Alt

Rita's Beer Buzz column in Nuvo this week is all about Alt. She reviews Omar's Alt at Alcatraz ("close to style with a marked smoothness and delicacy"), and Andrew's at Ram ("upfront bitterness gives way to mellowness, but then a second wave of bitterness awakens the tongue for a dramatic finish").  Here's more on the style:

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Altbier may account for only 2 or 3 percent of the beer brewed in Germany but in Düsseldorf when you order a beer you'll get an Alt. If your glass is empty it will be replaced immediately whether you ask or not. Your beer mat will be marked with a slash to count the beers - be sure not to grab any old mat with pencil marks on it when you sit down. Servings are 250ml. Smoothness of an ale but less fruity but still as bitter than a British Ale. Bitterness comes from Noble hops giving a crisp tang. There's a lot of variation between brands, even in Düsseldorf, and even more in brands brewed in Austria and the U.S. The brewing process uses mainly Pilsner Malt and Spalt hops which are common in Pilsners but the specific yeast and conditioning at colder temperatures gives it the distinctive profile. Alt means old. When lagers became the rage some isolated pockets of Germany held onto their old beer traditions and old beer styles. In Düsseldorf the newer pale malts came into use but the old top-fermenting yeast was retained to produce a unique beer. Düsseldorf is just 50 miles east of Belgium and the bustling city on the Rhine is surrounded by some of Germany's finest large parklands. The climate is fairly cool in the summer and brewing could be done all year (as opposed to most of Germany where summertime brought an end to brewing). Ale yeast ferments at a higher temperature than lager yeast which helped year-round brewing. Alt (and Kölsch) beers use a somewhat cooler fermentation for their specific strains of yeast but still noticeably warmer than lagers. In 1860 there were 100 breweries in Düsseldorf. After WWI those numbers were cut in half and the depression in Germany between the wars diminished them to only 18. Today, there are only 2 large breweries in Düsseldorf along with 4 small brewpubs (mainly due to mergers). John Matthias Schumacher opened Brauerei Schumacher in 1838 and was the first to use the term Alt. Their beer was matured in wood casks longer than most other ales. It became a favorite and the company thrived to become a very large concern that is still around today. Altbiers, with some variations, are made today in Venlo, The Netherlands; Hannover, Germany; and also in brewpubs around the world. 30 miles south, in Cologne, Altbier has undergone a transformation into Kölsch. Sticke Alt Sticke means secret in the local dialect, stickum in common German. Most Düsseldorf breweries produce a Sticke which is normally stronger and darker than their usual product. In medieval times, monks would brew a stronger beer for themselves and their better, richer customers. Most Sticke Alts are 5.5 to 6.0% ABV. It is a local tradition to sell Sticke at the regular Alt price. The Uerige Sticke is the most famous of these and is exported in bottles. It comes out on the third Tuesday in both January and October. They also make a Doppelsticke at 8.5% ABV. Think of it as Double Secret Probation Alt. Füchschen puts theirs out as a Christmas beer (Weinachtsbier) served on Dec 24th. Schumacher's is called Latzenbier and is available in late September and late November. It has a lot of Noble hop bitterness and a nutty maltiness. Latzen is the German word for a wooden slat and the name comes from the high storage shelves used to keep pilferage down. It could be called a Top Shelf beer.

The Four Düsseldorf Brewpubs Füchschen Schlüssel Schumacher Uerige

 

Native Territory	Düsseldorf, Germany
Color (SRM)	Pale to deep copper often with some reddish notes. (13 - 19).
Head	Off-white and thick.
Aromas	Some rich malt. Noble hop aroma.
Flavors	Mainly crisp malt start. May have some fruity presence.
Finish	Balanced drying hop that is fairly long lasting.
Mouthfeel	Medium body.
Carbonation	Moderate - does not get in the way.
Alcohol	Not noticeable in the mouth. 4.5 - 5.0% ABV. Sticke Alt is normally 5.5 - 6.0 % ABV.
Bitterness (IBU)	Variable by brand. Clean Noble hop character. (35 - 50)
Serving	Usually in a 1/4 liter straight-sided glass. A Kölsch glass may be more obtainable.
Malts	Pilsner, Munich, Vienna, Wheat. Touch of darker malt such as Black Patent for color only.
Hops	Noble hops. Spalt is the normal base hop.
Yeast	Specialized Alt yeast.
Related Styles	Kölsch
Notes	Fermented cool for an ale (say, 63 - 68°F). Lagered for at least a month at quite cold temperature.

Bob's Pick	Uerige Altbier - Soft, strong, bitter, amber brew served from the wood. (They also make a delicious Hefeweizen of a non-Bavarian style - without banana/clove essences.) Uerige Sticke - Düsseldorf - Rich reddish brown. Strong malt with good balance. Subtle hints of fruit, caramel, and minerals. More alcohol in the mouth than its 6.0% ABV would suggest.
Rare Gems	Alaskan Amber - Juneau, Alaska - Rich malty with a long finish. Well balanced. McNeill's Alle Tage Altbier - Brattleboro, VT - Creamy and rich. Southampton Publick House Secret Ale - Southampton, NY - Big with lots of caramel and a bit of toasty. 5.0% ABV - low for a Sticke.
Widely Available	Diebels Alt - Issum, Germany (just northwest of Düsseldorf) - Possibly the most earthy major commercial example. Available throughout Germany. Frankenheim Alt - Düsseldorf - Deep copper. Sweet malt aroma that dries fully. Schwelm Alt - Schwelm, Germany (just northeast of Düsseldorf) - Darker than any of the others. Nutty, herbal, with caramel notes.

 

Typical 5-gallon (US) recipe
Grains	5.5 lb Pilsner Malt 2 lb Dark Munich Malt 2 lb Vienna Malt 1 lb Crystal Malt 1 lb CaraHell Malt 1 lb Dark Malted Wheat 1 oz Black Patent Malt
Adjuncts, Fruit, Spices	None
Hops	1.8 oz Spalt hops at start of boil 1 oz Hallertau for 45 minutes of boil .5 oz Hallertau for 15 minutes of boil .5 oz Hallertau at end of boil
Yeast	Düsseldorf Alt yeast
Mash	Double Decoction
Boil time	75 minutes
OG / FG	1050 / 1013

More information can be found at the European Beer Guide.

Misc News – June 17

Here's an Exhaustive list of what's new from World Class Beverages. From Abita to Zatec. Our must-read of the day.

Drop by BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse on Father's Day and take a logo pint glass home.

Coming up this weekend and beyond, if you're not going to the National Homebrewers Conference in Minneapolis:

Friday:
Mini Beer Fest. Chalet Party Shoppe, CR 17, Elkhart. 6-8pm. $5 (charity).
Beer Tasting. Liquor Locker, Evansville. 4-7pm
Beer Tasting. Parti Pak, Greenwood. 5-7pm
Beer Advocate A-list Tasting. Vine and Table, Carmel, 3-7pm
Beer Sampling. Norma's Fine Wines. Indy. 6-8pm
Beer Tasting. Cap n' Cork, New Haven. 5-7pm.

