Beers, Cheers, and Sneers – January 10

This Saturday’s South Bend Brewfest kicks off the 2013 slate of beer festivals! If you’re interested in attending and missed it on our Facebook feed, Eric from Michiana Beer Nuts has a full list of participating breweries and what they will be pouring. It looks like tickets are still available online for $35 (plus the dreaded $5 convenience fee) here. And the upcoming Crown Beer Fest (formerly Illiana Mayfest) may not take place until May 18th, but you can already get your early bird tickets here. VIP packages are $59 (plus $5 convenience fee) and General Admission is $35 (plus $3.50 convenience fee). That’s a pretty stiff price difference for an extra hour of sampling, but VIPs do get private rest rooms to isolate yourself from the peasants and a T-shirt to prove you survived.

Some new release news to pass along:

• New Albanian’s Solidarity Baltic Porter (my favorite beer of the day from last year’s Winterfest) will not be distributed this year but is available now at the brewery’s two locations in New Albany.
• Bell’s Hopslam Imperial IPA began shipping to Indiana this week and should be on shelves soon. Get ready for a six-pack retailing around $20, but bear in mind that you’re investing in the liquid equivalent of over three bombers.
• Also from Bell’s, Black Note Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout is packaged for the first time in 4-packs and will be shipping out soon. It’s unclear how much will be distributed to Indiana markets, but in central Indiana the beer can be located with the World Class Beer Spy.

Has anyone tried Heady Topper IPA from The Alchemist brewery in Vermont? It just surpassed Pliny The Younger as the highest rated beer on Beer Advocate. Beers of local interest include Three Floyds Bourbon Barrel Aged Vanilla Bean Dark Lord at #3, Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout (CBS) at #4, Three Floyds Zombie Dust at #7, Founders KBS at #9, and Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout at #10. That Westie 12 some of you recently snatched up checks in at #6 and might fetch up to $500 on EBay. So much for EBay cracking down on alcohol sales.

Good news for fans of Saison Dupont – the special seasonal release Saison Dupont Cuvee Dry Hopping, featuring Triskel hops, will be making its way to America for the first time in April. And here’s the kicker – it will be packaged in brown bottles to avoid the skunking issues that are often a problem with regular Saison Dupont in green bottles!

In a lesson of appreciating what you have, Founders has announced a brand realignment that includes phasing out year-round availability of Red’s Rye PA in six-packs. I count Red’s among my favorite beers, but when the factors of trying new commercial beers, consuming homebrew, and trying to stay in decent health are aligned one realizes how infrequently you get back to the old favorites. Better stock up now.

How many times have you planned an epic brewery trip only to find out there is no hotel within reasonable walking distance? You don’t want to spend the better part of a day driving or flying somewhere just to order a sampler. Well, the Stone Brewing empire is expanding to solve this problem with a planned hotel just across the street from their World Bistro & Gardens. Ideas being considered include beer taps in every room. Now, to be honest, Stone kind of struck me as dangerously close to the craft beer version of a tourist trap a few years ago. So it will be interesting to see how the hotel rooms rank in affordability. The grounds at Stone are very nice, but for my money there’s just something more memorable about a beer adventure that involves things like stumbling across a little trailer with a Dark Horse sign.

You might think we’re tough on AB InBev around here, but that’s nothing compare to the spurned wife of an Anheuser-Busch executive who created Divorce! The Musical. Apparently the tell-all musical was successful enough in New York to make its way to St. Louis this spring. Choice cuts from the show include “Stop Goosing Goose Island” and “You Can Keep Rolling Rock”. Yes folks, the jokes are just getting worse around here in 2013.

Brewery Ommegang has teamed up with HBO to create a series of craft beers inspired by the series Game of Thrones. This might put a new spin on your favorite drinking game. At least you stand a better chance of making it to work on time Monday morning with the Iron Throne blonde ale than a bottle of whiskey. Taking a shot every time there is gratuitous sex or nudity is just brutal with that series.

Cheers, Nathan

Beers, Cheers, and Sneers – November 29

Ordinary beer does not compute, so Tin Man Brewing in Evansville is now open for business. Look for their beers at Tin Man's taproom (1430 W. Franklin Street), on draft, and packaged in 16 ounce cans (note: cans will not be on shelves until early 2013). As a robot after my own heart, Tin Man’s brewing process emphasizes sustainability through resource conservation. They are the first U.S. brewery of their size to employ a high-efficiency mash filter system that uses 40% less water and 15-20% less natural gas than conventional systems. Tin Man’s offerings are touted as session beers, despite an IPA that pushes 6% ABV, and include:

Circuit Bohemian Pilsner	IBU: 35	ABV: 4.5%	Light and crisp Czech pilsner with heavy use of Saaz hops
Rivet Irish Red Ale	IBU: 22	ABV: 5.1%	More colorful and flavorful version of its English relatives featuring Caramel malts and Willamette hops
Alloy American IPA	IBU: 36	ABV: 5.8%	Well-balanced with citrus notes from Warrior and Cascade hops
3 Gear Robust Porter	IBU: 55	ABV: 5.4%	Big dark fruit flavor and hop aroma, but amazingly balanced and easy to drink
Dry Cell Irish Stout (draft only)	IBU: 37	ABV: 4.5%	Served on nitrogen with dry and roasted flavors and a balancing sweetness

 

As we approach the end of the year, the requisite “best of” lists for anything and everything will be making their way around various media outlets. The top 25 beers of 2012 from Draft Magazine includes Sun King’s Velvet Fog, which will be released soon in the now familiar Alumi-Tek pint bottles. Other beers that may be available locally include Founders Bolt Cutter Barleywine, Left Hand Milk Stout, Stone 16th Anniversary IPA, and Urban Chestnut Zwickel. Wine Enthusiast’s Top 25 does not include any Indiana products, but does include Ayinger Celebrator Dopplebock, Boulevard Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale, Founders Bolt Cutter Barleywine, Jolly Pumpkin La Roja, Left Hand Polestar Pilsner, Stone Ruination Tenth Anniversary IPA, The Bruery Saison Rue, and Weihenstephaner Vitus Weizenbock. So the consensus is you should get your hands on a bottle of Founders Bolt Cutter – good luck, and pick me up a bottle if that somehow works out for you.

 

Random Beer Review of the Week. These brief reviews should be an occasional addition to this column. While it’s fun to review super rare or out-of-market beers, I’ll try to focus on potentially interesting products that you can actually find in better craft stores around the state. This installment features Sam Adams Double Bock, which I picked up while looking for inspiration for a homebrewed recipe of the Dopplebock style. This beer took the silver medal in German-Style Dopplebock or Eisbock at this year’s Great American Beer Festival. These are fairly big beers, but Double Bock really pushes the envelope at 9.5% ABV. The batch number is 7832 but no freshness date is indicated.

