Hell or High Watermelon

It's summer and I'm looking for a refreshing beer, something that's light and crisp with a lot of flavor. I like the idea of a fruit beer, and definitely enjoy a nice cider, but sometimes those are more sugary and sweet than what I really want. So the search was still on for something that would meet all of those criteria.

The search actually led us well outside of our normal Indiana stomping grounds. El Duque had a chance to do some traveling in North Carolina, and brought back some different brews for the Big Guy and I to try. Among those was Hell or High Watermelon by 21st Amendment Brewery.

Honestly, this is just about the perfect summer beer for me. It's exactly as refreshing and light as I was looking for. It's not overly fruity or sugary, and there's a nice balance of hops and watermelon flavor. It's a bright golden color, with just a little bit of head as it pours.  Based on what I've seen on Untappd, it's got an average rating of 3.4, but I gave it a 4. 

The Big Guy: I was impressed with how much I liked this. It has a mediocre to bad beer advocate and rate beer score, but I think that is just because of people hating on the fruity beer. The Little Lady and I popped this open while BBQing outside and it was the perfect drink sitting on the patio eating in the hot Indiana sun. The beer itself was pretty light flavored, the watermelon came out without being overpowering and it had a nice backbone of light summer wheat flavors. Keep in mind this is just under 5% abv, so I thought it was a great American Session beer and I would love to drink it again. I give it a 3.5 but if it was the right hot summer day that could go up.

BREWniversity: Drink it right now!!!

Right now it seems like fresh beers are all the rage. Pliny the Elder does everything but call you a sonofabitch if you don't drink it right away. Stone, the bad boys of hops, even released a beer with an expiration date in the tittle. The first thing my buddy asked me when I got a six pack of Modus Hoperandi by Ska brewing was, "What is the brewed on date at the bottom of the can?"

What do all of these beers have in common? They are all IPA or DIPA style beers. Brewers are doing this because fresh American hops have the most kick right after the beer is brewed.

Originally hops were used for their preservative effect. People found that between a high amount of hops and a solid abv they could get beer from Europe to the New World back in the day, hence an India Pale Ale which is just a jacked up version of the original Pale Ales served in the UK. Before hops, people used a lot of different herbal ingredients to "spice" their beer, but none of them had the same preservative affect. We've come a long way since needing to have hops for transport. We've also gained a ton more varieties, strains and hop flavors. They have become part of the art of craft brewing not the function of the beer, that is unless you decide that you want to ship a cask of beer across the Atlantic Ocean by boat. Good luck...

Hops are the flowering cone off of the humulus lupulus plant, a cousin of hemp and marijuana. The cone's hold oils that when released give the bitter feeling, aroma and flavor depending on what point of the brewing process you add them into. This hop flavor is what so many craft drinkers crave. It has almost become a competition between breweries to see who can get the most hopped up beer on the market and people like O-Dawg eats that shit up. Because of people like O, we call them hopheads, the hop has become the international symbol for craft beer. Because it has become such an important ingredient, I had to figure out why everyone was preaching fresh beer when it comes to hops.

In an interview from 2010 “Tom Nielsen, Sierra Nevada’s senior research analyst focused on hop degradation, says that their research has shown that after about two and a half to three months, hop aroma in a packaged beer, derived mainly from beta acids in the hop flower, has already started to diminish significantly. It’s a sentiment backed by Patrick Langlois at Great Divide in Denver, brewers of notable hoppy beers including their Fresh Hop Pale Ale, Titan IPA, and Hercules Double IPA. “Hops tend to dissipate in three to four months, which is why that is the recommended shelf life for most of our beers.” You may not think aroma is that important, but IBUs are the scale to which hop bitterness is measured in beer. Allegedly the tongue can only taste up to 100 IBUs, any bitterness above and beyond that comes from the aroma. The aroma is also where we get most of the fresh herbal or floral appeal that comes from a great IPA.

Tom goes on about how the hoppy aroma can be hurt in transportation and distribution. As the bottle shakes in shipment the hop aroma releases but since there is a small amount of oxygen in beer bottle the aroma goes into it. Bottle caps are by no means perfect, and they do allow some seepage of aroma and O2. As the beer is handled over and over by distribution, the store and then the consumer more of that hop aroma is leached away. In fact, aroma is so important Sierra Nevada and Dogfish Head recently created a glass (to the right) to accentuate the hops of an IPA. The bubbles or ridges in the bottom of the glass were designed to agitate the beer and release more of the aroma right into your nose as you drink.

I am sure you've seen the Stone Enjoy By (followed by a date here) beers on shelves and in the blogosphere. Sadly we have only gotten one of them in Indiana so far. (side note, if you want to see more awesome Enjoy By beer here tweet #enjoyby and #Indianapolis out as much as you can!) They have gone so far as to create a beer that has the expiration date listed right on the label. "While freshness is a key component of many beers - especially big, citrusy, floral IPAs - we've taken it further, a lot further, in this IPA. You see, we specifically brewed it NOT to last" Because of this, Stone decided to only release their Enjoy By series to specific markets. This allowed them to brew smaller batches and get them out to those markets quickly. Stone could have have a batch for Chicago out to the market in just a couple of days after bottling. Managing this distribution process helps combat some of the issues with transportation above. Stone has even provided the below graphic on some of their beers to make sure you know how to get the freshest beer possible.