Saturday:
Tops of the Hops Festival. Louisville. 2-6pm. $40/$45
Zoo Brew, Mesker Park, Evansville. Turoni's, OVHA, Cumberland, Fred's, WCB, etc. 6-9pm. $25/$30.
Taste of Bloomington. 3-11pm.
Founders Fest. Grand Rapids. 3-11pm

Wed, June 23rd:
Ales for Tails, Kokomo Humane Society. $30. 5-8pm.

Sat, June 26:
Phoenix Theatre Brew-Ha-Ha. Indy. 3-7pm. $20/$25.
Deadline for entries for the Indiana State Fair Brewer's Cup
Junefest. Richmond Depot District. New Boswell will be pouring.
Beer, Wine, & Liquor Extravaganze. S&V Liquors, Illinois Road, Fort Wayne. 5-8pm. Free.

There will be a bus again this year from New Albanian to the Indiana Microbrewers Festival. $85 includes bus, fest tickets, lunch, and "adult refreshments" during the ride. 807-7531 or profgesser@insightbb.com for complete details and reservations.

Tell Stan Hieronymus what you want in his upcoming book "For the Love of Hops" here.

John Holl chronicles the start of the revolution with The Rise and Fall of New Albion Brewing.

Malt Advocate Magazine has been bought by Shanken Communications which publishes Wine Spectator and Cigar Aficionado. article

Can you spot the illegal activity in this picture? These soccer fans were actually arrested for wearing orange dresses. Why are we talking about this on IndianaBeer? They were arrested because their presence at the game was against Anheuser-Busch's marketing agreement. Makes me thirsty for Bavaria beer. article with bigger picture

The Labor British government commissioned a study that just recommended lowering the BAC limit from .08 to .05. Of course Labor is out and the Conservatives are in and they promise to consider the "economic impact" of such a change. Any bets?

The DeKoninck brewery's sales are down (maybe because they don't bring their great Winter Koninck to the U.S.) and it is rumored to be on the block with potential buyers Duvel Moortgat and, wait for it, Heineken.

Misc News – June 15

Bob Mack reviews Barley Island Barfly IPA.

True Brew is in the warehouse in Bloomington and you'll be able to pick it up any day now. Your favorite brewpub should have copies and Rita should have a booth at the Indiana Microbrewers Festival. Author Rita Kohn has a long schedule of events planned including the a tasting and signing at Powerhouse/Viewpoint Books in Columbus, the Indiana History Museum, and more.

You'll also be able to buy Tickets ($35) to the Microbrewers Festival starting Friday at all Indiana Breweries and at the Crown Liquors stores in Avon, Fishers, Noblesville, 86th and Township Line, 62nd and Allisonville Rd., US 31 South, 96th and Michigan Rd., and Downtown Indy. The VIP tickets ($50 that get you in an hour early) are only available online (where you can also buy the normal tickets).

Breckenridge will have it's Regal Double Pilsner (7.7%) available in Indiana in about a month.

Great Divide Belgica, Double Wit, 16th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA, and Hoss Rye Lager are out any day now. A new Wood Aged IPA, a Tripel and Smoked Baltic Porter will come in August. The brewery in Denver just added 50% to their capacity.

Stolen from Ludwig Roars, the complete Beer Festival Calendar Blog: "Pete Crowley, the award-winning brewmaster at Rock Bottom in Chicago, has moved on to another Windy City brewery, the Haymarket Pub & Brewery. Crowley and his partners hope to have the new brewery up and running by the end of this summer. The brewery is located at the southeast corner of Randolph and Halsted west of the Loop. That is the exact location of the 1886 Haymarket Affair. . ."

Steve Williams has the job you want. He's the Official Beer Taster of London. It even pays, sort of. article

The next Nobel Prize candidate: Philadelphia bar installs Self Serve Tap. article

@Lukafer: Welcome to Indy.

Columbus News

Jon at Powerhouse has brewed Total Eclipse of the Grain for the Microbrewer's Festival in July. He took the Two Dave's IPA recipe, pitched a Belgian yeast strain on it, and added an insane amount of hops. Look for it in the firkin tent.

Powerhouse acquired a keg of Old Rasputin to go on a nitro line, we are all anxiously awaiting the tapping of this amazing beer.

The Powerhouse Bards and Brews held the first Monday of each month has had an amazing turnout. Hosted by Matthew Jackson of the Reservoir Dogwoods, a variety of poets, musicians, and comedians have performed.

Special releases from Three Floyd's have been spotted at numerous Cork locations around town. I have found Broo Doo, Brian Boru, Blackheart, Rabid Rabbit, and Arctic Panzer Wolf.

CACA will be entering an interesting stout in the Woodford Cup, the guys each made a different stout with common grain and yeast and blended them in the barrel. It promises to be tasty.

Misc News – June 12

Gina tells us:

Sun King is installing a Reverse Osmosis system in the next couple of weeks. Their first batch, Johan the Barleywine will be available at a dinner at Chef JJ's Back Yard in mid-July.

Crown Liquors has Three Floyd's Arctic Panzer IIPA, Boulevard Tank 7, Avery 17th Anniversary, and Tyranena La Femme Amere.

Payless Liquors in Fishers has Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch, Three FLoyds Black Albert, Pissenlit Saison, and Stone/Brewdog Bashah.

Barb Kehe tells us Sean McKinley will be be leaving his Assistant Brewer's job at Back Road and Chuck will be looking to fill that vacancy. June's Back Road offerings include Midwest IPA, Scottish Ale, Belgian Wit, and Summer Wheat. Blueberry Ale is also back for the summer.

Rick Lyke has 2 articles in the latest All About Beer Magazine in a Beer Traveler supplement. One is "150 Perfect Places to Have a Beer". He lists them on his blog. Lessee, I've been to 32 of them. No doubt a few Hoosiers can top that. Let me know your total.

The Michigan Brewers Festival will include a Homebrew Competition this year.

Homebrew News – June 12

Anita tells us the Woodford Reserve Cup entries from the 11 homebrew clubs will require only one 12-ounce bottle for judging as it won't go to a best-of-show round (a corney keg or growlers for the reception is still wanted for showing off your club's winning brew). She advises the clubs to fill in the online entry form at BrewersCup.org just as all other entries giving the Club Name and use the 24A category.

The Hop Jockeys and IBADS are going to group brew at Upland on July 24th. Area brewers that want to meet fellows can find them there.

