Random Beer Roundup - The Calendar is Overflowing Edition

Looking for a way to support beer in Indiana next week? Just pick a day--you should be able to find something to do, I think. I'm a little sad that summer is over. It seems it is here a short time while winter drags on and on. Anyone else with me? No? Just me then? That's ok.

If there is something coming up that is not listed, we would love to hear about it! If you have any news, reviews, info, etc., to share for our next Random Beer Roundup, contact us at hoosierbeergeek@gmail.com.

So, do something fun this week; this is the Random Beer Roundup.

Hoosier Beer Calendar
Events are subject to change

Friday, September 11th at the Rathskeller: Annual event to support the Indianapolis Fire Department and remember and honor the victims of 9/11

Saturday, September 12th, from 7-10pm at the Potawatomi Zoo in South Bend:
Zoo Brew, beer tasting event, tickets on sale August 1, $30 in advance; more info here.

Saturday, September 12th at Upland Brewing Co. in Bloomington: Hillbilly Haiku American Music Festival.

Monday, September 14th at MacNivens in Indianapolis: Tapping - Sun King Oktoberfest

Monday, September 14th at 6:30 at Patricks Kitchen and Drinks: Tapas with a Twist - $45/person. Menu and more information here.

Tuesday, September 15th at 6:30 at Alcatraz Brewing Co: Tapping - India Brown Lager

Tuesday, September 15th at 6:00 at Chatham Tap: Tapping - Sun King Oktoberfest & Saison De Taffy

Thursday, September 17th at 6:00 at Chef JJ's Back Yard in Broad Ripple: GABF Preview Party with Sun King - $75 for food and brew. Use Promo Code GABF to get tickets at $55 (a $20 savings!)

Friday, September 18th at 6:30 at the Aristocrat in Broad Ripple: Sun King Tapping Party

Saturday, September 19th at Mad Anthony Brewing in Fort Wayne: Octobeerfest. $25 in advance and $30 DOE.

Saturday, September 19th from 1 - 5 PM (CST) at Back Road Brewery in LaPorte: Fall Fest, ages 21+ only, $20 to sample beers from Back Road, Shore Line Brewery (Michigan City), Crown Brewery (Crown Point), The Livery Brewery (Benton Harbor MI), and Three Floyds Brewery (Munster).

Tuesday, September 22nd at Old Town Ale House: Tapping - Sun King 1st Waltz Imperial Rye Pale

Saturday, September 26th at Crown Brewing: Crown Challenge Pro-Am Competition (see details below)

Saturday, September 26th at Mad Anthony Brewing in Fort Wayne: Beer Dinner - Limited tickets @$75.00/plate. Advance tickets only. Reserve your tickets at www.HOPECSA.org or call 260.982.4961
(See details below)

Saturday, October 3rd at 6:00 at Broad Ripple Tavern: 6 Sun King Beers on Tap - $25 includes beer and food.

Saturday, October 3rd from 2-5 at the Rathskeller Biergarten in Indianapolis: Ale Yeah!, a microbrew festival to benefit Giving Sum - Cost: $25 in advance , $30 DOE

Thursday, October 8th from 5 -8 at Agio in Indianapolis: Ales for Adoptable Tales - a microbrew and hors d’oeuvre pairing benefiting the Humane Society of Indianapolis $50 advance / $75 DOE. Purchase a VIP wristband for an additional $20 and enjoy the VIP Patio area featuring special food and more beverages. Wristbands may be purchased at the same time as advance registration or at the event.

What's Brewing

From Skip at Alcatraz in Downtown, Indianapolis:

Back in April Omar Castrellon, the head brewer, brewed an India Brown Lager that we will be tapping on Tuesday Sept. 15th at 6:30. It is a 6% ABV beer made with Galena and Cascade hops. The base malt is Idapils and includes Simpson's chocolate malt along with an aromatic malt. Very tasty!

From Adam at Crown Brewing in Crown Point:

- Crown Brewing in Crown Point will be having its 1st ever Crown Challenge Pro-Am Competition on September 26th.

