Random Beer Roundup - Peter Cottontail Edition (finally)

Computer challenges delayed the posting of this edition of Random Beer Roundup.

Easter is coming. This means that for some unfortunate bastards who gave beer up for Lent, their forty dry days are coming to an end. Hopefully, the Easter Bunny will leave bottles of beer in their basket.

Passover is in full swing. This means that for some unfortunate bastards who remain kosher, their seven dry days will come to an end Wednesday night. Hopefully, the maror will temporarily satisfy their desire for beer's bitterness.

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

Beer Events:
Dates and lineups subject to change

Friday, April 10, 7pm at Yogi's in Bloomington:
Stone Levitation kick-off party; more details below in the news

Saturday, April 11, 2pm at Upland Brewing Company in Bloomington:
Tapping Helios Pale Ale in honor of Upland's new solar initatives (see news below), plus educational tours and presentations on solar energy.

Monday, April 13, 5-7 p.m., at Kahn’s in Indianapolis:
British beers tasting at the Tasting Bar with Cavalier Distributing

Thursday, April 16 at Rock Bottom - Downtown in Indianapolis:
Tapping of Cezanne

Thursday, April 16 at various movie theaters across the US:
Beer Wars the Movie

Friday, April 17, 4:30-6:30pm, at Parti-Pak Liquors in Indianapolis:
Free Beer Tasting featuring Cavalier Distributing Beers

Friday, April 18 in Jeffersonville:
2nd Annual Craft Beer Extravaganza; $75; more details below in the news

Friday, April 18 at the Heorot in Muncie:
Stone Levitation kick-off party; more details below in the news

Tuesday, April 21, 6:30pm, at Patrick's Kitchen and Drinks:
Spring Festival Beer and Wine Tasting: Five course buffet menu paired with five wines and five beers. $35 per person in advance, includes tax and tip, $45 at the door. Call 733-8755 for reservations and information.

Saturday, April 25 at Three Floyd’s Brewery in Munster:
Dark Lord Day

Sunday, April 26, 12:00pm at Great Fermentations in Indianapolis:
Spring All-Grain Class, $25 per person or bring a friend and pay only $20 each. Details and registration on website.

Sunday, April 26th, 6 p.m. at Zing! in Indianapolis:
Beer Tasting Dinner, $30 per person, Reservations required at (317)636-7775

Wednesday, April 29, 6-7:30pm at Great Fermentations in Indianapolis:
Beginning Brewing Class, $15 per person or bring a friend and pay only $10 each. Details and registration on website.

Thursday, April 30, 6pm at Lafayette Brewing Company in Lafayette:
Firkin Thursday featuring a sneak preview firkin- Dry-Hopped Maifest

Saturday, May 2nd: National Homebrew Day

Tuesday, May 5, 2009 at Rock Bottom - Downtown in Indianapolis:
Brewer's Dinner

Friday, May 8th at Upland Brewing Company in Bloomington:
Entries for the UpCup Competition are due.

Saturday, May 9th, 4pm, at Buffalo Wild Wings in downtown Indianapolis:
High Gravity Summer Kickoff, a fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (details under the News heading of RBR v.2009.04.03)

Saturday, May 16th at Upland Brewing Company in Bloomington:
UpCup judging and ceremony.

Monday, June 22nd at Beer Sellar in Indianapolis:
Big Bell's Brewing tapping, a record breaking 30 different Bell's beers on tap at once.

News and Rumors:

NABC's Roger Baylor writes about Rocky's on the River's draft lineup (tap list included below) for LEO.

Top Chef winner Stephanie Izard writes about her visit to Three Floyd's.

In case you missed it, New Belgium is coming to Indiana on April 20th.

From World Class Beverages:

April 18th is Thunder Over Louisville and we'll be hosting the second annual Craft Beer Extravaganza located between Buckheads and Rocky's in Jeffersonville. Tickets are $75 which includes all day non-alcoholics, appetizer & dinner buffet, restrooms/ tent/tables/chairs and a fantastic offering of Craft and Import beers. (Wine & Spirits will be available too.) Craft beers featured will be Dogfish Head, 3 Floyds, Bells, New Albanian, Upland, BBC, Brownings, Oaken Barrel, Spaten, Franziskaner, Kasteel, Schlafly and more! Brewery reps will be available to talk to and other special guests.

Gates open at 2pm. A portion of the proceeds will benefit The Family Place. This is a family friendly environment, which children under 6 are free, plus there will be an activity tent for the kiddos.

Tickets are available for purchase at both Rocky's and Buckheads in Jeffersonville at 707 Riverside Drive. Phone 812.284.2919

Schmaltz Brewing receives some recent press at Entrepreneur.com, Monday Night Brewery, and Brooklyn Ink.