Hops are a delicate ingredient to beer. They are damaged by exposure to sunlight (skunking affect in beer actually comes from light exposure to the hops in a brew, this is why it is also called sun struck). Brewers take great care to make sure the ingredient is added correctly, at the right time and with the perfect blend. They use the best and often freshest product they can find, so we as the consumer need to take just as good care of the beer we buy. I was talking with Cameron, the head brewer at the Union Brewing Company in Carmel, and he told me that when they did King of Hop he tried to get the fresh hops from his at home hop farm to his boil tanks in less than fifteen minutes. If he is willing to brave Carmel cops to keep his ingredients as fresh as possible the least we can do is drink it right away!

Sadly there is no hard and fast rule. Some hops will hold up better than other strains, and some beers have enough ABV and malt that the hops aren't front and center, so you can wait a bit to drink those. But the Big Guy's rule on hops is, "Buy two, drink one as soon as you can get it cold, if its beautiful fresh and hoppy, insert beer two into the fridge and drink as soon as your friends get there." 

Next time you hit the liquor store to try and find a nice hopped up brew, check the brewed on date. Maybe pass something up if it isn't quite as recent as you want, or grab one that was brewed in the last couple of months and one that has been sitting around for a while to try them side by side. If you are having trouble figuring out what beers are best to age, check out my post on cellaring your brews.

http://www.sierranevada.com/beer/specialty/northern-hemisphere-harvest
http://hookedonhops.com/tag/russian-river/
http://captainsbeerblog.com/2010/03/23/fading-hops/
http://craftbeeracademy.com/the-science-behind-hops-part-2-essential-oils/
http://www.stonebrewing.com/enjoyby/

Danny Boy Black IPA

**I am going to preface this by saying I hope Danny Boy Beer Works takes this as constructive criticism and not a personal attack.  That said: tap gloves and go to your corners...

Danny Boy Beer Works (DB's) Black IPA (BIPA) is one of the worst BIPA's I have had in awhile. There, I've said it...  

Recently I was meeting up with the Barons at The Brockway Pub in Carmel to blow off some steam after work.  Talking about beer and having a moment to try something new is always a great way to get one's mind off of a hard days work.  I had been toying with an idea to put together a post on a head-to-head BIPA post.  The concept was to take all the local breweries BIPAs and have a Barons tasting session to decide the "winner."  With this in mind, I saw that DB's BIPA was on tap.  I had tried Danny Boy's Training Day American Pale Ale previously, which was a solid 3 in my book.  I thought to try something by them again to add to the list of contestants, hoping to be pleasantly surprised.  I wasn't. 

For those of you playing the home game, the term "Black IPA" is a figment of your imagination, just forget this term ever exists for a moment.  Tracking back to the Brewers Associations 2013 Beer Style Guidelines there is nothing called a Black IPA, however there is something called an American-Style Black Ale.  The term is "official" for what everyone calls Black IPA.  Under this definition it states that "American-style black ales are very dark to black. The perception of caramel malt and dark roasted malt flavor and aroma is at a medium level. High astringency and high degree of burnt roast malt character should be absent. Hop bitterness is perceived to be medium-high to high. Hop flavor and aroma is medium-high. Fruity, floral and herbal character from hops of all origins may contribute character. American-style black ale has medium body."  Official definition... Check.  What was awaiting me in my glass was more akin to what another acquaintance of mine summed up best as "a good coffee porter."

Skip this section if you want to avoid the Rocky Fight scene...  You've been warned.  

The nose is a moderate to low coffee aroma and gives way to a mediocre, watered-down coffee flavored body.  The hop profile is so low it is almost undetectable in both the nose and body.  Notes of coffee, toffee, and cocoa can be had.  It finishes with a slight bitter coffee acidic finish.  Body is light. What I would have liked to see is a more pronounced hop presence in both nose and body.  DB had a framework of the style up, the follow through and polish just wasn't there to make it a solid BIPA.   All told a very lack luster performance, more like the first fight of the evening set up just to get the ring warmed up for the main event... 2 matches later...  

At one point all three Barons were attempting to drink their own pint.  You all know how that goes, "This is terrible... HERE!  You order it and try it!"  I distinctly remember downing over half a glass just to make sure that I was being objective in my review.  Yet when the waiter arrived later to see how we liked it my beer was "magically" full again...  Not having the stomach to take down a full pint and then some I asked him to take it back and get me something else.  

In all my history of drinking I have never once asked to return a beer in exchange for something else. Even after having a terrible experience with Count Hopula DIPA at Barely Island (I gave it a .5) I just paid for the beer and left it half full on the bar after choking down the first half.  I chalk that one up to having the tail end of a batch that was left on for too long.  Please note that this should never happen at a bar.  Servers/bar tenders need to know when to drag a keg out back and shoot it before it has reached this point.  I hope this to be the same case with DB's BIPA.  

I may give it a second chance, but that rematch will not be happening anytime soon.

I give it a charitable 1.5 as a BIPA/American-Style Black Ale in a "magically refilling" pint glass...

The Big Guy:  On this point I have to agree with O-Dawg. I have had some great Black IPA's lately like Nunmore and In the Name of Suffering. This one wasn't even in the same game. It was a fine dark ale of some sort, but I felt like it never tried to take a beer identity. It wasn't malty enough to be a stout, it was a pretty boring porter and there certainly wasn't enough hops for it to be an American Black Ale. Sometimes brewers try and make a beer appeal to the masses by toning down what makes it special. I think this is one of those cases where it has been toned so far down that we can't even tell what it was supposed to be. Although I am sure Danny Boy can brew something exciting and innovative, it was not this. I give it a one and a half, since I didn't send mine back.

http://www.dannyboybeerworks.com/
http://www.ibj.com/north-of-96th-2013-06-24-danny-boy-beer-works-brewing-plans-for-carmel/PARAMS/post/42087

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

Beer Gear: Turbocool kickstarter

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theturbocool/turbocool-your-canned-beverage-in-seconds


"TurboCool is a revolutionary device designed to cool your favorite canned beverage to frosty-goodness in a fraction of the time it would take in your fridge or cooler."

