BREWniversity: The Bottle Share

I got invited to my first official bottle share. Now the Barons and I have often shared bottles with each other, but the closest thing we've ever done to a true bottle share was our Vertical Epic party. So that begs the question, what is a bottle share?

We all learned that sharing is caring in preschool, but this is a little bit more specific than that. A bottle share is when you get a few people together and everyone brings bottle of beer that they want to drink and you pass them around so everyone gets a taste. Normally it's something that's hard to find, so you are letting other people have the opportunity to try something they normally wouldn't be able to have. There really isn't a better opportunity to get to try this many unique beers other than a festival.

It's not necessary, but it's cool if you work up a theme to the party. Having all the Stone Vertical Epic beers gets people interested. This bottle share was for a Dark Lord vertical doing 6 years of the insanely good RIS.  Parker, a big time beer collector, trader and connoisseur, on the southside was hosting.

Since this was my first bottle share,  I was nervous about what to bring. When someone is as generous as Parker was, you want to make sure that you bring something that others will be excited about.

Here are some pro tips when trying to figure out what beers to bring:

1. The harder it is to find the beer the more people will get excited about it
2. Look at the age on the beer, the older it gets the harder it is to find, see rule one
3. People get jacked up about beers from other markets, see rule one
4. Variants are everyone's favorites! Go for something that has an awesome or crazy twist
5. Look for anything that has been in a barrel, barrels are good!

General tips:

1. Bring tasting glasses, or make sure they are provided because it'd be weird if we were all just swigging it straight out of the bottle.
2. Bring bottled water to cleanse your pallet and keep you hydrated
3. Plan for a DD, you are probably going to be ripped
4. Have a spot to showcase your graveyard, because everyone wants pics
5. Have fun. My favorite moment was when someone passed around the "Grand Cru" which was a bit of everything we drank for the night

I had a great time and am pumped to do another one. 

Sun King CANvitational: An Interview with Clay Robinson

Image provided by Bohlson Group Events

In preparation for this weekend's CANvitational, I had the opportunity to talk with Clay Robinson one of the co-founders and brewers at Sun King. Typical Wednesday morning, right? I took full advantage of this interview to find out all about the event and what we can expect to see on Saturday. You're going, you know you are. Below are the questions I asked and the (paraphrased) responses Clay provided.

What should people know about the event: It's going to be great. Clay and the team at Sun King had been thinking about doing this event for a long time, but actually put everything together in just 3 months. Attendees will get to spend their time meeting the people who actually make the beer. Several brewers are driving and even flying to be there in person. The number of tickets has been kept low intentionally to avoid long lines and to make sure that there's a relaxed, casual atmosphere. There will be "tons of space and tons of great beer." It's not going to be a festival where you're trying to drink as much free beer as you can in a few hours, it's really about trying something new. A few of the breweries are bringing new seasonal releases that will be tapped for the first time at the event. They haven't even been showcased at home yet!

What brewery are you most excited to introduce to Indy's craft beer drinkers: So many of the breweries coming don't really have a wide reach outside of their local areas. What's exciting is to bring those great beers to a new audience. You could almost consider the whole list of participating breweries the answer to this question. Some of the stand outs are Surly, Half Acre, Revolution, Marble, SanTan, Tallgrass. One of the things that makes Tallgrass interesting is that they used to bottle and have made the switch to cans. There will be close to 70 beers available at the event that you can't get in Indy. What's equally exciting is to show off Indy's appreciation for craft beer. So many people are surprised to hear that we have a strong craft beer scene here.

