6-28 World Cup fever. How to quench it? In Nuremberg, 70,000 England fans drank 1.2 million pints of beer. To save you from grabbing your calculator, that's 17 pints per person. Cologne ran out of Kölsch. article. But are they drinking Bud? If you don't mind a little crudeness, here's what the more rabid Germans think of Bud's sponsorship of the games.

In a related note, Bavaria Brewing of The Netherlands gave away 1000 or so orange Lederhosen to supporters to wear at a first-round game. FIFA folks wouldn't let them in because of the Bavaria logos. So 1000 Dutchmen watched the game in the stands in their underwear. article

Not-so-future beers. These are due out this summer or fall according to the Brewing News.

Sam Adams 1790 Root Beer Brew (5 to 6% ABV). Flavored with molasses, sassafras, wintergreen, and licorice.
SA Traditional Ginger Honey Ale.
SA James Madison Dark Wheat.
SA George Washington Porter. Back with a new formulation.
Dogfish Head Chateau Jiahu. A re-creation of a Chinese drink found, dried, in a 9,000 year old jar. Grain bill is 30% rice, 30% honey, 30% grapes, 10% barley (used so the feds will consider it a beer). Flavored with hawthorn fruit.
Rodenbach Redbach. Flanders Red Ale at 3.5%. A blend of Rodenbach and Polish cherry juice.
Brasserie Des Franches-Montagnes (Switzerland) La Meule. Belgian Golden Ale. 6%. Brewed with sage.
BDFM Cuvee du 7eme (7th Anniversary). Made with 6 hops.
BDFM Abbay De Saint Bon-Chien. Named for the brewery's late cat. Barrel aged in wine casks.
Birrificio Italiano Fleurette. 3.8%. Flavored with roses, violets, honey, elderberry, and black pepper.
Simonds Farsons Cisk (Malta) Farsons Lacio Milk Stout.
Rochefort 6 (Red Cap).

The Indianapolis Star commented this week on the sartorially comfortable Brugge Brasserie.

Did you know the Supreme Court's first flag desecration opinion was about beer? In 1907 they agreed that states could ban pictures of the U.S. flag on beer bottles (Stars and Stripes brand beer to be specific) because it would "degrade and cheapen" the flag.

Cannes, France: The International Advertising Festival has voted the best two TV ads of the year as beer ads. First is Guinness's Noitulove (Evolution spelled backward) and second place went to Carlton's "Big Ad".

6-25 Coming soon to a liquor store near you! Redstone has finally arrived here in Indy. David Myers, Chairman of the Mead, as he is called, was in Indy Saturday for the Brew Ha Ha. He was serving up their Black Raspberry, and Sunshine Nectar sparkling meads, as well as Traditional Mountain Honey Wine and Juniper Mountain Honey Wine.

Mat from Cavalier, had a big hand on getting Redstone here. And if the crowd at their table is any indication....It was a big hit! Stay tuned here for when you can find Redstone.

What's Happening:

• Mon - June 26 - Fullers Brewing tasting - Kahns, Carmel. 5-7pm
• Mon, June 26 - Three Floyds Franco-Belgian brewer's dinner. 5 courses.
• Mon, June 26 -
• Tues, June 27 - Taste of Bloomington - Upland and Bloomington Brewing will be pouring. 3-11pm.
• Wed, June 28 - Beer Tasting at the Chatterbox - Indianapolis. 6-8pm.
• Wed, June 28 - Spaten / Franziskaner promo night 5-7pm Deano's Vino and Dick's Bodacious BBQ, 96th St.
• Thurs, June 29 - Beer and Food Pairing with Roger Baylor. Cafe Classico, Louisville.
• Thurs, June 29 - Spaten / Franziskaner promo night 9-11pm, Conner's Pub, Broad Ripple
• Fri, June 30 - Music at Shoreline: Stampead.
• Tues, July 4 - Oaken Barrel Pork of July.
• Wed, July 5 - Spaten / Franziskaner promo night 8-10pm, Shallos, Greenwood
• Thurs, July 6 - Rock Bottom College Park and Downtown Indy Tapping parties - Both will be unleashing their IPA from 6:00-6:30.
• Thurs, July 6 - Spaten / Franziskaner promo night 8-10pm, BW3, Downtown, Indy
• Fri, July 7 - IndieBrew Music at the Big Car Gallery, Fountain Sq. Indy. 8pm.
• Fri, July 7 - Spaten / Franziskaner promo night 7-9pm, Aristocrat Pub, 5212 College Ave, Indy

6-24 Zymurgy (July/August 2006 issue) announced the results of their Best Commercial Beers in America. It is a readers poll. Three Floyd’s had 3 beers in the top 50. Dreadnaught tied for 21st, Alpha King tied for 27th, and Dark Lord tied for 41st. No other Indiana brewers made the list. Three Floyd’s also finished third on the ‘Spirit of Homebrew’ list which ranked brewers based on total number of votes received divided by annual production. They finished behind AleSmith and Rahr & Sons Brewing. They also finished 10th in total votes among all breweries and had 8 beers from their portfolio receive votes.

