Random Beer Roundup - The Go Bulldogs Edition

****This post may be updated throughout the day.****

I just want to recap some things going on/coming up so they don't get lost in the shuffle.  Mark your calendars!

Beer and Cheese club - available at Goose the Market, 4 months for $99.

You have about one more week to get your entries in for the poster contest.

Saturday 4/23 - Some gals (and guys) will be brewing an all-grain batch of IPA at Great Fermentations.  Join us!

Saturday, 5/7 - HBG's Tailgate for Nothing 4 - Get your tail over to the Sun King parking lot anytime after 11am.  Bring chairs, bring food and beer to share.  This is always a good time and everyone who wants to share good food and beer are welcome.

Saturday - 6/4 - Bloomington Craft Beer Festival

Saturday - 7/16 - Brewers of Indiana Guild Microbrewers Festival

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. Don't see your favorite craft beer establishment? Let them know you'd like to see them here! Work for an establishment that serves craft beer? We want to hear from you too!

Hoosier Beer Calendar

Events are subject to change

At the Bar

From Jordan at Beer Sellar in Indianapolis:

March 28th: 12:01AM Tapping of Bells Oberon. Come enjoy the taste of summer along with other Bells beers including: Oarsmen, Hopslam, Amber, Third Coast Beer and Two Hearted.
April 11th: Cigar and Whiskey Tasting. Buy your tickets at the bar. Also $3 Pint Night on 48 of our drafts.
April 18th: Bloomington Brewing tapping party starting at 8 pm
April 25th: Goose Island Experience. We will be giving away a $50 prize package that includes a meal, beer and a tour of the brewery in Chicago. We will be featuring $3 pints of Goose Island 312, Summertime, and IPA. Also $6.50 glasses of Matilda, Pepe Nero, and Fleur.
May 3rd: Flat 12 Tapping Party
May 4th: Sun King Tapping Party
May 5th: Upland Tapping Party
May 6th: Three Floyds Tapping Party
May 7th: Beer Sellar Goes Local. Upwards of 50 Indiana Drafts for the day. More details are still to come.

April 18th - Bloomington Brewing Company Tapping Party 

May 7th - Beer Sellar Goes Local 50 different Indiana Beers on site. More details to come soon!

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

We tapped a keg of Flat 12 Half cycle and everyone has really enjoyed the 6% super hoppy, citrusy beer, great job guys, the Flat 12 Amber has held it's own, with a nice hoppy finish to malty goodness.
Other taps right now hold People's Hop Killa which has been very well received..We have the Old Rasputin on Nitro,....BBC out of Bloomington's B-town brown is delicious as well.

From the Liquor Stores
From Steve at 21st Amendment in Broad Ripple:

We've got a little bit of Dogfish Head left in stock, including Palo Santo, Midas Touch, Aprihop, and India Brown. I anticipate the amount we have left to last for about another week or so, so this is the last chance for anyone to scoop any of it up before it is officially out of our store. We also have a couple of cases of Hopslam left in stock.

As for new options, we now have Brooklyn Lager in 6-pack cans for $9.99, as well as Boulevard 4-pack bottles of Tank 7 farmhouse ale, Sixth Glass quadruple, Dark Truth stout, and Double-Wide IPA, each for $12.49. On top of that we just began carrying Bee Creek Ale, which is $10.99.

Furthermore, this week I plan to resume our usual Friday beer tastings. I'll be opening up some of the Brooklyn Lager in a can and Bee Creek Ale at 5 o'clock. We may open up one or two more beers as well, depending on who all is around.

From Joe at Crown Liquors:

On Friday, March 25th, from 5-8 PM we will be sampling:

2 BROTHERS - Cain and Ebel (Hoppy Amber/Rye Ale) (Now in 6-Packs, same price!)
GOOSE ISLAND - Demolition (Belgian-Style Golden Ale)
BOULEVARD - Double Wide (Double IPA)


Other new brewskis include:

NEW ALBANIAN - Elector Imperial Red (New Indiana Beer!)
LEFT HAND - Good Juju (Ginger Spiced Ale)
BROOKLYN - Brown Ale
BOULDER - Kinda Blue Blueberry Wheat
STONE - Cali-Belgique Belgian-Style IPA (Now Year Round!)
WEINSTEPHANER - Gift Packs
COOPERS - Sparkling Ale, Best Export Stout
HOFBRAU - Maibock
BOULEVARD - Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout (Limited!)
DOGFISH HEAD - Aprihop IPA (Get it while you can!)
LINDEMANS - Pomme Lambic, Peche Lambic
UNIBROUE - La Fin Du Monde, Maudite (Both back in Stock!)
SAM ADAMS - Wee Heavy (Imperial Series)
THREE FLOYDS - Rabbid Rabbit, (We still have a few Arctic Panzer Wolf (wolves?) left too!)
HARPOON - Leviathan Quad
HEAVY SEAS - Small Craft Warning Pils
FISCHERS - Amber

From the Distributors/Reps

From Greg at Cavalier Distributing:

New Arrivals From Cavalier:

Boulder Hazed & Infused 12pk CANS: Brand New Package, 12pk CANS!