Here are pictures from yesterday's Brew-B-Q, attended by about 75 people from the Bloomington Hop Jockeys, Columbus Area Classic Alers, Duneland Homebrewers Assoc., Foam Blowers of Indiana, Howard County Homebrew Club, Indiana Brewing and Drinking Society, Michiana Extract and Grain Assoc., MECA Brewers, Ohio Valley Hombrewers Assoc., Gambrinus Society, Tippecanoe Homebrewing Circle, and Mad Anthony Serious Homebrewers. We're guessing a over 200 different homebrewed beers, meads, cisers, and ciders were available for tasting.

The FBI set it up again this year with point men Ron Smith and Frank Petrarca smoking the meat. Huzzah.

 

 



 

Misc News – June 10

Correction: Yesterday's new referred to Southern Wine and Spirits as possibly carrying beer. Our bad. Todd Antz points out that in Indiana beer and liquor distributors are mutually exclusive.

Todd also says "The 5th Annual Keg Liquors Fest of Ale was a great success this year.  Our attendance was up to 750 people, and we were able to raise $5600 for the WHAS Crusade for Children, which is an improvement of $2100 over last year's donation."

Wes Barnes, the sales guy at Wilbur Brewhause reports some great growth. Dan Hause has moved from a 5gal system to a 55gal system, boiling over a wood fire, and can make up to 200 cases per month. Country Mellow, their 8% Certified Organic bottle-conditioned 81-IBU Pale Ale can now be found at the 4 Sahara Mart and Bloomingfoods locations in Bloomington. It's on tap at Max's Place (tapping next Tuesday) and Yogi's (tapping next Wednesday). In Martinsville, stop at the Olde Northside B&G and Brownstone Bottle Shop. Also Red Barrel in Monrovia. Huzzah.

John Holl who is writing the beer-travel-oriented book "Indiana Breweries" for Stackpole Books tells us Doug at Upland mentioned that their tasting room would be getting brewing equipment in about 60 days. I haven't seen that news on your site yet, but thought it would be of interest to your readers."

Speaking of upcoming books. Besides Rita Kohn's True Brew there is Indiana: One Pint at a Time should be out sometime soon. It's Douglas Wissing's "journey through the history of beer from prehistoric times through industrial brewing. the book also details the history of brewing in the Hoosier State, including the Indiana-German brewers who dominated the industry until Prohibition, the 20th-century decline of the industrial breweries and the rise of craft breweries in the 1990's." $24.95 pre-purchase

Dark Horse has bought the neighboring building and is planning a $700,000 expansion in Marshall, MI. This will add 18,000 sq. ft. and increase capacity to 25,000 bbls from their current 6,000. article in Kalamabrew

Brazil has a hot, hot, hot economy. I fact they've run out of beer cans. article that really doesn't have toom much to do with beer

Belgians have an observatory in Chile. Of course it's called TRAPPIST (TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope) or we wouldn't even mention it. That's a new meaning of Beer Goggles. Next up: the Chimay Galaxy.

Misc News – June 9

The most important story of the day is on The Indianapolis Business Journal as it tells the tale of 3 New Microbreweries planned for Indy. Triton, Darren Conner's Bier Brewery & Taproom, and Flat 12 Bierwerks recently licensed downtown, Well, four because they mention Scott Wise's effort in Broad Ripple. Best quote: "Beer should taste good — it’s not an acquired taste." – Darren Conner.

The Terre Haute Trib-Star has a smarmy “I’m 55 years old and think it is an honor to ask me” look at ID requirements while the National Association of Convenience Stores says "However, one state representative thinks the law is overkill. “It almost seems silly to ask anyone who goes in to buy beer to show their ID. That’s not how the minors are getting alcohol, said Rep. Woody Burton."

B.I.G. unveils the 2010 Microbrewers Festival Logo.

"Indianapolis, Ind. -- Southern Wine and Spirits of Indiana Inc., announced that it will locate its newest regional office and distribution center here, creating a combined 200 new jobs at two Central Indiana facilities." article

Basically, this country-wide Florida-based distributor is looking to become a distributor in Greenwood with a building about 40% the size of Monarch's in Lawrence. They'll get $1.4M in tax credits as an "incentive". They are mainly, like it says, wine and spirits. In other states they do handle 2nd-tier beers such as Anchor, Asahi, Brew Brothers, Estrella, Keo, Pete's, Shiner, etc. so they could bring in a few more micros, competing statewide with World Class and Cavalier, but we'd expect their portfolio to be quite small.

Recalls, part 2: Goose Island has recalled some Matilda for sourness issues. Seems some Lacto got in the Brett. (Isn't that how Reeses Sourbutter Cups got invented?) The recall involves the following bottles so if you are a real sourhead enjoy them while they still are around <grin>:

04/01/2010 - 12oz
04/17/2010 - 12oz
04/22/2010 - 12oz
05/20/2010 - 12oz
04/16/2010 - 650ml
05/21/2010 - 650ml

Grow Your Own Beer Garden

Misc News – June 7

What's on tap in Northwest Indiana? See Scott Bort's column in the Post Tribune. He also points out the Beer Geeks Pub set to open this summer or so in Highland. Learn about Brickworks Der Kaiser, Crown Double IPA, FFF's Jinx Proof (going into bottles), Figure 8's new hours, Shoreline Stella Blue, and Back Road's 4 June offerings, etc.

Goose Island Matilda and Sofie will be on tap at Barley Island Restaurant and Brewhouse, Broad Ripple this Wednesday.

Oaken Barrel's newly-tapped Seasonal is a California Common.

New Albanian's Haggis Laddie Celtic Red will go on tap this Saturday in time for them to also take it to the Celt on the River festival & concert. info

Hey homebrew clubs.  The Indiana Brew-B-Q Homebrew Gathering is this Saturday at the Sun King brewery on the east side of downtown Indy. 135 N. College Ave. map Just in time for the start of drop-offs for entries also at Sun Kingto the Indiana State Fair Brewer's Cup – . Weather says it will be 92°.

Paul Edwards points out "There's a parade on the 12th that will have Mass Ave closed off from College to Michigan St, along with parts of Michigan St (west of the Mass Ave intersection), and Meridian St will be partially blocked. So will Pennsylvania. So don't try to get to Sun King from the north side of Indy by coming down College, or Meridian or Pennsylvania.

These people need a handout and a hand. The Ironclad Hotel closed. The nearest place to get a beer is 75 miles away and it's out of beer. The second nearest place is another 125 miles away. Sucks to live in Marble Bar, Western Australia. article

Whew. If you think IndianaBeer can pan a beer sometimes see Migration, We Have a Problem.

"Light beer is in a slump. Advertising Age reported this week that U.S. sales of the biggest brands are in an alarming slide, with Bud Light down 5.3% this year and Miller Lite off 7.5%. Is this but a recessionary blip or are we finally witnessing a great consumer revolt against shamefully bad beer, shamelessly promoted?" So starts this Wall Street Journal article that should be printed in 32 point letters on every liquor store wall.

