Minor Leagues, Major Brews

The Indianapolis Indians have their first pitch of the season tomorrow. I'm always impressed with the quality entertainment that can be found at Victory Field. Not to mention the impressive craft beer lineup (especially when compared to other, nearby sporting venues... I'M LOOKING AT YOU LUCAS OIL STADIUM AND CONSECO FIELDHOUSE!!!). As we do most every year, here is a breakdown of craft beer options at the old ball game in Indy and around the area:

Victory Field, Indianapolis, IN
-Oaken Barrel: For the 12th year, OB beers can be found on draft. Victory Amber (aka Indiana Amber) is behind home plate and Razz Wheat is in center field.
-Sun King: The 16 ounce can lineup of Sunlight Cream Ale, Osiris Pale Ale, and Wee Mac Scottish Ale is available. A rotating seasonal tap will also be available at the new Captain Morgan Cove bar. 1887, a California common beer, will be the first beer on tap.
-Other bottled selections: Bell's, New Belgium, Sam Adams, Goose Island
-Neither Vic Field nor Monarch Beverages could confirm if Upland will be returning this season. Cari at Upland informed me that Victory Field ordered bottles of Wheat, so they should be available.

Parkview Field, Ft. Wayne, IN
-Mad Anthony: The beers travel less than a mile to reach the home of the Ft. Wayne TinCaps. You'll find them on draft.
-Granite City: also available on draft
-Sierra Nevada: available on draft
-Other bottled selections: Mad Anthony, New Belgium Fat Tire

On Saturday, April 9th, a beer tasting event will be held prior to the game. Four themed tables will be providing samples from 4:05 to 5:05. Themes include A Taste of Mexico (Dos Equis, Tecate, Carta Blanca), Thorwback (Schlitz, PBR, Old Style, McSorley’s), Tenth & Blake (Blue Moon Seasonal, Leinenkugel Seasonal, Pilsner Urquelle, Grolsch), and Local Favorites (Upland, New Holland, Goose Island, Mad Hatter). Tickets are $40 and all you can eat meal and game admission is included. Advanced purchase is required. Call 260-407-2802 to reserve your ticket. An event flyer can be downloaded here.

Two more beer tasting events are planned for this season.

Coveleski Stadium, South Bend, IN
While it is a shame that local brewery Mishawaka isn’t served at the home of the SilverHawks, one beer that beer geeks might find enjoyable is Great Lakes Brewing Company’s Edmund Fitzgerald Porter.

US Steel Yard, Gary, IN
Bottles: Goose Island 312, New Belgium Fat Tire, Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada; Draft: Leinenkugels Summer Shandy, Blue Moon

Slugger Field, Louisville, KY
The battle for craft beer at the ball park is well documented by NABC’s Roger Baylor at his blog The Potable Curmudgeon (here, here, and here), two craft beer taps were made available. At first, NABC’s Beak’s Best and Kentucky Ale were on tap. Later, BBC’s Nut Brown, BBC’s American Pale Ale and Cumberland’s Red.

Fifth Third Field, Dayton, OH
Sam Adams is the only craft beer available right now, but the Dragons have an annual craft beer tasting about midseason. Last season, 60+ beers were available for sampling and a few are selected for availability the rest of the season.

Update: Hoosier Beer and Baseball Geek

Last year, we offered a guide to Indiana beer at Indiana baseball parks. The Indianapolis Indians have their home opener Friday night and (as long as the weather and the children cooperate) this Knight of the Beer Roundtable will be there. Victory Field's beer selection has improved. And while they don't have Sun King listed, we have it on good authority that Sun King beer will be at the Vic this year. Here is the 2010 update to the Hoosier Beer and Baseball Geek guide:


Victory Field
Opened: 1996
Home of the Indianapolis Indians
International League
AAA Affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates
2010 Opening Day: April 16

Indiana Beers Available:
Oaken Barrel Victory Amber (21 oz. draft, $5.75) at the Backstop Grille, Section 111

Oaken Barrel Razz Wheat (21 oz. draft, $5.75) at the Home Run Grille, Centerfield Plaza

Upland (12 oz. bottles, $5.50) at Guiness Pub Stand, Section 108

Sun King* Osiris Pale Ale and Sunlight Cream Ale(16 oz. cans) at Guiness Pub Stand, Section 108, and Home Run Grille, Centerfield Plaza

Other Beers Available:
At Guinness Pub Stand, Section 108, in bottles ($5.50): Bells Oberon, Corona, Fat Tire, Heineken, Leinenkugel Summer, Red Stripe, Sam Adams, Stella Artois.

