Happy Trails to Dogfish Head

Hoosier Beer Geek has received word that it is official: Dogfish Head is pulling out of Indiana. We are one of the states that will no longer enjoy the beers that DFH has to offer (Sam's post says 4 states; we hear that the number could increase).

HBG has had a long history with DFH. Their 90 Minute IPA was served on draft at the late Deano’s Vino during our first anniversary party, where it received a 5.0 mug rating (much to the disgust of our newer Knights of the Beer Roundtable). And Sam Calagione sent us a video toast for our third anniversary, which was a very cool gesture!

But business is business and they aren’t able to keep up with demand in every state. As they pull back, the Knights of the Beer Roundtable wish Sam and his entire crew at Dogfish Head the very best. We hope to see them in the Hoosier state again in the future.

Until then, cheers!

KOTBR #120 | Two Places, One Beer - Dogfish Head/Three Floyds Poppaskull

November through January is always a busy time for the Knights of the Beer Roundtable. While we'd like to be writing more about our roundtables, the holiday season and Winterfest planning always take up a lot of our time. As a result, some of the roundtables inevitably slip through the cracks. Last year's "lost roundtable" was our review of Founder's Porter. This year, it's our review of Dogfish Head and Three Floyds' collaboration beer, Poppaskull.


Our first sit-down to review Poppaskull happened way back on November 18th, when Brugge Brasserie had a tapping party upon Poppaskull's initial release. We had a second sitting with Poppaskull back in mid-January, when we reviewed a trio of Vermont beers at the only Church's Chicken in town that serves beer.


Because Poppaskull is still available at a number of locations throughout town, we went with the "better late than never" mindset and decided to go ahead and get this lost roundtable up for you, even though many of you have already experienced the lusciousness that is Poppaskull. So take it away, Rodney and Mike...

Many times with collaborations, the breweries involved will take turns brewing the same beer at each of their locations. With the name similarities between Popskull and Poppaskull, I thought that's exactly what Three Floyds and Dogfish Head had in store for us. Boy was I ever wrong. Popskull was something of an imperial brown, aged with some of the trademark Palo Santo wood that DFH is known for. Poppaskull is much lighter in appearance, coming across almost as a Belgian tripel. Spicy notes of cardamom, cinnamon and clove linger in the aroma. Absolutely nothing like its Popskull brother. At first taste the huge array of spices jumps to the front. Tons of cardamom, cinnamon, anise and clove all shock the taste buds - something of a pumpkin spice beer without the pumpkin. After a few sips I became used to the huge amount of spice and the brown sugar-like sweetness started to round the beer out. I'll admit, at first I didn't think I would be able to finish this beer, but as the spices mellowed, the beer became a very pleasant sipper. Not sure what the ABV is on this, but I'm guessing it is deceivingly high. Poppaskull tastes like it should be big, but doesn't really leave any alcohol burn in the finish. Overall this spicy beer certainly took me by surprise, but in the end I enjoyed what Three Floyds and Dogfish Head have come up with this time around. 3.90 Mugs.

From my first taste of Poppaskull I knew it was a beer I was in love with. Arriving around Christmastime, the beer seemed to reflect the holiday (despite not being a "Christmas beer"). It's all in that cardamom nose, the milky vanilla Oreo middle, and the creamy mouthfeel.

Christmas beers (again - this isn't one) can be cloying, screaming out CHRISTMAS SPICES, hitting you over the head like a stocking full of coal. This beer isn't that. Balanced, light, extremely drinkable - my notes say "a strange combination for two breweries known for over-the-top weirdness". My notes also say "we need more subtle beers from Floyds, because they know what the fuck they're doing". I wrote all of that thinking this was a 5 - 6% ABV beer. It drinks like one. The only problem is that it's actually 10%.

In any case, what a great fucking beer. 4.66 Mugs.

Dogfish Head/Three Floyds Poppaskull
Rod: 3.90 Mugs | Jess: 4.20 Mugs | Chris: 4.30 Mugs | Mike: 4.50 Mugs | Gina: 4.20 Mugs | Jim: 4.75 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 4.31 Mugs

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.

Beer Diary: Rod and Jess | Craft Beer in South Florida

Jess and I took a much needed tropical vacation to Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding Gold Coast region.  Not content to settle for Yuengling, we quickly began researching our craft beer options.  Turns out, Florida's craft beer selection is fairly similar to Indiana's, with a few notable exceptions.  Exceptions like Cigar City, Oskar Blues and Holy Mackerel.  Here's a brief rundown of some of the beers we drank and places we visited.

