Powerhouse has installed a hand pull and will hook up a pin of cask conditioned Two Dave's IPA on Tuesday. Currently on draught: Pogo Stick, Berliner Weisse, Two Dave's IPA. Also, Founder's Breakfast Stout and Nemesis! Jon has been brewing 5 days a week and went to Aurora Monday to brew a collaboration with Dan from Great Crescent!
On the CACA front, Bill Ballinger gave a talk about lagering beers, quite informative!
Misc News – Sept 19
Jerry's Rock Bottom Oktoberfest (Downtown Indy) – Bright orange copper. Malt with plenty of hoppy balance and initial kick. 6%.
Out of 516 breweries that sent 3,523 beers to the GABF, two three in Indiana brought back medals. Congratulations to them. Full results
- Sun King Golden Slumber - Belgian-Style Abbey Ale – Silver
- Sun King Dominator Dopplebock – German-Style Doppelbock or Eisbock – Bronze
- Three Floyds Munsterfest – German-Style Märzen – Bronze
- Rock Bottom, 86th St, Indy – Naked Oatmeal Stout - Silver
Sun King is getting 3 more 60bbl fermenters and bright tanks. Also an outdoor silo so the building will finally look like a brewery.
Coming to Alcatraz – Oatmeal Stout.
Coming to the Ram – Pie'd Piper Pumpkin Ale.
Anita at Great Fermentations over-ordered and still has 40 or so gallons of Early Blend Cider for your fermentation passion. It's a blend of Gala, Honey Crisp, Jonathon, Empire, and Jonagold apples and has a sweeter brightness than last year. She'll be ordering a Late Blend in a month so there's still time to do two batches this winter.
You needed to be at New Albanian's Bank Street Brewhouse's Sandkerwa NA anstich tapping right on time. (5pm). The Ahornberger Landbrauerei Strößner-Bräu's Ahornberger Landbier lasted 51 minutes. Zehendner Mönchsambacher Unfiltered Lager didn't make an hour either. and Zum Grunen Baum Landbier didn't last a half hour on Saturday. Roger is ecstatic. blog Next Thurs, Fri, Sat, more of the similar.
Mark Schiess brews with Jim Kirk's 16-year old malt extract. story so far
So a guy flies from New Mexico to Harrisburg PA to get one of 400 bottles of Troegs' Splinter Blue beers. He's 401st in line. Brewery finds one more bottle to make his trip worthwhile. article
Misc News – Sept 16
 Lil' Charlie's beers are $2 on Mondays.Ram has Pie'd Piper Pumpkin Ale and Blue Pride German Pilsner coming up. We saw the manager quietly do the right thing last night so we're copying their Nuvo ad here today. The City of Franklin has officially called off the Tailgate Beer deal. The clown in California never did give them any financial information about the company. article Happy birthday to FOSSILS. They really are old. 20 years old. Gina and Matt tell us of some new brews from Cavalier: Clipper City Great Pumpkin Imperial Pumpkin Ale. CCGPIPA-Greater Pumpkin (bourbon aged pumpkin). Left Hand Twin Sisters Double IPA. Two Brothers Atom Smasher Oak-Aged Imperial Marzen. Tyranena Brewer's Gone Wild Hop Whore. Tyranena Painted Ladies Pumpkin Spice Ale. Berghoff Oktoberfest. "Two Brothers Atom Smasher Oak-Aged Imperial Marzen"? How long can a beer name go? Can all this fit on one label? No wonder my carpal tunnel is still sore. Great Crescent Brewery's American Pale Ale has organic Blue Agave added during the boil. Wandering to Cincinnati? First check out the Hoperatives to see what they're up to. Rivertown Brewing in Cincy. Here's the Longshot upshot story.
Recycling returns to Broad Ripple. In a project started by Union Jack, beer bottles from these establishments head to bins for melting: Vogue, Broad Ripple Tavern, CT Peppers, Crackers Comedy Club, Barley Island, Naked Tchopstix, Ambrosia, Corner Wine Bar, Usual Suspects/Casba, Brothers Bar and Grill, The Wellington Pub, Red Mango, Old Pro’s Table. article "about 18 percent of all beverages consumed in the United States each year happen in a bar, restaurant or hotel and glass containers make up about 80 percent of the container mix beverages consumed on premise."
What Would Moses Drink? Biblical Archaeology Review looks at "Did the Ancient Israelites Drink Beer?" Read when you have a half-hour to devote to it. You'll also get a chance to laugh at Ray Oliver, Esq in the comments.
|
NanoCollaboration – Great Crescent & Power House
2 3 floors on one side and 4 on the other. It's also really really sturdy with 8x8 12x12 posts and beams.
