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Brewers of Indiana Guild Newsletter - February, 2009

Upcoming Events

Lots more events, tastings, etc. at http://www.brewersofindianaguild.com/events.shtml. Liquor store tastings include

Mondays: Kahn's Keystone, Indy. 5-7pm.
Tuesdays: Chalet Party Shoppe #3 CR 17 Elkhart. 5-7pm
Thursdays: Keg Liquors Clarksville. 5-8pm.
Fridays: Liquor Locker, Evansville. 4-7pm
Fridays: Parti Pak, Greenwood. 6-10pm

Give your Salvatory glands a couple of week's head start for Gravity Head. Roger has a potential lineup posted. Here's the beers over 11%. Gravity just waiting to happen.

• Moylan Double Kilt Lifter 11%
• Het Anker Cuvee Van de Keizer 11%
• Two Brothers Bare Tree 2007 11%
• Allagash Curieux (Bourbon Barrel Aged Tripel) 11%
• Harviestoun Ola Dubh Highland Park 18-year and 40-year circa 11%
• Rogue Old Crustacean Barley Wine (Batch 6530; Jan. 2003) 11%
• NABC Thunderfoot (2008) circa 11%
• JW Lees Vintage Harvest Ale 11.5%
• NABC Malcolm’s Old Setter’s Ale 2008 12%
• Regenboog ‘t Smisje BBBourgondier 12%.
• Regenboog 't Smisje Calva Reserva (E. Dupont calvados barrel aged) 12%
• Regenboog 't Smisje Grand Reserva (whiskey-barrel) 12%
• Victory V-Twelve 12%
• Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron 12%
• De Dolle Stille Nacht 12%
• Three Floyds Behemoth Blonde Barley Wine 12.5%
• Struise Black Albert Belgian Royal Stout 13%
• Samichlaus Bier and Samichlaus Bier Helles 14%
• Avery The Beast Grand Cru 14.9%
• Dogfish Head Olde School Barleywine 15.04%
• L'Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien (aged in oak formerly used for red wine and grappa) 15.5%
• Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA 20%

B.I.G. News

Winterfest. Synopsis: Sold out. About 2500 people - no accurate count yet. Crowded. Here's a link to the article in the Indy Star from the day before the fest; with previews by Liz, Jason, and Mat.

Pictures are up on IndianaBeer.

Your webmaster has put together a 2008 Year in Rebrew for the nostalgic but short-memoried.

Indiana Legal News and deep thought

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Jan 5, 2009 - Don't expect Indiana lawmakers to consider any bills to repeal a ban on Sunday liquor sales during the General Assembly's legislative session this year. The session kicks off on Wednesday.

A group will delay its effort at persuading legislators to change the state's ban on Sunday alcohol sales at drug, grocery and convenience stores. Hoosiers for Beverage Choices had formed in August to push for changes to the state alcohol laws.

But Grant Monahan, president of the Indiana Retail Council, says that no bill will be introduced this session because legislative leaders have called for a moratorium on alcohol-related legislation for the General Assembly session. Instead, the topic will likely be assigned to a two-year interim study committee on alcoholic beverage issues.

Senate Bill 442 has been sent to committee. If passed it will let Indiana microbreweries and brewpubs sell beer for carryout on Sunday. This means growlers, etc. It will add a line to 7.1-3-2-7(5).

(5) If the brewer's brewery manufactures not more than twenty thousand (20,000) barrels of beer in a calendar year, do the following:
(I) Sell the brewery's beer as authorized by this section for carryout on Sunday in a quantity at any one (1) time of not more than one-quarter (1/4) barrel, but the beer may be contained in bottles or other permissible containers.

Explanation of State Expenditures: This bill could increase administrative expenditures for the Alcohol and Tobacco Commission (ATC) by requiring the ATC to amend rules governing issuance of a brewer’s permit. It is estimated that the ATC will be able implement this provision with its existing level of resources.

Explanation of State Revenues: This bill allows a brewer to sell beer for carryout on Sundays to a consumer at a quantity of not more than one-quarter barrel. To the extent that the provision of this bill increases alcoholic beverage sales, collections of alcoholic beverage excise taxes could increase. Any impact on Sales Tax revenue is expected to be minimal since any additional purchases of alcohol would likely reduce consumer spending on other sales taxable items.

