Random Beer Roundup - Spring Training edition

Sports and beer go together well, like bourbon and stout. It shouldn't be a surprise that the Knights of the Beer Roundtable are fans of various sports and teams. The upcoming Beer Geek Breakfast (details below) will have English Premiership soccer playing on the tele. And my football tailgate sessions always includes craft beer.

But no where is beer more strongly tied to a sport than it is with baseball. The 1882 founding of the American Association of professional baseball teams is where beer made its first break into modern professional sports. The league was formed to compete with the National League, which had silly rules like no booze at the stadiums and no games on Sundays. In fact, the Cincinnati Reds were expelled from the National League for those reasons.

The National League referred to the American Association as "The Beer and Whiskey League", meaning this to be an insult. But they rolled with it. The league lasted through 1891. Four teams from the AA moved over to the NL, including the Cincinnati Red Stockings (later shortened to the Reds), the Pittsburgh Pirates, the St. Louis Browns (later named the Cardinals), and the Brooklyn Dodgers.

And with them, the tradition of beer in the ballpark. Which is why you will find Mike and Gina drinking Bud at Busch Stadium (not really, Schlafly would be more like it), Jess drinking a German brew at Great American Ballpark, Jim, Matt R., Rod, and myself drinking Old Style in the bleachers of Wrigley Field, and Chris drinking... well, I don't know what they drink in Yankee Stadium.

But it is all thanks to the drunk Cincinnatians of 1880. As the 2009 season begins, we toast 129 years of drinking beer at baseball games.

Play Ball! Here is your weekly Random Beer Roundup. Remember, if you have any beads or beer news that you want to share, drop us a line at hoosierbeergeek@gmail.com.

Beer Events:
From Jon at Power House Brewing Company and the Columbus Bar in Columbus:

We will be tapping our Million Mile Stout, an 8% abv stout aged in a Jack Danile's Barrel on March 7th. We will have some Jack Daniel's specials, and some t-shirt give aways.

From Sam at Buffalo Wild Wings Bar and Grill in Downtown Indianapolis:

I have got the next date for a keg tapping at our store: Wednesday March 4 at 7:00. I told people that the next beer up would be Palo Santo but I actually came across a keg of Dreadnaught. This 6th barrel was kegged on the 11th of this month so it is very fresh. I think it will be a good opportunity to try Dreadnaught very fresh and on draft.

From Cari at Kahn's in Indianapolis:

Monday, March 2, Achouffe Brasserie tasting, 5-7 p.m.

From Rob at Big Red Liquors in Bloomington:

Don't forget about our free beer tasting every Thursday from 6-8pm at our big downtown store!

From Jerry at Rock Bottom in Downtown Indianapolis:

Next Tapping: March 12, 2009
St. James Irish Red

Next Brewer’s Dinner: May 2009

And mark your calendar for a Beer Geek Breakfast (or Beer Geek BreakFest) at Brugge Brasserie in Indianapolis on Saturday, March 14th at 10am. Breakfast, lots of beer, and soccer. What more do you want? Tickets are on sale at Brugge Brasserie - PRESALE ONLY. $25, limited to 50. And they are going fast! Last we checked, there was less than 20 left. There will be no day of event tickets sold, so buy now. Or soon. And when they're gone, THEY'RE GONE. More details here.

News and Rumors:
From Three Floyd's Brewery in Munster:

Just wanted to let you know that we've just posted the
Frequently Asked Questions to the DarkLordDay.com website.

You can check it out by visiting the following address: http://www.darklordday.com/faq/

We've tried to do our best to include answers to all of the
questions we've been getting and we've thrown in some answers
that we're guessing someone might ask down the road.

Keep in mind that some of these details may change without
notice. We'll try to keep you posted on changes that we make
to this FAQ as we nail down the final specifics of DLD '09.

Thanks again for all your interest and support and we look
forward to seeing you at Dark Lord Day on April 25th.

Craft beer industry sales numbers were released at Beer Town.

Now on tap:
Price and availability are subject to change

From Sam at Buffalo Wild Wings Bar and Grill in Downtown Indianapolis:

Thursday I tapped a Founders Imperial Stout keg.

From Linda at Barley Island Brewing Company in Noblesville:

Our first try at an Imperial Stout went on tap. We are serving it in a 11 oz brandy snifter.

Six bbl of this beer also went into whiskey barrels for aging. We are using 3 Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels that had Beastie Barrel Stout and then 1 Jack Daniels barrel that had the 2008 Replicale for Winterfest. It will then get blended together.

From Patrick at Patrick's Kitchen and Drinks in Zionsville:

We have HopSlam on tap. It's our third keg doncha' know? We also have Mojo Rising on tap.

Arriving today is an Imperial Stout from Two Brothers that is their Winter Seasoal Release...it is called Northwind Imperial Stout. We push it with a 75% Nitrogen blend so it will cascade and have that lovely creamy head that our stouts do around here.

WHATEVER WEDNESDAY
PKD BARGAIN BEERS!

BOTTLES
Harpoon Hibernian Red Ale 2.00
Shock Top White Ale 1.75
Czechvar Lager (the original Budweiser!) 1.50
Founders Dirty Bastard Scotch Style Ale 1.75
Karmeliet Tripel 4.50
Goose Island Mild Winter Ale 1.75
Left Hand Milk Stout 1.75
Avery The Beast Grand Cru 5.25
Goose Island Matilda Belgian Style Ale 2.75

DINNER BOTTLES
Boulder Brewing Obovoid Empirical Stout (22 oz) 7.00
Stone Brewing Smoked Porter (22 oz) 5.50
McChouffe Artisanal Brown Belgian (750 ml) 7.75

From Knight Chris, a note about Harry and Izzy's in downtown Indianapolis:

Harry and Izzy’s, the relatively new sister restaurant to 107-year Indianapolis institution St. Elmo’s, features a large circular bar area at the center of the restaurant. There you’ll find plenty of comfortable seating and six beers on tap at any given time. They must have a special contract with InBev because, as of last weekend, they had Budweiser American Ale, Red Hook IPA, Michelob Ultra, Stella Artois, Goose Island 312 and Goose Island Mild Winter. Stella Artois has been an InBev product for some time and remainder of those beers were produced or distributed by Anheuser-Busch before they were absorbed by InBev. If you’re going to go that way, that selection could certainly be worse, but maybe a little variety guys?

From Elizabeth at The Old Town Ale House in Fishers:

3 Floyd's Behemoth Barleywine is now on the draft line-up. We also just tapped Dogfish Head Red & White...More changes likely by the weekend.

From Roger at New Albanian Brewing Company in New Albany:

Gravity Head: It's that time. Pertinent information here.

From Jerry at Rock Bottom in Downtown Indianapolis:

These beers are in addition to our normal lineup:
Seasonal Wheat: Hefeweizen-German Wheat ale.
Banana aroma with spice and citrus flavors.
Hops: Mt. Hood
Malts: Canadian Pale, Winter Wheat
ABV. 5.3%
O.G. 12°

Hoosier Ma Stout: Imperial Stout
Big, rich and roasty strong ale.
Hops: Golding
Malts: English Pale, Chocolate, Roasted Barley, Rolled Oats
ABV. 9.7%
O.G. 22.4°

Trouble: Golden Belgian Strong Ale
Rich and full mouthfeelwith wonderful fruit and spice character.
Hops: Golding
Malts: English Pale, Munich
ABV. 8.7%
O.G. 20°

Hop Bomb: American I.P.A.
Grassy bitterness and wonderful floral and ruby grapefruit aroma.
Served Nitro style!
Hops: Simcoe, Crystal
Malts: English Pale, Munich, Crystal
ABV. 7.25%
O.G. 15.8°

Now on the shelf:
Price and availability are subject to change

From Greg at Cavalier Distributing in Indianapolis:

In just in time for March Madness is Serious Madness Black Ale from Mad River Brewing

Serious Madness Black Ale is a high gravity black beer built on a foundation of Mad River's house Two-Row Pale Malt augmented with North American Specialty Malts & German Carafa, fermented with our signature ale yeast. This black ale is bittered with Magnum hops, flavor and aromatics are enhanced by Hallertau and Tettnanger with Willamette hops utilized for added aroma in the hop back. This beer is inky black with amber edges, light bodied, silky smooth, complex, delicious, and dangerous... Not for the meek and timid this beer ferments out at a gratifying 8.6% ABV and 75 IBU's.

Shiyard Brewing Co. proudly introduces its new series of specialty beers, Pugsley's Signature Series. The first two releases of this series are Pugsley's Barley Wine & Imperial Porter. Both are named after Shipyard's renowned brewmaster, Alan Pugsley and both exhibit his brewing prowess and excellence. The Barley Wine is crafted with 6 differenct malts and 3 hops. It's a deep reddish brown color with a complex fruity nose, full body and balance between the grains and hops. This Barley Wine weighs in at 8.5% and is drinkable now. Imperial Porter is a full bodied, very dark, malty beer with a good roasted character coming from the Crystal, Chocolate and Black Patent Malts used in the mash. Warrior, English Fuggles, and East Kent Goldings Hops balance the malts with a good hop bite. The beer has an OG of 1.070, rounding out after fermentation with just a slight residual sweetness and cutting dry at the finish. 7.1%

The 2009 release of the Lakefront Bock is also in stock, Lakefront's Spring Seasonal. This beer is very limited this year, so get it while it's available.

Do you think the 40th anniversary Thomas Hardy's is all gone and you missed out? Well we were able to get another pallet and have plenty in the warehouse so feel free to stock up as this one will age for a good long time.