6-23 Chris Roegner is breaking ground for a brewpub in Kokomo. Located along US 31, it will have 8400 sq ft. of space for a restaurant and a 3.5/7bbl system. Chris, who was the manager of the West Point Steak House near Lafayette, doesn't have brewery experience himself but will be looking for a brewer once the equipment is installed by the Chicago firm supplying the vessels. He hopes to be open by the end of the year. Interested in a challenging start-up head brewer position, email Chirsroegner@aol.com.

From the Great Lakes Brewing News - thanks to Jim Herter.

Three Floyds Young Sportsman Wit will be released in July.
Shoreline's future beers include Grand Mum Double IPA, Big Bel Scotch Ale, Summer Kölsch, and Dim Wit Belgian.
New Albanian Kaiser 2nd Reising Pre-prohibition Pilsner should be out by now and should be available through July.
Bells is adding twelve 400bbl fermenters. Ken Belau is the new head brewer.

Rock Bottom, downtown Indy, has some of the IPA on the handpull. It's a 65 IBU cross between a Brit and an American IPA with Willamette, Fuggles, and Cascades. Get it while it lasts. The Super Beer X, also 65 IBU, is a fresh Old Ale. Next up a Wit in about 3 weeks.

Ram's current seasonals:

Belgian Wit - Sweetish. Lots of bitter orange and sweet orange come through.
Bohemian Pilsner - A good malt attack and a dry finish make Dave Colt's this 4.5% light lager the perfect starter drink for the BudMillerCoors drinker and exactly what the big guys wish they could brew. The secret is a high-temperature mash and the pepperiness of Saaz hops. Predictions: 1) Gold at the Indiana State Fair. 2) This recipe should spread through the Ram/Big Horn chain to become their Big Horn Light standard. THE best.
Sausalito Summer California Common and the Summer Session Ale are still on tap for a while.

Dicks Bodacious on 96th St has a fine line of taps including BBC's Bourbon Barrel Stout and, of course, 3 Floyds' Robert the Bruce which accompanies BBQ perfectly. They now have 75 bottles in the cooler including many specials like Anchor Christmas, Rogue Santa's Private Stock, Belhaven Wee Heavy, O'Fallon Smoked Porter, Old Fort Porter, Thirsty Dog Siberian Night, and a bunch of Double IPAs.

The Ales for Tails benefit for the Kokomo Humane Society was a resounding success. The Sycamore Marketplace was jam-packed with over 200 people enjoying foods paired with 18 different beers. Door prizes and a silent auction provided excitement belying the calming harp/violin music form the Kokomo Symphony. Obviously it will become an annual event.

AfT also gave this writer his first taste of Flying Dog Gonzo Porter (a very Imperial porter with chocolate and Cascades vying for control) and Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel (big roasty and toasty but a bit grainy). The selection was outstanding including Raison d' Etre, Piraat, Duvel, Troise Pistoles, Rochefort, and PranQster. World Class's support of charitable causes makes a difference again.

We found Atomium in the beer tub at Heorot in Muncie. Also Phucket Island from Thailand and Heavy Seas Loose Cannon. Also in the tub and on tap: Founders Red's Rye - Deep dark cherry red, big frothy tan head, big Amarillo hop aroma, big citrus hop finish. Probably 70 IBU. Wow, an Imperial Amber?

Rock Bottom, 86th St, tapping of Iain's new Kölsch was attended by over 100 happy people. Both RBs have made these tappings not-to-miss events with free food and lots of goodies - not to mention the brewers buy the beer for a half hour. In this instance the Kölsch is also not-to-miss. Very much to style. Slight fruit, good carbonation, bitter background. In this Kölsch season, Iain's is my pick so far.

Which Rock Bottom will you be at on July 6th? They both are having an IPA tapping at 6pm.

New Beers coming out and returning seasonals from Cavalier Distributing:

Aldaris Porteris
Bard's Tale Dragon's Gold (Gluten free)
Bison Brewing Chocolate Stout, IPA, Belgian Trippel (All organic)
Bluegrass Brewing Professor Gesser's, Home Wrecker
Boulder Sweaty Betty Blonde
Breckenridge 471 IPA in 12oz 6-packs
Breckenridge Summer Brite
Caleconian Golden Promise Organic Ale
Clipper City Hefe, Loose Cannon, Peg Leg Stout, Raspberry, Red Sea at Night, Small Craft Warning
Ettaler Curator Doppelbock
Founders Old Curmudgeon
Hambleton Gluten Free Ale
Hebrew 10:10, RIPA Lenny Bruce Tribute
Hofbrau Mai Bock
Kenya Tusker
Lakefront Cherry, White
Left Hand Twin Sisters Double IPA
Menabrea Amber, Birra
Shipyard Summer
Sprecher Scotch Ale
St. Bernardus Grotten Flemish Ale
Stone Vertical Epic 6/6/6
Two Brothers Cane and Abel, Dog Days, Incinerator Blonde Dopplebock
Red Stone Meads - Black Raspberry, Sunshine

The Potable Curmudgeon makes a very good, but sad, observation about wasting beer.