At Guinness Pub Stand, Section 108, on draft ($6.50): Guinness, Harp, Smithwick's

Elsewhere in the park: Blue Moon, Budweiser, Bud Light, Coors Light, Corona Light, Smirnoff Ice

*This is what we were told by the good guys at Sun King. Why it is not on the concession menu, I don't know.

11 Things A New Beer Festival Visitor Should Know

Summer weekends are usually jam-packed with beer festivals across the country. This is a great way to introduce new beers and beer styles to both seasoned veterans and new craft beer drinkers. While the seasoned veterans may already know how it works, the new craft beer festival attendee may find it simply overwhelming. With experience on both sides of the tap handles, we've hopefully come up with a helpful guide for a beginner.

At these festivals it's usually really hot and you find yourself in long lines, sometimes not even being really sure what the line is for. You get up to the table and all of a sudden you need to make a decision. You've heard of the brewery, but you are not sure about the beers they offer. What beer should you pick? The simple answer is that if you are not sure, just ask.

If this is your (or your friend's) first time to a beer festival, dress comfortable and arrive early. The lines to get in are usually quite long.

Here are 10 more tips that may make your first-time experience more enjoyable.

1. Do not say, "Give me the lightest thing you have". This phrase is too vague to be helpful in any kind of way. Do you mean lightest in color or lightest in alcohol? If you are not clear, you may end up with a Tripel (upwards of 10% alcohol) when you really wanted a Pilsner (usually around 4-5% alcohol). If you are not sure what to get, let the server know that you are new to craft beer and are not familiar with all the styles.

2. Do not go up to a merchandise booth and ask what beers they have. Be aware of your surroundings and of where you are. If you are oblivious to the fact that there are no taps, bottles, or coolers on the table, you may want to rethink getting another beer at all.

3. If there is a long line behind you, do not stand around after your beer is poured and offer your thoughts. Get your beer and move out of the tent. Enjoy the beer with your friends out of the way of others.

4. Do not be mean to people pouring your beer. Better yet, do not be mean to anyone. There are lots of people moving around trying to get somewhere. Sometimes your server is a volunteer; sometimes it's the brewer. Some of these people work in beer for a living - try to imagine what it would be like for you to go to work and all of your co-workers were drunk.

5. Either know a little bit about beer, or be open-minded. We've heard stories or actually have seen people throwing their beer at the server because it had sediment in it. Please do not do this under any circumstance.

6. It is not a race to see how much beer you can drink. You will not be able to try everything, so take time to enjoy what you do get. Take advantage of the food offerings and drink some water once in awhile. You may think that a couple hours is not enough time, but it really is.

7. Be prepared for long lines for the restrooms. The whole festival is about beverage intake after all. Just get a beer, get in line, and wait your turn. Don't cut in line, don't shout at people, and for the love of god, DO NOT TIP THE PORT-A-POTTY OVER. If you are germ-weary, bring hand sanitizer. Sometimes the paper towels/water runs out. Often the restrooms are beyond disgusting.

8. If you smoke, please do not do it inside the tents. For some people, smoke = gross = no beer enjoyment. Smoke outside, then place your butt in a proper receptacle (proper receptacle does not equal the ground).

9. Do not ask for more beer after the festival has ended. And as the old bar adage goes...You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.

10. Get a designated driver, go somewhere else and sober up, or rent a hotel room. Sometimes a hotel is not an option. Anticipate for this and make necessary arrangements.

We want everyone to have a safe, enjoyable experience, and we would like to see you again at the next event.

Hoosier Beer and Baseball Geek

I really enjoy baseball and I like to frequent Major League ballparks in Cincinnati and Chicago. But for cheap, family fun, minor league baseball is the way to go. And Indiana has plenty. Professional baseball in Indiana has its first pitch tonight when the Indianapolis Indians face the Toledo Mud Hens at Victory Field in Indianapolis.

