Indiana Beer News, Sept. 8, 2013: BeerGardens & fun reported

Great Beer Fests abound. While Bob O. reminded us of a number of them coming up on Sept. 28 and profiled some great global fests click HERE or just scroll down, there are a couple to add. If you really wanted to visit an Oktoberfest with music and beer, in addition to the SunKing event, there is a smaller one in Indy on Oct. 12, at Liederkranz; click for details just West of Downtown Indy (limited space!) and the supposed second biggest in the WORLD in Cincinnati Sept. 20-22; click to discover.

This weekend's Penrod Art Fair included a Beer Garden and even a beer named in the festival's honor! Flat12, Upland, and Thr3e Wise Men all had booths and with beer available for six dollars. By mid-afternoon with temperatures of about 85F there was a thirsty crowd. Patrons could lounge in the Beer Garden or take their beer to stroll through the grounds. It was great to have good local Indiana beer well represented.

Flat12 named a koelsch-style cold-fermented beer Penrod twenty-two and this seemed to be a crowd pleaser. Flat12 wisely also offered their "MyNameis Amber" and the "Half-Cyle IPA" for variety. Bob Weaver mentioned that all beers were moving well and the fun of the Penrod beer name was drawing in the most pours. We thought the Penrod twentytwo style hit the spot on a hot day!

Upland provided variety with Wheat, Dragonfly IPA, Oktoberfest, and Champagne Velvet. We found the Oktoberfest to be deliciously malty comparing well with the German varieties we had later that day. Cari Crowe was proud of the Oktoberfest and we observed all styles pouring very well depending on personal taste.

Thr3eWiseMen offered Bulldog Brown, which we found Head Brewer Omar Castrellon sipping as well as Two Lucys Blackberry Wheat, and Broad Ripple Pale. Our choice of the pale was a perfect beer to stroll the grounds with.

It was fun talking to patrons in the beer gardens about the beers, especially explaining the Champagne Velvet Story, talking about the beer behind the Penrod named beer and suggesting that the delicious Bulldog Brown is different than the MyNameIsAmber from Flat12 (we do like both).

We also found some nice samples of some truly tasty samples of newer beers by BrewMaster Keith Villa of Blue Moon. Before you jump to a conclusion, we thought the limited edition Graffiti Collection Tongue Thai-ed with lemongrass and basil with tasty on this hot day!


Beer Garden




This weekend also included the 2013 OKTOBERFEST at the Indianapolis German American Klub! Prost. We found a host of German beers both draft and bottled + music, dancing, and games for the entire family.

Both the Warsteiner Oktoberfest and the Spaten put us ALMOST in the mood to do the chicken dance! Lots of good friends, good German-style food, and Bier glorious bier to finish off our day!

The GAK makes certain this festival is family friendly.

The Klub had dozens of bottled imports available as well as the German and American drafts!

Music at two venues and carnival rides or a "Kirmis" as the Germans called it including great tunes from a popular and versatile band PeaceTrain playing old hits and party music went well with the festive beers~

At Oktoberfest we caught up with Doug of Shallos fame but also a principal in nano-brewery Planetary , Greenwood, who reminded us that Planetary beer now has a tap at Tomlinson Tap Room in the City Market Indy.

Speaking of European styles: Daredevil brewing, you know the folks with beer on tap nearly everywhere, not a tasting room, have released their Saison called Carnival! Fitting for the Belgian Style to fit in with a party spirit. This uses noble hops and Belgian malts and yeast for a slightly spicy, big beer, with a dry finish!





At Oktoberfest



A friend of ours hit Hops and Harvest in Story, Indiana this weekend and reported that most festival goers on Saturday had beer from one of six Central Indiana breweries and had good weather to enjoy! Those with VIP tickets enjoyed more than a dozen other brewery products including Brooklyn, Schlafly, and Boulevard in the shaded barn.



Pic from Hops and Harvest, Story, IN

Best Cheers!

GregKitz

Dribs and Drams

September is a hot time in beer tents around the world. The Hoosier Hops and Harvest Festival and Mad Anthony’s OktoBEERfest are just over. If you missed both of them, a block of events on Saturday, Sept 28th should provide your fix if you’re near Indy:

• Noblesville Brewfest at Forest Park - Shelter 1, 701 Cicero Rd in Noblesville. 3-7pm. $25 in advance, $30 day of event.
• Sun King CANvitational, Pan Am Plaza and 100 block of Georgia Street in downtown Indianapolis. 1-5pm. Early entry (12pm) $75, General Admission $50, Designated Driver $10.
• Brew Bracket Oktoberfest at Tomlinson Tap Room, 222 E Market St in Indianapolis. 6-9pm. Participant Ticket $35, Designated Driver $5.
• Upland Oktoberfest at Military Park, 601 W New York St in Indianapolis. 3-10pm. $5 in advance, $10 at the gate.
• Unfortunately for northerners that day’s Valpo Brewfest is sold out.

There are lots more reasons to get out of the house on our calendar.

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Meanwhile, if you were in Britain you would have a choice of

• St. Alban’s Beerfest – 350 real ales in a London suburb. Plus cider, perry, and foreign beers. £3 ($4.50). Sept 25-28.
• Manchester Museum of Science & Industry Real Ale and Cider Fest. 90 real ales, 25 ciders and perries. £5. Sept 26-28.
• Keighley Beer Fest. 79 real ales. Theme is Old Ale. £2.50. Sept 26-28.
• Louth Beer Festival. 25 beers. Cider and perry. Sept 26-29.
• Scunthorpe Beer Fest. 25 real ales. Theme is Yorkshire ales. Cider/perry. £2. Sept 26-29.
• Taste of Cumbria Food and Drink Fest. At Jennings Brewery, Cockermouth. City-wide celebration including downtown streets, pubs, and restaurants. Sept 27-28.
• North Cotswold Beer Fest. Moreton-in-Marsh Cricket Club. 40 real ales + cider/perry. Pig roast. £3. Camping £6. Sept 27-28.

This last is put on by my “home” CAMRA chapter. They also have a pubwalk on Sept 12th that starts at the Horse and Groom in Upper Oddington.

Why are the entry prices so low (usually free to CAMRA members)? While you can get a taste the norm is to buy 1/2 or 1/3 pints rather than spend the day/evening just tasting.

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And of course there’s Germany – that means Oktoberfest. Sept 21 – Oct 6th this year. It’s a pilgrimage that must, someday, be done by all beer geeks. Beer is by the mass (liter) – which the official website defines as “important Bavarian measurement”.

Beer there is by Augustiner, Hacker Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner and Spaten. Each has a massive “tent” that can seat up to 6,000. (click to bigify)

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Meanwhile: Headlines:

• Wal-Mart's New Goal: Sell All the Beer. No, really. They want to double alcohol sales by 2016. Bet that doesn’t include Indiana beers.
• Researchers Brew Up A Hydrating Beer By Adding Electrolytes. Are hangovers a thing of the past?
• Breweries 'fixing beer prices for decades'. German breweries, that is.
• A-B InBev opening new 'Bud Lab' at University of Illinois. But this one is for data analytics. Huh?
• Beer Popsicles (!) at Art on Tap. In Memphis. No, not the one in Egypt. That one is spelled differently -

Oh, that guy trapped by a croc on an island near Australia. He fell asleep just after the rescue – after the captain gave him a beer. Must have been a Fosters.

Mad Anthony Brewing Company OktoBEERfest Event Update - August 30

Event Date:  Saturday, September 7:

As I stated here on August 5th regarding this event, here is the list of breweries that will have their beers available for sampling:

Fountain Square, People’s Brewing, Flat 12 Bierwerks, Rock Bottom Brewery, Bloomington Brewing Co., Shoreline Brewery, Crown Brewing, Lafayette Brewing, Tin Man Brewing Co., New Albanian Brewing Co., Union Brewing, Evil Czech Brewery, Granite City, Mad Anthony Brewing, Half Moon, Barley Island, Figure Eight Brewing, Bulldog Brewing, Summit City Brewerks, Brugge Brasserie, Chapman Brewery, McClure's Orchard (Ciders), Triton Brewing Co., and Cutter’s Brewing Co.

