2 - Interior work taking place at Bank Street Brewhouse.

The pipes form a separation between the bar area, which is restricted to those over 21 years of age, and the all-ages area in the remainder of the WCTU Reading Room. Lloyd's Landing also will function as an all-ages area.

In the second photo, the pipes will angle toward the door, enabling its continued use for customers of all ages. Once approved, the back bar build-out can continue, with taps re-installed and other necessary shelves and items added. When the weather is appropriate and the garage doors open into Lloyd's Landing, you'll be able to walk in and out, and go to the bar to get beers.

Other work to be finished soon includes a new roof for this space, and a floor sealing. There'll be new tables and chairs, with the picnic tables weatherized and moved outside to Lloyd's Landing.

Given the quality of Chef Matt's menu and the smallness of the Bank Street Brewhouse kitchen, it will continue to be the case that food can be served only to those seated in the current dining room and the Taxpayers Memorial Patio on the Bank Street side. There'll be a hostessing system of some sort to guide diners to their tables. By the summer of 2013, once air conditioning is installed, we'll be able to use the WCTU Reading Room for tastings and events, as well as for beer dinners and functions specifically catered in advance.

Smoking will be allowed ONLY in the Lloyd's Landing garden area. Accordingly, we'll create a roofed area with benches.

The most important aspect of these improvements is the very first one: Approval by the state's regulatory authorities. Once that's done, the rest of it will fall into place.

1 - Exterior work taking place at Bank Street Brewhouse.

The street-side stone block wall on the south side of the Taxpayers Memorial Patio has been extended to enclose it on three sides, which (finally) will convince walkers to remain on the sidewalk, and not cut through. Because the closest garage door, when opened, must include a "separation" between the all-ages patio and the +21 years of age bar space, there soon will be a wooden counter top installed in place of the rope.

Since I took these photos, the wooden fencing and gates have been completed. Once approved, we'll be able to open the garage doors on the north side of the WCTU Reading Room and be as one with Lloyd's Landing. It is unclear whether public access will be allowed through the front gate, but this will be resolved quite soon.

You'll notice that the hedgerow and tree are gone. I hate cutting down trees, but this one was terminally ill. The entire northern expanse of Lloyd's Landing along the concrete retaining wall now holds the possibility of growing ornamental (perhaps even usable) hops on trellises, which can be anchored to the wooden fencing.

This and other landscaping embellishments will take some time to achieve, as will removing portions of the pavement and replacing them with permeable surface. The plan is to use Lloyd's Landing as much as possible in the interim, and design the specifics as we go forward.

NABC on the road: Horseshoe Presents: "Local Beer, Local Rock" (Elizabeth IN; 09/28/12).

We've been doing well with NABC beers at Horseshoe, and I'm appreciative for the opportunity to pair local beer and music. It's a fine idea, and I'll be there. We don't yet know which of our beers will be pouring, so stay tuned.

Mixed (mezzed?) metaphors: Ouzo and Moretti.

Ouzo is Greek.

Birra Moretti is Italian, at least originally.

Apart from the imperative to be cute, what does one have to do with the other?

U.S. Open Food of the Day: Ouzo Shrimp, by Lynn Zinser (New York Times)

This is our first installment of a daily food review from the United States Open concession stands.

The flaming ouzo shrimp is part of a lovely menu that complements the nice selection of wines, although were this not a journalistic assignment squeezed between tennis action (be that as it may on a rainy day), I’d have paired it with a Birra Moretti ...

... The shrimp are large and perfectly cooked. The potatoes and peppers are a bit oily. But overall, it’s a delicious little dish. It may be designed to help sell Birra Moretti. We’ll never know.

Beers Across the Wabash: A weekend in Lafayette, Indiana

I hadn't spent time in Lafayette in many years, and so the past weekend was a revelation. There were good times (and beers) at People's Brewing and Lafayette Brewing Company; excellent Italian food at La Scala; a killer first-time beer sampling event on the pedestrian bridge; jazz and blues in the evening air; and an enriching feeling of discovery all the way around.

Pausing on the drive back home, we checked in on Dig IN (A Taste of Indiana), under way in Indianapolis. This year's format was new and improved, so keep up the good work, Diggers -- see you in 2013.

Bridging the craft beer gap in Lafayette.

What we did in 1907, we cannot do now.

Dig IN, earlier today.

Eikosi and Amphitheater: NABC on the road on Saturday, September 1.

To my knowledge, NABC hasn't ever poured beer at Labor Day weekend events, and so this year, we scheduled two of them on Saturday, September 1.

NABC on the road: Eikosi Wine & Beer Festival (Salem IN; 09/01/12).