From Mike at Crown Liquors with locations around Indianapolis:

We have recieved a few of our items from our special order. Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel and Its Alright Wild Ale, Saint Somewhere Lectio Divina and Saison Athene, Struise Black Albert, Nogne Dark Horizon Batch 2, Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA and Bigfoot, Founders Double Trouble and Imp. Stout are re-stocked. Fresh Dreadnaught with a new label has arrived as well.

From Big Red Liquors in Bloomington:

New at Big Red Liquors this week:

Mad River Black Ale
Moylan's IPA
Moylan's Double IPA
Magic Hat HIPA
Sam Adams Imperial White
Sam Adams Imperial Stout
Sam Adams Imperial Double Bock
Spaten Dunkel

From Cari at Kahn's in Indianapolis:

Sales:
All Kegs 15% off from now through Tuesday, March 2.
Chouffe Brasserie Beers: La, Houblon, Mc : $6.99 each, N'ice : $7.99
Breckenridge Christmas Ale : $5.99 6-pk
Two Brothers Ebel's Weiss : $4.99 6-pk

New In This Week:
Schlafly Extra Irish Stout
Schlafly Scotch Ale
Magic Hat #9 (back after a a hiatus)
Magic Hat H I.P.A.
Magic Hat Spring Fever : 12 pack with 3 each of the following: #9, H I.P.A., Circus Boy Hefeweizen, and Odd Notion.
Anchor Bock
Three Floyds Behemoth
Stone Old Guardian Barleywine
Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel
Mikkeller Simcoe
Mikkeller It's Alright
Two Brothers Red Eye Coffee Porter
Mad River Serious Madness Black Ale
Scaldis 12 Refermente

Looking for Reader Suggestions

In case you hadn't noticed, it's been a while since we took our Knights of the Beer Roundtable show somewhere new. In fact, our last on-location review of somewhere new to us ran way back on October 30th. Since then, it's been a steady stream of drinking at each other's houses, with a couple of bar revisits thrown in.

The problem, it seems, is that we've grown lazy. Or we just stopped looking for places to drink. And that really is a problem - one we need to remedy as soon as possible. We're looking for new places to drink and review - there are plenty of places in the immediate Indianapolis area we've missed, forgotten, or never knew about. It's time to show them some attention.

So if you have a local, a secret spot, or just want to join us for a drink, drop us a comment. Our standards are still the same - we're not looking to drink macrobrewed swill - but we know that there are bars out there, waiting for a little attention. We'd love to hear about them, and maybe join some of you for a drink in the process. Drop us a line.

John, Paul, George, Ringo...Ted?

For those who don't read the Indianapolis Business Journal, I recommend you check out this week's article on Broad Ripple natives starting Broad Ripple businesses, including a bit on Brugge Brasserie. There is a Beatles knock-off photo that includes Brugge's Ted Miller.


photo from IBJ.com
Also in the IBJ, a business update on Anita and Jim Johnson's homebrewing store Great Fermentations (sorry, no link; you'll have to buy the paper).

Important Beer Breakfast Announcement

Your attention please:

The Manchester United vs Liverpool match advertised as part of our Craft Beer Breakfast (Saturday, March 14th, 10 AM, Brugge Brasserie) will not be shown live - as it turns out the game has been moved to the earlier 7:45AM timeslot. That's too early to drink.

So instead of watching Man U/Liverpool live, we'll be watching the game on a tape delayed feed.

We're sorry, and we thank you for bearing with us.

* * * * *

Or we can watch Fulham/Bolton.

Congrats to our Second Shirt Winner, Thom M.

26 comments were left in our "Leave a Comment, Win a Shirt Contest 2" and after throwing the numbers into our random number generator, we came up with the number 14.

The 14th comment in the contest was left by Thom M., whose top all-time beer was Founders Breakfast Stout. Thom, you now have a few days to contact us at hoosierbeergeek@gmail.com in order to expedite the t-shirt mailing process.

Thanks to everyone for playing, and to Cavalier Distributing for the prize donation. Stay tuned, we'll have another contest very shortly.

New Beer Sunday

I am going to be starting a new, and hopefully weekly, column here at Hoosier Beer Geek called: New Beer Sunday. I like tasting new beers and judging them in a style very close to BJCP guidelines. I am not BJCP certified though for the record. It personally helps me pick out the flavors, colors, mouthfeel, and an overall impression about the beer instead of just tasting a beer and saying "wow, this is good." (There is nothing wrong with that, that is how I got my start in the craft beer world). Hopefully people will get something out of the style notes as well as the commentary on other beers to try in that style and from other brewers. The first beer in the series will be Victory's V-12.

Indiana has started to get Victory within the last year, and judging by all of the new beers I keep seeing from them I hope they are here to stay, but as far as I know I haven't seen any of this offering in Indiana. I picked up this beer last time I was in Cincinnati at Jungle Jim's. I went through a Belgian style beer kick recently and this is from that kick. I would assume we are going to get this beer in Indiana at some point, but I am not sure if we actually will though.

The Belgian Quad style according to the BJCP is: "A dark, very rich, complex, very strong Belgian ale. Complex, rich, smooth and dangerous." I will also say that the BJCP classifies a Quad as Belgian Strong Dark Ale.


Appearance: This beer pours an almost hazy rustic orange color with a very thin head on it, and it left almost no lacing to speak of for the entire beer.
Smell: I first get an almost sweet floral scent coming in as I pour with strong bubble gum notes to it as well. As I get my nose into this beer the hot alcohol become very strong as well. As I let the beer warm it really came into its own with vibrant scents of pears, prunes, passion fruit, and a Belgian yeast strain that is typical of good Quads.
Taste: The first sip of this beer is almost over top in sweetness that tasted like concentrated apple juice. I really let the beer warm up and the flavors of the orchard fruit really came to life including apple, oranges, and peaches. The complex malt also brings on life of raisins, plums, cloves, nutmeg, and even cotton candy. The hot alcohol though is very apparent in the flavor profile and sometimes comes across as boozy.
Mouthfeel: More than moderate carbonation brings the flavors to life, so that is welcomed, but the alcohol is very hot on the mouthfeel.
Drinkability: A whole bomber of this beer is a tough task for just one person, and the alcohol overtook some of the great qualities this beer had.

Overall: I lean more towards balance in my beers, and the hot alcohol on almost every aspect was a big strike for me against this beer. I could smell and taste it before, during, and after ever sip of this beer. This beer can be aged, and I really think my sample was just too hot out of the bottle and could have used some age on it.

Belgian Quads that can be found in Indiana: Rochefort 10 from Brasserie de Rochefort, St. Bernardus Abt 12 from Brouwerij St. Bernardus, Three Philosophers from Ommegang, Allagash Four from Allagash, and The Reverend from Avery Brewing.

Is anyone in Indiana making a Quad? What are some of your favorite Quads?

Cheers!
Matt

Updated: Random Beer Roundup - Give up crap beer for Lent (or for life) edition

For those of you who practice such rituals, Lent is coming up fast. For many, abstaining from something...sweets, television, cigarettes, whatever. Believe it or not, so people may give up beer.

Shocking, I know. I don't recommend it. It would mean no drinking during the Beer Geek Breakfast on March 14th. Or no drinking on St. Patrick's Day. And that's just cruel.

If you give up beer, try to limit it to crap beer. And make that for life. But if you must give up beer for Lent, remember that Lent consists of 40 days.

But Jason, I count 47 days from Ash Wednesday to Easter. What the...?

They don't count Sundays during Lent. And that means you don't have to abstain on Sundays. Seriously, just ask my grandmother who is more Catholic than the Pope.

There are a few days left before Lent, ending with the famous celebration of Mardi Gras, which is French for "show us your ta-ta's and we'll give you some beads!" And if you feel the need to flash for beads, might I recommend doing it in style with a Mikkeller t-shirt.

Speaking of which, we are giving one away. The contest ends Sunday, February 22nd at 5pm, so sign up now! More details can be found here.

It's time to flash our weekly Random Beer Roundup. Remember, if you have any beads or beer news that you want to share, drop us a line at hoosierbeergeek@gmail.com. Iko! Iko!

Beer Events:
From Cari at Kahn's in Indianapolis:

Beer Tasting Monday, February 23, 5-7 p.m.: Schlafly beers

From Rob at Big Red Liquors in Bloomington:

Don't forget about our free beer tasting every Thursday from 6-8pm at our big downtown store!

From Jerry at Rock Bottom in Downtown Indianapolis:

Next Tapping: Fire chief, Feb. 19, 2009

From Matt and Elizabeth at the Old Town Ale House in Fishers:

Monday, Feb 23rd at 7 p.m.
"Lambics, Meads & Barleywine"
$10 per person includes beer & appetizers.
All beer will be available for purchase at great prices!
Old Town Ale House...841-0800

From Mike at Crown Liquors with locations around Indianapolis:

We wanted to do a special tasting for one the owners daughters, 4yr old Caroline Symmes, that has been going through cancer treatment. Ryan Pierce of Cavalier Distributing has offered up his vertical of Stones Vertical Epic Ale(minus the '02)and lots of other brews. The point, to get more people to come up and taste some great brews and if the mood strikes you, to give a donation to Rileys Children Hospital. In addition to the Vertical Epic, we will be pouring alot of other brews from Cavalier. Here are a few... Southern Star Pine belt Pale Founder's Porter Founder's Double Trouble ---Other founders??? Stone Old Guardian ---Other Stone's??? Mikkeller Its Alive Mikkeller Monks Brew Aventinus Weihenstephaner Hefe I also talked with Bobby and we will be bringing some special brews from our own stashes, I have heard ramblings of Darkness, Lost Abbey, Russian River and loads of other goodies. We will also be having a drawing for prizes, give aways and beer. So please join us for a great cause and come tastes some worldclass brews! We will be doing this Fri at Crown Liquors #15 in Fishers, Feb 20th at 5pm.

