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 brewers sue for the right to capitalize on the popularity of that fictional beer? If a German brewer has their way, the public will be able to drink real Duff Beer in pursuit of Homer Simpson’s legendary physique.

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