Latrobe Brewery won't be turned into a shopping mall if City Brewery goes through with their offer to buy it. City Brewery of La Crosse, WI, is now the 5th largest brewery in the country (after A-B, Miller, Coors, and Pabst) and Latrobe was the 9th largest (after Yuengling, High Falls, and Boston Beer). Talks broke down when City tried to buy the abandoned Coors plant in Memphis but they have signed a letter of intent with InBev for Latrobe. Besides their "City" and "La Crosse" lines of craft beers distributed only in the Wisconsin area, they make JW Dundee Honey Brown. Most of their business, though, is contract brewing for Pabst, Boston, Smirnoff, and many others including lots of the 8+% malt liquors you can find in 24 oz cans.

The Barley Hop Academy tastings put on by the Hop Shop and Dicks Bodacious at A2Z on 96th St in Indy are really full dinners with great gourmet food from A2Z's Ashraf Boutros. This week's event featured Arcadia ales (and two folks from the brewery in Battle Creek) along with a dozen other generous tastes and diverse foods such as hazelnut basalmic fig, Portabello pepper, feta ravioli in three nice courses. A shame only 14 people were there but it made for an intimate conversational evening.

Brian Graham of Dick's put forth his personal feeling about food pairings: "Wine overpowers most foods while beer is better at matching food's character".

6-22 Free Docent-led tours of the Athenaeum: For the first time in its history, the Athenaeum (401 E Michigan St, Indianapolis) is offering regularly scheduled tours. The docents are especially trained to lead you through this beautiful, historical building which is home to The Rathskeller, one of the best bars in Indiana. Tours will be held on the first Saturday and the first Wednesday of each month at 1pm (July 1, July 5, August 2, August 5). Meet in the lobby.

6-20 Brugge's HouBlonde is a Chouffe Houblon Doublen IPA Tripel clone that is interesting. Dull orange in color. Sharp fruit taste, maybe apricotty. No real hop presence but acidic that screams Vitamin C. At 8% ABV the strength grows on you. Oh, they're now open on Sundays from Noon to 9pm.

Do you have a bar, pub, restaurant, or liquor store? Do you have a web site? If not, go to www.vincenzoscoffeehouse.com and see what you can have for $200. It includes your own domain name, web hosting, email addresses, and an automatic list of the beers you have ordered from World Class Beverage (who's idea this is).

Carl Bauer, professor at IU, has been awarded a $5m grant to study how bacteria grow under low oxygen conditions. This study will help us know how diseases work, how they can survive outside the body, and "he added it could also help study how food is processed and how beer and wine are created." article

Bacteria, besides being essential in the making of cheese and yogurt, are both a help and a hindrance to brewing. Sterilization is paramount to making good beer as most bacteria will produce only a sour, undrinkable product. But, on the other hand, some bacteria strains such as Lactobacillus and Pediococcus are essential to produce flavor ingredients in some beers including many Belgian styles, Witbiers, and Berliner Weisse.

6-18 Classified Ad:

Mad Anthony Brewing Company is seeking a head brewer for our growing brewing operation in Fort Wayne Indiana. We operate a 7 barrel pub brewery and a 15 barrel production brewery in the same location. We provide beer for our 3 restaurants and we self distribute draft and bottle beer locally and statewide through a distributor. The right person will possess solid brewing experience and knowledge as well as leadership qualities. For consideration or more info contact Todd Grantham wtgrantham@comcast.net.

Man Laws, numbers 71 through 96 (stolen from a discussion on Fark.com):

If, on a woman, they would be called capri pants, don't wear them.
Thou shalt revel in thy masculinity through various meaningless rituals, including, but not limited to, attempting to eat ludicrously large steaks, high-fiving, and making up "man laws".
A man shall not adorn sandals and socks concurrently.
You stretch before you work out, not as a hobby.
If a beer is ordered for you, you must drink it.
Salmon is a fish, not a color.
A man is not required to get another man a gift for his birthday. Even remembering another man's birthday is strictly optional.
- On occasions when a gift is given to another man, the gift should be in the form of alcohol. Or a stripper.
Any canned goods made by Armour or Hormel are, by definition, health food.
Despite the propaganda being pushed on us in recent years, never, never, never, never think a propane grill is just as good as charcoal. Never.
If she uses the blue stuff in the toilets ALWAYS put both the seat and lid down so the dog doesn't get poisoned.
If a man challenges your drink of choice, to determine who can drink like a man, you two shall enter in a whisky shots competition.
- Whisky brand's choice made by the defendant.
Men have the ability to actually be thinking of nothing. So stop asking.
No man, no matter how fanatic, may mime his golf swing while talking to his buddy, no matter how fanatic his buddy may also be.
- Two men performing this maneuver simultaneously whilst not on the golf course are cast out from the brethren.
Any Man Laws proclaimed while drinking Miller Lite shall be null and void.
Under no circumstances are you to watch Oprah or view anything Oprah related. This includes the cover of any Oprah related magazines in the check out stand.
If your dog could be mistaken for a cat or rodent it better be for hunting cats and or rodents.
- No man mayh own any dog under 15lbs with the sole exception of a one-eyed mildly rabid Jack Russell Terrier.
<Insert any noun here> is better wrapped in bacon.
No Zima. Ever.
Manliness is not measured by the beer you drink, it is measured by the company you keep while drinking said beer.
Never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city.
A man owns two kinds of forks; the kind you eat with, and the kind you wrangle big chunks of meat on the barbeque with. A man does not know the difference between a salad fork, a dinner fork, or a dessert fork. Or a lobster fork, or whatever other kinds of forks there are.
A man's tools belong wherever he puts them. Nobody is allowed to move a tool belonging to a man from one place to any other place, unless he directs them to do so.
A mild personal injury must be ignored. Moderate to severe injuries may be acknowledged with profanity and then "shaken off". If the injury warrants immediate medical attention, the man will make every possible effort to drive himself to the hospital.
Just a guess, maybe limes were originally placed in Mexican beer bottles to keep the flies out.
Accept that there will always be many other men who can kick your butt at many different things. Never back down, but accept defeat graciously.
Your suitcase should not have frilly ribbons, oversized name tags, or other artificial markings to declare that it is yours. It should be recognized by its battle scars and by smell.

