Ten Years of IndianaBeer

Congratulations to us. IndyBeer started in January, 2003 so IndianaBeer is 10 years old. Ten years. That's, what?, 70 in dog years? 4000 in good beers? Here's the first month's news. There were links but they're all dead now. Looking back, this looks more like a line-up of tweets than the current blog. We had to edit each day's news into the web site by hand, er keyboard, back then.



1/3 - There's an interesting article about the .08 limit and how 17 states are defying the Feds. They say they don't need the highway money - they'd just spend it on locking up casual and not very dangerous drinkers.

1/8 - INDIANA - House bill 1153 got it's first reading yesterday and was assigned to committee (you remember all that Social Studies stuff about a bill becoming a law, right?). It will allow brewpubs to sell for take-out on Sundays and breweries to sell directly to customers and retailers.

1/12 - Proof that Lite beer isn't as light as Miller claims.

1/13 - INDIANA - Online newspaper Indianapolis Eye has an interesting story about the demise of the Beer Baron laws. Since 1980, we went from 250 distributors to 35.


1/14 - INDIANA - The Indianapolis City/County Council has a proposal to keep conveniences stores (gas stations) from calling themselves grocery stores so they can sell warm beer and wine. “The concern here is how much convenience should be involved with alcoholic beverages.” says resolution author Bill Soards. They'll take it up next month and it looks to pass although there are retail lobbyists who might buy it's quashing.

1/17 - A "team of Italian scientists" has figured out that gene DD can influence how big your beer belly is. That isn't nearly as surprising as to find out genes are named after cup sizes.

1/19 - The Star has taken up the crusade to raise alcohol taxes by 50%. In one sentence they say a 13¢ per case hike won't be noticed. In another sentence they say the higher cost will deter underage drinking. Huh? In on sentence they say the $14M will help with the $850M deficit. In another sentence they say the new money will be spent on "alcohol treatment and education" (read MADD-style PSA's).

1/20 - INDIANA - Three new beer distributors have opened shop this year in the Indy area to bring us even more stuff than we've ever had. Yuengling "the oldest US brewery" will probably be available within a couple of weeks. Sprecher is already in town with their malt in addition to their root beers. Fullers and McEwan's Export are coming back also.

1/22 - INDY - Barley Island is going to start bottling beer for retail sales through Pure Beverage. First out, in February, will be Dirty Helen - a brown ale.


1/23 - We're still waiting for a logical explanation of this picture.

1/24 - Goose Island's IPA is now available in the Safeway chain of grocery stores - in England. It joins Anchor's Liberty Ale and according to CAMRA's Beer paper, it's selling like toasted scones.

1/27 - Sometime in April, the Hofbrauhaus will open a brewpub in Newport, KY with seating for 720 (that's huge). This is the third HB brewery, the others being in Munich (of course) and Hong Kong.


1/28 - Prince Charles has been named the Beer Drinker of the Year by the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group at it's annual dinner. He wasn't in attendance.

1/29 - Latrobe has Rolling Rock Black out. It's not in Indiana yet though so don't salivate yet.