Random Beer Roundup - The Out of Town Edition

This weekend is Madison, Wisconsin's Great Taste of the Midwest and we are happy to be here. No, not happy - ecstatic, overjoyed, pleased as punch, etc. We hear many great things about this event and we are looking forward to experiencing it. Cheese, beer, great bars, cool people - I plan on overloading on it all.

If you can't make it up to Wisconsin, there are plenty of cool local events going on this weekend - especially bicycle and beer related events! The Mass Ave Crit is on Saturday as well as Upland's Tour de Upland. I want to see photos!

HBG 4th Anniversary tickets are on sale now. We're going to party like it's my birthday.

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! Work for an establishment that serves craft beer? We want to hear from you too!

Hoosier Beer Calendar
Events are subject to change



What's Brewing

From John at Half Moon Brewery in Kokomo:

On Tap Starting Thurday 8/12:

Skull Splitter Double IPA

The Skull Splitter Double IPA is a hop lover's dream. A big, bold IPA with tons of Magnum, Summit, and Cascade hops to tantalize your taste buds. Careful though! The combination of high alcohol and extreme hops in this one just might split your skull. Enjoy responsibly!

O.G.=1.076 ABV=8.4% IBU=134

From Greg at Lafayette Brewing Co. in Lafayette:

On tap at Lafayette Brewing this weekend: Star City Lager; Prophet's Rock Pale Ale; East Side Bitter; Pipers' Pride Scottish Ale; Tippecanoe Common Ale; Eighty-Five; Black Angus Oatmeal Stout; and I Am An American IPA.

Upcoming specialty beer release: Oatis Brown- a malty brown ale with 12% oatmeal in the grist.

The LBC brewery staff will be up in sunny Madison, WI, this weekend for the annual Great Taste of the Midwest. We'll be pouring Star City, Tippecanoe Common & Black Angus Stout on draft from our booth. We'll also supply a firkin of Double Dry Hopped Tippecanoe Common for the firkin tent. If you'll planning on making the trip to Mad-town, be sure to stop by our booth & say "hi". Or stop by the Essen Haus on Friday for a round, or two, of boots... if you dare.

From Andrew at Ram Restaurant and Brewery in Indianapolis/Fishers:

We will be hosting a tapping at our downtown location on Wednesday, August 18th at 6 p.m. for our newest seasonal, Aries American Wheat. This beer was brewed with a light body and a focus on wheat malt flavor and a pleasant dosage of American Citrus hops. Be sure to come out to grab a pint to celebrate summer!

Also, keep a steady eye on the horizon for some special RAM events in September to celebrate the traditional German Oktoberfest.

From Clay at Sun King Brewery in Indianapolis:

Hello and Greetings from Sun King!

We've got lots of stuff happening around here lately and it's been a while since I took the time to write in... In the last month we have added two more people to our team! Chris Hansen, who worked as Cavalier Distributing Co. for a number of years as their warehouse manager, delivery driver and draft technician, has come on board to take care of Logistics for Sun King. Chris has taken over orders, invoicing and delivery in an effort to streamline our operations and get all that fresh beer to the taps in a more effective and efficient manner. We have also added another Brewer; Jon Simmons, former assistant brewer at Rock Bottom Downtown and Head Brewer at the Ram, is now brewing for Sun King! Jon is running our second shift brews, that have been made possible by our new RO water treatment system, and will allow us to increase our production by nearly 20%.

In other news, we have just ordered 2 new tanks from Poynter Sheet Metal in Bloominton, IN. Poynter has made tanks for the pharmaceutical industry for more than a decade and recently came to us and inquired about building some tanks, so we went down for a visit and tour of their facility... They do some beautiful work and are priced competitively, so inside the next six to eight weeks, we will be taking delivery of another 60 BBL Fermenter and a 60 BBL Brite Tank, both of which will help us keep up for the growing demand for our beers.

Our next two cans are working their way through the process and are expected to be delivered in early October. Oktoberfest is in the fermenter and will be ready in early September. Our GABF entries shipped out this week and we're very excited about this years competition! We have a lot of dogs in the fight this year, including some of our barrel aged beers and our specialty stuff like Cream Dream III, GFJ, Dopplebock, etc. We even shared our refrigerated pallet shipment with our good friends down at Upland!

Events:

16 on 16 on 116th
Monday, August 16th
Chatham Tap Fisher - 11 a.m. until close
All 16 of Chatham's Taps will be filled with Sun King!
Special Firkin Tapping at 7:00 p.m.
List of Beers: Sunlight, Wee Mac, Bitter Druid, Osiris, Firefly, Grapefruit Jungle, Cream Dream III, ESB•Java, Dominator Dopplebock, Poff the Magic Dragon, Clementine Porter, XX Rye IPA, Golden Slumber, Tipping Point, Bourbon Barrel Aged Wee Mac and Replicale

McCormick & Schmick's Sun King Dinner
Wednesday, August 25th
6 Courses of Deliciousness all paired with Sun King Beers
317.631.9500 for Information and Reservations

SAUSAGEFEST 2010
Friday & Saturday, August 20th & 21st • 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
St. Thomas Aquinas Parish (4601 N Illinois St, Indianapolis, IN, 46208)
Family friendly food and fun featuring lots of Sun King Beer On Tap

Thursday, August 26th
Chinookie IPA Tapping at Sun King
Featuring the Naptown Roller Girls (who are raising funds to go to Regionals, so we're trying to help and you should too!)
6:00 - 9:00 p.m
Featuring food from Papa Roux

At the Bar

From Corrie at Goose the Market in Indianapolis:

Würzburger Hofbräu Julius Echtor Hefe-Weissbier needs one more name...sehr gut. It's a cloudy, German wheat named for the sixteenth-century prince/bishop of Wurzburg (who drank his without lemon, danke very much).

Dark Horse gives us Boffo Brown, a nutty, caramel-laced brown ale and the name of the next Derby winner.

The Bruery's Mischief--a Belgian Strong Pale--has the requisite, hell-bent references on the label (flames, forked tail, pernicious), but the taste is heavenly...an angelic choir of hops and yeast in harmony.

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

Currently we have on tap Sun King Cream Dream III, Bloomington Brewing Co. Nitro Double Hop Pale, Bell's Two hearted and Harpoon's Leviathan, and just a tidbit O'Dreadnaught remains, sure to blow today...last but not least is the fabulous Lager Spaten from Munich.

Replacing the first to blow will be HOP3 from Clipper City...and then when the Spaten goes, Gaffel Kolsch will be on tap again.

Carry Out

From Eric at 21st Amendment in Broad Ripple:

Even though the thermometer is still pushing mid 90's, beer companies are already rolling out their fall seasonals. The Sierra Nevada Tumbler is the first of these to hit our shelves. It's a fresh, malty, brown ale, that's perfect for watching the leaves fall. If you're looking for something that's a little more appropriate in this heat, I recommend the Schlafly Kolsch. It's golden colored, medium bodied, crisp, refreshing and the 2010 WBC Gold Medal winner as the best German style kolsch in the world.
If anyone is looking to try something new this week, I suggest the Goose Island Sofie. It's a saison that's been aged in red wine barrels with a touch of sweet orange peel. On the nose it's wonderful red berries (some would say raspberries). On the palate it's all saison topped off with hints of ripe orange.

Don't forget, every Friday we have a free beer tasting at 5PM. Stop in on your way home from work to try a new beer!

From Todd at Keg Liquors in Clarksville:

Sam Adams - Octoberfest (Massachusetts)
Achel - Extra Bruin (Belgium)
Kulmbacher - EKU Pilsner (Germany)
Bruery - Autumn Maple (California)
Schelde - Hop Ruiter (Belgium)
Steven's Point - Oktoberfest (Wisconsin)
Steven's Point - Whole Hog Russian Imperial Stout (Wisconsin)
Fox Barrel - Pear Cider (California)
Harpoon - UFO Mix Pack (Massachusetts)
Left Hand - Oktoberfest (Colorado)
Ayinger - Oktoberfest (Germany)
Paulaner - Oktoberfest (Germany)
Spaten - Oktoberfest (Germany)
Weihenstephaner - Festbier (Germany)
Bernardynski - Mead (Poland)
Pietra - Corsican Chestnut Ale (France)
Porterhouse - Wrasslers XXXX Stout (Ireland)
Porterhouse - Oyster Stout (Ireland)
Wandering Aengus - Bloom Cider (Oregon)
Wandering Aengus - Wanderlust Cider (Oregon)
Heavy Seas - Hang Ten Weizenbock (Maryland)
St. Louis - Gueuze Fond Tradition (Belgium)
Brew Appetit - Sampler Pack (Indiana)
Zatec - Dark Czech Lager (Czech Republic)
Ommegang - Zuur (New York)

SausageFest!

This years installment of SausageFest (St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church) will be better than ever!!! We will feature Sun King Beers (Cream Ale, ESB, Wheat, and Pale Ale), Claus' German Sausages (Cajun, Bratwurst, Italian), Great Music (Born Again Floozies, Joe Doyel from the Last Good Year, and many others), Monte Carlo, and Kids Activities. And of course, the always-in-demand Sausagefest T-Shirts and Mugs. The fest runs from 6 p.m. to Midnight on 8/20 and 8/21.

Music Lineup: FRIDAY

6:00 to 6:45 - Mark Proctor
6:45 to 7:30 - Jason Locke
7:30 to 8:30 - Bill Rumely
8:30 to 9:30 - Cara Jean Wahlers and Gary Wasson
9:30 to Close - Streaker Band

SATURDAY

5:45 to 7:00 - The Doyle Brothers (featuring Joe from The
Last Good Year)
7:00 to 8:00 - Reach Arounds
8:00 to 8:45 - Lower Case M with Evan Finch
8:45 to 9:45 - The Dugan Brothers
9:45 to Close - The Born Again Floozies