So this bullet looking mini fridge seems to work off the same principle as the old party trick where you rotate your warm beer in the bucket of ice until it cools off, only this thing is rotating much faster. Insert water, ice and then hook your beer on to the top and spin away for cold ready to drink beer. The video on their kickstarter page (where the image to the right is taken from) makes it look super easy. Now this won't be available until next January, so I am not going to be able to let you know how well it works until then, but who knows its not a bad little gadget.

Pros:

• It's 31 bucks!!!
• No seriously it's only $31 dollars to get your hands on one of these through Kickstarter
• Seems functional...
• Solves a problem everyone has had once in a while
• Family friendly, your kids can use it with canned juice and soda.

Cons:

• It doesn't look like it works with longnecks
• It may not work with tallboy cans (like the 16 oz cans from SK)
• There just isn't that much craft beer in cans in Indiana, especially standard 12 oz cans

Since I haven't tested the TurboCool I am not going to make any serious recommendations, but if you are looking for a gift from the beer geek that has it all and your feeling kind of broke, this bad boys only $31.

POURsuasion: A Shandy is a Cocktail, Not a Beer Style

After my little tryst with #CraftVsCrafty I feel I should warn you dear reader.  We are going further down the rabbit hole...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zE7PKRjrid4

Shandys

Shandys are cocktails, not beer styles- although some of the major beer producers in the US would have you believe otherwise.  

If not a beer style, what is a shandy?  Wikipedia.com gives us a brief glimpse with the definition as "A shandy, or shandygaff, is beer mixed with citrus-flavored soda, carbonated lemonade, ginger beer, ginger ale, or cider. The proportions of the two ingredients are adjusted to taste, usually half-and-half."  I think Todd Coleman gives us a broader look at shandys with his article on Saveur.com 8/9/2007 Oh, Shandy, "...the English ... have a long tradition of mixing beer with other drinks or other types of beer: consider the snakebite (beer and hard cider), the dog's nose (beer and gin), the half-and-half (half porter, half beer), or the black-and-tan (half stout, half lager)."   

Summation: Beer mixed ≈1:1 with some other contrasting flavor beer or juice beverage.

Origins:  "Some accounts attribute the invention to Henry VIII, who purportedly came up with the concoction as a tonic during his matrimonial difficulties; others trace it to the 18th-century novel Tristram Shandy. (The "gaff" in the name is thought by some to be a contraction of ginger and half-and-half.)" - Todd Coleman, Saveur.com 8/9/2007 Oh, Shandy.  Other well known types of Shandy's are: Alstervasser, Potsdamer, Radler, Russ.  The Radler type of Shandy was invented by the Munich gastronomer Franz Xaver Kugler in September 1922. On this particular day his beer started to run out, so he mixed the remaining beer with lemonade and pretended he created the Radler especially for the cyclists so that they could drive home without the risk of falling off their bicycles. 

Again, we see a pretty clear description of the shandy as a cocktail or mixed drink, not as a unique style of beer.

I detailed Greg Koch's response about BMC's (Budweiser, Miller, Coors) attempts at further filling their pockets at whatever the cost to the craft beer industry (and the craft beer drinker) in my last article.  Digging into the world of shandys for this post unearthed that Coors owned Leinenkugel's and Anheuser Busch InBev's [AB-InBev] Shock Top are well known contenders in this line of drinking. Now, let me muddy the waters...  Enter the new beverage, Curious Traveler.  

"The House of Shandy Beer Company is a new craft beer venture from Alchemy and Science, based in Burlington, Vermont. It launched in 2012 with a mission to combine the European Shandy tradition with American ingenuity. Curious Traveler is the first product."

- Charlene Peters, Examiner.com, 8/12/12, A Nice Cold Brew: Curious Traveler  

Established in 2012 by House of Shandy (renamed later to The Traveler Beer Company) it is owned by  Boston Beer Company Inc.  I know this means nothing in and of itself, but put into context Boston Beer Company is also responsible for the creation and distribution of the following beers: Samuel Adams®, Sam Adams Light®, Twisted Tea®, Angry Orchard®, The Traveler Beer Company, Angel City Brewing Company - 2012 Boston Beer Company Annual Report.

The "upstanding craft brewery" owned by Jim Koch (No relation to Greg Koch) is associated with shandys?!  Is this the same Jim Koch who helped pioneer the renaissance in American taste for flavorful, traditional beer as Samuel Adams®?  Whose success became an inspiration and a catalyst to other small brewers? Who today is synonymous with Samuel Adams the largest craft brewer, brewing close to two million barrels of Samuel Adams beer according to their website, BostonBeer.com?  Oh but it is...  In 2012 Samuel Adams introduced their own type of shandy, The Porch Rocker. The final nail in the coffin is Curious Traveler.  

"Alchemy & Science, our [Boston Beer Company, Inc's] craft brew incubator completed its first year and continues to make progress and explore potential opportunities. During the year, Traveler Beer Company rolled out in test markets with its Curious Traveler and Tenacious Traveler shandy-style beers and it is likely we will launch more markets in 2013."

- Nasdaq transcript 2012 earnings results Boston Beer Company Inc. 

/Sets aside Rose Colored Glasses...

In that response mentioned earlier, Greg Koch was taking a jab at BMC, but was he also taking a shot at Boston Beer Company Inc?  I feel like I just found out that there is no Santa Clause.  Going back to earlier, Shandys are a mixture of beer mixed with some other contrasting flavor beer, juice, and/or sparkling pop beverage (Yes it is a Pennsylvanian thing... it isn't soda its POP!).  It makes me chuckle just a bit that BMC beer has to be mixed with pop in order for it to be tolerable... 

