KOTBR #116 - Hop Kizzle, fo shizzle

Black Swan Brewpub
2067 E. Hadley Road
Plainfield, IN  46168
facebook / @BlackSwanBP on twitter

This recently opened pub in Plainfield brings Westside residents a fine selection of local craft beer.  Their website boasts "16 taps and no crap", a sentiment we can wholly support.  DJ and crew are currently prepping their space so they can start brewing early 2011, but for now their taps house 15 local beers and 1 delicious cider from Minneapolis.  They also have a wide selection of meads from Indiana's own New Day Meadery.  Not only is the selection varied, but they offer half pours, allowing patrons to explore a variety of local beer.

To wash down that fine selection of beer is an equally fine food menu.  Chef Nick Carter has some exciting things on the menu like Pan Fried Chicken, Brewpub stuffed peppers, and frites with a variety of tosses and dips (Bacon Aioli!).

Saturday, December 4th will be Black Swan's official Grand Opening celebration.  They will be tapping Three Floyds Alpha Klaus and Poppaskull around 5pm.

By the way, did I mention we put the hip in HopKilla?

People's Hopkilla (Beastie Boys - She's Crafty)

Well we heard about a beer - it's dark, but not brown
The knights said they have seen it in town
I thought they were right but "Where?", I wanna know
The Black Swan was where we needed to go
The beer from People's, we were quick to choose
The waiter said "you want food with your booze?"
The next think he said, "Half or Full pour?"
I couldn't wait to give it a score
Pine and citrus nose with a light colored head
A couple of these and it would be time for bed
Looking at the glass it looked to have nice lace
But the best part about it, of course was the taste
I should've have another, man I'll always regret it
If they make more, I'll be first in line to get it
This beer was awesome - crazy yum
It's just too bad this beer is done.

Hopkilla - it does astound
Hopkilla - it was in town
Hopkilla - I've got no gripe
Hopkilla - and it's just my type
Hopkilla

I used to spend my dollars on cigarettes
I got pleasure from the feeling I would get
Now I had forgotten why I thought it was worthwhile
But the beer reminded me, and it made me smile
What would make it do that, I'm afraid I don't know
I would ask for another but I should say, "No!"
I'll ask the next time we are at the brewery
Last time we talked other stuff that was newsworthy
I said, "I've got a score that is good tonight."
And Mike calculated the rest from the Knights
A rather high score for you to behold
4.38 mugs from what I'm told
The beer is tasty - I can see why it moves
Obviously, I'm not the only one who approves
I'm glad it was on when we were there that night
It was delicious, filled me with delight
Each drink of beer cannot come too soon
I wish they could make this into a perfume
You may see this beer in a bar not a store
This Double IPA is one you'll want to ask for
We were lucky to find it on the draft board
This Imperial brew left me feeling floored
Sorry this review was late, that it was postponed
The beer was good, turned our brains to foam.

4.85 Mugs





(Cop Killa by Ice-T)
By J-Sun with some help by Ice-T

I got my brain on crass.
Tonight'll be my night.
I got this tall-assed glass.
And your head looks just right.
The first taste is sweet fruity,
Which is followed by piney,
The last taste is bitter bitey,
With a dry mouthfeel all nighty!

Drinkin’ Hopkilla, better me than you.
Hopkilla, time to give People’s their due!
Hopkilla, you know that Black Swan is servin’,
(join 'em!)
Hopkilla, tonight we all be drinkin’, ha ha.

4.5 Mugs

I don't care much for hip-hop, so I will give my Hopkilla writeup in the musical styling of what I have to hear most these days, and that is Dora the Explorer, and her friend.....the map.

I'm Hopkilla, I'm hopkilla, I'm hopkilla, I'm hopkilla, I'M HOPKILLA!!!!

What a great beer from People's brewing in Lafayette. This was about as easy drinking an smooth a beer as I could have asked for. I didn't know much about the beer, but when I was told it was a double IPA my first thought was "bullshit Walter." I don't care what style they call it it is a damn good beer.

