Dribs and Drams–May 28

For the northerners among us, Eric Strader’s blog with the Elkhart Truth has changed his blog to “Hop Notes” at http://blogs.etruth.com/hopnotes.

The Senate bill introduced this year that would allow micros to sell at farmers’ markets has fallen flat. article

You’ve probably heard that Mark Havens of Oaken Barrel fame is moving to Big Woods Brewery. blog

Headline: Evansville is getting a new place for a pint. Carson’s Brewery has their permits and will used their pilot system to make a bit for the retail trade. They hope to start work on a 20-bbl brewhouse and tasting room soon. article

The Drewrys project in South Bend isn’t as dead as some people thought. The headline of this article says “Drewrys’ book, beer set for sale this summer”.

Also coming up: a brewery in Angola. Scott Ferguson is planning “Chapman’s American Ale Cider” that will half lots a ale character and 6 1/2% ABV. article

Headline of the press release: Indiana Beer Distributors Generate 2,079 Direct Jobs, $739 Million in Total Economic Impacts. Didn’t even know they wanted anything from the government. article with more states

Finally figured out why there are Big Red signs around Indy. The Bloomington-based chain has bought the 24 United Package Liquors.

Press Release: Berghoff will be back. The Chicago version of the company (including the restaurant with Illinois liquor license #1) will have Stevens Point making their beer for a push into Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin starting in June. Yes Judy, this will qualify as a craft beer.

The initial offering will be a “seasonal Solstice Wit Beer (5.2% ABV), made with Calamansi juice, an Asian citrus fruit, and spices, it is a refreshing summery beer from a long tradition of unfiltered wheat beers.  Perfect for warm weather drinking, Solstice Wit joins Berghoff’s other major year-round labels:  Straight Up Hefeweizen (5.2% ABV), a Bavarian hefe-weizen, with the creamy goodness of wheat, plus a fruity and spicy nose;  Dortwunder Lager (5.5% ABV), a classic and evenly balanced pale lager in the Dortmunder tradition;  Reppin’ Red Ale, Malt & Rye (6.2% ABV), a serious red ale that mixes tangy rye and crisp toasted malts with plenty of American hop character;  Sir Dunkle Crispy Dark Lager (5.5% ABV), smooth and malty, with a bright crispness, making a drinkable and very satisfying beer.  Berghoff will also introduce the first beer in its Überbier Series, Germaniac Extra Pale Ale (6.3% ABV), brewed with honey and molasses, it will be a briskly hopped extra pale ale patterned after the old “outlaw” beer style, Kottbüsser.”

Rich Higgins (one of five Master Cicerones) is going to host a tasting at the Tomlinson Tap Room on Mon, June 3.

Higgins will explain the historical and cultural background of each style, and the tasting will feature two Indiana- brewed craft beers from each style to illustrate the artistic and stylistic differences.
Higgins joins the Tomlinson Tap Room to present the event. Located on the mezzanine level of the Indianapolis City Market, the Tap Room is Indiana’s hub for fresh, local beer, pouring the delicious beers of the Brewers of Indiana Guild.
Featured pilsners -- real golden lagers with nuance, personality, and peppery, herbal hops: 
- Fountain Square Workingman's Pilsner 
- Three Floyds Jinx Proof
Featured Belgian-style farmhouse ales -- with flavorful, rustic, Belgian yeasts and a sparkling, dry finish:
- New Albanian Black & Bluegrass
- Bloomington Brewing Biere de Mars
Featured American IPAs -- built around bold malts and citrusy, floral hop aromas, and so much more than just brash bitterness:
- Daredevil Lift Off IPA
- Oaken Barrel Superfly IPA
Tickets cost $25 (+ 2.37 fee), and include tastes of 6 beers, plus a pint of your favorite choice after the tasting. Soft pretzels, chips, and popcorn will also be served. Tickets and more information are available at: http://www.richhiggins.com.

Magic Hat has whooped a lawsuit on Lexington KY’s West Sixth Brewing. Evidently a 9 upside down is a six. article sigh.

A beer wheel.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is probably going to become the state microbe of Oregon. article

News from Jolly Old England:

The Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) got the beer tax rate lowered with an immediate pence per pint. Breweries have promised to lower their prices (by that pence) or give the excess to charity. Members are less than impressed and 1,300 showed up at the annual meeting to yawn and to yell about the second of Camra’s showpiece pushes.

Camra earlier had called for minimum prices on beer to combat pubs’ price for real ale being much more than supermarket prices on Carlsburg/Heineken/etc. The membership meeting made Camra back off this stance as the populous don’t want anything to do with the “nanny” government setting prices, foreseeing increased taxation that could take real ale the way of tobacco.

Now the members are railing about Camra’s finger to the wind about supporting craft beer as well as real ale. Invective, invective.

Headline: Taste of Beer Makes Men Crave Getting Drunk. According to an paper published in Neuropsychopharmacology. article slightly_better_article

Budweiser is testing an “iconic” bowtie-shaped can. It will be sold as an 8-pack of 11.3 oz beers. “It holds 11.3 ounces of beer and has about 137 calories, approximately 8.5 fewer calories than a traditional 12-ounce can of Budweiser.”

This is the first time I’ve hear that Beer Filtration Could Add Arsenic. article

Headline: George Washington’s Whiskey: Not the Best article

Tips for new microbrewery customers (from the Purdue Calumet).

Tip for everybody: Keep a bottle colder by keeping it dry. article

Slate’s tip for brewers: The Craft Beer Industry’s Love Affair with Hops is Alienating People who don’t like Bitter Brews. article

Misc News – Aug 17

Fiddler's Hearth, South Bend's premier beer pub, will hold the Indiana tapping of Founders Nemesis 2010 – a 12% Barleywine. Nemesis won't hit the stores until September but you'll be able to get it on tap on August 31st starting at 8pm.

Pelican, evidently a big-time trance-metal band (hear them here), are having a show in Chicago on October 23rd. Three Floyds will unleash a Doppelbock dedicated to them. article

Bell's fourth beer in mini-kegs will be out late this fall – Winter White will join Oberon, Two Hearted and Best Brown.

Bell's 25th Anniversary party will be held mainly on Friday, Sept 10th and Sat, Sept 11th at the Eccentric Cafe. Schedule:

• Thursday, September 9th: 9:30 pm: West Side Winders
• Friday, September 10th:
  2:00 pm: Press Conference in the beer garden
  3:00 pm: Music starts and continues all night with:
  • The Kalamazoo Dixieland Band
  • Great Lakes Grass
  • Black Jake & the Carnies
  • Greensky Bluegrass
  $1 off pints until 9pm on Friday if you are wearing a Bell’s shirt.
• Saturday, September 11th:
  11:00 am – 4:00 pm: The Galesburg Brewery will be open to the public for tours.
  There will be grilled food and soda available.
  1:00 pm – 4:00 pm: Bell’s celebrates homebrewers. You bring a 5 gallon carboy to the Eccentric Café, we fill it with cold, unhopped wort made with our Michigan barley at no cost. Take it home, hop it, ferment it and send 2 bottles to us no later than November 1st for judging. Guidelines available when you pick up your wort. Winners will be announced on All Stouts Day, November 7th. Limit – one entry per person.
  1:00 pm: Music starts and continues all night with:
  • Ein Prosit! (40+ member, traditional German band) – (These folks are amazing)
  • Deal’s Gone Bad
  • Rolling Head
  • My Dear Disco
  $1 off pints until 9pm on Saturday if you are wearing a Bell’s shirt.
• Sunday, September 12th: $1 off pints all day on Sunday if you are wearing a Bell’s shirt

<=== Arcadia Hopmouth label.

Sam Adams Doublebock label. They also plan an Imperial White and Imperial Stout ===>

In a previous post we mentioned the Brits who have crawled to 14,000 pubs. The CAMRA paper, What's Brewing, has an article about Stuart Ashby who has visited 17,015 pubs since 1984. "Not bad for someone who doesn't drive and has to rely on public transport".

"Burger King is opening a restaurant in Miami Beach that will serve beer along with burgers and fries, the chain's first U.S. location with alcohol." article Happy meal? Whopper, fries, and a Bud. $7.99. One coming in NYC also. And maybe Orlando.