Glassware Event with Girls Pint Out

We'd like to give a big thank you to Girls Pint Out for letting Russ be a part of this awesome event, and for letting us tag along for the fun. As one of the newer blogs around town we are always excited when one of our own is called out as an expert in his field. There aren't many people out there that know more about glassware than our very own Russ the Brewnibomer Balliet. The awesome pictures that GPO took of the event can be seen here.

You can find him on Twitter and on Instagram.

For more information on cleaning, pouring and general glassware suggestions; check out our previous posts. There's a list of them here, along with a description of the content in each. We have a passion for beer and all the great toys that come along with it.

Clean Your F'ing Glass by Russ - This one is pretty much self explanatory. If you missed Russ's talk about cleaning your glassware or wanted more information check out this post.

The Proper Pour by The Big Guy - Here we're walking you through how to pour a beer the right way to make sure you get all of the wonderful aromas.

Glassware Collecting by Russ - In case you didn't think he really knew what he was talking about, look at how much glassware this man has....seriously.

The IPA Glass by The Big Guy - Take a little closer look at the IPA glass that Russ showed last night at the event. Perfect for letting out all those awesome hop aromas.

The Teku Glass by The Big Guy - no matter how you pronounce it, it is one of the best overall glasses for tasting beers. If you only have one beer geek glass, this is the glass for you.

Craft Beer, Not Just for the Boys by Brie - Since we all got together last night with GPO, I wanted to remind you all that there are more and more women in beer, and more ways to get involved if you're interested.

Ring of Dingle

The Ring of Kerry is a popular, circular tourist route in southwestern Ireland.  Just north of the Ring of Kerry is the Dingle Peninsula, containing the town of Dingle.  On that peninsula is the Slea Head Drive, a circular route starting and ending in Dingle, and therefore sometimes called the "Ring of Dingle"; a less tourist-clogged alternative to the Ring of Kerry.

Sun King's Ring of Dingle is an Irish Dry Stout with 4.8% ABV and 34 IBU.

I enjoyed Ring of Dingle served from a can (with the new, improved label!), and it was a very dark brown.  The thick, tan head had fairly good retention.  Roasted malt flavors are predominant, with some chocolate flavors and sweetness as well.  Ring of Dingle has a dry finish, as you would expect from the style.  The carbonation was fairly light, and it had a medium body.

I've always been somewhat partial to Irish Dry Stouts, so it will be no surprise that I enjoyed Ring of Dingle.  Overall, it was an enjoyable stout, and I grab at least one 4-pack every February.

The Big Guy: I love this dry crisp Irish stout. It pours out almost black with a really nice tan head that builds up well in the glass. It's got a great big roasty flavor packed into a nice low ABV beer. So often we sacrifice flavor for session-ability, not so with the Ring of Dingle. It is dark with hints of unsweetened chocolate and roasted malts. There is just a bit of sweetness to balance it all out and basically no hop flavor. It's a really impressive session beer and I give it a solid 4. My only complaint is that it comes out so early, you have to stock up to make sure you have some of this left over for St. Patrick's Day!

New Brewery Alert: Function Brewing

I usually spend at least one day a week in Bloomington, IN on IU's campus as part of my research (science, not beer) stuff. When I'm down I try to make the most of it by stopping in to the local breweries and bottle shops. In fact I probably buy the majority of my packaged beer in Bloomington because the selection in my part of Indy is awful. I'm a fan of Bloomington Brewing Co and sometimes Upland, but when I heard that there was a new brewery slated to open I got very excited... based on my visit there, so was everyone else. 

The brewery in question is Function Brewing. 

Husband and wife team Steve (brewer) and Arlyn (chef and front-of-house manager) recently opened their taproom just off the square in Bloomington within the last month. Function has the goal of having a core line-up on draft, while continually offering something new alongside those regulars. The name of the brewery and the idea of constantly having "something new" jive well when put in the context of math and science. Consider your ingredients as input, brewing as the Function, and the beer as output. New variables, same function, new beer... zzzZzzz... Simply put they want to play with a variety of ingredients and recipes with the hopes of making different tasty beers. 

Stay with me here, I'm actually going to talk about my experience there a couple weeks ago on a Friday night... their first Friday night open (keep this in mind). Appearance wise I dug the place; it has this modern and rustic combo: lots of bright greens mixed with black, sleek furniture and fixtures, but lots of wood and brick mixed in too. 

I ordered myself a flight of 5 beers: A single hopped (Falconer's flight; there's that variable!) pale ale, the IPA, a smoked porter, a milk stout, and a coffee milk stout (another variable!). They offer the standard 16oz pour, but also a 10oz pour, which I think is an excellent idea and should be done more often. The beers themselves ranged from excellent (single hopped pale ale), to forgettable (the IPA), to solid (the other 3). 

My biggest issue was service. I sat 10 minutes at the bar before I was even acknowledged, people were lined up out the door waiting to be greeted (a few left), servers were stressed (but still nice), and waiting for my beers and check were lengthy endeavors. Again this was their first Friday night open so I'll give them a mulligan with the hopes that those issues will be ironed out. They've had some other hiccups since opening, but again a lot of these issues are a function of being a brand new taproom. One other thing of note- Function doesn't do carry out (i.e growler fills) yet as they can barely keep up with the on-premise demand.   