And mark your calendar for a Beer Geek Breakfast (or Beer Geek BreakFest) at Brugge Brasserie in Indianapolis on Saturday, March 14th at 10am. Breakfast, lots of beer, and soccer. What more do you want? Tickets are on sale at Brugge Brasserie - PRESALE ONLY - starting today. $25, limited to 50. There will be no day of event tickets sold, so buy now. Or soon. And when they're gone, THEY'RE GONE. More details here.

From Jerry at Rock Bottom in Downtown Indianapolis:

Next Tapping: March 12, 2009
St. James Irish Red

Next Brewer’s Dinner: May 2009

From Matt at World Class Beverage in Indianapolis:

Join us at McCormick and Schmick's in downtown Indianapolis on Thursday, February 26th @ 6:30pm for a celebration of food & beer pairings with some New Orleans & Mardi Gras flair. On the menu...

Abita Turbodog//Beer & Cheddar soup
Abita Purple Haze Ale//Black Steamed Mussels steamed in a tasty ale broth…
Xingu Black//Braised Beef Short ribs
Abita Jockamo//with a beer battered shrimp popsicles
Abita Amber//Beer Can chili
Bells Dopplebock Beer//Triple Bock chocolate truffles

$30.00 per person, includes tax & gratuity

News and Rumors:
From Mat at Cavalier Distributing in Indianapolis:

America's smallest, biggest and most award-winning Jewish (and now Sideshow Freak) Beer Company, Shmaltz Brewing is proud to announce achieving over 80% growth during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Over the last five years (2003-2008), Shmaltz has seen over 1000% growth, with projected annual sales for 2009 estimated at over $2 million.

Fullers London Porter was awarded a Silver medal at the CAMRA Champion Winter Beer of Britain Awards 2009. The awards, judged by a panel of CAMRA experts and leading beer writers, were announced at the CAMRA Winter Ales festival in Manchester last Wednesday, January 21.

Mike DeWeese, formerly of the former BW-3's-turned-Badaboomz-turned J. Gumbo's, can now be found at the Granite City Food & Brewery located at 96th & Meridian.

Now on the shelf:
Price and availability are subject to change

From Mat at Cavalier Distributing in Indianapolis:

The 2009 Release of Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine arrived in Indiana bright and early monday AM this week! The 2009 release is weighing in at 11.3% ABV & 95 IBUs this year! This is an allocated limited release so get it while you can.

A very very limited amount of cases and 5 gallon kegs of Two Brothers Red Eye Porter arrived at our warehouse this week as well! Should be on tap soon at Shallos and Finches (Bloomington) and a few other good beer bars to be announced soon. Red Eye Porter is a marriage of two of our favorite things: big beers and dark roast coffee. Red Eye starts with a 9.3% ABV Imperial Baltic porter recipe that can easily stand on its own. Then we loaded it up with 100% organic, fair trade coffee beans that were roasted about 3 miles from the brewery. The dark roast coffee beans were still warm from the roasting process when they were added to the beer. The result is a wonderfully rich chocolate and coffee aroma, with nice coffee and black malt flavor, and a soft clean finish. EYES OPEN!

We will be delivering a keg of Stone Ruination to the Buffalo Wild Wings Bar in downtown Indianapolis. Should be tapped soon! As Hoosier Beer Geek mentioned previously, support those who support good beer!

From Cari at Kahn's in Indianapolis:

Sales:
15% off beer sale at Kahn's.
Through through 24th: All domestic 6 pack beer

From Gabe at Goose the Market in Indianapolis:

The Goose is battling the ever-worsening economy with an ever-evolving stock of craft beers:
Three Floyds/Mikkeller Oatgoop
Three Floyds Behemoth Barleywine
Stone Old Guardian Barleywine
Stone Double Bastard
Rogue Double Dead Guy
Founders Double Trouble
Hitachino XH Ale Aged in Sake Casks
Southern Star Pine Belt Pale Ale...craft beer in 16 oz. cans!
Tucher Bajuvator
Clipper City Holy Sheet Uber Abbey Ale
Brooklyn Monster Barleywine
Victory Old Horizontal Barleywine
Broughton Old Jock
Boulder Mojo Risin' DIPA

From Todd at Keg Liquors in Clarksville:

New:
- Magic Hat # 9 - A Beer Cloaked in Secrecy An ale whose mysterious and unusual palate will swirl across your tongue and ask more questions than it answers. A beer brewed clandestinely and given a name whose meaning is never revealed. Why #9? Why, indeed. A sort of dry, crisp, fruity, refreshing, not-quite pale ale. #9 is really impossible to describe because there's never been anything else quite like it. Fermented with our 150 year old strain of top-fermenting English yeast.

- Avery # 15 - a unique drinking experience inspired by the wild farmhouse ales of Belgium. Though immensely complex today, more flavor will emerge with time, so throw a few bottles in your cellar for future celebrations. Thanks to all of you who have made our 15-year ride possible! Peace to all and follow your dreams! Brewed with Rocky Mountain water, malted barley, malted wheat, hops, black mission figs, hibiscus flowers, white pepper, and a very unique strain of brettanomyces yeast.

- Victory Baltic Thunder - this dark lager still features a reminiscent roasted character that embodies the fullness of toffee, along with subtle fruit flavors derived from its higher temperature fermentation.

Also, this isn't beer but Rogue Spirits are now available in Indiana. The famed microbrewery from Oregon started up a distilling operation several years ago. Their selections include:
- Rogue Hazelnut Rum - Toasted Hazelnut flavor with orange overtones and rich vanilla scents mingled with cinnamon and clove. Made from toasted Oregon Hazelnuts, Orange peel, Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean, Cinnamon, and Clove.

- Rogue Spruce Gin - a great gin loaded with Spruce flavors - Spruce, cucumber, angelica root, orange peel, coriander, lemon peel, ginger, orris root, grains of paradise, tangerine, juniper berries. Champagne Yeast, Midwest Corn Spirit & Free Range Coastal Water.

- Rogue Pink Gin - is Rogue Spruce Gin aged in Oregon Pinot Noir barrels for six months to provide a fruity, mellow flavor and its distinct pink color.

From Greg at Lafayette Brewing Company in Lafayette:

we continue to grow our bottle distribution in Tippecanoe county. The latest retail shops to pick up our products: Village Bottle Shop # 3, Eastway Liquors, Scagnoli's Cajun and BBQ and American Legion Post 492.

From Kirk at Mr. G's in Noblesville:

New this week

Sam Adams Blackberry Wit
Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine
Founders Porter
Southern Star Pine Belt Pale Ale in cans
Lakefront Bock
Hofbrau Maibock
Two Brothers Cane & Ebel
Two Brothers Red Eye

Now on tap:
Price and availability are subject to change

From Jon at Power House Brewing Company and the Columbus Bar in Columbus:

We will be tapping our Million Mile Stout, an 8% abv stout aged in a Jack Danile's Barrel on March 7th. We will have some Jack Daniel's specials, and some t-shirt give aways.

From Greg at Lafayette Brewing Company in Lafayette:

Now on tap at Lafayette Brewing:

Flagships
Ouiatenon Wit (brewed with 100% organic ingredients)
Prophet's Rock Pale Ale
East Side Bitter
Pipers' Pride Scottish Ale
Tippecanoe Common Ale
Black Angus Oatmeal Stout
Eighty-Five

Seasonal/Specialties
Smokehouse Porter- A robust porter brewed with 50% beechwood smoked malt
Weeping Hog IPA- A classic English IPA featuring First Gold hops and served cask-conditioned via beer engine
Marley's VSOP- This Baltic style porter (Very Special Old Porter) weighs in at 7.5% ABV and was aged on Jack Daniels barrel wood for 3 months

From Knight Chris, a note about 14 West in downtown Indianapolis:

If you're like me and ask that fine dining establishments at least acknowledge the craft beer world, you'll be glad to know that you can add 14 West to your list. They don't sport a huge array of craft beers, but they have three taps currently pouring Three Floyds Gumballhead, Stella Artois and Young's Double Chocolate Stout. I can confirm that Gumballhead goes wonderfully with their crab cake!

From Elizabeth at The Old Town Ale House in Fishers:

Some new goodies on draft at the Ale House...

Mishawaka Four Horseman Irish Ale
Original Sin
Three Floyd's Gumballhead
Breckenridge Pandora's Bock
(Double Trouble, Hopslam & Mojo Risin are still on, too)
Coming this weekend... 3 Floyd's Behemoth Barelywine

From Jerry at Rock Bottom in Downtown Indianapolis:

These beers are in addition to our normal lineup:
Seasonal Wheat: Hefeweizen-German Wheat ale.
Banana aroma with spice and citrus flavors.
Hops: Mt. Hood
Malts: Canadian Pale, Winter Wheat
ABV. 5.3%
O.G. 12°

Hoosier Ma Stout: Imperial Stout
Big, rich and roasty strong ale.
Hops: Golding
Malts: English Pale, Chocolate, Roasted Barley, Rolled Oats
ABV. 9.7%
O.G. 22.4°

Trouble: Golden Belgian Strong Ale
Rich and full mouthfeelwith wonderful fruit and spice character.
Hops: Golding
Malts: English Pale, Munich
ABV. 8.7%
O.G. 20°

Hop Bomb: American I.P.A.
Grassy bitterness and wonderful floral and ruby grapefruit aroma.
Served Nitro style!
Hops: Simcoe, Crystal
Malts: English Pale, Munich, Crystal
ABV. 7.25%
O.G. 15.8°

The Hoosier Beer Geek Craft Beer Breakfast - DETAILS

IF YOU'RE LATE TO THIS UPDATE, THE EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT.
As you probably already know, we at Hoosier Beer Geek are throwing a little breakfast thing on Saturday, March 14th at 10 AM, at Brugge Brasserie.

