The Potable Curmudgeon

This Friday is Billow's grand opening, with NABC and Irish Exit lending a hand.

2012-01-25T23:05:00.000-05:00

Billow, a new downtown New Albany shop specializing in fine cigars, smoking accessories, clothing, gifts and merchandise, is having a Grand Opening Celebration this Friday, January 27th.

Don't miss our GRAND OPENING this Friday, from 7:00 p.m. We’ll be giving away merchandise and cigars, and there’ll be door prizes, raffles and gifts. We will have appetizers, free tastings, and plenty of seating for smoking. NABC will have beer, and Irish Exit will offer a cash bar. Crossfire Cigars and Black Patch cigars will be here, so come out and help support our local New Albany Police Department, which will receive a portion of our ongoing proceeds.

In case you hadn’t heard, Billow is located at 137 E. Market Street in New Albany, right next to Quills, and across the street from Habana Blues and The Grand. It's a block and a half south of Bank Street Brewhouse. There’s a walk-in humidor and selection of fine cigars, and a fully ventilated indoor smoking lounge with cable tv, wi-fi, iPads and comfy leather seating.

Advance notice: Beer dinner and Alsatian choucroute garnie at the Frenchman's.

2012-01-24T23:04:00.000-05:00

This information is subject to change, but the probable date for the first-ever beer dinner at Louis Le Français (133 East Market Street in downtown New Albany) is Thursday, March 1 at 7:00 p.m.

I joined Tim Eads of Starlight Distribution LLC this morning for a chat with the Frenchman himself. Tim will be featuring a few Bieres de Garde ales from the Shelton portfolio, to which I'll add a couple of appropriate NABC beers. Apart from three or four other courses, the Frenchman revealed the beer dinner's projected pièce de résistance: Alsatian choucroute garnie.

The last time I had this dish was in Strasbourg, with Trois Monts ale handy to accompany. It is an understatement to say that I'm excited about this beer dinner, and we're not even close to the pairings yet. Put this on your calendars, and I'll be back soon with pricing and further information.

Meat of the Matter, by Beth Kracklauer at Saveur (photo credit to Saveur)

The first time I visited Alsace, the half-timbered houses and the window boxes filled with geraniums looked to me like something out of a Grimm fairy tale. In one of the cozy winstubs, or taverns, unique to this northeastern corner of France, I was introduced to authentic Alsatian choucroute garnie, a heaping platter of wine-braised sauerkraut (choucroute in French), "garnished" with Hansel and Gretel–worthy portions of cured pork and sausages.

Daily lunch specials at NABC's Pizzeria & Public House.

2012-01-23T12:08:00.001-05:00

11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday ... just in case you didn't already know.

Smoke ‘em if you’ve got ‘em … NABC ConeSmoker is coming soon.

2012-01-22T07:11:00.000-05:00

(If Tony's reading and he has a better graphic than this one from a few years back, send it to me and I'll make a dramatic substitution in the dead of night. I always loved the smoking jacket, though)

Once again, the annual batch of ConeSmoker has been brewed by Ben Minton at NABC's original R & D Brewery, and in a few weeks, it should be ready for release.

The inspiration for ConeSmoker dates to the late 1990’s. One night I poured BBC American Pale Ale into a glass used previously for Bavarian-style Schlenkerla Rauchbier, or maybe the other way around, and an idea for Smoked APA was born.

There have been more than a few variations over the years, but lately, we’ve been sticking to the template below.

Malts: Weyermann Rauch, Vienna, and CaraHell malts; Rahr Pale and Simpson Dark Crystal

Hops: Summit and Nugget for bittering, Cascade and Nugget for flavor and aroma

Yeast: House Ale

IBU: 65

OG: 16 Plato

ABV: 6.8%

Color: 13 SRM

"Local Brew Review: New Albanian’s ‘Solidarity’ will Occupy Your Taste-Buds."

2012-01-21T20:01:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Chris Ritter for his thoughtful review of NABC Solidarity. Bottles should still be out there, but we're running low on draft ...

Local Brew Review: New Albanian’s ‘Solidarity’ will Occupy Your Taste-Buds

January 21, 2012

New Albanian Brewing Company is just across the river, but the toasted, malty, soul-warming flavors of its ‘Solidarity’ Baltic Porter originate from much farther still. A not-so-distinticly American interpretation of a Baltic Sea tradition, ‘Solidarity’ exists in tribute to the popular revolution that saw the overthrow of communist Poland in the 1980′s.

NABC Bonfire of the Valkyries is out and about.

2012-01-20T19:45:00.003-05:00

NABC’s signature Black Lager is on tap at both Bank Street Brewhouse and the Pizzeria & Public House for consumption in-house, or carry-out sales in growlers and bottles. The first 22-oz bomber shipments have gone out to wholesalers in Indiana and Kentucky. A very limited amount of draft will be made available to outside accounts.

Bonfire of the Valkyries is NABC's full-bodied and clean Black Lager with medium smokiness. It is the ideal accompaniment to all smoked meats, oysters on the half shell, cabbage soup, kielbasa and freshwater trout. Or, just have a few glasses while you’re burning away the hours until Ragnarok. It won't last long, so get some.

Ron Downer to brew at Blackberry Farm in Tennessee.

2012-01-20T08:26:00.001-05:00

It delights me to share this news with readers, because our friend Ron Downer, one of the great guys in the brewing business, is back in the show after a few years on the sidelines. Ron was a prolific homebrewer before turning pro, and so starting small at Blackberry Farm prior to growing the brewery should be right up his alley. Congratulations, Ron! Now it's my job to make it down to the Smokies for a visit.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my loyal readers of the Burgundian Bulletin and to inform you that the last issue you received several months ago is the last in the series. As much as I have enjoyed writing the Burgundian Bulletin I must quit due to my recent acquisition of the new position of Brewmaster at the Brewery at Blackberry Farm.

I am excited about being Brewmaster at Blackberry Farm, which was honored in 2011 by Travel & Leisure magazine as the top resort in North America. Our small pilot brewery will be used to fine-tune recipes and introduce our guests at Blackberry Farm to our special beers; it is just the first step before opening a larger brewing facility in the future.

I invite you to visit www.blackberryfarm.com to learn more about the Farm and its activities. As the Brewery progresses I expect there will be information on the website about our beers and the brewery. Thanks again.

Ron Downer

Indiana's lingering legislative blue law fetish dooms Sunday off-premise alcohol sales in Indiana ...

2012-01-19T23:49:00.000-05:00

... except for small breweries and wineries.

It amazes me that our Indy-centric legislators prattle endlessly about economic development, and at the same time, never seem to understand that drinkers living on state borders travel to where they can spend their money on Sunday, namely surrounding states.

Also, Indiana's legislative contingent continues to endorse the doltish notion that it's better to go to a bar on Sunday to drink, and then drive home, as opposed to taking the alcohol home to drink.

And then there is Rep. Davis's comment to the effect that six days in a week is enough to buy alcoholic beverages. The same might be said for groceries and restaurants; if you plan ahead and buy supplies earlier in the week, do you really need to go anywhere at all on Sunday? Why permit any shop or store to open on Sunday, according to this reasoning? Is it 2012, or 1812?

Of course, Rep. Davis's blue-law-friendly internal rationalization is not how it works in real life -- and increasingly, real life is a place that few of these political dullards seem to inhabit, although Ideologyland is fairly bursting at the seams.

Sunday alcohol sales dead in Legislature, by Maureen Hayden (CNHI Statehouse Bureau)

INDIANAPOLIS — Depending on what happens in the Sunday-dry state of Connecticut, Indiana could soon become the last state in the nation with a Sunday ban on alcohol sales.

Legislative leaders in the Indiana General Assembly have decided against scheduling committee hearings on a bill that would have lifted the decades-old prohibition on the Sunday sale of alcohol for off-premise consumption.

Their decision effectively kills the bill.

“Surely we can buy enough alcohol in this state six days a week that we don’t need a seventh day to do it,” said state Rep. Bill Davis, the Republican chair of House Committee on Public Policy where the bill had been assigned.

Wait for it: NABC's Propagator Doppelbock coming in March.

2012-01-18T23:44:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday and Wednesday, all that was missing in NABC’s R & D Brewery at the Pizzeria & Public House were heaping platters of succulent Schweinehaxe, as Ben Minton was busy brewing our first-ever Bavarian model Doppelbock, formulated with an enticing whiff of smoked malt as a knowing nod to the Franconian tradition. Think Bambergator.

The fermentation will be slow and easy, so the release of Propagator Doppelbock will not come until March. Maybe we can arrange pork knuckles by then, or rinds, or something from a hog. As we wait, here are the specs.

Malts: Weyermann BoHo Pils, Melanoidin, Rauch, CaraFoam and Simpson's Coffee (brown) malt

Hops: German Hallertauer Magnum

Yeast: Andechs Lager

IBU: 20

OG: 18.5

ABV: TBD, but expect 7.5% - 7.9%

Color: 11.8 degree SRM

Runkel Dunkel is coming next in NABC's Andechs yeast series.

2012-01-17T22:27:00.000-05:00

Im Hühnerstall ist dunkel!
In der Ecke eine alte Runkel.

These words from a song in German may mean this: "The chicken coop is dark, and there's an old vegetable (Runkel) in the corner."

Or, they may not. Internet translation pages certainly are fun, though.

Runkel also is a town and castle in the Lahn Valley, and when NABC's Stephen Powell heard Ben Minton was brewing a Munich Dunkel (meaning dark; I'm on much firmer ground here) at the R & D Brewery, he went with the rhyme as his suggestion. Steve might be interested to learn that Runkel Dunkel is a song, too.

In any event, say it the German way: ROON-kell DOON-kell. It should be out soon, so stay tuned.

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NABC Runkel Dunkel

Malts: Weyermann Munich, BoHo Pils, Caramel Wheat and Carafa III Special

Hops: German Hallertauer Magnum (bitter/kettle) and Tettnanger (flavor and aroma additions)

Yeast: Andechs Lager

IBU: 22

OG: 14 Plato

ABV: 6%

Color: 22.5 SRM

"Back Into the Future," at LouisvilleBeer.com

2012-01-16T05:37:00.000-05:00

My latest column is up at LouisvilleBeer.com ... remember that these appear twice monthly, and thanks for reading.

Back Into the Future

Posted by Roger Baylor in Baylor on Beer | 0 comments

Earlier in the week, I went for a refreshingly brisk walk in the cold winter’s rain. On the way back from downtown New Albany, I took the shortcut home via 10th Street, where it crosses Market next to the city’s war memorial traffic island. Mansion Row is only a block away to the south, and after 10th crosses Spring northward, the neighborhood is transitional.

Standing right there, between Market and Spring, is a nondescript yet dignified 19th-century red brick commercial building, two stories tall, with a sloping roof and a “fermentational” story to tell.

Pat Allgeier, as spotted in Missoula.

2012-01-15T13:43:00.000-05:00

Mark Allgeier forwarded the link to this article about his brother Pat, as published in the Missoula (Montana) Independent. Older readers will recall Pat's years of Louisville bartending service at the BBC St. Matthews location, and later at Cumberland Brews, with a few others in between. What more can be said? Pat always was a great favorite of NABC's, and it's truly a pleasure to see him thriving out West.

Stars behind the bars; A few top tenders revealed

So at home

It's around noon on a recent Sunday and Old Post bartender Pat Allgeier, an insouciant, animated 39-year-old with a thick frame, gray muttonchops and a long brown ponytail, is fixing drinks for the brunch crowd. He spurts a circle of whipped cream on a snifter of Irish coffee, spears an olive, pickle and pepperoncini to garnish a bloody mary and pours champagne for a mimosa.

Bell's HopSlam, but not in our house until later in February.

2012-01-14T13:35:00.000-05:00

This is the time of year when Bell's HopSlam is released. Accordingly, there is a social media stampede: The first place to tap it, where bottles remain for sale, and the like.

I'll not be churlish by suggesting that dozens of other Imperial IPAs released during the course of a calendar year bear a similarity to HopSlam, because it is quite good, and I appreciate both it and Bell's in general. As in the past few years, we'll wait to tap our Pizzeria & Public House draft allotment of HopSlam until Gravity Head (February 24) begins, and then sell through whatever kegs we get until it's all gone.

Enjoy some now, and then enjoy some more later.

Free movie night at the Public House: "Inside Job."

2012-01-12T08:27:00.001-05:00

The following is from Carol Tvaroh, who belongs to an organization called Hoosiers for a Commonsense Health Plan (HCHP). On at least one previous occasion, the group screened a video (Michael Moore's "Sicko") in Prost, at the Public House. They asked to come back with a series of documentaries, and I'm delighted to accommodate them.

Read on ...

You're invited to attend a screening of INSIDE JOB, the 2010 Oscar-winning documentary which examines the causes of the financial meltdown. Described as "The brilliant explanation of how the world's economy was almost destroyed by the banks, the economists and politicians", this movie is well worth watching. The crisis is far from over.

The time is 6:00 p.m.
The date is January 16th, Monday
The Place is The New Albanian Brewing Company (Rich O's).
The address is 3312 Plaza Drive, New Albany, IN. (Just off Grant Line Road, across from the Kroger store).

This is the first of a series of screenings that we're planning. The second one will be on the first Monday in February, the 6th - CAPITALISM, A LOVE STORY, Michael Moore's great film about the relationship of Wall St. and government. Same time and place.

The third documentary will be THE LAST MOUNTAIN, about mountaintop removal coal mining - on the third Monday in February, the 20th.

We plan to cover a wide range of important topics - food/water, fracking, the environment, health care, and many others.

Stay tuned for further news.

A note: Roger Baylor, owner of the New Albanian Brewing Company has been kind enough to let us use his premises gratis, but I'm sure that all purchases of food and drinks will be much appreciated.

Thank you - hope to see y'all on Monday.

Final 2012 NABC beer release schedule link.

2012-01-12T08:21:00.001-05:00

You can view and print the 2012 NABC beer release schedule PDF here.

http://web.newalbanian.com/beersandbrewing/download/nabc_release_schedule_2012.pdf

The Eight Beer Fantasy at Majid's on Sunday, January 29.

2012-01-10T21:19:00.000-05:00

Is this the first beer dinner of 2012?

I'm not completely sure about that, but it's the first one for me to take part, and so let me introduce the Eight Beer Fantasy, as devised the mixologist Stephen Dennison, and as copied from his posting on the Louisville Restaurants Forum.

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Here's the menu, my friends. As always, I am open to suggestions. As we get closer, I will add some of the finer flourishes I am so fond of ... if you didn't catch it on the previous thread, Roger Baylor will be speaking on the craft of brewing. I will be addressing pairing techniques. And everyone will just be plain... discussing!

