Indiana Lagers You Should Be Drinking

I've been saying for a while now that too many craft beer lovers ignore lagers. Yet I can understand why this is. Just about all of us started our beer-drinking lives with an American adjunct lager like Budweiser. When we graduated to craft beer, we did so because we were seeking more flavor. And over time, our palates craved more and more intensity.

I was once this kind of craft beer drinker. But now, I'm in the same camp as Jeff Alworth of Beervana when he says that some of us craft beer drinkers have unnecessarily confined ourselves to a love of radical beer styles when we should try to appreciate the simpler styles.

We're into freedom of choice in this country. I can't force you to like certain beers, nor would I even try. We all have different palates after all. However, I can encourage you break out of the rut into which you may have fallen. I can encourage you to give lagers another chance.

Like ales, lagers vary in flavor profile, from malt-forward Bocks to hop-forward Pilsners to smoky Rauchbiers. My favorite style is the Vienna or Amber Lager, which is a copper-colored beer with a prevalent caramel malt base and a crisp hop finish. This style is exemplified by Great Lakes Brewing's Eliot Ness Amber Lager (which unfortunately isn't available in central Indiana). I'm also partial to the straw-colored Bohemian Pilsner with its spicy hop notes and clean malt finish. Among the better American-brewed Bohemian Pilsners is Oskar Blues' Mama's Little Yella Pils.

Luckily for us Hoosiers, Indiana breweries are producing some excellent lagers. Here are a few that we think are worth seeking out:

Fountain Square Workingman's Pilsner - The 2012 Hoosier Beer Geek Beer of the Year.
Outliers Blau Machen Pilsner - One of the flagship beers from Ted Miller's new brewing venture.
People's Pilsner - A Hoosier Beer Geek favorite.
Sun King Oktoberfest - When Märzen season arrives, put this in your bier stein.
Three Floyds Gorch Fock - This seasonal Helles rolls out during the summer.
Thr3e Wise Men Hot for Teacher Ms. Doppelbock - Silver Medal Winner, 2014 World Beer Cup, Category 41: German-Style Doppelbock or Eisbock

KOTBR #138 | Fountain Square Times Two

We make no secret of the fact that we like Fountain Square. Poll all seven of us and most (if not all) of us will tell you that it's our favorite Indianapolis neighborhood.

We love the neighborhood for both sentimental and practical reasons. As for the sentimental reasons, Fountain Square is where the seed of Hoosier Beer Geek was planted and began to grow. Indeed, when we started regularly doing roundtables in 2006, we made the now-defunct Deano's Vino our unofficial base of operations. We also used to hold HBG parties at Deano's, and our first anniversary party was there as well.

As for the practical reasons, Fountain Square is close to where most of us live. Add to this the fact that the neighborhood is finally coming into its own as a cultural destination in the city and we wonder why we would spend our entertainment dollars anywhere else in Indianapolis. We still love places like Broad Ripple and Mass Ave. But Fountain Square is where the city's young cultural heart truly beats.

We'll get out to different parts of the city for future roundtables. But for our most recent roundtable, we found ourselves back in Fountain Square to hit up two new establishments: La Margarita (1043 Virginia Avenue, 317.848.1457) and End of the Line Public House (1105 Shelby Street, 317.687.4857).

In addition to offering hearty Mexican fare and a well-rounded selection of premium tequilas, La Margarita has six craft taps and a good bottle selection. Proprietor Jon Carlos Rangel likes to stock off-the-beaten-path craft beers. For example, about a month ago, we enjoyed some Three Floyds/Dogfish Head Poppaskull on tap. Currently, Belgian quad Urthel Samaranth is on draft.



As for End of the Line, Fountain Square finally has a bar devoted solely to craft beer with the recent addition of this bar. The End of the Line has ten taps, mostly local, along with a diverse menu of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, and pizzas. The menu also has a good selection of vegetarian dishes.



While at La Margarita, we had People's Pilsner from Lafayette's People's Brewing Company.

Mike: The nose on this beer is sweet like sweet corn (minus the flaws implied) or those powdered sugar Christmas cookies. The beer is sweet and clean throughout, finishes clean but not particularly dry. Clean, agreeable, drinkable, all things a pils should be. 4.00 Mugs.