The alcoholic beverage excise taxes are distributed in varying amounts to the following funds: state General Fund, the Post War Construction Fund, the Enforcement and Administration Fund, the Addiction Services Fund, and the Wine Grape Market Development Fund. The state retains 50% of the General Fund distribution of beer and wine excise tax revenue. The remainder is distributed to cities and towns based on population.

WLFI TV in Lafayette ran a story about 2 bills in the works; Election Day sales and Sunday brewpub growler sales. Even with the hiatus of alcohol laws this year, these may pass. The story has interviews with 4 liquor store managers and Greg Emig. article with 2 minute video

Meanwhile, morning Sunday sales as well as a state-wide smoking ban have been defeated in Michigan.

Jason Larrison has put together a must-read State of the Six Pack report covering many topics of beer in Indiana. Comments by the professionals. It's on Hoosier Beer Geek in 3 parts. One - Economy, Hops. Two - Craft vs Mega. Three - Sunday and Online sales.

Indiana's state beverage is - - - water. "Why we didn't pick beer for our state beverage -- Indiana Amber comes to mind -- is beyond me." space-filling article

Indiana Brewery News

We're told the Indianapolis Granite City will open on Feb 10th. 96th and Meridian. Not confirmed yet.

Chris Johnson and Brett VanderPlaats have a web site up now about their upcoming brewery, the People's Brewing Company, in Lafayette. Chris was the brewer at Lafayette Brewery for many years. The new venture uses a name from a pre-prohibition brewery in Terre Haute. It seems to be destined to be a brewery rather than a brewpub.

The Elkhart Mad Anthony's is open.

Mad Anthony's sponsored Shigs In Pit Competition BBQ Team finished the year ranked 22nd in Team of the Year Standings. Over 4500 Teams were ranked by the Kansas City BBQ Society.

Crown Brewing is welcoming Steve Mazylewski as their new head brewer, replacing Jim Cibak. Steve has 20 years of brewing include the Wild Onion brewpub in Lake Barrington, IL, and the Hog Haus in Fayetteville, AR.

Nick speaks (in Beer Advocate): "3floyds.com is now Three Floyds Brewing Co official website but you can still order things from threefloyds.com. We are having trouble getting our own domain name back?? Three Floyds will be selling DarkLord Day Tickets in the near future to assure everyone that waits in line will get to buy some DarkLord and as always we are trying to smooth out any kinks in the festival so everyone is happy."

Internet streaming aviation radio. Beer. What do they have in common? Warbird of course. "FLiR also produces The Warbird Beer Show, from the Warbird Brewery. The Warbird Beer Show is a 1 hour talk show hosted by “Sidney”, a flight surgeon / psychiatrist / brewer / warbird owner, and “Scratch”, a quick witted, cigar smokin’ warbird restoration specialist. The show features topical aviation related news, interviews, and occasionally they talk about beer. The Warbird Beer Show is recorded each Saturday and replayed throughout the week." press release - link to FLiR

Indiana Retailers News

Courtney Hall and the The Hop Shop get a Q&A in the Indianapolis Star. article bonus use of the word dopplebach. Twice.

Bob Tiplick is planning an addition to The Parti Pak in Greenwood. Pending zoning approval he intends to build an extension to the east end for the liquor and wine. The entire existing store will become all beer - mostly craft beer. This will allow him to triple the space for beer and include a dedicated tasting center.

The homebrew supply inventory will also be re-started, something the south side needs.

The Parti Pak is rated Exceptional by RateBeer and Outstanding by Beer Advocate web sites. It, and a couple of stores in Carmel have become stops for Beer Tourists. These stores and some notable brewpubs have brought many people to Indianapolis. We at IndianaBeer look forward to Bob's enthusiasm being matched by the floor space to do it right.

Keg Liquors has a list of their most interesting bottles on Beer Advocate. Nice touch.

