Indiana Brewery News - November, 2006

The ad reads: "Partial to Full Ownership Opportunity in South Bend, Indiana Microbrewery. NINE G Brewing Company is searching for individuals interested in owning (partially or fully) the only microbrewery in South Bend. We are close to downtown and Notre Dame. You must be interested in taking an active role in the business. We introduced 3 brands of beer in December, 2005. Since then, we have added 1 brand and have experienced a 231% growth rate in the last three months. Our distribution includes the majority of Michigan, and we self distribute in Indiana . We operate a 15 barrel Pub brewing system with 6 fermentation tanks and 5 brite tanks. We also operate a 6-head Meheen that was purchased new last year. We offer all of our beers in bottles, ?, ?, and 1/6 barrel kegs. Our facility is 8000 square feet and is designed for growth. There are 2 roughed in offices, a roughed in conference room and a roughed in tap room. We also have a full lab, locker room, and a large cold room. Contact Tim Rusch at inquiries@ninegbrewing.com and expect a prompt reply. All inquiries will be handled in strict confidence.

Lafayette Brewing will extend the range of their in-house pops and have given them a brand name, Tecumseh Brewhouse Sodas. Coming up: Tecumseh Birch Beer.

Latest Wi-Fi hotspot? Rich O's has joined the Broad Ripple Brewpub, Brugge, Mishawaka Brewing, Indy's Downtown BW3, and the Columbus Bar.

WARBIRD BREWING TO BOTTLE EXPANDED BEER RANGE

We've received this report from Dave Holmes, Owner and Operations Group Commander of Warbird

This has been an eventful year for Warbird Brewing Company and I am happy to provide an update going into the holiday season.

In April, the Warbird brand was acquired for distribution in Northeast Indiana by Five Star Distributing, based in Huntington, Indiana. Simultaneously, Warbird was also picked up for distribution in Northwest Indiana by North Coast Distributing in Valparaiso, Indiana. Warbird distribution and sales have steadily increased. We are very pleased with the efforts of our distributors in Northern Indiana. We continue to self-distribute in a limited fashion in Indianapolis. For 2007, we anticipate developing distributor relationships in central and southern Indiana.

Matt Hill continues to make exceptional quality beer for us, and we were happy to receive a Gold Medal at the 2006 Indiana Brewer’s Cup for our T-6 Red Ale. Our T-6 Red Ale has done well on draft, as has our P-47 Warbird Wheat. A month ago, we released a special small batch edition of our Lightning Ale, named after the fabled P-38 Lightning. The Lightning Ale is a soft-bodied kolsch-style ale with enough hop to be flavorful but subtle enough to be drinkable. If you ever had Matt’s kolsch at the Oyster Bar, this is essentially the same beer with a few tweaks. It is destined to be a favorite of craft beer connoisseurs.

The big news at Warbird is our expansion into bottles. Rumors circulated this summer that we were “having problems” with our wheat beer in cans. To the contrary, we canned a couple of cases and they did fine. We simply did not have the cash or floor space to purchase enough pre-printed wheat cans to make that a viable effort. After much consideration, we decided that we could not survive as a business in cans alone. The business volume was simply not enough. It is an absolute fact that cans protect beer better than bottles. It is also an absolute fact that the majority of people who want to buy craft beer want to buy it in a dark brown bottle. So, we are now in the process of putting Warbird beer in bottles. For those of you who “get” cans and want a great portable beer, we will continue to can our T-6 Red Ale. Perhaps some day you will see other Warbird beer in cans. Today, our big effort is to get our beer going into bottles.

The good news about bottles is that we can make relatively small quantities of different styles of beer. You will notice that, except for the T-6, we have stopped numbering our beers. The numbers are confusing to most, unless you really know airplanes, and some people thought we were selling chemicals. All of these beers will be available in 12 oz brown bottles. Here is our lineup:

T-6 Red Ale (named after the North American AT-6)

This is our flagship and has kept us in business in cans for 2 years now. This is the same beer that we put in the can, so the cans are really a bargain. We obviously pay more for the glass, labels, cardboard carriers, etc. Still, if you enjoy the feel of a glass bottle at your lips, this is for you…and all the restaurants and bars who refuse to serve “canned beer.”