Tickets can be purchased at any Mad Anthony Brewing Company location in Fort Wayne, Auburn, Angola or Warsaw.  Attendees can also purchase tickets at http://www.madbrew.com/ok/.

Beers Across the Wabash - Version 2.0

 While contemplating exactly how I wanted to approach my review of Greater Lafayette’s 2nd Annual Beers Across the Wabash (BAW), it became clear to me how I have already managed to start taking craft beer festivals for granted.  I consider myself very fortunate to have the time and means to be able to attend these events at the frequency that I have.  What I realized is that not everyone has the opportunity to attend multiple craft beer festivals and, while I struggle to find the words to type about this event, I am extremely lucky to have been able to enjoy more than my fair share of amazing festivals throughout Indiana.  Lafayette’s Beers Across the Wabash was every bit as wonderful as the rest of them!

  First off, this year’s event was encompassed by greater Lafayette’s Craft Beer Week.  Beer & food pairings, beer & cheese pairings, tap takeovers, brewery tours and education, craft beer specials, and a craft beer brunch all served as a terrific compliment to this year’s BAW.  Big thanks to our host breweries, Lafayette Brewing & People’s Brewing, and all of our local businesses who supported Lafayette’s homage to craft beer.

  So after my long-winded confessional/epiphany and shout-out to those who made it happen, I suppose it’s finally time to discuss the actual event.  Being that Lafayette is where I call home, it’s difficult to present my opinion of BAW without some element of bias.  Twenty-seven Indiana craft breweries, incredible aromas coming from food served by local eateries (thank you D&R Market, Sgt. Preston’s & Lafayette Optimist Club), plenty of sunshine, scenic river & downtown view, local musicians entertaining the masses, great people, and hard-working volunteers were all to blame for the success of this year’s festival.  Add to this an improved layout of the breweries, which opened up room for additional seating and sun shelters, and you’ve got the makings of, excuse me, a damn fine celebration of Indiana craft beer.

  BAW 2013 was easily the most fun I've had at any of this year's craft beer events.  It was easily the least concerned I've been about the collection of pertinent information for this blog (apologies in advance).  It was easily the only festival I've attended where such self-proclamations as “I AM THE BUTTER COOKIE” could be heard rolling along the banks of the Wabash River.  Long story, you had to be there.

  So my usual shtick when it comes to blogging about craft beer festivals is to give some love to about 6 to 10 beers that stimulated my senses above all others.  Typically I don’t go into much detail or analysis in breaking down the specific characteristics of what made these beers enjoyable, I wouldn't want to trick anyone into thinking that I’m anything other than an amateur.  So, to enhance my list of favorites from BAW, I decided to recruit the help of a couple other festival revelers for a few of their favorites.

  So here they are for their moment in the Indiana Beer blog spotlight, Josh Martin and Eric VandeVoorde, present their collaboration of favorites from the festival.

Bier Brewery  Metro Session IPA - Balanced & dry across the tongue with a light body.
Flat 12 Bierwerks   Oak-aged Chipotle Cinnamon Scottish Ale - Rotating flavors of cinnamon and spicy peppers, light body. Color of Jurassic Park mosquito. Overwhelms all typical Scottish qualities but that's ok.

Tin Man Brewing  Snakebite Pear Shandy w/ Irish Dry Stout - Separation of color. Sour wild notes. Velvety mouthfeel.
People's Brewing  Mr. Brown pushed through filter of bourbon barrel chips soaked in port wine for 3 weeks - Hops from Mr. Brown on back end.  Wanting more bourbon flavor. Slowly grows on you as flavor builds in your mouth. Nice medium body.
Hunter’s Brewing  Thread Splitter IPA - Columbus hops only. Yum.
Carson’s Brewing  Psycho Pagan w/dry hopped centennial - Bright finish.  Hop varieties change w each new batch.

Big Dawg  Oatmeal Stout – Yum!

Big thanks to Josh and Eric for sacrificing their taste buds for the cause.  It’s a tasty job but someone’s gotta do it!

My far less descriptive favorites from the festival are as follows:

Flat 12 Bierwerks  – Oak-aged Chipotle Cinnamon Scottish Ale

Flat 12 Bierwerks  – Farmageddon Black Saison

New Albanian Brewing  – Community Dark English Mild

BIER Brewery  – Metro Session IPA

Powerhouse Brewing  – Jack the Bum Amber Pale

Upland Brewing  – Ard Ri Imperial Red Ale

Carson’s Brewing  – Psycho Pagan Pale

Hunter’s Brewing  – Ailbe Irish Blonde

  As I dug up additional details for my selections, I was somewhat surprised to discover that three of these beers fall into the category of session ales.  Now I don’t know about anyone else but I've been a bit on the skeptical side as to whether a session beer can pack the flavor and aroma that I crave from a craft beer.  In case you may have missed it, this was a topic of discussion between Greg & Nathan just a short time ago on the Indiana Beer site.  All I can say to this is that my favorites from this day speak for themselves, three out of eight is a pretty good percentage.  Hall of Fame material for baseball anyway.

  So let's put this long-winded piece of work to rest shall we.  Beers Across the Wabash in Lafayette, great beer, great people, great community, great....oh I think you get the picture by now.  Get over here next year as I'm sure Friends of Downtown will most certainly one-up themselves yet again for an even better craft beer experience.  Cheers!

Jason C. @oldbeerdork on twitter if your life just doesn't feel quite complete and you need that little extra.

***Coming Soon....Nathan, myself, & the one and only Poppi Rocketts head out on a brewery hopping Labor Day weekend road trip!***

  

Dribs and Drams

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Beer Tasting is out and on the shelves.  By Rita Kohn with the Upland Brewing Co. Available just about everywhere. Amazon lists it at $12.98 with other vendors through Amazon at $9.32.

Looks like the Brewers of Indiana Guild may be spending $171,000 per year for a lobbyist. Davey Neal got an exemption to be able to go straight from the statehouse to the guild house. “In the last year, a handful of top state officials have received approval to leap directly from government work to outside employment, including former Gov. Mitch Daniels.” article

“In each case, the state's ethics panel pointed out the law does not apply to their situations, largely because they would not be directly working on projects or programs they worked on while in state government. But government ethicists say the cozy relationships still raise other questions of favoritism.”

Indiana City Brewery gets ink in the Indy Star about their building in downtown Indy that once housed the Home Brewing Co.

Great Fermentations homebrew store has opened a second outlet. This on in Avon at US 36 and Dan Jones Road. They will have a grand opening party on Sept. 14th. info. The annual Great Grain Sale is also happening – today through Sept 8th. Apple juice is also available now by pre-registration. Yumm.

What goes better with apple cider than donuts? Well, a lot of things but the segue was necessary to take a jibe at Lift Bridge’s mini donut beer that they served at the Minnesota State Fair. article

Reader Justin Kloer sent us some pictures and stories to add to the Hoosier Beer addenda.

I noticed a gap in your breweries index, specifically you don't have the brewers listed for C.L Centlivre brewing company of Ft. Wayne and later, as it became Old Crown Brewing Co.
As it happens I'm proud to know who they were, as it was my grandfather and great-grandfather. 
My great-grandfather Frank’s WWI registration card lists him as the Master Brewer for Centlivre. he would later become Vice President of production and his son, my grandfather Herbert Kloer, would become brewmaster, as seen in the attached scan of an advertisement during their 1950 expansion.  
Just as a fun fact in beer history, Frank continued brewing in his garage during prohibition, selling beer at $3 a bottle until he was busted in 1924, paid $518.50 in fines and spent 6 months in Terre Haute federal pen. 
My great great grandfather Josef was a brewer in PA, but I don't know the brewery.  He was a cooper in the old country (we're Transylvanian Saxons, a German people.)
Being the family historian I have a great many documents about Centlivre and Old Crown brewery.  I also have union books and cards, pictures, article etc. should you have interest or need of info about the brewery. … If there's ever anything you're looking for or want to know I might be able to find it and send it your way.  The only thing I like more than drinking beer is talking about it.