The bottom line is that I think they're worth visiting if you're in the area. Their beers are good with the potential to be great... and they have some interesting offerings when compared to the other places in town. I will say that you should keep in mind the variable of time when visiting them until they can get their feet under them. 

Pilgrimage: New Glarus Brewing Co.

Being a sales guy takes me all over the place. Normally I stay around Indianapolis but sometimes I get pulled to other areas of this great country.

I had the pleasure of going up to Wisconsin recently. If you haven't been to Wisconsin in February, it's a beautiful place, but its freaking cold. I mean a bone freezing, face numbing finger falling off kind of cold. The good thing is, nestled there in the middle of a few snow drifts is the town of New Glarus.

Although there isn't a whole lot going on in the town, there is a nice little brewery, New Glarus Brewing Co.



Being a bit of a trader and general beer conoisseur, I've really been impressed with some of their fruit beer offerings, so I was really excited to see what they had going on. El Duque was not as impressed with what he brought back a while ago, but I had faith.

For those of you who don't know, New Glarus used to distribute to states outside of Wisconsin, now they don't. They pulled back to better service their local customers in WI, and service them they do. Although you have to venture to the great white north just to get a taste of there brews, once you enter Wisconsin you can find their award winning beers at liquor stores, grocery stores and even gas stations. The station across from my hotel had an end-cap display full of 750s of their fruit beers. This is insanely cool, in a world where everyone is struggling for national prestige and recognition, these guys have taken their beers the oposite direction and really put a focus on their local customers.

Their brewery is in the middle of nowhere. Beautiful countryside and rolling hills surround this place that looks like an old style farm house. Once you're inside, it's anything but old school. Their brewery is bright, clean and modern. I took the brewery tour and had a nice time seeing all the details. The facilities are gorgeous. It's obviously a show piece for guests coming through. Tours are going around the clock and their tasting room has four or five beers on draft, including one of their fruit beers. These guys are probably most well known for their Spotted Cow in WI, but around the trading world their fruit beers are second to none. In fact a few of their fruit beers just got recognized by ratebeer as the best in the world in their style. I got to try the Raspberry Tart.

Raspberry Tart is an amazing fruit beer. It pours out a fairly clear and clean ruby red color with about a half inch of light pink head. It smells like raspberry fruit juice. Your first sip is sweet, like honey and fruit blended together in perfect harmony, but it's followed up with an awesome tartness from the raspberries. There's enough tart that it could easily be confused for a very light sour, and would probably go head to head nicely with a fruit lambic. For a beer that has such strong raspberry flavor, there was an impressive depth. Everything really seemed to meld together but still highlight the fruits. I give this one a lip smacking 4.

If you're ever up in Wisconsin make sure you take a little drive out to New Glarus. You will not be disappointed by the friendly people, beautiful facilities and awesome beers. I may have gotten a little carried away with what I brought home, cheers!

Half Acre Heyoka Review

I recently spent the weekend in Chicago for a scientific conference (yep my day job isn't all things glassware believe it or not; click here for more details), which was great because it was a somewhat funded trip to Chicago. It also meant I had limited time to explore the local beer scene in a city I hadn't been to since my passion for craft beer really blossomed, but I was able to carve out some time to walk to Eatily and Binny's to do some shopping.

As a result my next few beer reviews will probably be about offerings from Chicago-based breweries. Yes, this is an Indiana themed site, but let's be real: 1) you probably go to Chicago a fair amount and/or 2) you trade with people there. Plus isn't the whole Midwest just a suburb of Chicago anyways?

First up is Half Acre Heyoka. 

Last time I went to Chicago I only knew Goose Island. This was partially because of my lack of knowledge, Goose Island's size, and because a lot of the breweries that now dot Chicago's landscape didn't exist. Now when I think Chicago beer, one of the first places that comes to mind is Half Acre and I've enjoyed everything I've had from them, so I picked a couple offerings up including Heyoka. 

Heyoka is Half Acre's first canned IPA (7% ABV), believe it or not, and is a winter seasonal. According to Half Acre, Heyoka utilizes Chinook and Amarillo hops and a pale malt bill to create what to me is a west coast style IPA.

Tasting notes: The beer pours a golden orange with a bright white, one-finger head; laces well. The aromas aren't too strong, but I do pick up notes of grass, pine, and citrus. The taste gives off flavors of tangerine, mango, grass, candied grapefruit peel, biscuits, and a good dose of bitterness. The body is light, with soft carbonation, and a pleasantly dry finish.

Overall, I think this is a perfect IPA for a 16oz can. It's well balanced, full of fruity hop notes, and extremely drinkable. This is only around for a few more weeks and only available in Chicago, so I suggest you track some down somehow. 4.5/5

Craft Beer and Women: Not Just for the Boys

I came across this article the other day posted on craftbeer.com. It's short, but it brings up a very interesting perspective. More often than not, when you think about beer, you think about guys. One of the most interesting things to me is seeing how that's changing.

Based on the events that I've been to, and obviously a little bit biased by the group I tend to drink beer with most often, i.e. the Beer Barons, there are a lot of men drinking beer. It can be intimidating to be the only girl in the group, and sometimes I wonder if that's not what holds us back from participating more.

