HBG5 featuring Cavalier Distributing

Well if you haven't heard, this event is now sold out. Oh, and there's more beer. Whole cases of bottles of beer. Like these from..


Cavalier Distributing

Did you know that Cavalier Distributing doesn't really have a logo? Or that they don't have a website? That's ok, more traffic for us. (And if you guys need a logo, feel free to use the one above.)

It's also ok because they're awesome people with fantastic beer. Like the seven cases of bottles below that will be appearing at HBG5.

Great Divide Belgian Yeti
Belgian Style Yeti is a delicious new blend of brewing traditions--all the malt-driven roastiness of our Yeti Imperial Stout with characteristic spice and fruit notes imparted by our special Belgian yeast strain. Belgian Style Yeti is a one-of-a-kind beer as mysterious as the mythical creature himself. Impossible? See for yourself; you'll be a believer, too. 9.5% ABV

Stone Brewing Co. Sublimely Self Righteous Ale
First brewed in 2007 as the Stone 11th Anniversary Ale, this ale was an instant hit. With us. Other folks with great taste loved it too, but we were focused on how much we liked it, and we felt it was truly sublime. That euphoria didn't last long though, as it was soon replaced with the grim reality that when we sold out of it there wouldn't be any more. For us. And that was simply unacceptable. So, we are now blessing ourselves, and you the enlightened, with this ale. Thusly, you may now revel in your own self-righteousness as you see fit with this glorious example of ours. You are genuinely welcome, as it is our pleasure.

Lexington Brewing Co KY Bourbon Ale
Award winning Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale is a unique sipping beer with the distinctive nose of a well-crafted bourbon. Our Kentucky Ale is aged for up to 6 weeks in freshly decanted bourbon barrels from some of Kentucky’s finest distilleries.

Subtle yet familiar flavors of vanilla and oak are imparted to this special ale as it rests in the charred barrels. Pleasantly smooth and robust, Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale may also be served as an aperitif or after dinner drink.

Founders Cerise
You'll have a soft spot for this one. Using only fresh Michigan tart cherries, this beauty tantalizes with intense flavors combined with a no hesitation malt bill. Adding fresh cherries at five separate stages of fermentation achieves the ultimate balance between tartness and sweetness.

The Bruery Trade Winds Tripel
Our Summer seasonal, Trade Winds Tripel is a Belgian-style Golden Ale with a Southeast Asian twist. Instead of using candi sugar (typical for such a beer), we use rice in the mash to lighten the body and increase the gravity, and spice with Thai Basil. The result is an aromatic, digestible and complex beer made for a lazy summer evening.

ABV: 8%, IBU: 25, SRM: 5

Two Brothers Hop Juice
Hop Juice is a powerful Imperial IPA. It is brewed to 9.9% ABV, 100.1 IBU's, and dry hopped with a pound of hops per barrel. Hop Juice has a very strong aroma of pine and citrus. This hefty beer is balanced at the start with some nice caramel and brown sugar notes. Then it has a massive hop flavor and bitterness with some complex fruity characters.

Tyranena Brewers Gone Wild Hop Whore
Overpowering perfume. Dripping with luscious hop flavor. And, oh what a body. You're in for one helluva experience!

Please remember that this list is tentative and subject to change based on availability. We will keep you updated if anything changes.

About HBG5:

Who cares anymore you bought your ticket already. Here's the menu.

All attendees will get to enjoy food from Papa Roux.
PAPA ROUX will be proudly serving FRESH OFF THE GRILL all evening long! Prepare to be punched in the mouth with FLAVA as we handcraft your Po-Boys from 6PM-11PM. Offerings include FIRE-GRILLED SMOKED SAUSAGE PO-BOYS, ROASTED CHICKEN PO-BOYS, and VEGETARIAN GRILLED ONION & PROVOLONE CHEESE PO-BOYS.

All Po-Boys can be prepared with additional GRILLED ONION and PROVOLONE CHEESE, in addition to the SELF-SERVE SHUT'YO MOUTH SPICE BAR including a variety of hot sauces, Papa's own Vouxdoux seasoning, and Sriracha Rooster Sauce!

Don't miss the perfectly spicy CHEESY ETOUFFEE, the perfect soup for any beer.

And what's a party without gifts? And by gifts, I mean us giving stuff to you! That's right, prizes and giveaways and all sorts of stuff.

We're still filling in all the details, but if you've been to our events, you know it is a good time. And all tickets will be sold online. Tickets are not available at Sun King nor will they be available at the door. So don't miss out.

There are more details coming soon, but here's a reminder of the participating breweries/distributors to wet your whistle -

Barley Island Brewing Company - Barrel-Fermented Rust Belt Porter
Bee Creek Brewing Company - Alien Abduction Wheat
Bier Brewery - Farmgirl Saison and Calypso IPA
Broad Ripple Brewpub - Wobbly Bob OR Dual Citizenship
Brugge Brasserie - Superkitty Fantastico!
Cavalier Distributing - Great Divide Belgian Yeti, Stone Sublimely Self Righteous, Lexington Brewing Co KY Bourbon Ale, Founders Cerise, The Bruery Trade Winds Tripel, Two Brothers Hop Juice, Tyranena Brewers Gone Wild Hop Whore
Crown Brewing Company - DerALEr
Flat12 Bierwerks - 12 Cycle IPA and Nunmoere Black
Lafayette Brewing Company
New Albanian Brewing Company - Naughty Girl (Struise Colab)
People's Brewing Company
RAM Brewery - Bjava Disorder Porter
The St. Louis Brewing Company aka Schlafly - Raspberry Coffee Stout
Sun King - House Lineup (Osiris, Bitter Druid, Cream, Wee Mac)
Thr3e Wise Men Brewing Company - Hoosier Beer Geek Double Brown
Upland Brewing Company - Rad Red and Mother's Milk
World Class Beverages - Hair of the Dog Adam and Boulevard / Deschutes Collaboration #2

We appreciate that you follow us for the latest and craziest in the Indiana craft beer world. And we hope you'll come out and celebrate with us our fifth and perhaps best year of better beer buffoonery.