Thanks Justin. We’ll update the HoosierBeer web any day now.

Beer Review: Kulmbacher Eisbock

Greetings everyone! First off, we have a huge weekend coming up so please check out our calendar if you’re looking to enjoy some beer festivities. Along with various Greater Lafayette Craft Beer Week events, Friday brings the Zoo Brew and Wine Too in Fort Wayne and Beer and Bluegrass Festival in Franklin. On Saturday, you can hit Beers Across the Wabash in Lafayette, Upland’s 15th Anniversary Carnival in Bloomington, or Festiv-Ale in Indianapolis. Wrapping up the weekend on Sunday is Indy’s Dig IN – a celebration of local food, beer, and wine.

I plan to occasionally post some reviews for beers you can find in Indiana that are new to the market, seasonal offerings, or represent uncommon styles. They may be old hat for some of you seasoned veterans, but I hope it will give you some ideas for what to seek out (or avoid) if looking for something new on your next trip to the liquor store. For the first in this series, we’re going big with the legendary Kulmbacher Eisbock. If you’re not familiar with the style, Eisbock literally means “ice bock” and can basically be described as a concentrated Dopplebock. The concentration comes from partially freezing the beer and extracting the remaining liquid. Leaving behind some of that pesky water intensifies the flavor and alcohol level of the finished product. What would inspire such an experiment? According to legend, it was pure accident. Here is the description from Kulmbacher, who lay claim to producing the world’s first Eisbock:

The ice bock, also known as "Bavarian", owes its discovery to a coincidence. According to the chronicles of the Kulmbacher brewery, some time around 1900 an apprentice forgot on a cold winter day to carry two barrels of bock beer into the brewery cellar. The barrels stayed outside, were covered by ice and snow and weren't discovered until the following spring. The barrels had burst and the apprentice was reprimanded. But the carelessness was a stroke of luck because under the thick ice coat, a bock beer extract remained, strong tasting and high in alcoholic content.

           

No freshness date on the bottle, has been in my cellar for about 9 months.

The beer poured with a decent head for a 9.2% ABV offering, but it dissipated fairly quickly. On the higher end of bock color, it is a deep chestnut to dark brown but still very clear if you isolate a small sample. The aroma is bready malt with notes of dried fruit and brown sugar. Alcohol is very noticeable, but not harsh enough to be unwelcome. The flavor is a complex blend that brings to mind a fruitcake consisting of raisins, dates, and hazelnuts……soaked in booze. This is complemented by hints of caramel, bitter chocolate, and a slight sherry quality from some oxidation. This example has clearly had time to blend all of these qualities together, no one character is sharp or overwhelms the rest. Light bitterness on the tongue, no discernable hop flavor, no unique yeast flavors – this is all about maxing out the qualities of German malts. This beer begs to be sipped and take it all in, making you look forward to the next one.

One note on the alcohol level: While not excessively hot or unpleasant, it is very prominent throughout. This is not a “oh, I can’t believe it’s X% ABV” type of experience. It works for me, but drinkers who do not enjoy prominent alcohol notes may want to seek out another option.

Finding Kulmbacher Eisbock may require a little searching depending on your location, but 6-packs of 0.33 litre (11.2 ounce) bottles can be found at some of the better craft beer stores. Kahn’s Fine Wines lists it at $16.99, which I believe is the same price I paid at a Crown Liquors location. While a slight premium over most 6-packs, consider that comes out to roughly 25 cents an ounce. This would be the equivalent of a $5.50 bomber, which most of us would feel is a great value for a specialty beer. Your bonus with a 6-pack: drink a few now, set the rest aside, and enjoy noting how it matures over time.

The Verdict [Avoid/Worth a Try/Recommended/Highly Recommended]: Highly Recommended

Greater Lafayette Craft Beer Week

  Greetings all from the banks of the Wabash here in Lafayette.  Late summer is upon us and, if your beer interests are similar to mine (and since you're reading this I'd hazard to guess that they are), I'm sure we've all been to a beer festival or two throughout our fine state.  Maybe your craft beer interests have led you to festivals in other states as well.  Had enough yet?  If your answer is yes then prepare to have your craft beer-hood questioned.

  As I stated before, the summer craft beer festival season is winding down.  Whether you'd like to enjoy one last chance to sample the finest craft beers our great state has to offer or perhaps you just haven't had an opportunity to make it to an event yet this year, both are perfectly justifiable reasons for heading to the John T. Myers Pedestrian Bridge on Saturday, August 24th in downtown Lafayette for the 2nd Annual Beers Across the Wabash.

  Want a glimpse of what is in store for you at this event?  Click here to see my review of last year's event. So here's the deal, pick up a ticket for $35, get yourself to downtown Lafayette by 1pm, and sample a bevy of beers from across the state!  Four hours not enough?  Grab the VIP ticket for an extra hour plus local food and beer pairings.  I have to admit, I'm somewhat embarrassed that I do not have any more recent information than what is offered on the Beers Across the Wabash (BAW) site but, clicking this link will get you to the list of breweries and ticket page for the event.

  Hours of craft beer sampling not enough incentive to get you downtown on the 24th?  Would seven hours of Jazz & Blues provide any more motivation for you?  Then check out the Uptown Jazz & Blues Festival taking place immediately following the conclusion of BAW.

  Finally, please take the opportunity to check out all of the local events taking place in the greater Lafayette area leading up to Saturday's Beers Across the Wabash.  Sunday the 18th marks the beginning of daily events scheduled throughout the week leading up to the event.  Beer and food pairing events at McGraw's Steak Chop & Fish House and Main Street Wine & Cheese, growler deals and special events taking place at People's and Lafayette Brewing, Thr3e Wisemen specials @ Scotty's, tap takeover's @ Lenehan's Pub, and an Indiana Craft Beer Brunch @ the Black Sparrow (Sunday post-BAW) will be taking place to promote the Lafayette community's celebration of craft beer in Indiana.

  Obviously making it to all of the events may be difficult so, pick out one or two that interest you the most and get out this week in support of greater Lafayette's Craft Beer Week.

-Jason C.

Session Beer: The Future of Craft Brewing?

The concept of “session beers” has gained popularity in some circles as a potential new trend in the American craft brewing movement. What exactly is a session beer? Should you care? Is it poised to become a hot new trend? Greg and Nathan considered these questions and share their thoughts below. What do you think about session beers?

From Greg………….

What do YOU mean when you think of session beer? Do you think it is silly to think about, do you think it is the next trend in craft beer, do you think about it at all? This spring as five Indiana brewers gathered for a roundtable on craft beer in Indiana, when asked about the next trend in beer, they unanimously declared ‘session beers’ to be the next trend. By that, most brewers mean lower alcohol beer, under 5%, but we likely need to consider what really IS session beer and would anyone care?

The average beer drinker in the U.S. drinks Bud Light (#1 beer), Coors Light, or Miller Light and certainly considers these to be ‘session beers’ as in you can drink several in a row. The British pub patron considers the Mild at 3-4% abv, and the Ordinary Bitter or Best Bitter up to about 4.7% abv all to be ‘session beers.’ (abv – alcohol by volume) The British pint being larger (20oz) than the American pint (16oz) the Brits often love to sip, or sometimes pound back, a few of these in a ‘session.’ I’ve been happy to participate.

Most Americans likely don’t consider Guinness to be a ‘session beer’ although the draft product comes in at about 4.3% abv making this beer lower in alcohol and with less calories than the Bud Light! So what do YOU mean by ‘session.’ Consider the possibilities: filling, a taste that is so pleasant you can drink several, low alcohol to keep you from being inebriated to quickly? Any of these definitions can fit. Which is why some people consider the topic of session beers to be a silly topic!