So I'm doing my part to bring more women into the world of craft beer. Basically that means whenever I'm drinking a great beer, I try to get one of my friends to take a sip and try it or I invite my girlfriends to come to different festivals or other events. Some of my friends are enjoying what I share with them and we've had fun at different events or just doing a flight in a brewery. Some of my friends have tried it and decided it's not for them after all. Which is also totally OK. I'd much rather see someone try something new and not like it than never try it at all.

I've mentioned Girls Pint Out before. I think it's a great social organization to get women involved with craft beer and the craft beer community. They provide a great venue for women to talk with each other and they provide some great educational opportunities. Here's a link to their Facebook page with the upcoming events. I'm sure I'll be going to at least one of them- on Feb 26 our very own Brewnibomber will be giving a presentation about glassware. Will I see any of you there?

For those of you who are in the beer industry, there's another group that I've recently become acquainted with- the Pink Boots Society. When I say that I've become acquainted with, what I really mean is that I've signed up for their newsletter. I had the opportunity to hear Teri Fahrendorf, the President and founder of PBS at a conference for brewers and beer writers. She took an amazing trip, traveling across the country visiting and working with different breweries at each stop along the way. Every time she met another female brewer, they all had the same questions and the same need to connect and share knowledge.

This isn't any sort of call to arms about making women 51% of all the brewers in the world. I'm not going to be burning my bra or asking any of you to do the same. I'm not that kind of feminist. Having said that, if you are a woman interested in learning more about beer or trying more craft styles, I encourage you to do it. There's no reason to avoid getting involved in craft beer, or thinking that because you're female there's no place for you. The craft beer community is about being inclusive and exploring this shared interest together. I think there's room for everyone who wants to be there. Try some new things, attend some events, and find out what works best for you.

I hope to see you at something soon!

A six pack costs how much?!?!

If you haven't noticed, your favorite craft beer spots were just taken over by a strange, green alien from another state, Hopslam. For those of you who may not know about this strange visitor to our Indiana beer landscape, Hopslam is by Bells Brewery in Michigan and it's a DIPA brewed with honey.

It comes in at a big 10% ABV and has a big hit of hops. It's one of my favorite beers in the winter. Its got a ton of alcohol to warm you up, but the big hop flavors remind you of summer.

Although, it's a great beer, some of you may get a little sticker shock when you pull it off the shelves. A sixer of this nectar of the gods comes in at around $19 to $21. This might be hard to handle when you can go pick up a six pack of other brews for $10-$12. One of the biggest things we pay for with these seasonal releases is quality. Here's a little breakdown:

Ingredients: The first thing to look at while talking about price is the amount of resources a brewery puts into making a beer. Any of your high ABV beers, which are my favorite, are going to have a little higher price tag because they require more malt to make. More malt = a little more money. In addition to higher malt costs, good quality hops can be expensive. In some cases seasonal releases use harder to find strains of hops which further escalates the cost of brewing. Take Hopslam for example, "Starting with six different hop varietals added to the brew kettle & culminating with a massive dry-hop addition of Simcoe hops, Bell's Hopslam Ale possesses the most complex hopping schedule in the Bell's repertoire." Now get a beer that has a huge ABV and more hops than you can shake a stick at and the ingredients alone are putting you into a whole different price category. Extra ingredients like organic honey, molasses, coffee and others can also escalate costs.

Fermentation: Another topic to consider is the duration of fermentation. Lagers take longer to ferment then ales. Fountain Square's Workingman's Pilsner takes almost twice as long as their other house beers just because it lager ferments. When we're talking basic beers we're normally going from five days to ten days or something equally less frightening, but for the brewery that's still half the output that they'd normally get, therefore half the revenue coming in on the brews. When we get into barrel aging, like the Sun King Reserve beers, we start looking at months in a barrel on top of fermentation, and these barrels take up space as well as resources keeping the environment at the right temperature and humidity. Hell, we probably have to add some cost just for purchasing the barrels, because they can't be used forever.

Specialty: One of the biggest complaints I hear, is "why are all the sour beers so expensive?"
This one actually makes the most sense of all since sours have their own unique brewing process. To sour a beer, we add a different strain of "wild" yeast or bacteria to the brew. This gives it a uniquely sour flavor. Most people who make sours then take their various batches of sour beer and blend them together to create something tasty. As you can imagine having many different batches to blend going at any one time adds to the cost. Also, if something sours in the wrong way it may have to be discarded. On top of all this, most beers soured with lacto end up being aged for a year or more, often in barrels just like we talked about above. There is also a big risk of cross contamination with the bacteria that sour the beer. Often sour programs have to be held in secondary brewing facilities, because even a dividing wall may not keep the bacteria from migrating. Sours can really get pricey, but a lot of passion, patience and expertise go into making them.

