Dribs & Drams of Bartender Appreciation Day

Yes, it's Bartender Appreciation Day on Sunday, the day after National Repeal Day. Give kudos and a big tip to the overworked soul behind the taps. Who else will call you a cab at 2am? Who else will keep the slob at the other end of the bar from hitting on you? Who else will hold your hair back while you puke? Well, maybe not any bartender I know. Still, they make sure our beer is the right temperature, the bottles on the back bar aren't watered down, and can make a Tequila Sunrise at sunset.

What's up this weekend

Dec 4	Fort Wayne	Tasting at Cap n' Cork, Georgetown location. 5-7pm.
Dec 4	Indianapolis	Taps and Touchdowns at Pan Am Plaza. 5:30-9pm. $35.
Dec 5	Indianapolis	Repeal of Prohibition.Prohibition Party at Indiana City Brewing. 5-10pm. TwoDEEP Brewing Christmas Party. 6-11pm.
Dec 5	Fort Wayne	"Holiday Extravaganza" Beer, wine and liquor tasting at S&V Liquors, Illinois Rd. 6-8pm.
Dec 12	Indianapolis	12 Chefs and Flat 12. Indianapolis City Market. 7-10pm.

Indiana News

Rita tells us Jerry Sutherlin is leaving the downtown Rock Bottom for Round Town Brewery and Nathan Scruggs is moving south from College Park to fill Jerry's shoes. A party is planed on Dec 16th.

Chicago's Festival of Barrel Aged Beers gave nods to FLIX, Shoreline, Sun King, Upland and Three Floyds.

Last Week Rita talked about Tomlinson Tap, Round Town, Scarlet Lane, Shale Creek, Switchyard and more.

Indiana on Tap reviews Flat12's Koko B Ware Milk Stout.

Eric Strader's latest columns have been about today's Bell's Eccentric Day and buying beer in Michigan.

The Indiana BCCA folks get lots of love from, of all places, USA Today. DO CHECK THIS OUT.

Booze and the law have always had an uncomfortable alliance. Our sponsor, Monarch Beverage, is appealing the current rule that beer and wine distributors can't have liquor in their portfolios.

Brew Bracket has been in the autumn but you might be able too play at home with a "hosting kit" available after the kickstarter kicks in. They already have $10,000 in pledges.

We've got trouble brewing. The FDA says they'll require nutrition labeling on beer menus at chain restaurants starting a year from now. At $600 testing costs and weeks delay for a test panel of each title, Applebee's, TGI Fridays, etc. won't be seeing new brews on tap in 2017. Those are taps that should be owned, owned I say, by new local breweries instead of BudMillerCoors and one or two house offerings from Upland and Sun King.

Other

Canadian Diver Finds 19th-Century Bottle of Beer - Thinks about drinking it while wearing school-crossing shirt.

Carlton recalls some beer. One million bottles of beer are recalled, one million bottles of beer. You take one down, pass it around, Nine hundred ninety-nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine bottles of beer are recalled.

The Men Behind Your Favorite Liquors - A Johnnie, a Jack, a Jose, a Jim. Hmmm. Is that a pattern?

The worlds most expensive places to buy a beer in a bar (spoiler - Hong Kong)

Beer flavored whiskey?

Georgia's jail system turned down a last meal request of a six-pack of beer. Marcus Ray Johnson had to eat baked fish, cheese grits, dry mixed beans, cornbread and fruit punch, same as all the other inmates. Sorry, dude. I know you're a murderer and rapist but nobody should be fed dry mixed beans.