Eikosi is Salem, Indiana's first-ever Indiana craft wine-and-beer event. There'll be music and food at the Speedway. NABC will be selling full pours (not samples) of  Black & Blue Grass, Tafel, Hoptimus and a special wine-barrel-aged Solidarity :Baltic Porter. Bring cash and a designated river, folks. It starts at 2:00 p.m.

Labor Day weekend at the Riverfront Cinemas with a double feature and craft beer.

Meanwhile, back home, the city of New Albany is screening a double feature at the Amphitheater. We'll have Black & Blue Grass and Elector; there'll be mass-market beer and munchies, too. The films begin at dusk, just like at the drive-in.

Be aware: Both NABC locations will be closed on Monday, September 3.

Bank Street Brewhouse's former patio will be rechristened as the WCTU Reading Room.

See also: Construction on Lloyd's Landing at Bank Street Brewhouse begins. Here are the plans and details.

With the imminent expansion of Bank Street Brewhouse to the north, creating an outdoor garden to be known as Lloyd’s Landing in honor of the late Lloyd “Highwayman” Wimp, we will rechristen the former covered patio space as the WCTU Reading Room.

This requires a brief explanation.

Once upon a time, there were three separate lots between the Fox law office building to the south of Bank Street Brewhouse, and the Ricke agency to the north. Three grand houses built during the city of New Albany’s 19th-century adolescence stood on these lots until just after World War II. The first house to be demolished was the middle one, around 1950. Bank Street Brewhouse now operates from the remodeled garage building erected there.

Circa 1955, the houses on either side also were taken down, to be replaced by parking lots. It so happens that the house on the north side of Bank Street Brewhouse was owned for a very long time by New Albany’s branch of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. City guides dating from 1954 all the way back to 1919 identify the house as the WCTU’s chapter headquarters.

The NA-FC library’s web site contains a snippet about this long forgotten structure, as written in 1937 – just after Prohibition mercifully ended.

In the year 1852 Mr. John Crawford built and sold to Mr. Silas Day the large brick house on the west side of Bank Street now owned by the W.C.T.U. This was an example of a New Albany home of the better class in the 1850s and 1860s, and Mrs. Bowman, a daughter of Mr. Day, gives us a glimpse of the family life. She says, "I have a vivid memory of a morning when the family gathered in the back parlor for prayers, a daily institution in our home. I can see the large room, the light filtering through the shutters upon the white and gold walls, the green velvet carpet, the black haircloth furniture, and the tamboured muslin curtains, and I can see the form of my sister, a bride, lately returned from her wedding journey, sitting at the melodeon, leading us in our usual morning hymns. I remember her morning robe of buff pique, form-fitting, and opening all down the front over an under robe of white embroidery. She looked beautiful to my admiring eyes. The melodeon was always used at prayers and to accompany hymn singing on Sunday evenings.

I’m uncertain precisely when the WCTU came to inhabit the house, although in 1882, New Albany’s chapter merited mention in the “Minutes of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union of the State of Indiana at the Annual Meeting.

It is reasonable to surmise that the New Albany WCTU’s zenith came in the early years of the 20th-century, during the successful campaign for nationwide Prohibition. Accordingly, Prohibition’s myriad and well-documented subsequent failures corroded the strength of America’s teetotalers. These days in New Albany, the craft brewing revolution flourishes on the very spot where its enemies once thrived, and symbolism like this is too delicious to ignore.

Hence, the evolution of the WCTU Reading Room at Bank Street Brewhouse. Your suggestions and questions are welcomed.

Construction on Lloyd's Landing at Bank Street Brewhouse begins this week. Here are the plans and details.

From the inception of NABC’s Bank Street Brewhouse in 2009, it has been our ultimate aim to annex the remainder of the parking area on the building’s north side, and to build an outdoor garden for use in seasonable weather -- although I realize “seasonable” is somewhat the subjective term these days.

I’m happy to announce that finally, the time has come to begin this project. On Thursday (August 23), work will commence with the construction of walls and fences to delineate the rectangular outdoor space, thus complying with state alcoholic beverage regulations governing its future use by craft beer drinkers.

This all-ages outdoor space will be called Lloyd’s Landing, in honor of our cherished friend, the late Lloyd “Highwayman” Wimp.

It is my belief that we can have Alcohol and Tobacco Commission approval for this new “patio” (legally, it will be referred to as a “patio,” not a “beer garden” as such, although this is a mere technicality) in our hands by the first week of September.

This means a few changes, clarifications and explanations.

