In Search of the Top Class Beer Bar

If there's a reoccurring complaint amongst Indianapolis' better beer fans, it might be that the city still lacks the top class beer bar that many other cities have. In Chicago, drinkers choose from The Hop Leaf and The Map Room. In St. Louis, International Tap House's (ITAP) two locations give locals 40 taps handles and nearly 500 bottles to choose from. In New Albany, Rich O's Public House boasts an expansive selection, in addition to regular events which highlight the variety and creativity of better beer. Muncie's Heorot provides plenty of options, with unmatched prices and a legendary cellar.

Perhaps our best options for selection in Indianapolis - Chumley's and Shallo's - each leave something to desire. Chumley's often features a lineup no one else can touch - but despite regular rotation, the focus never seems to be on the beer; more so the college crowd that fills the smokey room¹ on most evenings. The Shallo's tap list and bottle selection might be the best in the city, but perhaps between an audience that's still drinking plenty of macros and the restaurant's family friendly status, beer doesn't seem to be the headliner².

Others have taken a shot at it; Scotty's Brewhouse has a nice selection, but food is still the focus. MacNiven's has long had an interesting and diverse selection, but the bar allows smoking. The recently opened Twenty Tap has many the right touches, but the selection doesn't go deep enough to rank it amongst those beer bars that many consider the gold standard. There are many more who've made great strides - but nevertheless, Indianapolis continues to miss the mark.

But who sets that mark? What is it that makes a beer bar truly memorable? It's not just a tap list. It's a feeling that the bar's primary focus is on beer - not food (though that's always a nice touch), not in extraneous customer entertainment (I'm not sure televisions even belong in such a place), not even a well-rounded lineup (those are getting easier to find). Places like San Francisco's Toronado make the list because beer is the only thing you'll find inside. Closer to home, Louisville Beer Store (while not exactly a bar) gives off a similar vibe - a non-nonsense dedication to beer, from bottle and tap selection to glassware.

One thing that might be overlooked: staff. A top class beer bar has a staff that not only knows the beer on tap, but also can direct you to alternatives should your first selection be unavailable. If I approach the bar looking for something from Lost Abbey, I don't expect to be offered an alternative selection from Abita, even if both make an Abbey Ale (and that's no slight to Abita's Abbey, which I haven't had). It's about reading people as much as beer labels. It's not an easy skill to acquire - you have to not only know beer styles, but where labels fall in the hierarchy of beer geek appreciation.

What we really want is a bar that appreciates beer in the same way we do. From the geeky stockpiling of rarer selections, to the dedication to cellaring that beer in a cool dark space, to showing a willingness to sit on and care for the right kind of beer for later sales, to special relationships with breweries that lead to special releases. The top class beer bar not only displays a high level of geekery, it revels in it.

If Indianapolis doesn't have that bar now, one thing is for sure - it won't happen overnight. The pieces and possibility may be in place, but putting them together requires more than just money - it also requires a bit of magic. Here's hoping there's a magician already in our midst, just waiting to unleash his plan.

We can dream, anyway.

¹ An opinion: Allowing smoking in your beer bar means you're not putting enough focus on the beer. We can all agree that nose is a huge part of the beer drinking experience, and the guy or gal smoking that cigarette next to us isn't helping.

² I'd argue that perhaps Shallo's location hurts its reputation as much as anything - people just aren't going to head to the southside for beer

Worth Seeking Out: Schlafly Pumpkin and Breckenridge Autumn

Recent news of the annual release of Schlafly's award winning Pumkin Ale (see the Hoosier Beer Geek archives here and here) meant that a stop at Shallo's was in order. We stopped in last evening for a pint of our favorite pumpkin.

This year's Pumpkin Ale is ever bit as rewarding as those in years past, with the same big spicy nose and front as well as all the pumpkin, brown sugar, nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon flavors that we've come to know. Despite the huge flavors, I drank my glass almost as fast as water, proving that spicy and flavorful can also mean highly drinkable.


While tempted to have more than one of the Schlafly, a tap handle from Breckenridge caught my eye. Currently available on tap - as well as in bottles - at Shallo's, Breckenridge Autumn was a camping trip in a glass. As a young man I spent many weekend evenings at a backwoods Illinois clubhouse amongst friends, and this beer has something that brings that back (and it's not a similarity to all the Milwaukee's Best Light we drank back in those heady days).


Baking or dark chocolate comes through in Autumn's nose, followed by a dry campfire / leafy smoke kind of flavor - remember burnt leaves? Those flavors come through, but not in a rauch/smoke beer kind of way. Instead, Autumn delivers subdued, flavorful, but not dominating outdoorsy flavor. It's a beer that deserves its name.

I recommend stopping by Shallo's for a pint when you can - Tuesday's overheard bar conversations involved not only sock rotation, but also landscaping, and the use of batteries versus pull start sex toys and/or landscaping tools. A rewarding experience all around.

Thanks to Doug at Shallo's for the addition props used in the photos for this post.

KOTBR #96 - Founders Porter at Shallos (a/k/a The Lost Roundtable)

Two Shallos Roundtables in a row? We kind of forgot we had done this one until I went digging through my notebook, hence the "Lost Roundtable" title.