Boulder Kinda Blue: Limited Seasonal Release, 6pks & Draft

Left Hand Good JuJu: Limited Seasonal Release, 6pks & Draft

Left Hand TNT Weizen Dopplebock: New Big Mo Series Brew, Very limited, Allocated in 22oz Btls & Draft

Two Brothers Monarch White Ale: Limited Seasonal Release, 6pks & Draft


Upcoming Cavalier Events:

3/25 Cap N Cork in New Haven, Tyranena Brewing Co. Tasting, 5-7pm

3/25 WiseGuys in Merrillville, Cider Tasting, 5-7

3/29 Zodiac Lounge Tasting, 8-10

3/31 Chalet 7 Tasting, Elkhart, 4-6

4/22 WiseGuys Tasting, Merrillville, 5-7

4/28 Chalet 3 Tasting, Elkhard, 6-8

4/29 Pikk's Tavern Founder's Beer Dinner w/ John Host, Valpo, 6:30

5/07 St. John Wine and Spirits New Day Tasting, St. John's, 2-4

5/11 54 Main Bistro New Day Dinner, Hobart 6:30

Upcoming Events

WHO: Chef JJ’s Back Yard, Sun King Brewing Co., GrayBull Wines

WHAT: Chef JJ’s Eggfest

WHEN: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sat., May 14

WHERE: Chef JJ’s Back Yard, 1040 Broad Ripple Ave., (317) 602-3828, ChefJJs.com.

COST: $25 per person, children 12 and younger free

Located in the parking lot that surrounds his private dining and event facility, Chef JJ’s Back Yard, Chef JJ’s Eggfest will feature food grilled by 30 teams on 30 different Big Green Eggs, an Iron Chef-style grilling challenge, Fresh•Local•Beer, and organic wine. Also, Sun King will tap a seasonal beer at the event!

JJ’s Back Yard will also offer egg-cellent discounts on Big Green Egg grills and accessories. Tickets are only $25 per person and include unlimited food and one drink ticket for adults of legal drinking age. Children 12 and younger will be admitted free of charge and there will be a play area for kids.

Tickets can be purchased at http://www.chefjjs.com/home/culinary-experience/egg-fest/.

Yep, Yelp Drinks! Yes, We Do!

The first ever "Bar Week" in Indy is here! From April 4th - 10th, participating bars are offering up a menu of your favorite lascivious and liberating libations at 50% off! Open to all, from open to close!

7 Days. 7 Bars. 7 events! Each night of the week, Yelp will be hosting an event open to the public!

Brew Bracket Introduces Live Tasting Tournament Featuring Local Craft Beers on April 17th; 400 Hoosiers to Vote for Best IPA in Indiana

Tickets and additional information here. 

KOTBR #27 - Labor Day BBQ

It was Labor Day, we had some meat and a grill, so it only made sense to drink. Even though I originally suggested a BBQ, Chris was man enough to step up, host and cook the food for the event, thus saving us all from trichinosis, salmonella, beef tapeworm, hoof and mouth, and possibly myxomatosis.

As an added bonus, we got to watch the Muppet Show. Talk about childhood flashbacks... the opening theme put memories in my head so vivid that I was almost overwhelmed with the bittersweet memories of my lost childhood. Or maybe that was caused by the endless supply of beer Chris kept feeding us.

Bell's Batch 8000 - I suppose a beer that's 9% ABV isn't really the best way to start a night of drinking. Nevertheless we began the evening with Larry Bell's latest and greatest, a beer with a 95 rating on ratebeer - and of course I didn't like it all that much. 8000 is a wheat beer with a cloudy, pumpkin-colored appearance. In fact, pretty much everything we drank Monday had the exact same appearance, which was kind of weird. Anyway. Something about this beer reminded me of Brugge Beer's White, though I'd take the White over this. 8000 has a tight, tart-like mouthfeel and a flavor that sticks with you. The beer hits right on the front of the tongue and then leave you with not much else. I found it hard to get a read on this one, to be honest; but I know I wouldn't want more than one. 3.0 Mugs.

Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA - After starting with the 9.0 ABV 8000, we scaled it back a bit with this 7.2 ABV IPA from Bear Republic. This beer had the same pumpkin color as the Bell's, but with a lot of sediment and floaties. The Racer 5 has a sweet, hoppy nose, which is followed by a mouth-snappin' hoppy taste. I prefer my IPAs a little milder, with a little more malt backing. I know Chris really digs this one, but I'm the guy that hates everything. 3.0 Mugs.

Unibroue Seigneuriale - I'd pronounce that as "Senior Ale" - but if you know Unibroue, then you know that this isn't a beer for your grandpop. Another 7.2% ABV beer, this had the pumpkin color, a tiny bubbly head, and a tart, fruity Belgian-style nose - but there was something slightly off. Gina mentioned fermented apple, Jason agreed - I'd say that's the closest description I could come up with. The beer had an apple taste, but also a hint of caramel - caramel apple is probably a fair description. The other thing I noticed was that the beer had a very "flat" taste. Although I'm a fan of the caramel apple, I'm not so much a fan of Seigneuriale. Interesting, but not necessarily good. 2.5 Mugs.

