Winterfest 2010 Update #4

The Brewers of Indiana Guild's Winterfest 2010 tickets are on sale now online and will soon be available at breweries across the entire state (hopefully starting next week). Winterfest will be held in the Ag/Hort building of the Indiana State Fairgrounds on Saturday, January 30th, 2010 from 3pm to 7pm. Tickets are $30.

As we receive information from the breweries as to what they are bringing, we will let you know. Our first Winterfest update provided the beer lists for Upland, Great Crescent, Mad Anthony, and Brugge. Our second Winterfest update included Bee Creek Brewery, Lafayette Brewing Company, Two Brothers, Rust Belt, Bell's Brewing Co., and Atwater Block. Our third Winterfest update included Crown Brewing, Big Woods Brewing, Power House Brewing, and Rock Bottom Brewery North. This is our forth update to the beer list...


Back Road Brewery
LaPorte, Indiana
On draft at their booth:
Maple City Gold
Millennium Lager
Polt Shift Pale Ale
Small Beer Barleywine

In the outdoor beer garden:
2012 IPA (firkin)
TBD (pin)

Broad Ripple Brewpub
Indianapolis, Indiana
On draft at their booth:
Winter Wheat
Hopcicle

In the outdoor beer garden:
2001 “A Stout Odyssey” (firkin)

Mishawaka Brewing
Mishawaka, Indiana
On draft at their booth:
Four Horsemen Irish Style Red Ale
Replicale (Coffee-Oatmeal Stout)
Lake Effect Pale Ale (American Pale Ale)

Sun King Brewing
Indianapolis, Indiana
On draft at their booth:
Sunlight Cream Ale
Wee Mac Scottish Ale
Bitter Druid ESB
Osiris Pale Ale
Winter Replicale: Coffee Oatmeal Stout w/ coffee from B•Java
Amarillo the Princess Warrior Imperial IPA
Crab Apple Wit
Chile Cream Ale

In the outdoor beer garden:
Firkin TBA

Schlafly Beer
St. Louis, Missouri
On draft at their booth:
Dry-Hopped APA
Coffee Stout
C1 Oak Aged Dry Hopped Smoked Rye Pal Ale (Schlafly/NABC/O’Fallon)

Bottles at their booth:
Quadrupel
Grand Cru

In the outdoor beer garden:
Smoked Porter (firkin)
2009 Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout (bottle)
2009 Oak-Aged Barleywine (bottle)

Goose Island Brewing Co.
Chicago, Illinois
On draft at their booth:
Bourbon County Stout
Pere Jacques
Matilda
UPDATED: Mild Winter

In bottles at their booth:
Sofie

North Coast Brewing Co.
Fort Bragg, California
Bottles at their booth:
Red Seal Ale
Old #38 Stout
Scrimshaw pilsner
Acme IPA
Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
Brother Thelonius Belgian Abby Ale
Prangster Golden Belgian Style Ale

Left Hand Brewing Co.
Longmont, Colorado
On draft at their booth:
Milk Stout
Sawtooth ESB
400# Monkey English IPA
Polestar Pilsner

Look for more updates in the coming weeks. Plus, we'll be giving away two tickets to Winterfest 2010, so stay tuned!

Stop In And See Us

This is just a reminder about the little party we'll be putting on tomorrow night. Remember: THERE'S NO COVER. So even if you just stop in on your way somewhere else, we'd be happy to see you.

The beer list:

Koningshoeven Quadruple - A 10% Koningshoeven Quad

Boulder Hazed and Infused - A dry hopped Pale Ale

Sun King Java Mac - The coffee infused version of Sun King's Wee Mac Scottish Style Brown Ale has been a huge hit with Indianapolis area drinkers.

Sun King Pale Ale firkin - Cask beer! A beer geek's delight.

Buffet (Starting at 10:30pm) - $15
Navy Bean and Prosciutto Ham Soup
Chicken Jambalaya with Rice
Stewed Moroccan Vegetable Soup
Fried White Fish (Pollack)

See you there!

Scenes from a Sneak Preview: Schlafly/O'Fallon/New Albanian Collaboration

Where: Schlafly Tap Room, downtown St. Louis, MO


Who: O’Fallon Brewers Stu Burkemper, Dave Johnson, and Brian Owens, New Albanian Brewer Jared Williamson, and Schlafly Brewer Brennan Greene


What: The first in a O'Fallon/Schlafly/NABC collaborative series, this is beer #1 (C-1 for short). Its an Oak Aged Dry Hopped Smoked Rye Pale Ale, 6.5% ABV and 35 IBU. Despite the smoked rye malt, the first notes coming from the nose were a heavy dose of citrus/lemonade. Putting your nose deeper into the glass really brings out the smoked rye. Have you ever bbq'ed an orange/lemon? That's the sort of taste that revealed itself.


Why: I'll admit that trying a beer (I'm assuming) before some of the folks that helped brew it is a rare treat (and more than a little odd), but we've never been the type to turn down an opportunity. Our yet-to-be-finished samples were poured off a pigtail connected the the fermentation tank in Schlafly's Tap Room basement. Thanks to Schlafly's Stephen Hale and StlHops.com Mike Sweeney for the sneak preview, and to the brewers at all three breweries for putting the beer together.


When: The yet to be named finished product should show up at the respective breweries sometime in January.


More info: StlHops.com, The Potable Curmudgeon

Winterfest 2010 Update #3

The Brewers of Indiana Guild's Winterfest 2010 tickets are on sale now online and will soon be available at breweries across the entire state. Winterfest will be held in the Ag/Hort building of the Indiana State Fairgrounds on Saturday, January 30th, 2010 from 3pm to 7pm. Tickets are $30.

As we receive information from the breweries as to what they are bringing, we will let you know. Our first Winterfest update provided the beer lists for Upland, Great Crescent, Mad Anthony, and Brugge. Our second second Winterfest update included Bee Creek Brewery, Lafayette Brewing Company, Two Brothers, Rust Belt, Bell's Brewing Co., and Atwater Block. This is our third update to the beer list, including some out of state breweries...


Crown Brewing
Crown Point, Indiana
On draft at their booth:
Special Force Ale I.P.A.
Crown Town Brown Ale
Xtacy Of Gold Blonde Ale
Industrial Porter

In the outdoor beer garden:
Grand Poobah Imperial Stout (pin)

Big Woods Brewing Co.
Nashville, Indiana
On draft at their booth:
Stout
Pale
Winter Ale

Power House Brewing
Columbus, Indiana
On draft at their booth:
Diesel Oil Stout
1436 Dark Wheat

In the outdoor beer garden:
TBD (pin)

Rock Bottom North
Indianapolis, Indiana
On draft at their booth:
Oatmeal Stout
Old Curmudgeon Imperial IPA
Tripel Trouble

In the outdoor beer garden:
Old Curmudgeon Imperial IPA (pin)


Look for more updates in the coming weeks. Plus, we'll be giving away two tickets to Winterfest 2010, so stay tuned!

Join Us For The Third Annual Hoosier Beer Geek New Year's Party at Deano's Vino

In the past two years we've tried to put together a fairly affordable and relaxed yet festive New Years party with the help of the folks at Deano's Vino, and this year will be no exception.

If you've joined us on New Year's before, or if this is your first time, we think we've got a little something for everyone.

The beer list:

Koningshoeven Quadruple - It wouldn't be a HBG New Year without a Big Belgian-style beer, and Koningshoeven Quad is definitly that. Brewed by Trappist Monks and weighing in at 10% ABV, this beer currently holds the 10th position in our list of beers reviewed over the past three and a half years. Described by our crack panel as "sweet and smooth", "a nice punch in the brain", "luscious", "divine", and "Incredibly drinkable" (and that was the bottled version) - we're extremely excited to have this on tap.

As usual, we should warn you that in the case of the Belgian Quad, you should expect to see a price in the neighborhood of $10 per pint. We think it's worth it.

Boulder Hazed and Infused - We've know that if we're going to throw a party, we gotta keep the hopheads happy - This unfiltered dry-hopped ale is "hazed" in its natural state and "infused" with a Crystal and Centennial hop blend, creating a flavorful aromatic brew.

Sun King Java Mac - Brewed with the help of our very on Knight of the Beer Roundtable Gina, this coffee infused version of Sun King's Wee Mac Scottish Style Brown Ale has been a huge hit with Indianapolis area drinkers.

Sun King firkin - Beer geek love cask ales, and we're excited that the folks at Sun King will be rolling out a firkin of something special for the event. We'll let you know when we have a definite answer on what.

There will be a $15 buffet of Chef Jody Bryant's tasty treats so that you can keep yourself a little more balanced as the night goes on. We'll also have a DJ to keep the festivities lively.

Even if it's just your first stop of the night, we'll be happy to see you - and since there's no cover it won't set you back much to stop in an have a beer. We hope you'll join us for an event that's always a good time.

See you there!

Jason, Jim, Mike, Gina, Matt, Rodney, Chris, and Jess
The Hoosier Beer Geek Knights of the Beer Roundtable

Random Beer Roundup - The Yuletide Edition

Happy Friday and Happy Holidays! On behalf of all of the Knights, we wish you and yours the very best! The Roundup will take a holiday break next week but will return for the New Year.

If there is something coming up that is not listed, we would love to hear about it. News, reviews, info, etc., to share for our next Random Beer Roundup can be submitted to hoosierbeergeek@gmail.com.)

Hoosier Beer Calendar
Events are subject to change

Friday, December 18th at Crown Liquors Downtown Indy: Grand Opening (More details below)

Saturday, January 30th at the State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis: 2010 Brewers of Indiana Guild Winterfest

Friday, February 26th at Rich O's Public House in New Albany: Gravity Head begins!

What's Brewing

From Roger at New Albanian Brewing Co in New Albany:

This year the Pizzeria/Public House, which is always closed on Sunday, will observe these holiday hours:

Christmas Eve, Dec. 24th - 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Christmas Day, Dec. 25th - Closed
Saturday, Dec. 26th - Closed

New Year's Eve, Dec. 31st - 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
New Year's Day, Jan. 1 - Closed
Open again on Saturday, January 2

Gravity Head begins Friday, February 26!

From Andrew at Oaken Barrel Brewing Co. in Greenwood:

Two new seasonals on at the OBBC this week. Monday, we tapped a Schwarzbier, and tomorrow we will be tapping our Epiphany Belgian Tripel. Also, keep an eye out for an American Barleywine and a Nitro Oatmeal Stout in the next couple months.

From Jon at Power House Brewing Co. in Columbus:

Dec. 27, (my birthday) we will be having "Hank Haggard" live at Power House Brewing Co.'s Columbus Bar.


At the Bar

From Sam at BW3's (Downtown Indianapolis):

Dogfish/Sierra Nevada Life & Limb (Almost gone!!!)

New Albanian Elector (Just Tapped)

Boulevard Wheat

Upland Bad Elmers Porter

Founders Breakfast Stout

Stone Arrogant Bastard

Dogfish Head 90 Minute

Bells Double Cream Stout

Bells Two Hearted

Three Floyds Gumballhead

Three Floyds Robert the Bruce

Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA

Barley Island Dirty Helen

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

We had a wonderful attendance for our Holiday Party...sampled a bunch of Boulevard Beers...75 people came....Currently on tap is Bell's Rye Stout, 3 Floyds Alpha King Pale, Sun King Osiris Pale, and Brooklyn IPA, lastly there is New Albanian Elector Red IPA.

Heavy on Pales??? Who said so? On deck are some other winners as well. More to follow. January 7th we will initiate "Thursdays with Tom"...Tom Marine, a local beer geek is going to come over and talk as well as sample beers with our regular guests...invitation only, so call and see if we have room.

Oh yeah,.....sales are up 20% over last year, and guest counts are up 30%....Thank you to all and to all a good night!

From Lauren at Scotty's Brewhouse in various locations:

New menus coming January 5 at all Scotty's Brewhouse Locations! Founder's Pale Ale is now on draught at our 96th St. Indianapolis Location! Open till 10pm on Christmas Eve at our 96th St. Indianapolis Location!

Carry Out

From Todd at Keg Liquors in Clarksville:

Here is the latest from Keg Liquors in Clarksville:]

Dogfish Head - Midas Touch (Delaware)
Dogfish Head - World Wide Stout (Delaware)
Three Floyds - Black Sun Stout (Indiana)
Founder's - Imperial Stout (Michigan)
Delirium - Noel (Belgium)
Boulevard - Bourbon Barreled Quad (Missouri)
Boulevard - Harvest Dance Wheat Wine (Missouri)
Bells - Sparkling Ale (Michigan)
Bruery - Rogbrod (California)
Fullers - Vintage Ale 2009 (England)

From Corrie at Goose the Market in Indianapolis:

News from the cellar at Goose the Market...

Augustiner Edelstoff...that gets easier to say the more beer you have, but there's no mistake about how easy this beer is to drink. This German is a little nutty with plenty of malts and toastiness.

Two Brothers Cane and Ebel...we brought this one back for its balance of vanilla and hops. It's not as sweet as it sounds (just like that first apple, Dad).

Dupont Foret Organic Saison...from Belgium with organic love: a little fruit, a little spice, a little tart, a little malt

Saldis Noel...In Belgium, if you ask for a stocking stuffer, they'll hand you a nipper of Scaldis Noel. Okay, we're not actually sure that that's true, but the festive label and the cute size (8.5 oz) are perfect for hanging by the chimney with care...not to mention it's a beer with brilliant taste perfect for this time of year.

From Patrick at Crown Liquors Downtown Indianapolis (Ohio & Delaware):

We are having the official grand opening from 3- 7 PM. We will be offering many beers for tasting as well as over 70 wines and liquor. Door prizes, raffle for free goods, and food compliments of Barcelona restaurant and others. I wouldn't miss it!

New Beers that arrived yesterday:

Boulevard Barrel aged Quad & Harvest Wheat Wine (allocated)
Three Floyds Black Sun Saranac Winter Variety pack The Bruery Rugbrod Left Hand Widdershins Barleywine
Fullers Vintage Ale

Distribution News

From Greg at Cavalier Distributing:

Founders 2009 Imperial Stout is hitting select stores and bars starting this week. Brewed with 10 varieties of malted barley, this stout is smooth as silk yet complex and rich in body. Founders Imperial Stout is a beer to be enjoyed at cellar temperature now and for many years to come. It weighs in at 10.5% abv and a perfect elixir for the cold of winter. This year's run is even more limited than in years past, so try to find it and snatch it up now before it's all gone!!

The Bruery Rugbrod is making its way to select stores this week. Rugbrod is a traditional Jule Bryg-Style Dark Rye Ale. It's a deep auburn, robust Danish-style ale with spicy rye notes balance by sweet caramel malts. Perfect for this time of year, make sure to grab some asap and try this wonderful, unique ale.

Fuller's 2009 Vintage Ale is finally here!! Fullers Vintage Ale is the result of a former head brewer's goal of creating the quintessential Barley Wine that improves with age. This is a big, robust Barley Wine meant for cellaring. Each bottle comes in its own individual numbered box and is extremely limited. Only a small amount arrives in the states and once we are out, we are out until the next Vintage Ale we get in. It's been a long time since the Fullers Vintage Ale has been available in Indiana and this is sure to go fast, so get it while it's available!

We are proud to release a special, limited run of Shoreline Brewery 2007 Barrel Age Series of beers. Sam ages each of these wonderful beers for a full year in the barrels before bottling. This vintage has had time to mature and is drinking fantastic right now. The following 8 Barrel-Aged styles are available at very select locations:Sum Nug IPA, 3 Sum Double IPA, Discombobulation Celebration Ale, Smokestack Porter, Lost Sailor Imperial Stout, Big Bella Heavy Scotch Ale, Curse the Goat Doppebock (1 aged in Bourbon & 1 aged in Rye Barrels). These beers are extremely limited and rare, so if you can find them get them before they're gone!! Keep your eyes peeled for several more Shoreline Beers available through Cavalier coming in 2010!!!!

Nogne-O Brewery came strong this winter with 2 incredible collaboration brews and a fantastic Winter Seasonal Brew of their own:

Nogne-O / Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales / Stone Brew Co. Special Holiday Ale is a collaboration between 3 pioneers and trail-blazers in the craft beer industry. These 3 incredible Breweries teamed up to brew a Special Holiday Ale just for all the little beer geeks in the world this Holiday Season. Brewed with chestnuts, white sage, juniper berries & caraway seeds, this is a complex wonderful beer melding the unique artisty of all 3 phenomenal breweries.

Nogne-O / Mikkeller Tyttebaer is a lambic ale fermented with wild yeast, bacterias & Tyttebaer. Tyttebaer is the Danish & Norwegian name for the lingonberry. The result is a bitter-tart flavor with moderate funkiness and a red color. This is a wild ale meant for those with wild tastes....

Nogne-O Winter Ale is a dark ale brewed especially for the Holiday Season. It is rich, sweet and complex with strong caramel and malt flavors. A true sweet strong ale made specifically for the Holiday months.

All 3 of these Nogne-O Beers are extremely rare and highly allocated. Everything that hit Indiana this year is already out in the market at select stores so try to find some and get it soon while it's still available.

Make sure to grab yourself some warming Christmas / Holiday & Winter Seasonal Craft or Import Beers for the upcoming Holiday festivities. We have several wonderful domestic craft and import seasonals available along with some incredible Holiday Beer Gift Sets. Support GOOD beer this Holiday!! Nothing is better than enjoying some wonderful winter beer during these cold months!!

The Hoosier Beer Geek 2009 End of Year Readers Survey

It's the holiday season, and that means it's time for our second annual Hoosier Beer Geek Year End survey. With this survey we hope to get a good feel for what our audience is drinking, your thoughts on beer in Indiana, and if you enjoy long walks on the beach.

When we've decided the time is right, we'll compile the results of the survey and share them with you and the breweries and bars that you've chosen as your favorites. Everyone wants to be a winner, and we're going to work to make that happen for some deserving folks. With your help, of course.

So without further ado, here's a link to the survey.

Thanks.
Jason, Jim, Mike, Gina, Matt, Chris, Jess, and Rod
The Hoosier Beer Geek Knights of the Beer Roundtable

Winterfest 2010 Update #2

The Brewers of Indiana Guild's Winterfest 2010 tickets are on sale now online and will soon be available at breweries across the entire state. Winterfest will be held in the Ag/Hort building of the Indiana State Fairgrounds on Saturday, January 30th, 2010 from 3pm to 7pm. Tickets are $30.

As we receive information from the breweries as to what they are bringing, we will let you know. Our first Winterfest update provided the beer lists for Upland, Great Crescent, Mad Anthony, and Brugge. This is our second update to the beer list, including some out of state breweries...


Bee Creek Brewery
Brazil, Indiana
On draft at their booth:
CANCELLED - WILL NOT ATTEND THIS YEAR

Lafayette Brewing Company
Lafayette, Indiana
On firkin at their booth:
Big Boris Barleywine
Marley’s VSOP
Double Dry Hopped Tippecanoe Common Ale
Black Angus Oatmeal Stout

In the outdoor beer garden:
Big Boris Barleywine (pin)

Two Brothers Brewing Company
Warrenville, Illinois
On draft at their booth:
Cane & Ebel
Domain DuPage
a specialty pour TBD

Rust Belt Brewing Co.
Youngstown, Ohio
On draft at their booth:
Rusted River Irish Red
Blast Furnace Blond Ale
Coke Oven Stout
Old Man Hopper’s India Pale Ale

Bell's Brewing Co.
Kalamzoo, Michigan
On draft at their booth:
Two Hearted Ale
Best Brown Ale
Sparkling Ale
Hopslam Ale
Java Stout
Amber Ale

In the outdoor beer garden:
Two Hearted (firkin)
Double Cream Stout

Atwater Block
Detroit, Michigan
On draft at their booth:
Voodoovator Dopplebock
Winter Bock
Vanilla Java Porter

In the outdoor beer garden:
Double Down Imperial Ale (firkin)


Look for more updates in the coming weeks. Plus, we'll be giving away two tickets to Winterfest 2010, so stay tuned!

Beer Diary #18 - Loose Ends Edition

So I was looking through my notebook and found a bunch of random notes - the kind of notes perfect for the beer diary format. I highly recommend the keeping of beer notes, as it gives an air of professionalism to the act of working your way toward drunkenness. At least that's my excuse.

And here we go.

18 October 09
Location: The Heorot, Muncie, IN


New Belgium Hoptober - I'd imagine if you look around you can still find this one here and there - it's one of the first New Belgium beers to expand past the initial New Belgium offerings from back in April. Although I'm not a Fat Tire fan, I am a fan of a lot of New Belgium's beers, and seeing one on tap at the Heorot seemed like good enough reason to take notes.


Hoptober as served in a Bell's Glass
Hoptober is a clear golden colored beer, with heavy lacing, and a lightly fruity (maybe strawberry and orange?) hoppy nose. There's a lightly hopped flavor on front and a slightly chewy and malty back to finish the beer out. It's a nice grocery store kind of pale ale - not too offensive, but not exactly great, either.

12 November 09
Location: Brugge Brasserie


Brugge Hibernal Black - It seems odd that as I write this more than a month later, we still haven't roundtabled Brugge's Hibernal Black, especially considering the scores we gave the regular Black way back when. For those of you familiar with the regular Black, Hibernal Black is Black on steroids - an Imperial version of the beer many of us love. There's no hiding from this beer - it's a giant winter Belgian monster - the ass-kicking Arenberg Forest (which, I know, is actually in France) of Brugge beers.

I like cycling references.

16 December 09
Location: Home


Magic Hat Odd Notion Winter 09 - Here's a beer that looks like a ginger ale when poured in the glass - a dark transparent brownish gold color with little head. The nose is fermented apple, and maybe a hint of sourdough bread. The front is bitter like vinegar, and the finish is bready and lingering sour apple - there's not any sort of sweetness, just old apple cider flavor. Despite being only 4.5% ABV, the beer is heavy in mouthfeel.

I'm not sure I like this - it's sort of a sour beer with training wheels - but Gina finished her half in no time.


Magic Hat Howl Winter Seasonal - Another sort of training wheels beer, this one takes on the smoke beer category. A deep dark brown color and a healthy head show up in the glass, and a nose of pretzels, roasted malt, and maybe a hint of root beer await. The beer starts and finishes smokey, but it's not that overpowering smoke that you'd get out of something like a Schlenkerla. If you've ever wanted to try a smoke beer, or found that you didn't it when you did try, you might give this one a shot. It's got that light lager mouthfeel and only gets better the warmer it gets.

The Magic Hat beers in this diary were provided to me for sampling by the Magic Hat Brewery, South Burlington, VT. I received the beer under no obligation to review it.

Hoosier Beer Geek's Last Minute Holiday Gift Guide (Part 5)

If you're anything like me, you'd rather just avoid this whole gift business altogether. But somewhere along the way we've all got to behave like adults - and there's nothing more adult than turning your holiday shopping into an excuse to drink.

You're not going to find beer at the mall, are you?

Your first stop should be at Upland's new tasting room, where you can try a beer or two and pick up an Upland T-shirt (prices range from $12 to $17), a pint glass ($5), or keychain bottle opener ($1) for someone else. Of course you'll want to pick up a bomber for yourself while you're in there ($12 new, $8 refills for most beers).

Perhaps you've now realized that it's winter out there, and that a t-shirt is a nice start, but a sweatshirt might be a better idea. Luckily, Sun King Brewing has both - Sun King's vast selection of T-shirts run from $15 to $20, and sweatshirts are $30. They've even got a selection of hats - both summer baseball style and winter sledding style ($15). Keep in mind that these clothing items aren't just great holiday gifts - they also double as "I'm Sun King Brewer and Vice President Clay Robinson" Halloween costumes. All you'll need is one of those strap-on beards.

Of course there's more than just clothing at Sun King's tasting room - there's also beer. Gift the gift of a 64 oz. Growler filled with one of their house beers for $10.50, or just $9.00 on Fridays. Or check out one of their newer 32 oz. growlers for just $9.00 or 8.50 on Friday (special release prices may vary). And don't forget a pint glass ($5) or four ($17.50) while you're in there - it makes for a nice little gift set. Combine with a Sun King poster - ask for the hand numbered and artist autographed HBG3 poster, which is quite lovely (not sure what they're charging, but at any price it's a steal) - for the ultimate gift for the Sun King superfan in your life.

Oh, and don't forget to sample a few while you're in there.

After all that hard work, you're probably going to be hungry. Stop in at Scotty's Brewhouse downtown for a bit to eat, and to pick up a gift card for that special someone. Scotty has gift cards available in denominations of $5, $10, $25, $50, and $100 - and if you spend $100, you'll get another $25 free.

And don't forget to have a beer for me while you're in there.

Phew! All that shopping was hard work. You'll probably want your driver to bring you home now so you can revel in the knowledge that you've completed another successful holiday shopping trip. Did you forget anyone? If you've enjoyed yourself (and chances are you have) you probably did. Luckily you've still got the internet.

First off, you can pick up an Upland (Bloomington location) Gift Card, where you'll get $20 in food and beer for the low price of $17. You might just pick that up for yourself - it's just a good deal.

And while you're on the Upland kick, Upland bike jerseys at also available online in a variety of styles ($60 each or two for $100) - Blue Upland logo, Bad Elmer, Helios, and Dragon Fly IPA. Everybody likes bike jerseys, just visit a beer festival sometime. There's also a few folks wearing the Arrogant Bastard jersey. In fact, by clicking on that link you'll find quite a few more bike beer jerseys, all available for quick shipping (I'm assuming) or pick up locally at Circle City Bicycles on the south side of Indianapolis.

Of course if you're gonna make that trip, wait until you've sobered up. Nobody likes a drunk Santa.

Hoosier Beer Geek's Last Minute Holiday Gift Guide (Part 4)

If you are still looking for that perfect gift for the beer lover in your life, you're in luck! We've got a few more gift ideas that should please anyone's palate.

Growlers/Glasswear - A great gift for a holiday party host would be a growler with a pair of glasses. You get to share the beer and your host gets a nice gift.


Magazine Subscriptions/Memberships - There are some great magazines about beer out there! Some have been around for 30 years and some are brand new. There are magazines for all levels of beer enthusiasts. Here are a few:

All About Beer
Beer Connoisseur
Draft
Imbibe
Beer

If the recipient of your gift is thinking about brewing their own beer or has already done so, perhaps a membership to the American Homebrewers Association would be appropriate. The AHA offers a variety of membership levels as well as some cool merchandise.

Festival Tickets - Close to home, the 2010 Brewers of Indiana Guild Winterfest is happening on January 30. Tickets for your favorite beer fan would surely win you some brownie points!

If you are looking for a festival further away, the next one will be the World Beer Cup in Columbia, South Carolina. This takes place on January 16,2010.

Beer MBA class - Ron Smith has been offering a Masters of Beer Appreciation (MBA) class for some time now. The next group of classes will be held after the beginning of the year. This would be a great gift for anyone looking to expand their beer knowledge.

Have a great holiday!

Hoosier Beer Geek's Last Minute Holiday Gift Guide (Part 3)

I know a thing or two about gift giving. I share a lot in common with a famous gift giver...cheeks like roses...round belly that shakes like a bowl full of jelly...and covered in fur. So I'm going to share with you a couple of tips when giving beer as a gift.

Give bombers, not six packs. Six packs are great to take as a gift to summertime cookouts, but it lacks a certain amount of class for yuletide festivities. How do you wrap a six pack? With bombers, you can use a wine gift bag and you're all set. Also, bombers are best when shared. And unless you are a drunk like me, are rarely consumed all by your lonesome. They say it is better to give than receive. I say it is better to give, and then receive! Bombers are good for the recipient and good for the giver!

Go big or stay home. It's winter, which means winter beers. Look for beers that are seasonal or will age well (which honestly, winter beers tend to age better, don't they?). So choose a high ABV beer, like an imperial, a barley wine, or a big Belgian. While you are at it, take several and open them at your holiday party. I bring big beers to my family gatherings. Nothing says Merry Christmas like a toasted family!

Keeping those tips in my, I would suggest you consider beers from Mikkeller. We reviewed a large lineup of Mikkeller beers last year, and they have several beers that would work well as gifts...Black, Big Worse, and (not surprising) Santa's Little Helper. Those and others meet my beer gift criteria.

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. And I have one more suggestion with beer gift giving that doesn't follow the rules I set forth. Whether you holidays find you traveling or staying at home with friends and family, giving beer from your favorite local brewery is always a good idea. It is a way of showing pride in your hometown and homestate and to spread the word that Indiana is producing great craft beer. Follow my advice and everybody will be saying "Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night!"

Hoosier Beer Geek's Last Minute Holiday Gift Guide Extravaganza (Part 2)

When I told Mike I would contribute some ideas for Chanukah gifts to our holiday beer gift guide, he wondered whether anybody made a menorah-shaped beer flight holder. A quick search failed to turn up anyone who makes such a wonderful piece of tableware (though for what it's worth, we did find this).

Because Chanukah is an eight-night celebration, I thought the best thing I could do was to suggest to you eight kosher beers for eight crazy nights. These beers really are certified kosher, and they are all available in Indiana. The list is heavy on Shmaltz Brewing Company beers, but what do you expect if you're looking for good-quality kosher beer? I also listed more than one option for several nights just in case you like more variety.

So, as we light more candles and stuff ourselves to the gills with latkes and sufganiyot, we progress from sessionable beers to big beers:

Night 1: Brooklyn Lager or Coney Island Lager (take your pick)
Night 2: Coopers Sparkling Ale or New Belgium Mothership Wit (take your pick)
Night 3: New Belgium 1554 Enlightened Black Ale
Night 4: He'Brew Genesis Ale or Coney Island Sword Swallower (take your pick)
Night 5: Samuel Adams Cream Stout or Coopers Best Extra Stout (take your pick)
Night 6: He'Brew Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A.
Night 7: Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
Night 8: He'Brew Jewbelation Bar Mitzvah (13)

Chanukah sameach, and l'chaim!

Hoosier Beer Geek's Last Minute Holiday Gift Guide Extravaganza

Well, the jolly fat man will soon be upon us, so how about some beer centric Christmas presents under the tree? If your family is anything like mine you will need a few of those beers before the day is over.

I've asked for beers for about the last five years in a row. I normally ask for beers that I usually don't pull the trigger on because of price. My favorites are usually the more expensive Belgian-style beers, or the English barleywines that are not very easy on the wallet. It isn't really all that expensive; I'm just cheap.

This month's issue of All About Beer has a good article on beer gift packs that usually include several beers and a nice piece of glassware to go with them. I am glad to see more things like that coming to the market since I've seen it for years in the spirits market. I particularly like the Samuel Smith's gift box that has one of their harder to find 18.7 oz glass included in them as well.

I've also really enjoyed my Sierra Nevada pint glasses that I got for Christmas last year. They have some great stuff at really good prices on their website.

If you have a homebrewer to buy for this year, I know that Great Fermentations offers gift cards that are great gifts to buy for a hard hobby to buy for unless they tell you specifically what they want.

Over the next week we'll be highlighting some of our recommendations for gifts for our fellow beer drinkers - some which you can find and buy on the internet (if you act fast), and some you can buy locally (and last minute). Stay tuned.

Random Beer Roundup - The Colder Weather Edition

Happy Friday! Hope everyone is getting their holiday shopping done, cause I'm not. There's been so many good beer events in the last few weeks that I haven't been able to get anything done. The calendar is looking a little sparse this week so maybe I'll get something done this weekend. If that happens, I'll be sure to celebrate with a beer! What are your plans for the weekend?

If there is something coming up that is not listed, we would love to hear about it. News, reviews, info, etc., to share for our next Random Beer Roundup can be submitted to hoosierbeergeek@gmail.com.)

Hoosier Beer Calendar
Events are subject to change

Saturday, December 12th at Power House Brewing Co. in Columbus: Tapping "Micheal Calvin's Don't Let Me Down American Pale Ale.

Wednesday, December 16th at Mad Anthony: Vintage Ales release (Fort Wayne Only)

Friday, December 18th at Crown Liquors Downtown Indy: Grand Opening (More details below)

Saturday, January 30th at the State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis: 2010 Brewers of Indiana Guild Winterfest

Friday, February 26th at Rich O's Public House in New Albany: Gravity Head begins!

What's Brewing

From Roger at New Albanian Brewing Co in New Albany:

It's time again for our annual Saturnalia draft beer festival at the Pizzeria & Public House (Sportstime and Rich O's) in New Albany. View the list at www.potablecurmudgeon.blogspot.com

This year the Pizzeria/Public House, which is always closed on Sunday, will observe these holiday hours:

Christmas Eve, Dec. 24th - 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Christmas Day, Dec. 25th - Closed
Saturday, Dec. 26th - Closed

New Year's Eve, Dec. 31st - 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
New Year's Day, Jan. 1 - Closed
Open again on Saturday, January 2

Gravity Head begins Friday, February 26!

From Jon at Power House Brewing Co. in Columbus:

We currently have our Wee Heavy Scotch Ale on tap. Saturday Dec. 12th we will be tapping "Micheal Calvin's Don't Let Me Down American Pale Ale." Micheal Calvin is a local Home Brewer and member of CACA. He won the CACA American Pale Ale Competition this year. The prize was to brew his award winning beer in our brewery and have it on tap at Power House Brewing Co.'s Columbus Bar.

We also have Diesel Oil Stout on tap at the 605 Grill in Madison, Indiana.

At the Bar

From Sam at BW3's (Downtown Indianapolis):

Here is our taplist:

Founders Breakfast Stout

Unibroue La Terrible

Boulevard Wheat

Sierra/Dogfish Life & Limb

Stone Arrogant Bastard

Bells Double Cream Stout

Bells Two Hearted

Three Floyds Gumballhead

Three Floyds Robert the Bruce

Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA

Dogfish Head 90 Minute

Upland Bad Elmers Porter

Barley Island Dirty Helen

Coming soon are: Upland TBK, Dogfish Head WWS, something from New Albanian and SN Celebration.

From John at the Legend in Irvington:

On Tap:
Three Floyds Robert the Bruce Scottish Style Ale $4
Bluegrass Brewing Company Bourbon Barrel Stout $5
Sun King Tulip Wit $5
Two Brothers Cane and Ebel Red Rye $6

Seasonal Beer:
Anchor Christmas Beer $4.50
Samuel Smith Winter Welcome (18.7 oz.) $10
Breckenridge Christmas Ale $4
Great Divide Hibernation Ale $4.50

Indiana Beer:
Upland Pale Ale $3.00
Mad Anthony Ol’ Woody Pale $4
Mishawaka Hop Head Ale $4
Warbird T-6 Red Ale $4

Domestic Micro/Craft Beer:
Anchor Steam Beer $4
Founder’s Porter $5
Left Hand Milk Stout $5
Lost Coast Indica India Pale Ale $5
New Belgium Fat Tire Amber $4
North Coast Brewing Brother Thelonious Brown $8
Two Brothers Heavy Handed IPA $4

From Dustin at Spencer's Stadium Tavern in Indianapolis:

On Tap:

Old Style
Dog Fish Head 60 Min
Boulevard Wheat
BBC American Pale
Anchor Steam
New Albany B-15
Sun King Pale
Sun King Dry Hop ESB

Carry Out

From Todd at Keg Liquors in Clarksville:

Struise - Tsjeeses (Belgium)
Cantillon - Lou Pepe Framboise (Belgium)
Dieu du Ciel - Aphrodite / Aphrodisiac (Canada)
Jenlain - Blonde Biere de Garde (France)
Jenlain - Biere de Noel (France)
St Druon - French Abbey Ale (France)
Nogne O /Mikkeller - Tyttebaer (Norway)
Nogne O - Winter Ale (Norway)
Nogne O /Jolly Pumpkin / Stone - Special Holiday Ale (Norway)

From Corrie at Goose the Market in Indianapolis:

The Goose is singing harmony to the KOTBR. Just in time for their Jingle Bells review, Bell's delivered some merry bottles to the Goose's cellar. Come on down for Bell's Sparkling, Winter White, Third Coast Old Ale, Expedition Stout, and Rye Stout...and for your secret santa, how about one of each from our singles shelf?

And--because Pirates are merry and festive (and swashbuckling)--new to the Goose shelves this week is Van Steenberge Piraat. Rrrrrrrrr...and Mmmmm.

The local shelf is resplendent with a couple new cases...look for Three Floyds Pride & Joy and Oaken Barrel's Epiphany.

From Patrick at Crown Liquors Downtown Indianapolis (Ohio & Delaware):

Cantillon Lou Pepe Framboise and Kriek (very happy to have those back in)
De Molen Donder & Bliksem (Dutch double bock)
De Molen Pek & Veron (Smoked barley wine)
De Molen Pattinson Triple stout
Drie Fonteinen Schaerbeeks Kriek
Ellezelloise Hercule stout
Beer Here Dark Hops
Beer Here Morke
Oppigards Wll-Hopped Lager
Panil Barriquee Riserva
Nogne-O/ Mikkeller Tyttebaer
Nogne-O/Jolly Pumpkin/Stone Special Holliday Ale
Nogne-O Winter Ale

The Downtown location is open and we are having our Grand Opening next Friday, December 18th. This will include a wide array of Beer tastings and many other tasting tables available. Stop in and celebrate the opening of the new store with us.

From Big Red Liquors in Bloomington:

3 Floyd's Alpha Claus
Left Hand Widdershins -Barleywine
Goose Island Christmas -in a new fancy 22oz bottle
Ayinger Weizen Bock -this beer is delicious!
Clipper City Below Decks -Barleywine
Bells Sparkling Ale
Upland Winter Warmer

Winterfest 2010 Update #1

You may have seen over at Indiana Beer that the Brewers of Indiana Guild's Winterfest 2010 tickets are on sale now online and will soon be available at breweries across the entire state. Winterfest will be held in the Ag/Hort building of the Indiana State Fairgrounds on Saturday, January 30th, 2010 from 3pm to 7pm. Tickets are $30.

One thing that will make this year's Winterfest better than the inaugural Winterfest is the addition of an outdoor beer garden. Sounds crazy, right? Outside in January in Indiana. Well, there will be fire pits to keep you warm. Still crazy? How about big beers served from outdoor beer stands to keep you warm.

Yeah, now it is beginning to make sense!

Breweries are beginning to send in their Winterfest beer lists (subject to change), and as they are received, we'll share them with you. This is the first update to the beer list...

Upland Brewing
Bloomington, Indiana
On draft at their booth:
Wheat
Dragonfly IPA
Komodo Dragonfly Black IPA
Rad Red Amber Ale

In the outdoor beer garden:
Badder Elmer's Porter (firkin)
Winter Warmer Barleywine (pin)

Great Crescent Brewing
Aurora, Indiana
On draft at their booth:
IPA
Stout
Coconut Porter

Mad Anthony Brewing Co.
Fort Wayne, Indiana
On draft at their booth:
Good Karma IPA
Old Crippled Bastard Barley Wine
Snow Plowed Winter Ale
(Name TBD) Double Stout

Brugge Brasserie
Indianapolis, Indiana
On draft at their booth:
Tripel de Ripple
White
Thunder Monkey

In the outdoor beer garden:
Hibernal Black (pin)

Look for more updates in the coming weeks. Plus, we'll be giving away two tickets to Winterfest 2010, so stay tuned!

Scenes from a Tapping: New Albanian Hoptimus at Barley Island Broad Ripple

Where: Barley Island Restaurant and Brewhouse (701 Broad Ripple Ave., Indianapolis, 317.257.5600)


Who: New Albanian Owner and Publican Roger Baylor


Why: This was the first and only keg of New Albanian's Hoptimus to reach Indianapolis' bars.


What: According to Cavalier Distributing's Mat Gerdenich, once New Albanian reaches 40 taps handles in the Indianapolis area (they are currently at 25), we'll see Hoptimus at all 40 of those bars. 40 kegs of Hoptimus comes out to basically one brewers batch of this fine Hopslam-like Imperial IPA.


When: The beer went on Wednesday, Decemeber 9th at 6:30, and will be at Barley Island until supplies last.

Also worth noting: Barley Island plans to hold regular guest-tapping events at the Broad Ripple location, so stay tuned to our very own Random Beer Roundup and the Barley Island twitter account for further information.

Guest Post: The Digitante Visits Champaign, IL

Today's content comes via long-time HBG reader Andy Howard. Andy is also a regular at HBG events and does a bit of writing and provides technology advice and services through his blog, The Digitante.

Last weekend, the wife and I headed out with our girls to meet up with some friends from Peoria. It goes without saying that I wouldn't be caught dead in Peoria, so we decided to meet about halfway: Champaign.

Champaign has a lot going for it:

It's not Peoria.

It's a Big Ten college town like West Lafayette, the home of my alma mater.

It has a great restaurant called Radio Maria.

As we were planning our trip, the wife and her friend simultaneously selected Radio Maria and I could not have been happier. They have a tap list consisting of 27 beers and a wide selection of bottles and bombers.


The 27 taps are mounted on a former industrial hand-washing station.


That definitely wasn't the only thing in the bar area that was recycled. The light fixtures contained a shroud from a wind tunnel, a neon light that was the 'O' from Leonard's Pawn Shop, vacuum cleaner cords for the wiring, and the pods from a pneumatic transfer system. All said, only the booth seats, bar top glass, and chairs were new.


Now on to the beer. The selections for the day were Southern Tier Cherry Saison, Ballast Point Sculpin IPA, and Two Brothers Cane and Ebel.

Southern Tier Cherry Saison

This beer has been reviewed by the Geeks before, but I had read the post long enough ago to completely forget what they said. When comparing notes a few minutes ago, it sounds like I was right in the ballpark.


The nose smelled like a rosé wine. It mostly felt like a beer wasn't supposed to smell that way. The first sip solidified my thought that this beer was weird. It had a citrusy, Mandarin orange flavor, it was very thick and syrupy, and the alcohol was very pronounced.

All in all, neither I nor the wife was very impressed. In HBG parlance, I probably would have rated it around 2.50 mugs.

Ballast Point Sculpin IPA

I had never heard of Ballast Point, but it appears they are a Southern California brewery and I've not seen them in Indiana.

This was the quintessential IPA for me: well balanced with a floral hoppy smell and a relaxed, not overpowering floral hoppy taste. The head was a bit thin, but definitely stuck to the glass through the entire beer.


I would consider this to be a supremely drinkable beer, perhaps the most of any IPA I've ever had. Overall, I would put this beer at about as close to 5.00 mugs as I can. If it was available in Indiana, I would have my new go-to beer.

Two Brothers Cane and Ebel

I believe this is a beer that is brewed using Turbinado raw sugar (Cane=Cain?) by the two Ebel brothers. There's your non-fact-checked background story.

This beer was nearly flat as it produced minimal head when being poured. It smelled very sweet and did not disappoint on the taste. Although it did have a sweet molasses flavor, the sweetness didn't overpower the hops and rye which stood out very well. The aftertaste was a major turn off for me as it left me with an instant iced tea flavor on the back of my tongue that wouldn't go away.


Between the overly sweet taste (I'm not a fan) and the iced tea aftertaste, this beer just didn't do it for me. The hops saved it to some extent though. I would put it at about 3.25 mugs.

Radio Maria is a great bar in the historical district of Champaign. We can't wait to check it out again when we can spend more time moving though the tap list. A special thanks goes out to Jacob at Radio Maria for filling us in on the history of the bar. Be sure to check it out next time you are headed toward Champaign.

Our thanks go out to Andy for the informative and helpful work - I visit Champaign every once in a while myself.

Want to contribute to Hoosier Beer Geek? We love submitted content. Send us an email at knights at hoosierbeergeek.com and we'll iron out the details.