Brew Haven Craft Beer Festival 2013 News - May 29

Friday, May 31:

Mark your calendar for this Friday's Brew Haven Craft Beer Festival ticket release party!!  Below is the information sent to me for this event and also information for the festival which takes place this year on Saturday, August 3rd:

 

THIS Friday, May 31 beginning at 11am.
Ticket sales will begin for Northeast Indiana's Premiere Craft Beer Festival.
Highlights for this Ticket Release Party:

• Lisa Kerman from New Belgium will be on hand with 12 beers (Shift, Fat Tire, Hoppy Bock Lager, Ranger, Rolle Bolle, Rampant Imperial IPA, Biere De Mars, Cascara Quad, Dieu De Ciel Trippel, Peach Porch Lounger, Paardebloem, Pluot)
• Steve Thiel from Sierra Nevada will be on hand with 10 beers (Pale Ale, Torpedo, Summerfest, Hoptimum, Narwhal Imperial Stout, Ovila Quad w/Plums, Belgian Saison w/Mandarins, Kellerweis, Blonde Ale and Kolsch)
• Summer & Chip Lewis (owners) from Iechyd Da in Elkhart will be on hand with 5 of their beers (Tata Rosa Raspberry Berlinner Weisse, Cantankerous Irish Red, Revolution American IPA, "13" American Black Ale and Breakfast Cookies Milk Stout)
• These beers will be just $4.75

Festival Details:

Saturday August 3, 2013 - 2pm-6pm - downtown New Haven, IN
Bigger & even Better = 4 tents and a 20-tap semi trailer.
Draft samples from 50+ breweries (including multiple tap-equipped vehicles), 50+ homebrews, and everyone gets a meal!
General Admission ($35/adv, $45 day-of) includes: unlimited samples, souvenir tasting glass, meal and water.
VIP Package ($60/adv, $70 day-of) ADDS: 1-hour early entry, commemorative t-shirt and special gift.
Designated Driver ticket ($5/adv, $5 day-of) includes: meal & unlimited soft drinks.
21+ only. Includes designated drivers, no exceptions. Must show government issued photo ID.
No pets. Rain or Shine.
Smoke Free (with separate smoking tent inside the festival area).
More info at http://brewhaven.triontavern.com/
Tickets can be purchased at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/360773 or at the Trion (for cash only). Day-of ticket sales are also cash only.

Breweries (* representation has been indicated):

Abita (Abita Springs, LA)
Against The Grain* (Louisville, KY)
B.Nektar (Ferndale, MI)
Bell's* (Kalamazoo, MI)
Big Woods* (Nashville, IN)
Bloomington* (Bloomington, IN)
Breckenridge* (Breckenridge, CO)
Brooklyn* (Brooklyn, NY)
Crown (Crown Point, IN)
Cutters* (Avon, IN)
Das "Big Dawg" Brew Haus* (Richmond, IN)
DESTIHL* (Bloomington, IL)
Evil Czech* (Culver, IN)
Father John's* (Bryan, OH)
Figure 8* (Valparaiso, IN)
Finch's
Flat12* (Indianapolis, IN)
Founders* (Grand Rapids, MI)
Fountain Square* (Indianapolis, IN)
Four Horsemen* (South Bend, IN)
Goose Island (Chicago, IL)
Granite City* (Fort Wayne, IN)
Great Lakes* (Cleveland, OH)
Greenbush* (Sawyer, MI)
Harpoon* (Boston, MA)
Hunter's* (Chester, IN)
Iechyd Da* (Elkhart, IN)
Jolly Pumpkin* (Dexter, MI)
Left Hand (Longmont, CO)
Lexington* (Lexington, KY)
Mendocino* (Ukiah, CA)
Mount Pleasant* (Mount Pleasant, MI)
New Albanian (Albany, IN)
New Belgium* (Fort Collins, CO)
New Boswell* Richmond, IN)
New Holland* (Holland, MI)
North Coast* (Fort Bragg, CA)
Ohio* (Columbus, OH)
Peoples* (Lafayette, IN)
Rivertown* (Cincinnati, OH)
Samuel Adams* (Boston, MA)
Schlafly* (St. Louis, MO)
Sierra Nevada* (Chico, CA)
Sixpoint* (Brooklyn, NY)
South Bend Brew Werks* (South Bend, IN)
Southern Tier* (Lakewood, NY)
Stone* (Escondido, CA)
Summit* (St. Paul, MN)
Summit City Brewerks* (Fort Wayne, IN)
Sun King* (Indianapolis, IN)
Thr3e Wise Men* (Indianapolis, IN)
Tin Man* (Evansville, IN)
Two Deep* (Indianapolis, IN)
Upland* (Bloomington, IN)
Victory* (Downington, PA)

List subject to change but so far we have 55 breweries on board with at least 47 of them directly represented.

