Recently tapped beers at the Dash-In:
Redhook Longhammer IPA
Breckenridge Vanilla Porter
Three Floyd's Gumballhead and Brian Boru
Left Hand's Sawtooth Ale (nitro tapped for a nice thick head)
Bell's Oarsman Ale
New Belgium's Ranger IPA
Also, they have 22oz. bottles of Upland's Infinite Wisdom Tripel and 16oz. bottles of Hinterland's Amber Ale.
Trion Tavern recently tapped the following beers:
Zinnebir by Brasserie De La Senne
Al-Dabeyoun by 3 Floyds Brewing Co.
Tilburg Dutch Brown Ale by Brouwerij De Koningshoeven
Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale by Lexington Brewing Co.
Fat Tire by New Belgium Brewing
Dark Lord Precursor
So here we are, T-minus 12 hours before the most anticipated day in all of craft brewing. Hyperbole aside, I have to admit that I am fairly excited to finally experience all that is Dark Lord Day. As many may have noted, I have not been a huge supporter of the Three Floyd's brewery experience as of late. Granted, my experience has been relegated to a 15 year anniversary party that has been enjoyed by some, panned by many, but ultimately produced a great tasting beer. I hope that I have learned from my rookie mistakes so that this time around I can make my friend Anonymous happy with a good review.
Several weeks back, Three Floyd's did one last ditch ticket sales effort live on the premises. Although I already had tickets in hand, I decided to go to grab a barrel aged beer and buy a couple more tickets to offer to my fellow Indianabeer.com correspondents. So, to all our readers out there, in an effort to have more than my continual negative bias, D. Vern will be joining me up in Munster and hopefully provide the Dark Lord Day commentary you would rather be reading. Be advised, D. Vern has been here before and is probably better equipped to handle the outcome.
The DLD ticket investment scheme may not have worked out very well for those late in the game. As of the time of my writing, no eBay auctions exist (for obvious reasons) and the market on craigslist has seriously come down. Tickets are still available there for trade or a more reasonable price (if you say $50 is reasonable).
The weather tomorrow calls for showers and highs in the 40s. It's going to be cold, wet, and crowded. Hopefully the beer will keep everyone from getting too grumpy. I am going equipped with a nice Founders collection: CBS and Better Half. Those should keep me warm. If your nearby I may even be generous and give a sample.
If you are fortunate enough to be going, please make an effort to find me. I will be in line at 7am and should be around for most of the day, peeling away sometime after noon. I will be sporting an obnoxiously blue Milwaukee Brewers cap that I picked up last weekend. What better way to honor a brewery? Corny? Yes! If you say, "Wilk, I love Indiana beer!" then I will give you a nice gift. Supplies are limited.
Also say tuned. One lucky reader will have a chance to win an even better prize.
Several weeks back, Three Floyd's did one last ditch ticket sales effort live on the premises. Although I already had tickets in hand, I decided to go to grab a barrel aged beer and buy a couple more tickets to offer to my fellow Indianabeer.com correspondents. So, to all our readers out there, in an effort to have more than my continual negative bias, D. Vern will be joining me up in Munster and hopefully provide the Dark Lord Day commentary you would rather be reading. Be advised, D. Vern has been here before and is probably better equipped to handle the outcome.
The DLD ticket investment scheme may not have worked out very well for those late in the game. As of the time of my writing, no eBay auctions exist (for obvious reasons) and the market on craigslist has seriously come down. Tickets are still available there for trade or a more reasonable price (if you say $50 is reasonable).
The weather tomorrow calls for showers and highs in the 40s. It's going to be cold, wet, and crowded. Hopefully the beer will keep everyone from getting too grumpy. I am going equipped with a nice Founders collection: CBS and Better Half. Those should keep me warm. If your nearby I may even be generous and give a sample.
If you are fortunate enough to be going, please make an effort to find me. I will be in line at 7am and should be around for most of the day, peeling away sometime after noon. I will be sporting an obnoxiously blue Milwaukee Brewers cap that I picked up last weekend. What better way to honor a brewery? Corny? Yes! If you say, "Wilk, I love Indiana beer!" then I will give you a nice gift. Supplies are limited.
Also say tuned. One lucky reader will have a chance to win an even better prize.
Dribs and drams - April
Alcohol Beverage Control in Alabama has banned Founder's Dirty Bastard. Fat Bastard wine and Raging Bitch beer is OK. And to think Huntsville was the center of our space program. Now it's just space.
OK, what would you do if handed this ID at your Kroger store? A) sell him the 12-pack. B) Call the cops and have him arrested. C) Laugh uproariously and send him back to his mother. article
Indiana Beer News – April 26
It is now T-minus 2 days and counting until a certain little event unleashes insanity on an industrial park in Munster. If you’re headed out to the event, the official rules from Three Floyds to help you plan your day were just posted here. Have a great time and stay safe - we’d love to hear some stories next week from the survivors. Please keep an eye out for our friend Wilk and make sure his glass isn’t empty.