A three ten-barrel steam fired system is ready to install and a1930s art-deco barfront locally sourced will provide a great setting for a tap room down the line.
2011 is going to be an interesting year for Great Crescent. Lots of work and sweat to get everything set up but in the end the brew days will be shorter and the output greater.
(Dan, thanks for the corrections)
Misc News – Sept 14
Some quick reviews:
Bee Creek Ale – Their newest offering is 2-row and Carapils with a light Cascades touch at 17 IBU. They say there's no honey in this one but it has a nice touch of that sweetness. It will prove popular. That's their new honey-hauler at right.
- Big Woods Busted Knuckle – Dark, Malty, Light bodied. A good example of a Southern Brown.
- Big Woods Possum Trot Pale Ale – Floral and Bright.
- Lil' Charlie's
Harry's Pale Ale - Copper, plenty hoppy, worthy of Harry's name.
- Lil' Charlies Father Franz' Hefeweizen - Liberty and Chinook in a Krystalweizen. Fresh tasting and mild.
- Lil' Charlies Red Wheat – Bolder, sweeter, maltier, and a favorite with EKG.
- Lil' Charlies Bull Ram Bock – Light copper color and a full bold malty flavor on a EKG base. 7%. This could be great if barrel aged.
- Lil' Charlies Batesville Blonde. Pilsner with liberty and EKG. Light and 4.8%.
- New Albanian Blackgrass Saison. Using lemon grass and black pepper, both of which come through. Deep chill-haze copper served appropriately with no head and no room left in the 1/2 litre glass. 5.3%.
- Power House Pogo Stick Wheat Ale – Hoppy American Hefe. Very cloudy. Lots of Simcoe.
- Upland Oktoberfest Lager – Malt to style and a perfect light orange color.
- Bell's Oarsman – Sour mash techniques with enough sour to be noticable. Another winner.
Upland will have some of the current batch of lambics out near the end of October.
NABC say their 3-head bottler will be producing bombers in November. Hoptimus and Elector are slated to debut first.
Jared Williamson, the brewer at the Grant Line NABC facility, has been running a set of brackets over the last couple of months. Cascade beat Nugget, Amarillo beat Centennial, Simcoe trounced Chinook, and next up is Summit vs Warrior. He makes an APA 4-bbl batch of each using just one hop, dry hops it likewise, releases them both on the same day, and sits back to see which empties first. In late Nov Cascades will take on Amarillo and Simcoe will meet either Summit or Warrior. The final round may coincide with the Super Bowl. The NABC 8th anniversary ale will use all 8 hops in an 8% 80 IBU special.
It's finally happened. Nick, Barnaby, and Chris of Three Floyds visited Brew Dog. By the looks of the pictures, this should end well.
If you buy a growler of Wheat from Lil' Charlies, they will, upon request, include orange slices. Neat idea.
Jim Schembre tells us a fill crew will be following him, Bob Mack and other World Class Beverages folks around for a while doing a documentary. They will start in Denver while Jim tries to bounce from place to place during his very busy GABF schedule.
| This week's beer adventures: (plus a lot of liquor store tastings you can find in the Calendar. Thurs, Sept 16
Fri, Sept 17
Sat, Sept 18
|
Bell's Brewery announces $52M expansion over next six years. article "The projects are aimed at accommodating the company’s goal of 20 percent annual growth".
If you will ever be close to a breathalyzer (and you will), you need to read "When Alcohol is Not Alcohol".
The Zythophile has some very good points – So What Is the Difference Between Barleywine and Old Ale?
Misc News – Sept 10
A week ago we talked about the new Black Swan Brewpub coming to Plainfield. But first, another one is in the works and hoping to open the restaurant part in November and have the brewing equipment ordered. The Three Pints Brewpub will be just a half mile up the road from the Black Swan. Matt interviews the owner/brewer Tom Hynes in a HBG article. If you’re keeping count, that’s 6 new breweries planning to open in the Indianapolis area before next spring.
Hey Kentuckyanians, IUS's course "Here's To Beer" is coming up again this year. Oct 6, 13, 20, & 27. Location: New Albanian's Public House. Teacher: Roger Baylor. $65. Non-credit though. Sign up at Indiana University Southeast web site
BeerNews looks at the 3 Floyds drought (not draught). article. Also a Beer Advocate thread. "Nothing about the craft brewing business constitutes a license to print money, but people in a snit because they can’t get enough of your beer is a damned fine place to begin." So sayeth Roger Baylor in an editorial.
Kahn's says their new store at 2342 W. 86th St. in Indy will open at the end of September. Looks like they have 2500 sq ft and 8300 sq ft areas beside it to lease out. Anybody wanna start a pub?
