18th Street Celebrates First Anniversary

18^th STREET BREWERY SET TO CELEBRATE ITS FIRST YEAR

Three days of festivities include bands, beer and fresh food

One year after opening its doors, 18^th Street Brewery will host a three-day celebration featuring an eclectic mix of bands, house-made fresh food and award-winning beers from around the globe.

In just 12 months, the Gary-based brewer has made a major expansion and earned awards and acclaim that include “Indiana’s Best New Brewer” honors from RateBeer. The festivities at 5725 Miller Ave. are free to attend and open to the public from noon to midnight Friday and Saturday and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday.

“We wanted to do something special to say ‘thank you’ to the community,” said owner Drew Fox. “The support we have received has been overwhelming and this is a way to celebrate our success with the people who have made it all possible.”

All ages are welcome to attend in the brewery’s front-room space, while those 21 and over are welcome in the taproom. Due to anticipated crowds, all food and beer sales will be cash-only.

18^th Street will offer its own unique and rare beer offerings throughout the weekend, while friends at well-known breweries are also planning to provide special select beers, in support of the 1-year anniversary. In addition, Chef Virgie will be manning the kitchen, with fresh-made food – including vegetarian meals – on the menu.

The weekend’s musical performances will range from rock to pop and blues to hip hop.

 

Music begins at 8 p.m. Friday, when the Corey Dennison Blues Band, featuring Gerry Hundt, take the stage. Dennison delivers dynamic blues and compelling soul, while Hundt is a multi-instrumentalist known for his work with the guitar, harmonica and mandolin.

From 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Northwest Indiana’s own Nomad Planets will rock the stage. Their rock music has been heard on WXRT, the Taste of Chicago festival and countless clubs in Chicago and Indiana.

Saturday night, Sweet Cobra hits the stage at 7 p.m. The Chicago-based band is known as a post-hardcore band that is known for both ripping guitars and rhythmic rock. 

From 2:30 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. Sunday, groove-heavy pop and dance tunes will come from The Diggity. Expect original and eclectic music that covers a 1980s-style techno-pop and experimental funk from the Northwest Indiana ensemble.

Sunday night, Free Ajents bring their hip-hop sounds, while CoJack & Co. will deliver thought-provoking raps, all from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Free Ajents feature a live drummer, bass and guitar players and two emcees, whose sounds are joined with hip-hop, rock and electronic samples that bring a raw and hypnotizing sound. CoJack & Co. relies on free-style performances that are simple yet inquisitive, tying together topics ranging from work to family and partying.

That diverse blend of music is representative of the diverse base of support 18^th Street Brewery has seen since opening its doors. Starting with self-distribution only in the immediate area, their beer is now distributed in the Indianapolis area and is also available in Denmark, where Fox has collaborated with renowned Mikkeller Brewery.

18^th Street Brewery has also increased its production capacity – creating even more jobs in Gary - and is now capable of churning out 1,000 barrels a year, up from just 500 barrels. They have also invested in new, larger fermenters and a canning line, which means faster production to meet the incredible demand and possible further expansion. 

HopCat Offers Free Meal for Veterans and Active Duty Military Personnel

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

HopCat – Broad Ripple to offer free meal to veterans and active duty military personnel on Veteran’s Day—November 11, 2014

 

Indianapolis, Ind. November 7, 2014 -- BarFly Ventures today announced it will offer a free meal on Veteran’s Day for all military veterans and active duty military personnel at HopCat Broad Ripple, 6280 N. College Ave. The offer includes a choice of an entrée, salad, or sandwich and a soft drink. 

 

“A free meal is just a simple way we can say ‘Thank You’ and show our appreciation to veterans and active military personnel,” said Mark Sellers, founder and owner of BarFly Ventures.

 

BarFly Ventures is proud to employ veterans at many of its restaurants. The transferable skills attained during their time in the service as well as their ability to rapidly address challenges and learn new skills are an asset to BarFly Ventures.

