12-22 Excelsior, Part 2. Brooklyn Brewery. by Matt Dunn. Click here.
12-15 Ian has now moved on from Rock Bottom 86th St, Indy but his Belgian Wit has just hit the taps. Tart, grassy, bready, with ginger and chamomile. New Head Brewster Liz's Blitzen Abbey Ale is also on - Deep copper and lightly spiced with orange peel and allspice. The handpulls have Espresso Porter and a Dry Hopped ESB (their Heartland Red).
The second batch of Apple Buzz is on tap at Oaken Barrel in Greenwood. It might last until New Years Eve but don't count on it.
Rich O's Saturnalia starting linup: Delirium Noel, N'Ice Chouffe, Mahr’s Christmas Bock, Kiuchi Hitachino Nest Red Rice, Harviestoun Old Engine Oil, BBC Hell for Certain, Great Divide Hibernation Ale, NABC Artemsia, NABC Bonfire of the Valkyries and Naughty Claus, Rogue Chocolate Stout and HazelNut Brown Nectar, Shmaltz Monumental Jewbelation 5766, SN Celebration Ale, Three Floyds Alpha Klaus Xmas Porter and Dreadnaught IPA, Upland Winter Warmer.
12-14 IMPORTANT: The "retailers" that can be open to sell beer on Sunday, New Year's Eve, are just the restaurant types. No carry-out sales on that day. (Thanks Todd, for the correction).
The saga continues. New York has also banned Santa's Butt. Also Warm Welcome Nut Browned Ale. Shelton Bros has appealed, saying the appeal of Santa might work with 4- to 6-year olds but teenagers would think Santa is appalling.
Wanna buy a pub? $3M USD gets you an outback hotel in Birdsville. The nearest city is 900 miles away.
Wanna have a beer festival named after you. Roger has opened entries for RichO's YourNameHereFest contest.
The Human Can Opener. See it now before David Letterman puts her on Human Pet Tricks.
Kirin (Yokohama, Japan) is getting into the craft beer act. A 100th Anniversary ale will be released on Jan 17th. Plus a Kirin Lager of the style they made from 1868-1912 and Kirin Pilsener that they made from 1912-1926.
1
2-12 The holidays and the law. No sales on Christmas day. Retailers can be open on New Year's Eve (Sunday) from 10am until 3am. No off-premises sales on New Years Day (Monday).
Rock Bottom downtown, Indianapolis: Blitzen ale, a Belgian Dubbel with star anis, will be tapped on Thursday, the 13th.
Coming up: RyePA, A Tripel for the Jan 10th tapping party and $2 pint night (of the standards). January's wheat will be an hefe and the stout and imperial. On tap now (besides the regulars):
- Belgian Wit - Cloudy, subdued, good medium-thick feel.
- Hoosier Ma Stout is a Java Stout this month. Not over-coffeed with Hubbard&Cravens coffee, roasted at 49th & Penn. Big coffee nose. One of those few that you could drink one with the meal and another for apres-food.
- Naughty Scot - Complex malty, Fuggles and Goldings under the kilt.
- Wheat beer is a Weizenbock
- The coffee stout is also on the handpull.
Speaking of Rock Bottom... Some brewer news. Our old friend Tim Marshall is leaving the Warrenville RB to set up a new one in Yorktown, also near Chicago. Ian Wilson will be leaving the Indy Rock Bottom College Park at the end of the week and Liz Laughlin will be taking over 100% there. Ian is moving temporarily to Warrenville until his new brewery in Orland Park, also near Chicago is ready to be built.
Indianapolis's Mug Club has open enrollment for 2007. $25. Honor roll. Souvenir mug. "specially priced mug fills all year long".
Headline: 137-year-old brew tastes "absolutely amazing". We'll let you read about this 1869 Worthington's White Shield Ratcliff Ale for yourself. Teasers: Bottle conditioned, "around 10 per cent", "raisins and sultanas, baked apple and honey".
Oops, too bad for MADD. The Toronto Star has a scathing article about how 81% of the $12M annually donated to MADD Canada goes to fund-raising and "administrative expenses". MADD counters by saying the spiel given by paid telemarketers is education. "Fundraisers typically take 70-90 cents of each dollar". "The money comes in because of the deaths of our daughters, sons, husbands and wives". "Founder John Bates said the group has lost its way".
Headline: Hot Product: Peter Holmblad's Bottle Opener at Questo Designx.
Headline: New Tap Pours A Faster, Better Beer. Eight seconds. CO2/nitro. Swan neckish.
Here's an article from Bloomington about the sad loss of Bells in that town. Ooops, make that Bloomington, Illinois. Never mind.
