March 25 Bell's Oberon release parties:
- Monday, March 26
- Ale Emporium, Indy - 5-9pm
- Scotty's Brewhouse, all of them -- 5pm
- Chumley's, Lafayette - Midnight
- Tuesday, Mar 27
- Shallo's, Greenwood - 6-9pm
In 2003, the Eccentric Cafe in Kalamazoo sold 17 kegs of Oberon on opening day. On the bottom right corner of the back label of Oberon is a batch-code number. The number can be entered at the bottom right corner of Bell's Web site to find information about that specific batch's history.
A British couple have, in 7 years, visited 750 pubs with "Bell" in the name. Heck, that's only one pub every three days. article
M
arch 23 Butler Winery in Bloomington has hop rhizomes coming in for those who want to grow their own. They'll have Cascade, Centennial, Horizon, Mt. Hood, Nugget, and Willamette at $4 each.
Liz Laughlin and Jon Simmons of the Indy Rock Bottoms helped Iain Wilson in a 72-hr brewathon to allow his new Orland Park restaurant have a wet opening. They brewed 8 beers, 1 cask-conditioned ale, and 2 sodas in 3 days. Sounds like Jon got to do all the work though.
VinSense has been formed to promote the mail-order sales of wine in Indiana. Also included: a good list/directory of Indiana wineries.
MSN Headline: 32 Things You Can Do with Beer. 1) Bathe in it . . . 10) Pass a kidney stone . . . 19) Catch mice . . . 26) Stop snoring . . . 32) Scale fish. Plus bonus link to hangover helpers.
The Chicagoist laments the last of Illinois Bell's. "New Holland Brewing Company, for example, has capitalized big time on the loss of Bell's in Illinois with its Mad Hatter India Pale Ale, which has taken over tap handles across the city previously exclusive to Bell's Amber Ale. We're also seeing increased presences of selections from Delaware's Dogfish Head; Munster, Indiana-based Three Floyds; Warrenville's Two Brothers; Brooklyn Brewery; and Oregon's Rogue. We're sure that Goose Island isn't crying in their beer over Bell's leaving Illinois. Draft sales of their reserve Matilda ale, in particular, have skyrocketed since Bell's left the market."
Eric Watson (of Main Street fame) is the VP and Distiller at the new Green Bay Distilling in, you guessed it, Green Bay, WI. Upon prodding he writes:
|
Actually, we will be the largest artisan distillery in the country that produces our spirits from "scratch". We will be initially producing vodka, infused vodka, single malt whisky as well as white and dark rums. The majority of our competition is making their spirits by buying neutral grain spirits from ethanol plants and re-distilling it. We will be producing ours from the base ingredients... wheat malt, rye malt and malted barley for our vodkas and gins, barley malt for our whisky and dark molasses for our rums.
Our vodkas and single malt whisky will be produced using organic ingredients.
The single malt whisky will be aged in new charred oak barrels and will see releases at 2, 4 and 6 years. Now... I know, only 2 years of aging? To explain, we are used to seeing Scotch single malt whiskys from Scotland that are aged a minimum of 8 years. This is because Scottish law dictates that producers may only use types of stills that are archaic in their designs. Therefore, the exiting distillate is very rough... sort of tastes like a cross between turpentine and tar! To make this spirit drinkable requires a long amount of aging because of this. Using the current technology, which we are allowed to do, allows us to produce a more refined distillate which drastically shortens the aging time. An example of a single produced this way is Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey out of Denver, CO. Theirs is actually produced by distilling a hopless fermentation supplied by Flying Dog Brewing which is on the other side of the wall in the building next door. When I was judging the GABF last year I visited the distillery and sampled their 2 year release and it was stellar... very comparable to a Cragganmore 12.
Our rums will be released in 2 versions. A "blanco", or white rum and verticals of dark rum. The blanco rum will be slighly amber tinted, unlike other white rums on the market that are un-aged, due to their being aged for 6 months in used Bourbon barrels. Our dark rums will be released in 1 and 3 year increments, also aged in used Bourbon barrels. The first release will be a medium amber and the 3 year release will be very deep amber.
The vodkas do not require aging. We are capable of producing 12,000 bottles per week. Our first infused vodka will be Door County Cherry Infused Vodka. This infusion is based upon the wildly popular cherries grown in Door County, Wisconsin. These cherries share a heritage with the sour cherries in Brabant, Belgium known as Schaerbeek cherries.
In the future I plan to release a couple of gins. The first will be a London Dry style. The other may be Genever, a Dutch style of gin that is very rarely available in the US. I also plan on researching the viability of producing bierschnaaps and possibly aquavit, a clear liquor that is very popular in Scandinavia and the Baltic regions as well as in Quebec, Canada.
We will be distributing in select regions throughout the US and Canada initially. Obviously the most wide area that our products will be available in at first will be the Midwest... yes, including Indiana! We will be meeting with distributors throughout the fall of 2007 to secure these regions. We would welcome any Indiana distributors to call us that may have interest in carrying our products. You are welcome to print or share the contact information below.
If you would like to visit us, we should be in operation by October and would welcome your visit. I will be sending out invitations to our grand opening should you or others like to attend. Our equipment is custom built in Goppingen, Germany is and is quite dramatic. Our 2,000 liter still is 17 feet tall. We have two distillation columns, one that is 25 feet tall and the other is almost 40 feet tall. Our brewing system is also custom made and has a 30 bbl. capacity. We have 4 - 30 bbl. fermenters. All is touch screen automated and process controlled. A sight to behold!
Keep in touch!
Eric
|
March 20 Oaken Barrel's new seasonals. (1) Sassy Kasi's Honey Ale made with 200lbs of honey. It's has a sweet wild honey nose. Lots of carbonation and a brilliant Pale Ale color. Good drinking beer. (2) Auntie Connar's Scottish Ale. Almost Porter brown. High carbonation. Initial malt attack with balanced ending dryness. No smoke, no chocolate, just to style. A+ Some spilled upon serving and stickied up the glass.
The Parti Pak in southern Indy is undergoing a major transformation. New beer guru Larry LaFoe is sorting and labeling all the beers with prices, etc. plus Rate Beer and Beer Advocate ratings. It's a long, long project but we're glad they're doing it.
March 14...
