Tailspin fest, Feb. 20 - a great way to learn Indiana and Kentucky beers in a historic setting

This years Tailspin Ale Fest in Louisville promises to be better than ever on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016. Eight Indiana breweries (the venue is just 8 miles from the Indiana state line) are serving including Tin Man and Carson's of Evansville, Flat 12 of Indy and Jeffersonville, New Albanian of New Albany, 450 North of Columbus, Upland of Bloomington, Central State of Indy, and 3 Floyds of Munster. Kentucky brewers will come from far and wide including new breweries!

The airplane hanger at Bowman Field provides a great historic setting for brewers from sixteen states! Against the Grain Brewery of Louisville was part of the Brewdogs television series and distributes in several states as well as several countries! ATG will have a barrel aged wheat wine and a rye imperial stout along with others. Sponsor West Sixth Brewing of Lexington will serve several beers including a coconut porter and a tripel. Country Boy of Lexington will offer a Red Ale aged in sherry bbls with blackberries along with other beers. Goodwood of Louisville features a coffee stout on oak. Yet another brewery in a church has opened in Louisville, and 3rd Turn Brewing will offer a porter and a cucumber saison. Rhinegeist Brewery of Cincinnati, with former Indy brewer Jim Matt, will share a bbl aged imperial stout and a Belgian style dark ale. Louisville's Apocalypse Brewing, with strong ties to Indiana, presents a Pro-Am collaboration with LAGERS local New Albany home brew club. Dry Ground Brewing of Paducah, KY is so named because their building, an old Coca-Cola bottling plant was flooded by the Ohio River in 1937. They too will bring a bbl aged imperial stout, a Belgian style rye PA, and a tripel.

With over 200 beers offered from nearly 50 breweries to sample between 3-7PM this Saturday and a chance to help the Dare to Care Food Pantry the event will build on the three successful past years offering up Honky Tonk music plus several food trucks and promised sixty-degree weather this year! For tix, directions and more CLICK HERE Everybody get's a free empty growler from Liquor Barn.

5 Indiana Beers for Warm Weather Drinking

Last week was the first official week of spring. With the warmer weather on the horizon, many beer drinkers’ preferences will shift with the change in seasons.

Here are some fantastic Indiana beers to compliment the warmer weather. Since Indiana has so many tasty beers to choose from, I had to narrow down the contenders. I limited my choices to beers available in bottles or cans, beers with low ABV, and beers packed full of flavor. It’s by no means an exhaustive list but hopefully a starting point for the next time you are at your local beer purveyor.

Champagne Velvet, Upland Brewing Co.

CV- Upland’s take on a classic American Pilsner- provides the smooth, clean and crisp flavors you’d expect from a light lager. This beer finishes nice and dry and keeps you coming back for more- a great choice for those dog days of summer.

As a bonus CV is also available in 16oz cans if prefer a travel friendly format.

Ruby Bloom, Bloomington Brewing Co.

One of the more of the malt forward, sweeter options on this list, Ruby Bloom is an amber ale ideal for anyone who is a little hop-shy. Caramel malts help give this beer its signature color, as well as smooth drinkability.

Indians Lager, Sun King Brewing

Sun King’s seasonal offering is well suited for the ballpark- as the name suggests. The clean and crisp characteristics you’d expect from a lager but with a touch of sweetness in the finish. A really versatile food-pairing beer, Indians Lager will go well with a variety of summer food- and my favorite in particular-grilled meats.

Yum Yum, 3 Floyds Brewing Co.

3 Floyds has built a solid portfolio of hoppy, higher alcohol Double IPAs— and Yum Yum stays within that hoppy wheelhouse. It possesses those quintessential citrusy characteristics found in many American IPAs but in a low-alcohol package. This beer allows you to get your hop fix whilst being able to enjoying multiple in the same sitting.

Damascene, Tin Man Brewing Co.

The realm of sour ales is often perceived as the domain of beer nerds and collectors. Damascene is approachable, refreshing and most importantly- delicious. The apricot fruitiness provides a nice balance to the sour tart character that defines this style. This is a great gateway beer into the world of sour ales.


There are so many great Indiana beers available for spring and summer drinking. I’d love to hear what your go-to-beers are. Share what you like to drink and where to find it in the comments below.

