger breaks the news.
Lastly, keep this book in mind: “Full Steam Ahead: Reflections on the Impact of the First Steamboat on the Ohio River 1811-2011” from the Indiana Historical Society Press. It is a book of essays edited by Rita Kohn, the Hoosier state’s First Lady of craft beer appreciation, who to the surprise of no one was the motive force behind NABC's commemorative brewing of Steamboat Common. As always, we'll drink a toast to Rita with the tapping of the very first keg.
Oktoberfest is some work and some play.
Bulldog Brewing Company - Whiting
The soft opening for Bulldog Brewing Company was scheduled for Saturday, October 8 and although I would have loved to attend I decided against it. As I have been told by someone close to the brewery, the state of Indiana had, as of Saturday, not released the necessary brewing permit.
A "Grand Opening" is scheduled for sometime in the near future and in the interim Bulldog is offering a decent selection of other craft beers with their limited menu.
From the list of beers detailed on their website, Bulldog Brewing Company might be a new destination for craft beer fans, although I'll reserve my judgment after I actually have a few pints.
On a totally different note, I know the two are entirely different in form, but the script "B" for Bulldog is eerily similar to the "B" for Brooklyn Brewery.
Stay tuned for more information related to the Grand Opening.
A "Grand Opening" is scheduled for sometime in the near future and in the interim Bulldog is offering a decent selection of other craft beers with their limited menu.
From the list of beers detailed on their website, Bulldog Brewing Company might be a new destination for craft beer fans, although I'll reserve my judgment after I actually have a few pints.
On a totally different note, I know the two are entirely different in form, but the script "B" for Bulldog is eerily similar to the "B" for Brooklyn Brewery.
Stay tuned for more information related to the Grand Opening.
Tap takover + Sierra Nevada Brewmaster appearance, Oct. 13
Sierra Nevada BrewMaster, Steve Dresler, will chat with beer lovers at 3 locations on Thursday Oct. 13, Bloomington.
Steve will stop by Big Red Liquors, 418 N College, Bloomington 3-4 PM on Thursday.
Dresler also attends the Big Red BeerFest on Thursday which runs 6-9 p.m., Bloomington Convention Center,
Alley Bar hosts an EIGHT TAP Sierra Nevada Tap Take-Over Thursday evening and Steve will stop by after 8 or 9 PM. Featured beers on tap include Northern Hemisphere Harvest (fresh hop) Ale, Estate Ale (estate grown hops and barley),, Kellerweis Hefeweizen (only US hefe to use open fermenation), and more.... Alley MAY get some Life and Limb (strong Dark) Sierra Nevada/Dogfish collaboration.
The Big Red BeerFest runs 2 evenings, 6-9, at the Bloomington Convention Center, with over 300 beers
($30 Thursday & $35 Friday)
Steve will stop by Big Red Liquors, 418 N College, Bloomington 3-4 PM on Thursday.
Dresler also attends the Big Red BeerFest on Thursday which runs 6-9 p.m., Bloomington Convention Center,
Alley Bar hosts an EIGHT TAP Sierra Nevada Tap Take-Over Thursday evening and Steve will stop by after 8 or 9 PM. Featured beers on tap include Northern Hemisphere Harvest (fresh hop) Ale, Estate Ale (estate grown hops and barley),, Kellerweis Hefeweizen (only US hefe to use open fermenation), and more.... Alley MAY get some Life and Limb (strong Dark) Sierra Nevada/Dogfish collaboration.
The Big Red BeerFest runs 2 evenings, 6-9, at the Bloomington Convention Center, with over 300 beers
($30 Thursday & $35 Friday)
Brew Bracket II: Stout Edition
A couple of months ago, while following my twitter feed, I found out about Brew Bracket. I knew instantly that I must go to this event. Not only for the fact that it was a new and interesting way for beer lovers to decide the winner of an event, but because it was all about stouts, one of my favorite beer styles, and it was my 30th birthday, which to me equaled - my destiny to attend.
