Random Beer Roundup - I Can't Fight This Feeling Any More Edition

Folks, even as I wander, I'm keeping you in sight. You're a candle in the window on a cold, dark winters night. And here's your beer news.

Just a reminder - If there's not enough news for you here, you can always check out bear news instead.

Liquor Stores/Better Beer Retailers

From John at Big Red Liquors, Bloomington:

New this week

BELLS Oktoberfest

BLUE MOON Harvest Moon (Pumpkin)

BROOKLYN Octoberfest

BUFFALO BILL Pumpkin Ale

CLIPPER CITY Oktoberfest

DOGFISH HEAD Punkin Brown

FOUNDERS Breakfast Stout (Limited quantity available)

UPLAND Sampler 12pk

UPLAND Oktoberfest

From Courtney at the Hop Shop (3855 E. 96th Street, Indianapolis) comes a nice list of seasonals:

Here is a list of the Oktoberfest Beers that we have in now. More to come soon.

Bells Oktoberfest

Leinenkugels Oktoberfest

Upland Oktoberfest

Breckenridge Autumn

Coney Island Freaktoberfest

Spaten Oktoberfest

Clipper City MärzHon

Paulaner Oktoberfest

Brooklyn Oktoberfest

Weihenstephaner Festbier

This just in from Gabe at Goose the Market (2503 N. Delaware St, Indianapolis):

The Goose has a gaggle of new beers in stock including some great Octoberfest selections.

Left Hand Octoberfest

Scmaltz Coney Island Freaktoberfest

Weihenstephaner Festbier

Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale

Atwater Brewing Blocktoberfest

Ayinger Oktoberfest

Brooklyn Octoberfest

Dogfish Head Punkin'

Some other great new additions include:

Founder's Breakfast Stout!

Rogue Morimoto Black Obi Soba Ale

St. Peter's Cream Stout

Three Floyds Rabbid Rabbit

Wabash Valley Cannonball Porter

Scmaltz Coney Island Sword Swallower

Left Hand Twin Sister Double IPA

DeBlock Satan Belgian Golden Ale

Two Brothers Bitter End Pale

Jever Pilsner

Kirk at Mr. G's Liquor (2209 E. Connor, Noblesville) stops by:

New to our shelves:

Great Divide Titan IPA

Founders Breakfast Stout

Breckenridge Autumn

Shipyard Pumpkin Ale

Restaraunt/Brewery/Brewpub

In not exactly beer news (though they have plenty of great beer), Mike DeWeese at J. Gumbo's drops a line:

Live Crawfish Boil, Saturday Sept. 13th
$15 single serving, $20 all you care to eat
8 PM until they're gone
Price includes Abita Tasting, Cajun Sausage, Corn and Taters
Reservations recommended but not required
Crawfish races at 7:30pm
317-522-2666

Bell's Brewery is on the cutting edge in terms of customer contact and sent out a message on Twitter this morning saying:

Look for our first ever Christmas Ale after Halloween!

Word on the street is that their Christmas Ale will be a Scotch Ale.

Super Random

The latest Mikkeller newsletter (no. 8), Mikkel makes mention of three beers I believe we haven't seen here yet - It's Alight!, Not Just Another Wit, and Simcoe Single Hop IPA. Beernews.org reports that the 2008 releases of Santa’s Little Helper - (our #4 ranked current beer -reviewed KOTBR #46), Not Just Another Wit, and From To (not to be confused with Mikkeller To From - reviewed KOTBR #53) are on there way to the states. If we hear anything about them hitting Indiana shelves, we'll let you know.

Out of St. Louis and the Post-Dispatch comes news that our friends at Schlafly know when to seize an opportunity:

The buyout has rocked St. Louis. Managers of bars around town say they have been peppered with questions from drinkers about which "American" beers are still available.

"We have this unique situation with A-B in St. Louis," Kopman told dozens of bar managers, grocers and restaurateurs at a beer panel at Bottleworks last month. "It probably doesn't go beyond 50 miles. But people are saying, 'I want to drink something else.'"

The folks at Schlafly smell an opportunity: The company's accelerated expansion plans are aimed at capitalizing on the turmoil and angst caused by InBev's ascension.

