• Indiana's legislature isn't doing anything this session so they haven't finished the process on a proposed law that will allow breweries to sell beer by the glass at the brewery. Not a big deal since this would affect only Back Road who isn't open to the public most days anyway - all the others have an attached brewpub, or will have when Three Floyds builds theirs this spring. But it did pass both houses (with an amendment tossed in by the Senate that they have food available). It probably will become law. Oh, and it also lets a person who owns a brewery to also hold an additional retailer's permit.
• The Big Red ticket won the Indiana University Student Association elections Thursday. Their campaign was based on getting a "wet" campus where beer and wine would be allowable in dorms. But they will probably still need to repaint the bridge north of 10th St on Jordan which was colored red with "WET" signs on it earlier this week.
  
  These from Mark Schiess of CIBAS.
• Michigan's legislature will allow bars to have lighted signs, something Indiana started allowing just about 10 years ago.
• Ireland will ban smoking in pubs effective March 29th. Yike.
• A brewery in China will start making Heineken this year.
• In Germany beer sales are down. Blamed on a 25¢ deposit on cans.
• An Iron Maiden concert (that's a band for you youngsters) in New York was ruined by beer. Just one glassful actually. Some yahoo tossed his down from a balcony and it landed on and shorted out the mixing board.

Replacing the Chocolate Rye is a Buchan's Scotch - an 80/ (shilling) Scotch Ale that came on tap last Thursday. It's brown copper, smooth, properly malty and warmingly sweet. Don't know if it goes with Pizza but that probably doesn't matter.

FOSSILS member, Bob Capshew's English brown porter was judged best last winter and he helped Mike brew a full batch at NABC where it is currently fermenting. When ready, there will be a release party for homebrewers with the grill going outside. No date set yet though.

The Brown Ale is aging in Oak for Gravity Head (Mar 12) and some will be held for Indiana State Fair judging. The sample we tried has obviously smoothed out by the oak with a hint of sweet vanilla that belies its strength (9%). It uses French pale and Vienna malts, Hallertauer and Goldings hops. Mike soured it a bit by leaving it in the open mash tun overnight before pitching the yeast.

Also on tap at RichO's: Kaiser Pre-prohibition Pilsner with 25% corn, Goldings and Fuggles bittering hops and Hallertauer for finish. Baltic Porter. Community Dark mild ale.

They hope to expand this summer to add a non-smoking family dining room attached to the south end of the bar. Currently they are 21+ only. The only hitch seems to be getting zoning approval for more parking space allotments.

They also plan an extensive Indy pub crawl sometime in early April. Again, contact Mark.

• The Sun reports the Ball Inn in South Yorkshire was saved from a charry death when a beer line melted and sprayed John Smith's Extra Smooth, dousing the flames.
• Rogue's 80° white rum is now being sold in the Portland area. 
• 10 Downing Street was once the site of the Axe Brewery owned by the Abbey of Abingdon. That was back in the 1500s.
• Leinenkugel's Big Butt "dopplebock" (which is really a porterish lager) is a seasonal only available through March.
• Back Road will have another season of Pecker Head Red out in a week or two.8.5% ABV. Only on tap so most of it will be in Northern Indiana and Michigan.
• Back Road's Aviator Dopppelbock will also be out and in 12oz bottles. And Charles plans a bock for on-tap accounts.
• Mid-march will see Mishawaka Brewing's Dominator Doppelbock.
• Two Brothers' French Country Ale will be available year round. Brown Fox is coming back this spring as well as their annual Monarch Wit.
• Piece Brewing over in Chicago will have Dolomite on tap in March. It's an 8% malt liquor with native Illinois corn and served in pints in a brown paper bag.
• Capitol City Brewing in Baltimore is making Constellation IPA, the official beer of the USS Constellation Civil War-era clipper ship.
• Capitol City also makes a "Imperial Bavarian Weizen" named Uberweizen. About 7% ABV.
• The PubCrawler beer review site has received a lawyer letter from Ropewalk Tavern in Baltimore threatening a lawsuit. The bar claims negative reviews posted by the public on PubCrawler has caused them to lose business. Bah.
• Oregon has the US's first prohibition law back in 1843. It was repealed in 1848.

