Random Beer Roundup - Spend the Morning Drinking Edition

How's it going today? I am looking forward to a little KBS tonight at Shallo's and of course, the spectacularly awesome Craft Beer Meal Before Lunch tomorrow morning at Brugge. We hope you were able to get your tickets because there won't be any at the door. Besides, where else will you get to try 2 bacon beers? Nowhere. Probably.

Sun King is getting their cans delivered TODAY! They are beautifully done and we can't wait to see them around town.

Best of luck to those taking the BJCP exam tomorrow.

If there is something coming up that is not listed, we would love to hear about it. News, reviews, info, etc., to share for our next Random Beer Roundup can be submitted to hoosierbeergeek@gmail.com.

Hoosier Beer Calendar
Events are subject to change

Friday, March 26th at Shallo's - KBS tapping about 5 pm.

Friday, March 26th at Upland's Banquet Hall - Infinite Wisdom Tripel release and weekend events (More information below).

Saturday, March 27th - Hoosier Beer Geek's Craft Beer Meal Before Lunch at Brugge Brasserie. Tickets on sale at Brugge (presale only, no day-of tickets).

Saturday, March 27th at the Ram Brewery, Downtown: Bourbon Barrel Series Tapping (6 Bourbon Barrel aged beers)

Tuesday, March 30th @ 6:30 p.m. at Binkley's Beer Dinner in Broad Ripple: Sun King Beer Dinner

Wednesday, March 31st @ 6:30 p.m. at The Chatham Tap: Sun King Extravaganza

Friday, April 9th at McCormick & Schmick's (110 N. Illinois St., 631-9500): Beer dinner featuring Oaken Barrel Brewing Co. (50 Airport Pkwy., Greenwood, 887-2287). Five courses include beer & cheddar soup, stuffed quail, and braised pork, all paired with Oaken Barrel beers. $40. Call 631-9500 for reservations beginning April 2.

April 24th at Three Floyds Brewery in Munster - Dark Lord Day

Saturday, May 22nd at the Lake County Fairgrounds Industrial Building: Illiana Mayfest (more info below)

More events can be found on the Indiana Beer Calendar

What's Brewing

From Billy at Broad Ripple Brewpub in Indianapolis:

As part of our on going 20th year celebration leading up to our birthday bash on November 14th, we're inviting people to go to our website, Broadripplebrewpub.com, and vote for beers we've had on in the past that they would like to see back again. We'll be tapping the top six vote getters, one a month, starting in May.

From Charles at Upland Brewing Co. in Bloomington:

Help us celebrate the release of our Infinite Wisdom Tripel on Saturday, March 27th. It's going to be an awesome combination of art, music, and hand-crafted, limited release Belgian-style ale. Check out the details at uplandbeer.com. Here's a day-plan for you: Drop in at the brewery between 3 and 5 for a tour, have a sampler flight, grab some dinner at one of Bloomington's awesome restaurants, and then head over to Jake's for the show. Sound good? I think so.

From Dan at The Ram Brewery, locations Downtown and Northside:

Saturday, March 27th from 12:00 to 4:30 at the RAM Downtown:

Woodford Reserve Barrel
Buttface Amber Ale
Total Disorder Porter
Scottish Ale
Irish Stout

Jack Daniels Barrel
Breakfast Stout

Jameson Irish Whiskey Barrel
Irish Red Ale

Buffalo Trace Bourbon Barrel
Cream Ale

At the Bar

From Patrick at Patrick's Kitchen and Drinks in Zionsville:

Sun King Irish Dry Stout, Sun King Cream Dream II...Electric Boogaloo..., Three Floyds Dreadnaught, Founders Double Trouble, and Stone Ruination..

We had our Indiana Brews Beer Dinner on Monday 3/22, it was sold out and we had beers from the Bloomington Brewing company there as well..they have 15 taps down there these days as well as a new brewer name of Eilleen Martin!

Carry Out
From Corrie at Goose the Market in Indianapolis:

New in the cellar at Goose the Market...

The Minnesotans be fermenting unfiltered apple wine with Belgian Trappist yeast, donchano, eh? Come in for a bottle of Crispin's The Saint Cider, eh.