But baseball isn't the only thing that local ballparks have to offer. What is baseball without beer? I contacted the five professional ballclubs in Indiana to find out what's on tap. For you beer and baseball geeks, here is your starting lineup:


Victory Field
Opened: 1996
Home of the Indianapolis Indians
International League
AAA Affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates
2009 Opening Day: April 9

Indiana Beers Available:
Oaken Barrel Victory Amber (21 oz. draft, $5.75) at the Backstop Grille, Section 111
Oaken Barrel Razz Wheat (21 oz. draft, $5.75) at the Home Run Grille, Centerfield Plaza

Other Beers Available:
Guinness, Blue Moon, Budweiser, Bud Light, Coors Light, Smirnoff Ice, Smirnoff Tea, Corona Light


Parkview Field
Opened: 2009
Home of the Fort Wayne Tin Caps
Midwest League
Single A Affiliate of the San Diego Padres
2009 Opening Day: April 16

Indiana Beers Available:
Mad Anthony (two taps along first base side)
Granite City

Other Beers Available:
On Draft: Bud, Bud Light, Miller Lite, Coors Light, Bass, Guinness, Harp, Stella, Sierra Nevada, Shock Top, and Smithwicks.
Bottled: Bud, Bud Light, Coors Light, Miller Lite, Killians, Blue Moon, Red Stripe, Corona, Sam Adams, Heineken, Smirnoff Ice, Mikes Hard Lemonade, O’Douls, Sierra Nevada and Bud Light Lime.

Of note: Thirsty Thursdays - $2 drink special, $1 beer special

US Steel Yard
Opened: 2002
Home of the Gary SouthShore RailCats
Northern League (independent)
2009 Opening Day: May 11

Indiana Beers Available:
Upland Wheat (bottle)

Other Beers Available:
Draft: Miller Genuine Draft, Miller Lite, Leinenkugel

Bottles/Cans: Miller Chill, St Pauli Girl, Corona, Red Stripe, Fosters, Pacifico, Leinenkugel, Dos Equis, Samuel Adams, Miller Genuine Draft, Miller Lite, Miller High Life, Sharps non alcoholic

Of note: Thirsty Thursdays - $2 beer special

Coveleski Stadium
Opened: 1987
Home of the South Bend Silver Hawks
Midwest League
Single A Affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks
2009 Opening Day: April 13

Indiana Beers Available:
none

Other Beers Available:
Bud, Bud Light, MGD, Coors Light, Miller Lite, Leinekugel’s Sunset Wheat (draft only), Leinekugel’s Summer Shandy (draft only), Mike’s Hard Lemonade

Of note: Thirsty Thursdays - $2 beer special

Bosse Field
Opened: 1915
Home of the Evansville Otters
Frontier League
2009 Opening Day: May 15

Indiana Beers Available:
none

Other Beers Available:
Budweiser, Bud Light, Bud Select, AmberBock, Michelob, and Michelob Ultra.

Of note: Stadium was used to film the movie "A League of Their Own"

Fumble: The Beer Menu at Lucas Oil Stadium

It’s Sunday night, September 7th. I am inside the new Lucas Oil Stadium. As a long time season ticket holder, I am very excited about having a new stadium. But my beloved Colts aren’t doing so well. In fact, the Chicago Bears are smacking us around pretty good.

This is not the way I expected things to start in the big L-O. I think it is time for a beer.

There are so many bell and whistles in the new stadium, including a retractable roof and a retractable north window, both very cool features. But just as impressive, there are 778 beer taps at 525 points of sale, which is almost double what the Colts’ old Hoosier Dome home had. And that is good news for beer fans.

Or it should be. As I walk around, I notice that Budweiser takes up about half of the taps. The other taps are pretty well split between Miller and Coors. There are stands selling bottled beer, but they are basically limited to Corona, Heineken, and Amstel Light.

I had read in the Indianapolis Star that there will be beers from the downtown Indianapolis Ram brewery. But I wasn’t able to find them. And every beer vendor and concession stand worker I asked didn’t know that Ram beer was sold in the stadium.


Obviously there aren’t many points of sale dedicated to Ram. But why just Ram? There are so many great beers in Indiana and the entire Midwest. With so many more taps available, why isn’t the variety of beers available more diverse? That is the question I asked Bob Mack of World Class Beverages.

