Indiana Beer News – Jan 14

Flat 12 Biers can be found at Binkley's Kitchen in Indy starting this weekend.

Thr3e Wise Men gets ink in Metromix, courtesy Mike.

Ram Small Ale Homebrew Competition.

The RAM Restaurant and Brewery is happy to announce the creation of the RAM Small Ale Competition. We would like to challenge you, the Homebrewer, to brew the best Small Ale that you can create! While some well-made beers on the smaller side can be shunned at other beer competitions, we want to highlight the Brewer(s) who can create the best and most balanced flavor combinations while also making a sessionable pint that everyone can enjoy again and again. Check out https://sites.google.com/site/ramsmallale/.

The winner will brew their recipe on site with RAM Head Brewer, Andrew Castner, and the winning recipe will be on tap at both the Indianapolis and Fishers RAM locations. As a BJCP certified competition, the winning beer will also be entered into the 2011 GABF Pro-Am competition in Denver, CO. We will be hosting all entrants for a VIP Brewer’s Reception on Saturday, April 2nd at 2 p.m. to announce the winners.

Tastes:

• Bier Brewery and Taproom Trippelle – Pilsener malt and candi sugar sweet.
• BB&T Cream Ale – This batch made with corn as the classic recipes demand. No DMS though since there is plenty of room to release those compounds in an open boiler. (Darren is going to use rice in the next batch as he zeros in on Bier’s beers.
• BB&T Cold Sweat – 15 Scoville Heat Units on their Cream Ale leaves a touch of heat in the finish. Didn’t turn out to be a big seller.
• Broad Ripple Brewpub 10 Year Strong – Deep, deep brown with white head. Seems like a robust porter but lighter than many. Not a British Strong Ale but the 7.4% ABV says “try that again”. Great first impression balance that also says not a British Strong. Some roast of coffee and malt. Gives way to a nice bitter finish. Delicious.
• Brugge Brasserie Single (er, Singel) – Apricot color. Has Belgianness and a bright mild maltiness. Lots there in a 3.5% beer.
• Brugge Eisberg – Imperial Pale Ale. An IPA with piney Simcoe bitterness.
• Rock Bottom, 86th St, Indy Tripel Trouble – A Belgian Tripel. Rich, thick, and sweet – mainly of candi sugar. A 9.9% dessert beer. Actually an entire dessert. Get this instead of the crème brulee. Sip it like a liqueur.
• RB 86th RepliAle Imperial Stout. Big and roasty/toasty/burnt like Guinness Foreign Extra Stout (not that other wimpy Guinness stuff). 8.1%.
• Rock Bottom, Downtown Indy Trouble – Another Belgian Tripel (it’s been that kind of afternoon. Looks like Winterfest will be loaded with gravity). The Belgian yeast predominates this one.

The Brewers Association has released their 2011 Beer Style Guidelines. Changed categories include

Belgo-American-Style Ales 
Belgian-Style Flanders Oud Bruin/Oud Red
German Bock
Rye Beer
American-Style Brett Ale (Was Sour Ale
American-Style Black Ale (Was India Black Ale)

<<== A paltry 4 Indiana SKUs at most Marsh stores.

Breathalyzer. $15. Saw this one at Great Fermentations. ==>>

The oldest known winery has been found in Armenia. 6,000 years old. article

Japan's ANA becomes first airline to offer draft beer in-flight. article At $11.30.

<<== Vodkas in backlight. Including Three Olives Bubblegum flavor. Shudder.

Bell's Hopslam Tapping (Fort Wayne) - Jan. 13

Today at Dicky's Wild Hare, 2910 Maplecrest Road, Fort Wayne, at 5p.m. they will be tapping Bell's Hopslam. Also, they will have some giveaways along with live music at 8p.m.

Dash-In Fort Wayne - Jan. 11

Looking for something to do tomorrow evening, January 12th, and enjoy Dogfish Head beers? Dash-In located at 814 S. Calhoun Street, (260)423-3595, will be featuring 7-8 different Dogfish Head beers on tap as well as 5-6 different bottled Dogfish Head beers from 5p.m.-11p.m. If that isn't enough for you, they are also tapping Old School Barleywine and Burton Baton at 5p.m.!! Wednesday nights is also Game Night at the Dash-In i.e. ping pong, board games and card games. So come out for a night of Dogfish Head beers and gaming!!

Misc News – Jan 11

Oaken Barrel’s winter favorite, Epiphany Belgian Tripel is back.

North Coast Distributing gets good-guy ink in the Post Tribune. “There's the Valparaiso Family Y, the Boys and Girls Clubs, the Valparaiso Park Board, to name a few. He notes with pride that someone from North Coast serves on just about every board in the city.”

Beer may be on tap at State Fair in many newspapers around the state.

New Albanian has decided to bottle bombers rather than can oilcans. article

Roger tells us about this Winterfest’s ReplicAle. Imperial Double Stout from the old Souther Indiana Ice & Brewing Company’s recipe vault.

Six-Pack Equivalent Calculator. Good concept. Now also an Android app.

The four members of Evansville’s Convention & Visitors Bureau had a Christmas dinner. OK. They ran up a $3,000 tab. “More than half of which was for alcohol”. How come we never get invited to the good parties? article

Molson Coors in Toronto is getting 6 fermenters – each capable of 1.4 million bottles of beer (4233 bbls). That means a convoy of trucks carrying loads 24ft wide, 24ft high, 135ft long.  article

Indiana Alcohol Bills, 2011 session

It’s a short session this year and already politics has taken the forefront (Republicans want to satisfy their sugar daddys with an end to the closed shop and Democrats with weak numbers are going to try to block it the same way the Reps did to the US Senate the last 2 years). Maybe nothing will get done but there’s at least one bill that will get action if nothing else does. Actually, more than one since everyone has joined the you-don’t-have-to-card-old-people bandwagon.