As for the beer? We've done this before. Back in April of 2009 we sat down with every dark Founder's beer available and asked if they were up to expectations. Close to nine months later is a good time to re-review. Back then I gave Founder's Porter a 3.75 mug score and declined to add my thoughts. This time around I'll say the Founder's Porter has the cocoa powder nose, chocolaty front, and smooth and balanced flavors that make great porters great. In fact, apart from Broad Ripple Brewpub's porter, I can't think of one I'd rather have than Founder's. Watch what I do with that score now: 4.75 mugs


Look at the label of a bottle of Founders Porter and you'll find the following tagline: "Dark, Rich & Sexy." I don't know what Founders is thinking by calling the beer "sexy," but the dark and rich part I definitely get. In fact, between Founders Porter and the Broad Ripple Brewpub's Monon Porter (our Beer of the Year for 2009), the porter is fast becoming my favorite beer style. And as both of these beers show, when the style is done right, it's hard to beat.

So let's focus on Founders Porter, especially when it is served on draft. What you'll find is a beer that's nearly pitch black in color with the faintest remnant of a tan head. And the nose--well, the nose is simply amazing. If you've ever had a whiff of the dark chocolate truffles from Indy's fine chocolate shop, The Best Chocolate in Town, you'll know what I'm talking about. The flavor pretty much follows suit, conveying notes of the richest, darkest chocolate you've ever had, bolstered by a full, chewy mouthfeel. This is a definite bonus for a dark chocolate freak like me (I go through a bar of Endangered Species Extreme Dark Chocolate--another fine Indianapolis chocolatier--just about every week), and it's probably why I love Founders Porter.

Speaking of The Best Chocolate in Town and Endangered Species--Hey KOTBR, when are we going to get around to doing that chocolate and beer pairing roundtable? 4.80 Mugs.


My consumption of Founders Porter inspired me to bust out my Ouija board to contact a portly founder. Specifically, Benjamin Franklin. Here is what he had to say:

"Remember not only to drink the right beer in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave undrunk the wrong beer at the tempting moment."

I believe he means at heaven’s bar, only the best beers are served, not unlike Shallo’s. And Founders Porter is a heavenly choice. You would be wise to stay away from certain beers, even if they are the only ones available.

"Be slow in choosing a beer, slower in drinking."

Here he is saying that there are a lot of beers to choose from, so be sure to take your time. Which is why it took us a while before we selected Founders Porter for our roundtable beer. Ben is also suggesting that you take your time with beers like the porter, whose ABV is higher than some and whose flavors are best enjoyed without a Rocky Mountain chill.

"So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable beer drinker, since it enables one to find or make a reason for every time one has a mind to drink."

I may be wrong, but I believe he is speaking to the sessionability of this beer, that Ben could easily drink this beer day in and day out.

"Wish not so much to live long as to drink well."

Ben obviously is stating that life is to short to waste on beers that don’t have the roasty, chocolaty malts in flavor and aroma, and the full, creamy mouthfeel that is found in Founders Porter.

"I am in the prime of senility."

Um, I can only assume that he thinks I have lost my mind for pretending to talk to Ben Franklin about Founders Porter. But it was better than my Grand Rapids-themed “The Death of an Amway Salesman” write up that I was originally working on. 4.25 Mugs.


Most people know I am a big fan of Founders beers. I am not sure whether it was because of the cold evening, being in the company of good friends, or that the beer was on draft, but Founders Porter was drinking brilliantly the night we had it. The nose was brimming with wonderful dark chocolate scents and roasted grain. I find that many porters just don't have the heft in both the nose and flavor, but this one does. The flavor profile is rich and decadent with base flavors of roasted grain that lean towards chocolate and a bit of caramel. I let the beer warm a bit more and there was even a little touch of coffee in there as well. The mouthfeel is my favorite aspect of the beer. This beer is full-bodied and finishes silky smooth and coats the tongue really well. This is the type of beer I've come to expect from Founders. It is Founders doing Founders only the way they can. I've said it before, but I don't think anyone does dark beer better than Founders. 4.65 Mugs.

Founder's Porter (Draft, December 2009)
Mike: 4.75 Mugs | Jim: 4.8 Mugs | Jason: 4.25 Mugs | Matt: 4.65 Mugs | Chris: 4.3 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 4.55 Mugs

KOTBR #98 - Black Biscuit and Ranger IPA at Shallos

This roundtable marks the fourth time the Knights of the Beer Roundtable have settled in for a few pints at Shallos (8811 Hardegan Street, Indianapolis, (317) 882-7997) the southside bar recently named as one of Draft Magazine's Top 150. We reviewed two beers: Founders Brewing Company's Black Biscuit Old Ale and New Belgium Brewing Company's newest offering, Ranger IPA.

Because I'm a southsider, Shallos is a regular haunt for me. And I think it's time we talk about what makes it great.


First off, Shallos has about 40 taps. 90% of those taps pour something you'd be happy to drink, and ordering from the other 10% gets a sneer from the bartenders. Secondly, Shallos has a huge cooler filled with bottles from anyone you can think of. They work with all the distributors in town, so you get a chance at anything available in Indiana. Next up, they've got cabinets filled with all sort of bottles--far more bottles than you'd ever think they could possibly be selling. But stop in a few times and you'll notice that those bottles are rotating out. Who bought 12 bottles of Mikkeller Black? Hell if I know. I do know that they were there once, and now they're gone.