And so let it be written.

6-16 If you were one of the crowd at the Agio Thursday in Indianapolis you know the Ales for Adoptable Tails was a well-attended event. Lots of beer samples, lots of Agio's finger-food. Salmon, Lamb, Tapénade, Bruschetta, Stewed Chicken Risotto Tart, Asparagus Tempura, even Apple Cheesecake to go with the Lambics. As a bonus, they included full recipes for all of Chef Joseph Heidenreich's creations in the program. Nice touch.

The private-label bottle of beer (right) you took home at the end is, by the way, Barley Island's Dirty Helen Brown.

If you weren't at this Humane Society fundraiser, you can still taste the same selection of 31 different beers at the Ales for Tails at the Sycamore Market Place in Kokomo next Wednesday. 4:30-7pm.

You ain't gonna believe this one - and neither do we. From the Weekly World News, right near "Drunk Guy Swallows Bowling Ball":

"According to secret filings with the FDA and the Department of defense, testosterone has become the latest additive to beer.

At the Pentagon's request, several major breweries and microbreweries have begun adding the natural steroid hormone to increase male aggression and prepare American youth for an impending draft. Given the increased needs for the National Guard at the nation's borders plus international efforts in places like Afghanistan, Iraq and, soon, Iran, America needs to quickly increase the size and gung-ho quality of its military forces.

The testosterone will make men even more naturally aggressive; they will welcome a chance to burn off those feelings while serving their country."

CAMRA's BEER magazine reports Fullers will continue to produce Gales Festival Mild and Prize Old Ale. They also give a hint as to why Gales needed to sell to Fullers:

Says Derek Lowe, Gales head brewer for 24 years and formulated Prize Old Ale, who will become assistant brewer at Fullers, "It is very, very sad. Over the years we have managed quite well and we have brewed very good beer but much more investment would have been necessary to bring this brewery up to the standard it needs."

In 2005, Gales made £4,000,000 profit but they have spent "more on a single pub kitchen than on brewery equipment."

Want to feel better about drinking beer? Want to feel better by drinking beer? All About Beer has a large article about Beer and Health.

What's going on:

Sat, June 17 - Taste of Tippecanoe - Lafayette Brewing will be pouring
Sat, June 17 - IndieBrew Music:The Malvenas, Royal Theater, Danville. 8pm
Sun, June 18 - $2 pints all day at Rock Bottom, 86th St, Indy.
Mon, June 19 - Van Steenberge Beer tasting - Kahns, Keystone, Indy. 5-7pm
Wed, June 21 - Ales for Tails - Sycamore Market Place, Kokomo. 4:30-7pm
Thurs, June 22 - Barley Hop Academy Beer Tasting - Indianapolis - Contact Courtney Hall for details - English & American Pale Ales, English Brown, Scottish
Thurs, June 22 - Keg Liquors Summer Solstice Tasting. Clarksville 5-8pm
Sat, June 24 - Phoenix Theater Brew-Ha-Ha - Indianapolis. $20 advance, $25 at door. Barley Island, Bloomington, Broad Ripple, Main Street, New Albanian, Oaken Barrel, Ram, Rock Bottom(s), and Upland will be pouring. 3pm-7pm
Sat, June 24 - Rich O's Lambic by the Glass day
Sat, June 24 - Balmoral Brew Ha Ha - Blamoral Park racetrack, Chicago. Three Floyds will be pouring. 5-10pm
Sat, June 24 - RateBeer meeting. Broad Ripple Brewpub. 6pm
Sat, June 24 - IndieBrew Music: Krista Detor & Dave Weber at Trader's Point Creamery, Zionsville. 8pm

6-15 At the Rock Bottom on 86th St, Indy, it's not unusual for people to walk in and wander around for a while before finding a seat. Maybe because there's so much going on. Sunday is Fathers Day so pints are $2.

Catcher in the Rye has matured a bit and become less edgy, better, smoother.
Brown - the board indicates a Northern Brown and it is a dark color but it really is quite light, almost watery.
Stout this month is a Milk Stout.
Wheat this month is an American Wheat.
Vienna Lager, Pale, Red, are also on.
The handpulls pour the Wheat and Pale (which is very good. Crisp, refreshing, bright hops.)
June 22 is the Kölsch tapping
Coming to the handpulls: Brown, Naughty Scott. Then an Oatmeal Vanilla Stout (and maybe an Oatmeal Licorice Vanilla Stout).