The Hype: The last reason for high prices that I'm going to talk about is the hype. Every true Indiana beer nerd has had that moment where an out of state beer nerd asks, "so have you ever had Zombie Dust?" Zombie Dust is an amazing beer with great hop character balanced by sweet, smooth malts. Excellent in every way, but more than that, it has become like the movie Evil Dead or Goonies... it's now a cult classic. It has become a rite of passage for aspiring beer geeks to show that they've truly made it.This sort of cult following has allowed liquor stores to break up six packs and sell the beers for a premium. I can get a six pack of ZD at Three Floyds for ten dollars but most places around town charge 3 dollars per bottle. Other breweries like Bells and Founders have similar beers where the price comes up just because the beer has so much hype that everyone wants to try it. Now this is the supply and demand portion of our beer econ lesson today. The better known a brewery is and the better the beer they make contribute to the scarcity we experience in the market.

I'm not accusing these big breweries of being all hype. Most of them are making really great product. They've done such a great job brewing quality beer and actually marketing it, that now they can get a premium. Some of you may say that this is just price gouging by the breweries, but I strongly believe that as long as the product is of a good enough quality that it sells out in stores or breweries or whatever venue it's offered, the brewer is just asking for the right price for their product.

With all these factors out on the table, we have seen instances where breweries have made a less than stellar beer that had a high ABV, or barrel aged something that just didn't age well. When this happens and the brewery still puts it out, it brings their whole brand into question. It hurts their hype. When a brewery gets a reputation for barrel aging piss and charging exorbitant amounts of money for the "brew" people stop trying some of their other beers. It's straight up capitalism. If you make crap and I buy it, I may be wary of your beers next time. If you make crap and charge me my first born for it, I may have to go bananas on social media and avoid your beer forever, but I should really be mad about the quality of the beer first and foremost not the price.

If you are drinking on a budget there are a few ways to keep the quality without blowing all your mad money.

1. Fill your growlers - Most 64 oz growlers are between $12 and $18 dollars to fill up at the brewery.
2. Look for deals - Many breweries have growler discount days. For example, you can get $5 fills at Sun King on Fridays of all of their house beers
3. Look for 6 Packs - I'm not really sure why this is the case, but six packs tend to cost less than bombers per ounce. I've even seen the same beer in both packages come in at different prices per oz.
4. Everyday Beers - IN breweries have some great offerings that are year round, these tend to be cheaper and most are great quality beer.
5. Try before you buy- Look for liquor store tastings to try some whales before buying them, that way you know you're happy with what you're buying.

When we're talking about how much is too much, it will always come down to how much you are willing to pay for an awesome craft beer experience. Everyone makes priorities in their life, whether it's a new car, fishing trips with the kids, or vacations with your loved ones. We make choices, and some people will look at these pricey six packs and say "it's not for me." That doesn't mean they're bad options. The only real problem is when we the consumer allow people to make bad beer and then go out and buy their next barrel aged whatever. Vote with your dollars.

Fat Dan's Deli: Bringing a Little Bit of Chicago to Indy.

Nestled in the heart of South Broadripple, or "SoBro" as some might call it, you will find a variety of bars and restaurants.  There is Yats, the Cajun style eatery with sloppily delicious grub that is budget friendly.  There is also Taste Cafe for those who want a little more sophistication in their dining experience.  Friendly bars like Moe and Johnny's, where you can get endless bowls of free peanuts and the Aristocrat which features 60 taps mainly pouring craft beers.  You want upscale dining?  SoBro has it with spots like Mama Carolla's and Recess.  From Sam's Gyro's, to the Upland tasting room, the Sinking Ship, and the craft beer bar giant in this city, Twenty Tap, SoBro is one of the most established little pockets of diversity in food and beer that I love in the area.

The spot that stands out for me in SoBro is Fat Dan's Deli. Dan describes the whole thing as "Comfort Chicago street food...think ballpark and street festival-good times- cold beers, music, food."

I'll admit that growing up in Northern Indiana and being raised on Chicago sports and Chicago food has me a little biased towards this local Indy joint that focuses on a plethora of Windy City eats and craft beers.  The first time I walked into this restaurant on the northwest side of 54th and College I felt like I was at home.  

 

 

The bar/dining area is quaint, cozy, and decked out with Chicago sports memorabilia and a couple large TV's.  Dan told me its like "my basement that I've invited you to come to and hang out in. I take what I do personally, and take great pride in my food, the atmosphere we've created and our friends that enjoy our spot." During football season, this is one of the few spots in the city that exclusively shows Chicago Bears games with audio throughout the room.  Not shockingly, I can be found there most NFL Sundays.  The staff is friendly, fun, and incredibly engaging.  Dan, himself, is one of the most genuinely nice guys that I've met in the restaurant business.

 

Since this is a beer blog, let's talk about the beer at Fat Dan's.  They sport 10 draft lines and generally 2 of those are dedicated to nitro pouring.  The nitro selections for my visit were Founders Dry Hopped American Pale Ale and Lefthand Milk Stout Nitro.  There are 7 lines dedicated to a variety of local/regional/and national craft beers.  Selecting brews for a place like this can be difficult but Dan has a philosophy, "We all like beer-we feel like we know what's good and if we like it, then a lot of other people will too. We like to rotate some of the local breweries and add regional crafts that other places around town don't know about or have on tap themselves..." I've visited this place multiple times and can tell you that the variety here is good enough to usually satisfy anyone.  Featuring beers from Stone, DESTIHL, Fat Heads, Founders, Bells, Goose Island, Bier Brewery, Quaff On, and many, many more, you  are sure to find something that will be more than satisfying.  The last line, and the only constant beer always on tap, is that good old Chicago classic....Old Style. Growing up in Northern Indiana, I attended many Chicago Cubs games.  As I attended those games as an adult, one of the best experiences is drinking that Old Style in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field.  There aren't many places in Indy where I can sit and watch a Cubs game and drink an Old Style.  Being as big of a beer geek as I am, I can still tell you that I am not above an occasional Old Style for nostalgia purposes...and Fat Dan's gives me just what I need.  

