BIG week of Indiana Beer Days in Indianapolis! July 11-19

Today starts the first of more than one week of BIG days for Indiana. BIG can mean Brewers of Indiana Guild as they are heavily involved in many of the truly big events.

Brewer's Cup Competition: The premier beer competition in the Midwest is The Brewer's Cup, which has nearly 1300 entrees from both Professional brewers and home brewers. Approximately 120 trained beer judges will assemble at the Indiana State Fair Grounds for the weekend starting tonight (July 11) for the first round of judging. Judging continues all day Saturday. The big announcement of winners comes Saturday night at the closed reception for brewers and judges (6-8PM). We will have the unofficial (meaning we wrote them down from the announcements) list of top winners on this blog by Monday. This year two new awards have been added. The Bill Friday Homebrew Club award for the club with the best winning percentage and the Grand Champion Brewer award for the pro brewer that earns the most points in the competition.

Saturday July 12 is the 19 mile Tour De Biere starting at 67th and Cornell at 10:00 AM down the Monon Trail and beyond to Fountain Square brewery, Flat12 Bierworks, Triton's Tap, and for those who want to head north back beyond Broad Ripple, Union Brewing in Carmel. map here

Sunday July 13 is the Broad Ripple Brew Pub's 2014 Hoods and Hops antique, classic, and custom car show with $5 entry fee for cars but free for browsers. Noon to 5:00PM.

Tuesday July 15 is Indiana Girl's Pint Out's gathering at Mass Ave Pub, 745 Mass Ave, Indy, 6-9 PM with the unveiling of the top three beer cocktails recipes from the GPO contest with samples and available to purchase the drink! The Winning beer-tail will be featured at Mass Ave Pub for the rest of July!

Saturday July 19 is the largest beer festival held in Indiana as nearly 6000 converge on Broad Ripple's Optimist Park for the 19th Annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival with over 350 craft beers from 80+ brewers, mostly Indiana. Tickets are likely still available at Big Red Liquors and online HERE. The main event is 3-7PM and sold out last year. A portion of ticket sales benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

And a shout out to bartenders and servers: HopCat Broad Ripple plans to open August 16, and is now hiring
for all positions with interviews until Aug. 1 (M-F 9-6). Those interested inquire at jobs@hopcat.com

We hope to see you out at one or more events!

Cheers! GregKitz

Indiana Beer News, Dec. 8, Holiday Beers and Brewer Moves

'Tis time for special beers and apparently for brewers to play musical chairs with brewing systems.

RAM Indy seems major changes. On the heels of former award-winning Head Brewer Andrew Castner leaving The RAM in Indianapolis in Mid-October , former Asst. Brewer Chris Knott solidified his move to Scarlet Lane Brewing with his announcement this week. Scarlet Lane is another new operation with plans to be brewing soon. It appears the RAM has become another stop on the way to independent brewing since Dave Colt and Clay Robinson of SunKing fame departed the RAM just four years ago. Castner, once with Oaken Barrel, made a major mark on Central Indiana with many award winning beers and now temporarily assists at Flat12 (corrected from earlier misprint) and Great Fermentations Brew Shop on his way to his own start-up brewery on IN 135 in Greenwood, set to open this Spring. Knott did more than shovel grain at The RAM and had his imprint on a number of great beers. I had a chance to wish both Andrew and Chris well on future adventures on Nov. 19, with their great tasting Barrel Aged Olaf as well as this year's S'No Angel Weizenbock. S'No angel remains on tap. We hope each of them continues some of the "big beer" and barrel aging tradition in their new spots.


Nate Scruggs, formerly of Fountain Square, will start brewing at The RAM although corporate will have to anoint a head brewer.

