#Volunteering #DigIN

This past Sunday was the Annual Dig-IN: A Taste of Indiana Indiana's Farm to Fork Celebration at White River State Park.  Continuing my #volunteer streak I hooked up with the Hoosier Beer Geek (HBG) #volunteer group and helped out at the main gate.  It was a little bit of a cluster at first, but everyone pulled through.  So many volunteers were needed to keep this event running. The HBG crew was one of many groups helping out.  Great job everyone!

For those that don't know about #DigIN, it is a celebration of all that Indiana has to offer.  Everything from farmers, chefs, breweries and wineries from around the state all coming together for a great eating/drinking festival!  Oh wait!  Did I mention music to?!

I want to say that I was only there for the beer, but some chefs/restaurants of note were:

-Tent 4: Anthony Handslits with The Chefs Academy, Indianapolis
Dish: Lamb Ruben, Napa cabbage slaw & Minted Mustard
Just blew me away, great paired with the Tin Man: BIPA I was drinking at the time!

-Tent 1: Chef BJ Davis with Bee Coffee Roasters, Indianapolis
Drink: Plum Buzz Iced Coffee Soda


Not only was this little concoction made with coffee and plum juice, but it was also made with a special vinegar.  What was so special about it?  It was made from a few barrels of Upland Sours that had started to turn to vinegar.  ZOINKS!  It has a great sweet vinegar and coffee nose, light body, that cascades into a pleasant tart sour mellow coffee dry finish that was wonderful on a hot festival day!  I spent more than one of my bonuses on second/thirds of this fantastic brew!  Chef BJ Davis and crew ran out towards the end of the festival.  I hope they make this a staple in their coffee shop!  I wonder if they will make a cherry version in the future...  really accentuate the sour/wild character!

On to the Brews!

Most of what was being served off the Sun King Draft Vans were a lot of the usuals that are currently on draft or bottled around town:
Brugge - Harvey
3Floyds - Pride and Joy, Gumball Head
Daredevil - Lift Off
Triton - Railsplitter
to name a few...

Of Note:
Sun King - Cream Dream VI: Hops Live (VIP)
Flat 12 - Saison du Flat (VIP)
Tin Man - Black IPA
Three Pints - Black IPA
3Floyds - Moloko Milk Stout
Black Swan - Cherrywood Smoked Porter
New Day - South Cider

I know you are asking yourself "Why in all creation was he drinking porters/stouts on a 93 degree day?!"  Honestly, it was a much more pleasant experience then you think!  Everyone had IPAs and Saisons, only two had porters/stouts.  It really broke up the tastings for me!  Also a great nod to Brugge bringing their sour Harvey.  It was the only sour at the festival.  Many a heart was broken when that tap went dry!

A great perk for #Volunteering this time around was the amount of time volunteers had to enjoy the festival.  Also being able to go straight to the taps and get a fresh pint without waiting in the lines didn't hurt!  There were three beverage stations that were made apparent by Sun King's Draft Vans.  Most breweries brought kegs of one kind of brew, while others like 3Floyds brought several different kegs.  If their keg went dry, they tapped something new!  It was fun playing "who has something new on tap now" as a side game while Joe and I walked the food tents.  Speaking of Joe...

A big thanks to Joe Walsh with Flat 12 for taking me around and introducing me to several head brewers and higher ups in the brewing arena!  I finally got to meet Clay Robinson with Sun King, Barnaby Struv with 3Floyds, Brett Canaday with New Day, Fred Hillenbrand with Tin Man & Michael Pearson with Daredevil.  I also had a great conversation with Master BJCP Beer Judge Sandy Cockerham on Berliner Weisse style beers.  I was pleasantly surprised that she enjoyed the Berliner Weisse style as much as The Barons and I did.  I hope I hear from her soon so I know where to send that Deesko! I offered her.

All in all a great laid back festival atmosphere. Even with the slight dehydration and sun burn, Great times!  If you couldn't join us this year, we hope to see you next year!

