The Scene: Noblesville Brewfest

So when we started this, I thought for sure these festivals would be the best place to try a bunch of different beers that you hadn't had before. They really aren't.

Everyone brings their flag ships and I do mean everyone. This Brewfest was actually a fundraiser for the pool at Forest Park in Noblesville. There were tons of breweries there.

The party was not limited to local establishments or even micro brews. They had out-of-staters and some of the big boys there. These things are a lot of fun. You go with friends and just try a little bit of everything. That can also cause problems, trying one of everything in something this large can get a big man sideways (always have a responsible DD).


They put on a great show. Tons of beer and all of my local favorites were there. The music was decent, there was food and a silent auction.

Someday when we grow up and become real bloggers we will try and give you a heads up when these sort of events are coming to your neck of the woods.

Localish Breweries Included:

Barley Island Brewing Co.

Bell's Brewery, Inc

Dark Horse Brewing

Flat12 Bierwerks

Founders Brewing Co.

Fountain Square Brewing Co.

Ram Brewery

Sun King Brewery

Thirsty Dog Brewing Company

Triton Brewing Company

Upland Brewing Co.

The Scene: Schlafly Bottleworks

While in St. Louis, we stopped by the Schlafly Bottleworks between visiting Anheuser-Busch and Six Row.  The Bottleworks was a large building containing the brewery, a bar, a large dining area, and a store.  There was also a very large patio outside, with live music.

 
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Schlafly broke into the top 40 craft breweries last year, and have been around for over twenty years, making them the first new brewpub to open in Missouri since Prohibition.  They generally produce around fifty different beers every year, six of those being year-round.  At the bar, about fifteen different beers were available on tap.

The brewery, which takes up the majority of the Schlafly Bottleworks, offers free tours on weekends.  If you don't have closed toe shoes, there are crocs available (poor O-dawg, I bet he's sorry he wore sandals now).  The tour starts in the brewseum, a small museum devoted to the brewing history of St. Louis.  A very knowledgeable guide then takes you through the brewery, and winds up in the tasting room with samples of several Schlafly beers.

I will definitely make an attempt to visit next time I'm in St. Louis, and hopefully get a chance to try the food and several more of their beers.

Beer Gear: Hops Filter/Infuser

-Thanks to Paul S. for the Pic.

Zwanzigz Brewing....  See what happens when I have a Bachelor's Party out of state?  I miss cool gadgets like these at awesome festivals like Hoosier Hops and Harvest!

What it does:  Beer goes from Keg -> Hops Filter/Infuser -> Tap
~Adds MORE HOPS to beer...

 "WE WHO ARE ABOUT TO DIE, SALUTE YOU!" -Tigris [Gladiator]

Killer Whale

More from the STL...

By this time O Dog was not in the greatest shape, so I offered to get this put up after he did 6 Row Brewery.

ABV is 9% IBU's 62.8

On the right we have the Whale. On the left we have the Killer Whale. In the center we have a really creepy Prof. Beer. 

We had had a beer or two at this point, not sure that it makes it any better.

The Whale is a mash up of ten different beer grains. 6 Row actually discovered this brew by accident. It is highly acclaimed and has become one of their flag ships. I did not love it. It had a weirdly complex yet flavorless flavor to me, but life is too short to spend it dwelling on things we did not love, so lets move on to the Killer Whale.

The Killer Whale is a jacked up version of their Whale. It has been turned into Barley Wine. This was great. It came out with a deep red color and had just a hint of head, that dissipated quickly. It had a fruity smell with some floral hops mixed in for good measure.

The taste reminded me of a Belgian or German beer. It had a nice fruity flavor, strong an yeasty with a nice hoppy bite. Tons of sweet malt and boozy flavor that you get in a barley wine, white just a bit of spice. The jacked up flavor helps give the Killer Whale a bit more guts than its predecessor the Whale. 

I give the Killer Whale a 4

Sadly I give the Whale a 2.5

The Scene: Six Row Brewing Company

Six Row Brewing Company
3690 Forest Park Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63108
(314) 531-5600
sixrowbrewco.com

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First Impression:
** Clarification:  At this point in my Bachelor Party I had been drinking for a better part of the day.... Running around in a shirt that states "I'll F*ck Whatever" (That's Bachelor Party hazing for you... Thanks Michael and Big-Guy!)

An informal meeting place for friends and family (Yes I got comments on my shirt.../sigh  But not all bad!).  When you first walk through the main doors you are presented with the bar.  I am not talking "Hey!  How is it going! Have a beer" type of bar...  I am talking like first thing through the door and the bar is like "HEY! YOU!  BEER!?".

