It's not advertising - it's public service.

Just got an email that seems worthy of passing along to the general public:

Sarah to hoosierbeergeek

Hi beer geeks.

I haven't seen this on your blog yet - but maybe it's worth a shout-out? I am pretty much addicted this place, but I'm worried that if more beer lovers don't support it, it won't be around too much longer. Can you help?

-sarah

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Michael DeWeese
Subject: $2.50 Pints All June At J.Gumbo's

J.GUMBO'S DOWNTOWN
IS AS P***** AS YOU ARE
ABOUT GAS PRICES
$2.50 PINTS ALL MONTH
RELIEF IS ON THE WAY
WWW.JGUMBOS.COM

The word is "pissed" if you're having trouble. I was.

Anyone that's into beer has a friend in Mike DeWeese, so we're more than happy to do anything we can to help. $2.50 pints? How can we resist?

KOTBR #40 - Sierra Nevada Bigfoot and the US National Team at Badaboomz

Jim -
Soccer and beer are certainly not odd bedfellows. There always seems to be some cross-pollination going on between these two realms. Whenever I go to tailgate parties at soccer matches (yes, we soccer lovers do tailgate), I unfailingly see soccer fanaticos drinking high quality brew. And when I go to craft beer events, it's not unusual for me to see some beer geek sporting a soccer jersey. I've never been able to figure out the precise reason why there are so many hybrid beer/soccer geeks. Perhaps the reason is that, in this country, it takes a certain measure of independent thinking to love soccer. I find that to be true with craft beer lovers as well.

During our most recent roundtable, which we strategically planned at BadaBoomz so we could watch our national soccer team take on the Mexican National Team in an exhibition match (in hi-def on a big screen, thanks to ESPN2 and the ever classy Mike DeWeese), the beer geek in the soccer jersey was Mike, decked out in the shirt of Fulham FC striker and American international Clint Dempsey, with whom Kelly appears to be smitten. While the match ended in a 2-2 draw, the game was entertaining, as USA v. Mexico matches often are.

We reviewed the Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale. We sampled the 2000 edition of this beer, which has garnered loads of praise from other beer reviewers. The Bigfoot poured with a medium off-white head and a ruby color. The nose was heavy with toasted malt notes accompanied by a prevalent graham cracker character. Medium in mouthfeel, the beer's flavor followed the nose with a cookie-like taste. While this barleywine had been cellar-aged for nearly eight years, this aging had not mellowed the alcohol presence in the beer because I clearly tasted the alcohol. Maybe the alcohol taste came through so clearly due to the beer's style since barleywines (at least, in my experience) tend to show their alcohol character prevalently.

Though I was impressed with the Bigfoot, I was not blown away. Perhaps this was so because I think the serving temperature was initially too cold. The character of the beer, however, improved by the time I was down to the last 1/4 of the glass. I've got to admit that my rating is also colored by the fact that I'm not a big fan of the barleywine style. Still, a very good beer that I would definitely give another shot. 3.275 mugs.

Mike -
We read our readers' blogs, and from time to time it rubs off, either consciously or unconsciously. So after we'd found out our first choice (Kasteel Rouge) wasn't available, we tossed the menus around until something stuck. I don't know who suggested it, but it was probably me, and we ended up drinking the vintage 2000 Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot Barleywine.

If anything, it's quite obvious that the brewers behind Bigfoot learned a valuable lesson from 1987's greatest film, Harry and the Hendersons. Like the film's main character, Bigfoot starts out untamed and ferocious, with a nose that jumps right out of the glass and tears up your house. But behind that tough front are hints of a sweet sugary nose. Like Harry, the beer can't help but be a little wild and punchy, but there's also a sweetness, with smooth molasses and toffee notes. After you get past the tough exterior, you realize that Sierra Nevada got it right. And Bigfoot's cloudy caramel color matches Harry's face - thus proving that Sierra Nevada always had him in mind.

If you recall the movie, in the end the Henderson's decide that the best thing for Harry is to return him to the wild, where we find out there's an entire army of Harrys, ready for the snatching. If you head to PartyPak, they're sitting there waiting - I brought a 2008 edition home this past weekend. 3.75 Mugs.

Gina -
Watching the National Team play is always entertaining and it's nice to know that there are places in the city that offer the opportunity to do so while enjoying good beer. This is especially true whenever they are taking on Mexico, even if the game ends in a tie.