To whet your appetite for all things Floyd, the Chicago Tribune has a great article on the appropriately-termed Cult of Three Floyds where you can find insights on Nick’s marketing philosophies, a possible brew pub location in Chicago, plans to buy a larger brewing system to triple their output, and how Dark Lord Day is their most stressful day of the year. Nick even managed to elicit a quick response from a Northwest blogger with some choice comments about Portland.
If you can’t make it to Dark Lord Day but still want to point and laugh at “bloggers”, look for Jason Cook and me at the TAP at TAF event in Lafayette. You won’t need a ticket broker to squeeze into this one.
To keep the beer festival events rolling, we now have the Indianapolis Monthly Beer Fest at City Market in Indianapolis on May 16th. This event celebrates central Indiana breweries and features tastings from 15 of them within the range of Lafayette to Bloomington. Admission is limited to 500 tickets at $25 with designated driver tickets available for $10.
OK, let’s get this out of the way – Indianapolis did not make the final ballot for BeerCity USA 2012 voting. And yes, Cincinnati inexplicably did. You can still vote for the ultimate winner between May 1st and 13th leading into American Craft Beer Week……might I suggest Grand Rapids?
Apparently reservations for Upland Lambics sold out in a matter of minutes yesterday. I’ll go out on a limb and predict some trading of Lambics and Dark Lord will be commencing in the near future.
If you’re the sad type of person (like me) who plans vacations around beer selection or lack thereof, it’s worth noting that Royal Caribbean cruises is adding selections from Chimay, Redhook, Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada, and Widmer Brothers to their shipboard pubs. A gluten-free beer from Dogfish Head will also debut in the near future. RC’s assertion that they are defining “what is world class” could be debated, but it’s nice to see they are recognizing the evolving tastes of their customers.
Which is more bizarre – a world where giant corporations trademark fictional beer, or a world where b
Here’s some free legal advice in case you ever get the urge to steal a truck, drive it into Alaska Brewing Co., and steal $350 worth of beer. First, you’ll probably be caught. Second, it would be wise not to yell “Shut the f--- up” at the judge while they explain your sentencing considerations. I mean, the Smoked Porter is pretty darn good, but not worth 8 years in the slammer.
Cheers, Nathan
No tickets to Dark Lord Day? Then get ye backside to Lafayette this weekend!
Allow me to start off this week’s
entry with a sincere, heartfelt apology for completely dropping the ball on
last week’s missing Lafayette
blog. Such a level of disappointment
had, until last week, only been experienced by past girlfriends. So look at the bright side, you’re now in
fairly exclusive company.
Ok, enough dwelling on my
failings as a blogger. Believe it or
not, Lafayette
is full of good stuff going on this week.
We’ve got firkins going on at the Lafayette Brewing Company on Thursday
and People’s Brewing on Friday. In
addition, People’s has a special tapping going on this Saturday. Details for these can be found further down
the column.
In the mood for a little Zombie
Dust? This tasty offering from
Three Floyds can be found on tap exclusively at the Lafayette Buffalo Wild
Wings. You heard me, Buffalo Wild
Wings. Additionally, they feature beers
from People’s, Flat 12, Sun King, Triton, Bell ’s,
New Belgian, Sierra Nevada , Sam Adams, &
Leinenkugel.
The big shindig beer event of the
weekend, TAP at TAF: A Craft
Brew Fest, takes place on Saturday the 28th from 2pm to 6pm and features
beer from: Half Moon Brewery, Flat 12, Das Big Dawg Brew Haus, Four
Horsemen, Triton, Barley Island Brewing Company, Three Pints Brewery, Power
House Brewery, and Lafayette’s own, People’s Brewing and the Lafayette Brewing
Company.
The event is a fundraiser for the
Tippecanoe Arts Federation and highlights “the growing interest in craft beers
and craft or microbreweries.” TAP for
TAF will also include activities that involve brewing demonstrations, food
pairing opportunities, and opportunities for developing a palette for
tasting. Tickets for this event are
available at People’s Brewing, Lafayette Brewing Co., and the Tippecanoe Arts
Federation Box office, as well as online.