Upland has 5 nice new wood casks sitting in the brewery. Four are filled with their lambic brewed a year ago and have been infused with strawberrys, blackberrys, blueberrys, and raspberrys. No set date for the 1200 750s they plan to bottle - they'll let it mature as long as necessary. The 5th cask is only a quarter full and has the left-over lambic to mature and possibly be added to with the next lambic. Yumm.
Coming to Indiana any day now: Clipper City Holy Sheet Über Abbey Ale 9% ABV and Shmalz Hebrew Origin - Imperial 8% Amber with Pomegranate.
This time with links: There are two beer mapping sites worth looking at, both using the online Google map as a base.
- The Beer Mapping Project - Look up by city, name. Select city maps (None in Indiana!)
- PubQuest - Show state, city. Has brewpubs only.
Headline: Hong Kong - Duties on beer and other types of liquor have been cut in half in order to promote tourism and the alcohol beverage trade.
The excellent Norman Knight in Whichford, England has won the Pub of the Year award for the West Midlands. These pictures may seem familiar from when we talked about their garage brewery when Mike, Carole, and son David won the Shakespeare Branch CAMRA PotY award back in October.
3-13 Roger Baylor's blogs have a Gravity Head update,
Brian Graham wants to let everyone know Hot Shotz is starting beery things right off the bat. A firkin of Bell's Two Hearted will be tapped on Sat, Mar 17th at 11:30am.
They're looking for beta testers for the Winerack. It's the bra relative to the Beerbelly. Now you can both sneak booze into the movies.
There are two beer mapping sites worth looking at, both using the online Google map as a base.
- The Beer Mapping Project - Look up by city, name. Select city maps (None in Indiana!)
- PubQuest - Show state, city. Has brewpubs only.
As we discussed last fall, barley prices are going up. Futures prices have risen 85% in the last year and US production has dropped to it's lowest since the Depression. The Depression by gawd. Drought in Australia. Everybody panic.
|
Employment Opportunity
Hello to all Beer enthusiasts.
My name is Brennan Corder and I'm currently the Beer Division Director for an off-premise retailer with 2 locations by the name of Kahn's Fine Wines & Spirits in Indianapolis, IN. I'm leaving the company in two weeks to further my career in the alcoholic beverage industry as a result of being another “ex-Kahn” that worked hard and was recognized by management at the statewide distribution level.
The owner (Jim Arnold) is curious if anyone on this site is interested or knows someone willing to take over for me.
We've just recently opened a new superstore and have the largest and most diversified selection of beer in the state. I'm currently carrying around 900 different beers and the inventory continues to grow everyday. We have 21 cold beer doors and a 4-shelf tall 40ft section of warm singles.
We need an educated and knowledgeable individual who is passionate, driven and focused on enhancing an already stellar reputation for top notch customer service and having everything imaginable available in Indiana.
Kahn's is a destination point for all beer lovers. We've always supported the local craft beer scene and make sure to take care of those breweries in our own backyard first; such as Three Floyd's. Our American craft selection is quite diverse and includes Dogfish Head, Bell's, Founders, Jolly Pumpkin, Dark Horse, Goose Island, Stone, Two Brothers, Brooklyn, and many others. We also carry Indiana's largest selection of real ales from England, including breweries like George Gale's, Coniston, Cropton and Burton Bridge. We always have well over 100 different bottle conditioned Belgian Ales from small artisinaal breweries like De Glazen Toren, De Ranke, Blaugies, Fantome and Cantillon. We also carry 6 of the 7 Trappist breweries.
I also just recently discovered that we currently have commercial examples for 76 of the 78 BJCP beer sub-styles with the exception of German Roggenbier & Flanders Brown/Oud Bruin, which I used to have fulfilled with Liefman's Goudenband.
If there is anyone out there interested in taking over this wonderful beer division please contact me here or at my e-mail brennan@kahnsfinewines.com. You can also contact the owner (Jim Arnold) at jim@kahnsfinewines.com or the GM (Paul Thistle) at paul@kahnsfinewines.com. Resumes can be sent to these gentlemen via their e-mails or you can fax it over to 317-257-6092 and make it out to the attention of either one of them.
I would also like to say thanks to all of the people I've met through this wonderful website and those who have shopped with us in the past and still do. Without you great guys and gals we wouldn't be in business and be as successful as we are.
I look forward to hearing back from those interested in the position!
Cheers!
Brennan Corder
Beer Division Director
Kahn's Fine Wines & Spirits
5341 N. Keystone Ave.
Indpls., IN 46220
317-251-9463
www.kahnsfinewines.com
brennan@kahnsfinewines.com
|
March 8:
The Half Moon Restaurant & Brewery in Kokomo will open in about a month but they have beer already. Brewer John Template (please let that spelling be right) from Boscos, Little Rock has been busy with their 3.5bbl system and the serving tanks are already filled with IPA, Wheat, Irish Red, and a Brown. A Pilsner and a Porter will follow soon and all 6 regulars will be on tap when it opens. (2-17 below for picture of building)
They'll be mostly a "meat and potatoes" place that adds a full range of BBQ from their kitchen smoker. Inside, there's a family dining room separated from the larger back side (where there are 29 TVs and 1 pool table). The bar area is grand with a big curved bar facing 5 big-screens.
They were nice enough to give me samples of the 4 that are ready:
- IPA - Good 60 IBU American IPA that isn't a huge Cascade factory. 6.2%
- Wheat - Very pale colored American Wheat with moderate attack.
- Irish Red - Solid malt. Dry but not bitter. Good color.
- Brown - British Southern Brown that was my favorite. A light orange-yellow head was intriguing.
Brugge Brasserie's 2007 Quadripple has twice the hops as last year's. It's married nicely already. No alcohol in mouth but does follow through in your throat. Sweet start that quickly goes to complexity and dryness. Some hay, some pineapple. Almost 12% ABV. And the best thing - it's on tap now.
Coming events:
- Fri, Mar 9 - Rich O's Gravity Head starts. New Albany - here's a starting lineup.