How did you decide to can at Sun King instead of bottle: This question can spark some interesting debates among brewers and beer drinkers alike. Bottling can be a complicated process, and it's certainly time consuming. Both Clay and Dave, the other founder, had can collections so there's always been an appeal. What's also nice about cans is that they provide a "perfect permanent seal" for the beer. Two of the things that will cause a beer to degrade are light and oxygen and a can protects from both. Another benefit for those breweries that choose to can is the overall low weight that cans add. You're spending fewer shipping dollars on container-related weight and more on actual beer. Not only is there less fuel needed to ship beer in cans, but most cans now are made with over 50% post-consumer materials and can continue to be recycled using much less energy than bottles. The freshest way to drink your beer is on draft, since the beer goes from the tank into the keg and doesn't see light until it's in your glass. It's not an exact duplication, but a can will help maintain that same freshness longer.

What about the growth in the craft beer industry? Do you see it as exciting or is there more concern about potential market saturation? It's more exciting. Sure there's concern about saturating the market but really the market can sustain so much more. Craft beer overall was only 2% of all beer sold in the US 5 years ago. Now it's between 5-6%. Even with that growth, there's a limit to the amount of craft beer that can be produced and sold. Craft beer won't be able to make up even 10% of all beer sold in the US without expansion and that means the addition of more breweries, and there's definitely room for more. It's exciting to show people new flavors and  open people's palettes to new things. It's a good mirror for what's happened in the food industry. There's an interest in creating something new and different and plenty of people are willing to try it. Opening up a brewery is really chasing the American Dream. It's great to be able to do something that you love to do. Of the new breweries that are planned there will be some shake out, there always is, but there's so much that can be added to the craft beer scene. It's the people and their passion for the beers they make that sparks this excitement. It's easy to see when you stop into the small breweries that are popping up locally and in other places around the country. "Craft beer has soul."

Favorite Sun King Brew: Top of the list of Sun King's own brews is Osiris, but one of the fun things about brewing is that you get to make what you like. That's where most of the ideas for the seasonal line up come from.

Favorite non-Sun King Brew: Bell's Two Hearted, Rodenbach Grand Cru, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, 3 Floyds Zombie Dust. It's always fun to try new beers while travelling and lately there have been a lot of really enjoyable session beers, things like Founder's All Day IPA.

The Big Guy and I will definitely be at the event. Hope to see you there!

About the CANvitational:  In 2009, Sun King Brewery brought Indianapolis local beer for the first time since the Indianapolis Brewing Company closed its doors in 1948. On Saturday, Sept. 28 history will be made again when Sun King hosts the inaugural CANvitational, the Midwest's first-ever canned craft beer festival. The Sun King CANvitational will bring more than 30 craft breweries representing 16 states to Georgia Street and Pan Am Plaza from 1 - 5 p.m. Tickets are available online at www.canvitational.com -- $50 for general admission, $75 for early entry. This event is ages 21+ with a valid ID. Music will be provided throughout the event by DJ Helicon and DJ Action Jackson.

About Sun King Brewing Company: Sun King Brewing Company is the brainchild of Dave Colt and Clay Robinson. With the help of family and friends – Omar Robinson, Andy Fagg and Steve Koers – the first keg of Sun King beer rolled out the door for delivery in July 2009. Now available on tap and in cans at over a thousand locations throughout Indiana, Sun King has grown into the second-largest beer brewer in the state. The company's commitment to handcrafted seasonal and specialty beers has been rewarded with multiple medals at the Indiana Brewers Cup, Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup competitions. Visit www.sunkingbrewing.com for more information.

Fat Head's Oktoberfest

Right now, just about everyone has an Oktoberfest out. Our friends at Sun King do a great Oktoberfest, that they've just started canning. I reviewed it last year and gave it a mediocre review, but that was based more on inexperience with the style.

Oktoberfest beers, or Marzens, are a beer that I've been working to gain an appreciation for. Marzens are traditionally a Bavarian lager that's brewed in the late stages of winter to spring and tapped in October. The BJCP describes the Oktoberfest beer as having "initial malty sweetness, but finish is moderately dry. Distinctive and complex maltiness often includes a toasted aspect. Hop bitterness is moderate, and noble hop flavor is low to none. Balance is toward malt, though the finish is not sweet." When I reviewed the Sun King Oktoberfest I was looking for more sweetness, and I was wrong. My bad! Based on Sun King's batch canned this year, it's totally spot on.