Malty, rich aroma with prominent dark fruit and hints of brown sugar and molasses. The flavor characteristics are very similar to the aroma with some residual sweetness balanced by alcohol in the finish. The carbonation is moderately high but doesn’t quite tame the lingering alcohol in the finish. This is one seriously rich, strong, malty beast of a beer. It’s a good beer, but you don’t find yourself immediately wanting to go back for more. The overall character reminds me of a Strong Scotch ale more than the smooth, drinkable character expected from a Dopplebock. The beer has good flavor and reminds you of a nice after-dinner drink during cold weather months. But it just doesn’t have the drinkability I’ve found in other examples of this style. It would probably round out and be a little more enjoyable with some age.

At $11.99 for a 4-pack, I found Sam Adams Double Bock enjoyable and generally worth the price. But that price point is not a large advantage over some of the finer imports like Weihenstephaner Korbinian or Ayinger Celebrator. I would probably pay the slight premium for a reasonably well-kept example of one of these imports, or save my pennies for the February release of Bell’s Consecrator.

 

Rogue has created a new beer called White Whale Ale to celebrate the 41st Anniversary of Powell’s Books in Portland. The beer was given a special touch when pages from Moby Dick were added to the brew kettle. So you beer judges think twice before assuming that papery character is the result of oxidation. If you’d like to try this experiment at home, allow me to suggest using <ahem, shameless plug> Hoosier Beer: Tapping Into Indiana Brewing History by Bob Ostrander and Derrick Morris. A copy that was not destroyed in a brewing experiment also makes a great Christmas gift for your favorite Indiana beer lover.

The comic strip Failure was recently canceled by the Boston Phoenix, allegedly due to a strip that insulted Phoenix sponsor Bud Light. The offending strip discusses dystopian society and compares Bud Light to the Victory Gin of Orwell’s 1984. Well, that and diluted horse piss. The Phoenix denies that this was the reason and cites their move to a new format and questioning if Failure was a “fit for the new publication”. I would suggest we all accept the Phoenix’s reasoning and end this futile better beer resistance movement. Ignorance is Strength. Big Brother is Watching You.

Cheers, Nathan

Beers, Cheers, and Leftover Turkey – November 23

Apologies for my brief absence from the blog while other aspects of life got in the way. I’ll try to make it up with a bit of news and some extended ponderings near the end. As if the tryptophan wasn’t enough to put you in coma already…….

Congrats to Sun King and Three Floyds for taking home medals from the 2012 Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beers competition. Sun King took a gold in Classic Styles with Afternoon Delight and silver in Strong/Double/Imperial Dark Beer with Pappy Fog while Three Floyds took the silver in Fruit Beer with Ronaldo. Best in Show went to Goose Island’s Cherry Rye Bourbon County Stout which was aged in rye whiskey barrels with whole Michigan cherries. If you’re near the Chicago area, Cherry Rye Bourbon County Stout will see a limited release there on Black Friday (initial reports had the retail price at $45 a bottle).

New Albanian’s Saturnalia winter solstice celebration kicks off today with the annual hedonistic pleasures found in rare, seasonal, and festive drafts from around the world. Delirium Noel, Boulevard Saison-Brett, Corsendonk Christmas Ale, and exotic selections from Lafayette and Munster are among the highlights of this year’s event. New kegs in the lineup will be tapped periodically through the month of December.

Founders isn’t kidding when they say their barrel-aged beers are cellared in the caves beneath Grand Rapids. Check out some great pictures here of employees mining for KBS and other assorted brewery pictures. Bottles of the 15th anniversary Bolt Cutter should be making their way to your neighborhood liquor store should you be interested in bribing the beer manager to procure a bottle.

Our friend Frank Petrarca paid a visit to Turoni's Pizzeria and Brewery in Evansville and offers the following review:

It appears to be a small-batch brewery and it was too late to get a brewery tour. The building was old, had lots of character and plenty of vintage signage and pictures gracing the walls. I ordered a 5-beer sampler for $5.75.

Vinny’s Lager- A good German-style Lager. Slightly grainy, smooth, no off-flavors.  Darned tasty.

Honey Blonde- Light crisp, but almost too sweet for me. Overall not a bad brew aside from the sweetness.

Thunderbolt Red Ale- Clean, Malty lots of flavor, maybe a little too much crystal malt for my liking but a good brew.

Blue-Eyed Moose IPA- Malty, Amber colored but maybe a little tame on the hop aroma and flavor.

Ol’ 23 Oatmeal Stout- Dark, chocolatey, a little heavy on the roasty side for me, low oats aroma and flavor but still good.

All in all the beers really pretty good. There were no off-flavors, very drinkable and pretty true to style. I ended up with a pint of IPA. My wife Theresa really enjoyed their Pumpkin Ale. Pints are $3.75 all the time!

But the  pizza absolutely blew me away. I grew up in the Chicago area eating thin crust, scorching hot pizza with real Italian sausage and great toppings. If you know me you’ll know I have made literally hundreds of pizzas. Some of you have been to my little pizza shindigs I’ve thrown and you know I enjoy great pizza- it’s one of my passions. Aside from the ones I make on the stone at home I have not had pizza like this since moving away from the Chicago area 31 years ago. Seriously… Good…. Pizza! (Not a description I throw around lightly either)

$5.75 samplers. $3.75 pints. Fast, attentive service even though they were packed. The BEST pizza you’ll find in Indiana.

Bottom line- if you ever find yourself in Evansville, Indiana go to Turoni’s on Main Street. When we return it’ll be our first stop.

Thanks Frank!

Chris Cooley was recently re-signed by the NFL’s Washington Redskins despite a failed contract negotiation that would have netted Cooley a case of beer after each game. Upon learning of Cooley’s predicament, Flying Dog brewery stepped up to offer a Shock and Awe variety pack for the remaining six games. So Flying Dog was able to generate a little publicity with this deal, but don’t expect Roger Goodell to formally endorse sponsorship from Doggie Style Pale Ale, Raging Bitch Belgian IPA, or Pearl Necklace Oyster Stout in the near future. This is wholesome family entertainment they’re messing with here.

A recent report from Time Magazine notes that the bastardization mainstreaming of darker, stronger beers appears to be well underway. AB InBev is rolling out a new family of lagers that up the ante at around 6% ABV including Budweiser Black Crown (actually an amber lager), Michelob Black Bock, and Rolling Rock Black Rock. But my personal favorite is definitely the Busch Black Light Lager option for budget drinkers. Yes, apparently there is pent up demand from college students everywhere for more intense hangovers and added color in their vomit.

