Hops and Flip Flops, Speedway's first beer festival

There have been so many festivals popping up this year that trying to get to them all can be tough, even for a true beer geek. We've missed a few, but I'm excited that we made sure to go to this one.

Hops & Flip Flops, or Hopsfest as it appeared in a few places, was a hoppy beer festival in Speedway. For those of you who don't know, Daredevil took the lead on setting this one up and Daredevil is a brewery that knows how to make a hoppy beer.

The festival was on Main Street in Speedway right next to the spot where Daredevil will be opening up next year. The breweries were set up in the Dallara Indycar Factory and there were food trucks and bands all along the street.

 

It had a neighborhood block party meets beer festival sort of a vibe, which I really liked and thought went over well with the crowd. Brie and I got VIP tickets, and I will say the VIP glassware was probably the coolest festival taster I've ever gotten. It really had a high end appearance. VIP entrance also got you a couple food and beer pairings where we discussed what flavors match with what beers. It was all reasonably priced, so I'd say do VIP at this one if you can. The overall fest was well put together and would've been really informative to someone just getting into beer.

  

So, I'm not sure why it was called Hops and Flip Flops, no one even mentioned the flip flops. I understood the hops part. There were plenty of people not wearing flip flops. Footwear aside, it was a pretty good new festival. There were about twenty breweries there including some appearances from Flat 12, Triton, Against the Grain and of course Daredevil. There were some great IPA's but not a lot of people brought things outside of the norm.

My favorite beers were:
Triton O' Rye N  Galaxy - rye malt and galaxy hops, soooo tasty!
Bell's Hopsolution - just a well built IPA all around
Sierra Nevada Harvest Equinox Hop #366 - cool single hop IPA with a unique hop flavor

It was obvious this was the first year of the festival. They did a lot of things right, but for next time I think it would be great if they encouraged more local breweries to attend. There were about five Indiana breweries and the rest were national breweries that brought in their basic lineup. There were a lot of people bringing basic lineups to this festival, and that's not necessarily a problem, but a lot of what was there could be picked up at the store down the street. Lastly, I would love to see something done with flip flops. Maybe some flip flops handed out at the door. Maybe door prizes for people in flip flops. Just something to tie the flip flop idea into the festival other than hosting it in the summer. I think a second go around will give Daredevil a chance to iron out some of the bugs.

Even  though there were issues, a hop festival seems like such a great idea. Speedway and Daredevil were both so welcoming to the beer community. I personally can't wait until they open the doors of their Main Street facility.

So what are you bringing to the track???

Last year I put together a post with some canned beer options to bring to the motor speedway. I decided to keep the tradition going and give you some of our great new Indiana options. The requirements are the same this year as they were last year as far as coolers are concerned:

Coolers must be no bigger than 18x14x14

Purses and backpacks must be no bigger than 14x14x14

Food and beverages are allowed, but no glass containers

Carts and wagons are allowed everyday BUT race day

Personal items are your responsibility, the Speedway does not care if they are lost or stolen 

Cans ONLY! no glass bottles allowed

Since we can't bring bottles into the Speedway we have to look to canned beers. There have been a ton of canned beers popping up in liquor stores in the last year, so there are a ton more options than we had last year. With all the options available now it can be hard to narrow them down. Not everyone has spent a lot of time checking out all the canned options we have here in Indy so for the second year in a row we've asked the Barons what are their favorite canned beers. So here are my favorite Summer canned options:

The Big Guy: 

1. Sun King's Fistful of Hops Green. Nice crisp hop profile with an easy drinking malt profile
2. Two Brother's Side Kick Pale Ale. Light hop profile with a clean refreshing flavor that makes it crushable sitting at the hot track
3. Daredevil's Liftoff IPA. Easy malt profile with a great big hop backbone. Get it fresh for biggest impact.