Goose Island Tap Takeover

I love Bourbon County Brand Stout. Hell, I love just about every RIS, but Goose Island does an outstanding job with theirs. I also love Twenty Tap, I mean who doesn't.

Come join the Barons and Goose Island for the Goose Island Migration Week tap takeover VIP event at Twenty Tap (5406 North College Ave Indianapolis, IN 46220) on Wednesday, Sept. 4, from 4 p. m. – 8 p.m. The brewers will be there to let us know whats going on with Goose Island and give us a sneak peak at what they having coming out.

I know there has been some hate thrown their way after they were purchased by one of the big boys, but Goose Island has always put together an incredible brew. They are in the midst of a national launch, bringing one of the Windy City’s most acclaimed brews to beer geeks across the country. Come see how much heart they still put into their craft.

So, come chat it up with us and Goose Island brewer Mark Weiner, and get to know what Goose Island Migration Week is all about.

Drum roll please. And now for what you really care about... below are the beers that will be on tap:

• Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Coffee Stout
• Cherry Rye Bourbon County (I can't wait to try this one!)
• Big John
• Madame Rose
• Night Stalker (tasty big imperial stout)
• 312
• Matilda (wonderful Belgian pale)
• Sofie (an outstanding Saison)
• Pere Jacques
• Pepe Nero (new brew I am totally pumped about)

Goose Island was good enough to provide us pictures of some of the awesome brews that will be at the event. Please try not to drool all over your keyboard or smart device. 

Cheers!

Voodoo Doughnut: Chocolate Peanut Butter and Banana Ale

After trying Rogue's Bacon Maple beer that really was NOT good, I wasn't interested in doing this one, but it's just too crazy of an idea not try it if you can. Like the Bacon Maple this is another collaboration with Voodoo Doughnut. The folks at Rogue tried to make a dark ale that tastes like a Chocolate Peanut Butter and Banana sandwich, ala Elvis "the King" Presley.

The beer poured out very dark with a lot of really tan head. The head was probably bigger than it should have been, but it released a ton of banana aroma. There are some other chocolate malts and maybe some peanut butter...maybe, but the bananas overwhelm everything.

This beer suffered from the same problems as the Bacon Maple beer. The banana flavor was overwhelming and it didn't even taste like natural banana. It was like eating handfuls of just the yellow banana Runts... I hate banana Runts. There was a solid cocoa flavor from some nice roasted malts in there, but it took a back seat to the banana. I had a tough time finding any real hint of peanut butter. Really in my mind if you are going to make a tribute to the King you can't slack on the peanut butter. It finished with more chocolate malt that helped counter the banana flavors.

It's really cool that Rogue, a very established brewery, is willing to do these crazy flavor combinations, but I think they are trying too hard. A nice rich chocolate stout with a little bit of Belgian yeast providing some banana flavor would have been great. Whatever fruit they infused was just too potent for me. Although, I didn't love this one, it was better than the last attempt.

I give this beer a 2

Pilates and Yoga and Beer- Oh My!

I'm going to guess that the title of this post includes things that you normally don't think of as all going together. While you may be right most of the time, this Saturday they definitely go together.

 

I've had the opportunity to attend classes and individual sessions at Reforming Indy pilates studio and I have to say I'm a huge fan. It's hard work, but the instructors are awesome and they make even the hard stuff fun. If you can make it to this event you're in for a treat. The Big Guy and I will both be there, for the classes and for the tasting. A girl's gotta do something to burn off those craft beer calories, right?

 

If you have questions about the classes or the event as a whole, please call Reforming Indy at 317.571.8880. I hope to see you there!

 



Stone Farking Wheaton w00tstout

So this Brewer, geek culture icon, and an alternative news website creator meet at a party.  The resulting brewing masterpiece that is formed from "their powers combined" is affectionately called w00tstout.

Greg Koch, Wil Wheaton and Drew Curtis masterminded this Imperial Stout.  Brewed with rye, wheat, malt, pecans, then aged in Bourbon barrels for 3 months.  W00tstout clocks in at a hefty 13% ABV and 65 IBUs.