Pssst. If you want to buy Rita Kohn's True Brew and don't have a book store near you or just like to shop online, the IU Press website is having a 60% off sale on Wed, Sept 15th. Enter the code SIXTY at checkout. That should bring the $19.95 retail down to $7.98 (plus shipping).
Some Upland beers will be available on tap at the Colts games in Sec 109 & 132. Bottles at 307, 319, 334, and 346 concessions stands.
Sun King "Blazes Past Initial Sales Goals" according to this article in the Indianapolis Business Journal. (hehe they said "jugs").
Newsweek says Mitch Daniels once fished quarters out of a toilet to pay for beer. article
Misc News – Sept 8
From the Indianapolis Business Journal: "A local liquor board cleared the way Tuesday for the Indianapolis City Market to begin selling beer there later this fall. The three-member Marion County Alcoholic Beverage Board voted unanimously to approve a carryout liquor license for the historic downtown site. The permit will allow the Indiana Brewers Guild to open a bar at the market featuring local craft beers to drink on-site and for take-out." . . .
"The bar would be open 8 p.m. or later Wednesday through Saturday. The hope is that other vendors, which typically close by mid-afternoon, also would remain open later with customers flowing into the market during the evening."
The new Tomlinson Tap Room (named after the Indy's first convention center) would occupy 1,600 sq ft on the second floor of the main hall. This is all part of a $2.7M city plan to renovate the City Market which will include tearing down the west wing. Three years ago Indy spent $2.5M on a similar renovation which has been met with yawns if not downright scorn.
Rock Bottom, Downtown Indy, now has Big Brew Special English Mild on tap. Reason enough to visit the city center. This is being sent to Denver as Jerry Sutherlin's Pro-Am beer – made with Rodney and Jessica Weaver (of HBG fame). It won them the Blue Ribbon for English Brown Ale at the 2009 Indiana State Fair Brewers Cup. Made with Maris Otter, Chocolate Malt, and others with Willamette hops (US version of Fuggles). At 3.2% ABV it's a session beer with body and malty presence befitting a Dark Mild found in the west and southwest of England.
The style originated as a weaker and cheaper version of the porters of the mid 1800s. It became popular during the heat of summer among those doing the sweatiest jobs. Less alcohol (and less £) meant it could be enjoyed in larger quantity. This one is not as hoppy or dry as, say, Brains Dark from Cardiff – more along the lines of Wizard Black Magic from Warwickshire.
At Rita Kohn's suggestion, Jerry plans to have the servers highlight the 3.2%ness for the lunch crowd. Have two beers for the BAC of one.
Ram put their Oktoberfest on last night. It has a dryness not often found in the style. Finally Free Cream Ale is also on tap.
Greg Hardman, the guy behind the Christian Moerlein restart in Cincy is going all Geraldo (or Mike Rowe) on us. He's found some tunnels under the old Kaufmann Brewery building he bought and is inviting the press to the wall-breaking. article
Earthquake in New Zealand causes a beer shortage. article
Stone 10.10.10 will be an “ale brewed with Muscat, Gewurztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc grapes and chamomile”. It will be out, on October 10th this year – or October 11th in Indiana.
If you are heading for Denver and the GABF, Beer Advocate has some crawls and stuff that are still open for more participants. Boulder Crawl, Denver Crawl, and the Great American Craft Beer Experience ($45).
Misc News – Sept 7
Bloomington Brewing will release their Homegrown Pale Ale on Wed, Sept 8th. It uses their own organic hops from the Loesch Farm that Floyd Rosenbaum has grown. That's 50 Cascade vines on 14 ft poles and harvested by hand. He planted these in 2008.
Barley Island's Damien 666 Belgian Golden Strong is on tap at both locations (Noblesville and Broad Ripple). "Spicy belgian yeast aroma, sugary sweet taste with a dry finish, 35 IBUs featuring Saphir hops, 8.9% ABV"
Scott Bort's Weekly Local Craft Beer Roundup covers Northwest Indiana. Here's a quick synopsis but htere's a lot more:
- Figure 8 Brewing – Brewing a Harvest Ale
- Crown Brewing - Oktoberfest, Oct 9th
- Three Floyds – is going to double their 2009 production
- Highland, IN – New pub, Beer Geeks, to open soon with 20 taps and cask conditioned ales.
Bob Mack dispels some Myths about Three Floyds Brewing.
Ram: coming up, a Pumpkin Ale
| This Weekend is a busy one. Stuff going on all over the state - and beyond. Fri, Sept 10
Sat, Sept 11
Sun, Sept 12
Mon, Sept 13
|
Mad AnthonyWhere to drink in Cincinnati. Unless you're heading to the GABF. In that case, where to drink in Colorado. Or better yet, where to drink in Denver.