HBG4 featuring... Cavalier Distributing AGAIN

The lineup of beers at Hoosier Beer Geek's Fourth Anniversary Party continues. And while we are working hard to bring in as many Indiana beers as possible, we couldn't help but have some out of state guests. The second guests we are announcing at HBG4 come to us from...

Cavalier Distributing
Indianapolis, Indiana

You thought they were done??? They are back again with another two beers that will be featured at HBG4. We want to thank again Mat and everybody at Cavalier for their contribution.




Tyranena La Femme Amere (bottles)
Style: Belgian-style India Pale Ale

From the brewery:
"Our summer Brewers Gone Wild! beer is La Femme Amere (“The Bitter Woman” in French), a Wisconsin Belgique-Style India Pale Ale. It is a variation of Bitter Woman brewed with a Belgian yeast strain, some Belgian specialty malts and some Belgian candy sugar."






Heavy Seas Smoke on the Water
Style: Smoked Imperial Porter

Okay smoked beer fans... here's the first smoked beer addition to the HBG4 lineup!
From the brewery:
"Smoke On The Water is a rich and complex porter. The subtle smokey flavor comes from the use of smoked malt. Try it with anything that’s been cooked on a grill or smoker to compliment the flavor. 8.0% ABV"

Please remember that the list is tentative and subject to availability. We promise to keep you informed of any changes.

About HBG4:
It will be held Saturday, August 28th, starting at 6pm. Sun King Brewing will again be hosting us at their brewery at 135 N. College Avenue, Indianapolis. Tickets are $30 (plus $1.99 for online fees) for regular tickets and $20 (plus $1.99 for online fees) for designated drivers. Tickets are available online only and are in limited supply. And yes, the tickets are on sale now.

If you didn't attend last year, you can see what you missed here. But if you did attend last year, you'll find it to be similar. Here is what we have so far (please note that all of this is subject to change).

Regular attendees will receive a commemorative tasting glass that can be used to sample various quality beers from our favorite Indiana breweries as well as a few other breweries. Additionally, you'll be able to select a few larger pours of your favorite beers. Designated drivers will have a selection of non-alcoholic beverages such as soda, pop, cola... whatever regional term you like. And bottled water, of course.

All attendees will get to enjoy food from The Tamale Place. Those of you who have been know how good their food is. And those of you who have not been are in for a treat. There will be a variety of tamale flavors to sample, including vegetarian friendly options.

There will also be chips and salsa and such for your enjoyment all night as well.

And what's a party without gifts? And by gifts, I mean us giving stuff to you! That's right, prizes and giveaways and all sorts of stuff.

We're still filling in all the details, but if you've been to our events, you know it is a good time. And all tickets will be sold online. Tickets are not available at Sun King nor will they be available at the door. So don't miss out.

We appreciate that you follow us for the latest and craziest in the Indiana craft beer world. And we hope you'll come out and celebrate with us our fourth year of tomfoolery.

HBG4 featuring... Cavalier Distributing

The lineup of beers at Hoosier Beer Geek's Fourth Anniversary Party continues. And while we are working hard to bring in as many Indiana beers as possible, we couldn't help but have some out of state guests. The first guests we are announcing at HBG4 come to us from...

Cavalier Distributing
Indianapolis, Indiana

We want to thank Mat and everybody at Cavalier for their contribution to HBG4. I think everybody will agree that this is a stellar lineup.




Stone Brewdog Bashah (bottles)
Style: Black Belgian Double India Pale Ale

Two outstanding breweries. Five different hops. 8.6% ABV. What's not to love about this beer? Hoosier Beer Geek was very excited to hear that this mash up of a beer would be making its way to our party. Click on the link above to read more about this collaboration brew.





Great Divide Double Wit (bottles)
Style: Belgian-style Witbier

From the Great Divide website:
"Double Wit is our more muscular take on the beloved white ales of Belgium. Unmalted wheat and Belgian malted barley give the beer a light body and straw hue, while coriander and curaçao provide the traditional notes of spice and light acidity. This cloudy, deceptively drinkable creation should be enjoyed without the addition of fruit. 8.1% ABV."


Please remember that the list is tentative and subject to availability. We promise to keep you informed of any changes.

About HBG4:
It will be held Saturday, August 28th, starting at 6pm. Sun King Brewing will again be hosting us at their brewery at 135 N. College Avenue, Indianapolis. Tickets are $30 (plus $1.99 for online fees) for regular tickets and $20 (plus $1.99 for online fees) for designated drivers. Tickets are available online only and are in limited supply. And yes, the tickets are on sale now.

If you didn't attend last year, you can see what you missed here. But if you did attend last year, you'll find it to be similar. Here is what we have so far (please note that all of this is subject to change).

