Stout Glass

What's in a glass? Hopefully some good beer, but does it matter if you use the proper glass for your chosen beer style? In short, yes, but now there's a been a few beer specific (Rastal teku) and beer style specific glasses (e.g. Sierra Nevada x Dogfish Head Spiegelau IPA glass) popping up recently, the newest being the Left Hand x Rogue Spiegelau stout glass. So do you need this glass for your stouts? Maybe. 

Methods

I purposely picked 2 beers that were different in a few aspects to compare the stout specific glass against their normal proper glassware: 

Short's Empress Catherine-  Russian imperial stout, 8.0% ABV, new to me, and proper glassware is a snifter (I used an oversized snifter)


Modern Times Black House- Coffee stout, 5.8% ABV, a proven favorite of mine, and proper glassware is a pint glass (I used a willi becher glass). 

Results

Appearance 

In both cases the stout glass provided a bigger more constant head at the initial pour and throughout the comparison, but only slightly. 

Edge: Stout glass (slightly)

Aroma

The oversized snifter performed just as well as the stout glass, but Black House had stronger coffee aromas in the stout glass versus the willi becher. This really isn't a surprise as both the snifter and stout glass have designs that funnel aromas to the nose. 
Edge: Stout glass (only over the willi becher)

Taste

No difference at all. 

Edge: None

Mouthfeel

With both beers the stout glass helped provide a smoother creamier mouthfeel. The lip between the "stem" and bowl helps agitate the beer, creating this mouthfeel trick. Overall this seemed to benefit the regular stout more. 

Edge: Stout glass

Conclusion

The stout glass clearly provides a better mouthfeel and head, both of which are important aspects of enjoying a stout. The rest is a mixed bag; the beer won't taste better and it might smell better, but whether or not you should buy this glass will depend on a few things:

Black House

• Drink a lot of stouts? Yes? Maybe buy; No? Don't buy
• All you have is pint glasses: Buy
• You have a snifter and mostly drink imperial stouts: Don't buy; your snifter will work well enough. 
• You mostly drink non-imperial stouts: I'd lean towards buy; this is where I think this glass will shine as it should help bump up the mouthfeel of a regular stout. 

It should be noted that this glass comes in 3 flavors: Blank, Rogue Brewing branded, and Left Hand Brewing branded. I opted for the blank version, which much to my great annoyance, does not have etching on the bottom like the branded ones do. This etching provides nucleation spots for bubbles to form on, further enhancing head and mouthfeel. "Don't want to advertise a brewery?!? No extra bubbles for you!!" The lack of nucleation spots on mine does not change my opinion; the versions with nucleation will just be better at what I think this glass already does well, but won't help the other aspects. 

In sum, whether or not you buy this glass will depend on your stout preferences and your existing glassware collection. 

Empress Catherine

Top 10 Posts of 2013

We had a fantastic time this year checking out new beer, new places to drink beer, new beer-related events, and new things to make the beer-drinking experience better. We do these things for you, and it seems like you're having at least a little bit of fun with us.

These were the most visited posts of 2013.

1. The Big Guy's Beer Gear introducing the new IPA glass created by Dogfish Head and Sierra Nevada.

2. The Big Guy's Beer Gear about the Teku glass, the universal beer tasting glass

3. El Duque's Scene where we visited Savages Ale House in Muncie Indiana

4. O-Dawg's POURsuasion talking about craft beer vs crafty beer in our market

5. O-Dawg's POURsuasion where he enlightens us about the difference between beer and a shandy.

6. El Duque's tried to help us all use beer to shed a few extra ponds with Gator-Ale.

7. Professor Beer's review on the glory that is Union Brewing Company's Cannonball Doyle.

8. The Big Guy talks about the importance of drinking your IPA's right now while it's fresh

9. O-Dawg brings you in to a new and totally under loved festival with Oktobeerfest by Mad Anthony.

10. The Big Guy gives us the run down on all of the pumpkin beers with a Barron's blind taste test.

As our first full year as a blog comes to a close we wanted to make sure to thank you all for reading. Without you and the craft beer community there really is no reason for us to be writing. Through your love and attention we've grown pretty quickly this year and hope to bring you even more awesome content next year.