My most recent visit to Fat Dan's was fueled by my craving for an Italian Beef Sandwich, and to me Dan's beef is the best in the city.  This succulent monstrosity of a sandwich is loaded with perfectly seasoned shredded beef, and topped with crisp, fresh, and spicy giardiniera.  The meat is piled into the hearty Italian roll and the whole sandwich gets briefly submerged into a vat of au jus, which I fondly call "liquid glory".  It's then wrapped in foil and presented to you on hefty parchment paper.  No plates here folks.  Simple, delicious, and satisfying.  I generally order extra peppers on mine...as should you.  Make sure you have a roll of paper towels next to you because this one can get messy.

  

The menu doesn't stop there.  The Chicago Dog, Maxwell St. Polish, the Chicago Combo are all fantastic standards.  You want burgers?  Fat Dan's has some of the best in the city.  From the mouth scorching Ghost Burger, to the NY Fatty topped with pastrami and corned beef, these burgers will satisfy the heftiest appetites.  Dan's personal favorite is the straight up Fat Burger. Get yourself a side of the best fries in the universe and this place will have you planning your next visit as you exit the building.

But that's not all.  Dan also has a variety of smoked food that is prepared in-house.  Smoked brisket, pulled pork, ribs, and my favorite...the chicken wings are just some of the things he cooks using all hickory wood for that authentic smoked flavor.  I've added pictures of their menu...you are sure to find something you will enjoy. Dan has big plans for the future, " Any future plans related to food, beer, locations...etc. I want to expand this concept to different cities around the USA and in the Caribbean. I hope to have about 7-10 shops in cities like Denver, Austin, Charlotte, Seattle & NY. I'd like a location or two in maybe The Keys and/or Mexico/Bahamas...some place like that. I didn't set out to make a million bucks with this--I set out to make people happy...I believe if you make people happy and do what you do right each and every time, the money will follow."

Most craft beer geeks in the city visit Twenty Tap with regularity.  If you have been in that area and haven't walked just a few paces north to Fat Dan's, you owe it to yourself to stroll in, belly up to the bar, and get yourself immersed in hearty cuisine and solid beer.  They are celebrating their one year anniversary on 2/18 and if I know this place, they are sure to throw one heck of a party.  And as always at Fat Dan's....hugs are free!

Thanks for reading!

Sterling Premium Pils

Sterling is a beer originally made by Evansville Brewing Co. that was picked up by G. Heileman and is now it's own unique brewing company. It wasn't a super exciting brew, but luckily our boys at Upland Brewing in Bloomington are contracted to brew it for Sterling Beer Company in Louisville, KY. Upland does a great job with the reinvention of these old style beers like Champagne Velvet.

Since skunking (exposure to light that leaves a distinct skunk-like aroma and flavor) has often been a problem with Pilsners coming from Europe to America, it's great to see this one in a can. On top of the benefits to the beer, the can itself is actually the pretty cool.

This is a new type of canning that allows the drinker to peel off the top and drink straight out of the can like a glass. It is supposed to allow as much aroma to come out as a standard pint glass. I cracked it open and thought to myself, when in Rome, so I drank straight from the can.

The lip has a beveled edge that beer falls back into. Also, the opening is small, and my face is big. This made for a less than perfect drinking experience. I was worried about what would happen to the flavor, and it turns out that concern was justified. I wasn't sure if I was tasting can or just smelling can and that was making me think that I tasted it, but there was an obvious metallic note. Although the concept of drinking craft beer directly out of the can is cool, I don't know that this is the way of the future. I think that whatever metallic ju-ju I was getting was ok with a pils but would have really messed up an IPA or something else with big floral notes. If brewers keep doing this, I hope they continue to refine the process so that it works a little bit better.

 

Since the can was a miss for me, I poured it out into a tulip glass to get a better feel for the actual flavor of the beer. It came out a light straw yellow with about a quarter inch of head (head may have been lower because I had been drinking out of the can for a few sips). It smelled of crisp pilsner malt and grassy notes with a bit of a mineral finish. Flavor was on point for what I expect from a pils. It had a light sweetness with some grainy malt flavor. The hops were crisp and bitter with a grassy vibe that was more than pleasant, and mirrored the aroma. It had a slight minerally quality on the finish which is totally acceptable for the style. This is a nice easy drinking brew coming in at 5.3% abv, it would be an easy beer to sit down with in the summer.

I don't think this one is going to set the world on fire, but it's totally worth the drink. Sadly this bad ass can is a total miss for me. It poured out a little bit easier since it had such a large opening, but that would be its only saving grace.

I give this one a 2 out of the can but it was an easy drinking 3 once I poured it into my glass.