Fat Head's is a relatively new brewery to Indiana, that comes from our neighbor to the East, Ohio. I fell in love with their Head Hunter IPA earlier this summer, and when I saw them put out an Oktoberfest, I had to give it a try. The beer pours out a crystal clear amber color with a nice off-white head that lasts until the last drop. The aroma is cereal and caramel with just a hint of sweetness. It tastes like caramel and toffee, but with a crisp clean finish. There is a buttery flavor that goes throughout the beer.

In my last Beer MBA class with Ron Smith we talked about how a lot of German breweries do this on purpose. In the states we consider it a mistake (at least the BJCP does). The buttery flavor comes from the yeast of the beer. Normally it's allowed to be reabsorbed, but to get that buttery flavor you have to stop the brewing early. It's really common in Chardonnay wine. In beer, this also adds to a slippery mouth feel that almost gives it a syrup like feel.

I am really getting on board with this style, at least I'm trying to. I love the cleanness of the beer, and the flavors really do scream fall. Of the four or five that I tried this month, Fat Head's was my favorite. I liked what Sun King put together and Schlaflly's was fine, but a little bit boring. Victory's was pretty mediocre, but was very true to the style. This one by Fat Head's really seemed to hit all the notes that I was looking for. I give it a solid four.

BREWniversity: In Germany, Oktoberfest drinks you!

Leave it to the Germans to have a party so epic, they have been celebrating it for 180 years now.

In America, Oktoberfest has become an excuse for people (and by people I mean me) to get black out drunk off liters of beer and loudly yell lewdly inappropriate things in Deutsch.  Oktoberfest has become to the average consumer what Easter and Christmas are to church goers; it's the one day of  the year they indulge in their favored, yet infrequent activity.

Our bastardization of the Bavarian holiday has been digested, marketed, and truncated by America and our Bar-not-a-Pub culture.   Thanks to our heavy German brewing past, the event has persisted, but if you asked the average too drunk forty year old at the local Oktoberfest celebration, they will usually have no idea that it started in Bavaria because of  an 1810 wedding between King Ludwig I and Princess Therese who invited everyone.  Literally everyone.  And it was a reception that lasted 16 days and ended with horse races.  Did you have horse races at your wedding?  Yeah, didn't think so.

Everyone had so much fun with the parade, and races they said, "Fuck, lässt es wieder tun! (lets do it again!)"  And so they did, and there was much rejoicing.

The agricultural festival that was added and the parade are the few things that have lasted from the first events until now.  It has evolved over the years and the things we see as iconic were picked up as the years went by.  Beer wasn't served in the glass mugs we associate with the festival til 1892, the horse races were dropped in 1960, and the food has changed with the German palate.

Oktoberfest, or "die Weisen," in so entrenched in German culture that even the bigger socio-political environment impacts the fest.  Days were changed so that October 3rd, German unification day, could be celebrated.  There have been 24 cancellations of the fest due to cholera and war.

The American celebration of Oktoberfest has become the German St. Patty's day.  We get drunk, we eat sausage and sauerkraut, and wear unfortunate liederhosen.  What has become a casual drinking holiday for us, is a 17 day marathon of fun to Europeans and an event that is steeped in the historical evolution of its host country.

When you're chugging your liter of beer, just remember to pour one our for good ol Ludwig.  If he hadn't had the most epic party ever, you wouldn't be a "Beirleichen" or beer corpse these next two weekends.

Dark Lord: Revisited

First off, big thank you to Parker!

I've never been to Dark Lord Day at Three Floyds. Its been at the tippy top of my bucket list since I first got my hands on a bottle of Dark Lord 2012. Sadly, before this weekend it was the only year I'd tasted, and I liked it so much, that it became the stout that I judged all other stouts against. Now its been a long time since I've had it, so my memory was a little bit shaky but it just tasted so good.

