Mark's Adventures in Beerland
Hello again to all those in beer land. Well it is that time again.... Time for me to get off my lazy ass and put pen to paper....as it were and pass on what I have been up to.
First I want to appologize....I had this awesome article just about complete about last month's Lafayette Brewing Company's Winter Warmer.
I spent alot of time gathering info calling or visiting many of the brewers that were going to be there, complete with pics, etc..then the unthinkable....my computer died a horrible death! motherboard cooked...Processor fried...big old blue screen of death. So I lost alot of files that I had not yet backed up. So now i'm relying on my laptop to get me through until I can rebuild my system and hopefully reclaim some of the files on my hard drive.
So now you get the shortened version of the Winter Warmer.
  
Present were
Alcatraz
Back Road
Barley Island
Broadripple Brew Pub
Brugge Brasserie
Lafayette Brewing Company
Mad Anthony
Rock Bottom Downtown
Rock Bottom College Park
Shoreline
Flying Dog ,sponsored by Controller Services
There was also a table for THC (Tippecanoe Homebrewing Circle) again this year.
I did some pouring for Liz at the Rock Bottom College Park table. It is something I really enjoy doing. I know that is pitifully short, but without my notes, it is the best I can do.
As has been previously reported Brian Graham recently reopened the former Dick's BBQ as Hot Shotz Ale and Grill. I had a chance to check the place out prior to it's official opening. This is an upscale type of place with excellent food. I mean it's not your nornal pub fare! But as usual, Brian has an outstanding selection of draft and bottled beer. So if you haven't checked it out yet, there's no time like the present.
Mike Deweese, owner and beer god of the downtown BW3's held one of his famous beer tastings, on Mar 3rd. None of the beers sampled were for the weak of heart. Sampled were
Goose Island Matilda 8%
Stone Verticle Epic '04 8%
Oaked Arrogant Bastard 7%
Rogue Mogul Ale '05 7%
Delirium Noel 10%
Two Brothers Hop Juice 10% Handpull
Gales Prize Old Ale '97 9%
Gales Prize Old Ale '96 9%
Goulden Carolus Noel 11%
HeBrew Jewbilation 10 10%
Schlafly Coffee Stout 6%
Brooklyn Chocolate Stout 10%
Since MIke had extra, I picked up a bottle of the '96 and '97 Gales Prize Old Ale to add to the '95 I already have in my cellar! As some you may have heard Mike is planning on getting rid of the BW3 franchise sometime in May or June. But don't panic! After a little remodling, he will be back in business with a new place called...wait for it...Bodda Boomz. Same great beer, but with a different atmosphere and better food! I was contacted by Bob Zeuner, Manager Vintage Spirits recently, in regards to checking out a new liquor store in Noblesville. It is located on Hague Rd. It is kind in an out of the way location, near the lake, but it's easy to find. I went incognito on my first visit, just to check the place out, as an every day Joe. The beer coolers were along the entire back wall, with craft/micro beer, however they were intermingled with alot of Macro...ie BMC....and Malternatives. They have a decent selection, quite a few Belgians, and a big selection of Unibroue products. The majority of the singles available were the 22oz, 750's, and 500ml bottles. Everything else was in sixers....pity, singles are always appreciated especially when trying new beer. Who wants to by a six pack of something, then find out you don't like it! The other thing I noticed was there wasn't any warm craft/micro beer sitting around. Now thats a plus! Overall this is a decent store and will be added to Indianabeer.com in the coming months.
I stopped in at Barley island after leaving Vintage Spirits, for a pint of Black majic....but alas they were out! Bummer....and the bartender passed on that he didn't think there was any left. I didn't get a chance to talk to Jon to verify this. But if it's true whatever you see on the shelves is it till the fall.Well that's all I have for you today. But remember, the weather is getting nicer...that means we are getting into the beer festival season! My favorite time of the year! Until we meet again, I'll leave you with this
Beer Facts
It was the accepted practice in Babylonia 4,000 years ago that for a month after
the wedding, the brides father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he
could drink. Mead is a honey beer, and because their calendar was lunar based, this
period was called the "honey month" or what we know today as the "honeymoon".
Before thermometers were invented, brewers would dip a thumb or finger
into the mix to find the right temperature for adding yeast. Too cold,
and the yeast wouldn't grow. Too hot, and the yeast would die. This
thumb in the beer is where we get the phrase "rule of thumb".
In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So in old England, when
customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them to mind their own
pints and quarts and settle down. It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's".
Beer was the reason the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. It's clear
from the Mayflower's log that the crew didn't want to waste beer looking
for a better site. The log goes on to state that the passengers "were hasted
ashore and made to drink water that the seamen might have the more beer".
After consuming a bucket or two of vibrant brew they called aul, or ale,
the Vikings would head fearlessly into battle often without armor or
even shirts. In fact, the term "berserk"; means "bare shirt" in Norse,
and eventually took on the meaning of their wild battles.
In 1740 Admiral Vernon of the British fleet decided to water down the
navy's rum. Needless to say, the sailors weren't too pleased and called
Admiral Vernon "Old Grog", after the stiff wool grogram coats he wore.
The term "grog" soon began to mean the watered down drink itself. When
you were drunk on this grog, you were "groggy".
Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim or
handle of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle
to get some service. "Wet your whistle", is the phrase inspired by this practice.
Now you can appreciate the importance of BEER throughout history.
|