Cheers!

Combating the Ghost of Christmas Present: What to Buy for Christmas

It's close to the holidays...  You have a friend or significant other that you want to surprise with a little something to help show them you support their binge drink... I mean hobby.  To help make that happen, here's my list of the top 5 items an Indy Craft Beer individual would love to have:

Header from: http://secretbarrelsociety.wordpress.com/

1.  A membership to the Not so "Secret Barrel Society" from Upland Brewing ($250)

Yeah... I said it.  After the #ICBM riot/backlash on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, (you name it, it was flamed) there was a letter from Caleb Staton in a heartfelt "it's a little broken, we're fixing it". Just like you dear reader I stopped listening after that.  However, Caleb made good and they are constantly evolving the SBS.  What was once one ticket per event has turned into a Ticket, plus one!  No longer do you have to make your wife/girlfriend/best friend sit on the sidelines while you have all the fun!  Constant perks not even mentioned in the membership page: want two free professionally cellared Winter Warmers for showing up at an SBS only release event?  Done.  Want to try the new sours that are in process that no one has heard about?  Done.  Wasn't there a collab with New Belgium Brewing... Does it even taste good?  DONE and yes they do taste awesome...  It's a little pricey, but worth it.

Header from: http://www.greatfermentations.com/

2.   A Home Brewing Kit from our local and lovable guys'n gals at Great Firmentations ($75-553)

The Big Guy and friends have been trying to get me to home brew...  I am sure that more than one thing or the other has stopped you from buying your starter set.  It's tough buying things for yourself, but very easy to do it for others!  Want six hours to yourself once every two weeks?  Buy your man a starter set!  Be warned, if you don't spring for the (not included) Outdoor Gas Cooker your house will smell like boiled grains... 

#DatGlass

3.  Proper IPA glassware from Dogfish Head, Serra Nevada, and/or Spiegelau/Riedel ($9)

I don't think I can reiterate it more to all you aspiring Hop Heads out there.  Glassware makes a difference.  I can pontificate its merits and filibuster this post, but The Big Guys post from earlier this year says it best.  Sorry Brewnibomber, The Big Guy got to it fist!

4.  A Seasonal/Specialty release bomber/six pack/growler from a local brewery in a style your beer lover prefers. ($10-30)

One that springs to mind is Sanitarium from The Bier Brewery.  They just released it and might have a bottle or two left!  Barring that, Flat 12 is having their 12 beers of Christmas and they just released Lactomatic Milk Stout!  I would mention Sun King, but WeeMuckle and their Kings Reserve Series have already come and gone for the month.

From: http://thezythosproject.com/

5.  An indestructible Growler! ($50-75)

Never a toss up for me, but options for you.  The BRÄULER (Tin Man Brewing Online Store) and The Hydroflask (The Bier Brewery purchased at the brewery).  Another option: Portland Growler Company  Just know that because of Indiana State Law, you will have a growler sticker slapped onto your growler whether you like it or not.  Breweries have to keep it on the up and up!  I will take this minor inconvenience over a smashed growler any day of the week.  

As you're planning your gift giving for the beer lover in your life, I hope this list helps give you a good starting point. What have you found that should make it on the list for next year?

Beer Gear: Chillsner

Two events happened to me earlier this week: I celebrated my first anniversary with my lovely wife, and one of my good friends brought some awesome beer back with him from a vacation in California. You're probably wondering what those two things have in common. Allow me to explain.

I give you the Chillsner by Corkcicle.  Cue the boys in Marketing!

"Presenting the one and only in-bottle, drink-through beer chiller: Chillsner by Corkcicle. Just freeze, insert into any bottled beer and never suffer through another warm brew. Respect the beer. Chillsner is perfect for parties, tailgating and pretty much any occasion where beloved beers are enjoyed." - Corkcicle.com

After cleaning and freezing the Chillsner, and removing my chilled beer from the fridge I was ready to begin a particularly fun beer experiment!  

