KOTBR #93 | Jingle Bells

For Roundtable #93, we gathered at the Chatham Tap (719 Massachusetts Avenue, Indianapolis, 46204, 317.917.8425) for an event called "The Bell's of Winter." We joined Matt Clapesattle of World Class Beverages and Veronica Sanders of Bell's Brewery at the event, which featured six Bell's beers on tap: Christmas Ale, Winter White, Rye Stout, Double Cream Stout, Sparkling Ale, and Two Hearted. We've previously reviewed Winter White and Two Hearted, so we decided to review only the remaining four. What resulted was Hoosier Beer Geek's version of one of those heart-warming holiday television specials you remember from your childhood, along with the commercials.

So join us now for a very special meeting of the Knights of the Beer Roundtable, as we bring you Hoosier Beer Geek's "Jingle Bells." But first, a word from our sponsors--



Double Cream Stout (to the tune of the Tootsie Roll jingle)

This beer tastes mighty good to me
Double Cream Stout is the bee's knee
It's better on draft if you ask me
So good I'd drink another two or three
A full mouth feel just like chocolatey chew
This Bell's beer's a roasty, malty brew
If you try it, I'm sure you'll agree
Double Cream Stout is worth the fee

Bell's Double Cream Stout
Jim: 3.90 Mugs | Gina: 3.33 Mugs | Jason: 4.10 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 3.78 Mugs


Christmas Ale (to the tune of the "Buy the World a Coke" jingle)

I'd like to buy the world a beer that doesn't taste like piss
Bell's Christmas Ale with subtle spices is a beer no one should miss
I'd like to teach the world to drink something that has flavor
This Christmas Ale has a light mouthfeel, something that all could savor
A perfect beer to bring along to parties or as a gift
Drink Bell's Christmas Ale today; your spirits it will lift

Bell's Christmas Ale
Jim: 3.30 Mugs | Gina: 3.50 Mugs | Jason: 3.20 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 3.33 Mugs


Rye Stout (To the tune of "Jingle Bells")

Driving down the street
In my car that is blue
On my way to meet
The Knights out for a brew
Bell's for this event
down at the Chatham Tap
What fun it is to drink and eat
A Rye Stout and Thai wrap

Back from Bell's, the Rye Stout smells
Like chocolate and coffee, yay!
The mouth feels full, lingers in the throat
A great way to end the day!

Bell's Rye Stout
Jim: 3.80 Mugs | Gina: 3.85 Mugs | Jason: 3.59 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 3.75 Mugs


Sparkling Ale (to the tune of "The Dreidel Song")

I have a Sparkling Ale
Sweet beverage in a glass
A nose of ripe bananas
It’s in a different class

Larry’s Sparkling Ale
is an amazing beer
Larry’s Sparkling Ale
will bring seasonal cheer

I taste some lovely spices
Some citrus and some clove
A Tripel-style ale
It’s one you’re sure to love

Larry’s Sparkling Ale
is an amazing beer
Larry’s Sparkling Ale
will bring seasonal cheer

Bell's Sparkling Ale
Jim: 3.75 Mugs | Gina: 4.20 Mugs | Jason: 3.55 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 3.83 Mugs


Disclaimer: During this roundtable, Veronica bought us a round of beer. We were under no obligation to review the beer if we so chose, nor were we under any obligation to write a positive review in return for the beer.

So what's on the telly? Football, you say? - Updated

It's no secret that several of the KOTBR are fans of The Beautiful Game. I wouldn't call us soccer snobs, though. In other words, we don't hate on American sports like other soccer fans I've met. Heck, Mike is even a Cardinals fan, as misguided as that may be. But he's also down with Fulham FC of the Barclay's English Premier League, so that redeems him in my eyes (and probably redeems him in the eyes of our biggest Cubs fan, Jason).

We aren't soccer proselytizers, either. We're not going to try to convert you to our way of thinking, though that doesn't mean we haven't inadvertently picked up a convert or two along the way (for example, see our beloved founder, Chris Maples, and his relatively new affinity for Chelsea FC).

