Indianapolis Sour + Wild + Funk Fest

Breaking news that’s sure to grab the attention of Indiana fans of sour and wild ales. Upland has announced the first Indianapolis beer festival to focus exclusively on the emerging craft beer trend of sour ales. The event will be held on Saturday May 12th from 2-6pm at Developer Town (5255 Winthrop Ave in Indianapolis). Over 30 styles of sour ales from around the state, country, and world will be paired with foods designed to accentuate the unique flavors found in these beers.

The list of participating breweries includes Indiana flavor from Brugge, Mad Anthony, Sun King and Upland along with Bell’s, Jolly Pumpkin, New Belgium, Rivertown, and Saint Somewhere. International flavor will be provided by Brouwerig Van Steenberge, Brouwerij Bavik, Brouwerij Liefman’s, and Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck. Tickets are limited to 350 and can be purchased for $45 online here via Eventbrite starting April 2nd at 12pm.

Still not convinced? Well OK then, here’s the kicker. Upland is offering 200 of the tickets (for the same price) that come with a reservation for one bottle each from their upcoming release of Raspberry, Persimmon, and Blackberry Lambics. Those familiar with these popular beers will likely attest that this bonus justifies the ticket price on its own. Did I mention the Persimmon Lambic won professional Best of Show at last year’s Indiana Brewers’ Cup? Now get ready to make a mad dash over to that ticket page Monday and start drooling over the funky goodness!

Cheers, Nathan

P.S. Keep in mind that the following Saturday is Upland’s UpCup competition and AHA Rally. Lots of good reasons to spend some quality time with them this May.

Trion Tavern News - March 30

Here is the latest news for Trion Tavern in New Haven, IN:

Latest beers on tap:
Bell's Oberon ($3.50 pints all day, everyday)
Dark Horse Fore Smoked Stout
Anchor Steam
Mad Anthony Auburn Lager

Also, they have announced another tapping:
Delicious Dozen II Tapping Event at the Trion Tavern
Saturday, April 7 at 7pm (SMOKE FREE)

De Ranke XX Bitter
Mikkeller Invasion IPA
Nøgne-Ø Porter
Jolly Pumpkin iO
Spezial Rauchbier
De La Senne Zinnebir
Bocker Cuvée des Jacobins
Abbaye Des Rocs Grand Cru
Greenbush 1825
Greenbush Red Bud
Fuller's London Pride
He'Brew Jewbelation 15
+ 12 Three Floyds beers on tap and LIVE music by the Randy Kimball Blues Trio

More info will be posted to the Special Events page at TrionTavern.com

Package Store specials (available now):
De Ranke Hop Harvest 2011 - 750ml bottles - $19.99 (price includes tax)
Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere - 750ml bottles - $14.99 (price includes tax)
Jolly Pumpkin Bam Noire - 750ml bottles - $14.99 (price includes tax)
Jolly Pumpkin Madrugada Obscura - 750ml bottles - $16.99 (price includes tax)
3 Floyds Gumballhead - 6-packs - $9.99 (price includes tax)

Upcoming events and challenges

RAM celebrates the 1,000th brew

Andrew Castner, head brewer at the RAM, Indianapolis, passes along "Our 1000th brew, an Imperial Pilsner aged in Chambourcin wine barrels is going to be served two ways, side-by-side. The barrel-aged version with a touch of grape blending perfectly with the imperial pilsner base will be known as "Heaven-sent", while another version "Hell-bound" will take on a more devilish hue and slight tartness as a result of the addition of Black Currants.
What: Heaven and Hell Party and costume contest
Where: Indianapolis RAM Restaurant and Brewery
When: May 12th, 7 p.m.

Homebrewers alert: RAM sponsors competition:
The RAM Small Ale Competition challenges home-brewers to brew the best Every Day IPA they can. But this competition will be limited to the first 50 brewers who register. Check out https://sites.google.com/site/ramipachallenge/home for the details.

Yogi's Bloomington to tap Founder's KBS
Founder's Kentucky Breakfast Stout is in such demand that over 1000 beer lovers showed up at the Founder's Brewery in Early March while they had only 315 cases available. Founder's later apologized for the mania and sold half-case limits to try to satisfy the crowds!
Yogi's in Bloomington has a small keg and will release this (about 60 pints) on April 4, at 6:00 PM.

Bloomington Brewing Company has challenged Upland Brewing, both of Bloomington, to a non-beer challenge for charity!
According to the Monroe County YMCA and Jeff Mease of Bloomington Brewing, Community leaders will challenge a competitor, a friend or a business associate to a stationary bike race to be held at the Bloomington Farmer’s Market on successive Saturdays in April and May. The rider who logs the most miles on the bike during a one hour period is the winner. Mease of BBC, has challenged Doug Dahoff, owner of Upland brewing. Catch the competitors on April 22, cycling at the Bloomington Farmer's Market Details here

Indiana Beer News – March 29

This Saturday the Melody Inn in Indianapolis combines two things I tend to enjoy - Triton beer and punk rock. Triton will be debuting their line of bottled beer along with some specialty beers starting at 9:00. Music starts at 10:30 and features the psychobilly romps of Detroit’s Koffin Kats. The sitter is lined up and I’m ready to roll!

The mad geniuses at Fountain Square Brewery are rolling out their first annual Peep Show on April 6th. No, not the kind where you expect to find Miss Poppi. This Peep Show features a beer brewed with Peeps and the chance to show off your own design for a Peep Shooter (which shoots/catapults full-sized Peeps). I know a lot of you brewers are engineers, so this is a chance to show off your skills.