Gina: Brewed for its working-class citizen coal miners and steel workers, the original Dortmunder-style pilsner was made to be full-bodied and thirst-quenching. It needed to be hearty enough to satisfy the strongest of thirsts. The history of the style is quite fascinating if you’re into that sort of thing.

People’s gave a nod to this style with People's Pilsner. Their rendition takes advantage of the hard water in Lafayette. This, along with Caramalt and Santium hops, gives this beer a balance of sweet and bitter. This beer is full-bodied with a slightly dry finish and absolutely loaded with flavor for a 4.5% ABV beer. If I had not just come from dinner, this beer would have been perfect with just about everything at La Margarita. 3.60 Mugs.

Jim: This beer stood out to me because of its spicy finish. Indeed, the beer left my palate with a peppery note. I'm used to a bitter finish on pilsners, but the peppery bitterness in People's Pilsner was quite memorable. A great representation of the style and one that I'll now be seeking out more often. 4.00 Mugs.


After finishing our People's Pilsners, we headed over to End of the Line to have Flat12 Bierwerks' Walkabout Pale Ale. Flat12 just celebrated their one-year anniversary, where they featured some outstanding variations on some of the flagship beers they brew.

Gina: For last year’s ReplicAle, the Brewers of Indiana Guild chose a single hop pale ale. Each brewery chose their hop and brewed their beer based on a recipe created by brewmaster Liz Laughlin of Rock Bottom College Park. Flat12 chose Galaxy as their hop and brewed their beer. It was a smash hit at the festival, and they found themselves replacing their existing Puppet Show Pale Ale for this delightful new brew. It has a tropical fruity aroma that is so nice, it is almost relaxing. Malt shines through in this beer as well, making it a well-balanced brew. 4.00 Mugs.


Jim: I poured beer at the ReplicAle tent at last summer's Indiana Microbrewers Festival, and Gina is correct when she calls Flat12's Walkabout a "smash hit." Above all other ReplicAles, festival attendees were clamoring for this beer. The keg blew quickly, and for good reason. Not only is this beer fairly sessionable at 5.3% ABV, it's brimming with flavor with its mango, passion fruit, and grapefruit attributes. That being said, it doesn't overwhelm your palate, making it a good beer for multiple-pint sittings. I don't know that I'd put Walkabout in the quite the same class as Three Floyds Zombie Dust, but it's pretty close. 4.45 Mugs.


Mike: Grapefruity, biscuity, fuck who needs another goddamn pale ale review. This one is fucking good though. Chewy chewy chewy. I like a little more malt, but I can't fault the beer. 4.00 Mugs.

People's Pilsner
Mike: 4.00 Mugs | Gina: 3.60 Mugs | Jim: 4.00 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 3.87 Mugs

Flat12 Bierwerks Walkabout Pale Ale
Mike: 4.00 Mugs | Gina: 4.00 Mugs | Jim: 4.45 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 4.15 Mugs

Unsung Heroes of Indiana Craft Beer - Lagers

On January 28, the Brewers of Indiana Guild will stage the fourth annual Winterfest, which will of course feature offerings from Indiana's craft breweries. In honor of Winterfest, we've decided to focus most of our posts this month on Indiana beers. After all, this blog is called *Hoosier* Beer Geek.

As part of this focus, we thought it would be a good idea to shine the spotlight on Indiana beers that are overlooked or underrated--the unsung heroes of Indiana craft beer, if you will.

Admittedly, our methods in picking these beers are not scientific; some of the beers that we'll talk about have won awards. Yet these award-winning beers are often left out of the conversation when beer geeks in this state discuss their favorites, which is why these beers are on our list of unsung heroes. In addition, our list of unsung heroes is going to focus on only one beer from each Indiana brewery we discuss. This means that other beers from the same brewery that aren't on our list may be worthy of being included as an unsung hero. Further, we may have omitted a brewery who brews one or more beers worthy of the unsung heroes list. In that case, please leave a comment noting the beer/brewery that you think should have been included.

First up, we'll focus on a style that many beer geeks seem to overlook, dismiss, and sometimes malign: lagers. Let's face it--many if not all of the most acclaimed beers in this state are ales, not lagers. But Indiana breweries are producing some fantastic lagers. We'd like to focus your attention on two: Upland Preservation Pilsner and People's Pilsner.