We could tell you about Upland's latest tripel release, but you already know given your Infinite Wisdom.

We apri-ciate Dogfish Head's latest apri-oachable IPA for the apri-opriate additions of apri-cots. Their latest Aprihop is hoppy, subtly fruity, and apri-pos for toasting spring.

From William at the Crown Liquors store downtown:

New this week at Crown Wine and Spirits- Ohio and Delaware - Downtown Indy

Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree IPA (very limited)
Dark Horse Plead the 5th Imperial Stout (very limited)
Hoppin' Frog Hop Dam Triple IPA (very limited)
Baudelaire Ale Absurd Rye Tripple and iO Saison (from Jolly Pumpkin)
Clipper City Heavy Seas Pale Ale
and the return of Two Brothers Cane & Ebel and Scaldis Triple

Friday's tasting (3pm-7pm) will feature Heavy Seas Siren Noire Chocolate Stout, Ommegang Abbey Dubbel,
and Crispin Honey Crisp Cider!

From Todd at Keg Liquors in Clarksville:

Dark Horse - Scotty Karate Scotch Ale (Michigan)
Dark Horse - Plead the Fifth Stout (Michigan)
Dark Horse - Double Crooked Tree IPA (Michigan)
Rogue - XS Imperial Stout Back in 7oz bottles! (Oregon)
Val-Dieu - Triple (Belgium)
Jolly Pumpkin - Madrugada Obscura (Michigan)
Hoppin Frog - Hop Master (Ohio)
Hoppin Frog - Hop Dam Triple IPA (Ohio)
Victory - St. Boisterous (Pennsylvania)
Sprecher - Hefe Weiss (Wisconsin)
Apis - Kurpiowski Royal Mead (Poland)
St. Bernardus - Wit (Belgium)
Zywiec - Lager (Poland)
Saku - Originaal (Estonia)
Jamaica - Stout (Jamaica)

From Jake at the United Package Liquor store in Broad Ripple:

KBS(very limited quantity)
Three Floyds Behemoth Barley wine
Stone Sublimely self-righteous and Old Guardian
Heavy Seas Siren Noire
Great Divide Yeti and Hercules Bombers

From the Distributors:

From Greg at Cavalier Distribution:

New in this week:

Clipper City Big DIPA Double IPA just arrived and will be hitting stores & bars across the state. Big DIPA is triple hopped (the original triple hop) with 5 pounds of Hops per barrel during the brewing process. It has a solid malt backbone as well resulting in a well-balance double IPA weighing in at 10.6% abv. This is a limited release beer, so get some while it's fresh and available!!

From Krystle at World Class Beverages:

Oberon official release on March 29^th! The Beer Sellar is having a release party starting at 2:00 p.m. to celebrate - check out the Facebook link for more info: http://ow.ly/1q2Vq

New beer to hit the market in the upcoming months or just recently out! Check our Beer Spy to find out if they are out yet, or where to get them closest to you.

Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat 12 oz cans
Three Floyds Rabbid Rabbit Brooklyn Dark Matter Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree Dogfish Head Black and Blue
Harpoon Single Hop ESB (next in their 100 barrel series)
Hoppin’ Frog Hop Dam Triple IPA Unibroue Quelque Chose

Trip Opportunities

From Ron Smith:

Guided Beer Vacations to Belgium and Germany!

Now through the end of April (about the next 5 weeks) is the timeframe where I need to get firm commitments from people. You can read about my Belgium Trip here (http://www.beermba.com/belgium-beer-vacations.php) and my Germany Trip here (http://www.beermba.com/germany-beer-vacations.php). There is also some general information here (http://www.beermba.com/beer-vacations.php). These are great trips designed to maximize the enjoyment of beer lovers that want to see these parts of the world without all the stress, planning, etc. While being primarily beer-focused, we also break it up and visit many of the usual tourist sites as well. Thus, even non-beer lovers will really enjoy them, but the true beer lover will be in heaven on these trips.

