Anchorage Brewing Tasting at Sahm’s Place

Anchorage Beer Dinner at SahmsThis looks like an awesome tasting, although a little pricey. Anchorage has become one of my favorite breweries as of late. They make fantastic sours (one of my favorites was The Tide and It’s Takers) All the beers are rated exceptionally well on BeerAdvocate.com, and I’m sure the food will be outstanding as well. If you you can shell out $80 per ticket this would be a no brainer! Make sure to reserve quickly however, as I’m sure there are limited seats. You can reach Sahm’s Place at 317.202.1577 for a reservation.

data=VLHX1wd2Cgu8wR6jwyh-km8JBWAkEzU4,EAv7fyuhHUQzl2eZsYiWy-0YPVOH6MoQ7-lQ85tbxFKp_RF5gBpQOt4IUBqYExOhfjmHXyswIbSXnpps8_T_iJkgaqkFxcxfmjo5pKQMfLd0zDRKdlYWzeXCZK4

 

Winterfest Highlights!

Winterfest 2014 - Eric MeyerWhen’s the last time you remember holding your glass in the air and cheering with 5,000 other beer enthusiasts? Believe it or not, this post took me almost a week to create. There were so many people that worked their tail off to make Winterfest 2014 a success. A very special “Thank you” to the breweries that participated, the Brewers of Indiana Guild, Hoosier Beer Geek, and the 100+ volunteers that made this happen. The planning and execution of this beer festival were top notch. We had an awesome time pouring at Winterfest, and we also wanted to thank everyone that dropped by to say hello and sample our offerings.That said, this year’s Winterfest was HUGE. We loved the extra space that Champion Hall provided, however it was soon consumed by the 5,000 beer loving ticket holders. This was by far the largest beer tasting I’ve ever been to. Note to self: VIP tickets at Indiana beer tastings are becoming more and more validated 🙂 Eric Meyer has a fantastic photo album documenting the debauchery.  Either way, I wanted to take some time to share some of my favorite picks from this past weekend. Here it goes:

Upland+Logo_New+Horizontal+copyNL The Upland Sour Barrel Spin Game
Upland used a Twitter password to allow entry into this Wheel of Fortune! The wheel included Raspberry, Cherry, and Kiwi Lambic, and also the much coveted Sour Reserve 4.
Zwanzigz BrewingZwanzigZ Brewing Eisbock
This beer was fantastic! This style of beer is created by freezing bock beer and removing the ice. This method concentrates the flavor and abv. Great work and thanks for sharing!
Country Boy BrewingCountry Boy Brewing Chestnut Brown Ale
We were lucky enough to pour right next door to Country Boy Brewing. This beer really stood out for me. Very easy drinking and flavorful brown!
New Albanian BrewingNew Albanian Phoenix Kentucky Komon Ale
This beer was great! Kentucky Common beer has the unique history of being America’s first sour! Lactobacillus is used to create a twang sourness that complements the malt profile of this beer. New Albanian pulled this one of brilliantly.
Planetary Brewing Logo Planetary Fly Casual Brown Ale
This was my first Planetary beer, and I was pretty impressed. I’m a sucker for Brown Ales. I’m sure I’ll be enjoying more Planetary beers in the not so distant future.
Three-Floyds-Big-LogoThree Floyd’s War Mullet
I’m not sure how long this keg lasted, but my guess is it went quickly. War Mullet is, at the moment, a very rare Imperial IPA created by FFF.
Flat 12 Bierworks LogoReposado Du Flat Saison/Farmhouse Aged 6 months in Extra Anejo tequila barrels.
The evil geniuses at Flat 12 created a saison that they aged in anejo tequila barrels. Everyone was talking about it the first couple of hours at Winterfest. I did not get a chance to try it, but I thought it was worth a mention as it seemed very popular.
Power House BrewingPower House Barrel Aged Diesel Oil Stout
Diesel Oil Stout is a fantastic beer. Seeing a barrel aged version at Winterfest was a great comfort 🙂
Rhinegeist BreweryRhinegeist Uncle English Dark Mild
We’ve been drinking a lot of English Mild beer lately and this one stood out. Smooth, great malt profile, and highly sessionable.
bier breweryBier Brewery 1.21 Gigawatts Belgian Strong and Hator Dopplebock
Both these beers were served at Bier’s 3rd Anniversary Party this past year. I was glad to see they still had some left for Winterfest. Cheers if you had the opportunity to try these rare beers!
MONK_logoMONK Wookie Tears English Brown Ale
These guys were great neighbors to us, and you can bet I made sure to sample each one of their beers. Wookie Tears English Brown was one of those great beers!
Bloomington Hop JockeysBloomington Hop Jockeys Sour Collection
There is no doubt that the Hop Jockeys have skill when it comes to brewing, but sampling their sour beer has become something to look forward to at these events. Thanks for sharing Luke!

