What are you doing? Beer festivals update!

What are you doing tonight, tomorrow, next weekend? Go to a beer festival!


Saturday, May 30: Fest of Ale by Keg Liquors, Clarksville, IN What is unique about this festival is that includes multiple beers from Belgium, including Trappist beers and ranges from local to national to global samples. This is the TENTH Anniversary and some very special beers (Founders KBS, Chimay, etc.) will be poured, some by schedule. This event is at a church (behave) and raises thousands for the local charity that funds hospital stays for kids! n) INFO CLICK HERE

while this is not a complete list, here are some highlights!

May 30: American On Tap, Indianapolis, 50 craft breweries, 100+ beers, at Military ParkCLICK HERE FOR INFO

May 30: Indy Eleven (soccer) Craft Brew Spring Festival, 11 breweries pre-game TIX & INFO HERE

June 6: Anderson, IN, Brewfest Focus on Indiana - a chance to try beers from Trubble (Ft. Wayne), Wooden Bear (Greenfield), New Corner (Muncie), and more including Flat 12, Taxman, Triton, Bier CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO

June 6: Indy Metro Airport (NorthEast) CAF Warbird Hops-n-Props Festival, historic aircraft, 6 major local breweries CLICK HERE FOR INFO

June 13: Viking Fest, Noble Order Brewing -- details on Facebook

July 18: Indiana Microbrews Festival - The BIG Grand-daddy of Indiana Beer Fests!, Military Park (new venue), Indianapolis, CLICK HERE FOR INFO

July 25: GNAWBrew, Gnaw Bone, near Nashville, IN, Great time and you can CAMP!! CLICK HERE FOR INFO

August 1: Brew Haven, New Haven, IN, CLICK HERE FOR INFO

August 8: Pints in the Park, Highland, IN, CLICK HERE FOR INFO

This last Friday, May 29, Clips of Faith New Belgium Beer/Film festival was delightful. The fest featured many 'hard to find' New Belgium beers plus the "only available here - 1 keg only" Film Noir, a caramel, chocolate, vanilla, Imperial milk stout! That was delicious, as was the Cocoa Mole spiced stout with chiles.

Onward to the Next Fest!

American Craft Beer Week and beyond! Celebrate Craft Beer.

May 11-17 is American Craft Beer Week as declared by the Brewers Association, the group that represents craft beer breweries. Andy Sparhawk of the BA tells us Google searches during May the past few years show a spike for the words Craft Beer -- the largest month each year.

Here are just a few beers you might grab to celebrate:

Triton Brewery of Indianapolis will have special events daily: a tap takeover at HopCat (6280 N College) 6:30 PM with beer dinner on Monday, 5/11,TIX HERE $30, tap take-over at Brixx Wood Fire Pizza (8594 E 116 St. Fishers) on Tuesday, May 12, to include a pin of Grapefruit/Blood Orange Railsplitter IPA, Wednesday Wit or Wit-out You + Beer Hammock Shandy Tappings at the brewery (5764 Wheeler Rd), Thursday 5/14 Barn Phantom Sour Tapping at the brewery, Friday, 5/14, Railsplitter Five Alive tapping- IPA with orange, lemon, lime, and grapefruit notes at the Brewery and at Champps on Maryland in downtown Indy.
Triton celebrates with a Two Year Anniversary in Broad Ripple party on Saturday, May 16, starting at Noon at 915 Broad Ripple Avenue.

You might grab a 4-pack of Sun King Afternoon Delight, a bourbon barrel aged Maibock available now. We remember this beer as having nice vanilla flavor from the barrel on top of the sweetness of this light-colored strong beer

You could stop by any Upland Location for Infinite Wisdom Triple, a complex warming, slightly sweet beer with mild fruitiness that was just tapped May 8. (Also available in cans.)

A fast seller around Indiana is Tin Man Damascene apricot sour. We found this is flying off shelves of local liquor stores. This is a refreshing beer that is not puckering sour, yet delivers both the sweetness and tartness of apricot.

Stop by Flat12 on Dorman in Indianapolis on Wednesday, May 13 where the purchase of any pint gives $1 to the Indianapolis Parks Foundation.

Mad Anthony Brewery in Ft Wayne releases their Summer Daze American wheat with a release party on 5/13, 5-8PM.

Bloomington Brewing Company has its first release in 16 oz. cans on May 14. BBC Back Country Session IPA with 8 hops but only mid-range hop bitterness at 46 ibu and only 4.7% alcohol should be a beer with melon, citrus, and spice AND every purchase helps support the Indiana Forest Alliance.