The basics of Brew Bracket is simply this -- Blind taste testing of 16 local breweries versions of Stout. March Madness style with four rounds. After the fourth round, a winner is declared.
The event was held at the Indiana State fairgrounds from 1-4:30.
Upon entering you receive two tasting glasses, a pen and a voting tablet. Each sheet has a gray or orange option and after tasting you cast your vote into a paint can.
Round one was separated into two parts 1a and 1b since there were only four corners to taste and only two beers at a time.
Unfortunately two breweries didn't make it to Brew Bracket, so two lucky breweries had a bye on Round 1: Triton Brewing Company and Bee Creek Brewery.
The event overall was pretty well organized. Definitely low key. there were picnic tables scattered through out the all with oyster crackers in bowls and stickers from some of the participating breweries Along the wall were gate-leg tables with more crackers and hundreds of bottles of water. Each side also had a rinsing station. Towards the East end was a food vendor and in the middle the prize stage, voting area and announcement area.
On to the Beer Highlights:
First.. I want to say that the two breweries in the finals appear to be the only two breweries who actually brewed a stout specifically for Brew Bracket. Because of that I am glad they ended up being 1st and 2nd place. Not that the other stouts weren't good, I know I've bragged about Upland's Mother's Milk stout before, but I think it was nice to have a new stout to try. Instead of comparing previous tried stouts.
Secondly.. It was great that some of the newer breweries like Twisted Crew & Triton were participants in the competition.
After 3 1/2 hours of tasting, contests, food and talking... a winner was announced:
I'm really glad that as a local brewery that I frequent often, due to their great quality bier, won the Stouts competition Congratulations Darren, Corbin, Jerry, Tara and all associates of Bier Brewery. Hope to see your trophy in the tap room.
The event was great to be part of and I'm glad I chose this to do for my birthday. I can't wait to see what the spring version will be about!
A final shout out:
DoItIndy -- You guys did a great job with promoting Brew Bracket. Ben -- Thanks for the saying hi! :)
Brew Bracket -- Nicely organized! - Thank you for the birthday wishes
The 14 Breweries that particpate: Bier Brewery, Lafayette Brewing Company, Barley Island, Rock Bottom - College Park, Rock Bottom - Downtown, Twisted Crew Brewing, Brugge Brasserie, Half Moon Brewing, Figure 8 Brewing, Bee Creek Brewing, Flat 12, Bloomington Brewing Company, Upland ,Triton -- All great stouts!
The basics of Brew Bracket is simply this -- Blind taste testing of 16 local breweries versions of Stout. March Madness style with four rounds. After the fourth round, a winner is declared. The event was held at the Indiana State fairgrounds from 1-4:30.
Upon entering you receive two tasting glasses, a pen and a voting tablet. Each sheet has a gray or orange option and after tasting you cast your vote into a paint can.
 |
| Me Being Silly Before Hand |
Round one was separated into two parts 1a and 1b since there were only four corners to taste and only two beers at a time.
Unfortunately two breweries didn't make it to Brew Bracket, so two lucky breweries had a bye on Round 1: Triton Brewing Company and Bee Creek Brewery.
 |
| Where is the Beer!?! |
One part that was really nice was a live twitter feed wall, where any tweet with the hashtag #BBStouts would pop up onto the wall. The goal was to get #BBStouts trending on twitter for Indianapolis about about 3/4 through the event, we succeeded!
**Yes, my twitter name -
KJLSlauzis was up on the
wall a lot**
On to the Beer Highlights:
Secondly.. It was great that some of the newer breweries like Twisted Crew & Triton were participants in the competition.
Coffee or Oat stouts seemed to be the favored styles for each
brew. Unfortunately there wasn't a way to tell at the end which one you really did vote for, but I know there was a stout that had an aroma and taste of banana. Which made it seems like you were drinking a chocolate covered banana. By process of elimination
I'm leaning towards saying it was Brugge Brasserie's Black.