For more information, follow this link:
http://www.tippecanoearts.org/TAP.html
So, TAP for TAF
ends at 6pm and your evening is only getting started. Where could you possibly go to satisfy your
insatiable appetite for craft beer? The
Black Sparrow (http://www.blacksparrowpub.com/)
and Flat 12 Bierworks offer up a solution for quenching your undying
thirst. At 7pm, Flat 12 will be offering
up a special tapping of Big Black Dog 68 Rye Stout, Cuttlefish Cuvee, and a
special surprise. Log into Facebook and
let them know your coming at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/events/368792489829628/
Here is what’s happening at our
local breweries this week:
Lafayette Brewing Company - http://www.lafayettebrewingco.com/
Currently on Tap: Star
City Lager, East Side Bitter, Tippecanoe Common Ale, Pipers Pride Scottish Ale,
Digby’s Irish Stout, Nuggles XXX Old Ale, Jupiter Pils, & Michinook American Pale Ale
Featured Beer: Jupiter Pils
is a medium bodied, crisp and refreshing German pilsner, light gold in color,
with grainy malt and distinct floral hop notes.
It’s flavor is crisp and bitter with some grainy characteristics from
the malt and is balanced by it’s hop flavor, featuring noble German hop
bitterness. Slightly higher carbonated
with a rather dry finish, the Jupiter Pils features pilsner malt and German
grown Tettnang hops. ABV – 5.4%, IBUs –
44
April Firkin: 85 Ale double dry-hopped with Xythos
hops. LBC features a firkin (say that
fast 10 times) on the 2nd floor on the last Thursday of the month.
People’s Brewing
Company - http://www.peoplesbrew.com/
Currently
on Tap: Farmer's Daughter Wheat Ale,
Aberrant Amber, Newman's ESB, Hoodlum Pale Ale, Mound Builder IPA, & Mr.
Brown
Firkin
Friday: Mound Builder IPA
dry-hopped with Galena
hops
**Special
Tapping this Saturday**
“Batch 100 "Captain Black Strap
Stout" - We have been sitting on this beer for a while, it's an American
Imperial Stout brewed with Flaked Oats, Honey malt, Chocolate, Black, Caramalt,
Smoked malt, and Black Strap Molasses. Roasted flavor with hints of
Molasses in this black colored Stout.” 9.0% ABV, 86 IBUs
Jason C.
“Let
no man thirst for lack of Real Ale.”
Dribs, Drams, and a Tour
Oh, by the way, New Boswell will soon be moving a few doors down to if not more spacious at least stronger-floored quarters and they will be going into an agreement with the Ghyslain chocolateers and high-end restaurant.
A short drive to Great Crescent earned the group samples and a factory tour of the brewery by Dan Valas.
Great Crescent now has a third-Saturday of the month "Rhythm, Bites, and Blues" that includes dinner, some drink tickets, etc. for $35. They've been full up since starting this monthly party. Next month (May) will feature two different dry-hopped American IPAs.
Oh, Great Crescent's beers are on draft now at the Rising Sun Casino.
The car folks got some T-shirts, growlers, cozies, and other stuff. Then we moved on to drive some of the winding back (paved) roads in Swiss County.
The "new" 1933 bar back from Westwood, Ohio at Great Crescent
In Madison, I spotted on Main St. "Just Brew It' and a sign saying "homebrew". Couldn't get my driver to stop though so had to look this one up in the Madison Courier. - article
Getting to New Albanian two hours behind schedule, we flustered the waitress staff even though there were only ten people left of the tour by that time. The seven who did stay mostly had the NABC Tafelbier and pizza. Left there a bit after 10pm. The stop in Columbus was cancelled and a full day ended back home just 'round midnight.
The Guest Tap list at New Albanian's Public House
Brew Bracket III - The Wheat is On!
There wasn't a better way to spend last Saturday, when it was all rainy, than to be at the Exhibition Hall
of the Indiana State Fairgrounds
A quick overview for our readers who haven't heard of Brew Bracket. It is a 4 Round, blind taste testing of a select style of beer made by 16 Indiana breweries. 400 attendees get to vote and their votes are the only ones who count in choosing the winning brew.
It is 4 hours of beer drinking, food snacking, swag snatching, raffle wining, tweet walling fun!
Below are the participants who came to bracket for a brew bracket showdown:
Tasting started up a little after one. Each participant gets two tasting glasses - one gray and one orange. The volunteers at each of the four corners are trained double pour professionals. They are quick to get each person a taste and keep the line moving.
Round 1A was had some nice choices, but it wasn't until Round 1B that I met up with my favorite, later divulged as The RAM's Currant and Clove wheat --
I was all for this brew to win. Even though it was fought against by many other attendees. That is another uniqueness to Brew Bracket. While at the event there is a live tweet wall where attendees using the hash-tag #BBWheats can get their comments up on the wall for twitter, Brew Bracket and all to see. The goal is to get #BBWheats trending in Indianapolis, as in the fall when #BBStouts trended. This time was a more antics than brew talk but a good share of love and dislike of brews were shared.
Back to the beer.
That is the best part about this competition is trying and seeing what flavor and styles do you like the best, all in one place, all for one flat fee.
I will say that I was happy that again some of the breweries went out of the box and made something special for Brew Bracket, but the sad part is you may never get a chance to try again because it was special.