 

Proof of service is required. Limit one meal per veteran or active duty military personnel. Alcoholic beverages and gratuity not included. Unaccompanied minors are allowed at BarFly Ventures establishments on November 11, 2014 only if they are veterans or active military personnel.

 

 

About BarFly Ventures

Founded in Grand Rapids, Mich., in 2008, BarFly Ventures is the parent company of HopCat, a craft beer bar named “No. 3 Beer Bar on Planet Earth” by Beer Advocate Magazine, “No. 2 Beer Bar in America” by CraftBeer.com and “No. 1 Brewpub in the United States” by RateBeer.com. HopCat has locations in Grand Rapids, East Lansing, and Indianapolis with new locations under construction in Detroit, and Ann Arbor. BarFly Ventures also owns and operates Stella’s Lounge, a whiskey and retro-arcade bar in Grand Rapids with Giant Stuffed Burgers named “Best in America” by GQ Magazine. BarFly also owns the award-winning Grand Rapids Brewing Company, Michigan’s only certified organic brewery, and McFadden’s Restaurant & Saloon, host of Irish on Ionia, Michigan’s largest St. Patrick’s Day Street Party.

 

Chris Knape

Marketing & Communications Director

BarFly Ventures
1 Ionia SW, Ste 200
Grand Rapids, MI 49503 

O: 616.965.9780
C: 616.293.1886
F: 616.965.9796 

chris@barflyventures.com ​

Scarlet Lane Announces New Head Brewer

Some very exciting news from our friends over at Scarlet Lane! Take a look at their press release below for all the details.


McCordsville, Indiana - Scarlet Lane Brewing Company is excited to announce Simon Sothras as the new Head Brewer and business partner to Scarlet Lane. Sothras comes to Scarlet Lane from Ninkasi Brewing Company in Eugene, Oregon where he was one of the original brewers that helped launch Ninkasi into being one of the most popular breweries on the West Coast. Before starting at Ninkasi, Simon was a winemaker for Eugene Wine Cellars.


A long-time friend to Scarlet Lane, Sothras will relocate to Indiana mid-November. Eilise Lane, CEO/Brewer and Sothras have previously brewed together while Lane was in brewing school at the American Brewers Guild. Sothras brings a wealth of talent and experience to the Indiana brewing community and will immediately become a partner in the Scarlet Lane Brewing Company LLC. Sothras will be joining Eilise Lane, Doug Sheets, Nick Servies and a primarily female investment team in the management and operation of the business.


Ninkasi Brewing and Scarlet Lane continue to have a close working relationship. “We are stoked for Simon on his new role with Scarlet Lane, and look forward to opportunities to collaborate down the road!” Nikos Ridge, CEO Ninkasi Brewing Company


Simon officially began his role as Head Brewer on October 31, 2014.  Sothras has a passion for Northwest style ales and is specifically interested in barrel aging, IPA development, barley wines and imperial stouts.


Scarlet Lane distributes its kegs through Zink Distributing, Boone Beverage and a self-distribution territory to service the Central Indiana region.


About Scarlet Lane Brewing Company:
Scarlet Lane Brewing Company was launched in May 2014 in McCordsville, Indiana. Owners/Founders Eilise Lane, Doug Sheets and Nick Servies are Indiana natives. Head Brewer and Partner Simon Sothras is a Chicago native with experience in wine making and brewing. The Company operates as a female owned business with majority female interest and investment in the Company. Scarlet Lane produces three flagship beers, Dorian Stout, Vivian Red IPA and Lenore Pale Ale, as well as, a rotation of Seasonal and Specialty Beers. You can find Scarlet Lane beers throughout the Indianapolis and surrounding areas.