It makes me sad to know that Samuel Adams and the conglomerate owning it, Boston Beer Company Inc., are also on board with endorsing and selling the mixing of craft beer with essentially pop.


Shandys ≠ Beer
Lets put a pink umbrella in that to emphasize.

Upon review BMCB (Budweiser, Miller, Coors AND Boston Beer Company) are billing their Shandy beverages as beer. Shandys are not in a separate category on their websites, nor is there any language to help the curious understand that this product is not a beer but a pre-mixed beverage cocktail as of this article's posting date. 

I agree with Greg Koch that this type of obfuscation being used by the BMCB hurts craft breweries. For just Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy the fringe craft drinker market of this type of mixed drink grew 80% in 2010 (200k and 250k barrels sold). That kind of volume ranks this pre-mixed beer cocktail in with the country's largest craft breweries, and the people drinking it largely don't know that they aren't drinking beer.  

BMCB is making the Shandy (as my DARE officer used to say)  "a gateway drug."  Don't like beer, but love that sweet wine cooler/hard cider? Here try this "Beer"! Now that you are hooked, how about trying our other actual beers! The Germans have been doing this for centuries to help children acclimate to the taste of beer (nonalcoholic of course).  

Like Franz Xaver Kugler in 1922, BMCB are just in it for the money.  Sell more "beer" by cutting it with something else!  Seems very similar to watering down your beer to sell more...  BMCB is kicking this up a notch and applying it to the wine/cocktail crowd and the fringe drinker to pull them in to increase their market share.

If you want to learn more about beer, and take the time to find a style that you like, go to a craft brewery.  Want something clean and crisp with low ABV?  I am sure they can steer you towards their version of a Pale Ale, Lager, or something similar.  Talk to the people there about what they like and what they would recommend based on your preferences. Support the creativity that abounds in your local craft beer community. You'll be surprised at some of the really innovative things that are out there and that are actually beer.  

There's nothing wrong with a beer cocktail (Ever try floating a shot of HopHead Vodka over a DIPA?), just don't hide that fact from me when you are prepackaging it for mass consumption. Lets keep it above board shall we!  Should Shandys have their own column under the mixed drinks category?  Should there be a better distinction by BMCB that these are a mixed beer cocktails and not a beer style? To both I raise my fist to the air and bellow: "Hell yes!"  

Couple this dog and pony show in with the #CraftVsCrafty war for our taste buds and we have a situation where the terms craft and beer get diluted and confusing. We know that big beer companies aren't going to educate potential drinkers, we need to educate ourselves, and sometimes each other.

Sources:
http://www.examiner.com/article/a-nice-cold-brew-curious-traveler
http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/call-transcript.aspx?StoryId=1209451&Title=boston-beer-company-inc-s-ceo-discusses-q4-2012-earnings-results-earnings-call-transcript#ixzz2VovJROkq.
http://www.bostonbeer.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=69432&p=irol-overview 
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9NTAwMTM2fENoaWxkSUQ9NTQwMDQ2fFR5cGU9MQ==&t=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zE7PKRjrid4
Cocktail Image: Microsoft Power Point
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shandy
http://www.beerpulse.com/2012/03/samuel-adams-porch-rocker-radler-shandy-debuts-in-may/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2338129/Giant-US-firm-makes-Budweiser-crushes-tiny-UK-brewers--naming-beer-childrens-primary-school.html
http://www.saveur.com/article/Wine-and-Drink/Oh-Shandy
http://travelerbeer.com/about/
http://www.eatoutzone.com/Cocktail_with_beer.htm
http://www.germanbeerinstitute.com/Radler.html
http://www.wishfulchef.com/2011/07/german-radler/
http://www.beeroftomorrow.com/mixing-beer-1-the-shandy/
http://www.ratebeer.com/Story.asp?StoryID=27

Brew Bracket: Pale Ales

I had a chance to attend my second Brew Bracket event this past weekend. As with my first experience, this event did not disappoint.

This one was larger than the last one with 16 breweries competing instead of 8. Participating breweries included: Barley Island, Bloomington Brew Company, Brugge, Evil Czech, Flat 12, Half Moon, Iechyd Da, Indiana City, People's, RAM, Rock Bottom College Park, Rock Bottom Downtown, Thr3e Wisemen, Triton, Upland, and the Union Brewing Company.

We got to spend the afternoon at the State Fairgrounds with some friends. Lots of laughing and time catching up and debating over whether orange or gray was the way to go. Clearly we're a group that takes things very seriously. Maybe we just take our beer seriously.

As far as we could tell, this was a great event. The Big Guy and I have had the opportunity to get to know Mike through the beer classes we've been taking. He's the man behind the curtain for the Brew Bracket. After this event we asked him what he thinks makes a successful bracket.

"In my mind, a successful event is when the people participating discover new favorite beers/breweries within the style. The blind tasting element strips away any perceptions about a specific brewery and allows you to focus on just the taste of the beer. So we hope that at every event people learn a little more about what they like within a beer style, as well as a few new beers/breweries to seek out after the fact. And that folks have fun. Usually you can tell that by watching and talking to the crowd, with maybe a little Tweet Wall monitoring on the side."



Image Source: http://brewbracket.com/past-events/

I made it onto that tweet wall a few times during the event. There's something really fun about seeing the real-time reviews of things as you're voting and as you're tasting the beers.

This time the winner was Thr3e Wisemen's Rocky Ripple Pale Ale. Coming in second was Rock Bottom Downtown's Sugar Creek Pale Ale.