Shallos doesn't need to advertise when they've got a special beer on--sure, they recently started a twitter account--but for the most part they know that their audience is going to drink whatever they get. When we were lucky enough to stop in for a tapping of Upland's 23-Year-Old Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel Aged Teddy Bear Kisses Imperial Stout back in December, we learned that the keg ran out that night. With no advance warning, they went through the keg in something like 5 hours.


Admittedly, Shallos isn't perfect. The printed beer list is often wrong or out of date, and picking out a beer can be like Russian roulette--if you don't ask about the price you may be in for a surprise. The food menu is quickly exhausted if you visit often. They have three varieties of chicken sandwich, a very similar three varieties of hamburgers, really good chips and onion rings, wings, a few other random sandwiches... the fact that I could name everything on the menu if I thought about it might be a bad thing. But it's something I'm more than willing to overlook.


During the Colts' first playoff game, Gina and I stopped in at Shallos for some wings and beer. The bar was occupied by all sorts - folks drinking Stone's, folks drinking Bud Light - it's always a mixed crowd at Shallos. A fellow a few seats down from us switched from his domestic beer to something a little stronger: Thirsty Dog's Old Leghumper. As he started to drink from the bottle, the bartender started to chide him - "Put that in a glass! What's wrong with you?"

It's exactly that sort of thing that makes Shallos so endearing to us. Because it's the sort of thing we'd like to say, but can't and wouldn't say.

I bet it made his beer taste better.

Black Biscuit

I definitely enjoyed this beer. Indeed, I enjoyed it so much that I focused on enjoying the beer instead of taking many notes. I can fondly recall the chocolate, vanilla, and bourbon nose even though it's been a few days and I've been longing for that rich, bourbon flavor on these past few cold nights. We thank Shallos for having this extremely rare beer on tap, and we hope to see more small batch beers available from them in the future. 4.75 Mugs.


Ranger IPA

If you get a chance to meet a New Belgium Beer Ranger (the sales folks at New Belgium are called Beer Rangers), you'll probably find a pretty cool individual. This is definitely the case with Mike Emrie, Beer Ranger for Indiana, and he was nice enough to sit down with us to let us know about some exciting things coming soon from the brewery: Ranger IPA, packaging changes, and a line of bottles coming soon to Indiana.

First is Ranger IPA, made with 3 different hops (Cascade, Chinook, and Simcoe) for bittering and aroma. Ranger IPA is dry hopped with a heavy dose of Cascade. Traditionally, New Belgium has not been known to closely follow style guidelines in beer recipes, but when the Beer Rangers requested an IPA, the brewery obliged. We are pretty happy they did and we think this beer will be quite popular among beginners and hopheads alike.

Preferences for hop profiles among the Knights of the Beer Roundtable vary widely, but this beer seemed to please all of us. What I liked about this beer is how the hops are met with a sweetness to balance the flavor. I appreciated that the dryness in this beer led me to crave each sip. I would not hesitate to bring this to a party, and I look forward to sharing this at our summer cookouts. 4.00 Mugs.

Also, if you are looking for Ranger IPA in the traditional New Belgium packaging, you might miss it. New Belgium has broken their beer offerings into a different categories: Folly, Explore, Seasonal, Lips of Faith, and Collabeeration. The Ranger falls into the Explore series along with their Mothership Wit, Abbey, and Trippel. The packaging on these beers features two-color packaging in earth tones. The Seasonals follow a similar style to the Folly series and the Lips of Faith series is a mix of styles.

This group of beers is something we are really looking forward to seeing more of locally. We've been fortunate to try several Lips of Faith beers like La Folie, Biere de Mars, and the Transatlantique Kriek, and hope that some of the others make their way to our glasses very soon. We hear that distribution of this series is on the horizon. We'll keep you posted.


Black Biscuit

I was really excited to see this one on tap. I had a friend who tried this beer at the Festival of Wood Aged beers in Chicago and had some really good things to say about it. I honestly think that no one does dark beer better than Founders. I was surprised we got a pint glass of this, and as I went to take my first sip I was greeted with the scents of wood and maple syrup with just a touch of vanilla in it. I was trying hard to get this beer to warm up and the booze and roasted grain became the main focus. The flavor profile can be summed up in three words: oak, bourbon, and maple syrup. I thought this beer was really great for about 10 ounces, but after that it is was almost cloyingly sweet. I still really liked this beer though. 4.50 Mugs.

Ranger IPA

I will be honest about New Belgium. I didn't really care when they came to town, and I don't know if I would have ever tried this beer if I had not met Mike the Beer Ranger from New Belgium. I like their bigger beers, but I haven't really given much of their regular lineup a great deal of attention. This IPA poured a nice copper color with a fairly large white head that left good lacing on the glass. It has a very respectable nose of pine, grass, and lemon peel. The flavor profile is bright and hoppy with pine and citrus flavors from the hops and a solid balance of bready malt. We were told that this beer will be line priced with their other offerings, and this will be a really solid IPA for around $8 bucks a sixer. I am sure I will be at a few BBQ s this summer with this beer in tow. 3.95 Mugs.