So what I'm about to say isn't a soccer sermon of some sort. It's just a public service announcement about the intersection of beer and soccer in this city, which is something that's been lacking since the beloved Rob n' Jay's Chippy went out of business in 2005. You see, there are now two pubs in Naptown that are touting themselves as "soccer-friendly." Since the English Premier League season began in August, both pubs have been opening early on Saturday mornings so soccer-starved Hoosiers can catch a game or two. The pubs in question are the Chatham Tap on Mass Ave and the Union Jack Pub in Broad Ripple. On top of that, both pubs have a decent beer list that is sure to have at least one offering to satisfy any beer geek (that is, if you like beer for breakfast).

The Union Jack opens at 10:00 a.m. on Saturdays and serves breakfast from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. They update their Facebook page every week to announce the slate of games they'll be showing. Whether the Chatham Tap opens early on Saturdays tends to be more sporadic and not very well publicized. While walking the dog on Mass Ave this past Saturday morning, I noticed that the Tap had opened its doors at 7:30 a.m. for the Merseyside Derby (that's a soccer match, not a horse race to the uninitiated), and it looked like there were about five or six people parked at the bar taking in the game.

The Union Jack posts its viewing schedule every week on its Facebook page. For the Chatham Tap's viewing schedule, I suggest that you call them at 917- 8425.

Cheers!

*********************************
Update - 09.30.08

After this posting, which I did with complete blinders on, one of our dearest friends wrote to remind us that his most awesome establishment (the location of our second anniversary party, no less), has always been soccer-friendly. In his words, "we don't open early every week.... We do open early for other big matches though. In fact, I think I saw the author at one, so I know he knows we show football regularly."

The author sincerely regrets his omission. For future reference, any complaints should be addressed to our HBG ombudsman.

That's a joke, by the way. We really don't have an ombudsman.

Beer Diary #3 - Jason

I've been doing the British style beer kick recently. I blame Mike and Jim and their love of soccer. It's infectious. On a couple of different occasions, I've watched Premiership League with one or both. All that English soccer leads to English beers. Just a warning to all of you non-soccer types out there.

March 28, 2008, 7pm, at the home of Christopher Maples (KOTBR, Retired)

On this night, it was actually NCAA basketball being watched. But I brought my own beers. I had picked up a Lakefront Organic E.S.B. and a Left Hand Sawtooth Ale. The former I found lacked the bitters I was expecting from an ESB, but wasn't terrible. The later I found to be well balanced and very tasty. Some caramelly malt flavors, but also some floral hops goodness. Definitely worth getting again.

March 29, 2008, 11am, at the Chatham Tap w/ Mike and Gina

I've never been big into basketball, so watching soccer on Saturday morning was an improvement from Friday night's sports options. Derby and Fulham were on at 11am on Fox Soccer Channel (game tied 2-2); Bolton and Arsenal were on Setanta (2-3 Arsenal), and Nurnberg and FC Bayern from Germany started 30 minutes earlier on GOLTV. That finished tied at 1.

I started with a Fuller's London Pride on tap. Previous experiences told me that many of the beers from Europe won't stand up to the edgy American counter parts. But since I didn't start with a beer that was blazing with hops, my taste buds weren't burnt out and could enjoy the subtle but enjoyable flavors of the English Pale Ale. It was high in maltiness (caramel flavors were present) but had just a slight bitterness to it. A very crisp beer to be enjoyed while watching soccer, whether it be in the bar or in the stands. Good spring and summer beer, I think.

I ordered the stuffed tomatoes from the ChaTap. Roma tomatoes stuffed with cheese, rasher bacon, bread crumbs, topped with parmesan and garlic mayo. A tasty treat served cold, but I bet it would be 10 times better baked.

The Fuller's was followed by the Hobgoblin by Wychwood, also on tap. Gotta love the ax as a tap topper. We reviewed this back in October, and I gave it a 3 mug rating and commented that it seemed watered down. This time around, I didn't think that. In fact, I thought it was pretty damned good. If we were reviewing it on this day, I'd probably bump my rating up by a quarter of a point. Watered down did not enter my mind at all. Chewy, nutty, malty goodness is what I found.

Montauks was next on the plate. Bread topped with smoked gouda, rasher bacon, tomatoes, and basil, then baked. Take the stuffed tomatoes, chop 'em up, throw 'em on bread like a brushetta dish, and enjoy. This is very enjoyable.