(1) From the time that construction starts this Thursday, vehicular access to the parking area will cease. According to ATC regulations, there can be no back-and-forth in the ground’s daily usage. Once the parking area has been licensed by the ATC for people and their beers, it no longer can be used to park their cars.

(2) Parking alternatives are many. There is unmetered parking on Bank Street itself. The parking lot across Bank Street once again is open, and the lot adjacent to the Carnegie Center, while signposted for Carnegie use, can be used in daytime. The Fox Law parking lot on the south side of Bank Street Brewhouse can be used after 5:00 p.m., and so can the Schad Law parking spaces, just east of the Carnegie Center and visible from Bank Street Brewhouse. For those interested in centrally located parking to facilitate roaming throughout historic downtown New Albany, please be aware that the city’s parking garage on the corner of State and Market Streets is free on weeknights (after 5:00 p.m.) and on weekends. This is three blocks from Bank Street Brewhouse to the southwest.

(3) The former roofed patio, which was modified earlier this year by the installation of garage doors facing north, now will be considered part of the original building’s extended floor plan, thus enabling us to build out and use the rear bar area. This former patio space will be referred to as the WCTU Reading Room, for reasons to be explained elsewhere.

(3) The officially designated smoking area will be the entirety of the Lloyd’s Landing outdoor garden expanse, as accessed through the door to the left and rear of the WCTU Reading Room. Because the WCTU Reading Room is a building and not a patio, state law forbids smoking inside it.

(4) Our newly evolving public areas have specific purposes. Lloyd’s Landing is intended as an outdoor area for the enjoyment of beers, entertainment and special events (weather permitting). When fully weatherized, the WCTU Reading Room is intended as a year-round casual use area for beers. Weather permitting, it will be a garage-doors-up, natural extension of Lloyd’s Landing. It also will be capable of adaptation for special events, tastings and gatherings (like the Prost room at NABC’s original location). Because Bank Street Brewhouse’s kitchen is small, food service will remain a feature of the BSB main dining room, bar and current street-side Taxpayers Memorial Patio. Eventually, you’ll be able to enjoy a pleasant drink outside, and then be seated when a dining area table is ready.

(5) These first steps (fencing and licensing) are only the beginning. They will be followed by much more work: Lloyd’s Landing surfacing, furnishings and landscaping; WCTU Reading Room roof, furnishings and bar completion; and the step-by-step process of coordinating them all. We will complete these steps as time and money permit.

Thanks for your patience as we begin the build-out. Your suggestions and questions are welcomed.

Six short months to go until Gravity Head 2013.

Gravity Head 2013 (the 15th bacchanalia in a series that began in 1999) commences six months from today at 7:00 a.m. on Friday, February 22.

Here is a list of festival-eligible kegs, as currently are resting in Cellar 3. Not all of these will be listed for duty in 2013, because there is further foraging yet to occur.

For the opening day tap takeover in 2013, our friends at Sun King will be providing up to eight selections. Finally, this list does not include our own New Albanian Brewing Company beers.

Bell’s Third Coast Old Ale 2011
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout 2011
Brooklyn “The Companion” (Brewmaster’s Reserve) 2011
Dark Horse Scotty Karate
Ellezelloise Hercule Stout

Flying Dog Kujo Coffee Stout (nitro)
Founders Breakfast Stout 2011
Founders Imperial Stout 2011
Great Divide Belgian Yeti
Great Divide Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti

Great Divide Espresso Oak Aged Yeti 2011
Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti 2011
Great Divide Old Ruffian 2011
Great Divide Yeti 2011

Harpoon Leviathan Barleywine 2011

Harpoon Triticus Ale (100 Barrel Series) 2011

JW Lees 25th Anniversary Harvest Ale
JW Lees Harvest Ale (Calvados Cask) 2011
JW Lees Harvest Ale (Lagavulin Cask) 2011
Kulmbacher Eisbock 2010

Mikkeller/Three Floyds Boogoop
North Coast Old Stock Ale
Rogue Old Crustacean 2011
Samichlaus 2010
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot 2006

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot 2009
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot 2010
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot 2011
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot 2012
Southern Tier Jahva (Imperial Coffee Stout)

Southern Tier “Oak-Aged Imperial” Back Burner
Stone Double Bastard Ale 2011
Stone Imperial Russian Stout 2011
Stone Imperial Russian Stout 2012
Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine 2012

Two Brothers Northwind Imperial Stout
Urthel Samaranth 12 Quadrium
Victory Storm King Stout 2011

At Louisville.com: "Heine Bros offers beer and wine."

Why not? We just visited a wine & coffee bar in Madison, Wisconsin: Barriques in Madison, Wisconsin (Park Street location): "Wine for the Masses, Coffee for the People."