Coming up:
- Tues, Dec 12 - Rock Bottom 86th St, Indy Beer and cheese tasting. $20.
- Tues, Dec 13 - Rock Bottom downtown, Indy Beer tapping. Blitzen Ale. 6-6:30.
- Fri, Dec 15 - Saturnalia starts - Rich O's. Lineup here.
- Fri, Dec 15 - BW3 Indy 3-beer Vintage tasting. 5-?pm.
- Mon, Dec 18 - Tickets go on sale for Lafayette Brewing's Winter Warmer festival on Feb 10. $30. Will sell out.
12-10 Ram's new seasonals include Old Jack Frost's Blizzard Ale. - Effervescent clear cigar-brown. Rich, almost bourbon, alcohol and sharp edged character. In other Ram news, they will gain 2 taps when the current un-advertised Bud/Coors runs out. Dave and Clay will be kept even busier when they regularly have 5, count-em 5, seasonals on tap at all times.
At Alcatraz Brewing Omar still is brewing his Chibuku African Sorghum beer and now hand-mixes it with Anderson Orchard cider in 2/3, 1/3 proportion to give the distinct apple kick. Quite the experience. Not like Upland's Apple Buzz but if you pilgrimaged there you'll appreciate Omar's also. We tasted some of his Strong Ale that will be ready in late December. It's made with 180lb of Sorghum. Right now it's tartish with a quick alcohol hit that comes from the 1072 OG. Should round out nicely.
Founders Breakfast Stout will be delayed until January. The brewery is expanding to a 60bbl fermentation size and we'll see much more of them next year.
We'll be getting the Brooklyn Brewery line of beers, at least the Black Chocolate Stout, Brown, East India Pale Ale, and Brooklyn Lager right now. Should be in stores within days.
- Brooklyn Brown - Full, malty brown. Lightly carbonated. Long finish of toasty malt and balancing hops. 5.6%
- Brooklyn East India Pale Ale - Bunch of malt start that quickly becomes very bitter. 6.8%
The Sam Adam's 12-pack of Winter beers you'll find in stores (including Marsh) has 2 each of 6 beers. Mostly not worth much note.
- Old Fizziwig Ale - "cinnamon, ginger, orange with roasted caramel and chocolate malts" Very full creamy body. Way too sweet with no spice. Not syrupy or cloying but just sweet.
- Cranberry Lambic - There was lots of yelling when they first came out with this because it's NOT a lambic, not even close. It's not really cranberry either, just a sort of fruity taste. Non-descript.
- Holiday Porter - Very black, big brown head. Again, pretty sweet with not drying hop finish.
- The other three are perennial standards, Boston Lager, Black Lager, and Winter Lager.
Three other's we've tried recently.
- A-B's Winter's Bourbon Cask Ale. "Ale aged on bourbon barrel oak and vanilla beans". Very clear, deep red. Vienna Amber red. Nice eggshell head. Full-flavor of malt with plenty of vanilla. Lots of vanilla really. It's pretty sweet but not too badly balanced. Good for serving the visiting relatives, especially at $5.99 a 6-pack.
- Yebisu Super Premium Stout Draft - Japanese all-malt light lager. NOT a stout. Pretty standard but clean.
- Crabymwi Miuhe - OK, that's not the real letters, they're all in cyrillic. A classy rich 7.2% Ukrainian beer. Not your Pravda's lager anymore. Of all the Russina/Ukranian/Polish lagers we've tried, this is one of the best.
You've no doubt browsed some of the beer entries in Wikipedia but have you browsed the Uncyclopedia? "For the support group nearest you, look in the Yellow Pages under 'Golf Courses' ", "Give us this day our foamy head", "Proof that God was a player.- Ben Franklin".
Uerige Brewery in Dusseldorf is putting Braille labels on its bottles. Seriously. Should be handy for those who are blind drunk. (Sorry)
Starting in February, Anheuser-Busch will be the importer of Stella, Beck's, Bass, Hoegaarden, and Leffe. All are InBev products.
Coming up:
- Tues, Dec 12 - Rock Bottom 86th St, Indy Beer and cheese tasting. $20.
- Fri, Dec 15 - Saturnalia starts - Rich O's. Lineup here.
- Fri, Dec 15 - BW3 Indy 3-beer Vintage tasting. 5-?pm.
- Mon, Dec 18 - Tickets go on sale for Lafayette Brewing's Winter Warmer festival on Feb 10. $30. Will sell out.
12-9 A Christmas six pack for Dear 'ol Dad. Dad doesn't like the spicy Christmas beers so here's a winter sampler I picked out for him at the Hop Shop... MBC's HopHead Ale, Barley Island's Brass Knuckles, Nine G's Infidel, Dogfish Head's Brown Ale, MBC's Seven Mules Kick Ass Ale, and Barley Island's Black Majic. Don't tell!