- Fri, Mar 9 - BW3 Indy 3-beer Vintage tasting. 5-?pm
- Fri, Mar 9 - Jungle Jim's tasting, Cincinnati - Madness: Part Deux. $25
- Mon, Mar 12 - Kahn's Carmel tasting. Irish. 5-7pm
- Wed, Mar 14 - Rock Bottom College Park and Rock Bottom Downtown Indy Tapping of the Fire Chief Red Ale. 6pm
- Wed, Mar 14 - Beginner brewing class. Great Fermentations. Indy 5:30. $15
- Fri, Mar 16 - BW3 Indy 3-beer Vintage tasting. 5-?pm
- Sat, Mar 17 - Kahn's Keystone tasting. Schlafly. 11am-3pm
- Tues, Mar 20 - Rock Bottom Downtown Indy Brewers Dinner. Call 317-681-8180 for reservations
March 4: Sierra Nevada's BIGFOOT Ale is our Barleywine of the week.
March 2
|
Breakfast is served
Delta House, the morning after
As Gales as my witness,
I thought turkeys beer could fly.
|
"A barrage of runaway barrels caused carnage after a brewery lorry dropped its load in a quiet Somerset village." article
Sahara Mart in Bloomington (2nd and Walnut) has upgraded their beer room yet again.
- There's a large organic section with at least 20 titles including Sammy Smiths, St. Peter's, Bison, Stone Mill, Wild Hop, Caledonian Golden Promise and Prince Philip's Duchy Original with malt from his farm.
- Upland Dragonfly ($7) and the other Uplands ($6.60), and the Chocolate Stout ($6). Slightly cheaper than at the brewpub.
- Monthly beer spotlight brewery for March is Barley Island - Blind Tiger and Dirty Helen ($6.50) and the others at $7.
Speaking of Upland Chocolate Stout. Wow. This year's batch has sweet milk chocolate goodness and is very very chocolatey. Can't wait to make a float - just add ice cream. The Winter Warmer on tap is this year's and will be more married next year so get bottles for your stash. Dark mahogany, massive malt, a touch of sour as in "dubbel", alcohol comes through strong at 9.4%.
At Bloomington Brewing, Floyd's latest creations are
- Belgian Strong Ale - Visually an unfiltered apple cider in color and opacity. East Kent Goldings gives a citrus touch with earthiness. Served under too much carbonation.
- Belgian Dark Strong Ale - Quite dark and quite candi sugar sweet. Stronger than the pale but not edgy. 10.2% ABV. They're selling a lot of it both at the bar and to table service with meals. The big explanatory sign in the entranceway and the menu insert probably sells the first snifter but they're coming back for more.
Chicagoist's "Beer of the Week": Three Floyds' Black Sun Stout. article
It's officially in print now. Brugge Brasserie will begin bottling it's beers brewed at the Terre Haute Brewery in May. Mike Rowe may move the CV production to a new downtown brewpub. article
The 2nd stupidest thing you'll read today: Sunday sales, George soap opera version. There may be hope for one of the last 3 blue-law states to come to their senses but maybe not. "The Rev. Aaron McCullough didn't beat around the bush: Georgia lawmakers who vote for a bill which would pave the way for the sale of alcohol on Sunday will have 'blood on their hands' if a fatal accident results from a six-pack purchased on the Sabbath." article
The stupidest thing you'll read today: A group of Attorneys General from 23 states are asking Anheuser Busch to put a opening age-check screen on their web site. That's not new, lots of brewers have inconvenient drop-down forms for this. What's new is they want A-B to collect user name, address, and driver's license number. They also want A-B to make a phone call to the user to verify age.
OK, maybe this is even stupider: A-B will be putting out a tea-flavored beer, Evolve, in black and green tea flavors. 4.2% ABV.
3-1 Brian Graham kicks it up a notch with Hot Shotz Ale and Grill. Click here!
2-27 Beer Launching Fridge - Save precious calories you'd otherwise waste walking to the cooler. Complete with remote control. Bonus: video.
Left Hand's Oak-Aged Imperial Stout is being held up by the fed's label approval mechanism. Seems they want stated on the label what percent of the blend of oak-barrel vs stainless steel matured beer goes into the bottle. That's something the brewer didn't know until the final bottling. Oak isn't something you can predict accurately and they need to control the character. After racking on Jan 18-19 they could then re-submit for a new label approval and then get the labels printed. Arrrrgh.
Limited Releases coming up from Left Hand:
- Early March: Oak-Aged Imperial Stout. 10.4%.
- Late May - Rye Bock Lager. 7.6%.
- Mid August - Oktoberfest. 6%
- Late August - Smoked Goosinator Doppelbock. Using smoked malt in this years version. 750ml.
- October - Warrior IPA. 6.6% - an annual seasonal.
- November - Snow Bound Ale. 7.6%. 22oz.
- December - Oak-Aged Widdershins Barleywine. 8.8%. 750ml.
Barman in Newcastle gives self laser surgery with line-cleaning caustic. Doesn't need glasses anymore. Don't try this at home. article
The best selling quaff in Britain? No surprise - Stella Artois. But it's now 60% bigger than 2nd place Carling and 3rd place Fosters. John Smith's Bitter is #10. No other ale cracks the top 20; not even Guinness. My goodness. Maybe because it takes 9 months to get a bar towel.
HoosierBeerGeek looks at Oaken Barrel's Snake Pit Porter.
| Why does beer froth?
 Bubbles form under the influence of escaping carbon dioxide; the walls of the bubbles consist of various proteins and carbohydrates present in the beer such as dextrins, barley malt proteins, ions from the water and bitter principles from the hop. These substances reduce the surface tension of the water and thus prevent the formation of water droplets.
The walls of the bubbles are not evenly thick. Under the influence of various factors, including gravity, surface tension and capillary action, the thicker parts of the bubbles become thicker, with the final result that the bubbles burst. After a certain time the thickness of the head is halved: that is called the half-life. Determining this is an interesting exercise for the school: you can examine how the half-life is influenced, for example, by the temperature and the purity of the glass. Experts describe a half-life of 110 seconds as very satisfactory. Brewers also make use of froth stabilizers to prolong the time.
Reprinted from the BelgianShop newsletter.