Writer and blogger Lew Bryson takes credit for starting the concept of making session beers more popular and defines session beers in the following way: 4.5% alcohol by volume or less, flavorful enough to be interesting, balanced enough for multiple pints, conducive to conversation, and reasonably priced. If I am going to put those in an order of importance I would start with flavor (I mean, sure we can find near-beer like Kaliber that I do not like at nearly 0% alcohol)! Balance for multiple pints and then abv would be next in line for my use. And I won’t stick to a rigid 4.5%. If I walk into a brew pub, get a sampler flight to share, then settle in for a pint I am likely to choose a tasty 4.9% beer over a 9.5% if I think I will be operating any heavy equipment (like maybe my car)! Oh and you can order a shirt here from Lew's Session Project

Can we get local session beer in Indiana? Yes! My picks for Central Indiana would be:

Flat 12, 12 penny Scottish Ale, 3.4% (Brewer Rob actually threw out the first mention on the brewer’s panel); Super Bravo 46 at 4.6% and 46 ibu

SunKing, Shake Up, 3.01%; Ring of Dingle Dry Irish Stout, 4.7%

Thr3e Wise Men, Two Lucy’s blackberry wheat, 4.5%

Bloomington Brewing Kirkwood Crème Ale, 4.9%

Cheating a bit: Upland Blackberry Lambic, at about 5%

So are session beers hard to find? Not really. It depends on when and where you look. For example, New Albanian Brewing Company featured session beers on Session Beer Day, April 7, and had the following list on tap:

NABC Community Dark … English Mild, 3.7% abv

NABC Get Off My Lawn … Session IPA, 4.2% abv

NABC Gold … Blonde Ale, 4.2% abv

NABC Grätzilla … Grätzer/Grodziskie, 3.3% abv

NABC Houndmouth …. Hoppy American Wheat, 4.5% abv

NABC Tafel … Belgian Table/Session Ale, 4% abv

GUESTS

Against the Grain, Louisville, Ludicrously Terse … English Bitter, 4.5% abv

Apocalypse Brew, Louisville, Works Hop Project: Simcoe … American Pale Ale, circa 4.5% abv

Country Boy, Lexington, KY, Nacho Bait … Jalapeňo Blonde, 4.5% abv

Flat12 12 Penny Scottish Ale … Scottish Export Ale, 3.4% abv

Founders All Day IPA … Session IPA, 4.7% abv

Stone Levitation Ale … Amber Ale, 4.4% abv

I personally really enjoy New Belgium’s Loft at 4.2% when it is available.

Now let’s be clear, if I look up the top rated beers on RateBeer or on Untapped or any other source we will NOT find low alcohol beers in the top 50 – unless we consider a lambic at 5%.

Let’s also be clear that if I am asked my favorite beers I won’t start the list with a Scottish 60 or a Mild.

Yet just yesterday I sat at the Bluegrass Brewing Company, Shelbyville Rd., Louisville, KY, and truly enjoyed one of my favorite beers – their ALT at 4.19%, a very flavorful, with nice hop bitterness beer that I enjoy many times when I am at a Bluegrass brewing location!

SO… do I think craft beer drinkers will surge to sessionable, lighter alcohol beers like they have embraced Imperial everything and super hopped beers? No. Do I think many of us will be reasonable by enjoying flavorful, lower alcohol, session beer some of the time, absolutely. Would YOU rather have a nice Mild, Scottish 60, or lighter Alt than Mich Ultra? I think so!

                 

 

From Nathan………….

The one thing almost as certain as death and taxes is the inevitable backlash that follows a break from tradition. So the ascent of double/imperial/palate-wrecking beers that have become so popular in the modern American craft beer movement was ripe for the picking. Led in no small part by a few beer bloggers, this backlash manifested itself into a celebration of “session beers” to save us all from the fate of waking up face down in the neighbor’s yard due to the consumption of <gasp> two IPAs. Session Beer Day was celebrated on April 6th, and apparently that wasn’t enough so May became Session Beer Month in California. And if 32 days of beer bloggers telling you what to drink isn’t enough, you can celebrate year round by flaunting your Session Beer Project panties with the slogan “Thanks, I’ll Have Another” scribbled across the crotch. Nice. Anyway, the whole idea has gained enough momentum for some in the craft brewing community to suggest that session beers are the next big thing in craft brewing.

What exactly is a session beer? Good question - the beauty of getting in early on something is the chance to define your own parameters. Here is what generally seems to be agreed upon:

1) Light, but still flavorful. Sounds good.

2) Alcohol by volume of 4-5% or lower. Still good.

3) Must be balanced. OK, but what about Session IPAs…

4) Does not distract from conversation. Uh-oh.

Defining some of these artificial limitations, which in some cases have little to do with the actual beer, is the problem I have with session beer as the future of craft brewing. The issue of balance would likely rule out the emerging session IPA offerings. And does this suggest it’s somehow undesirable to discuss the beer sitting in front of us? Despite the low ABV, it was certainly difficult not to discuss the barrel aged English Mild we shared at the last group tasting. Besides, have you ever actually tried conversing with a beer geek about something other than beer? It’s not a pleasant scene. Just kidding about that (maybe), but the point is I enjoy talking about beer. It’s not some type of inconvenient distraction to have something interesting in my glass.

There is arguably a certain lost art to making a flavorful session beer in American craft brewing. This is certainly the result of modern craft brewing’s obsession with pushing the overall limits of flavor, but also a reflection of how many brewers have approached their lighter offerings as safe gateway beers to appeal to mainstream drinkers. So rather than the luscious malt flavor of a Scottish 70, English Mild, or lighter Brown Porter; we’re more likely to find a Blonde Ale or Cream Ale in the American craft beer aisle. It’s a good business model, somebody is obviously drinking those beers. It just isn’t me. So in this respect there is plenty of room for growth that craft brewers can explore within the guidelines of session beers.

But the future of craft brewing? That would imply that experienced craft drinkers are so tired of extreme beers they are willing to place artificial limitations on their future options. There are so many new styles and experiences to explore across the broad spectrum of recognized beer styles. I am a self-described “hophead”, and still love those beers, yet one of my current obsessions is finding (and homebrewing) good examples of a Biere de Garde. German Bocks would never be confused as session beers, and these wonderful styles are not heavily represented in American craft brewing. And brewers should also continue to pursue recipes that don’t fit nicely into any established guideline – craft brewing is where innovation occurs.

Craft drinkers are looking for exciting new experiences in their choice of beverage. This can just as easily come from a Berliner Weisse or a 15% Triple IPA. But we already have plenty of options for beers that aren’t remarkable enough to warrant their own conversation. We don’t need more of those, they drove us to become craft beer drinkers in the first place.

Dribs and Drams

If you haven’t heard (and we didn’t until straying on this post), Rita Kohn was awarded the Woman’s Press Club of Indiana’s Communicator of Achievement honor. She writes Beer Buzz for NUVO and the book True Brew. Oh, and plays (Edwin Booth) and books about Native Indianans, steamboats, and more, lots more. She also might well have The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Beer Tasting out soon with Upland Brewing.

Choosing a beer is no longer a simple process, as the beverage has gone from a world of relatively small offerings from major brewers to a universe of hundreds of unique styles from around the world. The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Beer Tasting is a comprehensive introduction to the vast styles and complex characteristics of beer, including brewing style, the yeasts and hops that determine taste and character, how the various grains are used in brewing, and more.

Readers will discover how the brewing process can affect a beer, learn to recognize beer tasting notes and aromas, identify unique styles, select the right glassware, and much more.

Two sides of the gas station suit to sell cold beer in Indiana. Pro, No.

Bell’s is suing Enbridge Oil who dumped a million gallons of oil into the Kalamazoo river.

If only labels could be animated.

Doom Bar says it’s the biggest selling cask ale in the U.K. It’s brewed by Sharp’s brewery in Cornwall. It’s a 4.0% bitter that we liked even though it had lots of sharp edges. Oh, did we say Sharp’s is owned by Molson Coors?

Here’s a map of where Beer is Pivo, Cerveza, etc.

We’re not sure about a 5,000 year old beer recipe. This “Hymn to Ninkasi” recipe seems to be a bit old.

How’s your cell phone coverage? It was a bit worse near Melbourne, Australia until a beer fridge was found to interrupt the signal.

