Random Beer Roundup - The Cold Weather Edition

Here we are, it's finally Friday again! Did you see the brief snow shower on Thursday afternoon? My first thought was "Aw crap". I don't like snow and I'm not ready for it to be cold. Yeah, I do realize that it is December. The only good thing about the cold is the multitude of rich and dark beers that have been popping up all over.

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 4th at 11:00 a.m. at the Pizzeria & Public House in New Albany: Saturnalia begins

Friday, December 4th - Sunday, December 7th at Barley Island (Broad Ripple, Noblesville): Grand Opening for Broad Ripple, 10th Anniversary Noblesville. 4 Beers tapped in each location (details below).

Saturday, December 5th at Lafayette Brewing Co in Lafayette: Christmas beer tapping - a Vienna lager finish "hopped" with 10# of organic heather flowers.

Sunday, December 6th at 4 at Crown Brewing in Crown Point: Brewery tour

Monday, December 7th at Lafayette Brewing Co in Lafayette: 1st annual Dinner with Santa

Tuesday, December 8th from 6 to 8pm at Alcatraz: Sledgehammer tapping.

Wednesday, December 9th at Mad Anthony: OCB Barley Wine

Wednesday, December 9th from 7 to 10 at Zest! in Indianapolis: Beer vs. Wine Dinner, $59.00/person (includes tax & tip) and can purchase tickets at Zest! or by phone: 317.466.1853 or e-mail: contactus@zestexcitingfood.com. Reservations only (no walk-ins).

Thursday, December 10th at 7:30 at Deano's Vino in Fountain Square: Sun King Imperial Cream Dream tapping

Thursday, December 10th at 6 at Rock Bottom Downtown: Old Curmudgeon Imperial Red tapping


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

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 Skip at Alcatraz in downtown Indianapolis:

The Alcatraz will tapping our Sledgehammer brew on Dec. 8th from 6 to 8pm. A hop lovers beer made with a ton of crystal hops!

From Tom at Mishawaka Brewing Co. in Mishawaka:

Mishawaka Brewing Company's annual batch of Russian Imperial Stout went on tap at the Mishawaka Brewing's "Tap Room" at The Pub in Mishawaka. It has an ABV of 9.8% and a great aroma and flavor.

From Greg at Lafayette Brewing Co in Lafayette:

Crazy busy weekend here at LBC! On tap this weekend: Ouiatenon Wit Bier; Prophet's Rock Pale Ale; East Side Bitter; Pipers' Pride Scottish Ale; Tippecanoe Common Ale; Eighty-Five; Black Angus Oatmeal Stout and Weeping Hog IPA. We'll also be releasing our annual batch of Christmas Beer on Saturday morning. This year's version was brewed to the Vienna lager style with a "finish hop" of 10# of organic heather flowers.

LBC will be jumping all weekend with live music and more. On Friday, catch the roots reggae of Carlos Jones. On Saturday, downtown Lafayette hosts the annual Dickens of a Christmas festival with carolers, costumed Dickens characters, food and drink specials at local restaurants & more! We'll also host local guitar legend, Michael Kelsey, that evening on our 2nd floor stage. And on Sunday, our restaurant will be open from noon until 8 pm for the Lafayette Christmas Parade and that evening's Friends of Bob show featuring frequent Bob & Tom guest, Paul Thorn.

From Jerry at Rock Bottom - Downtown Indianapolis:

I’m finally out of the pumpkin ale business (till next year)! Thursday the 10^th at 6pm is the Old Curmudgeon tapping, I am calling it a Imperial Red. It's a strong, hoppy winter warmer type deal! Pretty much similar to what everyone else is doing around town. Is that so bad? Speaking of which, everyone can make a night of it by stopping by here at 6, then on to the Ram at 7! That’s my plan!

From Jeff at Barley Island in Noblesville and Broad Ripple:

Barley Island will be celebrating this weekend December 4th - 7th our 10 year anniversary (Dec 7th exactly) for the Noblesville brewpub and our Grand Opening for the new brewhouse in Broad Ripple.

(~5:00 pm) We will be tapping 4 more Barley Island beers at both locations:

* Beastie Barrel Stout - our oatmeal stout aged in Buffalo Trace Distillery bourbon barrels. 2008 GABF Bronze medal winner. 12 oz four-pack bottles available Dec. 6th.

* Black Majic Java Stout - an intense coffee-flavored beer utilizing Black Majic coffee from Noble Coffee & Tea. 2006 GABF silver medal winner. Back for a limited time.

* Oak Barrel-Aged BarFly IPA - our India Pale Ale aged in bourbon barrels that previously housed our craft beer thus providing less bourbon flavor and more oak, wood, vanillin flavors.

* Dirty "Old" Helen Sour Ale - our 10 yr Anniversary beer - bigger malt profile, less hops than our Dirty Helen Brown, this souped up brown ale recipe was aged almost a year in bourbon barrels and hit up with Brett for a sour flavor profile. An excellent example of a Flanders Brown Ale, very limited quantity.

* Dirty Hunter Steak food special, a chopped steak with Dirty Helen gravy, garlic mashed potatoes adn seasonal vegetables.

* The Old Fair & Square bluegrass band in Broad Ripple Dec. 5th 8:00 pm.

From Cari at Upland Brewing Co. in Bloomington:

Winter Warmer is arriving to Indy next week! You'll start seeing it at your favorite bars and liquor stores. The first round will be kegs and six-packs, but the second round will include 22oz. Bottles. Other Upland high gravity beers will appear in this format in the upcoming year.

Some of you may have noticed that the Upland Tasting Room has opened at 49th & College Ave in the Uptown Building. Our official address is 4842 N. College Ave. Our hours are

Monday-Thursday, 2-10 pm;
Friday & Saturday Noon- 10 pm and
Sunday Noon - 8 pm.

Sunday and Mondays are pint days; Monday through Saturday growlers are available for fills, and flights are available all week. Wednesday is $6 Growler fill day! Right now we have Preservation Pilsner, Wheat, Helios Pale Ale, Rad Red Amber Ale, Bad Elmer's Porter, and Up Cup Challenge winner Sundays in Bamburg Rauchbier. Dragonfly IPA and Schwarz Black Lager are soon to go on.

A few select locations around central Indiana have Teddy Bear Kisses and Bourbon Barrel TBK. Right now Chumley's in Broad Ripple, The Heorot, and Shallo's have BBTBK. Keep an eye out for regular TBK, soon to come!

From Steve at Crown Brewing in Crown Point:

We have been busy in Crown Point. Our beer is now on tap at 7 locations in our area, and we are slowly adding more accounts as production increases. We have label approval for our Special Force Ale I.P.A. and will start filling bottles (likely by hand for now) as soon as they are printed.

Our newly formed 22oz. club filled up in just over two weeks (50 members). Another open enrollment will happen sometime at the begining of 2010. Keep an eye on crownbrewing.com for details.

We are extremely excited to be hosting the newest home brew club in Indiana (name t.b.d.). Northwest Indiana has had a void in this area for too long. Bob Heinlein of Crown Point's own Kennywood Brewing Supply is responsible for filling this void and organizing the start of this new club. The first meeting will be at our brew pub on Monday Dec.7th at 7pm. We encourage all homebrewers in the area to attend. Meetings will be held on the first Monday of every month at Crown Brewing.

A newly designed web site will be up running very soon, stay tuned.....

Here are our current beers on draft

Crown Town Brown- This dark brown ale has a gentle malt sweetness with a nutty, light caramel character that lasts into the finish. Brewed with imported English Maris Otter barley and Fuggle hops. Its dry finish and low hop bitterness makes it readily suited to drinking in quantity. Refreshing yet flavorful! 22 I.B.U.s O.G.= 1.042 or 10.5*P 4.1% alc.

Xtacy of Gold Blonde Ale- Our lightest offering. Brewed to be extremely drinkable. Tastes like good beer without too much beer flavor. 20 I.B.U.s O.G.= 1.038 or 9.5*P 3.8% alc.

Blueberry Wheat- Our Weizenheimer Weiss beer with natural blueberry flavoring. Prepare to be pleasantly surprised! 25 I.B.U.s O.G.= 1.040 or 10*P 4% alc.

Lady In Red Ale- This American-Style red ale has a beautiful ruby red color. Supurb hop aroma from dry-hopping hits your nose. The palate is a wonderful marriage of hops and malt. Think of it as a red pale ale. 47 I.B.U.s O.G.=1.056 or 14*P 5.4%alc.

Special Force Ale- This deep gold colored brew has a strong citrus-like flowery hop aroma. The intense hop bitterness and flavor is backed by medium maltiness and body. Our I.P.A. is hopped seven times during the boil with Summit, CTZ, Centenial, lots of Cascade, and dry-hopped (adding hops directly to the beer post fermentation) for additional character. SFA is a tribute to a local US Army Special Forces Ranger. Special Force Ale is left unfiltered to lock in all the hop freshness. 67 I.B.U.s O.G.=1.066 or 16.5*P 6.4%alc.

Winter Warlock- Our special version of a Christmas ale is a slightly spiced English Strong Ale. This beer was brewed with 100% imported English malted barley and hops. Exotic ingredients including maple syrup, locally produced Dancing Queen Indiana honey, and a blend of spices were used in the brewing process. These give this beer a unique and complex flavor to enhance its malty character. WARNING!! Too much of this special brew will impair your ability to drive your snowmobile or guide your sleigh. 30 I.B.U.s O.G.=1.074 or 18.5*P 7.1%alc.

COMING SOON:

Industrial Porter- The best-of-show receipe from our Oktoberfest home brew competition brewed in a 210 gallon batch with help from winner and Wisconsin native Dave Helt. On tap around Dec. 10th or 14th.

Grand Poobah Imperial Stout- Our biggest beer yet is aging nicely and will make its grand entrance some time near the end of Jan. 2010. Did we forget to mention it will be close to 10% alc.?

From Clayton at Sun King Brewery in Indianapolis:

Imperial Cream Dream Tapping - The latest in our rotating I.P.A. series

Deano's Vino in Fountain Square

Thursday, December 10th @ 7:30 p.m.

At the Bar

From Lauren at Scotty's Brewhouse in Various Locations:

Sun King Saison de Taffy and Stone Ruination are now tapped at Scotty's Brewhouse Muncie
Scotty's Downtown Indianapolis is open early for the game this Sunday at 10am!
Goose Island Matilda is available at Scotty's Downtown Indianapolis!
Magic Hat Winter Howl is now available at Scotty's North Side Indianapolis!

From Sam at BW3's (Downtown Indianapolis):

On draft:

Founders Breakfast Stout

Unibroue La Terrible

Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter

Stone Arrogant Bastard

Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA

Bells Double Cream Stout

Bells Two Hearted

Dogfish Head 90 Minute

Three Floyds Robert the Bruce

Three Floyds Gumballhead

Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale

Barley Island Dirty Helen

Upland Bad Elmers Porter

Carry Out

From Todd at Keg Liquors in Clarksville:

Harpoon - Leviathan Baltic Porter (Massachusetts)
Hoppin Frog - Fresh Frog Raw Hop Imperial Pale Ale (Ohio)
Hoppin Frog - Barrel-Aged B.O.R.I.S. Imperial Stout (Ohio)
Chaucers - Mead (California)
Makana - Iqhilika Herbal Mead (South Africa)
Maumee Bay - Buckeye Beer Sparkling Dry Premium Beer (Ohio)
Clipper City - Winter Storm (Maryland)
Hoppin Frog - Frosted Frog Christmas Ale (Ohio)
Boulevard - Nutcracker (Missouri)
Braustolz - Black Art Dark (Germany)

From Corrie at Goose the Market in Indianapolis:

A couple new bottles on Goose shelves now...

The Bruery 2 Turtle Doves (hand-picked by one of the competitors in tonight's "Best Bite of King Park" where Chris was the judge.

Scaldis Noel: charming little bottle but it packs a punch at 12%...still this brew is far from the sap of that Christmas tree--no syrupy mess here...big but well-balanced, festive but satisfying

Mikkeller "From/To" ... The good folks at Mikkeller may have saved us a step by turning the label into a gift tag, but we're tempted to keep this bottle for ourselves. It's dark like Indy at 5:45pm (pitch, that is) with cocoa and coffee in the nose and spice and sweet, roasty malts in the sip.

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

Our Downtown location is finally open!

Located a 150 N. Delaware, on the corner of Ohio and Delaware is where the newest, long awaited, Crown Liquors is located. We are fully stocked with fine craft and import beers.

Many new beers arrived today including a vertical of the BFM 750 ml. and of course many others ...Come in and check out the new store, I have to say it's the finest liquor store in the state.

On The Table

From Valerie at Zest! restaurant in Indianapolis:

Wine vs. Beer Event - Wednesday, December 9, 2009, 7pm-10pm

$59.00/person (includes tax & tip) and can purchase tickets at Zest! or by phone: 317.466.1853 or e-mail: contactus@zestexcitingfood.com. Reservations only (no walk-ins).

The Warm-Up

WINE: Avinyo Vi d’Agulla 2007 (Catalonia, Spain)
BEER: Upland Preservation Pilsner

The Bell Has Rung…

Tomato Bon Bon with Tomato Tzatziki
Date Rumaki with Green Olive Relish
‘Big Girl’ Pigs in a Blanket with House Made Mustard
Crispy Olive with Pimento Dip

WINES

White: Glatzer Gruner Veltliner 2006 (Carnuntum, Austria)
Red: Barone di Valforte Montepulciano 2007 (Abruzzo, Italy)

BEERS

Ommegang Abbey
Spaten Optimator

The Main Event

5-Hour Braised Short Ribs
Root Vegetable Smash
Grilled Asparagus

WINE: Barone di Valforte Montepulciano 2007 (Abruzzo, Italy)
BEER: Kasteel Rouge

The Big K.O.

Banana Spring Roll
Wild Hibiscus ‘Jellie’ Shot
Carrot Cake Skewer

WINES:

Robert Hall Orange Muscat 2007 (Paso Robles, CA)
Reginato “Celestina” Sparkling Rose of Malbec 2007 (Mendoza, Argentina)

BEERS:

Bell’s Expedition Stout
Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA

Distribution News

From Greg at Cavalier Distribution:

2009 Left Hand Oak-Aged Widdershins Barley Wine Ale has been released to the Hoosier State!! Widdershins is aged in Oak for over 10 months prior to bottling creating a wonderfully balanced Barley Wine. This year's Widdershins is extremely limited and only available at select Left Hand retailers. It is only released once every other year, so make sure to grab some while it's around.

Maumee Bay Blitzen Holiday Ale from Toledo, OH is a brand new winter seasonal to Indiana this year and only available in an extremely limited amount. Maumee Bay Brew Co. brews this ale once a year to commemorate the holiday season. Just a few cases arrived to the warehouse today, so it will start hitting stores next week. Blitzen Holiday Ale is a winter warmer brewed with orange, cinnamon & honey and a great strong ale for the colder months. It comes in 22oz bottles and will be very limited.

New Albanian Brewing Company will be the feature guest beer at Barley Island in December starting next week. There will be 4 NABC beers on draft starting next week including 15-B Porter, Beak's Best American Bitter, Elector Imperial Red and a special keg of Hoptimus Imperial IPA!! There will be a special tapping of the Hoptimus next Wednesday (12/09) evening with some of the NABC crew present for the festivities. This will be the only keg of Hoptimus tapped north of New Albany this year, so make sure to be there for the big event!!

North Coast Brewing Co. Beers will be available soon through Cavalier Distributing!! Yes, we are extremely please to announce that we will be representing this incredible line of beers, so they will be back and available before too long. Don't worry, be patient, North Coast beers will be available again soon....keep your eyes peeled.

Articles from the internets

The Atlantic on the Sierra Nevada/DFH collaboration on Life and Limb

http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/travel/06journeys.html