Spring Beer News: Most recent at top

July 2 Ram's growlers are half price all during July. That's $4.00.

The Indiana State Fair Brewers Cup entries are in with over 600 beers to be judged on July 13th and 14th. Entries came in from Brazil (the country) and as far away as Tulsa in the states.

Here's what we can tell you about the Vigo Brewery. You've heard about it. Ted Miller and the Brugge Brasserie are expanding production by buying the facilities of the now-temporarily-closed Terre Haute Brewing Co. Brewing will start bright an early on July 23rd with the hopes of having output on the streets September 1st.

Vigo will use the plant to make Brugge beers for the Broad Ripple restaurant and 750ml bottles for stores. They've hired Micah Weichert as the head brewer. He's the head brewer at the 23rd Street Brewery in Lawrence, Kansas, since 2004 and previously at Waimea Brewing and Whaler's Brewpub in Hawaii. Assistant brewer will be John Copta, a home brewer from Fort Collins, CO.

Some of the production is contracted to a new beer marketing company, Wabash Valley, who will put out a more typical line of beers than the Belgian-centric Brugge titles. Both companies will be distributed by World Class Beverages throughout Indiana.

Mike Rowe sold THBC but hopes to re-open a brewpub in Terre Haute next year.

BadaBoomz will open to the public on Tues, July 3rd. Nothing behind the bar has changed but the rest of the downtown Indy restaurant has had a decor makeover bigger than the last image change of the Chrysler 300. It's subdued browns and burgundy are a complete departure from the BW3 theme as is the food. They had a beta test on July 1st to break in the 20 or so new people of the wait staff (only 5 of the old staff are continuing on - and 5 of the best we might add).

The new menu is still "grill" rather than steakhouse and includes sandwichez, burgerz, pizzaz, entreez, big saladz, and even a kidz menu. Most items run from $7 to $9 with full entrees from $9 to $14 - very reasonable for downtown Indy. Daily lunch specials will be $8. All food items on the menu carry both beer and wine pairings (and there's more beer than wine variety).

The bar, as we said, hasn't changed. Mike DeWeese wouldn't let his fellow beer geeks down. Witness Hopslam on the handpull. The NTN triva and Buzztime games on the TVs are staying also.




Capitol Brewery of Middleton, WI uses "America's #1 Rated Brewery" on their packaging. Wants to trademark it. Guess who objects. Did you guess Anheuser-Busch?

July 1 Tony reports on Back Road's 10 year anniversary celebration.

June 30 The indianabeer.com team welcomes our new northern contributing writer, Tony Gonnella. Look for Tony's first article tomorrow right here on indianabeer.com!

June 29 Power House Brewing met the public on Thursday with it's inaugural tapping party at the Columbus Bar. Brewer Jon Myers' first brew, a dark Northern Brown was proclaimed a big hit by everyone.

Local mug club member, John Young bid $200 to have the first spot in line for the first pour. This honor will continue through future tappings. His wife, Mary, got donations from friends and people at work to buy him this nifty gift. They like the Columbus bar for the food, friendly atmosphere, the no-smoking environment and have become regulars since the move from All The Buzz.

John said about the Brown "It's smooth and a little chocolatey. Leaves a nice lingering taste." His favorite beers also include Gnaw Bone Pale Ale and Arrogant Bastard.

All evening the crowd filled both rooms of the bar and spilled out onto the street. They even blocked the street after dark for a little 5 on 5 basketball. The band-with-no-name played on the balcony. Other goodies included Pabst on the Hopinator (Mt. Hood hops).


Jon, left serves the first glass to John
The next 40 or so glasses
went to the people in line

The band with no name
Doings on 4th St.

Power House tap proudly sits with the other
Columbus Bar offerings

Stone Vertical Epic 07.07.07 is out a bit early. Something about 7/7 being a Saturday. See if you can guess the style from the Head Brewer's tasting notes.

APPEARANCE:
Deep golden with a touch of haze. Foam is white, creamy and thick.
AROMA:
Grapefruit/citrus, ginger, tropical fruit esters, with a touch of spice. Tropical fruit salad!
FLAVOR:
Citrus and ginger up front, finishing with a touch of clove and more intense cardamom spice
PALATE:
Med body, very effervescent, crisp, dry, and refreshing with a touch of bitterness and alcohol warmth.
OVERALL:
Quite delicious now, and we fully expect the flavors to blend more over time.

Also new to town: Breckenridge 471 ESB, Boulder Cold Hop (British IPA), Great Divide Samurai (brewed with rice), and Founders DECA 10th Anniversary Barleywine.

Meet the killjoy who's trying to eliminate ladies' nights in Denver. He complained that he wasn't allowed free drinks in an adult club's strip contest - among other things. article

The ultimate beer festival hoodie.

Starting in November, Fosters will be brewed by Miller in Fort Worth and in Albany, GA, instead of by Molson (which will still brew it for the Canadian market). The globalization of megabrew continues. "Moving the brand to the United State would cut freight costs, enabling more money to be put into marketing the beer." article

Remember that job as Four Points' Chief Beer Officer? It's been filled - by Scott Kerkmans of Phoenix. He's a BJCP certified beer judge, an ex-professional brewer, and the founder of Draft magazine. Oh, and it doesn't pay anything.

Headline - "Pub landlord fights smoke ban by declaring his boozer an embassy". Doesn't sound like it will work, but a Southampton pub may become the embassy of Redonda. King Robert the Bald approves but will the Queen. article with bonus picture of Edward Elder.

"According to a national beer-drinking survey on behalf of Moosehead, an eyebrow-raising 40% of Atlantic Canadians said if they had to choose between beer and sex, they would forego carnal pleasures and opt for a cold one instead." chaste but inebriated rticle

Robert Woods Johnson report finds its way into Ad Age. They're complaining that the industry only spends $102,900,000 annually on don't-drink public service TV spots. article - info about Georgetown University's Center for Alcohol Marketing and Youth

June 28 Kahn's in Carmel is offering mixed 6 packs. That's right, create a custom 6-pack from any of their 100+ (200+?) six pack offerings. This is a great development for the craft beer consumer! (although we must remind readers that The Hop Shop has been doing this for years).