In other Goose Island news, founders John Hall and Tony Bowker are stepping down from their roles of CEO and COO of the brewery. Stepping in to the CEO position will be AB InBev executive Andy Goeler, whose claim to fame includes attempting to trick craft beer consumers into buying a beverage so edgy it needs mohawk-sporting fruit to capture its essence. Cheers to Mr. Hall (who recently turned 70) for his success in developing the Goose Island brand and looking to spend more time with his family. I haven’t been one to ridicule GI based solely on the AB InBev acquisition, but this move places the brewery firmly under Anheuser-Busch managing control and it’s hard not to be cynical about the principles that will now drive the company’s future. The good news is that Goose Island leaves behind a fertile craft beer industry that is not under multinational corporate control…….yet.

It’s a popular debate in the craft beer world, but tensions between independent craft brewers and the macrobrewers that covet their growing market seem to be increasing. A recent article for CNN Money included the predictable arguments from the big brewers about the benefits of increased consumer choice and the arguments from independents about why you should care who makes the beer you drink. It ultimately comes down to the drinker and the intrinsic values they place in viewing craft beer as a community (albeit a rapidly growing one). Really, some of the same values are in play when you select a local brewery’s six-pack over the latest offering from a national craft brand. I’m one to believe there is a certain valuable culture inherent in supporting independent craft breweries that can’t be replicated in a glass of Blue Moon. Put another way, buying a ticket for a Broadway performance of “American Idiot” is not quite the equivalent of supporting independent punk rock. A former coworker once expressed alarm upon learning I was attending local punk shows and offered to start going along as my wingman, presumably as backup when the leather-studded heathens decided to beat my face to a bloody pulp just for showing up. In reality, there is a real sense of community among strangers at these shows and I’m more afraid of drunken frat boys at Jimmy Buffet. The point being that I prefer to think of craft drinkers as belonging to a culture of particular values that don’t always fit nicely into a defined corporate demographic. But maybe that’s just what I want to believe. And if you get tired of both sides, you can always just say screw it and make your own damn beer!

Cheers, Nathan

Group Tasting and Reviews – Fresh Hop Ales

The fall season in craft beer brings us a trio of specialty styles with Oktoberfests, Pumpkin ales, and a growing number of so-called “fresh hop” ales with that year’s harvest making a quick trek from the field directly to the brew kettle. Rather than following the traditional process of drying, processing, and packaging; these hops are often added whole upon arrival while they are still in their “wet” form. Sierra Nevada, the legendary brewery from California that can take credit for launching many a craft beer trend, also claims to have started the fresh hop craze with their first harvest ale in 1996. An increasing number of breweries are now producing these beers, and Indiana homebrewers have had success planting hops at home and creating their own unique examples (my Cascades are pictured at the right).

To prepare you for the growing number of these beers hitting Indiana retail shelves, a blind tasting was assembled to try some of the more prominent examples in our market and give you a peek at the liquid behind the label. Beers were procured from Founders, Sierra Nevada, Three Floyds, Two Brothers, and Upland and served in a random order to the tasting panel by our lovely hostess Poppi Rocketts. Joining me on the panel were Andrew Korty, Jason Cook, and Tim Palmer. Here is each beer sampled, along with the brewery’s description and the panel’s tasting comments.

 

Beer #1: Upland Harvest Ale - Upland’s Harvest Ale is an American Pale Ale by design, but an even more vibrant rendition by loading up our hopback with freshly harvested Citra hops. Expect huge wafts of tropical fruit notes, balanced by a moderate bitterness and light toasted malt character. A showcase for one of our four favorite ingredients and a delight for all the hopheads out there.

Andrew: Hop aroma of grapefruit, pineapple, mango, shallot. Low caramel and grainy maltiness. Orange-gold body with brass highlights. White, lasting head. Substantial graininess in flavor. Caramel is pronounced also. Hop flavors soon surpass this malt backbone with vegetal flavors and notes of citrus, dried flowers, and resin. While finish is not bone-dry, bitterness is strong and lingers long and strong on the palate through the aftertaste. Medium body, moderate carbonation. Slight alcohol warmth.

Jason: Decent hop aroma. Initial hit of hop character that fades quickly into strong bitterness with a very heavy finish.

Nathan: Assertive hop character up front with a dominant pineapple character complemented by other citrus fruits and a bit of pine. The hop character fades at the finish and is replaced by an assertive, lingering bitterness. Has a distinct green plant character, which can be expected from the wet hops, and leaves behind a resinous, mouth-coating sensation. The malt character is subdued and allows the hops to shine through. A tasty beer that could use a bit less bitterness and more complex hop flavor when compared to the other examples.

Tim: Had a very faint citrusy and resin hop aroma which was a little surprising considering this is a wet hopped beer and I was expecting more hop aroma. This beer had a light golden color with a large off white head that persisted. The piney and resin hop character was more pronounced in the flavor as compared to the aroma. The bitterness was moderate and lingered into the back of the throat, but there was a hop slickness that coated the tongue.

Beer #2: Three Floyds Broo Doo - This beer is brewed during the hop harvest with a portion of unkilned or “wet” hops fresh off the vine. Apricot in color, Broo Doo’s nose has dominant orange, pine sap and floral notes, balanced by a glazed nut and toffee malt body. This celebration of the hop harvest has intense tropical fruit, citrus and spicy accents that showcase the complexity of the hops we all love. 7% ABV 80 IBU

Andrew: Vegetal notes up front at low levels accompanied by resinous, citrusy notes. Orange-gold body is slightly hazy. Thick, white, lasting head leaves a heavy lace. Hints of sulfury peach character. Vegetal character carries over into flavor. Hop notes of orange and grapefruit. Grassy notes in finish. Malt backbone is only there for support; nothing prominent, just hints of bread and caramel. Dry, elegant, and easy to drink. High carbonation enhances dryness and produces a slight carbonic bite.

Jason: Very fresh hop aroma. Taste of citrus on the back of my tongue. Good bitterness but not overpowering. Seems fairly clean and doesn’t linger.

Nathan: Slightly darker in color with a nice orange hue. Prominent notes of pineapple, peach, and tropical fruit dominate the flavor. The malt character is again subdued and allows the hops to be featured. This beer is highly carbonated which contributes to the impression of a dry, crisp finish. There is a slight amount of vegetal/green plant character from the wet hops but not quite a noticeable as in sample 1. Very flavorful but easy-drinking beer that makes you want to go back for more.

Tim: Very strong citrusy (grapefruit)/piney hop aroma right up front and in your face with hints of caramel and toffee. This was a very clear, light amber colored beer with a persistent off white head. This was heavily carbonated with a crisp mouth feel. Bitterness was very strong and hop flavor was powerful with some grassy notes from the wet hops. Beer finished dry which contributed to wanting to drink more.