What you didn't know was what was on the menu.

IF YOU'RE LATE TO THIS UPDATE, THE EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT.
The Hoosier Beer Geek Craft Beer Breakfast
Brugge Brasserie Upstairs

Football:
Manchester United vs Liverpool FC - TAPE DELAYED

Dining Options:

Steak and Eggs
-or-
The Scrambled Egg Crepe Experience

Beer (pours of all included):

Brugge White on Orange
Dark Horse Perkulator Dopplebock
Dark Horse Tres Blueberry Stout
Schnieder Weiss
Schenkerla Marzen
Schlafly Coffee Stout
Two Brothers Red Eye Porter
Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch

All this for $25

IF YOU'RE LATE TO THIS UPDATE, THE EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT.

TICKETS ARE SOLD OUT - Ted has threatened my life if we can't sell all 50. And when they're gone, THEY'RE GONE.

Your help is appreciated.

* * * * *

This is not a legally binding document, menu may change. But you get the idea.

RB Brewer's Dinner - Winter '09

I like to write these up because I enjoy sharing what local Brewers are doing to pair beer with food. I also realize that I usually make these way more wordy than they need to be. Or at least I think I do. So I'm going to try a new format for this. Let's see how it goes.


First course this time around was a Jerk Scallop Salad with a raspberry balsamic vinaigrette. This was paired with the Amarillo Pale, which was their Sugar Creek Pale Ale, cask conditioned and dry-hopped with Amarillo hops.

The beer: Noticeably less sugary and more citrus than the standard Sugar Creek.  Had a pleasant tangerine flavor to it with a hint of piney hops.

Why it worked: The tangerine/citrus flavors in the beer were an excellent accompaniment to the strawberry balsamic vinaigrette.  A sweet wheat beer would have done this too.  Spicy foods and hops are like long lost brothers so clearly jerk seasoning, red onions and pale ales are a hit.


Second course was a beer cheese soup paired with the Hop Bomb IPA.  For some reason this looks darker in the photo than it actually was.

The beer: Hop Bomb is very sweet, very hoppy and very smooth thanks to a nitrogen pour.  Simcoe hops provide a prominent grapefruit flavor which is complemented by a floral Crystal hop aroma.

Why it worked: This soup was amazing. Smokey bacon brought out smoke and pine notes in the beer.  A heavy cheese soup like this would normally coat your mouth but the large amount of hops and higher alcohol in this beer cleanse the palette every time.


The main course was a braised venison chop drizzled with a demi-glace made from the golden Belgian strong ale that accompanies it and a garlic cheese potato cake on the side.

The beer: Trouble, the seasonal Rock Bottom Belgian, is typically a tripel. This year Jerry went a different direction and ended up with a strong ale. Tons of standard Belgian spice notes in here such as allspice, cloves, orange and honey.  A coying sweetness and well masked ABV make this year's Trouble a beer worthy of its name.

Why it worked: A food prepared with the same beer you are drinking will naturally go together.  Beyond this, the garlic in the potato cakes brought out new, subtle spices in the beer such as oregano and mint.

For dessert, I forgot to take any pictures.  Trust me when I say that the three layer chocolate cheesecake, paired with a milk chocolate dipped strawberry and white chocolate dipped strawberry was very appetizing.

The beer: This imperial stout was assistant brewer Adrian's first beer to go on tap at the downtown Rock Bottom.  For the brewer's dinner, it was combined with vanilla extract and placed in a firkin.  At nearly 10% ABV, the alcohol was well hidden behind the vanilla flavor.  Dark chocolate, vanilla extract alcohols and a flavor I can only describe as Kahlua were all prominent in this beer.  With this strong offering from Adrian, I look forward to what he and Jerry will come up with together in the future.

Why it worked: Chocolate and imperial stout.  Seriously.  If you haven't paired this before, do it.  Simple and delicious.

Beer Diary #12 - Mike - The World's (Potential) Greatest Cyclist Takes a Break to Review Beer

Hello friends. I am back from self-imposed exile, but (perhaps) only for a short bit. You may be saying "I didn't know you left!" but I assure you that although my posting has probably remained more constant than that of my Knights of the Beer Roundtable contemporaries (short of Jason), I feel like I have neglected HBG. It was bound to happen. I was a beer-posting Icarus.

Not so long ago my weekly schedule read like this:

Monday - try beer
Tuesday - drink beer I've had already
Wednesday - try new beer
Thursday - take Gina to liquor store, watch as she buys beer (she can't help herself)
Friday - drink Gina's beer, fall asleep at 9PM
Saturday - watch Fulham Football Club, eat at Brugge or Deano's, drink beer
Sunday - recover

Nowadays I'm spending my time at NIFS or on my bike, in pursuit of my dreams of becoming Lance Armstrong's newest piece of arm candy fiercest competitor¹. Which means "time to lay off the beer".

But before I became the worlds' most dedicated cyclist, I had an email conversation with some folks at Magic Hat, Vermont's favorite brewery. They asked "Hey, can we send you some beer?" I may be committed to winning the Tour de France, but I am also committed to accepting beer. So I said yes.


What follows is the result of that free beer offer. I can assure you that my notes are accurate and fair - if the beer wasn't to my liking I wouldn't have bothered writing about it.

Magic Hat Odd Notion Spring 09 - First off, I really dig the label art on this beer. Clearer than any beer I've drank in a long time - like a yellow tinted water. Really light nose, almost macro-pilser-like, but there's a hint of fruit and just a light apple note. Despite the fact that the nose should be ample warning, the first sip is a surprise. Malty and yet still bitter. Return sips from the glass reveal a peppery punch of flavor. This beer is brewed with poppy seed and agave, which give it a surprise sort of twist that I don't recall tasting in any other beer. Despite being a light bodied beer and only 5% ABV, this isn't one you'd drink fast - it's better for slow consideration and flavor discovery. And I just noticed a bicycle on the label. Check this beer out if you want to try something a little different.


Magic Hat HI.P.A.- People from Vermont are hippies, and Magic Hat doesn't want you to forget. The label, which depicts an Angelina Jolie sort of character being attacked by a bubble monster, is the sort of thing that can only be inspired by the hippie mind. Not to mention that Magic Hat didn't dub this beer just an "IPA" - this one is a "Hi(gh) P.A." - like with the drugs.

A golden brown and murky body supports an off-white head. The nose is floral and yet balanced IPA with a hint of feet. A full and sweet malt flavor on awaits on front, and a bitter hop finish leaves me literally smacking my lips in anticipation of the next sip.

Oddly enough, Gina had a sip of this beer and thought it was remarkably drinkable, yet didn't get much for flavor. On the other hand, I got a ton of flavor and wanted to keep it all for myself. So if you're an IPA gal or guy, I think this one is worth looking into.

Thanks to the folks at Magic Hat for the beer. And now I'm off to do sub-lactate threshold intervals in my living room..

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¹ Seriously, though, I'm training to race Cat 5/4 this year. Did I ever tell you about the time I hit a deer?

PS. I'm looking for Saturday and Sunday group rides - even in crap weather. Help appreciated.

Beer Diary #12 - Jim | Death to Pittsburgh Meets Dos a Cero

Date: 1 February 2009, 6:00 p.m.
Location: Rod & Jess's house

Super Bowl Sunday. Party at Rod & Jess's, and they are gracious hosts. They certainly know how to put out a spread of great food, even for a veg-head like me. Spanikopita. Hummus (homemade by Rod), salsa, and chips. A primo veggie tray. Luscious gooey butter cake straight from Park Avenue Coffee in St. Louis.

Even though I'm not much of a football fan, I'm hoping for an Arizona victory, which seems to be the consensus of the rest of the attendees. I can't bring myself to support the Steelers, the team with some of the most obnoxious fans in the NFL (my boy Jason has my back on this one). Alright--I do know some reasonable Steeler fans, but they are the exception to the rule. If only every Terrible Towel in the universe stopped waving...

I'm most interested in the beer we have, though. And because several other KOTBRs are present (Mike, Gina, and Chris), we have a good variety of craft beers. Here are my favorites of the night:

Brugge Tripel de Ripple. I brought a bottle of Ted's tripel along with me. I'd been letting it sit since he first released his beers in bottles back in August. The aging has made an excellent beer even better. There is so much going on in this beer: citrus, apple, banana, caramel, vanilla, and grape notes come through. This is my first beer of the night, and it is a great way to begin.

Bell's Hopslam '08 and '09. Chris brought two different vintages to share. A year of aging has made a marked difference. The '08 Hopslam is uber-malty with much less of a hop presence than you'd expect. The '09 Hopslam is true to Hopslam form, full of grapefruit, peach, and pineapple character with a somewhat sweet finish.

New Belgium La Folie. From Mike and Gina, acquired on their trip to the '08 Great American Beer Festival. This is New Belgium's take on the Flanders Red style, and they do it justice. Tart, oakey, crisp, and with nice cherry and apple presences. My favorite beer of the night, but I'm a sucker for Flanders Reds.

New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red. Courtesy of Rod and Jess. This is my first ever New Glarus beer. If it is any indication of the rest of New Glarus's beers, then I want more and more and more. As a someone who doesn't make it up to Dairyland much, I can see a trade for New Glarus beers in the offing. This is like drinking liquid sour cherry pie. That may sound like overkill, but I love it.

So much for a Cardinals victory. Oh well...at least the beer was good.

