Random Beer Roundup - The Beery Edition

HBG 4th Anniversary tickets are on sale now.

If there is something coming up that is not listed, we would love to hear about it. News, reviews, info, etc., to share for our next Random Beer Roundup can be submitted tohoosierbeergeek@gmail.com. Don't see your favorite craft beer establishment? Let them know you'd like to see them here! Work for an establishment that serves craft beer? We want to hear from you too!

Hoosier Beer Calendar
Events are subject to change



What's Brewing

From Greg at Lafayette Brewing Co. in Lafayette:

On tap at Lafayette Brewing this weekend: Star City Lager; Prophet's Rock Pale Ale; East Side Bitter; Pipers' Pride Scottish Ale; Tippecanoe Common Ale; Eighty-Five; Black Angus Oatmeal Stout; and our current specialty beer, I Am An American IPA.

From Roger at New Albanian Brewing Co. in New Albany:

Offloading some inventory:
http://potablecurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2010/07/no-please-not-jolly-pumpkins-bottled.html

Also, on Tuesday my 50th birthday beer goes briefly on tap at BSB on Tuesday, August 3 (my birthday). When the notion first was offered that a beer might be brewed for the occasion of my 50th, Grant Line brewer Jared Williamson immediately grinned and said he'd take care of it because he knows my preferences. The result is Ancient Rage, a Smoked Baltic Porter. The name is (a) a self-deprecating knock at my staus as elder (not as old as John Hill, though -- no one is) and (b) a play on words in honor of Ancient Age Bourbon, of which our newsletter editor Michael wrote: "Ancient Age ... a favored tipple of the Publican's misspent youth." Yeah, well, maybe I drank more whisky back then than beer, but I got over it. AR doesn't have the strength of Solidarity, surely the finest beer not to win a medal at the State Fair. It's 6% abv, and suitably contrarian for my palate. Two of the kegs go on tap at BSB on Tuesday, with the rest being held until fall for a bit of aging.

From Oaken Barrel Brewing Co. in Greenwood:

Monday, August 2nd, 6:00 P.M., OB will be tapping the award winning beers from the 2010 Indiana Brewers Cup in the Brewhouse, plus a few surprises.

From Andrew at The Ram in Indianapolis/Fishers:

Next week is GenCon 2010 in Indianapolis! Come downtown to The RAM for the festivities to enjoy our week-long GenCon menu which includes Blackbane’s Ghost Pale Ale and Rasheth’s Red IPA while featuring a GenCon exclusive seasonal brew, Primal Porter! This beer will sell out quickly, so get it while it’s around!

On August 10th at 6:30 pm at our Fishers location, we will be doing a small-batch release of the 2010 Indiana Replicale, a Munich Dunkel. There will only be one keg of this beer available at this time, so be sure to join us for the tapping. Once the keg runs dry, the beer may be gone, but the good times will carry on.

On August 18th at 6 pm at our Downtown location, we will be releasing our Aries American Wheat to the public. This beer features the finest wheat and barley with true American citrus hops. It makes for a tasty summer pint to go with the hot Indiana weather.

From Liz at Rock Bottom - College Park in Indianapolis:

On Saturday, there will be a hog roast at Midwest Sports Complex (7509 New Augusta Road, Indianapolis IN , 46268). 12 noon -night. Family friendly event, food plate $10, beer $5.

From Charles at Upland Brewing Co. in Bloomington:

Upland will be sampling brews at Taste of the Grapevine in Louisville, KY this Saturday (July 31). Join us for a great night of wine, beer, bourbon and food.

Coming down to Jasper for Strassenfest? Find us Saturday, August 7th 10am-4pm at the Fischer Farms tent party! 124 3rd Ave, Jasper, IN.

Registration for Tour de Upland (30 hours of road cycling, camping, BBQ, and craft beer) is only $65 on or before Aug 1, $75 on or before Aug 12, and $85 on the 13th and 14th. You're smart enough to figure out when to register.

Tickets for Todd Snider Live - part of the Hillbilly Haiku Americana Music Series - on Sept. 3rd are on sale at Upland's Bloomington and Indy locations and online at buskirkchumley.org. The concert is outdoors on our Bloomington brewery grounds. There's a $5 discount if you buy your tickets in advance, and all proceeds benefit Sycamore Land Trust. Join us for this celebration of nature, community, music, and beer!