Heine Bros offers beer and wine [Highlands]

by Jennifer Kiefer

To all you late-night Bardstown Road crawlers, there’s a new place to drink up some local and organic brews, and it’s been a landmark to many for years. Heine Brothers Coffee has partnered with Vint Coffee, another local coffeehouse, and now serves beer and wine at two locations: the ever-popular Eastern Parkway/Bardstown Road corner and its newest location at 805 Blankenbaker Parkway across from Southeast Christian Church.

The limitations of satire.

Thanks to RC for this link to a perfectly reasonable article about the concept of "best." It follows a recent conversation with a specialty package store clerk, who told me that someone had driven two hours to procure a bottle of rare and highly rated beer.

In certain significant senses, both of these examples illustrate that Craft Beer Nation is in fine, ruddy health.

However, we need to recognize that there are occasions when the excesses of beer geekdom are so very surreal as to render satire entirely impotent. After all, satire relies on a sense of perspective for its effectiveness. When no one's wearing clothes, the emperor's nudity no longer bears noting.

Is this really the best beer in America?, by Jim Galligan (MSNBC)

 ... Depending where you live, you should be able to find most everything on the Brewers Association list, but it might require a beer trade or two to get your hands on many of the beers from the RateBeer or Beer Advocate lists.

A few GTMW 2012 summaries to close the books on another great trip.

My own account is here: Where is Winona, anyway?

From Madison's local media:

The best of the best from the 2012 Great Taste of the Midwest beer festival, by Robin Shepard (Isthmus/Daily Page)

... The festival continues to grow and bring in new participating breweries. Among those this year was 3 Sheeps Brewing of Sheboygan. Co-owner James Owen brought three beers to the festival: Rebel Kent the First amber ale, Really Cool Waterslides IPA, and BAAAD Boy black wheat. "This is unbelievable; this is the biggest festival we've been to so far, and we feel a little unprepared," Owen said as he looked at the crowd streaming in from the entry gate. The 3 Sheeps Brewery opened only a few months ago in Sheboygan, and its beers have only been available on a very limited basis, something that he hopes to soon change.

And, from a visiting New Englander:

wordpress.com/2012/08/16/bostonbeergoesmidwest/">A Boston Beer Drinker Goes (Mid)West, by Lee (beermebartender blog)

... When he informed me that there was a festival in Madison so popular that tickets could only be acquired in-person at some podunk liquor stores in WI or through an old-school mail-in lottery, I wrote my check immediately (but didn’t mail it until the specified date since all entries must be postmarked on the date indicated by the festival organizers. The devil’s in the details!). I won the lottery, and then 8 weeks later when Great Taste rolled around, I won the lottery again.

NABC on the Road: Lanesville Heritage Weekend (Lanesville IN; 09/14-16/12).

We've learned that Lanesville Jaycees will be serving NABC Tafel Bier as one of their beers on tap at the Beer Garden during the 37th Annual Lanesville Heritage Weekend (September 14-16). Thanks to Chuck Smith and his fellow Jaycees organizers for helping to get this done. This isn't a staffing event for us, but the crew will be making appearances. Speaking for myself, having one of our beers on tap during Heritage Weekend is a long-standing goal.

At LouisvilleBeer.com: A Great Taste wrap with a brewpub focus.

This year at the Great Taste of the Midwest, I patronized the less well publicized. The epiphanies continue.

Where is Winona, anyway?

Posted by Roger Baylor in Baylor on Beer | 0 comments

Over a quarter-century of the Great Taste of the Midwest’s evolution, during which I’ve had the sheer pleasure of attending six, this legendary beer festival in Madison, Wisconsin, has evolved into one of those signature “tale of the tape” events.

Give or take five hours, a couple dozen portable johns, 140 breweries, 500 sticks of bacon, 1,000 kegs, 6,000 attendees, and you begin to get a vague impression of the scrum that awaits. Furthermore, what you’ve always heard is true: Participating brewers plunder their top-most cellar shelves, bringing rare, innovative, barrel-aged, secret-ingredient-infused beers to suit the eager completist’s zeal.

Given civilization’s steady technological advancement, it’s only a matter of time until willing beer enthusiasts can implant a microchip into their noggins, enabling an optical scanner linking directly to RateBeer’s database, permitting the collector to make the absolute best use of limited time at the Great Taste, and drink only the most highly rated, elusive, badge-of-honor styles.

I believe this would be a mistake, and here is why.

Southern Indiana Craft Beer Showcase at Indiefest, September 22.

