Scenes from Tailgate for Nothing 7: Wiener Time!

In the past, we have been blessed with great weather for Tailgate for Nothing. But bad weather was bound to happen at TFN sooner or later.

And so the bad weather happened on Saturday when TFN7-goers got a dose of cold and rain. But the weather did nothing to dampen enthusiasm or attendance. Everyone was into the spirit and theme of the event, as wieners and great beer abounded. Though the cold persisted, the rain eventually abated, and attendees toasted to the camaraderie built through the sharing of good times.

Thanks to all those who came out, and thanks once again to Sun King for allowing us to hold the event at the brewery.

Here's what you missed:

For your viewing pleasure | TFN7 artwork

Courtesy of the talented Rodney.

Ground Rules & Tips | Tailgate for Nothing 7 - Saturday, November 3, 11 a.m.

We hope to see you at the seventh edition of Hoosier Beer Geek's Tailgate for Nothing on Saturday, November 3, from 11 a.m. to ??? in Sun King Brewing Company's back parking lot. The theme: Wiener Time! More details here.

Here are some ground rules and tips for you if you're going to attend:

- Weather. The current forecast shows that it will be sunny with a high of 52 degrees cloudy with a high of 50 on Saturday. That being said, we recommend that you bring a canopy if you have one just in case the weather decides not to cooperate. Here's hoping that Hurricane Sandy's remnants stay away from us...

- Travel. The Indianapolis Monumental Marathon is taking place on Saturday morning. We think that most of the runners should be done by the time we get started with TFN7, but you might want to plan your route to Sun King accordingly. Maps of the marathon course can be found here.

- Parking. When you arrive, please park your car in the back lot at Sun King if there are still spaces available there. Do not park in the main lot out in front of the brewery. If there aren't any spaces in the back lot by the time you arrive, there should be plenty of parking available on the surrounding streets.

- Victuals. We don't have many rules for this thing, but one rule we expect everyone to follow is this: bring beer and food to share. The beer and food don't have to be anything special. Just bring something tasty and preferably wiener-related (please see the theme above). No one appreciates a freeloader.

- Courtesy. You are expected to clean up after yourselves, so please pick up your trash. Our friends at Sun King are doing us a favor by letting us hold the event at their place, so return their kindness by not leaving a mess behind. They've even agreed to provide trash bags, so please use them to dispose of your garbage.

- Keep off the hill. The hill behind the parking lot is off limits. Please don't go there.

- I gotta pee. A portalet will be provided on site. Please use it if you have to go to the restroom. Do not go inside the brewery to use their restroom. Of course, it's okay to go inside the brewery if you want to buy more beer, but don't go in just to use their crapper.

We hope that you'll come out and enjoy a day of beer-sharing and food-sharing with us!

Reminder | Tailgate for Nothing 7 - Saturday, November 3, 11 a.m.

Click to enlarge.
We're now three-and-a-half weeks away from our semiannual event, Tailgate for Nothing. This fall brings our seventh edition, which will take place on Saturday, November 3, from 11 a.m. to ??? in Sun King Brewing Company's back parking lot. The theme: Wiener Time! Complete details here.

We hope that you'll come out and enjoy a day of beer-sharing and food-sharing with us!

Tailgate for Nothing 7: Wiener Time!

Our biannual Tailgate for Nothing is probably our favorite event. Incredibly, we've done six editions of the event. And yes, we are having a seventh.

The Hoosier Beer Geek Knights of the Beer Roundtable invite you to join us for--

TFN7: Wiener Time!
Saturday, November 3, 11 a.m. - ???
Back parking lot of the Sun King Brewery
135 N. College, Indy
Before I get into the whole "Tailgate for Nothing is a shared event" spiel, I want to point out the theme.

WIENER TIME!
Sure, there's always beer at Tailgate for Nothing. Lots and lots and lots of beer. And yes, you're absolutely welcome to bring whatever food you'd like. But we like a theme. So while your beer doesn't or even shouldn't be wiener-themed, we hope that your food will be. Any kind of meat in tube form will do--not just wieners. And yes, vegetarians and vegans, please come with your innovative and tasty food creations. I'm a vegetarian and plan to pull out all the stops. For example, seitan sausage counts. Tofu sausage counts. Lettuce sausage counts. Hell, why not try to make a falafel-dog? Just as long as it tastes good and you can share it, you're welcome to come. Keep in mind that you don't have to bring sausage, but it would be cool if you did.

Event Info. What's Tailgate for Nothing (TFN)? All six HBG Knights of the Beer Roundtable are fans of the act of tailgating. It occurred to us that tailgating usually revolves around sporting events, but why should it have to? Getting together with friends, eating hearty and/or unhealthy foods, drinking beer, and just hanging out -- these are ideas we can all get behind.

TFN is exactly that: a tailgate for nothing. It's an opportunity for people to wheel out their everyday great beer, or the beer they never have an excuse to drink and to share it with like-minded individuals who are sure to appreciate what they are drinking.

TFN will be done in a traditional tailgate manner: bring your own everything (tailgate, beer, food, trash bags, chairs, bbq grills, games, falafel-dogs, whatever), cook and eat in a parking lot, and in the end, clean up after yourself. The main ideas are to share food and drink, hang out, and have a good time. You're also welcome to bring kids and/or dogs. And falafel-dogs. We especially welcome dogs that bring beer and falafel-dogs. Unfortunately it's illegal for kids to bring beer. Someday...

Why the theme of "Wiener Time!"? Because themes with exclamation points are annoying. Because our first TFN featured Coddogs. Because Jason is obsessed with wieners--*really* obsessed with wieners. Because sausages are easy to make--just grill 'em and stick 'em in a bun. Because as noted above, vegetarians and vegans will have to get creative.

Nota bene: This is a *no freeloaders* event; please bring food and beer with you. If you don't have a giant special beer, that's not a problem. Just make sure that you bring something tasty. This isn't a rare beer contest. It's just a good time. Also, it won't cost you anything to attend.

What to bring (aside from food and beer):

Tasting glasses - If you have any tasting glasses from former beer events, bring them along. There should be a lot of beer to share, and the smaller glasses are the best way to go about sharing.

Chairs - There won't be seating unless you bring some.

A canopy - We're not saying that it's going to rain at TFN7, but you never know. So if you don't want to get wet or sunburned, bring a canopy if you have one.

Friends - BRING FRIENDS. Hopefully you'll be making some, but it never hurts to have a posse. We do our best to be friendly and get to know everyone, but this is just gonna be a bunch of people hanging out.

Finally, we know that the date of TFN7 is also the date of various and sundry other events, such AHA's Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day and Indy's Monumental Marathon. That being said, based on past TFNs, the event probably won't end until sundown at the earliest. Therefore, even if you have something else going on that day, please come out and celebrate with us. And if you're a homebrewer, feel free to bring out your equipment and brew. We had several homebrewers come out last year for TFN5, and they brewed on site.

ANY QUESTIONS? Leave a comment. Planning to attend? Leave a comment. Don't want to leave a comment? Don't let that stop you from attending. We'll be there no matter what.