You might also want to stop by one of Indiana's newer and smaller breweries or brew pubs like Wabash Brewing at 5328 W. 79th Street, Indianapolis, where two scientists (literally) are brewing up great beer wabashbrewing.com ; or Function Brewing in Bloomington just 1/2 block from the square on 6th open just over a year now and always a fresh new batch to try www.functiongbrewing.com; or Red Yeti Brewing in Jeffersonville, IN, just blocks from the Ohio River www.redyetibrewing.com

LOOKING AHEAD:


May 29, New Belgium Brewing's Clips of Faith Beer & Film Tour makes its second stop of the season in Bloomington. The brewery's Joanna Laubscher tells us Bloomington is one of the best attended venues for the annual short-film and specialty beer festival. This year a special beer that tastes almost like the Milk Duds candy was brewed and only one keg of this dark, chocolate stout will be available at each stop. In addition, there will be nearly 16 other beers on tap including Coco Mole and the sour Transatlantique Kriek. The Clips of Faith festival starts at 7:30 pm with short films at dusk until 10PM at Bryan Park on Bloomington's south side.


On May 30 come to Clarksville, IN, to help raise money for children's hospitals at the 10th annual Fest of Ale, 320 N Sherwood Ave, Clarksville. Todd Antz, of sponsor Keg Liquors told us, "I had no idea what we'd be able to accomplish while having so much fun" as last year over $13,000 was raised to contribute to the WHAS Louisville-TV Crusade of Children campaign, which funds projects at Southern Indiana hospitals as well as those in Louisville. Over 250 breweries will have beer in the fields behind St. Anthony's Church, including Tin Man and Carson's of Evansville, and Flat12 which has their newer location in Jeffersonville. Fest runs 3-7PM with tickets available at www.kegliquors.com

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!

Indiana Beer News – May 31

Hope everyone enjoyed their Memorial Day weekend, found a bit of shade, and enjoyed some quality mid-July style beer. I’d like to throw a nomination to Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier as a quality choice if you’d like to skip the Corona on a 95 degree afternoon. Leave us a comment below and share your recommendations for beers that can beat the heat this summer.

Now we turn our attention to the month of June and a very busy craft beer event schedule. It kicks off this weekend in the eastern corners of our state with the Brew Haven Ticket Release Party up north on Friday and the Fest of Ale down south on Saturday. If you’re looking for something in central Indiana, you can check out the Nickel Plate Arts Weekend events in Hamilton County featuring a special tapping of Nickel Plate Arts Wheat at Barley Island on Saturday.

Tickets are now on sale here for the Indiana Microbrewers Festival on July 14th. You can opt for either the 3-7pm general admission at $40 or the 2-7pm VIP at $55. I strongly recommend buying early if you’re interested in the VIP passes.

Another entry in the growing collection of summer festivals comes to us from United Package Liquors in Broad Ripple with Indy's Wine and Brew Fest on June 15th. This festival is not specifically focused on craft beer, but you can scan through the offerings here and surely find something that piques your interest. It’s the ideal outing for the beer drinker whose spouse prefers wine (I know you’re out there). Tickets are $30 or $45 for early entry and can be purchased here or by calling 317-205-1200.

Fans of IndyCar racing and craft beer can take heart in learning that local craft purveyors Amsterdam Brewery and Muskoka Brewery have replaced Labatt (owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev) as the official beer sponsor for the Toronto race on July 8th. The deal stipulates that Amsterdam and Muskoka will be the only beers served at the site of the race. Yes, a sporting event where you can’t purchase Bud Light – perhaps the world really is going to end this year.

Bacon lovers everywhere are in mourning as Caramel Apple Spiced Ale beats out Dark Chocolate Bacon Porter as the newest gimmick addition for Blue Moon’s fall variety pack. The good news is you can still drink the Caramel Apple Spiced concoction out of this ==>

Leinenkugel’s is taking the inventive approach of aging their Big Eddy Imperial IPA at sea in a wooden apple brandy barrel from Great Lakes Distillery. This has some relevance to history as the English developed the practice of intense hopping in the mid-1700s as a means to preserve beer over a long voyage to India. Of course Leinenkugel’s has access to a fine selection of Amarillo, Cascade, Citra, and Simcoe hops. Score one for 21st century brewing.

Our oddity of the week may not appeal to those with a weak stomach – you’ve been warned. The story comes from Evil Twin Brewing, where brewmaster Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergso claims to have a beer inspired by the vanilla smell from his newborn son’s diaper. The beer is, in fact, named “Soft Dookie” and is an Imperial Stout with hints of the baby poop inspired vanilla in the aroma. Let’s hope other brewers see the fallacy in making this a trend as Dogfish Head’s Golden Shower didn’t last long and BeerAdvocate reviewers have not been kind to Bluegrass Brewing’s Horse Piss Beer. Just be thankful I dismissed the idea of tracking down a clever photo to pair with this one.