They sell Belgian beers email, have a huge online catalog, ship to Indiana, and also a good news search and newsletter.
|
Coming events:
- Thurs, Mar 1 - Keg Liquors Clarksville - Upland Beer Tasting. 5-8pm
- Fri, Mar 2 - BW3 Indy 3-beer Vintage tasting. 5-?pm
- Sat, Mar 3 - BW3 Indy Beer tasting & dinner. 7pm. 10-12 beers. Reservations
- Sat, Mar 3 - Night of the Living Ales - Goose Island, Wrigleyville, Chicago
- Sun, Mar 4 - Stoutfest - Goose Island, Clybourn, Chicago
- Mon, Mar 5 - Extreme Belgian beer dinner at Bistro New Albany
- Fri, Mar 9 - Rich O's Gravity Head starts. New Albany
- Fri, Mar 9 - BW3 Indy 3-beer Vintage tasting. 5-?pm
- Fri, Mar 9 - Jungle Jim's tasting, Cincinnati - Madness: Part Deux. $25
2-23 The Brewers Association has a new set of 125 styles. pdf. They also have changed the definition of craft brewery:
An American craft brewer is small, independent and traditional. Craft beer comes only from a craft brewer. Small = annual production of beer less than 2 million barrels. Beer production is attributed to a brewer according to the rules of alternating proprietorships. Flavored malt beverages are not considered beer for purposes of this definition. Independent = Less than 25% of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by an alcoholic beverage industry member who is not themselves a craft brewer. Traditional = A brewer who has either an all malt flagship (the beer which represents the greatest volume among that brewers brands) or has at least 50% of its volume in either all malt beers or in beers which use adjuncts to enhance rather than lighten flavor.
The 2 million bbl/year keeps in Sam Adams. The 25% rule kicks out Widmer, Lienenkugel, etc. The adjunct thing seems like it may exclude Pittsburgh, Yuengling, Lone Star, etc. Should be controversial.
Omar showed off his Alcatraz IPA on Thursday. It's a restrained simple IPA. Quite nice. Had 3. Thanks.
Broad Ripple Brewpub's Black Heart Schwartz is very black with little carbonation. Chocolatey. No roast. Not sweet. Mild bitter finish but not overly dry. Exactly to style. Bet Kevin has a couple of bottles for the Brewers Cup.
Ram has 3 new seasonals.
- PaleIII Wrath of Rye - Mild pale with some drying rye finish. Mount Rainier hops. 8.5%ABV
- Pale IV Return of the Revenge of the Curse of the Ghost of the Son of Pale Ale - Summit and Centennial are used with restraint at 38 IBU.
- Doppelbock - Unfiltered. Strong sweet malt. Nose is neutral. Sweet finish.
Oh, and Ram's Clay Robinson is one of Indianapolis Monthly's Hot Singles. No stopping him now.
It could be Chalkies is making a rebound? It's reported they have Trois Pistoles, Blanche de Chambly, Bell's Hell Hath No Fury and a bit of Hopslam on tap.
Buffalo Wild Wings Downtown Indy has a bunch of good drafts including Delirium Noel, Gouden Carolous Noel, Piraat, Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, and Rogue Mogul.
Not beer: There's a new search tool in beta that's worth a look. www.chacha.com is reader-driven like wikipedia and it's being done by Hoosiers.
Oldie: How many beer drinkers does it take to change a light bulb? 1/3 less than for a regular bulb.
2-22 
Hot Shotz opened the evening of Feb 19th. They'll have full lunch and dinner service starting on the 22nd - opening at 11am every day. The initial tap list includes Old Speckled Hen, Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout, Goose Island Matilda, Upland Wheat, Wheistephaner Hefe, Single Track Copper Ale, Brooklyn Lager, Three Floyds Dreadnaught, Bells Two Hearted, Piraat, and Lindeman's Framboise. Plus about 80 bottles. Missing is the Robert the Bruce and Dirty Dicks. RtB may return when the next set of taps are added but Dirty Dicks has been given the axe by Youngs/Wells. Hopefully Brian will have a web site up soon so people can find it. Meanwhile, it's at 96th and Gray in Carmel.
Finally. Johns Hopkins has figured out how yeast have sex. And it doesn't even involve alcohol. short article. Long involved paper in March's Nature says "Live H. capsulatum yeast deficient in α(1,3)-glucan were able to bind to fibroblasts expressing dectin 1 but yeast expressing..." Ah, nevermind.
"The appeal of bourbon worldwide is on a roll. Everybody is gearing up for more production." article
"But is any bottle of beer really worth $23?" Newsweek tests Thomas Hardy's. Thanks Mat
Poll: Who's the most inspired drinker in TV history? Sue Ellen Ewing, Otis Campbell, Dean Martin, Edina Monsoon, Endeavour Morse, Norm Peterson, Homer Simpson, or Oswald and Lewis. No prize and no place to answer anyway.
2-17 
It looks like Barley Island's new Flat Top Wheat Ale will become a year-round regular in the lineup.
CALENDAR CHANGE - The Indiana Microbrewers' Festival has been changed to July 21st (from the 28th). The NASCAR race and the Michigan Brewers Festival both are on the weekend of the 28th.
Greg Emig of Lafayette Brewing sends "A big "THANKS!" goes out to all who were a part of making Winter Warmer 2007 another wildly successful event. With the help of a dozen brewers, 200+ enthusiastic beer fans, Hogeye Navvy, Hogmaster Bob, South Street Smokehouse, Sysco Foodservice, The Trails, McPhail Design, LBC management & staff and the generous contributions of time & money from friends & family alike, we were again able to raise approximately $3000 towards the Laura Williams Memorial Scholarship Fund. This year's proceeds should very well allow us to complete our vision of fully endowing this scholarship in order to provide monies for worthy Purdue students in the School of Consumer and Family Sciences for years to come. We are truly humbled by everyone's contributions in helping us reach our goal. THANK YOU ALL!"
June 1 is the kickoff date for SteveFest at RichO's in New Albany. With Keg Liquors' Fest of Ale in Clarksville on June 2nd it sounds like a road trip coming up. Now all we have to do is wait for spring.
The new Half Moon Restaurant & Brewery is all set up in Kokomo and is hiring people. Looks like it will open real soon now. It's on the extreme south edge of Kokomo on US 31.
What do you call a Bohemian that gets thrown out of a bar? A bounced Czech. - Blame Garrison Keillor for that one.
2-16 Mark Mahon checks in with another edition of Mahon's Mash. Click here to see what he's been up to.
2-15 Three Floyds has a whisky-barrel aged Robert the Bruce on tap for a little while. It's 9.5% and all delicious wood and whisky. No Scottish ale left in this one. Tobacco, vanilla, and cherry. It was primed with raspberry puree and aged in a Woodford Reserve barrel. Also Picklehaub Pils. A German Keller Pilsner at 5.2%. A touch of vinegar sourness.