I must say I was a little disappointed that the keg of Kasteel Rouge was gone. I have been enamored with it since I tried it a few months ago. Fortunately, Party Pak served me well once again, and I now have some in my fridge. But I digress...

As the Bigfoot Barleywine Ale arrived and we started pouring, I was completely overwhelmed with the heavy alcohol smell. On average, my initial feeling with these styles of beers is dread, as the overly alcoholic nose and the often sickly-sweet taste make the beer rather difficult to finish. I was very pleased to learn that this just simply wasn't the case with this aged Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot. Despite the ever-present alcohol nose, the flavor was more mellow than I would have thought, which I suspect is due to the 7+ years of aging this particular beer went through. I was pleased with this and I am anxious to see how much difference there is with something more recent. 3.25 Mugs.

Matt-
This is my favorite cryptozoologically themed alcoholic beverage. I've tried Chupacabra brand malt liquor and Jersey Devil's Reserve Scotch, but I found both to be bottles of hyped-up novelty, with little flavor or conferral of supernatural powers. That said, I'm still among the unconverted when it comes to barleywines. Being a beer geek has given me the opportunity to acquire the taste for IPAs and Belgian beers, which I had eschewed in the past. I haven't had enough of a range of barleywines to appreciate the differences within the style.

I found it to be an agreeable beverage, although a whole bottle is a bit much, since I ended up drinking most of Kelly's half of the bottle we split. It poured out dark brown, and cloudy. The nose bloomed out of the glass and revealed a lot of alcohol. I also detected chocolate, which was also reflected by a sweet somewhat cake-y taste. I was pleasantly surprised by a hoppy finish. I think Leonard Nimoy should bring back "In Search Of…" and drink a few of these before telling us the tale of the Philadelphia Experiment. I give this a 3.5, and look forward to becoming better acquainted with this style.

Bloomington's new better beer (and food) option

It wasn't that long ago that we were talking about better beers at finer dining establishments. And we ended up with a great discussion that included those from Indy's cream-of-the-crop restaurants like L'explorateur, H2o Sushi Bar, and Meridian. We know that Neal at L'explorateur is going to do a food and beer dinner on February 27th and Eli at H2o Sushi Bar will be offering one on March 10th. Prices and menus for both have not been set yet.

I should also point out that Badaboomz Downtown, as part of the Devour Downtown event, is offering a $30 dinner that is paired with beers. It runs through Saturday, February 2nd.

Elsewhere in the state, much has been made of celebrity chef Daniel Orr's return home to Indiana. He has just opened a restaurant and market called FARM Bloomington and I want to point out that he has a stellar beer menu. Just another chef who really appreciates craft beer.

On draft they have: Upland Wheat, Rogue Dead Guy, Bloomington Brewing's Quarryman Pale, Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, Bluegrass Brewing's Jefferson Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout, Stella Artois, and Guinness. Their bottle list is very nice as well. Looks like another place for beer geeks to try out.

Beer Diary - Jason

Friday, January 18, 2008: Having had Hopslam on the brain for a while, I was feeling mighty thirsty come lunch time today. Headed to BadaBoomz (new website) for one of their $6 lunches (Fish and Fries on Friday...highly recommend) and Mike Deweese recommended I try the Goose Island Pere Jacques that they currently have. He told me he had been trying to get some different beers from GI, but all that they would send him is Matilda. Then GI accidentally loaded two 1/6's on a truck headed for their Indy distributor. They asked Mike if he wanted them, and he gave them a "Hell yes!"

A very tasty, very sweet Belgian Dubbel. Not fruity, but very sugary. Some strong alcohol characteristics. A doozy of a lunch beer at 9% ABV. $5.50, served in a goblet. $1 off today (Big Ten day) and Tuesday (Goblet day), though with only 100 servings available, it may not last long.

Speaking of Brugge...

Desire the sweet Belgian style brews of Broad Ripple's Brugge but your stuck downtown? Have no fear, BadaBoomz is here! They have Brugge Black on tap right now. And I believe they are the first bar in Indy outside of Brugge to have it.

KOTBR #29 In Review - Hoeven Heaven

Roundtable #29 saw all six knights (and Brent) together again for a rare full cast night out. Before meeting up with Chris at Deano's, we stopped in at the downtown Badaboomz location and sampled Konings Hoeven Quadrupple Trappist Ale, a Dutch ale that was a crowd pleaser.