Fort Wayne News - June 4

Cap n' Cork (10020 Lima Rd.) free beer tasting (21 yrs. old & over) today from 5p.m.-7p.m. Some of the beers being poured will be from New Holland Brewing Co., Goose Island, Tyranena, and Leinenkugel. Come out and sample some beers and perhaps find a new summer beer to enjoy.

J.K. O'Donnell's Irish Ale House currently has Upland Ard Ri and Southern Tier Oaked Unearthly on their rotating taps.

Mad Anthony has Summer Daze, Imperial Stout and Pale Dopplebock on tap.

800 Degrees currently has on tap: Bells Oberon, Victory St. Boistorious, Dogfish Head Midas Touch, Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron, Stone Sublimely Self-Rightous Ale, and Stone Cali-Belgique IPA.

Misc News – June 4

Saturday's Fest of Ale gets ink in the News and Tribune.

Ram's new Barefoot Wit is made with the expected orange peel and coriander but has an additional seasoning – chamomile flowers. Yumm.

Bloomington Brewing is expanding a bit out of Bloomington for the first time in memory. Scotty's Brewhouse 96th St. Indy has have Quarrymen Pale Ale and Ruby Bloom Amber on tap. The Downtown and Geist locations will tap identical kegs real soon now. If you haven't had Floyd's regular offerings in B'Town, try them up north.

Bloomington Brewing's new production facility will enlarge their capacity from 900 bbls to about 9,000. It's due to start producing in August so we'll be seeing much more of them on tap, at least in the southern regions of Indiana, as they plan to self-distribute "within about 60 miles". They have no plans to bottle though.

Sun King's latest is Batch 111 Golden Slumber Belgian Strong Ale.

The Post-Tribune agrees: New Alcohol ID Law Borders on Absurdity - "the Legislature next year should right the wrong it has created."

The Beer Sellar's 30 Bell's on tap a year ago is going to be eclipsed by the City Tap House in Philly next Monday. 31 Bell's on tap. Hey JimS, we need to bring the record back. Work on that will you? Thanks.

Misc News – June 2

Lafayette Brewing's June beers: "First up, we'll be releasing the I Am An American IPA later this week.  This beer has been described as the "bastard stepchild of Tippecanoe Common Ale and our Eighty-Five".  This assertive ale features pale and crystal malts along with generous additions of Chinook hops.  Deep golden in color, this medium-bodied beer is bursting with resinous pine and citrus notes.  ABV 5.9%, IBU 75.  The second specialty offering is a commemorative beer brewed in honor of the brewmaster's late golden retriever.  Golden Lady IPA, also brewed loosely to the American IPA standard, features plenty of Harrington pale and imported crystal malts along with an assertive hopping schedule that includes Amarillo and Chinook hops.  ABV- 6.1% IBU- 80  Look for Golden Lady IPA to hit the taps in mid-June."

Yesterday, Bell's announced a recall of two batches of Two Hearted Ale brewed in early April. Some Lactobacillus got in them and they are turning sour. This involves bottles with 9663 or 9674, the batch number, on the back of the labels. No doubt World Class Beverages will get these out of circulation if they still are in stores. Move along now, nothing to see here – except an upright company doing the right thing and being big enough and tech-savvy enough to actually have the batch number on the bottles. press release They also have started a conversation on Beer Advocate that discusses how it happened.

The Richmond Palladium-Item is the first newspaper to say it: New law requiring ID for alcohol very silly

Even though Rita Kohn's True Brew can't yet be ordered on Amazon, they do have some pages available to view including the Table of Contents and Index. Go to this link and click "Search inside this book".

Misc News – June 1

Mail from Kiera at New Boswell. "We’ve been on tap at Little Sheba’s in the Depot District in Richmond for a few weeks now and people really seem to like it!  Rod is involved in the planning for an Oktoberfest in the Depot District as well.  I believe this will be the first Oktoberfest down there.  We’ll be at the Microbrewer’s Festival as well as a new festival in Winchester called Junefest on the weekend of June 25th."

Big Woods Construction Pictures A slide show that mysteriously doesn't show the new vessels.

A weeks, and weekends, are ahead spreading out past all corners of Indiana.

• Tues, June 1 - Tapping of Barefoot Belgian Wit at Ram's Fisher's location. Welcome the two new brewers, Andrew Castner and Skip DuVall. 6:30pm.
• Tues, June 1 - Michigan Beer Tasting. Marshall Lanes, Marshall, MI. $25. 6:30-9:30pm.
• Wed, June 2 - Three Floyds Street Metal Ale release party with Bible of the Devil. Quenchers Saloon, Chicago. 9pm.
• Sat, June 5 - Keg Liquors Fest of Ale, Clarksville. $30. 3-7pm.
• Sat, June 5 - Bluegrass & Brewfest. Fall Creek Golf Club (Idlewold). Pendleton. 10am-10pm.
• Sat, June 5 - Upland RadFest 5-11pm. $25/$20.
• Sat, June 5 - World of Beer Festival. Milwaukee
  
• Tues, June 8 - Tapping of Alt at Alcatraz, Indy.
• Wed, June 9 - Tapping of Bottoms Up Kölsch at Rock Bottom, 86th St, Indy. 6pm
• Wed, June 9 - Tapping of Double Deuce Duesseldorfer Altbier at Ram downtown Indy. 6pm.
• Fri, June 11 - Beer Tasting. Moggers Restaurant, Terre Haute. 5:30pm
• Sat, June 12 - Indiana Brew-B-Q Homebrew Gathering. Indy.
• Sat, June 12 - American Craft Beer Class. Towle Theater, Hammond. 4pm. $25
• Sun, June 13 - Botanical Brew & Q. Festival and homebrew competition. Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory, Ft. Wayne.

Look for Fullers Laverstoke Organic Ale and Lager which have just gotten to Indiana.

Goose Island will add to their Belgian line in Fleur next month. Pale Ale, 7.0%. Blended with hibiscus and kombucha tea. In October they plan Lolita, but there's confusion on whether it's a raspberry or cherry.

Hints for Homebrewers – Put Quality Wine and Ale Supply's blog in your RRS.

No kidding. Ontario has revoked their version of label approval for Samichlaus. "The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario has decided the beer’s label contravenes rules against advertising to children. It features the name of the beer, Samichlaus, a Swiss-German nickname for the saint behind the Santa Claus legend, and a small black-and-white bearded figure." I know my son wants some of this beer for Christmas, but then he's 32. Jay Brooks' take

Fosters says it's looking for a buyer for it's brewing operations. MolsonCoors already owns 5% of that business. MC recently bought 51$ of Hebie Si'hai Beer Co. in China. ABInBev has started building a new brewery in southern China. Looks like the South Pacific is the next battleground.

Oregon is adding a 28¢ tax per six-pack today – except for microbrewed beer.