Russ:

1. Daredevil's Liftoff IPA
2. Bell's Two Hearted IPA. The classic Midwest IPA. Nothing says summer like Two Hearted
3. Two brother's Side Kick Pale Ale

Kevin:

1. Oskar Blues' Dale's Pale Ale. An almost perfect Pale Ale from Colorado that just came to Indy last year
2. Founder's Centennial IPA. A big Midwest IPA from Founders now in cans
3. Sun King's Osiris Pale Ale. An Indiana favorite, light clean and crisp

O-Dawg:

1. Brooklyn Brewery's Summer Ale
2. Founder's All Day IPA. All Day IPA because this is so light you can drink it all day in the blistering sun of the track
3. Two Brother's Dog Days Dortmunder Lager. A lager that goes down clean and smooth

El Duque:

1. Daredevil's Liftoff IPA
2. Sun King's Osiris Pale Ale
3. Sixpoint's Sweet Action Cream Ale. Light and easy drinking, perfect for a hot day

Professor Beer:

1. Sun King's Wee Mac
2. Sun King's Fistful of Hops
3. Daredevil's Liftoff IPA

Brie:

1. Brooklyn Brewery's Summer Ale
2. Sun King's Fistful of Hops
3. 21st Amendment's Hell or High Watermelon- If you could get your hands on this it would be amazing for a hot day at the track.

I would also like to give a shout out to Flat 12 for their Hinchtown Hammerdown. On their website Flat 12 says, "We live in a racing town. In tribute to one of the brightest racing talents out there, we created Hinchtown Hammer Down, a crisp and refreshing ale perfect for the month of May."  I haven't gotten my hands on it yet, but I will make sure it finds its way into my racing cooler. 

Founders Backstage Tasting

The 2014 KBS release has come and gone already. This year bottles were dropped on different days for a little over a week, which made it very different from last year's one-day blitz.

In honor of this years KBS release, the Barons got together with some close friends and went through all 9 of the releases so far. We also did 5 years of Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS) and 3 years of Backwoods Bastard. It was an epic night from Founders Brewing.

For the last 3 years Founders Brewing Company out of Grand Rapids, MI has been bottling limited release experimental beers called their Backstage Series. They all have big flavor, high alcohol content, and really interesting ingredients. They are a beer geek's white whale. We haven't been great about reviewing all of them, but we did get to their Barrel Aged Double IPA, Doom.

There is nothing better than having awesome friends that share a passion as much as you do. Our tasting group is made up of some outstanding traders who get their hands on some of the most impressive beers out there. When we're able to combine our powers there isn't much we can't put together and this night was proof.

My favorites from this tasting were: Blushing Monk, Frangelic Mountain Brown and Doom (although it was closer to a hopped up barleywine like Behemoth by FFF).

Blushing Monk was the first of the Backstage beers to be bottled and distributed. It came out almost 3 years ago, and that was well before I got into trading etc, so it was one I had never tried. It was very impressive. It reminded me of an imperial version of Rubaeus, their seasonal raspberry beer. It poured out a beautiful ruby color with a little off-white head. It had big raspberry aroma with just a little bit of boozy heat. After 3 years there was still barely any oxidation. The beer was thick, sweet, and boozy in all the right ways. There was tons of berry sweetness with an excellent tart finish.

This was the kind of tasting where you have a tough time deciding what the best beers really were. All the backstage beers were impressive in their own ways, so it was an epic evening all around.

Kevin: This was a great event.  It was fun to go through each beer in the order of their release. Blushing Monk was by far the best beer of the series at this point. Interestingly, Founders only uses one strain of yeast for every beer they make. Blushing Monk is the only beer they have made that doesn't use the house yeast. Take that for what it's worth. Easily the best of the night.

It's also sad to have experienced the death of CBS. When fresh it was a massive coffee stout with loads of maple, chocolate, and bourbon. A glorious beer. It's dead now. Oxidized and tasting of barrel tannins with just a touch of maple. It bordered on unpleasant. A good example of a beer that should have been consumed when fresh. 

