DigIN: A Taste of Indiana Recap

DigIN to tasty eats, great beer and wine? Don't mind if I do! This past Sunday, Rodney and I woke up bleary eyed after a night of reveling at the Hoosier Beer Geek 4th Anniversary party and slathered ourselves with sunscreen in anticipation of a brand new slow food event here in Indianapolis, DigIN: A Taste of Indiana. DigIN was spawned by an Alice Waters (the slow food guru herself) event in 2008 that showcased local and sustainable food efforts in Indiana.

After the event a local chef (our good friend Neal Brown formerly of L'Explorateur and now of Pizzology fame) and the Indiana Department of Agriculture decided to start working together to redefine what "A Taste of Indiana" could be with regard to the developing local food movement. They brought together food producers, chefs, breweries and wineries for one celebration event, Dig-IN: A Taste of Indiana. This was a great event that showcased what Indiana is truly capable of with regard to great food and drink!

We tried many dishes from Indiana Artisians including chicken and noodles (Indiana handmade noodles); bloody marys made with Indiana Vodka and Indiana bloody mary mix; and amazing chocolate truffles!

We had nibbles of burgers produced from local cattle, topped with farm fresh eggs and local cheese.  One of my favorite dishes was from a chef at my alma mater, Butler University - their fresh gazpacho with lots of jalapenos and onions!  It was SO tasty and really well spiced.

We had perfect weather for the event; I just wish it could have been about 10 degrees cooler or the breezes had continued through the balmy afternoon.

We also were really impressed with the unique and innovative selections that each chef strived to enhance the event with, from many different takes on pork to lots of fresh caprese salads.

I really liked that the chefs also had lots of signs so you knew what you were getting into with your decadent eats at each location.  I was really impressed with the local goat cheeses and the quality of the pork that each of the chefs used!

I did appreciate also that the producers were on hand to discuss the dishes and the conditions in which they are growing their produce or how they raised their animals.  We actually talked to one of the producers from Gunthorp Farms in Northern Indiana about their animals and about the ingredients of our salad. 

Rod and I stuck to just one pint of Brugge Brasserie's Pooka (which was $4 a pint) but for just $1 more you got an awesome Drink Indiana/DigIN pint glass that was really nicely done (and it was filled with beer).  All in all this was a great event and I really hope that the people who put on DigIN decide to make this an annual event!

HBG4: Thank You.

Saturday's Hoosier Beer Geek Fourth Anniversary Party went off like gangbusters, and we've got a lot of people to thank.

First off, thanks to you, our readers and party attendees - without you there'd be no reason or excuse to put together such a fun event. Thanks to our hosts at Sun King - you folks treat us better than we'll ever deserve. Thanks to the folks whose wonderful beer we drank: Sun King, Lafayette, Upland, Ram, Rock Bottom Downtown and College Park, Brugge, Schlafly, Broad Ripple Brewpub, New Albanian, Barley Island, People's, Bell's, Dark Horse, Great Divide, Stone/Brewdog, Heavy Seas, Tyranena, Anchor, Lindemans, Avery, Dogfish Head, Harpoon and Thomas Hardy's - regardless of if you had a role in your beer appearing at our party or not, it was enjoyed by an enthusiastic and beer appreciative crowd. Thanks to Cavalier Distributing for a putting together a stellar lineup for us, and for that special Thomas Hardy's toast. Thanks to our friends at World Class Beverages, who helped not only with a selection of great craft beer, but also with the glassware. Thanks to The Tamale Place for proving that tamales were the right choice. A special thanks to the officers on staff for their professionalism and patience.

All of you make what we do worth doing and there's no way we could do this without you.

So - if you were at the party, we'd love to hear about what you thought - your favorite beer(s), your thoughts on the food, if you were happy about the diet soda options... (sorry, inside joke). Leave us a comment, and we hope to see you at a Hoosier Beer Geek event again soon. Very soon.

HBG4 featuring... Dogfish Head and Harpoon

The lineup of beers at Hoosier Beer Geek's Fourth Anniversary Party continues. Yes, that's right -- we're still adding beers to the lineup the day before the big party.

The next breweries we are announcing are...







Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Milton, Delaware

Red & White
Style: Witbier

It wouldn't be a proper HBG anniversary celebration without Dogfish Head beer on hand. DFH 90 Minute IPA was the featured beer at our first anniversary celebration in 2007. Last year, the Knights of the Beer Roundtable toasted to three years together with DFH's magnificent Palo Santo Marron, accompanied by a video toast from DFH's founder and president, Sam Calagione.