Professor Beer:  I really liked the unique can.  The lip didn't bother me, and it felt a lot like drinking out of an actual glass.  Also, I wasn't able to determine any difference in flavor between the can and a glass (though, admittedly, I have a very poor sense of smell which is definitely a factor).  However, I was not terribly impressed with the beer inside the can.  It is an okay pilsner, but didn't really 'wow' me. I only gave it a 2.

El Duque: The beer in the can, and the beer in the glass were completely different.  Because the can wrapped around my face like a glass, I got way too much of the metal smell, which made the nice mineral finish into an off metalic taste.  In the glass, the beer is a nice, surprisingly flavorful pilsner, but with my nose stuck in the can smelling of a chemistry lab, it came across way too hard and tasted like a Natty Ice.

The beer is easy drinking and I think its only fault is its balance.  There area lots of great flavors that have a hard time finding a real harmony in the palate.  I like that the can is so easy to pour out of, but so are aluminum bottles, so it comes across as a gimmick, not really a necessary innovation.  Give this beer to me when there is sun and warmth, and I would be completely happy. I gave it a 3.

Community: Volunteering at the 2014 Winterfest... Tales From the SoberSide

I've figured out that one of the best ways to get involved in the Indy craft beer scene is to volunteer at events. I volunteered for DigIN last summer and had a great time so I figured I would do a more beer focused event with Winterfest this year. I worked the gates, which largely consisted of letting people into the event and making sure people left (without beer), so this means I got to interact with a lot of people that day... these are their stories (and mine). 

11am- I arrive. I ask parking people where I should park- "eh over there". Over there ends up being a 10 minute walk to the Winterfest location.

11:10am- 12:45pm- Various duties including putting out ice for the brewers, tracking down ReplicAle kegs for the ReplicAle trailer, repairing a flat cart that had lost it's wheel, wandering aimlessly, and trying not to get run over by a golf cart driven by Nick of Scarlet Lane Brewing.

~12:45pm- People are starting to line up?? 

12:45- 1:45pm- Making sure random people don't try and get in, guarding the tasting plastics, and getting trained on the scanning system. 

1:45- 2:30pm-ish- Get early entry people in the door, out of the rain, and drinking beer. 

• People do realize they need to have an ID to get into an event that involves alcohol right?

2:30-ish- 3:30pm-ish- Get general admission people in the door, out of the rain, and drinking beer.

• Did have one older gentlemen come to the gate with cash in hand to buy a ticket. Apparently he didn't know it was sold out and there weren't ticket sales at the door. Sorry man.

3:30-ish- 5:00pm-ish- During this time I was able to get away from the gate occasionally and try some beers, including Three Floyd's War Mullet, Iechyd Da Cookie Milk Stout, Black Acre Coffee Phantom Cat, (all favorites) and a bunch others. 

• Had a guy and girl come to the gate brandishing tickets... tickets to the home show in a different part of the fairgrounds. "Sorry sir you can't come in"; "why not?"; "those are tickets to the home show"; "so?""this is a beer festival";"I bought tickets to the wrong event I guess!"
• A local company was using generic growlers with their name on it as prizes and many fest goers were enamored with the $4 pieces of glass. My favorite was the guy who wanted to steal one and ask one of the breweries to fill it. Had to crush his dreams and inform him that wasn't going to happen. 
• One of the uninformed and shy volunteers was waiting in line with everyone else to get beer. Had to show him how to cut lines to get beer right away... one of the privileges of being a volunteer, which

1. Apparently some fest-goers don't think is fair, especially the Sun King Fanboys. Went to the head of the line to get some Pink Taco and heard several people cussing and freaking out.
2. Some volunteers take full advantage. Dealt with a few drunk volunteers (more on that later).

• Brewery pourer showed up with a ticket, so I gave him a general admission wrist band: "what does this get me?"; "What do you mean? It gets you beer... what do you want?"; blank stare "I thought I get special privileges"; "You need to work that out with your brewery or go to the check-in office"; "where's that?"; "right there past the booth"; I watched him go near the door, stand there for 5 minutes, and then wander off. After seeing the brewery he worked for I realized that he was probably on something. 

5-6pm- Back on official gate duty. Now mostly watching the drunk masses filter out; it's kind of like watching zombie hoards in "The Walking Dead", but some are less coordinated and meaner. Most were great though.

• Random roars go through the crowd- the zombies must be feeding. 
• 1+ hour left- a girl asks if her friends can get in for free since not much time is left: "No, the event is sold out"; discounted tickets?: "No, the event is sold out": full price ticket? "No, the event is sold out"

6- 6:45pm- Freedom! This was my designated time to enjoy the festival. I drank some beers, talked to friends and brewers, etc. 

• I could tell by this time that some breweries were a bit worn out. I was told by a pourer that I couldn't have the beer I wanted unless I drank the one he wanted me to first, because he was in control and didn't care he was being a douche (his words). 

6:45- 7:15pm- Time to get people out. Lots of high fives, handshakes, slurring, and germs. 

7:15pm- Asked to direct brewery vehicle traffic in the pavilion so they could pack up and get the hell out of dodge.