Goose Island Demolition - Well, I like the bottle for this beer, but other than that I don't have a lot good to say about it. The bottle explained that the original Goose Island brewery was located in some sort of mini-mall that was being torn down, but through the magic of beer, the brewery stayed. This beer was created in tribute to those folks who stuck with the brewery through the demolition.

Look, that's great and all, but why does this beer taste like dirt? Earthly tones - I actually thought of green beans with my first drink. Then a bit of a sulfury taste, similar to what I got from Fat Tire. I guess this was 8% ABV... I dumped it in the sink. You can probably see where this review is going. 1.5 Mugs.

Bear Republic Big Bear Black Stout - Because we're gluttons and I can never pass up a stout - we also had a slight tasting of another Bear Republic offering. This beer had a dark, dark body (think Darth Vader), with heavy lacing. A deep Hershey's syrup nose was followed with a thick, chewy taste that found a fine middle ground between chocolate and smoked meat. 8.1% ABV. Small sample. This was good stuff. 4.0 Mugs.

Random Beer Roundup - The On Tap Edition

Hoosier Beer Calendar

Events are subject to change

From the Brewers

From Darren at Bier Brewery in Indianapolis:

On this week,

Special K Kolsch
Persephone
Good Pils
Roggenschnizzle
Belgian Red
Barley Buddy Brown
Cascadian Light Ale
Caliente
PDG Pale

From Jordan at Black Acre Brewing Co. in Irvington:

We've just expanded our brewery's capacity with 4 new tanks (the fifth isn't here yet) so we should be pumping out more beer and doing growlers soon.  Pretty exciting stuff. 

Our beer:
Apricot WheatA refreshing, unfiltered American wheat with additions of apricot juice.Malts: 2-Row, White Wheat, Crystal 10Hops: ZythosABV: 5.1 % IBUs: 20 

Fair Wind PorterA malty Robust Porter with a strong roast character.Malts: 2-Row, Munich, Crystal 60, Chocolate, Black PatentHops: EKGABV: 6.6% IBUs: 37 

Green Tea Pale AleA light, refreshing pale ale with additions of green tea matcha, ginger and honey.Malts: 2-Row, Munich, VictoryHops: CascadeABV: 6% IBUs: 20 

Ol’ Fritz Berliner WeisseA German style light sour wheat beer, lemony tart with a champagne like carbonation.  We give you the option of serving it on its own or the traditional German method with  Raspberry or Woodruff Syrup.Malts: Pilsner, White Wheat, Acid MaltHops: ZeusABV: 3.8% IBUs: 7

Our guest tap list:
Bloomington Brewing Rye IPA
Boulder Hoopla (Pale) - Nitro
Dupont Posca Rustica (Gruit)
Founders Pale
Flying Dog Brewhouse Rarities Red
Fountain Square Summer Haze (Hefe)
North Coast Old Rasputin (Russian Imperial Stout) - Nitro
North Coast Acme (Pale)
Oaken Barrel Indiana Amber
Original Sin Cider
Rivertown Hop Baron (DIPA)
Rogue Good Chit (Czech Pilsner)
Stone 16th Anniversary (DIPA)

From Bob at Flat12 Brewing Co. in Indianapolis:

Heartland Film Festival Short Shorts Festival, 8/31 at Flat 12. 

RELEASES
Joe Brahma Coffee Brown Ale will see a limited release (taproom) on Friday, August 31st. 
Flat Jack Pumpkin Ale, previewed at DigIN this Sunday, will be released the week of September 3rd. This release will include draft and bottles.  

From Skip at Fountain Square Brewing in Fountain Square, Indianapolis:

Put Oct. 6^th on your calendar for the biggest party ever in Fountain Square.  We will be tapping our “Hop Your Face” Imperial IPA along with showcasing 4 bands starting at 2pm.

Our first “Hop Your Face”!  This annual Imperial IPA is aggressively hopped with four different hops and loaded with a complex mix of malts.  Might as Well add dry hops so over 2 pounds per barrel of hops were added to enhance the aroma.   When Push Comes to Shove, this 9.5% brew may drive you to Hell in a Bucket, but at least you’ll enjoy the ride. 

From Andrew at Ram Restaurant and Brewery in Indianapolis/Fishers:

Libation Alert!!
This is public service warning to all people in the greater Indianapolis area. New beer has been spotted in the neighborhood of each RAM Restaurant and Brewery location. Proceed in an orderly to fashion to the following tappings in Indianapolis and Fishers.

Sept. 6th - Every Day IPA
The winner of our Every Day IPA Challenge, Tom Wallbank, will join us to celebrate the recipe that earned him a 1st place finish in this year's homebrew competition. Tom has worked with the RAM brewers to scale up and brew his recipe for everyone to enjoy. Every Day IPA is for all of you who love a well-crafted hoppy beer in a more sessionable form. Join us to toast Tom and try a pint on September 6th at our Indy location at 7 p.m.