Triton's Stout was their Deadeye Stout aged in a Bourbon Barrel, which I am a total sucker for Bourbon Barrel aged anything.. even an IPA ( see New Albanian B'urban Trotter - A bourbon barrel aged Imperial India Pale Ale)
Classic favorites where there as well:
Upland - Mother's Milk Stout
Flat 12 - Lacto Matic Milk Stout
Bee Crew - Clay County Coffee Stout
Fuggit Stout!
A stout that Darren literally said Fuggit and put in all they had into it!
The event was great to be part of and I'm glad I chose this to do for my birthday. I can't wait to see what the spring version will be about!
DoItIndy -- You guys did a great job with promoting Brew Bracket. Ben -- Thanks for the saying hi! :)
Brew Bracket -- Nicely organized! - Thank you for the birthday wishes
The 14 Breweries that particpate: Bier Brewery, Lafayette Brewing Company, Barley Island, Rock Bottom - College Park, Rock Bottom - Downtown, Twisted Crew Brewing, Brugge Brasserie, Half Moon Brewing, Figure 8 Brewing, Bee Creek Brewing, Flat 12, Bloomington Brewing Company, Upland ,Triton -- All great stouts!
Across the Ohio
Against the Grain Brewery and Smokehouse opened in downtown Louisville this week, operated by experienced Louisville brewers. Five solid beers on tap. 401 E Main Slugger Park.
Indiana Beer News - Oct 8
>>>Upland Brewing, Bloomington, now open for Kegs and Eggs, breakfast 8:30 - 11:30; Sat. Sun. only, The Octoberfest was delicious and the Kimodo Dragon Black IPA is a yummy hop treat.
>>> Tapping of Pumpkin Ale at Rock Bottom, Downtown Indy on Wash., Thursday, Oct. 13, 6 PM
>>> Tuxedo Park Brewers, 1139 Shelby, Indy, Today, Sat. Oct. 8, 4- midnight with music and with meats from Claus'
>>> FringeFest New Albany, Bank St. Brewery of New Albanian, Today, Sat. Oct. 8, music at 6:00
>>> Tapping of Pumpkin Ale at Rock Bottom, Downtown Indy on Wash., Thursday, Oct. 13, 6 PM
>>> Tuxedo Park Brewers, 1139 Shelby, Indy, Today, Sat. Oct. 8, 4- midnight with music and with meats from Claus'
>>> FringeFest New Albany, Bank St. Brewery of New Albanian, Today, Sat. Oct. 8, music at 6:00
Indiana Beer News - October 7
October 10th: Tickets go on sale for Three Floyds's Anniversary party. $25. 1pm (Central time) Here's the magic link.Upland's Sour Ale tickets sold out in 2 minutes.
Last year, Oaken Barrel's Apple Buzz sold out two batches (60 bbl) in two days. You can find out why next Monday if you're lucky. HBG Review
Tomorrow's BrewBracket is the focus of the BrewHaus blog.
Cutters Brewing Co. beers available in bombers in Bloomington - specifically at the Sahara Mart: Half Court IPA, Monon Wheat, Lost River Summer Ale, Empire Imperial Stout.
Fort Wayne Events - October 6
Cap n' Cork on Coldwater Road will be having a FREE beer tasting on Friday, October 7th, from
5p.m.-7p.m. There will be beers from approximately 10 different breweries including pumpkin beers, ciders, porters, and brown ales to name a few. Come out and sample some Fall beers and perhaps find a new beer to enjoy this Fall. (Must be 21 yrs. of age or over with valid photo ID).
On Saturday, October 8th, is the Deer Park Fall Craft Beer Festival from 1p.m.-5p.m. See my blog of September 22nd for more information. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 the day of the event.
5p.m.-7p.m. There will be beers from approximately 10 different breweries including pumpkin beers, ciders, porters, and brown ales to name a few. Come out and sample some Fall beers and perhaps find a new beer to enjoy this Fall. (Must be 21 yrs. of age or over with valid photo ID).