Head retention experiment with Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA. Procedure: Pour beer into glass and wait 5 minutes. Take photo. Result: Head retained!

June 27 Michael Pearson of the MECA Brewers homebrew club scored the clubs first national medal for his Marzen at the National Homebrew Conference.  He was the only Indiana brewer to win a national medal. Complete list of winners: http://www.beertown.org/events/nhc/2007_winners.html

Olde School from Dogfish Head. This generous 15% ABV Barley Wine has a fragrant, malty aroma. Conditioned on dates and figs. A well-balanced hop and malt taste explodes in the mouth and goes down smooth. Slow sipping. High alcohol flavor. Stomach burn on the fourth swallow. We like.

June 26 Even more pics from the Brew Ha Ha. Thanks Bob.

June 25 The Ram in downtown Indy unveiled not one, not two, but three seasonals last Thursday.

  • Red Rocket Rye - Very rye.
  • Nitro Java Oatmeal Stout - Black and bold.
  • Wit - Very cloudy wit with coriander, orange peel, and coriander.

The 10 most bizarre beers. Includes Uerige's braille label and Sam Adams Utopia. article


Just a reminder, don't drink and pedal. (thanks Mark)

June 24 Brew Ha Ha 2007. The photos are here!

June 23 Cavalier Distributing is looking for salespeople. info

Mad River beer is coming to Indiana. Their Steelhead and Jamaica lines include Pale,  2 IPAs, Porter, Stout, Red, and a Barleywine.

Sam Adams is now selling a new beer glass. Cool.

The Guinness St. James Gate brewery in downtown Dublin may close. Their 9,000 year lease on the 64 acres of land is more valuable for offices. More on this breaking story next year. article

Kegerator.net is giving away a kegerator. Just tell them why you deserve to win. What are you still doing reading this? Go. Fill out the form. Invite us over for the first tapping.

Heineken Premium Light is the newest megaswill planned to take up precious shelf space in liquor stores. Is "Premium Light" an oxymoron?

Energy drinks: 1) Cocaine has been told by the FDA to change its name. 2) 1in3Trinity Corp has introduced a “faith-inspired” beverage much like Red Bull but “made of a special blend handed down from the flourishing vines and trees of the holy land.”

Bad idea: Beer Pops sold at an Alexandria, VA bar. That's right, frozen beer on a stick. The state ABC says it violates a rule that beer must be served in the original container or be served to the customer immediately once it's poured. Thank goodness cooler heads prevail, even if they need to use a technicality.

June 22 Avery Brewing's Collaboration Not Litigation Ale. A Belgian-style big beer created by Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing and Adam Avery of Avery Brewing. Both breweries had Salvation in their line-ups. Rather than litigate for the rights to the name they decided to blend the brews to catch the best qualities of each. After talking about it for over 2 years they finally decided to pull the trigger and Vinnie flew out to Avery to brew his Salvation exactly as he does in his brewery. This was blended with Avery's Salvation December 11th, 2006. It's a copper colored lightly-hopped ale with pleanty of froth and a strength of 9% ABV. Thumbs up.

June 20 Wow were we wrong about The Corner Wine Bar's tap list (news item has been deleted). Here is what you will find on tap there...

June 18 Dogfish Head Black and Blue from Kahn's in Indy. A limited-edition ale fermented with black raspberries and blueberries. Malty and tart and pleanty effervescent. We expected something dark and got copper. Can barely notice the 10% ABV in the mouth. We chose to try this beer because the guy on the label bears an uncanny resemblance to champion homebrewer Mark Scheiss. Mark, I'm saving the bottle for ya!

June 16 Cavalier Distributing hosted a major reception for Susanne Hecht, Schneider's Export Manager at the Rathskeller. About 150 people enjoyed the very professional party, presentation, and tasting of Edelweiss, Original, Aventinus, and Aventinus Eisbock.

That's Susanne in the middle. Guys, she's not only beautiful, smart, travels the world; she also has an unlimited supply of the world's best wheat beer. Now stop drooling and carry on.

Dr. Hecht been at Schneider 9 years, starting as George Schneider's assistant. After a term as Manager of Office-Based Sales she became the Export Manager in charge of Schneider's worldwide distribution (except for Switzerland and Austria).

By the way, Aventinus Weizenbock is undoubtedly the best in class in the world. It only accounts for 3% of Schneider's sales in Germany but 18% in the U.S.

Seen at the Cavalier/Schneider reception - 4 generations of Kahn's beer experts. Greg Blackman, Mike Sprinkle, Brennan Corder, Cole Varga. Cole is the latest and current. Stop in at Keystone and say "hi".

Flood: Hinton, Australia, has been flooded for 5 days but it's OK, they got 12 kegs and 36 cases of beer delivered. article

Drought: Jack Daniels' spring is drying up, yielding 1/3 to 1/2 of normal. They may "need to stop producing the whiskey until water levels increase". article with video

And a couple more pictures at random

June 15 As webmster, it's my prerogative to fill gaps in the news I regularly receive from Bob, Mark, and Matt. This afternoon I gave myself the formidable task of answering the question: "Warbird in a bottle- an improvement?"

I approached the problem quasi-scientifically. First, I purchased some fresh Warbird from the cooler at Kahn's and transported it wrapped in blankets to Indianabeer.com headquarters. After passing security I got it to the fridge and prepared the tasting area, a nice sunny spot on the beergarten/deck. I Retrieved a bottle of Warbird and a camera to document the moment when I sat in the tasting chair and poured it into my glass. Then I sipped, tasted a few more times, and quaffed it down.

The detailed report is now under guard in the indianabeer.com vault, but the conclusion can be summed up in in a few words: I'm not sure. The taste is the same- medium malty, lightly hopped, a bit of citrus up front and very drinkable- almost a session beer. But the packaging certainly has more eye appeal. That silver/red can just wasn't that pretty and I like the new bottle label. But disposal is a problem. The recycling weight is now much greater. Stay tuned for more experiments!

