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Brewers of Indiana Guild Newsletter - June, 2006

B.I.G. News

The B.I.G. will, starting at the July 29 Microbrewers Festival, offer Associate Memberships to the public. This $30 membership includes:

  • An Indiana Beer Passport - a book of discount offers from member breweries, brewpubs, beer pubs, liquor stores, homebrew shops. Free food, discounted merchandise, etc.
  • A monthly email newsletter detailing what's being offered by all 22 Indiana breweries as well as many good pubs in the state and what's new in the distributors' inventories.
  • Associate members will also get invitations to unveiling parties, dinners, brewery tours, a golf tournament or two, etc.

Plans for the July 29th Indiana Microbrewers Festival are proceeding well. WTTS radio (FM 92.3) has been brought onboard to provide advertising and provide music. They'll also do a live remote at the event.

Upcoming Events

Tues, June 6 - Nine G Beer Tasting - Between the Buns, Osceola- 6pm

Fri, June 9 - AleFest Wright Patterson AFB - Dayton, OH

Sat, June 10 - Nine G Infidel Imperial IPA Launch Party - Fiddler's Hearth - South Bend - 1-6pm

Thurs, June 15 - Ales for Adoptable Tails - Agio Restaurant, Indianapolis

Fri, June 16 - Rock Bottom, downtown Indy, 10th Anniversary Celebration and Amber Ale Tapping of Super X Amber. 6pm

Fri, June 16 - Mishawaka Brewing Golf Outing. Warren ND course. $75. Food, beer, prizes

Sat, June 17 - Taste of Tippecanoe - Lafayette Brewing will be pouring

Wed, June 21 - Ales for Tails - Sycamore Market Place, Kokomo. 4:30-7pm

Sat, June 24 - Phoenix Theater Brew-Ha-Ha - Indianapolis. $20 advance, $25 at door. Barley Island, Bloomington, Broad Ripple, Main Street, New Albanian, Oaken Barrel, Ram, Rock Bottom(s), and Upland will be pouring. 3pm-7pm

Sat, June 24 - Rich O's Lambic by the Glass day

Sat, June 24 - Balmoral Brew Ha Ha -  Blamoral Park racetrack, Chicago. Three Floyds will be pouring. 5-10pm

Mon, June 26 - Three Floyds Franco-Belgian brewer's dinner. 5 courses. $65

Tues, June 27 - Taste of Bloomington - Upland and Bloomington Brewing will be pouring. 3-11pm

On Tap in Northern Indiana

Back Road Brewery - LaPorte

  • Available in bottles: Millennium Lager, Back Road Ale, Midwest IPA, Belle Gunness Stout.
  • Seasonals: Belgian Wit, Blueberry Ale.

Lafayette Brewing - Lafayette √

  • On Tap: Prophet's Rock Pale Ale, Eastside Bitter, Piper's Pride, Eighty Five, Black Angus Oatmeal Stout, Eighty Five, Tippecanoe Common
  • On the handpull: Weeping Hog IPA
  • Current Seasonals
    • Emancipator Dopplebock
    • Summer Kölsch Bier - aged on apple chips toasted and soaked in chardonnay

Mad Anthony Brewing - Fort Wayne, Auburn, Warsaw

  • On Tap and in bottles: Auburn Lager, Gabby Blonde Lager, Harry Baals Irish Stout, Porter, Ol Woody Pale Ale, Ruby Raspberry Wheat, Summer Daze
  • Seasonals on tap: Soft Wheat, American Red, Kölsch
  • Coming up: Oatmeal Stout, Belgian Golden Strong Ale.