Regular attendees will receive a commemorative tasting glass that can be used to sample various quality beers from our favorite Indiana breweries as well as a few other breweries. Additionally, you'll be able to select a few larger pours of your favorite beers. Designated drivers will have a selection of non-alcoholic beverages such as soda, pop, cola... whatever regional term you like. And bottled water, of course.

All attendees will get to enjoy food from The Tamale Place. Those of you who have been know how good their food is. And those of you who have not been are in for a treat. There will be a variety of tamale flavors to sample, including vegetarian friendly options.

There will also be chips and salsa and such for your enjoyment all night as well.

And what's a party without gifts? And by gifts, I mean us giving stuff to you! That's right, prizes and giveaways and all sorts of stuff.

We're still filling in all the details, but if you've been to our events, you know it is a good time. And all tickets will be sold online. Tickets are not available at Sun King nor will they be available at the door. So don't miss out.

We appreciate that you follow us for the latest and craziest in the Indiana craft beer world. And we hope you'll come out and celebrate with us our fourth year of tomfoolery.

HBG 3 Details: Guest Beer #13 and the Hosts' Lineup

The lack of comments lately either means you're overwhelmed or that you're not attending HBG3. In any case, we soldier on.

First off, a bit of unfortunate news. Due to some unforeseen complications, Brugge will not be providing beer for our event. In any case, we thank them them for the interest and continued friendship, and we'll catch up with Ted and company again soon. Maybe for a breakfast?

The good news is that we've got something else in Brugge's place.


This morning we recieved the following email from Mat Gerdenich at Cavalier:

Watching the line up develop on the website and looking at current inventory and thought maybe a half brl of Cerise from Founders might be a good fit for this Saturday.

Yes, please.

Despite our love for all that Founders does, we haven't yet reviewed Cerise. Founders says:

You’ll have a soft spot for this one. Using only fresh Michigan tart cherries, this beauty tantalizes with intense flavors combined with a no hesitation malt bill. Adding fresh cherries at five separate stages of fermentation achieves the ultimate balance between tartness and sweetness.

6.5% ABV
15 IBU

We've all sampled this beer before and we know it'll be an excellent addition to the lineup.

* * * * *
Of course guest beer 13 isn't the end of the lineup... we've still got a list of beers from Sun King.

(Lineup subject to possible changes)

Sunlight Cream Ale

Sunlight Cream Ale is our most approachable beer and is a great introduction to the world of Craft Beer. Cream ale is one of the earliest styles of American beer, but was virtually wiped out by American lager brewers.

Our Cream Ale is an all malt beer. Only the finest quality barley, wheat, and oats are used to give this beer its smooth malt profile, which is delicately balanced with American hops and a cool fermentation to give this beer a crisp, clean finish.

ABV: 5.3%
IBU’s: 20

Bitter Druid ESB

The Bitter Druid ESB is a new twist on an old favorite. Our Americanized ESB blends American two-row pale malt with choice British specialty malts to create a rich malt start that is followed by a crisp, American hop finish. This beer is a wonderful gateway to the world of hops due to its delicate balance and rich array of flavors.

ABV: 5.8%
IBU’s: 43

Wee Mac Brown

Wee Mac is a Scottish style Brown Ale. Fermented at cooler than normal temperatures to mimic the climate of Scotland, Wee Nessie is an easy drinking brown ale that is both smooth and malty with caramel and chocolate tones. Hops are used sparingly in this beer and serve only to help balance the sweetness of the malt.

ABV: 5.4%
IBU’s: 23

Osiris Pale Ale

Osiris Pale Ale is an assertive American Pale and is not meant for the timid. Crafted by our brewers for our brewers, Osiris blends three choice varieties of American hops to create a spicy, citrus hop punch that is sure to satisfy any hop head. Every batch of Osiris is dry-hopped towards the end of fermentation for maximum hop flavor, aroma, and character.

ABV: 5.6%
IBU’s: 50

Das Boot Alt

Das Boot Alt is a traditional German Brown Ale that is fermented cool, which creates a clean malt profile and smooth, easy-drinking beer.

This beer is part of the Replicale project by The Brewers of Indiana Guild that is headed up by Sun King’s own Dave Colt. Every year Dave creates a recipe that is then brewed by any Indiana brewery that wants to participate. Replicale showcases the vast nuances that are created by individual breweries due to their particular style.

ABV: 5.8%
IBU’s: 32

Firefly Wheat

A unique and complex take on Belgian Wheat Beer. Firefly utilizes a special yeast that imparts fruity and spicy notes to the beer, which compliments the character of the wheat malt. Firefly is unfiltered and crafted from the finest quality American malts, which creates a delightful drinking experience.

ABV: 5.2%
IBU’s: 13

* * * * *
Rumor has it that we might also be seeing Sun King's Saison de Taffy, Belgian Dark, Imperial IPA, and a firkin of something.

So what's left? Tomorrow we'll have photos of the location, directions, tips, and anything else we can thing of to roundup the event info.

I think we have less than 10 tickets left right now. There will be no day-of tickets for the event. You knew that already.

HBG3 Details: Guest Beer #2 - Mad River John Barleycorn Barleywine

You already know that we'll have samples of six Sun King beers and an extensive food menu from Chef JJ at HBG3 (our third anniversary roundtable/party). You've certainly either already bought tickets or you've put the plan in place to buy a ticket for our anniversary party. You know that every minute we're growing closer to our goal for ticket sales (which will be capped at 150), and that if you snooze you lose. And of course you know that there will be no day-of tickets for the event. I'm even willing to believe that you've had the words "ticket sales will be closing Friday, August 21st at 6PM" tattooed on your forehead.

