Three Floyds War Mullet Review

Obscure name? Check.

Artwork that may invoke nightmares in your children? Check. 

Reference to D&D or a metal band? Ummm maybe not? 

Aggressively hopped double IPA? Check. Yep it's Three Floyd's beer time!!!

This edition features War Mullet, one of FFF newer and perhaps semi-regular bomber offerings (like Permanant Funeral). It's been available at the brewpub a handful of times, but has not made it to Indianapolis yet. 

From the bomber into a Teku glass the beer pours a vivid orange color, with copper highlights and a two finger off-white head. Laces well. Aromas of pine, resin, citrus, and tropical fruit. Very similar in taste: spicy hop resins, orange, mango, citrus rind bitterness. Medium to heavy body, but strong carbonation keeps it from being syrupy. Mouthfeel is oily with a very dry finish. 

Another must try DIPA from FFF. Big citrusy and resinous beer, but shows some restraint while being a solidly bitter beer. Great balance all around. Worth a trip to the brewpub just for this? Probably not, but worth getting if you happen to cross paths with it. 4/5

Dark Lord Day

This year was my first year to get tickets to Dark Lord Day, or DLD as the cool kids are calling it. For those of you who haven't been, Dark Lord Day is really what you make of it because ultimately it's a big ass festival where you can pick up your beer, try some unique combinations if you're lucky enough to win your golden ticket, hear some music, and share a great experience with old and new friends.

My friends and truly I made the most of it. The doors opened at 10 am CST, so we decided that it would be best to get a spot in the front of the line. We arrived before 5 am and set up a table and coolers to tailgate while we were waiting in the line. We brought some epic beers and started the festivities around 5:30 with beer and sausage patty sandwiches on the grill.

The line is a crazy place full of beer geeks walking up and down the lines sharing different beers. I think I tried over fifty beers while waiting for the doors to open. Strangers came up and down the line with beers offering tastes. The sense of community was undeniable.

Since the line was so epic, I thought the party was going to be crazy once we got into the festival, but I basically just got in line. First I waited in line for glassware. Three Floyds doesn't actually provide those mini snifters that you see every year. They're provided by the coffee company they partner up with for the Dark Lord beer. This was the first year we got product from Dark Matter, a coffee roaster located in Chicago. The line was crazy. We were probably part of the first hundred people through the south gate, and we barely got glassware. Dark Matter made less than 1000 of each, so they went fast.

Once I got my glassware fix, it was just about time for the B group, which I was a part of, to go get our Dark Lord, so I got in another line. Luckily throughout all these lines people were sharing great brews from their local market, so the party slowed down a little bit but it never stopped. The line for the beer was quick and easy, but all in Brie and I spent about 3 hours in line since we got through the line we were waiting in outside the gates. It was turning out to be Dark Line Day.

At that point I was half popped and having a great time, so I told myself no more lines. I did not go through the take home line because it was mostly stuff I'd had. Friends had gotten a picnic table, so we had a nice base of operations. From there we could drink beer from Three Floyds on draft, awesome guest taps and some really great bottles we were sharing.

There was some excellent high end fair food. The Alpha Brat was incredible. It was a beer soaked brat that was crisped up nicely on the grill with some sort of chopped relish that was delicious. If you were looking for something on the sweeter side, they made ice cream out of the Dark Lord beer. It was sweet and malty and delicious. I wish they had sold pints to take home.

The beer was the most important thing to us, but there were a lot of people there for the concerts. Dark Lord Day is a big heavy metal concert. Once I was in the party mindset I went out and started enjoying the music. The festival trailed off at that point, but in a blur of excellence.

My first time at Dark Lord Day was worth all of the lines and the effort to get tickets and all the other hassles that went along with it. If you haven't been yet you should add it to your bucket list.

Dark Lord Day in Pictures

Most of the blog got to go to Dark Lord Day 2014. While we recover, here's our day in photos.

Surviving Dark Lord Day

This week begins just like every other week for most people. For many beer geeks, however, this week starts with more excitement than most. Dark Lord Day is Saturday. If you don't know about this, check out www.darklordday.com and catch up.