SB 46 - Identification for alcohol purchases - Makes it a Class B misdemeanor for an alcoholic beverage permittee or an employee or agent of the permittee to recklessly, knowingly, or intentionally sell, barter, exchange, provide, or furnish another person who is or reasonably appears to be less than 40 years of age an alcoholic beverage for consumption off the licensed premises without first requiring the person to produce specified identification showing that the person is at least 21 years of age. (Current law makes it a Class B misdemeanor for an alcoholic beverage permittee or an employee or agent of the permittee to recklessly, knowingly, or intentionally sell, barter, exchange, provide, or furnish another person an alcoholic beverage for consumption off the licensed premises without first requiring the person to produce specified identification showing that the person is at least 21 years of age.) – (Senator Alting)

SB 78 - Identification requirements for alcohol purchases - Makes it a Class B misdemeanor for an alcoholic beverage permittee or an employee or agent of the permittee to recklessly, knowingly, or intentionally sell, barter, exchange, provide, or furnish another person who is or reasonably appears to be less than 40 years of age an alcoholic beverage for consumption off the licensed premises without first requiring the person to produce specified identification showing that the person is at least 21 years of age. (Current law makes it a Class B misdemeanor for an alcoholic beverage permittee or an employee or agent of the permittee to recklessly, knowingly, or intentionally sell, barter, exchange, provide, or furnish another person an alcoholic beverage for consumption off the licensed premises without first requiring the person to produce specified identification showing that the person is at least 21 years of age.) Essentially the same as SB 46. (Senator Merritt)

SB 133 - Identification requirements for alcohol purchases. Repeals a provision that makes it a Class B misdemeanor for an alcoholic beverage permittee or the permittee's employee or agent to recklessly, knowingly, or intentionally sell, barter, exchange, provide, or furnish another person an alcoholic beverage for consumption off the licensed premises without first requiring the person to produce proof that the person is at least 21 years of age consisting of: (1) a driver's license; (2) a government issued identification card; or (3) a government issued document; that bears the person's photograph and birth date. (Senator Randolph)

HB 1088 - Identification requirements for alcohol purchases - Repeals a provision that makes it a Class B misdemeanor for an alcoholic beverage permittee or the permittee's employee or agent to recklessly, knowingly, or intentionally sell, barter, exchange, provide, or furnish another person an alcoholic beverage for consumption off the licensed premises without first requiring the person to produce proof that the person is 21 years of age by: (1) a driver's license; (2) a government issued identification card; or (3) a government issued document; that bears the person's photograph and birth date. (Rep Pelath)

These are in committee and we hope SB133/HB1088 are the selected ones. They don’t have to be mangled in the reconciliation process and they just darn well make sense.

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Other bills affecting beer, including Sunday and cold sales: (bolding is mine)

SB 197 – Alcoholic beverage matters -  Creates a supplemental dealer's permit and a cold beer dealer's permit. Provides that a supplemental dealer's permit may be issued only to a holder of a beer, wine, or liquor dealer's permit. Allows the holder of a supplemental dealer's permit to sell alcoholic beverages for carryout on Sunday. Allows the holder of a cold beer dealer's permit to sell cold beer. Establishes fees for a supplemental dealer's permits and a cold beer dealer's permits. Requires the fees to be deposited in the enforcement and administration fund of the alcohol and tobacco commission. Allows the: (1) holder of a package liquor store permit, farm winery, or a microbrewery permit to sell carryout alcoholic beverages on Sunday without a supplemental dealer's permit; and (2) holder of a package liquor store permit to sell cold beer without a cold beer dealer's permit. Allows a minor to be on the licensed premises of a package liquor store if the minor is accompanied by the minor's parent or guardian who is at least 21 years of age. Eliminates residency requirements for alcoholic beverage dealers. Repeals a provision that limits the commodities that a package liquor store may sell. (Senator Boots)

This is the wrapped up Sunday and cold sales changes that the grocery/convenience store lobby wants. Boots also automatically gives liquor stores a Sunday license as well as breweries (which could sell growlers of any beer, not just their own – plus wine and spirit carryout just like many bars still do).

SB 112 - Alcoholic beverage wholesalers - Allows a person to wholesale beer, wine, and liquor. (Current law allows a person to wholesale only wine and beer or wine and liquor.) Allows a wine wholesaler that also holds a liquor wholesaler's permit to sell more than 1,000,000 gallons of flavored malt beverage during a calendar year. Repeals a provision that prohibits the alcohol and tobacco commission from issuing a beer wholesaler's permit to a person who holds both a wine wholesaler's permit and a liquor wholesaler's permit. (Senator Merritt)

You see, there’s a big new distributor in town. From Florida. Southern Wine and Spirits. And they would love to get into the beer business. And maybe Monarch would like to get into the craft spirits business with the Rogue rums, whiskeys, and gins.

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And the one that will bring more Hoosiers to craft beer than any other thing we could possibly do:

SB 1093 - Serving alcohol during the Indiana state fair - Provides that the state fair commission may give a priority to value added Indiana agriculture when determining the types of alcoholic beverages to be sold at the Indiana state fair grounds. Repeals a provision that prohibits the sale of alcoholic beverages at the state fair grounds during the period of the Indiana state fair. (Senator Cherry)

This bill will allow booths on the fairgrounds sampling and selling Indiana beers, wines, and even spirits. The State Fair powers-that-be are quite happy to see this. It’s a possibility to put Indiana breweries in front of almost a million people next August 5th-21st.

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There are more such as rules for wineries, extra 3-way permits for choice locations, etc. but these are normal business items.

Misc News – Jan 7

Scott Bort visits Figure Eight Brewing. article Reports Ro Shampo is available in bombers.

Skip DuVall at the Alcatraz is having a name that beer contest. He has a Strong Scotch Ale that will tap in about a month, but need's a name. Winner gets dinner for 2 and bragging rights of course. The name can be "Alcatraz Prison" related or not, but be creative. Send your suggestions to indy@alcatrazbrewing.com.