Sept. 13th - Big Horn Oktoberfest
After you itch your hop scratch, we will balance that out with some rich malty enjoyment. Big Horn Oktoberfest will arrive on the scene ready to provide salvation in the form of bread and toast-like malt flavor. Find this first in Fishers on September 13th at 6:30 p.m. Prost!

On Tap Now
Doomsday Scenario - Imperial Red
Omnipotent Ale - Black Pale
Bayside Steam (Downtown only)

From Ryan at Thr3e Wise Men in Broad Ripple, Indianapolis:

Thr3e Wise Men will be kicking off fall the correct way with a tapping next Tuesday September 4th with our Antonius 1741 Oktoberfest! The tapping party starts at 6pm with a toast with Omar and we have some free snacks for everyone as well. Come celebrate this great time of year with us!

From David at Triton Brewing Co. in Lawrence:

TRITON HOUSE BREWS
Fieldhouse Wheat, Four Barrel Brown, Magnificent Amber Ale, Deadeye Stout, Railsplitter India Pale Ale, Sin Bin Belgian Pale Ale, I-65 Baltic Porter, 500 Monks Belgian Strong Ale, Fortshire British Mild

GUEST BREWS
Brooklyn Chocolate Stout, Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, Saison Brett, Urban Chestnut Zwickel, Red Bridge Gluten Free Beer (bottle)
Events
Trivia Night at Sahm’s, September 11, 8pm join us at 65th and Keystone to test your ‘Trivia Chops’ against some stiff competition!
Clustertruck at Triton Brewing September 19, 5-9pm join 7-8 of your favorite food trucks for our 5th #Clustertruck events at Triton Brewing Company.
Save the Date!  Triton Brewing Sprint Triathlon September 22 at Triton Brewing Company
Save the Date! Triton Brewing 1st Anniversary Party October 20 5-9pm

From Lindsay at Upland Brewing Co in Bloomington/Indianapolis:

Fall Beer Releases - http://uplandbeer.com/fall-beer-releases/

We also have our Oktoberfest in Indy  http://uplandbeer.com/upland-oktoberfest-at-military-park-indianapolis/

Upland Brewing Co. is bringing international touring act Okkervil River to Bloomington, IN on August 31st, 2012 for an outdoor concert to benefit Sycamore Land Trust. The bill will also feature local favorites that have not been announced yet. Doors open at 5pm, and music starts at 6.  Tickets for the Okkervil River concert are on sale. They are $20 in advance and $25 on the day of the show, and are available at Upland’s Bloomington Brew Pub and Indy Tasting Room, as well as the Buskirk Chumley Box Office, and online at www.hillbillyhaiku.org. 

At Bars, Restaurants, and Carry Out
From Jordan at Beer Sellar in Castleton:

New beers on tap/bottle

Draft as of 8/26/12

• Stone Vertical Epic 11.11.11
• Boulevard Double Wide
• Victory Ranch S
• Flying Dog Citra Single Hop
• Mikkeller I Beat YoU
• Victory Donnybrook Stout
• 3 Floyds Gorch Fock
• Great Crescent Coconut Porter
• Breckenridge Agave Wheat
• Petrus Aged Pale
• Brooklyn Gold Standard Export
• Founders Cerise
• Sun King "3"
• Bluegrass Brewing Barbarian Honey Ale

Bottles

• Goose Island Demolition
• Goose Island Juliet
• New Holland Envious
• Oliver Blueberry/Strawberry Hard Cider

Beers on Deck

• Sun King Grapefruit Jungle
• Brooklyn Fiat Lux
• Brooklyn Pennant
• Bells The Oracle
• Piraat
• Great Divide 18th Anniversary DIPA
• New Day Meadery Re Thinker
• Victory/Stone/Dogfishhead Saison de Buff
• Goose Island  Minx

Upcoming Events

• Thursday September 6th

Bells Brewery, Inc.: The Oracle DIPA Ale Tapping @ 5pm

                Live Music from the Funky Junk at 10pm

From Sahm's Place in Broad Ripple:

Sahm's Place will be hosting Tuesday Night Trivia this upcoming Tuesday with Sun King. Sun King always delivers some awesome prizes and even better beers. Anyone and everyone is welcome to play, just make sure to show up around 7:30 if you want a table (trivia starts at 8:30pm and goes until 10pm)

Coming up in September, with tickets going on sale the first day of September, we are hosting 3rd Thursday with Bier Brewery in our bar. What is 3rd Thursday? It is a pairing of 5 beers (this month from Bier) with 5 courses. We will have 30 tickets for sale all for the price of $30. We expect them to go fast, and to purchase a ticket, you have to come inside the restaurant and buy one. I know, tricky stuff, but call me old fashion, I like seeing your smiling faces. We do not have any set rules for food, beer, presentation, or dress code, we just want this to be an eccentric, inspired, and unique event that takes on the tone of the crowd and the brewers. It should be a good time, and as always, all are welcome.