Here's the first call for the Southern Indiana Craft Beer Showcase, which is what I'm calling NABC's contribution to New Albany's inaugural Indiefest on Saturday, September 22. Indiefest will feature local artists, food, exhibitors and music throughout the day.

It's also NABC's contribution to Louisville Craft Beer Week. The fundamental idea is to feature (mostly) Southern Indiana craft beers, as well as craft ciders, meads and wines.

It will be a "cash bar" event, with full pours and samples available. I've posted Indiefest information separately, accessible here.

Southern Indiana Craft Beer Showcase … with Special Guests: Wine, Cider and Mead

A Louisville Craft Beer Week event, held concurrently with the New Albany Indiefest

Saturday, September 22
2:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
400 block of Bank Street (opposite Bank Street Brewhouse)

BREWERIES
Big Woods Brewing Company (Nashville)
Cutters Brewing Company (Bloomington)
Great Crescent Brewery (Aurora)
New Albanian Brewing Company (New Albany)
Power House Brewing Company (Columbus IN)

CIDERIES
Thomas Family Winery (Madison; perhaps wines, too)

MEADERIES
New Day Meadery (Indianapolis; ciders, too)

WHOLESALERS
Starlight Distributing (featuring English ciders)

WINERIES
Grateful Goat (Palmyra)
River City Winery (New Albany)

Also, I am hoping to arrange a reservation-only bourbon tasting with Crossroad Vintners. If this happens, it will be held at Bank Street Brewhouse at the north patio/seating area. As always, stay tuned.

Bryce poses with Woody.

You can, too, because we're taking this life-size image of Woody Guthrie and his original fascist-killing machine to the Great Taste of the Midwest. Look for it and us if you're attending.

Kind words about Bank Street Brewhouse's Sunday brunch.

I'm the Publican, and I support this message. It was written by Shane Campbell, and appeared at the Louisville Restaurants Forum. Kudos to the staff, cast and crew at BSB.

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We had out of town friends of friends in for the weekend to celebrate a 40th birthday. As we were wrapping up the party last night we wondered where to go for brunch. That's easy! Bank Street Brewhouse. Brunch at BSB is great in so many ways.

First every great brunch must have a great Bloody Mary and the lovely Sarah expertly helms ten odd feet of Bloody Mary bar. Bloody Marys at the BSB are made with interesting small batch vodkas and it's a pleasure to interact with Sarah while she creates your drink. As a regular I can tell you that Sarah's expertise at making your drink is only exceeded by her talent at story telling. If you hang around the bar till the crowd clears out you just might get to hear one.

Of course there is fantastic beer! The BSB is my favorite place to drink beer. This is not because they have the largest selection of beer in town. That would be found a few miles away at the NABC Pizzeria. No, it's because the beer here is always interesting, super fresh, and I can count on their being a core of favorites with exciting new beers nearly every week. This morning I had a couple of pints of Weefoot. Weefoot is described as a dry session stout. The board says it was 48IBUs which I believe is fairly bitter for a stout but it was nicely balanced by a malty base and a measure of sour thrown in at the end. Complex but not at all heavy, this beer was perfect with my breakfast. Which brings me to the food.

Brunch at BSB on the first Sunday of the month means Chef Matt Weirich's prime rib and omelet station. This is a closeup experience and on first sight elicits oohs and aahs.

Chef sets up right in the dinning room and with a couple of gas burners puts together omelet art with beautifully fresh ingredients. He pairs this with generous slices of prime rib that has the best flavor I've ever had. I asked Chef what the flavors in the meat were due to. He smiled and gave me a run down that I'm sure any chef or even experienced cook would have appreciated but it was way over my head. I heard salt, pepper, and lots of Dijon mustard and olive oil. It was delicious!

I was the only one who selected this option today and believe me I was soaking up a lot of food envy at my end of the table of ten. I shared the prime rib and each person said that they would be getting this next time. Ha! They'll have a month to wait! I told Chef that I thought he should put the prime rib on the regular menu.

As we were waiting for our checks several people asked me the price for omelet and prime rib. I hadn't even asked and we all started guessing what it would be. No one guessed $15. Cheers!

Brilliant: Elector for the vice presidential debate in Danville this coming October.

We haven't finalized details, but Danville, Kentucky's superlative V the Market has suggested an NABC tap takeover to occur on October 10, the day before the vice presidential debate. It's a long way off, but the good folks at V the Market are absolutely right: Elector needs to be there, along with three other wild cards.

We'll be working on this great idea, so stay tuned, and if you're in Danville for any reason, be sure to check out V the Market.