June 12 Homebrewers, get your entries in for the Indiana State Fair Brewers' Cup by June 22. info

Things we found out by reading the Great Lakes Brewing News (pick up a copy at your local brewpub, or beer place - there are also subscriptions available):

  • Three Floyds will have 6 new beers in the coming couple of months. Admiral Nelson Bitter is out already. Coming up: Illinois Brewers Guild Amber, Young Sportsman Wit, Gorch Fock Helles, Brussels Black Bier, Fantabulous Resplendence, Oat Wine.
  • Lafayette Brewing's bottled beers will be available only in the Lafayette area - at first.
  • Longtime Muse of Brews, Karen Bujak has started an Ohio-based version of IndianaBeer.com - it's OhioBeerGuide.com. Huzzah.

Advance-sale tickets for the Indiana Microbrewers Festival are now available online.

The Indianapolis Star is at it again. Headlines: "Deadly Decisions", "Professional View". The fringe group ICRUD put in a sidebar with typically specious statistics. article (with bonus cute photo of their head wingnut, Lisa Hutcheson.

"Our survey of Indiana college students found that 45% of them engage in high-risk drinking." Huh? What's high-risk? What's their methodology for their, quote, survey? What's their basis for being an unbiased source of information? Surely not because they are funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. And why would the Star not check the facts of an article they print?

On Saturday a Northumberland, England, brewery had 4 semi-trailers of beer stolen. 3 have been recovered empty. That's a 12,000 cases of beer. Er, well it's Corona and Corona Extra Light. Move along you lookie-loos, nothing to see here. article

June 10 On Saturday, June 9th, people from FBI, OVHA, MECA, Bloomington Hop Jockeys, THC, MIB, CACA, IBS, Gambrinus Society, and one imposter in a FOSSILS shirt met at Great Fermentations in Indy for the first Brew-B-Q. (These are all Indiana homebrew clubs by the way). It was hastily conceived just 7 weeks ago but well executed mainly by Ron Smith and Frank Petrarca of the FBI (last picture below) with plenty of help from lots of other people including Anita and Darren of GF. It was a typical homebrew club meeting with plenty of samples but was much larger (about 75 people) and with enough BBQ from Frank, Paul Henry, and Jim Kirk to satiate everyone. Door prizes ranged from bottles of Alesmith's Yulesmith (thanks World Class) through a cornie keg (thanks GF) to 2 of Blichmann Engineering's Beer Guns. Here's some pictures.

Headline: "Beer-tasting growing into latest licensing fad". Since a certification exam was instituted 12 years ago, more than 5,000 people have passed the test given by the Japan Craft Beer Association and become certified beer tasters. article

June 8

The latest beer controversy: Is George Bush off the wagon and is that why he called in sick at the G8 conference? Or is that a Buckler NA? And should alcoholics drink near-beer? Here's a picture you'll probably see often in the next week.

Rich O's is RateBeer's 6th best beer bar in the world (Indy's BW3 is #79 and the Kulminator takes it's rightful place as #1). Take that, Lyke 2 Drink. There's also ink at local paper Velocity.

Lafayette Brewing's new bottling line will first produce Tippecanoe Common and Black Angus Oatmeal stout. Hopefully in July. They're waiting for label approval. To make room for the bottling line Greg will be clearing out a room holding some Big Boris Barleywine. Some, dating back to 1996, will be released including some 1997/8 barrel-aged Franken-Boris. "More details to come."

Three Floyds may not do Dark Lord day next year "out of feer they won't be able to accommodate the crowd".

Monarch lost 2,804 beer kegs last year. Belmont Beverages looses 8% of the kegs that they take deposits on. article - another article

The Backstage Bar at Centerstage in Muncie is now open to the public. It's the saner more usual bar owned by Stan Stephens of the Heorot. article

Cleveland's Great Lakes brewpub and the Brew Kettle Taproom get ink. article

June 4 SteveFest is on at New Albanian Brewing. Steve Hall (right, below) replaces Dave Siltz (center) as the menu manager for a while. He even brought local, and very good, band for opening night - The Boogie Men. We stopped in last Friday and had a couple from his selection. The Cask-Conditioned Elector was good and not overdone hopwise. Monk's Flemish Ale, on tap, yum. Jolly Pumpkin La Roja is a wonderful big Belgian Red aged in wood that helps propagate the notion of North American's can brew Belgian's as good as the old country. Both draft Schlenkerla Marzen and NABC's Bonfire of the Valkyries are on the lineup for smoke beer fans. Our kind of menu. Huzzah.

Keg Liquors' Fest of Ale was attended by about 200 - 3 times as many people as last year. Rain and lightning for 45 minutes didn't stop the tasting but probably kept another hundred from venturing out. Fears that a 20-ticket format would keep people away evaporated and, with perfect-sized 4-oz pours no one used all their tickets. Todd's decision to extend the closing time a bit was welcomed.

Down in Louisville, Bluegrass Brewing's new Hefeweizen is a bold, German style. It's joining their Single Batch series along with the Dark American IPA, Oktoberfest, and Hell for Certain and all will probably be exclusively in 750ml bottles. Look for the new labels (below).

Also at the brewery are lots of wooden barrels holding the Bourbon Barrel Stout and a couple of special, bigger barrels, a French Oak Cabernet now holding some stout brewed in May with some brettanomyces for more leather and another which will get a some Nut Brown and full cocktail of bacillus and other Belgian goodies. Might be out later this year.

Bluegrass Brewing on Shelbyville Rd has a Schwartz that is quick thick but not quite a porter and a Meade at 7.8% ABV that has a hit of herbs, a big hint of honey, and just a touch of sweetness. Also on tap: Vienna, Alt, APA, Porter, Summer Wheat, Nut Brown, and Matt Bitter. They open a hand-pulled cask every Thursday (this week is a Dunkelweizen).

We were told to try Chocolate Vodka mixed with Dogfish Head Chickory Stout.