Note: I chose to bend the rules.  I swapped out the typical 12 oz. bottle you are supposed to use with the Chillsner and subbed in my usual craft bomber.  Since it is a nice hoppy Sculpin IPA from Ballast Point Brewing I chose to pour it into proper IPA glassware.  

Craft Beer Drinking Warning: Take a few sips to allow volumetric room for the beer to displace around the chilling device and still stay contained in the bottle.  If you do not heed this Craft Beer Drinking Warning you will displace beer all over your bottle, hand, table, carpet, floor, etc.  You've been warned!

 "Cool to the last sip"

Results:
After letting the bomber sit out for two hours before the first pour and waiting an additional hour before the second pour...  I can already hear you screaming at me through the computer/mobile phone screen...  #BeerScience  I can say that this little experiment with my new Chillsner went swimmingly!

My Sculpin IPA was kept chilled to the perfect temperature throughout my drinking experience!

An added bonus for those IPA drinkers out there is the mouthpiece of the chilling device.  Due to its construction it adds additional agitation to the beer when pouring into your glassware (or your face). Great little bonus to enhance your tasty IPA's aroma/flavor!

I am looking forward to using my Chillsner at the next Colts game I am watching/tailgating for! Only this time I'll use as directed... and maybe read the directions...  Oh, who am I kidding!


**A big heartfelt Thank You again to my lovely wife for getting me this great Beer Gear!  Happy 1 Year Anniversary #MSN!  Here's to many more! <3 U

Beer Gear: Craft Gear

So Craftgeer has some of the coolest designs for the true craft beer geek. They are taking our passion and making a lifestyle brand out of it. I have one of their logos as my phone background for a while now, and I decided to pony up and order some glassware.

Ordering was easy, figuring out what I was going to buy was the tough part. I have so many brewery shirts at this point my wife told me to stick to the glassware. I narrowed it down to two, the snifter and their mason glass. Both are totally bad ass.

It took a little bit longer than a week from when I ordered to when I recieved my merch, which is really impressive for a smaller company. The product was well wrapped and protected (in my day job I'm an industrial packaging sales rep, so I know my bubble wrap). The thing that really hit me was the hand written note included. They were actually thanking me for ordering their sweet ass glass. There aren't a lot of companies with this kind of class anymore. I am totally in awe of these guys and can't wait to drink some awesome brews out of their snifters.

Check out the true beer lifestyle http://www.craftgeer.com/

#OktoBEERfest Baron's Style

First things first, I didn't #Volunteer for this one. There I've said it... I was Press this time around, which was awesome!

If you recall in a previous post when I WAS volunteering, I ran into Blaine Stuckey with Mad Anthony Brewing.  His enthusiasm and attention to detail had him finished with his beer booth before anyone else had shown up to the Indiana Microbrewers Festival.  Guess what?  Hard work and attention to detail is what he does best because it showed at the organization and planning for SayOKtoBEERfest.  In my opinion, this event went off without a hitch.

On Saturday September 7th, 2013, thirty Indiana breweries showed up to this intimate event at the west side of Headwaters Park, just off S. Calhoun St.  The location was great.  Not only was forethought put into the location for rain (all the breweries were under a picnic pagoda area), but it was fenced in as well.  No muss, no fuss for security.  Two brick and mortar bathrooms were located in the pagoda area and were supplemented with a handful of port-a-potties at the entrance.  If I was still in Urban Planning I would have given myself a pat on the back for finding this gem to host the event.

I thought it was amazing that the first brewery to be seen at the event was our buddies from Union Brewing Company.  Tony met us with a grin, a tasting of Cannonball Doyle and a thumbs up.  Say "Hi" Tony!

The Big Guy and I got there about as early as most of the breweries and it was neat to see everyone setting up for the event.  Pro Tip: Always check your Jockey Box the day before you head to an event.  