Mike called the beer an enigma and "a nice punch in the brain" before awarding it 4 mugs.

Jim explained the life of a trappist monk before praising their work in awarding the Hoeven with a 5 mug rating.

Jason introduced beer photography to the blog and described Hoeven as a fruit medley of brown sugar, pop rocks, caramel (maybe?) - and then awarded it with 4.5 mugs.

Gina combined her review with a beer diary entry, and became sad when she realized how quickly her glass was emptying. She gave Konings Hoeven 5 Mugs.

Kelly bemoaned the moving process and decided that Hoeven was good enough to inspire her to "go to the Hop Shop and buy up anything I can't pronounce". She then awarded the beer with 4.5 mugs, with opportunity for advancement.

Chris, because he arrived later in the evening, did not review. His loss.

Roundtable # 29 - boxes and beer

I hate moving. More than that, I hate the feeling you get when all your friends leave, and you’re stuck with a mountain of belongings that won’t get organized/sorted for weeks. Or months.

You think it’s going to go something like this:


And it ends up going something like this:


Then the pirated wireless internet you were so happy to discover decides to crap out on you as you’re working on your Roundtable review, and then you find yourself finishing up your review when you should be working…

Ahem. On to the beer, shall we?

With all six Knights gathered together (at a real round table, no less!), we decided on the La Trappe Quadrupel from Brouwerij de Koningshoeven. Right away, I knew this was going to be an awesome beer - the yeasty nose with a hint of apple cider, the extremely smooth drinkability, the deceptively high ABV, the way all the Knights were grinning in tandem... seriously, I think Gina might have even been giggling! I give this beer 4.5 mugs, with opportunity for advancement.

I have very little experience with this style of Belgian beer, but this stuff makes me want to go to the Hop Shop and buy up anything I can't pronounce. I predict that my refrigerator will be a little fuller soon -- if I can make my way to it through these damn boxes, that is.

Roundtable #29 - Looking for trouble..from the beer, not each other.

Apparently, all the Knights were in a good mood because this is the first time in a while that we didn't go into great debate over anything pop culture, though we talked about a lot of different things. But we did find a trouble of another sort.

9%, 10%, 7%...those were the ABV's of the three beers I enjoyed at BadaBoomz last night. The trouble is that all three were extremely drinkable with little hint as to how powerful they are.

I warmed up with a Frosty Frog from Rogue's Issaquah Brewhouse. This has become a favorite of mine and is found on tap. It is a winter seasonal American Strong Ale and it is like buttered rum in beer form. It smells like butterscotch. It tastes like butterscotch. It has a light mouthfeel that doesn't stick around for all that long. Easy to drink, in my opinion. Now we aren't officially reviewing this particular beer tonight, but if we were, I'd probably give it a 5 mugs rating. I love this beer. I put it up there with Bell's Hopslam, Founder's Kentucky Breakfast Stout, and Dogfish Head's 90 Minute as my favorites.

I finished with a bottle of Ara Bier from Belgium's Brouwerij De Dolle Brouwers. This is an interesting Belgian Strong Pale Ale. It pours out cloudy and gold with a fizzy head. The smell was of fruit that was teetering on the edge of going from ripe to rotten. But in a sort of good way, if that is possible. It tastes a little of fruit, a little of spices. A very unique beer that deserves further exploration. Plus, it looks like the bird on the label is some terrible parrot/rooster hybrid. Prooster? Rarrot? Who knows.

And in between was our center stage beer: Konings Hoeven Quadrupple Trappist Ale from the Netherlands' Brouwerij de Koningshoeven. It poured from the bottle with a thick, foamy head. The beer was brown and cloudy, appearing almost like apple cider. In the scent, you can pick up a variety of things, as the reviews here show. I found apples and pears with a little ting of alcohol. The alcohol was nowhere to be found in the taste. Instead, I found a lot of sweetness. Brown sugar, pop rocks, caramel maybe? A fruit medley was also to be found. It left a sugary, chewy feel in my mouth.

This stuff is drinkable. Incredibly drinkable. Too drinkable. You could easily go through 4 or 5 bottles before realizing that you are toast. But I'm giving it a 4.5 mugs rating, making it the best toast you'll ever be.