4.5 Mugs

before Four Loko

(From Tone Loc - Funky Cold Medina)

Cold coolin at a bar, and I’m looking for some action

But like Mike Jagger said, stouts won’t give you satisfaction

The girls are all around, but none of them drinkin’ Mickey’s

Malt liquor’s fresh and I’m buyin’ peche, yo, what’s up with H-o-p?

The girls is all drinkin’ at the other end of the bar

Havin’ drinks with some no-name chump, when they know that I’m the star

So I got up and strolled over with my Bourbon County Vanilla

I asked the guy, “Why you so fly?” He said, Peoples’ Hop Killa

Peoples’ Hop Killa

This brother told me a secret on how to get more chicks

Put a Hop Killa in your glass, and the girls’ll come real quick

It’s better than any imperial stout aged in Jack

A couple sips of this hop potion, and she’ll be on the hop track

So I gave some to my friends when they came for dinner

Between the caramel balance and the grapefruit hops, they said they loved the bitter

They used to joke and tease me, about how I drank stouts like Godzilla

But how I’m hooked on the hops all thanks to the Peoples’ Hop Killa

You know what I’m sayin?

I’ve given up all other beers, I don’t need no more

I got Spuds McKenzie

Alex from Stroh’s

They just want a taste of that Hop Killa, pal

4.1 Mugs

 

after Four Loko

Scores:

Mike: 4.44 Mugs | Jason: 4.5 Mugs | Jess: 3.89 Mugs | Rod: 4.1 Mugs | Gina: 4.85 Mugs | Matt: 4.5 Mugs

Overall: 4.38 Mugs

***Note: We hear that Hop Killa is on at the Tomlinson Tap Room***

Kitchen Table Beer Diary #1 - Gina and Mike

Leinenkugel's Big Eddy Russian Imperial Stout


The likelihood of me ever buying this was pretty much at nill - Leinenkugel is the brand you pass over at the grocery store on your way to buying Sierra Nevada or New Belgium - so when Gina picked it up off the shelf at Stoney's (recommended if only to be surprised at what's on the shelf) I had to wonder what was up. In any case, I'll try anything.

Big Eddy is one of those deep dark no-light-getting-through-this sort of stouts, with a thin little head and a nose that goes off the deep end of chocolate right into cough medicine. When cold, the beer doesn't reveal all that much, really - a thin front leads way to a bitter chocolate middle and a lingering sweetness, but all told it's not exactly a huge flavor. Once warm the beer opens up a little bit, revealing a smoky touch and a hint of gameyness. A little more warmth brought out a hint of banana and maple syrup in the nose.

You might have read all that and thought "there's a lot going on in there", but actually the beer just sort of falls flat. It's not that it's a bad beer by any means, but there's not enough of any of those elements to make it stand out. I'm not sure I need a four pack in my fridge. But it's there anyway.

I picked this up because I remembered reading good things about it. And for under $12 a four pack, I thought "why not?"

We poured this pretty cold so the nose was completely metallic. It turned more to caramel and smoked malt once it warmed up a bit. It also had a strong aroma of booze, which ended up being somewhat deceptive to the actual flavor. The mouthfeel was full and the flavor was smoked malt with a slight citrusy tinge.

In the end, the price point is nice, but I can't say I'll be seeking it out.

Bell's Batch 9000


Seven months on this since release, and rumor has it that this is getting better with age. Deep brown, thin head, and a big brandy nose lay in wait. The first most striking thing about the beer is its mouthfeel, a silky smooth almost syrupy gift that's a pleasure to drink. There's a sweetness throughout, with more brandy flavors: caramel and a hint of oak, combined with hints of fudge and a rich raisiny sweetness.

This is indeed drinking well right now, I recommend a bottle at room temperature if you kept any. But I'll remind you that this is still a big rich beer - perhaps best shared with a friend.

This is drinking really excellent now. The fizzy pour is the only indication of a head and that goes away rather quickly. The nose is bright and full of wonderful bourbon and caramel scents as well as the ones that Mike mentioned. The sediment in the glass and the sharp, sweet flavors are all that's left after the beer is gone. I would love to see what this would be like as a glaze over some pot roast, but I am not willing to give up the remaining bottles I have.