Mishawaka Brewing - Mishawaka

Summary - New seasonals

  • On Tap and in bottles: Four Horsemen Irish Ale, Lake Effect Pale Ale, Ella Rose Porter, INDIAna Pale Ale, Founder's Stout, Wall Street Wheat Ale, Raspberry Wheat Ale
  • Seasonal on tap: Seven Mules Kick-Ass Ale (9.0% Malt Liquor)
  • Next Seasonal: Two Sisters Ale (6.5% IPA with Chinook and Cascade. Tom Webster's winner of homebrew club competition)

Nine G Brewing - South Bend

  • In stores now: Bitchin' Betty Citrus Wheat, Blacksnake Porter, Wingman Amber Ale
  • Coming up: Infidel Imperial IPA

Shoreline Brewery and Restaurant - Michigan City

  • On Tap: Drunken Toad, Bah Humbug Spiced Ale, Smokestack Smoked Porter, Curse the Goat Doppelbock, Don't Panic English Pale Ale, Region Rat Red Ale, Foggy Loggy Lager, Sum Nug IPA, Singing Sands Oatmeal Stout.
  • Coming up: Beltaine Scottish Ale, Benny's APA.

  Three Floyds Brewing - Munster

  • On Tap and in bottles: Alpha King Pale Ale, Robert the Bruce Scottish Ale, Pride and Joy Mild, Dreadnaught Imperial IPA
  • On Tap: Moloko Plus Milk Stout, Dolomite Malt Liquor, Brian Boru Irish Red, Bob Da Broot Scotch Ale, Broodoo Harvest Ale, Deesko Berliner Weiss
  • Recently released in bottles: Gumballhead American Wheat

Warbird Brewing - Fort Wayne

  • In Stores now: T-16 Red Ale
  • In select pubs: P-47 Wheat

On Tap in Central Indiana

Alcatraz Brewing- Indianapolis

  • On Tap: Searchlight Golden Ale, Weiss Guy Wheat, Big House Red, Pelican Pale Ale, Birdman Brown, Prison Porter, Old Glory Stout
  • Seasonals on tap: Sledgehammer Ale (6.0%), Bock (6.5%), Schwartz Imperial
  • On Tap: Light Wheat Ale, American Wheat Lager, Light Summer Brown, Pale Lager (Amarillo hops), Black Lager.
  • Seasonals: Pilsener, Abbey Ale.
  • Coming up: IPA Lager (yep, a lager with honey, Amarillo and Cascade hops), Bock (Honey and Hallertau hops).

Barley Island Brewing - Noblesville

  • On Tapand in bottles: Dirty Helen, Flat Belly Wheat, Blind Tiger Pale Ale, 60 Shilling Scotch Ale, Rust Belt Porter
  • Seasonals on tap and in bottles: Sheet Metal Blonde Wheat Ale
  • On Tap: Barfly IPA (American IPA. This will be available in bottles about July 1.)
  • They also offer comparison IPAs from Three Floyds, Upland, and Bell's.

Broad Ripple Brewpub - Indianapolis

  • On Tap: ESB, IPA, Red Bird Mild, Lawn Mower Pale Ale, Pilsner
  • On Tap - Cask Conditioned: Porter, Wobbly Bob
  • Coming up: Traveling John's on the handpull. German Hefe, American Red by the 4th of July.

Brugge Brasserie - Indianapolis

  • On Tap: Pilsner, The Black, Sacre Fleur Saison
  • Coming up: HouBlonde (a Chouffe Houblon Doublen IPA Tripel clone), Belgian Pale Ale.

Oaken Barrel Brewing - Greenwood

  • On Tap and in bottles: Indiana Amber, Snake Pit Porter, Gnaw Bone Pale Ale, Razz-Wheat, Alabaster Witbier
  • Seasonals on tap: Uberweizen
  • Coming up: Saison with DuPont yeast. Beir de Garde with Crystal Rye. Cherry Stout.

Ram Restaurant and Brewery - Indianapolis and Fishers √

  • On Tap: Indy Blonde, Butt Face Amber, Big Red IPA, Ram Pilsner, Big Horn Hefeweizen, Total Disorder Porter, Catcher in the Rye
  • Seasonals on tap: Belgian Wit, Sausalito Summer California Common
  • Coming up: Bohemian Pilsener, Summer Session Ale

  Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery - Washington St, Indianapolis

  • On Tap: Circle City Light, Sugar Creek Pale Ale, Raccoon Red, Brickway Brown
  • This month's Hoosier Ma Stout: Oatmeal
  • This month's Wheat: German Hefeweizen
  • This month's seasonal beer: Vienna Lager (about gone), Fire Chief ESB (also about gone), IPA.
  • Coming up: Super X Amber (for the 10th Anniversary celebration on June 17), Kölsch, Pilsener (for the Brickyard race).

Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery - 86th St, Indianapolis

  • On Tap: Circle City Light, Heartland Red, Double Barrel Pale Ale, Brickway Brown
  • On the handpulls: Red, Vanilla Stout
  • This month's Hoosier Ma Stout: Milk Stout
  • This month's Wheat: American Wheat
  • Seasonals: Naughty Scott, Catcher in the Rye
  • Coming up: Kölsch (June 16th)

Terre Haute Brewing - Terre Haute

  • In stores now: Champagne Velvet, Velvet Amber Lager, CV Gold Label Bock

On Tap in Southern Indiana

Bloomington Brewing - Bloomington

  • On Tap: FreeStone Blonde, Quarrymen Pale Ale, Ruby Bloom Amber, Big Stone Stout
  • Seasonals on tap: India Pale Ale, Vision Weiss

Little Cheers Restaurant and Pub - Evansville

  • On Tap: Platinum Blonde, Chocolate Porter, ShrAmber

Main Street Brewery (Turoni's Pizza and For-Get-Me-Not-Inn) - Evansville

  • On Tap: Vinny's Light Lager, Honey Blonde Ale, Thunderbolt Red Ale, Blue Eyed Moose
  • Seasonal: Wit's Up

New Albanian Brewing (Rich O's Public House and Sportstime Pizza) - New Albany

  • On Tap: Hoosier Daddy Crimson & Cream Ale, St. Radegund Bitter, Bob's Old 15-B aged in a wood JW Lees Harvest Ale (Port) cask.
  • Coming up: Hoptimus.

Upland Brewing - Bloomington

  • On tap and in bottles: Wheat, Weizen, Amber, Pale, Porter, IPA
  • Seasonals on tap and in bottles: Ard Ri Irish Ale, Maibock

Indiana Brewery News

Eileen "Ale-Leen" Martin is moving from her 4-year stint as Brewster at Browning's Brewery in Louisville to become Cellerman at Upland starting May 15th.

The Dark Lord at Three Floyds Brewing was sold out in only two hours during their release party.

Tom Schmidt hopes to be up and running with the new Mishawaka Brewing satellite brewery in Elkhart before the end of May. They'll use it to increase Four Horsemen and INDIAnaPale Ale production and to put Hop Head and Seven Mules Kick-Ass Ale into full-time production. Specialty right now: Seven Mules Kick-Ass Ale (9.0% Malt Liquor).

Mad Anthony's Mad Bus to the Microbrewery Festival (July 29) is $60. That includes transportation, ticket to the fest, and refreshments on the bus. Reserve your seat by July 14.

Warbird's P-47 Wheat is available in kegs at about a dozen places in the Ft. Wayne and Valparaiso areas and it's still about 3 months out before we see cans. That's a shame because Matt Hill has made one of the best German Weiss biers outside of Bavaria. Supremely drinkable. All the right hefe, clove, banana notes. (Sometimes a beer writer feels almost guilty for trying to find the best points of new local beers but this sure isn't the case with P-47 or Infidel - their ratings on Beer Advocate and Rate Beer, not to mention State Fair medals, will prove these to be as great as I say). - Bob Ostrander - IndianaBeer.com

A couple of places with both P-47 and the T-6 Red Ale have come up with a blend called "Saudi Sunrise" peach/apricot notes come out and it's really easy quaffing. Maybe they'll soon have a third beer in their lineup with an in-house blend.

Other Indiana News

The BrewersCup.org web site is updated with the 2006 forms and stuff.

  • Entries this year should be delivered (by hand or mail) to Payless Liquors, 9520 Uptown Dr. Indianapolis, IN 46256. All entries must be received between June 10th and June 24th. There, Brian Snider will tenderly take your 3 bottles to the judging on July 8th.
  • Judges are always needed but there will be more local judges. 13 people had a study group last winter and took the BJCP exam in March. Ron Smith of the Foam Blowers of Indiana homebrew club is planning another study session that will run 10 Thursday evenings from January to March, 2007.