Cheers, Nathan

Summer Beer Festival Guide

With the Sour Fest this Saturday, we unofficially kickoff that time of the year where thoughts turn to fancies of sunburns, rampant dehydration, and patrons begging for an extension of last call (seriously, don’t be that person). Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Summer (Spring/Summer?) Beer Festival season. There are a lot of great events on tap in many areas of the state, so here is our guide to help you sort out where to spend your beer-sampling dollar:

 

Sour + Wild + Funk Fest Saturday, May 12th 2-6pm Developer Town 5525 Winthrop Ave, Indianapolis Tickets: $45 (Sold Out)

The first, and certainly not the last, festival in Indiana to capitalize on the growing popularity of sour ales. Our friends at Upland have put together an event with over 30 styles of sour ales from around the state, country, and world paired with foods designed to accentuate the unique flavors found in these beers. The list of participating breweries includes Indiana flavor from Brugge, Mad Anthony, Sun King and Upland along with Bell’s, Jolly Pumpkin, New Belgium, Rivertown, and Saint Somewhere. International flavor will be provided by Brouwerig Van Steenberge, Brouwerij Bavik, Brouwerij Liefman’s, and Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Keep Indianapolis Beautiful. Tickets are sold out, so start looking for someone who owes you a favor if you still want to get in.

Indianapolis Monthly Beer Fest Wednesday, May 16th 6-8:30 pm Tomlinson Tap Room in City Market 222 East Market St, Indianapolis Tickets: $25, $10 Designated Driver

If you were left out of the Sour Fest, the next opportunity for beer sampling comes just around the corner from Indianapolis Monthly in celebration of local beer. It features unlimited sampling from central Indiana breweries including Barley Island, Bier Brewery, Big Woods, Black Swan, Bloomington Brewing, Flat 12, Fountain Square, Oaken Barrel, People’s, Ram, Sun King, Three Pints, Thr3e Wise Men, Triton, and Upland. Free parking is available and City Market food vendors will be open. Admission is limited to 500 tickets, which can be purchased here.

Illiana Mayfest Saturday, May 26th 2-6pm (VIP entrance at 1pm) Lake County Fairgrounds 889 S Court St, Crown Point Tickets: $45 VIP (Sold Out), $30 General Admission, $5 Designated Driver at the gate

Moving away from Indianapolis, we find a little sumpin’ for the folks of Northwest Indiana. The 3rd Annual Illiana Mayfest will be hosted by Crown Brewing (recent gold medal winner at the World Beer Cup) at the Lake County Fairgrounds. Your ticket entitles you to four hours of sampling from 24 breweries including such favorites as Crown Brewing, Figure 8, Flat 12, Goose Island, Lafayette Brewing, People’s, Sun King, and Upland. A portion of the proceeds will benefit The Arc of Northwest Indiana. Tickets are on sale now and General Admission is available here.

Keg Liquors Fest of Ale Saturday, June 2nd 3-7pm St. Anthony’s of Padua 320 N Sherwood Ave, Clarksville Tickets: $25 in advance, $30 at gate, Designated Drivers admitted free

Next we move to the southeast for the 7th Annual Keg Liquors Fest of Ale. This festival features both beer and wine with more than 150 craft and import beers from more than 40 participating breweries along with samples from six fine wine distributors. Be sure to visit the House of Hops with a tent dedicated to fulfilling your desires for hoppy bliss. The St. Anthony’s Men’s Club will be cooking up hamburgers, brats, and hot dogs for hungry patrons. Proceeds from the event go to the WHAS Crusade for Children, who received over $7200 from last year’s event. Tickets are on sale now and available here.

Bloomington Craft Beer Festival Saturday, June 9th 4-7pm (3pm entrance for VIP)  Historic Woolery Stone Mill 2200 West Tapp Rd, Bloomington Tickets: $50 VIP, $35 General Admission ($40 at gate if available)

The Brewers of Indiana Guild bring the buzz back to Bloomington at the 2nd Annual Bloomington Craft Beer Festival. The setting at the Woolery Stone Mill provides a unique setting from sampling over 100 craft beers. Details on participating breweries were limited at press time, but it’s a good bet that you can count on finding most of your local favorites. Parking at the mill is limited and costs $10, but a free shuttle service will be provided from designated pick-up and drop-off locations. Tickets are on sale now and available here.

