Random Beer Roundup - Mark E. Smith Reads Football Results Edition

More Indiana Beer Week activities - if you're not doing anything beer related this week, turn in your beer geek card. This is just a touch more for your Thursday calendar:

Hey Indy Peeps-

Check it out this week--my National Sales Assistant Angela Prosper will be in town to roll out some barrels of new HE'BREW and totally new Coney Island Lagers. Track her down for a taste and and "welcome-to-IN" hang out session. Cheeeers!!

Jeremy

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Beginning on Thursday, July 17 at Crown Liquors (12480 N. Meridian, Carmel, Indiana, 317-706-0850, 5 pm - 7 pm, cash bar) come join Shmaltz Brewing ringleader Angela Prosper for a taste of their Coney Island Craft Lagers(TM) and select HE'BREW Beers including their new fig-infused offering Rejewvenator, Origin Pomegranate Strong Ale and Bittersweet Lenny's RIPA. Shmaltz Brewing will also host a tasting on Friday, July 18 at Locals Only Art & Music Pub (2449 East 56th Street, 317-255-4013, all night, cash bar, localsonlyindy.com), and will feature both their Coney Island Craft Lagers(TM) and HE'BREW Beers on Saturday, July 19 at the 13th Annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival (Broad Ripple Opti-Park, 820 E. 67th Street, www.brewersofindianaguild.com, 3 pm - 7 pm).

Some of that you probably knew already.

Lions and tigers and bears and dogs and cats and squirrels and monkeys and giraffes are all animals. But only dogs get to go to the bar.

YAPPY HOUR

PRESENTED BY
The Humane Society of Indianapolis
AND
Rock Bottom Restuarant and Brewery
Come join us August 13th with your dog at the Rock Bottom Brewery at College Park (2801 Lake Circle Drive, Indianapolis)

At Yappy Hour you can enjoy good times, good food, and good beer (and no cats - Mike), as well as find out what is on your dog's mind by visiting a pet psychic and get training advice from the Humane Society's resident trainers.

$5 Cover, 5:30 P.M. - 7:30 P.M.
Burgers, brats and beer will be available for purchase.

ALL PROCEEDS WILL BENEFIT THE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES OF THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF INDIANAPOLIS

Despite the lack of cats (or giraffes for that matter) this is a nice cause, definitely well worth your time if you like getting your dog drunk*, or drunk as a dog. Also, don't drink and drive. And the same goes for your dog.

More on AB/Inbev - Although we said we wouldn't cover this much, here's an article from the Times of New York that sort of makes the fine folks of St. Louis look like kids who had their toys taken away.

Congrats again, losers! - Here's the list of the Indiana State Fair Brewer's Cup winners. Congratulations, winners.

* * * * *

*DO NOT GET YOUR DOG DRUNK.

Mark E. Smith has nothing to do with anything.

Beer Diary #2 - Jason

My love affair with hops continues. Two beers recently (and happily) consumed.

Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA:
This was a bottle gifted to be by Matt at our Stout and Porter gathering. I had been interested in trying this since the New York times said it was their second favorite "Extreme Beer", with Dogfish Head's 90 Minute being their favorite. When in stock, the Double Simcoe can be found at Jungle Jim's in Cincinnati.

It is an enjoyable and unique beer. The exclusive use of Simcoe hops gives it just a bit of a different hop flavor. Simcoe's are meant to provide the nose and flavor without as much harshness. It allows Weyerbacher to use a lot of it without providing other flavorings to mask the unpleasantness that can come from hops. So you get the pine and citrus and a certain amount of smoothness. It is simple in design, and very successful.

I still would rate 90 Minute, Hopslam, and Racer 5 above this beer. But if it becomes available in Indiana, it would likely be put into a regular rotation, as they brew it year round.

Rock Bottom Downtown's Fast Freddie IPA:
It had been a while since I had been to Rock Bottom, just because I haven't had the time. But they recently put a bonus ten bucks on my Mug Club Card, and it had to be used by March 2. So I found the time.

