Behind the Beer

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They call me Andrew "The Big Guy" Johnson because there are no big beers, only small men. I am big in every way. Tall, substantial, loud and overbearing. I love my beer, and I can drink my weight in it.

My preferred beers are maltier big flavor high abv brews. I love the dark sweetness of a stout or a scotch ale, and I like it even more when you jack it up to an imperial. I like some hopped up beers, but only when there is decent balance of sweetness with my bitter. I need to taste more than just hops, I am decidedly not a hop head. I also tend to stay away from wheats, shandies and other overly sweet summer beers.

  • My favorite domestic lager is High Life, the Champagne of Beers.
  • My favorite national micro is Stone Double Bastard
  • My favorite local non limited micro is Sun King Wee Mac

At the end of the day I am just a good ol'boy who likes to try new things. In true hilbilly tradition I do a little home brewing. My favorite homebrew is the WFW, a Scotch Ale I have been working on for a while now. At this point I do a ton of experimenting and try to get about four cases of brew done a month.


Twitter: TheEmptyCan
Untapped: TheBigGuy
Instagram: TheEmptyCan

They call me.. Tater Salad... No wait O-Dawg! aaaAAAhhhhhhhhh!

Besides throwing in the off cuff movie quotes to random YouTube favorites (This suit is so tight!) I am a beer lover at heart. I'm the fraternity brother buying a sixer of Red Seal as opposed to the case of Natty Ice... The friend who slowly and deviously turns you on to craft beers! ::worries hands together and pets hairless cat:::

Weapons of choice are hops... Big hops... 90 minutes... 120 minutes... King of Hop to the point of Pliny Ruination and back! Complex porter/stouts to Belgians to Russians. My guilty little pleasures at the moment are Sours, looking at you Sour Warlock...

Breweries that I trust, and when I say trust I mean can honesty grab any swill they brew and be satisfied with my purchase:
  • Nationally: Stone, Founders
  • Indiana: Three Floyd's
  • Indianapolis: Flat 12, Sun King
Want me to change my opinion? Make me a believer in your beer.

R.I.P Warbird, may your Shanty Irish Red Ale live on long past your reused brewing tanks at Triton Brewery...

Twitter: Illumin8tor
Untapped: O-Dawg

"Some miners (in the town where he started his journalism career) would have 20 pints after a hard day in the mine. Now that we sit behind computers all day, this is down to 18 or 19 pints."
-- Michael Jackson (No, not the singer.)

I am Professor Beer or as they say in the hood, Prof Mysta B. I enjoy learning about and, of course, drinking all kinds of beer.  I'm happy drinking beer, be it from homebrewers, microbreweries, craft beer breweries, or even the mega breweries.
Recently I've been especially partial to lambics, and some of my other favorites tend to be stouts, Scotch ales, and IPAs.  However, if a beer is way too hoppy or bitter without good balance, I probably won't like it.  I also find wheat beers to be fairly hit-or-miss, and I am generally skeptical of them, though there are many excellent ones.


Twitter: ProfBeer
Untapped: ProfessorBeer




El Duque.  The Duke.  Aptly named for my taste. The best of everything.  I am constantly trying new beers and use my broad palate to enjoy them.  I am always willing to try something new and the crazier the better.  I have a distinct magnetism towards hops and sours, but really will consume most anything, and will loudly let you know how I feel about it.

My fear of missing out has translated to my beer drinking and I love finding that under the radar gem.  Like finding that pearl buttoned cowboy shirt at goodwill, or that first print of Congotronics Vol. 2 hidden deep in the used vinyl bin, but unlike music and piss odored shirts, beer makes the world more fun and is best enjoyed with human beings, not the dungeons of a moldy basement.

I'm the bearded, tattooed, flannel wearing drink lover that can't wait to share a story...and laugh about it.