Right now small canning lines are very labor intensive and it takes one person about a minute to fill and seal 12 cans.

Current canners include:

• Sherwood Forest - MA
• Oskar Blues Brewery - CO - available on Frontier Airlines flights.
• New England Brewing - CT

We'll let you know when any become available here, but right now you can find Kirin and Sapporo in cans and not much else interesting.

The Belgian Tripel at 9.5% has a big white head covering a golden ale. To style, the candy sugar used in the wort comes through. Ken is saving a few kegs back for this fall but we bet a couple of bottles will be sent to the State Fair judging and win a gold. Get some while you can as it won't become a regular since it doesn't match the OB's food menu of burgers, wraps, ribs, steaks, pastas, and shepherd's pie.

Coming up is a return of the Winter White since the first two batches went down such a corker - and a Mild based on the Session Ale. Leroy Brown and King Rudi are off-tap for the foreseeable future.

Also on the handpull is a cask conditioned barrel of BBC's Barleywine. It's brown with a hint of red and has a subtle, dark malt smell. The first taste has attacking sourness that may be unpleasant but grows on you. Our pull was the first of the day and your results may vary.

Stone's Old Guardian barley wine is a darkish copper with plenty of carbonation. It's big with hoppy malt smell that's even bigger than the bottled version. Once in the mouth the nice American hoppy dark malt taste is sharp and cheek puckering. Long, drying finish.

Our favorite of the day is the Chouffe N'ice. It's a dull walnut color that looks grainy like my wife's iced tea at home. If there's any nose, it's of fresh snow. Still and thick. The taste is smooth, clean, understated, and well balanced with some spicey hops. Goes down like water - especially for a 10%ABV beer. A+

• Food safety complaints rose 25% in China last year and the biggest complaint was beer bottles that exploded in the heat.
• In Poland, Polmos Zielona Gora has been called to task for attaching an English language course on DVD to it's bottles of Vodka. Seems there's a law prohibiting association of alcohol with culture in advertising. (During the Superbowl, that isn't the law, just how it works).
• Denver's Wynkoop Brewing has announced the 2004 Beerdrinker of the Year. It's John Marioni, 40yo, of Bothell, WA. The final 3 were separated by a heavy battery of questions. John gets lifetime free drinking at Wynkoop.  article
• John Marioni's quote: "Give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day; teach a man to fish, and he'll sit around drinking beer all day."
• And here's an article about a homebrewer and beer judge in Virginia.

Look for Grants Mandarin Hefeweizen bottles. It's a new, light American hefe with a bit of orange peel.. Big lace, a bit sweet. Full body for the style.

If you're a Weihenstephaner and a Rathskeller fan, ask for a Kristall or Original in the bottle which have joined the Hefe and Dunkle on tap. The president of the brewery may be in town this spring for a stop at the Rathskeller.

Coming up at BW3, Adnams' Broadside.

We hoped Rogue's Mexicali Rogue Ale would be a spiritual return of the wonderful Cerveza Calliente from Cave Creek and Minnesota Brewing. Sadly, it's a bland comparison where the Smoked Chipotle Peppers only mask the typical Rogue Cascade and Willamette hops. A nice beer but not in the same league as the original beer with jalapeño juice that left you wanting another beer to wash down the last.

Minnesota Brewing has ghost-brewed many theme beers such as McMahons Irish-Style Potato Ale, Pigs Eye, and Billary Beer (for Presidential Bottlers). Sadly, Cerveza Calliente wasn't taken seriously either.

• Monday: Gnaw Bone Pale Ale $2 Stuff yourself with ribs for $13.
• Tuesday: Cajun Gumbo and Shrimp Etoufee. $2 IPA
• Wednesday: Anyone wearing an Hawaiian shirt gets $3 off their meal. Razz Wheat is $2
• Thursday: Indiana Amber for $2. Fried Catfish.

They ran out of Elector Ale for two days and some customers panicked, starting a rumor that Elector wouldn't be brewed again. Signs of "Regime Change Now" were put down when the newest batch was unleashed after a couple of extra days aging.