Black Biscuit

Like the rest of the KOTBR, I was surprised and delighted to receive a full pint of Black Biscuit. I hadn't heard much about this beer besides what Doug, the friendly beer manager at Shallos, had told us the week before. Anything I've had from Founders in a maple barrel has been very good. The aroma of this beer is everything you would expect: vanilla, maple syrup, and light bourbon. This one started out thick and heavy, though not quite as heavy as I expected. The mouthfeel was very slick and slightly syrupy. Overall, it is a very smooth beer with a pleasant warm alcohol sensation that soothes instead of burns. Bourbon and maple syrup are probably the most prominent flavors, though hints of black licorice and molasses lace the back. This is a very sweet beer with big brown sugar notes and an interesting flavor combination that seemed to remind me of oatmeal raisin cookies. I thoroughly enjoyed this beer and would like to have more. 4.65 Mugs.

Ranger IPA

I hadn't heard much about Ranger IPA, though I do hold a fairly high opinion of New Belgium beers thanks to the impressive Lips of Faith series and even seasonal surprises like 2 Below. Mike the Beer Ranger certainly set us up with high expectations as well, making claims that when New Belgium decided to take on the IPA style, they would do it in a way that the brewers would be proud to call their own. To be honest, my expectations were so high that I really expected to be disappointed by this beer. To my surprise, I wasn't. The nose was purely grassy hop pellets. It reminded me of opening up a bag of hops for homebrewing and just taking in the pleasant scents. The taste was summery with lemon, grapefruit, and a dry, grassy bitterness. Thanks to the unfiltered version of the beer we tried (the market version will be filtered), the mouthfeel was slightly wheat-like. It had a crisp, dry finish and a delicate tartness. This will make an incredible summer cookout beer. I guess the best description that comes to mind is Upland Wheat meets Stone Levitation: hops, citrus, and a dry finish that leaves you craving another drink. 4.01 Mugs.

Founders Black Biscuit
Mike: 4.00 Mugs | Jim: 4.6 Mugs | Gina: 4.75 Mugs | Jess: 4.60 Mugs | Rod: 4.65 Mugs | Matt: 3.80 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 4.40 Mugs

New Belgium Ranger IPA
Mike: 4.02 Mugs | Jim: 4.00 Mugs | Gina: 4.00 Mugs | Jess: 4.00 Mugs | Rod: 4.00 Mugs | Matt: 4.10 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 4.02 Mugs

Disclaimer: During this roundtable, Mike Emrie of New Belgium Brewing Company provided us with a round of Ranger IPA. We were under no obligation to review the beer if we so chose, nor were we under any obligation to write a positive review in return for the beer.

Scenes from a Tapping: Upland's 23-Year-Old Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel Aged Teddy Bear Kisses Imperial Stout

That's a mouthful of title.

Where: Shallos Restaurant (8811 Hardegan Street, Indianapolis, IN)


Who: Shallos Beer Guy Doug (and the rest of the staff), who've been treating south side patrons to a fantastic beer selection for far longer than we at HBG have been in the business of reviewing beer.


What: Upland's Bourbon Barrel Aged Teddy Bear Kisses Imperial Stout - a stout aged on 23 year old Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrels. Shallos secured only a 6th barrel of the beer, so it'll go extremely quick. Luckily there's plenty of other fantastic selections to go around.

When: Tapped 11/03/09, until supplies last.


Why: Upland's regular Teddy Bear Kisses Imperial Stout is a fantastic beer by itself, but the addition of oak aging gives it a full oaky finish. A+ stuff from Bloomington's finest.


Also worth noting: Shallos tap list is overwhelming as usual: New Albanian Elector Imperial Red, Dogfish India Brown and 60 Minute, Bell's Two Hearted and Oberon, Three Floyds Gumballhead, Two Brothers Heavy Handed IPA, Warsteiner Dunkel, Breckenridge 471 IPA and Oatmeal Stout, Founders Breakfast Stout, Porter, and Pale, Left Hand Milk Stout and Warrior IPA, New Belgium Fat Tire, Stone Arrogant Bastard and Oaked Arrogant Bastard, Sierra Nevada Celebration, and a bottle list that no one in the city can touch.

Random Beer Roundup - Every Friday Edition

Liquor/Better Beer Stores:

The cellar at Goose the Market is featuring the following new arrivals and seasonal beers:

Brugge Black, White and Tripel de Ripple have arrived in the sexy new 750 mL bottles.
A few bombers of the following are available, but going fast:
Stone Vertical Epic 08.08.08
Stone XII Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout
Three Floyds XI Anniversary Fantabulous Resplendence
Two Brothers Oh Brother! Tripel
Shmaltz Brewing Coney Island Albino Python White Lager and He'Brew Bittersweet Lenny's RIPA.
Saison DuPont Belgian Farmhouse Ale in 375 mL singles and 4 packs of 330 mL bottles.
Founder's Rubaeus Ale in 4 packs.
These are all available for a limited time in addition to our regularly rotating craft beer selection.

* * * * *

Bars/Breweries/Brewpubs/Restaurants:

Mike DeWeese of J. Gumbo's let us know that they are currently featuring a "live crawfish boil every Saturday night. It starts at 8pm until the crawfish are gone. Reservations aren't required but recommended. They are $17 for a single portion with all the fixins and $25 to pig out (all you care to eat). There is a 3 five ounce beer flight of Abita drafts included."

Also, "current freaky beers we have on tap other than the usual awesome selection are:"

Two Brothers Domaine Dupage
Brugge Tripel
Victory Hopdevil
Magic Hat No. 9
Founders Red's Rye

Chris notes that Shallos Antique Restaurant has Stone 12th Anniversary on tap. Matt R. also saw St. Bernardus 12 on tap there.

