Tuesday - Castleton: Were told Chalkies will host a tasting of Barley Island's Brass Knuckle Stout. Nope, make that Anheuser Bush's Bare Knuckle Stout. 5-7pm. Thanks again Destiny

Saturday - Carmel (Indy North): Kahn's will have tastings of Gourmet Beers available. 11am-4pm. (also Cabernets)

Saturday - Fishers (Indy North): Mini-Sensory Evaluation class. Taste 18 or more flaws that can be found in beers. 2-6pm. Payless Liquors on 96th. Put on by Bob Ostrander with expert analysis by several homebrewers and professionals. See what Oxidation, Diacytl, Lactic, Band Aid and many more taste like, what went wrong, and how to avoid these problems. Free, but we'll collect an optional $10 donation for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Please RSVP so we can get an approximate count. Pub crawl to follow.

Saturday - Muncie: Upland is sponsoring a Jennie DeVoe Christmas Concert. 8pm at the Center Stage (a block south of the Heorot. Tickets are $15, Students, $10.

• Camerons Long Leg English Fuggles Hop Ale - golden yellow. Nice hop background. Could be creamier. The label and name refer to the practice of picking hops while wearing stilts.
• Fantome De Noel - hazy muddy brown that gets muddier as it reaches the bottom due to suspended sediment. Excellent spicy Belgian strong ale. 10% ABV. Herbal floral with candi sugar.
• North Coast Wintertime Ale - orange with an ivory head. A hearty ale with plenty of toasty malt and even some pepper.
• Anchor Xmas (Our Special Ale) 2003 - Pleasant spicienss includes resin, sage, rosemary and other stuff. At 5.5% ABV last year's offering is ready to drink.
• La Choulette De Noel - French Biere de Garde style. A bit of acidic sourness (ruity vinegar) is distracting. This example wasn't worthy of a $10 beer. 7% ABV.
• Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout - light in body with a surprisingly intense roasted malt aroma and taste. Sweet and bitter are well balanced and both present.
• George Gale's Millennium Brew - Brewed in 1997 for release in 1999. The 10% ABV and heavy hopping have kept this beer for 5 more years. (I'd picked up about 6 of these on a closeout table a couple of years ago). Just right for drinking with prunes and acidic sourness tames but not mushed into just one flavor. Remember it being more complex but harsh before. It's about time to drink and enjoy these.

This year, the brewery calls their 9.5% ABV Belgian brown Rude Elf's Reserve.

In hopefully not-to-be-related news, Main Street Brewery's Rudolph's Revenge 11.5% ABV Belgian Golden Strong Ale will be out by Christmas - it was brewed in September.

Upland is sponsoring a Jennie DeVoe Christmas Concert 8pm on December 4th. Tickets are $15, Students, $10.

Indy

Meanwhile, Jason of the downtown Indy BW3 will open a Dick's at Penn and Market in February. It will have fewer taps and no separate bar but plenty of bottled beer.

The BridgePort brewpub in Portland will close at Christmas for a 10-month renovation. This is one of the best and oldest (1986) brewpubs in the country offering a large choice of Real Ales. The brewery will continue bottling beers (which don't reach Indiana). article

SABMiller forecasts a 28% rise in 6-month profits due to high sales of Miller in the U.S. Much of the rise is credited to the new 12-pack "Fridge" format and they will be releasing a similar 2-can wide 18-pack in January. "The Fridge Pack 18 is yet another example of Miller's commitment to offer beer drinkers better beer choices. Fridge Packs are sturdier and 30 percent thicker than soft drink packs; offer a clean, perforated edge for opening on both sides and a racetrack handle."

St. Bernardus 8 (sweet malt), Bell's Trumpeter Stout (woody, burnt), Dopplebock (strawberry), Batch 6000 (not ready), Batch 5000 (smoother), Gales Xmas (cherry fruit), Jubilee (smooth, A+), Sierra Nevada Bigfoot (mellowed), DeDoole Oerbier Reserva (A++), North Coast Old Stock (sweet start, hoppy finish), Sam Adams Chocolate Bock (chocolate has dissipated with time),  Triple Bock (prune thickness is still there and mellowing), Anchor Xmas 99 (spiced pre-pine release).