Save the Date:

Illiana Mayfest on Saturday, May 22nd at the Lake County Fairgrounds Industrial Building

Come out to Crown Point's 1st annual Craft Beer Festival. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. At least thirteen breweries, our local homebrew club and a few distributors will be participating. You get to try all the beers at your leisure during the 4 hour event. See how beer is made, talk to brewmasters and drink delicious beer.

Here is the confirmed list for Illiana Mayfest so far: Two Brothers, Rock Bottom, Crown Brewing, Figure 8, Brickworks, Lafayette, Mishawaka, Half Acre, Brickstone, Flossmoor Station, Shoreline, Backroads and Harrison's. We will also have some homebrew clubs, distributors and food vendors.

Tickets are now available at Crown, Figure 8, Brickworks, Shoreline and Half Acre.

News around the web:

IBJ has an article about a new distribution company, Pelican Brands LLP: http://www.ibj.com/local-beverage-entrepreneur-retrenches-with-new-venture/PARAMS/article/18880

Rita Kohn's upcoming book, True Brew, is available for pre-order from Amazon.com.

Beer Diary #16 - Jim | Red Penguins Keep Louisville Weird

Date: 19 March 2010
Location: 21c Museum Hotel
Main Street
Louisville, Kentucky

Terroir: The notion that a place injects a unique character into the things that are produced and grown there. Louisville embodies the concept of terroir because Louisville is a unique place, more than unique if that's possible. Its people, its neighborhoods, its culture--all have this incomparable organic character that seems to spring from the very banks of the Ohio River.

Perhaps this is so because Louisville defies preconceptions and expectations. The motto of Louisville's independent business association is "Keep Louisville Weird." If you spend enough time in the city, you'll see that its residents take this motto seriously because Louisville is weird--the best kind of weird. Amble along Bardstown Road or up Frankfort Avenue and drink in the pleasant, earthy weirdness.

One facet of Louisville's uniqueness is downtown's 21c Museum Hotel. According to a 2009 readers' poll in Condé Nast Traveler, the 21c is the #1 hotel in the U.S. and the #6 hotel in the world. It's not surprising to see why the magazine's readers felt this way; the 21c is a one-of-a-kind institution. In addition to its guest rooms, the hotel contains a stunning museum (open 24 hours a day) with a collection of 21st Century art. It also houses a world-class restaurant called Proof on Main. Contemporary art can be seen in every area of the building. A deer's head in a bondage mask adorns the wall in Proof on Main's entry area. And the red penguins are ubiquitous. These 21c mascots stand guard on the hotel's rooftop, at the lobby door, in the hallways, in the guest rooms, in the rooms of the museum, and, in miniature form, on the lapels of the hotel's staff.


Photo by jbcurio


Photo by Daquella Manera
Proof on Main's bar has a specialty: bourbon, that most elite expression of Kentucky's terroir. Hotel guests receive a complementary shot of bourbon from Proof on Main, and there are over 50 bourbons to choose from. Bourbon means bourbon barrels, and bourbon barrels mean bourbon barrel-aged beer. In this case, the beer in question is BBC Jefferson's Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout. This is a beer of which the KOTBR are quite fond. It is currently the number three beer on our list of beers reviewed. It is also on the beer list at Proof on Main among other excellent selections such as Founders Red's Rye and Bell's Winter White. But these other selections are not expressions of Kentucky's terroir. BBC Bourbon Barrel Stout is; it's this beer that I want, and it's what I have.

The experience is as I remember from our roundtable in which we reviewed the beer: baked brown sugar, black coffee, a dash of vanilla, and a bit of bourbon, which is lightly folded into the mix, hanging there in the background, unveiling itself gently.

Date: 20 March 2010
Location: Cumberland Brewery
The Highlands
Louisville, Kentucky

While Kentucky's terroir might find its highest expression in bourbon, Louisville's terroir is well expressed by the Highlands. In terms of Indianapolis analogues, the Highlands are Irvington, Broad Ripple, Mass Ave, and Fountain Square combined into one district. It's a meandering strip of independent shops, restaurants, and bars that hasn't been overrun by complete gentrification.