Beer #3: Two Brothers Heavy Handed IPA - Heavy Handed IPA is brewed to celebrate the harvesting of the hops every year. Within moments of harvest we add freshly picked "Wet Hops" to this IPA. Since the hops have not been dried before use, they add a wonderful character found in no other beer. A hop lovers dream. 6.7% ABV 65 IBU

Andrew: Malt is subdued with hints of bread and grain. Hints of toasted bread, caramel, and toffee in flavor. Clear, light amber body with thin, white head. Hops are more straightforward but subdued and reminiscent of dried flowers although not entirely devoid of citrus. Pear-like esters round out the flavor profile. Considering the malt, hop, and ester profile, this beer seems more like an English pale ale. Moderate carbonation, medium body. No alcohol warmth. Darker in color than all other samples except number 5.

Jason: Nearly undetectable aroma. Color is closer to an Amber. Stronger, sweet malt character than I would have expected for the style but it isn’t unwelcome. Finishes pretty clean with nice bitterness.

Nathan: Bready malt character with some caramel notes and a slight mineral quality to the water. Hop character is far more subdued than the first two samples, but is fairly well-balanced with a soft, floral, slightly citrus character. Seems to lean more towards an ESB style than an IPA hop showcase, although the bitterness could support a more aggressive hop flavor. It isn’t quite the style I expected, but still a very enjoyable beer.

Tim: Was surprised as there was very little hop aroma present when I first sniffed this beer. There was some toasty and bready notes, but little hop aroma. Beer was brown in color and had an off white head that laced the glass. The flavor heavily favored the malt, but there was some firm bitterness with some citrus and piney flavor, but the malt was taking the lead here. As beer warmed, fruity esters started to appear more and this beer reminded me or had more of an English Bitter character.

   

Beer #4: Founders Harvest Ale - This liquid dream pours a hazy golden straw color with a white, two-finger head. Your first sip rewards you with a super juicy hop presence bursting with fresh citrus, then finishes to introduce toasted malt undertones. 6.5% ABV 70 IBU 

Andrew: Powerful and complex hop aroma with hints of orange, peach, papaya, spruce, black pepper, grass, and a hint of garlic. Hop character carries over into flavor. Brilliant pale gold in color—lighter than the other samples. Bread-like, caramely malt character is present throughout in a supporting role although it does contribute sweetness to an almost unwelcome level. Seems big and a bit boozy. Bitterness is aggressive and lingers long into aftertaste. Moderate carbonation, medium body.

Jason: Citrus hops are very prevalent in nose. Very light and clear in color. Nice bitterness with strong hop character and flavor throughout.

Nathan: Very light colored but seems to have a solid malt backbone. Very aggressive hop character that showcases grapefruit and other citrus and lingers long into the finish. The bitterness is well-balanced and the beer leaves you with the type of mouth-coating sensation observed in sample 1. A bit of a grassy character from the hops. The finish is a little sweet for my taste and the beer just generally feels a bit heavy. Overall a great beer, but seems like it would be hard to drink a lot of in one sitting.

Tim: Right up front, this beer was going for hop presence. You get hit a strong citrus, mango, peach aroma, which overpowered any malt character that was trying to break through. This was very clear golden colored beer with a very persistent white head. Harvest Ale had plenty of carbonation that helps with the crispness of the beer. The hops packed plenty of bitterness and had a nice citrusy and woodsy note. There was low toasted malt character that broke through and finished this beer nicely.

Beer #5: Sierra Nevada Nothern Hemisphere Harvest - The cornerstone of our Harvest series is the beer that started the modern-day fresh hop ale phenomenon in America, our original Harvest Ale. Created in 1996, Harvest Ale features Cascade and Centennial hops from the Yakima Valley in Eastern Washington. These hops are harvested and shipped as “wet” un-dried hops—the same day they are picked—to our brewery in Chico where our brewers eagerly wait to get them into the brew kettle while their oils and resins are still at their peak. 6.7% ABV 60-65 IBU

IndianaBeer note: Sierra Nevada also produces a beer called Southern Hemisphere Harvest in the spring that features fresh hops from New Zealand.

Andrew: Subdued aroma with some hints of sulfur. Hint of umami / soy sauce. Perfume notes emerge with warmth. Brilliant amber-copper in color—darker than other samples. Tall, thick, lasting head. Flavor is more malt focused with biscuity, nutty, toasty notes. Esters of pear and other white fruit. Hop flavor is present but not complex, with elements of wood, spruce needles, and dried flowers. Powerful bitterness lingers long into aftertaste. High carbonation, medium body.

Jason: Mild hop aroma present. More amber in color and style. Stronger malt presence with nice bitterness. More balanced, the hop character is not featured but still present.

Nathan: Reddish color with the type of caramel and toasted malt character you would expect to find in an American Red or Amber. The hop character is subtle and leans more toward a piney character than the other samples. There is a moderate level of bitterness with a dry, crisp finish. A well-balanced and easy drinking beer, but I expected a little more of a showcase for the hops. This beer would taste pretty much the same without going to the trouble of using wet hops.

Tim: This beer starts out with a very balanced slight toasted caramel malt and low citrusy hop aroma. Beer has beautiful amber color with a creamy off white head that lingered in the glass. This was very highly carbonated with crisp pleasant mouth feel. Had a strong bitterness and citrus flavor, but enough malt character to balance this beer out.

 

After tasting and discussing each individual beer, we lined up a sample of each to determine a 1-5 ranking of each person’s preference. After tallying up the scores, our collective preferences averaged out to (drum roll please):

Fifth Place: Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere Harvest

Fourth Place: Upland Harvest Ale

Third Place: Two Brothers Heavy Handed IPA

Second Place: Founders Harvest Ale

First Place: Three Floyds Broo Doo

All of these examples were solid beers that exhibited a bit more diversity than we initially expected. The Three Floyds and Founders samples were the best examples of the hop showcase you typically expect from these beers and made at least the top three on each of our individual lists. Does that mean these are the beers we recommend? That might depend on what you prioritize when choosing a beer as these were also the most expensive beers we sampled (not to mention quite possibly the more difficult examples to find). In our shopping, Three Floyds Broo Doo ran $9.99 for a 22-ounce bomber and Founders Harvest Ale was nearly $7 for the two 12-ounce bottles we were able to score from the local liquor store rationing.

On the other hand, an argument could be made that Two Brothers Heavy Handed IPA at $11.99/six-pack and Upland Harvest Ale at $10.99/six-pack represented better overall values. Our results would not make a strong recommendation for Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere Harvest as it was neither highly-rated or the cheapest at $6 for a 24-ounce bottle. But Sierra Nevada could very well be the best option for those who enjoy hoppy West Coast Red Ales like North Coast Red Seal (and it was Poppi’s favorite of the group, which is the vote that really matters).