The Crown Challenge is an AHA/BJCP sanctioned competition and provides an opportunity to have your homemade beer evaluated by BJCP (www.bjcp.org) ranked judges and/or judges with experience in evaluating beers. The winning beer across all categories (Best of Show) will have the opportunity to be scaled up and brewed in Crown Brewing’s 7-bbl system. Beers placing first, second, and third in each flight will also be recognized.

The competition will be held on Saturday, September 26th at the Crown Brewery (www.crownbrewing.com), in Crown Point, Indiana. Judging will take place in two sessions (9am-NOON and 1pm-4pm). Winners of each category and Best of Show will be announced at an awards ceremony at the conclusion of the competition. Entrants and a guest are invited to attend the awards ceremony, which will follow the conclusion of the Best of Show judging, or as soon as possible after 5pm. Entrants and guests wishing to attend the ceremony will register upon arrival at Crown Brewing on the day of the competition. Everyone attending the awards ceremony will be given a raffle ticket for a free chance to win door prizes.

An Oktoberfest event is scheduled to take place at Crown Brewing after the Challenge.

Drop off Locations

Crown Brewing
211 S East St
Crown Point, IN 46307

Alternative Drop Off:
Kahn's Fine Wines & Spirits
5341 N. Keystone
Indianapolis, IN 46220
(317) 251-9463

- Also On Tap: Crown Light

From John at Half Moon Brewery in Kokomo:

MILF-n-Honey-Wheat Ale
A very delicate and refreshing Honey Wheat Ale. This beer has a sweet honey aroma and taste with a crisp, refreshing wheat beer finish.
O.G.=1.055 ABV=5.8% IBU=15

ODB Wheat Ale
This beer is a melding (bastardization?) of two classic styles that will please the adventurous hop lover in each of you. It’s a generously hopped and hearty wheat beer made with red wheat and spicy German hops. A rich wheat character accompanies it’s full body giving way to a dry spiciness created by the early additions
of the hops.
O.G.=1.061 ABV=6.1% IBU=76

The Off-Kilter Wee Heavy
This Strong Scotch Ale is a rich, thick, and malty brew with low hop levels and a high alcohol level. It’s a sweet and toasty beer that will warm you from the inside out. Just as the cooler weather of fall arrives, so does the “Wee Heavy”. You don't have to be "off-kilter" to try this one, but you will certainly walk away a bit "off-kilter" by the time you're done. If you happen to be a Scotsman wearing more traditional attire, then "off-kilter" may take on a whole new meaning!
O.G.=1.077 ABV=7.85% IBU=19

From Clay at Sun King Brewing in Downtown Indianapolis:

Tuesday, September 15th @ 6:00 p.m. • Chatham Tap • Dual Tapping • Oktoberfest & Saison de Taffy

Thursday, Sept.17th @ 6 p.m. • GABF Dinner w/ Cheff JJ • $55 w/ Promo Code: GABF - 6 courses of food paired with all 6 Sun King's GABF entries

Appetizer: Sunlight Cream Ale served along side a grilled baguette with a blood orange infused olive oil

First course: Firefly Wheat paired with wild greens, smoked triple brie and peach vinaigrette

Second course: Bitter Druid ESB paired with grilled tiger prawns and citrus risotto

Third Course: Osiris Pale Ale paired with a spiced rubbed Indiana pork tenderloin along side locally grown vegetables drizzled with aged balsamic

Fourth course: Imperial IPA (Alpha King entry) served with a slow cook prime rib, roasted fingerling potatoes, fresh horseradish and smoked creamy sauce

Dessert: Tipping Point Belgian Strong Ale paired with a double chocolate bread pudding topped with a Rainier cherry reduction

Tuesday, September 22nd • Old Town Ale House • 1st Waltz Imperial Rye Pale Tapping / Old Town Ale House 1st Anniversary

Saturday, October 3rd @ 6:00 p.m. • Broadripple Tavern • 6 SUN KING BEERS ON TAP AT ONCE • Help decide which beer goes on tap • $25 includes food and beer

From Kwang at Oaken Barrel in Greenwood:

Our second annual Oaktoberfest is just few weeks away! Tickets have been
selling at brisk, come get yours before the limited tickets sell out.

