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Brewers of Indiana Guild Newsletter - March, 2008

Indiana Brewery News

The Elkhart Truth says a Mad Anthony franchise will be the centerpiece of a big redevelopment project in Elkhart's downtown area. article It isn't signed in blood yet exactly but a Truth editorial says ""It's not just a dream. It is possible."

Snowplowed Winter Ale is on at all Mad Anthony locations. Grab a growler. Assertive yet friendly - just like an uncle I once had.

Grumpy's Oatmeal Stout at the Mishawaka Brewing has remarkably thick mouthfeel for a 6.2% beer. Very opaque and served on CO₂.

Shoreline's bottling line isn't ready yet but the first of Sam Stupek's 7 Oak Aged Porters will be out this spring. They are also going to start a "Firkin Thursday" with a fresh cask of something different will be offered until it runs out. At right, Nicole Miller helps the Smoked Porter run out for a take-home customer.

They've also expanded their homebrew supply center with kits, supplies, vessels, etc. Grain is milled to order from the brewery stock.

Three Floyds, new, more not normal entrance

A tale of 5 Smoked Porters. During a trip to Chicago we tried some very varied variations.

• Shoreline's Smokestack Porter - Over the top. Roasty, sweet chocolate, some smoke in the background. Chewy thick.
• Three Floyds Ham on Rye - Brewed in conjunction with Piece Brewing's Jon Cutler. Wyermann malt for smoky goodness. Rye for drying. Much like Schlenkerla's Weiss beer. Excellent marriage. If Schlenkerla is your go-to desert island beer this will be your very close second choice.
• Goose Island (Wrigleyville) Second Hand Smoke - Big creamy CO₂ head with shocking effervescence. Good mouthfeel. Medium use of smoked malt in a good, basic porter. This is actually a "Small Beer" made from the 2nd runnings of Ed. 5% ABV.
• Goose Island (Clybourn) Ed Imperial Smoked Brown Goose uses 80% beechwood smoked malt. 9%. More smoke. Served in a snifter. Very dark brown. Leather, smoke, and beef more than bacon. Starts sweet and alcohol is quite noticable.
• Piece Big Black Mariah Smoked Porter - Touch of smoke in a robust brown porter. Easily the easiest drinking of the five.

Nick Floyd got interviewed at DrinkCraftBeer. "We will be doing some sour stuff. A real Berliner Weisse… some krieks… and framboise I think."

RateBeer now has Three Floyds Oak Aged Dark Lord listed as the best beer in the world (the "normal" Dark Lord ranks 13th). Dreadnaught ranks 43rd, Alpha King is 65th, Behemoth Barleywine is 81st and Alpha Klaus is 93rd.

Plus, Rich O's is the 8th best bar in the world and The Heorot comes in at #30. Mad Anthony's Fort Wayne tap room is #48. Go Indiana.

A pilot batch being brewed in a Broad Ripple basement may well become Brugge Cripple de Ripple - an Imperial Tripel at 1.134 OG.
 

Coming: Jim Cibak's Crown Brewing, Crown Point, IN. www.crownbrewing.com for some details. Building at right.

There is also a tiny 5-gallon brewery in the works in the Sycamore Marketplace in Kokomo.

BJ's Restaurant's conference call says they'll open in Indianapolis (Greenwood) in the 2nd quarter, 2008.

Who's that on the Upland Ard Ri label? It's Stan Stephens, Wolfie, and Harley - co-owners of The Heorot. Bonus: Stan's wearing his home-made chain-mail. very interesting article

Lafayette Brewing has teamed up with The Buffalo Ranch in Buffalo, Indiana for their new bison steaks and burgers. Grass-fed, organic, and lean.

Indiana Beer News

BadaBoomz in Indy has a Monday $2.75 pints special. Indiana pints are $3.75 on Wednesdays.

Celis comes to Indiana. Pierre Celis licensed Michigan Brewing Company years back and their growth has finally brought them south. Celis White, Grand Cru, Pale Bock, and Belgian Raspberry along with the full line of Michigan beers (including Mackinac Pale, Sunset Amber, High Seas IPA, Nut Brown Ale, and Wheatland Wheat Ale) will be available soon from Cavalier Distributing.

Also new - Lakefront IPA and Bock, Dixie Lager and Blackened Voodoo, Mendocino Bock, and Koninghoeven Trappist Bock will also be here soon.