Quote of the day: "Tesco was selling below cost when it sold 24 cans of Stella Artois for £10. If the cost of duty and VAT are taken away, it works out at a loss of 6p per litre."

No kidding. Beer has been banned from the first World Dwile Flonking Championship. And it isn't even Welsh. You see there's this bar in Norfolk that has an annual game where one team dances around a pole and one of the other team stands in the middle flinging a beer-soaked towel – that's the dwile - at them using sticks and they get 3 points for a head shot, 2 for a body shot, and 1 for a leg shot and if they miss twice they have to chug a beer but the Nanny State doesn't like that last part so they will chug lemonade (shudder) which will ruin a centuries old, or at least decades old, tradition and besmirch the aptly-named gazunder – a pewter chamber pot donated by Adnams Brewery as a trophy.  More impenetrable info – pictures. UPDATE: It's been cancelled. First they came for the dwiles, next it will be the cheese rolling. Oh what? That was cancelled this year also. At least Japanese log-riding is alive and well.

Bud Select 55 is truly the lightest beer in the world. proof

Recent Events - May 28

I recently attended the Granite City Food & Brewery Mug Club Party as they tapped their Belgian Golden Ale. They advertised this beer as "A beautiful golden color with crisp, spicy, malty flavors. It's the perfect summer time refresher!" I was told the ABV of this beer is 10.2%. "Really" I responded "as it certainly does not taste very strong and does not come across as a sipping beer if the ABV really is 10.2%". Interesting. The appearance was a small head, very fizzy and bubbly, opaque body and no carbonation. The aroma was malty and spicy. The flavor was sweet, very acidic, fruity, spicy, and crisp. It was a very easy drinking beer, but I still question the 10.2%ABV.

I attended my first Bock and Rock beer event in Minster, OH. I have heard a lot of good things about this event from a beer friend in Ohio who attends this event and decided to attend and see for myself what the hype was all about. I was definitely not disappointed and plan to attend next year's event which will be the event's fourth year. I attended the VIP event in which John Najeway, Head Brewmaster at Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. (Akron, OH) and Ken Belau, Head Brewmaster at Bell's Brewery, Inc. (Kalamazoo, MI) conducted a two hour guided beer and food education/pairing for the 148 VIP attendees. There were 11 different bottled and cask conditioned beers served from both breweries that were paired with cheeses, sandwiches and desserts. After the VIP event concluded the general public tent was open and the ticket price included 20 sample tickets, a tasting glass for 5oz. pours and a booklet detailing what beers are located at each of the tables along with a style description of the beer. There were 90 or so beers available for sampling. Some of the breweries represented were: Kulmbacher, Tucher, Schneider, Weihenstephaner, Troegs, Chapeau, Unibroue, St. Bernardus, New Holland, Wyerbacher, Avery, Dogfish Head, Great Lakes, Stone, Southern Tier, Founders, Great Divide, Thirsty Dog, Bell's, Abita, Flying Dog, Wooden Shoe, and Elevator to name "a few". There was also food available and live music to add to the fun. This was a well attended event and one that I look forward to attending next May. Their website is http://www.bockandrock.com/.

Upcoming Fort Wayne Events - May 28

Free beer tasting (21 yrs. old & over) today at Cap n' Cork at Covington Plaza from 5p.m.-7p.m. Sample beers from New Holland Brewing Company, Upland Brewing Company, Southern Tier Brewing Company, and Goose Island Beer Company.

S&V Liquors, Illinois Road, will be having their second annual Tasting Extravaganza on Saturday, June 26th, from 5p.m.-8p.m. Over 100 beers, wines and liquors will be available for sampling along with special guests from the Wisconsin Cheese Company providing appetizers during the event. This event is free and open to the public (21 yrs. old & over).

Remember to check the Calendar section on this website for beer events not only taking place in Fort Wayne, but around the state and beyond.

Misc News – May 27

The public voting for the 6 beers to come back during Broad Ripple Brewpub's 20th Anniversary demanded Limping Mallard, Amarillo Lager, 10th Anniversary, Violet's Strawberry Blonde, Dual Citizenship Ale, and the one that's on now – Diving Duck American Brown.

Brugge Brasserie's Pooka is billed as a Boysenberry Wheat and some fruit and some wheat (wit?) character is there. It all is really put under the table by the lactic, lactic, lactic. In fact it is getting tarter and sourer every day. Seems some kind of Gaelic Faery sneaks in every night with more cheek-pucker. Bad Kitty has been put to shame.

The Indy International Wine Competition has been moved from the Indiana State Fair to Purdue's Department of Food Science with new organizers and such. The new web site is ww.indyinternational.org although there is nothing there yet except "currently developing", "check back soon" and "Entry forms will be sent in June". So evidently the traditional mid-June date for the judging will be set back a bit.

He'Brew's Chosen Beer, Rejewvenator '10 is the Year of the Grape. "Half Doppelbock, half Belgian style Dubbel. Ale Brewed with All Natural Concord Grape Juice. They are also putting out 500 total cases of RIPA on Rye.

Bombers of Heavy Seas Mutiny Fleet's latest, Smoke on the Water, a Smoked Porter, will hit the streets in June. 8%.
Daaah Da-Da DAAH DAH.

Paulaner Weisn Okotberfest will be coming to the U.S. for the first time this July through October. They claim it is the actual "authentic beer of the 200th Munich Oktoberfest". 5.8%. If it really is the same served in the park it will be quite hoppy in comparison to other O'fests from Augustiner, Hacker, Hofbrau, Lowenbrau, Pschorr, or Spaten. Kicker: It will be in cans.

 

Triton Brewing

Triton Brewing – That's the name of Jon Lang's new brewery startup to be built on the northeast side of Indianapolis. Partners Lang, Mike DeWeese, and David Waldman unveiled the corporate name last night as Jon served prototype beers including a no-name flagship American IPA – quite good – that will probably end up being called Railsplitter Ale.

Here's what we know:

• The 20-bbl equipment from Warbird is in Indy waiting to be installed in their new digs.
• The water will be tamed by reverse-osmosis.
• The Triton name reflects "it's all about the water".
• Investment opportunities are still available.
• They plan a tasting room at the brewery – which will be "conveniently close to Great Fermentations".
• Jon plans an IPA, a Brown, and more of his barrel-aged beers that won lots of medals for Barley Island.
• They hope to have beer hitting the stores yet this year.

More at HBG

Previously we had reported Jon and Mike and Scott Wise were working on Beer Baron or Thr3e Wise Men to be located in Broad Ripple and produce a line of beer for Wise's Scotty's Brewhouse chain. That partnership has fallen apart but we're told Wise has signed for the location on Broad Ripple Ave and the Monon Trail signed for and is looking for equipment and a brewer.