To the left is a picture of the actual bracket standings. I managed to pick the winners in all but 3 of the 15 head to head competitions. Pretty solid average. That tells me not that I know a ton about pale ales, but instead that in this category I tend to go for beers with more mass appeal.

This was an interesting event for me, because I'm not a huge pale ale fan, and I definitely don't care for IPAs. (Every time I say that, O-Dawg's heart breaks a little.) Having said that, I've learned more about pale ales through the beer classes that the Big Guy and I have been taking. I may not love them, but I can at least appreciate them and recognize when one is done well. I think this is a little bit like what Mike was talking about- getting out there and trying something new and being willing to step out of the box a bit. The Brew Bracket has done a variety of styles already and there are more to come this year. We asked Mike which style has been his favorite so far.

"I'm still a pale ale and IPA lover at heart. So this event and the first one we did in Spring 2010 with IPAs were two of my favorites. The stout was really nice because there's so much variation within stouts. Everyone thinks Guinness but the brewers here are doing so much more. And I loved the bourbon barrel aged beer event. So many wild styles all aged in a local bourbon barrel. It really showcased the creativity of our local brewers."

To me that's what this event is all about- the local brewers. It's a showcase for something unique, maybe even a good place to test something new and see how your audience reacts. I'm in marketing and I definitely like a good focus group or test market. There are some really unique things happening in the Indiana craft beer scene, obviously that's why we're here on the blog as well.

Mike and his crew do a great job arranging the afternoon's festivities. Having done some event planning for my day job, I know that for things to run as smoothly as they do for the attendees there's a lot of behind the scenes work that's necessary.

The Big Guy: The Brew Brackets are probably my favorite of the events / festivals that we go to. It mixes everything I love about a head to head competition with everything I love about beer. There are some awesome unique creations that come out here and then there are some really solid beers that are every day brews. They both have a chance of winning and that really makes this one of the coolest beer events in Indy.

This was the first event where the guys at Brew Bracket offered a VIP experience, so I had to jump on it. It was a totally reasonable $10 up charge on the basic tickets. For our ten bucks we got to hear from Andrew, the head brewer at Ram Downtown, Jerry from Rock Bottom and Rob from Flat12. We got to hear about what got them to be a brewer, what inspires them and some of their favorite moments in beer. Better then all the wonderful talks was the beer. We got to have a one off Java Bock by Rock Bottom Downtown. It was incredible. Anyone who counts these guys out because they are a "corporate brewery" is an idiot. Andrew does an outstanding job. I loved some of his unique seasonals and this brew was just
outstanding.


We asked Mike (handing out the awards on the right), one of the organizers of the Brew Bracket, if he planned to continue with the VIP experience and he said, "yes, we’ve been getting some good feedback on the VIP hour. As long as the folks there liked it, we’ll keep it as a component of the larger scale events." I am excited to see what a little more practive allows them to do with this awesome and reasonably priced perk.

I am officially 0 for 3 with these brew brackets. My two favorite brews of this event were Peoples and Bloomington Brewing company. Neither of them made it past the first round... I should probably just stop trying. I was 10 for 15 with my votes, not terrible. Everyone should check these events out. Mix an amazing amount of competition and beer-culture camaraderie then drown it all in wonderfully made beers and you get the Brew Bracket. Check it out.

Professor Beer: The Brew Bracket: Pales Ales was an excellent event (as they always are).  Alas, I was 8 for 15 on the voting, and my favorite of the event didn't even make it past the first round.  New for this event were VIP tickets, which as the Big Guy mentioned were definitely worth the extra cost.  I hope they continue to offer them for future events.

And some familiar faces from AMBERgeddon.

Cucumber Kolsch

I know, holy shit right. That doesn't even sound like it should be beer, but it is and it's some damn good beer. From the masters of the mash-up, the guys who brought you taco beer, Flat12's latest bottled release doesn't disappoint.

I was fortunate enough to hear Rob, the head brewer at Flat12, talk about his experience creating this brew specifically and some of his general experience with Flat12 at the latest Brew Bracket VIP experience.

It may be hard to believe but this latest release was started just like us homebrewers do it- in a five gallon bucket. Rob was originally a homebrewer so a lot of his creations start out this way. This allows him to experiment with all the funky flavors that they run with on a daily basis. This way if it isn't quite a success they haven’t wasted a ton of time or brew. Rob let it slip that we should start seeing some variations on the Cucumber Kolsch later this summer. He hinted at a pickle spiced version, a mint version and maybe a lemon version. Keep your fingers crossed from some awesome mash-ups.

Just based on my friends, this beer is pretty polarizing. You either love it or you hate it. The Cucumber Kolsch is 5.2% abv and 27.7 IBUs. It pours out a golden yellow color with a solid white fluffy head. It smells like cucumber and nice bready malts.  It has a strong cucumber flavor right off the bat. It reminded me of the spa water you get when you are hanging out before your message (yes, I pamper myself on occasion, don’t hate).  The flavor is slightly herbal and sweet just like biting into a fresh cuke. The Kolsch style was a great backbone for this beer because it is so light and clean tasting allowing the subtle flavor of the cucumber to come through. Overall the beer is light and refreshing, a perfect summer seasonal that I can’t wait to sit outside and drink.

Now this may not be your favorite beer, but you have to give Rob at Flat12 some credit for having the balls to make it. I give this brew a solid 4.5 for creativity.