Spain’s Joaquin Alcaraz Garcia won a beer drinking contest at a festival with six litres in 20 minutes. Vomited. Died. article

Headline: Beer Festival Closes Early – After Running Out of Beer. Don’t panic, this was in Sunderland, England. It was a three day (Fri, Sat, Sun) fest that had to close on Saturday when they ran out of beer.

Also in England, they’re looking at a synthetic yeast. Yumm or umm? article

 

One picture is thought to be the first ever taken of a beer glass (1844). The subject of the other picture is, with the Octoberfest waitresses, deserving of an Olympic gold medal.

Thoughts on new (and returning) breweries in the Indiana market

The recent months have produced some big news for breweries entering or returning to the Indiana market. Smuttynose hit our shelves first, followed closely by Green Flash. Dogfish Head announced a plan to return to Indiana by the end of 2013, while reminding Rhode Island that they've seen a fu!*ng map. And Oskar Blues….what the heck is going on with Oskar Blues? We haven’t heard any new information on a timeline since there was initial indication they would be here by now, but we also have no reason to believe it won’t happen in the near future. I’m still assuming the World Class Beer Spy wouldn’t be listing Dales Pale Ale if there was much doubt about that.

I have at least some experience with the offerings of each of these breweries, and they will all be great additions to our market. But as I considered writing up some thoughts about them, I was a bit surprised at how enthusiastic I felt about certain breweries versus others. So this post will have some thoughts about each brewery, but also my personal ranking of how excited I am to obtain these beers without driving to Ohio. So we can skip the “in no particular order” copout and move on with the rankings.

1. Green Flash Brewing (San Diego, CA)

This is probably old news to many who have found Green Flash products in their taverns and liquor stores over the past month: Green Flash makes damn good beer. Especially if you’re a hop head. This was hands down my favorite brewery we visited while in San Diego for the 2011 National Homebrewers Conference. It’s true that Stone is like the Disneyland of craft breweries, but Disneyland is overrated. Heck, the most memorable beer I drank at the brewery was an ESB, and you have to do a mighty fine job to make a style like that stand out in a sea of insanely hoppy beers and Belgian styles.

When I started thinking about how to rank these breweries, the question that comes to mind is which specific offerings will really stand out in an ever-expanding market. For me, I can gaze upon a sea of IPA offerings and the West Coast IPA is one that will grab my attention every time. At the risk of plagiarizing the brand name, this beer symbolizes the quintessential West Coast style with an extremely aggressive bitterness that melds into a wonderful cascade of citrus hop notes. Similar things could be said about the Hop Head Red for those who enjoy a little more malt character to balance out what is still a very hop-forward offering. One of the few offerings that hasn’t been overly impressive was a recent taste of their Double Stout. Too big at 8.8% to be an easy drinker, yet lacking the complexity of a Russian Imperial Stout, I would probably opt for Dark Horse Reserve Special Black Ale if looking for a something in that neighborhood.

There are a couple of downsides to buying Green Flash at your local liquor store. First, there is a slight premium built into the price of these products. Expect a 4-pack of their regular lineup to run $11-12. That’s not your typical 4-pack of pints that is becoming more common. That’s a 4-pack of 12 ounce bottles. Second, watch the bottling dates printed on the bottles. When I would seek out the West Coast IPA in Ohio, finding a reasonably fresh batch was challenging and it makes a big difference with this beer. We’ll have to see how well the chain works to get fresh bottles to Indiana, especially after Green Flash is relatively well established. On the upside, the product comes in very sturdy, uniquely etched glass bottles that are great for cleaning and refilling with homebrew :)

Try these beers: West Coast IPA, Hop Head Red, Palate Wrecker, Le Freak

2. Oskar Blues Brewery (Lyons, CO)

Given my past obsession with finding Oskar Blues beers in other markets, it seems a bit surprising to sit down and not be able to place them in the top spot. Maybe I burnt myself out on Oskar Blues binges on past trips. Maybe it’s still the haunting experience with GUBNA (more on that later). Regardless, this is still great news for the Indiana craft beer market. Similar to Green Flash, Oskar Blues rapidly made a name for themselves with outstanding beers that have capitalized on the American craft trend of bigger and hoppier. And I’d venture to guess that few nationally distributing brands started out in a town as small as Lyons, CO (population 2067); which is an absolutely charming little town at the base of the Rocky Mountains.

If West Coast IPA is a benchmark for American IPAs, OB’s Dales Pale Ale is certainly in the same category for American Pale Ale. A beer that nicely balances both aggressive malt and hop profiles, DPA was the first beer I ever tried from the brewery and still probably my favorite. A close second would be G’Knight Imperial Red, which was formerly known simply as “Gordon” until Gordon Biersch Brewery jumped into the craft beer cease and desist game. Compared to the Green Flash Hop Head Red, G’Knight has a much more aggressive underlying malt character and can put you down for the night at 8.7%. But while these two beers are standouts in a good way, the GUBNA Imperial IPA is the opposite for my tastes. Heavy on Summit hops, this one comes across with some ammonia/cat pee in the aroma and heavy garlic and onion in the flavor. Yummy.

To the best of my knowledge, Oskar Blues does not play the bomber game and packages everything in 4-packs of cans. Most cans are 16 ounces, while some premium brands like Ten FIDY Imperial Stout are reduced to the standard 12 ounce size. To continue pushing the boundaries, the brewery will begin canning Imperial Pints (19.2 ounces) of their Mama’s Little Yella Pils this year.

Try these beers: Dales Pale Ale, G’Knight Imperial Red, Ten FIDY Imperial Stout, Old Chub Scottish

3. Dogfish Head (Rehoboth Beach, DE)

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder”

“Absence makes my sneakin’ around that much easier”

How the heck did Dogfish Head end up at number 3? Considering their importance in the craft beer revolution, their well-deserved reputation as innovators, and the fact Sam Calagione is Poppi’s dream man; they should have been a lock for number 1. Well, as the initial quotes alluded to, ya left town Dogfish Head and we found other loves.

We’ve lost other great breweries in my market (Avery, Great Lakes), but none had the same effect as when Dogfish Head left Indiana, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Wisconsin in 2011. But even for a brewery as unique as Dogfish Head, there were plenty of alternatives at that point. 60 Minute IPA? The field had leveled on that one long before. 90 Minute IPA? Tougher, but still plenty of good Imperial IPAs on the market. Indian Brown? Tougher still, but Boulder Beer Flashback is a pretty nice substitute. The one I really missed was Punkin Ale, but that is just a seasonal and nothing an annual run to Ohio couldn’t fix. Raison D’Etre and Palo Santo Marron were impossible to replace, but those were never everyday beers in my lineup.

For the record, I respect the hell out of the tough decisions Dogfish Head and other emerging craft breweries have made when faced with overwhelming demand. Taking the company public and risking the erosion of your culture and creative control is the easy way out. It was incredibly welcome news that these beers will be returning to Indiana shelves. You always want what you couldn’t ever have, and maybe I’ll start taking Green Flash and Oskar Blues for granted once they’ve been on shelves for a while. Being new to the market doesn’t make your beer any better, but how people perceive such a product can become slightly skewed. I’m not sure what my real point is here, other than trying to figure out how Dogfish Head ended up 3rd in my mental rankings. Words, words, words. Let’s move on…..

Try these beers: Punkin Ale, 90 Minute IPA, Palo Santo Marron, Raison D’Etre

4. Smuttynose (Portsmouth, NH)

Smuttynose makes some good beer, and I can’t claim to have tried everything from their catalog or even a high percentage. But when I come back to asking the question of what specific brand will stand out now among all the current choices, I have a hard time coming up with one. The Big Beer Series, which I’ve seen priced as low as $5.99 for a bomber, offer some good values for you to try some more premium styles. I recall enjoying the Baltic Porter quite a bit. The Big A IPA seasonal offering is a very good, and reasonably priced, Imperial IPA. After that, the Summer Weizen, Pumpkin Ale, Finestkind IPA, and Robust Porter didn’t make the kind of impression on me where I would hone in on them in a liquor store. And sorry dog lovers, but their Old Brown Dog Pinups ain’t the kind of pinup I had in mind.