So this past weekend I was able to try six years of Dark Lord at a bottleshare with some awesome and crazy experienced Indy beer geeks (thanks to Parker for the invite and bringing the vertical). Dark Lord is an incredibly difficult to get Russian Imperial Stout by Three Floyds. It is only released on one day a year, and you have to get tickets just to be able to buy it. Its highly collectible and totally cellarable. We lined up Dark Lord from 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, and 13 that have been aged by Parker.  Each one has a color coded wax seal so you can tell what year the bottle is from (2008 has black wax, 2009 has white wax, 2010 has olive green wax, 2011 has yellow wax, 2012 has red wax and 2013 has orange wax).


I ranked them as follows:

1st - 09
2nd - 11
3rd - 08
4th - 10
5th - 13
6th - 12

Most of the tasters agreed that the 2009 and the 2011 were the two best years for Dark Lord. The 2009 was my favorite. It was still big and boozy, but the sweetness was tempered by some nice spicy hops and great boozy heat. It was well balanced and really stood out as being outstanding. The 2011 was great but there was more dark chocolate flavor with a solid hint of bitterness. The 9, 11, 08 and 10 were really solid 5 head beers. The 13 will be amazing in about three years but was still pretty great now.

Since I've already done a review of 2012 Dark Lord, I wasn't planning to talk about it much. I mean what more can I say about the greatest beer I'd ever had, right... Well I found out something interesting. As you drink different craft beers and try new styles, your pallet stretches and evolves. You learn to like more subtle qualities in your beer. On top of that like with some ex girlfriends the memory can be way better than the reality.  Unfortunately, the 2012 was my least favorite of all six years. It was the sweetest, almost like a sledgehammer of flavor on your tongue. I still enjoyed it, and it was a solid 4.5, but I was shocked to have my bubble burst so quickly. At first, I figured it was because the beer was a little bit fresh, maybe it needed some time to age a bit and let the sugar and booze flavor mellow out, but that wasn't just the case because the 13 had better nuances to it.

From what we can tell the beer recipe hasn't changed too much. Each one tasted mostly the same as the last just with subtle differences in the flavors that were shinning through. These can be explained by differences in grain and hop crops or changes in their equipment at FFF. All in, this is rated as one of the best beers in the world, and no matter what bottle or year you get it really does not disappoint. The beer is big bold but still nuanced enough to really get you excited. The general consensus was 3 to 5 years of cellaring will probably do wonders for the beer and let it get even more complex. I am excited to have a few of the newer bottles sitting at home right now.

I can't say enough about the guys we were drinking with. You know you are with A+ beer people when there is a line to take pictures of the bottle, and there are people getting pictures of people getting pictures of the bottle (so meta). One of the guys runs a blog, Beer Daddy Blog which really is a fun read and another runs Hop Glass which showcases some really cool glassware. Andrew, the head brewer from the Ram showed up for a bit and Cy from Flat 12. Thanks again to Parker for setting it all up. It was great to meet everyone else. I can't wait to do it again. Best wishes and Cheers!

Bellegams Bruin

The first time I had this beer I was at the local beer-topia of Twenty Tap.  My lady and I have a pension for sours and on the beer list was Brugge's oft respected Harvey and Bockor's Bellegam Bruin.  An improptu sour off was decided.  I had no idea what kind of beer I was getting other than the style being listed as "sour."  The waitress dropped off the lady's straw colored Harvey and my deep copper Oud Bruin and the server informed me is was a Flanders Sour ale.  Ooh!  Like Monk's Cafe!

Bockor's Bellegam Bruin was instantly delicious and tart.  Monk's Cafe is also delightfully sour, but other than that, the flavors tend to be under powered and leather bland.  Bellegams malts are big and sweet and all their flavors come through beautifully.

A West Flanders Brown ale is a bottom fermented ale with caramelized malts and mixed with lambic and finally aged in oak barrels for 18 months.

Typical to the style, a vinegar nose lights up the saliva glands and the first tastes of sweet malts and bready yeasts give way to a comfortable tart bitterness.   Bellegam's Bruin has a nice meaty-ness to it and really tucks the sour nicely into the brown ale's inherent cherry plums and round sweetness.

It's not overwhelmingly good, but neither is it as bland as the more popular Monk's Cafe.  It is very approachable for a sour and is great with red meat or especially Twenty Tap's savory and tangy Mush-reuben.

And in case you were wondering, my choice of the Oud Bruin won the sour taste off.

POURsuadion: 21 Reasons to Drink More Beer

I came across this link the other day and thought it would be great to share with you guys. Not that you're necessarily looking for reasons to explain your beer consumption, and not  that I really need to persuade you to drink more and try more, but just in case ...

Buzzfeed has compiled a list of 21 reasons why you should drink more beer. Click the link to read them for yourself. They're funny and they're true. My favorite was number 13. If George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and James Madison were brewers, it's basically un-American not to drink beer. Yup, just being patriotic over here. (You're surprised I didn't pick the feminist one aren't you?)

Which one was your favorite?

#OktoBEERfest Baron's Style

First things first, I didn't #Volunteer for this one. There I've said it... I was Press this time around, which was awesome!

If you recall in a previous post when I WAS volunteering, I ran into Blaine Stuckey with Mad Anthony Brewing.  His enthusiasm and attention to detail had him finished with his beer booth before anyone else had shown up to the Indiana Microbrewers Festival.  Guess what?  Hard work and attention to detail is what he does best because it showed at the organization and planning for SayOKtoBEERfest.  In my opinion, this event went off without a hitch.

On Saturday September 7th, 2013, thirty Indiana breweries showed up to this intimate event at the west side of Headwaters Park, just off S. Calhoun St.  The location was great.  Not only was forethought put into the location for rain (all the breweries were under a picnic pagoda area), but it was fenced in as well.  No muss, no fuss for security.  Two brick and mortar bathrooms were located in the pagoda area and were supplemented with a handful of port-a-potties at the entrance.  If I was still in Urban Planning I would have given myself a pat on the back for finding this gem to host the event.

I thought it was amazing that the first brewery to be seen at the event was our buddies from Union Brewing Company.  Tony met us with a grin, a tasting of Cannonball Doyle and a thumbs up.  Say "Hi" Tony!

The Big Guy and I got there about as early as most of the breweries and it was neat to see everyone setting up for the event.  Pro Tip: Always check your Jockey Box the day before you head to an event.  

It was great to see Tin Man Brewing Co. up from Evansville, IN bust out their Beer Gear!  See below for the diagram of shenanigans that is Bag Beer!  If you haven't tried their Over Lord DIPA I suggest you do. The latest batch is great!  Fred Hillenbrand talked me into trying it a second time.  I was underwhelmed the first time I had it at Indiana Microbrewers Festival, but it tastes as if they got the kinks out of the recipe! Thanks again Fred!

Speaking of Beer Gear!  You guys remember back in June I did that article on the Beer Pouch?  Cutters Brewing Co. had a few on hand they were serving out of and promoting/selling for their version of Growlers!  If you haven't had their beer please get out to Avon, IN and grab a pint of Floyd's Folly! \

Rock 104 was there to pump up the tunes to keep the party rocking all day long!  I think Joe pouring for Flat 12 was in seventh heaven when the second van pulled up.  All I heard was "THERE'S TWO VANS!?" the rest of the event.

O-Dawg's Best of the Fest:
Triple Smoked 12 Penny - Scotch Ale - Flat 12 Bierwerks
Great oaky/vanilla nose.  Real light.  Crisp malt and roast on the fin.  Hops closes it out.  GREAT!