The Little Lady: Like the Big Guy mentioned, this beer can be pretty polarizing. I like it, and I like that so many people we've talked to have a pretty strong opinion about it. I'm usually a porter or stout kind of girl, so while this is a bit of a departure, I do like to experiment with lighter beers in the summer. I respect the difference of this beer and the brewer's willingness to take the risks that made it happen. It's light and refreshing, and best served really cold to bring out those aspects of its character and the cucumber flavor. It's a great beer to have while sitting on the back porch enjoying some sunshine and warm weather after mowing the lawn (which if we're being honest I don't do, but I do appreciate and will gladly partake in the post-mowing brew or two). This will be part of the regular rotation this summer at our house. The only question is whether the Big Guy or I can get to it first. Game on, sweetheart.

O-Dawg:  The only thing I have to add to this is something that makes me laugh every time I see a bottle of Cucumber Kӧlsch.  I picture a friend of mine who works for F12 scrubbing out the tanks cursing as loudly as a sailor.  Unearthly mutterings bouncing off the insides of the tank distorted by acoustics and rage.  In the end emerging from the tank victorious covered in cucumber parts.  The sheer imagery this evokes has me in stitches more than his ravings about F12's beer filter!  Hats off to Rob and F12!  They have out done themselves again with this entry.  I dislike Kӧlsches, but their twist on this classic turned my surly .5 into a hearty 3.5!  A must try for the Summer!

Professor Beer: When I first hear about this beer, I wasn't expecting much.  However, as I mentioned in the History on Tap post, it ended up being probably my favorite beer of the festival.  It's a delightfully refreshing beer with strong notes of cucumber, which I will definitely be drinking this summer (in fact, I've already managed to track down a couple 6-packs).  The Cucumber Kolsch is an excellent summer beer.

Beer Gear: BeerPouch

 

 ImageSource: Today.com, Jim Galligan, "BeerPouch makes it easy to sip suds on-the-go" 5/25/13

 

I saw this come across the wire and thought to myself, "Why didn't I think of that?!"

 

Remember Capri Sun? You know! That high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) kids' drink that started back in the 80's? The drink itself was housed in an aluminum pouch that you could roll up and recycle once all the liquid was enjoyed. The housing pouch was light weight, non permeable to light, flexable, and shatter resistent. The joy of it was the single serving.

Now let's apply that to beer...

The BeerPouch is the brainchild of Kevin Tubbs, a beer store owner in Alaska. He was on a quest to find an alternative to portable/bulky/non-shatter resistant growler containers.

“I tried every combination of materials I could find, including Tupperware and duct tape, to come up with a package that could hold carbonation and not allow in light or oxygen,” Tubbs recalled. “One morning, my daughter Mackenzie was sipping one of those Capri Sun juice drinks, and this thought hit me - no light goes through that thing!” Tubbs told TODAY.com.

Active adults now have a better option to carry and enjoy their beer hiking, biking, or just leisurely floating around the pool.

Hit the Link for more! http://www.today.com/food/beerpouch-makes-it-easy-sip-suds-go-6C10070626



New Day Meadery

I've lived in Fountain Square for the last year and always ignored New Day.  I saw the people that went there and the aesthetics of the place and my response was always, "Booshie fucks." Unbeknownst to me, my punk rock disdain was keeping me from one of Indy's more interesting places to grab a drink.

I realize that this is a beer blog and meads, another fermentable drink, are not really beer. What got me thinking was that one of Professor Beer's favorite drinks was New Day's Imperial Breakfast Magpie. A wonderful brew with a short run, it made me question what New Day had to offer to the already saturated Indy beer scene.


What they brought was a refreshing, unique way of presenting brews that blur the line of beer, braggot, and mead into a taproom that offers a spectrum of fermentables.


New Day offers ciders, honey wines and still meads, as well as their product in mixed cocktails. The taproom is small and modern.  Clean, minimal design with the "bar" being waist high with no chairs to encourage a more engaged customer, as well as little lounge areas finished with plump couches.  It's comfortable and high brow, which is a contrast to the typical blue collar aesthetic of breweries.


Their ciders are crisp and clean and they offer varieties that perfectly run the gambit from a dry palate smacked to a sweet, sugary drunk apple juice.  The two brews of special importance to the BEER barons would be the ReThinker and the Snap Dragon.


The ReThinker is my favorite offering at New Day.  It's a sparkling blueberry mead that has been dry hopped with Cascade hops. I'm not a fruit beer guy, but damn, this is good.  Fruit sweet complemented with the bright, but bitter hops that lend some floral notes just makes for a surprisingly complex brew.  It's weird to say this, but definitely 4.5 heads on this one.


The Snap Dragon is what I think Blue Moon would taste like if it actually tasted good.  It's a mix of apricot and honey wine as well as orange peel, corriander, Hallertau hops, and Belgian Wit yeast.  Yeah, exactly.  It is as awesome as it sounds. I'm personally not a big fan of Belgian Wits or corriander, but I could drink this all summer.  4 happily surprised heads.


New Day Meadery is another feather in Indianapolis' brewers cap.  Despite its high brow aesthetic, the brews are all incredibly approachable and you could take a date, your mom, and even have a bro date with a fellow beer blogger and not be ashamed that two giant men are quaffing honey brews and are surprisingly drunk.  Like Vikings!

The Big Guy: We were totally like vikings. New Day Meadery is like one part winery, one part brewery and one part swanky coffee house. The atmosphere is trendy and upscale, but the people behind the bar are knowledgeable and easy to talk to. This is definitely one of the classier places I have been while doing "research" for this blog. The Little Lady is already mad at me for going with El Duque instead of her. Unlike El Duque I AM a big fan of wits and coriander especially on a hot Indiana summer day, so Snap Dragon was my favorite mead they had on tap. I couldn't believe how light, refreshing and close in flavor to a solid summer beer this was. What New Day is doing really is their own sort of craft creations blending mead, ciders and some really cool elements from beer. I can't wait to make this place part of my regular growler fill Friday rotation.