Dales Pale Ale gets a good review by the Louisville Courier Journal.

Dateline Aying, Germany. Drinkers are bitter about the rise in beer prices since barley is being abandoned to plant subsidized crops that will be turned into car fuel. The AP finally notices. article

Dateline Mexico City. Drinkers are incensed about the rise in tequila prices once agave is abandoned to plant subsidized crops that will be turned into car fuel. Reuters finally notices. article

Lyke 2 Drink's 100 Places to Have a Beer Before You Die. The Heorot, RichO's and the Kulminator are strangly missing. Been to 28 of them. Gotta get busy.

May 31 This year's Replicale specs have just been released by Dave Colt. "The style this year is a Pre-prohibition ale but the twist is that every brewery will use only one hop variety and everyone will have to use a different American grown type." Paricipating Indiana breweries will probably have it ready for release at the Microbrewer's Festival on July 21.

Hot Shotz (Carmel) will tap a firkin of Bell's Two-Hearted at 4pm on Friday, June 1.

Rumor has it Fat Tire may come to Indiana next year - via Bud distributors. Just a rumor.

May 29 Upland has their new 37bbl kettle in operation along with 74bbl fermenters. They now double-batch, producing 2 massive brews in a 12-hour day.

Columbus Bar's 1-year anniversary celebration hosted about 100 people listening to Rock Zoo in a park/picnic setting out back. An excellent time and a very good band. Also, they plan to unveil their first brew, a Brown Ale, of the Powerhouse Brewery on June 28th. Sounds like another party.

At the Columbus Bar, Nana Willey, kitchen manager, makes a hop ice cream that should be tried. It's her own concoction on a custardy recipe. First she tried Fuggles hops and now has Cascade ice cream available at the bar/restaurant. The Cascade is her favorite (as Stone Ruination is her favorite beer), but the last of the Fuggles ice cream was more to our English-ale tastes. Honest. The bar also features Nana's Spent-Grain Bread, a Rosemary & Basil loaf, for instance.
 

The British Public Health folks have asked for "voluntary" warning labels on all drinks by the end of 2007. The graphic will tell how many "units" are in the bottle/can/drink and tell people they should have 3-4 units per day for males and 2-3 for females. Public Health Press Release - good article - The alcohol units concept has been pushed for quite a while now in Britain as you can see from a Google Search of "alcohol units".

May 25 Remember back in April when we gave a list of alcohol-related bills that should be passed this year? Only HB 1324 was enacted - the one forbidding scrap metal dealers from taking brewer's kegs. Everything else went in the dustbin. No Sunday sales, even if we ever get a Superbowl. No in-store sampling of cider. No definition of grocery store vs convenience store. No extra licenses for the new shopping mall in the Highland area.

According to John Hill, who is the Brewers of Indiana Guild legal guru, that last bit, the extra licenses, is what did in what ended up as a catch-all bill - SB 339. He says the last vote on the last day was contentious with Carmel and Clarksville wanting extra permits also. Senators got miffed and killed the whole thing rather than let some opponents get their way. Politics. Sigh.

The Brewer's of Indiana Guild has purchased some glycol-chilled cold-blankets for firkins and they intend to have up to 16 Real Ales on the handpull at the Microbrewers' Festival (July 21).

Let's all be careful out there. A bar owner in Wisconsin was fined $172 for pouring Coors Light from a tap with a Miller Lite handle. He told patrons it was Coors but the state Dept of Revenue called it "a major violation". article

May 24 A new brewpub is in the planning in Fort Wayne. The Granite City Food & Brewery chain hopes to open in November on the north side of the city and should break ground in the next two weeks. article article

The Indianapolis Star looks at wheat beers from Indiana.

Bloomington's Butler Winery is in their annual Spring Supply Sale mode until June 2nd. 20% off equipment, yeast, grains, hops. 10% off kits, extracts, books, glass, etc.

Gumball Head is $3 a pint at Indy's BW3 through Race Day.

Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA is back on the shelves. It's actually a seasonal and went out to wholesalers earlier this month.

Is the Tongue Map a hoax? Is sour really cheek-cramping? Did a Harvard psychologist write a German paper? Could the Wine Enthusiast be more wrong than Gourmet Magazine? you decide

A tanker car got loose in a Denver rail yard on May 23rd and ran into an engine, spilling beer. Is "Coors Strong" still being shipped to diluting plants? article

Sam Adams Boston Lager is now being made in Latrobe by City Brewery of LaCrosse. Rolling Rock is being made in Newark by A-B. Fosters is making Carlsberg in Australia while Fosters is being made by Scottish & Newcastle in England. Whitbread is being made by Sam Adams in Cincinnati. The world goes around and around.

Rolling Rock's ad agency just doesn't get how the web works. Check out their offer to pay $50 for banner ads on blogs. For some reason you won't see their smack-em-in-the-groin video via IndianaBeer. In fact, we feel dirty just linking to YesButNoButYes's critique.

Sapporo Breweries has filed patent applications for a barley line that keeps beer fresh longer. The barley lacks lipoxygenase, an iron-containing enzyme that causes the flavor of beer to deteriorate. Sapporo said it took eight years to develop and plans to produce 3,000 tons of the new barley line in Canada in 2008 before increasing production worldwide.

CAMBODIA –The illegal sale of beer imported from Singapore and Thailand then “disappearing” at the border accounts for 29% of Cambodia’s total beer market according to a report released by the Economic Institute of Cambodia. Tax revenue lost represents 3% of the country’s total.

May 23 Hello fellow Beer Afficionado's (Geeks). Time to pass on more what's pouring notes.

First up...I happen to find myself downtown the other day, and decided to stop in at a couple places to see what they had on tap. My first stop was at the Ram. For their seasonal beers they had their Maibock, a ESB called Busted Nut, and a beer called Estrella del Sur. I didn't get an answer to what style it was, because I didn't have much time. But I did have the ESB...mmmm tasty. I also stopped in at Rock Bottom, for their seasonals they had Uncle Jim's Dunkle, Lil Mark's Milk Stout, VIenna Lager, and Saison. According to the big board they had a Raspberry Milk Stout on cask, and next to be tapped on June 13th is a Kolsch.

