Random Beer Roundup - Beer Festival Season in Full Effect!

What’s going on everybody?!? American Craft Beer Week is coming to a close, but not before I stop by the Illiana Mayfest in Crown Point on Saturday. Hope to see a lot of you up there.

If not there, you should definitely come to the Bloomington Craft Beer Fest on Saturday, June 4th. It will mark the public debut of Cutters Brewing Company, Bloomington’s new nanobrewery. You’ll be able to sample Cutters’ Monon Wheat, Empire Imperial Stout, and Half Court IPA.

Other Indiana breweries that will be offer beer samples includes: Bloomington’s Upland Brewing and Bloomington Brewing Company; Nashville’s Big Woods Brewing Company; New Albany’s New Albanian Brewing Company; Brazil’s Bee Creek Brewing Company; Evansville’s Turoni’s Main Street Brewery; Indianapolis’ Sun King Brewing Company, Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery (Downtown and College Park), Brugge Brasserie, Broad Ripple Brewpub, and Flat 12 Bierwerks; Plainfield’s Three Pints Brewpub; Noblesville’s Barley Island Brewing Company; Kokomo’s Half Moon Brewery and Restaurant; Lafayette’s People’s Brewing and Lafayette Brewing Company; Munster’s Three Floyds Brewing Company; Valparaiso’s Figure Eight Brewing Company; and Fort Wayne’s Mad Anthony Brewing Company. Other breweries from outside of Indiana will be attending, including Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Bluegrass Brewing Company, and New Holland Brewing Company.

The festival will be held on the property surrounding the Woolery Mill at 2200 West Tapp Road. In addition, there will be live music from Main Squeeze. Upland Brewing Company, Pizza Express, Happy Pig Food Truck, and Darkos Tacos will be offering food for purchase.

Tickets are on sale now at www.IndianaBeerFest.com. General admission tickets are $35 and include admission, a commemorative tasting glass, a tasting guide, and access to over 120 beers in 2 ounce pours. Parking at the festival will cost $10, but a free shuttle is being offered to and from the festival. The shuttle service will include stops at IU Stadium’s Purple Lot and downtown Bloomington on College Avenue between 6th and 7th Streets.

For those bringing a designated driver, admission for them is $10 but includes free parking and free soft drinks and bottled water.

A special “Bloomington Breweries Tour” tickets is being offered for $90. It includes lunch, tours and beer samples at Upland Brewing Company and Bloomington Brewing Company, admission into the Bloomington Craft Beer Fest, and bus transportation.

Oh, and Gina will be back from the southern leg of her Drinky-Drinky tour next week. If she isn’t passed out from exhaustion, that is! Time for the Roundup! Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeha!

Hoosier Beer Calendar

Events are subject to change

From Bob at Flat 12 Brewery in Indianapolis:

+2nd Annual Elbow Room Arts & Crafts Show. Friday, May 20th, 7-11. Door prizes, hors d'ouerves and drink specials, including Flat12($3pints). Flat12 Samples. The art of Elbow Room employees, patrons, friends.

+Flat12 is participating in the Illiana MayFest beer festival on Saturday, May 21st in Crown Point, Indiana. Rob Caputo plans to bring something exciting and interesting to the festival.

+McCormick and Schmick's and Flat12 Beer Dinner, Thursday, May 26th, 6:30. $45 Tax/Tip included. Res. at 631-9500.

Menu: Beer Poached Pear Salad with Baby Frisee, Roquefort Blue Cheese and Spiced Walnuts w/ Upside Down Blonde; “Baked Stuffie” Stuffed Topneck Clam with Andouille Sausage and Cornbread Stuffing w/ F12 Amber; Blackened Scallop with Cheddar and Green Onion Grits and Creamy Beer Sauce w/ Half Cycle IPA; Beer Brined Roasted Pork Loin w/ Pogue's Run Porter; Rice Pudding with Beer Braised Fruit and Whipped Cream w/ F12 Milk Stout

Lots more to come in June (Featured brewer at Barley Island, Bloomington Fest, Brew Ha Ha)


5/20--Elbow Room Art Show; 5/26--McCormick & Schmick's Beer Dinner; 5/28--Elbow Room 500 Festival Parade; 6/1--Barley Island Feature Tapping (tentative); 6/4--Keg Liquors Fest Of Ales-Clarkesville; 6/7--Sonka Irish Pub Tangerine Porter Tapping-Terre Haute; 6/14--Stone Creek Noblesville Beer Dinner; 6/16--Elbow Room Trivia Night; 6/25--Brew Ha Ha; 9/9--Ball & Biscuit/Fat Back Beer Dinner

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

American Craft Beer Week is officially upon us, so your RAM Restaurant and Brewery is celebrating with some great beer-related specials until Sunday, May 22nd. By simply saying “I’m in the Know” at one of our locations, you can receive:

$ 4.99 Taster Curls

25% off the following Big Horn infused items: Buttface Amber Ale Beer Cheese Dip, Amber Ale Beer Cheese Soup, Seared Sirloin Salad (Total Disorder Porter), Black and Blue Steak Sandwich (Total Disorder Porter), Big Red Baby Back Ribs, Arctic Cod Fish and Chips, Ram Jumbo Beer Battered Shrimp, Amber Ale Chicken Sandwich, Brownie Skillet Sundae

25% off Retail Items – Includes garb, wearable’s and glassware; Great time to buy gifts for Dad & Grads for guests!!

Bill’s Bettor Tapping in FishersBill’s Bettor, the 2011 winner of the RAM Small Ale Competition from Bill Tilt out of Lafayette, has been scheduled for its’ grand release. At 6:30 on May 26th at our Fishers location, this award-winning recipe is set to be unveiled for your enjoyment. As one of the ultimate session styles, this brew is built around a nutty malt base while also featuring a moderately fruity yeast quality and a dry finish.

On Tap Now – Downtown: Big Horn Maibock – Malty German Maibock with a slightly sweet finish (Almost gone L), Spring Fever – Light, blonde ale infused with Jasmine and Lemon Peel, Barrel-aged NUTorious – Chocolaty brown ale aged in Kentucky Whiskey Barrels (Almost gone L)

On Tap Now – Fishers: Big Horn Maibock – Malty German Maibock with a slightly sweet finish (Almost gone L), Glacier Peak Pale – refreshing American Pale dry-hopped with Cascade hops, Spring Fever – Light, blonde ale infused with Jasmine and Lemon Peel, Barrel-aged NUTorious – Chocolaty brown ale aged in Kentucky Whiskey Barrels (Almost gone L)

On the Horizon: Bettor Bitter – Standard Bitter from our Homebrew Competition winner, William Tilt, Batch 1000 – Imperial Rye Pilsner, Barefoot Wit – Belgian-style Witbier

From Dan at Great Crescent Brewing in Aurora:

Great Crescent Brewery packaged Belgian-Style Wit May 16 and it is available at our local stores and the brewery. We are also going to deliver some to Tomlinson Taproom for the June Bites and Brews.

Great Crescent Brewery will be in Madison, IN this Saturday May 21 selling beer by the pint (Aurora Lager, Blonde Ale and Belgian-Style Wit) at the Ohio River Valley Folk Festival.

Fresh Maker's Mark Bourbon Barrels were picked up in Louisville last week for the latest batch of Bourbon's Barrel Stout - we'll let you know when it's available. Great Crescent Bourbon's Barrel Stout is available at Keg Liquor in Clarksville, IN and we will be increasing our distribution of this delicious barrel aged stout to local stores in Southern Indiana.

From Jeff at Barley Island Brewery in Noblesville/Broad Ripple:

Barley Island will tap its very first Barleywine on May 26th 6:00 pm at both locations in Noblesville and Broad Ripple. Bum Rush Barleywine is American style with 100 IBUs and a strong intense malt flavor to balance the bitterness. 9.2% abv, samples, goblets and growlers.