Cheers, Nathan

Beers, Cheers, and Sneers – October 18

Congrats again to Bier, Mad Anthony, RAM, Sun King, Three Floyds, and Upland for bringing home medals from the Great American Beer Festival competition. Upland is celebrating their gold medal by releasing a limited number of the winning Sour Reserve Blend #2 at both the Bloomington Brew Pub and Indy Tasting Room this Saturday when they open for business (11am in Bloomington and noon in Indy). Each bottle is $25 with a limit of one per person. There are about 48 bottles available in Bloomington and about 36 in Indy so get there early!

Other GABF winners worth noting (i.e. there is a chance you’ll find them in Indiana): Boulevard Brewing Reverb Imperial Pilsner and ZON, The Bruery Papier and Sans Pagaie, Goose Island IPA, Left Hand Sawtooth Ale, Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy (seriously), Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar, Sam Adams Double Bock, Sierra Nevada Estate Homegrown Ale and Imperial Stout, and Two Brothers Domaine DuPage (highly recommended) and Ebel’s Weiss. Then there is the triple crown that represents the American-style lager category: PBR, Miller Lite, and Keystone Light. The big win prompted a little trash talk from Pabst which was met with this response from New Albanian.

Happy anniversary to a couple of prominent Indiana breweries. Shoreline Brewery is celebrating their 7th anniversary with live music Friday and Saturday night, an Oktoberfest menu, and $2 pints all weekend! Triton Brewing in Indianapolis rings in their first anniversary of brewing on Saturday with live music, food, special brews, and the official dedication of their new Beer Garden.

Further details have emerged on Sun King’s second collaboration with Oskar Blues. The Deuce is a Hopped Up Brown Ale with 100% Galaxy hops weighing in at 69 IBU and 7% ABV. The collaboration again made a point of using a special ingredient from each brewery’s region. The Indiana contribution is Riehle’s Select Gourmet Popcorn, also featured in Sun King’s Popcorn Pilsner, which was used in the mash with Colorado Malting Company’s Belgian Pale Malt. The Deuce will be packaged in Ball Corp. Alumi-Tek re-sealable aluminum pint bottles and should make an appearance in our market soon.

Hardcore fans of sour beers have found a new holiday in Zwanze Day, which offers an opportunity at various global locations to try Cantillon’s recent vintage of specialty Zwanze lambic. This year’s event was delayed until December 1st after Cantillon determined this year’s batch would not be ready and decided to revive the original rhubarb lambic recipe that generated the first Zwanze in 2008. There are no Zwanze Day participating locations in Indiana, but events at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago and Holy Grale in Louisville offer chances to join the celebration within an easy drive.

While it’s not an Indiana brewery, I qualify as an obnoxiously unabashed enthusiast of Founders Brewing Company. If you’re not familiar with their story, this article gives a great background on how the brewery nearly filed bankruptcy turning out uninspired pale, amber, and wheat ales and dumped their old lineup in favor of a new strategy that pushed the envelope of what consumers had experienced in the craft beer world. The rest of the story is history that is still being written. Founders celebrates their 15th anniversary this year with a 15% ABV “Bolt Cutter” barleywine and an appearance in Food Republic’s top 10 craft beer power rankings.

One perk for reporters covering the presidential debates is access to free food and beer courtesy of Anheuser-Busch. Yes, your favorite Belgian-owned brewery has decided to continue their tradition of sponsoring American political theater since 1996. And should you grow tired of the partisan bickering, you can switch over to the hospitality tent’s own propaganda Twitter Feed and glean such nuggets as “nothing more American than great debates and great beer” and “AB products seem to be clear winners on this debate night”. Those are about as original as the political talking points we can all recite in our sleep by now. So in the spirit of true debate, I’d like to offer this slightly alternative evaluation of such products.

For a detour into the absurd this week, a Scottish brewery claims to have produced a “beer” that somehow finished with a whopping 65% ABV through a special freeze fermentation method. Now, this was a little bit fun back when Sam Adams and Dogfish Head were pursuing the title of world’s strongest beer towards the 25% level. Since then, European breweries have pushed the threshold past the 30 and 40 percent barrier leading to this point where you have to wonder when enough is enough. If you feel the need to consume a beer at this level and can’t get your hands on any Aberdeenshire Armageddon, here is one possible alternative. Take your favorite barleywine and rig up about a 50/50 blend with Everclear. Hold your nose, take a drink, and be secure in the knowledge that any onset of blindness is likely just a short-term inconvenience.

Cheers, Nathan

Beers, Cheers, and Sneers – August 9

Many of the larger beer festivals for the summer are now in the rearview mirror, but you can still seize some summer memories at the Wine & Beer New Orleans Style in Fort Wayne this Saturday, the WAMM (Wine, Art, Music, and Microbrew) Fest in Greenwood on the 18th, or Beers Across the Wabash in Lafayette on the 25th. Hopefully everyone had a great time at Brew Haven last weekend. Congrats go out to Paul Till for winning the Brew Haven Homebrew Competition with a Vienna Lager.

Barnaby Struve of Three Floyds chatted with the Northwest Indiana Times about the new conference room and improved menu in the brewpub, the intent to expand their operation to Chicago, and the possibility of hitting Indiana’s small brewery production cap again in the near future. As part of their efforts to keep up with demand, and prevent corner liquor stores from bringing along “four homeless people” that buy the max quantity, the purchase limit for to-go beer has been reduced from six cases to two. If my math is correct, said liquor stores will now need to bring 14 homeless people to get their normal 30 case haul. Or maybe they’ll back off and let everyone have their fair share.

No blog around here is really complete without the requisite Tom Wallbank mention. This week, Tom’s homebrewing achievements were recognized by the Zionsville Times Sentinel. I wonder if the Times Sentinel realizes there are two national medalists in their backyard (cheers Mr. Meinzer).

Chris Ingermann’s 2011 Brewers Cup Best of Show Vienna Lager recipe will be tapped at the Broad Ripple Brewpub on August 25th at 3pm, and he recently sat down for an interview with Anita at Great Fermentations. On a side note, the late 19th/early 20th century Ingermann family brewery is mentioned in Bob Ostrander’s book on Indiana Brewing History and you can find additional information from Chris himself here.

Founders Brewing continues to have a variety of nonsensical problems breaking into new distribution markets. This time there is an issue with Breakfast Stout in New Hampshire. The child that is featured on the beer’s label (clearly using a bowl and spoon, not the typical way beer is consumed in my experience) violates the state’s liquor code that forbids any reference to minors on alcohol packaging. “Live Free or Die” eh?

