Tailspin fest, Feb. 20 - a great way to learn Indiana and Kentucky beers in a historic setting

This years Tailspin Ale Fest in Louisville promises to be better than ever on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016. Eight Indiana breweries (the venue is just 8 miles from the Indiana state line) are serving including Tin Man and Carson's of Evansville, Flat 12 of Indy and Jeffersonville, New Albanian of New Albany, 450 North of Columbus, Upland of Bloomington, Central State of Indy, and 3 Floyds of Munster. Kentucky brewers will come from far and wide including new breweries!

The airplane hanger at Bowman Field provides a great historic setting for brewers from sixteen states! Against the Grain Brewery of Louisville was part of the Brewdogs television series and distributes in several states as well as several countries! ATG will have a barrel aged wheat wine and a rye imperial stout along with others. Sponsor West Sixth Brewing of Lexington will serve several beers including a coconut porter and a tripel. Country Boy of Lexington will offer a Red Ale aged in sherry bbls with blackberries along with other beers. Goodwood of Louisville features a coffee stout on oak. Yet another brewery in a church has opened in Louisville, and 3rd Turn Brewing will offer a porter and a cucumber saison. Rhinegeist Brewery of Cincinnati, with former Indy brewer Jim Matt, will share a bbl aged imperial stout and a Belgian style dark ale. Louisville's Apocalypse Brewing, with strong ties to Indiana, presents a Pro-Am collaboration with LAGERS local New Albany home brew club. Dry Ground Brewing of Paducah, KY is so named because their building, an old Coca-Cola bottling plant was flooded by the Ohio River in 1937. They too will bring a bbl aged imperial stout, a Belgian style rye PA, and a tripel.

With over 200 beers offered from nearly 50 breweries to sample between 3-7PM this Saturday and a chance to help the Dare to Care Food Pantry the event will build on the three successful past years offering up Honky Tonk music plus several food trucks and promised sixty-degree weather this year! For tix, directions and more CLICK HERE Everybody get's a free empty growler from Liquor Barn.

Indiana's Flat12 & Tin Man sponsor Beer and Bourbon Fest just across the Ohio River: Feb. 20 (BBL aged & booze) & 21 (beerfest)

Do you love beer? Are you interested in Bourbon? Get a $20 Discount and enjoy not only Indiana but Kentucky barrel aged beers and Kentucky Bourbon this Friday night 11 minutes from Jeffersonville, IN, at the Tailspin Ale Barrel Roll event at Bowman Field, Louisville! Spend a night in Louisville and mingle with Brewers and Brewery Reps, enjoying limited Barrel Aged Beers, Bourbons and Craft Cocktails with local food and entertainment. Enjoy such beers as
Flat 12 (Indianapolis) Pinko Russian Imperial Stout aged in Willet Bourbon Barrels,
Flat 12 Snowdog Russian Imperial Stout aged in Canadian Whisky Barrels,
Tin Man (Evansville) Cherry Cordial Barrel Staved Czar Russian Imperial Stout,
Apocalypse Brewing (nano - Louisville) Official Tailspin PRO/AM Ale – “Spit Fire” Russian Imperial Stout w/Peppercorns,
Against the Grain (Louisville) We Mint Well Scotch Ale Brew Dogs Collaboration to be featured on the BrewDogs TV show in April,
West Sixth Brewing (Lexington) Transy Brandy Belgian Tripel Aged in Copper & Kings Brandy Barrels, and dozens more.
The Friday night VIP event features gourmet tapas from Mussel & Burger Bar, El Taco Luchador, CENA, and Guaca Mole Louisville plus national recording artists the Pimps of Joytime, and a photo booth for candid memories with friends.
Tickets are discounted to $65 per person (vs. $85 at the door if available) by entering BARREL into the promotion code. More info and tickets here

On Saturday, Feb. 21, at the Tail Spin Ale Fest over 40 breweries with at least 3 Indiana breweries (New Albanian, Flat 12, Tin Man), a dozen Kentucky breweries and more will be represented in a super cool vintage airplane hanger. With a smaller venue and representation of Southern states there are many beers you may not otherwise get to try elsewhere! Last year we enjoyed the expansion of KY breweries and trying special products as well as chatting with so many in the industry. The brewing industry is like a family. Brewers from all across the nation know each other. Larger local brewers are often found helping the smaller breweries as they grow. This is well represented in this nice brew fest! Check out the brewery list and tix (if still available - going fast!) HERE

Kentucky and Indiana brewers tend to be just great folks. Our early venture into barrel aged beers was from Kentucky brewers. We'd venture to Louisville and sample Bluegrass Brewing's Bourbon Barrel Stout. (available at Tailspin) One fine day we stopped in at a BBC location and met Brewer Sam Cruz. Sam was pleased to show us the operation and provide us with samples of many barrel-aged products. Eventually Sam left BBC and with partners opened Against the Grain Brewery at Louisville's Slugger Field. We shimmied up ladders with Sam to see the multi-storied brewery and sampled more notable beers like Kentucky Ryed Chicken (available at Tailspin). We are now excited to try the ATG/BrewDogs (think TV show) collaboration at this Tailspin Barrel-Role. Sam represents so many fine brewers that are so congenial and love to talk about their beer just like DH and Evan, founders of Country Boy Brewing in Lexington and Roger Baylor of New Albanian (NA IN) Brewing. Good people brewing good beer!

Kentucky, just like Indiana, is going through legislative action that tends to be the local brewers vs. the big international giants Ky Beer legislative action here
Indiana brewers can't grow due to a cap put on brewing for local distribution. Details here We can help by providing our opinions to legislators!

IF YOU LIKE NUMBERS Craft beer (US Dept of Commerce numbers) grew 18% in 2014. Belgian beer imports grew 25% but on a small base of sales while Mexican imported beer represented 60% of all imports in 2014, growing 15%.

Read our Valentine's picks here....

Another Winterfest Post - February 2

Another Winterfest has come and gone and by all that I observed it was another huge success.  Beer, beer and more beer in all directions.  People, people and more people in all directions.  My focus this year was making my way through the throngs of people to the newer breweries in attendance whose beers I had not already had an opportunity to sample before this event.  I sampled beers from:  Cutters, Das Big Dawg Brewhaus, Four Horsemen Brewing Co., Against the Grain Brewery, Bulldog Brewing Co., Triton Brewing Co., Three Pints Brewing, Finch's Beer Co., Black Swan Brewpub, and Fountain Square Brewing.  I was not disappointed with any of their beers that I sampled and even went back to a few of the tables for more samples. 

I look forward to next year's Winterfest and hopefully to even more new breweries in attendance.