Berliner Weisse is back in Indiana. 1809 Berliner Weisse (5% ABV) from Weihenstephan is available at the bigger liquor stores who stock such things. Cole tells us Kahns in Indy has it for instance. Also Ola Dubh - Old Engine Oil (8% ABV) aged in Highland Park casks - that we discussed before.

“1809” is a very traditional interpretation of the “Berliner Style” Weisse with an intense blend of lactic tartness and complex fruitiness. It is bottle-conditioned, unfiltered and unpasteurized. "1809" will age beautifully in a dark and cool location. Its complex fruitiness and tartness will most likely develop in quite astonishing ways. “1809” is fermented in traditional open fermenters and horizontal lager tanks. The applied mashing regime is a single step decoction mash with 50 % wheat malt.The total amount of hops is added to the mash so that isomerisation takes place in the decocotion part of the mash. The wort is not boiled but only heated up to boiling temperature and then transferred to the open fermenters and pitched with yeast and lactic acid bacteria (isolated from malt) at 64°F.

More beers in Indiana. Winding Road Distributors' sales sheet lists Rademacher, Podkovan, Aktien, Allgauer, Weltenburger, Aldaris, Alhambra among their large selection. You'll find these mainly in the northern climes of Indiana.

Also coming to Indiana: Magic Hat. Maybe Primator with a full line of beers. And New Belgium is looking to expand to Indiana.

Homebrew News

The newest Indiana homebrew club is in Kokomo. The Howard County Homebrewers are just starting up and if you're in the area stop in for a meeting. www.setbb.com/hchomebrew

Homebrewers, you may want to consult with a beer judge before you enter your beer into the Indiana State Fair Brewers Cup. This email from Anita Johnson tells it all.

Would you like to enter your beer in a competition but you aren't certain which beer style category best describes your beer? One of the most common mistakes beer competition entrants make is mis-categorizing their beer--entering it in the wrong beer subcategory.

At the Beer Entry Categorization event, we will have panels of trained beer judges available to taste your beer and help you determine which subcategory best describes it. This is your chance to interact with beer judges about your specific beer. Judges will be available from Noon to 2 PM on Saturday, March 15th at the Farm Bureau Building on the grounds of the Indiana State Fair.

The timing of this event will help those who want to enter the National Homebrew Competition or the Indiana State Fair Brewers Cup in July. There is no charge for this informal event. All we ask is that you email us at brewerscup@indianastatefair.com  to let us know you are coming and how many beers you will be bringing for evaluation.

For a complete listing of beer styles and descriptions, go to the Beer Judge Certification Program Style Center. Watch the Indiana State Fair Brewers Cup website for details of the 2008 competition.

Great Fermentations will order hop rhizomes before April 1st. Contact them to order and grow your own hops. Plant this spring and get anywhere from 1/2 lb to 2 lbs next year.

Upcoming Events

Please see http://www.brewersofindianaguild.com/events.shtml for Indiana (and some surrounding area) events. Also lists bands playing at member brewpubs.

On Tap

Please see http://www.brewersofindianaguild.com/ontap.html for the current tap lists of Indiana Breweries.

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

Breckenridge's Agave Wheat has been delayed because of a third rejection of federal label approval. "This is a completely different approval process since the Agave Wheat Ale is brewed with an additional, non typical, ingredient (agave nectar). We believe final approval will be granted in the next two weeks and until then; we have halted both packaging and shipping."

Shepherd Neame Scallop Stout. "'There's a hint of smokiness and a slight taste of the sea but no fishiness. I can find no scientific reason for why it works, but it does,' said brewer Stewart Main." They also plan crab and periwinkle. article

"We do not imagine that His Holiness will be swapping holy water for Holy Grail just yet, but to have him enjoy one of our favorite tipples is a real honor for the whole brewery and give the Holy Grail ale name a whole new meaning.” article

Here's a link to the video of Rick Reed's 3-beer brewery tour/rant at Cricket Hill Brewing. That's passion. What does "cold" taste like?