About Ninkasi Brewing Company:
Founded in 2006 by Jamie Floyd and Nikos Ridge, Ninkasi Brewing Company continues to grow from its first batch of Total Domination IPA, to two brewhouses, a 55-barrel and a 90-barrel brewhouse, located in Eugene, Oregon. Ninkasi’s Flagship beers—Total Domination IPA, Tricerahops Double IPA, Believer Double Red, Oatis Oatmeal Stout, and Vanilla Oatis Oatmeal Stout—are sold throughout Oregon; Alaska; California; Idaho; Montana; Washington; Nevada; and Vancouver, British Columbia. The brewery remains privately-owned and is committed to community support and giving. Ninkasi’s Beer Is Love program offers in-kind donations and support for organizations throughout its footprint.

CANvitational is this Weekend

Andrew and I have our tickets, and we're ready to hit up CANvitational this Saturday. Will we be seeing you there? To get some more information about the event, take a look at the press release below. If you're interested in learning more about the other breweries coming, Hoosier Beer Geek has done a great series highlighting the breweries and what you can expect to see poured. Maybe we'll bump in to you there!

SUN KING BREWERY IN INDIANAPOLIS TO HOST 2nd CANvitational CANNED CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL

THIS SAT, SEPTEMBER 20th

Indianapolis, Ind. (September 15, 2014) – In 2009, Sun King Brewery brought Indianapolis local beer for the first time since the Indianapolis Brewing Company closed its doors in 1948. Sun King will host the 2nd CANvitational canned craft beer festival this Saturday, Sept. 20 on the west block of Georgia Street, located in downtown Indy.

The Sun King CANvitational will bring over 40 craft breweries representing 23 states and international breweries to Georgia Street and Pan Am Plaza from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. (EST). Tickets, available online atwww.canvitational.com, are $60 for general admission day of the event and $75 for early entry. Sun King is running a $40 ticket special for advanced general admission ticket purchased online before August 31st. Event proceeds to benefit the Arts Council of Indianapolis.

The invited breweries were selected because of the quality of craft beer they are producing and, as the name of the event suggests, the festival will feature breweries that can their beers. Since craft beer’s inception in the 1980s, bottles have been the most commonly associated with craft beer. However, over the last decade the breweries featured at the CANvitational have been led a revival of craft canning and helped change the way people view cans.

New to this year’s festival, the CAN'd ART show on Friday, Sept. 19th located in the Indianapolis Arts Garden. A celebration of the CANvitational's partnership with the Indianapolis Arts Council and the unique art that adorns the cans we love. Local artists have selected a variety of cans from participating breweries attending the 2014 CANvitational and transformed them into reinvented pieces of art. Join participating brewers and artists in a reception where art and craft (beer that is) collide. Event tickets include complimentary appetizers and FRESH•LOCAL•BEER will be available. Tickets are very limited.

“We believe that cans are the best way to package beer and breweries from across the country, including a great number of highly respected and established breweries, have help affirm that idea by choosing to can their beer.” Said Sun King Co-Founder Clay Robinson. “Cans keep beer safe from two of beers greatest enemies, sunlight and oxygen, in a way that glass bottles can’t. Cans are also more environmentally friendly to make, transport and recycle, which is why so many breweries are currently making the choice to can.”

In addition to great, canned craft beer, attendees will have plenty of food options for purchase from food trucks that will line Georgia Street. Music will be provided throughout the event by DJ Helicon and DJ Action Jackson.

“We have invited our friends from across the country who share our passion for crafting world class beers and we are excited to showcase what they do and why we can.” Robinson added. “The most exciting part is that the majority of the beers available at the CANvitational aren’t even available in Indiana, which gives us the opportunity to provide a truly unique experience!”

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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.comfor more information.

18th Street is Expanding!

We tried our first beers from 18th Street Brewery at the Bloomington Craft Beer Festival earlier this year. We were impressed. That's really an understatement though. We liked what we tried in Bloomington so much, we made a special side trip the night before Dark Lord Day to go see 18th Street in person at their location in Gary.

We love to see great beer being created in Indiana and are always excited to see the new breweries having success. Below is a copy of a press release we received announcing some new things in the works for 18th Street. Congratulations to everyone there, and we can't wait to come see the new space and see those cans on our shelves!