Sam Adams' Longshot competition is down to 4 entries of which 2 will be brewed next year. Imperial IPA, Black American IPA, "Wheat ale brewed with honey and Goji berries added”, and an ale "brewed with Egyptian Chamomile, Hawaiian Honey and Heather tips.”
HowTo: Make a beer tray of solid ice. Maybe not the best idea but it will impress your Lite friends and it floats (for a while). The trial and error session is as cute as the kid.
Back in 1981 Guinness had 12 monthly ads about their stout. Jay Brooks has them on his Brookston Beer Bulletin for your enjoyment.
Misc News – Sept 3
Skip Duvall is taking over at Alcatraz and says the Search Light, Rock Bock, Weiss Guy Wheat, and Pelican Pale Ale will remain mostly unchanged while he puts his stamp on all the seasonals.
Power House and Great Crescent breweries are joining the collaboration frenzy. Jon and Dan will be co-brewing a Belgian Abbey Dark Strong at the Aurora facility.
At Power House, the Columbus Bar will be serving Dilligaf, a Rye Ale, any day now and an Oktoberfest is fermenting.
Half Moon has a Rasperry Rye Beer and Skull Splitter IIPA on tap.
Lafayette Brewing has just tapped their Star City Dark, a Schwarzbier with Styrian Goldings. "If you're looking for a lighter beer with depth of colour and taste, then don't be afraid to go dark with our darker version of our popular Star City Lager."
- People's Pilsner – Plenty of Santium hops – a Tettnanger, Hallertauer, Mittelfruh hybrid. Noble with a touch of Saaz spicy.
- ESB – Dark red-tinged brown. Smooth. Balanced. All EKG. A+
- IPA – Dark, which means malty, but hit with 77 IBU of Columbus, Centennial, and Amarillo hops.
- Aberrant Amber – Has an up-front 48 IBU attack of citrusy Amarillo and Centennial.
Another brewpub is coming to Central Indiana. The Black Swan Brewpub at 2067 E. Hadley Rd. (the ex-Hog Heaven just north of I-70 at the Ind 267 exit) has received zoning approval from the Plainfield authorities. D J McCalister is the guy behind it and has worked with Lafayette Brewing, Oaken Barrel, Barley Island and Alcatraz. He said to zoning commission "Brewpubs in general especially in the Midwest have a long history of combining very good food, very good beer and providing excellent service to their customers." They'll be opening as an English Public House while they source brewing equipment and do all those other little details necessary to brew beer.
Black Swan Brewpub from Fork in The Road on Vimeo.
(Neil, Thanks for the tip, as always)
Indiana was represented at Beer And Sweat a week ago. Jim Matt got a Gold with his American Pale Ale and credits the filtering as being very important in a keg-based competition. Eric King and Clayton Cummings of Indy were second with a Saison and Steve Llewellyn of Bloomington got a silver with a Belgian Specialty Ale.
Quality Wine and Ale Supply has more homebrewing articles:
- How Temperature Affects Wine And Beer During Fermentation
- Get Better Results From Your Beer Brewing Kit With Recipes
- How Seasonal Beers Are Made
- An Introduction To Seasonal Beers
- Why Is Light Beer Light?
- What Makes Dark Beer Dark?
- What The Beer Lover In Your Life REALLY Wants
Great Lakes Brewing in Cleveland made 80,000 bbls in 2009 and has expanded to a 150,000 bbl capacity.
There are about 20 new breweries in the planning in the state of Washington. article
Divers in the Baltic Sea have found a shipwreck and bottles of beer from the early 1800s. sketchy article – better article
Oktoberfest Biers
It's September, time for Oktoberfest beers.
In March, 1871 Josef Sedlmayr, owner of the Franziskaner/Spaten brewery in Munich, brewed a Vienna Amber for the first time in Bavaria. It lagered until September when he had a public-relations oriented tasting which proved quite successful. Sedlmayr called this beer Märzen and it became very popular at Munich's Oktoberfest celebration. It's said his Märzen was first sold at the Oktoberfest of 1872 when the brewery ran out of other beers.
A strong beer brewed in March was suitable for a long lagering time and would be ready for the early autumn season before brewing started again with the coming of cooler weather.
From this 19th century start, Märzens brewed in Germany have evolved into slightly stronger beers with less red color and are now quite lacking in the amber color they originally had. It's no longer aged for 6 months, more like 6 weeks, but, with more modern technology, that doesn't alter the characteristics significantly.
One change in technology is the "decoction mash" which involves an early boiling of some of the beer, giving a richer, maltier, result.
The term Oktoberfestbier is only allowed to be used by the 6 big breweries within Munich. All others are Oktoberfest style beers. Versions of Oktoberfests that Germany exports are usually maltier and deeper in color than Märzens but the two are really the same within Germany.
