A Tale of Two Tastings – Scotch & Replicale

When Crown Liquors puts on a Scotch tasting, they don’t fool around. It was advertised as 30 different drams to try but that number wasn’t at all accurate. There were 54 on the program and another 8 or so the distributor reps had under the counter. Whew. Goona be a long evening, what with a Replicale tasting just a block away from the Crown Liquors downtown store in 2 hours.

The basement was filled with 9 fueling stations and probably 200 people. We enjoyed splashes of Aberfeldy 12 and 21yo; Benromach Organic; Dewar’s Signature; Duncan Taylor Black Bull 12yo; Glenfiddich 18yo; Glenlivet Nadura, Glenmorangie Finealta (hot), 15yo French Oak, and Quinta Ruban (A+); Gordon & MacPhail Glenlivet bottling; Highland Park 18yo; Killerran (young); Laphroig 18yo; Smokehead (too smokey); plus Tomatin 12 and 18yo. That’s the imports. From the good ole USA McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt (peat), Rogue Chatoe, and Wasmund’s Single Malt.

Splash was, gratefully, the serving sizes – appropriate to the amount, strength, and quite frankly, enough to wrap your senses around each and every taste.

People looked to be fairly generous with the donation jar. Proceeds from that went to the FACE Animal Clinic.

Crown’s Scotch shelves.

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A short stroll away, 50 or so people were at the Tomlinson Tap Room to enjoy Imperial Stout Replicale’s from 9 Indiana breweries.

 

The board says 8 but Broad Ripple Brewpub’s version was there also.

Attendees included the usual suspects, brewers, homebrewers, drinkers, Beer Geeks, and the Indy Beer Meetup folks.

Notes from some of the attendees:

• Barley Island – Somewhat sweet, malty. Fruity apricot. Too sweet. Style is lost on this.
• Broad Ripple Brewpub – Light coffee.
• Crown – Very smooth, sweet, creamy. Terrible. Sweetness dominates. Loss of style.
• Great Crescent – Best of all. Great dry, smoky finish that balances the sweetness.
• New Albanian – (Served on gravity from a firkin). Good, dark. Sweet intro balanced by a very complex sensory explosion. Good sipping beer. Lower carbonation and warmer temperature are two of the highlights. Firkin is the proper way to serve and Imperial Stout.
• People’s – Our favorite. Bitter and malt balance. Not alcoholic as some are.
• Rock Bottom North – Bitter coffee. Too sweet. Almost sour tasting like bad fermentation.
• Sun King – The most unique. Subtle but deep citrus backbone cuts some of the sweetness by showcasing it.
• Upland – Slightly hoppy. Great smoky taste up front. Great mouth feel and balance. Complexity helps cut the sweetness. Perfection.

Jared Williamson of New Albanian wrote the recipe to emulate Ackerman’s Imperial Double Stout from the 1830s. Dave Colt has been driving the Replicales for, what, 4 years now?

More at the HBG site.

Indiana Beer News – Feb 3

After a year’s absence, the tradition of a side-by-side tasting of the Replicale will return on Wed. Feb 23rd at 6pm at the Tomlinson Tap Room. On tap will be New Albanian, Broad Ripple, Great Crescent, People’s, Rock Bottom North, Sun King, Upland, and maybe more.

We hope HB 1093 isn’t dead, meaning no beer tent at the Indiana State Fair, but Bill Davis, the Chairman of the Public Policy Committee, doesn’t seem to like it. His office’s stock reply to queries says

“On one hand, I understand the desire of many people to have alcohol available at the State Fair, but on the other hand, I also understand the compelling interest in keeping the State Fair a safe and family-friendly place where we show our children that we can have fun without the presence of alcohol.  I am keeping an open mind on this issue and will be sure to keep your thoughts in mind as we proceed.”

In other legislative news:

• SB 78 – (Don’t card if over 40) has two more sponsors. Tomes and Nugent
• SB 112 - (Wholesalers can distribute beer, wine, and liquor) has a more authors. Steele, Arnold, Taylor, and Hershman join Merritt. Passed out of the Public Policy Committee. Now there are lots of amendments.

Sammy Smith writes: “I happened to be in Sarasota, FL the weekend of the Winterfest however I did happen to stumble into this craft beer bar called Mr Beery’s. http://www.mrbeeryssrq.com Check out their beer list (draft & bottles). Cheers!