The brewery I was cheering for in the beginning along with others turned in brews that are part of their regular or semi regular lineups. Like the winner: Barley Island Brewing Co - Sheet Metal Blonde - It is their Belgian Style Wit available in bottles and all year long.
Overall, the whole time there was a blast. I got to try new beers. I had people go crazy over my beer socks. (see below) and the pretzel necklaces that my group was wearing were a desired commodity. (Hint, Hint Brew Bracket - I suggest getting those together for selling in BB: IV)
Mike and Ryan of Brew Bracket, DoitIndy, Nuvo, all the volunteers and everyone did a great job and about $1500 was raised for the charity - SCI Hope Fund!
My thoughts - if you are still learning or curious about beer.. check out the next Brew Bracket event in the fall.
You won't regret it! -- Kathleen
BakerStreet Steakhouse, Trion Tavern Updates and Crown Brewing - April 20
Currently on tap at BakeStreet Streethouse http://www.bakerstreetfortwayne.com/ are the following beers:
Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree IPA, Dark Horse Scotty Karate, Bell's Oberon, and 3Floyds Gumballhead.
Trion Tavern in New Haven, IN has tapped the following beers since April 13th:
Rabbid Rabbit by 3 Floyds, Hoptimum by Sierra Nevada, Infinite Wisdom, by Upland, 18th Anniversary by Great Divide, and Bent Rim by Mad Anthony.
Crown Brewing in Crown Point, IN http://www.crownbrewing.com/ will be tapping the following beers the week of April 23rd:
Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree IPA, Dark Horse Scotty Karate, Bell's Oberon, and 3Floyds Gumballhead.
Trion Tavern in New Haven, IN has tapped the following beers since April 13th:
Rabbid Rabbit by 3 Floyds, Hoptimum by Sierra Nevada, Infinite Wisdom, by Upland, 18th Anniversary by Great Divide, and Bent Rim by Mad Anthony.
Crown Brewing in Crown Point, IN http://www.crownbrewing.com/ will be tapping the following beers the week of April 23rd:
-Tapping
Tuesday (4/24)- 2012 AlkoholikA
(Blonde
Dopplebock)
-Tapping
Tuesday (4/24)- Dee-rALE-er (American Wheat brewed with Zythos, Cascade and
Summit Hops)
-Thursday through Sunday(4/26-4/29)- 2010 AlkoholikA, 2011 AlkoholikA and Bourbon Barrel Aged Replicale Stout!
-Friday Evening 4/27- Cask Conditioned Dee-rALE-er dry hopped with Pacific Jade Hops from New Zealand!
-Thursday through Sunday(4/26-4/29)- 2010 AlkoholikA, 2011 AlkoholikA and Bourbon Barrel Aged Replicale Stout!
-Friday Evening 4/27- Cask Conditioned Dee-rALE-er dry hopped with Pacific Jade Hops from New Zealand!
Indiana Beer News – April 19
Voting is currently in progress to get your city on the ballot for the fourth annual BeerCity USA award. You can head over and vote for Indianapolis or write-in your hometown. I’m sad to report that when I voted we were getting trounced by several cities including…..ugh…..Cincinnati. Now I’m not trying to start anything here, but as someone who spent two years working on a project in the Queen City, it made my computer cry a little to see those losers even on the same page as us. Now get over to the voting page and help us put them back in their place (voting ends Saturday)!
The Brewers Association has released the Top 50 Craft Brewing Companies by beer sales volume. No Indiana breweries made the list, but a few of local interest include Bell’s at #7 (up from #8 in 2010) and Founders at #42 (unlisted in 2010). Also worth noting is the #11 spot which Stone Brewing took over from Dogfish Head. Stone distributes to Indiana. Coincidence?
Congratulations to Barley Island for winning last Saturday’s Brew Bracket with their Sheet Metal Blonde Belgian Wit. Also congrats to Rock Bottom Downtown for coming in second by just two votes with their El Jefe Wheat. If you missed Kathleen’s Facebook post, a great collection of photos from the event can be found here.
Good Beer Hunting has an outstanding behind-the-scenes pictorial of the barrel aging program at Goose Island. The narrative is a bit sparse, but does reveal that Bourbon County Stout is going into year-round production. For more barrel aging fun, Founders posted a somewhat vague photo of something called “project quince”. Your guess is as good as mine.
Here’s your chance to get hangover advice from a true professional – Larry Bell of Bell’s Brewery. 
We don’t generally try to post all of the myriad tappings that occur around the state each week, but I make an exception when the beer name makes me laugh. So on Saturday, April 28th, head over to Upland and Rock Out With Your Bock Out! Actually, this is a bit more than your standard tapping as Upland will have an all day event open to all ages starting at 11am with a hog roast, lawn games, and live music.
