indianabeer.com 'meet up and tweet up' Wednesday, June 27, 6PM at Tomlinson Tap Room

indianabeer.com has its first Meet Up (and Tweet Up) EVENT at Tomlinson Tap Room in the Indianapolis Historic City Market this Wednesday, June 27, 6 PM

Win stuff!
Meet some of your local professional brewers.
Talk with indianabeer.com bloggers.
Buy some Indiana Craft Beer from this cool downtown location that focuses on Indiana brewed beer.
Win stuff (oh, wait, we said that).
Buy Bob O's book on the history of beer in Indiana.

Come on down and join us!!

NHC 2012 – Indiana Winners!

Greetings from Seattle! Forgive my possibly drunken typing, but there were a number of Indiana winners in the final round of the National Homebrew Competition to pass along. I’ll have much more on the conference next week after I get back home and sober up. You can find the full results here.

Bill Staashelm – Indianapolis – Silver medal in Light Hybrid Beers out of 303 entries.

Rob Meinzer – Zionsville – Bronze medal in English Pale Ales out of 265 entries.

Michael Pearson/Bill Ballinger – Indianapolis – Silver medal in English Brown Ales out of 198 entries.

Robert Heinlein – Crown Point – Silver medal in India Pale Ale out of 553 entries.

Kevin Pritchard & Matthew Oakely – Indianapolis – Silver medal in Strong Ale out of 279 entries.

Tom Wallbank – Zionsville – Bronze medal in Strong Ale out of 279 entries.

So yeah, kind of in an altered state of mind at the moment, so please forgive any errors. But congrats to the Indiana winners – this is a huge accomplishment for all of them!

Cheers, Nathan

Indiana Beer News June 23 12

indianabeer.com is having a "meet up and tweet up" at Tomlinson Tap Room in the Indianapolis City Market this coming Wednesday, June 27, 6 PM. Visits from some of our professional brewers, free gifts, and surprrises and a chance to grab a pint of great Indiana beer on tap at the TomTap Room! C'mon down! We'll also have a few copies of Bob Ostrander's book "Hoosier Beer...Tapping into Indiana Brewing History" for sale!
Visit FIVE central Indiana breweries on the first Indy Brew Trek bus! On Saturday, July 7, participants will meet at Thr3e WiseMen in Broad Ripple and be transported by bus to Triton brewery, Flat12 brewery, Fountain Square brewery, BlackSwan brewpub, and back to Thr3e WiseMen. All for $25 for the bus ride and most of the breweries will provide a taster or two and your chance to buy a pint or more at each place. Call Jeff at 317-432-8798 to find out Tickets on E-Bay


Triton Brewing is participating in the Lawrence 4th Festival with beer available. http://www.facebook.com/4thFest


Downtown Brew Pubs
Gettin' downtown to stroll around and find a pint?

RAM downtown has three seasonal beers on tap. The Ghost King IPA is a session IPA and a great Summer beer. Both the wit and the California Common (Steam) beer are very tasty for the Summer. The RIS is complex with appropriate high alcohol.















Rock Bottom downtown has a Summer honey blond for the season. There are actually EIGHT beer on tap right now.


Brewer Jerry of RB was busy getting his entries ready for the Brewer's Cup competition of the Indiana State Fair when we visited. Credits to Anita Johnson and Tom Stillabower for making this one of the top beer competitions in the U.S.


















Just a short distance from Downtown, though not a brew pub,there is plenty of seating room at Fountain Square Brewery. the Summer offering would be their hefeweizen. But they just tapped a nugget IPA that is pretty tasty too.

Fountain Square, like most near-town brewers, has free parking.













SunKing -- remember, SunKing tap room will be closed starting July 4 until July 18 for renovation but right now they have their regulars plus Seasonals: Bitch'n Camaro and

Flat12 is at the Chatham Arch/Mass Av Brew-Ha-ha today until 7. with Cycle IPA, F12 Amber, Karousel Kolsch, Bourbon Barrel-aged Big Black Dog (68),Rye Stout, Moustache Ride Red, Bourbon Barrel-aged 12 Penny Scottish Ale, El Blanco Diablo Roble (The white oak devil – chili blonde aged in an oak barrel), Glitter Walkabout, Belgo Porter,
Fire Fly Wheat

Greenwood Freedom Fest includes a micro-brewery and wine 'garden' this year June 29-30, click for details

Again, meet up with us Wednesday! 6 PM TomTap at City Market!

Dribs and Drams - June 21

Both Beer Nuts and The Beer is Good review the newly opened Iechyd Da Brewing Company in Elkhart.

Dollar General has applied for beer/wine permits at their Indy locations. article
"As recently as Monday, an alcoholic beverage board in Indianapolis denied a permit for one Dollar General to sell beer and wine after opposition came from community groups; two other company stores in the city were turned down in May, although some other locations won approval"
Oh wait, this doesn't affect craft beer, Indiana-brewed beer or IndianaBeer readers. Sorry. Never mind.

Eh? Aren't Philip Michael Thomas and Phylicia Rashad going to be asking about this?

Diego says every day is a good day to drink responsibly - especially Smirnoff Ice. The latest WCTU incarnation says that means everyone should drink every day. We'll let Jay Brook's rant speak for itself.

Three Floyds has put a 2-case limit on carry-out from the pub.

Headline: St. Louis: Homebrew is illegal at Heritage Festival. article

Amsterdam legalizes stand-up drinking - soon. article

52 seconds of The Sparkling Beer Mug. Need more head?

Beer Recap Deluxe!

As many of you already know, or maybe you don't know, but it is almost summertime which means the Season of Beer is here and boy, have I been drinking my share of it - gladly of course!

However, drinking it is easy, writing about it takes longer, so I'm going to do a small recap of most recent beer times that I've missed writing up for your reading and maybe even your drinking pleasure. 

1. - Thr3e Wise Men Tapping - Children of the Corn  Cream Ale

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Thr3e Wise Men has the best tapping party. Why? -- simple -- 8oz free sample.  Of course, the beer is good as well. This cream ale is refreshing, a little too high on hops, with a tang of bitter, for my tastes as far as cream ale goes, but having it come from a nitro pour was a nice touch to add some creaminess.  Next tapping party is July 2nd - Sanctaneous Hefeweizen. I'm curious as to what Omar has in store with that one. 