Bell's Batch 10000


After the hype and wait that surrounded the release of Batch 9000, you might expect Batch 10000 to be an even bigger and better beer than its predecessors. That certainly looked to be the case with its list of 42 million ingredients, but at first sniff the nose seems less impressive. Of course any beer that uses 90 hops (seriously) should have some sort of hoppy nose, and 10000 provides a poutpouri of citrus notes - more muddled than individualized. Following up with sips proves that the nose isn't lying - what we have here is a sort of found object collage in a glass.

The beer is a mess, really, but I'm not sure that's a bad thing - there are repeated hints of orange and salty Worcestershire, smokey malt and peat - let's be honest, I can almost say anything here and you'd have a hard time making an argument against it.

There's no way that Bell's could have had any idea what they'd get with this beer, and the end result shows. There's a reason you don't throw everything in the brew supply shop in a beer. Having said that, the beer does drink remarkably smooth, and actually rewards repeated sipping. I urge you to find out for yourself. You certainly aren't going to have anything else like this any time soon.

The aroma of this is strong with hops, orange zest, and a scottish-style malt base. The flavor is heavy in citrus and cut wood characters. I cannot wait to see how this one ages. With the list of ingredients, it will be fun to see how the flavors change over time. There are a ton of hops in here, but as this ages and the hops fall out, it will be interesting to see what direction the other ingredients will take the beer. Unfortunately, with the limited supply being made available here, it may be difficult to get that opportunity.

Metromix 2010 Local Brewing Guide: Oaken Barrel Brewing Company

Hoosier Beer Geek worked with Metromix to create their 2010 Local Brewing Guide. It was published in the November 18th issue and we are republishing the interviews we conducted. Enjoy!

Oaken Barrel Brewing Company, est. 1996
50 North Airport Parkway, Greenwood
Website: www.OakenBarrel.com
Ph: 317-887-2287

Mark Havens’ professional brewing career began as a trial by fire. After spending just under a year as an assistant brewer at Greenwood’s Oaken Barrel Brewing Company, he was handed the head brewer’s position on a trial basis. “[Oaken Barrel owner Kwang Casey] didn’t think I was ready so he was looking for other people,” said Havens. “I said, ‘Give me a chance,’ and he put me in.” A year later, Casey’s gamble paid off. “When I won Brewer of the Year at the State Fair, he’s like, ‘Alright, I think this guy’s got it’”, said Havens. It was just the first of three consecutive Indiana State Fair Brewer’s Cup Brewer of the Year wins for Havens.

Like many of Indiana’s professional brewers, Havens started out as a homebrewer. His love of craft beer and his wife’s encouragement drove him to homebrew. “We were [regularly] buying a six-pack of something craft. It was starting to get pretty expensive. So she was like, ‘How about you try this on your own?’” he said. Not much later, he received a homebrewing kit as a 25th birthday present.

Havens’ philosophy of brewing is based on making “the best beer possible” first, but he admits that making “bigger” beers pleases him the most. “I probably push the envelope a little bit more so than the general Greenwood public would like,” he said, “but I think they’re starting to come around. Some of our beers that are a little over the top are starting to become some of our best sellers here.”

Oaken Barrel is one of the many Indianapolis-area breweries that have expanded sales through the use of bottling and outside distribution. Bottles are labeled one at a time with the help of a labeling machine, then filled and capped four at a time on a capping machine. Cardboard six-pack containers are unfolded from flat pack and filled by hand. “It’s labor intensive. It’s ridiculous,” said Havens.

Regular Beers: Indiana Amber, Razz-Wheat (fruit beer), Gnaw Bone (pale ale), Alabaster (Belgian witbier), Snake Pit (porter), Superfly (IPA)

Seasonal Beers: Small Batch Series (stouts), Uberweizen (hefeweizen), Epiphany Christmas Ale (tripel), Speciale Saison, Apple Buzz (beer/cider hybrid), Oktoberfest, Pumpkin Ale, World of Wheat

Events: Oaktoberfest (October), Pork of July (anniversary party on July 4th), Brewer’s Cup Celebration (summer)