Having been to the past two Dark Lord Day events, I thought it might be good to pass along some tips for surviving the day. The boom of craft beer in the last year or two has brought a lot of new beer geeks to the scene which has increased the number of first time attendees. 

1. Arrive early. The parking situation is a concern. The sides of the streets will be lined with cars by 7:00am. If not earlier. If you don't get one of those spots, you may be forced to pay for parking in one of the surrounding lots or across the street in the park. If you plan to arrive later in the day, you may have better luck as there are people who leave early. But one of my favorite things about DLD is the bottle sharing line before the event starts. So getting there early means less stress related to parking and awesome time waiting in line. 

2. Don't be an asshole. This is probably the most important tip for the day. Be flexible, have a positive attitude, and remember that everyone is there to have a good time. Don't line cut in the bottle line once inside. If someone in line offers you a pour of Bourbon County Rare, be modest. Take a 1-2oz pour. Don't be greedy and take a 6oz pour unless you are looking to get in a fight. Which goes back to the first sentence in this rule. 

3. Take a case of water with you. Seriously everyone should bring that much water. This is a marathon. Not a sprint. Small pours and lots of water are your keys to not getting drunk early in the day and face planting in the grass. Contrary to what you might think, you do not want to get drunk at DLD. For most, this is inevitable though. So hydrate hydrate hydrate and make sure you eat a substantial breakfast and an alpha brat for lunch. Bring snacks as well. Food and water are your best friends on Saturday. 

4. Don't forget your tickets, cash, and ID. You will need all of them. Guest taps are $5-$10 during the day. Dark Lord bottles are $15. If you win the right to buy a barrel aged Dark Lord that's $50. Plan for the best because you don't want to have to deal with the ATM line. I promise. 

5. Bring a cooler or a backpack. The rules say coolers are not allowed, but if you bring a soft cooler that goes over your shoulder, you will be fine. Backpacks are definitely good to bring as well. Just don't bring one of those large coolers on wheels. They won't let that in. Also, the high temp for Saturday right now is 48, so you may not need a cooler at all. But better to have it to transport your beers for sharing. 

6. Bring beer to share and a tasting glass. People love craft beer. You don't have to bring super rare bottles to share. Bring a growler of your local favorite. Bring home brews. We all will want to try most anything craft. I also usually bring two tasting glasses. Don't stress about what to bring. Bring something you want to drink and don't mind sharing with others. 

7. Dress appropriately. It's going to be a tad chilly. Great for keeping beer cold during the day, but you will want to wear a sweatshirt or a light jacket. Also, sunscreen is a good idea if you don't plan on wearing a hat. It will be sunny and you can still get sunburned if you don't take proper precautions. Also, right now the forecast is for 0% chance of rain...which means you should definitely bring some rain gear. 

8. Bring a cloth grocery bag. When you go through the bottle line to get your dark lord bottles, they will provide you with a flimsy bomber 4 pack holder. Don't trust your bottle fate to these carriers. Put your bottles in a cloth grocery bag and immediately take them to your car. You don't want to be the guy who passes out in the grass next to your dark lord bottles because there ARE people there who will violate tip #2 and you will go home empty handed. 

9. Bottle sharing tips. Don't assume anything you see on the table is fair game for you to take a pour. Always be courteous and ask. It usually will be fair game, but asking eliminates any question. If you didn't bring it, ask. People are always nice and generous, but if you just start taking pours you are violating tip #2 and people won't enjoy being with you. Contribute to the share as well. Plan to bring bottles that you open in line before the event and in the tents during the event. Don't open all of your bottles in the line before. Also, if your bottle has a cork, bring a corkscrew. 

10. Bring toilet paper. Self explanatory. 

11. Hit up the guest taps. There is world class beer brought in from awesome breweries across the globe. Use your friends to divide and conquer. If you have 10 friends everyone buys one different pour and you share them with the group. Sharing guest taps is a lot of fun and you get to try more incredible beer.  

12. Check out the bands. I've missed this each year, and while Metal is not really my thing, I definitely want to check out some of it this year. I am dying to rage. 