12-6 Matt Dunn is on the road again. This time in New York State
12-5 Barley Hop Academy Tasting
Thursday, December 7th 2006
Starting at 7:00pm
Click here for more info!
12-2 While Bad Elf is fighting for freedom in New York (see 11-24) Santa's Butt Winter Porter is being banned in Maine. The Liquor Enforcement Bureau doesn't like the back view of a fat Santa and don't appreciate the wordplay (Porter was originally called Entire Butt), calling the label "undignified or improper". article
"We have to think about who's walking down the (grocery story) aisles, young children walking through see Santa Claus sitting there holding a beer."
The Shelton Brothers import both the Elf series and Santa's Butt from Ridgeway Brewery in England where Dog's Bollocks is considered a normal beer name.
Broad Ripple Brewpub's Rye is a dark, clear brown with a good amount of rye character. Very drinkable. Wee Alec Heavy Scotch ale will be online in early December and Kevin's favorite, American Brown, will emerge before Christmas.
Thomas Altstadt was at the BRBP last week to brew his Hopsia American IPA that won Best of Show at the State Fair Brewer's Cup. It will be available in about 2 weeks.
Brugge Brasserie's Thunder Monkey is back. A 7.5% ABV Belgian Holiday beer with Tamarind, Galanga Siamese ginger, and touches of nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice. Tawny brown. Spice and malt goodness. No trace of bitter hops or alcohol. Extraordinary sipping beer meant for a fire and a good book. Unfortunately the Brasserie doesn't have a fireplace. A glass of Thunder Monkey and a glass of The Black might make you want to burn beer style guidebooks though since Ted is way beyond that stage.
Did you hear about the hikers who found a bunch of 50 year old Coors in the desert? "The beer is the color of cough syrup and smells like a combination of fermented wine and dirt." article
Boston's Bistro and Pub in Dayton, OH won Stone Brewing's annual Most Arrogant Bar in America contest by selling 18 kegs (2,634 pints) in 6 days. Who finished second? David Boston says "Actually, I don't care". Durint the contest time they had Arrogant Bastard on all 12 taps and priced it at $2, $7 for a growler.
Available in Indiana from Cavalier:
- Clipper City Below Decks Barleywine
- Clipper City Winter Storm
- Breckenridge Christmas Ale (what's on the shelves is it).
- Stone Double Bastard is back.
- Mendocino Winter Ale - an Oatmeal Stout this year.
- More Founders Breakfast Stout may get here before Christmas.
- Barrel House (Cincinnati) Red Legg Ale (bottles and on tap at Shallos and Oceanaire)
- Redstone Vanilla Bean Mead
- Redstone Cinnamon Stick Mead
11-30 Beer sommelier? That's just ostentatious, even for a posh restaurant with an adequate beer list. How about "cellerman". Here's a thought on the subject from Philly, where they don't have any expert beer advice. Sounds like one of the perfect jobs. Are you listening, St. Elmos?
The New York Times has found strong beer. Headline starts with Three Floyds beer but never mentions the brewery. "Dark Lord, Alimony Ale, Old Ruffian: Here Are the Brawling Beers"
30 cases of Oak-ages Stone Arrogant Bastard have hit the state. BW3 Indy has one and is only charging $6 per bottle.
Chris Hardacre is probably the youngest licensed bartender in the world. 12. What third world country allows 12 year olds to serve beer? England. article
Don't think neo-prohibitionists have gone away. One right here in Indiana is getting funds from the infamous Robert Wood Johnson Foundation under the name "Indiana Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking". (Gotta love the acronym ICRUD). Their director, Lisa Hutcheson, had a TalkBack in the Indianapolis Star advocating increase of alcohol tax - ignoring once again the complete lack of correlation between price and underage drinking. Previously this wingnut organization has said Sunday sales would encourage teens to drink and Lisa has claimed alcohol is as "dangerous and deadly" as guns and has called alcohol a "deadly drug".
Hey, we at IndianaBeer certainly don't want teens to drink, we don't want drunks or cell phone users to drive, but we really don't want to go through the silly madness that was the US under the 18th amendment. The record of these neo-dry organizations is talked about here.
Coming up:
- Thurs, Dec 7 - Rock Bottom 86th St, Indy Tapping party - Belgian Abbey Christmas Ale - 6-6:30pm
- Thurs, Dec 7 - Barley Hop Academy Beer Tasting - Indianapolis - Contact Courtney Hall for details - Belgian Dubbel, Tripel, Strong Dark, Winter Warmer, Christmas Ale
- Fri, Dec 8 - Benefit auction for Fred Newel - Upland Brewing
11-24 Rich O's has started a preview of Saturnalia with SN Celebration, Rogue Chocolate Stout, N'Ice Chouffe, Great Divide Titan IPA, and Corsendonk Christmas Ale. All on tap of course. See Publicanista for a full list.