On Saturday, I was in The Claddagh Irish Pub in Plainfield. I hadn't been there in sometime, so I figured it was time....one of these days I really need to finish my write up for them, to get it on this site....oh so many beers so little time. Anyways back to business...On tap they currently have Stella Artois, Blue Moon (gag) Belgian White, Amstel Light, Heinekin, Newcastle Brown Ale, Strongbow Cider, Boddingtons Pub Ale, Murphy's Irish Red, Kinsale Irish Lager, Harp, Smithwicks, Bass, with Guiness and Murphy's Stout on Nitro. Any place that has Smithwicks on tap is Ok with me!

Also on Saturday I went to the last beer tasting ever at the BW3 downtown. That's right! There will never be another beer tasting at the BW3's. There was a pretty good crowd there, and everyone really had a good time. Mike pulled some really old and rare beers out of his famous cellar and shared them with us. We sampled the following beer...

Copperhook Spring Ale

Franziskaner Weisbier

Hoegrarden

Founders Pale Ale

Goose Island Matilda

Rogue Mogul '05

Oak Aged Arrogant Bastard

Gales Millenium '00

Hebrew Jewbilation '01

Harvey's Elizabethian Ale '96

Rogue 12PA '02

De Dolle Special Bouwsel '00

See I told you you missed a good one...Don't you just feel like kicking yourself about now? Well except for the vintage beer, all these can be had on tap right now at a reduced price until the end of the month when B-dubs closes its doors. I also just found out that they have Gumballhead on tap.

But don't worry Mike will be back with BadaBoomz Ale House and Grill. Check out the preliminary menu at www.Badaboomz.com. Till we meet again

May 17 Brew-Ha-Ha 2007 will be held on June 23, 2007, 3-7pm in the 700 block of N. Park Ave. right in front of the theatre (Park Avenue between Massachusetts Avenue and E. St. Clair St.). Indyís original microbrew festival returns for its 12th annual event ñ join us for the areaís finest microbrews and craft beers, terrific food, and live music all afternoon long.

Advance sale tickets are just $20 (tickets are $25 the day of the event). Designated Driver tickets (for non-drinkers) are just $10. It's easy to order your tickets in advance:

2007 BREWERS & FOOD

Alcatraz Brewing Co.
Barley Island Brewing Co.
Bloomington Brewing Co.
Brewers of Indiana Guild
Broad Ripple Brewing Co.
Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar Downtown
Cavalier Distributing
Dickís Bodacious Barbecue
Hamilton Beverage
Kalamazoo Brewing Co. (Bellís)
Marco's Pizza
New Albanian Brewing Co.
Nine G Brewing Co.
Oaken Barrel Brewing Co.
Pure Beverage Co.
Ram Restaurant and Brewery
Red Stone Meadery
Rock Bottom Brewery
Shoreline Brewery
21st Amendment
Turoniís Main Street Brewery
Upland Brewing Co.
Woodchuck Cider
World Class Beverage
Yats
Zink Distributing

Performing at Brew-Ha-Ha 2007:

The Elect
3 Miles High
Alpha Primitives

Proceeds from Brew-Ha-Ha go to The Phoenix Theatre's Annual Fund Drive and support the theatre's year-round artistic, educational, and outreach programs.

From Mark: "Hello again. Today I stopped in at just two of my many favorite watering holes, to check out what they have, and to get a little information.

First up was Brugge Brasserie. On tap they have their Belgian Blonde as well as Bierre de Tamarin. This beer is made with Tamarind, a tropical tree, native to eastern Africa. The fruit is a brown pod-like legume, which contains a soft acidic pulp and many hard-coated seeds. The fruit pulp is edible and popular. It is used as a spice in both Asian and Latin American cuisines, and is also an important ingredient in Worcestershire sauce. The ripened fruit is sweet, yet still distinctively sour, and can be used in desserts and sweetened drinks, or as a snack Let me tell you this makes for one interesting beer. Mighty tasty as I usually say! Ted was brewing a Saison, his Sacre Fleur. Also his Black will be back on Friday. Looking forward to that. As you may have heard Ted will soon be opening a brewery in Terre Haute. If bought the Teree Haute Brewing Company. It is currently a 20bbl sys which can put out approx 3000bbls a year. But with all the available space, look for the output to increase. Currently they are waiting on the Feds approval.

Of course you can't visit Broadripple without stopping in at the BRBP. On tap they curently have...IPA, ESB, Wheat, Lawn Maibock. With a Brown and Porter on handpull. I had a chance to talk with Kevin a little while I enjoyed the Porter and their Buffalo Pork sandwich.

Till next time Happy Beer Hunting!"

May 15 Coming in July: Schneider Brooklyner Hopfen Weisse. 8.2%. A collaboration between Brooklyn Brewery and Schneider of Germany.  Dry-hopped.

Video of the Beer Launching Fridge on the Letterman Show.

OK, this is weird. Some "researchers" at Temple University have combined a yeast strain with the smell DNA from a rat to create yeast that glows green when it "smells" TNT. No cure yet for cancer though. article

Almost as weird as the homebrewer in St. Charles, IL, who puts "actually real pieces of pizza stirred into the mix". article

May 13 What's inside... Flying Dog's Sampler?...

2 bottles each of:

Road Dog Porter
Old Scratch Amber Lager
Snake Dog IPA
Tire Bite Golden Ale
Classic Pale Ale
An extra Road Dog Porter. BONUS!