At 1pm, the Manchester United v. Aston Villa match was starting. Mike had always said that I should watch Man U once just to enjoy the mastery. He was right. Ronaldo made this one goal that he kicked from behind and sent through the legs of a defender. Beautiful. Needless to say, Man U had their way with Aston and their women.

I had an Old Speckled Hen, on tap. Like the Fuller's, this is an English Pale Ale. Drinkable, but not as flavorful. Basically, Fuller has a fuller flavor.

I finished the day of soccer off with a cup of Stuffed Pepper Soup which tastes exactly like a stuffed pepper, but in soup form. I washed it down with a Blackened VooDoo Lager from Dixie brewing in Louisiana. Yes, I know, not exactly English. But it caught my attention, so I had to try it. It tastes and smells like the seasonings you would use in blackened chicken. Peppery, garlicky, I'm not sure. Did they purposely burn the grains to create the flavor? I don't know. I drank it, I was fascinated by it, I was tempted to take my bottle of beer down the street to Yats and see how it paired up with their fare.

And that was the end of my soccer day. We noticed a table tent advertising their opening day of baseball event with cheap Old Style and grilled hot dogs (Mike needs to eat more wienies!). Going from the soccer pitch to the baseball pitch.

KOTBR #31 in Review | Wychwood Hobgoblin Ale @ the Chatham Tap

For Roundtable #31, the KOTBR convened court at downtown Indy's newest tribute to Old Blighty, the Chatham Tap, to review Wychwood Brewery's Hobgoblin Ale. We were joined by several of our faithful readers and by beer guru Mat Gerdenich of Cavalier Distributing.

Mike kicked off our reviews with a 2.3 mug rating for the Hobgoblin Ale, noting that it "wasn't a bad beer - it just wasn't a great beer."

Jim was next. Being Mr. Originality, he also gave the Hobgoblin a 2.3 mug rating, finding the beer to be "underwhelming."

Gina, getting into the autumn spirit with her craving for darker beers, entered a 2.75 mug rating for the Hobgoblin. She didn't necessarily dislike this beer, but she "was certainly disappointed by the lack of flavor."

Jason batted clean-up, tying everything together with a nice bit of perspective on English beers. He gave the Hobgoblin a 3.0 mug rating, stating that if he "were in the ChatTap drinking pints and watching soccer, [he'd] order it more than once." He also recounted his past drunken escapades at EPCOT, where he had quite a few beers and abused a donkey.

Roundtable #31 - Hey look kids, Big Ben, Parliament

When it comes to international travels, I'm sad to say that mine are very much lacking. I've spent a week in Canada getting drunk, and over the years, I've spent a week in EPCOT getting drunk.

Actually, getting drunk in EPCOT is a pretty good time. Especially right now, as they are having their annual International Food and Wine Festival until November 11th. Last year, my family and I went. My father, brother-in-law, and I decided to drink around the world. There are 15 international beers represented here, plus another 10 from Sam Adams. Yes, it was expensive, and yes there are better beers in America, but come on, what could be better than getting so drunk at Disney World that you start smacking random asses?

My apologies to Eeyore.

But if you aren't able to make it to Disney World, know that several Indy bars are able to cover your international desires. And between MacNiven's and the Chatham Tap, the beers of the UK are more than adequately covered on Massachusetts Avenue alone.

The ChatTap is a great place with several English beers on tap. On Thursdays, the English pints are $4. On this particular night, I tried 4 different draughts. In order, they were Boddington's Pub Ale, Wychwood Brewery's Hobgoblin Ale, Fuller's ESB, and Tetley's English Ale. In ranking the four, in order, they were Fuller's ESB, Tetley's English Ale, Wychwood Brewery's Hobgoblin Ale, and Boddington's Pub Ale.

With the exception of Monty Python and most anything on Channel 4, England is pretty reserved. And this definitely goes for their ales. We American's really relish being in your face, from extreme sports to film and television. And that goes for beers, as well.

So in many respects, I think our tongues are numbed to quality beers that don't pack a ton of punch in either the malt or hops categories. Which is probably why many are shifting away from imported beers to craft American beers.

