25 June 2010

Random Beer Roundup - The Second Round Edition



The summer festival season really gets into full swing this weekend starting with the Indy Wine and Beer Fest in Broad Ripple tonight, and Brew Ha-Ha on Saturday. The US also plays Ghana on Saturday in the next round of the World Cup. GO USA!

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 to hoosierbeergeek@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 Jeff at Barley Island in Noblesville/Broad Ripple:
Both Barley Island locations are now serving a seasonal: Goldilocks Belgian Blond. This deep golden color Belgian ale can best be described as a "Mini Triple". It has a Pils malt and sugar sweetness character (7.0 % ABV), medium hop flavor (25 IBU's) and some spicy phenolics from our Belgian yeast strain. Credits to BrewMaster Mike Hess for the name - Goldilocks - due to the featured East Kent & Styrian Goldings hops - as well as the tap handle design!
From Greg at Lafayette Brewing Co. in Lafayette:
On tap this weekend at Lafayette Brewing: Ouiatenon Wit Bier; Prophet's Rock Pale Ale; East Side Bitter; Pipers' Pride Scottish Ale; Tippecanoe Common Ale; Black Angus Oatmeal Stout; Star City Lager; I Am An American IPA; and our latest specialty release, Golden Lady IPA.

From John at Half Moon Brewing Co. in Kokomo:
Half Moon is releasing a Summer Wheat Ale on Thurday 6/24.
This beer is a light and refreshing wheat beer for the hot months of summer that is sure to quench your thirst. It’s brewed with sweet orange peel and coriander to give it a fresh citrus flavor that is balanced with a soft spiciness. Crisp, clean, and delicately refreshing.

O.G.=1.046 ABV=5.25% IBU=13

P.S.- Also releasing an India Brown Ale on Thursday 7/1.

From Charles at Upland Brewing Co. in Bloomington:

Friday, June 25: Join an Uplander at Moggers in Terre Haute on Friday evening for a guided tasting of Upland brews.


At the Bar

From Lauren at Scotty's Brewhouse:
New to Scotty's Brewhouse West Lafayette: Goose Island Summertime Kolsch!

New to Scotty's Brewhouse Downtown Indianapolis: Founder's Cerise!

New to Scotty's Brewhouse 96th Street: Sun King XX Rye IPA!

New to Scotty's Lakehouse: Oaken Barrel Razz Wheat and Crown Brewing Special Forces IPA!

From Corrie at Goose the Market in Indianapolis:
Anybody can come to the Goose's cellar to GET a beer. Now we'd like to invite HBG readers to come to the Goose's cellar to DRINK a beer. Yup, the Goose is serving cold craft beers by the glass

An ever-changing menu of about 6 local, domestic, and worldly beers is part of the menu in the Goose's new Enoteca, a casual place to imbibe. Sit at the tables or the bar that owner Chris Eley built from the reclaimed lumber of a century-old barn and listen to the vinyl hum on a rehabbed turn table while sampling small plates like house-made charcuterie and farmstead cheeses. The glass and plate menus are always changing, but a few of the combinations we're craving right now include...hot toast layered with lardo and Upland's Nut Hugger...thinly sliced raw fish crudo with a tart grapefruit salad and Hitachino Red Rice...Piraat and a Batali (yup, bring your sandwich down for a brew), and Boulevard's The Sixth Glass with, um, seven glasses.

But not to worry, all of the retail brews are still available on the expanded shelves of the Goose's cellar. These hot days, we're awash with summer seasonals like...

A kolsch is a kolsch unless of course the kolsch is a kolsch like Harpoon's Summer Beer.
Someone sipping a Rogue Somer Orange Honey said it tastes the way summer beers should when they grow up.

Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore. Dorothy has discovered Victory's Whirlwind Witbier. (Never ask a flying monkey to be your DD.)

He will not find the cheapest airline ticket, make toys for kids on the good list, or call Bob Newhart "step dad," but La Chouffe will satisfy any time of year.

Carry Out

From Big Red Liquors in Bloomington:
A few new items, and a few old ones making a comeback!

NEW!!

Newcastle Summer
Two Brother Hop Juice
Weihenstephaner World Cup pack with free glass!

Back in Action!
Anchor Small Beer
Unibroue Quelque Chose

From Bill at Crown Liquors:
New this week at Crown Wine and Spirits- Ohio and Delaware - Downtown Indy

Mikkeller Big Worst Barley Wine (+ an additional case of Beer Geek Brunch/Weasel)
BrewDog 5 A.M. Saint Red Ale
BrewDog Tokio Oak-Aged Stout, brewed with cranberries and jasmine (18.2% !!!)
Two Brothers Hop Juice Double India Pale Ale (fresh batch)
The Bruery Trade Winds Tripel
The Bruery Coton - 2nd Anniversary Old Ale (limited)

Friday's tasting (3pm-7pm) will feature beer from Left Hand, Two Brothers, and Brasserie d'Achouffe!