Matt R. took down the beer list at Chumley's in Broad Ripple:

Two Brothers Oh Brother! Tripel---while supplies last
Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
Magic Hat #9
Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA
Heavy Seas Loose Cannon Hop3 Ale
Founders Reds Rye
Bell's Consecrator Dopplebock, Two Hearted, Oberon
Three Floyds Alpha King
Upland Preservation Pilsner & Wheat
Goose Island Matilda
Stone Arrogant Bastard
Victory Prima Pils

The following beers are coming soon to Chumley's:

Ommengang Rare Vos
Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA
Sierra Nevada Double DeBOCKel Beer
Left Hand Oktoberfest
Victory Hop Wallop
Brugge Tripel de Ripple
Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

* * * * *

Random Beer News/Events:

Founders will be hosting their 2008 Breakfast Stout Breakfast on Saturday, Semptember 20th from 10am to 1pm. Tickets are $25 and go on sale August 27th at 11am. Only 200 tickets will be sold. For more information see Founders website.

There's a new brewery in town. Well, actually in The Region. Let's give a hearty welcome to Crown Brewing! Manager Mike Goodfellow and Brewer Jim Cibak have several years of experience working at Three Floyds Brewery in Munster and decided to branch out on their own. Their initial beer lineup includes Special Force Ale, Weizenheimer and Bodacious Brown Ale.

Hoosier Beer Geek and Big Car Gallery will be teaming up for the next B+ART on Friday, September 19th. As always, festivities will kick off at 8pm at Big Car in Fountain Square and the theme for next month will be Oktoberfest Beers.

* * * * *

Interested in having your events, taps, or new beer inventory listed on Hoosier Beer Geek? It won't cost you anything. Drop us a line at hoosierbeergeek@gmail.com.

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KOTBR #42 - Smokin'.

Roundtable #42 found the Knights of the Beer Roundtable at Shallo's Antique Restaurant & Pub in Greenwood. This wasn't our first trip to the venerable Southside establishment, but it was our first time bellying up to the bar.

Mike:

One of the benefits of being Knights of the Beer Roundtable is emails like this:

I'm back home for a family visit, and that doesn't happen without a visit to Shallos. Well, look-ee there Aecht Schlenkerla Fastenbier on tap. Yep. As crazy as it sounds, the great purveyor has it on tap right now. And, get this, according to the waitress, who thinks that "all beers are mostly wheat beers," only two other people liked the smoke beer, and this would be the last ever keg they would order. I had three pints today, and I'll probably do the same tomorrow. So, just a heads up from a fellow hophead that it's there...waiting to be savored.

Cheers,
Jon

That sounded like a good excuse to visit Shallos to us.

Jon did a good job of letting us what we were in for - "Fastenbier" "Smoke" "Three Pints" - we expected a beer unlike most, and that's what we got. Fastenbier, a type of Rauchbier brewed specifically for the lent season, is described as having "smoky flavors and aromatics, juicy, carmelized" by Garrett Oliver's The Brewmaster's Table. Dead on, Garrett Oliver. The bartender called this "the bacon beer."

I got a nose of smoked pork, ketchup, bbq sauce, and deer sausage, with a hint of that rubbery band-aide phenolic taste Gina will mention shortly. And all back-of-tongue taste that echoed the nose followed - a little bit chewy, and really tasty with the loaded baked potato I had specifically chosen to match the beer. Does it pass the "would I buy this again" test? Yes - but a six pack would be too many. If you're sharing with friends for the experience, be sure to look for foods to match. Grilled or smoked pork, bacon, and baked potato would seem to work well. 3.17 Mugs.

An aside: Every beer I bought at Shallos - pints of Oberon, the Fastenbier, and a 60 Minute/Guiness Black and Tan - came in at $5.70 each. Don't say we didn't warn you.

Jim:

Lt. Colonel Kilgore leaps out of the chopper with a pint of Aecht Schlenkerla Fastenbier in his hand. The amber liquid sloshes across his wrist as he crouches over the gray Vietnamese sand, gazes at the sky, and proclaims, "I love the smell of fastenbier in the morning. Smells like . . . a campfire."

My mind works in bizarre ways. If you're a frequent reader, you know that bizarre thinking is a staple of the Knights of the Beer Roundtable.

So leave it to us to review a bizarre beer. A smoked beer. A beer that conjures up weird thoughts, like the scene above, plucked from Apocalypse Now and tweaked to feature that famous line, which used to be about napalm.

Close your eyes and think of the last time you stood near a bonfire for at least five minutes. Take a deep breath and recall how your clothes smelled afterwards. There it is. Burnt wood. Charcoal. Embers, the remains of seasoned firewood. This is the nose of a smoked beer, and it plays tricks on your brain. The mind struggles to grasp it, to throw that odor together with its source--a pint of cloudy, copper-hued beer from Bamberg, Germany.

Then comes the first sip. As your senses reel, thrashing about in an attempt to achieve equilibrium, stability continues to elude your senses as your tongue latches on to the malty, bock-like flavor. That flavor is a bit sugary up front. Then, the tiny teeth of the hops lightly graze the back of your tongue. The smokiness is still there, now in the taste, but the smoke is just a hint, floating above the bone-colored cloud of foam that crowns the beer.