Shallos has Left Hand Milk Stout on tap. Also bottled Bells Winter White, Delirium Tremens, Anchor Christmas 2003, Rockies Never Summer, Anderson Valley Winter Solstice.

Oaken Barrel will have a Cherry Ale on next week. 250 lbs of sweet dark and red tart cherries. Mid December Ken will have a fresh Barley Wine on tap. Also for Christmas: a bit of last year's Belgian Triple and Barley Wine - check often to find out when as these will go quick.

Alcatraz's Hoosier Honey Malt Liquor just hit the tap line. 900lb of barley, 100 lb of corn, and a touch of honey. Willamette hops, a 2 hour boil and 2 months of fermentation. 6.8% ABV. Tastes like a slightly alcoholic Light. Omar always seems to produce a dangerous beer when there's an English Teacher's convention in town.

Ram's Novemberfest is a lightly smoked Rauchbier based on a Marzen. Coming in early December: a Jack Daniels barrel aged Oktoberfest. Old Jack's Blizzard will be reincarnated for Christmas. In January, Dave's Caribbean Stout will return, this year with more coffee notes.

BW3 downtown has Bell's Oatmeal Stout. There current daily specials include

Mon: $3.25 pints
Wed $3.25 Indy micros
Thur: $3.75 Stone and Rogue pints
Fri: $3.75 Mad Anthony
Sat: $3.50 Red Hook 20ozers
Sun: $3.25 Red Hook pints

Rock Bottom's new Miracle Ale is an IBA. Yep, those aren't types. It's a bitter hoppy brown that's thick and dark and maintains some sweetness with some sharp edges. Dustin's first Light Lager just came out and it's excellent. He plans to move it toward a more Pilsner style in the future.

Payless Liquors on 96th has some Atlantic beers from Bar Harbor - Island Ginger and "Real Ale". Also Cantillon Saint Lamvinus made with wine, La Choulette De Noel, Avery Old Jubilation, Great Lakes Christmas Ale, and Anchor Christmas 2003.. Also some from Brasserie de Blaugies - Biere Darbyste, La Moneuse, and Saison dEpeautre.

Chalkies house lager is from Christian Moerlein - $2/16oz, $8/pitcher. Also on tap: BBC American Pale, Alpha King, Mad Anthony Auburn, Winterhook, Upland Bad Elmer's Porter and more (below). Coming up: Cantillon Grand Cru and cask conditioned Red Hook IPA.

Pax Witte - Proper blue yellow. Stone white creamy head. Mild to style and very clean. Yum.

Arrogant Bastard aged in an Oak Cask (Oak Bastard) - Ruddy red. Light tan head. Sharp as usual but less sweet without masking by the hops. Mellower. Marv sagely says "More adult-like".

Bruegel (Amber) from Van Steenberge - Cider yellow. Bit white head. Big balanced, sour, malt, citrus. Good stuff. Reminiscent of Chimay Blue.

Broad Ripple Brewpub has Big Boy Beer on the handpull served in 10oz glasses. It's a mild, mature barleywine with serious alcohol notes. Balanced without bitterness or biting. Recommended.

Tuesday some aged New Albanian beers will pop up in limited quantity including Bourbondaddy, Solidarity, Silent Oath, Bourbon Barrel Bob's 15B, and Stumble Bus.

NABC expects to add 2 new fermenting and 4 conditioning tanks in December, doubling their capacity.

Read about White Lightning at the New Belgium Brewery.

Randy Thiel, brewmaster at Ommegan in Cooperstown, has been made a Knight of the Brewer's Guild in Brussels. He's the first American inducted into the Chevalerie du Fourquet des Brasseurs.