Easley Winery has some high-end items for homebrewers - A home filter kit with pump, big grain mills, a motorized 5-head bottle filler complete with vacuum pump and auto shut-off, and new oak wooden casks ranging from 2 to 30 gallon.

Great Fermentations in Indy will move in late June to 5127 East 65th Street, about 3 blocks west of Binford (Hwy 37) on the south side of 65th Street. No change to phone numbers or email address.  463-2739 or 888-HME-BREW (888-463-2739) anita@greatfermentations.com. This will almost triple the space to 4,000 sq ft. and allow the monthly homebrew classes to come inside from the parking lot.

Mark Schiess of Carmel is the only Hoosier to advance to the second round of judging in the AHA 2006 National Homebrew Competition. His Brown Ale had tough competition in the American Ale category against 48 other entries but garnered a 40.0 to place first.

In Lafayette, the Village Bottle Shop has a rack of "Beers of the Month" with where some exotics and some less exotics are displayed at sale prices. They've also picked up the Signatory line of Single malt Scotch.

Anthony's Cafe in Highland has just revamped their beer selection and now offers about 100 different bottles. Since our last visit they have added 4 taps (2 from Three Floyds, Upland Wheat, and Bitburger right now). They are also planning a summer beer festival.

City Wide Liquors in downtown South Bend has a good deal with it's $7.50 6-pack mix and match including FIn Du Monde, Balto, Great Lakes Christmas, Back Road Blueberry, Bells Winter White, Raison d'Etre, and Sapient.

BeerJuggs.com - Check it out. It's a 2-disk instructional DVD to introduce homebrewing (even kitchen brewing). $25 incl shipping. Beginning brewing, Fermentation, Bottling, Yeast propagation,  Intermediate brewing, Keg Conditioning, Advanced Brewing, Building a Kegerator, Outtakes. "Hairy brewers, hot women, and all the beer we could drink." Also tips and equipment ideas. Even Tattoo Bob gets one in.

It's funnier than a college economics professor. It's also sexier. There are clips on the web site to back up both those assertions. Shaking your carboy to introduce oxygen works better if a busty blonde does it, and even better if she spanks it. Have you ever seen a strawberry condom on the neck of a carboy?

Best of all, you can chuckle along with Clay Robinson and Tim Marshall (aka Juice and Colonel Mr. Safety Pants). This was shot last year while that duo ruled the Rock Bottom in downtown Indy. Frankly, the best acting comes from Helene Bushnell as Big H, the hose master and the drill sergeant. Watch it in the privacy of your own kitchen.

"I use BeerJuggs Every day and it feels so good." - Dave Chichura - Mayor of Colorado.

The Indianapolis Business Journal's headline was Beer Permit Battle Brews. In short, 102 new retail permits have been filed this year, 40 by Speedway gas stations. They all want to have a permit while they are allowed, having been told next year's legislature may restrict permits. A doing so passed one house last year. The Indiana Association of Beverage Retailers say "the deluge of applications threatens the livelihood of package liquor store owners". There are about 1,000 liquor stores and 450 gas stations with permits in Indiana.

Currently allowance is made for one liquor store permit for every 8,000 people. One grocery permits are allowed for every 1,500 people.

Why should we care, gas stations sell alcopop, not good beer? One the one hand, that's true. On the other hand, restricting groceries and convenience store permits would stifle competition in smaller towns where true liquor stores are rare. On the third hand, grocery stores have recently got the word about craft beer and any changes to the law will affect them also. Then again, if we the state makes it harder to grab a six-pack of mass-market beer on the way home, people will stop at a liquor store where they will be exposed to better beer.

June only, Stone Ruination - it's on tap only June 1-30 then it goes away. A marketing ply by Stone says even a partial keg can't be finished off in July.

Mat Gerdenich reports Stone is on tap at MacNiven's and BW3 in Indy, Buckhead and Rich O's down south, 3 Floyds Brewpub, the Encore Cafe in Bloomington, and the Heorot and Fickle Peach in Muncie.