VP debate at Centre to cover foreign, domestic

Published: August 6, 2012 ... The Associated Press

DANVILLE, KY. — The format for the vice presidential debate to be held in October at Centre College in Danville has been announced.

The non-profit Commission on Presidential Debates says the Oct. 11 debate will cover both foreign and domestic topics over 90 minutes.

No craft beer for Rufus Wainwright, although the mockrobrews flowed like water.

I'll tread lightly, but it's worth noting that the Rufus Wainwright show tonight at the Iroquois Amphitheater (a stellar venue, by the way) featured precisely zero beers from American-owned companies.

The thrill-packed beer lineup included Miller High Life, Coors Light, Leinenkugel Summer Shandy, Blue Moon & Killian's Red. In fairness, River City Distributing (NABC's Louisville wholesaler) has managed to insert local craft beers in other, similar settings, and it is my understanding that reams of Coors sponsorship money are responsible for the placements in question.

I'll also concede that prices last night (circa $6 for what appeared to be a 16-oz cup) were more reasonable than the Louisville Palace's gouging for BBC APA ($10) during the recent Hitchcock flick I attended.

Here's the part that matters to me: When I asked about the beer selection, I was told that "craft" beer was readily available in the form of Blue Moon and Summer Shandy. To the staff's credit, when I asked it there were any American-owned breweries present from which to choose, the response was clear and unambiguous: "No."

I appreciate that sort of candor. However, the same answer applies to the question, "Are there any genuine craft beers here?"

No.

Because multinational teats like Leinie, Blue Moon and Killian's are not craft, no matter how many times the words are repeated, and irrespective of the money spent to perpetuate the lie.

The concert? It was wonderful, and I enjoyed it in the company of my wife and two bottles of water -- real water, that is; not Coors Light.

NABC on the road: Beer & food at the Artisan Market in New Albany on August 16.

This should be called "NABC down the street," seeing as the Artisan Market is perhaps a twenty minute walk from Bank Street Brewhouse. If the catering application is approved, I'll be offering samples and also full pours in a "cash beer bar" setting from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, the 16th. 

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Hello Artisan Fans!

Our next Tasting Thursday will be on August 16th from 5 - 8pm. This is the second in our series of four after work mixers each month from July through October.

Our August event will feature the New Albanian with craft beer tasting and Patti Cakes Catering with some special treats. And don't forget, we will have 4 new featured store Artisans on hand to display their high quality hand craft.

Please join our casual, after work mixer and bring your friends. Last month was a great time and we're looking forward to our August tasting.

Attached is our flyer for this month that can serve as a reminder for you and your friends.

Looking forward to seeing you on the 16th.


Artisan Market
318 Vincennes Street

Find Us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/myArtisanMarket

NABC on the road: Brew at the (Louisville) Zoo.

It's that time again. What does it make, the eighth Brew at the Zoo? I'll be in Lafayette for Beers Across the Wabash, but it is my understanding that Josh "Brewery Badass" Hill and Tony Beard will be on hand at the Zoo on the 25th.
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Louisville Zoo - Brew at the Zoo - August 25, 2012


Held at the Louisville Zoo Oasis band shell, tent and field.


Come enjoy unique brews from dozens of local & regional breweries, as well as a selection of locally produced wines, while enjoying delicious specialties from local restaurants. Bring your lawn chairs and lounge on the lawn while listening to the '70s and '80s inspired tunes of 100% Poly. A selection of non-alcoholic products and water will also be provided.


** ALL GUESTS must be 21 or older and must bring a valid id to the event. No exceptions made for any reason. Please drink responsibly.

NABC on the road: Eikosi Wine & Beer Festival (Salem IN; 09/01/12).

The Eikosi Wine & Beer Festival is is a brand new event in Salem, Indiana on Saturday, September 1 (Labor Day weekend).

Details are as yet being determined, but what I can tell readers is that NABC will be on hand, probably selling beers by the glass. Other Indiana craft brewers might also attend. I'll have more when the time comes.

Official Eikosi web site

NABC on the road: Dig-IN, A Taste of Indiana (Indianapolis IN; 08/26/12).

NABC was there last year, too. Here's the report, with photos:

Dig-In Indiana in Indianapolis.

I'm told the format will be a bit different this year, but the end result should be much the same: Good eats, good drinks, and a fine setting in downtown Indianapolis.

Official web site

NABC on the road: Beers Across the Wabash (Lafayette IN; 08/25/12).

I'll freely admit to having spent little time in the Lafayette area, and consequently, I'm really looking forward to working this event. If memory serves, NABC will have Black & Blue Grass and Naughty Girl on hand.