Roundtable #29 | Heaven in a bottle

Imagine life in a monastic community. You live in seclusion and self-imposed poverty. The majority of each day consists of prayer and meditation. You also work each morning and afternoon, tending to the chores that must be done to enable the monastery to function--washing clothes, sweeping floors, preparing food, weeding the vegetable garden, etc.

Now imagine that instead of washing clothes, sweeping floors, preparing food, and weeding the vegetable garden, your job is to brew beer. This is not exactly the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a monk's work, but it is exactly the job that some Trappist monks have. They brew a style of Belgian beers called, logically, Trappist beers.

Seven breweries currently brew authentic Trappist beers. All are in Belgium except for one, which is in the Netherlands--Brouwerij de Koningshoeven. This brewery makes six beers, which are sold under the La Trappe name everywhere except the United States and Canada, where they are sold under the Konings Hoeven label.

As Mike mentioned, we tried the Konings Hoeven Quadrupel last night at BadaBoomz. We went into this roundtable intending to review New Albanian's Hoptimus IPA, which we sampled this summer at the Phoenix Theatre's Brew-Ha-Ha and the Indiana Microbrewer's Festival. Unfortunately, BadaBoomz still has not tapped the keg of Hoptimus that is currently sitting in their cellar.

Therefore, we trusted Jason and Mike to come up with another choice. I'm happy to say that they hit a home run with the Konings Hoeven Quadrupel. The adjectives that this beer conjured up in my mental notes are "luscious" and "divine" (the latter makes sense considering that monks made the beer). It poured with very little head and a somewhat cloudy but rich mahogany color. The nose was sweet and had notes of caramel and ripe bananas. The mouthfeel was silky; the beer literally glided from the front to the back of my mouth. The taste was candy-like. I imagined caramel drizzled over ripe fruit. Despite the sweetness, this beer was very, very drinkable, and at 10% ABV, very dangerous if not sipped.

In short, this is one of the best beers that we've reviewed. 5 mugs from me.

Roundtable #29 - Full House

The Hoosier Beer Geeks (left to right): Jason, Kelly, Jim, Gina, Brent, Mike, Chris
Last night's roundtable featured a HBG rarity: a full house of all 6 knights. As an added bonus, Brent showed up, and gave us free beer (You can look forward to a mini-review in a future beer diary). We visited both Badaboomz and Deano's Vino as well, so the whole event was rolling roadshow of epic proportions.

We've written about Badaboomz and Deano's before, so onto the beer. After a warmup of Dogfish 60 Minute and dinner, I settled into our featured beer from Badaboomz: Konings Hoeven Quadrupple Trappist Ale.

When Jason and I decided on this beer, we were under the false impression that it was a Belgian - and while it certainly fits the Belgian style, the beer is actually from Holland. This beer had a grapity-grape (think grape soda) nose and a dark copper color with a quickly dissipating, bubbly head. Mouthfeel was quite odd to start - it was almost as if the beer took a journey around my mouth, starting at the roof and working it's way around my tongue - almost like it was repelled from my tongue and had to work it's way there. I suppose the sensation wasn't unlike drinking champagne. This exotic mouthfeel settled down as the beer warmed.

As far as taste goes, this beer is an enigma. I did get alcohol notes, but the overall taste was really hard to pin down. This is a very sweet, sugary beer. At 10% ABV, you might expect it to be overpowering, but the dominant characteristic of Konings Hoeven is its smoothness. This is a must have if you're visiting Badaboomz and like Belgian style ales. I called it "a nice punch in the brain" and award it 4 Mugs.

Choices, Choices

Oh, snap! Two bad I can't clone myself on Saturday.

Jim and I are going to be part of the festivities at Bratoberfest on Saturday evening at Deano's. $10 gets you a beer, a brat, lots of fun, music, and the opportunity to hang out some cool beer geeks (yeah, right).

If you can't make it to Deano's, BadaBoomz's Beer Dinner sounds like it's going to kick-ass, too. Mike has decided to break out some 2004 Dark Lord Imperial Stout as the beer pairing for dessert!

Or, you can go to the dinner then come to Bratoberfest for a nightcap. It's open til 1am.

Last of the Gumball Head

From Mike DeWeese:

"Badaboomz Downtown had 2 of the last kegs of Three Floyds Gumball Head delivered today. Get it while it lasts."