 

Misc News – May 26

New Albanian and Brugge Brasserie probably won't be the only brewpubs to show all the World Cup games but NABC is brewing special beers for the occasion - Ordinary Bitter, Keller Pils and Biere de Garde. Plus a really cool poster.

The Hoosier Beer Geeks Tailgate for Nothing 2 recap. Plus they talk about Rock Bottom's Brewer's Dinner.

Chalet Party Shoppe Opens New Location in Elkhart – from Eric Strader's Beer Nuts blog in the Elkhart Truth.(Folks up north, if you don't follow Eric's blog, you should be).

Bell's Eccentric Cafe is getting a complete refurb. article – article

The Atlantic talks about the elephant in the pup-tent. When is a Craft Brewery just a Brewery? Sam Adams and AC Golden really aren't

Pabst is being sold. After Paul Kalmonovitz ruined the beer industry he died and the took the S&P corp, Falstaff, Stroh's, Narragansett, National Bohemian, Olympia, Pearl, and Pabst down with him to the gates of a sudsy hell. The rights to Pabst, for instance, ended up owned by a charity that has made the most of it by rebranding as a retro boutique beer and getting good contract-brewing from City Brewing in LaCrosse. Now they are making money. Unfortunately the IRS doesn't like to see non-profits make profits and they've been trying to sell the brand for 5 years. Now Dean Metropoulos may buy it. He's made a bundle with Chef Boyardee, Bumble Bee Tuna, and Vlasic Pickles. article

AB InBev is rumoured to have put Bass, Boddingtons and Flowers up for sale. article

Misc News – May 24

The Post-Trib covers the Illiana Mayfest and its sellout of "1,000 geeks" and 17 breweries. article

Figure 8 Brewing was there with Ro Shampo, Where Lizards Dare IPA, Camp 4 Nut Brown Ale. They will soon be releasing a Watermelon Wheat.

Three Floyds gets ink in The Atlantic.

Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Charlie, Fred, and Ken's Imperial Helles Bock (8.9%) left the warehouse today. info - But there won't be any Anniversary Ale this year. It will be replaced by Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale. in August.

Esquire rates Nine of the Worst Beers on Earth. From Bud Light & Clamato to Olde English 800.

Space hops stolen by aliens?

Hops seeds that were taken into space last year and supposedly brought back to Earth last month on the space shuttle Discovery have gone missing, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency announced on May, 13. The seeds entrusted to JAXA by a Tokyo-based science education venture were taken to the International Space Station in August last year and were stored inside Japan's Kibo laboratory module until Discovery's light back home in April. But JAXA was notified by NASA in late April that the 120 grams of soybeans, hops and other seeds were missing despite records showing they were brought back to Earth by the shuttle.
JAXA officials said the organization will investigate what happened, while the venture said it is holding talks with JAXA over the matter. The project aimed to study the impact of zero-gravity on the taste and smell of the plants. After the experiment, the hops were supposed to be given to one of the leading Japanese brewers, Sapporo. Source: BelgianShop

Blitz Chiller. Need we say more? Oh, $40 from Amazon. Oh, and you have to supply your own ice. Nevermind.

The World Cup is coming. Tesco's Supermarkets in England is getting flack from the drinks industry and the no-binge people for selling Bud, Carlsberg, and Stella 69p per pint (they are also selling Carling, Tennent's and Strongbow at that price). article - Lets see. That's equivalent to $18.00 for a case of 24 12oz cans. Stella goes for about $30 here. Hmmm. But Bud at Kahn's in Indy is:

Misc News – May 21

Big Woods Brewing is going to be closed next week from Sunday the 23rd through Friday the 28th while the install the new brewing system and remodel the kitchen. After that is done they will be open 7 days a week and have more beer. Until now they have been closed on Monday and Tuesday while they used the kitchen area to brew. Way to grow, guys.

Hey breweries, The Brewing News is holding a summer beer bracket contest again this year - The Global Warming Open. To submit beers by June 7th, see the rules, etc.

New from Cavalier:

• Clipper City Barrel Aged Below Decks Barley Wine
• Clipper City Red Sky at Night Saison
• Cottleigh Golden Sea Hawk Premium Best Bitter, Barn Owl Premium Ale, Tawney Owl Bitter. Also in "Beers of Prey" Mix Packs
• Mendocino Summer Blonde Ale
• Coney Island Mermaid Rye Pilsner. Only found in a variety pack with Albino, Python, Sword Swallower & Lager
• Shmaltz He'Brew RIPA on Rye. Aged in Sazerac 6 year Rye Whiskey Barrels for over 3 months
• Laverstoke Park Organic English Ale & Lager
• Williams Sir Perry Pear Cider

Wenlock a mascot for the 2012 Olympics. Maybe the Mayans were right. ==>
Who will be the first to make the Wenlock bottle opener?

Coming up BrewDog Paradox Macallan with a 12-month barrel age. 180 cases are being sent to the U.S. and Indiana should get some.

The Pennsylvania Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement has been going nuts recently, kicking pubs about minor infractions, fining people for selling beer that doesn't have the right certifications. To sell a draft-only beer at Philly Beer Week, Bells had to get label approval when there isn't any label. Now we see this: A warning that "You, by your servants, agents or employees, identified Monks Ale Beer with a tap labeled Monks Flemish Sour Ale Beer."

Misc News – May 20

Upland's UpCup Homebrew competition was won by Brian Steuerwald of the FBI with a Altbier. It will be brewed by Upland in June and available in the tap rooms later in the summer.

Second was Brent McGill of MASH for Duwerdesteinekrankenschwesterbrauchen Berliner Weiss. Third was Peter Cowles of Connecticut for a Black IPA. source

Jim Ailes and David Pentzien of the Chatham Tap on Mass Ave in Indy are looking to open a new place, where the Fionn MacCools was on 116th St. in Fishers. The Fishers Tap might open as early as next month. article

On June 8th, Omar will tap an Alt at the Alcatraz in Indy. An early preview shows a malty start and quick mellow Saaz bitterness. It is currently maturing at 40°. He also has a couple of kegs of Milk Stout aged on Bourbon Oak chips. Roasty when cold and Bourbon roasty when warmed. It will be poured at the RadFest and other special occasions.

Ram's Maibock (Tool Box Bock) is appropriately light, pale, sweet and fits the warm sunny days ahead.

Bob Mack posits both sides of Cans or Glass? Which is Greener?

41% Sink the Bismarck from Scottish BrewDog. Piffle. Schorschbräu (right) takes the title back with 43% ABV. "In our graciousness we had decided not to begrudge the Others the little joy of holding the title for a few weeks. Let’s not overdo this – from now on, the World’s Strongest Beer lives again where it belongs: in Franconia! Schorschbock 43% Vol., ’cause Frankonian Men don’t dress like girls.” article

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Now for something completely different.