Welcome! Beers Across the Wabash is a craft beer tasting experience featuring beers and representatives from small breweries throughout Indiana. This will be the Lafayette-area's premiere craft beer tasting experience and is being held in a most unique location- the John T. Meyers Pedestrian Bridge over the Wabash River.

Official fest site

NABC on the road: Great Taste of the Midwest (Madison WI; 08/11/12).

The Great Taste of the Midwest takes place in Madison, Wisconsin on Saturday, August 11, and once again, NABC will be there. Here's the beer list for 2012.

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NABC Beer Descriptions, for the Great Taste of the Midwest 2012 official program.

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At the NABC main station, C02 pour:

Black & Blue Grass

Naughty Girl

Oaktimus

Solidarity (Cabernet Barrel Aged)

Yakima (Willett Rye Barrel Aged)

10^th Anniversary Bygoner Series at the NABC main station, C02 pour

Bourbondaddy

Stumble Bus

Turbo Hog

Cask-conditioned NABC (pins at the NABC station; tapping time TBA):

There may be last-minute surprises

Cask-conditioned NABC (firkins at the real ale tent):

Beaks Best

Get Off My Lawn

Naughty Girl (Double Dry Hopped)

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NABC BEER DESCRIPTIONS

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At the NABC main station, C02 pour:

Black & Blue Grass

ABV: 6.5%

OG: 15 degrees Plato

IBU: 18

Spiced Belgian Saison

Malts: Rahr Pale and white wheat, Castle Aromatic
Sugar: Blue Agave Nectar

Hops: German Perle
Spices: Toasted Black Pepper, Lemon Grass

Yeast: House Belgian Ale

You can’t drink Black & Blue Grass in striped pants

The great Bill Monroe described his bluegrass music as "Scottish bagpipes and ole-time fiddlin'. It’s Methodist and Holiness and Baptist. It's blues and jazz, and it has a high lonesome sound." Our Black & Blue Grass begs to concur. Belgian yeast and stateside Saison spicing; black pepper and blue agave and lemongrass, and a great bet alongside any food you have around.

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Naughty Girl

ABV: 6%

OG: 14.4 degrees Plato

IBU: 69

Belgian India Blonde Ale

Malts: Rahr 2-row, Rahr Premium Pils, Castle (Belgian) Aromatic, CaraPils

Hops: Cascade, Galena, Golding, Cascade for warm dry-hopping

Yeast: House Belgian Ale

Naturally Naughty -- by Nurture

It all began as a Belgo-American ménage a trois, but then the brewers arrived and transformed the trans-oceanic affair into a beer love pentangle. The collaborative minds at Louisville Beer Store, De Struise Brouwers and New Albanian Brewing Company offer this, a willfully disobedient India Blonde Ale with a hop on her shoulder.

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Oaktimus

ABV: 10.7%

OG: 22.6 degrees Plato

IBU: 100

Imperial IPA (Oak Aged Hoptimus)

Malts: Special Pale

Hops: Four additions of high alpha Nugget, one late addition of Cascade, dry-hopped with whole cone Cascades

Yeast: House American Ale

Aged in Sterner Stuff

When aged on oak, Hoptimus becomes Oaktimus. Living vicariously through others is a sad compromise meant only for rank amateurs and subpar international lagers. Rather, we all might profit from the principled example of Hoptimus, which lives vivaciously, audaciously and capriciously through itself. With a snarky hop character that is blatantly unrepentant, Hoptimus ensures that meek palates surely will not inherit the earth.

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Solidarity (Cabernet Barrel Aged)

ABV: 8%

OG: 21.1 degrees Plato

IBU: 18

Baltic Porter

Malts: Special Pale; Simpsons Aromatic, Dark Crystal, Chocolate and Black; CaraPils

Hops: Magnum in the kettle; Willamette in the whirlpool

Yeast: House Lager

Solidarity or Death

In the 1980’s, the Solidarity trade union movement in Poland helped end the

Communist Party’s hegemony. We tip our hats to Solidarity, both as concept and movement, with this robust liquid reminder of Baltic foresight in activism … and strong beer.