Random summary of beer

I recognize that I'm not so good about posting much anymore. When work and school doesn't have my attention, it goes to my family. And rightfully so. But I still love beer, and bringing you news about good beer. I have to apologize to my fellow Knights for not being so prompt on stuff these days.

So this is my summary of what should be several different posts.

1. Muncie rocked. We had a great time hanging out with our friends on the Good Beer Show. We're show #128, which I'm guessing will go up sometime this week. We drank a lot of high ABV beers, none of which I thought were bad. Mike told you what they are in his post. The Fickle Peach and the Heorot are both cool, and you have to check em out. Thanks Jeffrey T., Traci and the Gang! And thanks Mike for driving home!

2. I'm not too sad that I didn't get to participate in the Retro Beer Challenge Round 1. Although, Rolling Rock was the very first beer that I liked enough to finish. 11 years ago - how's that for retro? How sad is that? Dos Equis was the 2nd. Thanks Old Latrobe, PA!

3. BadaBoomz has almost free valet parking now. It's free if your bill is $30 or more. Otherwise, it's only $2. Thanks Mike!

4. Deano's is hosting Brat-toberfest on Saturday, September 15th. Music, beer, brats. What more could you ask for? Oh, yeah, we'll be there, too. On a side note, I've now hung out a Deano's the last two Friday nights, and I've just come to re-appreciate what good shits they are there. Thanks Deano, Jody, Nick, Laura, and Michelle!!

5. The Hop Shop has Bell's Batch 8000 in six packs for $13.49, Two Brothers Heliocentric Bragot in a 22oz. for $6.49, and Upland Lambics in 750 mLs for $14.99. If you don't know, The Hop Shop also has free beer tastings every Saturday until 8pm. Thanks Courtney!

6. When Jason and I were in Chicago on Monday for a Cubs vs. Cardinals, White Sox vs. Royals double header, we first stopped at this fantastic beer store in Wrigleyville. It was awesome! My favorite purchase was something I can't get in Indiana, but is one my new top three favorite beers in the whole world - Racer 5 IPA by Bear Republic in Healdsburg, CA. I bought a lot of beer. So did Jason. We now have a lot of beer. Thanks Binny's and Bear Republic!

7. My very favorite beer of all-time is the Optimator. Thanks Spaten!

I think that's all for now.

Football, women, and beer

While the Indianapolis Colts season kicks off in another two weeks, the Indiana Speed season has already begun and they are 1-0! The Speed are members of the Women's Professional Football League and they play their home games at Broad Ripple High School.

BadaBOOMz at 15 E. Maryland in Downtown Indy is hosting a beer tasting with a food buffet to benefit the Indiana Speed. It will be held on Thursday, August 30th at 7pm and tickets are $25. You can purchase tickets in advance and find more info on the event here. I hope everybody can make it. I'm sure Mike at BadaBOOMz has a great event planned.

And be sure to see the Indiana Speed in action. Their next home game is September 15th against the Wisconsin Wolves. Good luck Speed!

Drink with us Thursday, drink with Mike Friday

This Friday's vintage beers at Badaboomz Downtown available from 5 til their gone are:

2001 Arcadia Imperial Stout 10% abv
2002 Dogfish Head Worldwide Stout 23% abv
2000 Gale's Millenium Ale 9% abv

2 5oz samples(3oz of Dogfish) for $8

From Mike DeWeese's Basement: Vintage Beer Fridays

From Mike DeWeese at BadaBoomz:

VINTAGE BEER TASTINGS
BACK AGAIN DOWNTOWN
AT BADABOOMZ ALE HOUSE & GRILL
EVERY FRIDAY FROM 5PM TIL THEY'RE GONE
3 DIFFERENT VINTAGE BEERS FROM OUR COLLECTION OF OVER 300
3 5OZ SAMPLES ONLY $8

First Up:

Here are the beers I just pulled out of my basement for tonight's vintage beer tasting at Badaboomz Downtown: Gale's Conquest Ale 2000 9% abv, Rogue I2PA 2002 9.6% abv and Anheuser Busch 2005 Brewmaster's Reserve 8.5% abv. Don't snicker, I've heard it's awesome. Remember, you have to be good at brewing to make a beer as delicate as Bud taste the same all over the world. The beers will be available at your leisure starting at 5 until they are gone. Cheers, Mike

KOTBR Review # 19 - Three Floyds Gumballhead

For the latest review, the Knights of the Beer Roundtable convened yet again at Buffalo Wild Wings (soon to morph into BadaBoomz) to try out Three Floyds Gumballhead.