Bell's Brewing brings its "Twelve Bell's of Christmas" to Chatham Tap on Mass Ave. this week Thursday, Dec. 12, starting at 5:00 PM with a special keg of Black Note barrel aged stout (Whoa.. one of my favorites), Christmas Ale, Hopsoulution DIPA, Oarsman Ale, Porter, Third Coast Old Ale, Two Hearted, Winter White , Raspberry Ale, Harry Magill's Spiced Stout, Wedding Ale, and... either Bell's can't count or there will be one additional beer. I'd vote for Expedition Stout but we'll see. Bell's does this event other places with 12- beers but not the same so in Elkhart, IN, on the same night you can visit The Chubby Trout after 5:30 for 12 Bell's favorites or in Newburgh, IN, near Evansville visit Beef O'Brady's at 6:00 where the Rednose ESB is one of the 12 Bell's beers. If you really want a road trip, Bell's Comstock, MI, brewery unveiled a wood sculpture this past week commissioned by Larry Bell called, "From Seed to Senses." It is less beer related as all Bell required is that the piece from a tree that had to be taken down become art.

Thinking of spicy for the Holidays? Bare Hands Brewery in Mishawaka, IN, yesterday tapped their popular Mango Habanero 574 Pale Ale on Dec. 7. Growler fills available.

Flat12, Indy, is well on their way to this year's Twelve Beers of Christmas! 12/5 = Glazed Ham Porter, 12/6 = Cranberry Maple Amber, 12/7 = Chocolate Orange Porter and 12/8 = Cocoa Beware Milk Stout, , 12/12 = Wholey Ghost Porter, 12/13 = Brandy Walkabout Pale, 12/14 = Juniper IPA, 12/15 = Snickerdoodle Blonde, 12/19 = Chocolate Mint Porter,' 12/20 = Apple Bottom Blonde, 12/21 = Gingerbread IPA, and as the last volly the ever-popular and odd 12/22 = Grandpa’s Glazed Ham Porter! And if you must taste all 12 at once, visit City Market on December 14, for The 12 Chef's of Christmas where local participating chefs have drawn one of these 12 holiday beers and created his/her culinary masterpiece to be unveiled at this event. The Pairing Party is free and open to the public Saturday, Dec. 14, 5-8PM at the City Market.

Check out your favorite local brewery or brew pub for their holiday seasonal. Triton has Gingerbread Brown on tap and in bottles. Rock Bottom brew pubs Indy have their Tartan Scottish Ale, Fountain Square currently has Count Nibula Chocolate Stout, and several of us are going to visit Black Swan this week to see what DJ has brewed up!

Cheers! GregKitz

Beer Review: Fountain Square Backyard Porter

OK, so you’re probably expecting to read another Pumpkin beer review this time of year. But unlike some of my colleagues, Pumpkin beers fall firmly in the “little goes a long way” category for my taste; so I’m probably not the person to advise you on where to turn for your pumpkin pie fix. So what to review, what to review…..

Searching for the next beer to review, I discovered a single Fountain Square Backyard Porter tucked away in a side shelf on the refrigerator door. I didn’t recall being blown away by this beer initially, but figured it was a good time to revisit one of my favorite craft styles. Backyard Porter leans toward the characteristics of an English-style Brown Porter, rather than the darker, hoppier, stronger Robust Porter that became synonymous with the American craft beer revolution. But make no mistake, Brown Porters are very flavorful beers in their own right; favoring smooth notes of caramel, chocolate, and coffee over the stronger roasted malt and hop flavors of their American counterparts. I tend to gravitate toward the American styles in most situations like this, but Brown Porter is an exception to that rule and we actually have some excellent local examples of Brown Porter (Oaken Barrel Snake Pit and Iechyd Da Bit Pit Porter come to mind). It’s also one of my favorite styles to homebrew, and is very versatile for experimentation with spices and fruit.

