31 January 2013

Commentary/Conversation | What Will the Next Generation of Indiana Breweries Look Like?

Jake: With all of the growth in beer around the state, what is the next generation of local breweries going to look like? Are we going to see more niche breweries like Union Brewing in Carmel or more production focused like Tin Man in Evansville?

Jim: I think we'll probably see both, though I'm inclined to think that the state has only so much room for production breweries. I may be wrong about that, but we'll see. As for niche breweries, I'm surprised that no one has yet opened a brewery that focuses on German-style beers given Indiana's German heritage, though brewing lagers might be a bit more expensive than brewing ales because of the process involved. Because of that, there might be more incentive to focus on the standard pale/IPA/brown-amber/stout-porter/blonde ale menus that you primarily see.

To take a different tack, I noticed three things yesterday after reading Rita Kohn's recent rundown of new breweries. First, a lot of new breweries are opening in places where there's either no craft brewery footprint or a small craft brewery footprint. I think that's a good thing because it'll allow locals to have a brewery or breweries to call their own. Second, a number of these new breweries are focusing on small batch brewing. I'm not sure what to make of this other than thinking that they're trying to gauge demand before they potentially expand or maybe stay at the same brewing capacity if initial production is sufficient to meet demand. Third, a few of the new breweries are also wineries. I'm guessing that these winemakers are recognizing there's a booming market for craft beer and are seeking to capitalize on that.

It's an exciting time to be a craft beer lover in this state, that's for sure, though I have to say that trying to keep track of all the new breweries is a difficult task these days. There are so many of them.

Jason: I agree with Jim that we will see both production and niche breweries. The battle of production breweries could become bloody as they battle over taps and shelf space. I think that is where we will see breweries come and go. Though, as Jim said, if somebody invested in a brewery that focused on German-style lagers, there is an untapped consumer base in southern Indiana that looks back longingly at the lagers of yore that would probably drink up whatever they produce.

I honestly believe that we will see the greatest amount of success in the small niche breweries. And they don't even have to be breweries with niches or gimmicks. Neighborhoods across Indianapolis and Indiana are looking for a neighborhood brewery to call their own. And the consumer base would more likely forgive mistakes. The learning curve is greater because the consumer feels more connected. They are the front line for the craft beer movement.

Rod: I think we'll be seeing all of the above. It seems like for whatever business strategy you have when opening a craft brewery, you can point to an Indiana brewery that is doing it successfully. For however many people are looking at Tin Man and their unique system of packaging beer, the same number were looking at Sun King and their 16 oz. aluminum cans and plastic kegs in 2009. Union is opening up doing cask only beer, but Broad Ripple Brewpub has featured cask beer as a mainstay of their menu since 1990. If you want to start small with a small system and a tap room, Bier Brewery has been quite successful at blowing through their capacity on a weekly basis. If you want to invest heavily in your brewery with dreams of world domination, that's working out pretty well for Flat12 and Triton so far.

In my opinion, the next generation of craft breweries will be confident. They have to be. If you opened up a craft brewery in 2000 in Indiana, it was risky. The audience wasn't entirely there and you had to do a lot of leg work to convince people that it was worth supporting the local beer business. That's not the case today. Indiana breweries are firing on all cylinders. If you open a craft brewery in 2013, you should know what you're doing. If you're dedicated to the craft and making your concept work, there's no reason it shouldn't. I don't think the next generation of craft breweries will be of any particular variety, but they should be prepared to make a good product, help grow the community and collaborate with their fellow brewers. They're joining a movement. Hoosiers want good beer; they're screaming for it through sold out festivals and increased craft beer sales. As long as we're part of the same movement and not fighting amongst ourselves, there's no reason a good brewery concept should fail.

Jake: I think we are going to see more neighborhood nanobreweries and stylistically-focused production breweries than production breweries seeking domination as we go forward in Indiana. I definitely agree with Jason's assessment that the neighborhood places will likely see more success in the market than an overarching production brewery with a house pale/porter/stout, especially in packaging, because there is a finite amount of shelf space that is already hotly contested. When John Laffler left Goose Island to start his own brewery, he told the Chicago Tribune, "If you go into Binny's, there are 50 well-made beers of the same style. Why the hell would you throw your hat in that ring?"

Well said about confidence, Rodney. With confidence comes responsibility though. The hard work of the existing breweries has gone a long way to lay the groundwork and that needs to be respected. Also, the bar has also been raised from a quality standpoint. The beer drinker is somewhat forgiving early on as the system gets dialed-in for the first few batches, but patience is a fickle beast too. I think the guys from Daredevil are a great example of a successful launch with their Lift Off IPA. The quality has been there right from the start.

Chris: Thinking I have any insight for predicting the future of Indiana Breweries seems like folly.  It's hard to imagine, but 5 years ago, Indianapolis had more chain than local brew pubs and not a single production brewery.  Even Sun King was just a budding idea in a couple entrepreneur's heads.  Who would have imagined the brewery explosion we've seen?  Double so: who would have imagined the brewery explosion we've seen in the midst of the greatest economic calamity anyone reading this blog has ever seen?

With a general economic recovery seemingly taking hold (or maybe not) and craft beer still measuring single digit market share in this state, it seems to me that the sky is still the limit.  I suspect that anyone producing at least a 'B' product and a decent marketing sense is going to do just fine for the foreseeable future in Indiana.

28 January 2013

Winterfest 2013 Recap

Another edition of the Brewers of Indiana Guild's Winterfest has come and gone. If I'm not mistaken, this year's festival saw the most Indiana breweries (44) and festival-goers in attendance at Winterfest since the first Winterfest was held in 2009.

With the large number of breweries at the festival, it was impossible to get a full sampling of what each brewery had to offer. So while I and my co-attendees visited some old favorites and made sure that we hit the ReplicAle and cask tents in the outdoor biergarten, we focused on sampling offerings from the new Indiana breweries. And what was our lasting impression? That some of the new kids have really hit the ground running, producing some outstanding beers. We had excellent beers from the likes of Union Brewing Company, ZwanzigZ, Daredevil Brewing Company, and Iechyd Da Brewing Company just to name a few newer breweries. And what does this mean for new brewers seeking entry into the Indiana market? That the bar is being set high for new breweries, so you'd better bring your "A" game right out of the gate if you want to be competitive in the market.

We hope everyone who attended Winterfest enjoyed themselves and are looking forward to future Brewers of Indiana Guild festivals. In the meantime, here's some of what we saw at Winterfest.

VIP hour gets rolling

Proper festival wear

The neon green giant

Carmel's Union Brewing, specializing in cask ales

Mr. Steak of the band Cocaine Wolves and Josh of Flat12



BIG's El Presidente, Ted Miller of Brugge Brasserie

Volunteers at the ReplicAle tent

Brugge Brasserie's Peony, an American sour ale

The cask/firkin area in the outdoor biergarten

Lafayette Brewing's cask offerings



Sun King breaking out their famous Velvet Fog

Irvington's pride & joy, Black Acre Brewing Co.

Bare Hands, purveyors of a unique Peanut Butter Stout

Columbus' ZwanzigZ, whose Ghost Pepper Imperial Stout had the festival crowd buzzing (literally and figuratively)

If you didn't try New Day Meadery's Breakfast Magpie Mead, then you'll need to visit their tasting room soon

Bill and Michael of Shelbyville's Daredevil Brewing

Brittany and Andrew of RAM

Festival-goers clamoring for 3 Floyds Blot Out the Sun Imperial Stout



Flat12 toward the end of a long day

Sun King Pink Taco Sour Ale

Closing time

25 January 2013

HBG Readers Survey Comments | Less Snobbery, More Education

Having received a record number of responses to our year-end readers survey, it's taken us a while to sort through the comments that our readers left to the following question: What do you think the Indiana craft beer community could do better? 

The comments we received touched on a number of themes. In this post, we'll focus on a prevalent theme that's illustrated by the following reader comments:

"Cut the elitism."

“Embrace that everyone has their own preferences in regard to beer flavors and styles. There's also a weird exuberant beer cockiness that feels rather unnecessary. Snobbery & geekiness are one thing, cockiness is quite another.”

“Get your friends to drink craft beer. Be more of an asshole about it. Demand that your friends don't drink shitty beer. Drink a little less, but have more of an experience with your beer.”

“I think as a beer community we need to try to shoot for being more inclusive towards people who haven't experienced craft beer. We need to be super generous with those people and our beer so that they can see why we as community enjoy the beer so much.”

“Party harder. Cut the snobbery. Cut the sense of entitlement. Enjoy life.”

“Stop the snark.”

“Provide more opportunities for education to non-regular beer drinkers.”

“Be more open to ‘newbies’ and less exclusive.”

“More education. It's hard to get into craft beer. It's even harder to describe, communicate, and learn about beers and breweries. There's so much I'd like to share with my friends, but don't really know how.”

“Stop being such stuck up snobs and elitists and supporting breweries/brewpubs that perpetuate that attitude. Craft beer to me is about community and camaraderie and that should be at the forefront of this ‘movement’."

“Be less snobby and condescending of other people's taste (including Bud/Miller/Coors drinkers).”

“I would pay to attend a beer class...I generally feel ignorant.”

“Educate people about craft beer.”

“Educate people on the different types of craft beer. Still meet way too many people that think because it's 'dark as motor oil' that it will taste the same. I know I do my part by offering tastings at my house all the time. :)"

The sentiment of these comments is clear: as a community, we need to be welcoming, not snobby, and we need to be willing to patiently educate those who are new to craft beer. My question is this--

What do you think are the best ways to go about educating craft beer newbies and attracting people to the craft beer world? And I'm not talking about just what the breweries and the distributors should do; I'm talking about what we as craft beer consumers could do. What do you think?

Random Beer Roundup - The Winterfest Edition



Hoosier Beer Calendar
Events are subject to change

From the Brewers

From Darren at Bier Brewery in Indianapolis:

            Here's what's on tap this week:
Sessie • Cream Ale • Scottish 80 Shilling • Weizengoot • Mild Brown • Oat Stout • 4 Banger Amber • Rye Pale • PDG Pale

From Bob at Flat 12 Bierwerks in Indianapolis:


1/26/13 Winterfest at Indiana State Fairgrounds

If you'd like to receive our newsletter, published Wednesdays at noon, please subscribe here (bottom of page).

January Tour Schedule

On the horizon: Flat Tuesday(2/12). Flat 12 Night at Sinking Ship(2/13). Valentine's Day Bleeding Heart IPA.

From Shane at Daredevil Brewing Co:

This was our third week of shipping Lift Off IPA.  We are now in about thirty establishments in the cities of Bloomington, Carmel, Columbus, Fishers, Indianapolis, Muncie, Noblesville and Zionsville.  As always we try to keep our locations up to date on our website at www.DaredevilBeer.com.  If you know a place we should be shoot us an email at info@DaredevilBeer.com.

Our story: Daredevil Brewing Co: the making of a craft brewery
Over the last two weeks we have shared a two-part blog post on the journey we took over an 18 month period from business plan to batch #1 of Lift Off IPA.  These posts are shared on our Daredevil Brewing Co Facebook page and our blog.  The post includes how we approached branding, marketing, equipment, operations and the ups and downs that come with starting a craft brewery.

New locations for Lift Off IPA this week:

  • Bloomington The Atlas Ballroom
  • Indianapolis:  Flatwater Restaurant, MacNivens Restaurant & Bar, The End of the Line and Tilley's Pub & Sports Grille
  • Noblesville: Conner Station Pub & Eatery
  • Shelbyville: Indiana Downs

Events coming up:
  • Winterfest, January 26: This Saturday we will be at Winterfest pouring Lift Off IPA and our first seasonal, Muse Golden Belgian Ale. Stop over to meet Michael and Bill the brewers who make it all happen and of course try our craft beers. 
  • Fishers on Tap, February 23: We just announced this week we will be participating along with 7 other breweries in the 2nd Annual Fisher’s on Tap event held by the Fishers Rotary Club.  More information at http://www.fishersontap.com/.  

From Ryan at Thr3e Wise Men in Broad Ripple:
Thr3e Wise Men has a great list of upcoming seasonal tappings! We will be tapping our Can’t Dutch This White Belgian on Tuesday February 5th, Saint Slater’s Irish Whiskey Stout on Tuesday March 5th, Two Sisters Carolina Saison on Tuesday April 2nd and Double Pagoda Pit Road Red on Tuesday May 7th. Make sure to put these dates down on your calendar and make it out for these great tappings..


Attention all restaurant and bar owners Thr3e Wise Men is now distributing our Snow Bunny Blonde and starting February 18th our Centennial Martyr Double IPA through Cavalier Distributing. Please reach out to your local Cavalier Rep or email Ryan Kellerman at rkellerman@scottysbrewhouse.com for more information.

Scotty’s Brewhouse Muncie & West Lafayette are now serving Bell’s Hopslam!! This is one of the best beers this time of year so make sure to hurry up and get while you can!

Scotty’s Brewhouse Downtown Indianapolis is now serving Thr3e Wise Men King Solomon’s Imperial Stout! Come in on Wednesday night to get a $10 48oz Pitcher of this great Stout!


 From David at Triton Brewing Co. in Lawrence:

TRITON HOUSE BREWS


Fieldhouse Wheat, Four Barrel Brown, Magnificent Amber Ale, Deadeye Stout, Railsplitter India Pale Ale, Sin Bin Belgian Pale Ale, McQueenie’s Scotch Ale, Midnight Rail Black IPA, Alt Lang Syne, Bourbon Barrel I-65 Baltic Porter and 2012 Muletide (BJava Bourbon Barrel 1-65 Baltic Porter).

GUEST BREWS

Dark Horse Cream Stout Too, Founder’s Breakfast Stout, J.W. Lees 2011 (Calvados Barrel Aged) Harvest, Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, Rivertown Death and Widmer Omission Lager (bottle)

Triton Brewing Events

  • Saturday, January 26, Winterfest at Indiana State Fairgrounds
  • Saturday, February 2, 3-5pm Toddy Shop Beer Sampling in Brownsburg
  • Saturday, February 2, 3-5pm Toddy Shop Beer Sampling in Brownsburg
  • Tuesday, February 5, 8pm Tapping Party at Brothers Bar and Grill in Broad Ripple. Come taste the Railsplitter, Sin Bin and B-Java Brown!
  • Friday, February 8, 6:30pm Pre-Show Beer Sampling at Indiana Repertory Theater
  • Thursday, February 14, 5pm Tapping: B-Java Brown!  Brewed with 10 lbs. of espresso beans roasted by B Java Coffee and Teas. Sure to please even the toughest critics! Two of our favorite beverages in one delicious brew! ALC/VOL 5.2%     25 IBU’s   
  • Friday, February 15, 6:30pm Pre-Show Beer Sampling at Indiana Repertory Theater

 From Lindsay at Upland Brewing Co. in Bloomington/Indianapolis/Carmel (coming soon!)

http://uplandbeer.com/upland-bbq-food-and-beer-pairing-dinner/
Friday, Jan. 25, 4-6 pm:  tasting/sampling at 21st Amendment at 56th & IL
Mini takeover of the taps at Boombozz in Carmel and presenting 'Hops and Hoops" on January 30 for the IU / Purdue Basketball game. We'll have limited edition swag giveaways and Upland will be on special!
From Beth at Sun King Brewing Company in Indianapolis:
• Winterfest on 1/26 - we will be bringing some speciality beers that only a few have had the opportunity to taste (list will be released at Winterfest).  We will be tapping something new every half an hour on the hour and VIP will have something special to taste.

• Cooking with Sun King Recipe Contest - check out SKB's Facebook page for the contest details.  Recipe submissions running now through 1/31/13, must be 21+ to enter.

• Velvet Fog releases 1/28 2-pack cans will be available for purchase at $17.50.  Liquor stores around town and around the state will have distribution of the cans.

• Bourbon Barrel Johan the Barleywine releases 1/28 - reservations have closed, but there will be a limited number available for purchase on a first come, first served bases at the brewery in the Tasting Room.  $25 per can, one can per person.

• Replicale will be released on 1/28 in the Tasting Room for growler fills.

• Sun King Brewers Dinner at Indigo Duck (Franklin, IN) 1/29 - call Indigo Duck for reservations (5 course meal paired with Sun King specialities and house beers)

• Timmie Firkin Tapping at La Margarita on 1/31

At Bars, Restaurants, and Carry Out
...
From Jon at La Margarita in Fountain Square:
We are having our first annual Imperial Stout Weekend, starting Thursday, January 31st, with our Cask Party 4: Firkin in the Snow, which will be a cask of Sun King's Timmie Russian Imperial Stout. That day, and throughout the weekend, we will feature five awesome imperial stouts. For more information go to: http://lamargaritaindy.wordpress.com/2013/01/07/cask-party-4-firkin-in-the-snow/ 
Also, Sunday, February 17th, we will be hosting our Second Annual Fountain Square Pinball Classic. Details and ticket information will be available as of Wednesday, January 9th, starting at 12 p.m. There will be 36 tournament spots and 25 free play spots. The event is open to the public, and will feature DJs Dicky Foxxx and Salazar, as well as a stellar draft selection and a necessary bowl of Pinball Punch. For more information go to: http://lamargaritaindy.wordpress.com/

From Ryan at Scotty's Brewhouse in various locations:
Scotty’s Brewhouse Muncie and West Lafayette are now serving Bell’s Hopslam!! Come get this beer while you can since it will go very fast!

From Mike at Yogi's in Bloomington:
http://www.yogis.com/index.php/about/blog/beer-blog/198-1-17-13

From Patrick at Patrick's Kitchen & Drinks in Zionsville:
PKD BEER LIST
ON DRAFT
Old Rasputin Imperial Stout (Nitro)-$6.50 12oz
Bloomington Brewing Java Porter-$5.25 Pint
Bloomington Brewing Rooftop IPA-$6.75 Pint
BBC Ruby Bloom (Amber)-$5.25 Pint
Three Floyds Dreadnaught-$7.50 12oz
Boulevard Double-Wide IPA-$6.75 12oz
Boulevard Tank 7 (Belgian style Ale)-$7.50 12oz    
Triton RailSplitter IPA-$6.75 Pint          
La Trappe (Belgian Quad)-$10.50 10oz
Bloomington Brewing Dunkelweiss-$4.25 Pint

BOTTLES                                                    
Sun King Cream Ale-$5.25
Bell's Amber-$4.25
Bell’s Oarsman Ale-$4.25
Stella-$4.25
Sixpoint Brownstone-$5.25
Tyranena Dirty Old Man (imperial rye)-$6.50
Founders Cerise (cherry fermented ale)-$5.25
Orkney Skull Splitter (authentic Scottish)-$8.00
Duvel (the classic Belgian golden ale)-$9.75
Chimay Blue (9%abv and a fabulous Belgian golden ale)-$10.50

WHEAT BEERS
Boulevard Brewing 80-Acre (hoppy wheat)
Boulevard Brewing Unfiltered Wheat
Hoegaarden (Belgian wit)

DOMESTICS
Budweiser, Bud Light, Coors Light, Miller Light, Mich Ultra, O’Doul’s (non-alcoholic)                                                                        

DINNER BOTTLES

Bosteels Tripel Karmeliet   25.4oz-$19.50
Three Floyds Arctic Panzer Wolf  22oz-$13.75
Three Floyds Calumet Queen  22oz-$13.75
Moorhouse's Blond Bitch  16.9oz-$10.50
New Albanian Black & Blue Grass  22oz-$13.75
Hoppin' Frog Triple IPA Hop Dam  22oz-$17.50

From Keg Liquors in Clarksville and New Albany:
Ommegang - XV 15th Anniversary Ale (New York)
Straffe Hendrik - Heritage 2011 (Belgium)
New Albion - Ale (Massachusetts)
Aspall - Imperial Cider (England)
Aspall - Cuvee Chevallier Cider (England)
Two Brothers - Northwind Imperial Stout (Illinois)
Brewdog - Hardcore IPA (Scotland)
Ty Ku - Silver Sake (Japan)
Brooklyn - Sorachi Ace (New York)
Southampton - Saison Deluxe (New York)
Aspall - Demi-Sec Cider (England)
Morland - Old Golden Hen (England)

From the Distributors:

From Jen at Cavalier:

WHAT’S NEW IN THE CAVALIER WAREHOUSE

• New Day Breakfast Magpie – Black Raspberry Mead brewed with coffee; limited seasonal     release; draft only
• Breckenridge Pandora’s Bock – Traditional Bock Style; seasonal offering; 6 pack and draft
• Thirsty Dog Irish Setter Red – Irish Red Ale; seasonal offering; 6 pack and draft
• Great Divide Orabelle Triple – Abbey Triple; new seasonal offering; 6 pack and draft
• Great Divide Espresso Yeti – Russian Imperial Stout brewed with Espresso Beans; seasonal offering; 22oz bottle and draft
• Great Divide Old Ruffian – American Barley Wine; seasonal offering; 22oz bottle and draft
• Aspall Blush Cider – Dry Cider made with Blackberry Liqueur; new everyday offering; 6.9oz bottle only
• Aspall Cuvee Cider – Dry Sparkling Cider; new everyday offering; 750ml bottle only
• Aspall Dry Cider – European Dry Cider; new everyday offering; 16.9oz bottle only
• Aspall Demi-Sec Cider – Medium Dry Cider; new everyday offering; 16.9oz bottle only
• Aspall Imperial Cider – Sweet Dessert Cider; new everyday offering; 16.9oz bottle only
• Aspall Organic Cider -  Bittersweet Apple Cider; new everyday offering; 16.9oz bottle only

UPCOMING EVENTS
 
1/25 – Cavalier Tap Takeover @ Ralston’s; 7pm
1/30 - New Albanian Hoosier Daddy Event @ 800 Degrees 3 Fires in Ft. Wayne; TBA
1/30 – Craft Beer School @ Hearthstone featuring BBC beers; 7pm
2/1 – Girls Night Out @ Fickle Peach in Muncie featuring B. Nakter and New Days Meads
2/4 – Left Hand Tasting @ Vecchio’s Italian Market in Newburgh; 5:30-7:30pm
2/8 – Powerhouse Brewing Tasting @ The Heorot in Muncie;
2/9 Craft Tasting @ Keg N Bottle on Broadway in Anderson; 3-5pm
2/11 – Beer Dinner @ Matt the Millers; details and menu TBA
2/14 – “Epic Night for Riley” featuring Stone Vertical Epic 03-12 @ Chatham Tap in Fishers; all proceeds go to Riley Hospital; TBA
2/25 – New Day Meadery Dinner @ JK O’Donnell’s in Ft. Wayne; TBA

Upcoming Events:

From Deb at Indy Beer Lab:
We are at City Market in The Demo Kitchen doing home brewing demonstrations and classes for the person wishing to learn the brewing process. 
All demos are at City Market (in the demo kitchen on the main level)Times are subject to change. Please contact Indybeerlab@gmail.com for questions or additional information.

January 2013
Thursday 1/31 6PM-8:30PM Demo

February 2013
Saturday 2/2 Demonstration 10AM-3PM
Thursday 2/7 Class 6PM-8:30PM
Saturday 2/16 Demonstration 10AM-3PM
Thursday 2/21 Class/Steeping Grains 6PM-8:30PM
Saturday 2/23 Demonstration 10AM-3PM
Thursday 2/28 Class/Partial Boil
From Donna at Riley Heart Research Center:
The 3rd Annual “HEART of the BREWS” An ALE tasting event to support RESEARCH for KIDS with AILING HEARTS Proceeds to benefit research at the Riley Heart Research Center (at the Wells Center for Pediatric Research) 
DATE: Friday, February 8, 2013
TIME: 6:30 – 10:00 PM
6:30 – 9:00 PM Silent Auction open
7:00 – 10:00 PM Tastings
PLACE: Omni Severin, 40 W. Jackson Place, downtown Indy
Must be 21 years of age to attend. Please sample responsibly.

TICKET INFORMATION:
$35 Advance Purchase (Dec 14, 2012 – Feb 5, 2013)
$45 Late Purchase and At the Door (Feb 6 – 8, 2013)
$10 Designated Driver
Go online to www.heartresearch.iupui.edu or contact Donna Fischer at dfischer@iupui.edu, 317-278-1130 for more information and to purchase tickets.

23 January 2013

Winterfest Tap List

We published a list of breweries attending Winterfest last week.  This week, we've discovered the tap list for the 2013 Winterfest on the Brewers of Indiana Guild website.  Enjoy!

http://www.brewersofindianaguild.com/whos-serving/breweries/winterfest-2013

18 January 2013

Random Beer Roundup - The Fake Girlfriend Edition



Hoosier Beer Calendar
Events are subject to change

From the Brewers
...
From Shane at Daredevil Brewing Co:

First, we want to thank all of the people who have with us and supported us during the time it took to go from the vision of a craft brewery that would make aggressively fun beers to the now fully operational Daredevil Brewing Co. 

On January 8th we had the first tapping of our flagship beer, Lift Off IPA, and since we are now fully operational with our 10 BBL brewhouse and making regular weekly shipments we plan to keep everyone well stocked with Lift Off IPA and our upcoming seasonal lineup. Lift Off IPA is a West Coast style IPA and for now our only year round beer. We are available in draft format across central and southern Indiana.

The response to Lift Off IPA has been more than we could have imagined and is very humbling. We are now in over twenty locations across Indianapolis, Bloomington, Carmel, Columbus, Fishers, Muncie and Zionsville at some great locations for craft beer. To keep up with our availability, beer lineup and events just follow us at our website, and on TwitterFacebook or Instagram
We look forward to seeing people at the upcoming Winterfest on January 26th, which will be our first public event since launch.  We will be bringing Lift Off IPA and also it will be an opportunity for the very first public tasting of our first seasonal, Muse Belgian Golden Ale, which is made in the Belgian Golden Strong style.  

From Ryan at Thr3e Wise Men in Broad Ripple:
Come join us at Thr3e Wise Men next Friday January 25th at 7pm when Jack Mcauliffe will be joining us for the tapping of his New Albion Ale. Jack is the Father of Craft    Brewing and the founder of New Albion Brewing Co. If you love craft beer then you should enjoy this party.



 From David at Triton Brewing Co. in Lawrence:


TRITON HOUSE BREWS

Fieldhouse Wheat, Four Barrel Brown, Magnificent Amber Ale, Deadeye Stout, Railsplitter India Pale Ale, Sin Bin Belgian Pale Ale, McQueenie’s Scotch Ale, Midnight Rail Black IPA, Bourbon Barrel I-65 Baltic Porter and 2012 Muletide (BJava Bourbon Barrel 1-65 Baltic Porter).

GUEST BREWS

Dark Horse Cream Stout Too, Founder’s Breakfast Stout, J.W. Lees 2011 (Lagavulin Barrel Aged) Harvest, Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, Kona Koko Brown and Widmer Omission Lager (bottle)

Triton Brewing Events

Wednesday, January 23, #Clustertruck at Triton Brewing Company come out and enjoy 4-6 of your favorite food trucks from 6-9pm!

Thursday, January 24, 5pm, Tapping: Old Lang Syne (Replicale), Thursday, January 24th, 5pm! Come try Brewer Jon’s and Brewer Mike’s dry-hopped version of this year’s Brewers’ of Indiana Guild Winterfest Old Ale Replicale.
Saturday, January 26, Winterfest at Indiana State Fairgrounds

Saturday, February 2, 3-5pm Toddy Shop Beer Sampling in Brownsburg

Friday, February 8, 6:30pm Pre-Show Beer Sampling at Indiana Repertory Theater

Friday, February 15, 6:30pm Pre-Show Beer Sampling at Indiana Repertory Theater

 From Lindsay at Upland Brewing Co. in Bloomington/Indianapolis/Carmel (coming soon!)

Next week, we're taking over taps at Mo's Irish Pub on Friday 1/25.  Also on 1/25, 4-6 pm: we'll be tasting at 21st Amendment at 56th & IL.
We will be at Winterfest on 1/26. Rye So Serious (our new rye beer) is on tap at both the Indy Tasting Room and Tap Room in Bloomington. 
From Beth at Sun King Brewing Company in Indianapolis:
Sun King Brewing Company will release two beers in the new King's Reserve can on January 28th. The King's Reserve is a new 16 oz. resealable Alumi-Tek can that is manufactured by Ball Corporation in Monticello, IN. Sun King and Colorado's Oskar Blues pioneered the use of this vessel last year with the release of Chaka and The Deuce.
"We are excited to share two very special, award winning beers in a brand new package! Batch 333: The Velvet Fog was a 2012 World Beer Cup Gold Medal Winner in the Belgian-style Dark Strong Ale category, and Bourbon Barrel Johan was a 2011 Great American Beer Festival Silver Medal Winner in the Barrel Aged Strong Beer category." said Sun King owner/brewer Clay Robinson.

Johan the Barleywine was the first batch of beer produced at Sun King on July 1, 2009, a small portion of which was placed in Bourbon barrels to age. This process imparts even more depth of character to the beer, allowing it to pick up flavor from the Bourbon as well as the oak. There are only 250 cans of Bourbon Barrel Johan available for $25.00 per can with a limit of one per person. Half of the allotment will be available for online reservations beginning January 21st at 12:00 PM (EST) and the other half will be available in the Tasting Room on January 28th. Online reservations will have one week to pick up their beer and whatever is not picked up will be made available to the general public on February 4th.

Batch 333: The Velvet Fog will also be released on January 28th and will be available in liquor stores throughout central Indiana, as well as at the brewery. The Velvet Fog is a Belgian-style Quadruple that was named one of Draft Magazine's 'Top 25 Beers of 2012' in addition to the aforementioned World Beer Cup® Medal. Velvet Fog will be sold in two packs for a suggested retail of $17.50.
For more information on these releases, including which liquor stores they will be available at, please follow us on Facebook or Twitter (@SunKingBrewing).
And, Ziaus (oatmeal stout) is now on in the tasting room!

At Bars, Restaurants, and Carry Out
...
From Jon at La Margarita in Fountain Square:
We are having our first annual Imperial Stout Weekend, starting Thursday, January 31st, with our Cask Party 4: Firkin in the Snow, which will be a cask of Sun King's Timmie Russian Imperial Stout. That day, and throughout the weekend, we will feature five awesome imperial stouts. For more information go to: http://lamargaritaindy.wordpress.com/2013/01/07/cask-party-4-firkin-in-the-snow/ 
Also, Sunday, February 17th, we will be hosting our Second Annual Fountain Square Pinball Classic. Details and ticket information will be available as of Wednesday, January 9th, starting at 12 p.m. There will be 36 tournament spots and 25 free play spots. The event is open to the public, and will feature DJs Dicky Foxxx and Salazar, as well as a stellar draft selection and a necessary bowl of Pinball Punch. For more information go to: http://lamargaritaindy.wordpress.com/

From Ryan at Scotty's Brewhouse in various locations:
Scotty’s Brewhouse Muncie and West Lafayette are now serving Bell’s Hopslam!! Come get this beer while you can since it will go very fast!

From Mike at Yogi's in Bloomington:
http://www.yogis.com/index.php/about/blog/beer-blog
From the Distributors:

From Jen at Cavalier:
UPCOMING EVENTS
1/18 - Falls City Tasting at O'Sully's Bottle Shop in Georgetown; 5pm-7pm
1/22 - Sahm's Place Trivia Night; featured brewery is TBA; 8pm
1/24 - Falls City Draft Feature @ Buckhead in Jeffersonville; 5pm
1/24 - 10 Reason's to Drink Founders Beer Tap Takeover @ Twenty Tap; 4pm
1/26 - Brewer's Guild of IN Winterfest; 3pm; tickets still available
1/30 - New Albanian Hoosier Daddy Event @ 800 Degrees 3 Fires in Ft. Wayne; TBA
1/8 - Birdy's Monthly Tasting; 6pm-8pm; $10

Upcoming Events:

From Deb at Indy Beer Lab:
We are at City Market in The Demo Kitchen doing home brewing demonstrations and classes for the person wishing to learn the brewing process. 
All demos are at City Market (in the demo kitchen on the main level)Times are subject to change. Please contact Indybeerlab@gmail.com for questions or additional information.

January 2013
Saturday 1/19 10AM-3PM Demo
Thursday 1/24 6PM-8:30PM Class
Thursday 1/31 6PM-8:30PM Demo

February 2013

Saturday 2/2 Demonstration 10AM-3PM
Thursday 2/7 Class 6PM-8:30PM
Saturday 2/16 Demonstration 10AM-3PM
Thursday 2/21 Class/Steeping Grains 6PM-8:30PM
Saturday 2/23 Demonstration 10AM-3PM
Thursday 2/28 Class/Partial Boil
From Donna at Riley Heart Research Center:
The 3rd Annual “HEART of the BREWS” An ALE tasting event to support RESEARCH for KIDS with AILING HEARTS Proceeds to benefit research at the Riley Heart Research Center (at the Wells Center for Pediatric Research) 
DATE: Friday, February 8, 2013
TIME: 6:30 – 10:00 PM
6:30 – 9:00 PM Silent Auction open
7:00 – 10:00 PM Tastings
PLACE: Omni Severin, 40 W. Jackson Place, downtown Indy
Must be 21 years of age to attend. Please sample responsibly.

TICKET INFORMATION:
$35 Advance Purchase (Dec 14, 2012 – Feb 5, 2013)
$45 Late Purchase and At the Door (Feb 6 – 8, 2013)
$10 Designated Driver
Go online to www.heartresearch.iupui.edu or contact Donna Fischer at dfischer@iupui.edu, 317-278-1130 for more information and to purchase tickets.

17 January 2013

Winterfest 2013 Breweries

Here's this year's list of confirmed breweries for Winterfest.  With nearly 70 breweries in attendance, we're sure you won't go away unsatisfied.  Hopefully you've already picked up your ticket, because they've been sold out for at least a week.  Be sure to buy your tickets early next year, as I'm sure it will sell out well in advance once again.

Updated 1/22/13

Indiana


450 North Brewing - Columbus

Back Road Brewery - LaPorte

Bare Hands Brewery - Granger

Barley Island - Noblesville

Bier Brewery - Indianapolis

Big Dawg Brewhaus - Richmond

Big Woods - Nashville

Black Acre Brewing Company - Indianapolis

Bloomington Brewing Company - Bloomington

Broad Ripple Brewpub - Indianapolis

Brugge Brasserie - Indianapolis

Bulldog Brewing - Whiting

Crown Brewing - Crown Point

Cutters Brewing Company - Bloomington

Daredevil - Shelbyville

Evil Czech Brewery - Culver

Figure Eight - Valparaiso

Flat 12 Bierwerks - Indianapolis

Fountain Square Brewing - Indianapolis

Four Horsemen - South Bend

Great Crescent - Aurora

Half Moon Brewing - Kokomo

Hawcreek Brewing Co. - Hope

Iechyd Da Brewing Company - Elkhart

Lafayette Brewing Company - Lafayette

Mad Anthony Brewing - Fort Wayne, Warsaw, Auburn

New Albanian Brewing - New Albany

New Day Meadery - Indianapolis

Oaken Barrel Brewing Co. - Greenwood

Peoples Brewing Company - Lafayette

Power House Brewing Company - Columbus

Ram Brewery - Indianapolis, Fishers

Rock Bottom College Park - Indianapolis

Rock Bottom Downtown - Indianapolis

Sun King - Indianapolis

Thr3e Wise Men - Indianapolis

Three Floyds - Munster

Three Pints - Plainfield

Tin Man Brewing Company - Evansville

Triton Brewing - Indianapolis

Turoni's Main Street - Evansville

Twisted Crew - Seymour

Union Brewing - Carmel

Upland - Bloomington, Indianapolis

ZwanzigZ - Columbus

Out of State


Ace Hard Ciders - California

Against the Grain - Kentucky

Bell's Brewery - Michigan

Bluegrass Brewing - Kentucky

Bluegrass Brewpub - Kentucky

Boston Beer - Massachusetts

Boulder Beer - Colorado

Country Boy Brewing - Kentucky

DESTIHL - Illinois

Falls City - Kentucky

Finch's - Illinois

Founders - Michigan

Lexington - Kentucky

Mendocino - California

New Belgium - Colorado

New Holland - Michigan

North Coast - California

Rivertown - Ohio

Schlafly - Missouri

Sierra Nevada - California

Sixpoint - New York

Tyranena - Wisconsin

Victory - Pennsylvania

11 January 2013

Random Beer Roundup - The Welcome Back Edition


Hoosier Beer Calendar
Events are subject to change

From the Brewers
From Bob at Flat 12 Bierwerks in Indianapolis:

The anniversary party was a success. Thanks to all of you for your continued support.
If you'd like to receive our newsletter, published Wednesdays at noon, please subscribe here (bottom of page).

Events!
1/12/13 - Flat 12 Night at The Heorot. Flat 12 will bring 12 beers to Muncie's legendary Heorot Pub. $12 for participants to sample 12 beers in the Heorot's Valhalla Room, talk to the brewers and listen to live music.

1/19/13 - Beer Dinner at the Riviera Club - Public is Welcome

1/21/13 Beer Dinner at Indiana Downs

1/26/13 Winterfest at Indiana State Fairgrounds

January Tour Schedule

On the horizon: Flat Tuesday. Valentine's Day Bleeding Heart IPA.
From Andrew at Ram Restaurant and Brewery in Indianapolis/Fishers:
Fishers RAMageddon!Come out to our Fishers location on Thursday, January 24th at 6:30 p.m. to taste the full lineup of 2012 RAMageddon releases including Apocalypto BarleywineEndgame Russian Imperial StoutDoomsday Imperial RedFinal Countdown Imperial IPAApocalypse Meow, and the original release of Barrel-aged Endgame Stout. All of these beers have matured to their peak condition for your enjoyment.

From Ryan at Thr3e Wise Men in Broad Ripple:
Thr3e Wise Men has just tapped its newest seasonal creation, Schweddy Ball-tic Porter. Come join us on Monday or Wednesday for $3.00 Pints of this amazing Porter or one of our other great beers.


From David at Triton Brewing Co. in Lawrence:

TRITON HOUSE BREWS
Fieldhouse Wheat, Four Barrel Brown, Magnificent Amber Ale, Deadeye Stout, Railsplitter India Pale Ale, Sin Bin Belgian Pale Ale, Gingerbread Brown, McQueenie’s Scotch Ale, Midnight Rail Black IPA, Bourbon Barrel I-65 Baltic Porter and 2012 Muletide (BJava Bourbon Barrel 1-65 Baltic Porter).

GUEST BREWS
Dark Horse Cream Stout Too, Founder’s Breakfast Stout, J.W. Lees 2011 (Lagavulin Barrel Aged) Harvest, Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale and Widmer Omission Lager (bottle)

Triton Brewing Events
Saturday, January 12- 2nd Annual South Bend Brewfest at the Century Center 
Wednesday, January 23, #Clustertruck at Triton Brewing Company come out and enjoy 4-6 of your favorite food trucks from 6-9pm! 
Thursday, January 24, 5pm, Tapping: Old Lang Syne (Replicale), Thursday, January 24, 5pm! Come try Brewer Jon’s and Brewer Mike’s dry-hopped version of this year’s Brewers’ of Indiana Guild Winterfest Old Ale Replicale. 
January 26, Winterfest at Indiana State Fairgrounds – tickets are (SOLD OUT) only available at Crown Liquors, Tomlinson Tap Room (City Market) and Broad Ripple Brew Pub.  $40 per ticket.

From Lindsay at Upland Brewing Co. in Bloomington/Indianapolis/Carmel (coming soon!)
We're tapping our new rye beer, Rye So Serious, on Saturday the 12th at the Indianapolis Tasting Room.  Check the blog for Bloomington tap info.

Rye-volution!                     
Our brand new brewing facility, full of top of the line equipment, has inspired Upland’s brewing team to make this season distinctly adventurous.

This month, on Saturday, January 12th, the Upland Indy Tasting Room will be tapping yet another never-before-seen Upland beer, Live and Let Rye.  A rye pale ale featuring Cascade and Centennial hops, this 6.5%, mildly hoppy brew is already making our mouths water.
  
Rye offers a grainy and interestingly spicy flavor that has been all but lost to beer since the German Reinheitsgebot declared only barley would be used in brewing in the 15th century.  Over the last few decades, however, microbrewers and homebrewers alike have become increasingly daring in experimenting with adjunct grains, and we’re no exception!  You are cordially invited to join us as we rediscover the pleasures of beer brewed with rye! 

At Bars, Restaurants, and Carry Out
From Todd at Keg Liquors in Clarksville/New Albany:
Here is the latest from Keg Liquors in Clarksville and New Albany: 
Bells - Hopslam Imperial IPA (Michigan)
Boulevard - Rye on Rye (Missouri)
Peoples - Space Cowboy (Indiana)
Three Floyds - Rye da Tiger (Indiana)
Great Divide - Barrel Aged Hibernation Ale (Colorado)
Founders - Imperial Stout (Michigan)
North Coast - Old Rasputin XV Imperial Stout (California)

From Jon at La Margarita in Fountain Square:
We are having our first annual Imperial Stout Weekend, starting Thursday, January 31st, with our Cask Party 4: Firkin in the Snow, which will be a cask of Sun King's Timmie Russian Imperial Stout. That day, and throughout the weekend, we will feature five awesome imperial stouts. For more information go to: http://lamargaritaindy.wordpress.com/2013/01/07/cask-party-4-firkin-in-the-snow/
Also, Sunday, February 17th, we will be hosting our Second Annual Fountain Square Pinball Classic. Details and ticket information will be available as of Wednesday, January 9th, starting at 12 p.m. There will be 36 tournament spots and 25 free play spots. The event is open to the public, and will feature DJs Dicky Foxxx and Salazar, as well as a stellar draft selection and a necessary bowl of Pinball Punch. For more information go to: http://lamargaritaindy.wordpress.com/

From Ryan at Scotty's Brewhouse in various locations:
Scotty’s Brewhouse Muncie is now serving Sierra Nevada Celebration! Come get a 48oz Pitcher of this amazing winter time brew for only $10 on Wednesday.

Scotty’s Brewhouse 96th Street has the Thr3e Wise Men King Solomon’s Imperial Stout tapped right now! Come get it while you can! You can enjoy a 24oz Mug for only $5 on Thursday!
From Mike at Yogi's in Bloomington:
http://www.yogis.com/index.php/about/blog/beer-blog
From the Distributors:
From Jen at Cavalier:
UPCOMING EVENTS
   
1/11 - Craft Tasing @ Keg N Bottle on Scatterfield in Anderson; 5pm-7pm
1/12 - South Bend Brew Fest featuring Founders @ the Century Center; 1pm-5pm; $35
1/12 - Craft Tasting @ Keg N Bottle on Edgewood in Anderson; 5pm-7pm 
1/15 - Sahm's Place Trivia Night featuring New Albanian Brewing Co; 8pm 
1/15 - Second Hobbit Dinner @ The View in Bloomington; 6pm-9pm
1/18 - Falls City Tasting at O'Sully's Bottle Shop in Georgetown; 5pm-7pm
1/22 - Sahm's Place Trivia Night; featured brewery is TBA; 8pm
1/24 - Falls City Draft Feature @ Buckhead in Jeffersonville; 5pm
1/24 - 10 Reason's to Drink Founders Beer Tap Takeover @ Twenty Tap; 4pm
1/26 - Brewer's Guild of IN Winterfest; 3pm; tickets still available
1/30 - New Albanian Hoosier Daddy Event @ 800 Degrees 3 Fires in Ft. Wayne; TBA
1/8 - Birdy's Monthly Tasting; 6pm-8pm; $10

Upcoming Events:
From Deb at Indy Beer Lab:
We are at City Market in The Demo Kitchen doing home brewing demonstrations and classes for the person wishing to learn the brewing process. 
All demos are at City Market (in the demo kitchen on the main level)Times are subject to change. Please contact Indybeerlab@gmail.com for questions or additional information.

January 2013
Thursday 1/17 6PM-8:30PM Demo
Saturday 1/19 10AM-3PM Demo
Thursday 1/24 6PM-8:30PM Class
Thursday 1/31 6PM-8:30PM Demo

February 2013

Saturday 2/2 Demonstration 10AM-3PM
Thursday 2/7 Class 6PM-8:30PM
Saturday 2/16 Demonstration 10AM-3PM
Thursday 2/21 Class/Steeping Grains 6PM-8:30PM
Saturday 2/23 Demonstration 10AM-3PM
Thursday 2/28 Class/Partial Boil
From Donna at Riley Heart Research Center:
The 3rd Annual “HEART of the BREWS” An ALE tasting event to support RESEARCH for KIDS with AILING HEARTS Proceeds to benefit research at the Riley Heart Research Center (at the Wells Center for Pediatric Research) 
DATE: Friday, February 8, 2013
TIME: 6:30 – 10:00 PM
6:30 – 9:00 PM Silent Auction open
7:00 – 10:00 PM Tastings
PLACE: Omni Severin, 40 W. Jackson Place, downtown Indy
Must be 21 years of age to attend. Please sample responsibly.

TICKET INFORMATION:
$35 Advance Purchase (Dec 14, 2012 – Feb 5, 2013)
$45 Late Purchase and At the Door (Feb 6 – 8, 2013)
$10 Designated Driver
Go online to www.heartresearch.iupui.edu or contact Donna Fischer at dfischer@iupui.edu, 317-278-1130 for more information and to purchase tickets.