The Big Guy and I snagged a few bottles of w00tstout at our local Brew-Pub Union Brewing Company when it first hit shelves.  Cameron has recently started to bring in cases of rare bombers from national breweries as a nod to beer geeks and as a subtle "while your waiting let me get you a taste of what cask beer tastes like!"  It is a nice compliment to his fantastic line up of beers!  Attract the Beer Geeks with the rare beers, then get them hooked on cask beer...  SNEAKY but very effective!

Tasting Notes:  The nose has a subtle pecan with minimal head formation.  After the first sip your pallet will be graced with a... how would Mr. Torgue put it "A FLAVOR EXPLOSION!!!"  Roasty carmel, with notes of cocoa, vanilla, oak, and a grainy pecan husk that is both deceptively fizzy and sweet.  The motor oil appearance makes you think that it would be a medium to thick bodied stout, but after the first sip you find it pleasantly light to medium.  The dry finish is a combination of sweet and nutty.

I would suggest snagging a bottle to have now and another to cellar for six months to a year.  Really solid collaboration beer!  Good luck in finding two of the three bottle designs! From what I have seen at retailers, there were 1-2 comic strip/super hero bottles per case.  The rest were the entwining hops logo.

It would have been awesome to get a bottle signed by Wil when he was in town for GenCon, but it just wasn't in the cards (and by cards I mean any number of magic related card games that were played during GenCon).

DUG IT!

The Big Guy: I am all about this beer. It has tons of wacky flavors that I normally wouldn't think of putting together especially in a beer. I picked up three for myself. One for now and two to get some nice age on them. Cudos to Wil Wheaton and everyone else who was a part of this. I give it a 4.5

The Little Lady: When I checked this in to Untappd, I added the following comment: "I love everything that just happened here." Which is true. Imperial stout? Love it. Sweet pecan flavor? Love it. Bourbon barrel aging? Love, love, love it. I think the combination of flavors, which I of course read as the combination of influences of the makers, was fantastic. Really smooth, well balanced, and very drinkable. I gave it a 5- very rare for me. I have to be blown away to give that rating, and I was. Well done! 

Get Ready to Dig IN

If you haven't heard of Dig IN, it might be because it isn't a brew festival, its a food festival. There are tons of chefs from great restaurants out in force, bringing some of their best bites to us. The festivities take place Sunday, August 25th from noon-five. Tickets are still on sale at the above link.

On top of everything else there are sixteen breweries from around the Indianapolis area. Expect to see Barley Island, Bier, Black Swan, Bloomington Brewing Co, Broadripple Brewpub, Brugge, Cutters, Daredevil, Flat 12, Fountain Square, Sun King, Three Pints, Three Wisemen, Tin Man, Triton and Upland.

For those of you who are foodies, expect to see Chef JJ, who I just visited earlier this summer. We have also checked out the Local Eatery and Pub.

O-Dawg is volenteering and the Little Lady and I will be checking out their VIP experience. Look for write ups next week, or better yet, just plan on coming out to check out the fun with us on Sunday.

Anti-Hero

I was introduced to Revolution Brewery on a trip up to see my in-laws earlier this year. I was stoked to try their stuff because, like Sun King, they can their standard releases. I picked up a couple six packs and a few bombers of their stuff, but Anti-Hero really stood out for me. I've been trading for a bunch of beer lately, and over the summer I kind of went IPA crazy. I fell in love with Jai Alai by Cigar City and Grapefruit Jungle by Sun King, but haven't found much to compare.

Revolution describes it as an "American hop assault," and I would let this beer storm the beaches of my taste buds any day of the week. Anti-Hero totally stacks up to some of the best IPAs I've had. It has quickly become one of my favorites. It's 6.5% ABV and 70 IBUs, and pours out a very light orange with a nice white head. It smells like a citrus hop bomb blowing up in your face with big bright citrus and floral notes and just a hint of sweet malts.