Last weekend my high-school-graduating niece commented as I extolled the virtues of New Belgium 1554 that I should be a beer critic. I had to reply "Sometimes I am". Now I get a chance to be a arts critic. We probably wouldn't have heard about Rita Kohn's play "Before the Shadows Flee" if Rita wasn't one of the good guys of beer.

Ron Spencer (left), an actor of large emotive hands and an infinite memory, gives a 60-minute soliloquy as Edwin Booth (right) preparing to play Hamlet in the 1890s. Rita gives him period speech where "forced breath" is three syllables – suitable and quickly natural.

Booth laments his father's life, his life, Hamlet's life, and the life of his brother, John Wilkes. It's real and it's fascinating. The research comes through and the attention to detail is heard in every voice of the character.

Using just 3 simple props, each representing a Shakespearian mood, Ron gives life to a fascinating character who's tragedy is mostly in his own mind.

It's not all somber because Edwin Booth was a real larger-than-life person. He owned his own theater in New York City. He had gone to the gold fields of California. He had prospered and busted many times during his long life. He had redefined the acting methods of the century to be approachable and acceptable to a changing modern theatergoer. He had even saved the life of a young Robert Todd Lincoln. He was the Richard Burton of his day. A bit of both Richard Burtons.

Go, See, Enjoy Rita's 24th play. It has one more performance at the Indiana State Museum on Saturday the 22nd at 2pm. You should be there.

Ron Spencer is the artistic director of Theater on the Square.

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.

Misc News – May 17

It's American Craft Beer Week and there are LOTS of things all over the state on the Calendar. Way too many to list here.

$35 admission tickets for the Microbrewers Festival, July 17th, are now on sale.
Interesting article on why 3-way licenses are cheaper now in Muncie. article
RIP Deano's Vinos.

John  Kerry and Mike Crapo have bills in the U.S. house and senate which will reduce the federal excise tax from $7 to $3.50 / bbl on the first 60,000 bbls produced by a brewery. That's about 10¢ a gallon or a penny a pint. Won't help us consumers much but Indiana breweries could each save from $600 to $30,000 per year. article

Police in Nottingham have recently closed pubs for any reason they could find. This includes displaying a copy of the pub's license instead of the original.

Cavalier has picked up Stevens Point Brewery and will bring Indiana 6-packs of Blegian White, Cascade Pale*, Burly Brown, 2012 Black, Special Lager* and Nude Beach Summer Wheat*. *Also available in cans.

Continuing the theme, New Belgium's Skinny Dip Belgian this year supports savethecolorado.org. Complete with downloadable poster. Staying classy, we'll just reproduce the naughty bits.


John Holl tells us about Sierra Nevada Beer Camp. Enter their contest to spend two days brewing in Chico, CA, this September.

For the Ladies - Girls' Pint Out (GPO) - May 15

There is an all-female organization called Girls' Pint Out (GPO) headquarted in Indianapolis and spearheaded by Tamre. There are approximately 50 members in the Indianapolis area with Chapters in Chicago and Phoenix. Their websites are:http://girlspintout.wordpress.com/, http://girlspintout.wordpress.com/events/ and http://girlspintout.wordpress.com/chapters/.

Their focus is to get more females interested in craft beer through beer education, beer tastings led by experts in the craft beer industry, monthly beer events, field trips, and meet-ups and drives. The atmosphere is laid back and non-threatening as evidenced by my attending my first GPO event which was a beer and cheese pairing event recently held in Indianapolis at Crown Liquors (downtown). There were approximately 25 attendees sampling and pairing a variety of beers/cheeses.

I am interested in organizing a Fort Wayne Chapter of GPO to initiate/educate those ladies here locally and nearby what craft beer is all about. It will be for ladies who are beginning to discover craft beer, who may be somewhat skeptical about trying craft beer and for those ladies who drink craft beer but may be looking to further their knowledge about craft beer. If you are interested, please email me at: cindy@indianabeer.com

Beer Day in B'Town, May 15

Lot's of beer events in Bloomington today! American Homebrewers Association Rally comes on the heals of the Upland Brewery Upcup homebrew competition. Homebrewers are encouraged to join AHA or show their AHA card for festivities starting at 4:00 today at Upland Brewery on W 11th in Bloomington. Judging for the Upcup competition will have ended by 5 when winners will be announced. AHA has prizes and information for homebrewers

Nearby the Venue Gallery, 114 S Grant St. Bloomington has homebrewers on hand to share beer knowledge and art starting at 5:00!

If you still have not had enough beer satiation stop at Crazy Horse on Kirkwood (one block from Bloomington's square) for a Gaffel Kolsch from the keg -- a rare find! You can stop at the Alley Bar on the same block for a Hoegaarden (Belgian wit) on tap or refreshing Boulevard Lager from Breckenridge (nice gentle hop bitternes) or at Irish Lion between these two for fresh Guinness, or a Bitburger, Leffe or other great beers on tap!

Both Upland and Lennies local brew pubs will have their versions of IPAs with Lennies doing a Silk IPA - a gentle pale with a bit more hop characteristic

Upcoming Cap n' Cork Beer Tastings - May 13

The following FREE beer tastings (21 yrs. old & older) will take place at these Cap n' Cork locations from 5-7p.m.:

Friday, May 14 - Broadway location
Friday, May 21 - Coldwater Plaza
Friday, May 28 - Covington Plaza

Please check the Calendar section of this website for beer events taking place in and around the Fort Wayne area and also throughout the State of Indiana and beyond.

American Craft Beer Week - Fort Wayne Style & Beyond - May 13

American Craft Beer Week is May 17-23 and here is a list of events that was sent to me as to where one can show his/her support for craft beer:

Monday, May 17 - J.K. O'Donnell's Irish Ale House - Tapping Dark Horse Double Crooked
Tree IPA
Tuesday, May 18 - 800 Degrees Wood Fired Pizza & Pub - Tapping Victory Saint Victorious
" " - St. James Restaurant (Avilla, IN) - $2 Craft Beer Night
" " - Deer Park Lodge - Spring Beer Tasting
Wednesday, May 19 - Bill's City Grill - Bell's Night
Friday, May 21 - Acme Bar & Grill - Craft Beer Tasting
" " - Bottle n' Keg (Roanoke, IN) - 10% off All Craft Beer
Friday, May 21 & Saturday, May 22 - Service Liquors East (Warsaw, IN) - 10% off All Craft Beer

Check back as this list may include some additional events as they become known. Cheers!

Misc News – May 12

Oaken Barrel's Uberweizen, brewed for the summers since at least 2006, is still Bavarian-worthy. Cloudy hefe with a sweetish banana and only a touch of clove. Mark also has Caldwell's Scottish Ale on tap. Deep Irish red with an ivory head. Scottish malt plus plenty of East Kent Goldings bitter.

"Has your consumption of beer increased as a homebrewer?"

"No, but my friends have increased."

Great stuff.