Mustang Gold Ale (named after the North American P-51 Mustang)

This is a mild golden ale, made with our standard 2-row malt, Hallertau hops, our house yeast, and charcoal filtered water. It is a light-bodied easy drinking beer that is another entry point for people who have not yet found a craft beer that is enjoyable to them. This strategy of “growing the category” with an approachable beer has done very well for us with the T-6 and is actually intended for people who don’t drink our T-6 because it is a “dark beer.” At an SRM of 15, we don’t really see it that way, but we understand where they are coming from.

Warhawk Pale Ale (named after the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk

This is our first entry into the American Pale Ale category. I am not a big personal fan of American Pale Ales, so I am relying on Matt to make it so that craft beer drinkers will appreciate it. I know he won’t disappoint you. We use a more complicated malt bill for this beer and it is also our first beer to use 3 different hop varieties. I’m going to leave it to you beer geeks to guess all the ingredients. We have to leave a little mystery, don’t we?

Thunderbolt Wheat (named after the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt)

This is our traditional unfiltered German-style hefeweizen that has done very well on draft for the last year. Bob Ostrander and others have had some very nice things to say about this beer. We believe we have tremendous demand for this beer in bottles and we hope we are right. If you haven’t tried Thunderbolt Wheat, it is a fragrant (clove, banana, and vanilla) hefeweizen brewed with German Pilsner and wheat malt and Hallertau hops. It is a beautiful and refreshing beer. Traditionally, this is a summer beer, but we see a lot of people drinking it, even though the weather is cold now.

We hope to have all these beers in stores by December 15, 2006. We look forward to having an exciting and successful 2007.

Cheers and tailwinds,
Dave Holmes
Operations Group Commander
194th Brewing Wing
1st Brew Force
Warbird Brewing Company

UPLAND CREATES FRED NEWELL FUND

BLOOMINGTON, November 8, 2006

On Thursday, November the 2nd, around 2 pm in the afternoon, a woman (who police claim tested a .24 blood alcohol level at the scene) ran a red light on Curry Pike and T-Boned an Upland van being driven by Associate Chef Fred Newell.

Fred sustained two skull fractures and two broken knees, a broken collarbone, hemorrhaging of the brain, as well as contusions and a broken nose. Fred was rushed to Bloomington Hospital Emergency Room, and although his condition is stable as of this writing, he remains in the BHS Critical Care Ward. (The woman driver had an infant with her in her vehicle that also suffered severe, though not life-threatening injuries.)

An excellent cook, and a consummate professional, Fred is a long time Bloomington resident and has been active in the restaurant community for more than 30 years. Some of the premium restaurants in which he has worked include The American Legion, The Limestone Grill, U-Club, Puccini’s and of course, Upland. If you are a person who dines out with any regularity in Bloomington, you may very well have enjoyed a meal prepared in part by Fred Newell.

Yes, insurance will cover many of Fred’s medical expenses, but not all expenses. We all know how this works! So, to assist Fred on his road to recovery, Upland Brewing Company and Irwin National Bank have created a charitable fund in Fred’s name.

Our Pledge: Upland will match 100% of any donation, no matter how large or small to the “Fred Newell Fund.”

Donations to The Fred Newell Fund can be made using cash, check, or credit card. Any amount you can spare will be warmly welcomed and greatly appreciated!

Meanwhile, Every Thursday Night from 6pm-8pm $1 from every pint and $2 from every pitcher will be donated to The Fred Newell Fund.

Special Note: On December 8th, Upland will host a benefit auction for Fred. For information on how to donate to the Fred Newell Benefit Auction, please contact Ryan Harvey: Tel: 812 336 2337, or ryan@uplandbeer.com

Wow. Brennan Corder can throw a party. Monday night's Belgian Tripel Tasting at Kahn's had 34, count 'em, 34 to try. Affligem to Westmalle, Allagash to Unibroue. 26 Belgian and Dutch. 8 US and Canada. That's astounding. About 80 people who were there agree. Everyone was blown away.

Brennan's idea was to have a blind tasting, therefore 34 paper bags were utilitized with score sheets to keep track. Then 80 people show up. Whoops and Whee. Tough to get to the two serving tables.

The "winner" was really Ryan Moss (above at left), he came over from his job at the Broad Ripple Brewpub and had 32 of the offerings. His favorites: Chimay Cinq Cents, Westmalle Tripel, and Unibroue La Fin Du Monde.

Miller's Classic Chocolate Lager will be sold in Indiana through December. $6 per 4-pack according to the WSBT TV web site in South Bend picked this AP news up.