Andy at The Beer Is Good blog has posted a full beer list for the upcoming Blue Chip Brewfest on April 14th at the Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City. VIP ticket holders will get the chance to sample the highly sought Bell’s Black Note Stout paired with mini cupcakes. Unfortunately it appears that VIP tickets are sold out, so you’re back to scrounging the resale market if you want in on that.

We previously reported on the progress of the “Three Floyds Amendment” legislation, so its worth noting that it was recently signed into law. It allows small breweries to produce more beer by excluding beer that is brewed for consumption and distribution outside Indiana from the cap of 30,000 barrels per year. Congrats to everyone involved in making this happen!

Here’s one for the category of good news that’s unlikely to surprise you. Despite a 1.32 percent volume decrease in 2011 for the overall beer market, craft brewers achieved a 13 percent rise in volume and a 15 percent rise in retail sales. No word on when they plan to count eBay Dark Lord Day ticket sales in the retail tally. You may find that last statement pointless, but it’s a proven fact that any mention of Dark Lord Day substantially increases our hit rate. Dark Lord Day……Dark Lord Day……Dark Lord Day

Results are out for the 18th Annual U.S. Beer Tasting Championship (USBTC) Winter Competition. The Bier Brewery in Indianapolis was a Midwest region winner with their Belgian Dubbel. Grand champion beers that you may be able to find in Indiana liquor stores include Founders Porter, Magic Hat Black Lager, New Holland Pilgrims Dole (Barleywine), Sam Adams Wee Heavy, and Victory V-12 (Belgian Strong).

If you’ve never cried over spilled beer, check out what happens when Goose Island barrels and a forklift do not work in perfect harmony.

More bizarre stuff from Japan – here is a machine that adds frozen beer bubbles to the top of your beer to keep it cold for about a half hour. Perhaps they’ve never heard of the American koozie.

Cheers, Nathan

Watching A Craft Brewery Grow..

I haven't been apart of the craft brewery scene for long. I'm sure those who have, for example, some of my fellow reporters and our IndianaBeer founder, Bob O., know this feeling a hundred times over.


What feeling is this you ask?
Watching a brewery that you love grow. 


I wish I could have been there at the beginning of Sun King, of Flat 12 Bierwerks, of even Upland to watch them expand into bars and build their successful businesses. Now, I've seen Triton Brewing Company and Fountain Square Brewery pop up and expand, but maybe because it is dear and near to me, it hasn't been as special as watching Bier Brewery grow.


Even though I've only known of Bier Brewery for about a year, I love reading their newsletter that announces their successes. I read about another bar nearby getting their kegs and that now they even have their own tap handles for bars. I sit there and read and smile.


I know I am only one craft beer lover out of thousands in the area, but a pint here, a growler there but seeing the local breweries grow is just something that makes me happy to be a part of it all. Even in the small way of just sharing it here, or via other forms of social media.


In closing.. 
Keep up the good work Indiana Breweries. We need to share you with the nation and future generations.


- Kathleen

Gilgamesh at the Upland Tasting Room

I've two coworkers/friends that also work at the Upland tasting room off College Ave. They've informed me that they've plenty of unclaimed bottles of Gilgamesh up for sale to the public. It's worth a small trip to taste this epic brew.

My introduction!

I would just like to say thanks for letting be a part of the crew! I look forward to learning, writing, and of course making beer. As I am currently finishing up my last semester at IUPUI I may somewhat absent until the project is over. (It's about beer) I do have a survey that has become a supplemental part of the project outside of fieldwork. www.surveymonkey.com/newbrew3 is the link. Cheers to new friends and comrads!

-D.Vern

Hop on the Indy Brew Bus

On our way out of the Flat 12 taproom on Friday, we stumbled upon a sharp looking green bus bearing the attention-grabbing word “Brew”.  It was the Indy Brew Bus – the latest way for you and up to 13 of your closest friends to spend a 3-hour tour visiting Indianapolis craft breweries. Each tour takes you to three or four breweries including local favorites like Sun King, Flat 12, Fountain Square, and The Bier Brewery.

The bus will pick you up at the Omni Severin or another downtown hotel and whisk you away to Indy craft beer nirvana. The tour spends about 45 minutes at each location so you can sample the current lineup and order a pint from each brewery. Grab a growler of your favorite beer and the Indy Brew Bus will keep it cold for the remainder of your tour!

Tickets are $30 and can be purchased at http://www.indybrewbus.com/buy-tickets for the following days/times each week:

Thursday: 5:30pm

Friday: 6:00pm

Saturday: 12:00 & 3:30pm

Sunday: 1:00pm

 

Cheers, Nathan

Trion Tavern Update & Cap n' Cork Event - March 23

Here is what is happening at Trion Tavern (New Haven, IN) per information just sent to me:

Latest beers on tap:
3 Floyds Ham on Rye
3 Floyds Jinx Proof
3 Floyds Brian Boru
Dark Horse Too Cream Stout
Gulden Draak
Sixpoint Diesel
Southern Tier Gemini
Southern Tier 2X Stout
Duchesse de Bourgogne
Aventinus
Abita Purple Haze

On Deck (Delicious Dozen II Tapping coming soon):
Bell's Oberon Release Party - March 26 at 4pm, $3.50 pints
Jolly Pumpkin Io
Dark Horse Fore Smoked Stout
Bocker Cuvée des Jacobins Rouge
De Ranke XX Bitter
Abbaye Des Rocs Grand Cru Belgian Special Brown
Mikkeller/Against The Grain Invasion IPA
Spezial Rauchbier
De La Senne Zinnebir
Nøgne-Ø Porter
Southern Tier 2X Stout
Anchor Steam

Use our Interactive Daily Tap List to check out the rest of the 58 beers we have on tap.