Fuller's Vintage Ale will reappear this year at a probable list of $10/bottle. It's a bottle conditioned ale with Maris Otter malt and Goldings hops. They say it's very fruity this year with a cherry note and is suitable for laying down.

Some tastings

• Anchor Porter - brown head. Light for a porter but not unrobust. There's some roasty notes.
• Allagash Dubbel - mahagony color. Light aroma. Dark malt, sweet taste. Worth maturing for a year. Available in 12 and 22 oz bottles. 7% ABV.
• Anderson Valley Hop Ottin IPA - orange with heavy rocky head if poured right. Very hoppy American IPA. In fact hops cover all the malt. 7% ABV.
• Grimbergen Double - Belgian abbey dubbel. Mahogany. Good carbonation. Sweet malt and caramel are the strongest characteristics.

Thursday: Beaujolais Nouveau release day.

Saturday - Indy: Tasting of Old Pogue Masters Select with owner Peter Pogue. Kahn's Keystone store. Noon-2pm.

"Thanks for the nice review of Old Pogue "Master's Select" on your website (10/28). We are glad you enjoyed it. While we are from Kentucky and maintain our homebase there we have lots of Indiana ties. One thing I might mention, however, is that our bourbon is not distilled by and has no connection to Jim Beam. Our distillery is in Bardstown but is no in ay way affiliated with Jim Beam (which is a mega conglomerate owned by a foreign corporation). We are a small family owned distillery pure Kentucky. Thanks again."

Our apologies for getting that wrong earlier. We should have looked at www.oldpogue.com.

Back Road's Christmas ale this year will be a double chocolate Stout with Perle hops at 8.8% ABV. In January Chuck will have Peckerhead Red Ale out with Warrior hops and 8.3% ABV.

Lafayette Brewing will release Holiday Ale (Scottish) on Dec 4. They won't be brewing anything from Jan 2 through 10 while new floor and drain systems are installed but they WILL be open for food and drink.

Mad Anthony will have Old Crippled Bastard barleywine in December and Snow Plowed Winter Ale in January.

Mishawaka Brewing will have a Russian Imperial Stout out in early December followed by Resolution Ale. Grumpy's Oatmeal Stout and Hophead Ale will follow in January.

Ella Rose was born on Nov 8th to Rick and Tami Schmidt.]

Three Floyds will have Young Sportsman Wit available in early December.

Whoops, we reported (11/1) Pete McNamara has brewed his Hideaway Brown but that isn't so. Upland will brew it on Nov 19th. It will still be out by Christmas in bottles.

• New start-up, Keweenaw Brewing Co in Houghton, just down the block from The Library, will be distributing their beer in cans starting early next year.
• A test by Ted Carrier showed Bud Light to be the best tasting megabrew but Stroh's came in first when the tasting was done "blind" and Bud Light came in 9th of 10 beers tested.

According to their website, the only Prohibition party member currently holding any office is Jim Hedges, Tax Assessor for Thompson Township, Fulton County, PA.

In 1904, Silas Swallow got 258,596 votes for president, 1.9% of the total.

Besides the super-conversational atmosphere, one special feature of the evening get-togethers is the beers that are available their that never hit the street. Dark Lord comes on in early spring and the brewery routinely brews small test batches or just flings. Last Friday there was:

• Alpha Khan Mongolian Pale Ale - very solid but not 3 Floyds hoppy. Instead a spicy background includes cinnamon, pine, pepper, and plenty of balanced caramel. 7/5% ABV
• Precious Oatmeal Stout - thick, rich, black with a dark brown head. Very much to style. 6% ABV.
• Alpha Klaus 2004. The new Alpha Klaus is very similar to last year's and might even be hoppier.

The brewpub is progressing slowly and certainly won't open until spring. The floor is in.

Barley Island's Bourbon Barrel Oatmeal Stout, Indianapolis Rock Bottom's Hoosier Ma Bourbon Export Stout, and Three Floyds' Alphanaut Imperial IPA were among 55 beers available.