The place has a great bohemian layout; high ceilings and hardwood floors.  You can chill on the main floor with the bar and a view of one of their brew tanks or head upstairs.  It seems cramped but gives it a very "corner bar" and cozy feeling.  The wait staff and barkeep were all friendly and inquisitive about my group of pals from the next state over.  You know they knew what we were up to when all the change we got were in singles... Thanks again!

Seasonal to the usual suspect beers are on tap as well as the beer that helps define the place: the Whale and Killer Whale.  If you are in the St. Louis area I hope that you make a stop in here to try them out.  Especially the Killer Whale!  They both offer a different and a unique drinking experience.

Left: Whale "What can we say about this one? A bit of luck meets years of homebrewing experience? When it came time to test out our brewing system for the first time, we needed something that we wouldn't feel too bad about dumping if we had equipment troubles. One of our brewers had enough malt in his homebrew stock, which unfortunately wasn't being used due to all his spare time being spent helping get Six Row started, for a batch.

However, it was a bit of a motley collection of ten (yes, ten!) malts, everything from wheat to pale to crystal to aromatic to our namesake. With a little supplemental malt from the local homebrew store, some Cascade and Goldings hops and a blend of US ale yeasts, the Whale (wheat/pale) ale was born. Pale copper in color, this is an interesting beer that has already been enjoyed by many. Let us know how you would describe it.

(ABV: 5.47%, Bitterness Units: 31.4 IBUs, Color: 5.3, Original Gravity: 12.8 degrees Plato)" -sixrowbrewco.com

Right: Killer Whale "This is the Second Anniversary Beer for Six Row Brewing Company. We took our Whale, a longtime favorite, and beefed it up into it’s “Killer” status of what essentially amounts to a barley wine equivalent. Deliciously strong, fruity, and floral, this beer is not to be taken lightly.

(ABV: 9%, Bitterness Units: 62.8 IBUs)" -sixrowbrewco.com

the Scene: Anheuser - Busch, Inc

Ok, you got me. This is not something in the Indianapolis area... When one of your best friends is about to get married, you send him off in style. O Dawg is tying the knot and we decided to check out some breweries in St. Louis, MO.

I asked for this one because I am a Miller guy. I am the son of a Miller guy. My cousins and uncles tried to drink me out of Miller Lite when I got married. That being said, I was very impressed. Whether Bud is my favorite mega brewer or not, they put on a hell of a show.

For starters, they had a Mariachi band up front, a friggin Mariachi band!!!

Nothing says party like a Mariachi band.

Once we were in back we got to see all the highlights. Their fermentation takes are unbelievable. To drink one of these you would have to have a case of beer every day for the next 137 years. In here they are mixed with beach wood to add surface area not taste.

    

We did the standard tour (but I really want to do the hard hat tour next time we head out that way). It was over an hour and totally worth while. At the end of the trip you got to sample some of their beers. It was nice doing it fresh. 

All of this and at the end I am still probably going to stick with my Miller High Life, but I have a lot more respect for the history and the sheer force of will that went into every last Bud product.

Look for more posts from the Show Me State all week.

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GFJ [Grapefruit Jungle] 2012

Creation:  GFJ [Grapefruit Jungle] -2012-

Style:  American IPA

Mastermind:  Sun King Brewing Company

Location:  Indianapolis, IN

ABV:  7.5%

IBU:  77

Hops:  "With one pound of hops in every keg it's a hop lover's dream! It's named for the rich grapefruit characteristics of the three hops used to create it."  I am guessing Citra with 2 others....

Pours with an amber gold, medium head and some lacing.  

Crazy hop nose!  Notes of grapefruit and lemongrass.

At first,  a good balance of malt and hops which quickly gets eclipsed by a freight train of bitter hop finish with a pleasantly surprising acidic grapefruit taste that permeates your pallet.  Strong grapefruit, lemon, citrus note finish.  

This will ruin your pallet PERIOD.  The finish coats your mouth with a similar acidity of a real grapefruit and permeation of hops that will stick around for way more than just a few minutes.

Watch out for eating salty/peppery  foods like the steak fries.  The amount of salt and/or pepper will alter the taste of GFJ to a more bitter and acidic taste pallet.  Great for some like me who huff hops and use it to brush their teeth, bad for those who don't appreciate... and of you don't appreciate then please don't order this beer.  You'll only suck up the limited reserves that should be consumed by "true believers"! 

Serve warmer: to have more pine notes present with a more resiny finish.