Shoreline's has cultivated their regulars well. Depending on the night it's either a hopping music venue or a living room with uncomfortable chairs. Seasonals right now include
- Smokestack Smoked Porter - Quite noticeable smoke but not overdone by any means. Sam's hit a nice balance. Porter background is fair and it would be a decent brewpub porter.
- Bavarian Bombshell Schwartz - Pleasant session beer.
- Big Bella "Heavy" Scottish ale. Sam - you've hit it. I love Queen Mum but you've outdone yourself with this one. No peat, solid malt. A bit lighter than Scotch (Belgian) styles which makes it a treat for your customers.
- Discombobulation Barleywine - Solid but nondescript
- 3 Sum Triple IPA - Big, big aroma. Aptly categorized. Way unbalanced to the IIIPA side. Summit hops Summit hops Summit hops.
Mishawaka Brewing's seasonal right now is called Naptown Brown for some reason. It's 6.5%. Lightish body in a strong dark Southern Brown. Very small head. Served very cold but it was half-price pitcher night. Their Kölsch has deservedly become a regular. Very to style, decent bitter finish, good thickness and a creamy head.
Jerry Sutherlin's (Rock Bottom) new daughter is named Madison.
Quelque Chose is back! IMHO the best cherry beer in the known universe. Ever. Period.
Upland and Caleb get more Indiana Daily Student press in Fact or fiction: Is light beer better for you? "I can sacrifice 50 calories for something that intrigues my palate a little more."
And Brian Graham gets publicity for his new Hot Shotz Ale and Grill. Opening is Feb 19.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY: Schlafly is looking for a sales rep in the Southern Indiana area, KY, Eastern IL, and TN. Contact scottl@schlafly.com if you're interested.
My thanks to Marc McCulloch at the next stool at Three Floyds last Sunday. He tipped me about the Hop Leaf in Chicago. Clark and Foster on the near north side. This place isn't cheap but it has 43 taps about evenly split between strong and unusual craft beers and Belgians. And the occasional cider and mead. Good mussels also. Lessee, there was De Koninck Winter Ale, Leffe, Cantillon Lou Pepe Kriek, Rodenbach Gran Cru, Dupont Avec Les Bons Voeux. Plus Goose Island Matilda, Founders Dirty Bastard, Point Cascade, Gagunitas Censored, Samichlaus. Well, their web site has a daily-changing menu. Everything served in proper (or at least appropriate) glasses. I also had a Jadwea Pitney Poltosak 25 year old Polish mead - thick, rich, sweet, honey combined with ancientness.
The De Konick Winter Ale was made with barley, spelt, rye, wheat, and buckwheat, whew. 8%. Dark red. Solid and pleasant. Hops, coriander, orange peel. A big, big Grand Cru. Not spectacular but a really serious session beer.
The Oregon Brewers Festival won't allow children on the premises this year after being scolded by the state Liquor Control Commission about a rule that forbids minors from a "drinking environment". Before they had a family-friendly atmosphere with playground and free root beer for kids (and designated drivers).
Wow. Check out the new label art for Dogfish head. (thanks Neil)
A 1998 91.1 million euro fine against Inbev and Kronenbourg for price fixing in Belgium was just upheld by the EU court. article
Huh? Sam Adams unveils ultimate beer glass? "the first glass specifically designed to showcase beer as brewers intended." - "world-renowned sensory experts" - "will be sold in packages of four for $30"
On the horizon while February dies a slow death, event-wise:
2-13 Blizzard aside, Brian Graham is getting all set to open Hot Shotz Bar and Grill in the old Dick's Bodacious site on 96th St. He should be ready within a week. A sample of the beers on tap: Bells Two Hearted, Lindemans Framboise (counter mount), Piraat, FFF Dreadnaught, Upland Wheat, Brooklyn Lager, and they're trying to track down some Dark Horse Scotty Karate Scotch Ale.
2-11 Click here for photos from the 2007 Winter Warmer at LBC!
2-10 Eh? Evansville is the 19th most expensive city for a first date according to Forbes magazine.... Eh? The Heorot in Muncie gets ink as does the New Day Meadery in Elwood.
2-8 One of the bills (HB1392) at the statehouse would allow 10 more liquor licenses in Schereville in northwest Indiana. Reason? A proposed 50-store shopping center. They say it won't get off the drawing boards unless some new TGIF-style restaurants can open there. BUT those 10 new licenses will preclude any new licenses for real bars in the area. Should mega-chains outweigh the small corner boozer? Hmmm. Anyone want to guess which side will win? article
The 2 Bloomington breweries get some ink. And Upland may put on a beer festival.
The (national) Brewers Association is starting promotional (lobbying) efforts on behalf of the 1300 "small" brewers - those making less than 2,000,000 bbl / yr. See Roger's synopsis.
Stone's Old Guardian Barley Wine is in the state.
Got Mead? Need a cocktail? The CocktailAtlas comes to the rescue.
2-7 
The Cantillon Brewery in Brussels has been the subject of several robberies lately including one on December 13 where Claude Van Roy (right) had a knife at her throat! They say the may have to move out of their west-side neighborhood which would certainly affect their wild-yeast lambics. Owner Jean-Pierre Van Roy says "Ik wil mijn leven niet geven voor het patrimonium van de Geuze en de Lambik." or "I don't want to give my life for the Gueuze-lambic legacy." They have also been having many supply problems because trucks can't get down the street (below)
Cains of Liverpool says they'll make an Amber Ale next November infused with "succulent California Raisins".
CAMRA is hitting back. When pubs in Britain were allowed extended hours a year ago plenty of newspapers called it "24 hour drinking" and said it would lead to binge drinking. Now the consumer organization representing Real Ale lovers says the low price of Fosters and Carling in supermarkets encourages irresponsible use of alcohol. They found prices of 54p per pint (about $3.80 per US 6-pack) and note that $2.68 of this is tax. Now that's a price war on cheap beer.
Evidently Mayor Daley (Chicago) is sending some Berghoff beer to Bart Peterson (Indy) to settle a bet. Hmmm. Is that legal? And why send a beer that originated in Indiana? That's brewed in Wisconsin? Oh well. Prost Bart.