I am sure there are many other things I could list but if you follow these 12 tips you should have yourself a marvelous time. Be safe, don't be afraid to call a cab, and have fun!  Be sure to check back as we will have our own Dark Lord Day story to share with you all. 

Blakkr

So we've done a lot with black IPAs here at the IBB. A black IPA is a relatively new style (new by beer standards that is) that we see all over the place here in America. I personally like this style a lot, but my concern is not with how the beer looks or tastes, its with the name. Right now we're calling it a Black Indiana Pale Ale... black pale. That just doesn't make sense to me, and seems a bit lazy. We are willing to call just about anything hoppy an IPA because breweries know that it'll sell. IPAs are popular, and a lot of breweries are trying to capitalize on that popularity. Recently the Great American Beer Festival officially added American Black Ale into the pantheon. This is what they are calling the "BIPA." I think its great. So many beers are named after the country and region that they're created but since America came to the beer game a little bit late we don't have many named after us, even though we are making some of the most unique beer this world has ever seen.

Blakkr is truly a great American creation. Three breweries got together to make this imperial black IPA Surly, Real Ale Brewing and one of our favorites, Three Floyds. This beer pours out an oily black color that looks more like a Russian imperial stout than any American black ale that I've ever seen. The color is deep and heavy. It has thick tan head that leaves great lacing all the way down the glass.

The first smells you get are the big roasty malts, dark coffee and bittersweet chocolate. That's followed up by a outdoorsy pine forest aroma with just a bit of grassiness. The flavor follows this up. The roasted malt flavor is huge in a great way. It tastes like a bitter sweet chocolate imperial stout. With this intense malty flavor you might worry that no amount of hops could shine through this brew, but Blakkr delivers the hops even more than the malt. There is a huge bitter piny resin flavor from the hops. All of this blends nicely with some sweet tropical and citrus hop flavors. It wouldn't be fair to compare other American black ales to this one because the imperial nature of the malt raises the stakes all across the board. This one of the best beers I've had in a long time. I'm really impressed.

I give it a 4.5

Russ - Pours a dark almost opaque brown with a 2 finger khaki head. Laces well as the beer does a disappearing act. Aroma is mostly toasted grain and pine, but there's a hint of soy sauce. The taste gives notes of dark chocolate, bitter dark roast coffee, and pine. Middling body, with average carbonation. The mouthfeel is slick with a long bitter finish. Yep it's a black ale, with typical heavy roast notes and a distinct soy sauce note that's interesting (but not bad). Other than the latter, there's nothing really different about this beer. Still worth trying as it's solid offering 3.5/5

Three Floyd's Man-O-Awe Review

It appears another Three Floyd's limited offering has trickled into central Indiana... Man-O-Awe, an American pale ale clocking in at 6.0% ABV.

Like a lot of FFF labels there's not much relevant info to be gleaned from the beer description, but it does tell us that the beer is brewed exclusively with Michigan hops. Other than that I'm supposed to be in awe and go listen to some metal whiled drinking this (okay it doesn't say that, but it's implied with any FFF beer).

Well, time to drink the mystery beer.

It pours a deep copper with gold highlights topped with a two finger, off-white head. The aroma is pleasant with melon, tangerine, and bread. The taste is... well interesting to put it nicely. Heavy (sourdough?) bread malt and a dose of floral, musty, perfumey notes. There's some bitterness in there, but all the weirdness going on makes you forget about it. The body is light, bordering on watery, with middling carbonation and a slightly oily mouthfeel; then finishes somewhat dry.

I am in awe... of how bad this beer is. This is the worst Three Floyd's beer I've had and I actually drain poured what was left in the bottle. I don't care for the notes of tangy bread and heavily perfumed hops at all. I really hope this isn't indicative of Michigan hops, because if so, something ain't right. Three Floyd's has a track record of excellence so they're allowed a mulligan every once in awhile... not everything can be Zombie Dusts and Dark Lords. Resist your "Limited FFF Beer!" urge and leave this on the shelf.  0.5/5 (Yeah I think it's that bad)

The Big Guy: Whoa whoa whoa!!! I love ya buddy but you missed the boat on this one. Maybe I'm just a fan of sourdough bread, I don't know. The malts were light but sweet with a little bit of biscuit and bread crust. The hops come in with an awesome mango and melon flavor. Think really subtle tropical fruit flavors hiding just behind the sweetness of the malts and I thought it blended together nicely.