Here is the description from Fountain Square: Our Porter is brewed in the traditional English style. It has a deep brown colour and a creamy tan head. The mouth feel is highlighted with soft notes of chocolate and slight undertones of roasted coffee. Hop bitterness is nicely balanced with the malt and hop aroma very low, typical of the English style. ABV: 5.0% IBU: 18

After pouring the Backyard Porter into a glass, you are greeted with a fairly pleasant but straightforward aroma of bitter chocolate with hints of dried fruit. While a low hop aroma would be expected, the complete absence of any aroma was the first clue I had allowed this beer to age a bit. But the flavor revealed significantly greater complexity with prominent caramel, chocolate, and coffee blended together nicely with some floral hop character still evident in this bottle. While these flavors can be a bit sharp in young beers, they had softened and matured wonderfully in this bottle. There is also a slight note of burnt sugar and bitterness from the malt. While these notes are more prominent in Robust Porters from increased utilization of black malts, there is still a little bit coming through and it distracts from the overall profile of this beer. The finish is slightly sweet, with very little hop bitterness, and a noticeable acidic quality. While the acidity isn’t necessarily expected here, it actually paired pretty well with the low bitterness to give a nice balance to the sweet malt.

Although they are not the monster Barleywines and big Stouts that people typically age for long periods, I’ve found the characteristics of Brown Porter will hold up well over a limited (4-6 months) aging period. Fountain Square Backyard Porter is a good example. This beer probably would have merited a “Worth a Try” rating when fresh, but a bit of age really improved the flavors. If I were looking for something to consume this weekend, the Snake Pit or Big Pit Porter examples would probably be better options. But with a little patience, this beer was very enjoyable and moves up a spot on the scale.

The Verdict [Avoid/Worth a Try/Recommended/Highly Recommended]: Recommended

Cheers, Nathan

Indiana Beer News June 23 12

indianabeer.com is having a "meet up and tweet up" at Tomlinson Tap Room in the Indianapolis City Market this coming Wednesday, June 27, 6 PM. Visits from some of our professional brewers, free gifts, and surprrises and a chance to grab a pint of great Indiana beer on tap at the TomTap Room! C'mon down! We'll also have a few copies of Bob Ostrander's book "Hoosier Beer...Tapping into Indiana Brewing History" for sale!
Visit FIVE central Indiana breweries on the first Indy Brew Trek bus! On Saturday, July 7, participants will meet at Thr3e WiseMen in Broad Ripple and be transported by bus to Triton brewery, Flat12 brewery, Fountain Square brewery, BlackSwan brewpub, and back to Thr3e WiseMen. All for $25 for the bus ride and most of the breweries will provide a taster or two and your chance to buy a pint or more at each place. Call Jeff at 317-432-8798 to find out Tickets on E-Bay


Triton Brewing is participating in the Lawrence 4th Festival with beer available. http://www.facebook.com/4thFest


Downtown Brew Pubs
Gettin' downtown to stroll around and find a pint?

RAM downtown has three seasonal beers on tap. The Ghost King IPA is a session IPA and a great Summer beer. Both the wit and the California Common (Steam) beer are very tasty for the Summer. The RIS is complex with appropriate high alcohol.















Rock Bottom downtown has a Summer honey blond for the season. There are actually EIGHT beer on tap right now.


Brewer Jerry of RB was busy getting his entries ready for the Brewer's Cup competition of the Indiana State Fair when we visited. Credits to Anita Johnson and Tom Stillabower for making this one of the top beer competitions in the U.S.


















Just a short distance from Downtown, though not a brew pub,there is plenty of seating room at Fountain Square Brewery. the Summer offering would be their hefeweizen. But they just tapped a nugget IPA that is pretty tasty too.

Fountain Square, like most near-town brewers, has free parking.













SunKing -- remember, SunKing tap room will be closed starting July 4 until July 18 for renovation but right now they have their regulars plus Seasonals: Bitch'n Camaro and

Flat12 is at the Chatham Arch/Mass Av Brew-Ha-ha today until 7. with Cycle IPA, F12 Amber, Karousel Kolsch, Bourbon Barrel-aged Big Black Dog (68),Rye Stout, Moustache Ride Red, Bourbon Barrel-aged 12 Penny Scottish Ale, El Blanco Diablo Roble (The white oak devil – chili blonde aged in an oak barrel), Glitter Walkabout, Belgo Porter,
Fire Fly Wheat

Greenwood Freedom Fest includes a micro-brewery and wine 'garden' this year June 29-30, click for details

Again, meet up with us Wednesday! 6 PM TomTap at City Market!