Now all you need to do is stay tuned while we roll out the beer list.


Mad River John Barleycorn Barleywine

Early on in Hoosier Beer Geek history, we reached out to the folks at Cavalier (and Mat Gerdenich specifically) to get an idea of how they handle their beer business. Mat's been a friend ever since, and he's been quite generous in providing us with a half barrel of Mad River's John Barleycorn Barleywine.

Mad River says:

Our Seasonal Offering. We honor the Harvest & Holidays each year by brewing a traditional Barleywine style ale, using a variety of ingredients.

Brewed in small 10-barrel batches with Certified Organic barley malt, this crimson hued ale has a sweet caramel nose with a zesty spicy, citrus taste. It has a slight hop finish and leaves a warm, tingling sensation on the tongue.

Starting Gravity 1.098
Finish Gravity 1.020
ABV 9.5
IBU 96

Sounds like a proper fall kick-off to me. We'll have it for you at the Hoosier Beer Geek Third Anniversary Roundtable at Sun King Brewing on August 22nd.

Congrats to our Second Shirt Winner, Thom M.

26 comments were left in our "Leave a Comment, Win a Shirt Contest 2" and after throwing the numbers into our random number generator, we came up with the number 14.

The 14th comment in the contest was left by Thom M., whose top all-time beer was Founders Breakfast Stout. Thom, you now have a few days to contact us at hoosierbeergeek@gmail.com in order to expedite the t-shirt mailing process.

Thanks to everyone for playing, and to Cavalier Distributing for the prize donation. Stay tuned, we'll have another contest very shortly.

Six Pack Interview with Mat Gerdenich of Cavalier Distributing

It's been a while since we got our often imitated/never duplicated "Six Pack Interview" on. Today, it is our friend Mat Gerdenich, whose company is the local distributor for such great beers as Mad Anthony, Warbird, Founder's, and Left Hand.

1) Who are you and where do you work?

Mat Gerdenich - Cavalier Distributing

2) What inspired you to get in the beer business? How did you get started?

There was some consolidation with craft beer distribution a while back in Indiana and some of the beer I liked was no longer available in Indiana. I was basically an unhappy consumer. My brother in law was / is a craft beer distributor in Ohio so I asked him what was going on and it became clear that there was opportunity in Indiana. Here we are now in our 6th year in business.

3) What are your personal and professional missions? What are you trying to accomplish in the beer world?

I am working hard to build a successful small business and doing what I can to quench the craft beer thirst of Hoosiers.

4) When selecting beers to distribute, do you have a beer that you benchmark all the others against? How do you know when a beer is good enough for you to distribute?

No Benchmarks. It has to make sense from a pricing and logistical standpoint. We are constantly asked can you get this beer or that beer. Those questions help to gauge if there is a demand in Indiana. I am very open minded as everyone's pallets are different and sometimes quality and personal taste get confused. I look for a well made beer that I feel will sell.


5) What is your favorite beer that you distribute? What beer line brings you the most pride? Why?

I can be kind of of moody, my favorite depends on what day it is or what I am eating or what season it is. I am proud of all our beer. It has been very rewarding to bring many brands to Indiana and watch them grow as well as take over brands that have not been successful in Indiana in the past and build them into viable brands.

6) What beers outside those you distribute do you enjoy, both domestic and imported? What beers do you wish you were distributing?

I really enjoy Alaskan Smoked Porter and Rodenbach Grand Cru. I would be happy to distribute Dogfish Head and or Bells.

Bonus: Is there anything else you would like us to know about you and your business?
I am really proud to be the only truly independent beer distributor that covers the entire state of Indiana. I like to say that I am the little guy with all the cool stuff. I would like to thank all the Indiana consumers of craft beer as they are the ones fueling our growth. I also would like to thank everyone who is working for Cavalier Distributing or has worked for us in the past as they all have been a big part of getting quality beer out to all of our retail partners.

Not So Random Beer Roundup: World Beer Cup Winner Beers Avaialable in Indiana

Indiana's brewers do good work - Shoreline, Upland, and Three Floyds were all winners at this year's World Beer Cup, held in San Diego. Of course you know that beers from those breweries are readily available from your local craft beer store - but what other medal winners are available in Indiana? We contacted (or were contacted by) our beer distributor friends and found out.

World Beer Cup Winners available from Cavalier Distributing:

Coffee Flavored Beer: Silver - Meantime Coffee Porter, Meantime Brewing Co. Limited
Bronze - Hitachino Nest Beer Espresso Stout, Kiuchi Brewing

Other Strong Ale or Lager: Gold - Dark Horizon, Nøgne Ø

German-Style Schwarzbier: Bronze - Eisenbahn Dunkel, Cervejaria Sudbrack Ltda.

Traditional German-Style Bock: Silver - Lakefront Bock, Lakefront Brewery, Inc.

Baltic-Style Porter: Bronze - Baltika N6 Porter, Baltika Breweries

Belgian-Style Sour Ale: Gold - Geuze Boon, Boon Brouwerij N.V.

Extra Special Bitter or Strong Bitter: Bronze - Stone Pale Ale, Stone Brewing Co.

Robust Porter: Silver - Porter, Nøgne Ø

Sweet Stout: Gold - Left Hand Brewing Company Milk Stout, Left Hand Brewing Co.