Try these beers: Big A IPA, Baltic Porter, Robust Porter

 

So who’s next? Will Lagunitas, with their new regional brewery in Chicago, finally decide to give us a try? Will Great Lakes ever return to Central and Southern Indiana? More California breweries could be a possibility with Bear Republic already in Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio; and Ballast Point now in Illinois and Ohio. Or could we really dream big along the lines of say……Russian River? Who would be your pick in the Fantasy Football League of craft breweries?

Cheers, Nathan

Mad Anthony Brewing Company OktoBEERfest - August 5

Saturday, September 7

Mark your calendar(s) for this year's Mad Anthony OktoBEERfest taking place this year at Headwaters Park West in downtown Fort Wayne from 2p.m.-6p.m.

Taste more than 100 Indiana beers poured by the brewers who craft them. Spend the afternoon with over 30 regional craft brewers serving their brews for your beer enjoyment.

Tickets are just $30 in advance and $35 the day of the event.  The ticket price includes a tasting glass, unlimited beer samples and live music.  Food will be available at an additional cost.  Tickets can be purchased at any Mad Anthony location or at this link:  https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=Rdvf25eankq3wooPfqEbT4E5bKV1NwpzLBR3LF8DTyFq3ymzSFoCPPxlPi8&dispatch=50a222a57771920b6a3d7b606239e4d529b525e0b7e69bf0224adecfb0124e9b61f737ba21b08198f059c3087684a975bcfa46f0ac561172

A list of the breweries will be forthcoming.  Also, for more on what is going on at Mad Anthony Brewing Company, please visit their website at http://www.madbrew.com/

There are also other beer-related events leading up to the OktoBEERfest:

Wednesday, September 4

Indiana Craft Beers & Hors d'oeuvre at Old Crown Coffee Roasters, 3417 N. Anthony Blvd, Fort Wayne (260) 422-5282.

 

Tickets: $20 available at Old Crown Coffee Roasters, Fort Wayne

 

Thursday, September 5

 

Vintage Ale Release Party

 

Location: Mad Anthony Lakeview Ale House, 4080 N 300W, Angola, IN

(260) 833-2537

 

They will offer a range of aged vintage ales that are available for purchase throughout the evening. This event is open to the public - come and enjoy!

 

 

Belgian Beer Dinner @ BakerStreet (Fort Wayne) - August 5

Enjoy Belgian beer AND great tasting food?  If so, you won't want to miss the upcoming Belgian Beer Dinner at BakerStreet on Monday, August 19 starting at 6:30p.m. 

The evening will include Belgian craft beers that will be paired with six (6) food courses that will be prepared by BakerStreet's talented culinary staff.  I have dined at BakerStreet numerous times and I personally attest that their food is outstanding not to mention the good selection of beers that they have available. 

The cost of this event is $60 which is all-inclusive.  BakerStreet's beer dinner events typically sell out within days, so don't delay in purchasing your ticket(s)!!

The website link for this event is:  http://www.bakerstreetfortwayne.com/news/belgian-beer-dinner-august-19-2013

 

Green Flash adds to Local Choices on National IPA Day!

Seem only fitting on National IPA day to write a blog about beer! And one that many in Indiana awaited is Green Flash and their West Coast IPA. On the day they introduced to Indiana, July 16, I enjoyed the four that first made it in on tap.

Green Flash West Coast IPA: This four hop big beer (7.3% abv; 95 ibu) is multilayered with Simcoe hops for grapefruit, Columbus for earthiness, hop aroma, and some bittering, Centennial to add pine notes and Cascade for floral balanced with a slight caramel tone from malt. Often considered the flagship of this brewery.


Hop Head Red IPA, still pretty big (7%abv, 70 ibu) with Columbus, Nugget and dry hopped with Amarillo -- ample Amarillo so, you guessed it, floral and slightly orange in a nice Red. (GABF Silver 07, Bronze 09)

Citra Session IPA, yep sessionable at 4.5% abv and only 45ibu, as a single hop ale delivering orange, grapefruit and grassy notes with Maris Otter and Vienna malt underneath.

Saison Diego Ale, unfiltered farmhouse ale brewed with Seville Spanish style orange peels, Chinese ginger and grains of paradise delivers bright spicy deliciousness at 20ibu. Certainly one I could enjoy a couple of pints of!

The bad news is that apparently Rayon Vert (Green flash in French) is not only not coming here but not being brewed and that 7% bottle conditioned Belgian Pale is one I'll need to look or trade for before they are all gone.

Of course the local Indiana scene has plenty of local IPAs.

The Brewers' Cup this year awarded Gold to my local Roof Top from Bloomington Brewing, Silver to MoonKing from Half Moon in Kokomo, and Bronze to SuperFly (an Indy Southside favorite) from Oaken Barrel, Greenwood.

In mentioning BBC locally I must give props to Ten Speed Wheat IPA as another very drinkable complex beer.

So what are YOU drinking on National IPA DAY? I must admit I had to enjoy Stone RuinTen (wow, the complexity at 110 ibu and 10% abv) with tropical fruit leading to bitterness and still the underbelly of malt! Then a small sample of Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous BLACK IPA with a slight sweetness and wonderful hoppy character at "only" 90 IBU.

Hoppy days!

Greg Kitz

Indiana Microbrewers Festival Review

The 18th Annual Microbrewers Festival wrapped up a huge week for Indiana craft beer, beginning with the Indiana Brewers Cup competition, and bridged by a boat load of special beer events during Circle City Beer Week. Our staff suffered through another long day of hanging out with friends and drinking great beer to bring you the following pictures and individual thoughts and beer picks. If you don’t see your favorite listed, give them some love in the comments below. Cheers!

From Greg………….

A record was broken by 4:45 on Saturday, July 20, when over 6400 tasting glasses had been given out at Broad Ripple's OptiPark for the Eighteenth Annual Microbrewery Festival. Cooler weather and huge sampling selection seemed to have combined to pull people out to taste beer! A number of attendees commented that though there were plenty of people the lines did not seem ridiculously long and there were certainly plenty of samples to be had.

What stood out and what did I try? It is impossible to sample all so the best you can do is start with an idea of where you want to go and then keep asking others what they most enjoyed so far. With such a large venue it also is best to sample by area or by tent, and I regret that I did not make it back to a few breweries I missed. It helps when a brewer has a particular beer they want to share. Thanks to Dave Colt of SunKing for making sure I got some of the Lonesome Dove Barrel Aged Tripel! So let's start with that.

SunKing, (Indianapolis, IN) LoneSome Dove Barrel Aged Tripel. Spent months in the barrel and delivered vanilla and oak from the bourbon, initial sweetness that moved to a dry finish of the tripel. Absolutely delicious.

From the brewery that just won Brewery of the Year from the Brewer's Cup.

SunKing served a special beer every half hour!

Zwanzigz Brewery, (Columbus, IN) I just had to try two! I went for the Barrel Aged Ghost Chili Pepper Stout -- a triangulation of Imperial Stout with roast and toast + nice spice (not intense burn) from the world's hottest pepper + a solid taste of bourbon (not hot, but flavor). And a Barrel Aged Scotch Ale delivered the gentle sweetness of that beer style with the flavor of a rye barrel and came in at 13% abv. Holy scotch and rye, Beerman!

Against the Grain Brewery, (Louisville, KY) Boom Gose the Dynamite (yep, GOSE) -- German style Gose, Brewer Sam shared that this is his favorite from what is currently on tap down at the brewery delivering a very sessionable ("drink all afternoon") 4.2% abv beer brewed with wheat and barley, seasoned with pink salt, coriander, and hops and fermented with lactobacillus to give a slightly sour, slightly citrus delicious hot afternoon drink.

Destihl Brewery, (Normal, IL) Saint Dekkera reserve lambic sour single barrel spontaneously fermented, slightly sour, refreshing and highly interesting beverage.