The surprise of the night for me was Doom. The hops had faded away a bit but it was crisp, clean, and still had a tiny hop bite that balanced the malt and bourbon goodness. I actually wouldn't mind having another. I also enjoyed Frangelic Mountain Brown. It wasn't as sweet as it was fresh and seemed to be holding together nicely. 

One suggestion if you have these bottles. Drink them. Founders says that the majority of their beers should be consumed freshly. This series is proof of that. None of them were better than when they were young.  I wouldn't advocate trading them either unless you clearly tell the person you are trading with that the beer is clearly past it's prime. Also, stop trying to trade for them...except Blushing Monk. 

Tastings like these are once in a lifetime. Was a great experience. But I learned my lesson. With every Backstage release moving forward I will definitely not let them sit around.

Have You Ever Wanted Your Beer to Have a Bit More Kick?

Has the polar vortex been keeping you inside? Have you been wishing for a day over 32 degrees Fahrenheit? Well maybe you just need to start  using the cold to your advantage.

Eisbocks, or ice beers, are beers that have been frozen and then thawed to make them more alcoholic than normal beer. The alcohol thaws fastest, so that is collected and the watery slush is left behind. This makes your beer super fortified. If the name didn't give it away the Germans started this practice back in the 1800's. Its something we continue today, i.e. Keystone Ice, etc. Normally this is done sometime after the fermentation process. Breweries like Brew Dog and Brewmeister in Scotland have used this process to create beers that have higher ABV than a lot of liquors. The current record holder is Sanke Venom at 67.5% alcohol.

I decided I wanted to make my own. A friend, skjellyfetti on IG, did just that, so I followed his lead.

To turn a solid craft beer into a beer liquor bomb of epic ABV, you just set it outside to freeze. It helps when the weather outside is a negative bazillion degrees (-10 most of the day I did it thanks to the snowpocolypse). Once the beer freezes, you bring it somewhere with a standard temperature and let it thaw through a funnel or something else that allows the beer to stand upright and keeps the larger chunks of ice from falling into your glass. The alcoholic part of the beer thaws fastest because it freezes at a lower temperature than water.

Let this thaw until you're left with fairly clear ice in your bottle. Then, what you have left should be a huge alcohol version of whatever you were drinking originally. Note: we haven't added any alcohol or fermented anything extra, all we've done is cut out the watery part of your beer. The part that we separated just gives us more alcohol per sip, providing something between a wine and a liquor with a ton of flavor.

 

I took a Bell's Oracle and a Founders Breakfast Stout and put them out in the Polar Vortex.

The Oracle: I left the Oracle outside for about three hours and it froze pretty solid. I looked for ice in the body of the beer not just the neck. You can see the filtration (above) of the Oracle. We were left with the liquid in the glass and the ice crystals in the bottle. As you can see it was about fifty fifty ice to booze liquid that we've extracted. The extracted beer was basically a hop syrup, almost sticky sweet and tons of hop bitterness.

 

Breakfast Stout: The Breakfast Stout took about four hours and I ended up wrapping a wet paper towel around it, as this helps facilitate the formation of ice crystals according to my scientist friend Parker. When I filtered this out, I got a deep dark chocolaty syrup. It was thick, way thicker than the DIPA. I think this is because the Breakfast Stout was a lower ABV so when we iced it, we got more booze but also more of the sticky sugary elements of the beer. This stuff was good! Wow, I wish I had ice cream to put it over because it was syrupy, sweet and very tasty with a ton of booze.

Now cheer up, this cold isn't all bad!

Sun King CANvitational: An Interview with Clay Robinson

Image provided by Bohlson Group Events

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Devil Dancer

Ohhh, Founders, how I love thee! As someone who has never considered myself a hophead, I've been very happy with the well balanced and exciting IPAs that Founder's Brewing has been bringing to the market. Doom, a barrel aged DIPA, was one of my favorite beers of this year, and Devil Dancer did not disappoint. If you didn't already know, Devil Dancer is a triple IPA coming in at 12% abv. It's actually stronger than a lot of wine out there and that is pretty impressive.

Devil Dancer pours out an awesome reddish color. It has just a slight mound of white head floating on the top. The aroma is a strong hoppy smell, with a bit of maltiness behind it. I was expecting a blast of something boozy, but it was masked well by everything else.

The flavor was incredibly well balanced because all of the individual components were turned up to eleven. The hops were a huge smack in the face on the front of the brew with lots of pine and citrus fruits. It was followed by a seriously sweet malt that helped cut the bitterness nicely and mellow it all out a bit. Then there is a super bitter finish in the far back reaches of your throat that masks the expected boozy heat. I'm not saying that you can't taste the alcohol, because you can, but it is well put together in a way that isn't offensive and really that's what I'm looking for. Everything is balanced, but the hops still shine like they should in a good IPA. Even with this beer being so much more intense then any other IPA I've had, it still tastes like an IPA.

This was a great beer. I am glad I was able to grab a couple so I can save one and see how it ages... yes I know I just wrote an article telling everyone you aren't supposed to age IPAs but this one is 12% abv so I am going to give it a try. I give it a solid 4.

O-Dawg:
My Hippy Beer Guy took one look at me this past Friday when I came strolling in and sprinted to the back of the store bellowing something about Tonka Trucks.  At first I thought he was having flashbacks to his childhood.  Maybe there was something in that beer I gave him last time that I didn't know about.  I didn't piece it together until I saw what he had in his hands upon returning.  In one hand a bomber of RuinTen and in the other two bottles of Devil Dancer.  For this reason alone I encourage everyone to get out of your proverbial shells and get to know your beer guy/girls.

My Hippy Beer Guy knows me and what I like (damn him!).  On one hand it helps him sell beer, seriously I don't think I can ever get out of his store without buying something...  On the other it helps you as a #craftbeergeek to get more information and helps you to refine your pallet based on his/her suggestions/information.

Back on point: Devil Dancer is a complex malt/hop bomb with mischievously high ABV.  When I have one it makes me think of an IPA that is one step away from a barley wine.  You have to go into it knowing and anticipating the ABV's.  Unless you are like The Professor, the balance of hop/malt and the boozy heat is so well done you will be on your ass before you realize too late that it is 12%. Hats off.  Well done!  Here's a Badge!

Did I forget to mention I am a Hop-Head?

Doom 2013

Doom is unleashed when Founders’ award-winning specialty Imperial IPA, Double Trouble, is aged in bourbon barrels for four months to create a distinct flavor experience. So, while Double Trouble is brewed to turn your world upside down, Doom is brewed to tear it apart: pungent hops conspire with boozy bourbon notes to send your senses spinning. -Commercial Description

Now this was a really hard beer to find. There were a lot of shops that didn't even get bottles of this. Luckily I was ready for the drop when it came out last Friday (by the way, Founders limited releases normally drop on Fridays). Doom is part of Founders Backstage Series, which are "experimental taproom beers [brought] to a much larger audience." The Backstage Series is really the creme de la creme, but they are very limited and getting them down here in Indy isn't as easy as I would have hoped. Luckily I have a friend up in Michigan that was willing to help me out and pick one up and ship it. I also found one down here for myself. O-Dawg was able to get one and El Duque was able to get a couple to share. We had varying reviews, but for me this was one of the best finds in a long time.

It poured out a beautiful yellowy orangey color that reminded me of a sunset, or something manly, whatever. It had a great barrel aged aroma with some vanilla and oak scents mixed with some nice sweet caramel notes and hints of citrus fruits.

The flavor was sweet and smooth, which was not really what I expected from a DIPA. The hop flavor was sweet and citrusy without the traditional harsh bitterness. There was big bready and caramel sweetness to the body of the beer. The barrel aging did a nice job rounding all of this one out. The vanilla and oak flavors helped bring the sweet malts and hops together. Behind all these beautiful sugars was a great boozy heat that added a bit of sharpness to the beer that was missing from the hop profile. The most impressive part was how well everything was balanced and played off of each other.