We had a great event this past weekend judging beers for the Indianapolis 1st round regional of the National Homebrew Competition. Big thanks to Sun King for hosting the event for the third year (their Maibock and Mocha Mac currently on tap are very good). I’ll have a roundup of all the Indiana winners once the results from all regions are officially released in early May.
As Chief Steward for the NHC judging, I’d like to thank the following fine individuals for their assistance: Michelle Artmeier, Julie Bensing, Alfons Eggink, Gabe Enslein, Meredith Jones, Stacy Keister, Matt Lackner, David Massaro, Joe Milton, Glen Norris, Amelia Pflieger, Kevin Pritchard, Steve Quimby, Susan Rankert, Caitlyn Smeltzer, James Smeltzer, Chris Snodderley, Chase Snyder, Starla Steuerwald, Chuck Whybrew, and Matt Wisley. And special thanks to my assistants Ross and Val Graham. Ross and David are involved with the Indy Beer Meetup group and you can find their upcoming events here.
Cheers, Nathan
Mad Anthony Brewing Company Anniversary Week - April 14
Three beers will be tapped beginning April 16th for Mad Anthony's Anniversary Week according to their Facebook post. The beers are:
3 beers to be released at all 3 locations next week. Anniversary Ale, Imperial Blackberry Ale, and Smoked Amber Ale. More details to come. The Anniversary Ale is an Imperial IPA.
Stop in and try these beers while helping them celebrate their Anniversary!
Trion Tavern Update - April 13
Here is the list of the latest beers that were sent to me that have been tapped at Trion Tavern in New Haven, IN http://www.triontavern.com/index.php :
Pilsner Urquell by Plzersky Prazdroj
Cuvee des Jacobins Rouge by Brouwerij Bockor N.V.
He'brew Jewbelation 15 by Shmaltz Brewing Co.
iO by Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
Abbaye Des Rocs Grand Cru Belgian Special Brown by Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs s.a.
De Ranke XX Bitter by Brouwerij De Ranke
Porter by Nogne-O - Det Kompromisslose Bryggeri A/S
Mikkeller Invasion IPA brewed at Against The Grain Brewing Co.
Spezial Rauchbier by Brauerei Spezial
1825 by Greenbush Brewing Co.
Red Bud by Greenbush Brewing Co.
London Pride by Fuller Smith & Turner PLC
Check out Trion's website for a list of all of their beers (they have 58 taps) plus carry-out beers as well.
Pilsner Urquell by Plzersky Prazdroj
Cuvee des Jacobins Rouge by Brouwerij Bockor N.V.
He'brew Jewbelation 15 by Shmaltz Brewing Co.
iO by Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
Abbaye Des Rocs Grand Cru Belgian Special Brown by Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs s.a.
De Ranke XX Bitter by Brouwerij De Ranke
Porter by Nogne-O - Det Kompromisslose Bryggeri A/S
Mikkeller Invasion IPA brewed at Against The Grain Brewing Co.
Spezial Rauchbier by Brauerei Spezial
1825 by Greenbush Brewing Co.
Red Bud by Greenbush Brewing Co.
London Pride by Fuller Smith & Turner PLC
Check out Trion's website for a list of all of their beers (they have 58 taps) plus carry-out beers as well.
Founders Tapping at The Sinking Ship
I am definitely a fan of Founders Brewing and The Sinking Ship. Last month when I went to the Stone Brewing Tap Take over and saw that Founders would be coming.. I knew that no matter what.. Wednesday 4/11 - My butt was going to be at The Ship.
Especially when as the day got closer and it was announced that Founders was tapping KBS -- a coffee, chocolate stout bourbon barrel aged
I instantly turned on my tunnel vision and thought of nothing else because wanting KBS. I went as far as making sure I was at the ship at 5:30 so I would have plenty of time to get one (the tapping didn't happen til 7)
I was not disappointed. Thanks to my waitress, right after the rolling in of the 1/6 keg (again, not much KBS to go around), and the bagpipes played.. My table recieved 6 10oz of KBS for each of us. Despite the $10 for 10oz - It was worth every penny.
Smooth taste in the beginning and a nice chocolate after taste. It was my first time trying KBS and will certainly not be my last.
Especially when as the day got closer and it was announced that Founders was tapping KBS -- a coffee, chocolate stout bourbon barrel aged
I instantly turned on my tunnel vision and thought of nothing else because wanting KBS. I went as far as making sure I was at the ship at 5:30 so I would have plenty of time to get one (the tapping didn't happen til 7)
 |
| KBS! |
Afterwards I did try Founders Centennial IPA - Which has me discovering that I prefer more of a citrus enhanced IPA instead of a floral. I wouldn't say I love IPAs just yet, but I am enjoying more IPAs and even Pale Ales.