French breweries call their Märzen "biere du Mars".
| Native Territory | Munich, Bavaria, Germany Autumn seasonal. |
| Color (SRM) | Copper to orangish amber. (7 - 14). |
| Head | White and frothy. |
| Aromas | Some rich malt. Often toasty. Very little hop aroma. |
| Flavors | Mainly complex toasty malt. |
| Finish | Balanced drying spicy Noble hop in the aftertaste. |
| Mouthfeel | Medium body tending toward creaminess with softness from the water. |
| Carbonation | Moderate - does not get in the way. |
| Alcohol | Not noticeable in the mouth. 5.0 - 6.2% ABV. |
| Bitterness (IBU) | Spicy bitterness from Noble hops comes in late. (20-28) |
| Serving | German-style stein or other handled mug. Glass is normally used to show off the color. Munich's favorite glass is a 1-liter mass. |
| Malts | Vienna, Munich. Sometimes a touch of Caramel malt. |
| Hops | Noble hops such as Saaz for spiciness. |
| Yeast | Oktoberfest blend of yeasts. |
| Related Styles | Vienna Ambers beers are similar but usually redder and lighter in alcohol. |
| Notes | Some brewers use Caramel malts for added color. Munich's water is substantially lower in Calcium and Sulfates than the water of Vienna. This is a major factor in the difference between the two beers. |
| Bob's Pick |  Augustiner Oktoberfest Bier - Munich mega-brewery - Crisp taste in a creamy body. Respected by the locals as the best at the fest. |
| Rare Gems |  Wiltse's Brew Pub Oktoberfest - Oscoda, MI - Darkish red. Malty with a slight sweetness but well balanced. Carbonation comes through. Sudwerk Privatbrauerei Hübsch Märzen - Davis, CA brewpub - Rich with a slight apple background. |
| Widely Available | Ayinger, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Paulaner, and Spaten all make authentic export Oktoberfest beers. Just about every brewery in Indiana will be putting out an Oktoberfest this month (if they aren't already). |
Oktoberfest Events in Indiana (at least those that feature beer):
- Thurs, Sept 2: Oktoberfest Tapping. Sun King, Indy. 6pm
- Thurs, Sept 2: Oktoberfest Beer Tasting. Big Red Liquors, Bloomington. 6-8pm
- Tues, Sept 7: Tapping of Oktoberfest at Ram Fishers. 6:30pm
- Thurs, Sept 9 – Sun, Sept 12: German Park Oktoberfest, Indy
- Sat, Sept 11: Mad Anthony Oktobeerfest. Fort Wayne. $25. 2-6pm
- Mon, Sept 13: Granite City Oktoberfest Mug Club Party. Ft. Wayne, Mishawaka, Indy.
- Thurs, Sept 16: Tapping of Rocktoberfest at both Indy Rock Bottoms. 6pm
- Thurs, Sept 16: Feast of Fall Beers - Tasting. Keg Liquors, Clarksville. 5-8pm. Free. 20 O'fests.
- Sat, Sept 18: Back Road Fall Fest, LaPorte.The Ein Prosit Band with the Alphorngruppe will be back. Chuck is brewing Double Back Autumn Ale for the occasion.
- Sat, Sept 18: Oaktoberfest party. Noon-4pm. Oaken Barrel, Greenwood
Typical 5-gallon (US) recipe
| Grains | 8 lb German Pils malt 3.25 lb Munich malt .75 lb Crystal 90L malt .75 lb Crystal 40L malt .75 lb Crystal 10L malt |
| Adjuncts, Fruit, Spices | None |
| Hops | 2 oz Saaz hops boiled for 60 minutes 1.25 oz Saaz hops at boiled for 30 minutes 1 oz Styrian Goldings at end of boil |
| Yeast | Munich Lager yeast |
| Mash | Single Decoction. |
| Boil time | 90 minutes A 40% decoction mash for 30 minutes |
| OG / FG | 1052 / 1014 |
Augustiner tent at Oktoberfest
Hacker-Pschorr tent at Oktoberfest
Misc News – Aug 31
Gone since March, Hare Trigger IPA with lots of Cascades will return to Big Woods Brewing next weekend.
The Post-Trib prints a good overview of the Sunday Sales question for 2011's session. article
"The brewery has released Batch 10,000 — an annual brew that celebrates Bell’s homebrewing roots — but it will be the last of the 1,000 series, Bell said." article
Drinking ages around the world.
Gizmodo looks at canned beer. Enjoy the comments.
The Zythophile tries to unravel the words Beer and Ale.
f(x) walks in to a bar. The bartender says "sorry, we don't cater functions".