The Columbus Bar has a newly renovated web site that includes their beer list. Huzzah. The Columbus Hombrewer's CLub meets there the first Tuesday of each month, 8pm.
So does the Delirium Cafe in Brussels.
Shelton Brothers, the importers, had to defend Bad Elf, Criminally Bad Elf, Seriously Bad Elf, and Very Bad Elf in Connecticut last year because the good people in the government thought it catered to children. That was fixed but now New York has banned the beer for the same reason. It's imported from Ridway brewing in England but the label was drawn by Shelton Bros. From their web site:
ELF WARNING: Consumption of too much Winter's Ale may be bad for your elf and may impair your ability to drive a sleigh or operate toy-making machinery.
Got a few minutes and a perverted sense of humor? See Uncyclopeia's Wiki about Beer.
Duvel has bought Achouffe.
There's a rumor afloat saying Guinness may produce version using lightly roasted barley that will have a deep red color. It supposedly will be tested in English pubs next spring.
Granite City, IL instituted a ban on all beer in bottles of 40oz or larger. That should solve all their problems. No need now to enforce public intoxication or littering laws. How long before Colt 45 is available in 39oz bottles?
Coming up:
- Mon, Nov 27 - Kahn's Keystone tasting. Dogfish Head (Fort, Pangea, Golden Shower, Chateau Jiahu). 5-7pm. The Good Beer Show will record a program.
- Tues, Nov 28 - Rock Bottom College Park Beer College. $20. Brewery tour and tutored tasting.
- Thurs, Nov 30 - Rock Bottom Downtown Indy Tapping Party - Blitzen Ale - 6-6:30pm
- Thurs, Nov 30 - Schlafly beer tasting at Rich O's
- Thurs, Nov 30 - Holiday tasting at Keg Liquors, Clarksville. 5-8pm.
- Thurs, Nov 30 - Firkin Thursday at Lafayette Brewing - Weeping Hog IPA Barrel Select
- Fri, Dec 1 - BW3 Indy 3-beer Vintage tasting. 5-7pm.
- Sat, Dec 2 - Lafayette Brewing: Christmas Beer release festival.
11-23 It's not Thanksgiving without beer
11-21 Matt Dunn rolls out the final installment of his Circumnavigator series. Click here!
11-20 We dropped by Spencer's Stadium Tavern for a beer and a smile.
11-19 Upstairs at Lafayette Brewing has been known for a decade as Lafayette's top band venue. To prove it, Buckwheat Zydeco will appear on Valentine's day. Tickets go on sale Dec 4. $15.
We wish we knew if the Executive Opening: Chief Beer Officer job at Sheraton's Four Points is real. Hmmm. Could be but the test is just too easy.
Do you have what it takes to be Beer Drinker of the Year? You only have until the end of the year to submit your resume to Wynkoop Brewing.
For the record, the only three states that still ban Sunday sales are Georgia, Connecticut, and Indiana.
Celtic Sprit web site looks for The Worst Whisky in the World and finds German and Surinamese malts worse than even those from Malaysia. We don't make this stuff up.
Farkers favorite whisky. We don't even want to make this stuff up.
"The Kremlin is considering re-establishing its 400-year-old monopoly on alcohol production and sale, to the alarm of Russia’s private alcohol manufacturers. In the past two weeks the Government and state-controlled media have conducted a campaign against instances of alcohol poisoning, which has killed 17,000 people in the first nine months of the year." article -- Bonus coverage: "Indeed, the number of alcohol poisonings this year is down on the year before."
11-18 Jason Larrison reports on the fundraiser for Dads, Inc. held Thursday at the Hop Shop. Click here.
11-17 
Indiana has a female head brewer again! Liz Laughlin is all set to replace Iain Wilson at the Rock Bottom, 86th St. Indy, She's been at the Portland Rock Bottom for the last year and before that an avid homebrewer in Eugene, Oregon. So avid she has her BCJP credentials. Stop in and say "Welcome to Indiana". She'll be the one in the rubber boots.
Iain is transferring to Orland Park, Chicago, around the first of the year (barring construction delays) to oversee his new kit at a new Rock Bottom brewpub scheduled to open in February.
Meanwhile, the two will be working together and are planning a Espresso Porter, Sour Raspberry Wheat, Dry hopped ESB, Spiced Belgian Abbey, and a Belgian Tripel.