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Yakima (Willett Rye Barrel Aged)

ABV: 7.5%

OG: 17 degrees Plato

IBU: 130

Rye India Pale Ale

Malts: Rahr 2-row, Flaked Rye, Weyermann CaraFoam
Hops: Columbus, Centennial, Cascade

Yeast: House American Ale

How the Midwest Was Won

“Yakima is simple in design: This beer is for me, the hophead Brewmaster here in the land of no coast. After many years of liquid research, the time came to satisfy my inner desire to craft a Rye IPA so immaculate that it would ‘up’ our revolution even further. Mission accomplished.” -- Jared Williamson, formerly of NABC, now brewing at Schlafly

10^th Anniversary Bygoner Series at the NABC main station, C02 pour

Bourbondaddy

ABV: 9.5%

OG: 20 degrees Plato

IBU: 18

Imperial Chocolate Milk Stout (Bourbon Barrel Aged)

Malts: Rahr Pale, Simpson Chocolate and Roast Barley, Patagonia Especial, flaked oats

Sugar: Milk (lactose)                                   

Hops: Challenger

Special: Raisins and cocoa added to mash, cacao nibs in the kettle, and "Dry Nibbed" in the bright for two months prior to filling barrels

Yeast: House Ale

“Go forth and proceed”
The first batches of Bourbondaddy appeared in 2003 and 2004. The 10^th anniversary revival version began life as an Imperial Chocolate Mik Stout, and then was racked into Angel's Envy barrels for four months’ aging.

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Stumble Bus
ABV: 11.2%

OG: 25 degrees Plato

IBU: 126

American Strong Ale

Malts: Rahr Pale, Weyermann Vienna, Simpson Medium Crystal, light malt extract
Hops: A delicate mix of Galena, Cascade and Golding
Yeast: House American Ale

Fall Off the Bus

Along with Bourbondaddy, Stumble Bus is the most fondly remembered seasonal ale brewed by NABC’s founding brewer, Michael Borchers. Was it Imperial IPA, or was it Barleywine? What is it now? It’s not the destination; it’s the journey.

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Turbo Hog

ABV: 9.5%

OG: 20 degrees Plato

IBU: 86

Malt Liquor

Malts: Rahr Pale, flaked maize

Sugar: White table sugar

Hops: Hallertau Magnum and Tettnanger, Czech Saaz (4 late kettle additions and dry hops)

Yeast: House Ale

The finest malt liquor yet devised by man
First came Bush Hog, and then its logical culmination, Turbo Hog (sans paper bags). Augmented with corn, boosted in strength, and refashioned as a malt liquor, it was a briefly invigorating experiment. Boss Hog was planned, but never brewed.

Cask-conditioned NABC (firkins at the real ale tent):

Beak’s Best

ABV: 5.3%

OG: 14.75 degrees Plato

IBU: 35

American Ale

Malts:  Rahr Pale, Simpsons Medium Crystal, Castle (Belgian) Aromatic and Special B

Hops: Triple hopped with Cascade pellets

Yeast: House Ale

American Bitter & Soul Liniment

Named in honor of globetrotting historian and educator Don "Beak" Barry. You really need to meet the Beak, and sample his ale.

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Get Off My Lawn

ABV: 4.2%

OG: 10 degrees Plato

IBU: 35

Session India Pale Ale

Malts: Rahr 2-Row and Simpson Aromatic

Hops: AU Galaxy (100%) … mash hops, late whirlpool, and dry hopping; no hops in the boil

Yeast: House Ale

This means you, hipster

David Pierce, NABC’s Director of Brewing Operations, has been telling young punks to get off his lawn since long before he even had a lawn. Back then, we didn’t have craft beer. Now we use it to mow our lawns once the hipsters are gone.

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Naughty Girl

(Same as above, double dry-hopped version)

Finally, "Greetings from Brauhaus Tirana."

This is a momentous occasion. We have received the following e-mail, which I reprint here, word for word. This sets the stage for cultural exchanges and our first-ever Balkan collaboration beer. I can see the promotional materials now. A delegation will depart for foreign shores as soon as we can afford it.

To know me is to know of my fascination with Albania, the country, and I am absolutely delighted there is craft beer there now!

Greetings from Brauhaus Tirana, a newly operating (and the first) brewpub in Old Albania, owned by Tirana Brewhouse Shpk, with a 3000hl capacity per year. We would be intrigued of the possibility of an intercontinental solidarization on propaganda field and more.

(photo courtesy of BrauHaus on Facebook)

Baylor on Beer: "The World According to Spike," at LouisvilleBeer.com

Might as well be set in the present time. Craft beer evolves, but swill -- well, it never changes, does it?

The World According to Spike

Posted by Roger Baylor in Baylor on Beer | 0 comments

I was looking through some old files and discovered the following essay, which was written … well, you’ll just have to read it first, and then I’ll reveal the date.

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“Rog, the beer business just isn’t fun any more. This used to be a people business. Now it’s all about market shares and buy-outs.”

–Spike (the fellow on the beer truck)

“Of the displacement of dignity by merchandising that trivializes, there is no end.”

–George Will (the syndicated columnist)