St. Patrick’s Day used to be a one day drinking event; then it started stretching to include the nearest weekend; and now it is almost the whole month. As we have done in the past, Hoosier Beer Geek is providing you with alternatives to the typical Guinness/Smithwick’s/Harp/Bass lineup.Dry Stout:
-Ring of Dingle, on draft, from Sun King Brewery, 135 N. College Ave., Indianapolis; served at their tasting room and around town.
Ring of Dingle Tapping Party: Friday, March 4th, Rathskeller. Available at tasting room on March 8th
-Saint Slater’s Irish Stout, on draft, from Thr3e Wise Men Brewing Company, 1021 Broad Ripple Ave., Indianapolis; named for one of the brewery owner’s sons; served at their brewery and Scotty’s Brewhouse locations.
St. Patrick’s Tent Party: 5pm-midnight; $5 cover; $4 pints of Bunny Blonde, Centennial Martyr DIPA, Golden Zoe IPA, and Two Lucy’s Blackberry Wheat; music by Sam King (5:30) and The Last Goodyear (7pm); bagpipers at 10:30pm
-Digby’s Irish Stout, on cask, from Lafayette Brewing Company, 622 Main St., Lafayette; served at their brewpub.
Served in a collectible pint glass beginning March 17th; also LBC’s St. Patrick’s Day Benefit Show with CircAfrique and Kyle Bledsoe; 8pm, $4; portion of the proceeds going to the Food Finder Food Bank.
-Celtic Pride Oatmeal Stout, on tap, from Crown Brewing, 211 S. East St., Crown Point; served at their brewpub.
City of Crown Point Parade: Crown Brewing will have a float in the parade. They are tapping the Celtic Pride and Steve's 100th batch Double Black IPA. Band of Brothers Pipes and Drums band, 30-40 person band, will play at the brewery.
-Other stout variations to consider: Hoosier Ma Stout (Rock Bottom), Double Imperial Stout/ReplicAle (multiple breweries), Harry Baals Irish Stout (Mad Anthony), Brass Knuckles (Barley Island), Singing Sands (Shoreline), Belle Gunness (Back Road), Clay County Coffee Stout (Bee Creek), Conscientious Inebriator (New Boswell), El Nota (Bier), Milk Stout (Flat 12), Stout (Great Crescent), Diesil Oil (Power House), Tim's Big Woods (Big Woods), Big Stone (Bloomington), Ol' 23 (Turoni's Main Street)
Irish Red Ales:
-Ole St. Mick’s Irish Red, on draft, from The RAM Restaurants and Brewery, 140 S. Illinois St., Indianapolis, and 12750 Parkside Dr., Fishers; served at their restaurants.
Also being tapped at 1pm: a coffee-infused version of their Irish Red called Shenanigan’s Irish Coffee; only 5 gallons available at each location. When it’s gone…
- Kwang O’Casey’s Irish Red, on draft, from Oaken Barrel Brewing Company, 50 N. Airport Parkway, Greenwood; named for the brewery owner; served at their restaurant
- Whose Ear Double Red Ale , on draft, from Barley Island Brewing Company, 639 Conner Street, Noblesville, and 701 Broad Ripple Ave., Indianapolis; named for a possible origination of the term “Hoosier”; served at their restaurants
Thursday, March 3rd 6:00 pm tapping, both Barley Island locations; big, malty double red ale with Summit, Cascade and CTZ hops; dry hopped with Cascade and CTZ; about 9.3% ABV.
-Ard Ri, on draft and in bottles, from Upland Brewing Company, 350 W. 11th St., Bloomington; and 4842 N. College Ave., Indianapolis; named for the High King of Ireland; served at their brewery, tap room, and other locations.
- Brian Boru, on draft and in bottles, from Three Floyd’s Brewing Company, 9750 Indiana Parkway, Munster; named for an Irish King; served at their brewpub and other locations.
-No. 3 Irish Red, on draft, from Mad Anthony Brewing Company, 2002 Broadway, Ft. Wayne; served at their restaurants.
-Irish Red, on draft, from Bier Brewery, 5133 E. 65th St., Indianapolis; served at their tasting room.
-Other red variations to consider: Raccoon Red (Rock Bottom Downtown), Heartland Red (Rock Bottom College Park), Elector (New Albanian), Aberrant Amber (People’s), Region Rat (Shoreline), Ro Shampo (Firgure Ei8ht), Stoplight City (Half Moon), Rose City (New Boswell), The Hoppit (New Boswell), Amber (Flat 12), Busted Knuckle (Big Woods), Ruby Bloom (Bloomington), Thunderbolt (Turoni's Main Street)
Pale European Lagers: I’m not aware of any that are produced in Indiana. In the United States, Rogue’s Kells Irish Style Lager is the first one to come to mind. I suggest you consider other Indiana lager options.
-Circle City Light (both Rock Bottoms), Star City Lager (Lafayette), Gabby Blonde (Mad Anthony), Layflatter Lager (People's), Foggy Loggy (Shoreline)
ESB’s: okay, it’s an English beer, but it is the partner to the stout in the black-and-tan.
-Bitter Druid ESB, on draft, from Sun King; served at their tasting room and other locations.
-ESB, on draft, from Broad Ripple Brewpub, 842 E. 65th St., Indianapolis; served at their brewpub.
- Eastside Bitter, on draft, from Lafayette Brewing Company; served at their brewpub.
- Other not-labled-ESB-but-appropriately-bitter beers to consider: Beak’s Best (New Albanian), Pride & Joy (Three Floyds), Mild Ale (Great Crescent)
Disclaimer: HBG does not guarantee that these beers will absolutely, positively be available when you arrive to kiss the blarney stone. This is just a guide to help you decide what you will do and drink.