A few more sips and your mind has finally arrived at its desired destination: tranquility. You know that the sensory trip you've just been on has taken you to a corner of the map to which you've never ventured, and you're wiser now that you've gone there. You can now show others the way, but you're just not sure you want to go there again any time soon. 2.90 mugs.



Gina:

Discovered by the Germans in 1904, they named it Aecht Schlenkerla Fastenbier which of course, in German means "a whale's vagina". No really, I don't know what it means. Scholars maintain the translation was lost hundreds of years ago.

I am surprised at the high ratings this receives on ratebeer, and I'll have to say I don't get it. I can tell you that it kinda tastes like a band-aid retrieved from a fire. I still drank the whole pint but I can't say that I would ever drink another...on purpose at least. Oh, also, as a side note - this should not be considered as a pairing with the extremely pleasant wings. You may think that the hot in the wings may complement the smoke in the beer, but it does not. It further pronounces the already prominent smoke flavor.

Aecht Schlenkerla Fastenbier - 60% of the time it works every time. 2.75 Mugs.

Matt:

I like bacon. I like beer. This is a situation in which I had expected that the Reese's peanut butter cup philosopy was less than likely to apply. I'm pleased to say that I was wrong, at least partially.

When my fellow geeks and I parked ourselves at the bar, there was a bit of trepidation about what we were about to either ingest or waste upon tasting and smelling it. After our warm-up beer we ordered a round of the "bacon beer", and our bartender warned us that it's "too German for most Germans", so we knew we were in for an adventure. I had been pretty excited about this beer style since I found out that it existed, a historic style that is often forgotten.

When it arrived, I struggled to restrain myself from sampling a novelty that many would find repellant in favor of going over the visual characteristics, observing the dark brown not-quite-opacity and the not quite foamy not quite creamy head. As I leaned over the glass I immediately thought "Bacon! Bacon? Only one thing smellS like bacon, and that's bacon!" and my expectation of a subtly smoky character blown out of proportion due to it's uniqueness, was dashed.

The smell is quite strong in its smoky character that is linked in most minds to bacon and campfires. The taste is where my prediction was the farthest off. The flavor was dominated by malt with just a bit of wood smoke, I wrote down hickory, but I'm not sure if that's actually what I tasted. The bacony characteristic isn't really there in the taste, which surprised me given the strong presence it had in the nose. This was a pleasant surprise for me. 3.47 mugs.

KOTBR Review #17: Bell's Hell Hath No Fury Ale

The Knights of the Beer Roundtable met up on Indy's better (south) side with special guest Jim Schembre of World Class Beverages to check out the amazing selection of beers on tap at Shallos. My notes said it well enough: "I'm overwhelmed."

Chris got lost on the way to reviewing the Hell Hath No Fury thanks in part to Shallos' amazing selection and the 21% ABV of his warm-up beer, Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA. He added " I'll give it 5 mugs based on ABV, but I can't really remember what it tastes like!"

Jim safely made his way to the Hell Hath No Fury, which he gave a 4 mug rating: "It's dark brown in color with a fruity nose.... aroma I got was a slightly spicy, raisiny one... I expected the Fury to have a little bite to it. But to my surprise, the Fury is quite drinkable."

Jason lauded Shallos selection, thought up a new name for the Hoosier Beer Geeks, and agreed with Jim in giving a four mug rating: "I think there were plenty of roasted malt scents, like coffee, chocolate, caramel, and the like... in a way, it smelled like a chocolate-covered orange... Bittersweet. With a little bit of spice. And I found some clove after the beer is swallowed... I was surprised with how creamy smooth it was, making it easy to swallow. Makes me think of a nice porter."

Kelly was last to weigh in - she was too busy being a successful human being. But after all the bragging she shared her thoughts and gave the Hell Hath No Fury 3.5 mugs: "Wow... totally opaque, very thin head that dissipated almost instantly... could smell the toasty, malty smell before I even got my nose near the glass... I was expecting a pretty bracing and snappy beer. Not so with this one... it went down smoothly with a lot of coffee, caramel, and a bit of spice and fruit... this beer... was the perfect thing for me on a happy spring evening. I give it 3.5 mugs, with another .5 mug for the completely awesome server who name-dropped with me about people we both knew from my hometown."

All the Geeks wish to again extend our thanks to Jim Schembre of World Class Beverages, who bought us a round, and taught us about the business side of craft brew distribution in Indiana. For more about that, and further pearls of wisdom like you've come to expect from the Knights, click on the individual reviews.

The Exciting Ride to Hell

Thanks to a couple of exciting pieces of news last Thursday afternoon (new car! promotion! gratuitous use of exclamation points!), I arrived at Shallo's a bit bouncy and a bit behind schedule. I settled in quietly with a Brooklyn Brewery 2006 Winter Ale (the warm-up beer of choice, it appeared) while Jim Schembre of World Class Beverages gave an incredibly interesting discussion about the mechanics of craft beer distribution here in Indiana.

I'll admit, I'm next to clueless when it comes to the technical aspects of craft beer. I know what I like, I'm lucky enough to have easy access to it (thank you, Hop Shop!) and my friends are all pretty well versed in the good beer realm. But Jim's statistics on precisely how much of a death grip the Bud/Miller/Coors trifecta has on our state were eye-opening. Thanks to folks like World Class Beverages, though, the market hold is shrinking and more people are starting to be exposed to the good stuff. Easy does it, I suppose.