*FYI -- As of today you can get Thr3e Wisemen beer at all of the Scotty's Brewhouse locations and Growlers will also be available for carry out. $14 fills / $7 for Growlers. Specials - $12 fills on Tues & Fri

However -- If you go to Thr3e Wisemen Brewery - Growlers are $6 and Fills are only $10 (with $8 fills on Tues & Fri )*

2.  Tap N' Run

On June 9th, Broadripple experienced the newest phenomenon of exercise and beer drinking. About 1700 hundreds runners in their finest, funkiest and silliest costumes to run a 4k around the streets of Broadripple, while stopping to chug 4oz glasses of Goose Island - 312.  The race started with a countdown chug and they were off!  My role in all this? Starting Line chug station. The beer flowed smoothly from keg to pitchers to cups to runners.  It was nice to see that craft beer was used for the chug stations. Lastly, to use a word from Tara Maggert, Arts and Craft Beer President, it was a fun time being a "volun-beer" (you know, instead of a volunteer) 

See pic recap of Tap N' Run below:

Gives a new definition to 99 "bottles of beer" more like baby cups of beer.

Countdown to the first chug! 

After the race and clean up was done! Indy's inaugural Tap  N' Run!

.

3. Victory Beer Tapping with Indiana Beer Reporters

Last Wednesday night, a rare meeting of three IB reporters went down at the Sinking Ship for the Victory Brewery Tapping party.  Joined by some of our friends, we had a nice night of trying some of the beers on tap. Although it would've been nice if Golden Monkey was on tap and not in bottles. I personally had the Saison De BUFF - a collaboration brew from Victory, Dogfish Head and Stone. A quick bite at the taste of this beer, but ended with sweetness. It was a nice summery beer, but to be honest I'll go for The Bier Brewery's Farmgal Saison in a heart beat. Either way. The tapping party was fun and I ended up with a new pint glass for my collection! 

Selection for Tapping Party

4.  History on Tap

Come back to how the west was won and the beer was made! History on Tap was presented by the Conner Prairie Horizon Council this past Friday.  With help from Fountain Square Brewery, Bier Brewery, Sun King Brewery, Upland Brewing Co, Flat 12 Bierwerks and Three Pints Brewpub, a visitor could come and try different brews all while checking out the grounds or even going up in the sky in a balloon ride.  The Horizon Council picked a great night for this event, a warm breezy night. 

For beer fans, some of the brewers themselves were out and about.   I ran into Clay Robinson from Sun King, Corbin Elliot from Bier Brewery and Rob Caputo from Flat12Bierwerks (with his fancy new hat with beer opener in the bill), and even Bill Webster from Fountain Square Brewery. Around 8:30 it was quiet enough that you could have some great conversations and gain some great beer information..  e.g.  - look for some awesome great brews from Flat12Bierwerks at Microbrewery Festival. ;)

Bier Brewery - Farmgal Saison

As for the beer itself - my favorites of the night were: 

Bier Brewery  - Farmgal Saison

Three Pints Brewpub - Oatmeal Stout

and 

closing with watching the night sky darken by drinking 

a half pint of Half Cycle from Flat 12.
                                                                                                                                                                  














An additional difference between this event and many other tapping parties was Douglas Wissing had a presentation on his new book:

Indiana: One Pint at a Time: A Traveler's Guide to Indiana's Breweries which was a great way to finish the night. 













Thank you for reading the beer recap! I'll try to keep them coming a little more timely since more and more festivals are upon us.


Don't forget as well.. This Saturday - Brew- Ha- HA! 


And in a week and a half, on 6/27 - come out to meet Nathan, Greg and I again at Tomlinson Tap Room. 


- Kathleen

Fort Wayne Events - June 15

Tonight Cap n' Cork located at 10020 Lima Road will have a FREE beer tasting from 5p.m.-7p.m. Come out and sample some beers and perhaps find a new beer to enjoy during this hot weather!  (Must be 21 yrs. of age or older with valid Government-issued photo ID)

S&V Liquors at 9960 Illinois Road will have their annual S&V Summer Bash tomorrow, June 16th, from 5p.m.-8p.m.  Approximately 50 beers will be available for your sampling pleasure along with food which includes those delicious cheese samples from the Cheeseman Store and new to the event this summer will be Dawson's Famous Coney Dogs.  This event is a lot of fun to attend to sample some tasty craft beers and munchies!  (Must be 21 yrs. of age or older with valid Government-issued photo ID)

Cheers!

Beer Events, Brewer's Cup, and More

Just some tender loving information from me to you. 


Tonight - 6/14 - Fishers on Tap. It is the first time for this event, so please go out and show your support. Of course it won't be so hard given that 6 of your top local breweries will be there giving tastings amongst having a Beer 101 session and live music. Click here for more details and tickets! -- (Fishers on Tap)


Also going on tonight - 6/14  Kiwi Kiwi Hefeweizen Tapping at Flat 12 Bierwerks. 


Tomorrow - 6/15 - History on Tap.  Take a trip to the past and visit Conner Prairie to learn about the history in beer making, meet Douglas Wissing and hear him talk about his book, Indiana: One Pint at a Time: A Traveler's Guide to Indiana's Breweries, and of course try samples more local brewery favorites.  (I'll wave to you too, since I'll be there) 


Those interested in the 2012 Brewer's Cup! 


-- here is another lovely reminder -- 


June 22 is your deadline. Please register asap! 


Please click on the Brewer's Cup link for you information and we here at IndianaBeer wish you all the luck! (Brewer's Cup Registration) 


As a small reminder, if you have an event you want to see on IndianaBeer, or need help promoting on Facebook or Twitter, please contact me, Nathan, Greg or your local IB reporter and we'll be happy to share. 

Interview with Anita Johnson of Great Fermentations

Great Fermentations has been a long-time cornerstone of the emerging Indiana homebrewing scene offering local supplies and education. Owner Anita Johnson has played an important role in launching the hobby, and in some cases profession, of many local homebrewers while also spending volunteer time as a technical editor for Brew Your Own magazine and organizer of the Indiana State Fair Brewers Cup. We recently sat down with Anita to discuss past memories, emerging homebrew trends, and the virtues of sheltering the homeless in your warehouse.

IB: Your bio mentions brewing your first batch of homebrew in 1995. What was it about that experience that motivated you to purchase a homebrew supply shop?

You know, starting a homebrew shop was the last thing on my mind. We brewed our first batch and I loved it. It was a combination of all the things I loved with science, art, food, and creative passion. It was something that kind of took me by storm and just kept going. So the store that was already in Indianapolis was actually going out of business and we paid that person a little bit of money to teach us how to do it and we had a homebrew store. It was kind of on a whim and that was about 17 years ago.

IB: What kind of ingredients and supplies were you able to offer people at that time? I’m guessing it’s a lot different than what you can offer today.