Because of that, my initial thoughts were that the Hobgoblin English brown ale seemed watered down compared to other brown's that I have sampled. Of course, I seem to have to chew the other brown beers that I have had. So which is more correct?

And the aroma seemed to be very light. Or is it that my nose has been blown away by so many micro-brews that throw everything including the kitchen sink into their mix that you feel like you are smelling a smorgasbord?

When the Knights of the Beer Round Table review beers and assign scores, there is no scientific process. We score we as we please. Making us a bit like the Olympic judges for figure skating.

Yes, I made a figure skating reference. And I like Broadway musicals. You got a problem, wit dat?

In selecting a rating for this beer, it was difficult. This isn't a blow you out of the water type of beer. But I enjoyed it. It went well with the fish and chips that I sampled (thank you Gina). So how do I rate this?

I looked over the other beers we have reviewed, decided where it would fit in terms of drinking preference. In the end, I settled on a 3.0 mug (or would that be a pint, since we are doing the English thing tonight?) rating. It's good enough that I would order it again. It's good enough that I would even have some in my fridge next to the Guinness that I keep. And it's good enough that if I were in the ChatTap drinking pints and watching soccer, I'd order it more than once.

And a quick thanks to all who came out to drink with us, including Mat from Cavalier Distributing.

And apologies to everyone who is without children that listened to Mat and I go on and on about our experiences with family life.

Roundtable #31 | Wychwood Brewery's Hobgoblin Ale @ the Chatham Tap

We're just getting into the best time of year for beer drinking in my opinion. The leaves are starting to change and they're filling the air with their distinct fall scent. The air, crisp and cool, offers a perfect opportunity to enjoy a porter - my choice for a warm-up at the Chatham Tap. I selected a London Pride Porter* from the abundant list of English style beers the 'Chattap' offers and was pleased by the Porter's malty goodness.

I wasn't quite finished with my beer when we decided to do the review round, Wychwood Brewery's Hobgoblin Ale, but it ended up working out for the best because I found myself going back to the Porter just to get some taste. While I didn't necessarily dislike Hobgoblin Ale, I was certainly disappointed in the lack of flavor. 2.75 Mugs

* - Beer is better than website.

Roundtable #31 | Wychwood Brewery's Hobgoblin Ale @ the Chatham Tap

As Mike noted, we convened at the Chatham Tap for Roundtable #31. This was my third visit to the Tap but the first time I tried anything from the beer menu. In the interest of brevity, I won't repeat Mike's sentiments on the establishment or its beer selection, with which I largely agree.

Since we met at a pub that prominently displays the Three Lions and St. George's Cross in the front window, I thought it only proper to focus on the Tap's English beers. On that note, I started the night with a Boddington's Pub Ale, which is an old standby for me from the many soccer tailgate parties I've been to. On the occasions that I've had this nitrogen-infused beer out of a pub draft can, it had a creamy mouthfeel and a smooth, drinkable flavor. But the Boddington's I had at the Tap was somewhat watery, lacking the typical Boddington's creaminess. I could only guess that my taste buds have become "shot" from drinking so many flavorful beers over the past year, or that perhaps the keg was old.

Wychwood Hobgoblin Ale--Sammy Terry's beer of choice?

Undeterred by the lackluster warm-up beer, I moved on (with the rest of the group) to our feature beer, Wychwood Brewery's Hobgoblin Ale. The Hobgoblin seemed like a well-suited beer for us to review at this time of year considering its billing as "The Unofficial Beer of Halloween." While Wychwood classifies Hobgoblin as a "Strong Dark Ale," it seems to me that it's really a brown ale (indeed, that's what every beer review site I've visited lists as Hobgoblin's style classification). I found Hobgoblin to be dark (it has a nice mahogany hue), but I certainly didn't find either the nose or the flavor to be strong. Part of the problem, I believe, was the temperature at which this beer was served. The proper serving temperature for an ale of this type is cellar temperature (in the mid to high 50s). But the Hobgoblin arrived at the table as if it had been stored in a walk-in cooler. As a consequence, I didn't get any nose off of this beer at first, and the taste was bland, albeit slightly coffee-ish. As the beer warmed, the nose pepped up a little, giving off slightly caramel, coffee, and toffee notes. But the flavor, in my opinion, was still underwhelming.