The Harvest Ale on tap uses 5 cereal grains. It's fresh, airy, malty with neutral bitterness and stays solidly malty while the alcohol sneaks in late - 5%. An IPA just opened is dark brown and unfiltered. A good malt base slides away quickly to a 50 IBU bitterness - 6.4%.
11-16 The Beer Judge Certification Program does just what it says, provide accreditation for people to judge beers at events such as the Indiana State Fair Brewers Cup. This one event has grown so large in the past few years under Anita Johnson's tutelage more judges are needed.
A dozen people in central Indiana formed a study group last winter to prepare for the BJCP Exam. They even formed the Central Indiana Alliance of Beer Judges. A grueling 11-Thursday-evening course will be repeated again this year at the 96th/I69 Payless in Fishers with the goal of getting another dozen potential judges ready for an exam in February. It starts on Nov 30th. If you're interested in participating please contact Bob and he'll forward you more info.
BW3 in Downtown Indy has Three Floyds' Dreadnaught, Goose Island Matilda, Bell's Hell Hath No Fury and Hopslam on tap right now. Friday seems like a great time to drop in for Mike's basement-clearing vintage tasting (5-7pm) and try many gems.
Left Hand's seasonals are in Indiana. Warrior Wet-hopped IPA uses mostly hops from their own fields (6.6%, 60 IBU). Snow Bound Spiced Strong Ale has cinnamon, ginger, orange zest, cardamom, cloves, and honey (7.6%). Look for Smoke Jumper (9.2%) in December.
They peeled the zest from 1300 oranges to make this year's Snow Bound.
The Brewers Association says craft beer sales in the first 9 months of 2006 were up 17% over 2005. Imports were up 10%. Overall, beer sales increased 1.9% so the MSM (mainstream malt) category was the source of the growth.
Seasonals were up 31%, IPA was up 27.5% and Wheat beers were up 25%.
Within the craft beer category, Pale Ales are the most popular with 18% of the total. Following them come Seasonals with 12%, Amber Ale and Amber Lager with 11% each, and Wheat beers with 8.8%. IPAs account for 6.1%. The remaining third of the total is split between the other couple of dozen styles.
11-14 Excerpts from the December issue of Great Lakes Brewing News:
- Shoreline's new assistant brewer is Layton Cutler. He's a Purdue grad who studied in Germany and has been making cask-conditioned ale in Edinburgh for the last two years.
- Mishawaka Brewing's new brewer is Tom Webster from the local Mega homebrew club.
Germany has joined the Czech Republic, Latvia, and Lithuania in the protest against the EU's proposed 31% hike in beer tax. Beer in Europe generated 10.5 billion euros in 2005. This tax increase wouldn't affect wine which is made everyone north of the Alps a bit squeamish. Germany's major role in EU politics is reported to be the black ball in the bag and the tax won't be raised.
Widmer (40% owned by A-B) will spend $22 million on an expansion aimed to increase their Hefeweizen output. It will nearly double capacity to 550,000bbl but it will be 2008 before the new plant is operational.
Today's chuckle from the BBC: "On Monday Britain's biggest beer brand, Carling, is officially launching a 2% lager - C2. 'We've finally cracked the mixture of art and science to brew a mid-strength lager that tastes just as good as a regular pint,' says Andy Cray, brand director for Carling."
Today's chuckle from www.daysthatendiny.com "Boon Oude Geuze Mariage Parfait - I made the mistake of drinking this while eating bittersweet chocolate chip cookies. Not a good combination."
Today's chuckle from A-B: "A new refrigeration system introduced today by Anheuser-Busch and Hussmann Corporation is making it possible for beer drinkers to enjoy ultra cold beer that stays colder longer. The Chill Chamber uses super-cooling technology to take the temperature of beer in aluminum bottles as low as 22 F or 10 F colder than ice, without freezing it. . . . The Chill Chamber will soon be available for convenience stores and will hold approximately three cases of aluminum bottles."
Actually A-B is, under new President Auggie IV, hopes to have 128 different products on the shelves by the end of 2006. This includes 60 new items. Including:
- "A Corona-like, Jimmy Buffet-inspired brand called Land Shark lager".
- A mix of Clamato and Bud named Chelada.
- A Mojito-flavored malternative. (Mojito is a Brazilian cocktail with rum, mint, powdered sugar, lime, and club soda - you may have noticed it in Bacardi ads).
- A gluten-free beer.
- Peels Peach Cranberry
Stephen Beaumont's blog says Sam Smith ales is now being sent to the U.S. in dark brown glass bottles.