Package Store specials (available now):
De Ranke Hop Harvest 2011 - 750ml bottles - $19.99 (price includes tax)
Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere - 750ml bottles - $14.99 (price includes tax)
Jolly Pumpkin Bam Noire - 750ml bottles - $14.99 (price includes tax)
Jolly Pumpkin Madrugada Obscura - 750ml bottles - $16.99 (price includes tax)
3 Floyds Gumballhead - 6-packs - $9.99 (price includes tax)

The patio is open so come enjoy the great weather!

Cap n' Cork at 4520 Lima Rd. (Fort Wayne), is having a FREE beer tasting today from 5p.m.-7p.m.  There will be beers from Boulevard, Magic Hat, Upland, Victory, Shiner and Sierra Nevada to name a "few".  Come out and perhaps find a new beer(s) to enjoy this Spring.  (Must be 21 yrs. of age or over with valid photo ID)

Indiana Beer News – March 22

If you’ve missed out on Upland’s Gilgamesh Flanders Red, or are just longing for another taste, there will be complimentary samples available at Goose the Market in Indy in their Enoteca room this Friday from 5:30-7:30pm. Get there early to make sure you get in on this epic event.

Looking to clear out your stockpile of cheap plastic beads this weekend? You may want to try Muncie Gras! on Saturday in downtown….uh, Muncie. Upland will be giving out samples at the Heorot as part of the festivities. One word of caution – I’m guessing Muncie police are not as tolerant of flashing as their counterparts in New Orleans.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the brave new world of beer event scalping brokering! As Wilk pointed out with the glut on eBay, tickets for Dark Lord Day that retailed for $15 are also being offered on Stub Hub for $175-200. That makes me a sad panda. But after the recent shortage at the KBS release, Founder’s will be following the same pre-sale ticket strategy for their event next year. Better start saving your money now.

A recent tweet from Founder’s indicated their barrel aging program will reach about 1100 barrels by the end of this week. We like to classify things like this in the category of news that doesn’t suck.

In additional Founder’s news (I promise this will be the last), the powers that be in Alabama are not real down with the “objectionable” beer titles of Dirty Bastard and Backwoods Bastard. Don’t expect Stone Brewing to pay ‘Bama a visit any time in the near future.

The age of <relatively> cheap Barleywine may be sadly coming to an end. Yes, Sierra Nevada has finally realized that nobody else in their right mind is selling the style in affordable six-packs and will be shrinking next year's offering to four-packs. Hit your Dislike button now.

In addition to the videos Bob shared yesterday, the Spill-Proof Beer clip from Hahn Australia is developing quite the following. It kind of left me just scratching my head….but hey, don’t say we didn’t jump right on the bandwagon.

If you haven’t taken the plunge yet to follow us on Facebook and/or Twitter, glance over to the sidebar on the left to find an easy way to rectify this problem and bring sanity to your life. While you’re there, scroll down and check out some of the other quality beer blogs Indiana has to offer.

OK, so this has nothing to do with Indiana or much of anything really, but I’ve become aware of a fledgling brewing establishment in Tennessee going by the name of Turtle Anarchy. Turtle Anarchy!!! Love it, wish I could say they stole the title to my hypothetical brewpub, but the folks at Against the Grain Brewery in Louisville already took care of that. Sigh….

Cheers, Nathan 

 

Flat 12 Takes over Tomlinson Tap Room!

March 28th - 6-10pm -- Where should you be?


Downtown at Tomlinson Tap Room! 


Where Flat 12 Bierwerks is going to be taking over 11 taps with:
Moustache Ride Bourbon Barrel Vanilla Amber -- (and this is SO worth it alone)

along with 10 other beers -- TBA!

I'll should be there. Which means I hope you will be too.

- Kathleen

** Edit -- It'll actually be all 16 taps  being taken over.

Northwest Indiana Rumblings and Grumblings - 3/22/12

I am in a total beer backlog.  I hate when life gets in the way of what I enjoy doing.  Instead of bombarding the blog with huge entries, I've decided to offer some snippets here:

Crown Brewing hosted Beerducation on Tuesday, March 6 with author of Beer for Dummies and Homebrewing for Dummies, Marty Nachel.  The night was not what I expected, but enjoyable nonetheless.  Mr. Nachel may be an excellent writer, but as far as a beer educator he is a little lackluster.  He spent a good half hour providing the audience with rare beer facts that would make you appreciate beer history more, but I believe the room of mostly home brewers was looking for more insight into the brewing process then anything.  Fortunately Brewmaster Steve Mazylewski was there to fill in those gaps.  Ultimately, the opportunity to get five pints of Crown Brewing offerings was the best part of the evening.  We sampled Crown Light (a 3.2 ABV light ale), Marzen Madness, Shoe Corner ESB, Special Forces IPA (a local favorite), and Celtic Pride Oatmeal Stout.  There was actually a presence from a local newspaper reporter!  If you want to read better journalism: http://posttrib.suntimes.com/11338261-537/a-round-of-beerducation.html.

I must give credit where credit is due.  Check out Hoosier Beer Geek's write up of limited craft beer releases.  There really is no exact science when it comes to limited releases and this blog entry really gives it a great look.  The tickets for this year's Dark Lord Day went on sale at noon on March 17.  HBG indicates that tickets sold out in under an hour.  My friends indicated they couldn't get any quantities as of 12:04pm.  It could have easily been a server overload problem, but the reason I was told that tickets could not be purchased was because of the message, "There are no tickets of that quantity available for Group (A, B, or C)."