The flavor is outstandingly bright and refreshing. Up front you get some huge, chewy, citrus hops with hints of grapefruits, pineapple and a little orange. There's a great caramel and biscuit malt flavor that follows up the hops. It helps mellow out the huge hop flavor on the front end and adds a great compliment of sweetness. The beer finishes off appropriately bitter. So many IPAs end up being nothing but hops or just a big bitter finish. Anti Hero is the real deal. Its well balanced and all the flavors marry well together.

On top of them making an awesome brew, when the Little Lady and I went to the brewery we were able to get this bad boy on cask. The UBC (Union Brewing Company right here in Indy) has turned me into a huge fan of cask beers. I try getting them everywhere we go. Anti-Hero on cask was equally outstanding. The cask mellowed the hops out just a little bit, but it added that amazing smooth character that only comes from natural fermentation. It went down silky smooth and really helped to elevate the recipe. I would recommend anyone who stops by the brewery to try whatever they can on the cask.

I give both beers a solid 4. Well played Revolution.

Pilgrimage: Revolution Brewing Company

The Big Guy and I had the opportunity to spend some time in downtown Chicago last weekend, one of my all time favorite places. One of the things that I love about the city is that there are so many great places to eat and drink. You can basically pick a street at random to walk down and you're bound to find something good. Sometimes though, you know exactly where you want to go.

That's how we were with Revolution Brewing Company. I had tried a few of their brews before this, specifically Anti Hero and Rosa and was definitely interested in trying more. They had a great selection on tap, and I went with their El Hefe Loco, a hefeweizen, and was really glad that I did. Delicious brew, great banana and clove flavor with a very smooth finish. I also tried Cat Herder (a golden ale) and E. Norma Gene (a bourbon barrel aged imperial porter) while we were there. I love porters and I'm no slouch when it comes to bourbon so the combination is pretty much always a winner for me. The Big Guy had a few others as well.

We had a fantastic bartender who made some great recommendations and helped us work our way through their beer list. That always makes a big difference in my experience. I know just enough to be dangerous or extremely boring in a bar. I know what I like and I tend to stick to it, or I try something completely outside my wheelhouse which doesn't always go the way I think it should. Having a bar tender who's willing to take the time and make recommendations based on a combination of my preferences and theirs is awesome.

As you're sitting at the bar you can see the brewing equipment through the windows in the back. There's a mix of old school classic style and a strong contemporary industrial feel in the décor. Totally up my alley. The bar is front and center as you walk in with oversized versions of the Revolution fist holding things up. All the taps are fists as well with different colors corresponding to different beers. 

We didn't get there in time to try their food menu, late night partying like we do, so we'll have to go back again. I'm sure I'll really have to twist the Big Guy's arm to make that happen. We heard some really good things about their brunch so maybe we can convince my parents to meet us there.

All in, the people and the atmosphere were great and the beer was outstanding. It's one that I'll be keeping on my list so we can go next time we're in the city!

The Big Guy: When you have good beer and a great space, the only thing that can elevate a bar or brewery to the next level is the staff. Our bartender was outstanding. He explained what they had on tap, and for the most part I just let him decide what I was drinking all night. They had a couple ferkin beers on cask, and they were running them through a beer engine. I love it when a brewery gives you some options. I had Anti Hero off a standard keg and off cask. Tomorrow, I will let you know what I thought. Cheers!

Wil Wheaton Bottle Signing

The one, the only Wil Wheaton will be signing bottles of W00tstout and probably some other stuff if you bring it in downtown Indy during Gencon. Check him out at the Crown Liquor this Friday from 4 to 6.

Awesome craft beer + awesome geek icon = beer geek squared!

Follow Wil for more details on his twitter account.

Look for a review of the W00tstout coming soon!

Ron Smith's Masters of Beer Appreciation

My parent's always wanted me to get my MBA. I doubt they were thinking about Ron Smith's Masters in Beer Appreciation, but that's exactly what the Little Lady and I did. We just finished up getting certified to appreciate beer... Although this certification really has no formal value, I am excited we got it.