Pete Slosberg’s Pete’s Wicked Ale has been around since 1986. He sold the brand to the Gambrinus Company in 1998 and they are now discontinuing it. Sigh.

Yuengling’s has finally joined the Brewers Association.

Misc News – Dec 13

A second-hand email we’ve received seems to indicate the Winterfest ReplicAle for 2011 will be an Imperial Double Stout. New Albanian Brewing Company is putting together a recipe based on Ackerman’s Imperial Stout brewed by the Southern Indiana Brewing Co. both before and after Prohibition.

Philip Ackerman and Frank Senn opened the Senn and Ackerman Brewing Co. in Louisville in 1876. It thrived and was merged into the Central Consumers Corp. in 1901 and closed in 1916.
Philip Ackerman became the brewmaster and superintendent of the re-incorporated Southern Indiana Ice & Brewing Co. after prohibition (Previously the Paul Reising Brewery) with a 100 bbl brewing plant. A $50,000 refurbishment was made and 3.2% beer rolled out of the plant on Sept 7, 1933. 19 The factory was locally known as Ackerman's Brewery.
Brands included Amsterdamer Bock; Great Eagle; Gold Crest; Imperial Double Stout; India Pale Ale; Daniel Boone; Ackerman’s Royal Munich, Vienna Select, and Old Rip.
The brewery, unable to make a profit in a competitive city, closed on November 15, 1935. The building site was used by the Polar Ice Co. until 1969 when the lot became a Holiday Inn Express.

Spec's:  OG 20 deg Plato.  ABV: circa 8%.  IBU: 35-40.
Grist Bill:
80%  Rahr 2 row pale
5% Briess Aromatic
5% Briess Dark Chocolate
5% Briess Roasted Barley
2.5% Briess 80 degree caramel
2.5% Briess cherry smoked malt
Hops:
Single addition at boil of your choice to achieve 35-40 IBU.

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The TTB has new rules about recalls and caffeinated alcoholic beverages. “The FDA letter warned the industry members that as it was used in their products, caffeine is an unsafe food additive, and therefore the products are adulterated under section 402(a)(2)(C) of the FFDCA, 21 U.S.C. 342(a)(2)(C). Among other things, the FDA letter stated that ‘FDA is not aware of any publicly available data to establish affirmatively safe conditions of use for caffeine added directly to alcoholic beverages and packaged in a combined form’.“

Watch Upland’s Gigantor tank go through the roof. YouTube (NSFWS)

Amazon’s estimated delivery date for John Holl’s Indiana Breweries is May.

Neal’s corner:

Watch a guy in a British pub eat a 1,359,000 Scoville unit chili pepper. The Naga Viper.

“The world’s most expensive beer.” Made from Antarctic ice. article

Indiana Replicale – 2010 - Schwarzbier

Dave Colt has sent out the recipe for this year's Indiana Replicale. It's a Bavarian Schwarzbier. article

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Known as Schwarz, Schwartz, or Black beer, these out-black Dunkels due to the addition of more roasted malts. Higher hopping rates make it a drier beer. Sometimes they have bitter chocolate taste and usually have a long finish. They are sometimes quite thick.

Despite that ominous-sounding description Schwarzbiers are normally fairly elegant in a rich way. In the best, everything blends together with a clean lager taste as the background for the rest of the cast of characters.

The style really has a big range. Some are thicker, especially in the far south and around the North Sea. Some have candy notes. Even the level of blackness varies from just-past-Dunkel to Guinness-black.

Developed in Thuringia in Eastern Germany and now brewed all over German-speaking Europe. The actual originator of the modern Schwarzbier is lost to history but it's probable they were interested in making a beer that would compete with Porters that were becoming popular in Europe. They are now made by many breweries in Japan, having been first brewed there by Sapporo in 1892.

No doubt the first, although not modern, Schwarzbiers were ales since lager yeasts weren't yet developed. It's documented that Mumme was brewed in Braunschweig by 1390.

There are two classics:

• Köstritzer Schwarzbierbrauerei in the small town of Bad Köstritz was founded in 1453. Goethe and Bismarck both loved Köstritzer Schwarzbierbier. The brewery had problems during the Communist rule but was re-organized and expanded in 1993.
• Kulmbacher Brauerei in Kulmbach in extreme northern Franconia, Bavaria is the successor of the first Kulmbach Monastery brewery formed in 1174 by charter of the Bishop of Bamberg. Kloster Mönchshof Schwarzbier is considered the best Schwarz in Germany.