In closing --
Another good night of new beer. The Sinking Ship has beer tap takeovers every month. When I found out the next one I'm sure I'll be there if any followers want to meet up. At this month's event I saw Rodney from Hoosier Beer Geek, John Host - Founders Sales Rep and somewhere elusively was Josh H. from @Flat12_Josh.. which is me saying... those who are excited about beer - these tapping are a great time to meet people who are part of the beer community and share with newbies.
Til next time - Cheers!
- Kathleen
P.S. - I will be at Brew Bracket III - Wheat! Tomorrow. Make sure you say hi - I'll be easy to locate. I'm busting out the beer knee highs! :)
Indiana Beer News – April 12
This weekend brings some great events around the state with BrewBracket III in Indianapolis, the Blue Chip Brewfest in Michigan City, and Art on Tap in Bloomington. Homebrewers – if you aren’t involved with NHC judging Friday night (slackers), keep in mind that the Friday Night Club at Great Fermentations will feature the brewers from Flat 12 and a Flat12/Great Fermentations collaborative brew.
The Fountain Square Brewery will host Fountain Square Pinball Society’s spring tournament on April 28th where players will battle for supremacy in the world of Dr. Dude, Fun House, Iron Man, and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Entry is $33 and includes a pint, ice cream, and appetizers from La Margarita.
Following on the recent announcements that Sierra Nevada and New Belgium will build new brewing facilities in North Carolina, comes word that Lagunitas will be opening the largest brewery in Chicago. What does that mean for us? First, a road trip may be in order. Second, here’s hoping the new proximity will help Lagunitas see the value in expanding distribution to Indiana. For those who aren’t familiar with the brewery, Lagunitas has been very successful in pumping out big, West-coast style beers that are priced affordably by craft beer standards (like a bomber of Hop Stoopid for….gasp….$5). Count me as a fan.
Ever wonder what $45 million will buy these days? Apparently it’s the going rate to convince James Bond to forsake his trademark martini for a skunky lager for a Heineken. That’s what I get for trying to be nice to Heineken in last week’s post.
Many of us dream of opening a brewery, but are faced with the daunting prospect of needing some creative financing. Well, you can take a cue from Arizona Wilderness Brewing who have raised $43,000 through a clever Kickstarter campaign. Five backers put up $2500 for a private beer lesson and other perks, while one backer ponied up the $5000 to claim the title of AZ Beer Week 2013 King/Queen.
Psychologists at the University of Illinois believe that drinking two pints of beer will sharpen your mind. Not sure about that, but there is substantial evidence it does aid your performance in pool, darts, and soccer field karaoke.
If nobody is looking over your shoulder right now, you might want to spend a couple quality minutes in the world of Beer Porn complete with a proper 70’s soundtrack. Actually, it’s pretty safe to view in mixed company, but the money shot might make you blush a little.
Cheers, Nathan
Yes Virginia, there is a Lafayette correspondent for IndianaBeer.com
I can only imagine just how much anticipation has been building for my
first official blog covering the Lafayette area craft beer scene. I could sit here and list a myriad of clever
reasons as to why I have neglected my newly appointed duties in bringing you
news from the greater Lafayette region, however, let’s just chalk it up to
equal parts work, play, and laziness.
So, let’s get down to
business. My primary focus will be to
provide weekly updates on our two Lafayette breweries, the Lafayette Brewing
Company and People’s Brewing Company. At
my absolute laziest, I plan to provide a tap rundown and a featured beer for
each of the breweries. Additionally, I
hope to include information regarding any upcoming special events that either
or both places may be involved.
As a secondary goal, I plan to
provide coverage of other Lafayette area establishments that have made the
effort to fill their coolers and taps with quality craft beers. A few places should be familiar to some while
others may take a few of you by surprise.
Overall, I suppose my sweeping
goal would be to steer anyone reading this blog to any number of the area’s
fine establishments so that they may imbibe in a pint of their favorite craft
beer.
Whew, now that that’s out of the
way, here are the tap lists for the Lafayette Brewing Company and People’s
Brewing Company that I promised earlier.
Lafayette Brewing Company -
Flagship beers: Star City Lager, East Side Bitter, Piper’s
Pride Scottish Ale, Tippecanoe Common Ale, & Black Angus Oatmeal Stout
Specialty & Seasonals: Fuggles XXX Old Ale (just tapped), Electric Chair Espresso Black Angus Oatmeal
Stout, Star City Marzen, Digby’s Irish Stout, and Wildcat Amber
Featured Beer: Wildcat Amber – This is an American style amber ale that is a
rich, amber color with a robust nose of both malt and the citrus aroma of
classic American hops. A hoppy, modestly
strong amber ale, features bold flavors of nutty
malt character followed by a burst of lemony
hop flavor and bitterness. This brew
boasts the use of pale, caramunich, crystal, and chocolate malts, along with
cascade and Chinook hops. ABV 5.6%; IBUs
65
People’s Brewing
Company -
Flagship beers:
People’s Pilsner, Moundbuilder IPA, & Aberrant Amber
Specialty & Seasonals: Newman's ESB (just tapped), Farmer’s Daughter Wheat,
& Hoodlum
Pale Ale
Featured Beer: Hoodlum Pale Ale
– This classic American style pale ale is a well balanced beer with a dry
hop character. All Mt. Hood hops were
used in the boil and in dry-hopping the beer after fermentation. American base malt and a touch of caramalt
give this beer its body and straw color.