Bargain of the week, er, of next week: Chouffe is changing distributors in Indiana from Cavalier to World Class. Cari at Kahn's (Indy) got a deal on Cavalier's existing stock and will be selling 750s of LaChouffe, McChouffe, and Houblon Dobbelen IPA for $7. N'Ice will be $8. Starts Monday, Feb 2. Ends when the total of 70 cases runs dry.

Indiana Homebrew News

The Ohio Valley Homebrewers Association now has their expanded newsletter online. Full color and worth reading.

Want Ads

World Class Beverages in Indy is looking for an Administrative Assistant. Assists Sales Division management in efficiently carrying out routine duties. Provides clerical and administrative support to Sales Representative and all levels of Sales management. Provides customer service to internal and external customers. info

The New Albanian Brewing Company is making a provocative gesture in expanding its brewing operation beyond the longtime North Side compound off Grant Line Road to a new downtown New Albany facility, the Bank Street Brewhouse.

The Bank Street Brewhouse (415 Bank Street) will include a taproom/brasserie and full production brewing facility. Save for NABC's craft brewed beers, it will have little in common with our traditional pizzeria and pub. We are accepting applications for serving staff, kitchen positions and brewhouse support.

Indiana Beer News and Reviews

Headline: Three Floyds and Dogfish Head Collaborate To Brew Popskull. article

Late February at Oaken Barrel will see Small Batches of Kölsch, Snake Venom Oak Aged Porter, Irish Red, Double Chocolate Stout, and 2 more. A different beer will go on tap about every 5 days into March.

"Trouble" was unveiled at the Indianapolis Rock Bottoms. Jerry's at the downtown location is a Strong Belgian Golden at 8.9%. Very nice, very dangerous. Just the right spiciness. Liz's Tripel Trouble at 86th St. is a 9% Tripel. Rich. Right to style. Good burp factor.

BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse in southern Indianapolis is having an Imported Winter Warmer dinner. on Tues, Feb 10. 7pm. $30.

Their new Grand Cru is bright orange, cloudy, small head. Good carbonation. Orange citrus is very notable. Rich & to style for an Imperial Wit - especially at 10% ABV.

Stuart Hobson, former owner of Fisher's Liquors, is now licensed and making Indiana vodka. Only the second distiller in our state. article

DCist tells Washingtonians since they can't get Goose Island or Piece for the inauguration, they should drink Three Floyds at Birreria Paradiso. article

On Tap

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

Beers to find in Indiana

Some bottle reviews:

• Leinenkugel's Fireside Nut Brown - "Beer with natural flavor". Very hazelnutty and artificial but nice enough for the non-anal drinker.
• Shiner Holiday Cheer - "Ale brewed with peaches and pecans and with natural flavor and caramel color". Nutmeg. Nutty of black walnut. Maybe there's some peach in there somewhere.
• Shiner Bohemian Black Lager - Almost 7-Up fizziness. Malt dominates with vegetable and grapey notes. Could be a bit oxidized.
• Mishawaka Jibber Jabber - "Stout with coffee added". Foamy tan head. Not strong of coffee. Flavors blend nicely.
• Xingu Black Beer - Brazilian Black Schwartzbier. Not overly malty. Quite drinkable.
• Aris Greek Lager - East European Pils. All the Pils character without being skunky. OK stuff.
• Pike Naughty Nellie - "Brewed with organic ingredients". Pleasant lightish American Pale. Balanced. Nice rich golden color.
• Bornem Double Ale - Not an attractive beer to look at. Headless, dull and muddy brown. Malt, alcohol. Pineapple notes. Fairly nondescript. 8% ABV.
• Minhas Simpler Times Pilsner - Bright copper. Bright clean noble hop aroma. A good ballpark beer circa the 1950s.
• Cave Creek Chili Beer - "Premium lager beer with chili pepper added". This stuff has changed recently (as has the label). It was previously vinegary and hot but they've changed the fruit to a plain green chili pepper. The pepper is not, itself, hot when eating. The beer, though, is very hot and the heat hits you immediately - before you can get any taste at all.
• Defumada Eisenbahn Smoked Lager - Another Brazilian and the gem of this collection. Very mild smoke on a good Dunkel. Rich, smooth, drinkable.