2-3 Milk beer - Bilk. Nakashibetsu. Hokkaido. Abashiri Beer. Guess the country.
KegKiller sent us some suggestions for breweries (and even food) in Michigan. Here's to the frozen north. More can be found at the Michigan Beer Guide.
2-2 Today and Saturday at the Hop Shop: Mix up a case of singles and take 21% off regular price (normally 15%). Mix & Match any 24 - 12oz single beers for the discount. Put together four great 6pks like Peyton puts together four great quarters and take 18% off regular price (normally 10%). Mix & Match any 4 - 6pks of 12oz beers for the discount
2-1 We revisit Chumley's Beer Bar in Lafayette
1-30 
Correction: The Corner Wine Bar has Founders Pale Ale on tap. Not Breakfast Stout. My bad. Heck, the Corner Wine Bar isn't even open for breakfast. <pounding forehead on desk>
Thunderbolt Wheat, Mustang Gold Ale, Warhawk Pale Ale. Recognize the names? Their now in bottles from Warbird Brewing of Ft. Wayne. A Stout is in the works.
We have it from multiple reliable sources that the equipment at Nine Gs has been sold to someone in New Mexico (or Arizona or some such). Their excellent Infidel IPA, Blacksnake Porter, and other beers are still on the shelves in northern Indiana and at Kahn's in Indy but that's the last of it. Sigh.
We're also told the Terre Haute Brewery has produced the last of their beer - at least under this incarnation. Look for another carnation to bloom later this year.
Kahn's new store in the 5000 block of Keystone in Indy has 15 interesting doors, 40 feet of shelf space for singles, and a typically crowded walk-in. IndianaBeer has pictures of the Grand Opening.
The Broad Ripple Brewpub features Creepy Joe, not the cook but a straw-colored American Pale Ale with late bitterness from Summit and dry-hopped with Cascades. There's still some Wee Alec Heavy on the handpull. Coming up: Ankle Biter Barleywine when the Wee Alec runs out, Vienna Lager, and another batch of Hopsia (Tom Altstadt's Brewers Cup Best Of Show IPA).
The Dick's Bodacious BBQ at 96th and Gray Rd, Carmel, is no more. Owner Brian Graham is renovating it to become Hot Shotz Ale & Grill. Bad news for us to have to drive up to Noblesville or 116th & I69 for Bodacious BBQ but good new for us to get
- "Comfort food done well" from a chef stolen from Lulu's.
- Three different pies - Shepard's pie, Chili-cheese pie, etc.
- 11 taps with no wimpy swill.
- 80 bottled selections in the cooler.
- A firkin on the bartop as often as possible.
- A bigger bar, cozier surroundings, and more comfortable seating.
Brian hopes to open in mid-February.
The price of beer as gone up over 10%. In Ethiopia.
Coming events:
1-29 We visited the new Kahn's at Keystone Grand Opening In Indy. Click Here to Read More.
1-28 Barley Island has ordered a new big Blenheim bottling system to help keep up with demand.
Actual Captain Morgan restroom sign (right).
A release of Founders Breakfast Stout has come south from Michigan - the last scheduled until next September. Coffee, oats, chocolate, 8.3%ABV. Quite a limited quantity. On tap at the Corner Wine Bar in Broad Ripple and reported to be sold out in many stores.
There will be a BJCP exam given in Indianapolis on March 3rd and one in Lafayette on March 31st. Email bob@indianabeer.com for more details if you're interested in getting Beer Judge Certification Program credentials.
Todd Bretz tells us Scott's Foods grocery stores in Ft. Wayne have been improving their beer lineup appreciably in the last month. "So far we have several styles of Bells', Oaken Barrell, Barley Island, Flying Dog, Three Floyd's, Spatten, Young's, Anchor, Abita, Rogue and North Coast. We are in the process of adding Brooklyn for February."
When Monarch Beverage (our sponsor) decided to give everybody the Monday after the Super Bowl off they never figured to get TV, Radio, and Newspaper publicity.
On a non-beer note, the Chicago Sun Times talks about Super Bowl bets between mayors. "With the Bears about to play the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl, we have a problem: What could Indiana possibly have to bet that we would want? I mean, Chicago can offer Indiana pizza, ribs, beef sandwiches and dental work. But do we really need ballcaps with farm company names on them? Someone else suggested tickets to the Indy 500, but there are two problems with that: One, they just drive around in circles all day. Two, we have to go to Indiana to see it. So here's the deal: If the Colts win, Indiana promises to keep its stuff."
Bad idea: There's a bill in West Virginia which would, if passed, allow counties to put a tax of up to 35% on drinks in bars and nightclubs. The city of Kent, OH wants to do the same thing.
New uses for pubs: Daycare in Australia. Church at Schlafly's in St. Louis.
1-22 On this drab and snowy-yucky January dark winter day we just want to encourage you to drink some Indiana beer. Might we suggest an Oaken Barrel Tripel? Perhaps you should get up to Chumley's in Lafayette to sample some local barle
wines on draft. I said local. We gotta give away a secret now: Chumley's will be next month's bar of the month.
It's still ugly outside, but I've got my beer. Go Colts!
1-21 Jack Frey reports that The Little Cheers in Evansville is no longer brewing beer and the brewer, Nathaniel Cruise, is not there anymore. This brewpub has had a questionable status for years. In our previous visits it seemed they would have a couple of Nathaniel's beers on tap occasionally, but even then without promoting them as much as even as much as Bud. We'd bid a fond adieu but . . .
Jack also says Eric Watson has started a distillery in Green Bay. No details since Eric's email address bounced.
Mad Anthony is adding two more 30bbl conditioning tanks to try to keep up with demand.
Jeff Mease of Bloomington Brewing has a long-term plan to expand and move the brewery from the cramped quarters Floyd has been living in behind the bar. They'll also start bottling. Now for the dropping of the other shoe. The plan involves moving the vessels to a 70-acre farm near Bloomington that will also raise River Water Buffalo for mozzarella cheese. You read that right. Mozzarella is made from water buffalo's milk. Even in Italy.
Barley Island's Beers have been pickup up by Scott's Foods in Fort Wayne.
Lafayette Brewing has a buy 5, get 6 growler deal through April. Ask at the bar.