We at IndianaBeer aren't the only ones kept way too busy with a keyboard in one hand, a mouse in the other, and a glass in the third. Roger Baylor is going back through old invoices to create BARD (Beer Archive Research Division) - a list of the 600++ beers Rich O's Public House has served since 2001.
Beer Business Daily's list of the 20 most powerful people in the beer industry:
- Craig Purser - President, National Beer Wholesalers Association
- August A. Busch IV - President, Anheuser-Busch
- Bill Hackett, president, Crown Imports
- Norman Adami, president, Miller Americas
- Frits van Paasschen, president, Coors Brewing Co.
- Tom Long, president, Miller Brewing Co.
- Andy Thomas, president, Heineken USA
- Jim Koch, founder, Boston Beer Co.
- Kim Jordan, president, New Belgium Brewing Co.
- Jeff Becker, president, the Beer Institute
- Doug Corbett, president, InBev USA
- Tom Cardella, exec vp sales and distrib., Miller Brewing Co.
- Charlie Papazian, president, The Brewers Association
- The Reyes brothers, Reyes Holdings
- Ed McBrien, chief revenue officer, Coors Brewing Co.
- Bob Lachky, exec vp global development, Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
- The Hallam brothers, Ben E. Keith Co. (12)
- Simon Bergson, president, Manhattan Beer Co.
- David Casinelli, exec vp, Yuengling
- Judge Marsha Pechman (US District Judge, Washington state - think Costco ruling)
And finally. Guns N' Roses were told they couldn't drink "beer, wine and Jagermeister" on stage in Portland, ME so they canceled the show 2 hours before curtain time. A band spokesperson blamed fire marshals for "making it impossible for the band to perform their show to the usual high standards that their fans deserve."
11-13 BW3's downtown Indy has a 5-beer draft sampler for $7. You pick the beers. Generous portions. Easily one of the best deals around. Also, Deano's Vino continues to offer a good selection of bottled beers, including Hopslam.
11-12 From Chumley's in Lafayette: "Just wanted to let you know that we have Hopslam on at Chumley's of Lafayette, I do not think Broadripple is going to have it. But we do have one keg in Lafayette."
11-11 A SECOND BATCH OF APPLE BUZZ IS ON THE WAY. Oaken Barrel's toughest-to-brew beer is has always had a love/hate relationship with the brewery but where there's demand, there's supply. Ahhh, capitalism.
And there will be a second 2006 batch of Bloomington Brewing's Belgian Strong Pale Ale. Actually Floyd Rosenbaum's BSPA is available now. The first 2006 batch, back in July, sold out "more quickly than any other specialty ale in BBC history".
"A Covington bar must now "cover up" after it was busted for baring backsides. According to the Cincinnati Post, police using binoculars could clearly see the activities associated with "Thong Thursdays" at Joe's. But ironically, the problem wasn't with the bare bottoms, it was that they could be seen from the street. The owner of Joe's says he's happy to cover the windows if it means "Thong Thursdays" can live on."
The Horse You Came In On is the name of a tavern in Baltimore. OK, that's strange. They claim to be the oldest saloon in America, dating back to 1775. Hmmmm. It just sold at auction for $1.5M. article
MSN's Top 10 Cities for Beer Lovers: Amsterdam, Berlin, Brugge, Burlington VT, Dublin, Mexico City, Montreal, Portland OR, Prague, Sapporo. Mexico City? MSN?
Mad Anthony's Mug Club memberships for 2007 will be opened up on Dec 1.
At Random: Buffalo Wild Wings in downtown Indy has Three Floyds Dreadnaught on tap. They also have Bell's Hell Hath No Fury Belgian Double as does MacNiven's. Loon Lake Lodge in Castleton has Rogue Chocolate Stout as does the Old Pro's Table in Broad Ripple.
Mark Mahon found a longer exposition about Bell's temporary exit from Illinois and their new presence in Iowa.
You can now legally take beer into Ohio. A law there prohibiting transport by the public into the state has been ruled unconstitutional because it "indirectly discriminates against out-of-state purchases, and thus creates an impermissible burden on interstate commerce." article
The European Union is trying to raise the minimum alcohol excise tax and Czechoslovakia is not happy about it. The 1.3¢ per half-litre increase would affect beer but not wine. article
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UPLAND CREATES FRED NEWELL FUND
BLOOMINGTON, November 8, 2006
On Thursday, November the 2nd, around 2 pm in the afternoon, a woman (who police claim tested a .24 blood alcohol level at the scene) ran a red light on Curry Pike and T-Boned an Upland van being driven by Associate Chef Fred Newell.