Come out to the ticket release party to meet personnel, purchase your festival ticket(s) and drink (responsibly) some good beers!!

Cheers!

Dribs and Drams–May 28

For the northerners among us, Eric Strader’s blog with the Elkhart Truth has changed his blog to “Hop Notes” at http://blogs.etruth.com/hopnotes.

The Senate bill introduced this year that would allow micros to sell at farmers’ markets has fallen flat. article

You’ve probably heard that Mark Havens of Oaken Barrel fame is moving to Big Woods Brewery. blog

Headline: Evansville is getting a new place for a pint. Carson’s Brewery has their permits and will used their pilot system to make a bit for the retail trade. They hope to start work on a 20-bbl brewhouse and tasting room soon. article

The Drewrys project in South Bend isn’t as dead as some people thought. The headline of this article says “Drewrys’ book, beer set for sale this summer”.

Also coming up: a brewery in Angola. Scott Ferguson is planning “Chapman’s American Ale Cider” that will half lots a ale character and 6 1/2% ABV. article

Headline of the press release: Indiana Beer Distributors Generate 2,079 Direct Jobs, $739 Million in Total Economic Impacts. Didn’t even know they wanted anything from the government. article with more states

Finally figured out why there are Big Red signs around Indy. The Bloomington-based chain has bought the 24 United Package Liquors.

Press Release: Berghoff will be back. The Chicago version of the company (including the restaurant with Illinois liquor license #1) will have Stevens Point making their beer for a push into Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin starting in June. Yes Judy, this will qualify as a craft beer.

The initial offering will be a “seasonal Solstice Wit Beer (5.2% ABV), made with Calamansi juice, an Asian citrus fruit, and spices, it is a refreshing summery beer from a long tradition of unfiltered wheat beers.  Perfect for warm weather drinking, Solstice Wit joins Berghoff’s other major year-round labels:  Straight Up Hefeweizen (5.2% ABV), a Bavarian hefe-weizen, with the creamy goodness of wheat, plus a fruity and spicy nose;  Dortwunder Lager (5.5% ABV), a classic and evenly balanced pale lager in the Dortmunder tradition;  Reppin’ Red Ale, Malt & Rye (6.2% ABV), a serious red ale that mixes tangy rye and crisp toasted malts with plenty of American hop character;  Sir Dunkle Crispy Dark Lager (5.5% ABV), smooth and malty, with a bright crispness, making a drinkable and very satisfying beer.  Berghoff will also introduce the first beer in its Überbier Series, Germaniac Extra Pale Ale (6.3% ABV), brewed with honey and molasses, it will be a briskly hopped extra pale ale patterned after the old “outlaw” beer style, Kottbüsser.”

Rich Higgins (one of five Master Cicerones) is going to host a tasting at the Tomlinson Tap Room on Mon, June 3.

Higgins will explain the historical and cultural background of each style, and the tasting will feature two Indiana- brewed craft beers from each style to illustrate the artistic and stylistic differences.
Higgins joins the Tomlinson Tap Room to present the event. Located on the mezzanine level of the Indianapolis City Market, the Tap Room is Indiana’s hub for fresh, local beer, pouring the delicious beers of the Brewers of Indiana Guild.
Featured pilsners -- real golden lagers with nuance, personality, and peppery, herbal hops: 
- Fountain Square Workingman's Pilsner 
- Three Floyds Jinx Proof
Featured Belgian-style farmhouse ales -- with flavorful, rustic, Belgian yeasts and a sparkling, dry finish:
- New Albanian Black & Bluegrass
- Bloomington Brewing Biere de Mars
Featured American IPAs -- built around bold malts and citrusy, floral hop aromas, and so much more than just brash bitterness:
- Daredevil Lift Off IPA
- Oaken Barrel Superfly IPA
Tickets cost $25 (+ 2.37 fee), and include tastes of 6 beers, plus a pint of your favorite choice after the tasting. Soft pretzels, chips, and popcorn will also be served. Tickets and more information are available at: http://www.richhiggins.com.

Magic Hat has whooped a lawsuit on Lexington KY’s West Sixth Brewing. Evidently a 9 upside down is a six. article sigh.

A beer wheel.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is probably going to become the state microbe of Oregon. article

News from Jolly Old England:

The Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) got the beer tax rate lowered with an immediate pence per pint. Breweries have promised to lower their prices (by that pence) or give the excess to charity. Members are less than impressed and 1,300 showed up at the annual meeting to yawn and to yell about the second of Camra’s showpiece pushes.

Camra earlier had called for minimum prices on beer to combat pubs’ price for real ale being much more than supermarket prices on Carlsburg/Heineken/etc. The membership meeting made Camra back off this stance as the populous don’t want anything to do with the “nanny” government setting prices, foreseeing increased taxation that could take real ale the way of tobacco.

Now the members are railing about Camra’s finger to the wind about supporting craft beer as well as real ale. Invective, invective.