It was great to see Tin Man Brewing Co. up from Evansville, IN bust out their Beer Gear!  See below for the diagram of shenanigans that is Bag Beer!  If you haven't tried their Over Lord DIPA I suggest you do. The latest batch is great!  Fred Hillenbrand talked me into trying it a second time.  I was underwhelmed the first time I had it at Indiana Microbrewers Festival, but it tastes as if they got the kinks out of the recipe! Thanks again Fred!

Speaking of Beer Gear!  You guys remember back in June I did that article on the Beer Pouch?  Cutters Brewing Co. had a few on hand they were serving out of and promoting/selling for their version of Growlers!  If you haven't had their beer please get out to Avon, IN and grab a pint of Floyd's Folly! \

Rock 104 was there to pump up the tunes to keep the party rocking all day long!  I think Joe pouring for Flat 12 was in seventh heaven when the second van pulled up.  All I heard was "THERE'S TWO VANS!?" the rest of the event.

O-Dawg's Best of the Fest:
Triple Smoked 12 Penny - Scotch Ale - Flat 12 Bierwerks
Great oaky/vanilla nose.  Real light.  Crisp malt and roast on the fin.  Hops closes it out.  GREAT!


John the One Eyed - Belgian Dubbel - Evil Czech Brewery
It's like a Tripel running around in Dubbels clothing!  Smooth as hell with spicy malt.  Loved it!

Black IPA - BIPA/Cascadian Dark Ale/American-Style Black Ale - Mad Anthony Brewing Co.
Sweet malt nose.  Not roasty like you would think with this style.  Finishes with a bitter sweet chocolate.  Really good!

To close it all out...  A big thanks to all the Volunteers! OktoBEERfest would not have been an event with out all your selfless hard work in putting together and running the event!  I hope you all had as much fun as The Big Guy and I did!  Thanks again to Blaine and Brandi.  The Baron's can't wait for next years OktoBEERfest!  We'll see you then!

The Big Guy: This was an awesome festival and I can't wait to check it out again next year. It was well worth the two hour drive up north. The park that it was held in was beautiful. If my GPS hadn't had it out for me it would have been perfect. There were somewhere between twenty and thirty professional breweries. What really impressed me was the awesome contingent of homebrews by the MASH group out of Fort Wayne. They were showcasing some great homebrewed concoctions. Everything tasted professional. I had the BBQ from Shigs in Pit. The hot BBQ was totally legit. It was hot and smoky and mostly hot in a great way. The music was solid, and we were able to bring cigars for a grand finale before driving home. All in this was an excellent place to ring in Oktoberfest. 

My favorite beers were:

Triple Smoked 12 Penny by Flat 12 Bierwerks. It was a barrel aged session beer. That's right, low alcohol beer that was barrel aged. It had a great complex flavor. There were layers and layers of awesome that you never get from low ABV beer. I gave it a 4.5 because it was a session ale and it tasted so good. If you want to just go for overall flavor, its probably a solid 4.

Overlord by Tin Man Brewing was also outstanding. Nice big hops and sweet malt backbone. It was great, and I can't wait to start getting cans of their stuff in our market. I gave it a 4

White Reaper by Evil Czech was also great. Nice balance of hop blends on top of a very light and crisp malt backbone. It was clean and easy drinking, which made it perfect for the hot summer day. I gave it an enthusiastic 3.5

My only disappointment was the Pickled Cucumber Kolsch. I've been looking forward to this for months since Rob talked about it at the Brew Bracket. I loved the cucumber flavor from the kolsch. In general I love pickles. It seemed like it would be a match made in heaven. It wasn't... It wasn't terrible but I had hyped it up so much in my head and it just didn't live up to the dream.

A final note from O-Dawg: Just in case you are traveling up to Fort Wayne, IN to check this event out next year or any beer festival for that matter...  Don't trust your GPS, especially if it is Apple's.  Apple Maps had The Big Guy and I cruising through downtown Fort Wayne to end up at a parking garaged labeled on the map as Headwaters Park.  I was pretty sure it was the City Clerk's office...  Go Go Gadget Google MAPS!

View Larger Map

Beer Gear: IPA Glass

If you read my post last week about hops, you may have seen this glass. Spiegelau and the head brewers from Dogfish Head and Sierra Nevada created this glass specifically to enhance the experience when drinking an IPA. They experimented with 50 or 60 different glass designs before they settled on this design. To keep it unbiased, the two head brewers, Sam Calagione from Dogfish Head and Ken Grossman from Sierra Nevada, helped design the glasses in different places without talking, but eventually both brewers came to the same conclusion.

Basically there are two parts to the glass. The ridged bottom and the straight bowl that resembles a white wine or burgundy glass. The "bubbles" at the bottom of the glass create more head, by agitating the liquid and forcing it to release the carbonation and aroma trapped inside. It gives the glass more surface area for the liquid to have the head pulled out. The shape of the top is similar to a wineglass where it directs all of the aromas that have been released at the bottom of the glass directly into your nose.

I had to give it a try and see if it was really worthwhile. I pulled out a Pliney the Elder that was only about a month old. I put it in a standard pint glass, a Spiegelau IPA glass and I drank it out of the bottle. In theory I should get the most aroma from the IPA glass and the least by drinking it straight out of the bottle.

As a result of that little experiment, I have become a believer. The Pliney from the bottle was fine but the hops didn't seem as bold or front-forward as the beer usually does. The IPA glass and the pint glass were closer. Every sip from the IPA glass hit you with some beautiful aromas and great big flavor. The pint glass was fine, but nothing out of the ordinary. The biggest difference was head production. The IPA glass creates head nonstop while you are drinking. This gives you that great fresh taste like you just popped the brew the whole time.

I am so glad that I went out and picked one of these up. Great glasses and an essential for any true hophead out there. Thanks to my Cali bud Jeremy for the Pliney, one of the best DIPAs out there.

This is where I got mine: http://www.iwawine.com/spiegelau-ipa-beer-glasses.html?gclid=COyN-ozNorgCFYFhMgodrXYAlg

You can also get it here:

http://www.dogfish.com/store/beer-drinkin-goods/glassware/dogfish-ipa-glass.htm

http://www.sierranevadagiftshop.com/bar-supplies/drinkware/sierra-nevada-ipa-glass.html

http://www.riedelusa.net/spiegelau-ipa-glass.html

Beer Gear: Fermostat Kickstarter

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1655011769/the-fermostattm?ref=live

The Fermostat™
by Caleb Wangerin

3 Days to go as of POSTING!

I don't home brew.  I'll be honest and up front about that.  However, enough of my friends do that I have picked up a thing or two.  One of my long time friends is both a home brewer and a bit of a handy man.  As opposed to spending $50 bucks on a wort chiller he spent $45 to build it himself. When I saw this on Kickstarter I immediately thought of home brewers like him.

Do-it-Yourselfers:  This beer gadget has your name written all over it.  Temperamental yeast being uncooperative because you warmed/cooled the fermentation tank to fast?  The Fermostat™ is your solution.  Automate your labor intensive temperature control with this thermostat.  Totally programable with two powered AC connections built in (1 for heating element, 1 for cooling).  Hit the link or the video for more information!

Beer Gear: Turbocool kickstarter

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theturbocool/turbocool-your-canned-beverage-in-seconds


"TurboCool is a revolutionary device designed to cool your favorite canned beverage to frosty-goodness in a fraction of the time it would take in your fridge or cooler."

So this bullet looking mini fridge seems to work off the same principle as the old party trick where you rotate your warm beer in the bucket of ice until it cools off, only this thing is rotating much faster. Insert water, ice and then hook your beer on to the top and spin away for cold ready to drink beer. The video on their kickstarter page (where the image to the right is taken from) makes it look super easy. Now this won't be available until next January, so I am not going to be able to let you know how well it works until then, but who knows its not a bad little gadget.

Pros:

• It's 31 bucks!!!
• No seriously it's only $31 dollars to get your hands on one of these through Kickstarter
• Seems functional...
• Solves a problem everyone has had once in a while
• Family friendly, your kids can use it with canned juice and soda.