Mike is right on the money with his rating of 2.3 mugs on this beer. Hobgoblin is not a bad beer, and one that I'd be willing to try again. But there are better offerings from the U.K. out there (cf. Young's Double Chocolate Stout).

Before I close, I have to thank the HBG readers who joined us for the roundtable (come again!) and to Mat Gerdenich of Cavalier Distributing, who wowed us with his beer IQ.

Roundtable #31 - Brown is Boring - Wychwood Hobgoblin

Warning: post contains soccer talk

Last evening four of the knights met up with six guests at Mass Ave's Chatham Tap for an evening of introductions and beer conversation. We were led by Cavalier Distributing's Mat Gerdenich, who provided us with a full plate of beer topics - from the struggles of a beginning beer business, the methods in which beer is introduced to a state, to the upcoming beer price hike (futher explained in this post at the Clipper City beer blog). Mat's advice? Stock up now, and expect to see price hikes in January.

We also reviewed a few beers. Because the Chatham Tap is an American bar aspiring to be British, I started the night with BBC's Nut Brown Ale - an English style brown made by an American microbrewery. This was a coke-colored, dead and dark looking beer, with a caramel and nut nose. It had a chewy mouthfeel and a smooth finish, with a taste that echoed the nose. It was a very agreeable beer, but I just felt like it needed a bit more "life" in it. Or maybe some hops, although that probably wouldn't fit the style profile.

Our featured beer was Wychwood's Hobgoblin, an authentic English brown ale. It had the same coke-color as the BBC, with a faint metallic alcohol nose, and a thin head. While the nose was somewhat promising, the beer was watery, with no front or middle, and a sweet peppery bite on the back.

Wychwood's website had this to say about the Hobgoblin:

Hobgoblin is strong in roasted malt with a moderate hoppy bitterness and slight fruity character that lasts through to the end. The ruby red coloured Hobgoblin is full-bodied and has a delicious chocolate toffee malt flavour balanced with a rounded moderate bitterness and an overall fruity character.

Sound really good, doesn't it? Too bad I didn't drink what they're describing. In any case, this wasn't a bad beer - it just wasn't a great beer. 2.3 Mugs

As for the Chatham Tap, it seems like a pretty nice place - soccer friendly, clean and classy, decent food... I'm not so sure about the England soccer scarf over the bar. They couldn't have gone with US Soccer? But maybe I just dislike Eurosnobs, and I'm afraid that the place is run by one. I guess in the end it's nice that we've got enough soccer-friendly options that I can complain about the scarves on the wall. At least they were nice enough to put the MLS game on the tv.

One of our guests noted that he had come in on a Saturday to catch a Fulham match and was turned away because football was on... not a good sign, especially considering that they've got Liverpool and Manchester United scarves on the wall. Hopefully this was just a mixup within staff - I can't imagine the owner is paying extra money for soccer channels just so people can be turned away. It makes me nervous though - I had considered coming downtown to watch a game, but knowing I might not be able to means I'd rather stay on the couch at home.

Chatham Tap also has a nice beer selection, but I wish there was a little more varience in the options. It's nice that they've got 15 English beers, but I anyone really interested in 15 English beers? Having drank my first two browns, I looked for a "go to" beer, a beer that I knew I was going to like. There really weren't a lot of options there, and I ended up with a Bell's Two Hearted - not a bad beer, but not a favorite, either. There's not really anything on the menu that's going to knock you out.

Having said all that, I enjoyed the Chatham Tap, and I'll be back - but there's definitely room for improvement.

Roundtable #31 | The Chatham Tap

Just a reminder that we're heading to the Chatham Tap tonight at 8:00 p.m. for Roundtable #31. We welcome you to join us as we review a yet to be determined beer (something tells me that it will be from the U.K.). We will be joined by Mat Gerdenich of Cavalier Distributing for a little beer talk.

Last week, NUVO's Terry Kirts did a nice writeup on the Chattap (that's HBG's hip new nickname for the Chatham Tap--it was actually Jason's brainchild). Mike and I forgive NUVO for putting a picture of two Scum supporters in the article. We know that all the cool kids support other English soccer teams.

Hope to see you this evening!