Finally, People’s used their HopBack on this beer, running the wort
through whole leaf Mt. Hood hop cones,
to give the beer a bolder hop aroma and mouthfeel.
ABV ~5.4%
IBUs~42
Jason C.
“Let
no man thirst for lack of Real Ale.”
Notes on Next week - starting April 9
Immediately after Easter is..... Dyngus Day! The "Monday after celebration" brought to the U.S. by Polish immigrants. Several Indiana locations have notable Dyngus Day events that include beer:
South Bend where many private clubs and a few bars have parties
In Indianapolis there is one reported super party at The Sinking Ship, 49th and College, starting noon Monday and all through the night. Note their warning: "Come celebrate this great polish holiday with polish food and drink! last year was great and if you werent there then you need to know something. Put electronics is a plastic bag of some kind Also, YOU WILL GET SOAKING WET ON THIS DAY!"
At least two locations in Bloomington celebrate Dyngus Day. The big party is at Yogi's Grill and Bar, starting with lunch where Polish specials include: Kielbasa, Sauerkraut, Hard-Boiled Eggs & Perogis served 11am-11pm; $2.50 Slivovitz (decent beer esp. at this price), $3.00 Labowski Lager (Upland Maibock, and, um.... $3.00 24oz Bud Lightski. Music starts at 6:00 PM until 2:00 AM with 2 different groups.
Lennie's Bloomington has a more subdued reference to DD with a special Dyngus Menu Monday - Wednesday.
However, Lennie's taps their legendary and long-time favorite Vision Weiss on Wednesday.For each pint of Vision Weiss sold at Lennie’s throughout the coming spring and summer, Bloomington Brewing Company will donate one dollar to the Monroe County Capital Campaign.
This Blogger hopes to have a late lunch at Yogi's on Dyngus Day again this year, and get to Lennie's on Wednesday for a first 2012 taste of the Weiss. Catch me out and ask me for $1 off of Legendary Bob O's book, Hoosier Beer, Tapping into Indiana's Brewing History -- a must have for Indiana Beer lovers (I will have books in my vehicle)
This Tuesday, April 10, Rock Bottom College Park, Indy, taps their Catcher (or is it Catch Her) in the Rye IPA, at 6:00. Rye Spice, Bold 7% ABV, intense 80 IBU
Sun King, Chatham Tap Takeover, Thursday, April 12th ALL DAY, 18 Sun King Beers on tap
Maibock release at 6:30 PM
PS Props to Alley Bar, Bloomington, for finding a beer I had not had until yesterday: Southampton Public House Double White Wit -- loved it for a slight twist on the style
Hoppy Dyngus Day... Greg K (and remember to follow us on Twitter)
South Bend where many private clubs and a few bars have parties
In Indianapolis there is one reported super party at The Sinking Ship, 49th and College, starting noon Monday and all through the night. Note their warning: "Come celebrate this great polish holiday with polish food and drink! last year was great and if you werent there then you need to know something. Put electronics is a plastic bag of some kind Also, YOU WILL GET SOAKING WET ON THIS DAY!"
At least two locations in Bloomington celebrate Dyngus Day. The big party is at Yogi's Grill and Bar, starting with lunch where Polish specials include: Kielbasa, Sauerkraut, Hard-Boiled Eggs & Perogis served 11am-11pm; $2.50 Slivovitz (decent beer esp. at this price), $3.00 Labowski Lager (Upland Maibock, and, um.... $3.00 24oz Bud Lightski. Music starts at 6:00 PM until 2:00 AM with 2 different groups.
Lennie's Bloomington has a more subdued reference to DD with a special Dyngus Menu Monday - Wednesday.
However, Lennie's taps their legendary and long-time favorite Vision Weiss on Wednesday.For each pint of Vision Weiss sold at Lennie’s throughout the coming spring and summer, Bloomington Brewing Company will donate one dollar to the Monroe County Capital Campaign.