Michael has prepared eight barrels of Haggisdaddy Stout and most will go into Woodford Reserve barrels to magically become Bourbondaddy about Kentucky Derby time (That's May 1st for us more northern Hoosiers).

The Legends will have a wider-than-normal variety of Stouts and some Celtic beers during March to show support for St. Patrick.

"On March 30, the pub will sponsor Wine 101, with the aim of teaching students the intricacies of selecting the right wine. In April, Legends will host an event about the etiquette of drinking in business situations. "

• Saint Rogue Red - Yeah, it's red. Yeah, it's hoppy. Big creamy head. Reds are usually more malty and sweet than Pale Ales and so is this one but it's really an IPA in the background. Toss out the style book.
• Anchor Liberty - A classic American IPA not often found on draft. Bright gold. A delicate pale but more effervescent. Swirl in the glass for some sulphur/skunk notes.
• Lost Coast Downtown Brown - Deep, deep brown. Really a earthy, roasty porter in our book. Lost Coast deserves recognition as one of the top breweries in America. A+
• Tennant's Lager
• Three Floyds Alpha King
• Bell's Amber and Two-Hearted.
• And the normal Belgian line-up.

Tonight is a Mug Club event under the Rock to welcome in Schwarz Hacker Black Lager. Also today, a Penn Station is opening next door the the Rock Bottom.

Right now Traveling John's Best Bitter is on the hand pull. This cask conditioned ale uses all fresh Fuggle hops. It is clear copper, fresh, warm, and very hoppy. The floral notes can be accented by swirling in your glass. Not a session beer at all - very very similar to a true English Bitter from the west country. A+

On tap: Redhook, Weihenstephan, Fullers, Arrogant Bastard, Two-Hearted, Robert the Bruce, Newkie Brown, and Mad Anthony's Old Woody masquerading as "Dick's Pale Ale". In bottles: Chimay, Stone Smoked Porter, and Young's Dirty Dick. Oh, and the BBQ isn't bad either.

- Larry Bell, Kalamazoo Brewing.

This site brand new, It has just replaced IndyBeer.com.
If you find any errors, please tell Bob about it. Thank you.

We also spotted some new Avery beers in 22oz bottles.

• Salvation - a Belgian Strong Golden Ale. 9% ABV.
• The Reverend - a Belgian Quadrupel Ale. 10% ABV
• Hog Heaven - an American Barleywind wuing Columbus hops. 9.2% ABV.

Last night, Easley's hosted the Foam Blowers of Indiana mead tasting and Ben Tackitt of Easley's shared his home-made dry Ethiopian Tej, a mead spiced with Gesho bark. Aren't you sorry you missed it? In actuality it was very good as was his sweet, spicy Braggot medieval mead/beer.

Ayinger Oktoberfest
Guinness
Oaken Barrel Razz Wheat
Rathskeller Amber (we think from Sprecher)
Reissdorf Kölsch
Spaten Optimator and Lager
Warsteiner Isenbeck and Pilsner
Weihenstephaner Hefe Weiss and Hefe Dunkel
Woodchuck Cider

Coming up, a pilsner with Mt. Hood and US Goldings. Then a reformulated Red with Maris Otter and Munich malts. Early April will see an IPA that has been made with Sean Tucker. It also uses Maris Otter and Munich malts but with Simcoe and Cascade hops.

We all wish Omar well with his impending knee surgery.

Mid March will see an 8% Scottish. Yep. It's the return of Wee Creature. Mid April, a Maibock.

March 16th the Ram will have a Brewer's Dinner. Details TBA.

Bourbondaddy will be back in April.

Coming up at Rock Bottom: a Dry Irish Stout. In late March: Fire Chief Irish Red Lager. May: American Wheat Ale. June: A Malt Liquor - yep, a strong malt-n-corn Colt 45 but even stronger. They will also host a Chef & Brewers Dinner - a 5-course meal paired with 5 house beers.

Hint: Upland, Lafayette, Barley Island, Mad Anthony, Three Floyds, Duneland, Broad Ripple, Back Road, Main Street, New Albanian are among the commercial brewers represented.

