Anti-Hero

I was introduced to Revolution Brewery on a trip up to see my in-laws earlier this year. I was stoked to try their stuff because, like Sun King, they can their standard releases. I picked up a couple six packs and a few bombers of their stuff, but Anti-Hero really stood out for me. I've been trading for a bunch of beer lately, and over the summer I kind of went IPA crazy. I fell in love with Jai Alai by Cigar City and Grapefruit Jungle by Sun King, but haven't found much to compare.

Revolution describes it as an "American hop assault," and I would let this beer storm the beaches of my taste buds any day of the week. Anti-Hero totally stacks up to some of the best IPAs I've had. It has quickly become one of my favorites. It's 6.5% ABV and 70 IBUs, and pours out a very light orange with a nice white head. It smells like a citrus hop bomb blowing up in your face with big bright citrus and floral notes and just a hint of sweet malts.

The flavor is outstandingly bright and refreshing. Up front you get some huge, chewy, citrus hops with hints of grapefruits, pineapple and a little orange. There's a great caramel and biscuit malt flavor that follows up the hops. It helps mellow out the huge hop flavor on the front end and adds a great compliment of sweetness. The beer finishes off appropriately bitter. So many IPAs end up being nothing but hops or just a big bitter finish. Anti Hero is the real deal. Its well balanced and all the flavors marry well together.

On top of them making an awesome brew, when the Little Lady and I went to the brewery we were able to get this bad boy on cask. The UBC (Union Brewing Company right here in Indy) has turned me into a huge fan of cask beers. I try getting them everywhere we go. Anti-Hero on cask was equally outstanding. The cask mellowed the hops out just a little bit, but it added that amazing smooth character that only comes from natural fermentation. It went down silky smooth and really helped to elevate the recipe. I would recommend anyone who stops by the brewery to try whatever they can on the cask.

I give both beers a solid 4. Well played Revolution.

Pilgrimage: Revolution Brewing Company

The Big Guy and I had the opportunity to spend some time in downtown Chicago last weekend, one of my all time favorite places. One of the things that I love about the city is that there are so many great places to eat and drink. You can basically pick a street at random to walk down and you're bound to find something good. Sometimes though, you know exactly where you want to go.

That's how we were with Revolution Brewing Company. I had tried a few of their brews before this, specifically Anti Hero and Rosa and was definitely interested in trying more. They had a great selection on tap, and I went with their El Hefe Loco, a hefeweizen, and was really glad that I did. Delicious brew, great banana and clove flavor with a very smooth finish. I also tried Cat Herder (a golden ale) and E. Norma Gene (a bourbon barrel aged imperial porter) while we were there. I love porters and I'm no slouch when it comes to bourbon so the combination is pretty much always a winner for me. The Big Guy had a few others as well.

We had a fantastic bartender who made some great recommendations and helped us work our way through their beer list. That always makes a big difference in my experience. I know just enough to be dangerous or extremely boring in a bar. I know what I like and I tend to stick to it, or I try something completely outside my wheelhouse which doesn't always go the way I think it should. Having a bar tender who's willing to take the time and make recommendations based on a combination of my preferences and theirs is awesome.

As you're sitting at the bar you can see the brewing equipment through the windows in the back. There's a mix of old school classic style and a strong contemporary industrial feel in the décor. Totally up my alley. The bar is front and center as you walk in with oversized versions of the Revolution fist holding things up. All the taps are fists as well with different colors corresponding to different beers. 

We didn't get there in time to try their food menu, late night partying like we do, so we'll have to go back again. I'm sure I'll really have to twist the Big Guy's arm to make that happen. We heard some really good things about their brunch so maybe we can convince my parents to meet us there.

All in, the people and the atmosphere were great and the beer was outstanding. It's one that I'll be keeping on my list so we can go next time we're in the city!

The Big Guy: When you have good beer and a great space, the only thing that can elevate a bar or brewery to the next level is the staff. Our bartender was outstanding. He explained what they had on tap, and for the most part I just let him decide what I was drinking all night. They had a couple ferkin beers on cask, and they were running them through a beer engine. I love it when a brewery gives you some options. I had Anti Hero off a standard keg and off cask. Tomorrow, I will let you know what I thought. Cheers!

Wil Wheaton Bottle Signing

The one, the only Wil Wheaton will be signing bottles of W00tstout and probably some other stuff if you bring it in downtown Indy during Gencon. Check him out at the Crown Liquor this Friday from 4 to 6.

Awesome craft beer + awesome geek icon = beer geek squared!

Follow Wil for more details on his twitter account.

Look for a review of the W00tstout coming soon!

Ron Smith's Masters of Beer Appreciation

My parent's always wanted me to get my MBA. I doubt they were thinking about Ron Smith's Masters in Beer Appreciation, but that's exactly what the Little Lady and I did. We just finished up getting certified to appreciate beer... Although this certification really has no formal value, I am excited we got it.

The courses are offered a few times a year and consist of three classes that go from 2 till 6 on a Saturday. Basically the class puts every beer style imaginable in front of you. You get to taste, smell and evaluate with ten or fifteen other people. If you aren't interested in learning anything, drinking the beers is well worth the price of admission. But if you are interested in learning something, Ron, the instructor, goes through the history and a little bit of why the brew came about in that specific region. He tells you about local customs and some unique features of each brew. There aren't a lot of opportunities to try this many unique brews from around the world. On top of this, Ron has traveled throughout Germany and Belgium and his stories are a riot.