This was a really unique treat, and I am thrilled that I have another one aging (I will pop it open in about six months to a year). I will make sure that when the next Backstage beer comes out I do whatever I have to to hunt it down. I give this a 5!

O-Dawg
Trivia: This little gem went by the name "Hand of Doom" when it was originally released by the Michigan Masterminds at Founders in limited quantities in their Tap House and festival-only beer line ups over past years.

Pro Tip:  These are sold in the European & Australian standard large bottle 750ml.  For the metric non-initiated that is 25.4 oz.  In Indiana, large bottles are called "bombers."  Other colloquialisms in the USA are "rocket" or "deucer."  What that means dear neophytes is that you squeak out an additional 3.4 oz. than the typical American bomber (22oz).  More beer is more beer!

At 10% ABV the brew reminded me of Backwoods Bastard with the malt and booziness balance.  I hope more people get a taste of Doom!  I would not be surprised if it snuck into a seasonal rotation... One can only hope!

What I have tried from The Backstage Series thus far I have really enjoyed!  I can not wait to see what else comes out for the last two releases for the year.  If they are anything close to Frangelic Mountain Brown or Doom I will be very happy!      

A big "Thank You" to The Big Guy's beer contact in MI and my Hippy Beer Guy.

El Duque
Let me start off by saying that I really liked this beer, so when I say bad things, it's from a place of love, not my usual angst ridden vitriol.  I was just as pumped for Doom as I was KBS, but just like this year's KBS, it seemed like it was a little off its game.  Doom was bourbon smooth like caramel, and sweet like chocolate, which considering it was Double Trouble, caught me off gaurd.  Double Trouble was bitter with a floral bite.  Those notes didn't seem to transfer well in the aging, which I understood, but Doom needed something to tie everything together.  I was hoping that throwing a well done DIPA into a barrel would create a more unique flavor profile than the typical "...this barrel aged brew was syrupy, caramel, blah blah blah."  I hoped for more, maybe like how Goose Island's Nightstalker had some surprising hops, I hoped that Doom wouldn't be a typical bourbon barrel offering.

But it was.

And it was still damn good, if underwhelming for the hype.  I give it a 4

Professor Beer
I was disappointed by Doom after all the hype.  It was basically a decent IPA... oh, and there was some bourbon flavor.  The two tastes didn't really seem to complement each other very well, it seemed more like two separate flavors just thrown together.

I give it a 3.5, which might go up to a 4 if I tried it again, but it's not worth the effort of trying to track down a bottle.

POURsuasion: The Thrill of the Hunt

We've had some serious back and forth conversations here within the Beer Barons on the topic of limited release beers. Recently between Bourbon Barrel Johan by Sun King and KBS by Founders and the Game of Thrones beer by Ommegang, we have really started going at it. You've probably read O-Dawg's thoughts on the topic, but I have a little different take.

I love limited release beers. I love the creativity that goes into them, the incredible flavor, and of course the feeling you get when you finally get your hands on the goods you have been hunting. I have been in love with the Darklord beers by Three Floyds since I first found out about rare beers. I was super happy with the Velvet Fog by Sun King, and I even waited in line for Bier's release of Sanitarium twice this year!

There's something about the hunt itself that I think brings craft beer lovers together. When the KBS ship date was first released, it lead to a flurry of internet searches and calls to local liquor stores and other beer lovers. O-Dawg hit his network of liquor store workers / owners and found out when it was going to get to Indy. I got that date and went to friends and family and asked them to keep their eyes out when they were doing their own shopping and maybe even hook me up with a special stop. I got everyone I could on the case, because I found out I was going to be out of town. I have excellent friends, and some of them were able to hit the streets big time.

I always try to get at least two when something comes out. This way I can try it right away and save one for later.

