Special thanks to Christopher Wiggins for taking some great photography. Check out these and other photos at http://cositphotography.com/
Amber Tasting Results!

Amber Armageddon ended up having a huge turnout. 22 registered beers (including Carl’s homebrew), donkey calls, and beekeepers all made their appearance. I submit for the approval of the midnight society two lists. The first one is in the order of each beer as they were served, and the second is the list from best to worst beers submitted with corresponding scores. Thanks again to Isaac and Stef for hosting. We’ll see you next month for Stouts!
List in Order of Beers Served:
New Belgium Fat Tire (Sample) – Erik Howell
1) Tyranena Headless Man Amber Alt Nathan Boyer
2) Oaken Barrel Indiana Amber Isaac Wagner
3) Michelob Amber Bock Robbie Keeler
4) Brooklyn Lager Erik Howell
5) Breckenridge Avalanche Amber Joe Gray
6) Jacob Leinenkugel’s Classic Amber Andy Pickett
7) Murphy’s Red Ale Dax Storm
8) Four Horsemen Irish Style Red Ale Craig Goldman
9) Yuengling Lager Jeremy McClintock
10) Upland Rad Red Zac Jackson
11) Carl’s Awesome Amber (hombrew) Awesome Carl
12) Dark Horse Amber Ale Eric Towler
13) Roscoe’s Amber Ale Robbie Keeler
14) Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber Ale Trevor Savage
15) Killians Irish Red Matthew Kennedy
16) Smithwick’s Trevor Savage
17) Boulevard Brewing Company Amber Ale Stef Korros
18) Harpoon Celtic Red Ale Lindsy Storm
19) North Coast Ruderich’s Red Seal Ale Nate and Krista Boles
20) Rogue American Amber Brian Paul
21) Bell’s Amber Ale Nate and Krista Boles
Beers in Order of Highest to Lowest Scores:
(Sample) New Belgium Fat Tire (Sample) *
1) North Coast Ruderich’s Red Seal Ale 7.7
2) Killian’s Irish Red 7.33
3) Rogue American Amber 7.2
Dark Horse Amber Ale 7.2
4) Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber Ale 7.16
5) Brooklyn Lager 7.02
6) Boulevard Brewing Company Amber Ale 6.8
Carl’s Awesome Amber (hombrew) 6.8
7) Oaken Barrel Indiana Amber 6.78
8) Upland Rad Red 6.7
9) Smithwick’s 6.57
10) Bell’s Amber Ale 6.4
11) Harpoon Celtic Red Ale 6.4
12) Murphy’s Red Ale 6.30
13) Tyranena Headless Man Amber Alt 5.66
14) Roscoe’s Hop House Amber Ale 5.4
15) Michelob Amber Bock 5.3
16) Yuenling Lager 5.2
17) Jacob Leinenkugel’s Classic Amber 4.9
18) Breckenridge Avalanche Amber 4.8
19) Four Horsemen Irish Style Red Ale 3.2
The poster every brewer should have in their brew-cave
I found this poster while browsing around the internet and it is by far the most comprehensive one I have seen. You will find formulas (math is hard), hop varieties, yeast starter recipes, efficiency calculator and much more. If you brew, be sure to check it out and print out a copy. Click Here for full size
Last Call For Amber Armageddon

Don’t be that guy. I can’t stress enough how uncool it is to have 3 of the same beers at a beer tasting. We’ll still count it, but you will be forever scorned! Please make sure to double check your brew against the already registered beers on the current tasting’s event page and DON’T FORGET TO REGISTER!!! You can use the Request a Brew portal on this site, email me at erik@beerismypassion.com, or place a request on the BIMP Facebook page. Here is the current updated list of entries:
New Belgium Fat Tire – Erik Howell (sample)
Bells Amber – Krista and Nate Boles
Ruedrich’s Red Seal Ale – Krista and Nate Boles
Yuengling Amber Lager – Jeremy McClintock
Brooklyn Lager – Erik Howell
Upland Rad Red – Zac Jackson
Oaken Barrel’s Indiana Amber – Isaac Wagner
Rogue American Amber – Brian Paul
4 Horseman Irish Style Red Ale – Craig Goldman
Michelob Amber Boch – Robbie Keeler
Roscoe’s Amber Ale – Robbie Keeler +1
Breckenridge Avalanche Amber Ale – Joe Gray
Leinenkugel’s Classic Amber – Andy Pickett
Boulevard Brewing Co. Amber Ale – Stef Korros
Murphys Red Ale – Dax Storm
Harpoon Celtic Irish Red – Lindsy Storm
Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber Lager – Trevor Savage
Smithwicks Irish Ale – Trevor Savage +1
Hopschart.com Makes Bitter Better!
This is AWESOME! If you are a homebrewer creating your own recipes, or just someone looking for something unique to hang on your wall, hopschart.com created an aesthetic poster sized hops chart. You can compare individual hops based off of flavors like citrus, spice, floral, herbal, etc. This would be a great tool for someone fine tuning their brew. Thanks to contributor zacjackson for the link.
Indy Based Film “Video Stop”
I had the opportunity to make it to the “Video Stop” premier this weekend. This movie is great! It’s a comedy about a group of video store clerks hacking out everyday life in Broad Ripple. Definitely the highlight of my weekend. If you get a chance, you have to check this one out. You can grab a copy at GrillBust.com. Or hit me up, I’ve got a copy. Either way, don’t be a dick buffer and watch this film 🙂
Untappd Beer Review App
This app is awesome! It’s a great way to rate beer on the go. Plus it has some really unique features. Looking for a specific brew? Untappd allows you to tag where you bought each beer you enter, which in turn allows others using the app to track down beer they are looking for. You earn badges, like in Foursquare, for unlocking certain beer related achievements. I found some pretty interesting beers using this app. For example, I love Three Floyds Robert the Bruce Scottish Ale, but I had no idea that the brewery made a Bourbon Barrel Aged Robert the Bruce with cherries. You can even add beers your friends suggest to a wishlist. It’s definitely worth checking out.
Halftime Show
Didn’t get to watch much of the game this Sunday, but I did manage to pull off two new brews! I’ve got a Saison and a Belgian Pale in the works. They’re already bubbling away with a fury! The Belgian Pale was made with Simcoe, Northern Brewer, and Czech Saaz hops. I also threw in some star anise, crushed coriander, bitter orange peel, demerara, and light brown sugar. The Saison was a kit from Great Fermentations. I’ve got high hopes for both so wish me luck! As you can see from the photos “The Beekeeper” dropped by for a bit 🙂
Hop Rhrizome Pre-orders
Great Fermentations is doing pre-orders for hop rhizomes again this year. They’ve got 13 different strands ranging from 3.5% to 15.5% Alpha Acid. They take about two years to actually start producing a good crop, but I don’t think they are very hard to maintain. Here’s a wiki I’ve found for growing them. Who knows, once you get a good yield you may even be able to trade your stash for some homebrew… (hint). No brewer I know would ever turn down fresh hops! Either way, it might be worth dropping by their shop or webpage.