There is a slight resiny, pine flavor and earthy hop quality to the finish that closes it off nicely. I think this is a unique beer and its even better knowing some of the hops came from right here in the Midwest. There was just a bit of bitterness at the end and that's OK. Remember this is only a pale ale, a regular pale ale- not an IPA or a DIPA- just an everyday pale. A lot of us have come to expect intense hops every time we hear that Three Floyd's is making a beer. I was thrilled to see that this one didn't have that heavy handed hop flavor. I even picked up another bottle because I liked it so much. Thanks for leaving that one on the shelf Russ. I give it a 4.

Live a Rich Life and Breweries Giving Back

I'm always impressed by the heart and soul of the craft beer community. This year we lost a brewer from Stone; Mathew Cartwright was killed by a fork-truck. Stone released a beer celebrating his life called Matt's Burning Rosids. When a friend passes, brewers have the incredible ability to honor their friends by creating something named after them that may stand the test of time.

In 2011 Three Floyds lost a good friend and so they released a beer in tribute to him. The beer is Live a Rich Life, named after Rich Sheppard. Live a Rich Life is a Belgian style IPA from Three Floyds and De Struise. This beer was formerly sold on draft as Shark Pants. When it was released as Live the Rich Life, proceeds from the sale of the beer went to the surviving family of Rich Sheppard.

No matter what the circumstances are it's always amazing to see how the craft beer community supports one of their own. We could all take a hint from these breweries and do more to support each other.

The beer pours out a wonderful, bright copper-orange color. There is an inch of fluffy off-white head sitting on top of the beer that flows into beautiful lacing all along the glass. The aroma is like an all out battle between Belgium and the West Coast. Huge pine and tropical hop notes with a big phenolic kick in the pants from the Belgian style yeast. They marry well together to create a great and unique aroma.

Although this looks like it might be malt heavy from the dark color, the beer is surprisingly light and crisp. The malt provides a nice, clean toffee and biscuit backbone to a huge hopfest. The hops are obviously the star of this beer. They are full of big tropical fruit flavors with some nice citrusy tangerine flavors and a really nice resiny bitter finish. Although not the star of this beer, the Belgian yeast flavor is no backup singer. The yeast character blends so well with the hops. You get a wonderful peppery spice that accentuates and boosts the big hop flavors. There is a little bit of boozy heat at the finish of this one, but that's totally acceptable form an 8.7% ABV beer.

I obviously never knew Rich, but his name lives on in this amazing beer. If you're bored with basic DIPAs then you really need to check this brew out. Its unique flavors will dance across your tongue in their own hop mosh pit. This was an excellent beer, I give it a 4.

Our hearts go out to the friends and family of both Rich Sheppard and Mathew Cartwright.

Three Floyd's Permanent Funeral Review

In a day and age where IPAs and Double IPAs run rampant, it takes a lot for one to stick out. Fortunately Three Floyds is really good at sticking out, whether it's their label artwork, beer names, metal band collaborations, or more importantly their beers. Permanent Funeral is one FFF's latest metal band collaborations with Pig Destroyer (do the bands actually show up to the brewery and help?) and is labeled as a "pale ale". While yes, it is pale and an ale, it is most certainly not in the "pale ale" category and recently won silver at GABF in the Imperial IPA category.

The beer pours a golden orange with a dense 2-finger off-white head that leaves some lacing. Lots of fruit-forward hop notes with tangerine, pineapple, and mango; in general there's some nice robust bitterness here. There are some honey and biscuit notes provided by the malts that lend some balance and sweetness... and let's not forget some decent booziness as well. The body leans towards the heavy side, but soft carbonation and a dry finish keep it from getting too syrupy.