A-B is rolling out some craft beers made at their big breweries. Columbus Ohio will get Burnin' Helles on draft and New Hampshire's A-B plant in Merrimack will produce Demon's Hop Yard IPA. article

Where to drink beer in the USA (Beer Advocate version, RateBeer version). Rich O's is #19 and #3 respectively. Three Floyds brewpub comes in #34 at BA. Indy's BW3 ranks 60th at RB.

6-14 Notes from the papers:

Monks Café Flemish Sour Red Ale is a winner. Brewed by Van Steenberge in Belgium for Monk's Café in Philadelphia, it's Rodenbach with cherries, apples, and a distinct vinegar sourness. Just made available in bottles. Now Monk's is planning a Gueuze, Kriek and Framboise brewed at Cantillon.

"Hearing (Michael Jackson) digress at the Monk's Café Sour Flemish Ale dinner on March 19, we were in awe. He spoke for over two hours, weaving convoluted tales as he related memories with crystal clear details. It was like watching Coltrane or Miles at their improvisational peak." - George Hummel

Shlenkerla Lager will be out soon, imported by B. United. Be aware this is not very smoky as no smoked malt is used but is brewed and fermented in the same equipment as their Rauchbier.

Bamberg's tourist office has a nice beer map/book that is a worthwhile buy. Now there's a "Brewery Trail" for 17.50 euro that includes a backpack, bottle opener, and tokens for a stein at each of the 9 breweries in town.

New Holland is expanding to a 22,000 sq ft plant north of town. The cramped production brewery on the east side of downtown will be history but the brewpub facility won't be affected.

Quotes:

Archie Bunker: Lemme tell ya, Edith, you can't really *buy* beer... you can only rent it.
Morse: They don't spell Australian beer with four Xs out of ignorance.
Jack O'Neill: I hope you like Guinness. It's a perfect substitute for... food.
Red Green: Blecch! Hmm. Well, I have no idea what we did wrong, but our first batch of homemade beer did not taste all that great.
Harold Green: Well, Uncle Red, did you boil and sterilize all the beer vats and beer bottles?
Red Green: How do you mean?
Harold Green: Well, you gotta boil everything to make sure all the germs have been removed.
Red Green: Well, we wipe them on our shirts. Our shirts are clean.
Harold Green: Uncle Red, you gotta make sure the canisters are perfectly sterile.
Red Green: Harold, the only thing perfectly sterile up here is Old Man Sedgwick. Besides, how can you boil a hot tub?

6-13 Notes from the papers:

Shlenkerla Lager will be out soon, imported by B. United. Be aware this is not very smoky as no smoked malt is used but is brewed and fermented in the same equipment as their Rauchbier.

New Holland is expanding to a 22,000 sq ft plant north of town. The cramped production brewery on the east side of downtown will be history but the brewpub facility won't be affected.

Quotes:

Archie Bunker: Lemme tell ya, Edith, you can't really *buy* beer... you can only rent it.
Morse: They don't spell Australian beer with four Xs out of ignorance.
Jack O'Neill: I hope you like Guinness. It's a perfect substitute for... food.
Red Green: Blecch! Hmm. Well, I have no idea what we did wrong, but our first batch of homemade beer did not taste all that great.
Harold Green: Well, Uncle Red, did you boil and sterilize all the beer vats and beer bottles?
Red Green: How do you mean?
Harold Green: Well, you gotta boil everything to make sure all the germs have been removed.
Red Green: Well, we wipe them on our shirts. Our shirts are clean.
Harold Green: Uncle Red, you gotta make sure the canisters are perfectly sterile.
Red Green: Harold, the only thing perfectly sterile up here is Old Man Sedgwick. Besides, how can you boil a hot tub?

6-12 According to an article in the Courier & Press, 15 liquor stores in Evansville are suing the private Vanderburgh County Substance Abuse Council to stop them from hiring underage college students to go into liquor stores (and restaurants, drug and convenience stores) to try to buy alcohol. Indiana State law (IC 7.1-5-7-12) says "it is a Class B misdemeanor for a person to employ a minor in or about a place where alcoholic beverages are sold, furnished, or given away for consumption either on or off the licensed premises, in a capacity which requires or allows the minor to sell, furnish, or otherwise deal in alcoholic beverages." The president of the VCSAC is Ron McDonald of the Indiana State Excise Police. It also receives money from "countermeasure fees" assessed by the courts in Vanderburgh County.

Pabst is moving to a Chicago suburb (Woodridge) from San Antonio. Well the headquarters at least. The beer will still be brewed by Miller and others.

A-B buying Goose Island? Yeah, sort of. Widmer will buy part of the Fulton St. plant and A-B (which owns 35% of Widmer) will get into the Goose's distributing chain.

6-11 Minor correction to the A-B / Latrobe item from last week: A-B bought the Rolling Rock brand from InBev but did not buy the Latrobe brewery. InBev is looking for a buyer for the brewery. (Thanks, Kevin G, for the slap on the hand.)

Bloomington Brewery's Vision Weiss seasonal is clean as always and solid to style. Nothing on the handpulls right now. BTown Light will be tapped on the 14th.