From the Broad Ripple Brewpub:

Red Bird Mild is now on tap

At the Bar

From Sam at Buffalo Wild Wings in Indianapolis:

Thank goodness that football is back. Go Penn State!!! For all you Colts fans, Buffalo Wild Wings Downtown Indy should be your go to destination for good beer before and after the game. Here is a current draft list:

Rogue Dead Guy Ale
Founders Reds Rye
Dogfish Head 90 Minute
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
Dark Horse One Oatmeal Stout
Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale
Sam Adams Imperial White
Bell's Oberon
Bell's Two Hearted
Three Floyds Alpha King
Three Floyds Gumball Head
Piraat

Hopefully in the next couple of days we will have Arrogant Bastard back as well.

From Dustin at Spencer's Stadium Tavern in Indianapolis:

On Tap:

Old Style
Victory Prima Pils
Sun King Octoberfest
Bell's Oberon
Schlafly Hefe
Left Hand Milk Stout
Sun King Pale
Brooklyn Brown

From Patrick at Patrick's Kitchen and Drinks in Zionsville:

Bell's Amber, gaffel Kolsch, with a Witterke Double Brown ale coming in behind that, Sun King Sunlight Cream Ale, Hop Wallop and Dragonfly IPA....still waiting on our next keg of Dreadnaught

Distribution News, Reviews, and Gossip

From our old pal and retired Knight, Chris:

Event: Ale Yeah, a microbrew festival to benefit Giving Sum
When: Saturday, October 3^rd
Where: Rathskeller biergarten
Time: 2pm – 5pm
Cost: $25 in advance , $30 day of

Entertainment: You can taste over 30 different microbrews while listening to one of Indianapolis favorite bands, Zannadoo. There will be raffles and information on how you can get involved in the community. Your ticket covers all tasting for the duration of the event.

This is a truly fun time and the money raised from this event will help Giving Sum expand and make an even stronger impact in the community as we move forward. With the amount of people that were there last year for a first year event we are expecting a sell out so buy your tickets early. You can buy your tickets online at www.givingsum.org . Just print out the receipt and we will have your name at will call for the event.

Swapping spit with Sam Calagione? Um, yes please. Thank you.


From Anthony in Ohio:

I know this is not exactly Hoosier but just over at University of Cincinnati is hosting Greg Koch and a Stone event at Catskellar. More details here.

Sunday Sept 20, 4-8, with food pairings

From Mat at Cavalier Distribution:

Events

On Friday 9/11, Be sure to stop by the Rathskeller to help support the Indianapolis Fire Department and remember and honor the victims of 9/11. This has been an annual event since 2002, the 1st anniversary of 9/11 and has raised over $107,000 for the Indianapolis Metro Fire Department Bereavement Fund.

New beer

Founders Breakfast Stout - An "S LOAD" of Founders Breakfast Stout arrived at the Cavalier warehouse on Thursday!!! We processed very quickly and a bunch O cases of it will be delivered to North Indianapolis on Friday with the rest of the State to get deliveries next week! There is even MORE of this delectable brew coming form Founders between now and the end of the year! So drink up and stock up as there should be plenty for all to get thier fill. Remember you cannot drink beer all day unless you start in the morning!

Stone Vertical Epic 09-09-09 - Arrived in time for this weeks release in limited quantities (not as much as last year) and allocated deliveries have been made all week and will continue next week! Good news - some half barrel kegs of 09-09-09 came in as well! Stay tuned for details about where those will be tapped!

Stone Cali Belgique IPA - Is the everyday Stone IPA produced with a Belgian yeast strain. A very limited (less than the 09-09-09) amount of cases and kegs arrived with the Vertical Epic and allocations are being delivered with the 09-09-09

Erdinger Oktoberfest - Also arrived this week!

Coney Island Freaktoberfest - "Gimmicky or Good? Both" You gotta love the Blood Red color and the 6.66% ABV! This beer is flying out of the warehouse! Mass quantities are being delivered to to Nippers in Carmel and to the Alley Cat in Broadripple on Friday so seek out a bottle and see what all the fuss is about!