Appertif Cocktail: Sam Adams Imperial Double Bock Shandy- Domaine de Canton, Boker's Bitters

River City Pale Ale
Surf and Turf of Devilled Eggs- House Cured Salmon Belly and Crispy Pancetta

Rivertown Helles Lager
U-8 Shrimp Cocktail with Russian 'Potato Salad'

NABC Hoptimus Double IPA
Gorgonzolla Fondue with Filet Mignon and Mushroom 'Bourgogne Flavor'

Palate Cleanser: Jasmine/Lemon Granita

Upland Wheat
Persian Chicken Kabob with Sumac, Potato/Goat Cheese Fritter

BBC Nut Brown
Ash-E-Reshteh (Persian Whey Noodle Vegetable Soup,) Mir Poix Powder

Southern Tier Chocolate Stout
Mocha Pate', Creme Anglaise, Berries

Digestif Cocktail: BBC Bourbon Barrel Stout, Fernet Branca, Espresso-Walnut Gomme

With 3 oz pours, this brings the total imbibed to just over two drinks (because I'll be adding spirits to the cocktails.)

Price: $35, plus tax and gratuity

Sunday, January 29th at 2:30
Majid's
3930 Chenoweth Ln
502.618.2222

Spent grain leaves the building.

2012-01-09T16:34:00.000-05:00

Pint/CounterPint III -- now at LouisvilleBeer.com

2012-01-08T17:04:00.000-05:00

The third installment of Pint/CounterPint is up at LouisvilleBeer.com. This time Adam "Against the Grain" Watson differs with the Brewers Association's definition of craft beer, while I defend.

Yes, it's understood that to do so, I must agree with Charlie Papazian. So be it.

Pint/CounterPint 3:1
Arts and Crafts, by Adam Watson, Against The Grain Brewery

Pint/CounterPint 3:2
In defense of the BA’s craft definition, by Roger A. Baylor, New Albanian Brewing Company

The first 36 for Gravity Head 2012: "It's the End of the World As We Know It."

2012-01-07T12:07:00.000-05:00

Gravity Head 2012 kicks off on Friday, February 24, with the (now) traditional Gravity Head Tailgate Breakfast at the Public House. There'll only be somewhere around 50 listed selections, of which 36 are listed below. As we await the announcement of New Holland's shipment, and foraging just a handful more big beers, here is what we have so far.

Alvinne Podge Belgian Imperial Stout (2009)

BBC (Main & Clay) Bearded Pat’s Bourbon Barrel Aged Barley Wine (2009)

Bell's Expedition Stout

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout (2010)

De Molen Ceast and Desist (a.k.a. Rasputin, Disputin)

De Proef Flemish Primitive Wild Ale (Surly Bird)

Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron

Dogfish Head Olde School Barleywine

Founders Blushing Monk

Founders Breakfast Stout (2010)

Founders Curmudgeon Old Ale

Founders Imperial Stout (2010)

Founders KBS Kentucky Breakfast Stout (2011)

Founders Nemesis (2010)

Great Crescent Bourbon’s Barrel Stout

Great Divide Old Ruffian Barley Wine

Hair of the Dog Adam

Hair of the Dog Fred

Haandbryggeriet Bestefar

Harviestoun Ola Dubh – Old Engine Oil Special Reserve … Conditioned in Highland Park 18 Year Old Scotch Barrels

Kulmbacher Eisbock “Bayerisch G’frorns” (2010)

Left Hand Wake Up Dead (barrel-aged; nitro dispense)

Mikkeller I Beat yoU

New Holland Dragon’s Milk

North Coast Grand Cru

Rogue XS Old Crustacean Barley Wine (2009)

Shmaltz He’Brew Jewbelation ifteen – 15th Anniversary Ale

Schneider Aventinus Weizen-Eisbock

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barley Wine (2009)

Sierra Nevada/Dogfish Head Life & Limb (Version 2, 2011)

Stone Imperial Russian Stout (2010)

Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine (2010)

Stone Old Guardian Belgo Barley Wine

Three Floyds Behemoth Blonde Barley Wine

Two Brothers Bare Tree (2010)

Upland Teddy Bear Kisses Russian Imperial Stout

A resumption of Sunday Brewhouse Brunch at NABC's Bank Street Brewhouse.

2012-01-06T09:12:00.001-05:00

After a two-week holiday outage, the acclaimed (well, by me) Brewhouse Brunch resumes this Sunday, January 8, at Bank Street Brewhouse.

Brunch menu items will be served from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., with afternoon hours lasting until 6:00 p.m. The inimitable Sarah Howell will be tending the Build-Your-Own Bloody Mary Bar, which at inception more than two years ago was the first of its kind in this area. Growlers of proven merit will be dispensed and refilled. The new patio doors may even be installed; who knows. They're supposed to arrive at any minute.

We have no Van Halen tickets, so don't even ask.

Also, remember that we're only a week away: Old Lightning Rod Day is Sunday, January 15, at Bank Street Brewhouse.

Be there, or be Legacy Square. That's an inside joke for New Albanians in the know.

"Questions for the Revolution," at LouisvilleBeer.com

2012-01-05T16:02:00.001-05:00

My most recent column at LouisvilleBeer.com is up, and the next Pint/CounterPint with Adam Watson of Against the Grain will appear next week. The link on the graphic is active ... so click it.

Questions for the revolution?

Posted by Roger Baylor on Jan 5, 2012

When it comes to beer, I’ve sworn off end-of-the-year lists, enumerations and reflections, primarily because the sheer volume of great beers and wonderful drinking experiences in.

Old Lightning Rod Day is Sunday, January 15, at Bank Street Brewhouse.

2012-01-04T21:29:00.001-05:00

Old Lightning Rod

Let thy discontents be thy secrets

An annual January release commemorating the birthday of Benjamin Franklin, Old Lightning Rod is a throwback strong ale from Colonial American times, incorporating “triangular” molasses as an adjunct, and encapsulating Franklin’s sly founding wisdom.

This year, we've moved the celebration back to proximity with Benjamin Franklin's actual birth date of January 17 (in 1706), and changed the day to Sunday. It will be the first chance to get a feel for the new enclosed/former patio.

In addition to Bank Street Brewhouse's normal offerings on Sunday, January 15 -- including Brewhouse Brunch until 2:00 p.m and the normal menu of food -- there'll also be a special Old Lightning Rod Day Menu.

Polska Kielbasa ... slow smoked in Old Lightning Rod, grill seared, and served on a toasted Tribeca Hero Roll, topped with House Pickled Onion and
Apple Relish and House Honey Mustard.

Northern Bean Soup ... with Smoked Virginia Ham.

Either with a brunch item or one of these two special culinary offerings, we recommend pairing with an Old Lightning Rod, and be sure to bring your growlers for an OLR fill. Wear something remotely Colonial, and win an OLR poster signed by the brew team.

Benjamin Franklin was a multi-talented Colonial-era creative legend who brewed beer and drank beer. In his writings, Franklin referred to various types of ale and concluded that its consumption was healthy in moderation – an observation with which modern medical science concurs. What did these ales of old taste like? Six years ago, as part of a nationwide promotion on the occasion of the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary, NABC’s brewers tweaked a Colonial-era recipe provided to members of the Brewer Association, and the result was our first ever batch of Old Lightning Rod. We've repeated the experiment every year since, and the ale keeps tasting better and better.

Your continuing beer education: "Here's to Beer" and "Even More to Beer" non-credit IUS courses return in January, March 2012.

2012-01-03T21:59:00.000-05:00

My "Here's to Beer" Indiana University Southeast non-credit course returns on Wednesdays in January. Enrollment is underway now. Relatively speaking, "Here's to Beer" is designed for "beginners" just coming to the sunny side of beer enthusiasm. Don't fear the dark, consider attending, and note that "Here's to Beer" is the prerequisite for the advanced course: "Even More to Beer," which will follow in March.

Yes, you must be 21. Classes take place in the Prost room at the NABC Pizzeria & Public House at 3312 Plaza Drive (just off Grant Line Road) in New Albany. For the money, you get four class sessions, generous beer samples, and a mode of presentation that hasn't yet devolved to power point. It's oral beer history, sometimes incisive, other times rambling. No two class presentations are the same, and I hope that's a recommendation.

Get on board by visiting Indiana University Southeast’s web site via the links below, and for more, read this IUS Horizon newspaper article from spring, 2010: "Non-credit course educates students on history of beer."

Here’s to Beer! (101)
January 18, 25 and February 1, 8

Even More to Beer (202)
March 7, 14, 21 and April 4*
*Note that while the course description has the last of four classes taking place on March 28, this is Spring Break week at the university, and so we'll delay until April 4

Calendar check: River Roots (formerly Ohio River Valley Folk Fest), May 18, 19 and 20, 2012.

2012-01-02T03:52:00.000-05:00

Along with our friends from Upland Brewing in Bloomington, NABC has been pouring beers at Madison's wonderful late spring musical and folk arts event since its inception, and we hope to return in 2012. As opposed to so many other similarly styled show, Madison's edition always has embraced craft beer. Last year, Great Crescent from Aurora joined the fun, and in the future, I'm sure the new Mobreki Brewing in Madison itself will be producing enough beer to sell some down by the river.

The name has changed for 2012, to a far shorter and less tongue-tying River Roots. More at Facebook: RiverRoots Music & Folk Arts Festival - (ORV Folk Festival)

2012 River Roots Line-Up has been announced!

Friday, May 18, 2012
6pm Carolyn Martin (Texas Swing)
8pm The Band of Heathens
10pm Searson

Saturday, May 19, 2012
1pm Joe Crookston w/ Peter Glanville
3pm Roosevelt Dime
5pm Charlie Parr
7pm Over The Rhine
9pm Hayes Carll

Sunday, May 20, 2012 (Times may change)
12:30pm Appalatin
1:45pm Michael Kelsey
3pm Bobbie Lancaster & Mill Branch String Theory
4:30pm The Black Lillies

Calendar check: BIG Indiana beer events in 2012.

2012-01-01T12:42:00.001-05:00

Are you joking? It's not already festival season, is it?

Not quite, but almost. First is the Brewers of Indiana Guild's yearly Winterfest 2012, which is scheduled for Saturday, January 28, at the State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis. General admission tickets will buy their holders sampling privileges from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., but if you pony up for the VIP rate, the gates open at 3:00 p.m.

Purchase Tickets Online

Fast forwarding until summer: The weekend of July 6 and 7 is the time for judging the Indiana State Fair Brewer’s Cup. Information from 2011 is here, so be sure to check for updates.

This year, Indianapolis hosts the 2012 Beer Bloggers Conference on July 13, 14 and 15. Not coincidentally, the annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival takes place on Saturday, July 14.

These are events to consider attending if you're serious about craft beer in Indiana. Rest assured, there'll be many more.

Mayans say: Only 55 days until the end of the world as we know it.

2011-12-31T15:45:00.001-05:00

The next Office Hours with the Publican is Monday, January 9.

2011-12-30T10:13:00.000-05:00

The next scheduled Office Hours with the Publican is in the Prost Room (Pizzeria & Public House) at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, January 9.

Office Hours is an informal tasting that occurs on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month.

On the 9th, we will be sampling the back catalog of the Public House's ciders, mostly French (sorry, no Woodmuck), to determine quite frankly whether they're still drinkable.

NABC Smoked Abzug ... later in 2012.

2011-12-30T09:57:00.001-05:00

One of the major themes of my year in beer was a growing preference for session-strength pints.

"Session" is a topic that has been discussed here many times in the past, and I always like to follow the trail backwards in time to Lew Bryson's pioneering advocacy: The Session Beer Project.

Hence, the gorgeous specimen pictured above: NABC Smoked Abzug. I hasten to add that currently, the only place on the planet where this beer is on tap is the keg box in my home garage, so don't get any ideas.

Former NABC brewer Jared Williamson originally formulated Abzug as a low-gravity lager (California Common yeast) with a short maturation curve; it was our first attempt to produce a session-strength golden lager for serving at our two on-premise locations. We've since started using Bavarian yeast to brew Bat Out of Helles, which will be the inheritor of the Abzug notion.

Later, Jared came up with the idea of lightly "smoking" his Abzug, thereby creating a lower gravity version of something resembling Bamberg's Spezial. The last keg of it is in the garage, and with around nine months of down time, the liquid is now a brilliant "bright" amber, and as MASH's late and lamented Colonel Potter might have said, there aren't enough O's in smOOth to describe it. The Weyermann smoked malt is beginning to fade in intensity, but it's still present. The flavor is clean and delicious, and at less than 4% abv, you can have a few without hitting the floor.

Look for the next batch of Smoked Abzug in October of 2012. It will be available on draft at the Pizzeria & Public House, Bank Street Brewhouse, my garage, and selected Cavalier Distributing accounts in Indiana that opt for NABC's forthcoming "session tap" program. As always, stay tuned.

The patio build-out continues at Bank Street Brewhouse.

2011-12-30T09:36:00.002-05:00

We're expecting the garage doors on the 4th or 5th of January. After they're installed, the main work will be finished. All we'll have to do then is furnish the new room.

New NABC beers for 22-oz bomber bottling in 2012.

2011-12-29T08:02:00.000-05:00

As a preface, permit me to note that these beers are as yet on the drawing board. Labels must be created and approved, and the beers brewed, but we've no reason to believe these bomber releases will not occur as scheduled.

Hoosier Daddy (March release)
The most heroic word in all languages is revolution
Cream and crimson? Hoosier daddy? Is it Eugene Debs, or Bob Knight? David Letterman, or John Mellencamp? NABC unambiguously salutes all Hoosier daddies, wherever they are, whatever they do, and whomsoever they do it for, or to.
7% abv

Black & Blue Grass Saison (April release)
You can’t drink Black Grass in striped pants
Wallonian-style farmhouse ale, brewed with lemongrass and black pepper.
Circa 6% abv, perhaps higher as reformulated

Le Diable Blonde (May release)
Here comes the woman with the look in her eye
Patience is the key and virtue is the lesson from this malt bomb devil of a Belgian-style Tripel.
10.7% abv

Naughty Claus (November/Thanksgiving release)
Santa needs daze off, too
A rich, full-bodied holiday spiced ale. Unveiled for Saturnalia, NABC’s annual observance of Christmas’s pagan roots. We’ll be sticking to the 2011 formula in years to come.
7.5% abv

Bourbondaddy, Stumble Bus and Turbo Hog.