Mike was the first to chime in, claiming himself to be a "Dumballhead" for not sufficiently cleansing his palate before the review:

Although it seemed as if my fellow geeks were very impressed with the Gumballhead, I felt like it was just a fair option, and not a beer I was impressed with enough to give a second chance. Then again, maybe it just doesn't go well with boneless wings. I'd give it 2.5 mugs.

Then I posted my review (complete with advice to Fred Sanford-loving special education teachers), in which I confessed my love for Gumballhead and favorably compared it to Bell's great double IPA, Hopslam:

While not on par with the Hopslam's flavor, Gumballhead's taste is nonetheless formidable. It's sweet on the front of the tongue and dry and bitter on the back. The flavor is heavy on those Amarillo hops, which lends the taste a striking combination of citrus and evergreen. . . . This is a 4.5 mug beer for me; it's certainly one of the best that we've reviewed.

Finally, Jason posted his review, giving us all an excellent overview of wheat beer varieties before giving Gumballhead his seal of approval:

And, if you are in the right frame of mind (as Jim was), you would even swear that you could smell bubble gum. I'm sure that's completely unintentional. In terms of taste, it has a great wheat taste without the wheat aftertaste. There are a number of fruity hints. And a fair amount of hop bite to it without being super bitter. Like Jim, I give this beer a 4.5 mug rating.

Chris was too busy recovering from cavorting with hippies in the Haight to post his review, although he tells us that he will soon post a review of Northern California's finest breweries when time permits.

Stunning wheat: Three Floyds Gumballhead

I've been told that as you age, your sense of taste tends to diminish. I'm not sure of the validity of this claim, but I do know that as I've gotten older, I have gravitated toward beers with stronger flavors. I suppose that's why I joined the Knights of the Beer Roundtable--to share my love of distinctive-tasting beer with like-minded folks.

So it might not surprise you to learn that American wheat ales normally aren't my thing. It's not that beers falling into this category taste unpleasant to me. In fact, I quite like Bell's Oberon, as I've noted previously. But American wheats are a bit on the mild side for my preference. When I sit down for a pint, I want something that grabs the tongue (in a good way, of course).

So when I learned that our feature beer, Three Floyds Gumballhead, is a wheat beer, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I'd heard that the stuff was loaded with hops, which is atypical for an American wheat. I'd also heard that Gumballhead is awesomely good, but I tried not to let the word on the street among other beer geeks predispose me toward giving a favorable review to this beer.

So to see how Gumballhead truly measures up to the greats of the beer world, I warmed up with the mighty Hopslam from Bell's, which is a KOTBR favorite. To BW3's credit, they had the Hopslam as a cask conditioned beer, so it was served at a warmer temperature. This enhanced the already heavenly flavor of the beer even more. I eagerly await Bell's release of the next batch of this outstanding ale.

Then it was on to the Gumballhead. This wheat beer poured fairly clearly with a color that was between straw and amber. When the server brought my pint to the table, the beer had just the faintest remnant of a head. Gumballhead is made with Amarillo hops, which gave the beer a boat-load of character. The nose on this beer is unbelievable. On first sniff, I got smacked in the face with a lovely citrus overload. Upon a second sniff, I smelled, interestingly enough, bubble-gum. I wondered whether the name of the beer was coloring my perception of the beer's aroma (the beer is actually named for a bizarre comic character), but a third sniff confirmed the bubble-gum smell. I pictured the Dubble Bubble that, as a kid, I found in my candy bag on Halloween after a good night of trick-or-treating.

While not on par with the Hopslam's flavor, Gumballhead's taste is nonetheless formidable. It's sweet on the front of the tongue and dry and bitter on the back. The flavor is heavy on those Amarillo hops, which lends the taste a striking combination of citrus and evergreen. As weird as this may sound, Gumballhead's flavor made me think of what a Douglas fir might taste like if it were soaked in lemon and grapefruit juice. That might come across as an unpleasant image, but it's not meant to be negative as Gumballhead's flavor was excellent.

