What to drink at the Bloomington Craft Beer Festival

Brewers promise many one-of-a-kind beers for the Bloomington Craft Beer Festival. This week in Bloomington provided an opportunity to preview beers from many breweries and get a hint at what is coming to the Craft Beer Festival (Saturday, 3:00PM VIP, 4:00PM General Adm.) Many bars across Bloomington have featured primarily craft beer.

How to know what beers are being served? check out the web site, download the handy APP for iPhone or Android at beerfest.io

Interesting beers tried this week:

Flat12 Big Black Dog (Barrel aged) Stout (7% abv). a rich complex stout that delivers layers of light vanilla, slight sweetness, some chocolate, and toast; a brew I had more than once this week. Brewer Rob Caputo of Flat12 told me they will bring all specialty beers! Flat12 will share 4 experimentally hopped beers, 2 yeast experimentation beers, 3 barrel aged beers at least!

Bloomington Brewing Ole Floyd's Vanilla Belgian Strong Ale (8.9% abv) medium body strong ale with lots of vanilla, some caramel, sweetness with subtle warmth

Cutters Vanilla Bean Empire Stout (firkin) (10%) big bodied smooth stout with vanilla nose and some vanilla flavor plus a deep, almost bitter finish.

Brugge Peony American Sour (5%) smooth, not puckering simple complexity and nicely sour golden in color

Bier Brewery Sessie (4.8%) light golden, light spice notes with Belgian character in a session beer

Daredevil Brewing Rip Cord Double IPA (9% abv) golden colored with abundance of American floral hops, notes of citrus, while remaining balanced with malt support


Upland Champagne Velvet 15th Anniversary beer. smooth light golden beer with a hint of corn sweetness as a nod to pre-prohibition and once Indiana's major brand + Double Dragon Fly (oh, and we are betting on some SOURS )

And looking out for:
Crown Baklava Java porter,

Evil Czech Stalin's Dark Side barrel aged stout

New Albanian Colab. Naughty Girl Belgian blonde at 69 ibu

People's Hoosier Brown rye their brown is so solid, this version must be good

This is just a hint



Our Nathan Compton provides a full PREVIEW of the CRAFT BEER FEST here including brewery list

Here is a pic of the brewers Ted Miller (Brugge), Rob Caputo (Flat12), Clay Robinson (SunKing), and Justin Miller (Black Acre) thinking about a question asked by panel moderator and brewer Jeff Mease (Bloomington BC)






Saturday, 4/13, 4-7 Bloomington Beer Festival Our Man Nathan is with Brewers of Indiana Guild and will have an inside story

After Party: The Tap; SunKing and Flat12 pins

another after party at Nick's English Hut focus on Upland beers

Atlas Bar, Cutters tap take-over with Pale, Half-court IPA, Floyd's Folly Scottish


Remember, if visiting Bloomington pay a visit to local Bloomington Brewing Company @Lennie's and to local Upland Brewing Company Brew pubs!

See you there!

Greg Kitz