At the Bar

From Lauren at Scotty's Brewhouse:

All Scotty's Brewhouse Locations Now Have Brand New Drink Menus!

Carry Out

From Eric at 21st Amendment in Broad Ripple:

In honor of the extreme heat we've been experiencing, I'm going to keep my section short and only talk about two extreme beers that we're lucky enough to have on our shelves:

1.) Sierra Nevada Bigfoot: We have this beer available still because I was able to find a couple of stray cases of this gem buried in our system. This beer is a massive Barley Wine with a bigger hop load than most Double IPA's. I think it's a beautiful high-gravity beer to drink now but it ages as well as any beer I've ever had. Consider yourself lucky if you've ever had a vertical tasting with multiple vintages of Bigfoot.

2.)Dogfish Head World Wide Stout: At 18% ABV this is one of the world's strongest beers. This beer really showed me the talent that Dogfish puts into every recipe. The beer exhibits roasted, toasted malts and really shows the balance you can get with a high alcohol beer. Yes, you can seek out the ultra-high ABV/ultra expensive beers put out by Brew Dog, but instead of drinking "beer concentrate," I'd rather have a wonderful beer made the old-fashioned way.

Happy drinking Beer Fans!

From Big Red Liquors in Bloomington:

New items:

Great Divide 16th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA - From their commercial description, "Plenty of malty sweetness provides a backdrop for earthy, floral English and American hops, while French and American oak round off the edges and provide a touch of vanilla."

Sierra Nevada Tumbler -This is their new fall seasonal beer, an "Autumn Brown Ale." This beer is very balanced -it starts off with a slight bitter chocolate maltiness and finishes with a well rounded fruity hop. It very smooth and definitely quaffable.

On sale:

Upland Pale 6pks $6.99, normally $7.99
Stella Artois & Hoegaarden 12pks $12.99, normally $16.99
Moosehead & Moosehead Light 12pk bottles and cans $9.99, normally $11.99
Sam Adams 12pks $12.99, normally $14.99

Also, don't forget about our weekly beer tasting at our downtown Bloomington location:

August 5 we will be sampling the Spaten family of beers.
August 12 we will be trying a selection of different ciders (we have 21 ciders currently in stock!)

From Patrick at Crown Liquors:

New Holland beers will now be readily available in Indianapolis now thanks to Zink distributing. Great brews!

We brought in for now:
The Poet Oatmeal Stout
Dragons Milk Stout
Definitely more to come...

Also Porterhouse Oyster Stout 11.2 oz.

Tasting this Friday:

Downtown
3 Floyds Gorch Fock
New Holland Dragons Milk
Two Brothers Resistance IPA

Carmel
Beers from Lindemans and Bell's

From Twitter

beermba: Indiana Homebrewers and Craft Beer Enthusiasts - We need volunteers to staff the Brewers booth at the IN State Fair - Email Ron for details.

HBG4 featuring... Upland Brewing

The lineup of beers at Hoosier Beer Geek's Fourth Anniversary Party continues. The second brewery we are announcing at HBG4 is...

Upland Brewing Co.
Bloomington, Indiana




Upland Wheat
Style: Wheat Ale

Upland Wheat Ale is a classic rendition of the Witbier (white beer) style, which originated in Belgium. We brew it with organic coriander, chamomile, and orange peel to be light on the tongue and refreshingly tart. In the tradition of the Belgian Wit style, Upland Wheat Ale is unfiltered, allowing suspended yeast to create a cloudy, golden appearance and satisfying mouthfeel. Both full-bodied and easy-going, it’s no wonder that Upland Wheat Ale is the flagship beer of our brewery and the best-selling beer brewed in Indiana.

ABV: 4.5
IBUs: 12.6

Notes: Hoosier Beer Geek rated this beer, giving it 3.62 mugs




Upland Dragonfly
Style: Indian Pale Ale

India Pale Ale originated when the British Empire was at its height. British soldiers and civil servants were stationed all over the globe (including India), and regular ales could not survive the long journey by sea to reach them. The British solved this terrible dilemma by adding excessive amounts of hops to their beer–using the preservative properties of hops to increase the life of their beers.

Our Dragonfly India Pale Ale is true to this tradition, featuring seven hop additions to create a powerful hop profile. A solid malt base, however, tempers the bitter American hops, giving Dragonfly a balance not often found in this style. This is a beer with enough bite for hop fans, but is smooth enough to be a session beer. The end product is a well-balanced, malty beer with the crisp taste of hops and an exceptionally floral nose.

ABV: 6.5
IBUs: 40

Note: This will actually be our first announced firkin of HBG4. And hopefully it will be dry-hopped with Simcoe hops.

Please remember that the list is tentative and subject to availability. We promise to keep you informed of any changes.

About HBG4:
It will be held Saturday, August 28th, starting at 6pm. Sun King Brewing will again be hosting us at their brewery at 135 N. College Avenue, Indianapolis. Tickets are $30 (plus $1.99 for online fees) for regular tickets and $20 (plus $1.99 for online fees) for designated drivers. Tickets are available online only and are in limited supply. And yes, the tickets are on sale now.

If you didn't attend last year, you can see what you missed here. But if you did attend last year, you'll find it to be similar. Here is what we have so far (please note that all of this is subject to change).

Regular attendees will receive a commemorative tasting glass that can be used to sample various quality beers from our favorite Indiana breweries as well as a few other breweries. Additionally, you'll be able to select a few larger pours of your favorite beers. Designated drivers will have a selection of non-alcoholic beverages such as soda, pop, cola... whatever regional term you like. And bottled water, of course.

All attendees will get to enjoy food from The Tamale Place. Those of you who have been know how good their food is. And those of you who have not been are in for a treat. There will be a variety of tamale flavors to sample, including vegetarian friendly options.

There will also be chips and salsa and such for your enjoyment all night as well.

And what's a party without gifts? And by gifts, I mean us giving stuff to you! That's right, prizes and giveaways and all sorts of stuff.

We're still filling in all the details, but if you've been to our events, you know it is a good time. And all tickets will be sold online. Tickets are not available at Sun King nor will they be available at the door. So don't miss out.

We appreciate that you follow us for the latest and craziest in the Indiana craft beer world. And we hope you'll come out and celebrate with us our fourth year of tomfoolery.

HBG4 featuring... Sun King Brewing

We like to keep you on the edge of your seats, which is why we are revealing the beer list for Hoosier Beer Geek's Fourth Anniversary to you in little pieces. I know, we're stinkers like that. The first brewery we are announcing at HBG4 is...

Sun King Brewing
Indianapolis, Indiana

Okay, so that's no big surprise. I mean, we are having our party at Sun King, so logically we would have their beer there. But since they are hosting us, it seems only natural to introduce them first. Here are some of the beers you can expect to find at HBG4 with descriptions from the brewery:


Wee Mac Scottish Ale
Style: Scottish Brown Ale

Wee Mac is a Scottish style Brown Ale. Fermented at cooler than normal temperatures to mimic the climate of Scotland, Wee Mac is an easy drinking brown ale that has a nice hazelnut character with rich toffee undertones. Hops are used sparingly in this beer and serve only to help balance the sweetness of the malt.

Awards
2010 Indiana Brewers Cup Gold Metal - English Brown Ale

ABV: 5.4% IBU: 23

Note: Hoosier Beer Geek reviewed this beer, giving it a very respectable 3.66 mug rating.


Bitter Druid ESB
Style: Extra Special Bitter

The Bitter Druid ESB is a new twist on an old favorite. Our Americanized ESB blends American 2-row pale malt with choice British specialty malts to create a rich malt start that is followed by a crisp, American hop finish. This beer is a wonderful gateway to the world of hops due to its delicate balance and rich array of flavors.

Awards
2010 Indiana Brewers Cup Gold Metal - English Pale Ale

ABV: 5.8% IBU: 43


Osiris Pale Ale
Style: American Pale Ale

Osiris Pale Ale is an assertive American Pale and is not meant for the timid. Crafted by our Brewers for our Brewers, Osiris blends three choice varieties of American hops to create a spicy, citrus hop punch that is sure to satisfy any hop head. Every batch of Osiris is dry-hopped towards the end of fermentation for maximum hop flavor, aroma and character.

Awards
2010 Indiana Brewers Cup Bronze Metal - American Ale

ABV: 5.6% IBU: 50



Sunlight Cream Ale
Style: Cream Ale

Sunlight Cream Ale is our most approachable beer and is a great introduction to the world of Craft Beer. Cream Ale is one of the earliest styles of American beer, but was virtually wiped out by American lager brewers. Our Cream Ale is an all malt beer. Only the finest quality barley, wheat and oats are used to give this beer its smooth malt profile, which is delicately balanced with American hops and a cool fermentation to give this beer a crisp, clean finish.

Awards:
2010 World Beer Cup Silver Medal - Blonde or Golden Ale Category
2010 Indiana Brewers Cup Silver Medal - Light Hybrid Beer

ABV: 5.3% IBU: 20

This isn't the end of the Sun King beers, but just a first taste. Later, we will announce other Sun King beers that you will be able to enjoy at HBG4. So keep an eye out for that.

Please remember that this list is tentative and subject to change based on availability. We will keep you updated if anything changes.

About HBG4:
It will be held Saturday, August 28th, starting at 6pm. Sun King Brewing will again be hosting us at their brewery at 135 N. College Avenue, Indianapolis. Tickets are $30 (plus $1.99 for online fees) for regular tickets and $20 (plus $1.99 for online fees) for designated drivers. Tickets are available online only and are in limited supply. And yes, the tickets are on sale now.

If you didn't attend last year, you can see what you missed here. But if you did attend last year, you'll find it to be similar. Here is what we have so far (please note that all of this is subject to change).

Regular attendees will receive a commemorative tasting glass that can be used to sample various quality beers from our favorite Indiana breweries as well as a few other breweries. Additionally, you'll be able to select a few larger pours of your favorite beers. Designated drivers will have a selection of non-alcoholic beverages such as soda, pop, cola... whatever regional term you like. And bottled water, of course.

All attendees will get to enjoy food from The Tamale Place. Those of you who have been know how good their food is. And those of you who have not been are in for a treat. There will be a variety of tamale flavors to sample, including vegetarian friendly options.

There will also be chips and salsa and such for your enjoyment all night as well.

And what's a party without gifts? And by gifts, I mean us giving stuff to you! That's right, prizes and giveaways and all sorts of stuff.

We're still filling in all the details, but if you've been to our events, you know it is a good time. And all tickets will be sold online. Tickets are not available at Sun King nor will they be available at the door. So don't miss out.

We appreciate that you follow us for the latest and craziest in the Indiana craft beer world. And we hope you'll come out and celebrate with us our fourth year of tomfoolery.

Beertown Indianapolis: Keeping Track of the New Brewery Jungle

It's a long and arduous process to get a brewery off the ground - just the process to be approved as a brewer by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) involves completing and submitting six forms, a diagram and description of the brewery premises, a legal description of the brewery, and a statement describing the security at the brewery.

Before a brewery can file the diagrams and descriptions, they must first have zoning approval with the state. Once zoning and TTB approval have been completed, breweries also have to complete the appropriate state paperwork as well.

As a result of this process, we know that any brewery still working on a location has a long way to go before they're brewing beer. Breweries that have completed all these steps appear on this page, giving us a heads up that they're almost there.

The following new breweries are all going through these steps now, but only one of them has reached the final steps of gaining a state permit. We'll start there.

Brewery: Thr3e Wise Men Brewing Co. (website - coming soon)
Players: Scotty Wise, Omar Castrellon (former brewer at Alcatraz Brewing Company)
Location: 1021 Broad Ripple Avenue, Indianapolis
Focus: (cliché but, true) - "Big beers, West Coast style IPA's, double IPA's, Chocolate Imperial Stouts, being different and using local ingredients for some styles." - Omar and I want to do a few small bottle runs (where we will hand cap the bottles and hand fill them) a couple times a year and just have fun with our creativity. I want to offer one organic/local seasonal beer, if possible. We are looking into this. I look up to Founders, Dogfish Head, 3 Floyds, Stone… if I would want to emulate a brewery, it would be these guys.
Long Term Goals: No long term goals. Don't want to get over my skis. I want to try to put out a great, original, quality product. Start small, get it right and then grow. That is the goal. I want to exclusively offer this at our Scotty's concepts only. We might look to offer this in the northern and southern parts of the state too, at some point. If we open in Ft. Wayne, as expected in the Parkview Ballpark, I have a goal to be THE craft beer of the ball park.
More from Hoosier Beer Geek: Coming Soon to Broad Ripple: Another Hoosier Brewery (February 28, 2010)