Rich O's Gravity Head Starts March 9th. Roger Baylor has been spending a lot of time on the menu as evidenced by his blog entry listing 40 beers due, only 3 of which are under 9% ABV.
Have you wandered through the Hoosier Beer Geek blog? Now with reviews of Broad Ripple Brewpub's Wee Alec Heavy and American Brown.
House Bill 1323 was introduced by David Crooks this week is one of the most far-reaching we've seen in Indiana in quite some time. "Requires a local alcoholic beverage board to allow an individual to make oral comments at a public meeting or hearing. Provides that a holder of an alcoholic beverage permit who is authorized by law to sell alcoholic beverages for carryout may sell carryout on Sunday from noon until 6:00 p.m. Allows a retailer to sell alcoholic beverages for consumption on the licensed premises on Sunday from 10 a.m., prevailing local time, until 3:00 a.m. Allows alcoholic beverages to be sold on election day from noon until 3 a.m. Allows alcoholic beverages to be sold for carryout on New Year's Day." We'll track it's progress.
HB 1347 would require all bars and stores to have liability insurance. Believe it or not there are lots of bar owners and small stores that figure insurance rates would bankrupt them anyway and if they are sued they aren't out anything more than their business.
HB 1419 would require a separate room or partitioned area for liquor in drug stores, etc.
Headline: "Europeans Rushing To Bulgaria To Buy "Breast-Boosting Beer". We wish we could make this stuff up.
SEC filings have revealed Auggie Busch III's retirement package includes "draught beer services and packaged products to your residence." article
Pittsburgh Brewing (Iron City) seems to have kept it's head above wort once again. They've bounced in and out of trouble with sewer charges and other taxes and now a potential buyer looks to be in the sidelines. article Thanks, Neil
1-20 Indianabeer's Matt Dunn was a guest on the Good Beer Show's 100th show. Click here to listen in!
1-18 Liz Laughlin hosts Rock Bottom's Belgian style beer dinner
1-17 Through January 20 The Hop Shop is having an Indiana Microbrew Special. Mix & Match any 6 Indiana microbrew 12oz singles, take 10% off regular price (normally 5%). Mix & Match any 12 Indiana microbrew 12oz singles, take 15% off regular price (normally 10%)
1-12 IU's department of History and Philosophy of Science has a Spring course in The Art & Science of Beer: History, Technology & Culture taught by IndianaBeer's own Matt Dunn.
The Ram had 28 Kegs stolen from the Fisher's restaurant over the holiday period. At 70¢ per pound, stainless steel is a temptation. If you see any melted slag embossed with a Bighorn logo please let them know.
Their new winter seasonal, Winterfest Belgian Wit is a serious beer at 7% ABV. Lots of coriander and spice with some plummy notes. Milky and unfiltered with a bit of sediment that many punters won't understand.
There's also an Espresso Oatmeal Stout with coffee from a Seattle-based company that doesn't want to be acknowledged. Just one keg at each location.
Alcatraz has reformulated the Pelican Pale Ale as an American Pale with some sorghum. Assertive but less hoppy than an IPA. Malty sugars and the hops fight like two bratty kids.
Brugge Brasserie has put out St. Columbus D'Or Belgian Golden Ale as an attempt to give the lighter drinkers a choice. It's only 5% but very tart and spicy with some smokey phenolics. Methinks Ted may have missed the target for the lighter drinkers. Again.
Barley Island is set to move into Illinois in early February although this doesn't include distribution in the Chicago area. They will also be putting their Flat Belly Wheat in bottles in March. Production is right at capacity and the 60/- Scotch will be moved to seasonal status.
1-11 The Ram, Indy and Fishers, have 1/2 price growler refills during January. Every day. This is a system-wide promotion, not a reaction to the damage Cincinnati Bengal fans gave the Ram's restroom during the the Bengal/Colts game last month. "They broke beer glasses and signs and ripped paper towel dispensers right off the bathroom walls of the downtown brewery [Dave] Hornak manages. They brawled in the streets and got arrested after their team lost in the RCA Dome, right around the corner from the Ram Restaurant and Brewery." says the Kansas City Star.
Indiana bills introduced this session so far (no actions yet):
- SB 55 - Makes furnishing alcohol to minors a Class B misdemeanor (Class A on second offense) and a Class D felony if "serious bodily injury or death" results. Adds "knowingly or intentionally" to "recklessly.
- SB 31 - Requires a breathalyzer test to get credit on a riverboat.
- SB 256 - Allows liquor stores to sell alcoholic beverages on Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve that fall on Sundays. (a year too late to be useful until 2017).
We expect more bills including Sunday sales at brewpubs and a large restructuring of the three-tier system language without much, if any, change in the results, beerwise.
Flying Dog will send you to the GABF if you name their summer Belgian Wit.
Here's a new Belgian stamp celebrating Geuze compared to a US stamp celebrating Prohibition.
Barley in December 2005 = $2.57 avg/bushel. Dec 2006 = $3.19 avg. The smaller guys already have contracts for 2007 barley and hops so this drought-driven scarcity won't have much impact if it's just a bubble. At least that's what we're told. Actually aluminum prices account for 20% of a mega-brews price while malt is 8 to 12%. Coors may have a 40¢/case price rise shortly because of aluminum. Of course there's the Yakima Valley fire last October that has already affected hop prices for the big guys. Doom. Gloom. article
The Soon-After Headache vs the Hangover Headache. Interesting.
Gordon Biersch is planning to open a new brewpub in Chicago in 2007.
Coors has applied for label approval for Blue Moon Spring Ale. The label says "This amber wheat ale is brewed only in the spring and combines the flavor of fresh Keiffer lime leaves and lime peel with Belgian specialty malts."
Redhook and Widmer are talking about merging the companies. Both have marketing contracts and are partially owned by A-B.
And of course you've heard that Anheuser-Busch will be importing Budvar/Czechvar. The Irony tag surrenders. The AP says: According to a statement by the two rivals, Anheuser-Busch will become the U.S. importer of Czechvar. Budvar has exported its lager to the U.S. under the name Czechvar since 2001. The agreement gives Czechvar, currently sold in 30 states, access to Anheuser-Busch's marketing and sales expertise and wide-reaching U.S. distribution network. Anheuser-Busch added Czechvar to Beck's, Bass and Stella Artois and other beers on its import portfolio. The agreement, that became affective Jan 5, does not impact existing litigation or trademark disputes between the two companies in other countries.