So, for the beer:

Abita Turbodog

Flat12 Walkabout

Flat12 Karousel Kolsch

Flat12 Big Black Dog 68

Bells Oberon

Bells Two Hearted

Great Divide Wolfgang Dopplebock

New Day Meadery Washington's Folly

Bier Brewery OrangeJunkel

Bier Brewery Rye Pale

Crown Brewing Crown Brown

Victory Prima Pils

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

Brooklyn Fiat Lux

Sixpoint Resin

Upland Valley Weizen

People's Mr. Brown

People's Hop Killa

Tyranena Hop Whore

Weihenstephan Vitus Bock

Schlafly American IPA

Urban Chestnut Winged Nut

North Coast Pranqster

Sun King Firefly Wheat

From Ryan at Scotty's Brewhouse in various locations:

All Scotty’s Brewhouse location have some great new drink specials! You can now come in on Friday and get a 60oz Pitcher of a Thr3e Wise Men beer for only $15.00!!

Scotty’s Brewhouse 96th Street Indianapolis is now pouring Urban Chstnut’s STLIPA! If you have not tired this amazing IPA from St. Louis come in on Thursday and get a 24oz. Mug for only $5!

From Adam at Trion Tavern in New Haven:

Sun King Tap TakeOver at the Trion Tavern
Thursday, September 6 ? 6pm - 3am
Sun King personnel will be on hand to answer questions and hand out swag
Plus, $3.50 beers from all 58 taps!
Sun King beers to be tapped:
Sunlight Cream Ale 
Wee Mac Brown
Osiris Pale Ale
Firefly Wheat
3
Grapefruit Jungle
Oktoberfest
Java Mac
Bitch'n Camaro 
Zaius Oatmeal Stout 
Indiana Replicale 2012
Cream Dream V (to be tapped at 8pm)

Follow the Trion Tavern on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/triontavern) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/#!/BrewHaven) for more info and updates.
Check out our Interactive Daily Tap List to see what's currently on our 58 taps.

From the Distributors:
From Jen at Cavalier Distribution:

NEW TO THE CAVALIER WAREHOUSE

Mad River Mad Belgian - Belgian Golden Ale; seasonal release; 4 packs only

Tyranena Brewers Gone Wild Hop Whore - Double IPA; special release; 4 packs and draft

Lakefront Pumpkin Ale - Spiced Pumpkin Lager; seasonal release; 6 packs only

Lakefront Oktoberfest - Traditional Marzen Lager; seasonal release; 6 packs only

UPCOMING EVENTS

      

9/4 - Craft Beer Tasting @ Birdy's; 6pm-8pm; $10

9/7 - Carnagie Center Benefit in New Albany; 6pm

9/7 - Cap N Cork on Broadway in Ft. Wayne; 5pm-7pm

9/18 - Peoples Brewing Tap Takeover @ Sahm's Trivia Night; 8pm

9/14 - Finch's Event @ The Heorot in Muncie; 9pm-11pm

9/21 - Craft Tasting @ Cap N Cork on Dupont St in Ft. Wayne; 5pm-7pm

9/23 - IPR All Beers Considered Event @ Fickle Peach in Munice featuring all Michigan Beers; all day event

9/27 - Craft Tasting @ Belmont on Illinois Rd in Ft. Wayne; 6pm - 8pm

9/27 - Keg Liquors Fall Tasting in Clarksville; TBA

9/27 - Oktoberfest Party @ Buckhead in Jeffersonville; TBA after Keg Lq Fall Tasting

9/30 - Craft Tasting @ Big Red on N College Ave in Bloomington; 6pm-8pm

10/9 - Bloomington Brewing Co Tap Takeover @ Sahm's Trivia Night; 8pm

10/16 - Finch's Tap Takeover @ Sahm's Trivia Night; 8pm

10/13 - Porter Perfect Pint Festival @ Hawthorne Park in Porter; 12pm-5pm; tickets available @eventbrite.com

10/16 - Finch's Tap Takeover @ Sahm's Trivia Night; 8pm

10/18 - Binkley's Brew Club Event featuring Finchs; 7pm

10/23 - NABC Tap Takeover @ Sahm's Trivia Night; 8pm

11/16 - Celebrate Election Day with Elector at Yogi's; Bloomington; all day event

Upcoming Events
From Charlie:

From Stephanie:

In 13 years, it's never happpened... But this is a new day!
JACKSON STREET CLOSED!
14th Annual Festiv-ALE
Presented by: Kahn's Fine Wines

Join us Saturday, September 22nd
4:00-8:00pm
200 S. Meridian St. (Corner of Meridian & Jackson Sts.)

As you have for 13 years, come enjoy over 100 beers under our party tent or take your brew to the street.

Shop our over-the-top silent auction, sing and dance to classic rock played by Saints & Strangers, and cruise on over to our fantastic food bar.

Tickets are available NOW for $45 ($25 is tax deductible)
Procrastinators - $55 at the door ($35 is tax deductible)

To purchase tickets, stop in any Kahn's location to save $2.00 or buy online at http://indiana.cff.org/festivale or call the CF office at1-800-622-4826.

From Mike at Brew Bracket:

Brew Bracket Bourbon Barrel Aged Beer Tournament (BBBourbon)

What makes this one special:
The beers are aged in bourbon barrels from Harrison Bourbon. Indiana beers slowly soaking in the flavor of an Indiana bourbon. It doesn’t get any better than that. The style for the brewers is wide open for any beer they feel would be enhanced with a several month barrel soak. The event will be held at Tomlinson Tap on Saturday, September 29th, as an anchor to National Bourbon Heritage month.