We really liked Mickey Finn's 3 John's Barleywine and loved Sam Adams Utopia. 3000 bottles of Utopia, you may remember was released in 24oz copper bottles at $100 per bottle. They sent a small keg to this party. Wow. 24% ABV. Thick, viscous, cognac. Way past beer.

Across the street at Sam's Liquors:

• Oban 32yo cask strength (1969). $350
• Springbank 36yo (1967) 80°: $390
• Bowmore aged in a claret cask: $85
• Bowmore 17yo: $63
• Bowmore cask strength: $54
• Bowmore Mariner 15yo: $52

Tuesday - West Dundee, IL: Emmett's Tavern & Brewing Company Brewmaster's Dinner. 7pm.

Thursday - Ann Arbor: Arbor Brewing Belgian Tasting. 7pm-9pm. $25 incl sampling, appetizers, door prizes.

Friday - Lafayette: FARK.com Party at Chumley's

Saturday - Carmel: Tasting of Old Pogue Masters Select with owner Peter Pogue. Kahn's Noon-2pm. Will be repeated on November 20th at the Keystone store.

Saturday - Chicago: Chicago Beer Society Fall Tasting and Dinner.

War Bird is, of course, Dave Holmes' brainchild and as soon as distribution is certain, their T6 Red Ale will be available in stores in at least Northern Indiana. We had one of the first batch and it's a nice, lightish, almost delicate Red Ale with Saaz hops and good conditioning and carbonation.

You'll remember Matt from the Oyster Bar, Upland, and Columbus OH's Elevator in the last year. His Oyster Stout was stuff of legend. Dave asked him to consult on the setup at War Bird in Ft. Wayne and the two came to terms for a happy marriage.

Canned beer? Yep. Makes good sense. Pools, beaches, racetracks, picnics, hiking, golf courses. Glass just isn't appropriate. Can's are absolutely light-proof, cool quicker, are lighter, cheaper, and any prejudices you have about "metallic taste" are just dead wrong. Warbirds' Hunter Nelson canning line worked well first time out and slung nicely carbonated beer out the exit chute as fast as they could stack them.

In the future, Dave plans P51 Pale Ale, B25 Brown, and P47 Wheat. Meanwhile the Red will also be distributed in kegs for on-premise accounts and their 18-BBL system should produce enough to make War Bird a respected name in Indiana.

Travis, Matt, and Dave

On tap in Ft. Wayne: Oktoberfest - clean and tasty. Porter - creamy and toasty. On tap starting today: an American Red. Their IPA and Porter will be coming out in bottles - huzzah.

We're on a field trip to Dark Horse, Arcadia, Bells, New Holland, Three Floyds, and a finish at the Festival of Wood and Barrel-aged beer in Chicago Saturday. Expect a big update on Sunday or Monday.

We confidently report success of the Democrats and Republicans to keep the United States of America from 4 years of Presidential leadership by Gene Admondson, the candidate of the Prohibition Party.

Based on exit polling taken by IndianaBeer.com at one precinct in Marion County, Indiana, we predict the Admondson/Pletten ticket will be soundly defeated by an even bigger margin than in 2000 when the party got 208 votes nationwide.

Our analysis shows quite a few reasons for this failure, among the biggest 1) the party is split into two factions - one led by Amondson who was on the ballot only in Colorado - the other led by Earl Dodge who makes a living selling campaign buttons and is also only on the ballot in Colorado, effectively splitting what dry votes there are in a state where Pete Coors is running for Senator.

This year's Double Bastard and Oaked AB shipment is on a truck somewhere between here and San Diego.