We reviewed Upland's Bohemian-style pilsner a few years ago and were left craving more.

Here's what we had to say about Preservation Pilsner at the time:

Jim: Preservation Pilsner had the classic golden lager hue, biscuity nose, and sweet and grassy finish. It carried a nice hop bite as well, which lent it a good heft that kept it from coming across as watery. All in all, an impressive pilsner, and one that I wouldn't hesitate to stock my fridge with for hot summer days.

Gina:: The beer's lightly citrus aroma led to a bready flavor and finished crisp and dry. This is a fine beer worth revisiting again, preferably outside when it's hot...maybe with some barbecue.

Chris: Count me among those who generally aren't too keen on beers made with lager yeast. I'll admit that's a broad stroke, but I find the wide range of flavors produced by ale yeasts much more interesting. Given my prejudice, Upland Preservation Pilsner had a hill to climb. I have to say, though, this is one mighty fine pilsner. Crystal clear, bready and crisp with a dose of grassy hops, this is a beer that can really quench your thirst . . . .

You can drink Preservation Pilsner with a good conscience as well because the brewery donates 10% of the profits from the sale of the beer to environmental causes.

As for People's Pilsner, we met for a roundtable last week in which we reviewed this spicy Dortmunder-style pilsner, so our complete thoughts on the beer are forthcoming. Suffice it to say for now that like Upland's pilsner, People's Pilsner is among the best Indiana lagers out there. Indeed, this beer makes us feel lucky that the good folks at People's make this beer fairly-widely available in Indianapolis.

Beer Diary #23 | Jim - A Tale of Two IPA's

Date: 10 October 2011
Location: Twenty Tap
Meridian-Kessler/South Broad Ripple

Autumn is here, and the warm weather is soon to depart. This means that at taps all over town, hoppy beers are starting to make way for malty beers. So on a recent visit to Twenty Tap for my monthly book club meeting, I decided to delve into a few hoppier ales before the beer menu there becomes dominated by hearty, maltier offerings.

A quick word about the book club -- it's composed of lit nerds who are also beer geeks. Therefore, we meet each month at a different craft-beer-centric establishment to discuss the book selection for that month. Beer consumption + lit discussion = a fun combination, especially when we talk about a book like The Sparrow, which was our latest selection. If you dig books that focus on the theme of "Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People" and you don't mind weird and disturbing twists, you'll like The Sparrow. The book certainly generated some of the liveliest conversation the club has had to date.

Back to the beer. Twenty Tap has two great IPA's on at the moment (well, as of Monday 10/10), both from Indiana brewers, and both of which represent two ends of the IPA spectrum:

People's Space Cowboy: 9.5% ABV if I remember correctly, hopped with Galaxy among a few others. Copper/amber in color. This double IPA stands on the sweet end of the style, with a resinous mouthfeel and huge pineapple notes in the nose and flavor. The sweetness, however, was not cloying and balanced out the hops well. Heavy but amazingly drinkable.

New Albanian Yakima Rye IPA: 7.5% ABV, hopped with Cascade, Centennial, and Columbus. Golden in color. In contrast to Space Cowboy, Yakima is on the dry end of the IPA spectrum. The grapefruit and pine attributes present in the nose and flavor are striking. My notes say "angular" in reference to the flavor. That's the best adjective that I was able to conjure up at the time, but I'm not even sure now what "angular" means. I suppose "bitter" might have been better adjective. But yeah, Yakima carries a powerful hop bite and is delicious. If you miss this beer at Twenty Tap, bombers are still available in town.

KOTBR #117 - Canadian Thanksgiving with Peter Brewster

As has become Hoosier Beer Geek tradition, the Knights of the Beer Roundtable gathered on the Sunday after Thanksgiving to celebrate our collective culinary capabilities and to give thanks for beer. No Thanksgiving feast would be complete without remembering those who came before us, and it is with that in mind that we share two forgotten stories from Thanksgivings past with you now.

Many stories have been told of the traditional first Thanksgiving at Plymouth Colony in 1621. But not many know the story of Peter Brewster, the younger half brother of William Brewster. I’m here to fix that for you.

Peter was an aloof man known for being lazy and always putting things off. It earned him the nickname Procrastinating Pete. It was because of Procrastinating Pete that the launch of the Mayflower to the “New World” was delayed several times. He kept oversleeping and missing the scheduled launch.