More Beer

Hebrew Rejewvenator - We were able to score the last bit of it for Indiana so drink up now!

Gone Beer

Clipper City Prosit - An Imperial O fest beer out of the Mutiny Fleet is completely sold out of the warehouse! The Corner Wine Bar / The Wellington will be delivered the very last case in 2009 on Friday. So get it while you can! What ever is out there in the Bars and Liquor Stores is it until next year! The Imperial Pumpkin should be coming soon! Release your inner Pirate - ARGHHHHHH!

Michigan Brewing Screaming Pumpkin and Boulder Cold Hop are also all gone from the warehouse! So get them while you can! What ever is out there in the Bars and Liquor stores is it until next year as well!

Liquor Store Feature - Keg Liquors - Clarksville, IN

Keg Liquors in Clarksville, Indiana has been in Todd Antz's family for over 35 years. When Todd took over 5 years ago, he expanded the craft beer selection into one of the finest in the state. You'll not only find an impressive selection of beer from some of the best craft breweries across the country, but you'll also find a grand collection of imported beers. When we visited, we found a huge selection from Cantillion, Dieu De Ciel, Struise, Fantome, Southern Tier, and so many more.



Todd is always happy to get special arrivals like Struise 2005 Pannepot Reserve (!), and beer from Indiana breweries like Three Floyds. Someday he hopes to include beers from Oskar Blues, Lagunitas, and Great Lakes on the shelves (again, in Great Lakes case).

If he is able, Todd is more than happy to fulfill requests for beer, and he loves when someone walks in and is impressed by the selection. Todd has done a superior job transforming Keg Liquors into a destination location for beer, and it is well worth your time to check it out.

From the outside, you will find the one story building tucked away from the busy street. Once you walk in you are met with an open space that looks straight ahead to a wall of coolers full of bombers and six packs (of which you can make a mixed six pack). Once you reach the end of the craft beer selection and turn around, you are met with several rows of shelves containing a most impressive selection of beers from all over the world. One reason for the multitude of imported beers is because Todd traveled the globe in a sales job years ago, so he is able to make choices based on his experiences.

If you are down in the Clarksville area on the 24th of this month, Todd will be having a "Feast of Fall Beers". There will be around 20 Oktoberfest and 20 Pumpkin beers to try. Check the Random Beer Roundup for future events, news, and beer arrivals as well.

KOTBR #84 | A History Lesson

The subject of this roundtable: Pilsners. Our angle: historical. The opening for our reviews: inspired by Jeremy Cowan's trivia-laden labels for his He'Brew brand. Alternative titles considered for this post, which were based upon hip-hop song titles containing the word "check": Cz-Czech It Out, Czech the Rhime, Czech Yo Self.

So, here we go--

Pilsner is a style of pale lager that originated in Pilsen, Bohemia. The Pilsner style was developed in the 1840s to replace the Bohemian beers that were prevalent at the time, which were often of poor quality. Pilsen is now called Plzeň, and Bohemia is now part of the Czech Republic. Plzeň is home to the second largest synagogue in Europe; the Pilsner Urquell brewery; and Petr Čech, who is the goalkeeper for the Czech Republic national soccer team and English Premier League powerhouse Chelsea FC. Plzeň became a town in 1295 when King Wenceslaus II issued a charter to the town. The Christmas carol "Good King Wenceslas" is about Saint Wenceslas I, Duke of Bohemia, not about King Wenceslaus II, who was not related to Saint Wenceslas I. Fresh trout and carp are traditionally served on Christmas in the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic national soccer team has never won a World Cup. The team won only one game in the 2006 World Cup; it defeated a lethargic United States team 3-0 in the opening game for both teams. Czech hockey star Jaromír Jágr once possessed the mightiest mullet in all of sports.

