Random Beer Roundup - The Give Blood Edition

How are you this fine Friday? Next week is American Craft Beer week and there are a lot of events going on around town. Let's make a deal, you tell me if you find something good and I will do the same. Don't forget about the tailgate on Saturday!

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. Don't see your favorite craft beer establishment? Let them know you'd like to see them here!

Hoosier Beer Calendar
Events are subject to change

Friday, May 14th at 21st Amendment Broad Ripple: Sun King Can Release party

Friday, May 14th at M. Moggers in Terre Haute: Sierra Nevada Beer Dinner $25/advance

Monday, May 17th - Sunday, May 23rd - American Craft Beer Week (details throughout post on specific events)

Monday, May 17th - Regular Admission Tickets for Microbrewers Festival on Sale

Tuesday, May 18th at Rock Bottom - Downtown: Brewers Dinner

Saturday, May 22nd at the Lake County Fairgrounds Industrial Building: Illiana Mayfest

Saturday, May 22nd - HBG Tailgate for Nothing 2

Saturday, May 22nd - Beer tasting at Vineyard Liquors on Brookville Rd from 4-7

Saturday, June 5th at Keg Liquors in Clarksville: Fest of Ale (more info below)

Saturday, June 5th at Upland Brewery in Bloomington: Radfest

Sunday, June 13th at Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory in Ft. Wayne: Botanical Brew & Q (more details below)

Monday, June 14th at 6:30 at Pizzology in Carmel: Beer and Wine Dinner featuring Upland Beer

Saturday, July 10th at the Indiana State Fairgrounds: Brewer's Cup

Sunday, July 11th - July 17th - Indiana Beer Week

Saturday, July 17th at Opti Park in Broad Ripple: Indiana Microbrewers Festival (VIP Tickets are available NOW, regular admission/DD on sale May 17th)

Saturday, July 24th at Lafayette Brewing Co in Lafayette: 3rd Annual Pint for a Pint


What's Brewing

From Jerry at Rock Bottom - Downtown, Indianapolis:

American Craft Beer Week Lineup:

MONDAY, MAY 17th: The Hammer (Baltic Porter)
TUESDAY, MAY 18th: Sugar Creek Pale Ale (American Pale Ale)
WEDNESDAY, MAY 19th: Naughty Scot (Wee Heavy-Strong Scotch Ale)
THURSDAY, MAY 20th: Bourbon barrel aged Naughty Scot
FRIDAY, MAY 21st: Subzero (Old Ale/Strong Ale) This is a World Beer Cup medal winner!
SATURDAY, MAY 22nd: Liquid Sunshine (Belgian Wit)
SUNDAY, MAY 23rd: Hop Bomb (American I.P.A.)

Brewer's Dinner May 18

Featuring: Brew Master Jerry Sutherlin

Menu:

French Spring Soup - Leeks, spinach, potatoes, asparagus and rice mixed in a creamy broth…perfect for spring. ~ Cerveza Especiale ~

Shrimp Bruschetta - Seasoned, plump shrimp tossed with tomatoes, onions and cilantro served on toasted bread. ~ Catcher in the Rye ~

Balsamic Glazed Salmon - A salmon filet perfectly baked and glazed with balsamic, garlic, honey, white wine and Dijon mustard, then laid atop sapphron rice and served with asparagus. ~ Liquid Sunshine ~

Chocolate Mousse - Homemade Chocolate mousse topped with fresh whipped cream and raspberries. ~ Subzero ~

From Cari at Upland Brewing Co. in Bloomington:

Monday, June 14, 6:30 pm - Beer & Wine Dinner at Pizzology featuring Upland Brewing Co. and Italian wines from Crossroad Vintners

Reception at 6:30 pm, with crudites, Preservation Pilsner and Prosecco.

Dinner at 7:00 pm with four courses paired each with an Upland beer and Italian wine.

More details to come once the menu is finalized. All of the courses will be dishes you will not find on the regular Pizzology menu. Neal Brown and Co. will be putting together a great menu for us.

Cost is $60 plus tax and tip. Seats are limited to 35. Please contact (317) 844-2550 for reservations.

From Dan at RAM Brewery Downtown and Fishers:

Hey guys, as you know American Craft Beer Week is the 17th through the 23rd and both RAM locations, Downtown Indy & Fishers, will be offering $4.99 growler fills all week!

Carry Out

From Todd at Keg Liquors in Clarksville:

Here is the latest from Keg Liquors in Clarksville:

Goose Island - Bourbon County Stout 2009 (Illinois)

Goose Island - Sofie (Illinois)

Steven's Point - Pale Ale in 12 pack cans! (Wisconsin)

Steven's Point - Special Lager in 12 pack cans! (Wisconsin)

Christian Moerlein - Over the Rhine IPA (Ohio)

Christian Moerlein - Barbarossa (Ohio)

Left Hand - Mountain Mixer (Colorado)

Left Hand - Good Juju (Colorado)

Breckenridge - Sampler 12 Pack (Colorado)

Samuel Smith - Organic Cider (England)

Events:

5th Annual Keg Liquors Fest of Ale, June 5th from 3 - 7 PM. 30+ Breweries, 3 Craft Beer Distributors, 4 Fine Wine Distributors, over 150 craft and import beers, wine, food, charity silent auction and beer raffle and more! http://www.kegliquors.com/fest_of_ale.html for more details

From Bill at Crown Liquors Downtown Indianapolis (Ohio and Delaware):

New this week at Crown Wine and Spirits- Ohio and Delaware - Downtown Indy

Great Divide Chocolate Oak-Aged Yeti - mmmmmm!
2010 Founders Old Curmudgeon and
the return of Stone Brewing

Friday's tasting (3pm-7pm) will feature the beers (and wines) of Summer!
and watch Monday for the release of Bell's Oberon Mini-Kegs.

From Eric at 21st Amendment in Broad Ripple:

Our store is proud to have been chosen to be one of the first group to have Sun King cans on our shelf. Come by tonight from 5-7 for our can release party. The guys from Sun King will be here pouring free samples and we'll have a few other surprises for all who attend!

In addition we've spent all week expanding our beer section. We've got in the neighborhood of 50 new products ready and waiting for you. There are new options from breweries such as Schlafly, The Bruery, Dogfish Head, Great Divide, Mad River, North Coast, Bell's, Thirsty Dog, Hoppin' Frog, Two Brother's, Victory, Crispin and Founders. That's just a small taste of all the malted goodness we now have available for you.
Stop in tonight, you may just find your new favorite beer store!

From Corrie at Goose the Market in Indianapolis:

Test your accent...you've got it right if no one says bless you after you say, "Monschoff Schwarzbier." It's bitter in a hoppy kind of way and surprisingly refreshing for its deep black pour. Bless you.

It's like Mr. Miyagi having the kid swap the deck...The master brewers at Heavy Seas worked with the winner of their homebrew competition to release Daniel-son's hop rye porter, this year's Letter of Marque.

Hey, hot dog. Those Great Danes keep the bar high with their Mikkeller Draft, an Imperial Pislner with Fido's intense bitterness and Lassie's malty sweetness.

Locally, Oakan Barrel's summer Alabaster--a Belgian style wit--keeps us happily in the shade. Schlafly's Summer Lager and No. 15 are brilliant for the warm schlummer season. Dogfish Head's Black and Blue

From Josh at United Package Liquors on Countyline & Meridian (Southside)

Dogfish Head Immort Ale
Upland Infinite Wisdom
Great Divide Chocolate oak aged Yeti
Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere harvest ale

Beer Dinners

M.Moggers in Terre Haute - Sierra Nevada Beer Dinner - May 14th. Tickets $25
Rock Bottom Downtown Indianapolis Brewers Dinner - May 18th
Pizzology in Carmel - Upland Beer Dinner - June 14th. Tickets $60

At Sun King Brewery in Indianapolis - Sun King Anniversary Brewers Dinner with Chef JJ - $65

From the Distributors:

From Matt at World Class Beverages:

MacNiven's will have all American Craft Beers on tap next week, replacing Belhaven with Barley Island 80 Schilling Scotch Ale, Guinness with Schlafly Oatmeal Stout, and Stella, Saison DuPont, and Spaten Mai Bock will also leave in favor of specialty releases including:

Monday-Harpoon Leviathan DIPA draft, Harpoon 100 Barrel Series Single Hop ESB bottles
Tuesday-Schlafly APA Cask dry hopped with Centennial Hops
Wednesday-Sun King Cream Dream II cask
Thursday-Bell's Expedition Stout cask
Friday-Sun King Grapefruit IPA cask
Saturday-Dogfish Head Palo Santo draft

Special, new, limited, hard to find bottles also coming in including Avery Beast and Salvation, Rogue Juniper, Stone Cali and Oaked Arrogant, and more.

Vineyard Liquors on Brookville Rd is having a free beer event Saturday, 4-7, with at least 10 different beers to taste.

Many 21st Amendment locations will offer near daily tastings of their favorite American Craft Beers.

Kahn's is offering all American Craft Beer packages, all sizes, at 10% off.

Crown stores will have multiple tastings, nearly daily too.

From Greg at Cavalier Distribution:

We have a ton of exciting new beers & events to commemorative American Craft Beer Week!!

The 2010 Vintage of Founders Old Curmudgeon was released this week and should be available in most craft beer establishments that support Founders throughout the state. Old Curmudgeon is an Old Ale style, released only once each year by Founders. This Old Ale conjures up thoughts of classic sea fairing ports, there local pubs and the weathered fisherman that frequent them. In traditional style Curmudgeon is brewed with an intense focus on the malt bill creating a very strong, rich, malty characteristic and a sweetness indicative of its cousin the barleywine. We are especially proud of the balance in this beer making it deceptively smooth and drinkable at 9.8% alcohol by volume.

This year's Old Curmudgeon is much, much more limited than in years past, so make sure you get some now while it's available!

There are 3 seasonal releases from Great Divide Brewing Co that just hit this week as well:

Great Divide Belgica Belgian-style IPA. The Roman name for the Low Counties - is a marriage of the best in American and Belgian brewing traditions. Belgian pilsner malt, a generous amount of American and European hops and a unique Belgian yeast strain combine to give Belgica big notes of citrus and spice, creating a lively concoction perfect for spring in the Rockies - or the Ardennes. 7.2% ABV

Great Divide Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout --Welcome to the newest incarnation of our revered imperial stout. We toned down the hops a bit to allow cocoa nibs to contribute some pleasing bitterness, while vanilla notes from the oak combine with the cocoa to create an aroma and flavor akin to a gourmet chocolate bar. A dash of cayenne keeps things lively, adding just a bit of heat to the finish. A Yeti for summer? Hell yes. 9.5% ABV.

Great Divide Dunkle Weiss --Think of it as hefeweizen’s older brother. A hearty mix of wheat and dark German barley malts gives it a medium body and muddy brown hue, while our proprietary yeast strain provides the signature notes of banana and clove. If you like wheat beers, come to the Dunkel side. You won’t be disappointed. Just don’t put a lemon in it. 6.4% ABV

Cavalier Distributing is proud to announce that we are now representing Stevens Point Brewery out of Stevens Point, WI!! The following styles will be availble everyday in 6pk bottles: Belgian White Ale, Cascade Pale Ale, Burly Brown Ale, 2012 Black Ale, & Special Lager along with their summer seasonal....Nude Beach Summer Wheat! For those of you looking for more good craft beer in a can, the Cascade Pale, Nude Beach & Special Lager will all be available in cans as well!! Make sure to grab some for the track, the beach, the pool, because it's Friday....

We are very excited to say that there is fresh Stone Brew hitting shelves and bars across the state this week!!

American Craft Beer Week Events:

Tuesday 5/18 is Stone night @ MacNivens. MacNivens will be tapping a special keg of Stone Cali-Belgique and will feature bottles of Stone / Brew Dog Bashah Collaboration Ale. Also bottles of Smoked Porter, Oaked Arrogant Bastard, Arrogant Bastard, Ruination IPA, and Levitation will be featured.

Founders Beer Dinner at Finche's Brasserie in Bloomington Thursday 5/20. The event begins at 6pm and will feature a reception with appetizer pairings along with three courses including a trio of desserts. Founders KBS, Centennial IPA, Pale Ale, Cerise, Porter, Red's Rye PA and Diablo del Noche (Black IPA), will all be featured throughout the evening. Tickets are $45 each and selling out fast, so contact Finche's if you are interested!

Special Founders tapping at Fox 'n Hound on 82nd St. in Castleton, Friday night 5/21 starting at 4:30pm. Featuring a rare Founders Beer only available on draft along with everyday selections....

Tasting at Liquor Bucket in Merrillville on Friday 5/21 from 4-6 pm. Featured beers for this event are Tyranena Scurvy IPA & Rocky's Revenge Bourbon Barrel-Aged Brown Ale, Thirsty Dog Old Leghumper Robust Porter, Breckenridge Lucky U IPA, & Founders.

Beer festival @ Vineyard Liquors on Brookville Rd., Saturday 5/22 from 4-7pm.

Illiana Mayfest at Lake County Fairgrounds on Saturday 5/22 from 4-8 pm. The event will feature many regional breweries, the local homebrew club & a few distributors as well. Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door. Cavalier will be featuring New Albanian Brewing Co, People's Brewing Co & Mad Anthony Brewing Co.

News around the web:

Rita Kohn's upcoming book, True Brew, is available for pre-order from Amazon.com.

Upcoming Event:

From Ben at Mad Anthony Serious Homebrewers (MASH):

Botanical Brew & Q in Fort Wayne

The Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory will be holding the annual Brew & Q on June 13th. Some changes to the program, the addition of some demonstrations and a live Best of Show judging will be great improvements to the event. Tickets are only $5 and include sample tickets. I'm not sure what breweries have committed at this point. I'm sure that MABC is involved, though. They're doing the barbecue.

Details: http://www.botanicalconservatory.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=70:botanical-brew-a-q&catid=10:events-a-exhibitions&Itemid=1

This is the first year that the homebrew competition will be sanctioned. Registration ends on May 21st. Judging is June 12th. We will have a strong BJCP judge roster. Entries are $8 for the first entry and $4 for each additional entry. The first entry includes admission to the Conservatory's Brew & Q event on June 13th when winners will be announced and the Best of Show judging will be done as part of the activities.

Judge Registration:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dG44WmxOVHRRX3FZRW1PNU5pVktpTVE6MQ