Upland went through 15 kegs at the Ohio River Festival in Madison, IN. Wow. Right now Caleb and company have a lot of projects in the vessels.

A Saison that will be sold just at Bloomingfoods store as part of their 35th anniversary. 8%. Used DuPont's yeast then blended with Upland Wheat.

A Mulberry Wheat just now into fermentation using mulberrys from a tree out back of the brewery. This will appear at the brewpub only.

4 Bordeaux casks from Oliver Winery were filled with a lambic about 10 weeks ago for release in one or more forms next year sometime - or maybe even later than that.

Right now the Ard Ri is the seasonal. An 8% Imperial Red that is strong and has a lot of hop presence.

Main Street at Turoni's Pizza's current seasonal is a decidedly unhoppy darkish wit named "Wit's Up". The coriander, ginger, and orange peel blend together and are not a big presence. It comes across quite malty with a brown ale character. Jack Frey has jacked-up the Blue Eyed Moose recipe a bit with mostly Fuggle hops and a late addition of Cascades. There's a 9% Tripel maturing for release in July.

Eric Watson is now at the Titletown Brewing Co. in Green Bay, WI. Word is he may be down in Indy for the Brewers Cup judging July 8th. Interestingly he's making a "Cole Porter". Cole Porter was the grandson of J.O. Cole who owned the Peru Brewery in Indiana from 1885 until Prohibition.

Big Red's big store in Bloomington has added beer to the Saturday wine tastings. Noon-6pm. June is German month. July, American IPAs.

Did you know Huber Winery has a distillery making brandies and fruit infusions? Did you know there is an American Distillers Institute for small distilleries? Started by Bill Owens of Buffalo Bill's Brewery? That publishes American Distiller, edited by Penn Jensen of Upland? And an annual meeting at the Huber Winery? We hope to cover the next fete (April, 2007).

Okocim Porter - Did the Potable Curmudgeon bring it back from the dead? Part 1, Part 2.

The Columbus Bar has rapidly become the successor to All the Buzz since Jon Myers and Doug Memering moved downtown. Pictures, etc. are now in IndianaBeer.

The Come Back Inn in Jeffersonville celebrated their 5th year in business on 6/6. The indefatigable Chris Smith is still at the taps, which are right now: BBC Porter, Brown, and Alt; Flying Dog Wheat and APA; New Holland Amber.

Stopped in at the Saint Meinrad Archabbey while in southern Indiana to investigate rumors of a brewery there dating back to the 1860s. Actually they had a brewery for a short time back in 1860 that was located in front of the abbey grounds on what is now Brewery St. Legend says the first brew was so bad it was fed to the hogs. At any rate, they leased it the brewer in 1861.

But that's not the end of the story. Father Gabriel (below) resurrected the brewery tradition in 2001 with a 5gal homebrew operation where he makes 10 or so batches every year - mainly for feast days, picnics, and special orders for retreat guests. Red and a Lawnmower are his favorites but he recently made a coffee stout. He mainly brews from kits from a mail-order distributor back in his native Iowa where he managed a Marriot restaurant (he's also working on a cookbook).

The Great American Beer Festival has added a Pro-Am competition for the 25th anniversary edition this September. It's for homebrewers who have won the right to make their beer in a commercial brewery. Indiana qualifies for at least three entries (Duneland Homebrewers / Shoreline Brewery, State Fair Best of Show / Broad Ripple Brewpub, and World Class Beer Geek / Upland).

The Ohio Valley Homebrewers Association in Evansville now has a website. www.ovha.net.

Wanna see the Dogfish Head "Pinchin Pennies" Video? No, you probably don't.

What's Happening:

Sat, June 10 - Nine G Infidel Imperial IPA Launch Party - Fiddler's Hearth - South Bend - 1-6pm (not at City Wide as previously reported).
Mon, June 12 - Fort Collins Brewing tasting - Kahns, Carmel. 5-7pm
Thurs, June 15 - Ales for Adoptable Tails - Agio Restaurant, Indianapolis
Fri, June 16 - Rock Bottom, downtown Indy, 10th Anniversary Celebration and Amber Ale Tapping of Super X Amber. 6pm.
Fri, June 16 - Mishawaka Brewing Golf Outing. Warren ND course. $75. Food, beer, prizes.
Sat, June 17 - Taste of Tippecanoe - Lafayette Brewing will be pouring.

6-10 First Taste: Lindemans Pomme Lambic. Pronounced "PUM," this cheery golden beer is bright and sparkling. The unmistakable aroma of granny smith apples climbs out of the bottle and bites the tongue but doesn't mask the malted barley base or characteristic wild yeast. The green wrapper hiding the bottle cap is merely for decoration. Beneath is a cork that slides out with a satisfying "thunk." This is no cider, by far, nor is it an experiment- it's a return to older days when fruits were used to season beers in absence of hops. Where do you get it? No idea. This bottle is from a secret cellar at World Class Beverages. When it hits the shelves we'll let you know. It's worth a taste.

6-9 The Rathskeller Wine and Beer Fest has been discontinued. "Unfortunately due to neighborhood pressures we have had to forego the event indefinitely."