Beer Recap Deluxe!

As many of you already know, or maybe you don't know, but it is almost summertime which means the Season of Beer is here and boy, have I been drinking my share of it - gladly of course!

However, drinking it is easy, writing about it takes longer, so I'm going to do a small recap of most recent beer times that I've missed writing up for your reading and maybe even your drinking pleasure. 

1. - Thr3e Wise Men Tapping - Children of the Corn  Cream Ale

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Thr3e Wise Men has the best tapping party. Why? -- simple -- 8oz free sample.  Of course, the beer is good as well. This cream ale is refreshing, a little too high on hops, with a tang of bitter, for my tastes as far as cream ale goes, but having it come from a nitro pour was a nice touch to add some creaminess.  Next tapping party is July 2nd - Sanctaneous Hefeweizen. I'm curious as to what Omar has in store with that one. 

*FYI -- As of today you can get Thr3e Wisemen beer at all of the Scotty's Brewhouse locations and Growlers will also be available for carry out. $14 fills / $7 for Growlers. Specials - $12 fills on Tues & Fri

However -- If you go to Thr3e Wisemen Brewery - Growlers are $6 and Fills are only $10 (with $8 fills on Tues & Fri )*

2.  Tap N' Run

On June 9th, Broadripple experienced the newest phenomenon of exercise and beer drinking. About 1700 hundreds runners in their finest, funkiest and silliest costumes to run a 4k around the streets of Broadripple, while stopping to chug 4oz glasses of Goose Island - 312.  The race started with a countdown chug and they were off!  My role in all this? Starting Line chug station. The beer flowed smoothly from keg to pitchers to cups to runners.  It was nice to see that craft beer was used for the chug stations. Lastly, to use a word from Tara Maggert, Arts and Craft Beer President, it was a fun time being a "volun-beer" (you know, instead of a volunteer) 

See pic recap of Tap N' Run below:

Gives a new definition to 99 "bottles of beer" more like baby cups of beer.

Countdown to the first chug! 

After the race and clean up was done! Indy's inaugural Tap  N' Run!

.

3. Victory Beer Tapping with Indiana Beer Reporters

Last Wednesday night, a rare meeting of three IB reporters went down at the Sinking Ship for the Victory Brewery Tapping party.  Joined by some of our friends, we had a nice night of trying some of the beers on tap. Although it would've been nice if Golden Monkey was on tap and not in bottles. I personally had the Saison De BUFF - a collaboration brew from Victory, Dogfish Head and Stone. A quick bite at the taste of this beer, but ended with sweetness. It was a nice summery beer, but to be honest I'll go for The Bier Brewery's Farmgal Saison in a heart beat. Either way. The tapping party was fun and I ended up with a new pint glass for my collection! 

Selection for Tapping Party

4.  History on Tap

Come back to how the west was won and the beer was made! History on Tap was presented by the Conner Prairie Horizon Council this past Friday.  With help from Fountain Square Brewery, Bier Brewery, Sun King Brewery, Upland Brewing Co, Flat 12 Bierwerks and Three Pints Brewpub, a visitor could come and try different brews all while checking out the grounds or even going up in the sky in a balloon ride.  The Horizon Council picked a great night for this event, a warm breezy night. 

For beer fans, some of the brewers themselves were out and about.   I ran into Clay Robinson from Sun King, Corbin Elliot from Bier Brewery and Rob Caputo from Flat12Bierwerks (with his fancy new hat with beer opener in the bill), and even Bill Webster from Fountain Square Brewery. Around 8:30 it was quiet enough that you could have some great conversations and gain some great beer information..  e.g.  - look for some awesome great brews from Flat12Bierwerks at Microbrewery Festival. ;)

Bier Brewery - Farmgal Saison

As for the beer itself - my favorites of the night were: 

Bier Brewery  - Farmgal Saison

Three Pints Brewpub - Oatmeal Stout

and 

closing with watching the night sky darken by drinking 

a half pint of Half Cycle from Flat 12.
                                                                                                                                                                  














An additional difference between this event and many other tapping parties was Douglas Wissing had a presentation on his new book:

Indiana: One Pint at a Time: A Traveler's Guide to Indiana's Breweries which was a great way to finish the night. 













Thank you for reading the beer recap! I'll try to keep them coming a little more timely since more and more festivals are upon us.


Don't forget as well.. This Saturday - Brew- Ha- HA! 


And in a week and a half, on 6/27 - come out to meet Nathan, Greg and I again at Tomlinson Tap Room. 


- Kathleen

History on Tap - An Evening of Craft Beer at Conner Prairie

Most tapping events that I know usually take place a bar, restaurant or tap room.. but if you are looking for a new twist and love a little history with your beer, I suggest checking out History on Tap hosted by Conner Prairie Horizon Council.  See below for details!  

Indiana Beer News – April 12

This weekend brings some great events around the state with BrewBracket III in Indianapolis, the Blue Chip Brewfest in Michigan City, and Art on Tap in Bloomington. Homebrewers – if you aren’t involved with NHC judging Friday night (slackers), keep in mind that the Friday Night Club at Great Fermentations will feature the brewers from Flat 12 and a Flat12/Great Fermentations collaborative brew.

The Fountain Square Brewery will host Fountain Square Pinball Society’s spring tournament on April 28th where players will battle for supremacy in the world of Dr. Dude, Fun House, Iron Man, and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Entry is $33 and includes a pint, ice cream, and appetizers from La Margarita.

Following on the recent announcements that Sierra Nevada and New Belgium will build new brewing facilities in North Carolina, comes word that Lagunitas will be opening the largest brewery in Chicago. What does that mean for us? First, a road trip may be in order. Second, here’s hoping the new proximity will help Lagunitas see the value in expanding distribution to Indiana. For those who aren’t familiar with the brewery, Lagunitas has been very successful in pumping out big, West-coast style beers that are priced affordably by craft beer standards (like a bomber of Hop Stoopid for….gasp….$5). Count me as a fan.

Ever wonder what $45 million will buy these days? Apparently it’s the going rate to convince James Bond to forsake his trademark martini for a skunky lager for a Heineken. That’s what I get for trying to be nice to Heineken in last week’s post.

Many of us dream of opening a brewery, but are faced with the daunting prospect of needing some creative financing. Well, you can take a cue from Arizona Wilderness Brewing who have raised $43,000 through a clever Kickstarter campaign. Five backers put up $2500 for a private beer lesson and other perks, while one backer ponied up the $5000 to claim the title of AZ Beer Week 2013 King/Queen.

Psychologists at the University of Illinois believe that drinking two pints of beer will sharpen your mind. Not sure about that, but there is substantial evidence it does aid your performance in pool, darts, and soccer field karaoke.

If nobody is looking over your shoulder right now, you might want to spend a couple quality minutes in the world of Beer Porn complete with a proper 70’s soundtrack. Actually, it’s pretty safe to view in mixed company, but the money shot might make you blush a little.

Cheers, Nathan

 

Indiana Beer News – April 5

The Easter weekend is a bit slow before we get into several major events the following Saturday. But keep in mind the Fountain Square Brewery Peep Show on Friday and the Michigan Brewery Tour leaving from South Bend on Saturday. Not to be outdone by Fountain Square, Flat 12 is rolling out their own Peeps-fueled Cross Rabbit Milk Stout that also includes Cadbury cream eggs, malted milk eggs, dark chocolate Easter bunnies, and black jelly beans. I’m told it’s the official beer of Diabeetus Cat==>

You can always party at home as Saturday brings us the celebration known as Session Beer Day. Session Beer Day recognizes flavorful beers that are low in alcohol so you can enjoy a few without getting lost in your own home. It ties in with the date that the Cullen-Harrison Act was signed into law by Franklin D. Roosevelt. While Prohibition was not repealed until later that year, Cullen-Harrison effectively legalized low alcohol beer by changing the definition of an “intoxicating beverage” to anything over 4% ABV. Now let me check the fridge……a few 10% Hopslams, 10.4% Alaskan Barleywine, 10% Ballast Point Imperial Stout, 11.2% homebrewed Barleywine……oops, looks like its Anti-Session Beer Day here.

As of 4:00 this afternoon, there were still a very limited number of tickets available for the Sour + Wild + Funk Fest on May 12th. Head over to the ticket site soon if you want to attend (or we’ll be talking about the evil resale market again).

Andy at The Beer Is Good! gives some results on the beer he brewed with Four Horsemen in South Bend. Classify this blogger as jealous – nice job Andy!

A story like this on the Austin Beer Fest should remind us of the hard work of many organizations and volunteers that go into great Indiana beer festivals. Yes, there were the bathroom lines at Winterfest two years ago, but that has been setup beautifully since. Consider a $200 “VIP All-Access Pass” to an event that was an unqualified disaster. As the owner of Jester King Craft Brewery astutely points out, be wary of a craft beer festival that advertises beer pong.

I’m not the biggest Heineken fan, but really have to give them credit for this initiative. The new Heineken Ideas Brewery challenges innovators from around the world to present ideas for how to package and distribute beer in a more sustainable manner (editors note: drinking local beer would be a start). If you have the type of mind that is intrigued by such challenges, submit your ideas by May 8th for a chance to win $10,000.

Wynkoop Brewing has found a new way to push the limits of craft beer flavor with their Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout. It should be noted that “sales” of the special brew were only available on April 1st. Have a ball!

Enjoy your Easter weekend, be safe, and remember to beware the bunny!

Cheers to you and your Peeps, Nathan

Indiana Beer News – March 29

This Saturday the Melody Inn in Indianapolis combines two things I tend to enjoy - Triton beer and punk rock. Triton will be debuting their line of bottled beer along with some specialty beers starting at 9:00. Music starts at 10:30 and features the psychobilly romps of Detroit’s Koffin Kats. The sitter is lined up and I’m ready to roll!

The mad geniuses at Fountain Square Brewery are rolling out their first annual Peep Show on April 6th. No, not the kind where you expect to find Miss Poppi. This Peep Show features a beer brewed with Peeps and the chance to show off your own design for a Peep Shooter (which shoots/catapults full-sized Peeps). I know a lot of you brewers are engineers, so this is a chance to show off your skills.

Andy at The Beer Is Good blog has posted a full beer list for the upcoming Blue Chip Brewfest on April 14th at the Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City. VIP ticket holders will get the chance to sample the highly sought Bell’s Black Note Stout paired with mini cupcakes. Unfortunately it appears that VIP tickets are sold out, so you’re back to scrounging the resale market if you want in on that.

We previously reported on the progress of the “Three Floyds Amendment” legislation, so its worth noting that it was recently signed into law. It allows small breweries to produce more beer by excluding beer that is brewed for consumption and distribution outside Indiana from the cap of 30,000 barrels per year. Congrats to everyone involved in making this happen!

Here’s one for the category of good news that’s unlikely to surprise you. Despite a 1.32 percent volume decrease in 2011 for the overall beer market, craft brewers achieved a 13 percent rise in volume and a 15 percent rise in retail sales. No word on when they plan to count eBay Dark Lord Day ticket sales in the retail tally. You may find that last statement pointless, but it’s a proven fact that any mention of Dark Lord Day substantially increases our hit rate. Dark Lord Day……Dark Lord Day……Dark Lord Day

Results are out for the 18th Annual U.S. Beer Tasting Championship (USBTC) Winter Competition. The Bier Brewery in Indianapolis was a Midwest region winner with their Belgian Dubbel. Grand champion beers that you may be able to find in Indiana liquor stores include Founders Porter, Magic Hat Black Lager, New Holland Pilgrims Dole (Barleywine), Sam Adams Wee Heavy, and Victory V-12 (Belgian Strong).