I have criticized Three Floyd's in the past and have in turn been vilified for it.  In this instance though, I have to say the approach for ticket distribution is a good one.  I liken the whole thing to football ticket sales: here's the day tickets go on sale, here's how you can buy them online, good luck!  Everyone has an equal opportunity based in part on timing and a little luck.  There was a huge outcry from locals bemoaning how they didn't get a chance, that Three Floyd's is screwing their supporters, etc.  However, the next day the brewery offered ticket sales on site and that was not much better.  Locals had the chance to buy tickets and some nice barrel aged beers, but Three Floyd's has consistently proven an inability to plan onsite events of this popularity.  The only way to truly avoid the pitfalls and please the masses would be to flood the market with Dark Lord by increasing its production, but then would it lose its mystique?  Would it still be the best beer in America?  If you are looking for Dark Lord Day tickets may I suggest: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=dark+lord+day&_sacat=See-All-Categories?  You may be able to take out a home equity loan to cover the costs.  Or wait until after Dark Lord Day and buy a bottle.  You can find those still reasonably priced on the secondary market.

When tickets went on sale I sat in my house with three computers all geared up to score some tickets.  I landed two for Group A.  If you were also fortunate to score some tickets, seek me out.  I'll have an Indianabeer.com gift for you.  Just walk up and say, "Wilk, I love Indiana beer" and score a free gift.

Blue Chip's Second Annual Brewfest is Saturday, April 14, which I know is the same day as a certain Indianapolis event I'll not mention because I'll leave that to my colleagues.  The list of brewers is available here.

Illiana Mayfest is Saturday, May 26.  This is also competing with some major happenings in Indianapolis that same weekend, but this is the culmination of American Craft Beer Week so the timing works for me.  Information on the brewers is available here.

I have become a beer hoarder.  I have 30+ bombers in my cellar.  Informal poll: Is it better to drink these alone or invite someone over to share?

Dribs and drams - March 21

Australia's Hahn has a bunch of droll videos. Try these. youtu.be/LVqFSCoffAg - youtu.be/SBe1STwynOk

A 13-page handout for this Saturday's talk at the symposium on German American Business in Indiana tells about brewery owners and brewers who immigrated from German-speaking countries. It's available online at hoosierbeerstory.com/german.pdf

New Albanian put out a donation jar to help with the tornado aftermath and got those donations quadrupled to $4,102 which is being sent to a fund to rebuild the Henryville Elementary School. article

Session Beer Day is April 7th this year. That's only two weeks and 4.2% alcohol away.

Dribs and drams - March 17

At 12 cents per gallon, Indiana is the 41st least beer-taxed state in the U.S.. Alabama, Mississippi, and Alaska are all over $1 per gallon. Wyoming is the cheapest at 2 cents. source

Hoosier Beer Geek Mike Atwood looks at Indiana's label art in the Indy Star. article

In other news, the new yellow dot on the Pepsi cans is not a nefarious plot. A friend tried to find out but the interweb didn't help so he wrote to Pepsico.

Dear Anthony,

Thank you for taking the time to contact us at Pepsi-Cola.

To answer your question, that yellow dot is, in fact, a calibration marking for the can's coloring, and unfortunately, not a part of a promotion we're running. I apologize for any disappointment this may cause.

Again, many thanks for contacting us. We appreciate your interest in our company.

Chris
Senior Consumer Relations Representative

*POOF*

If you blinked, you missed it.  Informal results show me that Dark Lord Day tickets sold out in under 5 minutes.

Indiana Beer News – March 15

So this weekend brings us some basketball tournament thing and the always popular St. Patrick’s Day. Flat 12 and the Elbow Room have your back with festivities including a special Flat 12 Irish Amber (?), food, and parade viewing. Upland taps their Ard Ri Imperial Red tonight at the Indy Tasting Room. And of course we can count on the Claddagh to kick tonight off with a traditional….Claddagh's Got Talent?…..OK, well Saturday might be a little more promising if you enjoy Kegs and Eggs and U2 covers. JK O’Donnell’s has a nice looking St. Patrick’s celebration in Fort Wayne.

Our founder Bob Ostrander will be one of the highlights of the Indiana German Heritage Society’s annual symposium at the Athenaeum in Indianapolis. Bob will give a presentation on German Breweries in Indiana’s History at 1:15pm on Saturday, March 24th. A full schedule and registration form can be found here.

We’re still looking for BJCP-certified judges for the National Homebrew Competition first round at Sun King in Indianapolis April 13th – 15th. Please register at http://tinyurl.com/nhcindy2012 if you can help us out. I promise this will be the last time I bug you about this……maybe.

Andy from The Beer Is Good! blog gives us a recap of the recent Flat 12 tap night at the Fiddler’s Hearth in South Bend. Better try the Bleeding Heart if you get a chance!

If you made the trip up to Founders for the KBS Release Party, I sincerely hope you weren’t one of the last 362 people in line. The good news is their new 85 bbl brewhouse will enable next year’s release to be about three times larger.

Goose Island has plans to quadruple their barrel program and has acquired an auto body shop that will be used to expand their development of high-end sour beers.

Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, Nike has managed to sully the holiday with their Nike SB Dunk Low aka Nike Black and Tans. No word yet on the curbing of other St. Patrick’s Day abominations==>

It’s going to be an interesting year for Samuel Adams with releases ranging from an interpretation of the rare Gose (goes-uh) style from Saxony to jumping on the Shandy bandwagon with Samuel Adams Porch Rocker. The latter will join Shock Top Lemon Shandy (from Anheuser-Busch), Labatt Shandy, Harp Lemon Shandy, and Saranac Shandy Lager and Lemonade to challenge top dog Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy for your thirst-quenching beermonade dollar. But SA can claim theirs is a “traditional Bavarian-style Radler” – 30,000 bonus Beer Geek points if you have any idea what that means.

And to spare you further sarcasm on the subject of Shandies in this column, I’ll redirect you to some choice comments from Roger Baylor here.

Carla at Hoperatives (Cincinnati bloggers) tipped us off on a self-frothing beer mug from Japan that can save you from the horrors of flat beer. A handy switch (available in yellow and black) lets you generate the desired level of froth “so you can really take your beverages seriously”. Now put down your snifter and get with the times!

Well, that’s enough for now, I’d like to shirk my blogging responsibilities to drink beer and watch basketball. Enjoy your weekend!

Cheers, Nathan

Dribs and drams - March 13th

For only a buck, and shipping, you can have official authentic Sierra Nevada Lip Balm. Now pucker up and blow into the nice officer's machine.

Remember the guy last year that spent lent living on water and doppelbock? He won the Beer Drinker of the Year award from Wynkoop. read on

Brew, Food, Golf and more...

RAM has a few spots left for a Golf Scramble tonight at 6 p.m. Join the RAM staff and Brewer Andrew while they hit the links at the Golf 365's state-of-the-art indoor simulator. $25 gets you a round of golf and RAM brew and food. Call the RAM Brewhouse in Fishers to reserve your spot. 317-596-0079

The current hand pulled, cask firkin #craftbeer at Thr3e Wise Men is Baltic Porter with Chipotle Peppers

SunKing brewing Poff the Magic Dragon (Red Rye IPA) Today!

Flat12 Takes over TEN lines at Beer Seller Indy next Saturday

one out of every four ounces of beer sold in restaurants

Beer sales in restaurants According to a food and beverage writer, almmost one-fourth of all beer sold in the U.S. is consumed in restaurants. "Restaurants sold nearly a quarter of all beer sold in the U.S. last year, with their $23.6 billion representing a 9% increase compared with 2010, according to The Beer Institute." (quoting Janet Forgrieve, former food and beverage journalist now blogging)

Iced-tea Beer?

Forgrieve also passes along: "Craft-beer sales jumped 15% in the first half of 2011, according to the Craft Brewers Association. Total domestic beer sales rose about 2% last year. Slowing sales of brand-name beer has some big brewers branching out, CNBC reported. Molson Coors Brewing plans to roll out iced-tea-flavored Coors Light in Canada next month, as part of a push to bring back former beer drinkers who have moved on to wine and spirits."

Tonight, March 9

Tonight the Alley Bar in Bloomington will Tap a small keg of Dark Horse Scotty Karate Scotch Ale starting at 4:00!

We will find out in a few hours if Yogi's Bloomington STILL has BOOGOOP from Mikkeller's/3 Floyds -- this was Yummy when tapped Monday!

Indy Beer Seller Adds SIX lines of Napa Smith Beer at 6:00 tonight

Upcoming! NO Green beer, but Irish styles
There should be a number of tappings for St. Patrick's Day

RAM already has Rabbit Punch Irish Red

SunKing Tapped Ring of Dingle Irish Dry Stout on March 8

Flat12 will tap an Irish Dry Stout on the 17th

Fort Wayne Events - March 9

Today from 5p.m.-7p.m. Cap n' Cork at Covington Plaza will be having a FREE beer tasting with beers from the following breweries:

O'Fallon, Abita, Victory, New Holland, Sam Adams, and North Coast.  Come out and sample these beers and perhaps find a new beer to enjoy.  If you are new to craft beer or have been wondering what the hype is all about when it comes to craft beer, here is your chance to try some for free!!

A reminder that tomorrow is the Fort Wayne Brewfest http://www.brewfestfortwayne.com/ at the Masonic Temple from 2p.m.-6p.m.  Check out the website for more details.

Remember to check out the Calendar section on indianabeer.com for upcoming events in Indiana and beyond.

Cheers!

Just Another Beer Week In Indianapolis.

I have had the pleasure of going out, not only once but TWICE this week to have some delicious Indiana beer.

 Just a hop, skip, and a jump away from where I live is, of course: 

  Thr3e Wise men.

I popped into their brewery on Tuesday for the tapping of Saint Slater's Irish Stout. The beer very much lives to the style of a dry Irish Stout. It had great color, but the but the finish almost was too abrupt for me to fully enjoy it.  Since I had the sample towards the end of dinner, I may have to try it again to see if it works better with food.  I did, however, enjoy the Wise Ass White IPA.  Which interestingly enough, is something I didn't think I'd like but I think the combination of the spring weather and the citrusy, lemongrass lightness sold me.  I'm looking forward to their April 3rd tapping of  Two Sisters Carolina Saison.

The other place I was able to visit this week was Downtown: Tomlinson Tap Room. 

Invited to a private party as a "Thank You" for hard work at a festival,  the benefit was free beer and free Papa Roux, how could I say no?  16 taps of all Indiana Beer beckoned me, but I tried to stick to new styles since the majority of the tap list I've already tried.  Freshly tapped at 5pm, People's Brewing - Hopkilla was the first on my list. (Yes.. I've seriously been pushing myself to try hoppy beers) This brew is a Imperial IPA from up in Lafayette and where it did have the "bite" of hops in the finish, I still enjoyed  the entire glass.