Finally, his older brother Will said, “Screw that wanker” and decided to leave without him. Distraught that he would be left behind without a brother to mooch from, Pete borrowed a dinghy and set sail across the ocean.

It was a surprise to no one that Procrastinating Pete arrived in Plymouth just in time for Thanksgiving supper. He was very hungry and thirsty, having only brought four bags of Doritos, a dozen sticks of beef jerky, and a case of Four Loko with him on the journey.

One of the pilgrims offered him a drink upon his arrival: “Hey Procrastinator! Want a beer?”

“Hells yes, people!” And it was a delicious beer, smooth and malty. And from that day forward, the beer would be known as the People’s Procrastinator Helles.


That winter, Procrastinating Pete found himself in a pickle. He hadn’t made any provisions to feed himself during the cold months and was very hungry. Again. His brother Will was frustrated but took pity on him. “I have a cow in the barn,” Will said. “Take it and trade it for food.”

Pete walked the cow to a trading post run by an old Norseman who was the descendant of explorers that traveled with Leif Erikson. His name was Jofur Herjolfsson, but everybody knew him as Trader Joe.

“I’ll give you some beans for that cow,” Joe said.

“I don’t know,” replied Pete, “that doesn’t sound like much.”

“Tell ya what, someday there will be a chain of stores named in my honor. And they will have beer there. I will give you a bottle of Ale on Lees from 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010.”

“That’s like 400 years from now? I won’t be alive then,” Pete replied.

Joe thought about it and came up with a shrewd reply. “Those beans are magic beans. They’ll let you live forever!”

Procrastinating Pete was very gullible. He made the trade and immediately ate the beans. At first, they just gave him gas. But much to Joe’s surprise, the beans did make Pete immortal. Which is why he recently stopped at Trader Joe’s in Castleton and picked up his vertical of beer.

The 2007 vintage was his favorite, as the flavors seemed to be tastefully blended. 2008 and 2009 had sharper tastes and more booze in his mind. The 2010 vintage was completely different, being very mellow and thin in mouthfeel right out of the gate.

And that’s the story of Procrastinating Pete. Don’t you feel more enlightened for having heard it?

People's Procrastinator Helles
Jason: 3.8 Mugs | Mike: 3.33 Mugs | Jess: 3.8 Mugs | Rodney: 3.5 Mugs | Gina: 3.6 Mugs | Chris: 2.9 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 3.48 Mugs

While Jason may have just filled you in on American Thanksgiving, we Canadians* know that your Thanksgiving stories and traditions pale in comparison to ours. But before I bring you up to speed on Canadian Thanksgiving, I'll start with a quick lesson in Canadian history.

In 1480, the great Czech King Petr Prcrztnate decided that it was high time for the Czech Republic Navy to claim its rightful place among the worlds greatest navies. He brought his most trusted Admiral, Kanada Kolumbus, to his castle in Ostrava, and gave him a choice of three missions:

1) Win the America's Cup
2) Participate in the Red Bull Flugtag
3) Discover a new country

Admiral Kolumbus was a drunk; he knew that he had no chance of winning the America's Cup. And he knew that the Red Bull Flugtag was for hippies - he was an admiral! He had no time for hippies, even if he had a drug problem and lack of ambition himself. He knew that discovering a new country would be difficult. But given his options, it seemed like the one he would most likely be able to complete. And so he set forth from Ostrava in four vessels - the Nela, the Fanta, the Santa Meringue, and Russel - very hard going considering that Ostrava borders no sea or river. But just as he reached the Czech Republic/Germany border, he received word from King Prcrztnate. "Wait!"

And so he did, for many years - 11 to be perfectly clear. It was then, finally, that the Admiral and his four ships set course for a new country. Any country.

When asked why he made Kolumbus wait so long, the King Prcrztnate said, "Well, I...I just thought...What's the hurry?"

It was while carrying his boats on horseback through Munich that Kolumbus told his story to the locals, and they decided to award his predicament by brewing a beer to mock the Czech king. Thus Prcrztnator Helles was born.