Date: 11 February 2009, 7:00 p.m.
Location: Chateau Smith

Time for the other kind of football: a World Cup qualifying match. I'm watching the North American Clasico--USA vs. Mexico--at the family homestead of my comrade in soccer, Bryan. Unfortunately for Mexico, they've experienced misfortune at our boys' hands with Groundhog Day-like consistency. But instead of Sonny & Cher coming on the clock radio every morning, the repeating event is the scoreline: USA 2, Mexico 0. That was the scoreline in 2001 (World Cup qualifying), 2002 (World Cup Round of 16), 2005 (World Cup qualifying), and 2007 (exhibition). Would that be the result again on this night?

Bryan and I shared two beers in the first half and two in the second. The first half beers:

Dark Horse Tres Blueberry Stout. We kick off with one of my favorite beers. To quote my thoughts from a previous drinking of Tres, "the nose is full-on blueberry scone, and the dark chocolate flavor is enhanced, not overwhelmed, by the berries." I wish I could find this on tap somewhere.

Mendocino Imperial IPA. I bought this on a whim at Parti Pak. This is a winter seasonal release. Bryan likes hoppy beers, and I've never tried it, so we crack it. Surprisingly, there is very little hop presence in the nose. Rather, I get a lot of caramel and biscuit notes. Flavor-wise, this beer is well-balanced for a DIPA--a nice blend of the citrus and pine coupled with a slightly sweet finish. A good representation of the DIPA style.

The second half beers:

Anchor Christmas Ale 2008. I originally bought this in anticipation of the X-Mas beer roundtable that we kept having to put off and that I wasn't able to make when we did manage to have it. A Winter Warmer that didn't impress me much. Smells and tastes like flat Dr. Pepper. Meh. Maybe I got a bad bottle.

Founders Rubaeus. A favorite of KOTBR Mike. Founders has discontinued this beer, which is a shame because I quite like it (honestly, has Founders every done anything that isn't good?). This was my last bottle of Rubaeus, which I was saving for a special occasion. USA/Mexico World Cup qualifying matches qualify as special occasions for me. Sweet, malty, full of raspberry flavor, and punchier than you'd expect for a fruit beer. Anyone know if there's any Rubaeus left in Indy?

As you've probably figured out by now, the score was Gringos 2, El Tri 0. Two goals by the coach's kid, who plays professionally in the top German league. Hey, the USA Men's National Team is nothing if not consistent.

Let's Support Beer Champions

Once upon a time, Indianapolis had a Buffalo Wild Wings unlike any other. Thirsty travelers knew that upon arrival, 30+ taps of craft beer awaited them. One day that Buffalo Wild Wings went away, and in its place stood a new and apparently less desirable restaurant. Still - thirsty travelers knew that 30+ taps of craft beer awaited them. A year or so passed, and then the new restaurant went away and took its 30+ taps with it. Forever.


Well, in case you haven't heard, Buffalo Wild Wings (7 East Washington / (317) 951-9464 / no smoking) is back in downtown Indianapolis. This time around it's in a new building - which people LOVE - and you won't find 30+ craft taps, but you will find at least 10 - and a beer buyer who's pushing for more.


Meet Sam. Sam is a beer geek, just like you and me. And Sam knows that in order to convince his bosses that bigger and better beers are a good idea, he's got to show them that they sell. Are the 10 taps in danger? Probably not. But Sam wants to do more. He wants to have rarer beers on - beers like Three Floyds Behemoth Barleywine, for example.


So this coming Thursday, at 7PM, you'll find Sam behind the bar, tapping a 1/6 barrel of one of Three Floyds' biggest. 12 ounce pours will be priced at $8.50, and when it's gone, it's really gone. Think of it as a trial run - Does it make sense to have on a barleywine at a BW3s? Do we support those who aim to please us? Will you answer the call?


Along with Behemoth, Sam will have on tap: Dogfish 90 Minute IPA¹, Three Floyds Robert the Bruce and Gumballhead, Brugge Tripel, Bell's Amber, and a few other beers you're familiar with. And since many of you are probably already attending the Fire Chief tapping at Rock Bottom, you have no excuse.

See you there?

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¹You might remember this one too.

Random Beer Roundup - I heart craft beer edition

Between winter warming and high gravity beer fun, you may have forgotten that Valentine's Day is upon us. Like, tomorrow, Saturday, February 14th. Hoosier Beer Geek doesn't want you to get in trouble. Hoosier Beer Geek doesn't want you to end up in the dog house, because unless your dog is REALLY spoiled, I bet they don't have an internet connection in that dog house. And then how would you read Hoosier Beer Geek and its award winning¹ Random Beer Roundup.

For those of you who don't have the chance to land in the dog house this weekend, Hoosier Beer Geek has one question: Will you be our valentine?

Here's our Valentine's gift for you: a free t-shirt. Actually, there is only one shirt. So either you all have to share or we do another contest.

Okay, we'll do another contest. It ends Sunday, February 22nd and more details can be found here.

Alright funny valentines of mine, it is time for the weekly Random Beer Roundup. Remember, if you have any beer news you want to share, drop us a line at hoosierbeergeek@gmail.com. On with the show...

Beer Events:
From Patrick at Patrick's Kitchen in Zionsville:

INDIANA BREWS! BEER TASTING
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17 at 6:30 PM
$35 in advance, includes tax and gratuity
$45 at the door

APPETIZERS
BEER CHEESE SOUP WITH HOMEMADE PRETZELS
Brugge White Ale
Brugge Brewery, Indianapolis
HOPPY SAUSAGES
Four Horseman Irish Red Ale
Mishawaka Brewery
PORK WINGS IN
BEER-B-Q SAUCE
Gangster Pale Ale
Wabash Valley Brewery, Terre Haute

ENTREES

JERK CHICKEN
Barfly India Pale Ale
Barley Island Brewery, Noblesville
STOUT POT ROAST
Snake Pit Porter
Oaken Barrel Brewery, Greenwood

GARLIC MASHED POTATOES
SWEET-N-SOUR SLAW


DESSERT
MOCHA SUNDAE
Rich fudge brownie with dried cranberries, topped with coffee ice cream
and fudge sauce
Robert the Bruce
Three Floyds Brewery, Munster

From Cari at Kahn's in Indianapolis:

Beer Tasting Monday, February 16, 5-7 p.m.: American Craft Brews from World Class Beverages

From Rob at Big Red Liquors in Bloomington:

Don't forget about our free beer tasting every Thursday from 6-8pm at our big downtown store!

From Jerry at Rock Bottom in Downtown Indianapolis:

Next Tapping: Fire chief, Feb. 19, 2009

On Saturday, February 14th, the Fickle Peach in Muncie will be having a Valentine's Day beer dinner. See the poster to the right for more information. Purchase your tickets online soon. Seating is limited.

From Matt and Elizabeth at the Old Town Ale House in Fishers:

Monday, Feb 23rd at 7 p.m.
"Lambics, Meads & Barleywine"
$10 per person includes beer & appetizers.
All beer will be available for purchase at great prices!
Old Town Ale House...841-0800

We've also got a great Valentine's Day planned...just for Beer Lovers. We suggest reservations!

From Greg at Cavalier Distributing in Indianapolis:

Free Beer Tasting this Friday the 13th @ Parti Pak Liquors (2633 E. Stop 11 Rd.) just east on Stop 11 from Madison Ave. on the South side of Indy!! The tasting will run from 5 - 7pm and will feature several beers from Cavalier Distributing's portfolio.

You will be able to sample beers from Boulder Beer Co., Breckenridge Brewery, Founders Brewing Co., Shmaltz Brewing Co., and Stone Brewing Co.

There will be some everyday stuff from each brewery along with a couple of special releases as well!! We hope to see you there!

From the Mad Anthony Brewing Company in Ft. Wayne:

Join us at any one of our four locations for a romantic night of music and dining. Each location will feature candlelight tables, live music, and great food and drink specials. We will be serving up our Chocolate Lover's Cream Stout made with copius amounts of dark chocolate. Seating will be on a first come first serve basis with live entertainment beginning at 7PM.

From Mike at Crown Liquors with locations around Indianapolis:

We wanted to do a special tasting for one the owners daughters, 4yr old Caroline Symmes, that has been going through cancer treatment. Ryan Pierce of Cavalier Distributing has offered up his vertical of Stones Vertical Epic Ale(minus the '02)and lots of other brews. The point, to get more people to come up and taste some great brews and if the mood strikes you, to give a donation to Rileys Children Hospital. In addition to the Vertical Epic, we will be pouring alot of other brews from Cavalier. Here are a few... Southern Star Pine belt Pale Founder's Porter Founder's Double Trouble ---Other founders??? Stone Old Guardian ---Other Stone's??? Mikkeller Its Alive Mikkeller Monks Brew Aventinus Weihenstephaner Hefe I also talked with Bobby and we will be bringing some special brews from our own stashes, I have heard ramblings of Darkness, Lost Abbey, Russian River and loads of other goodies. We will also be having a drawing for prizes, give aways and beer. So please join us for a great cause and come tastes some worldclass brews! We will be doing this next Fri at Crown Liquors #15 in Fishers, Feb 20th at 5pm.

And mark your calendar for a Beer Geek Breakfast (or Beer Geek BreakFest) at Brugge Brasserie in Indianapolis on Saturday, March 14th. More details to come.

And look for something big...huge...dare we say, behemoth at the Buffalo Wild Wings in Downtown Indianapolis on Thursday, February 19th. More details to come on this as well.

News and Rumors:
From Patrick at Patrick's Kitchen in Zionsville:

We have hired Adrian Ball as our Executive Chef. He was with Brugge as well as Cafe Patachou and currently works as the Assistant Brewer at Rock Bottom as well.