“[B]reweries have to pay to have their beer served in stadiums and it is very, very expensive. That situation really gears Lucas Oil towards macro brands who have large marketing budgets. Miller and Coors [which is distributed by World Class Beverages parent company Monarch Beverages] pay to be there, but that doesn’t cover any World Class brands. Anheuser-Busch pays well into the millions of dollars each year for their presence.

“I don’t know that any of our breweries are in a financial position to pay the fees involved in being present there, but we have talked to Centerplate about a consortium type approach where the financial burden could be shared, but there is a limit to how many products can be represented, which limits the number of breweries who can help to share that financial burden.”


Call me a naïve beer geek, but I thought teams would (or should) select beers based on what their fans would like to drink. “You are thinking logically and with your palate,” Mat Gerdenich of Cavalier Distributing informed me. “Those guys only think with their wallets.”

But it is not just the big sports teams that are doing this. I asked Andrew Castner at Oaken Barrel about their long time relationship with Victory Field. “In order to have our beer on tap at the field, we buy advertising and signage in parts of the field. As our math has gone, we sell as much beer to them as it costs to purchase the advertising. As a result, we don't make money on that account, but we are able to increase our exposure.”

It turns out that most venues and events that sell beer make their beer selections based on who buys advertising or pays to be a sponsor. “The current Oktoberfest at the Fairgrounds gets money from Warsteiner for their products to be on tap there,” says Mack, “which makes it difficult for us to be involved with brands like Spaten or Paulaner. Though they will bring in some bottles our products aren’t that visible.”

I understand giving a greater presence to those who pay extra. But I’m disappointed to hear that beer brands are not being brought in at all because they don’t have the marketing budget to compete with the big three. So even though the new stadium was paid for by Hoosier taxpayers, you most likely won’t see many Hoosier produced beers being sold there.

(Okay, so maybe I'm being melodramatic. To be fair, the new stadium did just open, so hopefully a deal to have more craft beer will come together in the next season or two. Diana Evans, Director of Marketing at Centerplate, said "Whenever possible, we like to incorporate regional flavors (locally-sourced) and signature offerings to make the fan experience more special. As you've probably seen on the website, we recruit talented chefs and restaurateurs to inform our purchasing, design and menus--and we're always interested in new concepts. " So keep your fingers crossed.)


I know that other NFL stadiums sell craft beers. On Sunday, fellow Colts fan Bryan Haza was in the Metrodome in Minneapolis and texted me that he bought a 21 oz. cup of Pale Ale from St. Paul-based Summit Brewing Company for $7. So we emailed the concessionaires for the 32 NFL teams asking if they would share their beer list with us. Most were happy to share.

It should come as no surprise that in St. Louis at the Edward Jones Dome that Anheuser-Busch dominates the beer lineup. They submitted that their beer list includes the Budweiser family of beers, the Michelob family of beers, and the Anheuser-Busch specialty and seasonal beers, plus Miller Lite and Coors Light.


Knowing that St. Louis brewery Schlafly Beer has a presence at Busch Stadium, home of the MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals, we wondered why their beer isn’t available at Rams games. Tom Schlafly wondered the same thing in a letter to the editor of the St. Louis Business Journal on June 16, 2008:

“There are lots of Rams fans who like Schlafly Beer. We see them at The Tap Room before or after every home game. There's no doubt that Schlafly would sell well at the Edward Jones Dome if it were available. Cardinals fans can buy Schlafly Beer at Busch Stadium. Blues fans can buy our beer at The Scottrade Center. Why can't Rams fans buy our beer at the Dome?”

We asked brand manager Mitch Turner if there had been any discussion about having their beer at Rams games. He said, “The Edward Jones Dome is run by Sport Service and they declined to serve our beer (I approached them personally). Their official stance was that we approached them too late in the year to get in. We approached them (both through the brewery and our distributor) periodically starting in late spring/early summer. The final answer of "no" was given to us in June.

“The reality is that they do serve Sam Adams, Killians, Blue Moon, and Boulevard,” Turner continues, “and that if there is an enemy #1 to the local AB/IB wholesaler, it is us. So, we are left out due to politics.” So while demand may be there for Schlafly by Rams fans, in this case business practices and politics seem to be getting in the way. But not necessarily money, as Schlafly doesn’t pay to be in any of those venues. “We are sold in Busch Stadium and the Scottrade Center (and the Pageant, the Roberts Orpheum, Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Harrah's Casino, etc.) because consumers demand it and we are very active (non-monetarily) in seeking opportunities to be in these venues and helping them achieve their goals.”


