Having finally sobered up, our hero Jason finally writes his review

Ninety minutes: how long it took me to notice that Mike was gone...how long it took Chris to get drunk enough to tell everybody how much he loves them...how long it took Kelly to regret not getting a later flight the next day...how long it took Jim to get drunk enough to agree that The Breakfast Club is a chick flick (okay, that's a lie; no amount of alcohol could make Jim say that)...how long Gina was cutting a rug to the 80's music, until a Phil Collins cut let all the air out of her balloon...how long it took me to undue the little bit of weight loss I had accomplished this summer (294 calories per 12 oz. serving)...the recommended time between servings of Dogfish Head 90 Minute Double IPA.

For our one year anniversary, we wanted to pull out all the stops. And that involved selecting a beer that would be enjoyed by all and be worthy of such an event. We decided on 90 Minute. It was definitely the right choice.

As mentioned before, the crowd was big and happy. Deano's was hopping. And some of the best beer buddies in Indiana showed up. Believe me, no one year old has ever had a 1st birthday party like this!

I will be honest in saying that this is not my favorite beer in the world, but it is certainly in my top ten. I will concur with my fellow knights and give it a 5 mug rating as well. It has the hops scent and mouth kick that I like, but is balanced out with a malty sweet goodness, leaving this double IPA approachable to most everyone. From the beautiful amber color with the foamy head, to the floral aromas given by the hops, to the notes of caramelized fruits in the taste, to the extreme drinkability, this beer is a near perfect all around beer. A perfect beer geek's beer for non-beer geek gatherings.

There is a reason why birthdays only come around once a year: you need that long to recover. I still ain't right from last Thursday night.

Thanks to all who read, to all who came, and to all who helped in making our first bash and our first year a big success.

Hangovers hurt more than they used to . . .

Just a late follow-up from last Thursday, now that I finally seem to have recovered. It was a hell of a time, and has made me eagerly anticipate our 2nd birthday!

Thanks to all the people who came out (unofficial estimates between 50-60) and joined us for the party. It blew my mind to see that many folks show up for some good beer. I hope you all will continue to join us in the future.

And a special thanks to Deano and the crew for their generosity and hospitality! I think Deano was trying to get me drunk, and he took me home, but I don't think he took advantage of me! Though the later part of the night / early morning is all kinda fuzzy and not sure I remember all of it.

Thanks to Dogfish Head 90 Minute for being one kick-ass (and kick my ass) beer! Wow! I know I was drinking from a stein and all, but it's been a real long time since a beer got me in the "I love you, man" State. Without a doubt, 5 mugs!

And thanks to the guys at Peppy's Grill for serving me around 3:30 or 4 Friday morning.

Looking forward to the next year . . .

Dogfish Head 90 - So good it'll make you dance. To 80's music.

Except Phil Collins - he's a buzzkill. Right, Chris?

I was really going to try and take some concise notes for this tasting, but I didn't get much farther than "Oh My God. This beer is trouble." After that it's incoherent scrawl. I had no trouble remembering that Deano was a fantastic host. His generosity and hospitality were greatly appreciated.

As always, thanks to all of our beer geek friends - new and old. I cannot seem to put into words just how much fun I had meeting and talking with everyone. All of the camaraderie made up for the difficulty of going to work bright and early Friday morning. Fortunately, I faired better than Mike; all I lost was a little bit of dignity (from dancing like an idiot) and a couple hours of sleep.

Not having the opportunity to have the 90 Minute before, my expectations were for a much stronger version of a 60 Minute. I was pleasantly met with something exponentially better (and I'm a fan of 60 Minute). It was absolutely perfect from the first taste. The temperature was right, the nose wasn't overwhelming and it didn't taste overly hoppy. This beer is positively 5 mugs.

Again, thanks to all who came. I really would like to do it again soon...when I'm off work the next day.