Tickets are available for Brew-Ha-Ha (June 26) and B.I.G. Microbrewer's Festival (July 17) here at the store (and other select Crown locations). Get 'em before they're all gone!
From Great Fermentations in Broad Ripple:
Calling All Volunteers

The Indiana State Fair Brewers Cup is looking for volunteers to help out both this coming weekend as well as during the competition. This Sunday, June 27th at 10:30AM we need folks to help check in entries at Sun King Brewery (135 North College, Indianapolis). Lunch will be provided with beer being offered once the work is complete. You are welcome to participate even if you have entries in the Cup but you will NOT be allowed to judge. During the competition, July 9-10, help is needed for stewarding. This is a great opportunity to see the inner workings of the competition as well as a close-up view of what it takes to be a judge. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided as well as entry to the awards ceremony. Please contact John Morrical at jmorrica@sbcglobal.net if you are interested in helping. Thanks!


From Todd at Keg Liquors in Clarksville:
Brewdog - Tokio (Scotland)

From Joe at Payless Liquors on 96th Street:
Good news for those of you seeking Brewdog's Tactical Nuclear Penguin... it is on its way to the states. The current hurdle? The government deciding how to tax the super-beer. Until it gets the all-clear we will have 5 am Saint available. Also available: Mikkeller Bad/Worst and Black Hole Stout. Big bad beers. Bad in a good way.

Well's Banana Bread Beer is making a comeback if you're looking for something different. Maybe mix it with a bottle of Fruli Strawberry beer for a sudsy shortcake substitute. (Yes, we have that too.) If we don't have something you want, just ask. I'd love to order your beer.

Also new to the store, St. Bernardus Tripel and Abt 12 (Belguin Dubbel.) Both are excellent beers. If you want to do it like the Belguins I suggest a bottle of each and mixing them half and half. Dubbel and Tripel together. I could make a joke about how that equals five, which is the number of smiles your mouth will make when you consume said concoction. However, I'll let you be the judge and leave the humor to the pros.

Looking forward to next week, expect to see both Founder's Devil Dancer Triple IPA as well as Stone's newest anniversary beer. On a bitter sweet note, if you're looking for other Founder's beers they may be difficult to come by for a few weeks (So stock up now!) due to the increasing popularity of the brewery they are having some difficulty keeping up with the increased demand.

From Josh at United Package Liquors in Broad Ripple:
Please join us Friday, June 25th from 7-10PM for Indy's wine & brew fest presented by Stella Artois in the station strip center across from Applebee's in Broad Ripple. Tickets are $25 at all United package liquors locations and $30 the day of the event. Enjoy good food, fine wine, craft and Import beer and live music from the Flying toasters. Draft highlights include- nitro North coast Old Rasputin, nitro Boulder Mojo IPA and fresh draft from Founders, Heavy Seas, Tyranena and many more.

From the Distributors

From Greg at Cavalier Distribution:
We have a bunch of new incredible beers and they almost all seemed to come in pairs:

We have a couple exciting new beers from Brew Dog along with some new packaging as well! Brew Dog 5 AM Saint is a very hoppy sessionable Amber Ale, a Scottish version of Levitation if you will. It will be available year around in 4pks moving forward. Tokio Oak-Aged Imperial Stout is an extremely rare special release, that will be allocated. Also, both Punk IPA & Hardcore Double IPA are now available in 4pks.

The Bruery Trade Winds Tripel & Coton Anniversary Ale are both being released this week in Indiana for the first time. Trade Winds Tripel is their summer seasonal, and is The Bruery's take on a Belgian Tripel style using rice in the mash instead of candi sugar & spiced with Thai Basil. Coton is an extremely rare 100% Bourbon Barrel-Aged Version of their 2nd Anniversary Ale weighing in at 14.5%!! It's extremely limited and allocated.

Clipper City Smoke on the Water & Summer Ale are both making their inaugural appearance in Indiana this week as well. Smoke on the Water is a Smoked Imperial Porter from Clipper City, and the newest release in their Mutiny Series of beers. The Summer Ale is a new addition to their Clipper Fleet line of beers, a sessionable crisp, light ale brewed with both 2-row barley & wheat malt.

Mendocino is releasing two new specialty 4pks this week, an Imperial IPA & Barley Wine!! Both of these are beers that they have brewed before and are now releasing for the first time ever in 4pks!!

There are extremely limited amounts of Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch, Beer Geek Breakfast, Black Hole & Big WorsT that have hit the state and are available in the top Mikkeller accounts in the state.

Sergeants American Amber is a new release from 3 Sergeants Brewing Co. and will be available starting this week.

Thirsty Dog released two new beers to the Indiana market this week as well,Whippet Wheat & Twisted Kilt Scotch Ale. Whippet Wheat is a German-style Hefe-Weizen style beer and is a limited summer release. Twisted Kilt is a Scottish-style Export Ale that will be a year around offering from Thirsty Dog.

2010 Two Brothers Hop Juice is already out in stores and bars across the state! Hop Juice is by far Two Brothers' most highly anticipated and regarded artisan beer!! Like always, it's very limited, so get it while you can.

News around the web:
Rita Kohn's upcoming book, True Brew, is available for pre-order from Amazon.com.
Here's an article I contributed to for the Indianapolis Star / Metromix about 10 beers to try if you are headed out to the Phoenix Theatre Brew Ha-Ha tomorrow.
A link to Ed Wenck's show on WIBC where he and I had a chat Thursday about the article mentioned above. (link in the audio section)

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