It’s crazy different. We carried about 10-15 types of grains then and now we have 55-60. We had maybe 20 different hops and now we have over 40. We didn’t carry everything from Wyeast then, now we carry every beer, mead, and bacteria strain they make and we sell a lot of it. We now have about 120 different wine kits on the floor, but started out with maybe 12.

We carried a lot of malt extract kits then, now we carry very few. That’s primarily because of our outlook – we get people started at an intermediate level in the beginning because it’s not that hard and I think they’ll be happier with the product. It’s changed a lot and we see a lot more all-grain brewing now. I think the amount of our first inventory order wouldn’t even fill my grain room now.

IB: Great Fermentations has been a fixture in the homebrewing scene for quite a while now. What are some of your favorite memories from that time?

I like to see the innovation. I can remember when Rob Caputo, who is now the head brewer at Flat 12, was a homebrewer and he was quite an experimenter. I can remember a Wit he made with a sour mash that was fantastic, but it’s very hard to recreate that when you’re dealing with wild yeast and bacteria. I remember beers he made that used the wood from Tabasco barrels. They were very strange but actually very good. I also remember a guy who brought in a braggot or gruit that he made from his grandfather’s recipe. He was very excited to share it but ended up spilling it and the store smelled like vomit for two days. I have no idea what was in there but it was horrible. But the neat part about that is the same guy brought in a gruit just the other day and it was wonderful.

So it’s interesting to see how people progress. Rob went from an experimenting homebrewer to head brewer at Flat 12 and this other fellow went from producing not so great stuff to something that was quite drinkable and very different. Other professional brewers have come through the store. Darren Connor from Bier Brewery worked in the store for nine years, Scott Ellis from Three Wise Men worked for us, and Dan Krzywicki from Fountain Square Brewing also worked for us. Mark Havens started homebrewing here and in a year and a half was head brewer at Oaken Barrel. I never pretend to have taught them what they know; they’re certainly responsible for their own success. But it’s neat to see people take an avocation and make it their vocation.

IB: Be honest, does your position require you to try a lot of bad homebrew?

(Laughs) Yes! I am a beer judge and one thing I can’t taste is oxidation unless it’s way over the top. And it’s because I get used to tasting an awful lot of oxidized beer that comes across my counter. So yes, I have to taste a lot of bad beer, but I also look at it as a teaching opportunity. And if a brewer says they really want my honest opinion, then we’re free to kind of discuss it. But I’m always gentle because it is their creation and I want to encourage them to do better.

IB: What is the most common mistake you see beginning homebrewers make and what advice would you give to help them avoid that?

I taste an awful lot of caramelized beers. People want to slide into the hobby doing partial boils which often leads to caramelization of the wort and a darker beer then they intended. If they can do a full boil, it gives you a more diluted solution with less chance of caramelizing. If you’re using an electric stove, you can take your pot off the burner before adding malt extract and make sure the extract is well dissolved before putting it back on the burner. They can also do a late addition of malt extract where you save part of it for the end and avoid having all of the extract in for the full boil. The other problem with partial boils is you get less hop utilization and the beers tend to be underhopped. Beginners are often afraid of hops because they don’t want a beer that’s too bitter.

The other big thing is sanitation. People think they can sanitize dirty equipment and it will work. But it needs to be a three-step process of clean, rinse, and then sanitize everything, every time. If they get that process down, they’ll have a drinkable beer. It still might not be the beer they were hoping for, but it will be drinkable.

IB: What are some of the new trends in homebrewing that are starting to emerge?

Session ales and sour ales are becoming more popular, and experimenting with bourbon barrel aging is well on its way. I’m glad to see the new Brew in a Bag process emerging because it makes all-grain brewing accessible to people who wouldn’t normally have tried it. I see people experimenting with blending yeast strains and really paying attention to fermentation temperature. Also, there is a renewed interest in water chemistry which has so much to do with how malt character and hop character blend. People start brewing and try to get the basics down and then water chemistry and fermentation temperature are things they can tweak easily and make much better beer. We don’t taste the hardness of our water and how harsh that makes beer because we’re used to it. But then you go somewhere else and compare our beers to theirs and it’s really different.

The alcohol content of beer has been increasing where 17 years ago a 5-6% beer was a big beer. Now people expect to drink an 8% IPA. So the alcohol content keeps getting higher and the hopping rate keeps going up. Our recipe for VIPA (Very India Pale Ale) was a very hoppy beer 15 years ago and now it’s nothing. So we’ve issued a challenge to our customers to help us reformulate that beer to today’s standards. But I think you’ll see people come back from the big side and brew more session ales. Anybody can make a high-alcohol, highly-hopped flavor buster, but the finesse of a session beer is where you really show off your skill as a brewer.

I think the sour beer trend is a great thing because it really takes some science and art combined with a lot of patience to make a good sour beer. With this one, I think it’s being driven more by craft brewers than homebrewers. But there is a correlation between the two and a lot of times craft beer trends are driven by homebrew trends. That’s the neat part about this because we have so many people cross over.

It used to be that people just had a bunch of equipment stashed in the corner of their basement or garage that they pulled out to brew. Now people have these awesome brewing setups and they’re putting up big buildings in their backyard to make beer. I think that’s really great because people who have hobbies are more active, more interesting, and more engaged in life. I see that as a big trend – they’re investing in equipment so they can pursue a lifelong hobby.

IB: You mentioned the correlation between craft beer trends and homebrew trends. What are some examples of craft beer trends that were driven by the homebrewing community?

Denny Conn’s Rye Pale Ale swept through the homebrewing scene and then two or three breweries made his recipe. Now you see a lot more Rye Pale Ales. So that’s one that started in homebrewing. You now see Classic American Pilsner, which is a style from pre-Prohibition that has been reinvented. That originated with a homebrewer named Jeff Renner up in Michigan.

IB: What are some of the odd things you see homebrewers attempt to do?

I had a fellow call me once who wanted to dispense beer with a CO2 tank under 800 pounds of pressure and he was too cheap to buy a regulator. He was going to put a barb on his tank and try to dispense beer with unregulated CO2 through a line that wasn’t rated for that much pressure. And what do I know, I’m a female, and he let me know that I was clearly just trying to sell him a regulator. After a while of this, I just told him what he was doing was unsafe and I couldn’t condone it. I have no idea if he blew himself up or not.

IB: What are some of the crazier things that have happened in the store?