If you are interested in the Big Brother version (DIPA), check out our post on Jungle Room!

4.5 heads

The Big Guy:
Now this is where I explain that O-Dawg obviously does not know what he is talking about...

I did think it was a good IPA, but you are off your ass with some of what you said.

There is no balance of malts. This is about as balanced as me on a teeter totter with a nine year old girl. The hops is super up front, and middle is citrusy with a heavy splash of hops and it finishes with a hop flavor mixed with bitter lemon rind... not a ton of balance in my book.

Citrus, yes. Lemon sure. Hops, totally. This beer was decent, but it was way too hard to get for an ok summer IPA. I give it a 3.

Professor Beer:
The first sip had a just a little citrus flavor to it, with a hoppy bitter aftertaste.  After the first taste, however, any other flavors were obscured by the extreme bitterness.  I have to agree with The Big Guy that there was no discernable balance here.  I don't have much of a sense of smell, but I imagine the strong citrus aroma I've heard about would improve this beer, though I can't see it making too much of a difference.  Overall, not a beer I will be likely to drink again.

Beer Gear: The Ultimate 6pack

THiS is what we should have been making in wood shop all those years ago...! Hind sight = 20/20.

Oktoberfest

So its the end of September, guess what that means? Time for Oktoberfest. Weird how Oktoberfest isn't in October. There are tons of awesome events that go along with this most sacred of German beer related holidays.

Oktoberfest started as a Bavarian Holiday, starting in the end of September and running into the beginning of October. Back in the day, Oktoberfest Beers were brewed at the end of the previous season, and then aged until the holiday, which was basically the kickoff of the German brewing season.

I drove down to Sun King and decided to start off trying their Oktoberfest. It was a solid Oktoberfest. It started off sweet and very malt forward. It started off a bit lighter in color than I was expecting, but still a nice golden brown. It had just a little bit of head that left a soft lace around the top of the glass. It had a nice malty aroma and flavor. It had mild caramel flavors with just a little bit of nuttiness. There was nothing wrong with this beer, but all around the flavors were a touch muted. It was a solid drink, but not my favorite.

I give it a 3

The Scene: Sun King Brewing Co.

Sun King is brews one of my favorite local beers. They have been brewing fresh local beer since 2009. They have become an Indianapolis staple, providing beer for the Indianapolis Indians Baseball program and hosting a ton of events at their facility and throughout downtown.

When you walk into the brewery you are carded at the door. We do not mess around with that sort of thing here in Indy. They give you tickets that you can cash in to do tasting of seasonals and their standards. The tasting room is a large open room connected to where they do the actual brewing. You can see the huge tanks and vats just off to your side.

 

Fridays they do growler reduced price growler fills, so get in and get some locally brewed goodness.

135 North College Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46202
317.602.3702


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Centennial Martyr Double IPA

So I don't hide the fact that IPAs are not my favorite beers. I prefer something sweet and maltier, but in the summer I am happy to go a little hoppy on a hot day.

Thr3e Wisemen does a great job with beer and food. I was out with some of my boys getting ready to head into Broadripple for a night of heavy drinking. There is nothing better than good beer and pizza to prepare you for a night of domestic lite beer and shots of Godknowswhat.

Thr3e Wisemen's Centennial Martyr Double IPA is great. When it comes to you at the bar it has a nice dark yellow brown color with a half inch of head. It was a nice solid dark color for an IPA. That always bodes well for me, because normally it indicates that I am going to get some sweetness with my hops.

This double did not disappoint. It had a floral scent with a hoppy flavor right up front. As it drinks the maltiness comes out and counter acts the bitterness. There is a honey finish that added to the overall complexity of the beer.

All in, it has a very light feel which is great for a summer day.

I give it a 3 1/2

Roggenschnizzle

This was a nice treat from Bier Brewery. I had never had a Roggenbier, so it was fun to try something different. I like most dark German beers, so I had high hopes. I grabbed a growler and headed home.

When I got there, I poured my first pint. it came out with a hardy brown color. The head was almost non existent (similar to high-school for the Prof... ohh burn). After my first beer, my wife poured and it looked a little bit different.

So maybe I shouldn't get to specific on what the head looked like on this beer... And maybe she shouldn't be allowed to pour anything else. (Love you!)

When you brought it to your nose, there was a temptingly strong aroma of fruit and banana. As I drank, the sweet malty flavor came out strong. It had a hint of smokeyness and a strong fruit (primarily banana) flavor due to the Belgian yeasts. You could barely taste hops (there may be a trend starting with my good reviews). These flavors combined to something delightfully complex. I would recomend this any time of the year. Excellent beer.