If you’ve never cried over spilled beer, check out what happens when Goose Island barrels and a forklift do not work in perfect harmony.

More bizarre stuff from Japan – here is a machine that adds frozen beer bubbles to the top of your beer to keep it cold for about a half hour. Perhaps they’ve never heard of the American koozie.

Cheers, Nathan

Another Winterfest Post - February 2

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

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

Winterfest Update

From Skip at Fountain Square Brewing:
Winterfest line up will include:

Pale Ale
American Amber
English Porter
+
for the VIP session: Chocolate Stout

at 4:00
Add the Pilsner to replace the Choc. Stout
Add the Oatmeal Stout

at 6:00 replace the above 2 with
Batch 13 IPA (some people wait for this one)
Winter Warmer

Fountain Square Brewing Grand Opening

Thanks to the modern miracle of babysitting, I emerged from under my rock Saturday to check out the very popular grand opening of Fountain Square Brewing in Indianapolis. The theme for the evening was a Winter Luau complete with plastic leis, a pig roast, and hula dancers. Both the taproom and brewery side were open for patrons to wander through and get a nice view of the operation.

The taproom had very little available seating for the grand opening, which was appropriate given the size of the crowd. The crowd went from healthy at the beginning of the night to pretty much claustrophobic a few hours later. The support and enthusiasm of the craft beer scene continues to prove this is an exciting time to be a drinker (or brewer) in our community.

             

We did not partake of the pig, but turned our attention to the beer offerings:

Wandering Eye PA (seasonal) – Crisp American IPA with moderate bitterness and an assertive hop flavor punch of pineapple and orange peel. Very enjoyable beer – hope to see this stay in regular rotation.

Count Nibula Chocolate Stout (seasonal) – Strong cocoa presence in the aroma gives way to a creamy lactose sweetness with just a compliment of chocolate character on the tongue. The aftertaste gives the sensation of cocoa powder in your mouth – and I mean this in a good way.

Hop for Teacher (core lineup) – American Pale Ale with a firm upfront bitterness (listed at 45 IBU) followed by hop flavor that is American citrus combined with earthy qualities. The balance seemed tilted a bit towards bitterness and I would have liked some more hop flavor here. But the Wandering Eye may have wrecked my palette.

I had also tried an Oatmeal Stout from a friend’s growler last month that was excellent. Didn’t see it on the menu Saturday but maybe we’ll see that pop up again soon. If you couldn’t make it Saturday pay them a visit during their regular hours (1301 Barth Ave. Indy 46203):

Thurs/Fri: 4-9 pm

Saturday: 2-9 pm

Sunday: 12-6 pm

Cheers, Nathan

           

Indiana Beer News – January 12

A few additional things to pass along as we head towards the weekend (don’t forget the Flat 12 first anniversary celebration Saturday)………

Sun King is putting up the “Local Underground” tent for Super Bowl Week. It will be open from Jan. 26th to Feb. 5th and will be temperature controlled with beer, food, television, and some live music. Check out the live music schedule here ==>

Fountain Square Brewery kicks off the countdown to Winterfest with their Grand Opening Winter Luau on Jan. 21st from 7-11 pm. Fighting the winter blues with a Pig Roast, Hula, Limbo, and Best (Least?) Dressed Contest.

The New Albanian has posted their 2012 seasonal beer release schedule for bombers and draft. Look for several special brews to celebrate their 10th anniversary.

Founders Brewing fans mark your calendars for a trip to Grand Rapids - word on the blogosphere is that KBS Day will be held on March 10th.

And finally, something you’re all dying to know – Coors Light outsold Budweiser in 2011 to claim the No. 2 spot in US beer sales! But never fear InBev fans, Bud Light is still the king of this castle. The top three were followed by Miller Lite at No. 4 and Natural Light at No. 5. So….Natty Light…really???????