• Lucky me! Doing this with a couple drunk volunteers who were toting some cans of beer around: "Want some beer?"; "No thanks, let's get these cars directed"; "can't you do this alone? We want to go."; truck whizzes by going the wrong way. "Sure, but we can't let cars do that"; at that point Mr. Drunk yells I don't know what I'm doing and that nobody will listen to me. I walk away and soon after they join the paying patrons out the door. 

7:45pm or so- I go home exhausted. 

I got the sense that I took volunteering more seriously than some, but I had a great time, met some great people, and feel like I helped the Indy beer community pull off a great event. I recommend that everyone go volunteer at least once, but if you do, please try to take it seriously and don't treat it as a free ticket to get drunk.

Winterfest Recap

This year I went to my very first Winterfest. For those of you who haven't been before, let me just say that this was a great event for me. We had the opportunity to get early admission to the festival and took advantage of the opportunity to see what was set up before we really got started. That always seems to work best for me.

I know that even though I want to have all of the beers, it's neither realistic nor safe to think that it will actually happen. So I look for the breweries that I know I can't miss and I look for something new and unique on their tap list. There was a ton of ground to cover so being a little bit strategic definitely helped. This year was a different, and larger, location than past Winterfests to accommodate more people. This was another reason I loved being there early. I like to get a jump on the crowd.

There were a lot of great breweries there to sample. Some of the standouts for me were:

• Zwanzigz- Their blueberry and their chocolate are always a hit for me. Even better than these two on their own- mix them together. You're welcome.
• Revolution- I don't think I've had anything from Revolution that I haven't liked, so I always get excited when I see them at a local event. This time around I tried their Deth's Tar, a Russian Imperial stout aged in four different types of bourbon barrel (Old Fitzgerald, Old Forester, Elijah Craig, and Evan Williams). Amazing.
• Virtue Cider- Soon to be coming to the Indianapolis market, the Red Streak by Virtue Ciders is one I'm adding to my list. It's a crisp and dry English-style draft cider which is something I really got into during our recent trip through the UK.

All in this was a lot of fun. I'm glad I finally got to attend and will definitely be back next year.

The Big Guy: Although waiting out on the cold ass rain was not my favorite part of the early admit tickets, the extra hour was totally clutch. We did a great job of getting to a few of the breweries we really wanted to see before the crowds showed up. Winterfest may have just become my favorite of all the festivals we do. There were tons of great breweries. It was a reasonable temperature inside the building; I totally got tatted up and the crowds were bad but not terrible. That's win, win, win for everyone except maybe my mother who warned me about prison ink.

For me the big standouts (not in any specific order) were:

• Rivertown out of Cincinnati, OH, Old Sour Cherry Porter. I loved this dark and delicious fruited sour
• Bare Hands out of Granger, IN, Imperial Java Coconut Stout. Big imperial stout with just enough coconut that you know its there
• Iechyd Da out of Elkhart, IN, Breakfast Cookie Milk Stout. Tasted like cookie crisp and beer, how you can you not love that!?!

Honorable mentions included Bare Hands Chocolate Peanut Butter Stout, Revolution 3rd Year Beer  Rum-barrel Aged Barelywine and Rhinegeist Truth. There were a ton of awesome beers from Indy breweries but most of them were old favorites that I've had a few times before. They are totally delicious but I'm focusing on some of the new stuff to me. Upland did a wheel of sours that totally Pat Sajak'ed my heart. The firkin area was awesome. There were some really creative brews that they tapped. The stouts that were part of the ReplicAle of the year were all pretty good. I thought it was awesome going through each beer to check out how the individual brewers were able to put their own personality into the recipe. You can really get a sense of their playfulness and creativity as you check out all the different options.

I wish there had been food trucks. The concessions that were provided were only mediocre and before the end of the scheduled time they had started running out of the good stuff. Its hard to make it through a marathon beer drinking experience without some serious munchies to keep you going. That being said this was an outstanding event. Thanks to Hoosier Beer Geek and the Brewers Guild for putting it all together. Cheers!

Professor Beer:  This was my second year at Winterfest, and it was as good as I remember.  With the plethora of beers available, I was only able to try a small percentage, even with the early admission.  Here are a few beers that I particularly enjoyed:

• Sun King - Velvet Fog from the firkin tent.  Velvet Fog was very good last year, and it still does not disappoint.
• Iechyd Da - Breakfast Cookie Milk Stout.  A very good milk stout that is reminiscent of cookies.
• Tyranena Brewing - Benji's Chipotle Smoked Imperial Porter.  A smoked porter with a very nice chipotle heat to it.
• Triton Brewing - Hatchblower Cask.  I haven't had Hatchblower since I picked up a growler for O-Dawg's wedding reception.

The firkin area had some very interesting beers, and I wish I had spent a little more time there.  There were also several booths with very good ciders, including Ace Cider, Chapman's Brewing Company, and Victory Cider.

Happy Birthday Urban Chestnut

We were lucky enough to be invited to the Urban Chestnut Brewing Company (UCBC) 4th anniversary party in St. Louis. MO. On top of it being the 4th anniversary for the brewery, it was the 40th birthday of the head brewer. We knew we were in store for quite the event. This really was like the celebration double whammy, and those guys know how to through a crazy ass party.