2011-12-28T20:43:00.000-05:00

Earlier, I announced NABC's release schedule for 2012, and among other projects, we'll be resurrecting three beers from the Michael Borchers era as part of a 10th anniversary series. Similarly, the primitive artwork derives from the pre-Tony (Beard) era, as conceived by the Publican (me) and actualized with stunted graphics capabilities. David Pierce, NABC's director of brewing operations, has spent the past few days poring over wrinkled old legal pads and labored scrawlings on the back of Kroger receipts, attempting to crack the seemingly forgotten codes so he can formulate these revivals. This will be fun. There'll be better art in the end, too.

Bourbondaddy
“Go forth and proceed”
Haggisdaddy, as aged in Woodford Reserve barrels in 2003 and 2004. At the time, we said that, “Batches (are) released periodically so we can gauge the progress of the experiment.”
6.5% abv

Stumble Bus
Along with Bourbondaddy, surely the most fondly remembered ale by NABC’s founding brewer, Michael Borchers. Was it Imperial IPA, or was it Barleywine? Brewed with English malt, and hopped with Galena, Cascade, East Kent Golding, Amarillo and Hallertau hops. Stumble Bus was dry-hopped with East Kent Golding and Cascade. 1056 (Chico) American yeast was used (OG 1.100).
10% abv

Turbo Hog
The finest malt liquor yet devised by man
Bush Hog’s logical culmination, sans paper bags. Augmented with corn, boosted in strength, and refashioned as a malt liquor, it was a briefly invigorating experiment. There was Bush Hog, then Turbo Hog. Boss Hog was planned, but never brewed.
9.2% abv

NABC’s 2012 Core Beer Portfolio.

2011-12-28T12:02:00.003-05:00

For 2012, NABC’s full-time core portfolio will comprise those beers we're seeking to have on draft at the Pizzeria & Public House and Bank Street Brewhouse. Because there are fewer draft lines at Bank Street Brewhouse, and a narrower range of potential solutions, it may be the case than not all core portfolio beers pour there every day. Stay tuned; we may get creative as patio build-out work continues.

Go here for NABC’s 2012 Beer Release Schedule.
Go here for NABC’s 2012 Beer Release Highlights.

* Serving tank beers at the Pizzeria & Public House; will be served at Bank Street Brewhouse as often as possible.

+ Also available in 22-oz bombers for outside distribution

# Also available on draft for outside distribution

*Bat Out of Helles
#Beak’s Best
#Bob’s Old 15-B
#Community Dark
+#Elector
+#Hoptimus
*Pickman’s Pale
*QuakerFoot and WeeFoot (rotating during cool and warm months)
#Tafel Bier
+#Tunnel Vision
+#Yakima

NABC's 2012 Beer Release Schedule.

2011-12-27T12:02:00.000-05:00

The 2012 monthly NABC beer release schedule is ready. Note that when 22-oz bomber bottle seasonals are released, they will be available on draft at both NABC locations. This is not to be considered an exhaustive listing, just what we know and can plan.

Go here for NABC’s 2012 Beer Release Highlights.
Go here for NABC’s 2012 Core Beer Portfolio.

JANUARY
22-oz bottles: Bonfire of the Valkyries
Draft only: Old Lightning Rod, Munich Dunkel

FEBRUARY
22-oz bottles: Elsa von Horizon
Draft only: ConeSmoker

MARCH
22-oz bottles: Hoosier Daddy
Draft only: Hard Core Gore, Doppelbock, (10th Anniv) Stumblebus

APRIL
22-oz bottles: Black Grass Saison
Draft only: Ordinary Bitter, Wheat Helles Bock

MAY
22-oz bottles: Le Diable Blonde
Draft only: Kaiser, Wheat Doppelbock

JUNE
22-oz bottles:
Draft only: Haggis Laddie, (10th Anniv) Turbo Hog

JULY
Draft only: Mt. Lee

AUGUST
Draft only: Phoenix

SEPTEMBER
22-oz bottles: Jaxon
Draft only: Strassenbräu , (10th Anniv) Bourbondaddy

OCTOBER
22-oz bottles: ThunderFoot
Draft only: Wet Knobs, Smoked Abzug

NOVEMBER
22-oz bottles: Naughty Claus
Draft only: ClovenFoot, Abbey’s Dubbel

DECEMBER
22-oz bottles: Solidarity
Draft only: (10th Anniv) Scotch de Ainslie

Boxing Day at the Irish Rover, 10:30 a.m. view.

2011-12-27T08:04:00.000-05:00

It's a grand Louisville tradition for the day following Christmas Day, and the Rover always does it right.

Highlights of NABC's 2012 Beer Release Schedule.

2011-12-26T12:02:00.000-05:00

It isn’t that NABC never had a beer release schedule, it’s just that we’ve never gone to the trouble to organize it for public consumption … until now.

Go here for NABC’s 2012 Beer Release Schedule.
Go here for NABC’s 2012 Core Beer Portfolio.

Following are some 2012 talking points.

---

In 2012, we’re adding four seasonal beers to the 22-oz bomber bottle program, as brewed at Bank Street Brewhouse:

Hoosier Daddy
Black & Blue Grass
Le Diable
Naughty Claus

In observance of the brewery’s 10th anniversary in 2012, we’ll be brewing three “retro” beers from the past:

Stumblebus
Turbo Hog
Bourbondaddy

Another 10th anniversary beer, this one new formulated, is a Belgian-style Wee Heavy called Scotch de Ainslie. It honors Hew Ainslie (1792-1878), New Albany’s first-known commercial brewer. Scotch de Ainslie will appear in December, 2012, as a natural segue into New Albany’s bicentennial year of 2013. The Steamboat Common brewed in 2011 will reappear in 2013 as NABC’s official New Albany bicentennial ale.

In 2012, four beers (to be named) from the German stylebook will be brewed at the Pizzeria & Public House’s R & D Brewery:

Munich Dunkel (brewed already)
Doppelbock
Wheat Helles Bock
Wheat Doppelbock

NABC's brewing calendar for 2012 is taking shape.

2011-12-22T10:01:00.001-05:00

Within the next few days, NABC will have a beer release schedule for 2012. Longtime observers will notice that this represents somewhat of a departure; obviously, we've always had a rough idea of what we'd be brewing, but it wasn't something I previously saw any urgency in reporting. For reasons great and small, I've changed my mind.

The schedule at Bank Street Brewhouse, the larger of our two breweries, is largely set for the coming year. At BSB, it's all about the bottles, so stay tuned.

At the R & D Brewery, which will be celebrating 10 years of brewing in 2012, we have several ideas up our sleeves. It will be necessary to slightly alter our usual routine during the coming year. For the moment, readers are asked to help me with a smidgen of non-binding research as to consumer preferences.

Rest assured, this is a controlled experiment. Of the following, which two do you prefer?

Abbey’s Dubbel
ClovenFoot
ConeSmoker
Kaiser 2nd Reising
Mt. Lee
Phoenix Komon
Pickman’s Pale Ale

Thanks. Comment here, or write me: roger(at)newalbanian(dot)com

NABC tonight at Westport Whiskey & Wine.

2011-12-21T09:24:00.000-05:00

Westport Whiskey & Wine in Westport Village (1115 Herr Lane in Louisville) is hosting a New Albanian tasting tonight from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. There'll be six NABC beers available in a sampling format for $5 per person, including the newly released Solidarity Baltic Porter.

This week at NABC’s Bank Street Brewhouse.

2011-12-20T11:11:00.000-05:00

Patio conversion is under way
Gumbo trial tonight
“Soft” 11 am – 5 pm hours on Christmas Eve
Solidarity Baltic Porter is being bottled today
Holiday hours for both NABC locations

Our friends at Resch Construction have started on Bank StreetBrewhouse's long-anticipated patio build-out, and to say that we’re bothexcited and grateful is a profound understatement. Thanks again, Steve.

Bank Street Brewhouse will remain open throughout the processof converting our current patio area into an all-weather facility with garagedoors opening into what will become a beer garden in time. Much of the workwill be completed within a couple of weeks, but the new roof will have to waitfor installation during warmer weather.

The wall stones were being stacked on pallets yesterday, to beput into storage and returned when the future beer garden is landscaped nextspring/summer. Since the outdoor area isn’t being used very much during coldweather, this patio work will have the minor effect of causing a bit of a mess,but it will not stand in the way of doing business in the customary way.

http://potablecurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2011/12/picture-this-bank-street-brewhouses.html

Tonight (Tuesday the 20th) will be the first sighting ofgumbo on the BSB menu. We’re thinking about making this a regular Tuesday foodspecial, along with the reduced price session ales. Wednesday remains growler discountday. Remember that Bank Street Brewhouse now opens for lunch at 11:00 a.m. fromTuesday through Saturday. Sunday Brunch begins at 10:00 a.m., but because ofthis year’s dates for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, the next brunch date isJanuary 8.

We're bottling Solidarity today, and it will be heading to the wholesalers tomorrow.

Following are the holiday hours of operation for Bank StreetBrewhouse and the Pizzeria & Public House. Note that both locations will be open (reduced schedule) on Christmas and New Year's Eves.

ChristmasEve
Saturday, December 24
Pizzeria & Public House will be open 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. (pizzeria side only;normal menu)
Bank Street Brewhouse will be open 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., with Progressive Pints, growlersand light snacks (not the everyday menu)

Christmas Day
Sunday, December 25
Both NABC locations will be closed

Boxing Day
Monday, December 26
Pizzeria & Public House will be open for normal hours (both sides)
Bank Street Brewhouse will be closed (as always on Monday)

PantsDown Potluck Port Drinkers Circle

Tuesday,December 27

In theProst room ... contact Roger immediately if you’re interested in joining theannual Port tasting

New Year’s Eve
Saturday, December 31
Pizzeria & Public House will be open 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. (pizzeria side only;normal menu)
Bank Street Brewhouse will be open 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., with Progressive Pints, growlersand light snacks (not the everyday menu)

New Year’s Day
Sunday, January 1 (2012)
Both NABC locations will be closed

Monday, January 2
Pizzeria & Public House will be open or normal hours (both sides)
Bank Street Brewhouse will be closed (as always on Monday)

Against The Grain/Mikkeller announce a collaboration.

2011-12-20T10:10:00.002-05:00

Good stuff from Against the Grain.

12/19/2011

Against The Grain Brewery, located in Louisville KY, and Danish brewer Mikkeller will collaborate on a experimental beer, emphasizing the brewers' love of brewing innovative and unique beers.

Against The Grain (AtG), founded in Oct. 2011, is Louisville's newest brewery and maintains a diverse array of beers covering all of the major categories of beer flavor while generating an endless stream of innovative new brews. In short, everything is "specialty". AtG's brewers (formerly of Bluegrass Brewing) have a notable history with Mikkeller. Brewers Jerry Gnagy and Sam Cruz have sent a number of brands to the Mikkeller Bar during 2009-2010.

Mikkeller, known as the 'Gypsy Brewer' from Copenhagen Denmark, is noted for creating challenging beers that test the boundaries of beer and where quality always comes before quantity. In other words, uncompromising beer.

The Mikkeller brand, producing over one hundred different styles of beer, has grown into one of the most sought after in the world.
“Mikkeller has been very pleased to collaborate with brewers Sam Cruz and Jerry Gnagy during the time they were working for Bluegrass Brewing.

This cooperation builds on mutual respect, friendship and interest in beers of the highest possible quality.”

The collaboration brew... 'A Bloody Show' will be available in the first quarter of 2012. Stay tuned.

In addition to the release of the AtG/ Mikkeller collaboration brew, AtG will also contract brew a 'draft only' version Mikkeller's Invasion IPA for distribution in the U.S. Mikkeller Invasion will also be available in the first quarter of 2012.

Me and Sierra.

2011-12-19T12:50:00.001-05:00

Last week,I briefly found myself having a conversation with what seemed like half thecountry, by way of Twitter and www.beernews.org. It made my fingers tired.

A Healthy Distrust Part Deux: New Albanian and Sierra Nevada debate on Twitter

Ostensibly,the chat had to do with the possibility that Sierra Nevada, which has beenbrewing in California for 31 years, might soonopen a second brewery in the vicinity of Asheville, North Carolina.

Thequestions I was asking of Sierra Nevada lastweek had to do with ideas in the form of concepts of locality and appellations of origin,formal or implied. These might be summarized like this: If your metaphoricalimage has derived from one sense of place for three decades, does it remain thesame image should production be conducted elsewhere? Are you still the same, ordo you change?

A representativefrom Sierra Nevada joined the discussion, and itbecame obvious that the company had been thinking deeply about questions likemine for quite some time. I’d be very surprised if it hadn’t. Significantly, itwas evident that I was speaking the same language as Sierra Nevada’s people; my questions were understood there, and theiranswers were understood here.

My eyebrowwas raised by the language being spoken by other participants. I was disappointedby the aggressive tone of some remarks, but even more so by the credulity ofothers. One person held that businesses don’t ever revolutionize, they merelycapitalize; this assertion undoubtedly would amuse Steve Jobs and probably Sierra Nevada’s Ken Grossman, too.

Anotherwrote that Grossman can do no wrong. Really? I submit that craft brewing surelyis a revolution, and also that absolutely none of its standard-bearers isinfallible, including me. I seriously doubt that Grossman, whom I have not met, fancies himself as perfect.

Of course,there was not a shred of hostility from this end, nor will there be. At the time of the talk, theNABC Public House & Pizzeria had these three Sierra Nevadabeers on tap: Celebration Ale, Torpedo IPA and Ovila Quad. Not a bad lineup, is it? IfI really had a grudge against Sierra Nevada,would I be pouring these?

Look, craft beeris growing up. There are many questions to be asked as it does, and in thecourse of answering these questions, there’ll be much to discuss (over beers,of course). What I learned last week should come as no surprise in "America thePolarized"; while some craft beer lovers feel a sense of entitlement when itcomes to the plethora of choice in the marketplace, they have precious littlenotion of how that cornucopia came to be.

Our Craft Nation, circa 2011, came to be because of a revolution, and that revolution had (and continues to have) certain precepts. These are mutable and subject to revision. Questions constitute an opportunity to educate, to learn, and to know. Theyare not threats.

C'mon, people. Without better thinking, what possible usefulness can there bein better drinking?

Calendar check: 2012 American Distilling Institute Conference in Louisville, and at Huber's.

2011-12-14T08:32:00.002-05:00

Upcoming weekend Anstich pouring schedule at the Public House.

2011-12-13T13:01:00.000-05:00

Once again, permit me to thank Starlight Distributing for bringing the Shelton Brothers import portfolio back to Indiana. It's amazing; we order beers, and then almost all of them are delivered in a timely fashion. At any rate, the coming weekend will bring two more 20-liter, gravity-pour “Anstich” kegs from small family breweries in Franconia (Northern Bavaria).

