#HBGWeek | Hoosier Beer Geek's Favorite Things at Shoefly Public House - Wednesday, July 16

In the run-up to the Indiana Microbrewers Festival, we're celebrating HBG's Hoosier Beer Week. And we now have more details about one of the events for #HBGWeek.

When: Wednesday, July 16, 6:30pm

Where: Shoefly Public House, 122 East 22nd Street, 317.283.5007

What: Hoosier Beer Geek's Favorite Things - Come enjoy our hand-picked lineup of beers that would make the Von Trapp family envious.


Featured Beers | $4 for 4 oz. and $6 for 8 oz.:

Brasserie Cantillon's Iris Lambic (5% ABV)

Iris is a completely original beer which, contrary to the brewery's other beers, is not brewed with 35% wheat. Iris, which is made only with malt of the pale ale type (giving a more amber colour to the beer), conserves the typical flavor of the spontaneous fermentation, the complex aromas, and the vinous taste.

The hopping is different too. Lambic is usually made with 100% dried hops. But for Iris we use 50% dried hops and 50% fresh hops. The latter cause a superb acidity, and the former, due to their tannins, conserve the beer while preserving all its qualities.

After two years in the barrel, Iris undergoes a second fresh hopping two weeks before bottling. A linen bag filled with hops is soaked in the beer for two weeks. This technique, called "cold hopping," gives the beer a more intense flavor and makes the smell and the taste more bitter.

Bell's Brewery's Black Note Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout (11.5% ABV)

One of the most sought-after stouts in Bell's history, Black Note Stout blends the complex aromatics of Expedition Stout with the velvety smooth texture of Double Cream Stout and ages the combination in freshly retired oak bourbon barrels for months. The resulting harmony of flavors captures the finest features of all three components: malty notes of dark chocolate, espresso and dried fruits, all buoyed by the warmth and fragrance of the bourbon barrel. Aimed squarely at stout and bourbon aficionados, Black Note makes a grand statement about the art of the dark.


Featured Beers | $2 for 4 oz. and $4 for 8 oz.:

Boulevard Brewing Company's Ginger-Lemon Radler (4.05% ABV)

A zesty, refreshing take on the classic "cyclist," sessionable and full of character.

Founders Brewing Company's Rübæus (5.7% ABV)

Not another boring summer wheat beer or lemonade shandy—Rübæus is Founders’ way to celebrate the season’s warmest months. Optimizing the flavor of fresh raspberries added at multiple stages during fermentation, this stunning berry red masterpiece is the perfect balance of sweet and tart. No question about it, with a hefty malt bill and 5.7% ABV, this beer is 100% Founders.

Local Option Bierwerker's Kentucky Common (6.5% ABV)

Kentucky Common is a modern interpretation of an ale style native to pre-prohibition Louisville. Historically the beer was dark in color, creamy, and tart as a result of the introduction of lactobacillus bacteria by sour mashing. Local Option Bierkwerker took up the task of brewing this once familiar style – electing to use specialty grains rather than a large percentage of corn – yielding an adventurous taste profile befitting both conventional and courageous palates.

Three Floyds Brewing Company's Dreadnaught IPA (9.5% ABV)

An Imperial India Pale Ale with an intense citrus hop aroma, a huge malt body and a crisp finish.






We hope you'll join us! In the meantime, spread the word, and use #HBGWeek on social media. An overview of the #HBGWeek calendar is here.

Beer Travels: Brasserie Cantillon

Jake Wrote:

A last minute work trip sent me to Europe for the last ten days. The original plan was to be in Luxembourg for all ten days. After determining where Luxembourg was in Europe (sandwiched between Belgium, Germany, and France), I decided to see how far it was from the hotel to Cantillon in Brussels. It turns out that it is a three-hour train from Luxembourg City’s train terminal to the southern terminal in Brussels (Gare Midi).  The brewery is a five-minute walk from Midi. So, on the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, off I went.

After figuring out the direction I needed to walk for the five minutes, I came to the front door.

The next challenge: Which door do I choose. The sign on the far left says “The Museum of Sour Beer”, so I chose that door. There is a bell that is tempting to ring, but, as I watched happen a number of times, nobody answers the bell.  Immediately after you enter, there is a tasting station.

After grabbing a glass of the Lambic (Two EURO!), I was told that the tour was self-paced and includes a tasting for 6 Euro. The tour consists of an Introduction given by one of the family members and then an eight-station tour that takes you through the brewing and bottling process.

Stations one and two cover making the wort.

Stations three and four are the cool-ship and the area where they fill and store the barrels. The wort stays in the cool-ship for one day to gather the naturally occurring yeast before being put in barrels for 1-3 years. I was lucky enough that there was wort standing for the day. The smell was on par with the bourbon distilleries we toured in October (i.e. AMAZING)

Stations five and six showcase the blending of the labic and the barrel cleaning area.  The press in the foreground of the picture is used for adding the fruit to the young lambic. During the cleaning process, the chain that is hanging is put in the water-filled barrel and put in the machine in the picture below to clean any of the bugs that may have bored into the wood.

Stations seven and eight are the bottling and bottle storage. The only modern machine in the process is the bottling line that has a conveyor that takes the bottles to the storage bays where they are stacked end-to-end. Because the floor is a little uneven, they use wood sticks that resemble crown molding to level the bottles.

Overall, the trip made for a great day. I would love to go back with a group and split some bottles in the tasting area and make an afternoon of the tour as well. They have pre-made three bottle packs for sale or you can buy bottles individually and they will package it for you.

Quick Hitters:

- Because the introductions are given in a single language one at a time, you get the chance to meet others on the tour and then share a sample with them at the end.

- Make sure you buy a map and mark it ahead of time. The map I bought in the train station did not have the key streets I needed, so it took some wandering. 

- Grab a glass when you walk in and then pay for the tour as you typically have 5-10 minutes before the introduction is given in the language you need.

How to get there:

- The closest station is Gare Midi, which is the southern station in Brussels.

- You can also get off the train at Gare Centraal and walk through the Grand Palace and then work your way to the brewery

- There are some dicey looking places near the brewery, so go with a friend.