From Scott at Upland Brewing in Bloomington:

Upland Brewing Co. hosts world-renowned artist Norton Wisdom in Bloomington to perform beside The Willie Waldman Project at The Players Pub on March 7th. Wisdom has a unique style of painting where he paints during a live music performance. He will paint several different pieces during a show but none of them stick around too long. Wisdom paints directly on a piece of illuminated fiberglass or even window glass. When he is finished with the painting, a picture is taken and then he wipes it clean to start a new one.

The Willie Waldman Project is a collaboration of world famous musicians. Willie Waldman, a ground-breaking avant jazz trumpeter, has performed with the likes of Banyan, Phil Lesh’s Tellstar, Sublime, Snoop Dogg, and Tupac. Joining him will be the drummer from Moe., Vinnie Amico, along with other accomplished musicians.

Upland even has a beer named after Wisdom: Infinite Wisdom Tripel is a Belgian Tripel created by Lahti and Head Brewer Caleb Staton. Last year was the first release of Infinite Wisdom Tripel, and due to its popularity, the beer was brewed again and will be available for the first time on March 7th at the Players Pub to honor Wisdom and Waldman’s performances. The label for the beer is one of Wisdom’s paintings depicting a devil – highly appropriate because the brew tops out at about 10% ABV. Tickets for the show can be purchased at The Players Pub in Bloomington for only $10 in advance and $15 at the door.

From Knight of the Beer Roundtable Jim:

This segment about beer being a "recession-resistant" product aired on NPR on Tuesday.

Now on tap:
Price and availability are subject to change

From Andrew at the Oaken Barrel in Greenwood:

For everyone's information, we are having our Small-batch Series starting on Monday, February 22nd. This series will include small batches of Kolsch, German Alt, Java Stout, and Oak-aged Porter among other possibilities. We will rotate beers approximately once a week. Also, we have an Irish Red coming on as our next seasonal. Hope all is well.

From Jerry at Rock Bottom in Downtown Indianapolis:

The Hop Bomb Nitro IPA is quite a hit!
These beers are in addition to our normal lineup:
Seasonal Wheat: Hefeweizen-German Wheat ale.
Banana aroma with spice and citrus flavors.
Hops: Mt. Hood
Malts: Canadian Pale, Winter Wheat
ABV. 5.3%
O.G. 12°

Hoosier Ma Stout: Imperial Stout
Big, rich and roasty strong ale.
Hops: Golding
Malts: English Pale, Chocolate, Roasted Barley, Rolled Oats
ABV. 9.7%
O.G. 22.4°

Trouble: Golden Belgian Strong Ale
Rich and full mouthfeelwith wonderful fruit and spice character.
Hops: Golding
Malts: English Pale, Munich
ABV. 8.7%
O.G. 20°

Hop Bomb: American I.P.A.
Grassy bitterness and wonderful floral and ruby grapefruit aroma.
Served Nitro style!
Hops: Simcoe, Crystal
Malts: English Pale, Munich, Crystal
ABV. 7.25%
O.G. 15.8°

From John at Half Moon Brewery in Kokomo:

The Kokomonster (Strong Ale) is on tap as of Thursday, Feb. 12th.

From Knight Chris, a note about Adobo Grill in Indianapolis:

Adobo Grill, the upscale Mexican restaurant on Washington St. in downtown, obviously specializes in margaritas and their beer selection is pretty predictable (Corona, Negro Modelo and Dos Equis among other domestics). Fortunately, they do save a tap or two for local and regional craft beers -- right now, they've got Upland Winter Warmer on tap.

In addition, we at Hoosier Beer Geek are always on the look-out for a good chelada and Adobo doesn't disappoint. They serve a specialty beer cocktail called Una Michelada, a mixture of sangrita (a spicy tomato juice mixture), lime juice and your beer of choice.

Starting next week, former J. Gumbo's regulars might recognize a friendly face behind the bar at Adobo.

Now on the shelf:
Price and availability are subject to change

From Mat at Cavalier Distributing in Indianapolis:

CRAFT BEER IN A CAN!

That is right. You can now enjoy craft beer in a can in Indiana! Southern Star Pine Belt Pale Ale from Texas arrived at our warehouse this week and is making its way to better beer places. I know what will be in my cooler this year for the Indy 500!

Here are the details:
Style: American Pale Ale (APA)
Packaging: 6 four packs of 16 ounce cans
ABV: 6.3%, IBU: 45
Malt: Rahr special pale, Simpsons 30-37, Crisp 45
Hops: Sorachi Ace, Galena, CTZ, Palisades
Yeast: California Ale

Description: A deep copper colored ale with a substantial malt backbone accented with British crystal malts with aggressive hop bitterness and substantial American hop flavor and aroma. The yeast profile is neutral.

Also, we received more Founders Double Trouble four packs this week and we have plenty of Double Trouble kegs available. Founders also sent us their last pallet of Founders Imperial Stout so go out and get some Founders beer!

The 2009 release of Clipper City Holy Sheet 9% Belgian Abbey Ale is also now available while supplies last.

From Cari at Kahn's in Indianapolis:

New/Back In At Kahn's This Week:
- Southern Star Pine Belt Pale Ale, Craft Beer In A Can!
- Bell's Consecrator Doppelbock
- Abita Bock
- Dogfish Head Red & White
- Spaten Dunkel
- Mishawaka Seven Mules Kick Ass Barleywine
- Founders Imperial Stout !!!!! (Probably one of my favorite beers so far this year)
- Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA

Sales:
15% off beer sale at Kahn's.
Through through Feb. 17th: All imported 6 pack beer. From anyone, all types and styles!
From Feb. 18th-24th: All domestic 6 pack beer

From Rob at Big Red Liquors in Bloomington:

New at Big Red Liquors this week:

Sam Adams Blackberry Wit
Boulder Mojo Risin Double IPA
Harpoon Celtic
Clipper City Holy Sheet
Magic Hat Number 9 & Lucky Kat
Atwater Vanilla Java Porter
Anchor Steam Bock

We also have a Big Belgian Beer Sale happening this month -get 10% off any 6 packages of great Belgian brews.

¹As voted on by dogs who live in the homes of the Knights of the Beer Roundtable. Though to be fair, they are a pretty easy group to bribe. In three words: who wants bacon?

Cheers! and Prost!

Water makes up 55 to 60 percent of the human body. In me, at least half of that water is in the form of German beer.

Like so many others, my ethnic heritage is made up of bratwurst and sauerkraut, polka bands, and invading France. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Rathskeller in downtown Indianapolis became my first better beer bar of choice with Warsteiner Isenbeck in big frickin' mugs being my first better beer of choice.

Over time, my tastes have diversified. Beers from Belgium, England, and Ireland, plus plenty of American craft brews, take up plenty of beer fridge space. The number of "pubs" in Indianapolis have grown, providing English, Irish, and Scottish themed foods and booze.

During the past couple of months, I have re-discovered Broad Ripple Brew Pub. I have made five different trips to this granddaddy of Indiana microbreweries in the past six weeks. And I don't even live in Broad Ripple. I love the beers that come out of here. And the food is great. The Scottish egg pizza is my new favorite pizza.


But what I love the most is the pub snug, a small area near the bar that warm and cozy and exactly what you imagine when you think of English pub. The wood panels and trim, the dark paints, the metal ceiling, the booths. It is intimate and communal and a wonderful experience. It had become my favorite place to be when I'm drinking.

Or so I thought.

This week, I met up with some college buddies at the Rathskeller's Kellerbar. I dined on German sausages and Ochsenschwanz Suppe. I drank beers with names like Warsteiner, Weihenstephaner, Spaten, Schneider, and Klosterbrauerei. And despite the 70's music channel being pumped in through the speakers, Johann Strauss and son were ringing in my ear.


My German blood was flowing. Even though I really enjoy the quaint and quiet style of an English pub, my heart belongs to a long room with high ceilings where the wooden beams soar and hunting trophies stare at you begging for a drink as you clink your steins together. And the recent stretch of warm weather is making me itch for the biergarten's spring opening.

Where does your soul desire to drink?

Leave a Comment, Maybe Win a Shirt Contest 2

If I had my druthers¹, I'd give away a present everyday until everyone that ever read from HBG had been properly bribed. Unfortunately, I don't have the resources to make that happen.

That's why this, our latest and greatest giveaway, is so great. I don't have to do much of anything.

This time around we're giving away a size XL Euro (which I've been told translates to a US Large) Mikkeller shirt like the one shown on the right here. This shirt comes courtesy of Mikkeller's Indiana distributor, Cavalier Distributing, who advises you to (responsibly) drink as much Mikkeller as possible. As do we at Hoosier Beer Geek. The shirt is way rad², and I'd like to have it for myself.

How do you win? All we need from you is an answer to the question "What's the best (single) craft beer you've ever drunk? And why?"

Just like last time - Leave your answer, your first name and last initial in a comment for this post, and then we'll count the entries, and chose a random numbered winner. Or something like that.

NOT REALLY LEGAL STUFF

Multiple answers will be tossed (we'll only count your first).

Cheating is stupid.

We reserve the right to not give you a shirt if we think you're shady.

We reserve the right to change all the rules.

By participating, entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of HoosierBeerGeek.com, which shall be final and binding with regard to all matters relating to the contest.

I stole that last line.

Contest ends Sunday, February 22nd, at 5PM EST.

* * * * *

¹Druthers? Druthers.

² This doesn't mean rad squared, though I suppose it could. I use the word rad a lot.