From Greg at Cavalier Distributing:

This Friday, April 10th is the 1st ever Stone Levitation kick-off party at Yogi's in Bloomington. The event will start at 7 pm and run through the night, and will feature Stone Levitation Ale along with several other Stone everyday & special release beers. Stone Levitation has never been available in Indiana before and this event is one of 3 kick-offs in April to build anticipation for the statewide Levitation kick-off in May. Levitation is a hoppy Amber Ale, and is Stone's version of a "session beer". It has incredible depth of flavor with a fresh hop aroma and taste and a solid malt backbone. Levitation is THE perfect session beer, so try to make it out to Yogi's Friday night and Levitate your senses!

FOUNDERS BEER WEEK @ THE FICKLE PEACH NEXT WEEK!
Founders' Intents: Life, Liberty, & the pursuit of great beer.
Founders Beer week starts this Monday the 13th at the Fickle Peach in Muncie. The Fickle Peach has been a huge supporter of Founders beers since day 1 with no wavering. As a result, they have been the lucky recipients of several Founders goodies throughout the years that are very rare and highly sought after. The guys at FP have been looking for the right time to unleash these special brews and it looks like that time is next week. Starting Monday, FP will be featuring at least 5 Founders Beers on Tap including: Backwoods Bastard, Breakfast Stout, Double Trouble Imperial IPA, Imperial Stout, Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale & Dry-Hopped Pale Ale. The week will culminate with the tapping of a 5 Gallon keg of KBS on Friday the 17th @ 4 pm. Wow!

The 2nd April Levitation kick-off event will be at the Heorot in Muncie next Saturday, April 18th. This event will feature Stone Levitation Ale along with several other Stone Special Release and everyday beers. The Heorot was lucky enough to get 1 of 2 kegs of 2009 Old Guardian in the state this year. There will definitely be a keg of 2009 Old Guardian on along with some Arrogant Bastard & Ruination to accompany the Levitation as it makes its premiere in Northern Indiana. There will be some other special Stone beers there as well and this event will run throughout the day & evening.

It sounds like next weekend is the time to make a trip and stay in Muncie!!

The 3rd Levitation kick-off will actually be at 3 Floyds on Dark Lord Day on the 25th. 3 Floyds will have Stone Levitation available on draft for Dark Lord Day along with a keg of Stone beer never before bottled or seen in Indiana!! All we can say now is that it's vintaged and it's barrel-aged.

Dogfish Head Brewing recently re-redesigned their website.

And Dark Lord Day 2009 People Are Insane.

Now on tap:
Price and availability are subject to change

From Adam at Crown Brewing in Crown Point:

On tap now:
"Crown Brown Ale" - This ale is malty and sweet on the palette and will prove to be one of our best yet!

"Celtic Pride" - Move over Guinness, this 12 malt Irish Stout is to die for.

"Exstacy of Gold" Blonde Ale ~ This "blonde" will surely meet the expectations of all beer loves. Smooth, crisp and hoppy.

"Smokestack Amber Ale" ~ This exceptionally balanced beer offers a perfect combination of malts and hops.

From Lafayette Brewing Company in Lafayette:

ON TAP NOW: Ouiatenon Wit, Prophet's Rock Pale Ale, East Side Bitter, Tippecanoe Common Ale, Eighty-Five, Black Angus Oatmeal Stout, Equinox Ale and Marley's VSOP are all currently pouring on draft. We're also serving cask-conditioned Digby's Irish Stout and Weeping Hog Pale Ale.

CURRENT & UPCOMING SEASONAL BEERS
We're currently offering a trio of much-sought-after seasonal beers: Marley's VSOP, Digby's Irish Stout and Equinox Ale. Marley's VSOP is a Baltic style porter (VSOP stands for very special old porter) that has been aged for three months on Jack Daniels barrel wood. The Digby's Irish Stout is a classic dry stout- smooth, dark and creamy when served from our authentic beer engines. The Equinox Ale is our salute to spring and is a hearty and hoppy ale featuring a refreshing citrusy hop blast contributed by massive additions of Amarillo and Centennial hops. Hurry down for a taste as both of these seasonals will go quickly.

On deck in the world of LBC seasonals, we've got a batch of our delicious Maifest. Brewed in the mode of a Munich Dunkel, this malty lager features hearty quantities of dark Munich and a dash of crystal malt balanced out with Willamette and German-grown Saphir hops. Look for a tapping around the first of May. Also, look for a cask-conditioned, dry-hopped sneak preview of the Maifest to be featured for Firkin Thursday on Thursday, April 30.

From John at The Black Sparrow Pub in Lafayette:

On Tap:
Goose Island NightStalker Stout (Imperial Stout)
Jever Pilsner
Upland Ard Ri (Imperial Irish Red)
O'Hara's Irish Stout
Founders Double Trouble (Dbl IPA)
Klokke Roeland
Spaten Optimator
Founders Pale Ale

Coming Soon On Tap:
Rogue Deadliest
Left Hand Imperial Stout
Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron
Goose Island Matilda

If You Ask Nicely:
Stone Russian Imperial Stout (22oz bombers)

From Kelly at Rocky's on the River in Jeffersonville:

Here is our draft selection now at Rocky's On The River:
Warbird Irish Shanty
Leinenkugal Seasonal
Birra Moretti
Sam Adams Lager
Sprecher Root Beer
Stone Ipa
Bud Light
Pilsner Urquell
Peroni
Miller Lite
Coors Light
BBC Bourbon Barrel Stout
Blue Moon
New Albanian Rotating Tap
Killians
Abita Purple Haze
Three Floyds Gumballhead
New Castle
Rogue Dead Guy Ale
Victory Golden Monkey Ale
Dogfish Indian Brown
Atwater Voodoo Doppleboch
Brugge Triple De Ripple
Ommegang Hennepin Famhouse Saison
Brownings Rotating Tap
Upland Seasonal
Sam Adams Seasonal
BBC Seasonal
Schafly Seasonal
Bells Seasonal

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

From Mr. G's Liquors in Noblesville:

New this week:
JK's Scrumpy Hard Cider
Stone Imperial Russian Stout

From Cari at Kahn's in Indianapolis:

I do want to thank (publically) Hoosier Beer Geek and the many readers who came out to the Goose Island Tasting and Greg Hall Meet & Greet. It was an awesome showing of people, more than I'd expected, and both Greg and Chev, the area GI rep. were very happy with it. It was a success, everyone was happy, and we hope to do something like this again in the near future!

New this week:
Stone Imperial Russian Stout
Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree
Dark Horse Plead the Fifth
Hambleton Toleration Gluten Free Beer

On Sale:
Goose Island Beers! The Weds. night sale has been extended through the weekend: All 6 packs, $6.99 - was $8.99; Pere Jacques & Matilda, $9.99 - was $11.99; and Bourbon County Brand Stout, $18.99 - was $20.99

Samuel Smith Winter Welcome 18 oz. $2.99
Three Floyds Alpha Klaus 22 oz. $5.99
Breckenridge Christmas Ale 6 pack $5.99

Starting Tuesday:
Schlafly All 6packs $7.99
Murphy's Irish Stout Pub Cans and Young's Double Chocolate Pub Cans $7.99

From Dustin at Spencer's Stadium Tavern in Indianapolis:

On Draft:
Old Style
Spaten
Alpha King
Bell's Oberon
Bourbon Barrel Stout
Dirty Helen Brown Ale
Brugge White
Sawtooth

From Greg at Cavalier Distributing in Indianapolis:

There are some exciting beers hitting the market and several incredible beer events going on this next week, so enjoy!

The week of April 6th is the official kick-off for the 2009 Stone Imperial Russian Stout. Stone IRS started hitting the market this week and you should be able to find it at any craft beer outlet that supports Stone Brewing throughout the year. There is a very limited amount that hit the state and it is drinking absolutely incredible, so make sure you get out and get some now. For those of you who put stock in ratings, a "100" Ratebeer and "A" Beer Advocate Rating aren't too shabby either...

Also new to the market is a new series of Berghoff Beers called the Berghoff Artisan Series. The first release in this Arisan Series is the Berghoff Artisan Blond Ale. This Blond Ale is crisp, full-flavored and balanced with a higher ABV than all other Berghoff Beers. The Artisan Series was created in an effort to showcase some higher qualilty, small batch beers from Berghoff. Berghoff Artisan Blond starting hitting the market this week and should be available for you to try.

Homebrewing:
Price and availability are subject to change

From Anita at Great Fermentations in Indianapolis:

Brett Fusion Yeast Strains Are Now Available. The next 3 in the VSS series are all Belgian inspired Brett fusions.

3763 Roeselare: This blend of lambic cultures produces beer with a complex, earthy profile and a distinctive pie-cherry sourness. Ageing for up to 18 months is required for the full range of flavors and acidity to develop. This yeast will produce a very dry profile due to the super attenuative nature of the mixed cultures.

3789 Trappist Blend: A unique blend of Belgian Saccharomyces and Brettanomyces for emulating Trappist style beer from the Florenville region in Belgium. Phenolics, mild fruitiness and complex spicy notes develo with increased fermentation temperatures. This yeast has a subdued but classic Brett character.

5151 Brettanomyces claussinii: Isolated from English stock ale, this wild yeast produces a mild Brett character with overtones of tropical fruit and pineapple. It ferments best in worts with a reduced pH after primary fermentation has begun. It may form a pellicle in bottles and is typically used in conjunction with other yeast and lactic acid bacteria.