This year’s Upland Schwarz Black Lager will be out in 6-packs and tap in a couple of weeks.

Head Brewer Mark Snelling tells us Bee Creek Brewery “has taken delivery today of 4 new 7 barrel fermenters and a 15 barrel brite tank.  The new tanks will allow us to increase production and get us up to near 100 barrels per month. If you would like, I could take some pictures tomorrow and send them to you for posting.” Yes, please do.

HBG details This Month In Beer Releases from World Class Beverages. And Jason visits Flat 12 blog

Next Thursday, Darrin Conner at the Bier Brewery and Taproom will have Chocolate Mint Stout back, a Belgian Tripel, and Cold Sweat (20 SCH Kolsch) available. Later, a Bacon Bourbon Stout.

The Ram has $5.99 growler refills all month (except Sundays and seasonals). Andrew’s seasonal plans are to always have a light, a hoppy, and a malty beer available on the chalkboard. Oh, and on Wednesdays, the Fishers location has $1.99 24-oz glasses. Downtown now has a choice of 13, 18, or 24 oz. Had a 13oz Delusion for $4.50. Yike.

The NABC/Schlafly/O’Fallon C2 will be out mid January. It’s a Smoked Belgian Dark Strong Ale. Full recipe

Tastes:

• Bier Brewery and Taproom Winter Porter – Not a spicey kind, just a 6.6% kind. Perfect carbonation.
• BB&T Ol’ Red – Robust American Red at 6.6%. A 140% Red rather than a Double Red. Worthy.
• BB&T Weizenbock – The winner. As thick and as sweet as the BCJP style guidelines allow. 6.7%.  A+ with a Gold Medal prediction.
• Ram Total Disorder Porter – Thicker than it looks, an impression probably reinforced by some graininess (and that’s not necessarily a bad thing).
• Ram Coo Coo for Cocoa Stout – Quite thick with a tan head. Aroma is light chocolate with some roast. Dark chocolate dominates flavor.
• Ram Dry Hopped Delusion IBA (Fishers) – Little if any big dry-hopped aroma. While it has a hoppy finish, it seems less IBU than most IBAs.
• Ram Dry Hopped Delusion IBA (Downtown) – The kegging of DHDIBA for the Fishers location from the serving tank downtown changed this beer a touch so we stopped in downtown to see the difference. Here it still has very little dry-hopped aroma but it certainly has a sharper, more bitter bite immediately and has a longer finish. We prefer this one.

Kahn's third store (downtown Indy) is now open. On Pennsylvania just north of Washington. The old Sam’s Liquors. They swear not to let Steele Reserve become their best selling beer.

The Tavern on South, Indy has revamped their lines to have 6 Indiana beers and 6 more very interesting offerings on tap. Current Tap List (via Gina): Sun King Cream Ale, Cowbell Porter (Just A Little Bit Left), Golden Princess; New Albanian Beaks Best; Peoples Pilsner; Upland Komodo Dragon Black IPA; Left Hand Nitro Milk Stout; Founders Dirty Bastard; Bells Amber; Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen Tripel IPA; New Holland Mad Hatter IPA; Goose Island Mild Winter. Tues & Thurs: all Indiana beers $4. Wed: Most pints are $3.75.

 

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Gnomegang. Brewed in New York, by Achouffe Gnomes? Blonde Ale. 9.5%. Both Ommegang and Achoufre are owned by Duval Moortgat.

Paste Magazine’s 25 best American Breweries (of the decade). DFH, Allagash, Avery, Victory, Founders, Three Floyds, Bell’s, Rogue, SamA, New Belgium, Jolly Pumpkin, Stone, North Coast, Ommegang, Brooklyn, Sierra Nevada, and Great Divide are the ones we get here.

in addition to the 20oz pint (and the occasional 10oz half pint) Brit pubs will soon be able to serve in a 2/3 pint (400 ml pour). They’re making a big deal out of this in the press over there but we don’t think your next vacation to the UK will be ruined. article

Friend of the show, John Holl has an article in next Sunday’s NY Times about visiting breweries. No Indiana breweries but an interesting read. It’s online now.

Beervana’s DMS Awards. (Dismal Malty Substances)

The most aggressive label yet. Collaborative Evil from FiftyFifty in Truckee; Lucky Buckets in La Vista NE; Oakshire Brewing of Eugene, OR; Silver Peak in Reno, Flossmoor Station, Triple Rock in Berkeley, Fatheads in Cleveland, and Brew Kettle in Strongsville, OH. Whew. details

Misc News – Dec 31

Flat 12 Bierwerks opened yesterday (see that post).

Three Pints Brewpub’s tanks are plumbed and if the Feds get out there with a license they are ready to start brewing as early as next week. First up: Scottish, Light wheat, IPA, Porter, Red. Meanwhile they are having problems with local code folks over signage and an outside walk-in.

Black Swan Brewpub has 10 vessels on site and DJ is busy setting things up for a March opening.

Thr3e Wise Men has beer conditioning and Jan 10 may be Omar’s opening. Kegs for distribution to the Scotty’s Brewhouse chain are being cleaned and a massive grain silo has brought a bit of country to the Broad Ripple area.

Three Floyds has Jinx Proof Pils on tap and some in bottles. Krunk Monk 9% WeizenBock is also on tap.

Doug Osburn writes “I am in need of a Bells Beer Batch 9000.  I was hoping to collect the complete six pack of a Bells Batch 6000, 7000, 8000, 9000, 10000 and 25th Anniversary. - somehow I missed the 9000 when it came out, but have all the others. If any of the other beer geeks out there have some I would be willing to pay or trade for it...(I have a couple Oskar Blues in the fridge right now.)” Doug.Osburn@MultiPkg.com

Jason wants to remind everyone that tickets for the Winterfest aren’t at brewpubs. Get them online or at Indianapolis-area Crown Liquors stores. He also wants to remind Brugge, Broad Ripple Brewpub, and Barley Island to contact him to confirm that they will be there.