The Hoosier Beer Geek Six Pack: Jon Myers, Brewer/Owner Powerhouse Brewing Company

1) Who are you and where do you work? I am Jon Myers; I work for Power House Brewing Co.

2) What got you into the brewing/bar business?
I have worked in the restaurant industry off and on since I was 17 years old. When I was in college, at Ball State University, I began working at the now defunct BW-3 in the village. I started as a cook and eventually worked my way up to General Manager. One of the owners, Mike DeWeese, had a passion for beer and had several great beers at BW-3. I also lived three blocks from the Heorot, a great beer bar in downtown Muncie. I had always had an interest in beer, like it was in my blood. My dad used to give me sips of his Stroh’s when I was a kid, and I thought it was the best thing in the world. When I turned 21 the first bar I went to was the Columbus, which I now own. I asked the server if they had any “imported beer.” I had until that point only had whatever swill beer I could get my hands on as a teenager, and I had always heard beer from Europe was superior to American beer. The first beer I had there was a Newcastle Brown Ale.

After graduating from college I moved to the downtown Indianapolis Buffalo Wild Wings (BW-3 had officially changed its name). The downtown location was also owned by Mike DeWeese and the beer selection was even better. Naively I thought I could make better use of my education than work at a restaurant. So I resigned from Buffalo Wild Wings and began looking for a “real job.”

This was right after the dot com bubble burst and there was a lot of competition on the job market, so the “real job” never materialized. I moved back to my hometown of Columbus, Indiana in 2001. My father had some rental property for sale so I bought them and moved back. My lease was up on my apartment, my roommates were not sticking around and I had been working as a bartender in Greensburg, IN so there was no reason for me to stay in Indy. I moved into one of the rentals. It seemed I couldn’t escape the restaurant industry. I took on the rental properties thinking I could sustain myself from the rental income. After six months it became evident I needed a job so I got a job bar tending in a new restaurant in downtown Columbus, (also defunct). There was no good beer to be found in Columbus. The lack of beer took me by surprise, I had been spoiled working around good beer and living in an area where good beer was available. I began home brewing. My interest in home brewing led me to visit the great brewpubs in Indianapolis and Louisville. I realized there was an opportunity. While I worked for BW-3 my dad had entertained the notion of investing in a BW-3 franchise. I convinced my dad we should start our own bar in Columbus focusing on good beer.

We opened the bar in 2003. Things did not go well for us and in 2005 my dad sold the bar and got out of the bar business. While working at the bar I befriended my current business partner Doug Memering. One day Doug mentioned how he thought Columbus needed a brewpub. I agreed and we began to put a plan together as to what that brewpub may look like. In 2005, after Dad sold the bar, I learned the Columbus Bar was for sale. This is the first bar I went to when I turned 21. It has been in operation since 1939, it’s a beautiful and historical civic icon. We decided the Columbus Bar would be a good “Pub” side of the brewpub and in 2006 we took possession and remolded the Columbus Bar.

3) Was there a beer that you bench marked your own against? How did you know your beer was good enough to take to the general public?
There are several beers I had in mind as I began brewing my own beer. I was inspired by brewers like Bell’s and Three Floyd’s. I liked breweries that had a theme, but respected each style. Breweries where you knew the beer would be good without ever having tried it.
People who tried my home brews liked them, even the beers I was not entirely happy with people liked. I was pretty sure I could sell my beers in a “brewpub” where no other beer was offered, in a town like Columbus where this was a new concept. However, when we took over the Columbus Bar it would be a year before we started brewing. We added 20 draft lines and vowed not to have a bad beer on any of them. Between this and the bar I operated with my dad I had opened a market for craft beer in an area where it did not exist a few years before. So when we added our beers to our tap rotation it was up against the finest beers in the world. They were up against Bell’s and Three Floyd’s. They were up against breweries I loved and regarded highly. Needless to say I was nervous. It was not until our beer was on tap and sold as well as other great beers that I was sure our beer was ready for the public. It wasn’t until the 2007 Indiana Microbrewer’s Fest when thousands of people tried our beer and said, “this is great,” that I really knew we had what it takes to make great beer.

4) What beer are you proudest of? Which of your beers is your personal favorite? Why?
I am most proud of Diesel Oil Stout. I knew I wanted to give the people of my hometown something to be proud of. I knew I wanted to make beers that evoked the local spirit, history and culture. Columbus is home to Cummins, Inc., manufacturers of diesel engines. My business partner Doug works for Cummins. My dad retired from Cummins. The majority of our customers work for Cummins. I had the idea for “Diesel Engine” Stout. Later my business partner Doug called in “Diesel Oil Stout” by mistake and I thought that was a better name. I knew what I wanted out of this beer. I wanted a black black stout with a dirty brown head, but I wanted the beer to be drinkable, to be a session beer. I didn’t want to make an over the top stout. Since then Diesel Oil Stout has become our flagship beer.

I do not really have a favorite beer, it would be like having a favorite child, it’s just not fair. I will tell you two of my favorite moments with our beers. After the 2009 Winterfest I had some Wee Heavy Scotch Ale left over so I took a growler home. My wife, Robin, and I sat by the fire and sipped this beer and I have to say I enjoyed it and felt proud.

The summer of 2007 we were brewing Workingman Wheat. I bottled a few by hand and took some home. This is a little over a year since we took over the Columbus Bar and we had just started brewing. Work was very stressful, getting a business off the ground is not easy, it takes a tremendous amount of dedication, strength and support from friends and family. To ease stress Robin and I like to work in our garden. That summer we were working in the garden, it was a beautiful day. I took a break and poured myself a Workingman and drank it on our back patio in the sun. That was a perfect beer moment. The beer was perfect and I was so proud of it.

5) With the size of your operation, how do you decide what to make next, or what is your creative process for making a new beer?
We try to keep Diesel Oil on all the time. We brew 20 gallon batches and that is really small. Basically we brew one keg at a time. There have been moments where we did not have any of our beer on tap at all. We decided Diesel Oil had the most customer support so we would make Diesel Oil all the time to keep it on tap. Whenever we get a few kegs stocked up of Diesel Oil we will make another beer. This Christmas we had four of our beers on tap, a new record.
When we started brewing we would brew a different beer every season. Workingman Wheat in the summer, Columbus Common in the fall, White River Brown Ale in the spring and Diesel Oil in the winter. We still try to follow the seasons. We have Diesel Oil on all the time, but we put our porter on and our 1436 Dark Wheat on in the winter. This summer we will brew more Workingman Wheat.

When we come up with a new beer we think about the style of beer we want to brew. For example, during the winter of the hop crisis I decided to make a Scotch Ale, because there is a low hop profile and it was winter and Scotch Ales are great winter beers. I reflected on Scotch Ales, asked myself, what I like about Scotch Ales, what makes them good, what makes them unique. I also enjoy a good Scotch whiskey with a good in your face peat profile, and I wanted to give our Scotch Ale a little of that characteristic. From there I put a recipe together using a little of whatever hop I could get my hands on and a great beer was born.

My fellow brewer, David Baugher came up with the recipe for 1436 Dark Wheat Ale. It was summer and we had been brewing Workingman Wheat. Batch after Batch after Batch of Workingman Wheat. David wanted to brew something else, change it up a bit. Inspired by Dunkle Weiss [style] he put together a unique dark wheat beer. We tried it and it was a hit, people ask for it all the time.

6) Which beers outside of your own do you enjoy? What beer do you wish you came up with? Why?
I love a lot of different beers and beer styles. I’m a big fan of Belgian ales, specifically abbey and doubles. I like pale ales and IPA’s with a great hop character that have a strong malt backbone. Founder’s IPA is a great example. In the winter I like a good barley wine with a couple of years on it, and in the summer I’ll have a pilsner or a hefe-weizen.

There really isn’t any beer I wish I had created that I didn’t create, there are several that I enjoy.

We sincerely wish to thank Jon for taking the time to answer our questions. If you are in the Columbus area, or shopping at the outlet mall, stop by and have a few pints and some good food. Here is a link to their website.

Random Beer Roundup - Get your Valentine some beer edition

Last night while traveling to dinner, I noticed a billboard advertising a dozen roses for Valentine's Day. We have had a 10 year understanding that buying flowers for Feb. 14th is a waste of money. Making sure I don't accidentally put myself in the dog house, I asked, "Do I need to get you flowers for Valentine's Day this year?" She replied, "No, that's stupid."

Wanting to additionally insure I don't sleep on the couch in the near future, I ask, "Jewels, then. You want jewelry for Valentine's Day?" She said, "No, we don't need to be wasting our money on that."

"So what do you want?"

"I don't know," she replied, "When I think of it, I'll go and buy it for myself."

"Sounds good," I said. Makes my job easy.

She continues, "I was planning on getting you a case of Hopslam for your gift. Why don't you pick one up for yourself?"

Yes, I married a good one. Just a friendly reminder from Hoosier Beer Geek that craft beer makes a great Valentine's Day gift and nothing could ever go wrong by buying beer for that special someone.¹

Alright love birds, it is time for the weekly Random Beer Roundup. Remember, if you have any beer news you want to share, drop us a line at hoosierbeergeek@gmail.com. On with the show...

Beer Events:
From Patrick at Patrick's Kitchen in Zionsville:

Join us for a great evening for beer lovers! Patrick's invites you to our INDIANA BREWS beer tasting, Tuesday, February 17 at 6:30 PM. We will have three appetizers, two entrees, and dessert, all perfectly paired with six Indiana microbrews.