May 12 From Mark... "I stopped in at Barley Island this week, and talked to Jon. They have really changed the brewery around, added a Brite tank, and a new bottler, that allows them to bottle six at a time. They are in the process of bottling up their Flat Top Wheat. Look for it in stores soon. In the fermenters he has a Brown, IPA and a wheat. Their Sheet Metal Blonde, is out. Jon told me that he change the recipe, and used less spices, so it is a more authentic Belgian Wit. Jon also told me that they have started distribution in the Minneapolis, MN area.<br>In other news...once they get the labels finished, they will start brewing Sean Tucker's IPA. Sean was the winner of last years Beer Geek competition. <p>

I made a stop in at Hot Shotz Ale and Grill, while I was out and about too. Had a chance to talk with Brian. On tap they currently have Brooklyn Lager, Founders Pale ale, Red Legg, Oberon, Weinstephaner Hefe, Robert the Bruce, St Augustine Ale, Lindemans Framboise, Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA, and Dreadnaught..The Dread is on it's final legs, and by the time you read this it will be gone. But don't fret...next up is Double Crooked Tree IPA.

Till we meet again...good beer hunting"

May 9 Ace Discount Liquors in Fishers has been bought by United Package Liquors.

The tasting at Shallo's last Monday gave a chance to taste a lot of beer.

  • Red Bridge - By A-B. Non-gluten, no wheat, no barley. Effervescent giving agreeable sharpness. Really a good experience.
  • Konig Ludwig Weisse - Imported by Warsteiner. Hearty with good character.
  • Hopping Frog Belgium White - Grand Cru Wit on steroids
  • Hopping Frog Black & Tan - Thick Chocolate Porter. Has nothing to do with Guinness and Harp.
  • Boulder Sweaty Betty - Middle of the road American Wheat.
  • Fort Collins Major Tom's Pomegranate Wheat - Oprah inspired? No fruit taste at all in this Wit.
  • Stone Pale Ale - What? A balanced American Bitter from Stone. Yes.

Ever smuggled a beer into a drive-in movie? How about 8,178 cases into Malaysia? And likewise, when you're caught they pour it out, article

Anheuser-Busch is preparing to launch a new Michelob line of fruit infused beers. The beers will be available in three flavors, Pomegranate Raspberry, Lime Cactus and Tuscan Orange Grapefruit. They are planned to go away after Labor Day.

According to a study by the Beer Institute and the National Beer Wholesalers Association, brewers, beer importers, beer distributors, brewer suppliers and retailers are responsible for more than 1.7 million jobs paying almost $55 billion in wages and $36 billion in federal, state and local taxes.

Coming up:

May 8 Indiana - The state is flat but the beer is carbonated.

The Half Moon Restaurant and Brewery in the City of Thirsts, Kokomo, opened on May 2nd. Just off US 31 on the south side of town at Center St. (300S). The initial beers on tap are

  • Pre-Prohibition Pilsner - No corn. Pre-Prohibition is just the name. Crisp. 4.1% 13 IBU
  • Wildcat Wheat - Mild American Wheat. Sweetish. Unfiltered. 4.5% 13 IBU
  • Stoplight City Red - Robust and balanced. 5.7% 25 IBU
  • Old Ben Brown - Old Ben is the stuffed cow in the Kokomo park. Robust, malty American Brown. Dry finish. 6.3% 30 IBU
  • Elwood's IPA - Quite bitter American IPA with restrained Cascades usage. 7.1% 52 IBU
  • Cole Porter - Again, robust. Really quite strong alcohol at 7.3%. 31 IBU

x
John Templet, Brewer at Half Moon

Lafayette Brewing has been named the Best Live Music Venue for the 2nd straight year by the Journal and Courier. The Brewer's Guild website calendar lists live music at all the brewpubs.

Oh, and LBC plans to bottle their beer this summer for local distribution. "Look for an initial release of our award-winning Tippecanoe Common Ale and Black Angus Oatmeal Stout to be available from the brewery and other select retail outlets around Tippecanoe County in late June/early July. Long-term plans include the addition of other brands as well as some specialty brews available in 22 ounce bombers."

Some other brewpub beer tastes:

  • Alcatraz Saison - Wow, neat. In your face. Strange and appropriate at the same time. Yeah, this doesn't describe it well but I'm at a loss for words.
  • Alcatraz Imperial Saison - Soother, creamier than the Saison. Light fruit. A lot going on.
  • Alcatraz Strong Ale - Belgian strength and a beer servable in Brussels.
  • Broad Ripple Brewpub Cerveza De Sol - Clean Vienna Lager that comes across a touch grainy. 5%
  • Brugge Blonde - Belgian tripel. To style. Nice alcoholic kick.
  • Mishawaka Amarillo Wheat - Very, very bitter and very very popular. 7.7% ABV
  • Ram Brute IBA - Quite hoppy, the India Brown Ale name is appropriate. Good use of melanoidin malt. Could be an upcoming popular style.
  • Ram Java Breakfast Stout - Cold. Roasty and toasty. No bacon or smoke.
  • Ram Maibock - Medium copper. Quite pleasant. Creamy mouthfeel. Lingering dryness. Dave Colt always makes the best Maibock in the state. (There is some maturing in a Buffalo Trace whiskey barrel that might see daylight in time to enter it in the GABF).
  • Rock Bottom (Downtown) Vienna Lager - Big mouth feel.

The Heorot in Muncie inspired me to mutter "Life isn't just good, it's damn fine". Stan has a Sherry Cask of JW Lees Harvest Ale on the bar and is selling it in 1oz shots for $1.25 - the perfect way to sip this expensive nectar. BUT if you're really, really adventurous and have a designated driver you can get an entire pint for $8.50. At 11.5% the designated driver is guaranteed to be used.


Clay Robinson.
Sexiest brewer in town.

Indy's downtown BW3 (the one with 40 taps and 2 handpulls) is set for a change. They'll be closed much of June to transform it into BadaBoomz, shedding the Buffalo Wild Wings franchise. PLUS a second BadaBoomz at 4930 Lafayette Rd in Indy. We'll have information soon on Mike DeWeese's plans which include shedding many of the TVs (they're for sale for $50 each). Mirrors, neon signs, etc are also for sale.