Tastes:

• People’s Mr. Brown (on tap at the Black Swan) – Fine tuned to be a classic hoppy American Brown (if such a thing exists).
• Black and Tan with Bell’s Double Cream Stout and Two-Hearted – Unlayerable. Smooth dark ESB that gives character of both light and dark.

The Ram’s 999th batch will be an Imperial IPA which will go on tap in late February.

More Michigan beer: Paw Paw Brewing Company now open says the Kalamazoo Gazette. Where’s Paw Paw? Go to the Old Hat in Lawton and turn north.

While in Michigan, check out Kalamazoo Beer Week. Jan 10-14.

Time Magazine highlights Sam Calagione.

“Alabama Criminal Codes state transporting more than five gallons of alcohol is a felony offense punishable by no less than one year but no more than five years in prison.” That’s scary. article

SlashFood picks 8 beers of 2010. Your results may vary. “What makes Infinium extra-special: It's the first new beer style created under Germany's beer-purity law, the Reinheitsgebot, in more than four centuries.”

Now that “energy drinks” are somewhat regulated, Pabst comes out with Blast by Colt 45 to debut in April. Will come in strawberry, lemonade, raspberry watermelon, grape, and blueberry pomegranate.

Flat 12’s Opening Night

Flat 12 Bierwerks opened just in time for New Year’s Eve growlers (even if 2 days of sales paperwork needs to be done by the accountant). About 200 people came through the doors to try the 4 beers on tap and most purchased growlers.

• Upside Down Blonde – Hits the target. Slight lemonness. Refreshing. Proved popular at the taps.
• Half Cycle IPA – 104 IBU of Simcoe and Summit plus dry-hopping with a pound per barrel. That’s a lot of citric bitterness but the overall effect is far from raw, tooth enamel scraping IBUs.
• Porter – Smooth and sweet. Got a growler.
• Glazed Ham Porter – Cloves and a bit of smoky on the sweet porter. Glazed. Ham, er clove. And quite a bit of it.

An official launch party is planned for Binkley’s Kitchen in a few weeks. Stay tuned.

Coming up: American Wit, Puppet Show Pale, Amber Ale.

Bob Mack has more to say and a video at his  World Class Beverages Blog.

 

IndianaBeer.com Survey recap

Anonymous,

Thanks for the 4 comments to Cindy’s post earlier in the month. Now it’s time to reply.

-- This is a great resource, and I always like seeing an update in my RSS reader.

Thanks. Getting updates via RSS feeds are the bomb. I use Google Reader to show posts at about 60 blogs from DUI Blog to Potable Curmudgeon. It even brings all news from anywhere that includes the words Indiana and Beer without the word Artest (easy to set up with Google News).

-- I would like to see more "valid" reviews about the new beer releases. If these new beer releases are just a notification, then that is fine but they are always accompanied by a short review that is inevitably positive or super positive. I would like to think that every IN brewery is making fantastic beer all the time, but I know that is not true. We need to hold IN breweries accountable to make the best quality beer and that will help every one. . . Occasionally I can read between the lines on the reviews ex-sulfur taste in a lager= not so good, and I know you don't want breweries to hate or fear this resource, but I would enjoy a little more honesty.

Yeah. It’s a constraint we live by. We’re sort of the home town shopping paper that isn’t going to take sides in the local election. Beers really get panned completely but probably less than 10 beers we’ve tried this year were really poorly made. An A+ in the review indicates a really superior beer. There were about 2 dozen of these in 2010.

-- Also please keep homebrew related articles and announcements coming.

Brian and Greg gotta get their blogger hats on more often.

-- The only thing I would change is add twitter. I know Bob is at many events and it would be good to get twitter updates on events in case I miss one on the calendar.

Twitter isn’t in the plans right now. No fancy phone access to say “Hdng frm Ram to RBDntwn for a Blitzen”.

I refer to the calendar all the time to make plans. (drives my wife nuts). It’s available on better phones at http://www.indianabeer.com/calendar.html

Thanks for the feedback.

Bob.

Misc News – Dec 29

Flat 12 Bierwerks will open for business tomorrow, Thurs, Dec 30. at 4pm. Much like its near neighbor, Sun King, it will have a tasting room and growler sales. See you there. location. Initial beers are Flat12 Upside Down Blonde, Flat12 Porter, Half Cycle IPA and Glazed Ham Porter.

New Albanian bottles to debut later this winter. Early February. Hoptimus, Elector. Distribution at first will be in the Kentuckiana area.

The 2010 Knights of the Beer Roundtable Beer of the Year - Brugge Brasserie's Spider

Tastes:

• Nogne-O Winter Ale - Quite carbonated. Solid caramelly Porter. Not spiced at all.
• Two Brothers Northwind Imperial Stout - Hugh brown head. Aromas of Chocolate, roast, butter. Yep, a Diacytl bomb. Thick, almost syrupy mouthfeel. Maybe butter and chocolate go together but this is just too blatant.
• Rock Bottom, 86th St, Indy Cask Conditioned Blitzen Black IPA - Blitzen’s review here said “Pure Black IPA and Pure Cascade grapefruit nose and similar taste. Could be 40 IBU plus lots of late addition hops. 6.5%”. If Liz didn’t dry-hopped a cask with even more Cascades I’ll turn in my Bitter Beer Face T-shirt. Fresh, fresh grapefruit comes on strong and stays in the finish until your next bathroom break. Hop heads rejoice (and get there quickly).
• RB86th Imperial Stout – 1/8” coating of tan head that, rather than dissipating, slides onto the side of the glass like a skin. Remarkably persistent. Low aroma. Roast, and bitter balance. Mature. A+

At the Kalamazoo Beer Exchange, the prices change every 15 minutes; driven by drinking patterns. article

“Lead us not into temptation. Just tell us where it is; we'll find it.” – Sam Levenson

From Bottoms Up Beer

Morgan/Monroe, Two Counties Strong

Took a road trip to try Bloomington Brewing’s Ole’ Floyd Belgian Ale. Floyd Rosenbaum’s 1000th batch. It’s served attractively in a tulip glass with no head. None. Medium brown. Raisin and fig aroma. A bit of tartness gives a good 3-way balance of bitter, sweet, and tangy. 7.5%.