Holy Mackerel
Before we left, we found a nice beer event calendar at the South Florida Beer Blog, thanks to Google.  It indicated that we would be arriving in Fort Lauderdale on the same day that a Holy Mackerel "keep the glass" style tapping was going on at Hurricane Grill and Wings (like BW3 but with way more sauces) up in Boca Raton.  Not only was their Special Golden Ale being tapped, but it was also 25 cent wing night!  Double bonus!  The Golden Ale was an incredibly smooth Belgian golden ale, sweet but not cloying or heavy.  At 8.5% ABV it was strong but not boozy.  Holy Mackerel only does Belgian style beers, and as of this year they have 3 beers in their line up (up from 2).  We had a second Golden Ale and on our way out the head brewer told us to check out the tap handles on the side of his car - and we did.

Cigar City
Our adventures brought us to one beer superstore in Fort Lauderdale - Total Wine and More.  Our number one goal here was clear and that was to obtain Cigar City beers.  We picked up a 750 mL of Guava Grove and Big Sound.  Guava Grove is a saison, flavored with one of Florida's favorite fruits.  The guava gave it a nice sweetness not easily reproduced in any other manner.  Banana and strawberry were present against the spicy wheat-like background.  A bit of tartness rounded out this beer and kept it from being too sweet.  This was exactly the kind of unique offering we were looking for.

Big Sound is quite literally the Imperial Stout of Scotch Ales.  Nothing could have prepared us for how heavy and thick this beer was.  Tons of toffee, brown sugar and vanilla in the nose.  It even looked thick pouring in to the glass.  If you can imagine every flavor you expect out of a scotch ale times ten, this is it.  Caramel, toffee, vanilla, molasses, chocolate, brown sugar and even some peat.  Very strong and sweet.  While we both quite enjoyed this beer, it's one to share.  10 oz would probably be enough.

Original Fat Cats
I wish this place had a website.  We almost didn't go just because we couldn't find much info online other than it's THE craft beer bar in Fort Lauderdale.  I'll do my best to do it justice.  This place is a dive in the best sense of the word.  Walls covered in stickers and skateboards.  An old beat up solid wood bar and huge window/door openings that made the entire front end of the bar open up to the street.  Dogs are allowed (I can't stress how awesome this is).  Blues on the jukebox.  Don, the resident craft beer champion, works during the day when the regulars are in and will talk with you about anything.  Super friendly guy.  Over the past 10+ years he has been slowly converting the beer selection into craft.  Starting out with only a few bottles, they're now up to 75 beers, of which 2/3 are craft and hand picked.  Just about everything on tap is craft.  And if that's not enough, most beers are $1 off during Happy Hour and if you come in before 10PM you get that discount all night (even if you leave and come back).  The downtown area they are located in even allows you to drink in the streets, even though that does carry the additional requirement of plastic cups.  This was by far our favorite bar in South Florida.

I started off with a Shipyard XXXX IPA (on tap) and Jess had a custom creation called Dogmilk (half Dogfish Head 90 Minute and half Left Hand Milk Stout).  The Shipyard was great but the Dogmilk was even better.  Someone in Indy should start making this.  In fact, try it out at home, you won't be sorry.  I followed this up with a Cigar City Maduro Brown, which is an awesome brown.  The body is as heavy as a thick oatmeal stout, and the flavor is somewhere between brown and stout with strong roasted notes, a heavy nuttiness, balanced sweetness and even a hint of coffee.  I had another when we came back later that evening. 

Tryst
We hit up Tryst in Delray Beach on Yelp and Beer Advocate's recommendation.  This was probably the only true gastropub we stopped by.  The food was excellent, and Happy Hour prices were even better.  Jess had some great fish tacos and I enjoyed a huge bowl of pad thai.  On tap, we enjoyed our fourth, and final, Cigar City beer; Jai Alai IPA.  This beer was a solid, well-balanced IPA.  Great with both our dinners.  We couldn't bring ourselves to buy the $75 bottle of Cigar City Hunahpu.