IPA's can be a tricky thing to produce successfully. If not done right, they tend to be harsh. Fast Freddie is alright in my book. It has a nice balance between the bitterness and the fruit aroma. It has been on tap since 1/18, so it is nothing new. But it also may not last long, so I'd suggest stopping in soon.

KOTBR #33 | Rock Bottom Pumpkin Ale

This week I was inducted as a Knight of the Beer Roundtable. I have been a devoted admirer of their exploits for some time now, but after having held my hand above the hops-scented candle for a full minute and getting my glasses & pint glass tattoo (I’m not saying where), I’m one of the gang. For my first tasting (as a non-groupie) we voted in an open ballot to try the Pumpkin Ale at the downtown location of Rock Bottom.

Having only tried a couple of pumpkin ales before, my points for comparison are limited. I often find myself wanting more pumpkin, but as delicate a flavor as pumpkin is, it must be difficult to make it stand out among the spices that most of us identify with pumpkin through having eaten so many tasty pies. This particular pumpkin ale was less flavorful than I would have liked. It made me want to take a bite out of a jack-o-lantern in order to augment the pumpkinosity, but no such seasonal decorations were available. Not surprising a full week after Halloween, what with mold and roving gourdivores (see Kelly’s review, below). Therefore, I give this ale 2.5 mugs.

As the newbie of the group, I have the privilege of arranging and posting the collected reviews of the Hoosier Beer Geeks (average mug rating of 2.464285714). As I am the resident library science student at HBG HQ, I have arranged the reviews alphabetically by the authors’ respective last names in accordance with millions of years of responsible librarianship.

Thanks for bringing me in. Rest assured readers, these ladies and gentlemen are a class act.

Mike
From the looks of the outside of this place, I probably wouldn't have stopped in; these sorts of places scream "Restaurant!" more loudly than they scream "Beer!” The basement was a nice surprise, cozy, pool tables, and NO WAIT (I don't like waiting for anything). This would be a good place to bring friends and hang out.

We started off with Rock Bottom’s Brickway Brown, a 2003 Indiana Brewers Cup winner. The nose had a hint of lemon and then chocolate. A thick pillowy head sits atop an opaque black body. It tasted of pretzels and chocolate, with a watery mouthfeel. I found it very drinkable...probably a 3 mug beer.

The Pumpkin Ale was appropriately colored and poured with no head. The cinnamon nose reminded me of a really good mouthwash and the toothpaste I'm currently using. Same features in the taste, and although it reminded me of mouthwash, I kinda liked it. I'm not getting so much pumpkin as cinnamon and clove. Not really a whole lot of taste altogether though. A perfectly good flavored water, not a very good beer. 2 mugs.

Jim
The Warm-Up: The good ol' trusty Brickway Brown. I'm a longtime fan of this beer, having chosen it as my first beer on just about every previous visit to Rock Bottom. This standby ale pours with a foamy tan head. It's very dark for a brown ale, almost stout-like in hue. It gives off a nice brown sugar/caramel/molasses nose. The taste is closer to a porter than a traditional brown ale, with coffee and chocolate notes. It also has a bit of a hop bite and a classic brown ale mouthfeel (a bit chewy).

The Feature Beer: The Pumpkin Ale, which is one of Rock Bottom's seasonal beers. This beer pours with a lacy white head and a beautiful clear amber color. The nose, not unexpectedly, conjures up thoughts of a nice plate of pumpkin pie--a bit of cinnamon, clove, and pumpkin in the mix. I must confess, however, that I'm not a fan of this beer style, and Rock Bottom's offering proved no different for me. The flavor was overwhelmingly clovey, almost to the extent of being cloying. I love Rock Bottom's beers, but I couldn't stand this one. It was only the second beer that I could not finish at a roundtable. But my dislike has more to do with the fact that I don't like pumpkin ales. So, I'll go with a 2 mug rating on this one, with the caveat that this rating is primarily due to my own personal taste. If you like pumpkin ales, you might want to give this one a go.

Kelly
When we carved pumpkins for Halloween this year, some mystery rodent (giant, rabid rats, maybe?) made short work of them. I wish I could say I did the same thing with the pumpkin ale. I love the style, but this one was a bit watery and not exactly as hefty as I would have liked. The spicy, clove nose was fantastic, but didn’t come through in the taste. All in all, this is a solid, drinkable beer that actually made me dream about pumpkin pie on the night of the Roundtable. 2.75 mugs.