Black Swan Brewpub got a dining review from the IndyStar and some recognition for sourcing local food. At the risk of going cheerleader, this place is seriously worth a visit for some quality food and brew. Chef Nick is a pretty cool guy, and where else can you get fries tossed in truffle oil and parmesan with a bacon aioli dip?

Reciting sales figures can get a little old, but the recent Brewers Association announcement that craft beer sales were up 14% by dollars and 12% by volume in the first six months of 2012 is pretty impressive. Can this type of growth be sustained? I’m somewhat optimistic, but the 1252(!) breweries currently in planning had certainly better hope so.

Because the bigger sites like to rip off my ideas (just kidding bigger sites), BeerPulse has asked their readers to vote on if they think Boston Beer Co. (Sam Adams) is a “craft” brewery. Since I frequently rip off link articles from BeerPulse (see the Founders story above), I’ll let it slide this time. The results: 52% consider it craft, 40% don’t consider it craft, while 8% took the time to vote because they’re indifferent. Apparently “just get back to shoving beer news down my gullet blogger boy” wasn’t an option.

You might be very relieved to learn that Bud Light has renewed their partnership with “worldwide hit-maker” Pitbull. Because nothing spices up your light lager like a little boom, boom, boom, boom. Dale!

Cheers, Nathan

Beers, Cheers, and Sneers – July 5

So after a bit of a rocky schedule last month, it’s time to revive this column and try out a new name. Here you’ll find a grab bag of news for craft beer (including homebrew) brewed in and distributed to Indiana, beer events, and the occasional oddity that I hope you’ll find interesting and/or amusing.

A quick look at July festivals reveals that VIP tickets for the July 14th Indiana Microbrewer’s Festival have sold out early again. You can still purchase general admission tickets ($40) that get you a mere four hours of all the beer sampling your heart desires, or designated driver tickets here. If you were thinking about checking out the 15th annual Michigan Brewers Guild Summer Festival, it appears that online tickets for Saturday’s session are sold out. You can still get tickets for Friday night (July 27th) here for $30.

If you’re dreaming of getting a little further away for the beer experience of a lifetime, Ron Smith’s Guided Beer Vacations are back on for 2013. The first trip will take you to Germany from July 12th – July 21st with stops in Munich, Bavaria, and Bamberg. The second option takes you to Belgium from September 1st – 10th with stops in Brussels, Brugge, and Antwerp. You can find more information on Ron’s Beer MBA website and sign up for the email list to receive all the latest updates.

Look for some special collaborative beers from professionals and homebrewers to be available soon. Chris Ingermann’s 2011 Brewers’ Cup winning Vienna Lager recipe was recently brewed at the Broad Ripple Brewpub. You can see a quick video about Chris’ beer courtesy of Great Fermentations here. Andrew Korty’s UpCup winning Scottish 70 ale should be brewed at Upland late this month or early next month. Also on the horizon will be Tom Wallbank’s winning recipe from the Ram Every Day IPA Challenge to be brewed at the Ram Indianapolis with Head Brewer Andrew Castner.

National Homebrew Competition Ninkasi Award winner Mark Schoppe recently told the Brewing Network that he entered 66 beers in the competition with 9 advancing to the final round and 2 earning final round medals. Not sure if news like this makes the American Homebrewers Association ponder setting some type of personal limit (it means that nearly 10% of the beers in one region belonged to one brewer while many others were completely shut out of the competition), but it does show how challenging the competition is even for the best brewers.

Flying Dog Brewery recently lost a lawsuit in Michigan claiming the Michigan Liquor Control Commission violated the brewery’s First Amendment right to free expression by denying label approval for Raging Bitch Belgian IPA in 2009. Ironically, the “B” word controversy has since swung full circle back to the state as Alabama approved Raging Bitch but banned Michigan’s own Founders Dirty Bastard. And yet Firestone Walker was initially able to get away with this (Google “merkin” sometime) ==>  

Let’s skim past AB InBev’s recent acquisition of Modelo (and your favorite skunky lager in a clear bottle) to acknowledge a situation where their spending spree may have had a positive impact on the craft beer scene. Goose Island President John Hall recently reported that AB InBev’s acquisition of the Chicago brewery has enabled their brewers to focus more on innovation. Current plans at Goose Island include purchasing four new 400-barrel “Matilda” fermenters, installing a 750ml bottle packaging line for their Vintage Ales, a new strawberry saison called Gillian, and releasing “more than twice as much” Bourbon County Brand Stout this year. The price to be paid for this freedom is that core beers like 312 Urban Wheat, Honker’s Ale, IPA, and Harvest Ale are or may soon be outsourced to A-B’s Baldwinsville, New York plant.

Fun fact of the week: According to a new report from the Beer Institute, New Hampshire is the No. 1 beer drinking state in the country based on per capita consumption rate. The top five is rounded out by North Dakota, Montana, South Dakota, and Nevada.

Fans of the legendary metal outfit Motorhead can take their hard-rocking lifestyle to the next level with the band’s new Bastards Lager. This apparently follows previous releases of Motorhead Shiraz and Motorhead Vodka. Despite the initial macho posturing, the band’s website curiously chooses the phrase “gloriously fresh and fruity” to describe the flavor. So yes, you will look a lot tougher than the poor schmuck carrying around an Oberon bottle. Just try not to let down your guard and debate who is experiencing the more gloriously fresh and fruity beverage.

Cheers, Nathan

Indiana Beer News – May 17

Hope you’ve been out enjoying the various activities of American Craft Beer Week. Most of our coverage has and will be focused on these events, but it’s time now for a few random distractions……

The resealable Alumi-Tek bottles introduced for the Sun King/Oskar Blues Chaka collaboration will be used in future releases from Sun King’s barrel-aged and sour beer program. The next release will be a barrel-aged version of Johan the Barleywine. In other Sun King news, fans of the HDNet show Drinking Made Easy will be interested to hear that host Zane Lamprey visited the brewery and there are pictures to prove it.

Congratulations to first-time nominee Grand Rapids (my personal choice) for sharing the title of BeerCity USA 2012 with Asheville, NC. Coincidentally, the top two states from which votes were cast were Michigan and North Carolina. More curious…..votes were cast from 90 countries. Apparently this qualifies as a global phenomenon.

Next up in the Founders Backstage Series is Frangelic Mountain Brown, a 9% ABV brown ale that uses hazelnut coffee in the brewing process. Sounds like it will be distributed to the normal markets so start hassling your neighborhood beer manager now for a reservation.