German-Style Pale Wheat Ale: Bronze - Weihenstephan Kristall-Weissbier, Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan

German-Style Dark Wheat Ale: Gold - Schneider Weisse Original, Schneider Weisse

South German-Style Weizenbock/Weissbock: Bronze - Aventinus Schneider Weisse

International Pale Ale: Gold - Winter Storm, Clipper City Brewing Co.
Bronze - Punk IPA, BrewDog

World Beer Cup Winners available from World Class Beverages:

American-Style Amber Lager: Bronze - Brooklyn Lager, Brooklyn Brewery
Silver - Old Scratch Amber Lager, Flying Dog Brewery

American-Style Hefeweizen: Silver - UFO Hefeweizen, Harpoon Brewery

American-Style Imperial Stout: Gold - Gonzo Imperial Porter, Flying Dog Brewery

American-Style Wheat Beer: Gold - Crystal Wheat Ale, Pyramid Breweries Inc.

Belgian- and French-Style Ale: Gold - Brugse Zot Blond, Brouwerij De Halve Maan

Belgian-Style Dark Strong Ale: Silver - Malheur 12°, Brewery Malheur

Belgian-Style Dubbel: Gold - Allagash Dubbel, Allagash Brewing Co.

Belgian-Style Pale Strong Ale: Gold - La Fin du Monde, La Brasserie Unibroue

Belgian-Style Tripel : Gold - Affligem Tripel, Affligem Brewery
Silver - Allagash Tripel, Allagash Brewing Co.
Bronze - Westmalle Trappist Tripel, Westmalle Trappist Brewery

Belgian-Style White (or Wit)/Belgian-Style Wheat: Silver - Ommegang Witte, Brewery Ommegang

British-Style Imperial Stout: Gold - Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, Brooklyn Brewery

Brown Porter : Gold - Porter, Bell's Brewery, Inc.

Classic English-Style Pale Ale: Gold - MacTarnahan's Amber Ale, Pyramid Breweries Inc.



Imperial or Double India Pale Ale: Bronze - Dread Naught, Three Floyds Brewing Co.

Imperial or Double Red Ale: Gold - Behemoth, Three Floyds Brewing Co.

Old Ale: Silver - Upland Winter Warmer, Upland Brewing Co.

Other Belgian-Style Ale: Silver - Malheur Brut Reserve, Brewery Malheur

Specialty Beer: Gold -Morimoto Soba Ale, Rogue Ales*
Bronze - Morimota Black Obi Soba Ale, Rogue Ales*

Specialty Honey Lager or Ale: Bronze - Midas Touch, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

Wood- and Barrel-aged Strong Beer: Bronze - Allagash Curieux, Allagash Brewing Co.

*I'm a fan of these beers - Though I prefer the Black Obi variety. Hopefully we'll get around to reviewing them soon.

Roundtable #31 - Hey look kids, Big Ben, Parliament

When it comes to international travels, I'm sad to say that mine are very much lacking. I've spent a week in Canada getting drunk, and over the years, I've spent a week in EPCOT getting drunk.

Actually, getting drunk in EPCOT is a pretty good time. Especially right now, as they are having their annual International Food and Wine Festival until November 11th. Last year, my family and I went. My father, brother-in-law, and I decided to drink around the world. There are 15 international beers represented here, plus another 10 from Sam Adams. Yes, it was expensive, and yes there are better beers in America, but come on, what could be better than getting so drunk at Disney World that you start smacking random asses?

My apologies to Eeyore.

But if you aren't able to make it to Disney World, know that several Indy bars are able to cover your international desires. And between MacNiven's and the Chatham Tap, the beers of the UK are more than adequately covered on Massachusetts Avenue alone.

The ChatTap is a great place with several English beers on tap. On Thursdays, the English pints are $4. On this particular night, I tried 4 different draughts. In order, they were Boddington's Pub Ale, Wychwood Brewery's Hobgoblin Ale, Fuller's ESB, and Tetley's English Ale. In ranking the four, in order, they were Fuller's ESB, Tetley's English Ale, Wychwood Brewery's Hobgoblin Ale, and Boddington's Pub Ale.

With the exception of Monty Python and most anything on Channel 4, England is pretty reserved. And this definitely goes for their ales. We American's really relish being in your face, from extreme sports to film and television. And that goes for beers, as well.

So in many respects, I think our tongues are numbed to quality beers that don't pack a ton of punch in either the malt or hops categories. Which is probably why many are shifting away from imported beers to craft American beers.

Because of that, my initial thoughts were that the Hobgoblin English brown ale seemed watered down compared to other brown's that I have sampled. Of course, I seem to have to chew the other brown beers that I have had. So which is more correct?

And the aroma seemed to be very light. Or is it that my nose has been blown away by so many micro-brews that throw everything including the kitchen sink into their mix that you feel like you are smelling a smorgasbord?

When the Knights of the Beer Round Table review beers and assign scores, there is no scientific process. We score we as we please. Making us a bit like the Olympic judges for figure skating.

Yes, I made a figure skating reference. And I like Broadway musicals. You got a problem, wit dat?

In selecting a rating for this beer, it was difficult. This isn't a blow you out of the water type of beer. But I enjoyed it. It went well with the fish and chips that I sampled (thank you Gina). So how do I rate this?