Old Dominion in the DC area is rumored to be in the process of being sold to A-B. It's the 50th largest brewery in the US.
For a laugh at Gothamites, see New York Magazine's beer review give thumbs down to Schlenkerla ("smells like beef jerky"), JW Lees Harvest Ale ("Belgian-style"), and Rogue Chocolate Stout ("loooks like road tar"). Did you know NYC was coined Gotham after a fabled town in Nottinghamshire who's citizens feigned craziness when King John wanted to move into the neighborhood? Holy Bedlam, Batman.
Happenings:
- Wed, Jan 17 - Rock Bottom College Park Belgian Brewers Dinner. $35. Get a reservation.
- Fri, Jan 19 - BW3 Indy 3-beer Vintage tasting. 5-?pm.
- Thurs, Jan 25 - Keg Liquors Clarksville - BBC tasting. 7 of their beers presented by brewmaster David Pierce. 5-8pm.
- Mon, Jan 29 - Kahn's 51st & Keystone Ave. Indy - Grand Opening. 5-7pm. 9 breweries will be pouring. Yep. The new, bigger, brighter, store will open this month.
1-10 More about "beer bans" from Mark...
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - It's a bit late for the holidays, but the state's beer sellers are now free to let Santa's Butt Winter Porter sit on their shelves.
The Maine Bureau of Liquor Enforcement had blocked a beer importer from selling the brew, along with two beers with labels depicting bare-breasted women. Those decisions were reversed after the state attorney general's office determined that the company probably would win the lawsuit the American Civil Liberties Union filed on its behalf last month.
Chris Taub, an assistant state attorney general, said Friday a court probably would find the beer labels in question to be protected under the First Amendment.
State officials had barred the English-made Santa's Butt out of concern its label might appeal to children. It depicts a rear view of a beer-drinking Santa sitting on a "butt," a large barrel brewers once used to store beer.
The other previously banned beers feature paintings of bare-breasted women on their labels. One of the paintings hangs in the Louvre - Eugene Delacroix's "Liberty Leading the People" - and the other was commissioned by the importer, Belchertown, Mass.-based Shelton Brothers.
The company was notified of the reversal in a letter dated Dec. 22, but owner Dan Shelton was out of the country and didn't learn of it until this week.
Shelton, whose company has challenged similar bans in other states, said Thursday he has no plans to drop his lawsuit because state law still allows officials to deny applications for beer labels that contain "undignified or improper" illustrations. About a dozen beer and wine labels, out of 10,000 to 12,000 reviewed, are rejected each year on such grounds.
"You can't have a law based on propriety and dignity. It's too vague," Shelton said.
Taub said his office is reviewing the rule about undignified or improper illustrations but declined to comment further.
1-9 It must seem like we're slacking on dishing out the news. I guess we're still recovering from the holidays.
Brooklyn Lager is on tap at Chumley's Lafayette, and they have bottles of the Black Chocolate Stout coming in the next month or so. Also, the Hop Shop has "special ordered" a case of Okocim Porter.
1-6 
NINE G Brewing Company in South Bend, Indiana is available for immediate sale. Almost $600,000 has been invested in NINE G Brewing Company. This investment does not include brand development, customer base value or sweat equity. The owners currently owe approximately $345,000. No reasonable offer will be refused. Offers will be accepted through the 19th of January, 2007. This does not preclude a contract prior to the 19th. The purchase of NINE G Brewing Company will include all equipment and leasehold improvements. All 4 brands of NINE G beer, all logos and branding, all sales and promotional materials and all text and graphics will also be included in the sale.
Louisville's Courier Journal looks at light beer. With reviews and calorie counts.
ABC News says if you mix too much caffeine and alcohol you die.
1-1 Happy New Beer!
12-29 Hopsia (Tom Altstadt's Brewers Cup BOS IPA) is on tap now at the Broad Ripple Brewpub. Tom Stilabower's review: "It is a hop lovers dream. Beautiful citrus, floral nose, it was obviously dry hopped. It may be the most hoppy beer ever brewed at BRBP".
Butler Winery in Bloomington is having their annual year-end clearance this weekend. 15% off everything.
An amendment is being prepared for the Indiana law that would allow breweries to sell carryout beer on Sunday. No promises.
Everything you ever wanted to know about the dreaded hangover. Including don't take Tylenol unless you want to serve your liver with bacon. - Bonus link to Super Bowl Party Science: How to Ration Snacks and Beer.
Dixie Blackened Voodoo will be brewed by Huber until they do a complete renovation to the New Orleans brewery.
Since Fuller's bought Gales last year it's been a worry whether Gales Prize Old Ale would be continued. Fuller's now says it will. But it will be in new vessels since Ringwood bought the POA fermenter. It's made of kauri pine from New Zealand and is 80 years old. The bad news: Ringwood is going to put it in a museum rather than brew with it.
But over at the Youngs/Wells merger, they have announced Young's Dirty Dick's will be axed. Dick's Bodacious BBQ will have to find a new pet brew.
The numbers are just in. China drank more beer than any other country. "30.49 million kilolitres, up 5.2% from 2004". In 2005. It must have taken more than 11 months to ask each of the 1.3 billion people how much they drank. (2nd: US, 3rd: Germany, then Brazil, Russia, Japan).
Another 1 to 2 percent will probably be added to the price of canned beer to make up for the rising cost of aluminum.
Alcopops will cost more in California next year. They're reclassified as spirits, not beer. Excise tax goes from 20¢ per gallon to $3.30. Good move.
Internet quote: "If you had purchased $1,000 of Enron, you would have had $16.50 left of the original $1000. With WorldCom, you would have had less than $5.00 left. If you had purchased $1000 of Delta Air Lines stock you would have $49.00 left. But, if you had purchased $1,000.00 worth of beer one year ago, drank all the beer, then turned in the cans for the aluminum recycling refund you would have had $214.00. Based on the above, the best current investment advice is to drink heavily and recycle. It's called the 401-Keg Plan."
It's rumored that Jameson Irish Whiskey will see a price rise of 25% or more and be repositioned as a "premium" brand. Eh?
12-23 What's inside.... World Class Beverages Holiday Taster?? See for yourself. We are pleased with the purchase:
