Misc News – Sept 29

2009 GABF winners from Indiana are

• Barley Island Dirty Helen Brown – Gold – American Brown Ale
• Brugge Diamond Kings of Heaven – Bronze – American Sour Ale
• Brugge Bad Kitty Gose – Bronze – German Sour Ale

Almost 10% of the GABF entries (307) were in the Sour or Barrel Aged categories.

Medal winners available bottled in Indiana:

Avery Kaiser, Brabant
Barley Island Dirty Helen
Bell's Lager
Boulevard ZON
Brooklyner-Schneider Hopfen-Weisse
Clipper City Marzhon
Dogfish Head Chateau Jiahu, Palo Santo Marron, Midas Touch
Flying Dog Horn Dog 2007, Dogtoberfest, Gonzo, Barrel Aged Gonzo
Great Divide Hoss, Yeti, Old Ruffian
Harpoon UFO
Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere
Left Hand Smokejumper
Rogue Imperial Chocolate Stout, Mocha Porter
Southampton Publick House Berliner Weisse

The Old Town Ale House in Fishers is closing this coming Sunday. Sigh. In its short existence the Morses made it one of the top 5 beer bars in the state. $2 bottle specials (on everything) until then.

The Old Town Ale House in Fishers is closing this coming Sunday. Sigh. In its short existence the Morses made it one of the top 5 beer bars in the state. $2 bottle specials (on everything) until then.

Keg Liquors in Clarksville is bringing down the Southern Tier Imperial Series in bombers from North Coast Distributors up north. At prices of $8 and $10. Thanks Todd.

There are liquor store tastings, then there are liquor store stastings. Keg Liquors lined up 30 Oktoberfest and Pumpkin beers for about 80 people through the evening.

New Albanian's Public House is doing the Monday Night Football thing. Pitchers $10. Pitchers of Pilner Urquell that is.

Their Strathpeffer heather honey beer (without hops) is surprisingly balanced. Sweet malt vs. grassy fresh heather and a hint of peat. Lovely.

At New Albanian's Bank Street Brewery we can highly recommend the Croque Madame. Hame and Ementaller on toasted sourdough with a perfectly fried egg, fries, and a proper cream sauce. Add a cigarette for a Pushkin Breakfast.

The preliminary NABC All-American lineup for Lupulin Land hop festival is up. Starts Oct 16th.

Kennywood Brewing Supply in Crown Point gets good ink in the NWI Times.

Oktoberfest at Rocky's Italian Grill and neighboring Buckhead Mountain Grill - Jeffersonville. Oct 3. $5. Music, beers, etc.

The President of the Indiana Association of Beverage Retailers writes a letter to the Indy Star. They print it with the headline "Don't believe retailers".

Making a batch of cider this fall? Great Fermentations has a special blend arriving Oct 10th at $6/gallon. You must pre-order.

BrewDog of Scotland was yelled at by the government for its 18.2% ABV Tokyo Stout. So what to do? Make a 1.1% ABV hop bomb and name it Nanny State. article

Turn your cans into bottles for just $10/12. Why?

Two words: Widmer Brothers Cherry Oak Dopelbock. Limited release in bombers in October.

Molson retirees in Newfoundland and Labrador are getting a cutback in their pension. Instead of 2 cases of beer each month they'll only get 12 cans. article

For the G20 conference in Pittsburgh, the Church Brew Works made a English Brown Ale with ingredients from all 14 participating countries. Indonesian Jackfruit, Russian Buckwheat, Turkish cherry pits. article

Two Spots in Fishers, Indiana

Today's tale is a happy story of choice and a sad story of having to make a choice. Yeah, I had to reread that sentence also. You see last night the Old Town Ale House with the local United Package Liquors had a "Beer School" from 6 to 8pm and just up the road the Ram's Fisher's location hosted the mug-club tapping of an Irish Stout at 6:30. Choices. Especially since 116th St traffic could make the 4 mile drive into a half hour of exhaust fumes.

The Old Town Ale House, you see, is in downtown Fishers. 116th St just east of the railroad tracks. The decor is minimalist Michigan Roadhouse style. Plenty of space and plenty of good beer. The "Awesome Beer List" in the window is correct. You'll find 20 taps and a menu with simple pricing.

I stopped in for a late lunch/early dinner (dunch? linner?) and had an amazing thing happen. The bartendress, Precia, showed me the draft menu, pointed out the 80 or so bottles listed on the blackboard, asked me what kind of beers I liked, and had 2 samples in front of me almost before I could stammer "hello". She's good.

So's the food. Had a grilled Tenderloin Club w/fries. The 2 big slices of caramelized bacon drove all thoughts of condiments out of my head. This is the direction BBQ should go. Caramelized Bacon. Yum.

Had to duck out just when the Beer School started. Basically reps from the 116th St United Package Liquors and Cavalier Distributing offered 10 different IPAs for sampling. Your $10 tuition also included substantial snacks.

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Ram's Mug Club includes invitations to monthly tappings usually rotating between Downtown Indy and Fishers. These are gala affairs and are well-attended. Last night they offered a plate of chicken or mahi, cornbread, and wild rice for only $6 to pair with the Irish Stout bought by the brewer.

This tapping marked the change of regime from Dave/Clay to John/Adrian. The new generation has taken over with John Simmons and Adrian Ball at the helm. It looks like they'll fill the big rubber boots left behind.

The Irish Stout has plenty of roastiness and deserves time to warm to release it full and enticing bouquet of flavors. At 4% ABV this is a Session Stout that has a lightish body and will easily accompany a good steak or finish a meal.

The Barefoot Wit is very bold with a big citric coriander/cilantro aroma. A Grand Cru of Wits. Color of a well-tanned California girl. You might find the aroma lacking when first served – let it warm - it's that "We have the COLDEST beer in town!" thing.

John tells us they plan three batches of Barefoot Wit and it will be on tap all summer. The new team plans to keep the Kölsch as a regular offering on the chalkboard.