When you’ve been in business for 17 years a lot of wild things happen. One summer afternoon when we were on 86th street a guy ran in the store and asked if we had a bathroom. So I directed him to the bathroom and he came back out walking rather calmly and just went on his way. Five minutes later an Indianapolis police officer ran in, flashed his badge, and asked if I knew the guy who just come in here and demanded to know where he was. I told him the guy had just used the bathroom and walked out. The office threw up his hands and exclaimed that the guy had “just flushed the drugs.”

There was a rainy night in December when we were still located in Broad Ripple. I was there late doing bookkeeping when there was a knock on the door. It was a homeless fellow we knew from the neighborhood with all of his possessions on his back. He asked if he could stay in our warehouse because it was raining and the area he stayed in down by the river was flooded. So I said sure and put him up in the warehouse and he stayed there until spring. That was quite a challenge because he didn’t understand that it was my warehouse and he shouldn’t do things like move my inventory around or start a fire in a keg to keep warm. My husband would go in to get inventory and the guy would look at him like what are you doing in my house? I brought over a heater for him but he took it apart and destroyed it.

The worst part was it was a rented warehouse and this fellow found some paint and decided to do some painting. He painted around the palettes on the floor and he painted the garage door. My landlord was the type of person who is perfect. His hair was all perfect, there was nothing off on his clothes, there wasn’t a gum wrapper in his car. So he drives up to his warehouse and his door is now a different color than the rest of it. So when the weather broke, I had to let him know it was time to leave. I would say no good deed goes unpunished.

IB: Any final thoughts?

One of the things I might add about homebrewing is that a couple years ago we went through a hop shortage. The market has righted itself, but there are still hops like Amarillo, Centennial, Citra, and Simcoe that are in very short supply. Most people who have been involved with homebrewing have never gone through rationing, they’ve always been able to get as much as they want. People get angry with us because we limit quantities. But the guy who buys three pounds of Citra in January, then makes money reselling it on the internet, shorts the guy who comes in and can’t get any in June.

I guess what I would want to tell homebrewers is we’re all in this together and to use those hops wisely. Those are such great hops and really wonderful as finishing hops, but don’t waste them on bittering just because you can. We want everyone to have a little bit. So we’ll all get along better if they understand we’re trying to please the most people with a limited supply.

The homebrewing scene in Indiana is really vibrant on several fronts. You have quite a few homebrew shops that are really good, and if you go to Chicago there may be three that are decent. In Indianapolis we have two, there is one in Fort Wayne, one in Evansville, and a couple in Bloomington. We go out and price shop and figure out if we’re high or low, but we don’t have everything and some things we just can’t compete on. But if you want a local shop around so that you can get fresh yeast in the summer, or get that little part you need when you’re brewing, then you need to support them.

Indiana Beer News June 12

SinkingShip Victory Beer Tap Take-Over, Wednesday, June 13, 7-9 PM [indianabeer.com bloggers will be on hand]
Tap List!
Saison Du Buff- A collaboration between Dogfish Head, Stone, and Victory. Get it here first!!!
Ranch R Double IPA
Donnybrook Stout
Mad King's Weiss
Headwaters Pale Ale

RAM brewery:
RAMAGEDDON 2012 release of Endgame Russian Imperial Stout Thursday night at the downtown Indianapolis location at 6 p.m.

RAM Growler Mania Continues
June and July $5.99 growler refills Seasonals $6.99 per refill. No refills in Fishers on Sunday.

Now on Tap @ RAM
Bayside Steam - California Common
Ghost King IPA
Barefoot Wit
Apocalypto Barleywine (Almost Gone)

SunKing Tasting Room:
House Beers:
Sunlight Cream Ale
Wee Mac Scottish Ale
Osiris Pale Ale
Seasonal Beers:
Firefly Wheat
Popcorn Pilsner

Flat12
Brew Mile by Blue Mile at Flat 12 on Wednesday, June 13th, 6-7:45 PM
Your $5 entry gets you into the run/walk and one beer. All proceeds will go to fund running shoes for participants in Back On My Feet, a local charity that promotes the self-sufficiency of the homeless by engaging them in running as a means to build confidence and self-esteem. (
Thursday, June 14th: Kiwi Kiwi Hefeweizen Tapping at Brewery

Fishers Rotary is putting on an event mid-June that will allow Hamilton County residents to sample Indiana brews from SIX local breweries right in their own back yard. The event takes place on Thursday, June 14th and goes from 6:30 to 9:30 and will include tasting, hors d’ ouerves, games, beer education, live music and more. Location: Forum Conference Center

Thanks to the brewers for keeping us updated!

Beerio, GregKitz

Beerocracy II - The Wrath of Kahns

Kahn's Fine Wines and Spirits brought it back.. with vengeance!  Beerocracy II is a beer lover's dream. For two hours, there are FREE tastings of 40+ beers with the chance that Kyle (@Beer_at_Kahns) may open up a rare bottle for a taster's delight!  And a bonus! - if you are a K Klub member, you can participate in a raffle to purchase those limited edition beers that for regular consumers, you either have to be great friends with your liquor store or be willing to camp out for the chance to buy a bottle. What kind of rare beers -- How about Founders KBS, or Upland Gilgamesh or even 3 Floyds/Mikkeller collab - BooGoop for example. 

Back to the event... 

Beerocracy II delivered the goods big time with seven tables - 5 brewery specific tables and two from local distributors.   To give you readers the full scale of deliciousness available at Beerocracy events, I'm going to list everything that was available because I really feel that this event helps benefit those curious about craft beer. It also helps if you want to try a lot of beers not available at beer festivals without having to buy random bottles. (which is fun, I've done random beer tastings before many times) 

Without further ado.. to the List!

(Sidenote - number on the left is the order I tasted the beer in, comments will be underneath) 

Table 1: New Holland Hatter Day Celebration

- New Holland Mad Hatter IPA

3 New Holland White Mad Hatter

1 New Holland Rye Mad Hatter

Not overly rye flavored, smooth but complex

2 New Holland Farmhouse Hatter

6 New Holland Black Mad Hatter

delicious roasted flavor at the end 

4 New Holland Oak Aged Mad Hatter

5 New Holland Imperial Hatter

Table 2: Samuel Adams

- Sam Adams Summer Ale

20 - Sam Adams Norse Legend - Sahti  (Single Batch Series) 

not on the original line up - but was a special opened ale by rep

24 - Sam Adams Angry Orchard Traditional Dry Cider

25 - Sam Adams Angry Orchard Crisp Apple Cider

if you like a puckery sweet cider, this one is for you. 