Fresh Hopping Done Here - The Denver Post with an article about the Great Divide Brewing Co's use of fresh hopping. "It's one of the things we can do in the brewing world that is timely," said Brian Dunn, owner and founder of Great Divide. "It's a unique thing, and our brewers get to stretch their creative muscle."

And when you see this on shelves, let us know - Chicagoist Beer of the Week is Three Floyds Moloko Milk Stout - a beer we should be seeing very limited quantities of in the Indianapolis area. "Moloko isn't your typical Three Floyds hop bomb. Actually, it's the complete opposite. Moloko is far and away the sweetest beer Three Floyds brews." Sounds tasty.

If you're wondering, Moloko is in World Class' Beer Finder,but is showing none available as of Wednesday afternoon. According to World Class' Bob Mack:"The central and lower parts of the state of Indiana do not have it yet, but we are expecting a shipment from Three Floyds late this week. After that, we can start shipping to retailers so you'll probably start seeing it next week (Sept. 12th and beyond)." Hey, that's today!

Lastly, you may remember Chris from our "GABF on the cheap" post a while back. Or maybe you met him at our anniversary party. In any case, he's still got two spots open for the GABF trip - so if you're interested, check out the old post and drop him a line. Further details:

Hey, it's Chris from beer meetup. I learned that you have posting days on Friday, and was wondering if you would post an update for my GABF trip. I have to spots left for the trip. Interested beer geeks could either do the whole package for $395 per person, or just the airfare for $159 RT. The flights are nonstop each way. We leave on Thursday morning Oct 9, and return Sunday night Oct 12.

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Interested in having your events, taps, or new beer inventory listed on Hoosier Beer Geek? It won't cost you anything. Want to complain about the abuse of REO Speedwagon lyrics? Fair enough. Drop us a line at hoosierbeergeek@gmail.com.

Random Beer Roundup - Beer in Indianapolis and Elsewhere Edition

When I google the words "Indianapolis" and "Beer" this site comes in 20th, right after "Jessica Simpson's New Gig: Selling Beer - Entertainment News Story ..."

I'd like to resolve that so look forward to the continued use of the words Indianapolis and Beer in these posts.

From Kirk at Mr. G's Liquors, Noblesville (Noblesville is not Indianapolis, but it does have beer):

New to our shelves:

Froach Heather Ale

Brugge Black

Brugge Triple de Ripple

Samuel Smith Organic Cider

Lakefront New Grist Gluten free

Seasonals:

Becks Oktoberfest

Spaten Oktoberfest

From John at Big Red Liquors (no Indianapolis locations, but a fine beer selection):

Note: Big Red Beerfest is Thursday and Friday October 16th and 17th 6-9pm at the Bloomington Convention Center.

New Next week:

Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere fresh hop

Samuel Smith organic Cider

Three Floyds Gorch Fock Helles

Returning Seasonals:

Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale

Ayinger Oktoberfest

Coming very soon (These items are being added to our system in the next week or so):

Mikkeller All Others Pale

Mikkeller Big Worse Barly Wine

Mikkeller Black Stout

Mikkeller Draft Beer

Mikkeller Jackie Brown

Mikkeller Stateside IPA

Rogue Chipotle

Brooklyner Schneider Hopfen Weisse 2008

Brugge Black

Brugge White

Brugge Tripel de Ripple

Hebrew Coney Albino Python

Hebrew Coney Sword Swallower

Left Hand Rye Bock

Czech Rebel

Sea Dog Motley Crew Sampler

Budweiser American Ale

Michelob Dunkel Weiss

Michelob Pale Ale

Brooklyn Oktoberfest

Atwater Vanilla Java Porter

Rogue Double dead guy

From Mike at Crown Liquors comes the following info (See their amazing beer selection! In Indianapolis!):

Hi Michael, Got a few things "new this month at Crown". Also, I am the local host for Ratebeers monthly tasting. Our next one will be Aug 30th at J. Gumbo's downtown and there will be some VERY special beers at this tasting, most you will not find anywhere in the states. To name a few Alesmith Barrel-Aged Speedway Stout, Black Albert and Cuvee De Castleton, lots more will be showing up because everyone brings a beer or two. It starts at 6:30.