Friday, December 16:
Zum Grunen Baum Landbier (Brauerei-Gasthof Zum Grunen Baum “Bayer” in Rauhenebrach-Theinheim) ... 5:00 p.m. tapping

Saturday, December 17:
Löwenbräu Buttenheim Ungespundetes Lagerbier (Kellerbier; Löwenbräu Buttenheim, Buttenheim) ... 3:00 p.m. tapping

At some point between now and the end of the month, we're still expecting selected CO2-dispense kegs of Franconian delights, including Spezial Rauchbier, Mahr’s Ungespundetes Lager and Mahr’s Christmas Bock. As always, stay tuned.

Asheville NC beers at Office Hours on Monday night.

2011-12-11T10:39:00.004-05:00

We'll have a special offering of beers from breweries in Asheville NC for tasting tomorrow night in Prost, beginning at 6:30 p.m. These were brought to us by one of my IUS non-credit course students who used to work part-time in the profuse Asheville brewing scene. I will augment these with weather-appropriate samples, perhaps from Saturnalia drafts.

In growlers:

Craggie Brewing Company Antebellum Ale: An 1840's American Ale

Craggie Brewing Company Burning Barrel: Bourbon Chipotle Porter

In a bomber:

French Broad 13 Rebels ESB

French Broad Wee Heavy-er Scotch Ale

Highland Cold Mountain Winter Ale

Picture this: Bank Street Brewhouse's patio build-out.

2011-12-10T22:40:00.003-05:00

Imagine the BSB north patio "finished," with real walls and access doors, and also garage doors for opening in nice weather just like the ones already facing Bank Street.

The plan is in place, and (re)construction will begin within the next two weeks. Our landlord Steve Resch and his construction company is doing the work; they're keeping busy on Main Street, too, with the Feast BBQ project across the street from the YMCA. The BSB plan will be completed in two stages, with the walls and doors going up first, and then the roof being replaced when the weather gets warmer.

We'll be able to use the year-round space for big parties, music and events, and by making the patio into an extension of the building, the state-mandated floor plan rules will permit the use of the taps attached to the big brewery walk-in, and the current parking area to be converted into a landscaped patio. Think in terms of a beer garden, with the garage doors opening into it from the former patio.

I want to give a huge public thanks to Steve Resch and the people who usually help him at places like PC Building and Sprigler Door. This "finishing" has been a long time coming, and will leave us with a one-time brewery expansion option, to be exercised at some point in the future, before BSB becomes the way we first envisioned it -- without the green rooftop, to be sure, but who knows?

Is anyone ready for a Blank Slate?

2011-12-08T09:10:00.004-05:00

Nathan's been working on this project for a while, and it's heartening to see his group gaining some traction. There is little reason why, in the coming years, any town in the state the size of Corydon couldn't have its own locally-oriented small brewery.

Brew pub may be on tap in downtown Corydon; Group eyes downtown historical property for microbrewery, by Grace Schneider (Courier-Journal)

NABC at the CLEAN FOSSILS collaborative exhibition on Saturday, December 3.

2011-12-07T17:09:00.001-05:00

Last Saturday (December 3), Josh and Megan served NABC beers and Turtle Run wines at CLEAN FOSSILS, a collaborative exhibition featuring the artwork of the 2011-2012 senior IU Southeast BFA artists. The exhibit was held at 501 Pearl Street, an historic building in the midst of refurbishment located just around the corner from Bank Street Brewhouse. This is precisely the sort of event we enjoy doing downtown because of the good vibe it brings to a revitalizing neighborhood. For views of the art, follow these links:

CLEAN FOSSILS collaborative exhibition, December 3 (Part One).

CLEAN FOSSILS collaborative exhibition, December 3 (Part Two).

Finally, enlightenment: Economic development via craft beer in Wildomar, California.

2011-12-06T11:24:00.004-05:00

This is more like it: Economic development via craft beer. Whether it ever might play in New Albany, a place where the 20th-century barely was noticed, is another question entirely. Adam Nason of Beer News Dot Org provides the lead:

You’re a city manager with a need to build your local economy and a penchant for #craftbeer. What to do? Start a campaign.

Readers in Indianapolis, take note of NABC at the Sinking Ship on the 14th.

2011-12-05T23:31:00.000-05:00

The Sinking Ship in Indianapolis is having a special Brewery Night with New Albanian Brewing Company on Wednesday, December 14, from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., so if you're in the neighborhood (4923 N. College Ave.), drop by and choose from Beak's Best, Elector, Bob's Old 15-B, Hoptimus and a mystery keg TBA.

NABC this weekend.

2011-12-03T08:25:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow morning at Bank Street Brewhouse, brunch begins at 10.

Also, tonight is the CLEAN FOSSILS collaborative exhibition at 501 Pearl Street. There'll be NABC beer. The other half of the NABC crew will be in Louisville at the Mid City Mall for the 3rd Annual Highlands Beer Festival, sponsored by ValuMarket.

Link to the Baylor On Beer archive at Louisville Beer Dot Com.

2011-12-02T23:43:00.001-05:00

My eighth Baylor On Beer column is up at Louisville Beer Dot Com, and I'm very pleased thus far with the web site's progress. Following are the two most recently published columns, and the link to the archive where all of them are located.

How To Have A Clue ... Once upon a time – actually, just the other day – a good friend of mine triumphantly announced that he’d finally landed the job of his dreams, working for one of the area’s preeminent package stores.

They’re Legislators, Not Logicians ... Last week I shuffled down to the drug store to buy a tube of toothpaste, and while waiting at the corner to cross the street, a Wal-Mart semi-trailer truck came barreling toward the intersection. There wasn’t enough room for him to make the turn, and I had to scurry for cover as those big wheels popped up on the sidewalk.

Archive

Achtung, baby: Two Mahrs Brau gravity-pour Anstich kegs celebrate Saturnalia this weekend.

2011-11-29T10:39:00.003-05:00

Last weekend's Anstich keg of Schlenkerla Eiche was sublime, but there's more coming.

Thanks to the advent of Starlight Distributing, the Shelton Brothers import portfolio has returned to Indiana, and not a moment too soon; a long delayed round of fresh, rare 20-liter, gravity-pour “Anstich” kegs from small family breweries in Franconia (Northern Bavaria) were ordered for Saturnalia MMXI, and they have started arriving.

We'll tap the first two Anstich kegs this weekend at the Pizzeria & Public House. There'll be 40 half-liter pours in each, so be there on time.

Friday, December 2:
Mahr's Brau Christmas Bock (Mahrs Bräu, Bamberg) ... 5:00 p.m. tapping

Saturday, December 3:
Mahr's Brau Unfiltered Pilsner (Mahrs Bräu, Bamberg) ... 3:00 p.m. tapping

Also ordered for Saturnalia (Anstich):

Zum Grunen Baum Landbier (Brauerei-Gasthof Zum Grunen Baum “Bayer” in Rauhenebrach-Theinheim)

Löwenbräu Buttenheim Ungespundetes Lagerbier (Kellerbier; Löwenbräu Buttenheim, Buttenheim)

In addition, we may have a few other conventional CO2-dispense kegs of Franconian delight: Spezial Rauchbier, Mahr’s Ungespundetes Lager and more Mahr’s Christmas Bock. Stay tuned.

Opening of Sunday brunch at Bank Street Brewhouse.

2011-11-27T16:27:00.002-05:00

Thanks to everyone who patronized BSB today, and to staff for hoofing it. Brunch got off to a wonderful start!

Saturnalia MMXI .PDF link.

2011-11-26T13:04:00.001-05:00

http://www.newalbanian.com/nabcsite2008/downloads/Saturnalia_program_2011_MMXI_Final.pdf

Rocky's to celebrate the advent of its app next Tuesday, November 29.

2011-11-25T15:40:00.005-05:00

This information from Rocky's comes straight from the source. A couple of years ago, I took note of the long history of Rocky's: Mug Shots: Rocky’s returns to its superb beer-list roots.

CUSTOMIZED CRAFT BEER APP CHANGES THE FACE OF ROCKY’S BEER MENU

Interactive beer app will become new beer menu as Rocky’s continues to drive Craft Beer Sales

Rocky’s Sub Pub is excited to invite everyone to their Launch Party on Tuesday, November 29th, to introduce their new, custom designed, Craft Beer Menu Application. This state of the art, Android-based application was custom created and designed specifically for Rocky’s guests and craft beer followers.

The custom craft beer app will bring Rocky’s extensive craft beer selection to an Android app tablet for customers to use during their dining experience.

The new app will feature their bottle and draft beer lists, brewing information, definitions of styles, ABVs and IBUs. It will even allow guests to design their own beer flight using various featured and local craft beer options. Guests will also be able to automatically post to facebook and tweet about the beers they are enjoying. The app features a “Beer 101” section dedicated to educational information and craft beer basics.

“We are very excited to bring such a new, cutting edge experience to our guests with our new beer app. For the past 3 years we have embraced craft beer and we feel this will help to educate our guests and enhance their overall experience,” Wes Johnson, owner of Rocky’s Sub Pub, said. “It truly is the beer menu we have been waiting for, one that is fun, interactive and full of unique beer information.”

The launch party on Tuesday, November 29th will begin at 5pm at Rocky’s Sub Pub on the river in Jeffersonville. Several limited release beers will be on tap during the party, as well as some industry classics. Craft brewery reps will be onsite to discuss their beers and the unveiling of this new Rocky’s Beer App.

Rocky’s Sub Pub is a single location in Jeffersonville, IN, owned by Buckhead Management Inc., which also operates four Buckhead Mountain Grill locations. Both Buckhead and Rocky’s are local family-friendly restaurants and are dedicated to supporting and promoting the beer sector and craft beers from around the region. They are focused on continuing to offer new craft selections and seasonal beers throughout the year. With a revamp of their system a few years back, Rocky’s ranks as the Largest Craft Beer Selection on tap in the Clark County area, with over 32 craft beers on draft.

Today: Saturnalia MMXI kicks off at 11:00 a.m. at the Pizzeria & Public House.

2011-11-25T00:01:00.001-05:00

Saturnalia MMXI kicks off at 11:00 a.m. on Plaid Friday (that’s today, November 25) at the Pizzeria & Public House, and here are the listed selections that will be pouring.

Unexpected but welcomed
A late addition to the list will be on tap today: Affligem Noël (9% abv).

Eiche/Anstich
At opening today, Eric will tap an Anstich (gravity dispense) keg of …

Schlenkerla Eiche (Oak)
Traditionally, beechwood is the brewery’s wood of choice; oak comes dearer, and generally is not used for such purposes. Until 2009, that is, when this was one of the year’s best. 8% abv.

We’ll be serving Schlenkerla Eiche by the half-liter while it lasts, and at the bargain basement rate of $5 plus sales tax. Think of it as our Oaked Friday Special.

The Other Eight
Look (here) sometime on Friday morning for the link to the Saturnalia MMXI program in .pdf format. You can save, print and peruse. Meanwhile, here are the other eight starters for today.

Anchor Christmas Ale (“Merry Christmas & Happy New Year”), 2011 Vintage
This holiday ale’s recipe has differed a tad each year since inception in 1975, but the conceptual links with trees (on the bottle label) and the winter solstice have endured throughout. 5.5% abv.

Boulevard Nutcracker Ale
It’s a classic winter warmer, but with a distinctly American twist of freshly harvested Chinook hops, flown to the brewery from the Pac NW. 5.8% abv.

Breckenridge Christmas Ale
Dark mahogany in color (two row, caramel, chocolate, black malts) with Chinook and Mt. Hood for balance. Very Colorado, with a healthy 7.4% abv.

Corsendonk Christmas Ale
Among the more consistent of Abbey-style producers, Corsendonk’s annual Christmas Ale never ceases to be anticipated. Is that a hint of coriander amid the ruby-chestnut elegance? 8.5% abv.

Great Divide Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti
The usual Yeti hopping is muted; cocoa nibs peek through, combining with vanilla from the oak chips and a hint of cayenne pepper. 9.5% abv.

Great Divide Hibernation Ale
It’s a winter ale, but one that is lagered for three months prior to release. Perhaps overshadowed by some of today’s extreme microbrews, but enduring, unique and worthy in its own right - deep, nutty and smooth. 8.1% abv.

NABC Naughty Claus
Santa needs daze off, too
A rich, full-bodied holiday spiced seasonal that changes wardrobe a bit each year as we experiment with festive additives: For 2011, malts include US Pale Ale Malt (Rahr), Belgian Aromatic Malt and Simpsons Crystal Medium, with Hosey honey added. Hops are German Hallertauer and Magnum. Orange Peel, Sweet Ginger Root, Cinnamon and Nutmeg are the spices (with dry-gingering in the Brite tanks). NABC’s house Chouffe yeast completes the scene. 8% abv.

Ommegang/Chouffe Gnomegang
Think of it as a cross-Atlantic collaboration brew between the slightly older school Brasserie Achouffe and America’s Ommegang. The style is Belgian Strong Blonde Ale, with three malts, some oats and wheat and Saaz hops. 9.5% abv.

Here’s what NABC is doing this week.

2011-11-23T12:00:00.005-05:00

Nutzoid holiday weeks begin now.

Naughty Claus, version 2011, is back on tap at both NABC locations, because Santa needs daze off, too. Naughty Claus is NABC's rich, full-bodied holiday spiced seasonal that changes wardrobe a bit each year as we experiment with festive additives.

Get some tonight, because on Thursday, November 24 (Thanksgiving Day), both Bank Street Brewhouse and the Pizzeria & Public House will be closed. Both of our locations will-reopen at 11:00 a.m. on Plaid Friday, November 25.

On Saturday, November 26, NABC’s Josh Hill will be pouring samples at Kaiser Tobacco Store on Pearl Street from 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. as part of downtown New Albany’s annual Jingle Walk and Holiday Fest. Later that same evening, we’ll be manning the concessions at the Art Store for Deck the Walls (circa 2:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.)

Also, please note these new, expanded opening hours for Bank Street Brewhouse. Operating hours at the Pizzeria & Public House remain as before.

Bank Street Brewhouse Hours

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
Hours: 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Lunch: 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Dinner: 5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Friday and Saturday
Hours: 11:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Lunch: 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Dinner: 5:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.

Sunday
Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Sunday Brunch (see below): 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Dinner: 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

The other big BSB news is the advent of brunch on Sundays, beginning this Sunday morning, November 27.