There were dozens of Missouri breweries all set up like a festival, and even a live brass band, making for a really fun day for those of us who came in from out of town. They had food trucks outside, facility tours, and even someone making custom T-shirts. All this was held in their brand new facility that isn't even finished. We snapped some shots of the work in progress and were very impressed.

For me the icing on the cake was the man dressed up like a Wolpertinger. For those of you not familiar with Bavarian folklore, a Wolpertinger basically looks like a jackolope with bat wings, and UCBC knows German because their head brewer moved from Germany to America to work for AB before starting this wonderful craft paradise.

UBCB named their anniversary beer Wolpertinger, after this bizarre Bavarian creature. It's an imperial barrel aged version of their Wingnut, which is a German style Weiss beer. Yeah, that's not exactly easy to explain... but damn it tastes good. There were a few different variations on the Wolpertinger there to try and take home.

My favorite was the version aged in red wine barrels. It poured out a really dark mahogany color with an off white head. It was big, sweet and boozy with enough heat that it will age wonderfully. There was a ton of German character with big raisin and dark fruit flavors. I picked up a slight hint of nuttiness left over from the original Wingnut. The wine barrels gave it just a hint of sourness, which I loved because it was a great foil for the big malty sweetness. I give it a solid 4.5 fresh with all the hope in the world that it'll be a 5 in a few months.
 

They were running tours through the new building and it is about as state of the art as it gets. They've put in a huge tasting room that looks like a modern take on a Viking long house. There are tons of picnic tables all set up for people to get friendly and hang out. There will also be food! This looks like it will be an awesome place to hang out, and I can't wait to go back.

Bell's Hopslam... then and now (Review)

Fresh Hopslam

I have too much beer. I have way too much drink fresh beer (DFB) for the rate at which I drink them, especially IPAs. This occasionally means that some of the DFBs get past their "hoppy prime" and I'm left with cooking/baking liquid, giving them to friends that don't really care about beer that much (beer is beer to them), or letting them sit in my cellar for a liquid experiment.

During the winter of 2012-13, I bought a lot of Hopslam for a few reasons (besides that it's good): 1) Hopslam was one of the first double IPAs I had, so I have a soft spot for it. 2) A friend in missouri wanted some so I picked an extra 6er up for her 3) I was in my "must by anything rare I see" phase. Well, I still haven't been able to visit with my friend (c'mon Mari!) and I didn't drink as much Hopslam as I should've, so I still have 6+ bottles of 2012/13 Hopslam in my cellar. I figured with this years release I would compare fresh Hopslam to "aged" Hopslam as I've heard that some people actually like old Hopslam. Let's get to it.

Appearance

13/14 (fresh) Hopslam- Deep hazy copper with orange highlights. Thin off-white head with sparse lacing.

12/13 (aged) Hopslam- Similar color, but I would say it's more of an orange. Hazier and just looks dull. One finger beige head that leaves clumps of lacing behind. 

Some of the difference like lacing and head may have been a result of pouring technique and the glass.

Fresh Hopslam

Aroma

13/14 (fresh) Hopslam- Notes of lemon, pine, and tropical fruits. Overall the aroma isn't very strong.

12/13 (aged) Hopslam- Aroma is stronger, but is mostly lemon and pine.

Taste

13/14 (fresh) Hopslam- Notes of orange peel, grapefruit, pineapple, honey, bitter lemon peel, and toasted malt. 

12/13 (aged) Hopslam- Ghosts of hops past. Citrus notes are still there, but aren't as bright and are sweeter. Think citrus marmalade. Lemon and pine are still around. Honey and toasted malt notes are more present. 

Aged Hopslam

Mouthfeel

13/14 (fresh) Hopslam- Medium body with light carbonation. The mouthfeel is "juicy"... I can't think of any other way to describe it. Finish is slightly drying.

12/13 (aged) Hopslam- Slightly heavier as there isn't much carbonation. Doesn't have the "juice" mouthfeel of fresh hopslam and that makes a big difference. Finish is drier and more warming. 

Overall

13/14 (fresh) Hopslam- Now I'm reminded why I liked this beer so much. There are beers out there that individually may have better, aroma, taste, etc., but this one puts everything together so well 4.5/5

12/13 (aged) Hopslam- This is what you'd expect of a year old DIPA: sweet, dank, syrupy citrus and a lot of honey. I'm not going to rate aged Hopslam as that would be unfair to the beer since it's not really meant to be aged. 

Parting Shot

Aged Hopslam essentially becomes a barley wine or almost a hop-spiked honey wine. Would I age Hopslam on purpose? No, but I'm not a huge fan of either barley wines or honey wines and I'm not going to tell you what to do with your beer. I will probably keep some of those already aged Hopslams in my cellar and see what they taste like next year. And this year's? Well I split a 6-pack with a friend and will drink them while they're still juicy and fresh. 

The Big Guy: Hopslam was the first hoppy beer that got my attention. I've always been a fan of sweet malty beers and the bitterness of hops just never tripped my trigger. It took someone making a beer that had both malty sweetness and the hops so well blended to really fall in love with hops, and I fell hard. I love how well the sweetness blends with the citrus flavors and the big bitterness at the end just finishes it all off so perfectly. This is one of my favorite annual beers and I count down the days until it comes back out. I give it a solid 5.