To continue on with my Imperial beer night and trying new brews, my next beer of the evening was from Figure 8 Brewing.
Their Wit Kicker is an Imperial Wit. I prefer more wits than hefewiezens and coming off of Hopkilla, Wit Kicker was a nice creamy wit that paired nicely with the spicy wonderfulness of Papa Roux Mushroom Etouffee, pork po-boy and garlic stew.




In case you were wondering.. no, I didn't just have two beers on Wednesday. After Wit Kicker, I had a small glass of Bier Brewery - Sessie and a sip of Bloomington Brewing Company's Java Porter, but a smart beer drinker is a safe beer drinker so I cut myself off from the deliciousness after that. 






The week isn't over yet either, tonight I'll be stopping by Bier Brewery for their new brews out this week. One called Persephone has caught my eye, which insiders, aka Tara Maggert, aka the person in charge of Arts & Craft Beer , has said is a spicy wheat that is and I quote "Delissshhh".


I'll also be up at Cigar Haven on Saturday sitting in the man cave smoking a cigar and seeing what craft beer they have in their selection.  It's just another week of beer for me!


I hope everyone has a good weekend everyone!
- Kathleen

Indiana Beer News – March 8

We hear there are still a few spots left for the Merchant du Vin Beer Dinner next Tuesday at Oakley’s Bistro in Indianapolis. Jim Blockinger of Merchant du Vin will lead a five course dinner exploring brewing traditions from Orval, Rochefort, Ayinger, Samuel Smith, Westmalle, and Lindemans. Tickets are $75 and can be reserved by calling 317-824-1231.

The much anticipated link for Dark Lord Day tickets is now available. Tickets go on sale March 17th at noon Central time and will cost $15. My esteemed colleague Wilk will appreciate that they’re issuing tickets in three different groups to get people through the lines quickly and efficiently. Good luck with that.

If you’re still looking for a reason to head down to Gravity Head at the New Albanian, this Friday night will be Cavalier & Founders Night with rare beers like KBS, Blushing Monk, and Nemesis taking over the taps. While you’re in the area, head over to Hoosier Beer Helps Hoosiers at the Charlestown Pizza Company on Saturday to help raise money for Red Cross tornado victim aid.

Sun King’s Bitter Druid ESB will no longer be part of the house beer lineup. But never fear, you will still be able to find Bitter Druid as a semi-annual specialty beer.

Molson Coors is launching the new Coors Light Iced T which combines Coors Light and iced tea to create (allegedly) the ultimate summer refreshment. I frequently gaze at my iced tea and imagine how much better it would be with some fermented corn “refined starches”. C’mon man……..

Ball State marketing officials are looking into branding the university’s logo on alcohol-related merchandise. So Ball State grads – how do you think Charlie Cardinal will look on a beer sign? Apparently Phil Ball isn't much of a fan.

Martha Stewart is catching up with the rest of us by declaring that a beer tasting party "is like the new thing". Perhaps insider trading “is like the old thing”.

Kenai River Brewing in Alaska is trying out Gummy Bear Beer featuring 15 pounds of the colorful little monsters. Sounds great, but you may not want to be around when Katy Perry comes looking for her rings ==>

Well, that’s probably enough references to pop culture icons I care nothing about…

Cheers, Nathan

 

Welcome New IndianaBeer Reporters

In our efforts to provide you with quality news and insight from all corners of the Hoosier state, we’re excited to introduce three new members of the IndianaBeer team:

Jason Cook – Jason is a Lafayette area homebrewer and Mug Club member at Lafayette Brewing Company. Jason was the victim of misguided influence that led to a homebrewing hobby and membership in the Tippecanoe Homebrewers Circle. You can contact Jason at jcook@indianabeer.com.

Greg Low – Greg lives in Columbus and is actively pursuing his “Beer Geek” status after experiencing an Alpha King revelation. Attraction to the dark side continues as Greg has started experimenting with brewing his own beer and mead. You can contact Greg at g_low@indianabeer.com.

John Mills – John is an Evansville area homebrewer and current president of the Ohio Valley Homebrewers Association. Some may remember John as the homebrew Best of Show winner at the 2010 Indiana Brewers Cup. You can contact John at john@indianabeer.com.

If you are an establishment that may have events, tappings, tastings, etc. to promote, please reach out to your local reporter – we’re here to serve and help promote great beer in Indiana! We’re still looking to grow and would be particularly interested in adding reporters in the South Bend area and Southeastern Indiana. If you love drinking craft beer and can write coherent sentences (preferably at the same time), contact us at webmaster@indianabeer.com and share a little about yourself. It doesn’t pay anything except for the satisfaction of sharing your gift with the world and hopefully the occasional free beer.

Notable Tappings this week.

Yogi's Grill and Bar Bloomington, Tonight, March 5. 6:00 PM tapping BOOGOOP, Mikkeller and Three Floyds Collaboration but brewed at De Proef in Belgium. a Buckwheat Wine coming in at 10.4% ABV

Rock Bottom, Downtown Indy, Tomorrow, March 6, 6:00 PM, tapping Fire Chief Ale with part of the proceeds going to local fire departments


Sun King Tap Room Indy, Thursday, March 8 , tapping Ring of Dingle Irish Ale

New on Tap at Trion Tavern - March 5

Here is a list that was sent to me about the recent beers that have been tapped: Aventinus by G. Schneider & Sohn Diesel by Sixpoint Craft Ales Brian Boru by 3 Floyds Brewing Co. Ham on Rye by 3 Floyds Brewing Co. Topless Wytch by 3 Floyds Brewing Co. Jinx Proof by 3 Floyds Brewing Co. John John Dead Guy by Rogue Ales Remember, they also have beers for carry-out!