 

Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. I didn't get tickets to Darklord Day from Three Floyds. I was pissed!!! I have three other Darklord bottles, so I may decide to find another way of getting the brew. If you are not able to get your hands on the brew around town the next best thing is to pay the piper. Check out My Beer Cellar, but know you are going to be paying a premium for a beer that you couldn't find in town. You could also go to Ratebeer and look at their trade sections. It may cost you one of your other treasured limited releases, but people love to trade for things they can't find in their market (EBay no longer offers beer selling as an option).

If you don't like the idea of the limited release beers, I get it. I respect your decision, but you have to think about it from the place of the brewer. These beers take more ingredients which cost more money and more time than anything else that their breweries do all year. They have to give up space that they would usually use for regular beers that are probably also more profitable in the long run.

I worry that if we did not have these limited release ultra rare beers, we would never have the super creative and delicious beers. There is something cool about what Three Floyds does, and they do it almost every month in small batches. If they have to make enough for everyone, its going to cost way more than it does now, and they aren't going to be making Zombie Dust... for me that is just unacceptable.

Not everyone likes it when they can't try one of these limited release beers and I do understand that. It's frustrating when someone gets to try something that you have never had, but that is the way the game works. 

POURsuasion: Limited Release vs. Seasonal Beer

Did you know that Dark Lord Day [DLD] tickets vanished less than ten seconds after coming online? They later sold a limited amount of tickets during the week at the brewery.  Unless you have the time to make the pilgrimage, are well connected, have "Fuck You" money, or are just faster on the refresh than everyone else you will not be attending this event anytime soon.

Frustrated that the only way to get this beer is either to shell out some ungodly amount of money to even try it or beg borrow steal or in Joe's case be rewarded through Karma with a VIP ticket...  Yes Joe I am still shaking my fist at you with one hand and yet grudgingly giving you a high five with the other.  Karma is Karma- keep Beering it forward.

I understand that the intent of DLD is to be exclusive.  I have heard from numerous sources that 3Floyds has no intention of making the event bigger than it already is.  Therefore this beer will be regulated to almost as difficult as getting a select Belgian beer from the monks themselves.  Getting to DLD is like winning the beer lotto... or being struck by lightning.



Segway...

Kentucky Breakfast Stout [KBS] came out.  I think I heard a collective sigh of frustration for all beer distributors when they read this.

Founders Brewery:  "HEY!  WE GOT KBS!"
Distributors:  "F#^% YES!  Liquid money!"
1/2 Store owners:  "What in the hell is this?  I get a case?  No no that cant be right..."
Other half of Store owners: "Uhh seriously?  A 4 pack?  Why give it to us anyeeee... HEY GIVE IT BACK"
Beer guy at the store:  "Oh shit... Donny, get me my list.  No one gets a 4 pack unless I get the secret handshake.  No one gets a bottle unless I know them, they display a satisfactory level of beer knowledge to appreciate the brew, or they are not an asshole.  My discretion and interpretation."

The above is a very abbreviated version of what I think happens every season when KBS or another limited seasonal hits.  Notice I said Seasonal.  Everyone in the territory of the brewery has a shot every year of getting the brew.  It has the potential to reach a much broader audience.  I talked with my Hippy Beer Guy and Bouncer Beer Guy about this.  We came to the same conclusion, we would want more people to get a taste of it rather than horde or be exclusive about it.  When Bouncer finds  scores a case of something limited he finds himself giving it out to friends and acquaintances to help diversify and educate up and coming craft beer geeks.

I am firmly in the "beer it forward" camp.  If by some stroke of luck I score DLD tickets or any other crazy one day a year at the brewery beer release I more than likely will not attempt to go again.  I have friends/acquaintances that beg/borrow/stalk 3Floyds for tickets every year.  I am at odds with myself on if I should congratulate them on their yearly ritual and tenacity in finding/purchasing/going or curse them for not letting other people see the event/beer.  As far as limited seasonal beers...  Let's just say that I had a chance to score more than a 4 pack of KBS and opted not to.  Hopefully my beer karma will reach Joe heights and something serendipitous will happen. If not, I'll just keep hunting for those rare/limited finds.  