Headline: Taste of Beer Makes Men Crave Getting Drunk. According to an paper published in Neuropsychopharmacology. article slightly_better_article

Budweiser is testing an “iconic” bowtie-shaped can. It will be sold as an 8-pack of 11.3 oz beers. “It holds 11.3 ounces of beer and has about 137 calories, approximately 8.5 fewer calories than a traditional 12-ounce can of Budweiser.”

This is the first time I’ve hear that Beer Filtration Could Add Arsenic. article

Headline: George Washington’s Whiskey: Not the Best article

Tips for new microbrewery customers (from the Purdue Calumet).

Tip for everybody: Keep a bottle colder by keeping it dry. article

Slate’s tip for brewers: The Craft Beer Industry’s Love Affair with Hops is Alienating People who don’t like Bitter Brews. article

Indiana City Beer Grand Opening

                                                                                                                                                              

Another brewery has joined the Indianapolis downtown area!  

After a long wait, Indiana City Beer has officially opened its doors at 24 Shelby St.  The brewery is in good company with Sun King Brewing Co. and Flat 12 Bierwerks each a small 15 minute walk away.  

Building its home from the roots of the Home Brewing Co., Indiana City Beer has mixed the clean lines of today within its taproom while maintaining the building's original brick structure.  

The grand opening celebration kicked off at 2pm on Saturday and this reporter was able to be on the scene to enjoy the crowds, the food trucks, the music and most importantly, the beer.

Currently available for pints and growlers, Indiana City Beer offers four beers:

• Yacht Rock - a Belgian-style wheat ale
• Beyond the Pale - a pale ale
• Shadow Boxer  - an oatmeal stout
• Dock 7  - an IPA

On Saturday, I had a pint of the Yacht Rock, and it was the perfect beer for a nice spring/early summer day.

It had a slight creamy /citrus aftertaste.  Definitely one I'd recommend readers giving a try.  

If you get a chance, pop into Indiana City Beer  during their regular hours -

Wednesday & Thursday - 4pm - 8pm

Friday & Saturday - Noon - 8pm 

Sunday - Noon - 4pm

Or Indiana City Beer can be found in rotation around local Indianapolis Bars such as Twenty Tap, Red Lion Grog House and more. 

In closing, Welcome Indiana City Beer! I look forward to trying more of your beer. 

Cheers!

Kathleen

Did you ever have one of those days?

Did you ever have a day where everything went basically right? Saturday I visited four places and they were all open, hospitable and doing well.

Madison – Riverfest book signing for HoosierBeer

Derrick Morris and I went down to Madison and spent three hours signing books in the beer tent. Heavy rains but nothing got wet. Lots of people at the festival despite the rain. Village Lights Bookstore handled everything well, as did the organizers. There was an article in the Madison Courier about the three books VL was promoting over the weekend (thanks).

At the fest, people had their choice of Great Crescent, New Albanian, Power House, Sun King or Upland. Tastes and glasses were available by a ticket system. Not the cheapest way but a good way to control sales in a mixed-age crowd.

 

Got a look through Just Brew It’s window in downtown Madison but they were closed.

Oh, and there’s a Art Music and Homebrew Party in Brown County on July 27th.

Seymour – Twisted Crew

Twisted Crew can be found on the west side of Seymour. It’s a production brewery with a friendly tasting room and growlers to go.

Bedford – Salt Creek Brewery

A roadhouse plain and simple. But with a bunch of tanks downstairs behind the bar where they can be viewed. Built in an old garage (what was a garage doing in that neck of the woods anyway. Take Old 37 south from 37 south of Harrodsburg or north of Bedford. Look for Needmore on maps. Good luck.

There are plenty of locals and lots of events and bands. So many they have overflow parking up the hill.

Bloomington - Last stop, the Bloomington Brewing production brewery and catering kitchen on the west side of town. Here’s Jeff Mease and Nick Banks.

Can an Indiana Beer Trail be far behind?

Upland's Midwest Sour Wild Funk Fest

Upland Brewing organized the second annual Sour Wild Funk Fest, the Midwest’s premier wild ale festival, on Saturday, May 11, at Developer Town in the Broad Ripple area of Indianapolis. Approximately twenty breweries were represented including many Hoosier breweries, brewers from Ohio, from Illinois, from Michigan and some national powerhouses like New Belgium and Sam Adams. This years attenance was reported to be up substantially from last year but the crowd never felt like a 'throng.' Here's our take from the two of us who attended:


from Jake: .....

When I first heard about Upland’s Sour Beer Fest last year, I had already been interested in sours for about a year, and been enjoying being able to get a hold of some good sours from around the country and occasionally the world. I loved last year’s festival. With such a small number of tickets compared to the microbrewers festival in Opti park the lines are much shorter and you get to try more beer!

