Indiana Microbrewer's Festival 2006July 29, 2006swel·ter·ing
"HIGH PRESSURE WILL STRENGTHEN OVER THE OHIO VALLEY THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. THIS WILL BRING ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND MUGGY CONDITIONS. TEMPERATURES WILL TOP OFF AROUND 90 TODAY AND INTO THE 90 TO 95 DEGREE RANGE MID-WEEK. THE COMBINATION OF TEMPERATURES AND THE HUMIDITY WILL PUSH MAX HEAT INDICES NEAR 100." And so was the weather at the 2006 Indiana Microbrewer's Festival in Opti Park, Indianapolis, Indiana where the sun burned relentlessly through a breezeless humid atmosphere. But that didn't deter the masses from waiting in line to enter Indiana's biggest beer festival presented by The Brewers of Indiana Guild. As in years past, the line wrapped predictably around the block as people gathered to sample the brews. And there were plenty of Indiana beers to sample, from Alcatraz's Black Lager to Warbird's P-47 Hefeweizen. But the participating breweries weren't all from Indiana. Eight breweries representing Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri, and California were on hand to pour their brews...
A lot of the out-of-state beers were big hits, Including He'Brew's Genesis 10:10 (10% ABV), Schlafly's Oatmeal Stout (the 'a' pronounced as in "laugh"), and Founder's big beers, most notably Blushing Monk, a 12% ABV raspberry ale, the kegs of which were quickly killed by a fast following. But Indiana brewers were undeterred by the presence of out-of-staters. "New kids on the block" Rock Bottom College Park and Nine-G Brewery were on hand to flex their muscle. That's brewer Ian Wilson on the left dispensing the American Dream IPA...
Terre Haute Brewing Company confidently dispensed their classic Champagne Velvet and Lafayette Brewing boldly brought Big Boris Barleywine to the table. Of course there ended up being too many great Indiana beers to sample in 4 hours, especially on such a hot day. There's more to the brewfest than beer, fortunately. There were the usual games, including dunk the brewer and everyone's favorite: The keg toss...
Yat's and Dick's provided grub...
And the homebrew clubs volunteered their knowledge to educate others to appreciate good beer. These folks represented Indy's very own Foam Blowers...
Proceeds from the Brewfest benefited the Indiana chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. According to their website, "The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education, and patient services. The Society's mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families." I think that's really why legions of craft beer lovers and better-beer-seekers braved the heat. But also I'm sure they wanted to express their appreciation to those who make great beer available, acceptable, and more visible here in Indiana... Participating breweries. Almost all can be found right here on indianabeer.com ... Alcatraz Brewing |
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