We talk a lot here about the great beer made in Indiana, but apparently the Hoosier State knows how to serve it fast as well. The Indianapolis company GrinOn produces a beer dispenser that uses a magnet to fill cups from the bottom and can blow through 62 cups in a single minute. The dispenser has already found a home in nearly every major sports facility in the country including Conseco Banker’s Life Fieldhouse and Lucas Oil Stadium. Now excuse me while I work on my new magnet-driven solution for eliminating restroom lines. You really don’t want the details on this one.

Guinness is rolling out a new QR Cup where the code will be revealed when the glass is filled with Guinness (or apparently any dark liquid). This is very handy for the person who wants everyone to know they’re sitting around a bar trying to scan their beer with a smart phone. If this describes you, please don’t ever look me up on Facebook.

If you’re familiar with the work of comedian David Cross (or even if you aren’t), you’ll enjoy the first three minutes of this clip commenting on the various “innovations” of the Coors Light can. Sure, I can feel it’s cold….and I can taste it’s cold….but how do I really know? Fun fact – David bears a striking resemblance to guest reviewer Andrew Korty. I’ve never seen them both in the same place.

Cheers, Nathan

American Craft Beer Week 2012 - The Beginning

First off, Happy American Craft Beer Week everyone!

I hope you are out supporting our local craft breweries or at least getting out and drinking some of the many great craft beers there are available to us in Indiana.

I personally kicked of this week on Monday by having a pint of New Belgium's Cocoa Mole at the Indy Beer Sellar. If you like chili beers, I suggest giving this one a shot. It leaves a nice little burn in the back of your throat. For more of what is available at the Beer Sellar - Check out their tap list! and make sure you stop in this Friday for their Tap Attack! starting at 7pm - Just to name a few to get you thirsty:

• Founders -  Breakfast Stout
• Three Floyds - Zombie Dust
• New Holland - Dragon's Milk Oak Barrel Ale 

Onto Tuesday - 

Went down to Irvington to visit Black Acre Brewing Co. for the first time and socialize with Girls Pint Out and Arts & Craft Beer Owner, Tara Maggert. 

Since Tuesdays, Black Acre is typically closed, the place was only filled with about 20-30 people at any given moment. Jordan, brewer - bartender - and more,  was quick to pour you a pint and the place was comfortable enough to just stay up at the bar and chat. 

My first pint was a house beer - Watermelon Wheat.  Wheat ales are not my typical choice, but I thought I would give it a try. If you like something sweet and cool, I would go with this beer. The other  house beer on tap was the Strong Ale.  Black Acre also offered selections from local favorites Sun King and Bier Brewery along with non local craft beer. 

I will completely admit that I had a snifter of  Monk's Cafe Sour Flemish Ale after the Watermelon Wheat.  It is another favorite of mine, rare to find in bottles, and the first time I've seen it on draft. Who could resist that!?

If I lived closer to Irvington, I'd be a more frequent visitor to Black Acre. I hoping next time to catch a taste of the Green Tea Pale Ale. 

And a tip:

For the ladies - Try to come out to a GPO event, you are not alone in loving craft beer :) 

For the crafty ladies - Check out the monthly events at Arts & Craft Beer. 

Now those recaps are done.. Time to get ready for tonight!

Greg K and I will be at Tomlinson Tap Room for Indianapolis Monthly's first Beer Fest - 15 breweries, $30.. 6pm-8:30pm - Tickets are still available - (By Clicking Here!)

See you readers tomorrow for the recap. 

- Kathleen

Indiana Beer News – April 19

Voting is currently in progress to get your city on the ballot for the fourth annual BeerCity USA award. You can head over and vote for Indianapolis or write-in your hometown. I’m sad to report that when I voted we were getting trounced by several cities including…..ugh…..Cincinnati. Now I’m not trying to start anything here, but as someone who spent two years working on a project in the Queen City, it made my computer cry a little to see those losers even on the same page as us. Now get over to the voting page and help us put them back in their place (voting ends Saturday)!

The Brewers Association has released the Top 50 Craft Brewing Companies by beer sales volume. No Indiana breweries made the list, but a few of local interest include Bell’s at #7 (up from #8 in 2010) and Founders at #42 (unlisted in 2010). Also worth noting is the #11 spot which Stone Brewing took over from Dogfish Head. Stone distributes to Indiana. Coincidence?

Congratulations to Barley Island for winning last Saturday’s Brew Bracket with their Sheet Metal Blonde Belgian Wit. Also congrats to Rock Bottom Downtown for coming in second by just two votes with their El Jefe Wheat. If you missed Kathleen’s Facebook post, a great collection of photos from the event can be found here.

Good Beer Hunting has an outstanding behind-the-scenes pictorial of the barrel aging program at Goose Island. The narrative is a bit sparse, but does reveal that Bourbon County Stout is going into year-round production. For more barrel aging fun, Founders posted a somewhat vague photo of something called “project quince”. Your guess is as good as mine.

Here’s your chance to get hangover advice from a true professional – Larry Bell of Bell’s Brewery. You may have heard about Vitamin D and drinking water before going to bed (or at least good intentions of doing so), but milk thistle and sauerkraut juice? Don’t say you never learn anything here.

We don’t generally try to post all of the myriad tappings that occur around the state each week, but I make an exception when the beer name makes me laugh. So on Saturday, April 28th, head over to Upland and Rock Out With Your Bock Out! Actually, this is a bit more than your standard tapping as Upland will have an all day event open to all ages starting at 11am with a hog roast, lawn games, and live music.

We had a great event this past weekend judging beers for the Indianapolis 1st round regional of the National Homebrew Competition. Big thanks to Sun King for hosting the event for the third year (their Maibock and Mocha Mac currently on tap are very good). I’ll have a roundup of all the Indiana winners once the results from all regions are officially released in early May.

As Chief Steward for the NHC judging, I’d like to thank the following fine individuals for their assistance: Michelle Artmeier, Julie Bensing, Alfons Eggink, Gabe Enslein, Meredith Jones, Stacy Keister, Matt Lackner, David Massaro, Joe Milton, Glen Norris, Amelia Pflieger, Kevin Pritchard, Steve Quimby, Susan Rankert, Caitlyn Smeltzer, James Smeltzer, Chris Snodderley, Chase Snyder, Starla Steuerwald, Chuck Whybrew, and Matt Wisley. And special thanks to my assistants Ross and Val Graham. Ross and David are involved with the Indy Beer Meetup group and you can find their upcoming events here.

Cheers, Nathan

Founders Tapping at The Sinking Ship

I am definitely a fan of Founders Brewing and The Sinking Ship.  Last month when I went to the Stone Brewing Tap Take over and saw that Founders would be coming.. I knew that no matter what..  Wednesday 4/11 - My butt was going to be at The Ship.