So back to the (yeah, I'll say it) exciting stuff: the beer! My Brooklyn Winter Ale was a bit underwhelming. I was expecting more of a spicy, wassail-type nose. Unlike Jason, I like that type of thing. :) And like Jim, I was expecting a little more... something... to make it rival the other BB brews I've had in the past.

After finishing up the discussion with Mr. Schembre (and scoping the awesome calendars he gave us!), we settled in for a round of the Bell's Hell Hath No Fury Ale.

Wow.

The dark glass I was handed was certainly not what I was expecting-- totally opaque, very thin head that dissipated almost instantly. I could smell the toasty, malty smell before I even got my nose near the glass, so like Jim, I was expecting a pretty bracing and snappy beer. Not so with this one-- it went down smoothly with a lot of coffee, caramel, and a bit of spice and fruit.

It's no secret that I'm a fan of the malty-type beers, and haven't yet garnered the appreciation for the hoppy end of the spectrum like my KOTBR counterparts. So this beer, with its drinkability, it's unusual taste and distinctive smell, was the perfect thing for me on a happy spring evening. I give it 3.5 mugs, with another .5 mug for the completely awesome server who name-dropped with me about people we both knew from my hometown.

Now that's exciting!

Hell Hath No Fury like a trademark infringed

Thursday's review presented me with my first ever trip to the malt-and-hops mecca of the southside, Shallo's. There are some pretty impressive beer selections in Indy, but Shallo's is the largest selection by far. To top off the experience, we were joined by Jim Schembre, World Class Beverages guru extraordinaire. For those not in the know, WCB is the red-headed step child of Monarch Beverages, a large distributor of large beers. WCB's mission: to preach the word of good beer. And while Indiana, as a whole, has a long way to go, Jim and his crew have done a pretty good job so far. Just consider the beer selection at Indy area restaurants, bars, and liquor stores.

Before we get to the heart of the matter, I want to mention something. While talking to Jim, and getting a sampling of his vast beer knowledge, he mentioned that they have a resident Beer Geek and that, in fact, "Beer Geek" is trademarked. "Beer Geek" is trademarked? That can't be right. But a quick check of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website shows that it is true: "Beer Geek", trademarked by Vision Concepts LLC, which just so happens to share an address with Monarch Beverages.

So what's a Hoosier Beer Geek to do? We haven't been told to cease and desist, but just in case, we better get our house in order. We could argue that "Hoosier Beer Geek" is completely different from "Beer Geek". Will that hold? We'll have to ask our resident HBG attorney. If not, we may need to search out a new name. One that doesn't infringe on anybody. My suggestion:

The Brew Man Group

Nope, no intellectual infringements there.

Okay, now to the serious business.

Like my comrade Jim, I too started with Brooklyn's Winter Ale, which was on special that night. I found it to be tasty and simple, not overly wintry with the usual hints of pine and juniper and all that crap. Nope, just straight forward.

I finished the night with a Hoppin' Frog Hoppin' to Heaven IPA. The brewery is new to me. It was at Jim's suggestion, who mentioned that they just delivered a bunch of Hoppin' Frogs to Shallo's. It's a surprisingly sweet IPA that doesn't pack the spicy punch that I come to expect from IPA's. Probably a good starter for those new to IPA's.

The beer of the evening, though, was Bell's Hell Hath No Fury. A beer brewed and released in October, meaning it is at the end of its availability cycle. So if you like what you see, you probably won't be able to get it for very long. We're big teases like that.

HHNF is classified as a Belgian Strong Dark Ale. And dark it is. Its color is comparable to the dark sludge found in the bottom of a coffee urn after a long day of use. I mean it is dark. And it pours with a thin, dark tan head.

I had a hard time defining the aroma. I think there were plenty of roasted malt scents, like coffee, chocolate, caramel, and the like. Also a bit of a citrus hint. So, in a way, it smelled like a chocolate-covered orange.

The taste certainly continued. Bittersweet. With a little bit of spice. And I found some clove after the beer is swallowed. Not overwhelming, like clove often is, but it is there.

I was surprised with how creamy smooth it was, making it easy to swallow. Makes me think of a nice porter. Which, at 7.7% ABV, could make for a dangerous situation should you drink too much, which would be easy to do.

I am assigning a four mug rating to this based on the fact that I gave another Belgian Strong Dark Ale (Unibroue's Trois Pistoles) a 3.5 mug rating, and if memory serves me correctly, I liked Hell Hath No Fury more than Trois Pistoles.

Of course, that review was way back in November. I suppose I should try Trois Pistoles again to verify my statement. What kind of Hoosier Beer Geek would I be if I didn't pay due diligence?

The perils of choice - Bell's Hell Hath No Fury at Shallo's

Conventional wisdom is that choice is a good thing. The more options available, the happier the person who may exercise those options, right? Well, psychologists are actually questioning this premise. In other words, they postulate that the more choices we have, the less happy we are. Just ask any New Yorker.

So that brings us to Shallo's Restaurant and Brewhouse, a beer-lover's sanctuary tucked into an inconspicuous strip mall on the extreme southern border of our beloved Naptown. As Chris has already mentioned, the beer choices at Shallo's are unbelievably impressive. Staggeringly impressive. Mind-blowingly impressive. In fact, they are so impressive that I felt a little bit of anxiety creeping in to my mind as I perused the beer menu. The thought echoing around my cranium was, "So many choices. So many choices. Hmmm...oh crap."