The National Homebrew Competition had 4,548 entries and 13 from Indiana are moving on to the finals including:

  • Bill Ballinger, Shelbyville - German Pilsner, Smoked Beer
  • Charles Beaver, Lowell - Semi-sweet Mead
  • Greg Christmas, Fishers - Belgian Dark Strong Ale
  • Bruce Deters, Angola - Lambic
  • Robert Heinlein, Crown Point - English IPA
  • Michael Pearson, Anderson - Marzen, Maibock
  • Mark Schiess, Carmel - Scottish 80/-, English Mild, Fruit Beer
  • Tom Wallbank, Indy - Schwarzbier, Alt

Look for Greene King IPA to re-emerge in the US as "Export Strength" at 5% ABV. The British version has degenerated into a 3.6% lawnmower beer with barely a trace of hops. The Export probably still won't be back to being a real IPA but might climb back to being a decent ordinary bitter.

May 7 News from Mark: "Good day to you all. Well I've actually been out and about today checking out a couple establishments that I haven't stopped in at in quite a while. First up was Bloomington Brewing Company. Currently on tap they have a Weiss, Blonde, Ruby, Pale, which is on CO2 and Nitro, Stout also on nitro, Belgian Pale, and The last keg of their Java Porter. When this kicks there will be no more till the fall. Next up is an IPA. The Java Porter is still delicious, sad to see it go. The stout was good but a little thin.

I also stopped in at Upland. On tap they have their Wheat, IPA, Pale, Porter, Maibock, and Amber. I had the Maibock, along with a Reuben for lunch. Both were tasty.

Well that's all I have for today, but stay tuned, there is more to come"

May 6 From Mark regarding a recent post on the Kahn's Website... "After 10 years of a great, growing partnership, Joe and I have called it “Splitsville”. As my Daddy always told me, there are two reasons you need a partner, you need their money, or you need their expertise. Well, it seems we are past that point, and we both have different ideas on what to do next. So we decided “what to do next” …split up as partners. I am selling Carmel, The Montage, and Kahn’s Katering to Joe. This is a deal we are certain is best for us, and we really think it will be best for you also. Effective immediately, the Carmel store is NO LONGER a “Kahn’s” (he hasn’t told me the new name yet) and will not be included in any Kahn’s advertising or buying effective immediately. It is still on the building, but I am sure Joe will change that soon enough. Joe and I hope to continue to do Wine Events together at The Montage in the future and to never let business get in the way of our healthy, though all too infrequent, Golfing relationship. I wish nothing but the best for Joe in his endeavors and hope you will all wish him your best."

May 3 Three Floyd Dark Lord was a sellout. "The line was out of the parking lot and about 600ft down the street." We weren't there this year but Beer Advocate's newgroups are full of stories and pictures.

Two Brothers Project Opus 10 is coming out in a week or so. It's a "classic Kriek Lambic" aged in oak for 16 months. Both sweet and tart cherries "that provied the balance of tart, cherry, and oak that we were looking for." But there's not going to be much - might want to reserve some at your favorite store.

Remember that sunken ship of beer off the English coast? Canada had a similar find in 1974. A schooner (of course) found off Vancouver has 60,000 bottles of Rainier from 1899. That's gotta be a bit shudder-producing. In fact they say "It was pretty skunky". article

Fosters is coming out with a yellow-label 3.5% ABV version that they hope will appeal to the inner wussy in every Aussie. article

April 27 What's inside..... World Class Beverages Spring Sampler?? Click to find out.

April 26 Job Opportunity!!!!!

World Class Beverage has a job opportunity open.  We are now looking for an administrative assistant that can accomplish the following.

1)    Computer skills must be at a high level fluent in Micro Soft Outlook.  The more computer skills the better.

2)    People skills are extreme important as this position is the center of World Class Beverage operations.  So must be able to communicate to supplier’s retailer’s salespeople and consumers. 

3)    Must be able to do the physical side of occasionally moving beer both at retail and in the warehouse. 

4)    Must have some beer passion. 

5)    Organizational skills are imperative. 

6)    This position orders and coordinates all beer purchases across the country and the world.

7)    This position is located in Indianapolis and that person must live in the Indianapolis area.

8)    This position is available immediately. 

We have a great benefits package that includes insurance, 401 K, with a great company that has grown substantially in the last 5 years. 

If you have an in interest please send me an e-mail at

Jischembre@worldclassbeverages.com

April 25 Headline: "With Bocks, It’s All About the Malt" in the New York Times German beer prices go up because (shaking magic 8-ball) added VAT plus, oh yes, barley prices have doubled. Poor 2006 harvest and conversion of barley fields to grow "biofuel" crops. It would be funny but the civilized world is heading lemming-like toward burning food to feed cars. article

"Beer foam is a microstructure with complex interfaces. In other words: a cellular structure comprising networks of gas-filled bubbles separated by liquid." And that, children, is why Guinness head dissipates slowly. article

Coming events:

April 20 Just announced: Great Licks Craft Beer, Wine & Music Festival. Click for info!

April 19 Omar tells us he is tapping a second keg of IPA at Alcatraz on Thursday April 26, 7-9 pm. Be there!

April 18 Hot Shotz Ale & Grill gets press in the Indianapolis Star.

Bills that should pass this year:

Senate Bill 339 is the beer catchall bill that will define what kind of grocery store can sell alcohol and will prohibit more licenses for convenience stores. It also

"Allows the governor to issue an executive order waiving the hours of service restrictions regarding sales of alcoholic beverages on Sunday by retailers if the state or a municipality hosts an event that has the potential to benefit the state and local economy, and other criteria is satisfied. "

Hmmm. Looks like Indy is going to make a bid for a Super Bowl.

Senate Bill 394 makes it a class A misdemeanor to not return a keg within 120 days. It also allows in-store sampling of cider and malternatives in addition to beer, wine, and liquor. It also lets breweries deliver to the customer (although this should rarely happen).

House bill 1324 forbids scrap metal dealers from taking brewer's kegs.

A 2007 study by Clemson University found that the average American walks about 900 miles per year. Another study by the American Beer Institute found that Americans drink an average of 22 gallons of beer a year. That means, on average, Americans get approximately 41 miles per gallon - not bad! Thanks Neil

Last week a Russian fisherman was arrested for illegally entering Japan. He headed for shore in a dinghy to buy a case of beer and got caught.