Although his efforts to put together a brewery with the folks behind what has now become Triton fell apart, Scotty Wise may come out smelling like a rose. Brewer Omar Castrellon has a long history of producing quality beer at Alcatraz, but producing for Scotty's ever-expanding empire of restaurants should give him plenty of volume and beer turnover, providing plenty of room for creativity.




Brewery: Triton Brewing Company (website, twitter)
Players: Mike DeWeese, David Waldman, Jon Lang (former brewer at Barley Island)
Location: The last time we spoke, the brewery was looking for space on the northeast side of Indianapolis, along the Binford Boulevard corridor. Actual location still unconfirmed, but Triton is in the process of finalizing their location.
Focus: "Our aim is to provide happiness and joy through beer and to become the most successful and respected brewery in the State of Indiana. Triton Brewing Company will produce Indiana’s 'Flagship' beer, providing outstanding quality, service, and value." (from Facebook)
Long Term Goals: Indiana and Chicago distribution in year one, statewide distribution within two years of opening.
From Facebook:

Our products and services will be "best in class" in terms of value received for dollars paid. We will deliver excellence, strive for continuous improvement and respond vigorously to change.

We are dedicated to satisfying our customers. We believe in respecting our customers, listening to their requests and understanding their expectations. We strive to exceed their expectations in affordability, and quality.

Triton Brewing Company will produce five brands year-round:

Railsplitter IPA
Brown Ale
Amber Ale
Wheat

Stout

Additionally we will distribute a number of seasonal beers and some 'Brewer's Choice' beers will be available in the tasting room.

More from Hoosier Beer Geek: Announcing Triton Brewing Company (May 27, 2010)

After the collapse of the Scott Wise/Thr3e Wise Men collaboration, Triton was left looking for a new location to house their already purchased equipment. We've seen Jon Lang out and about at various brewery functions, and it's obvious he's ready to get back to brewing. Hopefully we'll see something from him soon.




Brewery: Flat 12 Bierworks (website, twitter)
Players: Steve Hershberger (CMO), Sean O'Conner (President), Mr. X Director of Brewing Operations (name to be announced soon), Bob Weaver, Community Manager
Location: 414 Dorman Street, Indianapolis
Focus: Brewing top line craft beer the old school way. Quality, craftsmanship and customer focus first. Brewing Blonde (wheat), American Wit, Amber, IPA/Organic IPA, a family of Porters, as well as a number of seasonal beers.
Long Term Goals: Establishing Flat 12 as a leader in craft beer brewing in the Midwest. Create an onsite experience that caters to craft beer fans and Hopstars, who want to travel from around the Midwest to visit. Distribute Flat 12 products to fans east of the Mississippi, as well as introduce Midwestern craft to beer fans in Canada and select EU countries.
From the company website:

This summer, Flat 12 will be launching six new craft beers, although the brewery is capable of producing over 30 (yes, we said 30) different beers. Working with our current group of Hopstars, we tasted and tested and then we tasted and tested some more. In the end, we settled on six beers we want to introduce to you this year. Although more will come, you'll love these six.

Flat 12 is surely not lacking in ambition. With a distribution and marketing deal already in place with Pelican Brands, Flat 12 seems to be ahead of the game.




Brewery: Bier Brewery and Taproom (website)
Players: Darren Connor (formerly of Great Fermentations)
Location: 5127 E. 65th St., Indianapolis
Focus: Small batches, particularly seasonals, and sell in-house only, rather than recruiting outside accounts like Sun King does. (source: ibj.com)
From the company website:

Bier will serve anywhere from six to eight different beers once we are open. These offerings will reflect the seasons and Darren's specialties

Darren's experience at Great Fermentations means that he knows good beer. With in-house only sales, it will be interesting to see how much exposure the brewery receives. At worst, Bier Brewery and Taproom should be a valuable asset to those in the neighborhood seeking out good beer.