I looked over the other beers we have reviewed, decided where it would fit in terms of drinking preference. In the end, I settled on a 3.0 mug (or would that be a pint, since we are doing the English thing tonight?) rating. It's good enough that I would order it again. It's good enough that I would even have some in my fridge next to the Guinness that I keep. And it's good enough that if I were in the ChatTap drinking pints and watching soccer, I'd order it more than once.

And a quick thanks to all who came out to drink with us, including Mat from Cavalier Distributing.

And apologies to everyone who is without children that listened to Mat and I go on and on about our experiences with family life.

Roundtable #31 | Wychwood Brewery's Hobgoblin Ale @ the Chatham Tap

As Mike noted, we convened at the Chatham Tap for Roundtable #31. This was my third visit to the Tap but the first time I tried anything from the beer menu. In the interest of brevity, I won't repeat Mike's sentiments on the establishment or its beer selection, with which I largely agree.

Since we met at a pub that prominently displays the Three Lions and St. George's Cross in the front window, I thought it only proper to focus on the Tap's English beers. On that note, I started the night with a Boddington's Pub Ale, which is an old standby for me from the many soccer tailgate parties I've been to. On the occasions that I've had this nitrogen-infused beer out of a pub draft can, it had a creamy mouthfeel and a smooth, drinkable flavor. But the Boddington's I had at the Tap was somewhat watery, lacking the typical Boddington's creaminess. I could only guess that my taste buds have become "shot" from drinking so many flavorful beers over the past year, or that perhaps the keg was old.

Wychwood Hobgoblin Ale--Sammy Terry's beer of choice?

Undeterred by the lackluster warm-up beer, I moved on (with the rest of the group) to our feature beer, Wychwood Brewery's Hobgoblin Ale. The Hobgoblin seemed like a well-suited beer for us to review at this time of year considering its billing as "The Unofficial Beer of Halloween." While Wychwood classifies Hobgoblin as a "Strong Dark Ale," it seems to me that it's really a brown ale (indeed, that's what every beer review site I've visited lists as Hobgoblin's style classification). I found Hobgoblin to be dark (it has a nice mahogany hue), but I certainly didn't find either the nose or the flavor to be strong. Part of the problem, I believe, was the temperature at which this beer was served. The proper serving temperature for an ale of this type is cellar temperature (in the mid to high 50s). But the Hobgoblin arrived at the table as if it had been stored in a walk-in cooler. As a consequence, I didn't get any nose off of this beer at first, and the taste was bland, albeit slightly coffee-ish. As the beer warmed, the nose pepped up a little, giving off slightly caramel, coffee, and toffee notes. But the flavor, in my opinion, was still underwhelming.

Mike is right on the money with his rating of 2.3 mugs on this beer. Hobgoblin is not a bad beer, and one that I'd be willing to try again. But there are better offerings from the U.K. out there (cf. Young's Double Chocolate Stout).

Before I close, I have to thank the HBG readers who joined us for the roundtable (come again!) and to Mat Gerdenich of Cavalier Distributing, who wowed us with his beer IQ.

Roundtable #31 - Brown is Boring - Wychwood Hobgoblin

Warning: post contains soccer talk

Last evening four of the knights met up with six guests at Mass Ave's Chatham Tap for an evening of introductions and beer conversation. We were led by Cavalier Distributing's Mat Gerdenich, who provided us with a full plate of beer topics - from the struggles of a beginning beer business, the methods in which beer is introduced to a state, to the upcoming beer price hike (futher explained in this post at the Clipper City beer blog). Mat's advice? Stock up now, and expect to see price hikes in January.

We also reviewed a few beers. Because the Chatham Tap is an American bar aspiring to be British, I started the night with BBC's Nut Brown Ale - an English style brown made by an American microbrewery. This was a coke-colored, dead and dark looking beer, with a caramel and nut nose. It had a chewy mouthfeel and a smooth finish, with a taste that echoed the nose. It was a very agreeable beer, but I just felt like it needed a bit more "life" in it. Or maybe some hops, although that probably wouldn't fit the style profile.

Our featured beer was Wychwood's Hobgoblin, an authentic English brown ale. It had the same coke-color as the BBC, with a faint metallic alcohol nose, and a thin head. While the nose was somewhat promising, the beer was watery, with no front or middle, and a sweet peppery bite on the back.

Wychwood's website had this to say about the Hobgoblin:

Hobgoblin is strong in roasted malt with a moderate hoppy bitterness and slight fruity character that lasts through to the end. The ruby red coloured Hobgoblin is full-bodied and has a delicious chocolate toffee malt flavour balanced with a rounded moderate bitterness and an overall fruity character.

Sound really good, doesn't it? Too bad I didn't drink what they're describing. In any case, this wasn't a bad beer - it just wasn't a great beer. 2.3 Mugs

As for the Chatham Tap, it seems like a pretty nice place - soccer friendly, clean and classy, decent food... I'm not so sure about the England soccer scarf over the bar. They couldn't have gone with US Soccer? But maybe I just dislike Eurosnobs, and I'm afraid that the place is run by one. I guess in the end it's nice that we've got enough soccer-friendly options that I can complain about the scarves on the wall. At least they were nice enough to put the MLS game on the tv.

One of our guests noted that he had come in on a Saturday to catch a Fulham match and was turned away because football was on... not a good sign, especially considering that they've got Liverpool and Manchester United scarves on the wall. Hopefully this was just a mixup within staff - I can't imagine the owner is paying extra money for soccer channels just so people can be turned away. It makes me nervous though - I had considered coming downtown to watch a game, but knowing I might not be able to means I'd rather stay on the couch at home.