Radeberger Pilsner - This beer comes from a brewery with a long history. It got its start in 1872 in the city of Radeberg as the first German brewery to brew exclusively in the Pilsner style. By 1879, Radeberger was successfully exporting its beer overseas. The brewery continued to operate with many honors and distinctions and was even named as the preferred beer of the Royal Court of Saxony. This fact is something Radeberger is extremely proud of, and you'll find this distinction printed on the bottle. After World War II, the brewery was taken over by communist East Germany. After the fall of the Berlin Wall and reunification, Radeberger returned to the private sector (and the western part of Germany) and is now owned by Oetker Gruppe. Recently, the brewery has made state-of-the-art updates to its equipment and facilities as well as its website, where you can even design your own bottle.

The Pilsner itself pours crystal clear with few bubbles. The nose is sweet, and the beer has a medium-bodied mouthfeel, but the flavor is flat and reminiscent of grape bubble gum. There isn't that crispness that is typically associated with the Pilsner style, and the carbonation of the beer seems to be lacking. 2.20 Mugs

Radeberger Pilsner
Mike 1.50 Mugs | Gina 2.20 Mugs | Jess 2.25 Mugs | Rod 1.90 Mugs | Chris 2.20 Mugs | Jim 1.90 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 1.99 Mugs



Stiegl Pils -This beer almost didn't make the roundtable. My initial intent was to bring some Czechvar, but I couldn't find any at Parti Pak. After surveying the rest of the beer selection, I spied some Stiegl Pils on the top shelf and decided to bring it along because I liked the graphics on the bottle. See, we use very deliberate and scientific methods to choose the beers we review.

Stiegl Pils is the only Pilsner in the group from Austria (Salzburg, to be precise). Stiegl, which means "steps," is the largest brewery in Austria. Despite its size, Stiegl is still a family-owned business. The brewery was founded in 1492, and, according to Stiegl's website, Mozart was a Stiegl drinker.

As one would expect of a Pilsner, the Stiegl Pils poured with a pale yellow color. The nose was fruity and floral, dominated by grape notes and accented with faint apple notes. The mouthfeel was crisp, and the taste was a pleasing combination of malt and sugar. The finish on this beer was bitingly dry. Of the Pilsners we reviewed, this was one of the better ones. 2.95 Mugs

Stiegl Pils
Mike 2.63 Mugs | Gina 2.50 Mugs | Jess 2.70 Mugs | Rod 2.90 Mugs | Chris 2.70 Mugs | Jim 2.95 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 2.73 Mugs



Pilsner Urquell - Historically, the beers of Bohemia were rather poor. In the 1800s, the citizens of Pilsen decided they could stand no more and founded their own brewery. By bringing in a skilled Bavarian brewer and combining his lagering skills, Czech water, and hops from Saaz, Pilsner was born. This beer would be emulated and copied by many neighboring states and countries due to its amazing success. The beer was subsequently named Pilsner Urquell (effectively "the original pilsner") to denote its place in history.

This beer is characteristically how I feel a Pilsner "should" taste. The nose is very faint with hints of lemon, raw wheat, and yeast. A somewhat nutty malt profile is the dominate flavor in this Pilsner, similar to the flavor of Grape Nuts. A delicate combination of lavender and spruce provide a unique herbal characteristic. A slight grapefruit flavor from the Saaz hops creates a nice dry finish. This is a respectable beer, but certainly not one that's going to impress with its subdued flavor profile. 2.50 Mugs

Pilsner Urquell
Mike 2.42 Mugs | Gina 2.00 Mugs | Jess 1.90 Mugs | Rod 2.50 Mugs | Chris 2.40 Mugs | Jim 2.40 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 2.27 Mugs



Victory Prima Pils - Victory Prima Pils doesn't have the impressive history that many other Pilsners have, but it does have the honor of being one of the highest rated Pilsners on many popular beer rating sites. It also remains true to the history of the Pilsner by using German and Czech malts, yeast, and hops.