Of course it wasn't until 1491 that Kanada Kolumbus reached what today is known as Canada. When Kolumbus finally reached Canadian shores, he was greeted by four Chiefs of the Loki tribe, each of them presenting him with a bottle of Ale on Lees. Now considered as the founders of modern day Canada, these Four Loko (much like a group of gooses are called geese, a group of Loki are called Loko) helped Kolumbus and his men found the city now known as Leduc (city motto: "This place is Leduculous!") and it is in their honor that we gather each year on Canadian Thanksgiving to drink four bottles of Ale on Lees.

*I'm not Canadian

Trader Joe's Vintage Ale 2007 (by Unibroue)
Mike: 3.6 Mugs | Jason: 3.75 Mugs | Jess: 3.1 Mugs | Rodney: 3.6 Mugs | Gina: 3.3 Mugs | Chris: 3.9 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 3.54 Mugs

Trader Joe's Vintage Ale 2008 (by Unibroue)
Mike: 3.6 Mugs | Jason: 3.5 Mugs | Jess: 2.8 Mugs | Rodney: 3.5 Mugs | Gina: 3.1 Mugs | Chris: 3.9 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 3.4 Mugs

Trader Joe's Vintage Ale 2009 (by Unibroue)
Mike: 3.9 Mugs | Jason: 3.25 Mugs | Jess: 3.3 Mugs | Rodney: 3.0 Mugs | Gina: 3.2 Mugs | Chris: 3.9 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 3.42 Mugs

Trader Joe's Vintage Ale 2010 (by Unibroue)
Mike: 3.8 Mugs | Jason: 3.33 Mugs | Jess: 3.6 Mugs | Rodney: 3.3 Mugs | Gina: 3.4 Mugs | Chris: 3.9 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 3.55 Mugs

KOTBR #116 - Hop Kizzle, fo shizzle

Black Swan Brewpub
2067 E. Hadley Road
Plainfield, IN  46168
facebook / @BlackSwanBP on twitter

This recently opened pub in Plainfield brings Westside residents a fine selection of local craft beer.  Their website boasts "16 taps and no crap", a sentiment we can wholly support.  DJ and crew are currently prepping their space so they can start brewing early 2011, but for now their taps house 15 local beers and 1 delicious cider from Minneapolis.  They also have a wide selection of meads from Indiana's own New Day Meadery.  Not only is the selection varied, but they offer half pours, allowing patrons to explore a variety of local beer.

To wash down that fine selection of beer is an equally fine food menu.  Chef Nick Carter has some exciting things on the menu like Pan Fried Chicken, Brewpub stuffed peppers, and frites with a variety of tosses and dips (Bacon Aioli!).

Saturday, December 4th will be Black Swan's official Grand Opening celebration.  They will be tapping Three Floyds Alpha Klaus and Poppaskull around 5pm.

By the way, did I mention we put the hip in HopKilla?

People's Hopkilla (Beastie Boys - She's Crafty)

Well we heard about a beer - it's dark, but not brown
The knights said they have seen it in town
I thought they were right but "Where?", I wanna know
The Black Swan was where we needed to go
The beer from People's, we were quick to choose
The waiter said "you want food with your booze?"
The next think he said, "Half or Full pour?"
I couldn't wait to give it a score
Pine and citrus nose with a light colored head
A couple of these and it would be time for bed
Looking at the glass it looked to have nice lace
But the best part about it, of course was the taste
I should've have another, man I'll always regret it
If they make more, I'll be first in line to get it
This beer was awesome - crazy yum
It's just too bad this beer is done.

Hopkilla - it does astound
Hopkilla - it was in town
Hopkilla - I've got no gripe
Hopkilla - and it's just my type
Hopkilla

I used to spend my dollars on cigarettes
I got pleasure from the feeling I would get
Now I had forgotten why I thought it was worthwhile
But the beer reminded me, and it made me smile
What would make it do that, I'm afraid I don't know
I would ask for another but I should say, "No!"
I'll ask the next time we are at the brewery
Last time we talked other stuff that was newsworthy
I said, "I've got a score that is good tonight."
And Mike calculated the rest from the Knights
A rather high score for you to behold
4.38 mugs from what I'm told
The beer is tasty - I can see why it moves
Obviously, I'm not the only one who approves
I'm glad it was on when we were there that night
It was delicious, filled me with delight
Each drink of beer cannot come too soon
I wish they could make this into a perfume
You may see this beer in a bar not a store
This Double IPA is one you'll want to ask for
We were lucky to find it on the draft board
This Imperial brew left me feeling floored
Sorry this review was late, that it was postponed
The beer was good, turned our brains to foam.

