Picadilly Circus

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

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

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

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

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

I give it a 4

History on Tap

    

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My First BJCP Homebrew Competition

I entered my first homebrew competition last week at The Ram downtown Indy. The judges were all BJCP (beer judge certification program) and so far I really had only been judged by my friends and a couple other home brewers. The competition was the Rye Not competition, and we could do any type of style that we wanted, as long as we included at least 20% rye. I really haven't done a rye beer, so I figured let's make this doubly difficult and try a style I haven't brewed.

So that is why The Empty Can's Farmer's Ho American Farmhouse Ale was born. It's a farmhouse with 25% rye and American hops. I knew that the judges would look at style and judge based on the appropriateness of that style, but I really wanted to give the beer my own flair. Just so everyone is clear, I am probably not good enough or experienced enough to give beer my own flair, but I try every time

We all showed up at the Ram's downtown restaurant this past Saturday to hear the results, pick up our score cards and drink some limited release brews from the Ram. Keep in mind this was my first time being judge by people with true credentials and experience, so I was basically shitting my britches. My wife came with me to clean up if there was really a problem. 

Right away when we rolled in, I saw Jake from Indiana Beer and Will from Sun King, two guys I have tasted with in the past. They welcomed me and totally chilled out a little bit of my personal freakout. This was Will's first go around and Jake has done it so many times he's a judge now (well done it so many times and passed the certification exam, which the Little Lady and I are planning to take this fall).

I got my score back and I was just above mediocre. This was a huge hit to the ego, but one of the judges did such a great job outlining what I should have done, that I started thinking about my next brew. I also got some help from Jake and Will deciphering the intricate score card (by the way, I am more firmly rooted in the Beer Barons 1-5 overall scale after seeing how silly some of the criteria really can be). I took both judges advice and brewed up something new on Sunday. We'll see how it comes out!

Whether it's the craftbeer community or the homebrew community, everyone wants you to succeed. We are lucky enough to be a part of a culture that really cares about the movement, not just their own profit line. 

On that note- there's been a lot of talk about the Magic Hat VS West Six lawsuit. For me it is too bad that it got this far. In a business that is more like a brother / sisterhood, I expect more camaraderie and a great desire to make sure that everyone is taken care of. It sucks that the lawsuit happened, but as a craft drinker it really turned me off to both breweries. I was never a huge Magic Hat fan, but I wont be buying their beer again anytime soon, and I haven't had West Six, but I wont bend over backwards to find it. 

Thank you to the Indiana craft beer and homebrew scene. You are a great group of people and we are lucky to be able hang out!

Jungle Room Vs. Bitch'n Camaro

**Picture source from:  Fox59.com "2013 Indianapolis 500"page 

http://fox59.com/news/stories/2013-indianapolis-500/#axzz2UE7Grrfh

Race Weekend might be over, but us race fans are still in the process of coming down from the high that goes along with the annual Indianapolis 500 and the corresponding inundation of red neck, beer swilling, race fans!  Or as I like to call them, family!

Every year my good friend has a party before race day.  Family, friends, acquaintances, all come over to drink, eat, and be merry.  For him it is a family reunion of sorts, for me it is part fraternity meet up, part extended family meet up.  We all know what happens when you get family together... YOU DRINK!

Every year my Uncle Billy (fraternity family) and I have a craft beer off.  I always try and find something he hasn't had that is better than everything he brought and vice versa.  I get blown out of the water about 50% of the time.  This year however I have TWO secret weapons, Bitch'n Camaro and Jungle Room!

I have been sitting on a sealed growler of Jungle Room for the better part of three months.  I know right!? How could I have the self control to not open it?!  Beer Science and patience a mile long for you dear readers!  The Big Guy attended an official beer tasting class months ago and was being blown away by some of the knowledge bombs that were being dropped on him.  The professor running the class stated that you could keep beer fresh in unopened growlers for 3 to 6 months. I decided to test this theory...

Cut to this month.  Bitch'n Camaro comes out.  I have heard rave reviews from hop heads around town!  All I heard was "Dude, you should so try this!"  Other comments that have been thrown around were "I have heard this will be the next bottled in the Kings Reserve Series!"

I have been curious to see what the compare and contrast between a Rye x2IPA and a "regular" x2IPA were.  The topic was spawned from discussions with The Big Guy and others about up and coming articles for the site...

Huh...  well then... (Beer Science experiment + two x2IPA's from the same brewery) / Head to head article on differences between x2IPA styles * Race party one ups... As Gru would say "Light Bulb!" The Perfect storm!

Creation:  Bitchin' Camaro
Style:  Imperial Red Rye DIPA
Masterminds:  Sun King Brewing
Location: Indianapolis, IN
ABV: 8.7%
IBU:  89
Hops:  American Citrus
Availability: Seasonal, The Month of MAY!  Draft only.  
Drinkability:  Drinks like a light single Rye IPA, but has a little bit more under the hood.  Very sessionable, but the ABV's will reign you in.

Served... Cold right out of the BRÄULER

Pours...Clear amber, more on the red side of amber. Thanks Rye!  

Head...Fingers width that sticks around with minimal lacing.

Nose...Smells like a great DIPA should... Pronounced citrus hop nose with a subtle rye spice to give your pallet a que that it isn't a normal DIPA.

Body... Light to medium body.  Notes of caramel and citrus.  Malts really balance it out.  The rye gives it a great mellow spiciness.

Finishes... Semi-Dry with a rye kick that cuts the typical bitterness associated with DIPA's.