Daredevil’s 1 Year Anniversary Revisited


Daredevil’s 1 Year Anniversary Events were a blast. 6 locations, 6 “Raredevil” releases, and a very special food pairing at Black Market. If you weren’t able to make any of these events, Daredevil released a Raspberry, Blackberry, and Cherry Muse, Slip Stream Pale Ale, Mr. 300 Man American Barleywine, and Char Imperial Smoked Dark Mild. Some of my favorites were Slip Stream Pale Ale, Char Imperial Smoked Dark Mild, and the Cherry Muse. Of the 6 events, my favorite was the food pairing at Black Market. It was a very intimate setting, with only 55 seats available for the event. The meal included four courses:

  • Course 1: Indiana Perch Ceviche served with Carnival Saison
  • Course 2: Red Curry Poutine served with Liftoff IPA.
  • Course 3: Glazed Pork Cheeks with Baked Herb Polenta with Char Imperial Smoked Dark Mild
  • Course 4: Fried Waffle Batter with Citrus Fruit Preserves and Mr. 300 American Barleywine

Indy Beer News was also there doing a live podcast right from Black Market. It’s a great interview with Daredevil Brewing’s Bill Ballenger, Mike, and Shane Pearson. Limited glassware was also provided for each of these events including Daredevil pint and tulip glasses. Here’s a link to the Indy Beer News podcast.

Indy Beer News

Bier Brewery’s Anniversary and Limited Sanitarium Release

Sanitarium releaseBier Brewery will be releasing bombers of Sanitarium Belgian Quad on Friday December 13th in limited quantities in celebration of their anniversary this year. Sanitarium won a silver medal during 2012’s Great American Beer Festival in the Belgian-Style Abbey Ale category. This event will also include 20 beers on tap including Hator (not sure what this one is, but it may be something new), Billy Baroo, Trippelle, 1.21 Gigawatts and more. The fun starts at 12pm, with pints flowing at 3pm, live entertainment from The Grinning Man, and food from Flavor Truck.

Cigar and Microbrew Pairing Episode III

banner-1The powers of these cigar pairings have doubled since the last time we met… On Saturday August 31st at 7pm, we will be hosting another cigar and microbrew pairing in Fishers (click here for the address). It appears we have fallen into several West Coast brews that the the Separatist Droid Army has stolen from the Republic. What better way to enjoy these valuable brews, than to pair them with a blend of Nicaraguan/Honduran longfillers with Honduran binders and Ecuadorian Connecticut shade wrappers. Alec Bradley Connecticut cigars are mild to medium in strength, with a little more spice and complexity than you would expect from a Connecticut cigar. It produces plumes of creamy and cool smoke that coat the palate with notes of cedar, nuts, and toast before a slightly sweet finish. These are perfect for those who appreciate a flavorful milder cigar, or for someone struggling between light and dark forces. Remember each beer picked for this event IS NOT distributed in Indiana. I am selecting hard to find brews from the up and down the West Coast and shipping them back specifically for this tasting. These tickets are sure to go fast, so please purchase them as soon as possible! Hope to see you there. 1st 15 people to sign up are guaranteed a spot at the tasting. You can also see who’s coming by visiting the Facebook Event Page. May the force be with you 🙂