This Blogger hopes to have a late lunch at Yogi's on Dyngus Day again this year, and get to Lennie's on Wednesday for a first 2012 taste of the Weiss. Catch me out and ask me for $1 off of Legendary Bob O's book, Hoosier Beer, Tapping into Indiana's Brewing History -- a must have for Indiana Beer lovers (I will have books in my vehicle)
This Tuesday, April 10, Rock Bottom College Park, Indy, taps their Catcher (or is it Catch Her) in the Rye IPA, at 6:00. Rye Spice, Bold 7% ABV, intense 80 IBU
Sun King, Chatham Tap Takeover, Thursday, April 12th ALL DAY, 18 Sun King Beers on tap
Maibock release at 6:30 PM
PS Props to Alley Bar, Bloomington, for finding a beer I had not had until yesterday: Southampton Public House Double White Wit -- loved it for a slight twist on the style
Hoppy Dyngus Day... Greg K (and remember to follow us on Twitter)
Indiana Beer News – April 5
The Easter weekend is a bit slow before we get into several major events the following Saturday. But keep in mind the Fountain Square Brewery Peep Show on Friday and the Michigan Brewery Tour leaving from South Bend on Saturday. Not to be outdone by Fountain Square, Flat 12 is rolling out their own Peeps-fueled Cross Rabbit Milk Stout that also includes Cadbury cream eggs, malted milk eggs, dark chocolate Easter bunnies, and black jelly beans. I’m told it’s the official beer of Diabeetus Cat==>
You can always party at home as Saturday brings us the celebration known as Session Beer Day. Session Beer Day recognizes flavorful beers that are low in alcohol so you can enjoy a few without getting lost in your own home. It ties in with the date that the Cullen-Harrison Act was signed into law by Franklin D. Roosevelt. While Prohibition was not repealed until later that year, Cullen-Harrison effectively legalized low alcohol beer by changing the definition of an “intoxicating beverage” to anything over 4% ABV. Now let me check the fridge……a few 10% Hopslams, 10.4% Alaskan Barleywine, 10% Ballast Point Imperial Stout, 11.2% homebrewed Barleywine……oops, looks like its Anti-Session Beer Day here.
As of 4:00 this afternoon, there were still a very limited number of tickets available for the Sour + Wild + Funk Fest on May 12th. Head over to the ticket site soon if you want to attend (or we’ll be talking about the evil resale market again).
Andy at The Beer Is Good! gives some results on the beer he brewed with Four Horsemen in South Bend. Classify this blogger as jealous – nice job Andy!
A story like this on the Austin Beer Fest should remind us of the hard work of many organizations and volunteers that go into great Indiana beer festivals. Yes, there were the bathroom lines at Winterfest two years ago, but that has been setup beautifully since. Consider a $200 “VIP All-Access Pass” to an event that was an unqualified disaster. As the owner of Jester King Craft Brewery astutely points out, be wary of a craft beer festival that advertises beer pong.
I’m not the biggest Heineken fan, but really have to give them credit for this initiative. The new Heineken Ideas Brewery challenges innovators from around the world to present ideas for how to package and distribute beer in a more sustainable manner (editors note: drinking local beer would be a start). If you have the type of mind that is intrigued by such challenges, submit your ideas by May 8th for a chance to win $10,
Wynkoop Brewing has found a new way to push the limits of craft beer flavor with their Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout. It should be noted that “sales” of the special brew were only available on April 1st. Have a ball!
Enjoy your Easter weekend, be safe, and remember to beware the bunny!
Cheers to you and your Peeps, Nathan
Dribs and drams - April 11
An ad, if you will, for Kahn's in Indy. They have a six single-barrel Bourbons bottled for their stores. I think the Eagle Rare 10yr-old single-barrel at $28.99 is a steal. The Four Roses barrel-strength, 113 proof OBSQ or OBSF at $49.99 might prove very interesting. The difference between them is the fermenting yeast (web site). Hope Kahn's will give samples.
If you ordered a Coors Light or a Bud Light at Little Daddy's strip club in Kokomo you might have gotten Keystone Light. That's a $250 no-no. interesting article
According to What's Brewing: Because British Fuggles hops have a comparatively poor yield and are subject to some diseases they aren't grown any more in Kent and Sussex, just in the West Midlands. Fuggles, a standard base hop for British Ales including Bitter and ESB, are actually being imported from Oregon and Slovenia - Styrian Goldings.
Organic Maris Otter is available and being used by the Stroud brewery in Gloucestershire.
Oh, and Leffe Brune is $8.99 for a six-pack.
If you ordered a Coors Light or a Bud Light at Little Daddy's strip club in Kokomo you might have gotten Keystone Light. That's a $250 no-no. interesting articleAccording to What's Brewing: Because British Fuggles hops have a comparatively poor yield and are subject to some diseases they aren't grown any more in Kent and Sussex, just in the West Midlands. Fuggles, a standard base hop for British Ales including Bitter and ESB, are actually being imported from Oregon and Slovenia - Styrian Goldings.
Organic Maris Otter is available and being used by the Stroud brewery in Gloucestershire.
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