Overall this is a fantastic double IPA or pale ale (yeah right) and is definitely worth seeking out in short order. 4.5/5

The Big Guy: Damn I love this beer! This one won a silver medal at the GABF this year and it totally deserves it. Big tangerine, apricot and mango flavors make this sweet and bitter in a great way. The malt back bone is just slight enough to highlight the big hops and really make them the star. The beer is 10.5 abv and its really well hidden. The big citrus flavors do a great job hiding the heat. I give it a big time 4.5

O-Dawg: I had heard about this brew a few weeks after Dark Lord Day 2013. I was told that 3Floyds was pairing up with metal bands to put out some great beers. Naturally I was interested. I had made a trip or two up to Munster, IN to see if I could snag one for myself. After a lot of misses I got a hit and had it on draft. To quantify: Think Pliny the Elder/Heady Topper only WAY better! Sweet citrusy, sour pucker finish, slight resin/pine, acidic rind finish. Rivals Grapefruit Jungle and single-handedly beats the socks off Stone's Ruination and "Enjoy By" series. Because of the silver at GABF this is going to be one of those bombers you will have to pay in the $15 range. I give it a 5

This year's holiday brews, Ghost of Christmas Present

Every year I try to reach into my bag of beer related tricks and present you with the best beers of the season here in Indy. You can check out what we drank last year here. I'm really excited about 2013. We have some great brews for you to try. If you are looking for some great holiday brews to bring to a party this weekend, you've come to the right place. Tis the season for some awesome and super creative spiced brews. Show your friends you know your craft beer and break out something exciting. This year we have some new stuff to the area on Santa's wish list. I hope you find something perfect to get you and yours in the spirit.


There's been a local holiday delight that I haven't gotten around to trying, so this year I decided to give myself a present and pick up Naughty Claus by New Albanian. It poured out a nice amber color with almost no head. It smelled like cinnamon, nutmeg and dark fruits. There were tons of added flavors in this brew. All in, I wish it had a little more from the base beer. A bit more malt, would help balance out the crazy holiday spices. Not bad, but definitely not my favorite this season. I give it a 2.5



Every year in November, Three Floyds descends from Munster with a sack full of their Xmas Porter. This is a big black porter with a nice coffee flavor, but like all things FFF does, they smack you in the face right afterwords with some really big citrus hops. It gives it a super unique flavor that's somewhere between holiday porter and IPA. Like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, this has become a true holiday classic. I give it a 3.

Who wants to drink a Christmas tree???? I do!!! Last year I was lucky enough to do a vertical of Our Special Ale by Anchor Brewing. This year, I had to go pick up the 2013 edition. It pours out dark with amber highlights and smells like ginger, oranges and pine resin. The flavor matches the nose pretty damn well. There are some nice roasty notes in the malt that blend well with the hops and the added spices. Theres a big bittter front end with a nice smooth nutty spicy finish. It's a really good Christmas brew and I think it'll age nicely. I give it a 3 this year, but I'm guessing that will only go higher the longer I wait.


Southern Tier is a new brewery that we just started seeing here in Indy this summer (just started seeing again here in Central Indiana. Apparently they used to distribute here regularly and still distribute up North) . I've been very impressed with their beer so far, so I was excited to see that they had a Christmas style bomber, Krampus. I was even more excited when I found out that it was an imperial helles lager. There wasn't anything spiced, nothing changed, just an old school German style amped up with a little more alcohol. It was a wonderful malty beer. Perfect for the season without being spiced by non beer flavors. This is a clean crisp classic. Big abv but well balanced all around. I give it  a merry 3.5

Jolly Pumpkin is one that I haven't really tried enough of. They've been here in Indy for a bit, but they haven't really hit my radar. Everything these guys do is sour, so I'm really not sure how it took me this long to get on the Jolly Pumpkin bandwagon. Their holiday beer is Noel de Calabaza, and this is a nice dark sour beer with just a hint of holiday spice. Its got big tartness and dark fruit, like cherries plums and winter berries upfront with a really nice dry bret finish. These guys have really mastered the mix of wild yeast strains, which isn't easy. I give it a puckering 4