26 -Sam Adams Angry Orchard Apple Ginger Cider

Table 3: Ciders

28 - Crispin Brut

30 - Crispin Browns Lane 

(was not a fan of this one, was a little bland)

29 - Crispin Honey Crisp

31 - Crispin the Saint (above) 

started out sweet and aftertaste of light maple syrup

Around the time I got to the Cider table ( since I didn't go in order, Kyle decided to share this goodie with the rest of the class

**  27 -The Bruery - Fruet  **

the Fruet is a 100% bourbon barrel aged old ale.

Smooth oak and vanilla goodness

Table 4: Cavalier & Kristalweizen Machtprobe! (showdown) 

I believe @CavalierBeerIN  was the pouring host 

17 - Weihenstephaner Kristall Weissbeir

16 - Sixpoint Apollo 

I could see this as sitting on the deck, drinking many cans of this beer.  It was crisp and sweet. 

20 - Sixpoint the Crisp (Pilsner) 

15 - Sixpoint Sweet Action

22 - Breckenridge Summerbright

23 - Two Brothers Dog Days

18 - Founders Cerise

My love of Cerise is huge!  and I'm happy that the 2012 version is back to the original red pigment ale. 

19 - Williams Sir Perry

This table surprised me the most. It had a variety of beers that I typically don't gravitate to such as a Pilsner and the hefeweizens but everything here was something I could drink over and over again. 

Table 5: Sun King

Sun King Popcorn Pilsner

Sun King Sunlight

Sun King Osiris

Sun King Wee Mac

Sun King Sky Cake Aleger

Sun King Chaka

the only reason I didn't try any of these is because I've had them all already, and when I got to this table, I thought it best to not have more beer when I already tasted about 30+ 

Table 6: World Class

served by @mattworldclass 

14  - Bell's Third Coast Beer

9 - Kasteel Cuvee de Chateau 

not on the original line up, but added last minute as a replacement to the Brooklyn Summer Ale

Bell's Oberon

12 - Boulevard Zon

nice blend of the coriander with the pinch of orange citrus

Brooklyn Summer Ale 

was on original line up but didn't come out to play

Triton Fieldhouse Wheat

Triton Magnificent Amber

13 - Paulaner Hefe-Weizen

10 - Van Steenberge Gulden Draak 9000

I think it is unfair that something so creamy and delicious would have to be over 10% ABV, but that's a Belgian quad for you.

11 - Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA

This IPA with a  140 IBU count had a nice grapefruit, slightly bitter overtone

last by not least

Table 7: Upland Brewing

served by @UplandCari

Upland Wheat

Upland Helios

7 -  Upland Maibock

I had this on draft at the Indianapolis Monthly Beerfest, to me it had a caramel coating mouth feel

8 - Upland Nut Hugger

In addition not on the lineup:

Upland Winter Warmer - BarleyWine 

Upland Infinite Wisdom - Tripel

And that was it!  I'm a little overwhelmed as I recap the beers available. See what you missed if you weren't there! Hopefully Kahn's will keep Beerocracy going and I'm looking forward to what they bring out in Beerocracy III.   I'm also hoping to see more ladies out to these events.  Out of 80 people who showed up about 10%, if that, were women.  Beer isn't just for men! :) 

Great job Kahn's! and readers if you need help in choosing some craft beer, please visit Kahn's  either downtown, on Keystone or up at North Willow. They are a great place to get started in trying new beer. 

- Kathleen

Bloomington Beer Fest Recap

It is estimated that over 1,000 participants and approximately 27 Indiana breweries and brewpubs plus about 10 non-Indiana breweries enjoyed staying cool in the shade of the Old Woolery Mill structure, Bloomington, IN, Saturday, June 9. While we hope to get a final entrant count this week, it seems there may have been twice as many people this year compared to a much hotter outside venue last year.



Brewers from Northern Indiana included Three Floyds (Munster), Crown (Crown Point), Bulldog (Whiting), Figure 8 (Valporaiso), Shoreline (Michigan City), Four Horsemen (South Bend), and Mad Anthony (Ft. Wayne) showing what a strong brewing community has sprung up to the North. There were a number of notable beers from the Northern brewers ranging not only from 3 Floyds Zombie Dust intensely hopped pale ale and Jinx Proof Pils a crisp, dry pilsner brewed in collaboration with staff from Washington, D.C.'s Jinx Proof Tattoos. The 3 Floyd's Belgian Style White with corriander and orange at 9% was a stand-out while the Black Heart English IPA was refreshing (a nod to Blackhawk Tattoo in San Francisco).

Eight-month old Bulldog Brewing of Munster,is founded by folks in the steel industry and a firefighter which seems fitting for "the Region" and the name comes from brewer Kevin Clark's nickname. This little brewery already was named 2nd best Microbrewery in the region by the Northwest Indiana Times newspaper, with 3 Floyd's named as first. Their surprising beer was a Maple IPA which was nicely balanced with distinct Maple flavor.



Our old friend Mike Lahti of Figure 8 Brewing (Valpo) is excited about the new building that opens this next week. Lahti was profiling their Scapegoat ESB on nitro which, of course, is so silky.

Both Crown Brewing of Crown Point and Shoreline Brewing of Michigan City could be proud of their GABF winners this year: Crown's Gold for English Mild and Shoreline's 2 bronze for Australasian Pale and for Scottish.

You may recall the FourHorsemen label when it belonged to now-gone Mish. Brewing but knowledgeable former beer distributors now own that brand as the name of their brewery which also has only been brewing since August. Their Irish dry stout at only 4.2% was a very solid session beer and they poured a pale, red, and wheat. Ft Wayne's Mad Anthony served a tasty imperial IPA

Of course Central Indiana was well represented from Peoples and Lafayette on the north to hometown brewers and many, many from the Indianapolis area. All 3 Bloomington breweries in Bloomington are undergoing brewery expansions with both Bloomington Brewing and Upland pouring some sour versions plus regular taps at this event while Cutters talked of an opportunity to grow slightly beyond their current limited distribution with a solid imperial stout as a flagship. HipKilla flowed as a special tapping from Peoples while Lafayette Brewing poured a crisp Dortmunder Star City Lager.

The picture at left shows brewer Jerry Sutherlin of Rock Bottom downtown Indy talking beer with Jeff Eaton, (sorry Jeff, I know that is the back of your head) owner and brewer of Barley Island. That Noblesville brewery was offering up a very tasty Damien Belgian Golden Strong + an Old Ale called Decrepit Old Man (9%).


Of course with well over 100 beers on tap it is not possible (or recommended) that one blogger taste them all! However, other beer notes included:

ZwanzigZ of Columbus had a really interesting chocolate ale. They have 8 beers on tap now at their restaurant.