Bank Street Brewhouse Sunday Brunch …

New Brunch Menu (10 am - 2 pm)
Handcrafted NABC beer
Takeaway growlers of handcrafted NABC beer
Takeaway 22 oz. Bomber bottles of handcrafted NABC beer
Famous and celebrated “Build Your Own” Bloody Mary Bar
Mimosas, regional bourbons, wines and & spirits
10:00 a.m. first call for drinks (3 hours before Louisville)
Just a few minutes across the Kennedy or Clark Memorial bridges

Naughty Claus 2011 is on tap now at both NABC locations.

2011-11-23T08:20:00.006-05:00

Naughty Claus 2011

Santa needs daze off, too

A rich, full-bodied holiday spiced seasonal that changes wardrobe a bit each year as we experiment with festive additives. Usually unveiled for Saturnalia, NABC’s annual observance of Christmas’s pagan roots.

Malts: US Pale Ale Malt (Rahr), Belgian Aromatic Malt,
Simpsons Crystal Medium

Sugar: Hosey Honey … http://hoseyhoney.com

Hops: German Hallertauer Magnum

Spices: Orange Peel, Sweet Ginger Root, Cinnamon, Nutmeg (dry-gingered in the Brite tanks)

Yeast: Chouffe (House Belgian)

OG: 19 degrees Plato
ABV: 8%
IBU: 20

Food, drink, etc -- New Albany indies "inside the beltway."

2011-11-22T09:33:00.002-05:00

NABC's graphics department, otherwise known as staff artist Tony Beard, has been updating the map normally situated to the left of the Bank Street Brewhouse door. I've helped him assemble this list, the purpose of which is to provide quasi-accurate food and drink information to passers-by. In the eventuality that we are not open on a particular day or at a certain time, it is that visitors will patronize another establishment and keep their expenditures local.

The main target is downtown because that's within short driving and walking (or biking) distance, but listings have been expanded to include independent local food and drink businesses inside the beltway. Take a look at the updated list. What are we missing?

Coffee

“Earth Friends Café & Coffee Bar” 3211 Grant Line Road (at Summit Square) 812-725-9393

“Quills Coffee” (coming in November 2011) 137 East Market Street

“Hobknobb Roasting Company” 419 State Street New Albany, IN 47150 (812) 944-4555 (also maintains a kiosk in the NA-FC Public Library)

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Sweets & Ice Cream

“Honey Creme Donut Shop” 514 Vincennes Street 812-945-2150

“Rookies Cookies” 310 Pearl Street (812) 948-8858

“Sweet Stuff Bakery” 323 East Spring Street 812-948-2507

“Zesto Ice Cream” (seasonal) 2740 Charlestown Road 812-944-6845

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Classic Taverns

“B & B Pub & Grill” 1423 Culbertson Avenue 812-725-9955

“Hitching Post Tavern” 115 West Market Street 812-945-8854

“Hugh E. Bir’s Cafe” 324 East Market Street 812-945-8884

“Pastime Grill & Pub” 424 East Market Street 812-945-9055

“Uptown Bar” 330 Vincennes Street 812-945-1850

“Vic’s Cafe” 1839 East Market Street 812-944-4338

“Vickie's Good Times Bar” 114 East Market Street 812-941-8000

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Package Beer, Wine and Liquor (no food)

“Bottles Unlimited” 427 State Street 812-945-6765 (also owns Uptown Liquors at 609 Vincennes Street)

“Bridge Liquors” 110 Knable Lane 812-949-6396

“Keg (New Albany)” 302 Pearl Street Suite B 812-948-0444

“Sunset Spirits” 2706 Paoli Pike 812-944-4031

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Pool Halls

“Jack’s” 3308 Plaza Drive 812-948-1600 FULL BAR/BAR FOOD

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Restaurants (with alcoholic beverages)

“(The) Bank Fusion Cuisine and Lounge” 203 East Main 812-944-1929 FUSION/LOUNGE/NIGHTCLUB

“Feast BBQ” (coming in Spring 2012) 116 West Main Street BARBECUE

"Habana Blues" 148 East Market St 812-944-9760 CUBAN

"(The) Irish Exit" 207 East Main Street 812-944-1929 IRISH PUB

“La Bocca Restaurant” 134 East Market Street 812-725-9495 ITALIAN

"La Rosita Mexican Grill" 336 Pearl Street 812-944-3620 MEXICAN

"Louis Le Français" 133 East Market Street 812-944-1222 FRENCH

“Mac’s Hideaway” 1636 Slate Run Road 812-945-4256 PUB GRUB

“NA Exchange pub + kitchen” 3306 Plaza Drive 812-948-6501 GASTROPUB

“NABC Bank Street Brewhouse” 415 Bank Street 812-725-9585 BREWERY/CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN … carry-out beer sales on Sunday

“River City Winery” 321 Pearl Street 812-945-9463 WINERY/ CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN … carry-out wine sales on Sunday

“Sam’s Food & Spirits” 3800 Payne Koehler Road 812-945-9757 AMERICAN

“Toast on Market” 141 East Market Street 812-941-8582 CONTEMPORARY BREAKFAST/LUNCH

“Tucker’s American Favorites” 2441 State Street 812-944-9999 SPORTS BAR

“Wick’s Pizza” 225 State Street 812-945-9425 PIZZA

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Restaurants (without alcoholic beverages)

“Dock Seafood” 1125 State Street 812-944-2951 FISH & SEAFOOD

“Jackson's Seafood” 400 West Main Street 812-945-3474 FISH & SEAFOOD

“Hing Wang Chinese Restaurant” 2123 Spring Street 812-542-2728 CHINESE

“Lancaster Cafeteria” 223 West 5th Street 812-949-2400 HOME COOKING

“Little Chef” 147 East Market Street 812-949-7567 CLASSIC DINER

Links to NABC's "beerography," 2002-2011.

2011-11-21T19:47:00.000-05:00

There are a few omissions -- Jared's parting Omega and Ben's Pickman's Pale Ale spring immediately to mind -- but the 100+ beers listed in these 11 categories comprise the "beerography" of NABC since we began brewing in 2002. Once these are published at www.newalbanian.com after the new website goes live, I'll go back in and clean up the lists.

(1) Regulars: NABC’s Core Portfolio.
(2) NABC Seasonal Beer List.
(3) NABC Session Series.
(4) NABC Gruit Series.
(5) NABC Footed Stout Series.
(6) NABC Collaborations.
(7) NABC Heritage Series.
(8) NABC World Cup Trilogy (2010).
(9) NABC Brewers’ Best Friend Series.
(10) NABC Single Malt Single Hop APA Series.
(11) NABC Retirees.

(11) NABC retirees.

2011-11-20T19:38:00.003-05:00

Retirees

It is a roster destined to remain in flux, because beers will be added to it, and although it is unlikely we’ll brew any of these again, far stranger things have happened. The Publican is especially predisposed to reassign use of some of these names. You just may see them again, perhaps used for a completely different beer, or perhaps there’ll be an archive series some day. Retirees are tagged according to the primary era of brewing:

Michael Borchers era, 2002-2005
Assistants: Joey Burns, and then Chris Spellman
Tag: MicB

Jesse Williams era, 2005-2009
Assistants: Chris Spellman, and then Jared Williamson
Tag: JesW

Jared Williamson era, 2008-2011
Assistants: Kyle Tavares, and then Ben Minton
Tag: JaW

(The) Black Hand
David and Beth Howard’s robust porter recipe won the 10th annual FOSSILS homebrewed porter competition in 2002, and was brewed by NABC for release the same year. In 2003, Bob Capshew’s recipe won the competition, and permanently altered the course of NABC Porter production.
MicB

Bourbondaddy
“Go forth and proceed”
Haggisdaddy, as aged in Woodford Reserve barrels in 2003 and 2004. At the time, we said that, “Batches (are) released periodically so we can gauge the progress of the experiment.”
6.5% abv
MicB

Bush Hog
Floats over the yearning palate as a ship rides the waves
Billed as “The greatest lawnmower beer on earth; cuts a swath 86 IBUs wide,” with tap handle art culled from century-old, heavy-duty, grass-cutting clip art.
Circa 6.8% abv
MicB

Turbo Hog
The finest malt liquor yet devised by man
Bush Hog’s logical culmination, sans paper bags. Augmented with corn, boosted in strength, and refashioned as a malt liquor, it was a briefly invigorating experiment.
9.2% abv
MicB

Elector Select
Democracy’s ultimate pointlessness
Elector on steroids … whether intentional, or not isn’t known, but it’s a nice riff on Budweiser Select.
9.5% abv
MicB

ELI
Not only is ELI coming … it’s already gone
It was a Sour Hoppy Red Ale, and the final keg of an in-house improvisational legend.
7.5% abv
65 IBU
JarW

Flat Tyre
Rocky Mountain spring water is highly overrated
Newly minted brown ale unexpectedly gone amber, and an improvisational pun on a popular Colorado craft beer. When Fat Tire began being sold in Indiana, the joke got old, and quickly.
Circa 5.5% abv
JesW

Haggisdaddy
“Go forth and proceed”
Dry stout base for Bourbondaddy, with only few kegs sold of this unalloyed variety.
5.8% abv
MicB

Happy Helmut
Souvenirs, Novelties, Party Tricks
An homage to Franconian beer making, with smoked malt and lager yeast. Helmut later was merged into Smoked Abzug.
JarW

Hopscotch
The plan was to brew a Wee Heavy first, then use the second runnings for a small ale. The mash got stuck, and after a laborious rescue mission, a single batch of heavily hopped Scottish ale was the final result.
Circa 5.5% abv
MicB

Merckx
Belgian-style pale ale, inspired by De Koninck of Antwerp and the exploits of Eddy Merckx - competitive cycling's greatest all-around performer.
Circa 5% abv
MicB

Noble Smoker
Next best thing to being in Bamberg
It was based on the original ConeSmoker, but with a bigger Beechwood-smoked malt grain bill, and all "Noble" German hops. In turn, a slightly revised ConeSmoker was spawned.
7.5% abv
MicB

Saison, Farmhouse Saison and Saison III
Initial experiments with Belgian Saison yeast. Because this yeast is still in use, variants may return, and if so, annually in late summer.
JesW and JarW

Saison Scalawag
Cooler check!
Only a scalawag would refuse a cooler check. Brewed with Belgian pale malt, English crystal malt, wheat, honey, East Kent Goldings, Cascades, and Spalt. OG 1072; FG circa 1020.
MicB

Saison de Houblon
Happiness is a hoppy farmhouse
Spicy hop notes abound in this, a Dry Hopped Belgian Saison.
7% abv
35 IBU
JaW

Silent Oath
The joy in Belgium
Drawn from an episode n Hugo Claus’s novel, “The Sorrow of Belgium,” it was Belgian-style Brown, perhaps with a hint of intentional sourness. A portion was aged in oak chips.
MicB

St. Alfonzo
Pancake breakfasts purely optional
This Belgian strong ale with quasi-Trappist predilections incorporated simple ingredients: Belgian two-row pale malt, rock candy, brewer’s crystals (fermentable sugar), Spalt (German noble) hops and Abbey yeast.
10% abv
MicB

St. Radegund
Get thee to a nunnery ... but not quite yet
It was a reformulated variant of Beak’s Best, and a nod to Terry K. at the St. Radegund pub in Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Circa 6% abv
JesW

Stumble Bus
Along with Bourbondaddy, surely the most fondly remembered ale by NABC’s founding brewer, Michael Borchers. Was it Imperial IPA, or was it Barleywine? Brewed with English malt, and hopped with Galena, Cascade, East Kent Golding, Amarillo and Hallertau hops. Stumble Bus was dry-hopped with East Kent Golding and Cascade. 1056 (Chico) American yeast was used (OG 1.100).
10.5% abv
MicB

Single Hop APA (Palisades)
Summerfest ReplicAle 2011, brewed by Hoosier brewers for the Brewers of Indiana Guild festival.
JarW

V Fifth Anniversary Ale
Strong ale brewed in honor of the New Albanian Brewing Company's first five years, V (fifth anniversary) was Jesse's and Jared's contemporary contribution to NABC myth and legend.

5 Malts: Maris Otter, 2-row, Caramalt, special B, aromatic

5 Hops and hop additions: Simcoe, Saaz, Nugget, Galena, Centennial

House London yeast

Notes: 5,555 second boil (92 minutes, 35 seconds)

80 IBUs
10% abv
JesW and JarW

VII Seventh Anniversary Ale
Dark IPA, and as with the 5th Anniversary’s reliance on the number five, the 7th anniversary ale utilized the number seven as much as possible. In case you’re wondering, there was no 6th anniversary ale.

7 malts, 7 hops, 7 hop additions, each at 7oz, the last addition features 7oz of each of the 7 hops … 77 IBU, 77 minute boil and 7.7 ABV.
JarW

VIII Eighth Anniversary Ale
IPA, explained in Jared’s notes: “VIII celebrates the passage of an historic year in NABC's short brewing history. Continuing the tradition of featuring the anniversary year number in the beer as much as reasonably possible, VIII features four base and four specialty malts, eight total, that build a rich golden hue and depth of flavor, defying the lightness of its appearance. The eight hops used are familiar "foes" from the competitive Single Hop APA series, and each boil addition was a reunion of the previous head to head match ups, added in reverse chronological order. VIII is dry hopped with the eight hops to bring the aroma a complex boutique of the beautiful cone's best Pacific Northwest varietals.”

8 Malts: 4 Base: Simpsons Golden Promise, Castle Pale, Global Pils, Rahr 2-row; 4 Specialty: (8% of the grist each) Weyermanns Vienna, Castle Aromatic, Briess Cara-Pils, Flaked Rye

8 Hops: All used in both the kettle, and for dry hopping. Boil additions (80 minute boil):
60 minute Warrior, Summit
40 minute Chinook, Simcoe
20 minute Centennial, Amarillo
0 minute Nugget, Cascade

8% ABV
80 IBU’s
8 SRM
JarW

IX Ninth Anniversary Ale
(To be released in 2011: Imperial Smoked Chocolate Port Barrel Stout)

Malts: Rahr 2-row, Weyermann Smoked (Beechwood), Briess Chocolate, Briess Roasted Barley, Simpsons Chocolate, Briess Aromatic, Briess Smoked Malt (Cherry), Castle Special B, Flaked Oats

Hops: Northern Brewer (Mash), Northern Brewer (First Wort), Northern Brewer (@60min)

IBUs: 50.1
ABV: Circa 9%
Yeast: House Ale

(10) NABC Single Malt Single Hop APA Series.