Other strange beer names: Horny Goat, a contract brew from Wisconsin: Hopped Up N Horny, Horny Blonde, Exposed, Red Vixen, Belgian Wit, and Stacked Milk Stout – all.
  |  LYS ØL pilsner from Sweden. |
Misc News – Aug 27
World Class Beverage's Beer Spy is now available for the small screen. You can now find their craft beers in Indiana wherever you are. how-to video
Figure 8 Brewing has a Belgian Tripel in the fermenter and are fixing up a Meheen bottler.
Bell's Oarsman and Oracle (IIPA) are out now. and Eric Strader has some, some opinions, prices, etc. He also talks about last weekend's Art of Beer Festival.
18 Vodka. Hand Made in Indiana. Mishawaka. On Grape Road. 100% Rye. Coming up. Journeyman Distillery making whisky in Three Oaks, MI. article
Sandkerwa NA at the New Albanian Public House might start on September 9th. Roger is holding off on an absolute date until the Anstich kegs arrive. article Cask Conditioned beer from Ahornberger, Bayer, Beck, Gunther, Huppendorfer, Lowenbrau, Monchsambacher, Rossdorfer, Weissenohe. Reserve a Thurs, Fri, or Sat. More info later.
The Taproom also confirms they are considering an expansion into the next space over which could include a nano-brewery. No dates and plenty of potential obstacles including problems with the ownership of the building.
Bob and Jim and WCB get linked and inked by Beer News for asking back when "are there too many beers"?
Great Fermentations' Cider will be a 2-parter this year. Each year Anita gets a special blend of unpasteurized unpreserved cider that makes good spring drinking. There will be an early and a late blend available on Sept 18th and Oct 16th for people who want to do two batches. Count me in again this year – for both. $5.99/gallon. Must be pre-ordered by 9/14 and 10/12. They are also having Cider Finishing seminars if you are nervous. more info
Great Fermentations is holding a Brown Ale competition. No cost to enter. (by Oct 27th). No spices or herbs. OG < 1060. Winner gets $25 cert and brews the brown at GF.
The stoopid food of the day award goes to the Texas State Fair for Fried Beer™. "Beer-filled pretzel pocket is deep-fried to a golden brown. One bite and the escaping beer serves as a dipping sauce." 21 and over, ID required. article
Flat 12 Bierwerks Unveils Themselves
So who's behind this new brewery startup?
Three of them are Indy natives who decided that beer is cool and a brewery would be cooler. The forth is an experienced brewer who is looking forward to a chance to add very interesting beers to our taps and shelves.
Bob Weaver is the Community Manager (we think that means marketing and the web), Steve Hershberger is the CMO, Sean O'Conner is the President, and Bob Caputo is the brewer. He's a 15-year homebrewer who
- is a Porter guy
- isn't a high-gravity guy
- is leaving a former life in quality and process control
- does IPAs
- has just made a Tangerine Porter
- likes his Glazed Ham Porter recipe
- isn't afraid to toss anything into a beer.
New DME equipment is ready to be delivered to the large facility on Dorman St, just east of downtown Indianapolis and they hope to have kegged beer "out this fall and bottles this winter". Their blog has pictures of the current state of the building, cleaned but empty.
Misc.-- Aug. 26
German style Indy... (if you are waiting for the Rathskeller to reopen)
Many have never had a good German Kolsch on tap. If you are one hurry to Chatham Tap in Fishers, 8211 E 116th. They are on the last keg of Gaffel Kolsch. Of course the Chatham Tap has 2 SunKing, several Bell's, various English offerings, more good beers and delicious food, too! I love the pizza, the Earl's Club, the Smoked Gouda Apple melt, but the beer..... While we know it must go we will miss miss our fresh, delicious, appropriately bitter Gaffel Kolsch once gone. Prost. We know it will be replaced by a delicious Oktoberfest, as it should be.
And while we're in the mood for German style beers, Liz Laughlin has her delcious Pils on tap at Rock Bottom College Park on 86th, just west of Township Line. Of course you might be persuaded to have 10 oz. of her strong Belgian Tripel - yum!
Many have never had a good German Kolsch on tap. If you are one hurry to Chatham Tap in Fishers, 8211 E 116th. They are on the last keg of Gaffel Kolsch. Of course the Chatham Tap has 2 SunKing, several Bell's, various English offerings, more good beers and delicious food, too! I love the pizza, the Earl's Club, the Smoked Gouda Apple melt, but the beer..... While we know it must go we will miss miss our fresh, delicious, appropriately bitter Gaffel Kolsch once gone. Prost. We know it will be replaced by a delicious Oktoberfest, as it should be.
And while we're in the mood for German style beers, Liz Laughlin has her delcious Pils on tap at Rock Bottom College Park on 86th, just west of Township Line. Of course you might be persuaded to have 10 oz. of her strong Belgian Tripel - yum!