***

18^THSTREET BREWERY ANNOUNCES MAJOR EXPANSION

Larger tanks, canning line will double production capacity

GARY, IN – Less than one year after opening its doors, 18^thStreet Brewery has announced it will double its production by the end of 2014, while also becoming the first Northwest Indiana brewery to have its own canning facility.

Owner Drew Fox is investing in larger equipment and a canning line, combined moves that will allow the Gary brewery to increase production from roughly 500 barrels a year to more than 1,000. That growth will also mean an increased ability to distribute throughout the State of Indiana, as Fox has also reached an agreement with Starlight Distributors to deliver more of 18^thStreet’s beers in the Indianapolis area. 18^th Street has also reached Europe, after a recent collaboration with Mikkeller, a Copenhagen, Denmark-based brewer. Fox said he is now working to identify a distributor to continue that relationship and keep 18^th Street beers flowing in Europe.

The announcement comes just seven months after Rate Beer named 18^thStreet as the “Best New Brewer In Indiana.”

“Even before we opened our doors, we’ve had nothing but incredible support from so many people,” Fox said. “Since we opened last winter, that support has been overwhelming. We really can’t thank people enough for that. We’re ecstatic.”

18^th Street currently operates with nine 7-barrel fermenters at their production facility at 5725 Miller Ave. Over the next four months, each of those fermenters will be removed and replaced with nine 10-barrel fermenters.

Fox has also purchased a new canning line, currently being assembled by Calgary-based Cask Brewing Systems and set to arrive in late September. That will allow 18^th Street to transition from 22oz bottles to canning nearly all of their beer, with bottles reserved for special releases.

“It takes us about eight hours to bottle just one 7-barrel tank,”Fox said. “These moves will make us much more efficient, even as we’re growing.”

Unlike a mobile canner, the canning facility will be the equivalent of a small manufacturing facility emerging in Gary, creating four new jobs with it. It will be built directly across from the brewery.

“We want to be part of a cultural and economic renaissance in Gary, but we also want to help bring small manufacturing back to Gary,” Fox said, “By adding the canning facility, it shows that small manufacturing still has a place in Gary, Indiana."

Cooking Under the Influence: Ginger Bread Brown French Dip

Anyone who has a slow cooker knows how nice it can be to out everything in, set the timer, walk away, and come back at the end if the day to dinner being ready. Normally I use it a lot during fall and football season, but since it's been unseasonably cool lately, I decided to pull it out of the pantry.

I always like a simple recipe. For one thing there's an ease in the kitchen who you keep things simple. Another nice thing is that it allows the food to really shine, as long as it's cooked well. This recipe has very few ingredients, and it's one that The Big Guy has requested become a more regular part of the rotation. That's how I know I got this one right.

I took a recipe that I found on Pinterest and added some delicious local beer to it. I went with some Ginger Bread Brown from Triton. The flavors in the beer were a really nice complement to everything else that was in the slow cooker. I kept everything else very minimal.

Ingredients

• 3 pound beef roast (such as a rump or top round)
• 1 (12 ounce) bottle of dark beer
• 2 cups beef broth
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• French baguette, French rolls, or other crusty bread for serving
• Slices of provolone

Directions

1. Trim excess fat off of roast and place in a large slow cooker. Add all of the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or longer if you can. More time gives all those flavors a better chance to blend with each other.  
2. Split open your rolls (and spread with butter, if desired). Heat in a toaster oven until toasted or bake in a regular oven set to 350°F until warm and toasty (about 10 minutes).
3. Slice meat across the grain and pile on top of toasted rolls. (Our roast pulled apart once it was done so we didn't need to slice it all.)
4. Place cheese in rolls and add meat to create sandwiches.  
5. Serve hot sandwich with a small bowl of reserved au jus for dipping.

 

I served the finished dish with some Brussels sprouts roasted with garlic and pepper.

Click here to view the original recipe.