Fishers on Tap Thursday, June 14th 6:30-9:30pm Forum Conference and Convention Center 11313 USA Parkway, Fishers Tickets: $40 General Admission, $20 Designated Driver

The inaugural Fishers on Tap festival is brought to us by the Fishers Rotary Club as a first-of-its-kind fundraising event in Hamilton County. The event will be held at the Forum Conference and Convention Center and offers beer sampling from Barley Island, Bier Brewery, Flat 12, Sun King, Triton, and Upland. The event will be a flat-out Thursday night celebration including Hor d’oveuvres, beer education sessions, live music, raffles, and games of chance. The Fishers Rotary Club has donated over $650,000 to over 85 non-profit organizations locally and around the globe, and all proceeds from this event benefit local service agencies in Fishers and Hamilton County. Tickets are on sale now and available here.

History on Tap Friday, June 15th 6-10pm Conner Prairie 13400 Allisonville Rd, Fishers Tickets: $25 General Admission, $12 Designated Driver

If you didn’t get enough “on tap” entertainment the previous evening, head on over to History on Tap at Conner Prairie. There will be the requisite beer sampling from Bier Brewery, Flat 12, Fountain Square Brewery, Sun King, Upland, and more. But since you’re at Conner Prairie, there will also be the unique offerings of a keynote by Douglas Wissing, an evening adventure through 1836 Prairietown, and the 1859 Balloon Voyage. Aspiring brewers can witness craft brewing demonstrations by Tuxedo Park Brewers and food will be available at an additional cost. Tickets are on sale now and available here.

Phoenix Theatre Brew-Ha-Ha Saturday, June 23rd 3pm Outside the Phoenix Theatre 749 N Park Ave, Indianapolis Tickets: $30 in advance, $35 at the gate, $10 Designated Driver

The original, albeit by a small margin, beer festival in Indianapolis returns to bring the 17th annual celebration to devoted fans in central Indiana. Unlimited samples of over 50 different beers will be available along with live music and great food. The current posted list of breweries is clearly applicable to 2011 (RIP Bee Creek), but you can expect a lineup that has hit 20+ breweries in previous years. This event takes place in a classic street setting along the 700 block of North Park Ave (translation: limited shade, wear sunscreen). Proceeds from the event benefit the unique art of the Phoenix Theatre. Advance tickets can be purchased on the Phoenix’s website here.

17th Annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival Saturday, July 14th 3-7pm (VIP entrance at 2pm) Optimist Park and Indianapolis Art Center E 67th St and Ferguson (Broad Ripple), Indianapolis Tickets: $50 VIP, $40 General Admission

The Brewers of Indiana Guild will unleash the Big Dog of the summer beer festival season on July 14th. Back for its 17th assault upon Optimist Park in Broad Ripple, and expanding the chaos to the grounds of the Indianapolis Art Center, this is the largest craft beer celebration of the season. Expect to see all your favorite Indiana breweries, regional favorites like Bell’s and Founders, national selections from local distributors, and special features like the Firkin Tent. The expanded grounds offer some opportunity for finding shade, unique settings for live music, and completely losing track of your friends. Tickets are not on sale yet, but watch for updates and plan to buy early as this event is a very good bet to sellout. Practice up on your keg throwing skills!

Michigan Brewers Guild Summer Festival Friday, July 27th 5-9pm and Saturday, July 28th 1-6pm Riverside Park 5 E Cross St, Ypsilanti Tickets: $30 Friday, $35 Saturday (the website mentions gate tickets at a slightly higher rate, but I wouldn’t count on many being available)

OK, so this is an outlier from Indiana, but it makes for a great weekend road trip and I wanted to share some insights after attending the last two years. The good: this is an amazing festival consisting exclusively of beer from Michigan breweries (no interlopers allowed). You will have the chance to sample beers from breweries that may be current favorites (Arcadia, Bell’s, Dark Horse, Founders, Jolly Pumpkin) along with those you may be in the process of discovering (Arbor Brewing, Kuhnhenn, Liberty Street, Odd Side, Short’s, The Livery). The bad: Archaic local laws require the use of tokens for samples. You will be allocated a certain number of tokens with your ticket, but will be able to purchase more once inside (and the enforcement of token exchange can be…uh…lax). Similar to our festival in Broad Ripple, there are no hotels within easy walking distance, so factor in some cab rides to your travel budget. The Friday night crowd size is a bit more sane, but Saturday will bring out more opportunities to sample rare brews. This event proves the level of respect for the Michigan beer scene has been well-earned. Advance tickets are on sale and available here.