Also on tap are the regulars, Freestone Blonde, English Mild, Ruby Bloom Amber, Quarrymen Pale, B-Town Brown, and Big Stone Stout. Seasonals include a Double Hopped Pale (42 IBU), and Java Porter (on CO2, Nitro, and Cask Conditioned – the same 3-tap treatment given the Quarrymen Pale right now).

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Across town, Upland is combating the 7.5% with their own perennial Winter Warmer on tap at 8.5% ABV. Bright leather color. A neutral American Barleywine with a classic aroma and little spritzes of clingy head. No flaws or harshness. Seems like it should take a few years to reach this state of maturity.

All the bottled Winter Warmer is gone from Bloomington liquor stores and growlers are $17 at the brewery. You might want to check a 6-pack out of your local library liquor store while it’s still around. Aging for a couple of years is perfectly fine.

The reserved issues of this years Upland Sour Ales have been taken away by patrons and it’s now first-come-first-served on the Blueberry and Strawberry Lambics as well as some bottles of Dantillion that weren’t picked up. $20.

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After a drive north through the abandoned but plowed lane of the Morgan Monroe State Forest, Martinsville beckons. Jeez-O-Pete’s Old Northside Tavern on the north side (of course) of the square serves ice cold bottles of Wilbur Brewing’s Country Mellow with their ham sandwiches and the Biography Channel on TV. The ONT is an old-line tavern but with an odd veneer of modern made to look old.

Country Mellow, at 8% could well be called a British Strong Ale and Wilbur’s flagship brand. Aroma: Did I mention it was served in a bottle? Color: Did I mention it was served in a brown bottle? Taste is a mild brownness, caramel, and slight oxidation. The lingering finish is exactly the same. Now to let it warm while I enjoy the Polish ham and cheese sandwich. . . Warmer, this beer brings out some complex fruits and loses the oxidation.

Misc News – Dec 22

It’s time to renew your mug club memberships.

Big Woods Brewing is expanding again. They are going across the street (ok, alley) to put in a new keg washing facility. “Last week, Ed, Jeff, Tim and Dave travelled to the Tall Grass Brewery In Manhattan Kansas and bought their inventory of kegs.  With more kegs and more space to clean and store the empties, we'll be able to brew more often and start to meet the demand for our beer at more locations around the state.”

Tastes:

• Bier Brewery and Taproom Dark German Wheat. Fairly dark. Not overly sweet like many. Yes, it’s the season as shown by the Bier Tree at right.
• Bier Brewery and Taproom Winter Porter. Thick body. Made with star anis and a bunch of other wintery spices but they are quite subtle. 6.5%
• Bier Brewery and Taproom Chocolate Mint. Yep, a chocolate mint stout. Semi-sweet baker’s chocolate and a pound of mint. Again subtle. More subtle than “a pound of mint” would suggest. Got a growler.
• Broad Ripple Brewpub Wee Alec Heavy. Kevin’s malty Scotch Ale returns at 7.7%. Big foamy head through the handpull that lasted through the entire quaff. Potent but not brassy. We wonder if Kevin has a vertical stashed away.

Coming up at Bier: Tripel, Barleywine, Smoked Brown, and variations with wine-barrel oak chips.

Also, according to Jim Herters’ column in Great Lakes Brewing News:

• Back Road. Now Available: No. 9 Barleywine and the corresponding Small Beer. Christmas Ale (a Baltic Porter).
• Barley Island. A Barley Wine in January.
• Crown Brewing. Now on: Winter Warlock (through February). Coming: Industrial Porter. Bourbon barrel aged Grand Poobah Imperial Stout. Batch 100 Black IPA and AlkoholikA Blonde Dopplebock in January.
• Great Crescent Brewery. Now available: Bourbon’s Barrel Stout aged in Maker’s Mark barrels – made expressly for Bourbon’s Bar & Grill in Lawrenceburg. Chocolate Porter in January.
• Half Moon. No on tap: Steel Curtain Stout. 7.0% Scottish. Honey-Rye (7.1%) in January.
• People's Brewing. Ardell Scottish Ale. Small-batch IPA in January.
• Sun King. Imperial Stout in January.

Pelican Brands of Carmel has purchased the Napa Smith Brewery & Winery. Pelican was the exclusive sales agents for Napa Smith before and has taken them into 17 states. article

The British Medical Journal (BMJ) finds that alcohol can’t be absorbed through skin abstract. And that white wine slows down digestion of cheese abstract.

Bell's Event - Dec 22

Tomorrow, December 23rd, from 5p.m.-11:30p.m. at Dicky's Wild Hare, 2910 Maplecrest Rd., Fort Wayne, (260)496-0590, there will be a celebration of "Bell's beers including the tapping of the last in the batch series, the Batch 10,000. Homage to the Homebrewer with 101 Malts/Fermentables and 60 varieties of hops! Live Music , Great Food, Great People."

Misc News – Dec 20

Scott Bort gives Shoreline ink in the Post-Trib. Reports that some of the barrel-aged bombers are in Michigan City liquor stores but all that’s left at the brewpub are Lost Sailor Imperial Stout and Discombobulation Celebration Ale. Also that more bombers will be distributed by Cavalier next year. article

Santa’s Little Helper is on tap at Big Woods. 11.5 ABV “with a nice ‘seasonal’ finish”.