Kahn's has big news - a new store. They've bought a ex-Burger King lot a block south of the Keystone store in Indianapolis and will build a 9,000 sq ft replacement for the old familiar edifice. Aimed at opening in October - good luck - the BK will be razed in about 2 weeks. Best sale on right now is Harpoon Winter Ale for $5.49 / 6-pack and Hibernian at $5.99. All Barley Island 6ers are $6.99. They're also blowing out Berghoff standards at $4.99.

The Phoenix Theater Brew-Ha-Ha on June 24th can use some volunteer pourers. If you have a employee permit or can pay $5 for a 1-day permit, please contact Dan Peel.

Miscellaneous News (if you didn't read it at IndianaBeer.com already)

Miller is making hay about formula changes in Bud Light. Seems A-B claims they haven't changed their flagships at all but Miller has come up with documents from Auggie III saying "I told the growers of our desire to use more hops in our brewing for the purpose of delivering more amplitude and hop flavor in Budweiser". Previously A-B statements have only admitted "small adjustments to address seasonal changes in raw ingredients". Who'da thunk the Keystone Light mentality would have progressed so far that one mega is accusing another mega of putting in more flavor?

Uerige's Sticke is a "secret" beer made in Düsseldorf once a year and an annual guest at RichO's. This year, though, there was a second batch, nay a German version of double secret probation. This Uerige's Doppel Sticke with 8.5% ABV and 75 IBU and it hits these shores this month. We'll bet a cask finds its way to New Albany if Roger Baylor has stopped drooling on his keyboard long enough to order it.

Rumor: Anheuser-Busch is going to buy Rolling Rock.

A bird in the hand is worth two to Busch. Goose Island sells 35% of itself to Anheuser-Busch which would start distributing GI beers. Sales of Honkers Ale rose 24% during 2005 according to reports in the Chicago Tribune.

Rumor: Ontario's Sleeman Breweries is not doing well financially and is up for sale. They bought Unibroue a couple of years ago and it may end up being spun off.

Coming soon to a store near you: Lindemans Apple Lambic. They say "Long before hops were common in most beers, various fruits and herbs were used to season beers. The clean, bright aroma and flavor of apples melds beautifully with the complex tartness of lambic. Smooth, light body with the fresh flavor of real apples and a light green-apple tartness. Perfect with rich cream sauces, hearty soups, aromatic cheeses and spicy cuisine - supremely refreshing". Here's a review.

There was a bill in the Nebraska legislator to legalize boilermakers but it was withdrawn. There's been a ban there on mixed drinks with both beer and any liquor since Prohibition ended. No other state has any similar proscription.

Tennessee, not to be outdone in stupidity, has started requiring off-premises stores to card everyone who buys alcohol, not just people who look close to underage. It looks like this bill will pass. A second provision would enable stores to pay a "certification fee" of up to $250 so they wouldn't loose their license if an under-age sale happens. Sounds like pre-paying a fine or maybe a bit of extortion by the state given that under-age sale violations often happen when the police hire a kid to buy a Zima in a sting operation.

Confused about the Bell's 2, 4, 6, and 8? Here's a rundown.

In addition to the World Class / Upland / Beer Geek Challenge where you get your homebrew distributed across Indiana, Sam Adams has a similar contest. No details yet except an entry window of August 1-18.

Dateline May 12, 2006. Long Island Beer Festival. $45 tickets. Organizers pre-sold more tickets than the indoor venue would hold. By some reports over 1000 more tickets. They start turning away people with tickets. Then the fire marshal shuts the place down.

Worst opening paragraph award goes to MSNBC: "When I last cracked open quarterly results from Boston Beer (NYSE: SAM), its stock was hopping in response to frothy earnings. This time around, shares lost more than 5% in recent trading. While sales remain stout, a drop in first-quarter profits left a sour taste among investors.

Press release: Mad Hatter Days - Friday, June 9 - Saturday, June 10 - Celebrate Mad Hatter with New Holland. Enjoy regular Mad Hatter, Imperial Hatter, Nitro Hatter, Black Hatter, Oak Aged Hatter, Rauch Hatter, Belgian Imperial Hatter and Hatterized Hatter, as well as other food and drink specials. Dance the night away on Saturday at the Hatter's Disco, beginning at 9PM. Don't forget your favorite 70s apparel, and practice those disco moves for the dance off.