KBS 2013

I hope everyone was able to get a sip of one of these brews, because they came, they saw and the rocked. KBS is the limited release Kentucky Breakfast Stout by Founders. It is a big, bold, bourbon aged imperial stout that was only available for a week-ish (if that; many stores sold out in the first three or four hours after KBS was delivered). Most liquor stores were only allotted a case or two. The beer is sold in four packs, but because of its rarity a lot of stores would sell it individually. If you got one enjoy, because this is a rare treat.

I poured this great beer into a tulip glass and began to enjoy. The aroma had a heavy bourbon smell that was almost strong enough to start getting me drunk on the spot. There was some pretty tasty coffee and cocoa scents in there too. It pours dark brownish black and it has a slight brownish tan head. First impressions of this beer were very good. It seemed warm and inviting, and made me just want to dive right in.

There was a bittersweet flavor that had some pretty nice cocoa and coffee flavors that mingled together. Behind these front running flavors there was a sweet vanilla and bourbon barrel flavor. It was sort of like a boozed up coffee that you have after a meal. There was a very nice light hop bitterness that balanced it all out.

This beer was not an easy thing to find. I was out of town and thought that all hope was lost. I have an awesome friend who took it upon herself to go out and find a few of these for me. In the next week or so we will be featuring a post by her giving some beginner's directions for finding the hard to find limited release brews.

I give it a resounding 5. Totally worth whatever effort you have to go through.

El Duque:  KBS started the big love I have for bourbon barrel aged stouts.  There's a lot out there, and I'm not sad for the styles popularity, but KBS stands as King of the Oaken Hill.  I found there to be a little more bite to it this year than in previous brews, but give this a year to cellar, and we're gonna need more heads to do this justice.

It's good to be the king.  I give it a 50, i mean 5.

Founders Imperial Stout

We have not talked much about Founders Brewing Co., but their Breakfast Stout is one of my favorite everyday craft beers. Founders does a great job and they're just across our northern boarder in Michigan. I figured while watching the IU VS Michigan State game last week, what better beer to celebrate with than the Founders Imperial Stout. This is my favorite style of beer. I pretty much love every single Russian Imperial Stout (RIS) that I've ever had... maybe not quite every one of them but damn near it.

Russian Imperial Stouts have big bold flavors. They have extreme malts, hops and alcohol content. This came from a day when brewers were exporting to northern Europe. Heavy hops (originally a preservative as well as a flavoring) and alcohol both allowed them to transport long distances without spoiling. It was named Imperial, because Russian nobility took a liking to the strong style. You better believe that this kind of brew could keep even a Russian winter chill off you.

Founders Imperial Stout has 10.5% abv and 90 IBUs. It pours dark and heavy black color, with no real head to speak of. There are just wisps of tan crossing the top of the brew. It has a big sweet coffee aroma with hints of coffee and a pretty nice forward bitterness. It is like a giant warning sign saying this beer is not messing around. The mouthfeel is smooth and creamy.

As you might expect this beer is big on flavor. The flavor has strong notes of bitter, sweet chocolate up front. Ther's a hint of bitter coffee that mixes in well with the bitter hops towards the end of the beer. There's a slight roasty, toasty malt flavor throughout the beer that gives it a nice smokiness that is very subtle and helps calm some of the big sweet notes that are so in your face in the beginning of the brew. There's also a pretty nice boozy heat mixed in at the end. It has a nice alcoholic sharpness that, when mixed with the bitterness of the hops, really closes off the beer well.



















This is an awesome seasonal release, granted I am always pumped for any RIS but this one sets the bar very high. I keep it marked on my calendar, and so should you (January/February release but it gets harder to find as it gets further into February).


I give it a 4.5