Tamre & Jake pair Indiana-available beers with Christmas foods. Ham, Turkey, Chicken, Bread Pudding at Girl’s Pint Out Blog

Heavy Seas 2011 lineup unveiled

Paste Magazine’s 25 best new American beers of 2010. #25: Likcy Basartd Ale. #20: Sierra Nevada Tumbler Autumn Brown. #15: Brooklyn Sorachi Ace. #10: Oskar Blues Gubna. #5: Lagunitas Little Sumpin Wild Ale #1: Surly Four.

Police in Sheffield, England, and South Yorkshire have the authority to slap a £80 on-the-spot fine and a 48-hour “get out of here and don’t come back” on anyone drunk and looking to be a “potential troublemaker”. “People have the choice to pay the fine or attend two sessions where they discuss the consequences of alcohol misuse.” article

Misc News – Dec 19

Darren sent us this next week’s tap list at the Bier Brewery and Taproom.

On Wednesday December 22nd at 3pm, the Bier Brewery will release four of our newest biers.

Christmas Chocolate Mint Stout - Highly anticipated bier made with Ghiradelli chocolate and organic mint for a nice, balanced blend of holiday happiness.

Problem Child IPA - 2006 Beer Geek Challenge winner Sean Tucker stopped by and helped brew his winning recipe. 7.8% alcohol and 90IBUs.  This bier was never brewed commercially, so here it is, better late than never.

Winter Porter - Robust porter with a touch of Briess cherry-wood smoked malt. Also added was Star Anise, Juniper Berries, and Sweet Orange Peel. The nice thing is that all of these ingredients are blended so well together and balanced to be sure to warm you up on a cold winter night.

Rye Pale - We didn't think we could make our PDG Pale any better, well we did. It was the addition of Rye Malt that did it. It has a nice spiciness that compliments the C hop additions.

We have only about 80 growlers of each of these gems starting on Wednesday at 3pm.  All of these biers will also be featured at the Winterfest this January, these are 4 of the 9 biers we will be taking.

Also, this short week, a little something all over the state:

• Wed 21st: 12 Bell's beers at the Chatham Tap, Downtown Indy. 6pm+
• Wed 21st: Beer tasting. Pikk's Tavern, Valparaiso. 5-6pm
• Thurs 23rd: Rick & Jeff Tours bus pub crawl to Louisville's breweries. $25. 502-807-7531. email
• Thurs 23rd: Bell's Batch 10,000 tapping and Ugly Christmas Sweater party. Chubby Trout, Elkhart. 6pm-midnight
• Thurs 23rd: Beer Tasting. Big Red Liquors, Bloomington. 6-8pm
• Thurs 23rd: Beer Sampling. Chalet Party Shoppe, CR 17, Elkhart. 4-6pm
• Fri 24th: (These are probable since they’re every Friday but not confirmed on this Sunday morning)
• Beer Tasting. Crown Liquors, Downtown Indy. 3-7pm
• Beer Tasting. 21st Amendment, Broad Ripple. 5-7pm
• Beer Tasting. Liquor Locker, Evansville. 4-7pm

Oaken Barrel’s seasonal Epiphany is back on tap. A Belgian Tripel with both sweet and spicey notes.

Flat 12 Bierwerks gets ink in the Indianapolis Business Journal.

“The plan is to produce five beers to offer at bars and package stores and seven beers exclusive to the tasting room. The first round of offerings include a winter seasonal called Glazed Ham, an India Pale Ale called Half Cycle, an Upside Down Blonde, and a porter and amber ale still in search of clever names. Growlers will go for $12 and refills will be $8.”

Misc News – Dec 17

Skip Duval made his Alcatraz public debut with a tapping party for Penitentiary Pilsner. Oh, and he has an assistant now – Dan Krzywicki of Great Fermentations comes in once a week to help out.

• Penitentiary Pilsner - Creamy and clean. Not Czech hoppy but more Cream Ale-y.
• Rock Bock – Light tawny brown. Medium to strong malt gives good mouthfeel. Caramel comes through the low IBU. 6% ABV. Pretty good stuff.
• Conjugal Visit Hefeweizen – Skip’s first stuck mash was recovered to produce a very cloudy hefe with sweet bready banana esters. A+ Bought a growler (half price ($4) on Thursdays).

More Tastes:

• Upland 2010 Strawberry Lambic – Brewed in 2009. Strong, bright lambeek to a tart balance. Crisp and refreshing – a summer beer. Not a lot of strawberry left.
• Sun King Walking on the Sun – Sunlight Cream Ale with about 18 Scoville units of heat from roasted peppers. Nice slow bite. Less hot that cinnamon gum. Very little pepper taste, just a bit of heat. Lets make it a regular. Go Cold Sweat. Unfortunately the keg it lasted 3 days in the tap room with no immediate plans to return.

Upland has a “Local’s Twelver” variety pack on the shelves with the slogan “Nature’s idea of beer”. 2-each of Wheat, Dragonfly, Bad Elmer’s Porter, Pale, Am Brown, and a Seasonal. A peek inside turned up Oktoberfest at my local Krogers. $15. Good price.

Keeping up with Girls Pint Out, The Mans Town is starting a sorta-similar social organization in Indy. First meeting in mid January.

Two words: Brandy Barrel-aged Poppa Skull. and a new tank at FFF.

Headlines: Is change in alcohol I.D. law in the cards? and Change needed in alcohol laws

The Muncie Star-Press editorializes for Sunday Sales.

The Hoosier Beer Geeks and Goose the Market in Indy are proud to announce a new club to feed your curds-and-whey craving and appetite for artisanal ales. Register in the Beer and Cheese Club before Dec. 31st and get a 1 year subscription to Beer Advocate Magazine! $99 per 4 monthly allotments of farmstead cheese paired with craft beer plus tasting notes and HBG reviews. Call the Goose to register: 317.924.4944

The HBG seems to be done posting their Metromix collaboration detailing the breweries of Central Indiana – augmenting their Where To Drink in Indianapolis from a year ago.