This is a bit odd but there's an opportunity for a brewer in Costa Rica. VolcanoBrew is looking for someone who is: an expert brewer, capable of running a small business, interested and capable of living outside of the US for most of the year, and able to invest approximately $92K in the first year to get started in Costa Rica, ($57K for brew business start up costs, $25K for your own 4X4 [there is a 50% car tax in CR], $10K spending money for the first year). Let us know how your interview turns out.

The 14th Annual Big Red festival in Bloomington was probably the best yet. The attendance on Thursday was lighter than previously due to the rain and cold weather and that might have made it seem nicer but the entire atmosphere was jollier and the public seemed to be much more interested in the beer rather than the alcohol. Hurrah to the IU students. Hurrah also to Big Red.

There were lots of new beers at the 52 (!) tables that served an average of 5 beers each.

Bell's has pulled out of Illinois for a year due to conflicts with a distributor that bought the Illinois business from another distributor without (and without needing) Bell's permission. Probably won't affect Bell's sales much as there will now be more for the MI/IN/OH/PA/KY/MO market and they might move into the Carolinas. Meanwhile, more cross-state-line traffic to The Liquor Stop in Highland for Bells and Three Floyds combined shopping will add to its gold-mine economic status. Mark Mahon found a longer exposition about Bell's temporary exit from Illinois and their new presence in Iowa.

Rumor has it the shakeup among distributors in Illinois will affect more than Bell's (who plan to stay out of the market for a year). Beers imported by Merchant du Vin may (repeat, may - this is a rumor) be in short supply in Illinois for a time - including Ayinger, Lindeman's, Orval, Rochfort Sam Smith, Traquair House, and Westmalle.

The JD Wetherspoon chain of 657 pubs throughout Britain have experimentally made 92 pubs non-smoking to see what the results of government bans will be. After one year at these test pubs, total sales were down 6.5%. Beer sales were down but that income was balanced by increased, although lower margin, food sales. One other effect was on "machine sales" - fruit machines, gambling devices - where a 8.4% drop in income was enough to be noticed on the bottom line.

Congratulation to some of our favorite spots for being named "Best of Indy" in this year's NUVO public voting:

Public Service Announcement. Don't toss a beer keg into a fire. If you learn nothing else today, class, please learn this. Headline: Man Killed When Beer Keg Explodes

Beer truck crashes into potato chip truck. Don't get too excited, it was in Australia. Took 12 hours to clean up. Four sessions at Weight Watchers for the clean-up crew.

Thailand's alcohol consumption is up 67% from 10 years ago. Thais now annually drink 41.6 liters each - ranking 5th in the world. No wonder all alcohol advertising will, by law, disappear on Dec 1. The minimum drinking age will also go from 18 to 25. Not a happy ending.

Somebody asked recently if Zima is still sold. Well, yes, in lemon/lime, punch, orange, and cherry ("attention-grabbing colors"). BUT Coors has a plan to relaunch it in April with new packaging and a new, higher 5.9% ABV. For the record, malternative sales peaked in 1994.

Goose Island's Imperial Brown Goose will be released on November 15th. It's a blend of 2004 and 2005 Christmas Ales that have been aged in bourbon barrels. No word whether any of the 180 cases (total) will make it to Indiana.

Oaken Barrel's new Johnny's Brown is a completely different beer from the old Leroy Brown. It's richer, thicker, and taste bud coating. There may be some Apple Buzz left but, as always, get it quick. This year's Buzz is really cloudy with an "earth coler"; a tart apple attack with what might be a beery background. The linger finish appears right in the center of your tongue. They went through half of the 12bbl batch in the first 4 days. Coming up: Epiphany Double IPA which is aging right now to let the 1086 OG blend in with the Galena, Amarillo, Cascade, and Simcoe hops.

Fortune magazine lists the "6 best beers for this fall". Fuller's Vintage, Anchor Our Special, SN Celebration, Affligem Noel, Great Divide Hibernation, and Brooklyn Black Chocolate sound a lot more "6 of the best beers for this winter" really.

You can now legally take beer into Ohio. A law there prohibiting transport by the public into the state has been ruled unconstitutional because it "indirectly discriminates against out-of-state purchases, and thus creates an impermissible burden on interstate commerce." article

The European Union is trying to raise the minimum alcohol excise tax and Czechoslovakia is not happy about it. The 1.3¢ per half-litre increase would affect beer but not wine. article

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. Some 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.


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