This event will run in a similar format to our standard tournaments. We’re featuring 8 brewers instead of the usual 16. We’ll actually be delivering the beer to the participants at their table and pouring it there, to keep a fun social element with the smaller crowd. Between rounds we’ll offer tastings of Harrison Bourbon to compliment the beers being tasted.

Event Details:
Saturday September 29th, 6-9PM
Tomlinson Tap Room in the City Market, Indianapolis
Ticket price: $45 (early bird special of $40 through July 29)
Tickets available here (http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/258994)

BB101:
Brew Bracket is the only one of its kind, a true tasting tournament for local craft beer. Participating brewers bring a similar style of beer for each event and are seeded randomly into a bracket. Participants blindly taste the beer 2 glasses at a time and vote for their favorites based on taste alone. Over the course of the day winning beers advance through the tournament until a “best beer” is selected at the end of the event. 

Random Beer Roundup - The Good Friday Edition

I am happy to be reporting today from the lovely St. Louis, Mo area. I am most definitely enjoying a long weekend and the spectacular weather. I hope that you enjoy your weekend plans, whatever they may be.

If you are visiting for the Final Four games (Go Dawgs!), welcome! Enjoy the city and find a good craft beer or two. If you found us via our April Fools Day fetal pig randall post, I'm sorry.

If you are keeping up with our Spring Tournament of Beer Champions, we're closing in on our final four. Vote for your faves!

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, April 2nd at Sun King Brewing: Cans will be available at noon in the Tasting Room! $10 Sunlight • $11 Osiris • 4 Packs of 16 Ounce Cans

Tuesday, April 6th at Vine and Table in Carmel: a 3 Floyds tasting for the Ladies with Girls Pint Out

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.

Tuesday, April 13th at 4:00 at Kahn's: Nogne O tasting

Tuesday, April 13th at 6:30 at Recess (4907 N College Ave Indianapolis 317.925.PLAY (7529)): Beer Dinner featuring Nogne O beer. If that doesn't get you there, here is the menu.

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 Greg at Lafayette Brewing Co. in Lafayette:

On tap at LBC this weekend: Ouiatenon Wit Bier; Prophet's Rock Pale Ale; East Side Bitter; Pipers' Pride Scottish Ale; Tippecanoe Common Ale; Eighty-Five; Black Angus Oatmeal Stout; Equinox Ale and the last vestiges of our Marley's VSOP. We're also dispensing Digby's Irish Stout on cask.

Two new brews due to hit the taps in April: First up, look for a yet-to-be-named brown ale that was brewed in Northern English style with a typically American twist of a dry hop addition of First Gold hops. It should be on tap early next week. Next, we'll be releasing our latest lager: Star City Lager. This Dortmund-style beer was brewed with imported pilsner and Vienna malts and hopped with Slovenian grown Styrian Golding hops. A beautiful lawn mower beer if there ever was one! Look for the Star City to hit the taps in mid-April.

From John at Half Moon Brewery in Kokomo:

Latest release:

Heavenly Hefeweizen
O.G.=1.056 ABV=5.9% IBU=13

From Upland Brewing Co. in Bloomington:

If you are on the list for Lambic pick-up, please do so before April 12th.

Carry Out
From Corrie at Goose the Market in Indianapolis:

New in the cellar at Goose the Market...

La Terrible from Unibroue is neither terrible nor made by Canadians with one eyebrow. This complex, dark beer on lees is musky with dried fruit and roasted malt flavors....as magnifique as Bert's brow, oui.

Are you foaming at the mouth or just enjoying a sip of Rabbid Rabbit, the latest saison, farmhouse ale from Three Floyds? Pairings: carrots sticks, jelly beans, peeps, house-smoked Easter ham from the Goose...

Signs that winter is over: Final Four weekend, Alice Cooper's tune stuck in our heads, Bell's Oberon hits the shelves.

From Bill at the Crown Liquors store downtown:

Upland Infinite Wisdom Tripel
Thirsty Dog Cerberus
Bee Creek Brewing's Hoosier Honey Wheat and Clay Co. Coffee Stout Heavy Seas The Big DIPA

Friday's tasting (3pm-7pm) will feature Spring Session Beers!

From Eric at 21st Amendment in Broad Ripple:

21st Amendment city-wide realizes Indy is craving craft beer now more than ever. We want to do our part to bring you a better selection, closer to home. All of our stores will have new beer options but we're focusing on four main locations:

5561 N. Illinois,
15021 Greyhound Ct,
7069 N. Keystone and
2201 E. 62nd in Broad Ripple.

At my store, in Broad Ripple, we've been doing free tastings every Friday at 5 PM. David, at N. Keystone, does free tastings Saturdays at 2PM.

Here's selection of some of the new beer on our shelves:

Bell's Sparkling Ale
Dogfish Head Midas Touch
Goose Island Demolition
Hoppin' Frog Barrel Aged Boris
Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree

See ya next week Beer Fans!