John the One Eyed - Belgian Dubbel - Evil Czech Brewery
It's like a Tripel running around in Dubbels clothing!  Smooth as hell with spicy malt.  Loved it!

Black IPA - BIPA/Cascadian Dark Ale/American-Style Black Ale - Mad Anthony Brewing Co.
Sweet malt nose.  Not roasty like you would think with this style.  Finishes with a bitter sweet chocolate.  Really good!

To close it all out...  A big thanks to all the Volunteers! OktoBEERfest would not have been an event with out all your selfless hard work in putting together and running the event!  I hope you all had as much fun as The Big Guy and I did!  Thanks again to Blaine and Brandi.  The Baron's can't wait for next years OktoBEERfest!  We'll see you then!

The Big Guy: This was an awesome festival and I can't wait to check it out again next year. It was well worth the two hour drive up north. The park that it was held in was beautiful. If my GPS hadn't had it out for me it would have been perfect. There were somewhere between twenty and thirty professional breweries. What really impressed me was the awesome contingent of homebrews by the MASH group out of Fort Wayne. They were showcasing some great homebrewed concoctions. Everything tasted professional. I had the BBQ from Shigs in Pit. The hot BBQ was totally legit. It was hot and smoky and mostly hot in a great way. The music was solid, and we were able to bring cigars for a grand finale before driving home. All in this was an excellent place to ring in Oktoberfest. 

My favorite beers were:

Triple Smoked 12 Penny by Flat 12 Bierwerks. It was a barrel aged session beer. That's right, low alcohol beer that was barrel aged. It had a great complex flavor. There were layers and layers of awesome that you never get from low ABV beer. I gave it a 4.5 because it was a session ale and it tasted so good. If you want to just go for overall flavor, its probably a solid 4.

Overlord by Tin Man Brewing was also outstanding. Nice big hops and sweet malt backbone. It was great, and I can't wait to start getting cans of their stuff in our market. I gave it a 4

White Reaper by Evil Czech was also great. Nice balance of hop blends on top of a very light and crisp malt backbone. It was clean and easy drinking, which made it perfect for the hot summer day. I gave it an enthusiastic 3.5

My only disappointment was the Pickled Cucumber Kolsch. I've been looking forward to this for months since Rob talked about it at the Brew Bracket. I loved the cucumber flavor from the kolsch. In general I love pickles. It seemed like it would be a match made in heaven. It wasn't... It wasn't terrible but I had hyped it up so much in my head and it just didn't live up to the dream.

A final note from O-Dawg: Just in case you are traveling up to Fort Wayne, IN to check this event out next year or any beer festival for that matter...  Don't trust your GPS, especially if it is Apple's.  Apple Maps had The Big Guy and I cruising through downtown Fort Wayne to end up at a parking garaged labeled on the map as Headwaters Park.  I was pretty sure it was the City Clerk's office...  Go Go Gadget Google MAPS!

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Goose Island's Evolution of a Stout

You don't just start out with a great barrel aged stout. Truly great stouts have layers, like onions...and Shrek. They're recipes that are built on one component at a time. Goose Island's Bourbon County Brand Stout (BCBS) series is a shinning example of this.

The Barons just sat down at the Goose Island Migration party hosted by Twenty Tap. Goose Island brought four different stouts to the event, but after talking with their people we realized the stouts really weren't very different at all.

Goose Island brought Night Stalker, Big John, Coffee BCBS, and Cherry Rye BCBS.

To make these big impressively tasty stouts, the brewery has to start with a solid base. For Goose Island, Night Stalker is the base for these beers. Big John is just Night Stalker with cocoa nibs added to the recipe. Then we take Big John and Barrel age it to get normal Bourbon County Brand Stout. In 2012 they aged their BCBS with coffee as well creating the Coffee BCBS. They went one step further and aged the Rye Cherry BCBS in rye whiskey barrels on top of fresh Michigan cherries. You may notice that all these beers have different ABV, but that's because most barrel aged brews actually start to gain  more alcohol as the water content of the beer evaporates from the barrel. In the whiskey world they call the lose the "angels' share".