'Hangover' Molecule in Brain Found. Kicker, they are using worm brains as a basis of the study. Who knew?

Upland's Lambics + Misc News – May 12

The 2010 Upland Lambics are a bit of a disappointment compared to last year. An 8, a 6, and a 0.

The Persimmon is the best. A minor gush came up once the dalek-shaped cork was thumbed off. Pale yellow, almost greenish. Crisp refreshing fruit comes through  and warmth brings out the earthy qualities. Not a sour lambic by any means but far less than a sweet one. Did seem quite salty.

The Raspberry is bright read, medium tart. Good amount of raspberry flavor. Yeasty and cloudy with glass-lining qualities. Worthy.

The Kiwi gushered big time. A smell of old socks and maybe fresh trimmed horse hooves. Completely undrinkable. Presumably this was an infected bottle. See some good reviews of better bottles.

We're laying the Dantillon down for a while as suggested on the bottle.

Big Woods Brewing's latest is Ian McCabe's Common Necessity. It joins Possum Trot Pale, Busted Knuckle Red and Tim's Big Woods Stout on tap right now.

New Albanian's Bank Street Brewhouse gets ink in LEO. "Bank Street Brewery hits a culinary home run for food and beer and other good things."

Three Floyds gets ink in The Atlantic.

Congratulations to Oklahomans - you can finally homebrew starting in November. Too bad for you Alabamans and Mississippians – it's still illegal for you to homebrew. article

Clarksville, TN - "After reportedly stealing beer from a gas station on the Bypass, a man brought the drinks back minutes later and attempted to exchange the stolen beers because they weren’t cold enough." article

Misc News – May 11

One more note on the Indy musical chairs. Keely Thomlinson (right) is now moonlighting from her full-time job making cheese at Trader's Point Creamery as Omar's assistant at Alcatraz.

Upland is releasing this year's 6.2% Nut Hugger Brown at their locations on May 17th and it will hit the store shelves in 6-packs a bit later. Double Dragonfly Imperial IPA will go into the regular lineup when it is released in late May. 9.1% and 80+IBU.

Sun King Sinlight Cream Ale and Osiris Pale Ale are in Indianapolis stores in 16oz cans. Kahn’s, Parti Pak, Vine & Table, 21st Amendment (Broad Ripple), Crown Liquors Downtown, United Package (96th & Olio).

Barley Island will have $6.50 growler refills and $10.00 new growlers at Noblesville and Broad Ripple for Craft Beer Week - May 17 - 22.  Also at both locations one of our pints will be on special.

Guinness is currently testing Foreign Extra Stout at 7.5% in New York and Atlanta.

IndianaBeer call for bloggers + Changes to B.I.G.s web site

IndianaBeer is looking for reporters. Nana Wiley of the Columbus Bar is going to join Cindy Modesitt, Greg Kitzmiller, and myself and we are looking for people to report on what's going on in their region, what beers they like and dislike, etc. It doesn't pay anything but you'll be able to help promote Indiana's beer scene and our 35 breweries.

Updates can be done online via Google's Blogger or offline via Windows Live Writer. Camera and editing skills are nice but not required.

IndianaBeer exists to help promote good beer in Indiana. Our sponsor and sorta-owner, World Class Beverages doesn't put any editorial policies on us at all. Gush about a Cavalier beer - OK. Dis a WCB beer - OK. Just don't say anything nice about Bud Light Lime.

PLUS

Rodney Weaver is taking over the Brewers of Indiana Guild web site. The Indiana Beer Calendar has moved to the IndianaBeer web site which Bob Ostrander will continue to maintain. Also the Indiana Brewing History and Beer Dictionary.

Misc News – May 7

Ram growler refills will be $5 during American Craft Beer Week – May 17 – 22.
Musical brewers is again being played in Indy this one centered around the Ram.

• Andian Ball has left the Ram to go to Sun King as the primary brewer.
• John Simmons has left the Ram to be a stay-at-home daddy for his new daughter for a while.
• Andrew Castner has left Oaken Barrel to be the head brewer at the Ram.
• Skip Duvall has left Alcatraz to be the assistant brewer at the Ram.
• John Treeter has moved up to full-time assistant brewer at Oaken Barrel.

Brugge's secret plan gets ink on the Indianapolis Business Journal web site. Brugge Brasserie brews plans for expansion.

People's Brewing beers on draft will be available throughout the state via World Class Cavalier Distributing.

Brewers Association releases 2010 Beer Style Guidelines.
Reuters reports a study that says Moderate drinking linked to lower diabetes risk. "Our results indicate that ... moderate drinkers with the most healthy lifestyle behaviors ... had a lower chance of developing diabetes compared with subjects with these healthy lifestyle behaviors who did not drink,"

How many things can you find wrong with the YouTube video How to Pour Beer?

Upcoming Events - May 6

Fort Wayne - Free beer tasting (21 yrs. old and older) at Cap n' Cork (Dupont Rd.) on Friday, May 7th, from 5p.m.-7p.m. Come out and maybe you will find a new favorite beer to enjoy this summer.

Minster, OH - Beer tasting event with over 80 imports, craft beers and microbrews available on Saturday, May 15th, at Four Seasons Park. Food (extra cost), beer and music can be enjoyed at this event. For more info. visit the event's website at www.bockandrock.com.

Misc News – May 5

The HBG reviews Brugge Spider. A pure black, pure sour "1/3 Tripel de Ripple + 2/3 Hibernal Black blend aged in a chardonnay barrel on the same Brettanomyces yeast used in Diamond Kings".

Todd Antz of Keg Liquors gives ink to spring beers in the Clark County Focus.

New Albanian's Beak's Best is available at Louisville Slugger Field – at least for the next week's 8-game home stand.

Ever wondered what Roger Baylor's beer fantasies are? See Mug Shots in LEO.

The Franklin Redevelopment Commission originally talked about $1.4 million to bring TailGate Beer to Johnson County. The actually approved $15,100. They "questioned whether the city should be providing funding to the brewer without having seen a business plan or other financial documents." article

Misc News – May 3

Bloominton's Butler Winery Spring sale is going on through May 7th. Discounts: Glass, Malt extracts - 10% off. Grain (50lbs+) – 20% off.

In the 17th century colony of Massachusetts brewing on Saturday was forbidden lest the beer should "work" on Sunday. - Origin and History of Beer and Brewing, John P. Arnold, 1911

Wynkoop begins horse-powered deliveries.

If you have CurrentTV on your cable or satellite check out Tapped Out – probably Tuesdays at 2am. OK, you'll probably need a DVR also. It's basically viewer-contributed videos that last week covered Black Isle - an Organic Scottish brewery, the Tabeh Brewing Co. in Palestine, the Tsing Tao brewery, the beer pong world championships, a British video on "am I an alcoholic?", and hash house harriers – did you know they started in Malaysia?