Native Territory	Thuringia, Eastern Germany
Color (SRM)	Brown to quite black. (17 - 30).
Head	White and frothy.
Aromas	Malt but not sweet. Some roastiness. Coffee or chocolate is sometimes evident. Sometimes Noble hop aroma.
Flavors	A lot of malt and often a sweet base. Chocolate is common.
Finish	Bitter chocolate or roasted taste lingers, depending on the brewer's choice. Can become bitter dry. Lingers.
Mouthfeel	Medium to fairly thick.
Carbonation	Moderate - does not get in the way.
Alcohol	Usually not noticeable in the mouth since other flavors and the thickish mouthfeel cover. 4.5 - 5.4% ABV. Note that some brewers make their Swartz as a higher-alcohol beer that can run to 7.5%.
Bitterness (IBU)	Noble hop presence is balanced by the malt. (22-32)
Serving	Usually in a stemmed glass that is smaller than the bottle. This keeps the head refreshed when refilling, trapping the essence of the beer.
Malts	Munich and Pale malts. Dark Roasted malts in small quantity for color and roasted taste.
Hops	Noble hops.
Yeast	German Lager yeast.
Related Styles	Dunkel beers are similar but sweeter. Porters are more roasty and made with ale yeast.

 

Bob's Pick	Dinkelacker-Schwaben Bräu Das Schwarze - Stuttgart regional brewery - In swing-top bottle. "Vollwurzigund hopfenherb zugleich". Guinness-brown lager with nice bitterness that augments a toasty-burnt taste. Goes down easy.
Rare Gems	Brauerei an der Thomaskirche Spezial Schwarz - Leipzig brewpub - Earthy. Almost porterish. Served fairly warm. A seasonal beer. - Located in a soulless building on a soulless platz just 100ft from the Thomaskirche where Bach was the organist and musical director. You have to look hard to see it's a brewery or even find a name among the big awnings of the outdoor garden. The inside is modern, clean, and quiet. Weissbräu zu Köln Pantaleons Schwarze - Cologne brewpub - Ask for the black beer. Served in a stone mug so it's tough to see how black it is but the head is the same exact color as the mug. It's the blackest beer I've ever tasted. Grows on you fast. - This place reminds one of a Manhattan pre-prohibition bar; a noisy mixed-ethnic local with kids galore while a family Friday get-together eats platters of food and matronly grandmothers tsk-tsk everything. Störtebeker Swarzbier - Stalsund, Germany regional brewery - Balanced and pleasant. Porterish. A little thicker than a normal schwarz lager. They say this is the style on the North Sea. 5.0% Pivovar Avar Derer Schwarzbier - Hlučín, Czech - Deep brown. Rye and bready with floury dryness. Tangy dark fruit background. Neuzeller Klosterbrau Schwarzer-Abt (Black Abbot) - Neuzelle, Germany regional brewery - Pure black. Lots of licorice hit. Candy sweetness without being sugary. Located on the Polish border and gets lots of influence from the east.
Widely Available	Köstritzer Schwarzbierbrauerei Schwarzbier - Bad Köstritz, Germany regional brewery - Thick. Dark brown. Rich roasted, dark fruit, and roasted tastes. Good balanced finish. Kumbacher Mönchshof Schwarzbier - Kumbach, Germany megabrewery - Quite dark Tan head. Roasty aroma and taste. Not a complex beer. Sapporo Black - Tokyo megabrewery - Fairly thin body. Big flavor with a bit of chocolate and mild bitterness. Often available in cans. Sprecher Black Bavarian - Glendale, WI regional brewery - Dark brown with reddish notes. Sweeter than most. Balanced with a coffeeish finish. Kaiser (Molson) Xingu - Diviaopolis, Brazil mega-brewery - Very black. Grainy mouthfeel. Coffee, chocolate, licorice. Earthy. Balanced hops.

Typical 5-gallon (US) recipe:

Grains	5 lb German Munich malt 4 lb Pale malt .5 lb Dark Munich malt .5 lb Carafa II malt .5 lb Roasted Barley malt
Adjuncts, Fruit, Spices	None
Hops	8 oz Perle hops at start of boil .6 oz Hallertau hops for a boil of 40 minutes .5 oz Sazz hops at end of boil
Yeast	German or Czech Lager yeast
Mash	Decoction mash of Carafa II malt
Boil time	60 minutes
OG / FG	1050 / 1013

 

Weissbräu zu Köln – Cologne

 

Pivovar Avar Derer Schwarzbier at the
Berlin International Beer Festival.