From Cari at Kahn's in Indianapolis:

Beer Tasting Monday, February 9, 5-7 p.m.: Great German Beers with Cavalier Distributing

Bonus Beer Tasting: Saturday, February 7, 1-4 p.m.: Sierra Nevada beers, showcasing the recent releases and some old favorites. This will also kick off a drawing for a really unique item from Sierra Nevada - a screen printed 12th Release Wet Hop Ale hop sack framed in a "found-wood" 100 year-old Duncan fir frame.

From Rob at Big Red Liquors in Bloomington:

Don't forget about our free beer tasting every Thursday from 6-8pm at our big downtown store! On Feb. 12th: Lindeman's Framboise & Kriek

From Jerry at Rock Bottom in Downtown Indianapolis:

Next Tapping: Fire chief, Feb. 19, 2009
Next Brewer’s Dinner: Feb. 10, 2009

From John at the Black Sparrow in Lafayette:

See you at the Lafayette Brewing Company's "Winter Warmer" Strong Ale and Barleywine Tasting (Sat Feb 7th).
This event is sold out...but worth the attempt at a "scalper" ticket!

On Saturday, February 14th, the Fickle Peach in Muncie will be having a Valentine's Day beer dinner. See the poster to the right for more information. Purchase your tickets online soon. Seating is limited.

From Matt and Elizabeth at the Old Town Ale House in Fishers:

Monday, Feb 23rd at 7 p.m.
"Lambics, Meads & Barleywine"
$10 per person includes beer & appetizers.
All beer will be available for purchase at great prices!
Old Town Ale House...841-0800

We've also got a great Valentine's Day planned...just for Beer Lovers. We suggest reservations!

And mark your calendar for a Beer Geek Breakfast (or Beer Geek BreakFest) at Brugge Brasserie in Indianapolis on Saturday, March 14th. More details to come.

News and Rumors:
From Bob at Indiana Beer:

Chris Johnson and Brett VanderPlaats have a web site up now about their upcoming brewery, the People's Brewing Company, in Lafayette. Chris was the brewer at Lafayette Brewery for many years. The new venture uses a name from a pre-prohibition brewery in Terre Haute. It seems to be destined to be a brewery rather than a brewpub.

From way down in Louisiana, Abita sent an email that 22 ounce beer bottles will be hitting retailers in the near future, including these two big beers:

Abita Andygator
Andygator is a creature of the swamp, a unique high-gravity brew made with pale malt, German lager yeast and German Perle hops. Unlike other high-gravity brews, Andygator is fermented to a dry finish with a slightly sweet flavor and subtle fruit aroma. Reaching alcohol strength of 8% by volume, it is a Helles Dopplebock. Andygator has been enjoyed as a draft brew and now enthusiastic Abita Andygator fans welcome its distribution in the new Big Bottles.

Abita Abbey Ale
Abbey Ale is a new Abita brew that honors the ancient tradition of monks who perfected the art of brewing beer to support the monastery and the brothers with their form of “liquid bread”. Abita offers up their support and thanks them with a 25-cent donation to St. Joseph’s Abbey in Covington, Louisiana with every bottle of this heavenly brew. The Abita Brewing Company previously raised $550,000 for hurricane storm relief with their Restoration Pale Ale after back-to-back storms devastated Louisiana. Abbey Ale is dark amber in color, with an aroma of caramel, fruits and cloves. It is a Dubble or double ale with an 8% ABV. Abita Abbey Ale is a malty brew, top-fermented and bottle aged to rapturous perfection.

Now on tap:
Price and availability are subject to change

From John at the Black Sparrow in Lafayette:

Double IPA Extravaganza!!!

Beginning Thursday, Feb 5th-until supplies last...a tasting of some of the season's finest DIPAs! All On Draft!!!

Available by the pint, or as a sample-size flight of all five:
Stone Ruination
Founders Double Trouble
Bell's Hopslam
Victory Hop Wallop
Goose Island Imperial IPA

Don't miss the chance to try these great beers!!!

Also on tap:
Okocim Lager
Left Hand Sawtooth
Kostritzer Black Lager

From Jerry at Rock Bottom in Downtown Indianapolis:

These beers are in addition to our normal lineup:
Seasonal Wheat: Hefeweizen-German Wheat ale.
Banana aroma with spice and citrus flavors.
Hops: Mt. Hood
Malts: Canadian Pale, Winter Wheat
ABV. 5.3%
O.G. 12°

Hoosier Ma Stout: Imperial Stout
Big, rich and roasty strong ale.
Hops: Golding
Malts: English Pale, Chocolate, Roasted Barley, Rolled Oats
ABV. 9.7%
O.G. 22.4°

Trouble: Golden Belgian Strong Ale
Rich and full mouthfeelwith wonderful fruit and spice character.
Hops: Golding
Malts: English Pale, Munich
ABV. 8.7%
O.G. 20°

Hop Bomb: American I.P.A.
Grassy bitterness and wonderful floral and ruby grapefruit aroma.
Served Nitro style!
Hops: Simcoe, Crystal
Malts: English Pale, Munich, Crystal
ABV. 7.25%
O.G. 15.8°

From Greg at Cavalier Distributing:

Perusing Shallos' tap selection, I felt compelled to send you an updated list of some of the special brews they have on now & coming up:

Boulder Mojo Risin Double IPA
Founders Imperial Stout
Left Hand Smokejumper Porter
Mad River John Barleycorn Barleywine

Also, Founders Double Trouble Imperial IPA will be tapped later this week.

These are all in addition to Breckenridge 471 Dbl IPA, Stone Arrogant Bastard, Weihenstephaner Hefe & Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout!!

It's worth a trip to the southside...

From Chris, a note about Agio on Mass Ave:

We went to Agio for dinner this week and noticed that they now have Brugge Black on tap. Brugge is popping up all over town these days! Outside of the Brasserie itself, Brugge Black is relatively uncommon on tap -- at least, less common than Tripel de Ripple or White -- so stop by Agio and have a pint!

From Matt and Elizabeth at the Old Town Ale House in Fishers:

The Old Town Ale House WILL have Double Trouble, Hopslam & MoJo Risin' on this weekend. The draft list is pretty awesome right now.

From Dean at Deano's Vino in Indianapolis:

BIG News! Many of you (you know who you are) have been hounding the good people at Deano's Vino. "I'm in Hopslam withdrawal", you say. "Do whatever you have to to get another keg, Nick!" Well, Nick has pulled through to save your butts one more time. You'll have to ask him yourself for the tawdry details. Please remember, this is the end of the line for Bell's Hopslam until 2010, so don't delay!!

Now on the shelf:
Price and availability are subject to change

From Mat at Cavalier Distributing in Indianapolis:

Good news from Founders: They have been able to get thier hands more Centennial Hops and will no longer limit how much Centennial IPA they will send to Indiana and we now have plenty in stock. Which means Indiana Hop Heads should be able to get Centennial IPA when ever they want it! So drink up!

The 2009 release of Hofbrau Mai Bock just arrived on our dock today!

Also a truck from Left Hand arrived today so we now have Milk Stout back in stock.

From Cari at Kahn's in Indianapolis:

New In This Week:
Boulder Brewing Mojo Risen Double IPA 22 oz.
Shipyard Pugsley's Signature Series Barleywine 22 oz.
Shipyard Pugsley's Signature Series Imperial Porter 22 oz.
Avery New World Porter 6-packs
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine 6-packs

Sales:
15% off beer sale at Kahn's.
Through through Feb. 10th: All Single Beers. If we sell it in a "warm" single, it's on sale.
From Feb. 11th-17th: All imported 6 pack beer. From anyone, all types and styles!

Achouffe Brewery - La, Houblon & Mc: $6.99 each, N'Ice: $7.99
Two Brothers Ebel's Weiss: $4.99 6-pack (while supplies last)
Breckenridge Christmas Ale: $5.99 6-pack

Also, keep an eye out: We are resetting certain areas of the department to make room for our expanding gluten-free and organic beers.

From Mike at Crown Liquors with multiple locations in the Indianapolis area:

Been taking the last few weeks getting things organized and polishing up around the chain, now that we retailers have some time to breath after the busy season, so stores are looking great! I have also been putting in the pre-orders, so plenty of rare/new treats in the near future. Still plenty of Hopslam at $17.99 a 6pk w/15% off on a case purchase. Plenty of Double Trouble from Founders as well. Bigfoot Barleywine just arrived along with Torpedo, a great IIpa from Sierra Nevada. We will be having a tasting Friday, Feb 6th at the fishers location(Crown Liquors #15), of Upland brewing Co. brews. One night special as well, 15% off ALL Micro/Micro Import bombers, 6pks and 750s for the tasting. We will be sampling Uplands year round brews, Seasonals, a few of the Lambics (Jen is bringing the Kiwi from her stash) and for sure a few brews from the cellar. Hope to see alot of you there.

Homebrewing:
Price and availability are subject to change

From Anita at Great Fermintations in Indianapolis:

Hop rhizome pre-order:
We have chosen nine different varieties of hops that grow particularly well here in the midwest. Orders need to be in by March 1st. Please be advised that hop vines can grow 25 feet or more in a season so trellising or some other type of support is advised. Follow this link for more details and to reserve your rhizomes.

Wanna make some high gravity beer? Wyeast Private Collection HG yeasts are in the shop:
Whether you are looking to brew an extremely rich malty brew with a powerful bouquet or a winter warmer with malty sweetness and complexity, these High Gravity Private Collection strains will provide you with the most critical tool to make it possible. Three to choose from: Imperial Blend, Old Ale Blend, and Canadian/Belgian. These will only be in stock through March.

¹Warning: Results may vary. For example, if you attempt to give your girlfriend craft beer instead of an engagement ring when what she and her mother and her sisters and all her friends are expecting you to FINALLY grow a pair and ask the girl to marry you, you may in fact lose your life.