Favorite Domestic: Coors OG
Favorite National Mirco: Green Flash
Favorite Indiana: 3 Floyds
Favorite Indy: Bier Brewery
 
Twitter: @lukelofland
Instagram: lukelofland
Untappd: lukelofland



I'm Brianna, also known in some circles as The Little Lady. Being married to the Big Guy gives me ample opportunity to try new beers, many of which I probably would have passed up. We're opposites in the best ways. He's loud, I'm quiet and thoughtful. He's tall, I'm petite. Apparently, I like my beers the way I like my guy- bold, substantial flavors with a lot of body. Give me a porter or a stout and I'm a happy girl. Scotch ales and brown ales are pretty high on the list as well. Tell me that something has been aged in a bourbon barrel and I can't wait to give it a try. I've started getting more into sours and whit biers lately and I'm really enjoying those as well.

I'm also a bit of a nerd, so when it comes to studying up on the details behind a particular style, I'm there. I have a better understanding of what I like that way, and honestly more respect for beers that are done well just not in one of my preferred styles. I spend a decent amount of time in my kitchen, so expect to see some beer-related recipes popping up.

According to what I've listed on Untappd, some of my favorites include:
  • Stone 06.06.06- A Belgian Dark Strong
  • Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout-  An American Imperial/Double Stout
  • Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout

Twitter: @briejohnson
Untapped: brie3981
Instagram: brie3981














Science. That's my name and that's my game... well actually my name is Russ, but my game is science- geology and science education to be exact. Oh I'm supposed to be talking about beer? I generally like most styles that are out there, but my go-to's are IPAs and imperial stouts. I don't really care for the really light stuff like blondes or traditional lagers, or the malty middle ground like browns and ambers. That said if someone wants to offer me a great example of those styles I'm still game. I do like sours and most things barrel-aged, but recently I've been having a hard time accepting the prices that those beers command.

Some of my favorite breweries include Three Floyd's, Ballast Point, Against the Grain, and locally Flat 12. Right now my favorite beer is probably Against the Grain's Bo & Luke or their Kentucky Common collaboration with Local Option.

My big passion related to beer is glassware. I have a lot of it. I mean a lot. I think as of this write up I have somewhere around 300 pieces of glass. I dig snifters of all shapes and sizes and absolutely detest shaker pints. I'm all about educating people on proper glassware. proper serving, and glassware care/cleaning... in general I like talking beer and educating folks.

I'm also Cicerone certified at Level 1 (beer server) and I enjoy working craft beer events when I'm not attending them.

My  name is Kevin.  When I was in college I always knew I wanted more from beer.  I never understood why we just chose to settle for the cheap stuff that didn't really taste like anything.  So in the late 1990's I started drinking Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and my love for craft beer started taking flight.  Over the years I have had the wonderful experience of trying many amazing beers.  However, the best part of my craft beer journey has been meeting the people in this great community.  As part of this, I have recently joined the Beer Barons in order to continue to share my experiences and thoughts with the community.

My go-to style is the IPA. I do appreciate and love other styles such as stouts, sours, saisons, pale ales, ambers, porters, and many others.  However there is nothing that beats an well crafted IPA.  My favorites include Fat Heads Head Hunter, Surly Wet, Alpine Nelson, and Sun King Grapefruit Jungle....just to name a few.  Give me a good IPA and I'm all set.  This might sound crazy, but I'll take a six pack or a four pack of a solid IPA over some of the rare and crazy beers any day of the week.  
Some of my favorite breweries include Fat Heads, Crooked Stave, Russian River, Cigar City, Three Floyds, Firestone Walker, and The Bruery.  In addition to Three Floyds I am also a big fan of Indiana breweries such as Iechyd Da, Black Acre, and Bare Hands Brewing.
I believe that craft beer is meant to bring people together.  I love the conversation that it creates and how it brings people from a variety of backgrounds together to find and share a common interest.  My passion for this piece is rooted in my day to day life as social worker.  Above all, however, I am a family man with a wonderful wife and 2 rascally boys.  I am also an avid smoker of meats, Chicago sports fan, and DMB addict....don't judge.
I am looking forward to being a part of this group and hearing from you all!!





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