Brother Tucker's
On the way out of Delray Beach, we stopped at Brother Tucker's in Pompano Beach.  I'm going to take a break and not talk about the beers we ordered.  Brother Tucker's offered a really cool and unique experience.  The place is located in a tiny strip mall and is as small as the smallest strip mall bar you can imagine in Indiana.  Located in side this tiny bar is food renowned across the region.  Originally recommended by Don at Original Fat Cat's and the guys at Beer Advocate, the daily soup is made with locally sourced ingredients and will never steer you wrong.  By offering up this great food, Brother Tucker's is turning on the most unexpected crowd to Belgian and craft beers.  A small tap list of only 4 beers and a lengthy bottle list are the predominate beverages here.  The tables were mostly full of people you wouldn't expect to see drinking craft beer, and yet everyone, men and women, were drinking great selections.  I personally had an Aventinus on tap, served in an official Aventinus glass, and Jess had a Norwegian porter we had never heard of.  But the most important thing going on here is that Brother Tucker's has made craft beer acceptable and enjoyable to people who would never have tried it otherwise.  This, in itself, is an amazing feat.

Dogfish Head
We picked up a bottle of My Antonia from Total Wine, who is supposedly the only retailer in the area that carries this beer.  This beer is billed as a continually hopped Imperial Pilsner, and certainly lives up to that title.  Through the continuous hopping (the same process their IPAs undergo), strong mint, citrus and bitter notes give this beer a much more bold flavor than you would expect from a pilsner.  The light pilsner body gains a lot of flavor from an increased malt bill, which helps it stand up against the huge hop presence.  This was a very enjoyable beer, even though it was a bit too strong for the fish I tried to pair it with.

Lagunitas
Lagunitas 13 was another beer we picked up on our beer run.  13 is a "mondo large red ale" and is one of those beers that ends up exactly like you think it will.  A huge, malty red body completely masks any alcohol present with its caramel and cherry sweetness.  Massive hops push this thing into IPA range, making the end result similar to a red double IPA.  The kind of beer you'd expect from Lagunitas, and that's a good thing.

St. Somewhere
Ok, this is it.  This is the last beer that we're going to cover and it's ending our trip on a sour note.  Quite literally.  I don't know if it's intentional or not, but the St. Somewhere Saison Athene smells like lemon juice.  Literally, like lemon juice.  And it's not just the aroma that carries that acidic citric bite, the beer tastes like someone spiked it with lemon juice as well.  You can trust me on this because I literally drink straight lemon juice.  I tried to push past this and enjoy the apple and black pepper spiciness, but it was difficult.  Jess couldn't manage past the lemon juice character and I had to finish hers.  I struggled, but managed to avoid a drain pour.  There is just simply too much lemon juice in this beer.

I hope this overview helps overcome any assumptions that Florida has a crappy craft beer market.  We had pretty low expectations but the market is actually a blossoming one.  We spent a week in Florida and tried a lot more beers (a crapload of Oskar Blues, for example) and visited a lot more establishments than we covered here, but the article is already long enough.  We were more than happy with the variety of craft beer we experienced along with our relaxing, tropical vacation.

KOTBR #95 - Life, Limb, and Lost Roundtables

This continues our series of lost roundtables where we throw off the shackles of traditional numbering systems in order to promote anarchy. Not really.

Keeping up with the newest in limited release beers has become a futile exercise - you might be on top of things for a while, but eventually you end up with a beer closet full of things you have to find special occasions for or make excuses to drink.

But when the two craft beer heavyweights that are Dogfish Head and Sierra Nevada combine forces, I can't help but pay attention. Back when I went around asking for suggestions on beer for aging 21 years, Dogfish's Sam Calagione suggested that I might check out the Dogfish/Sierra Life and Limb - a 10% ABV strong, dark beer that defies style characteristics (more here) - saying, "Any of our beers over 15% abv should last for that long. Also – the Life & Limb beer Dogfish and Sierra brewed together that comes out in November would be good for this sorta thing."

Well 21 years is too long to wait for me, and the downtown Indy BW3's was lucky enough to acquire a keg or two of Life and Limb for tasting now. So when BW3's Sam gave us the heads up, we headed downtown.

Because Sam Calagione suggested this beer would stand up to 21 years of aging, I expected a monster. Instead the beer starts surprisingly mild, at least when cold. What happened over the next hour was interesting, though, as the flavors grew and my palate pushed me to savor what was in front of me. It's rare that any beer can hold my attention for an hour anymore - usually something that rich will wear me out.