Northwest Indiana Rumblings and Grumblings - 3/3/12

Northwest Indiana is abuzz with activity and it seems like it will be picking up as we head into the summer months.  I am just hopeful I can stay on top of it all because my alter ego is entering the busy season and my beer adventures suffer because of it.  Let's begin.

Crown Brewing is having a dinner event Tuesday, March 6 with the author of Homebrewing for Dummies.  I will be witnessing this firsthand and will recount my adventure here.

Wise Guys Liquors is doing a rare beer sale on Saturday, March 17 at their Merrillville, IN location and thus far they have only released the name of one beer they are selling via their Twitter feed: Founder's Better Half.  I have also heard from employees there that you can expect the opportunity to buy Goose Island's Lolita, Brooklyn's Black Ops, and they have exactly 1 bottle of Upland's Gilgamesh.  Should be interesting.

Three Floyd's is closing shop for construction March 19-21.  There are other closings scheduled on the horizon but unknown as of now as to when.  All 20 taps have Three Floyd's beers on them so they are brewing like crazy.  With Dark Lord Day looming in the distance, it should be interesting to see what the brother's Floyd have in store.

Shoreline Brewery celebrated February with a Chop and Stout promotion.  Sorry I didn't advertise it sooner.  One of their efforts was a Honey Imperial Stout.  As a friend of mine put it, "it's like drinking molasses."  I actually enjoyed it as the prevalence of honey made it like drinking beer tea.

The second annual Blue Chip Brewfest is slated for April 14.  A whole slew of breweries are lined up for it and there is a casino attached.  Drink beer and sober up while losing money at the BlackJack tables.  Of all the beer fests I have been to, I had the best time at this one last year.  Even in their first year, they did it right.  Looking forward to this one.  VIP tickets have sold out, but general admission is available.  You can suffer through Ticketmaster or you can go to the Blue Chip box office.  www.bluechipcasino.com

Dark Lord Day April 28, enough said.

Illiana Mayfest is May 26.  Drink beer and support a good cause.  http://www.nwitimes.com/business/local/local-microbrew-festival-to-help-raise-money-for-the-arc/article_d322c122-d3a9-5f28-bba1-a27b49d748b3.html

My favorite bar, Beer Geeks has a cask conditioned "Hoppped" up version of Figure 8's Where Lizards Dare on their beer engine.  Seriously, if you live anywhere near NWI you have to visit this place.

Bulldog Brewery has an IPA that's 70 IBU and is velvety smooth.  Hopheads have been complaining so they are brewing a double IPA.  Wonder if it will rival Crown's Special Special Forces because that will be the yardstick I'll measure it against.

Dribs and drams - Mar 1

From Inside Indiana Business, this news release. <<== More at the link including a quote from Omar.

"Indianapolis, Ind. -- The expansion to increase production of more Thr3e Wise Men brews is under way.
A $480,000 expansion of the Broad Ripple brewery will include:
• An Upgrade to Current Infrastructure
• The addition of a 20 Ton Glycol Chiller
• A New Filter Machine
• A New Hot Water Tank
• 500 More Kegs
• 6 More Serving Tanks
• 8 More 30bbl Fermenters"

Indiana Beer News – March 1

Flat 12 is sponsoring the Beta Cell Bash at Radio Radio in Indianapolis tomorrow night. The event will benefit the Indiana chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and features 10 bands including……Sweet FA? Is this the same Sweet FA that rocked the Hoosier state when I was in high school? Yep, just dated myself with that one.

If you need a good festival for this weekend, Cincinnati is celebrating the 20th anniversary of Bockfest. The festivities kick off Friday evening with a downtown parade, but the real fun kicks in Saturday night with the annual Sausage Queen crowning where finalists are asked to treat a link of sausages like a stripper pole. Don’t shoot the messenger.

If you’re in the South Bend area and interested in Michigan breweries that a few people seem to enjoy, check out the Michigan Brewery Tour leaving from Fiddler’s Hearth on Easter Saturday, April 7th. Destinations include Founders, Bell’s, Hopcat, Arcadia, and Dark Horse. Peeps are generally not recommended, but it’s your call===>

The annual UpCup Competition has been set for Saturday, May 19th. The event will also serve as an American Homebrewers Association rally with VIP tours and lots of great food and beer starting at 5pm. The UpCup winner brews his/her recipe at Upland and the brew is entered in competitions such as the Great American Beer Fest Pro-Am Competition and US Beer Tasting Championship. The 2009 winner, Sunday Morning in Bamberg Rauchbier brewed by Tom Wallbank, went on to become a USBTC National Grand Champion!

Speaking of the AHA, registration for the National Homebrew Competition was delayed until March 2nd. Don’t forget, if you would like to judge or steward in the Indianapolis regional competition round (April 13-15) click here.

The Thr3e Wise Men brewery in Broad Ripple is making a major investment in expanding their brewing capacity. New equipment additions will allow them to produce 6,200 barrels and distribute their beers to all Scotty’s restaurants in the state. Pizza and beer delivery will also kick off March 12th for customers who live within a standard delivery zone of the Broad Ripple location.

Connecticut is moving closer to becoming the 49th state to allow alcohol sales on Sunday. Care to guess who the final holdout would be?