Misc News – Aug 25
The Hoosier Beer Geeks went to Madison's Great Taste of the Midwest and report about it with pictures of the Indiana breweries that were there.
Broad Ripple Brewpub 20th Anniversary beer right now is Limping Mallard. A 7.7% Scotch Ale that is like sucking on a caramel. This one last saw the light of day 15 years ago.
   From: Omar Castrellón To: The World All friends and enemies invited. Alcatraz Aug 31 6:30 pm. Omar's goodbye (from Alcatraz). A couple of beers we need to empty. Good stuff. |
On Monday a 60,000 crane with a 90-foot boom being operated in the beer garden of the Indianapolis Athenaeum/Rathskeller tipped over. The Indy Star has the article and a net-worthy FAIL picture.
Excruciatingly detailed Beer Paintings.
If you think the map on our home page is cluttered, you should see the Cask Beer Finder for America map (scroll down).
Thank Heaven For Beer has a grin-inducing story about the in-store beer snob. article
More grin-inducement as Weights and Measures visits the Public House. articleRumor has it SABMiller may offer $10.9 billion for Foster's. article
Misc News – Aug 22
Breweries, etc.: Blake's one of the good guys and he has just over a month to pull this together. He's recruited the local VFW post to provide workers. When he calls you, give him the nod – or call him at 765-438-9591 (blake@profitws.com) right now. It's a good chance to make inroads into the Kokomo market and help a worthwhile cause.
Aleen tells us Bloomington beers can now be found at the three Indy-area Scotty's Brewhouse locations. (Wilbur Brewing's Country Mellow Amber is on tap in Scotty's in Bloomington).
Bee Creek Brewery has grown a bunch. No longer just brewing on Saturdays, they have 2 full-time and 1 part-time person. Huzzah.
They also make the cider for Original Sin's line (distributed by Cavalier).
Crispin's lineup:
- Honey Crisp Artisanal Reserve – Slightly cloudy and moderately carbonated cider that has a sweet meady quality from addition of organic honey. 6.5% ABV. Not using the sweet desert Honeycrisp apples, instead a blend of west coast pomes.
- The Saint – Slightly cloudy and slightly carbonated fermented with a Belgian Trappist beer yeast. Again, sweetish, this time from some organic maple syrup. 6.9%
- A "Blue" line of Crisp, Bright, and Extra-Dry ciders. at 5%, 3.2%, and 5.5%, respectively.
- Fox Barrel Perry that we haven't tried yet but will ASAP. 4.5%
If the statistics Mark Kleiman quoted in the The Atlantic are even close to accurate, his point also leads to the obvious conclusion that good craft beer can never be more than 20% of the market:
"Divide the population into deciles by annual drinking volume. The top decile starts at four drinks a day, averaged year-round. That group consumes half of all the alcohol sold. The next decile does from two to four drinks a day. Those folks sop up the next thirty percent. Casual drinkers - people who have two drinks a day or less - take up only 20% of the total volume. The booze companies cannot afford to have their customers 'drink in moderation'."
Misc News – Aug 21
Big Woods is also instituting a new Sunday Growler policy. The first 10 new growler customers every Sunday get the bottle for free.
Mini-editorial: Every brewpub we have talked to since July 4th has been very happy with Sunday Growler sales, reporting double-digit sales every week. Two have estimated 50 growlers filled every Sunday. This is the biggest success story yet for the Brewers of Indiana Guild's lobbying dollars. Over and above the extra income generated, the publicity for Indiana brewpubs during June and July was all-in-all positive and will give long-term benefits.
Hopefully the B.I.G.'s next effort will result in a change Indiana law that will see Indiana-only beer and wine booths at the Indiana State Fair. This could be accomplished for the 2011 Fair and it would introduce the members' products to the 800,000 attendees. There could be no better use of the Guild's time and money than to achieve this level of recognition to new potential customers.
Rogue Chatoe Creek Ale – A Belgian Kriek hits the shelves in October. Hopefully here in Indiana as well as Oregon.
Avery will have Ellie's Brown, White Rascal and IPA out in cans in September. article
Springbank has 5 new Scotch whiskies out. Hazelburn – 8yo unpeated and aged in both bourbon and sherry barrels. Springbank 10yo. Springbank 15yo - finished in sherry wood. Longrow CV – a blend of single malt ages with smoky notes. Longrow 10yo – finished in sherry wood. article
Misc News – Aug 20
Tomorrow's calendar (Sat, Aug 21):
- Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Festive Ale. 4-8pm. 200 S. Meridian. Indy. $40/$50.
- Southern Indiana Brewery, Winery & Spirits Festival. SWIRCA, Evansville. 6-10pm. $30/$35
- Tapping of Oatis Brown at Lafayette Brewing.