Spring also signals time for the Bloomington Craft Beer Fest! A chance to try beers like these and many more in an open but covered venue just off Highway 37 and perfect for Spring weather! Tickets are go fast but details can be found here

By Ross Hughes;
Ross Hughes is a home brewer, a Cicerone certified beer server, aspiring Certified Cicerone and all-around beer nerd. An English expat based in Bloomington, IN, his passion for American craft beer started after his desire to find a local pub took him to Upland Brewpub and Bloomington Brewing Co. Whether he’s drinking cask ales reminiscent of his native country, or trying the latest experimental hopped IPA, Ross enjoys a variety of beer styles and is always looking to train his palette with another tasty ale.

Indiana Brewers' Cup Awards

In its 16th year, the Indiana Brewers’ Cup is one of the nation’s largest beer competitions featuring home brewers and professional brewers. Nearly 1,300 entries were expertly judged by approximately 120 trained judges with help from dozens of volunteer 'stewards.' The Indiana State Fair, in partnership with the Brewers of Indiana Guild, hosts event. Sponsors include:
- Broad Ripple Brewpub: “Brewer of the Day” to the Best of Show Home Brewer
- Blichmann Enginering: A Boilermaker pot to the Indiana Home Brewer of the Year
- Great Fermentations: A $50 gift certificate to second place home brewers
- Brewers Art Supply: A $25 gift certificate to third place home brewers
- Sun King Brewery: The space, time and energy required to cellar beers prior to the event
- Sugar Creek Hops
- IndianaBeer.com

Entries were received from as far away as California in 2014 while the local Indiana Competition is still intense.

News This Year: Breweries open a relatively short time took home medals. The landscape is changing as Indiana nears 100 breweries and brewers from out of state continue to enter this competition. Two newer breweries in Evansville, IN, walked out with a host of awards! Tin Man Brewing opened in late 2012 and has been fine tuning their operation and their beers. They took a total of 4 medals winning gold for their stout and a spiced beer. Carson's Brewing was on a pilot batch back in Spring 2013 and has had their full commercial brewery opened for less than a year. Former Home Brewer John Mills made the switch to Pro Brewer for Carson's and left with 3 medals!

Perhaps the quickest brewery to win an award is Scarlet Lane, distributing only since May, with their tasting room to open July 20 in McCordsville. The power of female owner Lane who learned beer in Oregon and Head Brewer Chris Knott, formerly of the RAM came through with 3 awards.

Upland swept the last few minutes of the Award Ceremony with Pro Best-Of-Show, Brewery of the Year, and Grand Champion awards (UPLAND TEAM SHOWN AT RIGHT)

Following is our unofficial list of Gold Medal First Place Winners (as noted from announcements at the Saturday reception). Forgive Spelling and attribution of cities based on our notes.

PROFESSIONAL BREWERS CATEGORY: Gold medals

Light Lager: Mad Anthony Brewing, Ft. Wayne, IN
Pilsner: Sun King Brewing, Indianapolis, IN
European Amber: Mad Anthony Brewing, Ft. Wayne
Dark Lager: RAM Brewery, Indianapolis, IN
Bock: Latitude 42 Brewing, Portage, MI
Light Hybrid: Salt Creek Brewery, Bedford, IN
Amber Hybrid: Oaken Barrel Brewing, Greenwood, IN

Scottish & Irish: Indiana City Brewing, Indianapolis, IN
American Ale: Rhinegeist Brewing, Cincinnati, OH
English Brown: Bier Brewery, Indianapolis, IN
Porter: Latitude 42 Brewing, Portage, MI
Stout: Tin Man Brewing, Evansville, IN
IPA: Scarlet Lane Brewing, Indianapolis, IN
German Wheat/Rye: Christian Moerlein Brewing, Cincinnati, OH
Belgian/French Ale: Upland Brewing, Bloomington, IN
Sour: Upland Brewing, Bloomington, IN
Belgian Strong Ale: Bier Brewery, Indianapolis, IN
Strong Ale: Bier Brewery, Indianapolis, IN
Fruit beer: Destihl Brewery, Bloomington, IL
Spice/Herb/Vegetable Beer: Tin Man Brewing, Evansville, IN
Smoke Beer: Indiana City Brewing, Indianapolis, IN
Specialty: Hailstorm Brewing, Tinley Park, IL
Indiana Specialty (Corn): Crown Brewing, Crown Point, IN

Shown are pro-brewers Elyse Lane (owner) and Chris Knot (Head Brewer) from one of Indiana's newest Breweries, who are planning to just open their tasting room on July 20. They received 3 medals including gold. They've only distributed since May 2014.

PRO BREWER BEST OF SHOW: VinoSynthRed (collaboration with Indiana's Oliver Winery), Upland Brewing, Bloomington, IN

PRO BREWER OF THE YEAR: Upland Brewing, Bloomington, IN

Grand Champion Pro Brewery: Upland Brewing, Bloomington, IN

HomeBrew Club Foam Blowers of Indiana made a strong showing again with multiple medals taking both major Club awards! Interestingly the Home Brew Best-Of-Show and Home Brewer of the Year went to Louisville based brewer, Evan Brill.

HOME BREWER CATEGORY Gold Medals

Light Lager: Chris Ingerman, Muncie, IN
Pils: Brian Eichhorn, Chicago, IL
European Amber Lager: Evan Brill, Louisville, KY
Dark Lager: Brian & Dean Steuerwald, Indianapolis, IN
Bock: Brian & Dean Steurewald, Indianapolis, IN
Light Hybrid: Jonathan Robinson & Peter Argiris, IL
American Hybrid: Paul Till, Ft. Wayne, IN
English Pale: Tim Palmer, Indianapolis, IN
Scottish & Irish: Russell Bankert
American Ale: Josh, Kent, Eric Bertsch
English Brown: John Gladden, Alameda, CA
Porter: Kevin Paul, Royal Oaks, MI
Stout: Andrew Johnson, Noblesville, IN

IPA: Ryan Mills, Indianapolis,IN
German Wheat/Rye: Bryce Hooper, LaPorte, IN
Belgian/French Ale: Edward Kilroy, Carmel, IN
Sour: Tom Wallbank, Zionsville, IN
Belgian Strong: Jeremy Dunn, Evansville, IN
Strong Ale: Jim Jimerson, Indianapolis, IN
Fruit beer: Brian Spaulding & Kurt Conwell, Ft. Wayne, IN
Spice/Herb/Veg beer: Bill Staashelm, Indianapolis
Smoke/wood aged: Scott Pointon, Crest Hill, IL
Specialty: Hugh Gardner, W. Lafayette, IN
Indiana Specialty (Corn): Steve Kent

SHOWN (right) TOP PIC: Judges busy scoring during the day, including Master Judge Sandy
BOTTOM PIC: Foam Blowers members sitting waiting for the news!
Thanks to Nathan Compton and Bob Ostrander for contributing to this blog.

Home Brewer Best of Show: Evan Brill, Louisville, KY
Brewer's Cup Homebrewer of the Year: Evan Brill, Louisville, KY

Home Brew Club of the Year (most total points): Foam Blowers of Indiana

Bill Friday Home Brew Club Award (most points/total entries of the club) Foam Blowers of Indiana


Bill Friday was a home brewer from West Lafayette, IN, who traveled not only Indiana but to beer events far and wide spreading the connections between people and beer. This writer recalls Bill best for his many buttons he made and sold to make money for the local THC club. Yet, most memorable for me was a visit to Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee right after Bill passed on. Owner and Brewer Russ Klisch asked if I had known Bill. We almost spent more time talking about how much Bill had done for brewing than about Lakefront's beer! Bill had been to Lakefront a few times and since Bill and Russ were both tall guys Bill jokingly started the Tall Brewers Society with Russ as Charter Member. Bill would be too humble to have an award named after him which is likely why it is so fitting.

Remember the rest of the week!

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

Chilly Water Brewing adds to the Indy Near-Downtown beer scene this Summer and other Indiana Beer News Mar.18

The Fletcher Place neighborhood in Indianapolis is getting a new brewery-brewpub in early-Summer at Virginia Avenue and McCarty Street. Chilly Water Brewing is being opened by veteran pro-brewer Skip DuVall with 8 taps of fresh local beer and a music themed atmosphere. I recently caught up with Skip to learn about the venture.

Skip has always liked music and the name of this brewery comes from a Wide Spread Panic Southern Rock band song of the same name "Chilly Water" (1987). Lyrics include: "As long as there's water, Chilly well water' Gimme some of that cool, cool water." Skip hopes to have some graphic art representing music on the walls and feature some small-venue local live music at times. Chilly Water has bicycle parking and plans to add more, encouraging patrons to ride or walk. The location is a 10 minute walk from central downtown and just a few minutes walk from nearby

Fountain Square. While there is no off-street parking, Chilly Water can be reached off I-70W using the Fletcher Avenue exit. This is in the heart of the historic Fletcher Place neighborhood. For a Fletcher Place walking tour and more information CLICK HERE

Chilly Water Brewing plans to have 8 taps to start and will feature an American Pale and a German Lager while rotating beers, all made on site to start. The brewpub will serve light food like paninis and hummus with a simple menu. The Asian fusion restaurant ROOK (corrected, earlier post misspelled) is next door and they may find a way to partner. The design will allow the brewing operation to be visible through glass and will have efficient seating for about 50 inside as well as outside space for another 30+ patrons. For those interested in the technical side, Skip will be using a 7 BBL system with extra fermentation capacity. Skip DuVall is a former brewer from Alcatraz brewing which is now gone and moved from there to nearby Fountain Square Brewery. Skip is so conscious of recycling he does not plan to sell bottled water -- so no recycled plastic. The construction will take a couple of additional months so Skip will only say "early Summer" but I look for a late-May to early June possible opening.

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Evil Czech Brewing is now Evil Czech of Mishawaka, IN, as previewed in our Fall story about them Read about Evil Czech HERE
They have opened a brewery and brew pub on the site of the former Mishawaka Brewing, but make no mistake says General Manager of Brewing Operations Shawn Erickson, the building looks totally different! While the community has respect for the legacy of a brewery (one of Indiana's earliest brew pubs) at 3703 N. Main St. in Mishawaka, the building was completely gutted, a new gastro-pub was built and entirely new brewing system that is four times larger than their Culver, IN site was opened.

While the Culver operation will remain open as a brew pub the former system may be used as a pilot but all beer will be brewed in Mishawaka. The family that owns Evil Czech already owns Corn Dance restaurant in the city where Evil Czech beer is served. The brewing operation started in 2012 and expanded to taps throughout portions of Indiana during 2013. Brewing capacity increase clearly allows further expansion of such beers as BobbleHead, Evil Czich, John the One Eye, Stalin's Dark Side, and many more. Stalin's Dark Side was released again this month and is a bold and toasty Russian Imperial Stout at 10% alcohol. The Bobblehead wheat is a flagship beer. The family group grows many of their own hops and raises bison for meat in the restaurant. Owner George Pesek is originally from the former Czechoslovakia and is a trained and noted chef.

The new restaurant had a soft opening this past week and is open 5-10PM during March with the bar open later. Evil Czech offers Mug Club memberships online; check out their Facebook site for details.

RAM Restaurant & Brewery will tap a Schwarzbeer they've named "Arnold SCHWARZenegger" using Pilsener and Munich malts with a touch of roast barley character, this German style beer is dark in color while being lighter bodied and smooth. Tapping is 6:00 PM, Thursday, March 20, at the Indy downtown location, 140 South Illinois St.

Sun King releases Lonesome Dove, a bourbon barrel aged Tripel at 10% alcohol on March 20, in the Tap Room, 135 N. College, Indy. Patrons are limited two 2-packs per person and it is $17.50 each 2-pack. beer profile click here

Get the Bloomington Beer Festival and Bloomington Craft Beer Week on your calendar. The BCBW festivities will begin at local pubs and restaurants Friday, April 4, with special tappings continuing through Friday, April 11. The festival is Saturday, April 12, in the Woolery Mill 2200 Tapp Road 4-7PM for $35 with early bird available one hour earlier. Hotel rooms at group rates are available at the Fourwinds Resort with shuttles to and from the event. Tix online HERE or at Big Red Liquors stores. A 4-way collaboration between: Upland Brewing, Bloomington Brewing Company, Quaff On! Brewing and Function Brewing produced a Black American Wheat to be available at this fest.

Tickets for the Upland Third Annual Sour + Wild + Funk Fest are available online at Eventbrite here The festival to be held at the historic Indianapolis City Market will be Saturday, May 17, 2-6 PM. A VIP Sour lecture and private tasting will be held from 12:30-1:30pm. VIP tickets can be purchased for $75, and will include VIP lecture, lanyard, commemorative T-shirt, swag bag and access to the VIP lounge.


Of course Dark Lord Day on April 26 is sold out but a few tickets can often be had from those who do not attend.

Reminding you that March 27th is the night Girls Pint Out and the Mentoring Women's Network hold a social/happy (hoppy) hour at Triton Brewery Tap Room, 5764 Wheeler Road, Indianapolis, IN 46216 . Triton's Pink Ribbon Saison will be on tap, and there will be a behind-the-scenes tour of the brewery. Mentoring Women's Network is, "an organization for professional women. Our mission is a community of empowered women supporting one another personally and professionally through mentoring relationships and our vision is the largest and most effective mentoring organization for women in the nation." (mentoringwomensnetwork.com)