KOTBR #71: Indiana Beer Night at Zing

It was a dark and drizzly Tuesday night when Hoosier Beer Geek decided to visit Zing. And it is too bad, because the latest addition to Indy's small plates restaurant scene has some stellar outdoor seating at the corner of Indiana Avenue and West Street.

The brick building is one of the few remaining historic structures along the storied Indiana Avenue. But on the inside, it is very contemporary in design with lots of light colors, metals, and funky shapes. We made ourselves right at home at the upstairs bar where we met bartender Joel, a self proclaimed "spice pussy" (ask him about it sometime).

He not only provided us with beer (which we greatly appreciate), but some entertaining quotes. When a suspicious man wearing a large backpack (an obvious HBG stalker) entered the bar, without missing a beat Joel stated, "He's hear to kill us all!" If you didn't find that funny, you obviously weren't drinking three buck Indiana beers all night.

Which was the purpose of our visit, by the way. We have reviewed many beers, but there are several gaps, especially when it comes to Indiana beers. We plan to start rectifying that, and on this night, it was a good start.

Upland Wheat
I freely admit that I am still a novice when it comes to wheat beers. It's not like the sour beers, where I just don't like them (send hate mail now). I just haven't found that one wheat beer that really wowed me and provided me a reason to drink more. At least not yet.

No, this isn't that beer. But it is good. It has been one of the more enjoyable wheats that I have consumed. Probably because it isn't very wheatish. It made me think more of a pilsner with a lemon twist. When I explained this, Rod suggested I try crystal meth.

Actually, he said that it is probably because the Upland Wheat is like a kristallweizen (which translates "crystal wheat"), which is a filtered wheat. Well, that definitely sounds better than crystal meth. Anyway you look at it, though, it is very refreshing and clean, a good session/lawnmower beer. A wheat beer that I'd probably buy to keep in my beer fridge.

Upland Wheat
Chris 3.75 mugs Rod 3.85 mugs Jess 3.75 mugs Jason 3.25 mugs Gina 3.5 mugs
KOTBR Score - 3.62 Mugs


Alpha King
I’ve learned a few things in the last couple years about my preferences for beer. One thing that has surprised me over the last few months is how much I’ve grown to appreciate many highly-hopped APAs and IPAs. What I love about these beers are the same kinds of things I love about sour beers. They make my mouth water when I as much as think about drinking one.

My preferences tend to lean toward the maltier versions of these styles, like DFH 90 or Bell’s Two-Hearted, and away from those that are dominated by a floral hop flavor. Alpha King falls into the former category. Even though it has floral overtones, the malty body keeps the flowery taste at bay and keeps me coming back for more.

Alpha King
Chris 4.5 mugs Rod 4.2 mugs Jason 4.3 mugs Gina 4.7 mugs Matt E 4.25 mugs
KOTBR Score - 4.39 Mugs


Bar Fly
As I mentioned before, I'm not all over the wheat beer scene. But IPA's: love 'em. I've come a long way from my early days at HBG where hops were not a favorite thing of mine. But once I found "that one" beer, the hop switch in my head turned on and I became Captain Hophead! American Pale Ales, India Pale Ales...I really dig them all.

That goes with Barley Island's BarFly IPA as well. The hop characteristic isn't as fruity as many IPA's, but it is there in the form of grapefruit. And there is a malt presence there. Not as much as Dogfish Head's IPA's, but more than most. And at 5.6% ABV, it isn't as big as many IPA's. But big enough to make itself known. But like many other Indiana breweries, Barley Island makes a good IPA.

Bar Fly
Chris 3.2 mugs Rod 3.1 mugs Jess 3.5 mugs Jason 4.25 mugs Gina 3.2 mugs Matt E 3.5 mugs
KOTBR Score - 3.46 Mugs

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, Ed Wank geeks up the classic Black and Tan

With St. Patrick's Day quickly approaching (and the Beer Geek's St. Patrick's Day at Deano's Vino approaching even more quickly), it seemed like a good time to look at other traditions commonly associated with St. Patrick's Day and how we can geek them up a bit. Guest blogger Ed Wank takes a look at how a beer geek can get their black & tan on...

Greetings, fellow Beer Geeks! Wank here from ‘The Wank & O’Brien Show’, mornings on 97.1 HANK-FM. Listeners of the show or readers of the sadly-now-defunct ‘Indy Men’s Magazine’ might’ve noticed that I’m a micro/craft/import beer geek myself, hence my sudden appearance on the site as a guest blogger.

With Saint Paddy’s day mere moments away, and as if you NEEDED another excuse to quaff a pint, might I suggest a spin on the classic Black & Tan? The basic model is, for my money, one of the finest inventions ever to come out of, er, Britain. It’s not an Irish delicacy, although I’d consider it something of a sacrilege to float any other dark beer besides Guinness on top of a pale or bitter draw.

The name itself has been applied to coonhounds and Irish paramilitary troops from the early part of the 20th century, but most Yanks apply the moniker to a draught of Harp or Bass Ale with Ireland’s most famous stout drizzled atop to cascade gently down into the paler brew. Physics and appearance are not congruous in the Black and Tan – dark stout is, of course, in reality less dense that the lighter draw that lies beneath, hence the division of color in the middle of the pint.

For years I’d ordered Bass on the bottom and Guinness on top, since the Ale gave my personal palate a more satisfying finish than Harp. A few months back on a winter night at Binkley’s, a new inspiration suddenly struck. My tastebuds couldn’t make up their minds between a creamy Guinness or a snappy, Cascade-crisp Sierra Nevada. So I ordered a Sierra and Guinness Black and Tan.

The barmaid’s reaction belied the fact that I’d not been the first to propose this blend. The result was decent, but still a little thin on the finish. My second order put a Bell’s Two Hearted Ale in the lower half of the glass. Boom! This one ranked a ten on a scale of one through five. Further experimentations have led me to drop Three Floyd’s Alpha Kings (thank, you Munster, Indiana!) and Delaware’s Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA below the most famous of the Emerald Isles, both equally tasty experiments.

The results of layering the world’s most famous stout over any of these burly US micro-ales is downright symphonic: the gentle, almost mocha-tinged notes of the stout giving way to a crescendo of carbonation, hops, bitterness and body. Of all the combinations, though, the most satisfying had to be my second order: Kalamazoo’s Two Hearted with Vitamin G drizzled on top. My requested 60-40 mix of Michigan to Ireland made for the perfect Americanization of a drink from across the pond. Good medicine to steel oneself against an onslaught of snakes. Cheers!

Props to Deano's - The Kronie is Gone!

I've been going to Deano's pretty regularly for a year now. And of the three beers they have on tap, one has always been Kronenberg 1664 - dubbed "The Kronie", a light lager that I, and most people, think taste like ass. If ass can taste that bad. So we've been bitching non-stop for a year to take it off and put something good on. But Deano has always prevented Nick from doing it because it's one of Deano's favorite beers. What do you expect from someone who also drinks Strongbow??

Anyway, I'm glad to announce and give props to Nick for FINALLY taking the Kronie off and putting a third good beer on tap. As of right now, the line-up consists of Three Floyds' Alpha King, Bell's Amber, and Rogue's Dead Guy Ale. Now we can again say that Deano's is the original home of the Hoosier Beer Geek!