Like many Hoosiers, I spent Thanksgiving out of town with my in-laws. Lucky for me, my in-laws live in the Chicagoland area, and that means Revolution! I got my hands on a few six packs of Revolution's Fistmas. Fistmas is a spiced red ale that has all the flavors of Christmas packed into a delicious 12 oz can. It is perfectly spiced though, not too little not too much. El Duque had issues with the pumpkin beers because they're all so heavily spiced. This brew is the perfect blend of spice and base beer. Well done Revolution. If you can get up North pick up a sixer. Hell, get one for me too. I give this beer a 4.5


I'm a huge fan of the Prairie Bomb, so when I heard that Prairie had put out a wax topped Old Ale Christmas beer I had to go try it for myself. I love the big abv beers, especially if they can figure out how to balance them out. I wasn't disappointed. This thing was incredibly tasty. There was almost no hops, with a great malt bill that's perfectly spiced. Big dark fruits that verged on being a bit sour, played on top of a nice roasty malt flavor. The spices were really light and well balanced. Everything compliments the malts nicely. I believe that this is in fact the beer that will save Christmas for all of us! go get it while you can! I give it a joyous 4.5 and this was my favorite Christmas beer this year!

When you're getting set to go to a holiday party this weekend, take a little extra time in the beer aisle. Pass by some of the brews that you have all the time, and look for something festive. We have so many great breweries in town and even more great breweries who've started distributing here. Above are the beers that I really loved this season, go out and find what you love. Cheers!

Glassware Collecting

This is my first post to the Indiana Beer Barons blog, so I thought it would be a good introduction if my first post focused on something that I'm very passionate about… 

Just when you thought beer geeks couldn’t get any geekier, there’s a new niche beer geek. We’re the guys you see at brewery anniversary parties looking for the special glassware to commemorate the event, or seeking out the Three Floyd’s merchandise tent among all the beer whale carnage for the annual Three Floyd’s/Intelligentsia taster glass. We’re the glassware geeks.

So where did we come from? I’m sure there’s always been a few of us around, but as the scene has exploded and new breweries open every day, there’s been a proliferation of brewery glassware and naturally an increase in collectors. Certain breweries produce a vast variety of glassware, such as Stone Brewing Company who as of this post had 18 different glasses in their online store and at their last anniversary party produced no less than 4 different glasses just for that event.

Unlike beer, breweries can ship you their glassware directly if they’re willing to (not all are for various reasons) and in some cases it’s as simple as visiting their online store. Also, breweries like New Belgium, Samuel Adams, and Terrapin commonly give away glasses at events. The abundance of available glasses makes it seem like an easy item to collect, but that’s not always the case.

First, beer glasses aren’t as widely distributed as beer and are generally only available at the brewery, sometimes at liquor stores, or at specific events. Secondly, certain glasses are only made in very limited numbers. For example a new brewery out of Oregon only made 71 of their tulip glasses available, and a very popular Oregon brewery made 500 glasses available for their most recent anniversary party.

Glasses like the Cantillon Iris wine glass, Left Hand Brewing “Wake Up Dead” snifter (I get unsolicited offers for mine all the time), Pretty Things “Our Finest Regards” wine glass, and several Three Floyd’s glasses are what we call glasswhales; the rarest of the rare. These glasses are rarely seen and usually cause a frenzy when they are offered up for trade, and their owners can demand a lot in return. The extreme rarity and/or demand for certain glasses has spawned a burgeoning glassware trading community somewhat similar to the beer trading community.

Just like with beer, people mule, hoard, and ransom glasses and unfortunately as the scene grows we get more and more people doing the latter. Trading glasses can also be more difficult than trading beer; because the community is newer and smaller, consensus values on rare glasses and trading protocols haven’t been firmly established. It can get complicated too when there are multiple versions of a glass and there’s not a common lexicon among traders or no fancy beer label to simply reference. This has bitten me before when I expected a certain Russian River “-tion” glass to arrive in a trade, but got the wrong glass because the trader incorrectly identified the glass he sent me.

That said, I have found the glassware trading community to be very generous and very welcoming to newcomers.

I’ve shown my collection of glasses (pictured below) to many people and among the many compliments and exclamations of “my significant other would kill me!” I frequently get asked: “Why do you have so many glasses?” While I can only truly answer for myself, I have several reasons that I believe reflect other collectors’ thoughts as well.