Bare Hands Brewery, (Granger, IN) offered TEN beers. Mango Habenero 574, spice, fruit and lots of heat -- this baby really delivered on the Scoville units but with nice fruit flavor.

Just had to try the Bare Hands Mosaic double IPA and the triple performance (aroma, bittering, flavor) gives this single-hop IPA wallop of flavor. Mosaic delivers some citrus, some pine and some herbal and this beer showcases that well.

I've read some out of Chicago are now making tiny little Bare Hands, located in an industrial park outside of South Bend, IN, a destination for beer!

Flat12 Bierwerks (Indianapolis, IN), offered TWELVE firkins and barrels! Barrel Aged Pogue's Run Porter was my first choice, since I really appreciate this Porter it was interesting to see what the Corsair whiskey barrel brought to it with nice notes of vanilla, spice, and hint of leather to add to this roasty bier.

Though I don't like cucumbers the Flat12 Gin barrel aged Cucumber Kolsch was recommended to me. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this resulted in a bit of the Juniper berry and botanicals tangled with malty refreshment.

Sorry I did not get the Flat12 Cask Conditioned Brazilian Coffee Chipotle Vanilla Porter!

Iechyd Da! Brewing, (Elkhart, IN) The name means Cheers and is pronounced Yacky Da in Welsh but I went for one beer and was swayed by another! Afternoon Delight Rye PA was recommended to me by a beer connoisseur friend and it was spice, pine, and rye bread in a glass.

I originally stopped for the Iechyd Da Breakfast Cookies and Milk Stout. It did not disappoint, though a sweet stout.

Triton Brewing (Indianapolis, IN) French Toast Saison. You get maple syrup, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla and sugar sweetness on a biscuit malt using a replicale (old school) base! Thought I would not like it -- I did! I mean, come on! We've heard "beer, it's not just for breakfast anymore..." but seriously? Breakfast french toast in beer? That should not work! But it certainly did!

Figure8 Brewing (La Porte, IN) Brewer friend Mike Lahti offered his new Pirate's Pils which had a nice ibu bite to it and was very refreshing!

Thr3e Wisemen (Indianapolis, IN) Two Lucy's Blackberry Wheat, an interesting beer for a Summer day! A gentle taste of blackberry (from Oregon) come through in a surprising 6% beer. A beer I had not tried and was glad I did! By my count Omar, Keely, and crew walked away with at least 4 awards from Brewer's Cup this year!

Some Surprises!

Hunter's Brewing Company, (Chesterton, IN) Northwest Indiana has yet ANOTHER new brewery since February. I loved the name: Porter County porter (yes, they are in Porter County, IN) and I loved the roast and toast in a 4.5% beer from this newcomer. Operating a one barrel brewhouse, they offered only two beer, the second being a very nice Steel Town Girl saison where all spice flavor came from the yeast. They currently are running 9 taps at the brewpub. Owner/brewer Amy Gentry was very sociable and truly enjoyed chatting about this hobby-turned-vocation.

New Boswell Brewing, (Richmond, IN) has historic roots! The first tiny brewery in Richmond was apparently owned and run by Ezra Boswell, who learned brewing in England, brewed in North Carolina, and built a frame structure in Richmond, Wayne County, IN, about 1817. The NEW Boswell brewery was started as an entrepreneurship project via the I.U. East Center for Entrepreneurship as owner/brewer Rodrick Landess was getting a degree. The current establishment opened in Spring, 2010. Landess offered Maelstrom Imperial Stout with peat smoked malt and Maris Otter malt at 10% and the smoke flavor enthralled me.

Planetary Brewing, (Greenwood, IN) Another one of our newer nano breweries, was proudly serving their Apes#!t IPA -- which I will reveal I did not have time to try, but one festival attendee was so excited and going Ape.... well, you get the picture, so I thought it worthwhile (seriously, true story) to mention!

Broad Ripple Brew Pub (Indianapolis, IN) My last taste at this Microbrewer's Festival is perhaps appropriate for two reasons. First, it was from the ground-breaking BR Brew Pub. I mean we were in Broad Ripple, steps from the Brew Pub! John Hill brought the concept to the area back in 1990 and it flourishes today.

Second, this is a beer with a story! Each year the Brewer's Cup Homebrewer's Best of Show beer is eventually brewed at the BR Brew Pub (most locals just call it, "the Brew Pub")> In 2012 Homebrewer Shaun Kaus won Best of Show with a cream ale that was jalapeno infused. This Holla Jala Jalapeno Cream was my last sip. It offered a clean, crisp beer (as a cream ale should) and a solid flavor of the pepper, more than a hint in my opinion, a burn but not a big burn! This was the 3rd pepper beer I'd had at this Fest and I could recommend any and all three!

All in all a very nicely organized, never push-and-shove crowded, great meeting of great brewing friends supported by wonderful weather, wonderful sponsors, and the Brewer's Guild of Indiana. Just wish it was a 3-day event so we could sanely and soberly get to more great beers!

Thanks to all and 'next time' to those I did not get around to!

From Jake………….

After waking up to a dreary Saturday morning, the Microbrewers Festival ‘13 had better weather than the last couple.  I’ll take some light rain over 95 degrees every year.  This year the Brewers of Indiana Guild started the VIP Experience, and I grabbed one right away.  I had no idea what this was going to consist of, because no one had heard anything about it.  In the build up to the festival I was able to talk to a few people and get a feel for what this VIP tent was going to entail.  The basic idea was pretty good, a tented area to sit down, relax, and get some really rare beer.   An email was sent out explaining that there would be two tapping times for the VIP experience tent and that absolutely no one without the special VIP wristband would be let in.

So 2:50 hits and  my phone alarm goes off to let me know to start heading that way.  I got to the tent and the volunteers weren't quite ready to serve the beer yet.  To help you relax there was an air conditioned bathroom, and some light food pairings and fruit. Sadly I missed out on the food pairings, but the bathroom still had quite a bit of a line most of the time. After a brief wait of 5 or 10 minutes we were let in and got to sample from the first tapping of beers.  The food line grew very large so I headed to the beer line, naturally. With the relatively well available lineup of Brugge’s Peony, Three Floyd’s Dreadnaught, among others I was starting to doubt if the VIP experience was worth it at this point. A few pitchers to pre-pour the beer and some more chairs probably would have been nice, but otherwise the experience ran pretty well.  The five o’clock tasting had quite a few interesting beers.  The offerings included Triton’s Batch #1, Lafayette’s 14 year old Big Boris Barleywine, and a 4 year vertical of Shoreline’s Scotch Ale from ‘07 to ‘10.  All of these were great, however by far the best beer at the festival, and one of the best beers I’ve ever had for that matter, was Pappy Fog.  This batch of Sun King’s World Beer Cup gold medalist Belgian Quadruple was aged in Pappy Van Winkle barrels and it is truly a spectacular beer.

I enjoyed the rest of the festival as well, with some entertainment provided by Flat 12’s cosmic bowling themed casks and Black Acre’s togas or maybe they were ghosts.  I missed out on most of Flat 12’s beers, even though I didn’t mean to, but Black Acre’s Coffee Cat was one of my favorite beers all day.  Sun King’s booth was tapping a new specialty beer every thirty minutes, which actually worked out quite well for them and it was great beer too.

After the five o’clock beers I would have to say that the VIP experience felt worth the money.  It certainly needs some improvements, but at the end of the day its all about the beer.  Congratulations to Clay, Rob and the rest of the Guild on a great festival and a big thanks to all the volunteers.

From Jason………….

Despite my best efforts to infuse some sort of clever, witty opening commentary summarizing my experience at this year’s Indiana Microbrew Festival, I came to realize that this reflection will most likely end up mirroring my day of beer tasting. Looking back at the day, the breweries I visited, and the beers I sampled, the only word that accurately sums it all up is random.

Just about the only conscious decision that I recall making was to hit the Hopapalooza tent upon entering. Beyond that, just about every brewery visited was either the result of following a friend to where they were getting their next sample or just running out of beer and hopping into the closest beer line. Ok, where am I? Victory? I’ll try the Summer Love Blonde. Against the Grain? The Kentucky Ryed Chiquen sounds interesting.