Cheers, Nathan

Fountain Square Brewing Update

Skip DuVall writes:

“Thought I'd give you an update on what we are doing.  Still planning on opening late summer/early fall this year.  I've brewed a few test batches that have gone over pretty well with some volunteer "testers" that we have brought in. So far the blonde and pale seem to be where we want them to be with a little tweaking going on with our porter.  We are experimenting with a cranberry-American wheat beer that I'll update you on.

Attached are a couple of pictures of our test system that we call "Frankenstein".

Their Facebook page has more, including details about getting on their tasting invitation list.

Indiana Beer News – Feb 7

In Plainfield, Three Pints Brewpub has a hearing March 1st for their Indiana license. The Black Swan Brewpub plans to start brewing in early March also.

Joan Easley, matriarch of Easley Winery in Indianapolis and friend of all homebrewers, died last Saturday in Miami, FL.

Skip Duvall and the Alcatraz equipment have found a home.

Craft beer startup to locate in Fountain Square

INDIANAPOLIS (February 3, 2011) – Craft brewing is a popular industry in central Indiana. Growing demand has made a success of more than a few microbreweries and brew pubs in and around Indianapolis. With the belief that there’s still ample room for market growth, three seasoned entrepreneurs have joined to form the Fountain Square Brewing Co., and will be introducing its selection of craft ales starting this summer.

Partners Bill Webster, Jeff Gibson, and Justin Brown have created the vision for the new brewery: a thriving brewery that’s part of the community and supports and enhances the neighborhood. The three partners are passionate home brewers with a diverse professional background, “It seemed natural to put our collective talents together to open a brewery,” says Bill Webster, “Our diverse expertise in automation and controls, business management, and chemistry and biological science will bring a high level of quality and consistency to our crafted beers.” Settling in Fountain Square was an important part of the plan. “We think a microbrewery is a great fit, and we’re excited to be part of this happening neighborhood,” says Webster.

Southeast Neighborhood Development (SEND) is excited too. They have been working to attract a microbrewery for the past year and a half. Community-based microbreweries are a popular business type, and one which is welcome in Fountain Square. “It’s a perfect complement to the unique mix of independent retailers and restaurants, bars and
entertainment venues, artist studios, and arts organizations,” says Mark Stewart, President of SEND. Fountain Square has been steadily building momentum as a retail corridor, and Stewart is confident it will be successful. “We’ll have yet another destination business – like Claus’ German Sausage & Meats, the Fountain Square Theatre, Murphy Arts Center, Joe’s Cycles, Siam Square – that will bring people from far and wide to our fun and funky neighborhood,” says Stewart, “and that’s a key factor in its increasing popularity.” He continues: “People come to buy bratwurst, duckpin bowl, have a meal or a drink, or see a show, and they find out there’s a heck of a lot of cool things in Fountain Square, and that brings them back and gets them in the door of our other businesses.” It also helps towards a SEND goal of creating jobs in the neighborhood.

Fountain Square Brewing Co. has purchased the equipment from a recently-closed Indianapolis brew pub. On opening, they’ll be joined by one of Indy’s most respected brewers, Skip Duvall, the former head brewer at Alcatraz who honed his skills under the tutelage of Omar Castrellon, now with Three Wise Men. “Not only is Skip a great brewer, he shares our passion for great beer and our desire to be actively involved in our community,” says Webster.

Over the next several months the partners will be readying the facility for production. They’re taking over a modest, one-story structure that, until recently, housed a carburetor repair business. And they’ll be right across the street from the former Wheeler-Schebler Carburetor Factory, now home to 36 artist lofts and to SEND’s offices.

Webster has a good feeling about the new venture. “We’re looking forward to working with the community of craft brewers, and with the local businesses and neighborhood organizations in Fountain Square as we bring our high-quality craft brews to central Indiana beer lovers.” Fountain Square Brewing Co.

Bill Webster
1301 Barth Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46203
Facebook: Fountain Square Brewing Co.

Charlie Papazian reports White House serves up own homebrewed White House Honey Ale.

Trade Route Brewing. Pacific, WA. We don’t get it here but the names and styles are worthy of note: