Resurrection! Or Welcome to Zombie HBG

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"?

The Norwegian Blue

When Hoosier Beer Geek started in 2006, the beer community lacked a voice for the novices. Founder Chris Maples and I knew there were great beers to be had, but we did not know how to begin our craft beer journey. We had great resources in NUVO’s Rita Kohn and IndianaBeer.com’s Bob Ostrander, but we were looking for someone to join in the journey. We put out a call for others to join us in the Knights of the Beer Roundtable. We had some great friends along the way in Jim, Renee, Kelly, Mike, Gina, Matt E., Rod, Jessica, Chris, Matt R., Kristin, Jake, Meg, and many others who opted to travel with us.

As part of the journey, we reached out to the brewers and publicans that made a living in beer. We found a community of professionals who were passionate about their work and enjoyed that we at Hoosier Beer Geek were passionate about improving the conversation in Indianapolis. Folks like Deano, Bob Mack, Ted Miller, Clay and Dave, Tracy Robertson, Jon Rangel, Justin-Holly-Jordon-Steve, and many others that let us do silly events because it was fun. We did tailgates, breakfasts, tastings, pairings, and parties that didn’t always make sense but almost always made people happy.

We returned the favor by helping the industry with its events. We assisted the Brewers of Indiana Guild launch Winterfest and the Bloomington Craft Beer Festival, and expand the Indiana Microbrewers Festival in Broad Ripple. We brought our own unique skill sets and perspectives to the events and made them better.

But at some point, we were dedicating a lot of time to our hobby. And as anybody that is reading this knows, it is an expensive hobby. We had to either scale back our efforts or ramp up and figure out how to get paid. We opted for the latter.

Making money from social media and internet content is a tricky business. The most common way for websites to make money is through online advertising and sponsorships, but whenever the Hoosier Beer Geek collective approached the subject, we all felt the same way: selling advertising on the website felt dirty. It felt like we were selling out and bamboozling the public. In online advertising, unique views drives the money. We did not want to let the desire to drive up numbers impact how we wrote. Writing for web clicks is a dirty way to be a journalist, if you can call it that. We did not want to cheapen our writing process.

We opted to pursue compensation through two channels: event operations and contract journalism. We convinced the Brewers of Indiana Guild, Sun King, Black Acre, and others to hire us for their beer event management. While I feel that we were successful with everything we did (with one exception that showed me that beer geeks think differently than foodies), we were still a part-time operation. Everybody had their real jobs and family. In spite of the compensation, we were still hobbyists. And while the events grew, we could not. The Guild, at one hundred members, needs someone who can be dedicated to the Guild’s cause. We can’t provide that. They hired an events manager and Hoosier Beer Geek was no longer needed.

We also wrote for the Gannett publications for a while. It was great working with Neal and Amanda, but as craft beer became more mainstream, Gannett needed a writer that could address this new mainstream market in the Gannett way. And if you have seen our writings, you know that our writings are not the Gannett way. The opportunities to write dried up as Gannett hired someone to cover the craft beer beat.

We sought to improve the craft beer community. You can argue what impact we had, but the community is better now than when we started in 2006. But it outgrew Hoosier Beer Geek by leaps and bounds. There are numerous other voices and organizations that are better able to connect with the mainstream audience.  Hoosier Beer Geek has become stubborn in its old age, unwilling to compromise its integrity. And we no longer have the endurance to remain dependable and enthusiastic in the community.

We are no longer proclaiming “I’m not dead yet.” We are instead the Norwegian Blue parrot. We are dead. Bleedin’ demised. Passed on. No more. Ceased to be. Expired and gone on to meet our maker. A stiff. Bereft of life, we rest in peace. We are pushing up the daises. This is an ex-beer blog. 

Broad Ripple Brewpub's 25th Anniversary

On Saturday, November 14, 2015, Broad Ripple Brewpub will celebrate its 25^th anniversary:

The Brewpub celebrates its 25th Anniversary on Saturday, November 14th with music from popular local bands The Upright Willies (3 – 5:30pm) and Gypsy Moonshine (7 – 10pm), kid related activities – face painting etc., 25th Anniversary merchandise giveaways, and lots of one of a kind beers brewed especially for the occasion – two in particular to look out for are the Celebration Ale, an English style Barley Wine, which will be bottled, a first for a Broad Ripple Brewpub beer (and a major collector’s item for craft beer enthusiasts) and Last Day Of Camp, an ale that was created using 25lbs of fermentable grains donated by 25 different Indiana breweries – a truly unique endeavor.

For newcomers to Indianapolis, it is probably hard to believe there were no brewpubs in Indy 25 years ago and other three breweries in the state. The only local brewery was the now defunct Indianapolis Brewing Company. Broad Ripple Brewpub is the ground zero of the current Indiana brewing scene. English expatriate John Hill opened the brewpub after Indiana statutes were changed to allow on-site consumption and sell distribution. The auto repair shop-turned-English pub was the starting point for other Indiana favorites, such as Lafayette Brewing Company, Brugge Brasserie, and Twenty Tap/Twenty Below. And while many breweries require non-compete agreements, John Hill has been active in building the community. He encouraged Ted Miller to open Brugge just a few blocks from the Brewpub so that he could keep an eye on Ted. And he let Kevin Matalucci open Twenty Tap and the basement nanobrewery Twenty Below while still brewing at the Brewpub.

Beyond his own brewery, John launched the Indiana Microbrewers Festival, the original beer festival that operated in the nearby Opti Park and Indianapolis Arts Center until this summer. He has been a champion for craft brewer interests through the creation of the Brewers of Indiana Guild.

It is amazing that Broad Ripple Brewpub has endured over 25 years with little change. From beer to food to décor, the Brewpub has remained consistent in quality and resistant to follow the fads. The Brewpub is the soul of the Indiana brewing industry. Every beer fan should pay homage to Broad Ripple Brewpub and its founder John Hill.

Tailgate for Nothing at Big Car's The Tube Factory

In 2009, the Indianapolis-based website Hoosier Beer Geek held Tailgate for Nothing, a beer and food sharing event. The concept was simple: pick a parking lot, invite friends, and share beer and food. Usually, tailgating is reserved as a precursor to another event. At Tailgate for Nothing, the tailgating is the event.

Hoosier Beer Geek has been great friends with the Big Car Collaborative since 2006, and we want to celebrate Big Car's new The Tube Factory. So on Saturday, November 7, 2015 from 11am to 5pm, we will be tailgating in Big Car's parking lot at 1125 Cruft St., Indianapolis near Garfield Park.

We are taking donations for Big Car, a 501c3 nonprofit arts organization. The funds will be used to renovate The Tub Factory building. You can reserve your tailgating spot by making an online donation. The minimum donation is $10 per car. You can check out the fun of previous Tailgates at Hoosier Beer Geek.

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. Here's hoping that we have sunny skies and decent temperatures.

- Victuals. 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 Big Car are doing us a big favor by letting us hold Tailgate for Nothing at their place. Therefore, please return their kindness by not leaving a mess behind. Trash bins will be provided to make the job easier.

- I gotta pee. The Tube Factory has functional restrooms. When you go in to return the beer, you can see the progress inside. But stay on the path. 

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

To summarize:
Tailgate for Nothing
At Big Car's The Tube Factory
1125 Cruft Street
Saturday, November 7, 2015
11am to 5pm
Online reservations via donations at https://www.gofundme.com/sk72hg2k

Inaugural Crayon and Craft Beer Night at Mass Ave Pub, Tuesday, October 20

Our friends at Mass Ave Pub are launching a new charitable event called "Crayon and Craft Beer Night." Each month, Mass Ave Pub will select a signature pint and during the event night, they will donate $1 of each pint sold to a local arts program.

This month, the Art Club at IPS's CFI School #2 will be the recipient. The beer is Ottermelon, a watermelon gose from Central State Brewing Company. And they have been generous enough to match MAP's donation. 

But that's not all!

Because Hoosier Beer Geek has a soft spot for CFI School #2 (Jason's kids go to this excellent public magnet school), Hoosier Beer Geek will also match MAP's donation.

So count it... that is $1... $2... $3 will go to the Art Club at CFI #2 for every pint of Ottermelon you buy on Tuesday, October 20 starting at 5:30pm. Please come out and think of the children as you drink of the gose. And be ready to color... MAP will have coloring sheets. And yes, we will judge how well you stay in the lines.

Barrels on Bonna: BOBFest

Yup, another beer festival.

But for Indy, it is not just another beer festival.

It is a festival dedicated to barrel aged beers.  And that excites me.  If you know me (and some of you do), you know how much I love beers aged in barrels.  Festivals that are dedicated to styles or variations (like Upland's Midwest Sour + Wild + Funk Fest) are a much needed addition to our beer festival scene.  And I am happy that Black Acre Brewing is taking it on.

You can find the details at BarrelsonBonna.com, but here is the breakdown...

Date and Time: Saturday, October 10, 2015; 1pm-5pm

Location: Black Acre's production brewery at 5543 Bonna Avenue in the Irvington neighborhood.

Participating Breweries: 20+ Indiana breweries plus select national breweries

Tickets: $50, capped at 800 tickets

Food: Available from Beast food truck and another vendor TBD

Music: Audio Diner, Marc and Friends, the Lightweights, the Blue Alchemy Trio

Beneficiary: All profits go to Friends of Irving Circle, a 501(c)3 in Irvington that focuses on urban beautification and programming (it should be noted that I am a board member of Friends of Irving Circle; the board is all volunteers and there are no paid staff or administrative costs)

Work 4 Beer: CANvitational 2015

From time to time, Hoosier Beer Geek is able to offer volunteer opportunities at beer events and festivals.  This is one of those times. We only have 20 slots available.  

CANvitational

When: Saturday, September 12

Time Commitment: 10am-7pm 

Where: Pan Am Plaza and Georgia Street

-Shirts, a box meal, and beverages will be provided

-All volunteers must be 21+ 

-Volunteers must check in at the start of the festival and check out at the end. 

Important!

If you do not have a valid Indiana server's permit, we would greatly appreciate it if you would fill out an application for a temporary permit. 

1. Visit https://forms.in.gov/Download.aspx?id=11509.

2. Read everything over; ensure you meet the requirements.

3. If you're good to go, fill out the application and hit print!

4. Sun King will pick up the $5.00 fee, so don't worry about that. 

5. Get the application sent in! You can drop it off at Sun King, scan and email the application to hbgvolunteers@gmail.com, or mail it: HBG, 266 S. Audubon Rd, Indy, 46219.

6. Please have your application submitted by 8/23. 

Also important!

All beer that is leftover from the event will be provided at the Volunteer Party at Sun King (date TBD). If you're found packing up and taking beer with you at the end of the festival, you will be banned from future events. No exceptions. Got it? And the more beer we have for the Volunteer Party, the better! 

Sign up to volunteer at http://tinyurl.com/canv2015. 

All follow up communications will come from hbgvolunteers@gmail.com.  

Very, very, very important! 

Beer festivals are a lot of fun, even if you are working it. But make sure that you want to work at the festival and just not enjoy free beer. We work hard together, we drink hard together.   

We look forward to another great Canvitational! Thank you, and cheers!

In One Week! The Finale of the HBG Old Bloggers Tour at La Margarita!

It looks like it will be a great week to be an Indianapolis area beer drinker next week.  In case you did not know, there is a little beer festival on Saturday, July 18th in Military Park.  Leading up to the festival are a series of other events, including the kick off of the HBG Old Bloggers Tour...

JONNIE! COUGAR! LIVE! 

Ever since we saw him eating tamalas, we knew that Jim Matt was destined for great things.  He spent a lot of time in Indiana, but now he is in Cincinnati brewing some of our favorite beers for Rhinegeist Brewing.  You can't get Rhinegeist beers here (yet) but they will be in town for a beer festival and decided to stop by La Margarita on Friday, July 17th, 6:30pm and do a tap takeover.  As always, we appreciate Jon Rangel at LaMargarita and his willingness to work with Hoosier Beer Geek.  Also, thanks to Eric Fear at Zink Distributing Company for helping to temporarily bring Rhinegeist to Indy.

With the standard stipulation that it is subject to modification, here is what we suspect we will see at La Margarita:

Cougar Blonde Ale: This bright blonde ale shines a brilliant malt character. Born of breezes, captured sunlight and whifle, this beer is a balanced yet dry siren whose first sip calls for the third. Hopped with arguable restraint with Crystal and Bravo hops, Cougar stays fierce enough to raise eyebrows yet is tame enough to be called sessionable.  4.8% ABV, 20 IBU

Truth IPA: Rare are moments of truth, when you’ve struck the last match, belting out tunes with your friends, staring deep into the campfire – times when you feel infinite. Our Truth is found in the scintillating brilliance of hops. Brewed with a nod to the Pacific, hops sizzle with tropical fruit aroma, grapefruit and mango notes and a dry finish.  7.2% ABV, 75 IBU

Puma Pilsner: Elegant and subtle, this hoppy pilsner balances bready malts with striking noble hops. Puma pilsner pounces with golden brilliance as floral aromatics punctuate each sip.  5.2% ABV, 40 IBU

Fiction Belgian XPA: Dry hopped blonde Belgian XPA with intense bouquet of lychee, kiwi, and citrus. 6% ABV, 40 IBU

Steve Black Ale: A smooth, very sessionable Black Ale with very mild roast notes. 4.9% ABV, 34 IBU

Blanc Pale Ale: 5.2% ABV

Spritz Beerliner Weisse

In One Week! Opening Night of the HBG Old Bloggers Tour at Mass Ave Pub!

It looks like it will be a great week to be an Indianapolis area beer drinker next week.  In case you did not know, there is a little beer festival on Saturday, July 18th in Military Park.  Leading up to the festival are a series of other events, including the kick off of the HBG Old Bloggers Tour...

GET OFF MY LAWN! A celebration of lawnmower/front porch/summertime beers will be at Mass Ave Pub on Thursday, July 16th, 6:30pm. Thanks to Tracy Robertson's poor choice in friends (namely, us and another group), she is letting us bring in a curated selection of beers.  Beers to be tapped (subject to change:

Black Acre Brewing Company: Natural Liberty, an agressively Citra hopped American Pal Lager with plenty of bold citrus hop notes and a light pilsener malt body.  5.3% ABV, 35 IBU.

Taxman Brewing Company: Wit-held, an unfiltered brew with Belgian pilsner and German white wheat, finished with hops from Slovenia and the Pacific Northwest; hazy off-white color, light mouthfeel, delicate balance of sweetness and orange spice; crisp, mildly tart finish with a balanced hop bitterness.  5% ABV, 12 IBU.

Central State Brewing Company: House Beer variant "Radler", a variation on CSB's rustic blond ale brewed in the style of French and Belgian style table beers; spicy rye notes play with the yeast character from this 100% Brett fermented beer; Blended with Squirt and Orange Fanta.  Standard House Beer, 4% ABV, 50 IBU.

Brugge Brasserie: White, a quenching tart background with a sweet fruity finish reminiscent of tangerine and lemon.  4.5% ABV

Mashcraft Brewing Company: Lil Tart, a tart session ale; a delightful combination of barley and wheat with a tart, refreshing finish.  3.5% ABV, 16 IBU.

Sun King Brewing: #clayanddaveloveHBG, style and details TBA

Not Dead Yet: the HBG Old Bloggers Tour

So you may have noticed that there hasn't been much activity here at HoosierBeerGeek.com.  Or maybe you haven't.  We have been asked if Hoosier Beer Geek is dead.  And our answer has been...

We don't know.  

As anyone who has created a popular website (in our mind) knows, it takes a lot of work to keep up and stay relevant.  When we first started, there were not a lot of outlets for those that enjoyed micro/craft/local/whatever beers.  Years later, everybody is blogging... everybody is tweeting... and our crew was challenged to stay updated on events, new beers, new breweries. Everybody here holds down a job that doesn't involve drinking beers.  

Okay, a few found jobs that do involve drinking beers.  

But the long and the short of it is this: we couldn't keep up. So we didn't know what our purpose should be.  

We have gathered from time to time.  We talked about it.  And we remembered that we liked to drink with our buddies.  And a lot of our drinking buddies came from this website.  So that is what we will do: we will drink and we will invite you to join us.  

So we are announcing the HBG Old Bloggers Tour.  It will be during Hoosier Beer Week which culminates in the Drink Indiana Microbrewers Festival on Saturday, July 18.  So here are two opportunities to drink with the old farts at HBG...

GET OFF MY LAWN! Thursday, July 16th, 6:30pm at Mass Ave Pub.
We are pulling together some of our favorite lawnmower/front porch/summertime beers from our Indiana brewing friends and tapping them at Mass Ave Pub.  Tracy Robertson is letting us bring in beers from Sun King Brewing, Black Acre Brewing, Outliers Brewing, Taxman Brewing, Mashcraft Brewing, and Central State Brewing.

JONNIE! COUGAR! LIVE! Friday, July 17th, 6:30pm at La Margarita.

Jim Matt is a favorite former Hoosier; he brews at Rhinegeist.  Jon Rangel is a favorite current Hoosier; he runs La Margarita.  We will bring the two together for a pre-festival tapping event.

Into the Woods with #goodbeerbuckshot

Written by Jake Koeneman

I needed this. Since I first went hunting with my dad as an eight year old, autumn nights in the Wisconsin woods have always reminded me of the first time I looked up and saw more stars than I could possibly imagine existed. These moments where I can just stop, look at the sky, and reflect provide the calm that I often forget I need. Life is very busy right now and I needed the chance to step away for a couple of days.

When Michael Kiser of Good Beer Hunting texted a few weeks ago and asked if I was interested in attending the third Good Beer Buckshot weekend at Camp Wandawega in Wisconsin, I was excited. Once I saw the rough agenda, I wasn’t sure how anyone would survive the weekend. I confirmedmy reservation without hesitation and blocked off my calendar for October 10-12.

On Monday of camp week, we got our sleeping assignments and the final details for the weekend. It was here and it was go time. The week at work was crazy and I did not have the chance to really look at the details until Thursday. However, I kept coming back to the closing line of the email “you’re going to have the best time.”

Once I got some breathing space on Wednesday, I read the recaps of the 2012 and 2013 #GoodBeerBuckshot weekends and let those be my guide for packing. On Thursday, I re-read each of them again. I read them once more on Friday for good measure. Each time I read the 2013 recap, I paused at two statements:

1) “An event that’s not ‘held’ as much as it is conjured by the very men in attendance — their good wills and collaborative spirits providing all the strength necessary for an amazing time. “

2) “Each man finds his own way throughout the day — joining a small faction of adventure seekers for awhile. Then going off alone in a canoe for some all-too-rare silence out by the lake’s other shores.”

A great time, conjured by the collective spirits in attendance, with time to share beers but also plenty of time to make our own adventure: YES.

I left Friday afternoon from Indianapolis and immediately realized that I had plenty of blankets, beer, bourbon, and mead from New Day Craft, but little in the way of toiletries. I pledged to stop at any Wal-Mart or Meijer I could find that was closest to camp to get last minute supplies and headed north. Making my my way around the Chicago suburbs at rush hour, I started to notice the first wave of tweets marked with #Goodbeerbuckshot. Turning to the west just north of the Wisconsin state line toward Lake Geneva, it was impossible to miss the incredible sunset. It was one of those times where you smile and exhale as deeply as your lungs will allow, and then exhale a little further. I tweeted a quick picture of the sunset over the rolling hills, but it could not do the sky justice. I parked my car as darkness fully engulfed camp. As I stepped out of the car to meet Michael, the bonfire was alight, spirits were high, and the table was set for an amazing weekend.  It was perfect.

Friday night is acclimation. For those of us that were there for the first time, it was a hell of an introduction. Jon Barley and Paul Schneider of Solemn Oath described the beers they brought, including one they made exclusively for the weekend. Max and Michael thanked everyone for being able to make it, and the night progressed from “how did you get invited?” to conversations focused on industry trends and life outside of the beer industry. As the night faded further into darkness, everyone headed to their sleeping accommodations as they saw fit. Most heed the advice to not celebrate Friday in spite of Saturday, some do not.

Saturday is exploration. I was was one of the first to rise Saturday and was greeted with one of the most amazing scenes I have ever witnessed. Two steps out of my tent on a bluff was the mirror-still lake with fog rising and reflecting the early fall colors. The crisp air and the view were the perfect preview to the day. As coffee was brewed and more guys rose from slumber, discussions ranged between employment and speculating on who was using the rope swing at 1am the night before.

When breakfast rolled out of the kitchen at 9:30a courtesy of the Longman and Eagle crew, the stage for the day was further set. Breakfast consisted of  hand rolled burritos filled with Foie Gras, lime cabbage, potatoes, refried beans, and eggs. Oh, and the beans, potatoes, and eggs were all cooked in the rendered duck fat from the Foie Gras. After breakfast, the day rolled along seamlessly. While one group was opening bottles at the picnic table, another was throwing hatchets at a wooden target, and still others were in boats out on the lake. I took a rowboat out on the lake for some time to reflect. It was incredibly peaceful until my less than graceful exit from the boat once back on shore resulted in a wet shirt and spilled beer. Lunch was a pairing of amazing smoked meat prepared by Cleetus Friedman of Fountainhead and beers from Penrose in Elgin.

Saturday afternoon captured the essence of camp as I had pictured it. 4 Hands brewery from St. Louis, MO brought multiple versions of their Berliner Weisse fermented to different PH levels for blending. The crew broke up into a few different groups to create unique blends that were then judged. Shortly after the blending was done, a whiffle ball game started that lasted for multiple hours until it was time to help set the table for dinner. Dinner featured multiple beers from Une Annee, a one year old brewery in Chicago, paired with more incredible food. After time for digestion, and some music, the bonfire and bottle share started. As Friday night went, so did Saturday. A number of guys faded out until there was a small contingent left debating who could curate the best tap list with only 12 tap lines while passing around a bottle of bourbon.

As I packed my car on Sunday morning, I had some initial moments to reflect on what had transpired in the previous 48 hours. I met incredible dudes. Guys that execute at an incredibly high level in their chosen career and are willing to put all of the usual guard aside to just be a group of dudes running around a summer camp. The fact that I could actually hit a whiffle ball was a definite bonus. I cannot thank Michael Kiser and Max Whistler enough for their invitation this year and I can’t wait to attend next fall. Cheers to #GoodBeerBuckshot weekend 2014.

Press Release: Central State and Black Acre Sign Contract Brewing Partnership

November 2, 2014 - INDIANAPOLIS - Central State Brewing, a new Indianapolis Brewery founded by experienced brewer Josh Hambright, is proud to announce a contract brewing partnership with Black Acre Brewing Company. To commemorate the announcement, the teams from Black Acre and Central State brewed a collaboration beer this weekend that highlights the unique approaches of both breweries as well as their partnership.

Central State will be the first brewery in Indiana, joining a small contingent of breweries across the United States, focusing exclusively on fermentation using wild yeast strains with a special emphasis on the Brettanomyces (“Brett”) yeast family. Beers created using Brett are growing in popularity in the United States due to the distinctive flavor profiles they can  produce. Recently a growing number of US breweries have begun to experiment with Brett, but few have committed to incorporating Brett into all their offerings.

“By utilizing Brett, we are able to pursue some really unique ideas that would be difficult in a brewery without that focus. Brett opens up a whole new palette of flavors to paint with that we can use to create unique beers and put innovative spins on traditional styles.” said Josh Hambright, Head Brewer and Co-Founder.

Under the partnership agreement, Black Acre will produce beers for Central State Brewing at their new facility in Irvington’s Coal Factory redevelopment effort. Central State will work with Black Acre to supervise all aspects of  production while maintaining responsibility for all sales and distribution decisions. While producing beer under contract at the Coal Factory facility, Central State will continue to search for a permanent home in the Indianapolis area.

“We are very excited to work with our friends at Black Acre. In our opinion over the past two years, they have really moved into the top tier of breweries in the state and are making great beers. The vision that Justin has for the Coal Factory is amazing and we’re lucky to be a part of the entire vision.” said Co-Founder Jake Koeneman.

Steve Ruby from Black Acre added, "Having known Chris, Jake, and Josh through their involvement in the Indianapolis beer community, as well as Josh for his work at Flat12 and Starlight Distributing, we have no doubt that Central State will be an exciting addition to the brewing scene. Their enthusiasm for craft beer is unbridled and we're looking forward to working with and alongside them."

Dates for the release of the collaboration and launch dates for Central State beers are tentatively scheduled for early 2015. Check Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/CSBrewing) and Twitter (@CSBrewing) for updates about both releases. Further inquiries may be made to Info@CentralStateBrewing.com.

About Central State Brewing

Central State Brewing is a brewery founded in 2014 by bearded friends Josh Hambright, Jake Koeneman, and Christopher Bly in Indianapolis, Indiana. Central State is focused on producing beers of exceptional quality with distinctive profiles using old world and new world techniques.

About Black Acre Brewing

Black Acre Brewing Company is a nanobrewery founded in 2011 by Jordan Gleason, Matt Johnson, Holly Miller, Justin Miller, and Steve Ruby with a focus on making a variety of specialty and seasonal beers. Currently only distributing out of their taproom at 5632 E. Washington St., Black Acre Brewing Company is in the process of building a new production facility at the Coal Factory, anticipated to be operational in 2015. Steve is currently the only owner with a beard.

About the Coal Factory Redevelopment

The Coal Factory encompasses 50,000 square-feet of property on the south side of Bonna Ave. and roughly between Ritter Ave. and Audubon Rd.  It will house Black Acre Brewing Company’s new brewing facility, B’s Po Boy’s second location, existing tenants Playground Productions, Coal Yard Coffee, 5547 Project and Inhabit and many unannounced tenants including a mix of restaurants, retail, artisan food production, art and entertainment offerings, and office space.  

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.

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.

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 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.  

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 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/ 

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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/ 

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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.  

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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.)

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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

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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

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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! 

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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! 

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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

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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

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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 

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The Heorot Pub in Muncie

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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/

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Goose the Market

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

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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

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Yogi's in Bloomington

Beer School Schedule, Tuesdays at 7pm:

• 10/7 Sun King
• 10/14 Pumpkins
• 10/21 Upland

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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.

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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/ 

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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.