Fred sustained two skull fractures and two broken knees, a broken collarbone, hemorrhaging of the brain, as well as contusions and a broken nose. Fred was rushed to Bloomington Hospital Emergency Room, and although his condition is stable as of this writing, he remains in the BHS Critical Care Ward. (The woman driver had an infant with her in her vehicle that also suffered severe, though not life-threatening injuries.)
An excellent cook, and a consummate professional, Fred is a long time Bloomington resident and has been active in the restaurant community for more than 30 years. Some of the premium restaurants in which he has worked include The American Legion, The Limestone Grill, U-Club, Puccini’s and of course, Upland. If you are a person who dines out with any regularity in Bloomington, you may very well have enjoyed a meal prepared in part by Fred Newell.
Yes, insurance will cover many of Fred’s medical expenses, but not all expenses. We all know how this works! So, to assist Fred on his road to recovery, Upland Brewing Company and Irwin National Bank have created a charitable fund in Fred’s name.
Our Pledge: Upland will match 100% of any donation, no matter how large or small to the “Fred Newell Fund.”
Donations to The Fred Newell Fund can be made using cash, check, or credit card. Any amount you can spare will be warmly welcomed and greatly appreciated!
Meanwhile, Every Thursday Night from 6pm-8pm $1 from every pint and $2 from every pitcher will be donated to The Fred Newell Fund.
Special Note: On December 8th, Upland will host a benefit auction for Fred. For information on how to donate to the Fred Newell Benefit Auction, please contact Ryan Harvey: Tel: 812 336 2337, or ryan@uplandbeer.com
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What's happening:
- Thurs, Nov 9 - Rock Bottom 86th St, Indy Tapping party - Harvest Ale - 6-6:30pm
- Fri, Nov 10 - BW3 Indy 3-beer Vintage tasting. 5-7pm.
- Sat, Nov 11 - Ale Fest Cincinnati 2-6pm - $35
- Mon, Nov 13 - Kahn's Keystone tasting. Spanish Peaks. 5-7pm.
- Tues, Nov 14 - Dinner at Bertolini's, Indy. Barley Island beers and Jeff Eaton speaker. 20-people max. $60. Call 317-638-1800 for reservations.
- Thurs, Nov 16 - Rock Bottom Downtown Indy Tapping Party - Naughty Scot - 6-6:30pm
- Thurs, Nov 16 - Hop Shop, Carmel, Beer and Wine tasting and Silent Auction. 6:30pm. $10 tickets.
11-9 INDY area news... Old store, new focus on craft beer. The Rural Inn, corner of Michigan and Rural downtown just east of the Rathskeller has put in a new walk in cooler with a big focus on craft and import beers. All of a sudden, they have on the best selections downtown, competing with John's and Alabama Liquors. Thought you might want to check them out.
Also, Dreadnaught is on draft at BW-3 downtown.
Loon Lake Lodge has added Rogue Chocolate Stout to its already interesting draft selections. It is also available at the Old Pro's Table in Broad Ripple.
BW-3 and Macniven's both have Bell's Hell Hath No Fury Belgian Double on draft, and Bell's Hopslam is in the pipeline for both also.
11-8 UPLAND CREATES FRED NEWELL FUND. BLOOMINGTON, November 8, 2006
On Thursday, November the 2nd, around 2 pm in the afternoon, a woman (who police claim tested a .24 blood alcohol level at the scene) ran a red light on Curry Pike and T-Boned an Upland van being driven by Associate Chef Fred Newell.
Fred sustained two skull fractures and two broken knees, a broken collarbone, hemorrhaging of the brain, as well as contusions and a broken nose. Fred was rushed to Bloomington Hospital Emergency Room, and although his condition is stable as of this writing, he remains in the BHS Critical Care Ward. (The woman driver had an infant with her in her vehicle that also suffered severe, though not life-threatening injuries.)
An excellent cook, and a consummate professional, Fred is a long time Bloomington resident and has been active in the restaurant community for more than 30 years. Some of the premium restaurants in which he has worked include The American Legion, The Limestone Grill, U-Club, Puccini’s and of course, Upland. If you are a person who dines out with any regularity in Bloomington, you may very well have enjoyed a meal prepared in part by Fred Newell.
Yes, insurance will cover many of Fred’s medical expenses, but not all expenses. We all know how this works! So, to assist Fred on his road to recovery, Upland Brewing Company and Irwin National Bank have created a charitable fund in Fred’s name.
Our Pledge: Upland will match 100% of any donation, no matter how large or small to the “Fred Newell Fund.”
Donations to The Fred Newell Fund can be made using cash, check, or credit card. Any amount you can spare will be warmly welcomed and greatly appreciated!
Meanwhile, Every Thursday Night from 6pm-8pm $1 from every pint and $2 from every pitcher will be donated to The Fred Newell Fund.