Ron Smith is one of the leaders at the Foam Blowers of Indiana, the largest Indy based homebrew club around. He is also a National level BJCP (beer judging certification program) judge. He is also a Certified cicerone (another certification we are going for). Although the credentials are awesome, the truely impressive part of what Ron brings to the table is his passion and experience. Throughout the class he tells you that every beer is in fact his favorite style and whether or not that's cheating, it does show a huge love for the industry and the craft beer culture.

The Little Lady and I are starting to prepare for his study class so we can also get set to be BJCP judges. The more I learn about craftbeer and the history of beers around the world, the more I realize I don't know.

Lucky for us there are great teachers like Ron to help us figure it all out.

Black IPA Taste OFF!

This post picks up where I left off from my post on Danny Boy Beer Works attempt at a Black IPA or American-Style Black Ale.

Remember I was hatching that plan... you know... about having a head to head style off?  I'm not talking models and hipsters crowding around a runway, but getting a bunch of beers of a particular style, grabbing friends and seeing what beer wins the Taste off!  Enter the Italian Stallion... err Black IPAs!

The short list:
Pitch Black IPA - Widmer Brothers - Portland, OR
Sublimely Self-Righteous - Stone Brewing - Escondido, CA
The Name of Suffering - 3Floyds - Munster, IN
Notorious B.I.P.A. - People's Brewing - Lafayette, IN
King of Hop - Union Brewing Company - Carmel, IN
Nunmore - Flat 12 - Indianapolis, IN

Previous Tastings:
Black IPA - Danny Boy Beer Works - Carmel, IN
*Komodo Dragonfly - Upland Brewing Co. - Bloomington, IN

*I had Komodo fresh off tap a few hours before I had my first King of Hop a few months ago at their Carmel tap house.  I couldn't get my hands on a bottle for the taste off, but I will still rank it in the list.

Complete disclosure, I was waiting until Union Brewing Co. (UBC) had King of Hop on draft again before attempting the taste off.  For those who don't know about cask beer I will direct you towards our previous post on Union Brewing Co.  The quick and dirty is that they don't bottle and don't do cask growlers, however they now have growler-friendly versions of their beer!  Fun limitations to work around when doing a tasting! 

Cameron Fila Owner/Brewer at the UBC took it upon himself to let us host the tasting at his brewery. Not only that, he also sat in on the taste off!  I know he wanted to see where his brew stacked up with other locals and non-local breweries.  To be honest I did as well.  It was fun hearing Cameron's take on a style that really hasn't been sussed out.

After a long and arduous task of swilling beer and formulating responses/notes, find below the master list of final standings of what shook out!

Big thanks to:
Cameron - Owner/Brew Master
Tony - Celler Man
Hannah - UBC Groupie
Nick - Guilt by Association to Big Guy!
Nathan - Marketing Director/Bartender

Final Standings
1 : King of Hop - Union Brewing Company - Carmel, IN
     -Roasty coffee nose with notes of burnt carmel.  A medium to light body.  Creamy and sweet coffee roast polish.  Finishes dry with a hop nip bitter finish at the back of the pallet.  Hands down the best of the group!  The only thing that was holding it back from a perfect five was the nose.  Cameron prefers the roasty nose in this latest batch, however the Hop-Head in me sides with the floral hop nose in the previous batch paired with the body and finish in this latest iteration.  "Hail the King, BABY!"

2 : *Komodo Dragonfly - Upland Brewing Co. - Bloomington, IN
      -Very similar to the King of Hop, but missing that creaminess and great hop finish!

3 : The Name of Suffering - 3Floyds - Munster, IN
      -Hop malt nose.  Light body. Sweet and bitter. Fizzier than expected.

4 : Sublimely Self-Righteous - Stone Brewing - Escondido, CA
     -Nice toasty floral nose.  Carmel, malt and molasses notes.  Medium body. Sweet at moments.

5 : Notorious B.I.P.A. - People's Brewing - Lafayette, IN
      -Raisin malt nose, sweet.  Medium body. Notes of camel & raisins. Finishes dry & tart.

6 : Pitch Black IPA - Widmer Brothers - Portland, OR
      -Floral raisin nose, balanced hop malt body. Wet finish.

7 : Nunmore - Flat 12 - Indianapolis, IN
     -I don't think the bottle did anything to enhance this one.  Better off draft until the next batch of bottles.  Upon pouring the same as the other BIPA's this fizzed up about as bad as Oak'n Barrels Epiphany.  Other notables were the great floral nose and much lighter body.

8 : Black IPA - Danny Boy Beer Works - Carmel, IN

the Big Guy: So I dig this style of brew, but not as much as O-Dawg and for the most part I like mine a little bit sweeter. King of Hop is sweet hoppy and roasty, really everything you could ask for and a little bit more from a BIPA. My second favorite was Notorious BIP by the guys at People's. My third favorite was In the Name of Suffering by Three Floyds. Theirs was a sweeter New Orleans style brew and I totally dig it. All of these were rated at 4 for me, so it was a very close race. I have Komodo listed as a 4 on Untappd as well, but I only wanted to comment on things that we drank while doing the taste test.

Sources:
http://beerstreetjournal.com/black-ipa-no-dark-cascadian-ale-no-american-style-black-ale/
http://www.washingtonbeerblog.com/get-it-right-its-an-india-black-pale-lager-ale/
http://www.brewersassociation.org/pages/business-tools/publications/beer-style-guidelines