First, some of us are just habitual collectors; whether it was baseball cards, action figures, dolls, or probably what a lot of you reading this now collect, beer, there’s always some focus that provides the “thrill of the chase.” Secondly, there’s something that just feels right about having the matching glass to go with the beer and so this means you need a lot of glassware! Lastly, and probably most important for me, there are memories attached to the majority of my glassware- when the beer is gone the glass remains!

You’re probably wondering “Who is this guy? How do I know he has street cred?” well in my collection I have over 250 pieces of glassware…  It’s gotten to the point where I’ve had to institute 2 rules (there are occasional exceptions made): 1) I’m not allowed to have glassware from a brewery that I have not visited or have at least had beer from; 2) No more shaker pints! It’s the standard conical glass you see everywhere- I hate those things and I don’t buy them anymore, but I’ll talk more about that in another post probably.

I’m assuming that everyone reading this is excited to go out and collect glassware now! Since I mostly focus on collecting non-shaker pints, there’s not a lot that I’ve purchased around Indy recently, but here is a quick rundown of what I think the better local and easily obtainable glasses are:

-Upland Brewing Co. Snifter (taprooms)

-Sun King Can Glass (taproom)

-Bier Brewery Snifter (taproom)

-Daredevil Imperial pint and tulip (Daredevil’s online shop)

-New Day Snifter (Taproom; for the mead fans out there)

-Most of the other breweries will have some type of shaker pint to purchase.

So the next time you see that crazy guy at Three Floyd’s Dark Lord Day (because there’s only one right?) looking for that year’s special event glass, point him in the right direction and think about getting one for yourself, because it won’t come cheap when you want the proper glassware for your Dark Lord.

Royal Brat

So my two favorite breweries decided to get together and do a collaboration. Three Floyd's came down to Indy during Gencon and got together with Sun King for an English Style Bitter. Since I just got back from the UK, the land of the bitters, I figured I should do a review.

Royal Brat is sold in 4 packs of 16 ounce cans. It's 4.7% ABV and 55 IBUs. It was released the weekend of the CANvitational.

It pours out a nice dark golden color. It smells like English hops and biscuit malts with a hint of caramel. The head is light cream colored and really dissipates quickly, much like UK Bitters. It leaves a nice bit of lacing at the top.

I have a new found appreciation for this beer after running around the UK last week. The beer in the UK is great, but it's all very traditional. Royal Brat has some seriously traditional flavors, but where most of the bitters I had in London left it as is, this one ratchets it all up a bit. The flavors are bolder and more in your face and that's no easy feat with a 4.7 ABV beer. The hop character is very smooth but has a nice bitter back end that sits in the back of your throat after you swallow. With a very light and bready malt character, the hops really have an oppertunity to shine.

I've seen a lot of mixed reviews about this one online. I think people were expecting a really big beer from a creative duo like Sun King and FFF, but this one is relaxed and nuanced. Also, remember its basically a session beer, and the lower alcohol beers tend to have much lighter malt flavor.

Haters gonna hate, but I think its a solid 3.5

O-Dawg:  Some of us didn't get a chance to refine our pallets on UK bitters... From an "unrefined" pallet used to all that is American I dug the hell out of Royal Brat!  Crazy drinkable!  Paired with enough hops and malt to keep me interested in a long drinking session.  The low ABV's will help you out when having to drive  call a cab to get home after that long drinking session. An astonished 3.5!

BREWniversity: The Bottle Share

I got invited to my first official bottle share. Now the Barons and I have often shared bottles with each other, but the closest thing we've ever done to a true bottle share was our Vertical Epic party. So that begs the question, what is a bottle share?

We all learned that sharing is caring in preschool, but this is a little bit more specific than that. A bottle share is when you get a few people together and everyone brings bottle of beer that they want to drink and you pass them around so everyone gets a taste. Normally it's something that's hard to find, so you are letting other people have the opportunity to try something they normally wouldn't be able to have. There really isn't a better opportunity to get to try this many unique beers other than a festival.