In the middle of the Highlands sits Cumberland Brews, a small but integral part of Louisville's beer culture. It is my destination while my wife goes in search of tchotchkes at nearby shops. Again, in terms of Indianapolis analogues, Cumberland Brews is the Broad Ripple Brewpub, but with a Deadhead vibe on top of the English country pub atmosphere. In the afternoon light, the pub is dim, but comfortably so. The tap handles are made of art glass. Three small fermentation vessels are perched behind the bar. Inhabiting one vessel is a beer called "Dorkmonster." It's not on tap yet, but its name makes me wish that it were.

The flagship beers are mostly English style ales, a Nitro Porter and a Pale Ale among them. There are also a Cream Ale and an Irish Dry Stout in honor of St. Patrick's Day. I order an imperial pint of the Nitro Porter to begin. Creamy, malty, and chocolaty it is. A suggestion of licorice and molasses as well. A good way to kick off the afternoon.

A glance at the seasonal menu piques my interest. The second beer on the menu is named "Ich Bin Ein Berliner Weisse." Louisville's terroir is expressed through sourness? Apparently so. Cumberland Brews does not serve this beer the Berliner way, i.e., with syrup. Rather, it comes all by itself. A half-pint of the Berliner Weisse displays faint banana, apple, and musty notes in the nose. It's crisp, fizzy, wheaty, sweet, and sour all at once. Delightful.

The bartender has been at the hand pull frequently, doling out pints and half-pints of a dry-hopped, cask-conditioned porter. As I am finishing off my Berliner Weisse, I am dismayed to see that the cask is empty, or so I believe. An enterprising woman, the bartender grabs the pin from beneath the bar, tilting the tap toward the floor to coax the last two half-pints of porter from the pin. I am fortunate because she offers me one of those two half-pints free of charge. A toast to her. The creamy citrus/chocolate blend of the porter. Magnificent. My dismay returns as I realize that I should have ordered this beer earlier so I could have enjoyed a full pint. Terroir is often expressed kindly, but sometimes not as kindly as one might wish. The pin is forever empty of this particular beer.

The name at the top of the seasonal menu is "Two Brewers One Pint." I chuckle. If you don't understand the genesis of this beer's name, please, do not ask. Terroir is not only expressed in good beer, but through humor too, and that humor is not always classy. I learn from the bartender that this beer, which is a German Brown Ale, is a collaboration beer; BBC is Cumberland's partner in production. Two Brewers One Pint (or in my case, one half-pint): a malty nose with a faint whiff of smoke. Caramel flavors are coupled with a dry bitterness at the front of the tongue and a sweet finish at the back. Very nice.

My wife has finally caught up with me. The shopping treasure that she has unburied: Milli Vanilli earrings.

Only in Louisville is Milli Vanilli an expression of terroir.

Reminder: 5 Tickets Left for Hoosier Beer Geek's Craft Beer Meal Before Lunch

The event is this Saturday. There are 5 tickets left as of Wednesday at 2:40 PM. Tickets are pre-sale only, which means you can't wait until Saturday to buy them.


Last year we had a breakfast, this year we're having a Meal That Comes Before Lunch (HBGCBMTCBL).

Tickets are now on sale for the craft beer experience that is the HBGCBMTCBL. HBGCBMTCBL will be held on Saturday, March 27th at 10 AM in the Brugge Upstairs Space. You can only acquire these tickets at Brugge Brasserie, and they're $30.

Dining Options:

Steak and Eggs
-or-
The Scrambled Egg Crepe Experience

Beer (pours of all included):

Brugge Biere du Lardons*
Sun King Baconator Dopplebock*
Upland Lambic*
Hitachino White
Founder's Breakfast Stout
Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast
HeBrew ReJewvenator
and something from Chimay

*Limited Release or created specifically for this event.

All this for $30

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW AT BRUGGE BRASSERIE ONLY.

Once again Ted has threatened my life if we can't sell all 50-ish tickets. And when they're gone, THEY'RE GONE.

Your help is appreciated.

* * * * *

This is not a legally binding document, menu may change. But you get the idea.

We asked Brugge and Sun King to make us bacon beers, and they did.

The Upland Lambics were from this year's special release that sold out in about 4 hours or so. We'll be pulling from a mixed case. So that's pretty cool. I think.