On a side note, I drank it out of a pint glass. In retrospect it should have been served in a tulip or snifter to better concentrate the aromas etc, but at home I mostly drink out of pints because they are closest to the fridge... probably not a great excuse.

I give it a 4.5

Raise your glass

There are few things more important than beer, but today we have to take time to remember the losses and sacrifices that people of this great nation have had to bare.

Raise your glass, we will never forget.

Devil Dancer

Creation:  Devil Dancer
Style: Triple India Pale Ale (IPA)
Masterminds:  Founders
Location:  Grande Rapids, MI
ABV: 12% <- No joke, buzzed after first glass...
Hops: Dry-hopped for twenty-six days straight with a combination of 10 hop varieties.
Availability:  July
Drinkability: Defiantly could have a few.
Awards: 1st Place at Brouwer’s Hopfest, 9/13/11

Serve cold, right out of the fridge for a nice Hoppy nose.
Pours with a rich amber/red hue with a small  head.  This might leave it wanting with the ladies...Starts off with hop forward that comes close to Ruination  with balanced malt,   burnt carmel and fruit  notes and finishes off with a bite of  hop finish.  It has a complexity that makes me think of a barely wine.

Leaves the mouth dry with a lingering hop permeation that will leave you sucking your teeth and licking your chops  like your a great grandpa used too do.

Serve warm(er) and the pine resin nose becomes more noticeable.  Bitter hop forward flavor that's a little more complex than before.

 O-Dawg: *3.0 heads

 *add half head when serving fresh off the tap

2012 Dark Lord Russian Style Imperial Stout

Sixty dollars a bottle sounds nuts!

So who is willing to pay more for a bottle of beer than many of your friends are willing to pay for wine (granted my friends are not the best wine people ever)... THIS GUY.

I was not fortunate enough to get a ticket to the glory that is Darklord Day, so like many of you I was forced to dream. Then I remembered that Al Gore invented this little thing called the Internet. I hit up ebay and started searching for "collectible bottle". The Internet doesn't want you buying booze on ebay. I bought the collectable bottle and low and behold there was collectible beer in it.

It was fantastic.

The Russian Imperial Stout was excellent. It poured out dark and heavy. The aroma was sweet and bold with just hints of dark dried fruits. It had the most amazing dark malty flavors. It was sweet and chocolaty with a slight hint of coffee and caramel. Words are not enough. The thick flavors coated my mouth and allowed me to enjoy this beer long after I had swallowed. There was a bit of tart dried cherry flavor, but not enough to overwhelm the sugary malt.

Now the question is was it worth 60 dollars per bottle?

Hell yeah!

Next time you think about hitting your favorite bar and buying your lady a martini, don't! Go to the net and buy a collectable bottle. Tell your boys they should be jeleous as hell, and pour this ice cold beer all for yourself.

There's no way this could be anything less than a 5.

Columbus Brew Co. IPA

Well now... this was not one of my favorites.

I thought on a nice summer day in Columbus an IPA would hit the spot.Thank God the food at the Therman Cafe was great, because the IPA by Columbus Brew Co. Was not (check out the Therman burger, it was outstanding).

The beer came out like any good beer should, cold glass, just a little bit of head and a nice light color. On further inspection, it was lighter than I like my IPAs.

The hop flavor in the beginning was bitter and a bit off putting. I would have been happy if I had brewed it in my garage, but this came from a professional shop it was not impressive. It was very floral, with a slight lemon/citrus flavor. There was next to no malt or sweetness. In general it was all one note.

I give it a 1.5.

Game Time: Sink the Biz

OK, so I went to IU (Indiana University) and this is sort of our thing thanks to Nick's English Hut. We play some serious Biz.
Sink the Biz is a game where you float a small cup (the Bizmark) in a bucket filled up with beer. Everyone who is playing gets around the table with glasses of beer. The players have to pour beer from their glass into the smaller floating glass. Once a player has finished the next person (clockwise) pours their beer. This goes around the table. Whoever causes the Bizmark to sink, has to pull it out of the bucket and chug it.

That sounds easy, but there is more. When pouring from the players glass into the Bizmark, the stream must be continuous from the lip of the glass to the bottom of the Biz. Once you have finished pouring, you count to 3 and if it sinks before that you have to drink it, if it sinks shortly after the next person drinks. We call that the assassination.

Not everyone will have the official set like I do, but it can easily be played with any bucket and a small glass. Try this at your next party for something a little different, but a lot of fun.