Brew Haven 2012 Saturday, August 4th 2-6pm (VIP entrance at 1pm) Main Street Downtown New Haven Tickets: $60 VIP Package, $35 General Admission ($45 at gate), $5 Designated Driver

Staking their claim for the premier festival in Northeast Indiana, the Trion Tavern returns with Brew Haven 2012 in downtown New Haven! They already have more than 30 breweries lined up and you can expect more to be added as we approach the event date (find the latest list here). There is currently a healthy mix of Indiana and Michigan breweries including Bell’s, Founders, New Holland, Mad Anthony, Crown, and Figure 8. As an added bonus, the local homebrew club MASH will be serving up 50 of the finest homebrews the state has to offer. Advance tickets will go on sale June 1st and can be purchased here. The VIP package will get you one hour earlier admission, an event t-shirt, and access to VIP-only pourings.

Beers Across the Wabash Saturday, August 25th 12-4pm John T. Myers Pedestrian Bridge Over the Wabash River (between downtown Lafayette and West Lafayette) Tickets: TBA

Details are limited at this time, but we have it on good authority that Lafayette’s new summer beer festival is moving forward. The event is being planned as a precursor to the Uptown Jazz & Blues festival that starts at 5pm on the same day. A little pre-party should make the jazz crowds a bit more interesting! Stay tuned for future updates – we will share details as soon as they’re available.

Whew, that’s a lot of festivals……thanks for sticking with me to this point. Of course, there is still time for new events and additional details to pop up. Remember that you can “Like Us” on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for all the latest updates! Stay safe and enjoy the events!

Indiana Beer News – January 19

Three Floyds has posted their 2012 State of the Brewery Address highlighting their production exceeding 20,000 barrels in 2011. They have contracted more hops to keep production of Zombie Dust moving forward. Supplies will be limited so keep your eyes open.

Stan Stephens, owner of the Heorot in Muncie, and his brewing cohort Bob Cox were invited to participate in Sierra Nevada's Beer Camp. During the two-day camp, they created a nice sessionable Red Ale dubbed Red-oric that clocks in at 9+ percent ABV. Want to try it? Head over to the Heorot at 8 pm on February 11th and join the festivities.

Goose Island fans may be disappointed to learn that Big John, Demolition, Fleur, King Henry, and Nightstalker will not be brewed in 2012. But various forms of Bourbon County Stout will carry on the Extreme Ales tradition.

Mark your calendars: Keg Liquors Fest of Ale 2012 will be held on June 2nd from 3-7 pm. We’ll have more details as they become available.

In case you haven’t heard, both VIP and General Admission tickets for Winterfest are sold out online. You can still try to find General Admission tickets at Crown Liquors and Central Indiana breweries……or nobly volunteer to be a designated driver.

On the subject, we have it on good authority that homebrew clubs will be able to serve beer at Winterfest! There had been some debate on how to interpret the Indiana law forbidding the sale of homebrew in the context of festivals. But we’re back baby!

Cheers, Nathan

One Weekend, Two Festivals

Saturday, Keg Liquor's Fest of Ale in Clarksville. Lots of room and one big tent for tasting Barley Island, NABC, Powerhouse, Three Floyds, Upland, Warbird, Bells, Bluegrass², Brownings, Cumberland Brews, Darkhorse, Hoppin' Frog, Kasteel, Left Hand, Magic Hat, New Belgium, Pyramid, Sam Adams, Schlafly, Sierra Nevada, Victory, plus Cavalier and World Class Beverages.About 550 people, up 25% from last year.

I poured 5 Brooklyn beers including Local 2, a Brussels Black style that is bottle conditioned and very effervescent. Think Brugge Black with champagne bubbles and a very spicy black pepper finish. There's a little on store shelves but is quite limited.

Mike Walters of Left Hand was at the Fest of Ale with the Moo-mobile and at Rich O's later where he poured St Vrain Tripple (quite agreeable) and their Imperial Stout aged on Heaven Hill barrels for 12 months (chalky dry, oak is in there but not the primary highlight). company descriptions

Flanagan's Ale House in Louisville was the scene, Sunday, of a blocked off street and 300 or so people tasting from about 25 stations. Barley Island, New Albany, and Upland were the Indiana presence (most were even recovered from the previous evening night early am). Kentucky breweries included BBC, Kentucky Ale, Cumberland, The welcome shaded garden behind the Ale House was a popular spot.

The charity was Pints for Prostates which is run by Rick Lyke (the guy who does the business news for Brewing News papers) and Rick was even there personally - a real treat.

The Lagers were there with 7 taps including Leah Dienes' Green Chile Ale - roasted skins and a very agreeable heat.