• Allagash Grand Cru - Belgian ale. malty with some fruit and spice notes. 7.2% ABV.
• Anderson Valley Winter Solstice - caramel and crystal malts. Vanilla, orange, nutmeg.
• Avery Old Jubilation - strong ale with hazelnuts, mocha, and toffee notes.
• Anchor Christmas Ale - Both 2003 and 2004 issues will be offered this year.
• Bell's Winter White - American wheat using hefe and Belgian yeasts to give it some Wit character.
• Delirium Noel - Belgian strong ale with caramel, candy sugar, fruit, spices, and 10% ABV that shows through.
• Flying Dog K-9 Cruiser - English strong ale. Malty.
• Great Lakes Christmas Ale - Roast and crystal malt, wheat, honey, cinnamon, ginger and Cascade hops.
• La Chouffe - tangy, spritzy, heavily carbonatated, spicy. Bottle conditioned. Floral aftertaste. Classic. 8% ABV.
• Mendocino Talon Barley Wine - orange color. Alcohol comes through along with salt. 10.5% ABV.
• Miraculous Jewbelation - Yep, another funny named beer from HeBrew. This an 8% strong ale with lots of malty notes mixed with lots of other notes (licorice, bread, acid, caramel).
• North Coast Old Stock Ale - Maris Otter and Fuggles come together to make a 11.4% barley wine. One of our favorites.
• Pyramid Snow Cap - English winter warmer. 7% ABV. Spice and fruit.
• Rogue Chocolate Stout - bittersweet chocolate. Oats in the mash for smoothness.
• Rogue Santa's Private Reserve - really the St. Rogue Red but with a double helping of hops.
• Rogue Yellow Snow - "Brewed with Northwest Harrington, Crystal Triumph, C-15 and Maier Munich Malts; Amarillo and Styiran Golding Hops, Free Range Coastal Water, Top Fermenting Pacman Yeast, and whole Juniper Berries."
• Rockies Never Summer - black IPA with spice and coffee notes and plenty of hops.
• Sam Smith Winter Welcome - The original and classic. A bit sweet and a bit floral.
• Samichlaus - once again, this batch was brewed 12/6/2003.
• Shipyard Winter Ale - American wheat. A winter ale in name only.
• Three Floyd's Alpha Klaus - the world's hoppiest porter last year will have Mexican molasses this year.
• Upland Winter Warmer - barley wine. Rich flavor and aroma. Plenty of bitterness.
• Young's Winter Warmer - Complex fruit and candy with a big finish.

and we'll also see some mead's such as the annual Lurgashall Christmas Mead.

BTW, It looks as if the next batch of Three Floyd's Dreadnaught won't hit the streets until March.

• La Chouffe - tangy, spritzy, heavily carbonatated, spicy. Bottle conditioned. Floral aftertaste. Classic. 8% ABV.
• Dogfish Head Midas Touch - Brewed with barley, grapes, and honey. Lots going on and everyone seems to get something different from this beer. spicey, earthy, tree sap, sweet, gum, alcohol, grapes. Polarizing beer. 9% ABV.
• Royal Oak - Back after a few year's absence when the Cornwall brewery shut down. Now brewed in Hanlon's brewery in Devon to specs of Phoenix Imports in Arizona. This was once a great pale ale with strong hints of wood but this incarnation lacks much of that character, maybe because it is now bottle conditioned and the bready yeast notes prevail.
• Ambar Especial - middle of the road golden lager. Tame rain from Spain but without any flaws.
• Stone Sawyer's Triple - restrained yet powerful, balanced, in your face pale ale. Serious and complex with some Belgian candi sugar and spice notes. They say it's a Belgian Golden Triple strong ale but, while the use of Belgian yeasts is evident, it would not rate highly if entered in a homebrew contest in that category. Still, a delightful drink.
• JW Lees Harvest Ale (Lagavulin cask) - (see 10/28 also) - a similar disappointment as the color is lighter and the thick richness isn't present that we treasure when poured from the wooden cask. So we also tried an aged JW Lees Harvest Ale and now are pretty sure these wood-aged beers need to be laid down for a few years.
• JW Lees Harvest Ale (1988) - complex, thick, raisin, dark fruit, sticky. Still not as smooth as downtown but just as aggressive. It may be that this bottle was past its prime (rusted cap and floaters indicate air leakage).