Coming up next week:

April 11 The Brewers of Indiana Guild web site has a new, large Beer Dictionary that might be the most extensive on the web. It also includes some short biographies of important beer people through the ages. Enjoy. Send errata to Bob.

In Carmel, the Hot Shotz Ale & Grill's grand opening is finally upon us. This Saturday, April 14. 3pm onward. Eat a Jalapeño, get a $25 gift card. Jalapeño Eating Contest at 6pm. Band at 7pm. And a firkin of Barrelhouse Brewing's Double Dark IPA.

Calendar marking: Another beer festival is being cooked up by Upland and the French Lick Casino. Great Licks Craft Beer, Wine & Music Festival - French Lick Resort. Noon - 11pm. $25 for both days, $15 for one. May 11-12. For you old-timers, Johnny Rivers is playing on Friday.

If you haven't noticed, we're told United Package Liquors has bought Hamilton Beverage in Carmel.

Also if you haven't noticed, Clipper City's Holy Sheet 9% Belgian dark ale is priced the same as all their regular offerings. The one we had on tap at RichO's last weekend started out with a fresh wet concrete smell. Odd. The bottle we tried was excellent - candi sugar, fruitiness (applish), lots of alcohol. An age-friendly beer.

Now the Regenboog Guido 8% Belgian Dark was magnificent. Port wine nose. Solid malt attack with plenty of hops for a dry finish. Good luck finding more.

Schlenkerla's Fastenbier also on tap at Gravity Head is made with half smoked barley (instead of their usual 100% smoked recipe). It was not that much lighter in smoke but a bit lighter in body. Good enough to rave about but the Marzen is much more available and seems more suitable from Bamburg.

A trip to FOSSILS. That's the homebrew club based out of Rich O's / New Albanian. Last weekend they had their annual Magical Mystery Brew Competition. The members presented "Bread and Breakfast", a Belgian Rye, A Vanilla Root Beer Stout (strong stuff), a beer made with Cocoa Krispies, and Jim Frazier (right) had Tiger Juice Catnip Beer (made with half hops and half catnip). Barb Cotton (righter) took that and made Lavenderpurr dry-hopped with, you guessed it, lavender. All of the FOSSILS weird beers were pretty good. Glad to have been there.

Rick DeBar of BarrelHouse Brewing (Cinci) showed off his stuff including some small batches - a Belgian Winter Ale and Double Dark IPA. Thanks for driving, Matt.

There's a new homebrew shop in Indiana. Riley Ridge Supplies in Lanesville is just off I-64 west of New Albany. They have wine, beer, and canning stuff. We'll get down there soon for a full report. Meanwhile, contact Becky Riley at 812-952-2121.

In Indianapolis, a couple of businessmen are trying to start a company to buy up defunct but nostalgic alcohol brands "that your parents or grandparents once enjoyed, but that now languish." article

Stone Ruination is coming this year in 6-packs.

Boston Beer Co. has contracted to make Sam Adams at the Latrobe brewery (now owned by City Brewing). This shouldn't affect Sam Adams production in Cincinnati.

Leinenkugel has introduced Summer Shandy, a "mix of beer and lemonade".

Rumors have it Heineken has approached Scottish & Newcastle with a buyout offer. S&N stock went up 15% last week.

Headline: " A Fresh Future for Flat Old Beer". Quote: "Wine expert Oz Clarke called the (1869 vintage) Ratcliff Ale 'astonishing' and waxed lyrical about the taste of beef tea, reduced fish bouillon, jams, smoky charcoal and old leather wrapped in liquorice." article - And yes, that's 1869.

Coming events:

April 7 We attended and now report on Left Hand Brewing Company's beer dinner at Dunaway's.

April 6 Bob reports from the American Distilling Instute Conference. It seems microbreweries and microdistilleries are equally gaining ground.

April 5 Sad: Alabama rejects bill to allow beers of more than 6% ABV. Sadder: The quote "The only thing this bill will do is just get our young people dead a whole lot faster." article

April 4 Mark Mahon is back with a fried computer and some new "Adventures In Beerland"

April 3 RateBeer calls Three Floyds the best brewer in the world! Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout ranks as the 3rd best beer. They also have a list by style. Dreadnaught is the best IPA/IIPA, Alpha King is the best American Pale Ale, Behemoth Barleywine ranks 5th in Strong Ales. CONGRATULATIONS! bonus article

The Ohio State Fair may allow Ohio-brewed beer and wine to be sold. A meeting of the board of the Expositions Commission on April 25th should produce a yes or no to the question. This would not only allow breweries and wineries to have booths in the food pavilion but also at concerts. They may even start a over-21-only pavilion and might have a corporate sponsor. article

The Washington Post's March Madness beer brackets. Winner: Brooklyn Lager. In other news, Rolling Rock made it to the semi-finals.

April 2 Matt Dunn waxes poetic about This year's Gravity Head at New Albanian

April 1 We had very enjoyable visit to The Columbus Bar and are pleased that Jon Myers will soon be selling his beer. Click here!

March 28 Straight from Riverfront Stadium, BarrelHouse's RedLegg Ale is coming to Indiana. It used to be available only in keg but you can now enjoy the  Celebrate opening day on April 2nd with a 22oz American Amber. EKG hops and 4.9% ABV. article

Huh? "MALAYSIA — Customs officers seized 300 cases of fake beer and more than 1,000 cases of empty beer bottles in a raid on a factory outfitted with high-end machines to wash and label as well as bottle beer. The fake beer was said to be murky and unpleasant smelling and as authorities are not sure what ingredients went into the brew, consumers were urged not to be attracted by the lower prices if they found the stuff in local markets."

Yike. Kegs now cost about $128 each. They were about $96 a year ago. That's for an new, empty aluminum keg, not the beer inside.

Yuck. Dram Sandals - shoe inserts with "polyurethane encapsulated canteen in heel with screw cap".

BeerAdvocate now has 100,000 members.

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