Indiana Replicale

Hey Clay,
my eyes are
up here.

The gathering at Spencer's for the Replicale was a busy night for the staff and the patrons both.

The recipe was augmented by several brewers to include more dark malt. Here's some random thoughts about the beers. Please add your impressions in the comments.

• Alcatraz – One of the darker ones. Good back bite.
• Barley Island – Cloudy/hazy. Darker. Medium bite.
• Broad Ripple Brewpub – Unfiltered for sure.
• Half Moon – Sharpish edge leading to nice bitter finish.
• Ram – Darker hue. Finish has nice clean hops. No sharpness in turnover from malt to hops.
• Rock Bottom Downtown – One of the darker ones. Richest, maltiest, and nicest bitter finish.
• Rock Bottom 86th St – Lighter color. Lighter body. Average bitterness. Darn Drinkable.
• Sun King – Lightest color. Creamiest. Lacks hop finish. Most carbonated.

For the most part, people were saying John's from Half Moon and Jerry's from Rock Bottom Downtown were the favorites.

One more time, Thanks to Dave, Clay, White Labs and the Brewers Supply Group for making the Replicale possible.

Tonight's Replicale Tasting

Here's hoping the Web 2.0 works fast. Tonight's comparative tasting of the Indiana Replicales is a big go. Details:

Spencer's Stadium Tavern 802 S. West St. Indy. West and McCarty. 6pm onwards. Thurs, July 23.

8 Indiana  Replicales from

Alcatraz
Barley Island
Broad Ripple
Half Moon (Kokomo)
Ram
Rock Bottom Downtown Indy
Rock Bottom 86th St. Indy
Sun King (Indy's newest brewery)

Dustin is taking all the other taps off line (even the sacrosanct Old Style tap). Eight, count them, eight Indiana Replicales on tap at once. A new world record.

A flight of Eight 4oz samplers will be $5. (That's two pints for the price of one.) Sharing is expected. Half pints of your favorite will be $3 (to ensure there is samplers for all).

We'll see you there tonight. Please add your comments about each beer to the Replicale Wall.

Special thanks to Dave, Clay, and Dustin. If that friendship had not blossomed, this evening would not have happened.

Each year the brewers in Indiana make a special ale for the Microbrewers Festival. This year it is a German Alt.

The smoothness of an ale but less fruity. As bitter as a British Ale with a crisp tang from Noble hops. The Indiana Replicale has Kölsch, Vienna, Munich Dark, and Carafa I malts with Perle hops.

Alt means Old in German. Only the area around Düsseldorf and Cologne continued to use top-fermenting yeast when lagers became the rage in Germnay in the late 1800s.

These breweries had their Replicale at the Brewers of Indiana Guild Microbrewers Festival last weekend, have it in their brewpubs now, and are offering it for your tasting tonight.

Replicale and other news

The Replicale this year is a German Alt. Many breweries will make it to unveil at the Microbrewers Festival, July 18th. Dave Colt, as always, did the recipe:

O.G. 12.5 plato IBU's 32 Malt: Global Kolsch 85% Global Vienna 9% Global Munich dark 5% Weyermann Carafa1 1% Hops: Perle 6.3% alpha Yeast: Whatever your heart desires.

Things we learn from Jim Herter (stolen from his June/July column in Great Lakes Brewing News). New beers coming in June:

• Shoreline - 3Sum Double IPA. Bleacher Bum Bock (small beer from Curse the Goat Doppelbock).
• Back Road - LaPorte UnCommon Ale; 3.8% and a more popular price.
• Lafayette Brewing - Dry-hopped Summer Lager (German Helles with German and American Saphir hops.
• Mad Anthony's - Summer Daze Belgian Wit with Indiana honey. Bavarian Black Lager. Men of Steel American Ale in July.
• Upland - Rad Red Amber Ale
• Barley Island - Belgian Pale Ale
• Oaken Barrel - World of Wheats series - Dunkelweizen, American Wheat, Kristalweizen, Weizenbock. To be released one per month June through Sept.

Dixie Brewing is sending 1,000 cases to Fargo, ND to fulfil mayor Dennis Walaker's promise to buy everyone a beer who helped with their recent flood. Dixie is still being brewed in Wisconsin due to Katrina.

AB/InBev is selling the last of their stake in Tsingtao to a Chinese investor. That should bring about $235M to toward paying off the AB purchase.