Chatham Tap also has a nice beer selection, but I wish there was a little more varience in the options. It's nice that they've got 15 English beers, but I anyone really interested in 15 English beers? Having drank my first two browns, I looked for a "go to" beer, a beer that I knew I was going to like. There really weren't a lot of options there, and I ended up with a Bell's Two Hearted - not a bad beer, but not a favorite, either. There's not really anything on the menu that's going to knock you out.

Having said all that, I enjoyed the Chatham Tap, and I'll be back - but there's definitely room for improvement.

Roundtable #28: I'm slowly bugging the piss out of Jim and the others

First, it was my assertions that "The Breakfast Club" is a chick flick (the poll stated that 2/3's of you disagree with me, which is fine. Just remember, the majority of voters voted for W in the last election, and they were ALL WRONG!).

Then, it is because I like to sing along with the likes of Grover Washington Jr. and accompany myself on the air bass. And yes, for the record, I like Will Smith, the musician and the actor.

I topped it all off with my exclamation that I thought "Anchorman" was a stupid movie. To which all the other Knights gang tackled me and gave me purple nurples until I cried "uncle". By the way, guys, my left nipple is still bleeding a little, thank you very much.

To be honest, I think they are all trying to turn me into some zombie that worships all things they do. By this time next year, I fear I'll be saying things like:

*Molly Ringwald is the second coming of Katharine Hepburn.

*John Hughes is like a god. His movies are like video clips of my soul.

*Music isn't worth listening to unless it is difficult to find and it is only available on vinyl. A pox on FM radio! All hail CBGB!

*Richard Pryor? George Carlin? Lenny Bruce? Bill Cosby? Steve Martin? Cheap hacks, all of them. Will Ferrell is such an intelligent comedian that is very approachable to the common man.

Thankfully, despite our differences, we all can agree that drinking beer is a good thing. And drinking good beers is a great thing. So let's talk beer...

As mentioned by others, we first visited the office and warehouse of Cavalier Distributing, who represents many great beers including a ton of German beers. As Bob O. pointed out, that is probably a good thing for them, considering the number of German descended populations in southern Indiana. They served us Weihenstephaner Dunkel Weiss, which is a very pleasant beer. Very tasty. We'll have to do a further review at a later time.

After the visit, we headed to the Kellerbar at the Rathskeller to continue our German beer rampage. Next up: Weihenstephaner Oktoberfest. Now, Weihenstephaner is not one of the six breweries of Munich, so their Oktoberfest is not an official Oktoberfest beer. But it was worth drinking. One of the great things about O-fest beers is the variety (and I'll go into more detail in a later posting). This particular beer has many similarities to a Belgian. Yeasty in nose; citrusy in taste. Very cloudy to look at. Drinkable, at least to me. Not my favorite of the Oktoberfest beers, but worth ordering if you find yourself at the Rathskeller. I give it 3 mugs.

Erdinger Hefe Weissbier Dark came up as a disappointment to most everyone. From the looks and description, we should have been on cloud nine. I don't know if it is because it was served at such a cold temperature, but there was no taste or scent to the dark beer. I was just shocked. As it warmed up, some very very very very very very very very slight notes of roasted malts started to come out. But nothing too special. Again, I'm going to try this again sometime, only at home where I can control the starting temperature. And I'll make it the first beer I drink. Because I fear that perhaps with all the super strong super flavored beers that American craft breweries are coming out with, that perhaps my taste buds are numbed to more subtle flavors. Like Mike, I give it a 1.5 mug rating because it just didn't impress. But for the record, I'd take this over BudMillerCoors any day and twice on Sunday.

Post script: for the record, I don't dislike Will Ferrell. He has some very funny movies and characters. Also, I like the Clash. I also like Grover Washington Jr. Really, there isn't much musically that I dislike. And I enjoy many John Hughes movies. Just not the chick flick ones that star that red-headed devil Molly.

Roundtable #28 | Smooth Jazz Epidemic

"Grover Washington, Jr. (December 12, 1943 - December 17, 1999) was an American soul-jazz musician. Along with John Klemmer, George Benson, David Sanborn, Bob James, Chuck Mangione, Herb Alpert, and Spyro Gyra, he is considered by many to be one of the founding fathers of the smooth jazz genre."

This is the Wikipedia entry for Grover Washington, Jr. If you're 35 or older, you might remember Grover's greatest hit, "Just the Two of Us." If you're younger than 35, you probably remember "Just the Two of Us" as a Will Smith song, in which he sampled Grover's original.

We got a big ol' dose of Grover at the Rathskeller last night, continuing the grievous aural assault of that most heinous musical genre which began during my visit to Florida. I don't know what was more frightening--the fact that a beloved beer hall was foisting this stuff upon me and my fellow knights (after previously playing the Only Band That Ever Mattered, no less) or the fact that Jason seemed to know the lyrics and bass-line to every single Grover song. I don't know whether it was my imagination, but I seem to recall that blood was trickling out of Kelly's left ear...

Actually, I think I know what our bartender was up to with his musical selection--we were getting close to closing time, and he was simply using Grover as a hint to us to settle up and leave. He was, however, kind enough to switch to something more musically palatable upon request. Thus ended Jason's air guitar routine.