Boston Beer (Sam Adams) is going to share 20,000 pounds of EKG and Tettnang hops with other commercial brewers. Neat idea. Nice guys. Nice publicity. At least three Indiana Brewers have already applied. info

Rwandan brewer Bralirwa plans to replace malt with 5,000 tons of maize in their Primus brand of beers. "The brewer has revealed that it will be replacing malt in some of its brands with locally grown maize in a bid to hedge off the impact of rising global prices for the basic inputs of beer production. Company officials say global prices for grains such as malt, yeast and other inputs including sugar and fuel were rising sharply leaving, brewers in the unenviable position of either increasing consumer prices for their brews or limiting the impact on margins by attempting substitution. . . Primus used to contain a sorghum content of 12 per cent. Sources say that ongoing laboratory tests will determine whether this ratio can be stretched to as high as 20 per cent without affecting consumer perceptions of the brand."

Up in Grand Rapids, the Michigan Brewers Guild's Winter Beer Festival had some location problems. Ice, multiple levels, lack of loos, and outdoors. Let the flame wars begin.

Wanna see a picture of a green-haired Tom Schlafly?

"The Great Lakes Region — comprised of Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio — saw a 28.1 percent increase in (craft beer) sales from $54.4 million in 2006 to $69.6 million in 2007." article

Heineken has been told to take down their website www.heineken.fr because it violates French alcohol advertising laws. "The brewer was also banned from using its ‘for a fresher world’ slogan on ads, because it implied drinking could make the world seem a better place." article

In an unrelated ruling, Nutella has been told to pull a TV ad that claimed Nutella is edible. article

Headline: "Jack Daniel's Master Distiller to Retire". That means there's a job open in Tennessee and you don't have to bring your own hops. article

Wynkoop's Beer Fiend of the Year is Matt Venzke of York, VA. You don't know him but you want to. pick an article

A while back archeologists found dregs of a beer in a 3100 year old pot in Honduras. Analysis showed it was brewed from cacao (chocolate) pulp. Now Dogfish Head is replicating that beer for an August release. Theobroma is made with cacao powder, cacao nibs, honey, chilies, and annatto seeds.

If Miller Chill (lime & salt) sends little sparks of electricity running through your insanity meter then Bud Light Lime should make you shudder. Rolls out on May 5 with a $35,000,000 national ad campaign. Think how much Dark Lord they could buy for $35M. "Bud Light Lime is preferred 50% over the competition Miller Chill." That probably means Miller Chill was preferred 50% of the time over Bud Light Lime. Insert animated exploding head graphic here.

"The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board spokesman Nick Hays says the idea of mobile liquor stores is just one of several possibilities the agency is weighing to make wine and hard liquor more available in rural parts of the state." article

Homebrewer, get raided in New Zealand for having a meth lab. Whoops, that was a "still" or as the wife refers to it: "my husband's bloody ginger beer set-up". article

The Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, England's oldest pub, is built into a cave. In Limpopo, South Africa, there's a bar inside a tree.

Two years ago Britain expanded their opening times and the media screamed "24-hour binge drinking will ruin the country". Turns out there is 1 (one) pub in the whole country that stays open all the time. Where? Would you guess Blandford Forum, Dorset - a town of 9,000 people? article

Some beers and other drain food to avoid:

• Nick Stafford's Hambleton Ales Toleration - "Brewed using water, Challenger, Liberty, and Cascade hops, top-fermenting yeast and specially prepared sugars." 4.4%. Gluten-free but not marked that way on the label. In fact, the logo in the center of the label includes a stalk of grain. But that's not the only reason not to drink this. It's sweet with a rank taste reminiscent of burnt sugar (but that's probably a subconscious effect).
• Sprecher Original Seefurth Family Mamma Mia! Pizza Beer - "Ale brewed with Oregano, Basil, Tomato & Garlic". The oregano and garlic come through in the aroma. Lots of taste but raw and rough. Come on now. Garlic beer? This gimmick will fade fast but the aftertaste lingers on.
• Christengel Gluhwein - "Compliments cakes, stollen and desserts". Because only something even sweeter than this will keep you from going into diabetic shock. 10%.

Utah - "The amount of liquor allowed in the standard cocktail will increase from 1 ounce to 1.5 ounces . . " - "Gov. Jon Huntsman has said he wants the change so Utah won't appear so strange to the rest of the world." article

New Holland is now brewing on their German 50bbl system and a new bottling line which will let them expand to 10,000bbl annual production. article

News compiled by Bob Ostrander, Marketing Director/Webmaster. 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. Any resemblance of beer to any person living or dead is purely a coincidence.