06 October 2014

Georgia: A Beer Geek's View

As many of you know, I have now lived in Macon, Georgia for over a year.  If you're not familiar with Macon, maybe you're familiar with its exports - The Allman Brothers Band, Otis Redding and Little Richard to name a few.  Perhaps you're also familiar with some of Georgia's prominent breweries - Terrapin and Sweetwater.  Surely you've eaten Vidalia onions.  But what you're probably not familiar with, is the huge difference between brewery laws in Georgia and Indiana.  I'm here to change that.

In Indiana, we frequently like to lament the lack of cold beer in the grocery store and the "Closed" sign hanging in our liquor store windows on Sundays.  Those things suck, no one is going to argue that.  They quickly become expectations after a short period of time in a state that allows them.  While focusing on the restrictions and the negative, it is easy to forget how good many things are, especially if you like locally brewed beer.

Check out this website, I'll wait.  http://www.brewersassociation.org/statistics/by-state/

While you were perusing that data, I hope that you decided to compare Indiana and Georgia.  I'll point out a few interesting points in case you didn't.  Indiana is 14th in the country in number of brewers - that's impressive!  Georgia, with less than half the number, is 28th.  Doesn't sound too bad until you consider the per capita number.  Indiana ranks 20th* while Georgia ranks 47th.  How can that be?  Atlanta is one of the top 10 largest metro areas in the country!
*Fun Fact: California is 19th

While the answer is complicated, the biggest factor are the laws.  In Georgia, a brewery cannot sell beer to anyone but a distributor.  In fact, they can't even tell you where to buy their beer.  That doesn't mean they don't have brewery tours and tasting rooms, but they operate much differently.  Breweries are allowed to give away up to 32oz of beer per person as samples.  They try to reclaim some of this cost by selling specialty glassware for $10-16 that you can use to consume your samples.  In an attempt to help make sure you don't exceed your sample allotment, they distribute tickets or tokens when you enter.  No alcohol sales means no alcohol sales - you can't buy a six pack to go or fill a growler.  You especially can't sell specialty bombers.  And don't think about asking where you can buy their beer either.

I think you can see how this makes it difficult to start up a new brewery.  Brewpubs have it a little better, as they can serve their beer on premises, but they have a separate set of regulations and still need a distributor to take their beer off-site.  On the consumer end, things are a little more friendly.

Many laws are controlled on a city/county level.  You may have heard that you can drink on the streets of the Savannah riverfront.  A few years back, cities started passing laws for carry-out draft beer in sealed containers (growlers).  Retail establishments started popping up across the state, typically offering 40+ taps, all to-go.  Some cities allowed these growler shops to also sell bottled beer, some didn't.  Up until earlier this year, none of them allowed you to consume a pint of beer in the same place you could purchase beer to-go.  Macon and Warner Robins are now the only two cities in the state in which you can do that.

Of course many cities/counties have Sunday sales and cold beer in grocery stores and gas stations, almost every state besides Indiana does, but it also depends on local laws.  Typically grocery stores and gas stations are not able to apply for hard liquor permits.  Happy hour laws vary by city as well.  Atlanta doesn't allow happy hours, much like Indianapolis, but Macon does.

So what does all of this mean to you, the Hoosier?

Georgia is experiencing a recent surge in craft brewery growth similar to Indianapolis 3 or 4 years ago.  There are a lot of interesting new breweries popping up and some of the top bars in the country are located in the Atlanta area.  Here are my suggestions.

Visit a brewery, it's a good way to get a lot of beer for a reasonable price including a souvenir glass.  No one is measuring out 32oz with a measuring cup, so you'll typically consumer 3-4 pints for the price of the $12 glass.  With that knowledge, only visit one brewery per day, or get a designated driver.

Get growlers of hard to find beer.  Most growler shops will carry the popular offerings from Georgia breweries, but you may also find some rare, one-off type beers from national breweries.  Heck, you can get growlers of KBS, but be prepared to pay a premium.

Visit a well-stocked liquor store.  Package prices are cheap by Indiana standards.  I can already hear Matt's blood pressure rising.  Six packs are rarely over $10-12 and bombers tend to be sub-$10.  Naturally breweries like The Bruery are still expensive, but they're a few dollars cheaper than Indiana.

Most of all, be thankful for the self-distribution laws that allow pints in tasting rooms, reasonably priced growler fills and small breweries to get their beers into a few bars while they are starting out.  Those are the primary drivers in Indiana's craft beer growth, and states that don't have that type of support are struggling much more to gain momentum.

In a follow-up post, I'll share some recommendations on bars and breweries to visit in the peach state.

03 October 2014

Random Beer Roundup: The Bring Home Some Hardware, Indiana! #GABF Edition



Hoosier Beer Calendar

Events are subject to change



The Brewers


Chilly Water Brewing

It’s First Friday in the Fletcher Place/Fountain Square neighborhood! We will be tapping our Friend of the Devil Dopplebock which finished at a nice 8.2% abv. We also have live music with Kelli Yates and John Gilmore.

Coming up…an Autumn Ale, Rauchbier, Dunkelweiss and a new IPA.

 Daredevil Brewing
Daredevil Lift Off IPA now will be available at Lucas Oil Stadium for Indianapolis Colts games. Starting with the home opening game on September 15th you will be able to find Lift Off IPA at eight craft beer stations in the stadium. It's a great day for craft beer enthusiasts and Colts fans and we are happy to provide Lift Off IPA for all of you.

Looking to find our beers across the state of Indiana? We try to keep draft locations up to date on our website and post frequently to our Twitter and Facebook pages on can and draft locations across the state. If you are having trouble finding Lift Off IPA on draft or cans it could just be because the place you are at ran out. We are at hundreds of locations across the state so you can always try the handy Beer Spy site to search for a place near you. Always feel free to drop us an email, post or tweet and we will try and help.

Upcoming events

Great American Beer Festival, Denver, Colorado, October 2nd to 4th.

Daredevil Brewing Co. | Current beers available

Lift Off IPA: Our flagship beer available year round in cans and on draft.
A bounty of American Hops delivers the signature clean and crisp finish of a perfectly balanced West Coast style IPA.

Rip Cord Double IPA: A limited release beer available on draft.
An abundance of American hops balanced with a hint of malt to produce an exhilarating experience of intense hop flavors and aromas of citrus, floral and resin that combine to provide a satisfying crisp finish.  

 Triton Brewing
TRITON HOUSE BREWS
Fieldhouse Wheat, Sin Bin Belgian Pale Ale, Four Barrel Brown, Magnificent Amber Ale, Deadeye Stout, Railsplitter India Pale Ale, French Toast Saison, Beer Hammock Shandy, O’Ryen-N Warrior Pale, Nobody’s F’Alt, Gingerbread Brown, Soul Crusher IPA, Barrel Aged Three Tine Tripel, Barrel Aged Crosstown Rye-vals, Batch #1 (Bourbon Barrel Oatmeal Stout), Barrel Aged Alt Lang Syne Sour (2013), Nitro Gingerbread Brown & Hometown Hero 
GUEST BREWS
Vanberg & DeWulf Lambick X, Widmer’s Omission Lager, Widmer’s Omission Pale Ale & Wood Boat Pale Ale
TRITON BREWING EVENTS:
**Seasonal Hours Return at Triton Brewing Company Tasting Room (Fort Ben)
In response to the change of the seasons, Triton Brewing Company’s Tasting Room is changing our hours:
Monday & Tuesday closed
Wednesday & Thursday 3-10pm
Friday & Saturday 12-10pm
Sunday 12-7pm
Triton’s Railsplitter IPA wins Indianapolis Monthly 99 Battles of Beer on the Wall
We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that supported our Railsplitter IPA in Indianapolis Monthly’s 99 Battles of Beer on the Wall! We consider ourselves very fortunate that the Railsplitter has gained such a strong following and that the ‘Triton Army’ came through for us in such a resounding way! Thank you to all who voted and all that enjoy the Railsplitter year-round! Cheers!
Saturday, October 4
Live Chef Experience: Night with the Network, benefitting the Domestic Violence Network, at the Indianapolis Art Center (820 E 67th St, Indianapolis, IN), 6-10pm. The Domestic Violence Network invites you to their signature fundraising event "The Live Chef Experience.” This unique experience will feature the culinary fares of some of Indy’s most talented executive chefs. Restaurants Usual Suspects, 317Burger, Sangiovese and Traverna have signed on to participate in this upscale culinary event. In addition to having the live food experiences there will also be wine, bourbon and a Triton beer tasting as well as live entertainment, an extensive silent auction and more! For tickets: http://www.eventbrite.com
Saturday, October 11
Porter’s Perfect Pint Fest, Hawthorn Park (500 Ackerman Drive, Porter, IN), 1-5pm. Sample from over 35 craft beers, food vendors & merchandise, live acoustic music and door prizes. Each entrant receives a commemorative pint glass. Rain or shine This event benefits the parks and recreation department and volunteer fire department of Porter. For tickets: http://www.eventbrite.com
Friday, October 17
Big Red Beerfest 2014-presented by Best Beers at the Bloomington Convention Center (302 S. College Ave. Bloomington, IN) from 6-9 p.m. Join us for Bloomington's longest running beer festival. 350+ beers from around the world, including six of your favorites from Triton! Tickets available at any Big Red Liquors location or on-line at: http://www.eventbrite.com
Saturday, October 18
The Munster Ale Fest 2014 at Centennial Park (900 N. Centennial Drive, Munster, IN), from 1-5pm. The town of Munster welcomes you to a most anticipated fall inaugural Ale Fest event. Bring your taste for great beer and spirit for fun as you can choose to sample from more than 100 local and nationwide craft brews. Explore the flavors of the newest craft breweries as they develop their ongoing craft for making delicious brews. Munster Ale Fest will of course have some of the finest local food vendors serving up tasty bites to accompany your tastings. Tickets are limited, so it is highly suggested you purchase tickets early. For info or tickets: www.munsteralefest.com/ 

Tow Yard Brewing


House Beers Currently On Tap:

Who's That? - Inside outside come around...Who's that?? Browwwwwwwwn. Who's That highlights all the classic characteristics of a Southern English Brown Ale that include toffee, nutty, bready, and roasty notes. This session Brown Ale, clocking in at 4.7% ABV, is an easy drinker for the Fall season. 4.7% ABV 22 IBU
Oompa Lupulin - You'll feel like you've just won the Golden Ticket when you drink this everlasting hop stopper. Oompa Lupulin is a fizzy lifting beer with humble malt characteristics that allow the notes of citrus, resin and earth to shine from the healthy hop additions of Simcoe and Falconers Flight. This pale ale will drive you Wonkers! 5.4% ABV 45 IBUs

​Goldie Hops - American Golden Ale​ brewed with Marris Otter, wheat, and some crystal malt. Lightly bittered with Magnum and Czech Saaz. With this combination, the beer is crisp, refreshing, and approachable to all kinds of beer drinkers. 5.2% ABV 26 IBU

Hook Up - A hybrid between a Radler and a Shandy. We call it a Shandler. It's our golden ale blended with a locally made, citrus forward soda. A delicious and refreshing beverage for a hot summer day. 4% ABV 7 IBU​
Emerald Circle - Made by Northwest Hopheads, for Midwest Hopheads. This aggressive IPA is brewed with Maris Otter base malt along with Light Crystal, Aromatic and Vienna malts to add complexity to the malt bill. From here we get a bit heavy handed with our hop additions, which are early and often. The laundry list of hops includes: Cascade, Chinook, Columbus and Centennial. Which are added throughout the boil and then later dry hopped. 6.5% ABV 83 IBU​
Horse Power - This house beer is a Double Pale Ale which lives up to its name. Maris Otter starts out our grist, followed by some Munich, Aromatic, and Light Crystal malts. For this beer we bittered with Magnum and Centennial, followed by late kettle additions of Cascade, Crystal and Styrian Golding hops which adds a depth of flavor and complexity to this beer. 7.3% ABV 63 IBU​
Working Title Wheat - Citrus dominates the front end of the nose, followed by tropical fruit in the finish. Working Title is bittered with Chinook, followed by late kettle additions of Motueka and Rakau hops from New Zealand. The mouthfeel of this beer is achieved through generous amounts of white wheat, along with European specialty malts. 5.3% ABV 30 IBU

All house beers are available for $5 growler fills on Mondays all summer long.
$4 Pints of Tow Yard beers on Tuesdays


Events:
10/2-10/4
Great American Beer Festival in Denver, CO. Make sure your calendar is marked for the greatest beer festival in all the land. We hope to see some of you there. Ticket information available at http://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/tickets/purchase-tickets/ 

Scarlet Lane in McCordsville
Events: 
October 8th - Tap Takeover at the Sinking Ship starting at 5PM. Flagships and specialities, including an experimental single hop beer and our Fall beer Katrina will be pouring

OCTOBER 12th Blood, Beer & Burgers - Outdoor Movie and Beer Pairing w/ Girls Pint Out (co-ed event). Ninkasi Brewing will be pouring on draft for the 1st time in Indiana for the event. Event goes from 6:30pm - 10:30pm. $35 ticket on Eventbrite includes custom pint glass, Punch Burger meal (vegetarian option available), popcorn, movie viewing and beers.  

Sun King Brewing

Join us at the brewery for 'Tales from the Brew Deck: Brewers Adventures with Craft Beers' presented by Story Telling Arts of Indiana
135 N. College St.
October 21, 2014
6:30 - 8 p.m.

Advance Tickets $10, Door $15
On-line tickets
The thirst for craft beer has exploded over the last five years, with dozens of craft brewers setting up shop in Indiana. Join us for an evening of stories about brewing craft beer from some of our locals in the know. If you choose, come prepared to share your own 3 - 4 minute story about brewing craft beer during the open-mike portion of the evening. Otherwise, sit back, relax in your own folding or camp chair, sip a pint of Sun King Beer or two ($5 a pint) while munching on food from the local food truck, Gypsy Cafe. The funds generated from this collaboration will support the programs and services of Storytelling Arts of Indiana. (Must be 21 to attend and ID's will be checked.)

Flat 12 Bierwerks in Indianapolis

Events:
10/02/2014
Reel to Reel and Rocketship Comedy present: Family Vacation! - A Retro Slideshow Party
7:30 pm - 10:00 pm Rocketship comedians look at found vacation slide footage and poke fun at the American vacation.
10/05/2014
Tailgate at Flat 12
10:00 am - 1:00 pm Neighborhood fun. Cornhole boards, handmade sausages on the grill. Pre-game with Flat 12. Stick around if you’re not going to Lucas Oil.
10/07/2014
Play Ball Indiana
4:00 pm - 8:00 pm Supporting the revitalization of youth baseball in the inner city. Join Greg Rakestraw and PBI supporters at Flat 12.

Also coming in October: Fests in Knoxville, Bloomington and Northwest Indiana. Flat 12 “Around the Gourd”Halloween Party.
In the taproom:

BYB Full 90 Pale AleThursday Beer-Thirty Release (Grain Wave Wit)
BlueMile Extra Pale AleKattenStoetHinchtown Hammer DownWalkabout Pale AleJoe (Jo) BrahmaFlat Jack Pumpkin AleHalf Cycle IPAHello My Name is Amber Ale

Thr3e Wise Men Brewing Co.
Thr3e Wise Men House Beers:
Two Lucy's Blackberry Wheat
Golden Zoe IPA
Centennial Martyr Double IPA
Snow Bunny Blonde
Bulldog Brown
Hubbard & Cravens Porter
Rocky Ripple Pale Ale
CASK: Rocky Ripple Pale Ale with Falconer Flight Hops

Thr3e Wise Men Seasonal:  
8 Mile Michigan Cherry Wheat - Tapping on 10.7.14
Color: Pale Pink | ABV: 5.5% | IBU: 18
Features: A light tart Belgian wheat beer fermented with Michigan tart cherries.

Thr3e Wise Men Pizza of the Month! Gryo Pizza - Hand-tossed dough, made thin and crispy with our Golden Zoe IPA, covered in tzatziki sauce, sliced lamb, cucumber, tomato, red onion, feta cheese

Scotty's 2014 Pick'em Contest - YOU CAN STILL JOIN! Join our Free football challenges at www.scottysbrewhouse.com/pickem . Winners picked every week to win $$!

Thr3e Wise Men/Scotty's Brewhouse Events:

· 10/2 - Scotty's Brewhouse Downtown Sam Adams Raise the Stein event 7pm-830pm

· 10/3 - First Friday at all Scotty's Brewhouse and Thr3e Wise Men Brewing co Locations:  $5 growler fills all day!

· 10/3 - WNDE 1260 Live Broadcast Downtown Scotty's Brewhouse from 3pm-7pm

· 10/4 - American Multi Sport - Muncie Triathlon

· 10/10 - Scotty's Brewhouse Bloomington Sam Adams Raise the Stein event 7pm-830pm

· 10/11 - Red Gold Crush Hunger 5k & Chili Cook-off (Elwood, IN)

· 10/12 - Beer and Brains event at Thr3e Wise Men Brewing co

· 10/17 - WNDE 1260 Live Broadcast Downtown Scotty's Brewhouse from 3pm-7pm

· 10/22 - Pints and Paint Night at Bloomington SBH:  Head to www.scottysbrewhouse.com/paint to register

· 10/25 - Brew and Boo Clay Terrace

· 10/25 - American Multi Sport - Muncie Mini Marathon

· 11/14 - WNDE 1260 Live Broadcast Downtown Scotty's Brewhouse from 3pm-7pm

· 11/21 - WNDE 1260 Live Broadcast Downtown Scotty's Brewhouse from 3pm-7pm

· 11/28 - WNDE 1260 Live Broadcast Downtown Scotty's Brewhouse from 3pm-7pm

· 12/12 - WNDE 1260 Live Broadcast Downtown Scotty's Brewhouse from 3pm-7pm


Cutters Brewing in Avon


Events:
Oct. 11th - Sahara Mart 2611 E 3rd St Bloomington, IN. Free Beer & wine tasting
Oct. 17th - BEERFEST 2014, presented by Best Beers. Bloomington Monroe County Convention Center 6-9pm
Oct. 18th - Munster Ale Fest Centennial Park, 900 N Centennial Dr Munster, IN 12-5pm
Cutters has an updated website www.Cuttersbrewing.com - check it out! 

Ram Downtown and Fishers

Oktoberfest is now on tap! Also on tap we have an Hansel (an American Wheat), Ger-main Guy (a German Pils), and RAMmsteam (a California Common). 
COLTS FOOTBALL SEASON
Looking for a place to watch the game and get some tasty food and a few brews? Be sure to stop by either of our location this football season and root for you favorite team (hopefully the Colts, although we will allow fans of any teams...).

SUNDAY CARRYOUT
If you decide to stay in and watch the game(s) don't forget that you can get carryout beer at the RAM everyday, even on Sundays!!(Downtown only on Sundays)

NEW ASSISTANT BREWER
Many of you may have already heard, but my Assistant Brewer Nathan Scruggs has moved on to be the Head Brewer at Rock Bottom College Park. We wish Nathan the best in his new position, and all his future endeavors.
My new Assistant Brewer is Mike Freeman, formerly of Great Fermentations. Mike has been an avid homebrewer and wine maker (including time as a professional winemaker at a small boutique winery) for 10 plus years and was a chemist in his previous career. I'm excited to have him on board and look forward to teaching him and learning from him as well! 

Upland Brewery
You know the chair: strategically placed at the midpoint between your speakers, broken in like your favorite pair of jeans. When it's time to kick back and chill there's no place you'd rather be. Our Easy Chair Amber Ale is brewed to be every bit as inviting. It will be released on draught and in six packs on October 15th.
Beer Description: Our amber ale has a malt to hop balance that is nearly even, slightly leaning toward malt. Nutty, light caramel, toasty, and biscuity describes the malt flavors of this easily approachable beer. Low yet perceptible English hop character round out the flavor which ends with a Medium dry finish.
ABV: 5.25 IBU: 22



Bars, Restaurants, Carryout, & Distributors

Shoefly Public House:
- We're rolling out our new can & bottled beer menu for the Fall on Thursday, 10/2

- Our food menu is changing 10/8 for the Fall as well

- We'll be at King Park's Best Bite on 10/9, pairing up house made Boudin & Abita Amber Ale (see King Park Area Development Corporations website for details & tickets)

- We are taking RSVP's for Pumpkin Carving Night on our Patio, featuring Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Pumpkin Ale on 10/22. Start time is 4 pm, but it will go into the evening. RSVP via email
(shoeflyindy@gmail.com) in order to be sure we have enough pumpkins & carving supplies

- We just booked our first first Food & Beer Pairing Diner on Thursday 10/30. We'll be pairing some seasonal foods with Epic Brewing's Belgian Wit, Sour Apple Saison, Brainless on Cherries, Imperial IPA & Pumpkin Porter. The food menu will be completed closer to the event. $55 for 4 courses & 5 beers. Start time of 7 pm, reservations can be made via email (shoeflyindy@gmail.com)

- Trivia night is Tuesday 10/28, start time is 7 pm, doors @ 6:30

Lino's in Speedway
Green Flash Tap Takeover
October 3 @ 6PM
- First tap Takeover featuring an out of state brewery

Carson's Brewery Tap Takeover
October 10 @ 6PM

People's Brewing Company Tap Takeover
October 17 @ 6PM

Bloomington Brewing Tap Takeover
October 24 @ 6PM 

The Heorot Pub in Muncie


Union Jack Pub Broad Ripple
Friday, October 10 at 6pm - Bell’s Tap Takeover to celebrate Landon Donovan's great career with the USMNT. Takeover starts at 6pm, game is at 7pm. Beers will flow until last call around 11pm (or until they are gone!). Here's the tap list:
  • Bells Baroness Nordwestlich Lager
  • Bells Oracle Double IPA
  • Bells Kal-Haven Rye Ale
  • Bells Expedition Stout
  • Bells Octoberfest Marzen
  • Bells Best Brown Ale
  • Bells Two Hearted IPA
PUMPKIN BEER FEST - October 25th, 2-6pm - tickets now on sale! Learn more about the event, what beers we have (continually being updated), as well as purchase tickets here: http://unionjackpub.co/events/pumpkin-beer-fest/


Goose the Market
Have you been curious about our Beer & Cheese Club? Click here to find out more!

Papa's in Culver
Newest to our selection of 30 rotating draft beers:
Evil Twin Imperial Doughnut Break, Evil Twin The Cowboy, Dogfish Head Punkin Ale, Country Boy Shotgun Wedding, Stillwater Why Can't IBU, Bell's Best Brown, Sun King Oktoberfest, Lakefront Pumpkin Lager, Stone 18th Anniversary Ale

On Deck:
Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere, Founder's Breakfast Stout, Upland Loner Chinook, Upland Harvest, plus many more!

Check out our current lineup here

Yogi's in Bloomington
Beer School Schedule, Tuesdays at 7pm:
  • 10/7 Sun King
  • 10/14 Pumpkins
  • 10/21 Upland

Patrick's Kitchen in Zionsville
We are pouring Bier's Kolsch, and their Chinookalicious...IPA, La Trappe Quadruple, Triplle de Ripple from Brugge, FFF Gumball head, Lexington Brewing's Bourbon Barrel Ale, Stone's Ruin Ten DBL IPA, Cuvee Des Jacobins Sour, Yes, that's right a sour...and Outliers American Rye.


Blood, Beer, & Burgers
Scarlet Lane Brewing Co.
Sunday, October 12th

6:30- 10:30 pm


Welcome the Halloween season with Scarlet Lane, Girls Pint Out, Punch Burger, Cornival Popcorn, and our favorite beers organized through Zink Distributing!

The October anthology classic Trick R' Treat will be played on the big screen on the brewery lawn and will be paired with select beers. Along with beers from Scarlet Lane, unique beers from Ninkasi Brewing, Urban Chestnut, and Arcadia will take you through the full movie experience. Your $35 ticket price includes a custom pint glass, beer, popcorn, Punch Burger meal, and movie.
What You Need: blanket/lawn chair, good attitude, and an ID showing 21+
RAIN OR SHINE (event will be indoors if needed)
Seats are limited, but good company will be plentiful.
For more details and tickets: http://bloodbeerburgers.eventbrite.com/ 








Master of Beer Appreciation classes 
Fall Series starts 10/4! Beer MBA Classes - More Than Just a Tasting
This is a unique opportunity for people at all knowledge levels to learn more about the World's Classic Beer Styles. As we sample each beer, we'll briefly discuss its origin, history and what makes it unique. This is a fun experience. Don't miss it!
  • Designed for Everyone (must be 21 years of age)
  • Flexible Schedule - Take Any Class in Any Order (after attending a Class 1)
  • Take All 3 Classes and Get Your "MBA Certificate"
Only $50 per 3-hr Class (includes free samples of all beers)
FALL SERIES:  
Class 1 – Sat, August 23
Class 2 – Sat, September 13
Class 3 – Sat, October 4
BJCP Study Group Starts Oct 17th - Beer MBA Classes are Prerequisite - Exam on November 22nd
This year's BJCP Study Group sessions will be on the following Friday nights, Oct 17, Oct 24, Nov 7, Nov 14, Nov 21, and the Exam will be on Saturday, Nov 22. Send me an email to RonSmith@MarketWiseSolutions.com to reserve your seat! 
Guided Beer Vacations to Belgium and Germany
Take a Dream Trip to Germany where nearly everything is planned and coordinated for you. Visit the Famous Breweries and the Best Beer Bars in the World, all led and guided by Ron Smith, a recognized Beer Expert that will help explain even more about the legendary beer styles, history and cultures.  Learn more now:  Germany 2015 - Munich, Bavaria and Bamberg! 
Be sure to sign-up for our email list so we can notify you of our upcoming trips and classes. For any additional information, don't hesitate to contact us atBeerMBA@MarketWiseSolutions.com or call 317-564-4898 and ask for Ron Smith.

02 October 2014

Tips and Ground Rules for TFN11: Tailgate for Something | Saturday, October 4, 11am


We hope to see you at TFN11: Tailgate for Something on Saturday, October 4, from 11 a.m. to ??? at Black Acre Brewing Company's new production facility at the Coal Factory on Bonna Avenue in Irvington. More details here.

Since we're only a few days away from the event, here are the ground rules for the event and some tips for you if you're going to attend:

- Weather. We all know that the weather in Indiana is unpredictable. Therefore, regardless of Saturday's weather forecast, we recommend that you bring a canopy if you have one in case the weather decides not to cooperate. The current forecast calls for partly cloudy skies with temperatures in the high 40s and a 10% chance of rain.

- Victuals (i.e., Don't be a freeloader). We don't have many rules for this thing, but one rule we expect everyone to follow is this: Please bring beer and food to share. The beer and food don't have to be anything super-rare or of gourmet quality. Just bring something tasty. Don't be a freeloader.

- Courtesy. Please pick up your trash before you leave. Our friends at Black Acre are doing us a big favor by letting us hold TFN11 at their place. Therefore, please return their kindness by not leaving a mess behind. Bring trash bags with you and clean up before you leave. Don't make our Native American friend cry.

- Pace yourself and hydrate. TFN11 will be similar to a beer festival in that there will be a whole lot of beer to sample. Some of that beer will pack a nice wallop. So pace yourself. We urge you to bring festival tasting glasses if you have them so you can go with small pours rather than overindulging. And bring water with you. A good rule of thumb is to drink equal amounts of water and beer. So if you do a 4 ounce sample of beer, you should drink 4 ounces of water. Yes, you'll have to pee a lot, but bathrooms will be provided on site, so that will not be a problem.

We hope that you'll come out and enjoy a day of beer-sharing and food-sharing with us!