This year I was lucky enough to snag a pair of VIP tickets, which apparently sold out in minutes. I enjoyed the VIP lecture style presentation from Caleb Staton, Upland’s Head Brewer. The presentation consisted of an overview sour brewing process, but the most interesting part in my opinion was Upland’s specific techniques. It is impressive how much trouble Upland goes through to create their spectacular sours. The list includes a vigorous cleaning each of their 141 barrels, a modified mash tun (capable of a turbid mash typical for Flemish style sours), as well as a 24 Hectoliter Foudre. The fruited lambics only use real fruit, no extracts, and none of their sours are artificially sweetened like the occasional Belgian brewery. Caleb is nobly focused on the exceptionally high quality of their sour program. The VIP portion ended with a sampling of Sour Reserve Batch #2, Raspberry Lambic (2011), and Cherry Lambic (2010).

The festival began and those of us in the VIP walked right in, while all the general admission ticket holders had to submit to getting the horrible re-entry stamp of a brown mustache. Anyway, on to the beers. As expected all of the Upland Sours were spectacular, including Sour Reserve Batch #1, and Batch #3, and a few Fruit Lambics I was able to try. Sun King’s All Brett Wee Mac was particularly tasty with some great characteristics from the different strains of brett used. Next up for me was Black Acre, a young brewery that had a tasty Raisin Sour, while their other option may have been lacking a little bit of complexity. Flat 12’s offerings were strong as always, and it was great seeing some of the other classic Indiana breweries, Barley Island, Mad Anthony embracing the sour tradition/trend. Some people may believe there are new trends in craft beer, which we’ll talk about later this week, but this beer fest shows me that there is still a growing audience for the complex traditional Belgian sour beers and the new American sours that are pushing the limits of what beer can be. I loved this festival again this year, and hope to see you at it next year.

Crowd shot and Mad Anthony description


Black Acre and Flat 12 descriptions




from Greg.....


This is likely the true craft beer lovers' fest. Brewers and staff alike commented that this is one of their favorite events because attendees like to chat about beers, spend time at each table, and sip rather than slam. The attendance proved there are plenty of beer lovers who appreciate tart beer.

Perhaps the most interesting samplings were from Destihl brewery of Normal and Champaign, Illinois. Their 5,000 square foot beer cellar contains over 300 oak barrels, both California wine barrels and bourbon barrels. In addition, they have imported French foudres, large oak casks for storage. They follow a traditional Belgian sour aging process of exposing the fermented beer in casks and barrels to the open air to pick up wild yeast. the Destihl four-and-a-half year old framboise was complex and impressively light at the same time. Their Saint Dekerra plain lambic had been barrel aging nearly two years and delivered a nice vanilla and wonderful sour notes. While Destihl brews or has brewed over 60 beers since opening in 2007, and have a wide variety of beer styles, clearly their focus on barrel aging is providing truly interesting and tasty results.

New Belgium Brewery has a fondness for this festival and provided a "Peach Felix Love" ale on tap that was aged first in the barrels used for their LaFolie and then in peach whiskey barrels. As one participant noted this provided the wonderful type of tartness that gives you a tug at the back and side of the tongue while delivering great flavor. This was one of those beers you could never get elsewhere unless you travel to New Belgium in Colorado and know the brewers.

I was particularly pleased that the beer I had agreed to help pour, Bloomington Brewing Company Cranberry Saison, was so well accepted and so many people made it to the end table of the fest specifically asking for this ale brewed with French Saison yeast and finished with fresh and concentrated cranberries! This was a delightful sample from the saison I've much appreciated before gaining very nice fruit flavor! Several noted beer judges came by because they had heard this one-off beer, not even available at the brew pub, was so good.

Steve of Crown Brewing (Home of the Crown Beer fest this next weekend from 2-6 on Sat., May 18) of Crown Point, IN, poured a Cherry Dunkel Weizen Bock, that gave a nice hint of cherry in the unusual setting of a dunkel weizen. This blending of cherry, banana esters, and spice was quite a nice delight!

SunKing's Stupid Sexy Flanders (did you see that episode of the Simpson's?) was a very nice base oud bruin with wild yeast, brettanomyces, and lacto!

Thirsty Dog from Dayton poured Cerasus Dog Flanders Red that was very smooth and a grest treat. As hard as I tried to recall the exact brewing process which on Saturday I recounted to others, alas, my notes started to fade - but I enjoyed this brew!

Another very interesting beer was Jon's Triton Pink Ribbon Saison, obviously a saison but with pink and white peppercorns delivering a nice but not overpowering spice.

If you wanted a beer lighter in alcohol, Bell's Oarsman is a very refreshing and full-of-flavor tart sessionable beer at 4% abv.

Thanks to Global Beer Network importers for serving Petrus pale, Petrus Oud Bruin, and Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour. These Belgian beers (in bottles) give fest attendees a barometer for what these styles taste like when brewed in Belgium.