It's not necessary, but it's cool if you work up a theme to the party. Having all the Stone Vertical Epic beers gets people interested. This bottle share was for a Dark Lord vertical doing 6 years of the insanely good RIS.  Parker, a big time beer collector, trader and connoisseur, on the southside was hosting.

Since this was my first bottle share,  I was nervous about what to bring. When someone is as generous as Parker was, you want to make sure that you bring something that others will be excited about.

Here are some pro tips when trying to figure out what beers to bring:

1. The harder it is to find the beer the more people will get excited about it
2. Look at the age on the beer, the older it gets the harder it is to find, see rule one
3. People get jacked up about beers from other markets, see rule one
4. Variants are everyone's favorites! Go for something that has an awesome or crazy twist
5. Look for anything that has been in a barrel, barrels are good!

General tips:

1. Bring tasting glasses, or make sure they are provided because it'd be weird if we were all just swigging it straight out of the bottle.
2. Bring bottled water to cleanse your pallet and keep you hydrated
3. Plan for a DD, you are probably going to be ripped
4. Have a spot to showcase your graveyard, because everyone wants pics
5. Have fun. My favorite moment was when someone passed around the "Grand Cru" which was a bit of everything we drank for the night

I had a great time and am pumped to do another one. 

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.

Dig-IN 2013

The Big Guy and I had the chance to attend Dig-IN and test out their VIP experience. I was excited to try the event as I'd never been. I love the idea of bringing together so many different groups from the food industry around the state.

That's one of the things I liked during the event itself as well- bringing together the farmers, the chefs, the brewers and the vintners. It was a perfect day to spend the afternoon in the sun at White River Park. Tents were set up towards the middle of the space and each one held at least four local food vendors. There was a space for beer and wine on each side of the main area. From my perspective the set up really helped keep things moving smoothly, and gave you a chance to try a little bit more of everything.

We were given a "passport" that allowed us to go to every restuarant's booth and get a taste of the food. We could also go to every brewery and winery and get a pour. Food portions ranged in size, but if you really liked it there were five "second helpings" boxes you could get. Beer pours were great, and you could always go up and pay to get a full glass.

We had friends who had been before and recommended we all get VIP tickets, so the Big Guy and I gave it a try. The VIP tent was off to the side in a roped off area that felt quite swanky. The tent itself had an air-conditioning / fan system going that made it the perfect getaway on a hot day. Two restaurants set up in the main tent and two set up off to the side. Along with all of the great food Flat 12 and Sun King brought us some really yummy seasonal beers.

All in it was great. My favorite food was the pork belly by Eat Valley. Perfectly seasoned, absolutely delicious and paired with the best polenta I've ever had. My favorite beer was the Harvey by Brugge, the flavor was great, sweet, sour, refreshing and perfect for a hot summer day.

The Big Guy: You may think it's weird to see the beer barons at a food festival and not a beer festival or without changing our name to the food barons. Before you judge, keep in mind, this food festival had more than a dozen breweries in attendance with some standards and some excellent seasonals. The VIP experience was outstanding. The tent was an amazing place to go chill and get out of the afternoon heat. The bathrooms were tucked away and guarded by event staff so it was only VIPs using it. The food felt very VIP and Rob from Flat 12 was even there pouring my favorite beer of the event (Saison du Flat). We also got all we could drink while we were in the tent, because passports were for suckers.

I loved just about everything. It was cool to see how diverse the food for this could really be. Indiana restuarants and farmers really put it together in a big way.

My favorite food vendors were:

1. Pork Belly and Polenta by Eat Valley
2. Pork pate sandwich by Blue Beard in the VIP lounge
3. Pork Torine by the Local
4. Lamb Ruben by the Chefs Academy
5. Spicy Pork (really freaking spicy!!!) by Chef JJ

My favorite brews were

1. Saison du Flat by Flat 12 (I have really been into Saisons this summer, and this one was outstanding I'd give it an easy 4.5)
2. Cream Dream VI by Sun King
3. Black IPA by Tin Man

I was really impressed with all of the awesome food. Since we aren't a food blog go check out the Indy Restaurant Scene for a little better detail on everything we ate.