The most senior brew-pub owner, John Hill, of Broad Ripple Brew Pub was himself pouring an Old Ale from a firkin (Mallard) that comes out only every few years. John claimed he had arrived early the day before to clean all of the hundreds of windows in the venue -- that's a joke because if you look closely you realize there is no glass in most of the windows. By the way KUDOS to Brewers of Indiana Guild for pushing a variance for use of this facility for a brew fest!

Half Moon brewery of Kokomo served their Kokomonster (profiled previously in indianabeer.com) a 9% old ale as well as a smooth vanilla porter. Plainfield, IN, Breweries Three Pints and Black Swan were there - I'd just visited DJ at Black Swan this past week and I return to his tasty Scottish.

Thanks to the large contingent of brewers from the greater Louisville area and Kentucky. Kentucky Bourbon Ale was on tap, Against the Grain offered a session smoked English Ale, and Bluegrass Brewing, now with Louisvillian but former Indiana brewer Eileen Martin proudly serving up the beer featured their solid Bourbon Barrel Stout. New Albanian of New Albany was well represented.

Lets give praise to three of the top craft breweries in the U.S. for sharing their beer! #1 craft Boston Beer Sam Adams served a Red, a Baltic IPA, and a barleywine as well as their current season Sam Adams. The Naked Bow barley wine was new to me and enjoyable.

#3 Craft brewery Bell's was represented as always and for this event #7 U.S. craft brewery New Belgian offered several including Tart Lychee barrel-aged sour beer, sith Lychee Fruit puree and cinnamon.
Bells, New Albanian, and Indy's thr3e Wise men are represented in the pic at right. Omar of Thr3e Wisemen offered me a sample of a dark complex beer so good I forgot to note it's name.
Boulevard beers (Kansas City), Hinterland (Green Bay), Mendocino (Northern Calif.), and Finch's (Chicago Land) were other out-of-state offerings.

Again, THANKS to Brewers of Indiana Guild for making this event happen, for pulling off getting it into the covered space, and for keeping things organized. THANKS to all of the brewers who provided free tastes!

Cheers to All! GregKitz

PS - more to come but 3 indianabeer.com bloggers will meet at Sinking Ship Wednesday, June 13, by 6:00 PM

BrewFest Today, Bloomington

Today, Saturday June 9, will be a nice day for a drive to Bloomington for the Beer Fest sponsored by the Brewers of Indiana Guild at the Old Woolery Mill. Plenty of tickets are available.

You'll find sours from both Upland and Bloomington Brewery, several barrel aged beers and a good chance to meet and greet. This event will be under cover this year so not in direct sun!

The Old Woolery Mill is five minutes off of Indiana 37 just south of Bloomington on Tapp (also labeled "Country Club" Road. Take Tapp Road left (East) just 1/2 mile. Today 4-7

This is now the third major event per year sponsored by BIG and bringining together many Indiana Brewers. We were with brewers from Indianapolis and from 3Floyds in preparation.

Upland Sour Reserve Lottery / 2012 Indiana Brewers Cup

A few notes to pass along on Upland Sour Reserve #2 and registration for the 2012 Indiana Brewers Cup:

After the online reservations for Sour Reserve #1 sold out in less than two minutes, a lottery system is being employed for the release of Sour Reserve #2. To place yourself in the lottery, you will need to register at http://sourreserve2.eventbrite.com/ before 11:55pm on June 14th. Entrants will receive an email on June 15th to let them know if they won the right to purchase a bottle. Lottery winners will be able to purchase one bottle of Sour Reserve #2 at either the Bloomington Brew Pub or Indy Tasting Room between June 20th and July 4th for $25 + tax. Sour Reserve #2 is a blend of three lambic style batches from 2008.

 

Registration for professional and homebrewed beer is now open for the 2012 Indiana Brewers’ Cup. One of the largest and most prestigious competitions in the country, the Brewers’ Cup judged a record 1071 entries (310 professional and 761 homebrew) in 2011. You must register and deliver your entries by June 22nd to be eligible this year. Entries should be dropped off or shipped to Sun King Brewing (135 N. College, Indianapolis, IN 46202). Entries will be judged on Friday, July 6th and Saturday, July 7th at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Marsh Blue Ribbon Pavilion concluding with an awards ceremony on Saturday night. Homebrewers should note that this is now a qualifying event for the Master Championship of Amateur Brewing.

More information and online registration can be found at http://www.brewerscup.org/. The event will need plenty of judges and stewards, and you can also sign-up to do either at the registration site. This is one of the rare competitions that pays judges, with local judges receiving $12.50 per session and judges who travel at least 50 miles one way and judge at least two sessions receiving a $100 stipend.

Cheers, Nathan

Around Fort Wayne - June 8

Belmont Beverage in the Time Corners Shopping Center is having a Summer Kick-Off Tasting today from 6p.m.-8p.m.  This is a FREE beer tasting featuring beers from Abita, Southern Tier and Victory to a name a few.  Come out and sample some beers and find a new beer to enjoy this Summer!  (Must be 21 yrs. of age and older with valid Government-issued ID.)

Cap n' Cork in Covington Plaza is having a FREE Head Southwest for Free Samples beer tasting today from 5p.m.-7p.m.  They will feature beers from Boulevard, Victory, and Blue Dawg to name a few.  Come out and sample some free beers and find a new beer or two or three to enjoy during this warm weather!  (Must be 21 yrs. of age and older with valid Government-issued ID.)

Dash-In in Downtown Fort Wayne has Three Floyds Pride and Joy back on tap for $4.00 and $3.00 on Thursdays.  Speaking of Thursdays, EVERY Thursday Dash-In offers $1.00 off all draft beers!!  Sounds like a good deal to me!

800 Degrees Three Fires is now open at 5215 Illinois Road (260-416-0005).  Click on this link for a story that was recently published in the Journal Gazette http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120604/FEAT0111/120609837/1131.  They have 14 beer taps which when they opened last week included beer from Left Hand, Three Floyds, Upland, Dark Horse, Lexington Brewing Company, Tyranena, Southern Tier, North Coast, Founders, Flat 12, Stone, Bosteels in Belgium, Peroni, and Pabst.  Not only do they have a great beer selection, but their pizza is very tasty.  Nothing like a great tasting beer to go along with a great tasting pizza!!