And thanks to Avery for shipping in bottles of Odio Equum which is brewed with red raspberries and aged in cabernet sauvignon barrels. Another beer I would not have wanted to miss!

Upland did not have much Dantillion, but a lucky few got a taste just as Starlight distributors from Southern Indiana also broke out a bottle of Cantillion from Brussels -- but alas I was not in the right spot to taste and report which Cantillion.

The list could go on and on but we tried to show some restraint. Truly this is an event for those of us who appreciate tart and tasty ales!

Cheers, from Jake and GregKitz

Pics with Katie (and Mark in the background) from Destihl,
Mark from BBC, and Andrew from Upland

Upcoming Fort Wayne Beer Events - May 13

Join in the fun on Friday, May 17th, for Cap n' Cork's 3rd Annual Craft Beer Tasting.  Below are the details for this event:

Beoir Go Leoir:

Beoir Go Leoir (which is Gaelic for "lots of beer" and is pronounced "beer galore") is coming up on May 18. Tickets are limited, so get them now at the pub or at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/343870.  Also, Jason Dow from Bell's Brewery, will bring a firkin of Kalamazoo Stout. If you purchase a VIP ticket, you will also get to enjoy a couple of very special cellared beers: Barrel Aged Old Rasputin, 14th Anniversary Russian Imperial Stout by North Coast Brewing, and a Red Horizon ale brewed with sake yeast by Norway's famous Nøgne Ø Brewing Company.  If you are a true beer lover, don't miss your chance to sample these tasty beers!

JK's is closing the street in front of the pub with a huge tent, 40+ breweries represented and over 100 beers to sample.  Ticket prices are: General Admission is $40 in advance ($50 on the day of the event) and includes your very own signature tasting glass that's yours to take with you after the event. VIP admission is $65 ($75 on the day of the event) and includes a lanyard with a JK signature tasting glass and a T-shirt as well as a private hour to enjoy our appetizers and get a jump start on sampling the beers.  

 

JK's will also have food trucks from Affine and Bravas.  Check out their websites

 

  http://www.affinefoodtruck.com and http://www.bravasfood.com

Please note that this is a 21+ event.  The list of breweries from JK's Facebook page are as follows:

 

Founders, Tyranena, Breckenridge, Ace, Left Hand, Lexington KY, Mendocino, New Albanian, People’s, Sixpoint, Stone, Bell’s, Southern Tier, North Coast Brewing, Victory, Dark Horse, Schlafly, Upland, Ommegang, Triton, Flat 12, Brooklyn, Sun King, Chouffe, Crispin, Strongbow, Fox Barrel, Red’s, Angry Orchard, Green Bush, New Belgium, Sam Adams, Rogue, Boulevard, Sierra Nevada, Goose Island, Mount Pleasant, Cutters, Guinness, Magners, Harp, and Smithwicks.

 

Come out to these two events, try some tasty beers, and most importantly, drink responsibly.  Also, be sure to bring your Government-issued photo ID.

 

Please check out the Calendar section on indianabeer.com for upcoming beer events!!

 

Summer Beer Festival Guide

Interested in attending a beer festival in the next four months? We’ve assembled a list of options to help you determine the best use of your beer sampling dollar. If you can’t decide on the best option, why not try them all? Then send me your autograph.

 

2nd Annual Sour + Wild + Funk Fest

Saturday, May 11th 1-5pm

Developer Town

5255 Winthrop Ave, Indianapolis, IN

Tickets: VIP $60 (sold out), General Admission $45, Designated Driver $20

Featuring more than 50 styles of sour and wild ales, the second annual Sour + Wild + Funk Fest promises to be another unique celebration of this emerging trend in craft beer. The beers served as this event are paired with foods designed to accentuate their unique flavors. VIP tickets are sold out, but general admission were still available at the time of this posting. To get a better feel for the event, check out IndianaBeer guest writer Andrew Korty’s review.

  

American Beer Classic

Saturday, May 11th Session I 12-4pm (11am VIP admission), Session II 6-10pm (5pm VIP admission)

Soldier Field

1410 S. Museum Campus Drive, Chicago, IL

Tickets: VIP $110 (Session I sold out), General Admission $55 (Session I sold out), Designated Driver $30

The inaugural American Beer Classic is a major regional event that showcases hundreds of diverse brewers for beer lovers on the grass of Chicago’s Soldier Field. The event covers two separate sessions over the course of Saturday, May 11th and includes live music and educational sessions. VIP tickets include complementary tours of the Visitor’s Locker Rooms, the Skyline Suites, and the Colonnades. Attendees will also have the opportunity to vote in the People’s Choice competition to determine the favorite beer of the festival. Note: General Admission tickets increase to $60 after May 6th.