Cons:

• It doesn't look like it works with longnecks
• It may not work with tallboy cans (like the 16 oz cans from SK)
• There just isn't that much craft beer in cans in Indiana, especially standard 12 oz cans

Since I haven't tested the TurboCool I am not going to make any serious recommendations, but if you are looking for a gift from the beer geek that has it all and your feeling kind of broke, this bad boys only $31.

Beer Gear: BeerPouch

 

 ImageSource: Today.com, Jim Galligan, "BeerPouch makes it easy to sip suds on-the-go" 5/25/13

 

I saw this come across the wire and thought to myself, "Why didn't I think of that?!"

 

Remember Capri Sun? You know! That high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) kids' drink that started back in the 80's? The drink itself was housed in an aluminum pouch that you could roll up and recycle once all the liquid was enjoyed. The housing pouch was light weight, non permeable to light, flexable, and shatter resistent. The joy of it was the single serving.

Now let's apply that to beer...

The BeerPouch is the brainchild of Kevin Tubbs, a beer store owner in Alaska. He was on a quest to find an alternative to portable/bulky/non-shatter resistant growler containers.

“I tried every combination of materials I could find, including Tupperware and duct tape, to come up with a package that could hold carbonation and not allow in light or oxygen,” Tubbs recalled. “One morning, my daughter Mackenzie was sipping one of those Capri Sun juice drinks, and this thought hit me - no light goes through that thing!” Tubbs told TODAY.com.

Active adults now have a better option to carry and enjoy their beer hiking, biking, or just leisurely floating around the pool.

Hit the Link for more! http://www.today.com/food/beerpouch-makes-it-easy-sip-suds-go-6C10070626



Beer Gear: The Teku Glass

I'm freaking terrible. I drink almost everything out of a pint glass, but as your resident beer geek I'm trying to get better.  I just started using snifters on my high ABV brews, so I don’t drink it as fast as a normal pint and the aroma is better on display. I have ordered a couple of the cool new IPA glasses, and now I have these Teku glasses. So much glassware is made for a specific brew, so as soon as I got the glasses I started doing research. I needed to know what I was supposed to drink out of this bad ass looking goblet.

An Italian brewer decided that the craft beer community needed a beer glass like the ISO wine glass that could be universally favorable to all styles of beer in official tastings. It may not be the best for every style individually, but it would be the best across the board. Teo Musso, the Italian brewer, called in a sensory expert named Kuaska,( TE + KU first two letters of both of their names) and they designed a glass that would be universally favorable to all styles of beer. It was released in 2006. Since it was designed by an Italian it is huge in Italian breweries and beer bars and is just taking roots here in the states.

They are offered here in the States by breweries like Three Floyds, the Lost Abbey and a few others. I just got two (my wife told me I am never allowed to buy just one glass, they should always be in a set) from a recent road trip up to Three Floyds.

I am in love with my glasses. They look great; classy but manly at the same time. Their stems are stronger than most wine glasses that we have and feel sturdier. This makes me happy because I don't feel like I am going to break it every time I grab it by the stem. The stem design makes it so the heat from your hand doesn't affect your brew, which allows you to keep your brew at the serving temperature longer. Most of us really don’t care about this… hell, I really don’t care about it, but for some higher ABV beers that you sit and sip on this can really help out. The shape of the bowl is similar to a snifter glass. It opens up allowing the aroma to pour out into your nose as the brew pours out into your mouth. This helps all your senses enjoy your brew at the same time.

All in, I love this glass. It’s functional and looks awesome. The Three Floyds logo totally seals the deal. Go grab a pair and see if you dig it as much as I do.


http://www.baladin.it/en/productdisplay/teku
http://beerology.ca/articles/vessels-of-inspiration/

Beer Gear: Zane Lampry is Kickstarting?!

**Image from Kickstarter "Backers Only" Email.

Zane Lamprey is Kickstarting his latest installment of his infotainment drinking series, Chug! No that is the name not a request...  Zane is picking up right where he left off with "Three Sheets" traveling the globe to investigate and participate in learning about drinking cultures and customs.  