Trion Tavern recently tapped the following beers:

Al-Dabeyoun by 3 Floyds Brewing Co.
Framboise by Brouwerij Lindeman's
Black Hatter by New Holland Brewing Co.
Dragonfly by Upland Brewing Co.
Distorter by Greenbush Brew Co.
Delirium Nocturnum by Brouwerij Huyghe
Pannepeut - Old Monk's Ale by De Struise Brouwers
EKU Pils by Kulmbacher Brauerei AG
Tart Lychee (Lips of Faith series) by New Belgium Brewing
Zombie Dust by 3 Floyds Brewing Co.
Liquid Fiction by Flat12 Bierwerks
E.S. Bam by Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

JK O'Donnell's has tapped the Gnomegang, A Belgian Strong Pale Ale brewed by Ommegang in collaboration with Chouffe. We have this specialty beer along with the Chouffe Biere du Soleil in celebration of Gnome week. Remember to stop in tomorrow night for the world's tiniest toast at 6:66pm (7:06pm). We have some small Chouffe branded mugs to give away with the purchase of one of these fine special brews.

Remember, to check the Calendar section on this website for beer events in Indiana and beyond!!

Cheers!

Follow-up to Brew Haven Ticket Release Party - June 8

A great time seemed to be had by all that attended the Brew Haven Ticket Release Party at Trion Tavern!!

 Beers tapped:
 Three Floyds/De Struise Shark Pants (gone)
 Firkin of Bell's Porter
 Three Floyds Zombie Dust
 Flat12 Liquid Fiction
 Jolly Pumpkin E.S. Bam
 New Belgium Tart Lychee
 Kulmbacher EKU Pils
 De Struise Pannepeut

 Tickets sales for Brew Haven 2012 got off to a robust start. 30% of  VIP tickets have already sold.     Tickets remain available at the Trion for CASH ONLY) and online at BrownPaperTickets.com[1].

 The "Wheel Of Beer" made a triumphant debut and will remain on hand as a fun way to help people decide between the 58 beers Trion has on  tap. [photo attached]

More info can be found at brewhaven.triontavern.com[2]. Check out the BeerFinder page[3] for the  current list of 43 breweries that will each be pouring multiple draft samples and most of whom will be directly represented. This page will evolve to include an interactive list of beers & breweries with an interactive map.
Links:

 [1] http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/234090
 [2] http://brewhaven.triontavern.com
 [3] http://brewhaven.triontavern.com/findBeer.php

Indiana Beer News June 6

Bloomington Beer Fest this Saturday!

Saturday, June 9, Historic Woolery Stone Mill, 2200 West Tapp Road Bloomington, IN
4-7, VIP 3-4


Bloomington Brewing Reports: Ruby Bloom Amber, Quarrymen Pale, Rt. 37 Cream Ale plus a couple of dry-hopped firkin surprises in the Firkin Room and then a barrel-aged Biere de Mars for a special tasting. It’s a Biere de Garde brewed in March aged in an Oliver Winery cask for 3 months!

Upland tells us at least Upland Wheat, DragonFly IPA, and Pils, but also at least 3 sours with Raspberry, Blackberry, and Gilgamesh likely to be offered!

Many other brewers and a lot to sample. For details Brewers Guild of Indiana

For its second year in Bloomington, the cLips of Faith Beer & Film Tour will be presented by New Belgium Brewing on Friday, June 8, from 8 to 11 pm at Bryan Park, Bloomington. Their "beerography" at last year's festival listed 18 of their beers, including their best-known Fat Tire Ale, although only about half that number were served at the event. This year's lineup includes 15 beers, according to their website: Cocoa Mole Ale, Bière de Mars, Tart Lychee (also known as litchi, lychee is the oval fruit of a tree of the soapberry family having a hard scaly reddish outer covering and sweet whitish edible flesh that surrounds a single large seed), Dig, Somersault Ale, La Folie, Fat Tire Ale, Ranger India Pale Ale, 1554 Enlightened Black Ale, Trippel Belgian Style Ale, Abbey Belgian Style Ale, Blue Paddle, Belgio IPA, Shift, and Valentine Brew.

Other Beer notes:
from Flat12
Friday, June 8th: Tap takeover Yogi's in Bloomington 6:00 PM (8 beers on tap) look for me (GregKitz)
Friday, June 8th: The Onion Society for Beer Enjoyment
Saturday, June 9th: Bloomington Beer Fest 4:00 Look For me (GregKitz
Saturday, June 9th: Evansville Do the Zoo
Wednesday, June 13th: Brew Mile by Blue Mile at Flat 12

From RAM
6/9 - WTTS Tapping Tour in Fishers featuring the Spring Music Sampler and Barefoot Wit
6/14 - WTTS Tapping Tour in Indianapolis featuring the Spring Music Sampler and Endgame Russian Imperial Stout


Beers to you! Hop(e) to see you out
GregKitz

Half Moon Brewery Visit

Our Memorial Day Weekend kicked off with a trip up 31 to Kokomo for Poppi’s performance at a burlesque fundraiser. While the performers prepared for their Star Spangled Tease, I had a few hours to spare for a long overdue visit to Kokomo’s own Half Moon Restaurant & Brewery. Cheers to my old friend Justin for making the trip over to share some beers.

The City of Firsts has had some fits and starts in launching their craft beer scene (the Brass Monkey was an awesome place if you never made it), but Half Moon is going strong and making waves in the Indiana craft beer scene with four medals in the 2011 Brewers Cup. If you choose to order the sampler tray on your visit, you’ll be treated to a sample of every beer currently on tap rather than selecting 5 or 6 from the menu. That required working my way through samples of ten beers….it’s a tough job. Good conversation tends to make my note taking habits rather lazy, but here are some highlights from the evening:

The KokoMonster – Probably their signature beer, Half Moon describes the KokoMonster as a strong ale but it drinks like a much smaller beer. Forsaking the typical assertive amber ale bitterness, this beer emphasizes smooth malt flavor complemented by moderate citrus hop aroma and flavor. The alcohol is present but very smooth and enhances a dry finish that contributes nicely to the drinkability. You could be forgiven for thinking you’re drinking a standard amber ale, but be warned that the 8% ABV will be less forgiving if you tackle more than one of these before your drive home! 20 IBU 8% ABV

Elwood’s IPA – The 2011 Brewer’s Cup silver medal winner is a bit on the darker side of the style but the malt character never gets in the way of your hop buzz. The aroma and initial flavor are strong on citrus notes of grapefruit and tangerine which fade into more of a piney character with lingering bitterness. Half Moon does a great job of avoiding any harsh alcohol characteristics, and the 6.7% is barely perceptible here. 60 IBU 6.7% ABV