POURsuasion: #CraftVsCrafty

The "Crafty" get craftier... - O-Dawg

Let me give you some context for the previous statement.  Craft breweries are defined by the Brewers Association as “small, independent and traditional.” Small meaning 6 million barrels or less brewed per year (roughly 189 million gallons). Independent meaning that less than 25 percent of the brewery “is owned or controlled by an alcoholic beverage industry member who is not themselves a craft brewer.” And to be considered traditional, the brewery must hang its hat on beers that are primarily all-malt (not dominated by adjunct ingredients).

Not every brewery that uses the term craft actually meets that definition.

"My outlook on it is somewhat philosophical. Am I annoyed? Yes. It's very annoying to see people who are not you walking around dressed as you and claiming to be you, essentially, and using the advantages they have to try to get people to think, "beer is beer, it's all the same," etc. What I say to people is, take the big breweries, and anyone, anyone in the room I'm in, sometimes hundreds of people, can you name the brewmaster? Anyone got a name? No, there is no name. There's no name. There's nothing but money." - Brewmaster Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery 

That's where words like crafty come into play, to add some differentiation. The term Crafty is given to multinational beer producers such as Budweiser, Miller, Coors (BMC) that have taken notice of the upswing in the demand of craft beer.  BMC have responded to this surge by buying up craft breweries and/or creating craft-like brands.

Anheuser-Busch InBev
  Created - Shock Top
  *Bought - Goose Island  (In my opinion 312 has never tasted the same after acquisition.)
Coors
  Created - Blue Moon, Killians, Third Shift
SAB Miller
  *Bought - Leinenkugel

That's the foundation of the ongoing war of #CraftVsCrafty.

Enter the Draftmark home tap system the latest in the salvo in the ongoing war for our taste buds!  I was actually going to start up a Beer Gear post on this contraption till I did a little digging...  Guess what I found?!  You guessed it!  The only beer currently sold to be used with this taste bud death trap is none other than the "Crafty" beer described above.  Oh it looks pretty as a picture at first glance! Til you want to drink actual craft beer out of it...

BMC is attempting to do with the beer industry what HP did with the home printer industry.  They will sell you a home tap kit for what initially looks like a low and reasonable price.  Once you have used up all the sample(s) that came with it you have to order replacement "cartridges" exclusively through them.  That's where the profit comes in to play. See the selection pictured below.  Crafty...

6/6/13, 2:27 PM Jason Alstrom @JasonAlstrom: "Well... this should be interesting.  Anyone use the Draftmark Tap System yet?
6/6/13, 2:29 PM Daniel @CharlotteBeer: "Was offered a press sample for review and declined."
6/6/13, 3:14 PM O-Dawg @illumin8tor: "No sir... not anytime soon"

Just this afternoon when sitting down for a nice lunch at Red Robin with a friend guess what was staring me in the face?  After a quick "No... this can't be right... I was just going to make a little funny post about this..."  I took a few quick pic's and went to the Twitter-Sphere.  #CraftVsCrafty

Some of the more amusing responses:
6/6/13, 12:38 PM Greg Koch @StoneGreg: "Oh my goodness gracious, those crafty little tigers in mktg"
6/6/13, 1:23 PM Jake Garvey @JakeGarvey: "I just threw up a little bit when I saw that."

My little local interaction with the #CraftVsCrafty comes on the heels of Stone Brewing Co. co-founder, Greg Koch [@StoneGreg] and his public reaction to an article published on CNBC.com

"Not satisfied by their declines, the major brand beer companies look to Europe for ways to drive a bigger stake into the heart of beer, faster. http://www.nbcnews.com/business/its-beer-its-lemonade-its-shandy-its-coming-us-6C10095813  

Heck, mixing their beer with lemonade, soda pop and other sugary drinks helped the German industrial brewers lose credibility, why shouldn’t the USofA pile into that sinking boat too!

There’s nothing like sending a message to consumers that says “Hey, fed up with beer and or just not in the mood for a ‘regular’ fizzy yellow beer? Let us add HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup) / sugar and flavorings into it for you.” Bam! Instant respect from everyone (if “everyone” means “that MBA guy in the marketing dept charged with analyzing new trends”). 

#headinhands"

Mother Earth Brewing Company just announced that it is adding the Brewers Association logo on its packaging to aid in defining the #CraftVsCrafty beer. The Brewers Association was quick to state that “The logo should not be interpreted a ‘craft’ seal or certification,” says Gatza. “Approved use is available to members upon request. What we are keen to avoid is any indication that BA ‘endorses’ a company or its products.”

Of note was the talk about a craft beer seal. “We have discussed a ‘craft beer seal’ off and on over the years. I recall seeing notes in this area back to the mid-1990s, but nothing has come of it" said Gatza.  In all honesty, why not have a certification or seal for craft breweries to display?!  We have it for Organic foods, why not Craft Beer!

What do you think? Should there be a distinction for the true craft beers out there? Are you planning to try anything that the crafty marketing folks are proposing- the tap system, the cocktails? Are you just looking for a delicious beer regardless of who makes it?