The courses are offered a few times a year and consist of three classes that go from 2 till 6 on a Saturday. Basically the class puts every beer style imaginable in front of you. You get to taste, smell and evaluate with ten or fifteen other people. If you aren't interested in learning anything, drinking the beers is well worth the price of admission. But if you are interested in learning something, Ron, the instructor, goes through the history and a little bit of why the brew came about in that specific region. He tells you about local customs and some unique features of each brew. There aren't a lot of opportunities to try this many unique brews from around the world. On top of this, Ron has traveled throughout Germany and Belgium and his stories are a riot.

Ron Smith is one of the leaders at the Foam Blowers of Indiana, the largest Indy based homebrew club around. He is also a National level BJCP (beer judging certification program) judge. He is also a Certified cicerone (another certification we are going for). Although the credentials are awesome, the truely impressive part of what Ron brings to the table is his passion and experience. Throughout the class he tells you that every beer is in fact his favorite style and whether or not that's cheating, it does show a huge love for the industry and the craft beer culture.

The Little Lady and I are starting to prepare for his study class so we can also get set to be BJCP judges. The more I learn about craftbeer and the history of beers around the world, the more I realize I don't know.

Lucky for us there are great teachers like Ron to help us figure it all out.

Black IPA Taste OFF!

This post picks up where I left off from my post on Danny Boy Beer Works attempt at a Black IPA or American-Style Black Ale.

Remember I was hatching that plan... you know... about having a head to head style off?  I'm not talking models and hipsters crowding around a runway, but getting a bunch of beers of a particular style, grabbing friends and seeing what beer wins the Taste off!  Enter the Italian Stallion... err Black IPAs!

The short list:
Pitch Black IPA - Widmer Brothers - Portland, OR
Sublimely Self-Righteous - Stone Brewing - Escondido, CA
The Name of Suffering - 3Floyds - Munster, IN
Notorious B.I.P.A. - People's Brewing - Lafayette, IN
King of Hop - Union Brewing Company - Carmel, IN
Nunmore - Flat 12 - Indianapolis, IN

Previous Tastings:
Black IPA - Danny Boy Beer Works - Carmel, IN
*Komodo Dragonfly - Upland Brewing Co. - Bloomington, IN

*I had Komodo fresh off tap a few hours before I had my first King of Hop a few months ago at their Carmel tap house.  I couldn't get my hands on a bottle for the taste off, but I will still rank it in the list.

Complete disclosure, I was waiting until Union Brewing Co. (UBC) had King of Hop on draft again before attempting the taste off.  For those who don't know about cask beer I will direct you towards our previous post on Union Brewing Co.  The quick and dirty is that they don't bottle and don't do cask growlers, however they now have growler-friendly versions of their beer!  Fun limitations to work around when doing a tasting! 

Cameron Fila Owner/Brewer at the UBC took it upon himself to let us host the tasting at his brewery. Not only that, he also sat in on the taste off!  I know he wanted to see where his brew stacked up with other locals and non-local breweries.  To be honest I did as well.  It was fun hearing Cameron's take on a style that really hasn't been sussed out.

After a long and arduous task of swilling beer and formulating responses/notes, find below the master list of final standings of what shook out!

Big thanks to:
Cameron - Owner/Brew Master
Tony - Celler Man
Hannah - UBC Groupie
Nick - Guilt by Association to Big Guy!
Nathan - Marketing Director/Bartender

Final Standings
1 : King of Hop - Union Brewing Company - Carmel, IN
     -Roasty coffee nose with notes of burnt carmel.  A medium to light body.  Creamy and sweet coffee roast polish.  Finishes dry with a hop nip bitter finish at the back of the pallet.  Hands down the best of the group!  The only thing that was holding it back from a perfect five was the nose.  Cameron prefers the roasty nose in this latest batch, however the Hop-Head in me sides with the floral hop nose in the previous batch paired with the body and finish in this latest iteration.  "Hail the King, BABY!"

2 : *Komodo Dragonfly - Upland Brewing Co. - Bloomington, IN
      -Very similar to the King of Hop, but missing that creaminess and great hop finish!