On Saturday, October 8th, is the Deer Park Fall Craft Beer Festival from 1p.m.-5p.m. See my blog of September 22nd for more information. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 the day of the event.
Beer Overload?
May Day -- I think we've hit Beer Overload!
The other day on twitter I saw an event regarding nothing else than a beer festival. Triton Brewing Company in collaboration with Flat 12 are doing a tasting at the Rivera Club. Samples from both companies plus food from 7-11pm on 10/8. I should be excited! That day is my birthday, but I'm already going and have been looking forward to Brew Bracket for over a month. Which is the same day - 10/8 from 12:30-5.
What if I did both!? -- Beer Overload
(almost 12 hours of tasting.. brings up the question.. is there such a thing as too much of a good thing?)
Everyday I scroll through twitter, I read IndianaBeer, I pop onto Hoosier Beer Geek, I check my inbox for brewing companies e-mail updates and I've gotta say.. If you like beer and live in Indiana, most specifically Indianapolis. You could probably go to a beer related event -- EVERY DAY.
Breweries like Sun King, Thr3e Wisemen, Bier Brewery are constantly tapping new styles. Bars are have kegs from outside the city from craft brewers to tap as well. Almost every weekend there is an event or festival.
Makes me want to be a beer butterfly fluttering to each keg to sip on the sweet brewed nectar.
Though my blogs may have slowed ( I still owe the readers: The Search For The Great Pumpkin: Beer Edition Round 2 & 3 & So on, and a recap of my visit to Lexington Brewery)
I am still here.. to drink beer!
Cheers. :)
On a small sidenote: I will be at Bier Brewery tonight for their weekly release. Flat 12 for their Flat Jack Pumpkin Ale Tapping on Friday. Sun King also on Friday. Brew Bracket on Saturday!
Indiana Beer News - October 5
This week's tipples and trials. (more at www.indianabeer.com/calendar.html)
Thurs, Oct 6:
>> Tapping of Rocktoberfest. Rock Bottom, 86th St. Indy. 6pm
>> Tapping of All Hops Go To Heaven. Ram Fishers. 6:30pm
>> Tapping of Railsplitter IPA. Triton Brewing, Lawrence. 6pm
Wells and Young's has bought McEwan's, Younger's, and Courage brands from Heineken. short article
Reuters gets the award for longest headline of the day: Revellers at Germany's Oktoberfest, the world's largest folk festival, consumed a record 7.5 million litres (1.65 million Imp gallons) of beer during the 17-day party which ended on Monday in blazing sunshine. article - folk festival? Isn't that volk festival?
Thurs, Oct 6:
>> Tapping of Rocktoberfest. Rock Bottom, 86th St. Indy. 6pm
>> Tapping of All Hops Go To Heaven. Ram Fishers. 6:30pm
>> Tapping of Railsplitter IPA. Triton Brewing, Lawrence. 6pm
Sat, Oct 8:
>> BrewBracket. State Fairgrounds, Stouts. $35 (Volunteer pourers contact mike@brewbracket.com).
>> BrewBracket. State Fairgrounds, Stouts. $35 (Volunteer pourers contact mike@brewbracket.com).
>> Fall Craft Beer Festival. Deer Park Irish Pub (Leesburg Rd.), Ft. Wayne. 1-5pm. $25/$30
>> Indiana Homebrew Brew-B-Q, Indy. 2-7pm.
>> Tuxedo Park Brewers Fauxtoberfest and homebrew contest. 4-12pm. $23.36
>> Oktoberfest on Main St. Crown Point.
>> Grand opening of Crown Liquors, in Noblesville. (US 32 & River Rd.) 1-4pm party and prizes.
>> Triton and Flat 12 Collaboration tasting. $30. At the Riviera Club, Indy. 7-11pm
>> Indiana Homebrew Brew-B-Q, Indy. 2-7pm.