Jason
When I think of consuming pumpkins, all I think of is consuming pumpkin pie, which I love. Though I suspect that I only think of the pumpkin as a vessel for the nutmeg, cinnamon, and other spices. As well as the massive amount of whip cream I put on top. When I think of consuming pumpkin ales, all I think of Ichabod Crane being chased across the bridge by the Headless Horseman and the Jack-o-lantern that he uses as his surrogate head. That's a really long way of saying that I think pumpkin beers are scary. I just don't find the strong taste of pumpkin in my booze as appetizing. So of the pumpkin beers that I have enjoyed, they have either been heavily spiced or light in pumpkin flavor. The downtown Rock Bottom Brewery's seasonal pumpkin ale, thankfully, falls into the latter category. Many of my fellow HBG knights commented on the amount of clove they picked up in this beer. I didn't notice any of that, though it may have had something to do with the massive bite of garlic cheese dip that I had just consumed. What I did notice was a light, woodsy smell. It is hard to describe unless you have ever cut or split trees, but the smell was of green timber. Someone else had said it seemed watery. I would say it is more beer and less pumpkin, which I am thankful for. I give it a 2.5 mug rating, because I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it.

Gina
My feelings about pumpkin ales are that I like them, but mostly in theory. I always hope for something remarkably similar to pumpkin pie, but I should just know by now that I should stick with the real thing. Rock Bottom's offering of pumpkin ale was no exception. It fell short of the mark, but I wasn't completely disappointed. It was indeed watery, but it gave way to some pumpkin spice and clove; tastes that make me all too ready for the upcoming holiday. 2.5 Mugs.

Chasing the American Dream | Rock Bottom Brewery's American Dream Ale

We haven't talked much here at HBG about the big corporate brewpubs. I don't think this is so because we have any bias against these establishments. Just because they're chain breweries doesn't diminish the quality of their offerings. In fact, in my experience, they brew some excellent beer.

The granddaddy of chain brewpubs in Indy, the downtown Rock Bottom, is a place that I used to visit on a fairly frequent basis. I am a longtime fan of the Brickway Brown and seasonal beers such as the Fire Chief Ale and the barleywine (whose name escapes me at the moment). I was also a member of the original Mug Club, in which members had their own personalized mugs. Mine was a nice blue ceramic stein, which is now safely tucked away in my kitchen cabinet thanks to Rock Bottom, which let us keep our mugs when they stopped using them. Original Mug Clubbers were also invited to tapping parties for the release of seasonal beers. At these tapping parties, Mug Clubbers were free to drink as much as free beer has they wanted for a solid hour. The restaurant also rolled out a nice buffet of American pub staples such as buffalo wings, soft pretzels, and nachos.

I am still a member of the Mug Club, even with the generic glass mugs that its members now must use and the abbreviated and less frequent seasonal tapping parties (they now last only a half-hour). I don't go to many tapping parties anymore but decided to attend the tapping of Rock Bottom's American Dream Ale last Wednesday at the invitation of a friend of mine. I was glad that I attended because the American Dream is one of the best seasonal beers that I've had from Rock Bottom. The American Dream is an American IPA that pours with an orange/amber color and a lacy white head. It has a wonderful hoppy aroma that is a blend of grapefruit and pine. The flavor follows suit with a huge grapefruity taste on the front of the tongue and a slight hint of caramel and toffee on the back of the tongue. The mouthfeel of this beer is very silky despite its benevolently bitter flavor. It is definitely a great beer for Rock Bottom to roll out in the summertime given its crispness and lively character. As one might expect for an IPA, the American Dream Ale has an ABV on the higher end of the scale, coming in at 6.8 or 6.9% (I can't remember which).

Get on down to Rock Bottom soon and give this beer a try. And if you're not a Mug Club member, sign up. As Bluto once said, "Don't cost nuthin'." As a member, you'll get invited to attend tapping parties for seasonal beers and will become eligible to win Rock Bottom schwag with each visit.