A bit about Red & White from the brewery:

A big, belgian-style Wit brewed with coriander and orange peel and fermented with Pinot Noir juice. After fermentation a fraction of the batch is aged in one of our giant oak tanks.

This has been one of our most popular Limited Edition beers at both our Rehoboth Beach, DE brewpub and at festivals. It successfully marries the refreshing citrusy qualities of a Belgian-style white beer with the robust complexity of a bold red wine.

ABV: 10%
IBU's: 35









Harpoon Brewery
Boston, Massachusetts

Harpoon Big Bohemian Pilsner
Style: Pilsner

From the brewery: This installment of the Harpoon Leviathan Series was brewed in the centuries-old tradition of Czech and Bohemian brewers. Harpoon Big Bohemian is a large lager with a clean maltiness and a huge aromatic hop character.

Continental Pilsner, pale two-row, and Carafoam malt was used to brew this big, strong beer, true to the Leviathan Series. Pilsner malt is the classic ingredient of this classic style and the Carafoam malt produces a nice, frothy head. This malt mixture combined with Czech Saaz hops, the quintessential hop of the style, yields an assertive but not overly aggressive beer. The finish is dry with a lingering floral hop character.

ABV: 9%
IBU's: 75

Tickets aren't sold out yet - they are available here and at Sun King Brewery (in limited quantities). Here's that beer list again.

Draft:
Sun King Wee Mac Scottish Ale
Sun King Bitter Druid ESB
Sun King Osiris Pale Ale
Sun King Sunlight Creme Ale
Upland Wheat
Ram Big Horn Oktoberfest
Rock Bottom Downtown The Hammer Baltic Porter
Brugge Pooka
Brugge Spider
Schlafly Pumpkin Ale
Rock Bottom College Park Happy Pils
Broad Ripple Brewpub Monon Porter
Bell's Java Stout
Dark Horse Fore Smoked Stout
New Albanian Jenever
Barley Island Damien Batch #666 Belgian Golden Strong Ale

Bottles:
Lafayette Brewing Co. Tippecanoe Common Ale
Great Divide Double Wit
Stone Brewdog Bashah
Heavy Seas Smoke on the Water
Tyranena La Femme Amere
Schlafly Bourbon Barrel Ale
Schlafly Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
Anchor Humming Ale
Lindemans Faro
Avery Maharaja
Dogfish Head Red & White
Harpoon Big Bohemian Pilsner

Firkin:
Upland Dragonfly (Dry Hopped)

Tamales:
-beef in red sauce tamales (mild)
-chicken in green sauce tamales (mild)
-black beans & cheese in green sauce tamales (vegetarian)
-veggie tamales (potatoes,
zucchini, mushrooms, corn, peas,
onion, tomato, garlic, light jalapenos)
-spicy chipotle beef tamales (hot)
-spicy chicken in green sauce tamales (hot)
-poblano chili and cheese tamales (vegetarian, sometimes hot)
-hot & spicy pork tamales (hot)

Homemade chips, salsa, and guacamole

About HBG4:
It will be held Saturday, August 28th, starting at 6pm. Sun King Brewing will again be hosting us at their brewery at 135 N. College Avenue, Indianapolis. Tickets are $30 (plus $1.99 for online fees) for regular tickets and $20 (plus $1.99 for online fees) for designated drivers. Tickets are available online and at Sun King Brewery and are in limited supply. And yes, the tickets are on sale now.

If you didn't attend last year, you can see what you missed here. But if you did attend last year, you'll find it to be similar. Here is what we have so far (please note that all of this is subject to change).

Regular attendees will receive a commemorative tasting glass that can be used to sample various quality beers from our favorite Indiana breweries as well as a few other breweries. Additionally, you'll be able to select a few larger pours of your favorite beers. Designated drivers will have a selection of non-alcoholic beverages such as soda, pop, cola... whatever regional term you like. And bottled water, of course.

All attendees will get to enjoy food from The Tamale Place. Those of you who have been know how good their food is. And those of you who have not been are in for a treat. There will be a variety of tamale flavors to sample, including vegetarian friendly options.

There will also be chips and salsa and such for your enjoyment all night as well.

And what's a party without gifts? And by gifts, I mean us giving stuff to you! That's right, prizes and giveaways and all sorts of stuff.

We're still filling in all the details, but if you've been to our events, you know it is a good time. And all tickets will be sold online. Tickets are not available at Sun King nor will they be available at the door. So don't miss out.

We appreciate that you follow us for the latest and craziest in the Indiana craft beer world. And we hope you'll come out and celebrate with us our fourth year of tomfoolery.