Crown Beer Fest

Saturday, May 18th 2-6pm (1pm VIP admission)

Lake County Fairgrounds

889 S. Court St, Crown Point, IN

Tickets: VIP $59 (sold out), General Admission $35, Designated Driver $5

Formerly known as Illiana Mayfest, this NW Indiana festival is expanding this year to offer over 120 different beers from 30 different breweries. Enjoy the day at the Lake Country Fairgrounds with a brewery list featuring Crown Brewing, Cutters Brewing, Flat 12 Bierwerks, Fountain Square Brewing Co, People's Brewing Co, Bier Brewery, Brickstone, B. Nektar, Destihl, Four Horsemen, Icheya Da Brewing, and more! VIP tickets are sold out, so get your General Admission passes while you still can.

Beoir Go Leoir (Gaelic for lots of beer)

Saturday, May 18th 2-6pm (1pm VIP admission)

JK O’Donnell’s Irish Ale House

Wayne Street between Harrison & Calhoun in downtown Fort Wayne, IN

Tickets: VIP $65, General Admission $40

JK O’Donnell’s Irish Ale House is proud to present their first beer festival! Featured breweries include Sierra Nevada, Flat 12, Sun King, Breckenridge, Left Hand, Lexington Brew Co., New Albanian, Stone, Bell's, Brooklyn, Boulevard, Schlafly, New Holland, New Belgium, Sam Adams, Barley Island, Upland, Dark Horse, People's, Mendocino Brewing Co, Ace Cider, as well as assorted Belgian Beers. Food will be available in JK O’Donnell’s and from local food trucks Bravas & Affine. The VIP package includes one hour early admission, t-shirt, and appetizers. Note: All ticket prices increase $10 on the day of event.

History on Tap

Friday, May 31st 6:30-10:30pm (6pm VIP admission)

Conner Prairie

13400 Allisonville Road, Fishers, IN

Tickets: VIP $35 (sold out), General Admission $25, Designated Driver $10

Set around Conner Prairie, History on Tap features 10 central Indiana breweries, along with New Day Meadery. There is a panel discussion on Brewer Innovation along with a brewing demonstration from Tuxedo Park Brewers. Imagine an adult version of Conner Prairie at night. Great beers, great chances to talk to the brewers, and learn more about craft beer. For a limited time, you can get 20% off with the discount code “HORIZONFRIEND”. VIP tickets are already sold out, but you can still get Early Bird General Admission tickets until May 20th. Tickets increase $10 after that date.

Keg Liquors Fest of Ale

Saturday, June 1st 3-7pm

St. Anthony’s of Padua

320 North Sherwood Ave, Clarksville, IN

Tickets: $25 (Designated Drivers free)

The 8th Annual Keg Liquors Fest of Ale is a charity beer festival to help raise funds for the WHAS Crusade for Children. The event features 40+ Breweries, 3 Beer Distributors, 5 Fine Wine Distributors, over 150 craft and import beers, wine, food, charity silent auction and raffle and more! The 2012 event raised over $9200 for the Crusade for Children, so head out and help them make this year even better.

Jungle Jim's International Beer Fest

Friday, June 14th 7-10pm and Saturday, June 15th 7-10pm

Oscar Event Center at Jungle Jim’s International Market

5440 Dixie Highway, Fairfield, OH

Tickets: Friday Session $40, Saturday Session $45, Designated Driver $15

So you’ve probably already gone out of your way to visit Jungle Jim’s just north of Cincinnati to stock up on bottled treasures from the likes of Alesmith, Great Lakes, Green Flash, Lagunitas, Oskar Blues, and Troegs. Why not combine your next Ohio beer run with a festival? Jungle Jim’s Beer Fest will offer 350 beers from 100 different breweries. There will be brew masters available for conversatin’ and some special firkin and rare beer offerings. A complementary picnic style meal is included with the price of every ticket. If you enjoy a good cigar with your beer, Jungle Jim’s cigar expert will be selling a selection of their world class cigars that you can take out on the terrace with your beer sample.

Brew Bracket Pale Ales

Saturday, June 15th 3pm (VIP Brewer Q&A at 2pm)

Indiana State Fairgrounds (Expo Hall)

1202 E 38th St, Indianapolis, IN

Tickets: VIP $45, Participant $35, Designated Driver $5

March Madness style voting, blind taste testing, raffle prizes, good beer, all for a good cause. Brew Bracket brings the Pale Ale style to the next version of their game. Sixteen breweries in a showdown for the best beer, all determined by your votes! Back at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, this event is 4 hours of fun and trying new inventive brews. A VIP session has been added that gets participants in an hour early for a special sampling and Q&A session with Brew Bracket multi-winning brewer Andrew Castner of the RAM along with Barley Island. For a better idea of what to expect, Indiana Beer visited December’s AMBERgeddon Brew Bracket event. A portion of the proceeds benefit People for Urban Progress.