>> Tuxedo Park Brewers Fauxtoberfest and homebrew contest. 4-12pm. $23.36
>> Oktoberfest on Main St. Crown Point.
>> Grand opening of Crown Liquors, in Noblesville. (US 32 & River Rd.) 1-4pm party and prizes.
>> Triton and Flat 12 Collaboration tasting. $30. At the Riviera Club, Indy. 7-11pm
DJ has the Black Swan Brewpub up to speed with 9 beers including Inaugural Old Ale, a 7.5% Brit standard with all the right tastes. It's obviously not to full maturity yet and he's going to be hard pressed to get the proper aging until more tanks find their way (and a place) in the brewery. Saturday evening was comfortably full for dinner and at the cozy bar as they are getting a reputation for good food.
Stan Heirnymous talks about GABF and Sun King's remarkable showing.
1000 cases of 2011 Courage Russian Imperial Stout will be send to our side of the pond.
1000 cases of 2011 Courage Russian Imperial Stout will be send to our side of the pond.
Wells and Young's has bought McEwan's, Younger's, and Courage brands from Heineken. short article
Reuters gets the award for longest headline of the day: Revellers at Germany's Oktoberfest, the world's largest folk festival, consumed a record 7.5 million litres (1.65 million Imp gallons) of beer during the 17-day party which ended on Monday in blazing sunshine. article - folk festival? Isn't that volk festival?
Actual powdered beer
Indiana Beer News - October 2 - and GABF Winners
Indiana did good at the GABF.. Well, specifically Sun King did real good, winning 8 medals, half of them Gold.Repeat, Sun King won more medals and more Golds than any other brewery, period.
Brugge, Rock Bottom 86th St and Three Floyds each won 1 medal.
Gold:
Coffee Beer - 60 Entries - Java Mac, Sun King
Belgian-Style Strong Specialty Ale - 59 Entries - Buffalo Slumber, Sun King
Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout - 24 Entries - Ring of Dingle, Sun King
Scotch Ale - 39 Entries - Wee Muckle, Sun King
Silver:
Scottish-Style Ale - 27 Entries - Naughty Scot, Rock Bottom Brewery, 86th St. Indy
Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer - 40 Entries - Wee Pogue, Sun King
Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer - 118 Entries - Bourbon Barrel Johan, Sun King
American-Style or International-Style Pilsener - 31 Entries - Popcorn Pilsner, Sun King
German-Style Märzen - 58 Entries - Munster Fest, Three Floyds
Bronze:
American-Style Brett Ale - 31 Entries - Grimalkin - Super Kitty Fantastico, Brugge Brasserie
Barley Wine-Style Ale - 42 Entries - Johan the Barleywine, Sun King
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Gold:
Coffee Beer - 60 Entries - Java Mac, Sun King
Belgian-Style Strong Specialty Ale - 59 Entries - Buffalo Slumber, Sun King
Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout - 24 Entries - Ring of Dingle, Sun King
Scotch Ale - 39 Entries - Wee Muckle, Sun King
Silver:
Scottish-Style Ale - 27 Entries - Naughty Scot, Rock Bottom Brewery, 86th St. Indy
Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer - 40 Entries - Wee Pogue, Sun King
Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer - 118 Entries - Bourbon Barrel Johan, Sun King
American-Style or International-Style Pilsener - 31 Entries - Popcorn Pilsner, Sun King
German-Style Märzen - 58 Entries - Munster Fest, Three Floyds
Bronze:
American-Style Brett Ale - 31 Entries - Grimalkin - Super Kitty Fantastico, Brugge Brasserie
Barley Wine-Style Ale - 42 Entries - Johan the Barleywine, Sun King
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Apple Buzz comes back to Oaken Barrel on October 10th.
Sun King will be sending Grapefruit Jungle IPA out in cans to the masses next week.
NABC replaces Bud at Tucker's American Favorites. - Photos
Three Floyds is now available in Ohio.
Ft. Wayne's Germania Park gets ink related to Prohibition.
Beers that were available (in 1-oz samples) at the GABF.