De Strusse Black Albert, the new hottest Russian Imperial Stout is now in Indiana. Seen at the Heorot and soon coming to the Fickle Peach. (thanks JT) Pricey stuff at $10+/pint, $10+/bomber in stores.

Rodney and Jess look at the Michelob "Craft" Pack at Hoosier Beer Geek. blog

Boulder Mojo Risin 10.5% IIPA will be on tap soon at Shallos, Rich O's, Columbus Bar, Patrick's Kitchen, Black Sparrow, Old Town Ale House, Constant Spring.

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

Brewing News is about to kick off their 2nd Annual National IPA Challenge. You can enter your bracket by Feb 21. Go to the "Locker Room" to sign up or see the competitors. The finals last year were held at the B.I.G. Microbrewers Festival (right).

Cincinatti's Christian Moerlein has been bringing back old local brands Burger and Hudepohl. Now they have bought the rights to Little Kings and plan to put out 7oz Cream Ales. Oh, the nostalgia.

Prohibition and Cincinnati. article

"No More Free Beer at Busch Theme Parks". article Here's to you Mr. Tilt-a-Whirl Vomit Cleaner Upper Guy.

Anheuser-Busch has been leasing England's oldest brewing plant, the 600 year old Stag Brewery in Mortlake, London. After 600 years, this former Watneys and Scottish Courage facility will be closed in 2010 by InBev. article

Ever wondered how to use beer in a mixed drink. Duvel, gin, and absinth go into a Green Devil. Other ideas

Youtube has a lot of Guinness commercials. Here's a starter.

Flash: Explosion Rocks Abita Brewery. article Tank was over pressurized. Heard 2 miles away. No injuries. 1am. Nobody deafened but shrapnel hits nearby home.

Latest blonde German size zero St. Pauli Girl unveiled. Well she's Slovaki-American, and not a size zero and she's not wearing a veil. But she is blonde, and enjoys wrestling. web site - press release

March of the Beers. Penguins have it easy. video - No beers were harmed in the making of this film.

If you've been laid off and your 401k is worth a case of Miller Lite, it could be worse. 80 years ago it became illegal to drink beer.

Mississippians for Economic and Beverage Advance is trying to raise the legal ABV of beer from 5% to 17%. blog

As if Iowa City isn't silly enough. First they want to have drink prices set by the week. Now they want police to breathalyze bartenders, wait staff, and the band. With a $500 fine for being over .02. article "It's probably going to pass".

Fail: Speedball brand beer. article Ghosts of John Belushi and River Phoenix ordered a growler to go.

Virginia is considering a privatization of their liquor stores, figuring to raise "a substantial amount of its $3 billion budget" with franchise fees while still collecting liquor taxes.

There's a shortage of chicken wings in Buffalo. article Everybody Panic

For your Kegerator, Tap Boards. Chalkboard and tap handle combined. $22 each. Comes with 1 page instruction manual "1) Choose a beer to serve. 2) Write the beer's name on the Tap Board with the included chalk. 3) Drink, Erase, Repeat."

Yuengling tour video. "88 pounds of hops 9,000 pounds of corn syrup, 2 buckets of seaweed."

While a good 99p pint is available in England, one restaurant is up to £5. article

The Tabistry blog is all about making women's clothes from beer can tabs. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Brookston Beer Bulletin's Top 10 Beer Stories of 2008. article

It's not beer but "John the toilet laid to rest at Utah restaurant". article

Old Style has announced new packaging, advertising, premium pricing, and "a return to the time-honored German brewing tradition of Authentic Kraeusening". All this while saying "We proudly brew our beer with the same quality we have for more than 100 years." Except for that pesky kraeusening, evidently. article

Police in Flint, MI are looking for 2 guys who stole 4 cases of Bud. "They should get caught just based on the fact they risked a criminal record for Budweiser of all beers." article that is an example of why they don't have comments on IndianaBeer.

News compiled by Bob Ostrander, Webmaster. It's probably fairly accurate but then Bob has been known to have a drink or two while making this stuff up. Please contact the customer service department in Billings, MT if you have any questions, comments, or blackmail notes to present.