The One-Year Anniversary Party to End All One-Year Anniversary Parties

Here is what we learned last night at our one-year anniversary party:

- Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, while a phenomenal beer, should never be served in pitchers or in pint glasses.
- DJ's who spin '80's new wave music rule (thanks, DJ Brian Jones).
- Jason and Gina can cut a mean rug, especially when DJ Brian Jones is manning the turntables.
- When Chris has had enough to drink, he likes to channel a Bud Light commercial from the mid-1990's.
- Mike spent more time in the Deano's Vino parking lot than he did inside the restaurant.
- Don't leave for vacation at 6:00 a.m. on the day after a 90 Minute IPA drinking frenzy (JFK is fun, isn't it, Matt and Kelly?).
- And finally, we have lots and lots of company in this town when it comes to drinking quality beer.

Thanks to all who came out to Deano's to celebrate one year of beer geekhood with us. We enjoyed seeing old friends and making new ones. And thanks to Deano for the new drinking vessels and for hosting our little shindig.

As for the 90 Minute IPA - a perfect 5 mugs. No other beer balances hops and malt like this one. Who knew that a taste/nose combination that simultaneously evokes grapefruit and caramel could result in such an unbelievably good beer?

KOTBR #24 - First Anniversary Roundtable at Deano's - Dogfish Head 90 Minute

That was overwhelming in every way.

The people

When we started to put together our first anniversary party we joked that we were going to be bringing Deano a huge crowd - as it turns out we didn't need to joke. I met a ton of great people again last night; further proof that beer people are good people.

The beer

Dogfish 90 Minute - My notes from last night aren't as specific as usual because 90 Minute is a hard beer to write about. A sweet nose followed by an over the top smoothness (if there is such a thing). Smoother than the 60 Minute, which was previously one of my top beers. 90 Minute is better than that - carmelly, surprisingly not that hoppy, and worth the price of admission. My notes say "JESUS CHRIST". It's a 5 mug beer.

My filter

Those folks I talked to last night caught me in rare form - talkative.

My digestive system

My consumption, in a three hour window, went something like this: Dark Horse Crooked Tree, Dogfish 90, another 90, another 90, Bell's Two Hearted, another 90... and then out to the car where I waited for Gina to drive me home. I left about half of what I drank splattered in the parking lot, along with the sandwich I had eaten for supper.

We normally don't drink to get drunk at Hoosier Beer Geek, so this was a rare occasion.

Thank You.

It was great to see so many folks out last night, and I'd like to thank you all for making the evening such a success. Sometimes writing a blog feels like you're working in a bubble, so I was great to see that's not the case.

We hope to see you all again soon.

Happy 1st Birthday, HBG (only 20 more til you're legal)!!

It's hard to believe everything that has happened to this blog since I started it one year ago today. I think I had played hookey from work that day, and was bored, and thought, "Hey! I love beer! I should blog about beer!" And it all began with the following words:

"Welcome, fellow beer geeks! I've decided to create this blog to advance the good taste of beer drinkers everywhere! Headquartered in the Circle City, we will strive to educate the masses on what good beer really is! Or, we can just say screw all the "Lite" piss drinkers, and keep the good stuff for ourselves!"

I've made some great new friends this year, especially my fellow Knights of the Beer Roundtable, and that has been the best part of this. Well, that, and occasionally getting free beer. It's a toss-up between those two things. And it's been really cool watching it transform from its original form to the kick-ass layout that Mike does for us, and hearing all the other ideas we're coming up with daily. And it makes me laugh to think of all the media coverage this thing gets.

Now, as I'm sure we'll do many times tomorrow night at the official birthday/anniversary/bar mitzvah/whatever party that I hope you'll join us at, I raise my bottle of brew (which happens to be a Goose Island Honker's Ale - first thing I pulled out of my beer fridge) to you, Hoosier Beer Geeks, and say thanks for all the fun that this first year has brought, and let's look forward to many more to come!

Hoosier Beer Geek First Anniversary Roundtable

Just like the flier says, you are invited. And we really hope to see everyone that's ever read the blog. So don't be shy - after one Dogfish 90 minute you'll be fine, and perhaps even more sociable than you've ever been before. Or at least I will.

At the meetups we just drink and talk about beer or football or soccer or anything else that comes up. It's not a very formal thing. It's like if you showed up at a bar and we were there drinking, except we'll go out of our way to introduce ourselves.

In this case we'll probably have a drawing for some t-shirts and stuff as well... we play it by ear.

We're pretty sure this is the only place in town you can get 90 minute on tap - that was by design.

Admission is free (food/drink are not included).