Cole Porter – Another silver medal winner, Cole Porter qualifies as a fairly aggressive Robust Porter. A strong malty aroma that emphasizes chocolate and roast malt character gives way to creamy, slightly bitter chocolate flavor backed with just a hint of citrus hops for balance. The alcohol is a bit evident here, but is still smooth and does not detract from the overall flavor profile. 30 IBU 7% ABV

Stop Light City Red – Brewed to the style of an Irish Red, Stop Light City has a sweet caramel malt aroma. The flavor has a slightly nutty character to complement the caramel malt with a slight floral hop character in the aftertaste. Favoring a more subtle approach, none of the characteristics particularly stand out when paired against their more aggressive offerings, but it embodies the style description of an “easy-drinking pint”. 25 IBU 5.7% ABV

Big Black IPA (seasonal) – Another offering of the wonderful, relatively new style of Black IPA, Cascadian Dark Ale, or whatever you want to call it. It’s black and it’s hoppy. Just the way I like my…..nevermind. This one hits you with a blast of citrus hop flavor that fades into pale chocolate and an assertive lingering bitterness. The hop flavor was a perfect complement to the chocolate malt, but the bitterness was a little too overpowering here. 75 IBU 6.4% ABV

K-Town Brown Ale (seasonal) – Made with a base of Golden Promise malt that is the signature of Scottish ales, the K-Town Brown is reminiscent of those styles with a smooth, nutty malt character and slightly sweet finish. There is a slight citrus hop finish, but the beautifully rich and smooth malt made this my favorite beer of the evening. A bit more hop character may have put this beer into mind-blowing range, but I’m nitpicking now. Definitely one to try if you can make it in before they run out. 25 IBU 5.6% ABV

The food menu is wide-ranging with pub food, salads, seafood, pasta, and steaks. Half Moon places a particular emphasis on slow smoked barbecue and homemade Sweet, Smoky, and Spicy barbecue sauce. Check out all their food offerings to whet your appetite here.

Overall, the Half Moon is offering up a good mix of diverse selections for a market where local beer is a relatively new phenomenon. I probably could have passed on the MILF-n-Honey if it weren’t for the name, but there were a lot of winners in this lineup. This will definitely be a destination for me on future trips to Howard County. You can find Half Moon on the west side of US 31 just south of the Alto Road intersection. It’s an easy and fairly quick commute from the north side of Indy to pay them a visit or for a pit stop if you’re passing through the area. And remember to seek them out and try a few offerings at the Microbrewer’s Festival this summer.

Cheers, Nathan

Craft Beer Sightings!

    I went out this weekend not in search of good beer (I was just out to spend time with friends), but good beer found me.

It found me in a coffeehouse pub, it found me in a little bar, it found me in a chain restaurant.  Craft beer is out and about in the world and I couldn't be happier! 

It may not be the entire tap line, it may only be 4-5 out of a tap wall of 20, but it is becoming more and more available. It is also not just Sun King getting out and about. (No offense to Sun King at all, craft is craft, but it is nice to see the younger breweries out there too)

My first weekend stop was at Hearthstone Coffeehouse and Pub up in Fishers. I was there seeing a friend sing and was happy to see that they had 16 taps of local and regional craft beer - ONLY! They also had a great deal on Saturday's - $10 beer flights.  I took off with Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, People's Hearthstone Bavarian Coffee Brown, Flat 12 12 Penny, and Old Rasputin Imperial Stout.  It was absolutely delicious. 

After Hearthstone, karaoke was on the game plan next. I'm all for karaoke, but generally domestic beers are the only thing available at any bar I go to sing at. Imagine how I was pleasantly surprised that GG's Bar and Grill  had taps of Sun King and also Fountain Square! Reasonably priced too, a pint of Fountain Square Preacher's Daughter was only $3.50. Having craft beer on tap and karaoke, and being about a mile from my house has now endeared GG's to me. (what can I say, I'm a simple girl) 

Last but not least in my pop-up craft beer weekend, I went to Lafayette and had dinner at BW-3's. Now, in fairness I have usually been able to get a New Belgium Fat Tire at BW-3's, but this trip, they had Flat 12, People's, Sun King, Triton even! all along their wall of taps. I actually stopped at stared for a bit before ordering the People's Brewing Co. Moundbuilder IPA. (I've started becoming a hop-head appreciative) 

I'm more happy with the fact that this places are opening up and letting craft beer in. It gives people the choice to try something different. To experience the quality and maybe, hopefully, become converted to the craft side. 

- Kathleen

Local brew news

In Southern Indiana? Hope you are at Buckhead Mountain Grill, Jeffersonville, IN tonight (Friday) for Founders "Tap Take Over" with Reds Rye, Double Trouble, Cerise (tart cherries anyone?), Porter, and "Better Half" (Barrel aged). If you are not there and you live near -- GO, or you'd better hope there is some left on Saturday!! This is one of the places I go when in the area because they often have beer from Bluegrass!

June 2 Fest of ALE
40 breweries and four craft brew distributors will serve samples of more than 150 craft and import beers, and six fine wine distributors will serve wine samples. The St. Anthony’s Men’s Club will cook up hamburgers, hot dogs, brats and the like.
the overall atmosphere is fun and relaxed — participants are invited to bring a lawn chair and kick back for a few hours.
And Fest of Ale is a fundraiser for the WHAS Crusade for Children. Last year the event raised more than $7200. “We are looking to top that number this year,” says Todd Antz, who owns Keg Liquors.
from 3-7 P.M.
Location: St. Anthony's of Padua
320 North Sherwood Avenue
Clarksville, Indiana 47129-2798
$30 for a great cause!!

Time for judging homebrews at RAM!!
from Brewer Andrew
6/2 - RAM Every Day IPA Awards Ceremony (our friend and National BJCP Beer judge, Sandy C, is running this one so we expect great results!!)
6/9 - WTTS Tapping Tour in Fishers featuring the Spring Music Sampler and Barefoot Wit
6/14 - WTTS Tapping Tour in Indianapolis featuring the Spring Music Sampler and Endgame Russian Imperial Stout

From Bob at Flat12

Saturday, June 2nd: Sullivan Hardware 5th Annual Cooking Contest
Saturday, June 2nd: Fest of Ale, Clarksville, IN (see above)
Friday, June 8th: Tap takeover Yogi's in Bloomington (8 beers on tap) I will be there late as I must fly back for this one
Friday, June 8th: The Onion Society for Beer Enjoyment
Saturday, June 9th: Bloomington Beer Fest, we will be there
Saturday, June 9th: Evansville Do the Zoo
Wednesday, June 13th: Brew Mile by Blue Mile at Flat 12


Always something going on in the MIDWEST state MOST involved in BEER!

Greg Kitz