Jason
writes:
When Hoosier
Beer Geek was founded 12 years ago, it was about comradery around a common
interest: good beer. What we found was almost a decade of enjoyable
shenanigans. When we stopped writing, it was at a time where practically
everybody was transitioning, either at work or with personal life. The beer
community was transitioning too. Breweries were popping up like dandelions. So
were other beer-themed media outlets. And it was difficult for all of us to
keep HBG going.
Well, three
years after we called it quits, we decided to get the band back together. We are in places where we want to have fun together again and share the fun with you. We
thought it appropriate to announce the resurrection of HBG on Easter Sunday.
No, we have not become religious fanatics. Feel free to refer to use as Zombie
HBG.
Folks, we
are undead!
We decided
to kick it off by sharing what we would resurrect from the bygone HBG era. And
no, I am not suggesting we give the Dr. Frankenstein treatment to our old buddy
Chris (rest in peace; also, did we ever find his car?). But I think Mr. Maples
would agree that resurrecting Deano’s Vino would have to be top on our list.
When you
look at our archived history, Deano’s was practically our clubhouse. It was a
quaint, quirky little joint that had a cast of characters like Dean and Nick,
with an occasional soundtrack provided by DJ Brian Jones. It was the site of
our first anniversary party. We hosted a New Year’s Eve party. They let us be fools
and have fun and figure out who we are. It would be great to get back there.
Mike writes:
The folks
behind Hoosier Beer Geek always had great ideas, but maybe our best idea was
Tailgate for Nothing, a event series inspired by the idea that we could get
away with drinking in public if we just acted like we were tailgating.
TFNs were
about sharing beer, but they were also about coming up with culinary
concoctions and showing them off in front of a collection of strangers (who
eventually became friends).
Who could
forget TFN1's cod dog experiment? Take cod, make it a hot dog-like shape, fry
it, and... ok, it's just a cod sandwich.
TFN2 was
titled DIPA Dischord, and we forced a full panel of folks to work through 15+
double IPAs to find the grand champion. I'm sure Three Floyd's won. None of
them were cloudy.
TFN3: Tricks
and Treats was dedicated to Halloween and hookers, and may have been the first
time we had a freeloader show up (but no hookers, oddly enough).
TFN4... I
could do this a while, we did a lot of these.
One of the
things that I think we can be proud of is that TFN was a great way to meet the
future of beer in Indianapolis. TFN3 was attended by Josh Hambright (Central
State) and Andrew Castner (Mashcraft) before either of them owned a brewery.
TFN4 was attended by Flix Head Brewer Chris Knott. TFN5 was our introduction to
a group of homebrewers calling themselves Balls Brewery; You may now know them
as the owners of Deviate Brewing. TFN7's title was Weiner Time. We got our
introduction to the folks who own Black Acre at a tailgate. We met Ray from an
upstart called Indiana City at tailgate. We met Jon Rangel from La Margarita at
a tailgate.
And we had
beer. Beer from everywhere, and not in the stuffy 1oz bottle-share kind of way,
but in a comfortable here-have-some-food and a conversation kind of way.
We made
friends, we drank and ate well, we helped the culture along a tiny bit... and
we did it at a free event, without any major headaches.
Why'd we
ever stop?
Matt writes:
Take me
home, United Road
To the
place, I belong
To Old
Trafford, to see United
Take me
home, United Road
As I get
older I become more and more aware of how quickly time passes. It's a damn
short movie, How'd we ever get here? The great James McMurtry said that.
Looking back I can't believe how long we wrote Hoosier Beer Geek. I can't
believe how many friends we all made, and how many of those still persist to
this day. I can't believe all of the incredible experiences we had, beers we
drank, festivals we participated in, laughs we had, and trips we took. I can't
believe how long HBG has been dead. Those memories are tied to specific moments
in my head and moments in time. They were mostly happy times and times that
still mean a great deal to me. Beer was the linchpin, but it was what was
happening between all the pints that really means the most to me now. I spent nearly
a decade drinking pretty damn well with many of the people that are hopefully
reading this, but I've forgotten the individual beers for the most part and am
now left with the moments and the memories. I can thank beer for that.
That takes
me to a specific moment in time and where I was after I had recently graduated
from college and moved to Indianapolis. Just three months before this I spent a
decent amount of time in England. After a trip to Old Trafford (the Theater of
Dreams where Manchester United plays) I became hooked on the English Premier
League and my allegiance to Manchester United had been solidified.
How are
these interconnected? Beer, Manchester United, and good memories? A place at
51st and College Avenue that I think about more than I care to admit. I'm
talking about Rob N' Jay's Chippy. I can't remember how I heard of it or why I
first went into this shop. I imagine it was a Union Jack that peaked my
interest. I can still remember the interior vividly. It wasn't the biggest
place, but it was very comfortable and I remember the red and white tables. One
of the owners is from Manchester and the decor and memorabilia had a very heavy
and distinctive Manchester bend to it. I was pretty happy about that. I had
found my first place in Indianapolis that I could claim was "mine" so
to speak. Three or four TVs were playing football and I ordered fish and chips
with a pint of beer. I hadn't even had a bite yet and I knew I was at a place I
was going be coming to again and again. At the time in Indianapolis this was
really the only place showing EPL or other European football games on a regular
basis. We have multiple places now in Indianapolis, but this was it back in
2004. This place was important to me at a very important time. I couldn't get enough
of the people there, the food, the football, and the beer. It was my home away
from home, and a piece of Indianapolis that endeared me to the city. I thought
for sure I was going to work in Indianapolis for just a year or two before
bolting to a bigger city after graduation. Along the way I came to love the
city of Indianapolis, the people in it, and the experiences I was having here.
The very first place that did that for me was Rob N' Jay's Chippy. It may sound
silly to wax poetically about a fish shop (seriously the best fish and chips in
the city and wasn't even close at the time), but this was so much more than
that. It was a relevant experience and one that I am forever thankful for to
the folks behind the operation. I'd give about anything for some Shepherd's pie
and a pint of Young's Double Chocolate Stout while watching Manchester United
again. I think I just want to experience that feeling and that moment again.
It's a damn short movie, How'd we ever get here?
Jim writes:
Back in the
day, Indianapolis beer-bar owners loved the letter z. There was Hot Shotz on
East 96th Street, a place that literally got *too* hot when it suffered a business-ending fire.
Then there
was BadaBoomz. BadaBoomz was built on the ashes of downtown Indianapolis's
first BW3, nestled on Maryland St. across from the Wild Beaver Saloon. The food
wasn't anything special, nor was the space. The draft lines were sometimes not
cleaned promptly. The beer was sometimes a little, uh, aged, and not in a good
way. The owner was—er, nevermind.
But if you
were looking for one of the widest selections of craft beer in Indianapolis in
the mid-to-late Aughts, you went to BadaBoomz. Bell's stellar lineup on tap?
Check. A place to regularly get Gumballhead and other 3 Floyds classics when
they were hard to find elsewhere? Check. Founders beers galore? Check. Rare
European beers, especially Belgians? Check. Unpretentious patrons? Check.
On this
Easter Sunday/April Fools Day, a day about resurrections and hi-jinx, the ghost
of BadaBoomz looms.
Or would
that be "loomz"?
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