Sources:
http://www.wikipedia.org/
http://www.draftmark.com/
http://www.kegworks.com/blog/2012/12/28/craft-vs-crafty-beer/
http://beerpulse.com/2013/06/brewers-associations-logo-on-labels-not-to-be-interpreted-as-a-craft-identifier-560/
**Picture of Greg Koch with quote: http://beerpulse.com/2013/05/stone-brewing-co-founder-on-shandys-driving-a-bigger-stake-into-the-heart-of-beer-faster-497/
http://www.brewbound.com/news/millercoors-third-shift-touts-passion-further-blurs-craft-beer-definition
http://www.brewersassociation.org/pages/media/press-releases/show?title=craft-vs-crafty-a-statement-from-the-brewers-association
http://www.brewersassociation.org/pages/business-tools/craft-brewing-statistics/craft-brewer-defined
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20130517/LIVING06/305170006/Hops-and-Barley-Craft-beer-versus-crafty-beer
http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013301090059&gcheck=1
**Picture of Garret Oliver with Quote: http://www.bkmag.com/BKFood/archives/2013/06/04/25-years-of-brooklyn-brewery-an-interview-with-garrett-oliver?showFullText=true
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/01/13/what-qualifies-as-craft-beer-depends-on-whom-you-ask/1566338/
http://beerpulse.com/2013/06/draftmark-home-tap-system-expands-to-new-markets-as-goose-island-ipa-package-debuts-540/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+beerpulse+(Beerpulse.com%3A+%231+beer+news+website+in+the+world)
**Picture of Mother Earth Brewing: http://www.motherearthbrewing.com/

Brew Bracket Pale Ales is This Weekend!

If you're looking for something fun to do this weekend, there are still tickets available for the Brew Bracket Pale Ale competition.

This Saturday 16 brewers and up to 400 eager beer fans will turn the Indiana State Fairgrounds into a scene filled with friendly competition, lots of laughs, and some tasty brews. The Big Guy and I will be there along with Professor Beer, and we'd love to see you there too.

You may remember this event from our post about their Belgian competition earlier this year. It'll be another tournament where the attendees pick the winner out of a series of blind taste tests. With more breweries it will most likely be more challenging to pick the winner from the start, and should be even more fun.

Look for my recap of the event next week. Until then- go get your tickets!

Picadilly Circus

If you haven't been to the Union Brewing Company in Carmel lately you're missing out big time. Since opening these guys have gone from one house beer to three or four. They have a great selection of some unique bombers in their beer fridge for purchase. They have added a beautiful outdoor seating area that backs up to the Monon Trail and now they are grilling brats and burgers depending on the day.

But the real reason that you're missing out is because you are missing their awesome cask ales. The Picadilly Pale was one of my favorites, that is until they released the Picadilly Circus just recently. Picadilly Circus is an ESB done in the traditional English fashion with EKG, Challenger and Target hops. For those of you who haven't had an ESB, it's a Pale Ale somewhere between a standard pale and an IPA as far as hops go.

Picadilly Circus is just like the Picadilly Pale but they added a metric shit ton of Indiana honey. This jacked its ABV up, it had a 7.2% abv, which is totally more my speed.

The beer comes out a golden straw yellow color with that slow, foamy white head that you get from cask ales. It has a nice herbal earthy aroma and the honey fits in perfectly sweetening the smell. The ESB has tangy hops that have a nice consistant bitterness. The hops are balanced out so well by the sweetness of the extra honey and just a hint of boozy heat. It has some great notes of toffee and honey with a nice bready backbone. The cask gives it that nice silky smooth mouth feel that I love.

The Picadilly Circus is smooth and drinkable for an ESB with an amped up ABV. If you haven't checked out the UBC lately you are missing out.

I give it a 4

History on Tap

    

History on Tap, a craft beer festival held at Conner Prairie, is slightly different than the standard beer festival.  The most obvious difference is that, being held at Conner Prairie, some of the grounds of the historical park are open as part of the festival.  History on Tap also has some educational opportunities not available at all craft beer festivals.  Prairietown is open through the festival, including the Golden Eagle Inn, where they serve beers made from historical recipes.  This year they had a molasses beer, and last year they had a ginger beer (both of which I found to be quite tasty).  Tuxedo Park Brewers had a stand set up, where they were giving craft brewing demonstrations.  According to the statistics from last year's History on Tap, over one third of the guests had never been to a beer festival before, and almost half only attend one or two a year.  I don't have even anecdotal numbers for other festivals, but it seems like History on Tap caters to a slightly different audience, and seems to be good at introducing new people to craft beer.

The 1859 Balloon Voyage was also running during History on Tap.  The 1859 Balloon Voyage is the largest tethered gas passenger balloon in the world, and having a beer while 350 feet up in the air is quite an interesting experience.

Several of the breweries in attendance only brought the usual suspects, but there were some more unique brews available.  A few of the stand-outs of the festival for me:

Cucumber Kolsch - Flat 12: I wasn't really sure what to expect from it, but it ended up being probably my favorite beer of the festival.  It was very light and refreshing, with a strong cucumber aroma.  (Upon smelling the cucumber, I immediately thought of this scene from The Other Guys: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3IQNPCIZ-k)

Shelby Blue Ribbon - New Day Meadery: This was an excellent mead (like most of New Day's).

Sassy Pants Porter - Union Brewing Company: A sassafras porter that is definitely worth a drink.

The Big Guy: We had  an awesome time at this event. I have never had beer in a hot air balloon, not sure that was on my bucket list but I am pumped that I got to check it off. It was great to see the UBC brew an exclusive beer for the event, and it was cool Flat12 gave us an early premier of the cucumber kolsch that is coming to liquor stores soon. Also, the molasses beer that the folks at Conner Prairie brewed was definitely interesting, and since they gave out the recipe me and Prof, Beer are going to try and put that one together. I think the coolest part of these festivals is getting a unique experience, whether its the brews or how they are presented. This one did a good job on both accounts. Thanks to the Horizon Council for putting this good time together for us.