• Alcatraz Brewing Company
• Broad Ripple Brewpub
• Barley Island Brewing Company
• Brugge Brasserie
• Oaken Barrel Brewing Company
• Ram Restaurant and Brewery
• Rock Bottom – Downtown
• Rock Bottom - College Park
• Sun King Brewing Company
• Upland Brewing Company
• Wilbur Brewing Company
• Breweries with Indy outposts (Upland, Granite City, BJ’s)
• Other Breweries in the Greater Indy Area (Big Woods, Bloomington, Half Moon, Lafayette, People’s, Power House, Upland)
New and Proposed Breweries in the Indy Area (Bier, Flat 12, Thr3e Wise Men, Triton, Black Swan, 3 Pints, Brownfield, Blue Republic)

Sun King. Coconut Wee Mac. Just sayin.

Brewpublic sorts out the Rock Bottom/Gordon Biersch merger. “A source associated with Rock Bottom’s brewing department, who asked to remain confidential, tells us that it now looks like things with the RB-GB merger “aren’t going the way (the most of brewers) had hoped” telling Brewpublic ‘We’re less than a month into this thing and the new CEO has decided to start making changes to our beer program. He wants us to standardize at least four, and possibly up to six of our beers across the entire company.’ ” article

Martyn Cornell has sorted out what ales really were called back in the Victorian era. article

It’s always winter in your refrigerator.

Fort Wayne Tasting Events - Dec 16

There are two (2) events taking place tomorrow, Dec. 17th:

Belmont Beverage, Time Corners, from 5p.m.-7p.m . will have New Belgium Brewing Company beers to sample.

Cap n' Cork, Dupont Road, will have a holiday beer tasting from 5p.m.-7p.m.

The S & V Liquors Holiday Extravaganza that took place at the Illinois Road location on Dec. 4th had a whopping turnout of 702 attendees!! This was a fantastic turnout and it exceeded last year's attendance. Congrats to the fine folks at S & V Liquors!

I posted a survey on Dec. 3rd regarding this website. If you have not already responded to the survey, please take the time to do so. We would greatly appreciate hearing from more of our readers. Thank you to those that have responded and we appreciate your readership!

Misc News – Dec 13

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

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

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

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

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

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

Neal’s corner:

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

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

Shoreline Barrel Aged Beers (and more)

I picked up a bomber of each of this winter’s Shoreline barrel-aged beers and convened a panel to taste them. (The picture at right is last year’s label, sorry).

The beers are all barrel-aged for at least a year. All but the Seven Red were on Bourbon barrels.

• Sum Cens Double IPA (Summit and Centennial hops)
• Curse The Goat Dopplebock
• Discombobulation Celebration Ale (English Barley Wine)
• Big Bella Heavy Scotch Ale
• Lost Sailor Imperial Stout
• Red on Red - Seven Red Rye Ale aged in French Shiraz barrels

The Panel: Derrick Morris (Indiana Breweriana collector),
Chip Viering (“Collecting your emptys since 1978”),
Marv Keenan (Gambrinus Society homebrewer who makes every batch in wood),
Don St. Peters and Phil Hunter of the FBI and Indiana State Fair Brewers Cup
(but not really representing either, just drinkin beer and
makin notes and trying not to get all BJCP about it).

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The tastes:

Sum Cens Double IPA (Summit and Centennial hops)

Floral and spice tones, just a touch of bourbon. Guessing 9-10% ABV. Big hop aroma but no hint of bourbon. Huge flavor, extremely find bubbles, thick body. Barleywine, pure and simple (so is DFH 120, dammit). Good color. Alcohol is large, sweet, hops good, one dimensional. Vanilla. Strong alcohol. Nose in style of Dbl IPA. Barleywine is a good description. Syrupy alcohol and wood nose. Monochromatic. Served in a 10oz glass at the bar (obviously). 3.2 stars (of 5).

Curse the Goat Dopplebock

Weak start. Subtle oakey aroma. Big flavor, mostly from bourbon barrel. Dark amber color possibly from barrel. Little resemblance to a dopplebock. Great color. Alcohol hidden very well. Great sweet nose. Warming. Lose the malt to the alcohol, bourbon? Oxidized finish. Nice bock flavor. Finishes with alcohol aftertaste but too heavy. Malt of the Scottish style. More married than Sum Cens and more straightforward. 2.2 stars

Bottle info: “Aged in a 15 year old Bourbon barrel for at least one year.”

Discombobulation Celebration Ale

Malty. Aroma complex. Rich flavor, lots of barrel flavor. Good caramel color. Sweet malt nose. Malt cleaned. Very little hops. Sweet, alcohol hidden. Sweet finish. Little vanilla and chocolate on finish. Molasses nose. Not heavy on alcoholic taste. Very pleasant aftertaste with the molasses present at finish. I like. Vary mature and well married. These were all brewed in 2008 so they have well more than a year of maturity and this one shows it off best. 3.4 stars

Big Bella Heavy Scotch Ale

Nice big bourbon flavor, wonderful bourbon scent. Love it. Aroma of barrel. Darker than usual for Scotch Ale. Carbonation slight, about normal. Transparent. Malt flavor of the style allows dark barrel flavors to punch through. Ruby red color. Bourbon upfront. Whiskey permeates wood finish. Malty. Lots of barrel. Nice blend of Bourbon barrel aging and your favorite Scot Ale. No hint of alcohol. Still has interesting edges – like getting licked by a cat’s tongue. My favorite. 4.4 stars

Lost Sailor Imperial Stout

Fan-freakin-tastic. Wonderful rich color and flavor. Silk, velvet. Very little aroma, not of hops, nor alcohol, nor barrel. Not much hop flavor either, contrary to style. Big malt flavor and body. Oak barrel not especially noticeable. Motor oil black. Bourbon barrel comes through. Malt, alcohol, no hops. Smooth malt, vanilla, coffee, chocolate. No nose, didn’t get my attention. Alcohol present on back end. Heavy bourbon nose with aftertaste. Dark but small aroma. Whiskey & barrel, then dry & spicy. Lightish body. 3.4 stars

Seven Red on Red

Rye Ale aged in Shiraz French oak barrel. Lovely white head tops a perfect red color. Flavorful, festive, hoppy, fruity. Some acidity from the wine barrel aging. Finishes dry. Very fine celebration ale. Nice combination of wood and beer. Nice color. Nice spiceyness. Good Beer. More wood. Celebration Ale with a hit of spice for the holidays. Will warm you up on a cold December day. Malt flavor with a hint of chocolate. Acidic. Discussion goes to tannins which makes sense. Especially well received after the heavier Bourbon barreled beers. 4.4 stars

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As happens, there were more bombers beers on the table, so we continued.