Duneland has a problem with the lines from the serving tanks to the taps and this causes their beers to gain some funky dactyl notes over time. Get Barb's fresh beers though and you'll be happy.

At the Chicago Brewpub Shootout, Aberdeen won a medal for best food.

This year's Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine is at Kahn's and on tap at BW3 downtown. Chalkies also has a keg to put on later. Thirteen cases also can be found at the Liquor Stop in Highland for you Chicago readers.

Coming in March: Weihenstephan Korbinian dopple bock.

Scotty's and Chumley's in Lafayette (only) have Arrogant Bastard on tap. The Legends of Notre Dame will have it by this weekend.

Also coming up on the Legends taps, Rogue Mocha Porter, an offering from Barley Island, and Victory Hop Devil and Storm King!

Barley Island will bottle some of their Bourbon barrel-aged stout in 22oz bottles for local consumption. On their hand pull right now is a limited 10 gallon run of Spiced Ale with allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Vine Liquors on University Dr in Mishawaka has 20 cases of this year's Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale on sale for $4.88 a 6-pack, $17.88 a case.

We spotted 2 dusty 6-packs of CircleV Muddy Water brown on the shelf at the Trail Inn liquor store in Valparaiso. Not recommended.

The Fiddler's Hearth in downtown South Bend has Belhaven Scottish on a nitro tap. Creamy of course and very rare to find on tap. Also try their Scotch eggs and Des Trifle (white chocolate bread pudding).

Three Floyds may start construction on their brewpub next week (but they are really, really busy). It could conceivably open in May.

Look for 3 Floyds' Gumball Head in late April or early May. They are going to have it out in 22oz bottles also.

Recipe for 5 gallons.

Bottled when fermentation was complete. OG: 1107

1) In Muncie, a new Chuck E. Cheese got a 2-way (beer and wine) license. They say "There is a segment of customers who like to have a glass of wine with their meal, but it's not the focus of our business." IndyBeer editorial: That's just wrong. They're justifying selling beer at kid's birthday parties. That in itself isn't necessarily wrong but they are implying their clientele are wine drinkers - and that's just duplicitous. article

2) The IPD and the mayor of Indianapolis went nuts after a cop had an accident and a BAC of .017 (50% over being drunk and 100% over being legally drunk). So now no city worker with a car who may be called in to work can't drink anything ever. That would seem to include supervisors at the DOT, DPW, etc. Carrie Nation must be proud of the power neo-prohibitionists have over our government. article

3) That same cop with the .017 BAC got a 10 day suspension. If it was you or me, it would have been a 1-year license suspension, a bunch of fines and court costs, and addiction classes. article

• Bluegrass Barley Wine - on the hand pull.
• Chouffe N'Ice
• Rogue Mocha Porter
• Bells Consecrator Dopplebock - Red copper with a big tan head. Strong malty nose. Well balanced. Not as pushy as many dopples. Spaten Optimator is also on tap if you want to try them side by side.
• Corsendonk Christmas Ale is still on by the way.
• Stone's Old Guardian barley wine will go on tap next week.
• And there's a new JW Lees Harvest Ale on the handpull. The keg Mike DeWeese  has kept hidden away is finally out. The Lagavulin-oak-aged keg full of malt, hops, and other chewy liquid nutrients.

Last night, 14 guys from World Class Beverages, Merchant du Vin, Avery Brewing, and Scottish Newcastle had an informal 59-beer tasting of aged, strong beers. Some dated back to 1983. But the star of the show was Mike's Lagavulin-oak aged JW Lees Harvest Ale in a pitcher from the handpull. It's just that good.

• Apple Ale. 100+ Gallons of local apple cider were added to the wort. Plenty of apple but not cidery sharp and without an apple burp. Effervescent. Blue/yellow of a Berliner Weiss. They say a half-and-half with the Raspberry Ale is popular but I didn't try it.
• Snow Plowed Winter Ale (also at Auburn location). Dark copper. A classic strong ale - just look at the style guidelines A+ Stuff.
• Imperial IPA. Medium copper with little head. 9% ABV and 60+ IBU. Very little hop aroma but the first hit on the tongue brings white knuckles. It grows on you fast but sip it slowly. Take a bathroom break. Then come back for another first sip and delightfully shudder all over again. Chinook, Cascade, Willamette hops and dry hopped with Chinook. Not grapefruity.
• Unveiled today: Imperial Stout. The pre-release taste I had was so very black with a pure brown, long lasting head. Thick on the side of the glass. Nice mouthfeel. Subdued malts and very balanced. Minimal roasty grain without darker notes. 1092 OG. 8.7% ABV. 55 IBU from Fuggles and Chinook hops.