Toss a lowly $25 spot to back and you get the entire season digitally.  What does that mean?!

"Don't be fooled by the show's title. It's a play on words. This isn't some sophomoric romp around the world. Zane will visit local watering holes, unique drinking locations, as well as breweries, distilleries, and wineries. It's everything you loved in Zane's previous shows, and more. Without the limitations imposed by the networks, these "half hour" episodes of Chug won't have to account for commercial breaks. In fact, they don't even have to be limited to a half hour! But, if this show ever goes to a TV network, they will have to be cut down to 22-24 minutes with commercial breaks. So, while Kickstarter backers will see these episodes way before they air on TV or anywhere else, the TV version will be shorter, with a lot of great content cut out of the show.

Kickstarter backers will see the show first AND they'll see the best and LONGEST version of the show!" 

As of this writing they are at $202,000 of the target of $500,000 with 18 days to go.  "Damn the Man.  Save the EMPIRE!" Donate today!

My only question is: "Will Pleepleus be making appearances?!"

Beer Gear: Kickstart your Growler!

So, you didn't make it into the BRÄULER FreshCap™ Kickstarter Campaign by The Zythos Team back in October of 2012.  Nuts...

You can't wait for their next Kickstarter to launch the TapCap™ system because Uncle Bucks Birthday is just around the bend...  But you want to get him something similar...  I mean for pete sake the man taught you to appreciate craft beer!

Well you Sir are in luck!  Feast  your eyes on these inventive modern marvels!  Act quick and you can help fund these creative projects and be the first Hoser in your area to get your mitts on one!  Just remember... these aren't 99¢!!!



The TapIt Cap: The beer growler's best friend 
by Robert Scott

The Perfect Beer Drinking Vessel and Private Keg! 

by Drink Tanks

Beer Gear: Portland Growler Company

What do you get the man with a passion for beer? Something to put it in!

Most of you who spend time at your local brewery probably have growlers and bullets to spare, but this one is different. The guys at Portland Growler Company have made a very nice product. These are hand poured ceramic growlers that have been slip caste  inside and out. With a very strong flip top style cap that keeps any gasses from getting in or getting out (you can replace the top if you wear out the ring) this growler keeps beer fresher, longer.

I got this one for my most recent birthday. It is sleek and sexy. The growler is also nice and heavy which lets it hold the temperature of the beer better than the standard glass growler or the stainless steal growler that I have. It is opaque so you do not have to worry about light spoiling your beer.  This is the best growler I have ever had the pleasure to use.

The only issue with this growler is that it's so nice, that I don't want anyone putting stickers on it. The growler doesn't have the surgeon general warning and other information that you need by law, so chances are someone is going to have to deface your new toy.

Because these are handmade, they can take a little while to get to you. The wait is worth it. Go get you one!

I give this a solid 5

Beer Gear: Das Horn

If you are looking for the ultimate in bad ass drinking apparel look no further than, Das Horn! Mine is already on order, so further review to come.

https://dashorn.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/das-horn

Beer Gear: WilliamsWarn Brewing Machine

I was at Bier Brewery the other day,  when I struck up a conversation with a delightful Aussie gentleman regarding new beer technologies.  These type of impromptu conversations  have been happening to me ever since I started toting around my BRÄULER™ and Hydro Flask Growlers.  Must be my sparkling personality, that or people love to chat over a pint about the next big thing!

Ever since economic development planners got wind of the micro brewing market the winds of beer change have been blowing at gale force strength.   While overall beer sales are down, craft beer sales have jumped from 1% overall 2011 to 12% in just the first half of the 2012 year!

The Big Guy has been into home brewing for a little over a year now, thanks in part to a loving wife who got him his first brewing kit with  classes at Great Firmentations and in no large part to myself weening him off his High-Life addiction and turning him on to craft brews.  Long distance high-five to his Mrs. and Self High-five!  /evil cackle while petting hairless cat

Enter WilliamsWarn Brewing Machine

Ian Williams and Anders Warn have solved a problem faced by millions of brewers around the globe and produced the world's first personal brewing device

The process of brewing can take a variable amount of time, the average is 4 weeks.  The WilliamsWarn brewing machine takes this time table and shrinks it down to 1 week.