6-8 Warsaw, IN: "Mad Anthony's Lake City Tap House is now open! This eating and drinking establishment promises to be one of our finest places to date. It will feature a private party room with capabilities of serving up to 70 people, a beautiful black slate bar, hardwood floors, 8 taps of fresh hand crafted Mad Anthony Beer, full liquor service, Mug Club, carry out MABC beer, and the eclectic menu you have come to know and love from MABC"

6-7 Beertown reports a bright future for craft beer:

Growth of the craft beer industry was 7.1% by volume for the first half of 2005.
The craft beer industry eclipsed nearly 7 million barrels of craft beer produced in the U.S. in 2005.
Craft beer industry production is set to grow again in 2006 as it has every year for the past 36 straight years.

6-6 Bet you saw this coming. Anheuser-Busch plans to close the Latrobe plant and move Rolling Rock brewing to Newark, NJ. They just bought RR last month and will bastardize it by July 31st. Not everyone is thrilled. If fact no one is thrilled.

So you'd like to run your own pub. Maybe you'd like to be a king also. It's possible. The Ship Inn on Piel Island near Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, England has just such an opening.

New Belgium Brewing had a 12% increase in sales during 2005. Now they are planning to spend $21,500,000 on an expansion and plan to put out 400,000 bbl in 2006 and the expansion will let them double that amount.

6-2 The Indianapolis Business Journal's headline this week was Beer Permit Battle Brews. In short, 102 new retail permits have been filed this year, 40 by Speedway gas stations. They all want to have a permit while they are allowed, having been told next year's legislature may restrict permits. A doing so passed one house last year. The Indiana Association of Beverage Retailers say "the deluge of applications threatens the livelihood of package liquor store owners". There are about 1,000 liquor stores and 450 gas stations with permits in Indiana.

Currently allowance is made for one liquor store permit for every 8,000 people. One grocery permits are allowed for every 1,500 people.

Why should we care, gas stations sell alcopop, not good beer? One the one hand, that's true. On the other hand, restricting groceries and convenience store permits would stifle competition in smaller towns where true liquor stores are rare. On the third hand, grocery stores have recently got the word about craft beer and any changes to the law will affect them also. Then again, if we the state makes it harder to grab a six-pack of mass-market beer on the way home, people will stop at a liquor store where they will be exposed to better beer. Yeah, a non-editorial editorial. Comments? reply to bob@indianabeer.com.

Another headline: Scientists brew menopause beer. It's non-alcoholic. It's Czech. It has hormones, But you get to lick the foam off your mustache.

Coming up at Oaken Barrel: Saison with DuPont yeast. Beir de Garde with Crystal Rye. Cherry Stout. The Indiana Amber has also undergone a slight tweak, more ambery, details are a secret.

Mad Anthony's seasonals are a Soft Wheat, American Red, and some Kölsch that should run out soon. Coming up: Oatmeal Stout and a Belgian Golden Strong Ale.

Alcatraz's lineup includes a Light Wheat Ale, American Wheat Lager, Light Summer Brown, Pale Lager (Amarillo hops), Black Lager, a hoppy Pilsener, and Omar's Abbey Ale - beautiful full aroma, slight sour at the end. Coming up: IPA Lager (yep, a lager with honey, Amarillo and Cascade hops), Bock (Honey and Hallertau hops).

Ram now has a 1.5 gallon "Tap-A-Draft" for $30. Refills are $12. The tapping of Sausalito Summer (a steam beer) was a big party followed by a 4-3 win at the Indians game. The other seasonal right now: Belgian Wit. Coming up: Bohemian Pilsener, Summer Session Ale.

Dave, Clay and some happy tappers.

Rock Bottom Downtown Indy:

This month's Hoosier Ma Stout: Oatmeal
This month's Wheat: German Hefeweizen
This month's seasonal beer: Vienna Lager (about gone), Fire Chief ESB (also about gone), IPA.
Coming up: Super X Amber (for the 10th Anniversary celebration on June 17), Kölsch, Pilsener (for the Brickyard race).

The IPA is fresh off the fermenter. It's dark ESB color and dry-hopped with 5 pounds of Cascade and 5 pounds of Fuggles which are still marrying, still both distinct, and not yet fully embittering the beer. 1063 OG. About 6.6% ABV. It may take a couple more weeks for this IPA to come into its own.

Brugge Brasserie has a new Sacre Fleur Saison on. 5%. Blond, thick creamy head and thick mouthfeel. Big aroma. To the malt end of the style. Will stand up to spicy food. Coming up: HouBlonde (a Chouffe Houblon Doublen IPA Tripel clone), Belgian Pale Ale.

At the Broad Ripple Brewpub Traveling John's will return to the handpull as soon as Wobbly Bob wobbles off. Kevin just brewed a German Hefe. There's a new yeast in the ESB giving more apple/apricot fruitiness. An American Red with Simcoe hops will appear in time for the 4th of July.

MacNiven's has Kostritzer Black Beer, Founders Dirty Bastard, and Bell's 3rd Coast on right now. Plus, June only, Stone Ruination - it's on tap only June 1-30 then it goes away. A marketing ply by Stone says even a partial keg can't be finished off in July.

Mat Gerdenich reports Stone is on tap at MacNiven's and BW3 in Indy, Buckhead and Rich O's down south, 3 Floyds Brewpub, the Encore Cafe in Bloomington, and the Heorot and Fickle Peach in Muncie.