The nose on this beer is tootsie roll and (Rod will love this) hot slot car track¹ - a sort of burnt sulfur thing, slightly smokey and boozy together. The flavors are what you might expect - sweet dark fruit, grape, and a finish that works its way up your nose. Just a bit boozy.

You could definitely age this beer, but I like it right now. If you're lucky enough to find some (both bottles and kegs are pretty limited), I think you'll be happy either way. 4.29 Mugs


I had high expectations going into this one. The quintessential America Pale Ale brewery paired with the definitive extreme beer brewery. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I certainly was expecting something good. On tap, Life and Limb pours like an imperial stout. It also smells like an imperial stout with lots of dark chocolate and molasses characteristics. At first taste, I'll admit that I was a bit set back by the alcohol. The alcohol was a bit more warming than I expected and will definitely aid in the improvement of this beer over a few years. I found chicory reminiscent of the Dogfish Head Chicory Stout and traditional imperial stout flavors such as molasses, dark chocolate and oak. Life and Limb contains an intriguing sweetness that I can best characterize as cherries and honey. The finish is surprisingly dry, seemingly a result of a touch of hoppiness on the back. I'm eager to see what this one tastes like in a few years and I've already tucked away a bottle. 4.15 Mugs


I thought Life and Limb was pretty good, though definitely rough around the edges and a little boozy. I'm sure everybody has already said this, but it'll probably be better with a couple years aging. 3.9 Mugs

Sierra Nevada/Dogfish Head Life and Limb
Mike: 4.29 Mugs | Chris: 3.9 Mugs | Rod: 4.15 Mugs | Gina: 4.05 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 4.09 Mugs

* * * * *

¹I know that references like this one have a very limited audience, but if you know what I'm talking about and have a chance to drink the beer, I think you'll be surprised that I don't just make this stuff up.

Dogfish Head's Sam Calagione Toasts HBG3

One of the things you missed if you weren't able to attend our party was a special video specifically prepared by the folks at Dogfish Head for the event. The folks at World Class Beverages worked with DFH to set the whole thing up. To say it was a pleasant surprise would be an understatement.


Here's a link to the video for our email/rss readers
Our thanks go out to Sam and Mariah at Dogfish Head, and to the folks at WCB for their efforts.

Beer: The Pedal Pusher's Potion

You don't have to be a cyclist to be familiar with the Tour de France, the three-week road race that features the best cyclists in the world competing for the Maillot Jaune (or yellow jersey). Cycling as of late has become as well known for its use of performance enhancing drugs as for its competitions, but one drug has an even longer and more public history with cycling: alcohol.

The Tour de France, along with the Giro d'Italia, and the Vuelta a España form the triple crown of cycling. But not so long ago America had its own grand cycling competition: The Coors International Bicycle Classic. Although the Coors Classic went away after 1988, the Red leader's jersey is still popular among cyclists, and is still available for purchase at many cycling stores.

But the Coors jersey is just the tip of the iceberg as far as beer-based cycling jerseys go. The list of microbreweries with their own jerseys is growing exponentially, giving the biking beer geek a vast and almost overwhelming selection to choose from. A recent online search turned up jerseys from Dogfish Head, Ommegang, Stone Brewing Company, New Belgium, Smuttynose Brewing Company, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Boulder Beer Company, Harpoon Brewery, Breckenridge Brewery, Troegs Craft Brewery, Avery Brewing, Bell's Brewery, Lancaster Brewing, Full Sail Brewing, Deschutes Brewery, Leinenkugel, Redhook, Guinness, Fuller's, Brooklyn Brewery, and Left Hand Brewing.

The connection between beer and bicycling jerseys starts with customers, jersey suppliers, and brewery employees. Frederick Mazzeo, Dogfish Head's Merchandise Manager/Community Relations & Licensee Liaison, designed the Dogfish Head jersey himself. When asked why Dogfish got into cycling jerseys, he wrote "Customers began asking." In the case of Boulder Beer's jerseys, Brewmaster David Zucker informed me that the process worked a little differently. "We got involved with cycling jerseys when the guys at Primal Wear contacted us after drinking our beers. They liked the beers, and the graphics, and then they contacted us about whether we would be interested in having them produce the jerseys."

For Chris Lennert, the jerseys actually served as a sort of gateway into working for Left Hand Brewing. "Before I started working at Left Hand, I worked for a company that did a few cycling jerseys, and I approached Left Hand (my favorite brewery) to do a few jerseys with them. We wound up doing a Sawtooth and Milk Stout jersey, both of which are sold out. Based on the response that we had, a few months after I started working at Left Hand, we decided to do another one."