From their website:
"Homebrewers have a longer process because they all make flat beer that then needs to be carbonated. Breweries don't do this. Homebrew is different to large scale brewing in this respect...until now. With our system it’s more similar with respect to not taking any extra time to carbonate the beer. Why would you want to bottle beer and wait 6 weeks...?"

That is to say the WHOLE process.  Bottoms up in 1 week or less!

At a 5.6k price tag it's a little steep for the new brewer... but Bless my Soul it does sound sexy!

Merry Christmas to me?!

Beer Gear: Hydroflask

Hydro Flask

Similar to the food grade steel of The BRÄULER™, but not as modular... The catch? Keeps anything hot for 12hrs. or cold for 24hrs.!

Take back your growlers! No more smashed glass growlers! No more good beer lost in transit!  Light?  Never going to see my beer!

So you are telling me that I can hit the Brewery up in the morning and keep my beer cold till I get home after work and/or from picking up the kids?!  Come one, come all!


You can checkout Hydro Flask's website direct or support your local Indiana Breweries and check out Bier Brewery to snag one!

My 2 Cents:
I have been using mine since I snagged one from Bier Brewery  earlier this year.  I must say it is kinda awesome if not downright temperature resistant!  I stacked it up against the The BRÄULER™ that  Streetcar Bistro and Taproomis is selling out of its taproom.  I think it is almost as good as the BRÄULER™.  I think the Hydro Flask excels at giving you the flexibility to pick up and enjoy your beer cold within 24hrs is a big plus for me.  It really excels when I am on the go and trying to fit in the end of the day beer run for that new limited release beer right after work, but not having the time to take it home before hitting the gym.  If you are like me in this respect, this is the growler to go with!

O-Dawg: 4.5 heads!

Beer Gear: The BRÄULER

BRÄULER™

This is what happens when Engineers get drunk...  in a bar...  that has a brewery in the basement...

Take back your growlers! No more smashed glass growlers! No more good beer lost in transit! Light?  Never going to see my beer! AIR?!  Never going to touch my beer!

Modular, CO2 charged, my god they even have plans for TAP growlers!  Come one, come all!

Keep an eye on Kickstarter.com for their TapCap™ system.  It is as good if not better than their last Kickstarter for the FreshCap™ CO2 injection system.

They don't sell them individually... yet... BUT you can checkout their clients breweries to snag one!

If you want to support Indiana Breweries, check out Tin Man Brewing CO's online shop to snag one!  They are based out of Evansville, IN!  Show them some love as they start up their carry out Growler Fills this December!

My 2 Cents:
I have been using mine since I snagged one from the Streetcar Bistro and Taproom  earlier this year. I must say it is kinda awesome if not downright indistructable!  I stacked it up against the Hydroflask that Bier Brewery is selling out of its taproom.  I think the BRÄULER™ has the edge due to the modular accessories, deep threads for the cap to grip and seal completely,  and easy to grab'n open cap.

O-Dawg: 5 heads!

Beer Gear: Growler Carrier

This is the new carrying case from Sun King. It's like a six pack for growlers. This thing is strong, robust and well put together. It is not insulated, which is my only real complaint about the carrier. I would still take one of the soft coolers that holds two if I was running around the town, but this guy has style and panache. I dig it.

Beer Gear: Hops Filter/Infuser

-Thanks to Paul S. for the Pic.

Zwanzigz Brewing....  See what happens when I have a Bachelor's Party out of state?  I miss cool gadgets like these at awesome festivals like Hoosier Hops and Harvest!

What it does:  Beer goes from Keg -> Hops Filter/Infuser -> Tap
~Adds MORE HOPS to beer...

 "WE WHO ARE ABOUT TO DIE, SALUTE YOU!" -Tigris [Gladiator]