Especially when as the day got closer and it was announced that Founders was tapping KBS -- a coffee, chocolate stout bourbon barrel aged

I instantly turned on my tunnel vision and thought of nothing else because wanting KBS.  I went as far as making sure I was at the ship at 5:30 so I would have plenty of time to get one (the tapping didn't happen til 7)

I was not disappointed. Thanks to my waitress, right after the rolling in of the 1/6 keg (again, not much KBS to go around), and the bagpipes played.. My table recieved 6 10oz of KBS for each of us. Despite the $10 for 10oz  - It was worth every penny.

KBS!

Smooth taste in the beginning and a nice chocolate after taste. It was my first time trying KBS and will certainly not be my last.

Afterwards I did try Founders Centennial IPA - Which has me discovering that I prefer more of a citrus enhanced IPA instead of a floral. I wouldn't say I love IPAs just yet, but I am enjoying more IPAs and even Pale Ales. 

In closing -- 

Another good night of new beer. The Sinking Ship has beer tap takeovers every month. When I found out the next one I'm sure I'll be there if any followers want to meet up. At this month's event I saw Rodney from Hoosier Beer Geek, John Host - Founders Sales Rep and somewhere elusively was Josh H.  from @Flat12_Josh.. which is me saying... those who are excited about beer - these tapping are a great time to meet people who are part of the beer community and share with newbies. 

Til next time - Cheers!

- Kathleen

P.S. - I will be at Brew Bracket III - Wheat! Tomorrow. Make sure you say hi - I'll be easy to locate. I'm busting out the beer knee highs! :) 

Indiana Beer News – March 22

If you’ve missed out on Upland’s Gilgamesh Flanders Red, or are just longing for another taste, there will be complimentary samples available at Goose the Market in Indy in their Enoteca room this Friday from 5:30-7:30pm. Get there early to make sure you get in on this epic event.

Looking to clear out your stockpile of cheap plastic beads this weekend? You may want to try Muncie Gras! on Saturday in downtown….uh, Muncie. Upland will be giving out samples at the Heorot as part of the festivities. One word of caution – I’m guessing Muncie police are not as tolerant of flashing as their counterparts in New Orleans.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the brave new world of beer event scalping brokering! As Wilk pointed out with the glut on eBay, tickets for Dark Lord Day that retailed for $15 are also being offered on Stub Hub for $175-200. That makes me a sad panda. But after the recent shortage at the KBS release, Founder’s will be following the same pre-sale ticket strategy for their event next year. Better start saving your money now.

A recent tweet from Founder’s indicated their barrel aging program will reach about 1100 barrels by the end of this week. We like to classify things like this in the category of news that doesn’t suck.

In additional Founder’s news (I promise this will be the last), the powers that be in Alabama are not real down with the “objectionable” beer titles of Dirty Bastard and Backwoods Bastard. Don’t expect Stone Brewing to pay ‘Bama a visit any time in the near future.

The age of <relatively> cheap Barleywine may be sadly coming to an end. Yes, Sierra Nevada has finally realized that nobody else in their right mind is selling the style in affordable six-packs and will be shrinking next year's offering to four-packs. Hit your Dislike button now.

In addition to the videos Bob shared yesterday, the Spill-Proof Beer clip from Hahn Australia is developing quite the following. It kind of left me just scratching my head….but hey, don’t say we didn’t jump right on the bandwagon.

If you haven’t taken the plunge yet to follow us on Facebook and/or Twitter, glance over to the sidebar on the left to find an easy way to rectify this problem and bring sanity to your life. While you’re there, scroll down and check out some of the other quality beer blogs Indiana has to offer.

OK, so this has nothing to do with Indiana or much of anything really, but I’ve become aware of a fledgling brewing establishment in Tennessee going by the name of Turtle Anarchy. Turtle Anarchy!!! Love it, wish I could say they stole the title to my hypothetical brewpub, but the folks at Against the Grain Brewery in Louisville already took care of that. Sigh….

Cheers, Nathan 

 

Indiana Beer News – March 15

So this weekend brings us some basketball tournament thing and the always popular St. Patrick’s Day. Flat 12 and the Elbow Room have your back with festivities including a special Flat 12 Irish Amber (?), food, and parade viewing. Upland taps their Ard Ri Imperial Red tonight at the Indy Tasting Room. And of course we can count on the Claddagh to kick tonight off with a traditional….Claddagh's Got Talent?…..OK, well Saturday might be a little more promising if you enjoy Kegs and Eggs and U2 covers. JK O’Donnell’s has a nice looking St. Patrick’s celebration in Fort Wayne.

Our founder Bob Ostrander will be one of the highlights of the Indiana German Heritage Society’s annual symposium at the Athenaeum in Indianapolis. Bob will give a presentation on German Breweries in Indiana’s History at 1:15pm on Saturday, March 24th. A full schedule and registration form can be found here.

We’re still looking for BJCP-certified judges for the National Homebrew Competition first round at Sun King in Indianapolis April 13th – 15th. Please register at http://tinyurl.com/nhcindy2012 if you can help us out. I promise this will be the last time I bug you about this……maybe.

Andy from The Beer Is Good! blog gives us a recap of the recent Flat 12 tap night at the Fiddler’s Hearth in South Bend. Better try the Bleeding Heart if you get a chance!

If you made the trip up to Founders for the KBS Release Party, I sincerely hope you weren’t one of the last 362 people in line. The good news is their new 85 bbl brewhouse will enable next year’s release to be about three times larger.

Goose Island has plans to quadruple their barrel program and has acquired an auto body shop that will be used to expand their development of high-end sour beers.

Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, Nike has managed to sully the holiday with their Nike SB Dunk Low aka Nike Black and Tans. No word yet on the curbing of other St. Patrick’s Day abominations==>

It’s going to be an interesting year for Samuel Adams with releases ranging from an interpretation of the rare Gose (goes-uh) style from Saxony to jumping on the Shandy bandwagon with Samuel Adams Porch Rocker. The latter will join Shock Top Lemon Shandy (from Anheuser-Busch), Labatt Shandy, Harp Lemon Shandy, and Saranac Shandy Lager and Lemonade to challenge top dog Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy for your thirst-quenching beermonade dollar. But SA can claim theirs is a “traditional Bavarian-style Radler” – 30,000 bonus Beer Geek points if you have any idea what that means.

And to spare you further sarcasm on the subject of Shandies in this column, I’ll redirect you to some choice comments from Roger Baylor here.

Carla at Hoperatives (Cincinnati bloggers) tipped us off on a self-frothing beer mug from Japan that can save you from the horrors of flat beer. A handy switch (available in yellow and black) lets you generate the desired level of froth “so you can really take your beverages seriously”. Now put down your snifter and get with the times!

Well, that’s enough for now, I’d like to shirk my blogging responsibilities to drink beer and watch basketball. Enjoy your weekend!

Cheers, Nathan