2011-11-19T16:30:00.001-05:00

Single Malt Single Hop APA Series

This series is an ongoing educational tool for learning to appreciate an individual hop and malt in a classic APA style. The long term idea: Through the matchups in this tournament, we will crown a “champion” that will become the NABC house APA. Contestants are brewed on back to back days and tapped at the same time, and the first one to run out advances as the round winner.

Round 1:

Cascade vs. Nugget
Released November 2009

First round winner: Cascade

Round 2:

Amarillo vs. Centennial
Released April 2010

Second round winner: Amarillo

Round 3:

Chinook vs. Simcoe
Released July 2010

Third round winner: Simcoe

Round 4:

Summit vs. Warrior
Released October 2010

Fourth round winner: Summit

Semifinals:

Cascade vs. Amarillo
Released January 2011

Winner: Amarillo

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Summit vs. Simcoe
Released Spring 2011

Winner: Simcoe

The pouring for Saturnalia MMXI begins on Plaid Friday, November 25.

2011-11-18T08:33:00.004-05:00

It's time again for NABC's annual Saturnalia primer.

Just like last year, some listed selections for Saturnalia MMXI will begin pouring on Plaid Friday, November 25. I'll post the starters some time that morning. In the past, we were able to have many more Saturnalia beers pouring at once, but these days there are fewer taps to fill with 12-15 NABC house beers are on tap all the time. There'll be six, maybe eight Saturnalia beers on draft at any given time, plenty enough to last through December.

The NABC Pizzeria & Public House opens at 11:00 a.m. on the 25th. Note also that in the interest of saving a few bucks, I'll once again refrain from printing the official program, although it will be posted as a .pdf at the website, and you can download and print it yourself if desired. The link will appear here and on Facebook as soon as the program is finished.

Following are the simple listings of 30 beers for Saturnalia MMXI.

Anchor Christmas Ale (“Merry Christmas & Happy New Year”) 2011
Boulder Never Summer Ale
Boulevard Harvest Dance Wheat Wine 9.1%
Boulevard Nutcracker Ale *
Breckenridge Christmas Ale
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout 2010
Clipper City Winter Storm
Corsendonk Christmas Ale
Dark Horse Tres
Einbecker Winter Dopple Bock
Great Divide Belgian Yeti
Great Divide Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti
Great Divide Hibernation Ale
Left Hand Fade to Black 2011
Mahrs Christmas Bock
NABC Bonfire of the Valkyries
NABC Naughty Claus
NABC Solidarity
New Belgium Snow Day
Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence Stout
Ommegang/Chouffe Gnommegang
North Coast Brother Thelonious
Schlenkerla Eiche
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale
Stone 15th Anniversary Escondidian Black IPA
Stone Belgo IRS 2011
Stone Double Bastard 2010
Stone Vertical Epic 10.10.10
Three Floyds Alpha Klaus Xmas Porter
Two Brothers Hop Juice

For those just tuning in, we've been doing this for a while.

In pre-Christian Rome, Saturnalia was the annual winter solstice celebration coinciding with the feast days for Saturn (god of sowing and the harvest), Consus (god of the storage bin) and Opa (goddess of plenty).

Many of our contemporary winter holiday traditions derive from Saturnalia’s pagan roots, including the hanging of wreaths and garlands, donations to the needy, prayers for peace, time off work to be enjoyed with family, and of course eating, drinking and merriment.

NABC pays tribute to these ancient pagan origins with Saturnalia, our holiday draft celebration. When the doors open at 11:00 a.m. on our new Saturnalia kick-off day, Plaid Friday (November 25, 2011), the first wave of sacrificial MMXI Saturnalia selections will be tapped in the traditional, ritualistic manner, and the hedonistic pleasures will begin. The remaining kegs will be deployed as the days pass, and the revelry is expected to continue throughout the month of December.

Pricing and portion sizes vary according to alcohol content and style. During the festival’s run, information and updates will appear on our web site: www.newalbanian.com

(9) NABC Brewers’ Best Friend Series.

2011-11-16T16:29:00.001-05:00

Brewers’ Best Friend Series

Assertive, loyal specialties named for our brewers’ canine chums, and often the beers of choice for creative aging.

Abbey’s Dubbel
She makes the schedules -- not me.
Straight-forward Belgian-style brown ale, named in honor of NABC co-owner Kate Lewison’s canine companion.
6.2% abv
17 IBU

Elsa von Horizon
Bekämpfen und ich beiße Sie
Never one to settle for the ordinary, Elsa proves that living boldly is always in style. True to her nature, this Imperial Pilsner runs long and powerfully, never gives up, and remains squarely in your memory if you are ever lucky to meet. Packed with Noble hops and Continental malts, Elsa is truly a legend.
8.6% abv
80 IBU
Seasonally available in 22-oz bomber bottles

Henna
Now that’s what I wanted!
Henna always likes to smell stuff. We like to smell her hoppy beer. It’s a Black IPA … or was that Cascadian Dark Ale?
7% abv
83 IBU

Jasmine the Mastiff
As the lion is to the cat, the mastiff is to the dog
Silky, sweet Stout with a solid roasted character. Big, bold, and ready to lean on you.
7.5% abv
35 IBU

Jaxon
With a bark like that, who needs Pat?
The newest member of the Brewers’ Best Friend Series. Jaxon, NABC’s properly pedigreed Barley Wine Ale, is brewed and aged by David Pierce at Bank Street Brewhouse. Only the first runnings are collected from the mash tun, with no sparge. Three separate mashes make up one batch. Drop the leash … and let Jaxon run.
11% abv
100+ IBU
Seasonally available in 22-oz bomber bottles

2011 bomber labels for Bonfire of the Valkyries and Solidarity.

2011-11-16T11:25:00.002-05:00

Solidarity is approved. In 2011, there'll be only one Bonfire, at the "Imperial" strength. Look for these on shelves soon. If I knew exactly when, I'd say so.

(8) NABC World Cup Trilogy (2010).

2011-11-16T11:22:00.002-05:00

World Cup Trilogy, 2010

Football fanatic (and former NABC brewmaster) Jared Williamson conceived the Trilogy, with a unique beer unveiled for each of the USA’s opening round matches in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

USA vs. England – Ordinary Bitter
Classic cask ale malt from the UK, with Pacific Northwest hops for flavor and aroma. English ale yeast. Cross-referenced with NABC’s Session Series.
3.9% abv
26 IBU

USA vs. Slovenia – Keller Pils
European and North American malts, hopped seven times with 100% Slovenian-grown Styrian Goldings. Cross-referenced with NABC’s Session Series.
3.9% abv
36 IBU

USA vs. Algeria – Biere de Garde
Franco-Belgian malts, hopped to style, with spicing inspired by the Maghreb region’s cuisine, specifically tajine. Chouffe yeast.
3.9% abv
15 IBU

(7) NABC Heritage Series.

2011-11-16T06:12:00.000-05:00

Heritage Series

Glimpses into the past; seasonal availability, on draft only.

Ackerman’s Imperial Double Stout
2011 Winterfest ReplicAle
As featured at the Brewers of Indiana Guild Winterfest 2011 as ReplicAle, formulated by the NABC brew team, and brewed at breweries throughout Indiana. After Prohibition ended, Ackerman’s briefly brewed in New Albany, and was the last commercial brewery in town until NABC’s brewery opened in 2002.
43 IBU
8.5% ABV

Hop-O
A blast from New Albany’s illicit past
This Prohibition Era Cereal Beer is the most infamous New Albany beverage of all. It was supposed to have been Southern Indiana Brewing Company’s “near beer” at less than 1% abv, but the Feds learned that it was above 3% – and the bribes weren’t enough. Now Hop-O is revived, and notorious for entirely different reasons.
? IBU
3.5% ABV

Kaiser 2nd Reising
Your great, great granddaddy’s pilsner
Before World War One, the Paul Reising Brewing Company was New Albany’s pre-eminent brewing concern, and it occupied a respected position in the pantheon of local business. In the contemporary age, NABC recognizes Paul Reising and the city’s other brewers of old with this Pre-Prohibition Pilsner.
40 IBU
5.5% ABV

Old Lightning Rod
Let thy discontents be thy secrets
An annual January release commemorating the birthday of Benjamin Franklin, Old Lightning Rod is a throwback strong ale from Colonial American times, incorporating “triangular” molasses as an adjunct, and encapsulating Franklin’s sly founding wisdom.
26 IBU
7.5% ABV

Phoenix Kentucky Komon
None just like it!
Old-time Louisville brewers were known to purloin sour (corn) mash from neighboring distilleries, using it as adjunct in batches of everyday ale. NABC’s paean to our creative “forebrewers” comes out sour, because we like it that way.
25 IBU
5% ABV

Steamboat Common (also listed as a Collaboration)
New Albanian/Great Crescent collaboration 2011
NABC’s Jared Williamson and Dan Valas of the Great Crescent brewery in Aurora formulated this throwback in honor of festivities commemorating the 200th anniversary of the first steamboat journey up and back the Ohio River. It included smoked malt, sorghum and molasses.
7.5% ABV
33.2 IBU

(6) NABC Collaborations.

2011-11-16T02:56:00.000-05:00

Collaborations

When brewers from different breweries get together, good things happen. When brewers and pub owners, coffee roasters and chocolatiers get together, more good things happen.

Le Douche Mentale
New Albanian/The Livery collaboration 2009
Imperial Belgian IPA, with different portions aged different ways.
70 IBU
8.5% ABV

C1
New Albanian/O’Fallon/Schlafly collaboration 2009/10
Oak Aged Dry Hopped Smoked Rye Pale Ale
45 IBU
5.8% ABV

C2
New Albanian/O’Fallon/Schlafly collaboration 2010
Smoked Belgian Dark Strong; Port and Cabernet barrel-aged, infused with figs.
30 IBU
10.7% ABV

C3
New Albanian/O’Fallon/Schlafly collaboration 2010
Dry Hopped American Mild
22 IBU
4% ABV

Pirate Pale Ale
New Albanian/Charlestown Pizza Company collaboration 2011
American Pale Ale, formulated and brewed with our friends at CPC.
45 IBU
5.5% ABV

B’Urban Trotter
New Albanian/De Struise/Louisville Beer Store collaboration 2011
Imperial India Pale Ale … If the Kentucky Derby is the greatest two minutes in sports, then B’Urban Trotter is the finest few moments of sipping, because what better place for a brewer/ostrich rancher from Flanders to seek inspiration than Louisville’s annual Run for the Roses? With collaborative assistance from NABC and Louisville Beer Store, De Struise’s Urbain Coutteau created this “Derbied” Double India Pale Ale to be dry-hopped and bourbon/oak aged, with a phantom suggestion of mint for the home stretch.
208 IBU
9.2% ABV

Naughty Girl
New Albanian/De Struise/Louisville Beer Store collaboration 2011
Belgian India Blonde Ale … 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. She’s naturally naughty -- by nurture.
69 IBU
6% ABV
Limited one-time bottling

Steamboat Common (also listed in the Heritage Series)
New Albanian/Great Crescent collaboration 2011
NABC’s Jared Williamson and Dan Valas of the Great Crescent brewery in Aurora formulated this throwback in honor of festivities commemorating the 200th anniversary of the first steamboat journey up and back the Ohio River. It included smoked malt, sorghum and molasses.
7.5% ABV
33.2 IBU

(5) NABC Footed Stout Series.

2011-11-15T03:16:00.000-05:00

Footed Stout Series

ClovenFoot
Belgian sunshine for Monsieur Scratch
NABC’s strain of Belgian yeast from the Ardennes transforms strong, rich Stout into a matter of hoofed provocation.
8.2% abv
30 IBU

QuakerFoot
There’s always time to sew more oats
Some smooth, some sweet, and some roast. Is it breakfast yet?
ABV: 5.7%
IBU: 26

ThunderFoot
Ultimate urban renewal
There can be no doubt: ThunderFoot actively renounces the gentle tweak, the mild revision, and the imperceptible hint. ThunderFoot neither seeks to make a plausible case for adaptive reuse, nor can be bothered with the nuances of historical preservation. ThunderFoot puts its elongated foot squarely down, advocating your palate’s restructuring the old-fashioned way – whole cloth, entire, complete, irresistible, certain and inevitable.
12% abv
90 IBU
Also available in 22-oz bomber bottles

WeeFoot
Feed the beast
A dry and sessionable Stout. On those days when you only need a little stout, WeeFoot is there.
5% abv
48 IBU

(4) NABC Gruit Series.

2011-11-14T15:01:00.002-05:00

Gruit Series

Beers in the olden style, sans hops.

Artemsia
What has science done?
Brown ale brewed with two-row barley and molasses, and flavored with mugwort (the "dream herb," related to sagebrush and a cousin of wormwood), sweet orange peel and chamomile. As with wormwood, mugwort is regarded as useful in repelling moths.
4.5% abv

0 IBU

Jenever
The horse of the hanged
No hops are used in Jenever, recalling the days before the magic cone came to be accepted as the chosen bittering agent in beer. Instead, crushed juniper berries balance the malt, and a touch of rye completes a tasty, bucolic scene.
5% abv

0 IBU

Strathpeffer
Honey and heather/Srath Pheofhair
Ale in the Scots Gaelic tradition, sans hops, with heather (a shrubbery) as the spice and honey to provide a mead-like sheen. It brings out the native sparkle of haggis, if you can find any hereabouts, and is named for the town in Scotland where a Pictish eagle is famously carved into a large stone.
6% abv

0 IBU

Office Hours tonight in Prost.

2011-11-14T08:04:00.001-05:00

Office Hours returns tonight: Monday, November 14 at 6:30 p.m. As usual, the venue is Prost, on the Public House side at 3312 Plaza Drive in New Albany.

Between now and next summer, the plan is to hold Office Hours on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month.

Office Hours functions as an informal tasting and beer bull session. During the 2010-2011 season, it was decided to peruse the entirety of the Beer Judge Certification Program style categories as facilitating the Pizzeria & Public House’s guest beer list reform effort.

Now, it has been suggested that we might examine other styles as defined by different governing entities; for example, Black/Cascadian/Escondidan IPA, which is not among the BJCP’s styles. I like this idea, although perhaps not tonight. Sourcing requires advance planning.

Therefore, tonight’s program will include beers TBA for us to sample, as drawn from whatever is available at the Public House, but our primary mission in meeting tonight will be to plot the outline of a course of study for the coming months. The reintroduction of Shelton Brothers imports via the new Starlight Distributing surely will provide one such avenue as time passes. We might explore individual brewery ranges, or esoteric style groupings.

If you’re attending tonight, put on your thinking cap and contribute to an Office Hours program of action for the near future.

(3) NABC Session Series.