The only negative thing about not having an itinerary is realizing that you missed out on a few favorites along the way. Not only that, but one of those favorites, People’s from here in good ol’ Lafayette, had a pretty kick-ass jukebox tapper featuring all of their #1 hits. Personally, I’m big on the Space Cowboy and Amazon Princess but, for this day, my randomness just didn’t find my feet taking me in their direction.

I will say this about my beer tasting exploits for this day, there were some damn fine beers for the tasting. I’m no beer judge and I’m not about to start breaking down specific characteristics that made the following list of beers enjoyable. So I’ll just say this and get on with the list; they were very, VERY enjoyable! So, in no specific order (I suppose that makes this….random?) I give you my IMF favorites for 2013.

• Grapefruit Jungle IPA – Sun King
• Black Note Stout – Bell’s
• Doom 2013 Imperial IPA – Founders
• Ghost Pepper Imperial Stout – Zwanzigz
• Barrel Aged Strong Scotch – Zwanzigz
• Saucy Intruder Rye PA – Black Acre
• Plead the 5^th Imperial Red – Crown
• Mt. Lee California Common – New Albanian
• Hop Head Red Ale – Green Flash

I really don’t have many other observations for the event this year. Rain stopped just in time and the temperatures were a welcome relief compared to last year. Everything seemed pretty crowded yet it never seemed like too long of a wait for your next tasty offering. Overall, couldn’t have gone much better from my perspective. Well done Brewers Guild, see you again next year.

From Kathleen………….

It's been two years since I last volunteered for the Microbrewers Festival. I've helped out at Winterfest and other events, but this festival is one of the biggest festivals put on by the Indiana Brewers Guild.

Being a volunteer gives me a different perspective on the festival, it also limits my drinking time. Let's start with my thoughts on the festival and wrap up with the fun stuff aka the beers I did get to try.

Overall, I thought this festival was one of the best ones. Things were more organized, chaos did not ensue.  I'm not sure if the VIP tent was a good new feature or not. None of the volunteers were allowed in and the people I helped checked in who paid the $100 to go to the VIP experience didn't seem to understand themselves what it was all about. (Which I found interesting considering how much they paid to be there). Lines this year at the booths weren't extremely long, even with General Admission roaming around, I'm not sure if that was due to not selling out or the brewers were just getting them in and out faster than before.

My only two thoughts / issues I had with the festival was first seeing around 5:30, with an hour and half left of the festival, that there were empty booths, or that most of the beer was out from the brewers. It was a mixed feeling to be happy that people loved certain breweries so much that they ran out of beer, but it was also sad that the breweries weren't more prepared for everyone to enjoy their beer. Secondly, and I know the Microbrewers festival is getting bigger and bigger, but I didn't like that all of the Indiana breweries were crunched into the Riverfront, the Lawn or the Allee and all of the distributors and out of state breweries had the free reign of the fields. I'd almost like to see if that could be flipped somehow. Or at least give more room to the Indiana Breweries instead of the out of state breweries.

Now.. Onto the Beer!

I didn't get to try everything I wanted. (I'm looking at you - Zwanzigz - with your Imperial Stout infused with Ghost Peppers), but I did get to a few ones and some that weren't on my list that I tried were great.

These are my highlights -

Great Fermentation - Berliner Weiss - I was surprisingly delighted by this one. If the lines weren’t crazy in the Alley I would've gone back for more.

Flat 12 Bierwerks - Brazilian Coffee/Chipotle/Vanilla Porter - This was on the top of my list to try. I think I'd like a little more vanilla than coffee, but everything blended together beautifully. So much so, that it was the only beer I took a picture of on Saturday.

Broadripple Brewpub - Jalapeno Cream Ale - This beer was interesting. Not on the original line up, but you get the cream first and then the jalapeno heat to follow. I felt like I was drinking a jalapeno popper.. (maybe they should add some bacon into the brewing process)

Hawcreek Brewing Co. - Wildberry Wheat - I really liked this one. I've had some fruit mixed wheats were the fruit kind of tastes heavy along with the beer, but this made it nice and light and not overpowering with the berry flavor.

Against the Grain - Boom Gose the Dynamite - a Sour, of course I was destined to like this one. It was my first choice

Black Swan - Sour Cherry - this is a cheat, I've had this a few times at Black Swan's Brewpub. Still delicious and tart everytime.

Brugge Brasserie - Harvey - I'm very happy that Brugge brought back Harvey. I still remember the first time I had it, back in 2011- First Annual Bloomington Craft Beer Festival. This beer is one of my loves. (which means I had multiple glasses of it)

I hope everyone had a great time at the festival, that you were nice to the brewers and volunteer staff, that you found a new beer to love or a brewery to follow and that you come back next year!

From Nathan………….

The 18th Annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival was a nearly flawless event from my viewpoint. I know that’s a pretty boring opinion and the good people working behind the scenes could probably tell you 30 things that went wrong off the top of their head. But here’s what matters for an attendee: we got in quick, all the breweries we saw were setup and ready to roll, and we had great beer. Congrats to the Brewers of Indiana Guild, Hoosier Beer Geek, World Class Beer, and all the breweries and volunteers on another great event! They’ve been around this block a time or two and know how to put on a good show.

The Microbrewers Festival is a huge event, but with a completely different layout and feel than Winterfest. While things can get fairly crowded in “The Alley”, the massive outdoor layout never quite induces the same claustrophobic panic sensations as trying to walk down one of the main aisles of Winterfest at 4pm. The beer lines do get a little long, but I’ve seen worse at the Michigan Summer Festival and GABF. This year was also blessed with cooler weather that did not inflict the wrath of “swamp crotch” on attendees. However, as Poppi noted, this meant you weren’t sweating out all the liquid you consumed and lead to longer restroom lines.

Some random observations:

Browsed through the Zwanzigz website and could only find info about their pizza (which is supposed to be pretty good), and nothing about the brewery. They really need to start bragging about the beer! This is the one brewery that comes to mind who has consistently produced an unexpected standout (see picks below) at every festival in recent years.

It’s always a subconscious goal for me to hit breweries whose beer is not readily available in the Indianapolis area. The aforementioned Zwanzigz, along with Bare Hands, Crown, and Iechyd Da have been consistently impressive at these events. You can’t hit every brewery and Figure 8 (normally on this list) was one of my regrets this year, but fortunately their bombers have become more prevalent in better craft stores around the city.

While I don’t recall it interfering with any particular brewery I was determined to try, the number of breweries who shut down early was definitely more noticeable than I can ever recall. Do you blame that on poor planning or credit the insatiable thirst of our crowd?

I’d hate to be accused of promoting irresponsible behavior, but time management is critical if you have 2pm entry for this event. We spent way too much time holding empty glasses and talking with friends during that hour. You end up regretting that. There will be plenty of time for talking later while you’re standing in line.

If you buy a ticket for 3pm entry and for some reason feel it’s vitally important to show up at the gates before 2:00, don’t mix in line and try to sneak in early. It doesn’t work (I’m talking to you, couple who tried to enter in front of us). Better yet, spend a few more minutes at home with a good book and enjoy your Saturday. Staff will get you in efficiently if you show up a little later.

On to the beer picks……..

Nathan’s Pick of the Day: Zwanzigz Barrel Aged Scotch Ale – Intensely malty with a nicely balanced bourbon character, ridiculously smooth for a beer weighing in at 13.4% ABV.

Honorable Mention:

Against the Grain Citra Ass Down IPA

Bell’s Black Note

Black Acre Saucy Intruder (Rye IPA)

Carson’s Psycho Pagan (dry-hopped Pale Ale)

Crown Brewing 5th Anniversary Imperial Red

Daredevil Rip Cord DIPA

Iechyd Da Big Pit Porter

New Albanian Mt. Lee California Common

Oaken Barrel King Rudi Hefeweizen

Urban Chestnut Zwickel