O-Dawg:
Solid 4.5 

Creation:  Jungle Room
Style:  Imperial DIPA
ABV: 8.6-10%
IBU:  78
Hops:  Hops from Grapefruit Jungle + Cream Dream + American Citris
Availability: Specialty, brewers discretion, draft only
Drinkability:  Goes down easy, almost too easy.  Very sessionable.  High ABV's are killer though.  "Welcome to tha JUNGLE!"

Served...Cold right out of the Hydro Flask.

Pours...Clear Amber, leaning to the lighter side.   

Head...Mustered a finger and a half of head with normal lacing throughout.  Lost a lot of the carbonation from when I had it fresh off the tap.  Not surprised, sitting in cold storage for 3 months I expected this.

Nose...Still had the tropical explosion of fruits and hops, just toned down to 9 from eleven...  Notes of pineapple/mango/peach with a more subtle touch of toffee.

Body...Light to medium body.  Went from a potent 11 of citrusy pineapple/mango/peach with a little more pronounced flavor of toffee/brown sugar malt profile than the nose suggests.  After 3 months:  to a slightly milder 9.  Flavors became much more rich and blended, pronounced creaminess that smoothed out the flavor ride of lightning.

Finishes...Went from an aerial guitar solo of wet and Bitter hops to a mellower rock ballad.  Still fantastic!

O-Dawg:
4.5  Teetering on the edge of a 5!

The Dish:
Rye DIPA vs. DIPA...  I say Jungle Room edges Bitch'n Camaro!  I am a hop head and I love my hops!  The big difference between the Rye DIPA vs. DIPA is the rye cutting that bitter hop flavor that I love in the body/finish.  The rye adds a great spiciness to the body which is nice, but not really what I am looking for.

3 months till tapping your favorite brew's growler...All in all, not that bad.  I expected the ABV to carry it over, but as with cellaring hoppy beers you start to loose the hop nose/flavor.  The reward for Jungle Room's growler "aging" was a more creamy mellowness that was still a huge hit with me.  I may have to try this little experiment with a porter/stout.  I have a feeling they will hold up better.

One-Upsmanship...  I think I got Uncle Billy this year!  He was all about the Jungle Room!  He had a growler of PDG from Bier Brewery and a few bombers of John John Dead Guy Ale from Rogue that he and his wife were willing to share.  The JJDGA did not come close to the flavor trip that is Jungle Room.  He may have had a sporting chance if he had shown up with DFG from Bier Brewery (their version of DIPA).  Ah well... there is always next year!

If you have the time... and want to see where some of the inspiration for Jungle Room came from... Hit up Sun King Brewery's Four Year Anniversary party July 6th, 2013, 4pm-10pm @ Sun King Brewery's South Parking Lot.  Tickets available at MOKBPresents.com and in the Tasting Room!

**Sun King Brewery Images source: Sun King Brewery Facebook.com photo stream page

https://www.facebook.com/sunkingbrewing/photos_stream

The Big Guy: For me it was no contest- Bitchin Camaro was the standout. I liked Jungle Room, it's a great beer, but at the end of the day its a DIPA with a little extra Grapefruit flavor. I didn't find it super outside of the box. I have been doing a lot of trading lately and the Jungle Room totally stands up to some of the best DIPA's out there (Simtra, Green Flash, etc) but for me there wasn't enough that was special about it.

Bitchin' Camaro on the other hand was one of the better, more IPA-like, RyePAs I have ever had. I loved Rye da Tiger by Three Floyds and I would put this on about the same level. The rye was a very nice malty backbone to a strong hop forward flavor. Everything blended well without overwhelming or overshadowing any of the other flavors. At the end of the day though, they were both good beers. It was about as close as it can get.

Jungle Room Gets a 4

Bitchin' Camara Gets a slightly larger 4

SideKick Extra Pale Ale

As you may or may not remember we just did a post about all the great canned beer options here in Indianapolis that you can take with you to the race, or tailgating, or a park... I really don't care. O-Dawg recommended a beer by Two Brothers Brewing Company out of the Chicago-land area called SideKick Pale Ale. I am not the biggest hop head by any stretch, and bringing a hoppy beer with me to a hot May race just seemed like a bad idea.

It seemed like a bad idea, until I tried it that is. O-Dawg hit the nail on the head for this one. SideKick is a delicious mildly hopped up pale ale. It pours out a light yellow to golden color. There is a solid amount of head and it has a wonderful tropical fruit / citrus fruit aroma.

The beer was everything I wanted in a race beer. It was crisp and sweet with a nice bit of hop backdrop to round it all out. The flavors were big and vibrant while still being sessionable. SideKick tastes like summer should taste, bright and alive with just enough sweet flavors to help quench your thirst. This is by no means the most complex or well balanced beer I have ever had, but it is super drinkable and perfect for the race. At 5.10% abv this beer goes down fast and easy. It cleanses the palate without making you feel full or giving you a syrupy mouth feel.

So many beers that we have deemed, American Sessionable (under 5.5% abv), have left me wanting so much more. This brew really delivers. Out of everything that I filled my cooler with on race day, this was by far the stand out.

I give it a solid 4

O-Dawg: My discovery of this not too lauded/discussed beer came about after a discussion with my Hippy Beer Guy.  I asked him what would be a great beer to take over to a friends house that isn't as much of a hop-head as myself, but would be something I would enjoy drinking as well.  The immediate response was "SideKick!  I'll be right back!"  I literally saw the aerial streaks and outlined puff of smoke as he sped off to introduce me to this delightful gem of a beer.  The only thing that would have made it complete would be the comment painted on a wooden sign spinning in the wake of his departure.

I drank it so fast that I did not even think to check it into Untappd or write a review.  It was just a great every-day/post-lawn mowing beer.  I do not know what else to add to The Big Guy's post and my previous recommendation other than "Thanks Hippy Beer Guy!"

I hope you all enjoy it! Solid 3.5