2011-11-13T14:51:00.000-05:00

Session Series

Brewed originally for consumption at NABC’s two on-premise locations, the Session Series illustrates the lower-gravity joys of the brewing world. They’re beers of lower alcoholic potency, but with plenty of character.

Bat Out of Helles
(Brewed with Andechs lager yeast … released October, 2011)

Community Dark (also core portfolio)
Inside is what counts
Indiana State Fair Brewers Cup gold medal winner, 2011. Inspired by traditional English Mild, the style that fueled the factory workers who made the Industrial Revolution, Community Dark is revolutionary in its own way: Dark-colored but light-bodied, and a session ale suitable for New Albany’s emerging downtown renaissance.
3.7% abv
12.5 IBU

Keller Pils (originally USA vs. Slovenia, in the World Cup Trilogy)
From Ljubljana with love
European and North American malts, with hopped seven times with 100% Slovenian-grown Styrian Goldings. American “Common” lager yeast.
3.9% abv
36 IBU

Ordinary Bitter (originally USA vs. England, in the World Cup Trilogy)
Every day, it’s extraordinary
Classic cask ale malt from the UK, with Pacific Northwest hops for flavor and aroma. English ale yeast. Cross-referenced with NABC’s World Cup Trilogy.
3.9% abv
26 IBU

Smoked Abzug (also Abzug, Dunkel Abzug)
A cellar man's bier
To this very day, Germans and some other Central Europeans brew to conform to tax classifications based on gravity and alcohol content. In Germany a century or more ago, Abzug would have fallen into the lower end of the Vollbier classification, and perhaps the higher end of Schankbier. In Austria, its elders would have been Vienna and Marzen. Abzug’s assumes various stylistic German identities, but always the gravity is lower, and lagering time shorter, and in all respects it remains a tasty, quenching lager.
3.8% abv
26 IBU

Tafel Bier (also core portfolio)
Better dancing on the table than sleeping on the floor
Tafel Bier is Flemish for “table beer,” which filled those earthenware pitchers in the Brueghel paintings, and is a flavorful, session-strength accompaniment to almost any cuisine.
3.9% abv
15 IBU

(2) NABC Seasonal Beer List.

2011-11-12T14:36:00.001-05:00

Seasonals

Not included on other lists, sometimes cross-referenced.

Ancient Rage
Because age is wasted on the young
Consider the glories of a Smoked Baltic Porter, as brewed for the occasion of Roger’s 50th birthday in 2010. Also kegged as Oaked Ancient Rage (Oaky age never is wasted on the young).
6% abv
26 IBU

Black Grass Saison
You can’t drink Black Grass in striped pants
Belgian-style farmhouse ale, brewed with lemongrass and black pepper.
6% abv
30 IBU

Black Rye
Black Rye as an Ardennes night
Neither a rhizome, nor a Rye Zome, but a Rye Gnome, as the use of Chouffe yeast is a creeper. Roasted barley is added only late in the mash for color, not Stout.
6.5% abv
40 IBU

Bonfire of the Valkyries
Burning away the hours 'til Ragnarok
You can call it Rauchen Schwarz Super-Starkes Bier, or you can call it Smoked Black Lager (Imperial-style), but just know that we couldn’t find a rule in the Bavarian brewing playbook prohibiting big smoky blackness, so we went ahead and brewed it. The Reinheitsgebot can sue us.
9% abv
10 IBU
Also available in 22-oz bomber bottles

ConeSmoker
Smoke ‘em if you’ve got ‘em
Once upon a time the Publican poured American Pale Ale into a glass used previously for Bavarian-style Rauchbier, and an idea was born: Smoked APA.
7% abv
65 IBU

Croupier
Luck has nothing to do with it
Intended as tribute to the hard-working people who run the gaming tables at the nearby Horseshoe Casino, Croupier is strong, bitter and utterly dependable.
7.2% abv
75 IBU

Haggis Laddie
An ale that I loved so well
Laddie’s the official Celtic Red Ale of the annual Celts on the River concert in June in New Albany.
5% abv
17 IBU

Hoosier Daddy
The most heroic word in all languages is revolution
Hoosier daddy? Is it Eugene Debs, or Bob Knight? David Letterman or John Mellencamp? NABC unambiguously salutes all Hoosier daddies, wherever they are, whatever they do, and whomsoever they do it for, or to.
7% abv
50 IBU

Le Diable Blonde
Here comes the woman with the look in her eye
Patience is the key and the lesson from this malt bomb devil of a Belgian-style Tripel.
10.7% abv
30 IBU

Mt. Lee
Everything loose eventually lands in LA
California Common is a hybrid style hailing from the Gold Rush days in San Francisco, back when amber beers were brewed using lager yeast at warmer temperatures, with ample carbonation and plenty of local hops. Perversely, we’ve relocated an uncommon Common to City of Angels – specifically, the Hollywood Hills. Don’t ask why.
6.4% abv
65 IBU

Naughty Claus
Santa needs daze off, too
A rich, full-bodied holiday spiced seasonal that changes wardrobe a bit each year as we experiment with festive additives. Usually unveiled for Saturnalia, NABC’s annual observance of Christmas’s pagan roots.
7.5% abv
10 IBU

Oaktimus
Aged in sterner stuff
Oak-aged Hoptimus.
10.7% abv
100 IBU

Saison de Miel
(To be released in the Fall of 2011)

Samu-Rye!
Not at all lost in translation
Japanese-American Common: Tokyo meets San Francisco, with rye, rice and Japanese-bred Sorachi Ace Hops.
5.5% abv
40 IBU

Solidarity
Solidarity or Death
Baltic Porter is the best way to tip your hat to the activists in the Solidarity independent trade union, and a robust reminder of Baltic foresight in activism and strong beer.
8.5% abv
30 IBU
Also available in 22-oz bomber bottles

Strassen Bräu
(Brewed with Andechs yeast … released September, 2011)

Wet Knobs Hop Harvest Ale
Support your local hop growers
Originally known as Homecoming Common, before being repurposed as NABC’s salute to our intrepid hop-farming brethren atop the hills known locally as the Knobs. We annually incorporate their crop into a fresh-hopped early autumn creation -- the official ale of Fringe Fest at Bank Street Brewhouse. Also known as “Dry Knob” when using dried hops from the Knobs.
50 IBU
4.5% ABV

(1) Regulars: NABC’s Core Portfolio.

2011-11-11T14:19:00.000-05:00

Regulars: NABC’s Core Portfolio

Year-round availability; draft only unless otherwise noted.

Beak’s Best
American Ale & Soul Liniment
Brewed with English malts and American hops, and named in honor of globetrotting historian and educator Don "Beak" Barry. You really need to wet your Beak by sampling his ale.
35 IBU
5.3% ABV

Bob’s Old 15-B
Bringing home the win
When NABC first brewed Bob Capshew's competition-winning homebrewed Porter in 2003, the reaction was so favorable that we decided to continue doing it. When the Beer Judge Certification Program unexpectedly altered its numbering system for style categories and subcategories, Bob's became "old" rather than having to select a new number.
35 IBU
5.5% ABV

Community Dark
Inside is what counts
Indiana State Fair Brewers Cup gold medal winner, 2011. Inspired by traditional English Mild, the style that fueled the factory workers who made the Industrial Revolution, Community Dark is revolutionary in its own way: Dark-colored but light-bodied, and a session ale suitable for New Albany’s emerging downtown renaissance.
12.5 IBU
3.7% ABV

Elector
Makes democracy pointless
Richly malty and excessively hopped, Elector was first brewed on Election Day, taking its name from the Electoral College. In like fashion, Elector’s unique character makes democracy pointless. It severs party affiliations, crosses the aisle, and commands you to drink early and vote often. That’s because whenever Elector is on the ballot, there’s only one real choice.
62 IBU
7.5% ABV
Also available in 22-oz bomber bottles

Hoptimus
Sterner stuff
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.
100 IBU
10.7% ABV
Also available in 22-oz bomber bottles

Tafel Bier
Better dancing on the table than sleeping on the floor.
Tafel Bier is Flemish for “table beer,” which filled those earthenware pitchers in the Brueghel paintings, and is a flavorful, session-strength accompaniment to almost any cuisine.
15 IBU
3.9% ABV

Tunnel Vision
The ultimate subterranean sexy chic
Those hardy immigrant gnomes who came from the venerable hills of the Ardennes to take up residence beneath the mysterious Knobs of Southern Indiana get lonely, too. That’s why NABC gave them Tunnel Vision, a potion reminiscent of home, and sufficiently versatile for consumption in all seasons -- and on all continents.
20 IBU
9.5% ABV
Also available in 22-oz bomber bottles

Yakima
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.
130 IBU
7.5% ABV
Also available in 22-oz bomber bottles

NABC's master beer list.

2011-11-10T14:55:00.002-05:00

I've gone through the whole list twice already in anticipation of the new web site going "live," and now, over a period of days, I'll be posting the NABC master list as divided into categories. For the most part, each listing will have the beer name, a tag line, and a description with ABV and IBU. Ingredient lists and other information will be the next step. All listings are for draft, with availability in 22-oz bottles noted.

Let me know if anything looks out of kilter, or mistaken; of course, kindly provide constructive advice. Thanks, readers.

Want to list your beer event?

2011-11-09T23:20:00.000-05:00

A reminder: Don't forget Louisville Beer Dot Com's calendar feature.

Beer Calendar | LouisvilleBeer.com
louisvillebeer.com
Want to list your beer event? Simply e-mail the name of the event, location, date, time, and a brief...

Taste NABC's QuakerFoot at the Irish Rover, this Sunday (November 13).

2011-11-07T17:56:00.005-05:00

QuakerFoot is the latest member of NABC's Footed Stout Series (see below for complete roster), brewed at the NABC R & D Brewery in the approximate range of a BJCP-style 13-C (Oatmeal Stout).

To celebrate the Irish Rover's 18th birthday, numerous draft stouts are being tapped this coming Sunday (November 13) at the pub's Frankfort Avenue location. NABC will debut QuakerFoot at this event, which runs from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

NABC QuakerFoot

Malts: Rahr Pale, Simpsons Roast Barley, US Flaked Oats, Simpsons Crystal Medium, Belgian Special B, Simpsons Chocolate

Hops: US Willamette (mash), US Challenger (all of boil)

ABV: 5.7%
IBU: 26

NABC Footed Stout Series (sorry, not on hand for the Rover's celebration)

ClovenFoot
Belgian sunshine for Monsieur Scratch
NABC’s strain of Belgian yeast from the Ardennes transforms strong, rich Stout into a matter of hoofed provocation.
8.2% abv
30 IBU

ThunderFoot
Ultimate urban renewal
There can be no doubt: ThunderFoot actively renounces the gentle tweak, the mild revision, and the imperceptible hint. ThunderFoot neither seeks to make a plausible case for adaptive reuse, nor can be bothered with the nuances of historical preservation. ThunderFoot puts its elongated foot squarely down, advocating your palate’s restructuring the old-fashioned way – whole cloth, entire, complete, irresistible, certain and inevitable.
12% abv
90 IBU

WeeFoot
Feed the beast
A dry and sessionable Stout. On those days when you only need a little stout, WeeFoot is there.
5% abv
48 IBU

R.I.P., Carl Christenson.

2011-11-06T11:25:00.003-05:00

There is a constant ebb and flow of the "regulars" at any pub or restaurant. Times, lives, careers, habits -- all of them change, and so so frequently. People move away, and others move in. Their children turn 21 years old, and eventually you meet the grandchildren. We understand that it's a food and drink business, but insofar as humanly possible, we cling to the idea that it's an extended family as well.

Sadly, at some point, you see that someone you once chatted with quite often has died. Seeing as next year will be the 25th since Sportstime Pizza opened in 1987, we're too often reminded that more than a few regulars from the nineties no longer are with us. One of them was Carl Christenson, who we used to see on a weekly basis. He was a sharp fellow, an educator and a storyteller, and he liked a good pint of ale. We'll all miss him, and our condolences are with Carl's family.

Next Tuesday, you can vote AND have a beer -- in Indiana.

2011-11-05T14:59:00.003-04:00

Since 2010, no longer has there been election day blue law tomfoolery in Indiana.

Next Tuesday, November 8, the polls will be open -- and so will the taverns in Indiana. At long last, you can legally drink an Elector or two, and then go vote ... in Indiana. Next Tuesday, both NABC locations will observe regular business hours sans beer tapping restrictions -- that's right, in Indiana. Unfortunately, Kentucky as yet isn't so lucky. See you Tuesday.

Dirty Squirrel Zwarte Ale is being brewed today.

2011-11-04T09:20:00.004-04:00

There was an article in the arts section of the New York Times last Sunday about the mid-19th century habit of composers dedicating their newly published works to each other, rather than their erstwhile funding patrons --- the patronage system having largely become obsolete by that time.

In like fashion, and in a vaguely collaborative sense, Dirty Squirrel Zwarte Ale is NABC's homage to Against the Grain's Knotty Squirrel, which was a tribute to NABC/Struise/LBS's Naughty Girl.

What happens next is anyone's guess, maybe Dotty Swirl, but please, let the circle be unbroken. By the way, "zwarte" is "black" in Flemish.

Dirty Squirrel Zwarte Ale

Malts: Rahr Pale, Simpson Dark Crystal, Castle Aromatic, Weyermann Carafa I, Weyermann CaraFoam, Simpson Black

Hops: Challenger - Mash; Galena - Boil; Centennial - Middle; Cascade - Whirlpool; Centennial - Whirlpool; Palisade - Dry hops

Yeast: T58

69 IBU
17.8 Degree Plato
7.3 % ABV
Color 32.4 SRM

Three cheers: Starlight Distribution brings Shelton Brothers back to Indiana.

2011-11-02T08:12:00.006-04:00

Vows of silence aren't helpful for a quasi-journalist, because it means you can't possibly get credit for the scoop, but the wonderful outcome in this case is far more important than the pathway to it.

With postings at Hoosier Beer Geek and Indiana Beer reporting the news, and Todd Antz divulging an inaugural shipment to Keg Liquors, it can now be disclosed publicly that the Shelton Brothers importing house is once again legal in Indiana, and its portfolio will be handled by a start-up wholesaler just a few miles up the Knobs from NABC: Starlight Distribution LLC. They'll be carrying other lines, too, although at this precise moment, Shelton's the thing.

Given the good people involved with Starlight Distribution, and the increased availability of some of the world's finest beers in the neighborhood, this must be judged one of the top stories of the year.