But then our special guest, Jim Schembre of World Class Beverages, thankfully demonstrated that the conventional wisdom about choice being good prevails. In other words, Jim showed me that the shrinks are full of dookie, at least when it comes to beer choices in Indiana. How did Jim do this? Well, aside from being a font of knowledge regarding fine malt beverages, Jim let us in on the business side of craft beers in the Hoosier State. According to Jim, the percentage of the market that craft beers hold in Indiana is minuscule compared to the markets in other states. Why? Well, there are a number of factors involved. Ultimately, it all boils down to knowledge, or lack thereof. We Hoosiers won't try what we don't know. After all, we're not a very adventurous lot. We like what is familiar to us. And, by and large, we Hoosiers are simply not knowledgeable about craft brews because they're not available in very many places in this state.

Fortunately, this is changing as more Indiana liquor stores and bars venture into the craft beer market, upping the collective beer knowledge of us Hoosier folk. The number of brewpubs in Indiana has also helped to broaden craft beer horizons here. In short, Jim got me to see that I should cherish the Hoosier drinking establishments that have lots of beer choices because these establishments are not many.

So, with peace of mind, I started with Brooklyn Brewery's 2006 Winter Ale. As I've noted before, BB's beers have always impressed me. However, I wasn't blown away by the Winter Ale, which is a Scottish ale according to ratebeer. It certainly was malty and dark like a Scottish ale, but it was lacking some "oomph" for lack of a better expression. Not a bad beer, but nothing special. BB's other brands are more reliable in my opinion.

Then, upon Jim's recommendation, we went for Bell's Hell Hath No Fury Ale as our feature beer. We were happy to find that Shallo's has this beer, which I'll call "the Fury," on tap. The Fury is a dark Belgian style ale that is 7.7% alcohol by volume. It's dark brown in color with a fruity nose. The prevalent aroma I got was a slighlty spicy, raisiny one. As a consequence, I expected the Fury to have a little bite to it. But to my surprise, the Fury is quite drinkable. It is what Jason would call a "chewy" beer because of the chocolaty, malty flavor, but it goes down easily. The fruity aroma also produces a raisiny flavor, yet the Fury is smooth stuff. I found that I had to slow down because I was drinking it a bit too quickly. Because of this smooth quality to the Fury, I found myself thinking of Spaten's Optimator, which is a KOTBR favorite. While the Optimator is a lager, the Fury is a pretty similar beer in my book, but is perhaps slightly fruitier in nose and taste.

My rating for the Fury: a solid 4 mugs.

So, Shallo's--you rule. Your beer selection rules. Jim Schembre and World Class Beverages rule. And unless things change soon, Shallo's is the undisputed heavyweight beer selection champion in the Hoosier State. What's more, Shallo's wears the title extremely well.

Indy's Best Kept Secret - Shallos

Excellent Roundtable tonight - the best we've had for a while, and maybe the best we've ever had! We had a blast, and lots of good conversation. We met up at Shallos in Greenwood, and let me just say, their beer menu is simply to die for. As a matter of fact, the menu is almost too good, if that's possible. They had 30-something beers on tap, and hundreds more in the cooler. WOW! It got to the point that I simply couldn't choose a beer and had the waitress bring me what she thought was good. It was like being a mosquito in a nudist colony - I knew what to do, but I just didn't know where to begin! (I can't quite remember what movie that line came from). Hands down, Shallos gets 5 mugs for their beer selection. It's got to be the best in the city. And I never even got to look at the import side of the menu!

Jim Schembre of World Class Beverages joined us tonight to talk about all of the exciting things WCB is doing and has planned. He really stressed their Beer Finder system on their site, so if you're ever looking for a beer and want to know who is carrying it, check it out. It's updated daily! Thanks, Jim, for coming out with us tonight - we learned a lot, and we look forward to drinking with you in the future! And thanks for the kick-ass calendars!


I started off tonight with a Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA. And while I had other beers throughout the evening, I never really got past this one. If you don't know, Dogfish 120 is considered the Holy Grail for Hopheads. This sumbitch is - wait - 21% ABV!! 21%. I really don't know what else I can say about it. Maybe my eyes bulged out and my face turned blue. The Dogfish 120 has the highest ABV of any beer I've ever drank.


We were supposed to launch into the Bell's Hell Hath No Fury for a review - and we did - but you will find no review from this Knight of the Beer Roundtable about this beer. Now, Bell's describes this beer as "A brew that gives you either sympathy for the devil or the courage to face him. Goes especially well with your favorite lost my girl/truck/dog/trailer song." All I can tell you is that it was dark and good. After the 120, I really couldn't taste that much anyway.


So there you have it. You HAVE to check out Shallos, but I would be careful with the Dogfish 120. I'll give it 5 mugs based on ABV, but I can't really remember what it tastes like!

Hello, Shallos

Tonight, the Knights of the Beer Roundtable will hold court at Shallos Antique Restaurant & Brewhaus, a great little secret on the southside. Shallos has a fantastic beer selection, which is what I'm sure we'll be talking a lot about. It's in what used to be the old Target Shopping Center or County Line Mall - I'm not sure what it's called now - that's on the northside of County Line Road at US 31. Drinking will commence around 8 or a little after. We hope to have Jim Schembre - the HMFIC at World Class Beverages - as a special guest.