4.85 Mugs





(Cop Killa by Ice-T)
By J-Sun with some help by Ice-T

I got my brain on crass.
Tonight'll be my night.
I got this tall-assed glass.
And your head looks just right.
The first taste is sweet fruity,
Which is followed by piney,
The last taste is bitter bitey,
With a dry mouthfeel all nighty!

Drinkin’ Hopkilla, better me than you.
Hopkilla, time to give People’s their due!
Hopkilla, you know that Black Swan is servin’,
(join 'em!)
Hopkilla, tonight we all be drinkin’, ha ha.

4.5 Mugs

I don't care much for hip-hop, so I will give my Hopkilla writeup in the musical styling of what I have to hear most these days, and that is Dora the Explorer, and her friend.....the map.

I'm Hopkilla, I'm hopkilla, I'm hopkilla, I'm hopkilla, I'M HOPKILLA!!!!

What a great beer from People's brewing in Lafayette. This was about as easy drinking an smooth a beer as I could have asked for. I didn't know much about the beer, but when I was told it was a double IPA my first thought was "bullshit Walter." I don't care what style they call it it is a damn good beer.

4.5 Mugs

before Four Loko

(From Tone Loc - Funky Cold Medina)

Cold coolin at a bar, and I’m looking for some action

But like Mike Jagger said, stouts won’t give you satisfaction

The girls are all around, but none of them drinkin’ Mickey’s

Malt liquor’s fresh and I’m buyin’ peche, yo, what’s up with H-o-p?

The girls is all drinkin’ at the other end of the bar

Havin’ drinks with some no-name chump, when they know that I’m the star

So I got up and strolled over with my Bourbon County Vanilla

I asked the guy, “Why you so fly?” He said, Peoples’ Hop Killa

Peoples’ Hop Killa

This brother told me a secret on how to get more chicks

Put a Hop Killa in your glass, and the girls’ll come real quick

It’s better than any imperial stout aged in Jack

A couple sips of this hop potion, and she’ll be on the hop track

So I gave some to my friends when they came for dinner

Between the caramel balance and the grapefruit hops, they said they loved the bitter

They used to joke and tease me, about how I drank stouts like Godzilla

But how I’m hooked on the hops all thanks to the Peoples’ Hop Killa

You know what I’m sayin?

I’ve given up all other beers, I don’t need no more

I got Spuds McKenzie

Alex from Stroh’s

They just want a taste of that Hop Killa, pal

4.1 Mugs

 

after Four Loko

Scores:

Mike: 4.44 Mugs | Jason: 4.5 Mugs | Jess: 3.89 Mugs | Rod: 4.1 Mugs | Gina: 4.85 Mugs | Matt: 4.5 Mugs

Overall: 4.38 Mugs

***Note: We hear that Hop Killa is on at the Tomlinson Tap Room***

A bouquet of beers at People's Brewing Company

It may be that 2006 N. 9th Street in Lafayette is the most pleasant smelling location in the world. There you will find a building that is half filled with flowers from a wholesale distributer, while the other half contains the malt and hop aromas that can only be created in a brewery. This is the home of People’s Brewing Company.

People’s is the brainchild of brewmaster Chris Johnson. He has a great level of comfort and experience with English-style ales thanks to his nine years in the brewery at the Lafayette Brewing Company (given that Lafayette’s Greg Emig spent time as Broad Ripple Brewpub’s brewer before forming LBC, you could say that People’s is the third generation in Indiana’s modern era of English style brewing).


But you can also give some thanks to Nick Floyd for the formation of People’s Brewing Company. Nick provided Chris with encouragement in starting his own brewery and followed it up with advice that can only come from fourteen years of brewing and opening of three different brewhouses. Given that relationship, it is no surprise that Chris is leaving his mark on every beer he brews. Which explains why People’s Pilsner and Aberrant Amber are on the hoppy end of the pilsner and amber spectrums; why you can find smokiness in the non-smoked Fiddlin’ Willies Scottish Ale; and why the very hoppy Mound Builder IPA manages to maintain an American malt base. Chris takes each style and gives it a unexpected twist (“It’s not normal,” he told me, “but I think that may be trademarked…”).