Lafayette Brewing Star City Lager

Nice upfront, great lager flavor like Duquesne's from the 70s. Touch sweet, nice carbonation, refreshing. Very delicate noble hop aroma, Light, refreshing, slight citrus flavor. More flavor, especially of hops, than typical lager. Musty nose. Clean light, little sweet malt, and good clean hops. Pilsner light. Straw nose, light lager that is clean in taste with a dry aftertaste. When first opened had a Bohemian skunk that cleared rapidly to a more mainstream noble pils. 2.8 stars

Brewery’s description: “This Dortmund-style lager is brewed with imported pilsner and Vienna malts to create a medium-bodied golden lager. Imported Styrian Golding Hops provide solid bitterness to back the malt foundation. A well balanced, classic German lager.” ABV 5.0%, 32 IBU

Crown Brewing Crown Brown

Hand capped. Very tasty and light caramel up front. Almost coffee-like back end. Slight to sweet to dry. Slightly smoky aroma. Color just right. Burnt caramel flavor a bit much for a brown (more appropriate for a porter). Astringent finish from dark roasted malt, otherwise slightly sweet aftertaste. Good malt, Sweet, Little to no hops. Astringent finish from bitter tannins. Very dry finish. Clean nose, roast, chocolate to molasses on the back end. Desert anyone? Well carbonated. No flaws. Drinkable Southern Brown. 2.6 stars

Brewery’s description: “The Crown Brown is gorgeous dark brown ale which has a gentle malt sweetness supported by a nutty, light caramel character that lasts throughout the pint. It is brewed with imported English Maris Otter Barley Malt and Fuggle hops giving it a dry finish and low hop bitterness making it readily suited for any time of day or night.” ABV 4.1%, 22 IBU.

  Schlafly Reserve 2007

New American Oak from Missouri. Big hefty flavor in front stays and stays. Not hoppy like most Barley Wines. Very light in color for style. Good flavor bu t too light in every respect. Good oak nose. Light color. Light sweet malt. Great flavors with alcohol hidden pretty well. No oak in finish. Good head, malt nose. Light with no hint of Barleywine fruits but a sweet candy flavor that lingers on the pallet. Missed style but drinkable. Not cloying or sweet but long lasting. 2.0 stars

Bell's Batch 10,000

Sweet taste, big flavor. No aroma at all. Big full flaovr, hops, malt, and prune or plum esters (fruity). Not too strong. Very enjoyable. 9.2%! Guessed 6.8%. Amazingly concealed. Nice brown coffee color. Sweet malt. Nice hop balance. Good beer for Xmas. Very good at hiding alcohol. Malt nose, hop presence, Winter Warmer without the alcohol taste. Grayish brown. Drinkable but a bit nondescript. I need a 40. 4.0 stars.

Bell’s says: “The last of a series, Batch 10,000 Ale looks back to our roots, symbolizing the end of the home-brewing season with a creative take on "cleaning out the brewing supplies closet".  After combing through the catalogs of many malt and hop suppliers, our brewers used over 100 different malts, grains, and other fermentables, and followed them up with a blend of  60 different hop varietals between the kettle additions and dry-hopping. The resulting beer presents a deep, chocolate brown hue and offers roasted and caramel notes from the malts mixed with an assertive hop character. Sharply bitter, the beer possesses a full mouthfeel without being heavy and will withstand aging in your cellar, if you prefer.”

Harviestoun Ola Dubh Special 30 Reserve 2007 aged in a 30-year Highland Park barrel.

Vanilla scnet. Smooth. Velvet. Very dark. Big tan head. Swet vanilla. Delicate, smooth flavor. Aged. Whisky barrel is not obvious. Serious but irresistible. Motor oil black. Smoooth vanilla, sweet malt, love it. Coffe and chocolate notes. Clean nose, dark roast malt. Rich flavor, dark roast coffee. Smooth on pallet. Hint of single-malt Scotch on backend nose. Mouthfeel is a bit flat with little carbonation. 5.0 stars.

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What better setting than what Chip calls “the ultimate man cave”; Derrick’s basement?

Thr3e Wise Men – Beer in the Tanks

There’s been lots of activity in Broad Ripple’s new Thr3e Wise Men Brewing Co. Kitchens assembled, a bar built, inside finished as a high-grade restaurant (but still keeping picnic tables for a relaxed “tasting” atmosphere).

Omar and his two assistants, Allen Simons and Keely Thomlinson made the first batch (a Blonde) on Thursday. No problems, cleaning up by 2pm. Coming up will be a Brown, Double IPA, IPA, Stout, and Porter – leading to an VIP party on Jan 8th and  a public opening right afterward.

The long open-plan bar with barrels and picnic tables at the Broad Ripple Ave. end.

Fermentors behind glass.
To the right, a walk-in serving tank room will process growlers.

Brand new manifold for 5 serving tanks and 6 kegs.

And where is Thr3e Wise Men? It’s on Broad Ripple Ave just east of the Monon trail (across from the McDonalds) (the old Peaches Record store but that’s going back a way).