btn_buynow_LG

Upland Announces the 2013 UpCup Homebrew Competition

It looks like Upland Brewing has slated June 8th, 2013 as the date for this year’s celebrated homebrew competition. Entries are judged in accordance with BJCP Style Guidelines by certified beer judges. Upland has been very inviting to homebrewers that aspire to be something more. Each year the winner of this competition wins a trophy, and gets to brew a batch of their winning beer with Caleb Staton using Upland Brewing’s equipment. The beer is then served at their location in Bloomington, and also their location at the Tasting Room in Indianapolis. The UpCup was my first homebrew competition, and remains as my favorite to date. Don’t miss out on this awesome event. Upland’s website does not currently have any specific details on the event yet, but they will come soon. My advice is to start brewing your batches now. You only get one entry, so make it your best!

Good luck to all participants!

Clown Shoes Vampire Slayer Smoked Imperial Stout

ClownShoes_Vampire_violet2-e1322741749285
It’s good to know that if vampires ever become a problem, the brewers at Clown Shoes Brewing have you covered. The Second Anniversary Ale Vampire Slayer Smoked Imperial Stout, is brewed with dark malt, holy water, and malt smoked with hickory, beechwood, and vampire killing stakes (I’m hoping these stakes are made of oak, but the fact that it is brewed with holy water makes me feel safer…). Clown Shoes Brewing’s story is an interesting one. They were founded by Jesse Dooley, Gregg Berman, and former Head Brewer Dan Lipke of Ipswich Ale Brewery. Ultimately Jesse Dooley was a manager at a liquor store owned by Gregg Berman. As Jesse began successfully integrating more and more microbrewed beer into the shop, Gregg took notice. They started mulling the idea of creating their own beers to stock in the store with their distributing license. Once they found Dan a brewery was born. They’ve got some great beers (an overall average of 3.9 on Beer Advocate) and some great marketing. Best of luck to these guys!

2013 AHA National Homebrew Competition

AHA National Homebrew Competition - GoldIt’s time to start thinking about what you are going to brew for the American Homebrewer’s Association National Homebrew Competition this year. Which of your favorite beers take the longest to mature? What styles do you currently have conditioning? What beers can you have ready in one month’s time? These are all good questions to ask, but the most important thing you can do now is GET STARTED! Online registration for the AHA National Homebrew Competition begins Tuesday February 26th. All entries are due between March 18th and March 27th. First Round Competitions begin March 29th and come to a close on April 21st. If you haven’t submitted a homebrew to a competition in the past, this is an excellent way to improve your brewing skills! A BJCP certified judge will rate your brew according to style on appearance, aroma, flavor, mouthfeel, and overall impression. This is a valuable tool that I’ve found can break a brewer’s ego, while at the same time help guide brewers toward honing their craft. I’ll post more information as it is available, but you can always stay up to date on this competition at the AHA website.

Online Registration 1 p.m. MST, Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Entries Due March 18-March 27, 2013
First Round Competitions March 29-April 21, 2013

Stone Brewing to Release Dayman

Stone Brewing, Two Brothers Brewing, and Aleman (Chris Aldrich, Jim Moorehouse, Josh Bearry, Nate Albrecht and Brad Zeller) will be collaborating on a  special beer as an ode to “Dayman” from It’s Always Sunny In Philidelphia! Chicago based Two Brothers and Aleman worked together on this recipe for the 2012 Iron Brew Homebrew Competition and ended up winning. The brew grabbed the attention of Greg Koch of Stone Brewing, who was a judge at the competition, and the rest is history. Will we also be seeing a Nightman beer as well? Time will tell. See the original article posted on TheDrinkNation by clicking the link below.Dayman

Stone Brewing to Release Always Sunny.