Trip Opportunities

From Ron Smith:

Guided Beer Vacations to Belgium and Germany!

Now through the end of April (about the next 4 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:

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

Indianapolis Star - Sun King Brewing is pouring it on.

2007 Hoosier Beer Geek Review - by the numbers

The Knights should thank their livers for allowing them to review approximately 57 different brews from all over the globe (30 cities, 10 states and 6 countries) in 2007. There were 51 beers at 27 Roundtable events while the remaining six reviews were random entries (warm-up beers, diary entries). During 2007, we had two amazing parties, 1 beer with our namesake*, and were especially busy during the month of December when we did about a quarter of our Roundtable reviews (13 beers).

Beers/Locations

We rated the most beers at one time (6) during Jim's Chrismukkah celebration, which was somewhat surprising since all of the reviewed drinks had an ABV of 8% or more. The remaining 26 Roundtables commenced at 20 separate locations with Deano's, Brugge, and Badaboomz as the setting for more than one Roundtable.

Our highest rated breweries with one beer, Upland (Ard Ri) and Dogfish Head (90 Minute), had 5 mugs overall. Our highest rated brewery with more than one beer was Bear Republic with an average of 4.25 for their Racer 5 IPA and the Big Bear Black Stout. Not surprisingly, the most represented state was Indiana featuring 15 reviews from nine distinct breweries including Upland, New Albanian, Broad Ripple Brewpub, Oaken Barrel, Brugge Brasserie, Barley Island, Mad Anthony, and Three Floyds. Other states that had five or more reviewed beers were California, Michigan, and New York.

Styles

Our most reviewed style (of approximately 27), Belgian Strong Ales, had eight different beers. They were Brouwerij Huyghe Delirium Tremens and Delirium Noel, Brewery Van Steenberge Piraat, Ommegang Abbey, Bell's Batch 8000, Brugge Brasserie Imperial (I think this is considered a Belgian Strong, but I am not positive), Unibroue Signeurale, and Goose Island Demolition. They faired well overall, having an average score of 3.14, but there were seven other styles averaging a four mug or better rating (Irish Ale, Scottish Ale, Quadruples, Imperial Stout, Imperial/Double IPA, Dry Stout).

Knights

Of the seven Knights, the average rating / # of reviews (of 51 Roundtable beers reviewed):
• Chris - 3.72 / 27
• Jason - 3.69 / 29
• Jim - 3.67 / 37
• Kelly - 3.67 / 12
• Gina - 3.51 / 29
• Matt - 3.40 / 10
• Mike - 3.15 / 43

Here you can see the Knight with the most time on his hands (or the biggest lush) is Mike with 43 reviews. The highest rated beer (5 mugs) by the most knights (6 out of 7) was the 90 Minute IPA from Dogfish Head. Chris was the Knight most likely to give a five mug review, with seven beers receiving the honor (Upland Ard Ri, Delirium Noel and Delirium Tremens, He’Brew Origin Pomegranate Ale, Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, Bear Republic Big Black Bear Stout and Racer 5 IPA). The remaining Knights were a little more reserved with their mugs, offering the highest rating to only one or two beers (with the exception of the newest Knight, Matt, who did not officially give a five mug rating to any beer in 2007). Other five mug ratings were Founder’s Kentucky Breakfast Stout, Koningshoeven Quadrupel Trappist Ale, and BBC’s Jefferson Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout.

We accomplished a lot this past year and met some new friends along the way. We're thankful for you and your support over the past year and we hope to bring you even more beers, events, and news for 2008. If there is something in particular you would like to see, let us know. We're always looking for suggestions.

* Sint Sylvester Vooranvond - A HBG Commemorative Ale – awesome, but no official review submitted.

KOTBR #27 - Mike makes an offer I can't refuse

Mike is a slavedriver. For real. He don't care that it's football season (he's a soccer fan), and I wasn't in front of the computer at all over the weekend - but only camped out in front of my tv. I had an email from him today that said, and I quote, "Chris, you better post your goddamned review of the beer we drank on Labor Day, or I'm going to come over to your house and kick your fat ass! Hell, I'll even kick your little dog's ass, too!" For real! He's mean.

Don't believe me??? Probably a good thing. I like to make shit up.

Anyway, to save my little dog from Mike's boot, here are my mug ratings from our Labor Day brews:

Bell's Batch 8000 - Wow! This isn't a good beer to drink as your first beer. I think I commented that it would better if it was like my third beer and my taste buds were already a little numb. This just grabs your taste buds and does to you what Humprhey does to Deano's tap. I'll give Larry Bell the benefit of the doubt, because I don't think he makes a bad beer. I'll give him 3.25 mugs, partially for bravado, and partially because it's how many strong beers I would need to drink before I would like this one more.

Unibroue's Seigneuriale - I think this roughly translates as "The Lord's Ale". If that's the case, God has bad taste in beer (is it sacriligious to criticize God's taste in beer?). Typically a very big fan of everything Unibroue, this one falls flat for me. This should be "Johnny Appleseed's Ale" because that was the only thing I could taste - apples. My personal beer mantra is "Don't fruit the beer!", and this just goes against my mantra. Too much. 2 mugs.