Special Note: On December 8th, Upland will host a benefit auction for Fred. For information on how to donate to the Fred Newell Benefit Auction, please contact Ryan Harvey: Tel: 812 336 2337, or ryan@uplandbeer.com
11-7 There will be a beer dinner at Bertolini’s in downtown Indianapolis (Circle Centre Mall) next Tuesday, November 14th. Jeff Eaton from Barley Island will be the guest speaker and knowing Bertolini’s, the food should be exceptional. Reservations are required for the dinner and can be made at (317) 638-1800. The dinner is $60 and is limited to 20 people only, so it will be a pretty small group.
Here is a menu for the dinner –
Reception – Barley Island Black Majic Java Stout (Silver Medal at 2006 GABF)
1st course - butternut squash soup - Dirty Helen Brown Ale
2nd course - pumpkin filled ravioli with sage cream sauce - Oaken Barrel Gnaw Bone Pale Ale
3rd course - braised lamb with mashed carrot and potatoes with sauteed baby squash - Oaken Barrel Indiana Amber
4th course - golden raisin bread pudding with bourbon sauce – Three Floyds Robert the Bruce
11-2 Oaken Barrel's new Johnny's Brown is a completely different beer from the old Leroy Brown. It's richer, thicker, and taste bud coating. There may be some Apple Buzz left but, as always, get it quick. This year's Buzz is really cloudy with an "earth coler"; a tart apple attack with what might be a beery background. The linger finish appears right in the center of your tongue. They went through half of the 12bbl batch in the first 4 days. Coming up: Epiphany Double IPA which is aging right now to let the 1086 OG blend in with the Galena, Amarillo, Cascade, and Simcoe hops.
Mat at Cavalier writes:
Berghoff has changed their Winter Seasonal. This year it is a Red Bock Winter Ale. It just hit our warehouse today and should be out to stores soon.
Also The Mendocino Winter Ale will be an Oatmeal Stout this year and should be in soon.
The Shipyard Winter Ale, Breckenridge Christmas Ale, Boulder Never Summer Ale, Great Divide Hibernation Ale and Clipper City Winter Storm are all in stock and making their way to stores that sell better beer!
The Redstone Vanilla Bean Mead (their winter seasonal) is also in stock and on the Shelf at the Sunflower Market and The Parti Pack. It is also available at the Corner Wine Bar.
Fortune magazine lists the "6 best beers for this fall". Fuller's Vintage, Anchor Our Special, SN Celebration, Affligem Noel, Great Divide Hibernation, and Brooklyn Black Chocolate sound a lot more "6 of the best beers for this winter" really.
Rumor has it the shakeup among distributors in Illinois will affect more than Bell's (who plan to stay out of the market for a year). Beers imported by Merchant du Vin may (repeat, may - this is a rumor) be in short supply in Illinois for a time - including Ayinger, Lindeman's, Orval, Rochfort Sam Smith, Traquair House, and Westmalle.
11-2 Mark reports on the Great American Beer Festival in the latest Mahon's Mash
11-1 (2) Bell's Hop Slam (6-packs), our imperial IPA, will be hitting the shelves in Indiana beginning this Friday. Limited availability. 106 IBU's. 9.3% abv
11-1 Left Hand Warrior will hit Indiana in early November. It's a 6.6%, 60IBU, IPA made with freshly picked hops just once a year.
Goose Island's Imperial Brown Goose will be released on November 15th. It's a blend of 2004 and 2005 Christmas Ales that have been aged in bourbon barrels. No word whether any of the 180 cases (total) will make it to Indiana.
What's happening:
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Fri, Nov 3 - BW3 Indy 3-beer Vintage tasting. 5-7pm.
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Fri, Nov 3 - Shallos hosts Left Hand Brewing. 5-7pm. Then the party moves to MacNivens from 8-10pm.
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Sat, Nov 4 - Great Fermentations Grand Opening - Indy.
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Sat, Nov 4 - Festival of Barrel Aged Beer - Goose Island, Wrigleyville, Chicago. 1-5pm.
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Sat, Nov 4 - Brew B.L.A.S.T. - Wausau, WI
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Mon, Nov 6 - Kahn's Carmel tasting. Schmatz Brewing with owner Jeremy Cowan. 5-7pm.
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Tues, Nov 7 - Election day. No alcohol until 6pm although many palces will be open for a dry lunch.
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Thurs, Nov 9 - Rock Bottom 86th St, Indy Tapping party - Harvest Ale - 6-6:30pm
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Fri, Nov 10 - BW3 Indy 3-beer Vintage tasting. 5-7pm.
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Sat, Nov 11 - Ale Fest Cincinnati 2-6pm - $35
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