At Smuttynose, demand for the jerseys started with company president Peter Egelston and his partner, Joanne. "Joanne and I have been avid cyclists for a long time. When we expanded our brewpub ten years ago, adding a retail shop, we were looking to expand our product line beyond the usual lineup of tee-shirts and logo glasses. Since many of our friends ride, as well, we'd gotten inquiries about cycling jerseys, so Joanne, who designs all of our graphics, got in touch with Louis Garneau, based in nearby Vermont, about custom jerseys." There was a similar sort of in-house demand at Harpoon Brewery, says Liz Melby. "We have always had a very active crew that has worked at the brewery, including many passionate cyclist. Because of that, there was a demand for Harpoon cycling jerseys." According to Chris Cochran at Stone Brewery, the demand came from everywhere. "We had been thinking about doing them for awhile, some of the Stone Staff requested we make some, and there are LOTS of people in SoCal that ride, and we were contacted by Canari to make them so it all came together."

The production of jerseys may also come from brewery sponsorship of bicycling teams. Todd Thibault of Breckenridge Brewery, said they got into the business of cycling when a cycling shop in Breckenridge contacted them to sponsor their cycling team. Because Great Adventure Sports was already creating jerseys for the team, it was only natural that the brewery would offer them for sale to the general public. The brewery also supports smaller cycling teams through what Todd calls "beer support". As he says, "What more could a rider need?"

The graphics used on many craft brewery labels are a natural choice for use in cycling jerseys, which often feature designs that run the gamut from classy to garish. But is there a deeper link between beer and bicycling? Why do so many cyclists choose to wear brewery based jerseys? Left Hand's Lennert thinks it's about the passion. "Cyclists and breweries are both very passionate about what they do, and they take pride in who they partner with."

Breckenridge's Thibualt sees the connection as a continuation of tradition. "Beer and cycling is an old tradition, we even have some framed photos in our pub in Denver dated to the early 1900's that show cyclists on the side of the road drinking beer...well, OK they're just big bottles...we assume it's beer." Smuttynose's Egelston says it's a lifestyle choice. "The big guys have NASCAR, we have cycling. People who ride seriously are not likely to choose mass-marketed beer because they are not making mass-market choices in other areas of their lives." For Dogfish's Mazzeo, the answer is a bit more simple. "The carbs, man."

Perhaps it is just the carbs. It shouldn't be surprising that companies that sell cycling jerseys also promote cycling and wellness through in-house programs and sponsorship of cycling teams. The folks at Dogfish promote a healthier lifestyle through securing gym memberships for employees, and on site Bocce courts. At Breckenridge Brewery, wellness is explained in simple terms. "We're all from Colorado; the out-of-doors is how we roll." The folks at Boulder seem to have a similar philosophy. "We have a lot of staff who are bikers. Boulder is an exceptionally bike friendly community, so biking comes naturally to many of us. With the athletic inclination of Coloradans, we have a very fit group of people. Aside from biking, we have people play ultimate, disk golf, baseball, softball, hike, rock climb, ski, board, water ski." The folks at Harpoon see cycling as an extention of the company motto. "Our brewery's motto is 'Love Beer. Love Life' and we encourage living the motto to both our employees and our drinkers," said Melby. "We host and sponsor several cycling events each year, including the Harpoon Brewery to Brewery Ride and the Harpoon Point to Point." So perhaps it's only natural that these breweries are selling jerseys. They're also out there wearing them.

So if brewing and cycling really do go hand in hand, shouldn't a beer make a perfect post-ride reward? Which beers do the brewers themselves prefer? Each brewer had their own opinion, though Smuttynose's Egelston may have the most sound advice. "Obviously, the best post-ride cooldown is plain water. After re-hydration, I'd recommend a nice hoppy pale ale or IPA." Chris Cochran at Stone Brewery says you've got to consider circumstances: "If you are looking to cool down and carb up with a lower alcohol beer, I would say Stone Levitation Ale or Stone Pale Ale. However, if you just worked your ass off on a ride, and want to “reward” yourself, I’d say go with a Stone IPA or Arrogant Bastard Ale!"