Brewery: Brownfield Brewing Company (website, facebook)
Players: Ken Warren (start up manager for bottling facilities), Kenny Allen (former brewmaster for Old Dominion Brewing), and Arifah Aronson (owns a green renovation and contracting company)
Location: The brewery will be located in Fountain Square
Focus: The focus will to create a sustainable (leed certified) organic brewery from a brownfield that will use local raw materials (as much as possible, as we know, organic hops will likely be from New Zealand so we will use carbon offsets for those but we do have local farmers that can supply a portion of the hops we need) and cap the distribution radius to 500 miles to stay local and as keep our carbon footprint as small as possible. If the business becomes successful enough to expand outside of 500 miles, it will be done from another facility outside that radius and will be built from remediating another brownfield. We don't want to ship beer (which is 95% water) across country like many large scale brewers. Our goal is to be as green/sustainable as possible, and teach others in Indianapolis - through on site education - how to convert a brownfield to a sustainable business. There are lots of opportunities in Indy for this and the city greatly needs leaders in this arena to help revitalize the areas where the auto industry left its scars.
Long term goals: Long term goals are to be a leader in our local market on how to operate with the lowest carbon footprint possible, and teach this model on-site from a remediated brownfield. We want to show everyone how to create a sustainable business that increases local revenue for our local residents in Indiana.
From the company website:

500 mile distribution, green, all natural, leed certified, employee owned, local, sustainable, organic

Brownfield's approach is one that not many have taken, but the ownership group's combined experience should make for an interesting effort. Owner Arifah Aronson has a background in green building - her company, Aronson Custom Homes, specializes in offseting the negative effects of conventional building techniques, conserving natural resources, and reducing the "carbon footprint" of the building process. (source) Brewer Kenny Allen's experience at Delaware's Old Dominion (a BeerAdvocate.com A- overall) should mean that we can expect a quality product.

So what's next?

The 15th Annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival is behind us. It was a great time but hard work. So it's only logical that we would take some time off to recover and lay low before work on the 3rd Annual WINTERFEST begins. Right?

Hell no! It's party time!

We are happy to announce HBG4: Hoosier Beer Geek's Fourth Anniversary Party!

It will be held Saturday, August 28th, starting at 6pm. Sun King Brewing will again be hosting us at their brewery at 135 N. College Avenue, Indianapolis. Tickets are $30 (plus $1.99 for online fees) for regular tickets and $20 (plus $1.99 for online fees) for designated drivers. Tickets are available online only and are in limited supply. And yes, the tickets are on sale now.

About HBG4:
If you didn't attend last year, you can see what you missed here. But if you did attend last year, you'll find it to be similar. Here is what we have so far (please note that all of this is subject to change).

Regular attendees will receive a commemorative tasting glass that can be used to sample various quality beers from our favorite Indiana breweries as well as a few other breweries. Additionally, you'll be able to select a few larger pours of your favorite beers. Designated drivers will have a selection of non-alcoholic beverages such as soda, pop, cola... whatever regional term you like. And bottled water, of course.

All attendees will get to enjoy food from The Tamale Place. Those of you who have been know how good their food is. And those of you who have not been are in for a treat. There will be a variety of tamale flavors to sample, including vegetarian friendly options.

There will also be chips and salsa and such for your enjoyment all night as well.

And what's a party without gifts? And by gifts, I mean us giving stuff to you! That's right, prizes and giveaways and all sorts of stuff.

We're still filling in all the details, but if you've been to our events, you know it is a good time. And all tickets will be sold online. Tickets are not available at Sun King nor will they be available at the door. So don't miss out.

As we receive beer commitments, we will post them here. In fact, the first update will come tomorrow. And you'll probably see an update every day after that.

We appreciate that you follow us for the latest and craziest in the Indiana craft beer world. And we hope you'll come out and celebrate with us our fourth year of tomfoolery.

On behalf of all the Knights of the Beer Roundtable,
Prost!

Jason, Jim, Mike, Gina, Rod, Jess, Chris, and Matt