New at Crown:

Mikkeller Its Alive

Mikkeller Monk's Brew

't Hofbrouwerkjke Bosprotter

't Hofbrouwerkjke Hofblues

HaandBryggeriet Dark Force

HaandBryggeriet Norwegian Wood

HaandBryggeriet Norse Porter

Norrebro Bryghus Skargaards Porter

Norrebro Odense Ale

Nogne O Imp. Stout

Nogne Saison

Stone Vertical Epic 080808

De Molen Rasputin (524 bottles made in the world, I got all 36 that came into the state)

Rogue Dbl. Dead Guy

If you're in the Kokomo area or thinking of taking a trip (the beer - although not brewed in Indianapolis - is well worth the visit) have a few things to look forward to from Half Moon Brewery. According to head brewer John Templet:

Here are the beers I have on tap always:

Pre-Prohibition Pilsner – A light golden lager made with the finest pilsen
malt. This American Style Pilsner is crisp, clean and refreshing. This
is a great introduction to hand crafted beer. ABV=4.1% O.G.=1036 IBU=13

Wildcat Wheat – An unfiltered Light American Wheat beer. It has a light,
sweet taste with a hint of fruitiness. Another good intro beer! ABV=4.5%
O.G.=1040 IBU=13

Stoplight City Red – An Irish-Style Red Ale with a medium body and a dry
finish. This beer is reddish in color and has a candy-like caramel
sweetness. A deliciously easy beer to drink! ABV=5.7% O.G.=1054
IBU=25

Old Ben Brown – This American-Style Brown Ale has a deep reddish-brown
color and roasted malt and caramel-like flavors with a well balanced hop
finish. Another easy beer to drink that’s a little bit more bold.
ABV=6.3% O.G.=1060 IBU=30

Elwood’s IPA – For the hopheads! This is an amber colored India Pale Ale.
It starts with a citrus-like aroma from generous helpings of fresh hops.
A very dry but fruity and flavorful beer that will leave you wanting
another! ABV=6.7% O.G.=1062 IBU=60

Cole Porter – A pleasantly roasty and smooth beer that is black in color.
If you’re into bold flavors, you’ll love it’s velvety goodness! A secret
ingredient gives this beer it’s special edge. ABV=7.0% O.G.=1066
IBU=30

These are my seasonals right now:

Cannon Shot Cream Ale- This all malt Cream Ale with low hop levels is the
perfect golden beer. It has an incredibly smooth and creamy mouth feel
that finishes crisp, clean and refreshing. For all of you "regular beer
flavor" fans, this is the ultimate brew! ABV=5.4% O.G.=1048 IBU=16

Thursday, Aug. 28th Realease Date: Hazelnut Brown Ale- Sure to be your new favorite, this brown ale has a distinct, luscious hazelnut flavor that you will definitely want to savor. Think of it as a hug in a mug. ABV = 5.7% OG = 1056 IBU = 25

Other Brews in the works:

Scottish Ale - Mid to early Sept. release

Octoberfest - Late Sept. release

Other Stuff:

Our own Matt R asks "When is Founder's Breakfast Stout (which is a beer) coming to Indianapolis?"

The answer, from Cavalier Distributing's Mat Gerdenich: "The oficial release is Sept 1. we should have ours later this week and start moving it next week. We are getting 140 cases to start with. More cases and kegs to follow."

Hopefully one of those kegs will magically appear in my garage.

Because I know all of Indianapolis (and elsewhere) is dying to know about Budweiser's new beer - Here's a link to a YouTube video highlighting the differences in Budweiser Lager and Budweiser American Ale. I'm sure we'll be weighing in shortly.

Beer for kids? FINALLY!¹ Can we get that in Indianapolis? - "..in April he introduced a brew from another Belgian tradition: bières de table.

'When I lived there in the late ’70s and early ’80s,' he said of his time in Belgium, 'everybody drank it for lunch, from grandmothers to kids.'"

That from The New York Times and a nice article about session beers - craft beer on the lighter side of the alcohol scale.

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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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¹ sarcasm