Todd Thibault at Breckenridge recommends their Avalanche Amber Ale. "It matches the jersey. It's all about a balance." Frederick Mazzeo at Dogfish Head says he enjoys a postride 60 minute IPA followed by a 90 minute IPA. Chris Lennert at Left Hand isn't picky. "Any of them! It depends on what time of year you’re riding – do you want a good thirst quencher or a good winter warmer??" Harpoon's Melby recommends any of their beers for a cool down, but adds "IPA is always a great choice because it will cut through the salt of the sweat." David Zuckerman at Boulder Beer has his own very solid advice. "Whichever of our beers satisfies you, is good enough for us. It's kind of like the question that I get a lot about what is my favorite beer. My answer is always, the one that's in front of me."

* * * * *

Thanks to those of you who provided links to more jerseys in the comments section. They've been added into the article and hopefully will provide as a valuable resource for cyclists looking to support their favorite brewery.

Indy's Best Kept Secret - Shallos

Excellent Roundtable tonight - the best we've had for a while, and maybe the best we've ever had! We had a blast, and lots of good conversation. We met up at Shallos in Greenwood, and let me just say, their beer menu is simply to die for. As a matter of fact, the menu is almost too good, if that's possible. They had 30-something beers on tap, and hundreds more in the cooler. WOW! It got to the point that I simply couldn't choose a beer and had the waitress bring me what she thought was good. It was like being a mosquito in a nudist colony - I knew what to do, but I just didn't know where to begin! (I can't quite remember what movie that line came from). Hands down, Shallos gets 5 mugs for their beer selection. It's got to be the best in the city. And I never even got to look at the import side of the menu!

Jim Schembre of World Class Beverages joined us tonight to talk about all of the exciting things WCB is doing and has planned. He really stressed their Beer Finder system on their site, so if you're ever looking for a beer and want to know who is carrying it, check it out. It's updated daily! Thanks, Jim, for coming out with us tonight - we learned a lot, and we look forward to drinking with you in the future! And thanks for the kick-ass calendars!


I started off tonight with a Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA. And while I had other beers throughout the evening, I never really got past this one. If you don't know, Dogfish 120 is considered the Holy Grail for Hopheads. This sumbitch is - wait - 21% ABV!! 21%. I really don't know what else I can say about it. Maybe my eyes bulged out and my face turned blue. The Dogfish 120 has the highest ABV of any beer I've ever drank.


We were supposed to launch into the Bell's Hell Hath No Fury for a review - and we did - but you will find no review from this Knight of the Beer Roundtable about this beer. Now, Bell's describes this beer as "A brew that gives you either sympathy for the devil or the courage to face him. Goes especially well with your favorite lost my girl/truck/dog/trailer song." All I can tell you is that it was dark and good. After the 120, I really couldn't taste that much anyway.


So there you have it. You HAVE to check out Shallos, but I would be careful with the Dogfish 120. I'll give it 5 mugs based on ABV, but I can't really remember what it tastes like!

Hiding In the Pumpkin Patch

Ok, so here it is at last - the long-promised review of a couple of pumpkin ales. They're brief, but that's okay since you're probably going to have to search to find these on beer store shelves right now. Blame the delay on Halloween, or just look at it as creating anticipation for Thanksgiving.

Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale
Coming out of Hayward, CA, Buffalo Bill's pumpkin ale is brewed with pumpkin & spices (many "pumpkin" ales are actually only brewed with spices, like cinnamon & nutmeg to "simulate" the pumpkin taste). At 4.9% ABV, it's not that strong, but if you like eating pumpkin raw, this beer is for you. It definitely had a pumpkin nose - no doubt about it. It had a deep orange color, but a fairly thin-bodied taste. I kept getting a fruity aftertaste, which if you've ready any previous reviews of mine, you know I'm not a fan of. I have to give it 2 Mugs. It was okay, but I probably won't try it again.

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale
As is typical from Dogfish Head, the punkin ale has a decent ABV of 7%. It's made with pumpkin, brown sugar, allspice, cinnamon & nutmeg. I could distinctly pick out the nutmeg in the nose, which I'm ok with. The hops were also pretty obvious in the nose, which made me worry that it would be too hoppy for me, but that wasn't the case. At worst, it was mildly hoppy. It had a light brown color, not overly-carbonated, and was somewhere between medium-to-full-bodied. I have to say, it was a pretty good beer, especially as a seasonal. I'm going to give it 3.5 Mugs. When I got to buy my pumpkin ales next year, I'll probably get less of the Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale, and more of the Punkin Ale.