This Pilsner has a strong lemon nose with a slightly musty background. When it comes to the flavor profile, this was easily the hoppiest beer of the night. A nice, dry lemon flavor makes this lager very easy to drink. The hops present themselves as a light grapefruit bitterness. This is easily my favorite Pilsner and a great summer beer. 3.52 Mugs

Victory Prima Pils
Mike 2.41 Mugs | Gina 2.10 Mugs | Jess 2.50 Mugs | Rod 3.52 Mugs | Chris 3.00 Mugs | Jim 2.00 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 2.59 Mugs



Ray Hill's American Pilsner - This Pilsner has a unique back story. Ray Hill is a former homebrewer from the St. Louis area who hit it big in getting Anheuser-Busch to contract brew his American Pilsner. He actually cashed out his 401K a few years ago and put it all into working on promoting this one beer. He was in agreement with A-B that he would market the beer while they brewed it using his homebrew recipe that he developed himself. Anheuser-Busch and the Hill Brewing Company parted ways in early 2009, and Ray has continued to work seven days a week to get the brand off the ground. Hill Brewing Company is also trying to open their own independent brewery and restaurant in the St. Louis area. According to STLtoday, Hill will open his brewpub some time early this fall.

This quaffable brew has a sweet grape (almost like a chardonnay) nose with lots of floral notes. It has a great balanced flavor with a hint of dryness on the finish. It tends to have a lingering sweetness on the end. We did hear that it was brewed with corn, which could account for the sweetness in this Pilsner. 2.90 Mugs

Ray Hill's American Pilsner
Mike 2.64 Mugs | Gina 2.50 Mugs | Jess 2.90 Mugs | Rod 2.75 Mugs | Chris 2.50 Mugs | Jim 3.10 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 2.73 Mugs




Left Hand Polestar Pils - Polestar Pils is a beer, unique on this night of sampling only insofar as it is utterly devoid of uniqueness.

Of course, that lack of character only applies to the history of this beer. As a beverage, it was much more interesting. A whole array of "fake fruit" could be found in the nose, like taking a whiff from a handful of Flintstones vitamins. The flavor was very crisp and grapey, with notes similar to white wine. I should note that several around the table found a "vomit smell" in their sample. If I was really smelling for it, I could get just a hint of that, but I certainly wouldn't have noticed it on my own and didn't find it particularly offensive. In any case, I think this is a very nice example of a Pilsner and one I'm curious to try in place of food pairings where I might have gone with a white wine. 3.10 mugs.

Left Hand Polestar Pils
Mike 1.45 Mugs | Gina 1.8 Mugs | Jess 0.90 Mugs | Rod 1.75 Mugs | Chris 3.10 Mugs | Jim 2.40 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 1.90 Mugs



Coney Island Lager - Shmaltz Coney Island lager might not belong in a roundup of Pilsners. Beer Advocate calls the beer an American Amber, and RateBeer claims that the beer is a Vienna lager. In any case, we noticed that the beer was brewed with Czech Pilsner yeast and decided that was good enough to include it in this roundtable.

Coney Island Lager is just one of five beers that Shmaltz put together in tribute to Coney Island, and proceeds from the beer go to help Coney Island USA's efforts to promote arts and culture in the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn. The effort is definitely noble, but if you're like me, you're wondering why Shmaltz went with five lagers. While it's certainly a way to differentiate yourself and your beer from everything else, I don't think it's a share of the market that craft beer lovers were desperate to have filled. Perhaps it was just that Shmaltz was already doing such a good job on their He'Brew line of beers that lagers were the only obvious and entirely different choice left.

Despite being a different style from everything else we were drinking, we found that the Coney Island Lager fit in. A cloudy copper color came to play, along with a sweet and slightly flowery front. The mouthfeel for this beer was a bit heavier than the others, a characteristic that may have been a tell-tale sign that we weren't drinking a traditional Pilsner. The beer also had a Dr. Pepper-like finish, which was definitely not something we got out of any of the others. Coney Island Lager was my favorite beer of the night, but considering the competition (most of which we though were fine, but just fine), that's not saying a lot. 2.71 Mugs

Coney Island Lager -
Mike 2.71 Mugs | Gina 2.75 Mugs | Jess 2.90 Mugs | Rod 2.81 Mugs | Chris 2.80 Mugs | Jim 3.00 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 2.83 Mugs