Shallos has Upland's and Bells' Porter, DFH 60-minute, Founders IPA, Harpoon UFO, and Lienie's Sunset Wheat is coming on - hey that's pretty good stuff.

Indy's downtown neo-dive, Spencer's Stadium Tavern (802 South West Street Corner of West & McCarty) has Upland's Superfly, Stone IPA, and Barley Island's Dirty Helen on tap.

Parti Pak right now has a few cases of Moorhouse Black Cat and Pendle Witches Brew for $2.49 per 500ml bottle. No case discounts at this price.

Kahn's has big news - a new store. They've bought a ex-Burger King lot a block south of the Keystone store and will build a 9,000 sq ft replacement for the old familiar edifice. Aimed at opening in October - good luck - the BK will be razed in about 2 weeks. Best sale on right now is Harpoon Winter Ale for $5.49 / 6-pack and Hibernian at $5.99. All Barley Island 6ers are $6.99. They're also blowing out Berghoff standards at $4.99.

Revealed. Horse Piss beer is actually BBC's Golden Ale (which they don't bottle under that name).

HeBrew will have a hoppy rye called RIPA - a tribute to Lenny Bruce. Genesis 10/10 is just out, a 10% 10-malt version of the original Genesis.

6/6/6 will herald another version of Vertical Epic if the end of the world doesn't happen. The brewmaster, Steve Wagner, says "Appearance: Dark brown to black with a tan head. Aroma: Fruity, phenolic yeast notes with dark malt roastiness. Flavor: Clove, smooth roasted malt, mild spiciness, and some hop bitterness. A dry finish with apparent alcohol. Palate: Medium to full-bodied, good carbonation…no astringency. Overall: Very full and complex…not sure how it will develop." No word on a style though. Maybe it's an American Rapture Ale.

Organic beers coming to Indiana: Bison Brewery Organic IPA and Chocolate Stout.

The Phoenix Theater Brew-Ha-Ha on June 24th needs volunteer pourers. If you have a employee permit or can pay $5 for a 1-day permit, please contact Dan Peel.

Events coming up:

Mon, June 5 - Kahn's Keystone Tasting - Avery Brews - 5-7pm
Tues, June 6 - Nine G Beer Tasting - Between the Buns, Osceola - 6pm
Fri, June 9 - AleFest Wright Patterson AFB - Dayton, OH
Sat, June 10 - Nine G Beer Tasting - City Wide Liquors - Downtown South Bend - 1-6pm
Mon, June 12 - Kahn's Carmel Tasting - Fort Collins Brewery - 5-7pm

6-1 Young's has announced they will close the Ram Brewery in Wandsworth, London, and move all their brewing to Charles Wells' Eagle Brewery in Bedford. No date for the move was given. Here's some quotes from their press release that will infuriate CAMRA:

"Young’s is moving some of its specialist brewing equipment and members of its brewing staff to Bedford" (Layoffs).
"The Young’s board will then be in a position to develop and increase its present estate of 205 pubs." (Young's will become a pub management group).
"As we prepare to say goodbye to Britain’s oldest brewery, founded in the reign of Elizabeth I and run by my family since 1831, we must avoid shedding tears and instead consider the advantages that our move will have."
"...we shall benefit from access to Charles Wells’ brands, including three speciality lagers, the Red Stripe Jamaica Lager Beer and Kirin Ichiban, Japan’s number one beer, which are brewed under licence at Bedford, and Corona Extra..." (Lagers at Young's pubs)

Speaking of Lambics (a couple of days ago), I'm reminded that the Chapeau line isn't the only lambic to make use of sweetness. Belle-Vue, Lindeman's, St. Louis are also very sweet.

In the beer menu at 't Brugs Beertje (Brugge) there's an article entitled "The Definition of Lambic".

On 31 March 1993 a Koninklijk Besluit (Royal Decree) on beer was passed by the Belgian parliament that changed the definition of what constitutes a lambic beer. . . "acid beers where spontaneous fermentation is part of the production process."

"Acid beer" is not a phrase that means an awful lot to a lambic brewer as even the sharpest gueuze should really be looking to be dry and tart rather than acidic. However, this is also helpfully defined thus . . . "beer with a total acidity of at least 30 milli-equivalents of NaOH per litre and a grade of volatile acids of at least 2 milli-equivalents of NaOH per litre. In acid beers of spontaneous fermentation at least 30% of the total weight of the incorporated starch- or sugar-containing ingredients must consist of wheat".

This means that, for example, a beer made from 10% real spontaneously fermented lambic and 90% ultra-dry wheat beer is permitted to be sold as "gueuze-lambic".

You may think that such a dippy definition of this most traditional of craft products came about because politicians have little expertise when it comes to beer. But this is not necessarily true. For example, Jean-Luc Dehaene, who was Prime Minister of Belgium back in 1993, knows enough about it to be appointed to the Board of Interbrew. Interbrew happens to make Belle-Vue "gueuze-lambic", which some cynics claim falls somewhat short of being an oude gueuze.

Some links in the old news may now be "broken".
Newspaper articles disappear over time.
Thanks for your understanding.

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