Anyway, I've paid many a visit to the Rathskeller, and most Indy dwellers are already familiar with the place, so I won't bother you with a lengthy recounting of my impressions of our physical surroundings. Suffice it for me to say that I love the place and you should visit it if you haven't been there yet.

The beers reviewed:

Weihenstephaner Oktoberfest - Cloudy golden color with no lacing. Sweet, yeasty nose, sort of Belgian in character. A pleasant, slightly hoppy flavor. High drinkability. A decent but not outstanding offering. 2.5 Mugs.

Erdinger Hefe Weissbier Dark - As Mike noted, served with an orange slice. Thick tan head, dark brown in color. I expected a chewy beer, but alas, was mistaken. Tasted like water infused with copper and zinc. So unimpressive that I couldn't finish it. I handed it over to Jason. I think that this was the only beer I've not been able to finish at a roundtable. 0.5 Mugs.

A note on our visit to Cavalier Distributing. Thanks to Bob Ostrander of Indiana Beer for inviting us and to Mat Gerdenich of Cavalier Distributing for the enlightening tour and the excellent beer. Mat gave us some Weihenstephaner Dunkel Weiss. A really unique and tasty offering. Reddish-gold coloring with an ample golden head. Had a sweet, yeasty nose and a flavor that followed suit. Definitely the best of our German beers on the night. I'm not going to give this one a mug rating in hopes that we'll review it in the future. Trust me when I say that this beer is uber pleasing (that's my feeble attempt at speaking German).

Roundtable #28 - The Rathskeller Kellerbar - Wo kann ich mir meine VokuHila Frisur blondieren lassen?

A sudden rescheduling meant that we had to officially cancel the Rathskeller roundtable. We had a late invite to visit Cavalier Distributing with Bob Ostrander from Indiana Beer and members of the Foam Blowers of Indiana. We're always anxious to meet the people behind the beer, so we took Bob up on the offer, thinking that we might not make it to the Rathskeller.

But we did make it to the Rathskeller, just a little bit later than our previous plans. Having never been to the Rathskeller myself, it was quite an experience. The interior is dimly lit, spacious, and just feels like a place where a person should be drunk. From where I was sitting, I could see into the adjacent room, where a group of banquet tables reminded me a bit of a VFW hall. I don't mean that as a slight - the place had a very homey, comfortable sort of feel. There are also a ton of moose heads on display in the Kellerbar - so many that I started to wonder if perhaps the Rathskeller was personally responsible for my lack of previous moose sightings.

As the night wore on and we discussed our vast knowledge of all things German (ie. I know that Moritz Volz is funny and one of my favorite Germans), I got more and more comfortable with the Kellerbar - so much so that I said and wrote a few thing in my notes that I probably normally wouldn't have. After repeatedly insulting children (in jest, but nevertheless...), I went on to note that the Rathskeller seemed to be the sort of place with 5 attractive women and 100 guys in cargo shorts and button up shirts - though I suspect that was just the biergarten on the Thursday night. As an added bonus, In my notes I wrote "Fuck off, Germany*" Of course I don't mean that - it was just that sort of night I guess - aided by the beer, which unfortunately wasn't that good.

Weihenstephaner Oktoberfest - This one appeared to have a cloudy golden color (it was pretty dark in the room, so I might be off a bit) with thin lacing. Jason and I had beer from the new keg; and the difference between kegs seemed to have some effect on the head on the beer. The beer had a sweet though very slight nose, and a slightly watery front. The taste really hit the middle of the tongue - I picked up a hint of plum, but overall this was a very light, watery, and drinkable beer. After eating a bit of pretzel with spicy mustard, I picked up some vanilla notes, which also hit right in the middle of the tongue. Everything was a bit middle about this beer - middle of the road. 2.5 Mugs.

Erdinger Hefe Weissbier Dark - The menu describes this one as follows: A refreshingly rich, smooth weissbier with a full-bodied flavor. Fine hops and dark malts contribute to its spicy flavor. Yeah.... not so much. This beer was served with an orange slice (removed immediately), which probably should have been a good indicator that it didn't have much going on. A think white head on a black/brown Guinness-like body had to be worked out of the glass by our server. A sweet, fruity Belgian-like nose gave way to the most alkaline tasting beer I've ever had. This beer basically tasted like putting your tongue on a battery. We thought that perhaps the beer just needed time to warm, but further drinking proved that it just wasn't that good. Sort of like a Belgian sour, minus the sour. 1.5 Mugs.

Despite the poor showing from the beers, I'm sure I'll be back to the Rathskeller - it's just a really comfortable, enjoyable environment. And the beer selection is pretty top notch as well. As an added bonus, I think the tax on our bill was off, which lead to me undertipping our server. I'm sure he's not a HBG reader, but I'd like to offer up my apologies anyway. I'll get you next time.


*Translated: Where can I get my mullet highlighted?

*Added Note: Give us back our bicycles

A letter to Mat Gerdenich, Cavalier Distributing

Dear Mat,

Last evening, while enjoying a selection of beers from a selection of breweries, the conversation turned to Cavalier, and your selection of beers.

Unlike World Class, your company doesn't seem to have a web site. There's nothing wrong with that; it's just that we tend to do most of our "business" on the web. We'd like to know more about Cavalier - we're only about drinking and promoting beer here - and we don't know where to turn.

Can you help us out, Mat? Can you or someone else from Cavalier meet us out for a beer? Leave a comment, send an email... we'd love to hear from you.

Thanks,

The Hoosier Beer Geeks