  

Fishers on Tap

Saturday, June 15th 5-8pm (4pm VIP entry)

Town of Fishers Municipal Grounds – Outdoor Amphitheater

1 Municipal Drive, Fishers, IN

Tickets: VIP $60, General Admission $40, Designated Drive $10

The second annual Fishers on Tap is presented by The Rotary Club of Fishers. The Rotary Club is promising 15-20 local breweries, live music from Dear Abby and the Bad Advice and Soul Street, and cuisine from select food trucks. Tickets are limited to 200 VIP and 800 General Admission. VIP ticket holders receive early entry to the festival and food pairings with local eateries and select breweries. All proceeds from the event will be distributed back to the local community to those in need through local service agencies.

18th Annual Brew-Ha-Ha

Saturday, June 22nd 3-7pm

Phoenix Theater

North Park Ave between Massachusetts and St. Clair in downtown Indianapolis, IN

Tickets: General Admission $30, Designated Driver $10

Indy’s original microbrew festival returns for its 18th year of benefiting the Phoenix Theater. North Park Avenue will be blocked off to traffic between Mass Ave. and East St. Clair St. and the festival will provide a summer outdoor block party. The festival already has 18 confirmed breweries and wineries and should eventually have over 25, making this one of the best festival deals of the summer. Confirmed breweries include Bell’s, Bloomington Brewing, Brugge Brasserie, Flat 12, Fountain Square, New Albanian, The RAM, Rock Bottom, Upland, and many more! Live entertainment is provided, and food from local vendors will be available. Note: General Admission tickets increase to $35 day of event.

Indiana Microbrewers Festival

Saturday, July 20th

Optimist Park and Indianapolis Art Center

E. 67th St and Ferguson (Broad Ripple), Indianapolis, IN

Tickets: TBA

This has not been officially announced, but we have it on pretty good authority the 18th annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival will return to the Optimist Park and Indianapolis Art Center grounds on July 20th. If you’ve never attended, this is Indiana’s largest outdoor festival where you can sample the greatest variety of beer (don’t try them all!). The recent expansion to the Indianapolis Art Center grounds offers the chance to find a little shade and makes it easier to move around then most festivals of this size. Some pictures and a quick recap of last year’s festival are available here. That event featured over 300 beers from 64 breweries, can it be topped this year?

  

16th Annual Michigan Summer Beer Festival

Friday, July 26th 5-9pm and Saturday, July 27th 1-6pm

Riverside Park

6 West Cross Street, Ypsilanti, MI

Tickets: Friday Admission $30, Saturday Admission $35, Designated Driver $5

It’s a bit of a drive, but what better reason is there to head up to Michigan in July? Put on by the Michigan Brewers Guild, the Summer Beer Festival boasts over 600 different beers from more than 65 Michigan craft breweries. That number is not an exaggeration – Dark Horse Brewing alone offered 51 different beers last year. Try the Friday session if your schedule is flexible, the lines can get a little intense on Saturday. For more details, check out Nathan’s review of last year’s event. Tickets went on sale May 1st and will go quickly, so make your plans now!

  

GnawBrew - Art, Music and Beer Festival

Saturday, July 27th noon-midnight

eXplore Brown County/Valley Branch Paintball Retreat

2620 Valley Branch Rd, Nashville, IN

Tickets: $15 General Admission

Set in the rustic hills of Brown County, GnawBrew combines breweries with artists and musicians for a fun filled, yet family friendly event. This year’s participating breweries include Big Woods, Hawcreek Brewing, HWY50 Brew House, Powerhouse, and Zwanzigz. Festival gates will open at 11am with music starting at noon. Beer samples will be served all day and well into the evening and complimentary primitive tent camping is being provided after the event by eXplore Brown County to encourage alcohol safety. So bring a tent and stay the night!

Brew Haven

Saturday, August 3rd 2-6pm (1pm VIP entry)

Main Street, Downtown New Haven, IN

Tickets: $60 VIP, $35 General Admission, $5 Designated Driver

Northeast Indiana’s premiere craft beer festival promises to be even bigger and better this year with 3 tents and a 20-tap semi trailer. The price of admission includes samples from 50+ breweries, local and regional homebrewers, bottled water, and a meal! The VIP package also includes one hour early entry, commemorative t-shirt, and a special gift. Designated drivers also get a meal along with unlimited soft drinks. Check out Cindy’s recap of last year’s event. Tickets go on sale May 31st and Trion Tavern will celebrate with a Ticket Release Party featuring special tappings and pricing. Note: VIP and General Admission ticket prices increase $10 day of event.

  

Festiv-Ale

Saturday, August 24th

Victory Field

501 W Maryland St, Indianapolis, IN

Tickets: $75 VIP, $55 General Admission

Looking to attend Victory Field for an adults-only event? The Festiv-Ale is a fundraiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation featuring 30 Indy restaurants, 100 beers, and 100 wines. The VIP reception will include an educational tasting.