- Wamm Fest, Craig Park, Greenwood. 10zm-8pm. $8/$10. Barley Island, Upland, Oaken Barrel and Sun King will be pouring.
- Beginning Brewing Class. Great Fermentations, Indy. 9am
- Chicago Gourmet Beer Tasting. Berfhoff Restaurant. For Pints for Prostates. 5:30-8:30pm. $50.
- Art of Beer Festival. Including viewing of Locally Buzzed. Benton Harbor, MI. $25/$30
- The Livery 5th Anniversary Celebration. Free. Benton Harbor, MI. Noon-6pm
- Micro Brew Review. Oak Park, IL. 3-7pm
It's a Friday so Gina's Random Beer Roundup is out.
The Bruery's Black Tuesday barrel-aged Imperial Stout, at 20% ABV rivals Dark Lord in that there was a 4-hour line at the brewery last hear to get some. This year they are also rival Three Floyds with a Black Tuesday release on October 26th. They're even going way past Dark Lord at $30/bottle. If you're going to be in the Orange County, CA area, here's the details.
Is it too early for the Oktoberfest beers to be hitting the shelves? Yes. article
Out already – Ayinger, Becks, Bell's, Dogfish Head, Harpoon, Heavy Seas, Lakefront, Left Hand, Leinenkugel, New Belgium, Paulaner, Rogue, Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada, Spaten, Upland, and Weihenstephaner.
Bud has slipped from 26% of the US market in 1988 to 9.3% in 2009. The St. Louis Post Dispatch asks Can It Be Saved?
Yahoo News gets the exclusive report on the two cans of Blue Moon taken from the Jet Blue plane. Now you know. article
It's been a slow news week. People are just back from Madison's Great Taste. So here's a random picture to fill in some space:
Misc News – Aug 17
Fiddler's Hearth, South Bend's premier beer pub, will hold the Indiana tapping of Founders Nemesis 2010 – a 12% Barleywine. Nemesis won't hit the stores until September but you'll be able to get it on tap on August 31st starting at 8pm.
Pelican, evidently a big-time trance-metal band (hear them here), are having a show in Chicago on October 23rd. Three Floyds will unleash a Doppelbock dedicated to them. article
Bell's fourth beer in mini-kegs will be out late this fall – Winter White will join Oberon, Two Hearted and Best Brown.
Bell's 25th Anniversary party will be held mainly on Friday, Sept 10th and Sat, Sept 11th at the Eccentric Cafe. Schedule:
- Thursday, September 9th: 9:30 pm: West Side Winders
- Friday, September 10th:
2:00 pm: Press Conference in the beer garden
3:00 pm: Music starts and continues all night with:
• The Kalamazoo Dixieland Band
• Great Lakes Grass
• Black Jake & the Carnies
• Greensky Bluegrass
$1 off pints until 9pm on Friday if you are wearing a Bell’s shirt. - Saturday, September 11th:
11:00 am – 4:00 pm: The Galesburg Brewery will be open to the public for tours.
There will be grilled food and soda available.
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm: Bell’s celebrates homebrewers. You bring a 5 gallon carboy to the Eccentric Café, we fill it with cold, unhopped wort made with our Michigan barley at no cost. Take it home, hop it, ferment it and send 2 bottles to us no later than November 1st for judging. Guidelines available when you pick up your wort. Winners will be announced on All Stouts Day, November 7th. Limit – one entry per person.
1:00 pm: Music starts and continues all night with:
• Ein Prosit! (40+ member, traditional German band) – (These folks are amazing)
• Deal’s Gone Bad
• Rolling Head
• My Dear Disco
$1 off pints until 9pm on Saturday if you are wearing a Bell’s shirt. - Sunday, September 12th: $1 off pints all day on Sunday if you are wearing a Bell’s shirt
Sam Adams Doublebock label. They also plan an Imperial White and Imperial Stout ===>
In a previous post we mentioned the Brits who have crawled to 14,000 pubs. The CAMRA paper, What's Brewing, has an article about Stuart Ashby who has visited 17,015 pubs since 1984. "Not bad for someone who doesn't drive and has to rely on public transport".
"Burger King is opening a restaurant in Miami Beach that will serve beer along with burgers and fries, the chain's first U.S. location with alcohol." article Happy meal? Whopper, fries, and a Bud. $7.99. One coming in NYC also. And maybe Orlando.
Misc News – Aug 14
This is the latest cover of Lafayette Magazine. Now that's ink. 
England: Drinkers on longest ever pub crawl reach 14,000th pub. "It turned from being a bit of fun to a serious hobby." 4 guys. 24 years. 21,000 pints - each. Every pub in 11 counties.
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