Despite some political and monetary hurdles, somehow quality, local beer offerings are making their way into some NFL stadiums. Abita is available at the Saints’ Superdome in New Orleans. Boulevard beers are available in their hometown’s Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs. LP Field serves Yazoo, based in the Tennessee Titans town of Nashville. And the Buffalo Bills serve beers Flying Bison at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Honker’s Ale from Goose Island is available at Soldier Field in Chicago. But you also can drink regional favorites like Old Style and Leinenkugel’s while watching da Bears.

There are also stadiums that have stepped up their beer menus in a major way. At Bank of America Stadium, whose food services are operated in house by the Carolina Panthers, you will find one of the largest beer lists in the NFL, with over 44 beers listed. The local Carolina Beer Company has three varieties of its ABA Carolina Blonde at the stadium, including Carolina Strawberry Blonde and Carolina Blueberry Blonde. On top of these standard offerings, they also brew two beers for the stadium: Gridiron Red and Gridiron Brown.


At the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota Vikings fans take their beer very seriously. In addition to Summit’s Pale Ale, you can also find several varieties of Leinenkugel’s, as well as regional brewer Grain Belt. And Finnegan’s, which is a beer contract brewed for charity by Summit, is also on available.

Raiders Nation has a taste for craft beers as the Oakland Raiders serve an impressive selection at McAfee Coliseum. California originals like Gordon Biersch, Pyramid, and Sierra Nevada are available, as well as New Belgium’s Fat Tire and beers from Hawai’i based Kona Brewing Company.

In Denver, Invesco Field at Mile High offers plenty of hometown Coors to the thirsty Denver Broncos fans. But they also offer other Colorado brews: Dale’s Pale Ale from Oskar Blues Grill and Brewery, Fat Tire from New Belgium Brewing, and Hercules Double IPA from Great Divide Brewing Company. This is on top of a large collection of domestics and imports, including Sierra Nevada.

There is a monster beer selection in Monster Park, home of the San Francisco 49’ers. Five Golden State beers can be found. Gordon Biersch and Sierra Nevada have been mentioned at other stadiums. Anchor Steam beer, not surprisingly, is available, as is fellow San Fran brewery Speakeasy. Top it off with Lagunitas IPA and fans will leave happy, no matter the score.

But when Hoosier Beer Geek reviewed all the submitted beer lists, the NFL stadium that impressed us the most is the home of the San Diego Chargers. Qualcomm Stadium has a line up of 37 beers, with 9 craft brews and 11 imports. Anchor Steam, Fat Tire, Gordon Biersch Hefewiezen, Gordon Biersch Marzen, Kona Fire Rock, Kona Long Board, Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale, and Ballast Point’s Yellowtail Pale Ale make up 1/4th of their beer menu.


It goes to show that demand drives supply. Given that in California and Colorado craft beer has a much larger market share than here in Indiana, it isn’t surprising that the NFL stadiums in those states serve up big craft beer menus.

Hopefully, as demand increases, the supply of craft beer in Lucas Oil Stadium will also increase. Until then, might I suggest to my fellow beer geeks that you tailgate with your favorite selection of beers or visit J. Gumbo’s, Spencer’s, or one of the microbreweries before kickoff.

And pray that during the game, the Colts on-field performance doesn’t drive you to drinking.

Opinions are like...

Rating beer is something we try to take seriously at Hoosier Beer Geek. I know from personal experience that the beer rankings in the left column can influence purchases, which is why we debated adding the Upland Ard Ri score - only one of us rated the beer, which doesn't give it a comparatively balanced score. In the end, we decided we were comfortable with leaving it in the table where it sits until it can be reassessed.

I don't think you'll ever see us writing a column toting "the best" anything - there's just too much beer out there to make a definite decision about any of them. What you see ranked is what we liked; that's all we're really saying.

But Men's Journal magazine is in the buisiness to make money, so they don't mind making best lists; in fact, they don't mind going overboard. This month they've tackled beer with three lists: 25 Best Beers In America, The Best American Specialty Beers, and Best Beers In the World.

Do we agree with the lists? Of course not. That's the point, isn't it?