BarrelHouse brewery in Cincinnati has installed a bottling line and you know what that means - RedLegg Ale, Boss Cox Double Dark IPA, Cumberland Pale Ale, Duveneck's Dortmunder Style Lager, and Hocking Hills Hefeweizen may be here in 22oz bottles soon. They are currently being distributed in Ohio by Cavalier. article

Young's has announced they will close the Ram Brewery in Wandsworth, London, and move all their brewing to Charles Wells' Eagle Brewery in Bedford. No date for the move was given. Here's some quotes from their press release that will infuriate CAMRA:

  • "Young’s is moving some of its specialist brewing equipment and members of its brewing staff to Bedford" (Layoffs).
  • "The Young’s board will then be in a position to develop and increase its present estate of 205 pubs." (Young's will become a pub management group).
  • "As we prepare to say goodbye to Britain’s oldest brewery, founded in the reign of Elizabeth I and run by my family since 1831, we must avoid shedding tears and instead consider the advantages that our move will have."
  • "...we shall benefit from access to Charles Wells’ brands, including three speciality lagers, the Red Stripe Jamaica Lager Beer and Kirin Ichiban, Japan’s number one beer, which are brewed under licence at Bedford, and Corona Extra..." (Lagers at Young's pubs)

In the beer menu at 't Brugs Beertje there's an article entitled "The Definition of Lambic".

On 31 March 1993 a Koninklijk Besluit (Royal Decree) on beer was passed by the Belgian parliament that changed the definition of what constitutes a lambic beer. . . "acid beers where spontaneous fermentation is part of the production process."

"Acid beer" is not a phrase that means an awful lot to a lambic brewer as even the sharpest gueuze should really be looking to be dry and tart rather than acidic. However, this is also helpfully defined thus . . . "beer with a total acidity of at least 30 milli-equivalents of NaOH per litre and a grade of volatile acids of at least 2 milli-equivalents of NaOH per litre. In acid beers of spontaneous fermentation at least 30% of the total weight of the incorporated starch- or sugar-containing ingredients must consist of wheat".

This means that, for example, a beer made from 10% real spontaneously fermented lambic and 90% ultra-dry wheat beer is permitted to be sold as "gueuze-lambic".

You may think that such a dippy definition of this most traditional of craft products came about because politicians have little expertise when it comes to beer. But this is not necessarily true. For example, Jean-Luc Dehaene, who was Prime Minister of Belgium back in 1993, knows enough about it to be appointed to the Board of Interbrew. Interbrew happens to make Belle-Vue "gueuze-lambic", which some cynics claim falls somewhat short of being an oude gueuze.

Headline: Scientists brew menopause beer. And you get to lick the foam off your mustache.

Revealed. Horse Piss beer is actually BBC's Golden Ale (which they don't bottle under that name).

HeBrew will have a hoppy rye called RIPA - a tribute to Lenny Bruce. Genesis 10/10 is just out, a 10% 10-malt version of the original Genesis.

6/6/6 will herald another version of Vertical Epic. The brewmaster, Steve Wagner, says "Appearance: Dark brown to black with a tan head. Aroma: Fruity, phenolic yeast notes with dark malt roastiness. Flavor: Clove, smooth roasted malt, mild spiciness, and some hop bitterness. A dry finish with apparent alcohol. Palate: Medium to full-bodied, good carbonation…no astringency. Overall: Very full and complex…not sure how it will develop." No word on a style though.

News compiled by Bob Ostrander, Marketing Director. It's all considered accurate but then Bob has been known to have a drink or two while writing this so-called tome. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the Brewers of Indiana Guild, in which case Bob will lose his job. All coupon offers are for Associate Members only, non-transferable, and may be withdrawn due to unforeseen circumstances, acts of the gods, bankruptcy, or other capricious reasons. It's illegal in Indiana to offer any alcoholic beverage at discount through coupons, prizes, or the fact that the drinker is female. Sorry.