Beers Across the Wabash

Saturday, August 24th 12-4pm

John Myers Pedestrian Bridge

Downtown Lafayette

Tickets: TBA

Details were very limited at publishing time, but it appears that August 24th will bring us the 2nd Annual Beers Across the Wabash on the John Myers Pedestrian Bridge overlooking the Wabash River between Lafayette and West Lafayette. Mark your calendars and stay tuned for further details. Until then, you can get an idea of what to expect from Jason’s review of last year’s inaugural event.

  

 

That covers everything we can confirm at the time of publishing. There will certainly be a number of other festivals that will emerge throughout the season for your beer drinking pleasure. Thanks for reading and remember to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates. Stay safe and enjoy the festivals!

Daredevil Doubles Down to meet Demand

Daredevil Brewing of Shelbyville, has fueled great success in about four months with their ongoing Lift Off IPA, their Muse Belgian Golden Ale, and more recently their Rip Cord Double IPA. With over 100 locations and 150 taps primarily in greater central Indiana and a few in Southern Indiana, demand is strong enough that they are doubling capacity, to allow fans to get twice the brew. Lift Off will continue to be the flagship beer as an extremely balanced and yet hop-forward IPA. When opening in January they promised Lift Off plus at least one seasonal. Daredevil Muse satisfied the desire of many for a slightly sweet, slightly spicy, Belgian Golden Strong that delivers huge flavor while going down smooth. When they gave the world Rip Cord this satisfied a craving for intense hops in a wallop of a beer that remains balanced with malt underpinning. We recently encountered a successful local chef/owner downing a Rip Cord as his 'shift beer' at the end of an evening in the kitchen. As the Daredevil crew likes to say, "aggressively fun beers."

Yes, new beers are coming! By the end of May expect Rip Cord to circulate off tap slowly being replaced by another hop forward brew! That beer includes German malt and is being brewed as this blog is being posted! And Belgian beer lovers will find another Belgian style beer available by mid-June! In order to guarantee that at least 3 beers will always be available via regional taps Daredevil's new tanks have shipped and not only will the brewery be able to crank out more beer, they have more flexibility in keeping a given style around to satisfy demand.

Daredevil has focus! Daredevil Brewing carefully plans their beer styles like major national brewers, allowing fans to find a particular beer over and over for awhile, fresh and on tap. Rather than divert their attention with bottling or self-distribution Daredevil is focused on brewing consistent styles. We find their increased sales coming from consistent consumption; certain locations have reported that Daredevil beers are among their top-selling pours. Don't look for growlers or a tasting room! Michael, Bill, and Shane want to have beer near you; check for locations throughout greater Central & Southern Indiana http://www.daredevilbeer.com/#locations Look for a steady flow with a nice variety of both hoppy and Belgian style beer to continue from Daredevil.

Meanwhile we see other major brewers expanding distribution. While SunKing of Indianapolis has become one of Indiana's top three breweries by selling almost exclusively within a 100 mile radius of Indy, this Spring they announced distribution agreements with Indiana Beverage Company for Northern Indiana and North Vernon Beverage for Southern Indiana. SunKing also plans to double their already huge production facility by Spring 2014.

Flat12 Bierwerks of Indianapolis expanded distribution all the way to Nashville, TN this Spring as they jump over space to a city that had fewer local brewers than Indy. Flat12 found they have been well received at beer fests in Nashville.

More great beer!

Cheers,

Greg Kitz

Indiana NHC First Round Winners

The first round winners in the National Homebrew Competition (NHC) are now posted and we can pass along congratulations to some Indiana homebrewers! The NHC is the largest known homebrew competition with entrants participating in one of 11 different regional judging sites. The top three entrants per style category (assuming an assigned scored of 30 points or more for that entry) at each regional advance to compete for medals in the National Finals to be judged at the National Homebrewers Conference in Philadelphia. Simply advancing through a regional can be very challenging as some categories reach 60+ entries. After surviving a difficult registration process this year, the following Hoosiers persevered and are moving on to the finals:

Nathan Compton (Indianapolis)	1st place Porter, 2nd place Amber Hybrid Beer, 2nd place Belgian and French Ale
Chris Higgins (Elkhart)	1st place Spice/Herb/Vegetable Beer
Andrew Korty (Indianapolis)	1st place Light Lager
Rob Meinzer (Zionsville)	2nd place European Amber Lager
Jairo Nunes (New Palestine)	3rd place Belgian Strong Ale
Tim Palmer (Fishers)	3rd place European Amber Lager, 3rd place German Wheat and Rye Beer
Bill Staashelm (Indianapolis)	2nd place English Brown Ale
Tom Wallbank (Zionsville)	1st place Pilsner

Best of luck to everyone in this year’s finals! Last year, Indiana took home an impressive six medals from the National Finals that included awards for current competitors Rob Meinzer, Bill Staashelm, and Tom Wallbank. Let’s see if we can bring home a few more this year!

Cheers, Nathan