3 : The Name of Suffering - 3Floyds - Munster, IN
      -Hop malt nose.  Light body. Sweet and bitter. Fizzier than expected.

4 : Sublimely Self-Righteous - Stone Brewing - Escondido, CA
     -Nice toasty floral nose.  Carmel, malt and molasses notes.  Medium body. Sweet at moments.

5 : Notorious B.I.P.A. - People's Brewing - Lafayette, IN
      -Raisin malt nose, sweet.  Medium body. Notes of camel & raisins. Finishes dry & tart.

6 : Pitch Black IPA - Widmer Brothers - Portland, OR
      -Floral raisin nose, balanced hop malt body. Wet finish.

7 : Nunmore - Flat 12 - Indianapolis, IN
     -I don't think the bottle did anything to enhance this one.  Better off draft until the next batch of bottles.  Upon pouring the same as the other BIPA's this fizzed up about as bad as Oak'n Barrels Epiphany.  Other notables were the great floral nose and much lighter body.

8 : Black IPA - Danny Boy Beer Works - Carmel, IN

the Big Guy: So I dig this style of brew, but not as much as O-Dawg and for the most part I like mine a little bit sweeter. King of Hop is sweet hoppy and roasty, really everything you could ask for and a little bit more from a BIPA. My second favorite was Notorious BIP by the guys at People's. My third favorite was In the Name of Suffering by Three Floyds. Theirs was a sweeter New Orleans style brew and I totally dig it. All of these were rated at 4 for me, so it was a very close race. I have Komodo listed as a 4 on Untappd as well, but I only wanted to comment on things that we drank while doing the taste test.

Sources:
http://beerstreetjournal.com/black-ipa-no-dark-cascadian-ale-no-american-style-black-ale/
http://www.washingtonbeerblog.com/get-it-right-its-an-india-black-pale-lager-ale/
http://www.brewersassociation.org/pages/business-tools/publications/beer-style-guidelines

The Scene: People's Brewing Company

I am an IU guy and because of that I haven't really had much People's beer. I didn't really give them a fair shake until I had Captain Black Strap and Notorious BIP, which are amazing brews. Once I had these I knew I had to go check them out. It doesn't hurt that my wife is a PU grad and she still has friends that are up in the area.

People's brewery is a little spot tucked away in Lafayette. You pull up to a big garage door with their logo painted on it in a fairly industrial area. Their brewery is like the Cheers of Indiana craft beer. It has an awesomely friendly vibe right when you walk in. The tapping room is intimate without being claustrophobic with a bar for about six people and a handful of tables.

The style inside was industrial with a rustic bent and plenty of local photography and more Purdue propaganda than an IU guy can normally handle. Everything was cozy enough to make me want to sit and drink all night. The bartender was friendly and helpful. He made a great recommendation with the Parishioner's Porter on Nitro for my first pint. It was robust and dark with a nice mix of sweetness and coffee bitterness. I give it a solid four out of five. Some of our fellow patrons at the bar even struck up a conversation with us People's newbies. That kind of stuff always reminds me how much I love craft beer people.

What really impressed me though was the number of open taps. So often you go to a brewery and only find a few brews on tap. We ordered two flights on top of my pint. When we got the two flights, the bartender was good enough to mix it up since the flight only held six glasses and they had ten beers on tap. Also, the glasses were a pretty generous size, probably four ounces. The three of us passed the tasting glasses around to try everything they had to offer and their beers were excellent.

I was starting to regret not going up sooner to check them out. Overall it was an outstanding drinking experience. I ended up picking up a shirt so I could represent properly. After our stop at People's we went over to 9 Irish Brothers, a local Irish restaurant (by the way the food was excellent). When I got there, I found out they also had a People's brew on tap that was only available in the restaurant. It was their Irish Red and it was fantastic. I had been impressed with some of their brews, and I really liked the nitro porter, but Nine Irish Red was a stand-out. It was probably one of the best Irish reds that I've had. I totally see why People's is taking over the scene up in Lafayette.

Thanks for doing it right guys!