In the brewery, you will find a 20 barrel brewhouse with 40 barrel fermenters. They are currently producing 50 to 60 barrels a month. There is also a bottling line waiting to be assembled. Chris hopes to have packages of 12 ounce bottles of their pilsner, amber, and IPA available for purchase in early 2011. The bottling line is able to change over to “bombers” as well, so 22 ounce bottles could be in People’s future.

Depending on which aspect of the business you ask Chris about, he will tell you that People’s is doing moderately to very successful. People’s has 40 tap handles around Tippecanoe County, with another 15 to 20 around the state (they are distributed by Cavalier Distributing). What has been a complete surprise for Chris is the wild success of their tasting room. It is open five days a week for samples, pints, and growler carryout. And the sales in the tasting room have greatly exceeded their expectations.

Chris is excited to see where People’s goes from here. He will be very curious to see if he will see an influx of Purdue students this fall. In the long term, he wants to distribute to neighboring states. And he has an option to buy the building he is in (please note: the key to opening a successful brewery is a very, very good lawyer) and expand into the flower distributor’s space (replacing the floral aromas with the floral aromas of hops). In spite of having been open for nine months, if history is any indicator, People’s Brewing Company and Chris Johnson are certainly looking at a very successful future.

Winterfest #7 Update

The Brewers of Indiana Guild's Winterfest 2010 tickets are on sale now online. Ticket sales are also available at breweries across the state, including: Broad Ripple Brewpub, Brugge Brasserie, Barley Island (both locations), Upland (both locations), Rock Bottom (both locations), Ram (downtown), Alcatraz, Sun King, Oaken Barrel, Lafayette, Brickworks, Three Floyds, Back Road, Crown Brewing, Mishawaka, Half Moon, Mad Anthony (Ft. Wayne), Great Crescent, New Albanian, Turoni's Main Street, Power House, and Big Woods. They are also available at selected Crown Liquor stores. Winterfest will be held in the Ag/Hort building of the Indiana State Fairgrounds on Saturday, January 30th, 2010 from 3pm to 7pm. Tickets are $30.

As we receive information from the breweries as to what they are bringing, we will let you know. Our first Winterfest update provided the beer lists for Upland, Great Crescent, Mad Anthony, and Brugge. Our second Winterfest update included Bee Creek Brewery (UPDATED - Will not be attending), Lafayette Brewing Company, Two Brothers, Rust Belt, Bell's Brewing Co. (UPDATED), and Atwater Block. Our third Winterfest update included Crown Brewing, Big Woods Brewing, Power House Brewing, and Rock Bottom Brewery North. Our fourth Winterfest update included Back Road Brewery, Mishawaka Brewing, Broad Ripple Brewpub, Sun King Brewing, Schlafly Beer, Goose Island Brewing Co. (UPDATED), North Coast Brewing Co., Left Hand Brewing Co. Our fifth Winterfest update included Oaken Barrel, Rock Bottom Downtown (UPDATED), Turoni's Main Street, New Albanian, Three Floyds, Ram Restaurant and Brewery, Barley Island, Tyranena, Schmaltz, Bluegrass Brewing Company - Shelbyville Road, and New Belgium. Our sixth Winterfest update included a beer list for World Class Beverages' Malt Shoppe. This is our seventh update to the beer list...


Wilbur Brewing
Martinsville, Indiana
On draft in their booth:
Country Mellow

People's Brewing
Lafayette, Indiana
On draft in their booth:
Pilgrim Porter
AmberPA
First Edition IPA
Mr. Brown

Brickworks Brewing
Hobart, Indiana
On draft in their booth:
Wind Chill Factor
Solstice
Potawatomi Porter

In the beer garden:
Assimilation (replicale)

Alcatraz Brewing
Indianapolis, Indiana
On draft in their booth:
Sledgehammer Strong Pale
Rock Bock
Belgian Pale

Bluegrass Brewing Company - Main Street
Louisville, Kentucky
On draft in their booth:
American Pale Ale
Nut Brown Ale
Bourbon Barrel Stout
Barbarian Honey Ale

In the outdoor beer garden:
Scotch Ale

Founders Brewing
Grand Rapids, Michigan
On draft in their booth:
Double Trouble
Others TBA




Only nine more days!