This is a 4.5 mug beer for me; it's certainly one of the best that we've reviewed.

One last note--I have to give our server a thumbs-up for the Fred Sanford t-shirt she was wearing:


She also wanted to pass on a tip about this piece of apparel--if you happen to teach special education, don't wear it to class.

I also wish to give a huge thumbs up to Buffalo Wild Wings for their outstanding beer menu. I'm looking forward to visiting the establishment when it soon becomes BadaBoomz.

"Change of venue"

That's fancy lawyer talk for moving the proceedings to a different court. And that's what we've decided to do tonight. Originally, we intended to do tonight's roundtable at the new BARcelona Tapas restaurant, but our beer sources tell us that the beer menu will not be complete. So, we discussed going to Chumley's in Broad Ripple considering that they have 50 beers on tap. But we did an about-face yet again when we got word that the downtown Buffalo Wild Wings is blowing out pints of microbrews at the bargain-basement rate of $3.00 a pint before the restaurant goes into its cocoon for a little while before emerging anew as BadaBoomz.

Therefore, we'll be reviewing Three Floyd's Gumballhead at the downtown Buffalo Wild Wings on Maryland Street. That's where we did our last review, but we're all about sound economical choices. As always, feel free to join us. As always, we'll begin our proceedings at 8:00 p.m. with a warm-up beer.

You may not be so lucky

Meeting 18 of the Knights of the Beer Roundtable was unlike any other in that it was the first time we were wanted. Michael DeWeese, owner of the downtown BW3's, contacted Chris and asked him to bring us by to check out their selection of beers.

When thinking of BW3's, maybe the last thing I'd think of is beer selection, but as it turns out Michael is doing things a little bit differently than most BW's. As a result of this deviation from the template, Michael and his business partner Doug are moving the downtown location away from the BW3's concept, and creating a new restaurant named BadaBoomz.

As it stands currently, the downtown BW3's location has 40 taps, starting with your standard Anheuser-Busch products and ending up somewhere far away from anything standard. Once the transformation is complete, Doug claims they'll have 15 drafts no one else is offering - and an even more expansive beer selection than they currently stock.

We started the night with a George Gale & Co. Ltd Conquest Ale, a dull, flat looking reddish-orange drink that smelled of citrus and apple cider. The first taste brought out more of the apple - a strong taste that felt almost soupy on my tongue. This wasn't a hoppy beer, and the taste of alcohol wasn't overwhelming, but you couldn't drink a lot of this - and I don't think you'd want to. It was more a beer for sipping and trying to get your head around.

Our second sample was a 2003 Stone Brewing Company Double Bastard Ale. This had a similar appearance to the Conquest, but poured with a little more head. The nose was sweet and appley, also like the Conquest. But despite the introduction to the style with the Conquest Ale, the Double Bastard was surprisingly strong. Doug described the beer as a baseball bat to the face, and I'd agree with him. It's a bitter beer, but not hoppy... really nothing like anything I'd tasted before.

Both the Conquest and the Double Bastard taught me that not all beers are for quick consumption - some beers are meant to be sipped at, thought about, and discussed. I'd say it's almost a wine aficionado approach; dangerously close to beer snobbery. These beers seems to almost require as many brain cells to understand as they destroy. I'd give both a solid 3 mug rating.

We finished up the night with a Brewery Van Steenberge Piraat ($6.75 per glass), an amber IPA from Belgium. This beer was a nice way to finish up the evening, being a bit milder than our previous choices. The beer had an golden/orange yet transparent appearance in the glass, and a sweet smell that somehow reminded me of Brugge's Black. It had a sweet, almost bubblegum-like taste that hinted at its high (10%) alcohol content. I can tell that this was my last beer of the night; under the category of drinkabilty I wrote the words "I CAN SENSE THE DANGER!". I'm not sure what that's supposed to mean, but I suspect it means that I could drink a lot of it. I'd give it a 3.5 mug rating.

Getting back to the title of the post, I can't promise you that you'll find the same beers we had at BW's. Both the Conquest and Double Bastard came from Michael's personal stash. But that shouldn't stop you from checking out BW's (and BadaBoomz) selection if you get the chance. With the expansive selection you're sure to find something that fits your pallet.

My thanks go out to Michael and Doug for sharing their passion and beer. I'm sure we'll be back when BadaBoomz is open for business.