Goose Island Demolition - I don't remember much about this beer, which I think says enough. 2 mugs.

Now, I'm going to preference my next two reviews by saying that I have a very strong bias in favor of the brewery and everything they make. But it's only because their worthy of the praise.

Bear Republic is located in Healdsburg, California, a quaint little town in Wine Country about an hour north of San Francisco. On my trip out there in May, I trekked to Bear Republic upon the strong urging of BadaBoomz' Mike DeWeese. I cannot thank him enough. I think very highly of Nick Floyd's and Larry Bell's overall product offering, but brewmaster Richard Norgrove just might have them both beat, at least in my book. I tried everything they were offering, and some of it twice. I spent a lot of time there, obviously, getting to know the bartender and the staff. The following two beers were my favorite's then, and I've got to say, I still love both of them. It's very unfortunate that their beers are not offered in Indiana (World Class & Cavalier, you listening??), but at least we can get them in Chicago, which is where I picked these up on my recent trip with Jason to the Windy City.

Big Bear Black Stout - This ranks up with one of the best stouts I've ever had. It tastes just the way a stout should - thick, heavy, chocolate, nutty, and caramel. Damn, this will be a wonderful beer to drink this fall! 5 mugs.

Racer 5 IPA - This is their most famous beer, and I know why. It's the best IPA I've ever drank. For someone who isn't a huge hophead, but still likes some bitters to your beers, this is perfect. It's mellow, yet forceful. It's just the right mixture of hops (for me), and leaves a very pleasent aftertaste. Can I say it's sumptuous? 5 mugs.

Now, Mike, please leave my little dog alone. She doesn't even like beer!

A Labor Day Libations review, but first a movie preview...

They only met once, but it changed their lives forever.

They were five total strangers, with nothing in common, meeting for the first time. A brain, a beauty, a jock, a rebel and a recluse.

Before the day was over, they broke the rules. Bared their souls. And touched each other in a way they never dreamed possible.

So take the phone off the hook, put on your pajamas, hop onto the couch, grab a box of tissues, not to mention a bottle of Midol, because if you watch this movie often enough, you will ovulate. I, of course, am speaking of...

The Breakfast Club, the Zima of 80's movies.

Don't agree with me? Read the movie poster again.

But I'm not here to talk about chick flicks. Labor Day has come and gone. Summer is over. And there is no better way to mark the occasion than to cook some meats over an open flame and chug down some cold brews. And that's exactly what I did on Monday with some of my fellow HBG Knights.

Let us begin with Bell's Batch 8000. This limited edition Witbier is about as good as Witbier's come, though Witbier is one of my least favorite varieties. Something about the combination of flavors like citrus, banana, clove, coriander, etc. just doesn't sit well with me. Kinda like eating potpourri. The Batch 8000 looks like a solid Witbier with a cloudy orange appearance. The smell was pleasant; a nice blend of banana and clove. Almost like banana nut bread. The taste was surprising. Initial hit of spices, including coriander. But the beer left a sugary sweet mouthfeel. Not unpleasant. I enjoyed this beer more than others in the same category. Maybe it is because I'm ready for all things fall. At 9% ABV, it has a bit more strength than most Witbiers. So be careful. 3.5 mugs.

Next up, Bear Republic's Racer 5. Not yet available in Indiana, this IPA came courtesy of Chris and myself. We picked up eight 750 mL bottles in Chicago during a recent road trip. And we felt the need to share with the others. I've been enjoying IPA's a lot over the last 6 or 9 months and this is a good one to share with others who are not hop heads. In smell and in taste, you find hops all over the place, but not with the bitterness that you'd expect. It has a hint of citrus, but I think the hops flavor comes out more. This is an easy drinking beer, and a good place for non-IPA drinkers to start. It is not my favorite IPA. But it is very good. And the best beer of the night. 4.5 mugs.

Unibroue's La Seigneuriale. I have no idea how to even begin pronouncing it. This is another beer from the Chicago road trip. It is another in a long line of Belgian style beers from this Canadian brewer. Let me begin with a story first. My wife's grandfather is a farmer man in northern Indiana. Every fall, he enters the best of his harvest in the fall fair and comes home with many, many blue ribbons. He also has a home made cider press (as in the press is home made) that makes home made cider. Best apple cider in the world. After he is done making cider, he takes the apple remains and piles them around a tree to decompose. Bees always swarm to it. The best way to describe the smell: the beautiful, sweet aroma of decomposition. That is also how I will describe La Seigneuriale. It has been my favorite Unibroue beer to date. It is not a beer that I would regularly drink, but it is one that fascinates me. 3.5 mugs.

The last beer of the night was Goose Island's Demolition Ale. Let me say that after drinking this beer, I figured that my taste buds were shot. Because I found the beer to be lacking in taste and aroma. A quick look at Beer Advocate and I quickly discover that I'm not alone. One reviewer wrote how he is a big fan of GI but was very disappointed by this beer. But others at BA wrote about how much they liked it. So I'm going to be responsible and say that I am withholding my review until I can conduct another review. I will review it on another day.