There is one more even bigger and badder stout and that's the Rare BCBS. This was a bad motha' in all the right ways. Its the same brew but it has an additional 2 years aging in Pappy Van Winkle bourbon barrels. If you've never had the pleasure of drinking Pappy Van Winkle, you are missing out. Its outstanding bourbon. Unfortunately we only got a couple ounces. It was an amazing beer, but I really didn't have enough to give it a huge review. If you ever see it... buy it and send it to me. Seriously.

Because these beers all start from the same place, it is next to impossible to tell them apart by sight (top right is the Coffee BCBS and the bottom left is the Rye Cherry BCBS). There was a bit of confusion around the table as we were all passing the beers around, but each one had its own unique aroma. Just by smell you could tell which one had coffee, which had cocoa and which had the cherries.

Of all of these wonderfully big boozy stouts my favorite was the Rye Cherry version. The Rye Cherry Bourbon County Brand Stout is a huge dark stout with great spicy rye whiskey character and some awesome bitter cherries. It comes in at 13.7% abv. It smelled like whiskey, chocolate and booze but most of all you smelt cherries. When it came to the table the head had dissipated a bit but it was oily black with just a slight ring of tan head running around the glass. My first sip was big rich almost decadent chocolate flavors mixed with very tart cherries and then melded together with the nice spicy oak flavor of a rye whiskey. Rye whiskey was a great choice because I feel like the the spiciness and the oak really helped to temper some of the overall sweetness of the beer. The cherries were probably my favorite addition because they were so tart and dark that they mixed perfectly with the dark fruit flavors from the original stout and gave the beer a bit of acidity to brighten it all up. Really I could have drank this all night. I would have been hammered drunk and probably had a belly ache for days but it would have been worth it. This beer was incredibly good and the only beer I had twice. Now I need to get a bomber to sit on and cellar, if you have one to spare let me know!

I give Rye Cherry BCBS a 5 (wish I could give it a six)

I give Nightstalker a 3.5

(Too sweet to be a 5 for El Duque)

I give Big John a solid 4

 I give Coffee BCBS a 5

#MigrationWeek Goose Island Twenty Tap Takeover

I think the picture sums up the article nicely!  The Baron's headed out to Twenty Tap this past Wednesday Sept. 4th @ 4pm, or 3:30 for those who were on time... :-) to try out one of the most coveted/bottle traded brands in #craftbeer.   

 

I got there early enough to watch them put the
 taps on and waited on the lines to be flushed.

Sarah Rohner with Goose Island contacted us in the weeks previous to invite us out.  I am glad that she did, otherwise I would have still been under the impression that all Goose Island beer is sub par.  I blame the Budweiser buy out for that prevalent stigma in the beer community.  I am happy to report that out of the beers that were on tap, all were top notch!  Thank our beer drinking stars that Anheuser-Busch InBev has not tried to mess with Goose Islands production Chi.  Note: 312 was not on tap for updated comparison from previous articles observations.

Bourbon County Cherry Rye

Bourbon County Coffee 

Madame Rose

Big John

Night Stalker

Matilda Lambicus

Pere Jacques

Pepe Nero

Sofie

Oktoberfest

**Rare Bourbon County 

**King Henry

**Limited small shot servings throughout the night

Twenty Tap was rocking till the wee hours with all these great beers on tap.  As you can see from the picture to the right it was packed!  

All in all a great night for everyone involved!  The only observation out of it all would have been a little more structure in the beginning and a word from the head brewer floating in the sea of humanity around the bar on the beers offered every so often.

  

O-Dawg's Top 3 MUST Haves:

1) Rare Bourbon County Stout

2) Bourbon County Coffee Stout

3) Madame Rose

Stay Tuned for weigh-in's on specific Goose Island beers at #MigrationWeek Twenty Tap Takeover...