In news that may excite and/or repulse you, Blue Moon Dark Chocolate Bacon Porter is one of three finalists for their new fall seasonal. This concoction will do battle with Caramel Apple Spiced Ale and Blackberry Tart Ale for the coveted lineup spot. Too bad Banana Bread Beer was already taken.

An Iowa homebrewer, beer judge, and beer blogger going by J. Wilson has been named Wynkoop Brewing Company’s 2012 Beerdrinker of the Year. All Wilson had to do to gain notoriety was fast on a strict diet of water and dopplebock for 46 days. The lucky winner receives $250 worth of beer at his local beer bar, which evidently goes by the name El Bait Shop (I can’t make this up). For his sacrifice, the least I can do is mention Mr. Wilson’s blog can be found at www.brewvana.net.

Cheers, Nathan

Beerocracy I

For those beer lovers near or in Indianapolis, 

Kahn's Fine Wines and Spirits has started a little event called:

 

Beerocracy I took place at Kahn's North Willow store from 6pm-8pm. 

5 tables set up with variety of beer styles and snacks. 

First off: What was available!

(What I tried in Bold)

Yum!

Table 1:

Victory Prima Pils

Victory Headwater Pale Ale

Victory Moonglow

Victory Golden Monkey – Belgian – Style Golden Ale (ABV 9.5% / IBU 25)

nice touch of spice, sour ale

Hoppin’ Frog Hoppin’ To Heaven IPA

Hoppin’ Frog Black & Tan - Hoppin' To Heaven blended w/ BORIS the Crusher stout (ABV 7.6% / IBU 65)

Hoppin’ Frog Silk Porter - English Style Robust Porter (ABV 6.3% / IBU 26 ) 

** Sun King Isis IPA

special bullet delivery by Sun King

*Firestone Walker Brewing Company – Parabola – Russian Imperial Stout

brought in from staff's private collection.

Oh My Goodness -- Smooth, stout, deliciousness

Table 2:

All Upland:

Rad Red Amber Ale

Dragonfly

Bad Elmer’s Porter  - American Robust Porter (ABV 5%  / IBU 19.6)

Schwarz - German-style Lager (ABV 5.3%/IBU 25.3) 

seemed to be missing something - felt flat. 

Table 3:

Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat

Goose Island Honkers Ale - English-Style Bitter (ABV 4.2% / IBU 30)

Goose Island Matilda - Belgian-style Pale Ale (ABV 7% / IBU 32)

there was a little sweetness to this beer

** Sun King Dominator Dopplebock

My love - Saison!

at the event is was nice, but off the tap at Sun King - This has a nice smooth spicy too it

Table 4:

Coney Island Lager - Vienna Lager Dry Hopped w/ Cascade Hops (ABV 5.5% / IBU 28)

Hebrew Gensis Ale

Founder’s Pale Ale

Founder’s Centennial IPA

Founder’s Porter

have had this before -- well made porter!

Hebrew Lenny’s Bittersweet RIPA

The Bruery Mischief - Belgian - Style Golden Ale Dry -hopped with American Hops (ABV 8.5% / IBU 35)

This was a greater starter to my new love affair with The Bruery

The Bruery Saison Rue  - Belgian Style - Farmhouse ale (ABV 8.5% / IBU 30)

This and Victory - Golden Monkey were my A+ beers of the night.. nice compliments of sour in each

Table 5:

Yeastie Boys Digital IPA - American - Style IPA (ABV 7% / IBU 77) 

very strong nose, but for a high IBU still smooth

TO OL Final Frontier DIPA

Yeastie Boys Pot Kettle Black - American - Style Porter (ABV 6% / IBU 50) 

not my style of porter, too hoppy 

Mikkeller Beer Hop Breakfast - Aggressively Dry Hopped American - Style Oatmeal Coffee Stout 

(ABV 7.5% / IBU LOTS )

It is one seriously hopped stout - it is deceiving. I think the hops over powers all and you don't get any of the oatmeal or the coffee flavors

*Anchorage Brewing Company Bitter Monk  - Belgium Double IPA 

from Kyle's at Kahn's private stash

Beer aged in French Chardonney barrels - Very well done

Call all y'all it's the Yeastie boys!

Add some Hops, much?

So now you know what was offered.. and I know it looks like I didn't drink that much, but seriously there was a lot of beer to be had! All the staff was great.  The Upland station was from the brewery. Table 4 had someone from Cavalier Distributing, whom I remember from Winterfest - (wearing a Founder's flag as a cap and working at Founder's table). Table 5 - was Kyle  part of the Twitter handle @Beer_at_Kahns. 

It was a great time to taste a lot of beers not normally available in Indiana for tasting. Ran into a IndianaBeer.com reader (Hi Kevin!  aka @myers41) When Beerocracy II comes, I highly suggest checking it out! 

The best part though was at 7:30 - the raffle for Kahnoisseur Klub members started:

**If you are a Kahnoisseur Klub member(which by the way is only $10), you got the option to take part at a raffle at the end of the night to win the chance to buy some limited released beers! **

Raffle Prizes available for winning a chance to buy



I won the chance to buy : 

Which is now in my pantry "aging" :) 

What else can I say? Free tastings - Great Location - Friendly beer lovers all around? Oh, yeah - Go to Beerocracy II!

Until then: Check out what is coming up next week at Kahn's Fine Wines and Spirits:

Battle of Belgium 2342 W. 86th Street
March 7-10
6-8 pm

Brackets available online or at all Kahn's locations!

more info call or tweet to @Beer_At_Kahns

All is fun in ale and lagers! 

Cheers - 

Kathleen