They are out of the Luna Lager but have all the other regulars on tap including the yummy Oyster Stout - which "should last another 3 months". Good stuff. Black, thick, and Imperial Milk Stout.

On Sundays, 10oz mugs of beer are $1.

There is at least one good beer store in Ft. Wayne. After browsing a dozen, the only good one I could find was the Belmont Beverages at Dupont and Coldwater road on the north side. Truly one of the best in the state with 500+ titles. 7 interesting doors and quite a lot of warm shelving. Oh, and they sell Mad Anthony's beers at $6.49 a 6-pack (It's $7.50 at the brewery).

Scott's Groceries are supposed to have good beer selections and the one on South Ind 27 will have a Belmont's built across the parking lot. The one at State & St. Mary's is changing their movie rentals area into a wine and beer niche. We'll see if they stock many titles.

Besides Mad Anthony's, the only acceptable beer bar I found in Ft. Wayne is the Munchie's Emporium at 2910 Maplecrest Rd. 9 taps and 20 interesting bottles. $2 specials on Thues, Wed, and Fri.

Stopped in the Heorot in Muncie Tuesday. Great place. Beowulf*-themed bare wood true beer bar owned by a real enthusiast. Live music on weekends. Very little food. If you can't find your favorite beer here, you can't find it. 50 taps and 300 bottles. Had two very rare beers:

HopBack Entire Stout. Brewed in one of England's most successful brewpubs in Salisbury. 4.5% ABV bottle conditioned. Very rich and toasty. Not really chocolaty but much of the same type of attitude.

1995 Sam Adams Triple Bock. Still strong with plum and raisin. Thick stuff. Will age 8 more years no doubt. Who were we to know at the time that it was a bargain? At about 4 servings per bottle, it still is at the Heorot. The aftertaste lasted right through a Kölsch and a later pizza.

* And no, that link isn't to Amazon.com

One filed in Washington, DC, cites Coors promotions tied to PG-13 rated Scary Movie 3 as well as the cartoonish Captain Morgan character. It also names makers of Heineken, Mike's Hard Lemonade, Bacardi, Brown- Forman, and the Beer Institute of Washington, DC. article

The other was filed in California and asks for $4 billion. In this suit AB and SABMIller are the only defendants at this time. article

Follow up:

Wow. we've been told <grin>. here's more info: AAB article. Nuvo article. It's a world-wide phenomenon. Thanks Bush Driver, Bradi, Matt

• Coors has axed Hooper's Hooch. Back in the malternative days of 1998 it sold 81M bottles.
• Guinness makes Draught Stout for Ireland, Great Britain, Australia, Canada and the US at the St. James's Gate brewery in Dublin. For the rest of they world they make "Guinness 'essence' - a viscous, black malt extract - and ship it in MG Mini-sized plastic containers to Guinness breweries around the globe where it is made into Guinness Foreign Extra Stout."
• Charilie Papazian on Three Floyds Dreadnaught: "WOWWWW! Hops in the aroma. Hops in the flavor and Hops in my head! I am in the September fields of Yakima! This is not a beer. It is an experience! If you like hops, you must seek this beer. Full flavored, full strength, full of hops and enchanting dreams. A palate-pleaser for hopheads. This is not a beer for wusses. Excuse me while I swallow."
• We may see 22 oz bottles of MacTarnahan's beers and and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
• Rogue's latest is an Imperial Pilsner at 8.8% ABV. It comes in 750ml swingtops.
• As if Sans Coulottes wasn't enough, now there's a Nude Beer with a peel-off label.
• Carbs come from grain and sugar. So does calories. You make beer lighter by either using less fermentables, watering it down, or using more aggressive yeast and then water it down. The later is the most often used.