Now, "here" this: With NABC's two brewing locations, Starlight Distribution's advent, and Keg's New Albany location set to open later in November, Floyd County becomes a go-to, good-beer location in metro Louisville. Not only that, but River City Winery is down Pearl Street from the new Keg Liquors, Huber Winery/Starlight Distillery is just across the Clark County line, and yet another local winery, Indian Creek, sits on the Floyd/Harrison border.

Now, if we can only coerce the supremely talented local cidermaker Bob Capshew to move from crafting cider vinegar to commercial production of genuine Floyd County drinking cider ... but surely the day will come.

Clip and save NABC's holiday opening/closing schedule for 2011.

2011-11-01T11:58:00.001-04:00

When we'll be here, and when we won't.

---

Thanksgiving
Thursday, November 24
Both NABC locations will be closed

Plaid Friday

Friday, November 25
Usual hours at both locations, with Saturnalia 2011 kicking off at the Pizzeria & Public House

Sunday, December 18

Bank Street Brewhouse will close at 5:00 p.m. (kitchen closes at 4:00 p.m.) so staff can attend the NABC company Christmas gathering.

Christmas Eve
Saturday, December 24
Pizzeria & Public House will be open 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. (pizzeria side only)
Bank Street Brewhouse will be closed

Christmas Day
Sunday, December 25
Both NABC locations will be closed

Boxing Day
Monday, December 26
Pizzeria & Public House will be open for normal hours (both sides)
Bank Street Brewhouse will be closed (as always on Monday)

Pants Down Potluck Port Drinkers Circle

Tuesday, December 27

In the Prost room ... tentative date

New Year’s Eve
Saturday, December 31
Pizzeria & Public House will be open 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. (pizzeria side only)
Bank Street Brewhouse will be closed

New Year’s Day
Sunday, January 1 (2012)
Both NABC locations will be closed

Monday, January 2
Pizzeria & Public House will be open or normal hours (both sides)
Bank Street Brewhouse will be closed (as always on Monday)

Black is out, plaid is in.

2011-11-01T11:46:00.004-04:00

NABC is a founding member of New Albany First, which is our city’s new independent business association (IBA). It is the New Albany version of the Louisville Independent Business Alliance (LIBA), which encourages you to Keep Louisville Weird), and is dedicated to encouraging the public to support independently owned, small local businesses.

IBAs accomplish this through three primary focus areas:

1. Public education about the greater overall value local independents often can provide (even when they are not the cheapest) as well as the vital economic, social and cultural role independent businesses play in the community.

2. Facilitating cooperative promotion, advertising, purchasing, sharing of skills and resources and other activities to help local businesses gain economies of scale and compete more effectively.

3. Creating a strong and uncompromised voice to speak for local independents in the local government and media while engaging citizens in guiding the future of their community through democratic action.

Obviously, NABC sinks or swims by being independent and locally oriented, and we have pledged support by joining New Albany First. Happily, the approaching holiday season provides a perfect opportunity to put principles into action.

We all know that “Black Friday” (Nov 25) is the biggest sales day of the year for big boxes and multinational chain stores -- the ones where the money leaves town for corporate headquarters worldwide.

In response to the media hype and saturation advertising that steer so much trade to the country's biggest, richest and largest companies on “Black Friday,” the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA), of which New Albany First is a member, promotes the idea of America Unchained, which commences the weekend before Thanksgiving). Meanwhile, an initiative arising in Oakland CA called Plaid (not black) Friday is beginning to pop up in communities across the nation.

NABC aims to join in the fun on Plaid Friday this year. First and foremost, we remind you of the intent:

Instead of Black Friday it’s PLAID FRIDAY! Shift Your Shopping and wear plaid as you shop on Friday to remind yourself and others to make the 10% Shift. The 10% Shift encourages you to shift 10% of your holiday purchases from non-local businesses to Local Independents (also called indies or locally owned and independent businesses). Making the shift to local independents is one way we can build sustainable economies and create jobs in our local community.

It’s simple, and you’re not being asked to go cold turkey -- just allocate a percentage to independent local businesses, and learn what they can do for you. Here at NABC, we’re discussing what we might do on Plaid Friday beyond dressing up for the day. I have a few ideas, so stay tuned for more.

This just in: Beer Bloggers Conference 2012 will take place July 13 - 15, 2012 in Indianapolis, IN.

2011-10-31T18:20:00.001-04:00

Via e-mail from the organizers

Hello Citizen Beer Bloggers,

We are excited to announce the date and location of the next North American Beer Bloggers Conference. Drumroll please....

Beer Bloggers Conference 2012 will take place July 13 - 15, 2012 in Indianapolis, IN!!

For more information on the conference and the pre-conference excursion in Chicago, please visit our website: www.beerbloggersconference.org

If you live in the Indy/Chicago area and are interested in getting more involved in the conference as a volunteer, advisor, etc., please let me know.

Hope to see you all next summer!

Cheers!
elle
www.beerbloggersconference.org

Solidarity in 2011.

2011-10-30T10:56:00.004-04:00

Dave and Josh brewed a double batch of NABC Solidarity at Bank Street Brewhouse on Friday and Saturday. There'll be another half-batch to follow. Here's a view of the mash on Friday.

As a Baltic Porter, circa 8% abv, Solidarity lends itself to wood aging. We have a couple of rye whiskey barrels ...

... and a total of seven oak barrels formerly used for wine (comprising three different previous usages). Solidarity will fill these, with special releases coming as they mature.

There will be enough non-wood-aged Solidarity for 150 or so cases of bombers for release to Indiana and Kentucky, and the forthcoming half-batch more will be brewed to cover draft needs, both on premise and distribution.

All bottled up, coming down.

2011-10-29T11:07:00.001-04:00

Friday was the sad but necessary decommissioning day for "All Bottled Up," Leticia Bajuyo's New Albany Bicentennial Art installation in the Bank Street Brewhouse parking lot. Follow the link below for coverage. It's my goal to devise a plan to replace Leticia's memorable piece with something else perhaps more permanent, as I've grown accustomed to standout art in that otherwise unused corner space. Do you have an idea? Local artist Dave Thrasher already has suggested a 20-ft high bomber bottle boasting Tony Beard's label art. Sounds like a plan ... at least until a better one comes along.

October 28: Localism in practice, not theory.

The Keg's store in New Albany inches closer.

2011-10-27T14:06:00.003-04:00

Pardon me while I say: Whoo-Hoo.

Part-time positions for the New Albany store currently are being filled ... you can apply at The Keg in Clarksville.

Todd Antz

1:07pm Oct 27

We are getting closer to opening our New Albany location for Keg Liquors. I've made a couple of pages here on Facebook, which is a great place to see our new products and upcoming events. Here is the link if you are interested: https://www.facebook.com/groups/KegLiquorsNA/

Keg Liquors New Albany

Keep your eyes open for a new Keg Liquors location in the heart of downtown New Albany coming fall o...

La Bocca in New Albany ...

2011-10-26T17:53:00.001-04:00

... has a nice new awning covering the sidewalk tables. It's the Italian place on Market Street. I'd really like one of these for the streetside patio tables at Bank Street Brewhouse, but I'm afraid to ask about the price.

Indiana wine at Bank Street Brewhouse: Let's try it again, from the top.

2011-10-25T09:46:00.000-04:00

There are times in every person’s life when he or she has an excellent idea and the opportunity to test it out, and yet for whatever reason, the dots just won’t connect. When this happens, it doesn’t necessarily imply that the idea has been discredited, but perhaps only that it has yet to be properly implemented.

I published the following here at Potable Curmudgeon in September, 2009. Obviously, Josh Lehman has now moved on, but beyond inserting Matt Weirich’s name, and noting an ever higher level of acceptance for BSB’s food during the past six or so months, I stick by everything I wrote two years ago as it pertains to wine at Bank Street Brewhouse.

A renewed commitment to Southern Indiana wineries promised at the Bank Street Brewhouse (Sept, 2009)

I expend very little energy thinking about wine. This isn’t because I don’t like wine. It’s because I prefer beer, and having become renowned for preferring beer – in essence, being paid to drink beer – it’s what I drink and think most of the time.

Not all of the time, though, and drinking wine is an enjoyable busman’s holiday for me. Much of the reason why wine is enjoyable for me in limited doses is because I know comparatively little about it. It may be true that I know a bit more than I let on, and yet, overall, my knowledge base is rudimentary. I aim to keep it that way, not out of malice, but rather out of triage. I’ve neither the time nor the liver to become “expert” at a second drinking discipline.

These considerations matter because of a decision we made about the newest of our two businesses, Bank Street Brewhouse. Our goal with Bank Street Brewhouse is to accompany Chef Josh Lehman’s formidable cuisine with the beers we brew at BSB and the original brewhouse three miles away. It is a measure of how admirably Josh has succeeded in the kitchen that customers ask for a wine list, presumably having been trained to think that such high quality of food could not possibly be consumed without wine, as opposed to beer.

This is an errant assumption, and one that we’ll change with time. In the interim, we have not neglected the output of the vineyard. Rather, we have taken the position that if our locally produced beer stands the test of pairing with Josh’s culinary creations, so do local wines being handcrafted throughout Southern Indiana and wineries like Huber, Turtle Run, Thomas Family, Winzerwald, Butler, Best, Oliver and several others.

I can tally these wineries here without cribbing off the Internet, primarily because in the past year and a half, I’ve visited all of them save for Best and a couple others not listed here. At each there were greater and lesser wines, but the point is that at their best, these wineries make excellent products worthy of featuring as part of our effort to emphasize local beers and foodstuffs that come from small, independent or family-run operations.

We’re trying to stay consistent with these principles as it is possible to do so. Why should Southern Indiana wines be treated any differently? My own taste buds tell me that while there surely are classic wines from time-honored wine making areas of the world that are “better” than these, and I use that term rationally yet guardedly, locally made wines are good and getting better. They fit the bill of fare conceptually, and I believe some of them are better than just “good.”

Besides, a grape like Chambourcin is one grown right here. That’s local. That’s the point, isn’t it?

As with the tendency at one time for beer drinkers to prefer imports over American-made craft beers, I suspect there is an element of snobbery in this prejudice, which provides even more reason for me to reject the notion that for the BSB wine list to be suitable, there must be selections from somewhere else. This is bunk. I’m advising staff that we’re making a renewed effort to build a wine list that features Southern Indiana wines, and I believe we shall make it slightly larger than I first envisioned. Yes, BSB is all about NABC beer, but not to the exclusion of other local products worth enjoying and savoring. Come to think of it, shifting this knowledge back to the original location is a very good idea, too.

If I have to visit these Southern Indiana wineries again, and go through all those samplings a second time, I’m willing to make the sacrifice in the name of science, and local commerce. It's exhausting. Someone must do it.

My notion of constructing a wine program exclusively from Indiana wineries has not faltered because of any notable demerits in the concept. Rather, it never has been implemented properly, embraced by our staff, and sold to John Q. Public with the same passion we sell our beers.

Honestly, both our Indiana-only winery program and the accompanying distinctive spirits program have suffered because we haven’t invested enough money and marketing time in them. I take responsibility for this; so many other things kept popping up that required immediate attention that I’ve tended to neglect what always was viewed as a secondary mission. The wines and spirits have been orphaned, so to speak.

I am confident we can set this right. If we are to sell this idea, there must be something to sell (inventory) and a better way of educating about it. There are resources in Indiana winemaking that can help us make good choices. I’m willing to arrange trips to places like Madison to source wine from people like Steve Thomas. We can cross-market with these wineries, and perhaps re-examine the idea of joining the Upland Wine Trail as an associate member. We already have a prime cross-marketing opportunity with River City Winery – we’re a block apart, and we’re the only places nearby where both wine (from them) and beer (from us) can be purchased to go on Sunday.

"Here's to Beer" begins anew on November 2.

2011-10-24T09:31:00.000-04:00

It's last call for the final autumn session of Here's to Beer, beginning next Wednesday at the Public House. Follow the link, pay the good folks at IUS, and come hear me tell stories ... some of which are actually true. Did I mention beer samples?

Here's to Beer

Budweiser tanking, shareholders yawning.

2011-10-20T01:21:00.000-04:00

This analysis was forwarded to me by Ray and Bob, and while it previously has been reported in the beer press, it’s worth observing that while Budweiser may be down to an incredible, seismic dimension, most allegiances surely remain within the AB Inbev stable of beer-flavored sparkling water, with Bud Light (and probably Michelob Ultra) making up the losses. In the main, they're not jumping ship for craft beer, folks.

The evidence also points to where some of the Budweiser and MGD drinkers migrate: Stella Artois, Heineken, Corona and other tastealike imported brands that are no better than the previous beverage choices of the untutored, but cost more. That’s trading “up” in a self-defeating way, but as this update hints, if you’re afraid of flavor, then the interchangeable, malt-based alcohol delivery device of the moment never mattered very much, anyway.

QUARTERLY INDUSTRY UPDATE

Sales Drop for Major Beer Brands - Some major beer brands controlled by Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors are gradually falling out of favor with US consumers, according to recent analysis by financial website 24/7 Wall St. Sales of Anheuser-Busch's flagship Budweiser brand have fallen 30 percent since 2006. Other Anheuser-Busch brands have seen even more dramatic contractions in sales: Michelob, Michelob Light, and Bud Select sales have fallen 72 percent, 64 percent, and 60 percent, respectively. Several MillerCoors brands are also in steep decline as sales of Milwaukee's Best, Old Milwaukee, and Miller Genuine Draft have all fallen more than 50 percent since 2006. The 24/7 Wall St. report cites consumer preference for lower-calorie beers and imported brews as the chief causes of lackluster sales of more traditional US brands.

Doing things the right way. Is it possible?

2011-10-19T09:14:00.005-04:00

It's the sort of depressing experience everyone endures on occasion. During the course of a meal at one of our favorite local eateries, I was told NABC Beak's Best was on draft, and ordered one. I was served NABC Tafel. On the ticket, I was charged for NABC Elector.

I'm saving the worst for last: The bartender decided to hang an orange slice on the glass.

Earlier that day, I'd ordered a draft Guinness at another local establishment, and it was brought to me in one of those Sam Adams foo-foo receptacles.

There's no need to embarrass anyone, since in both cases the problem was the same: A brand new, and obviously under-trained, bartender. Simply stated, these experiences point to something that can make or break all of us, namely that if the first line of contact with customers hasn't a clue, neither do any of us.

I've confided to readers that for the past couple of years, the stress and strain of Bank Street's start-up have mightily impacted my schedule of education. I keep looking for the magic bullet, which would enable me to do everything at once: Shill for my own company, but also shill for craft beer in general; educate about NABC beers but also about craft beer in general; and, in short, come up with a presentation that covers all these bases.

Maybe that orange slice finally has showed me the way forward. Maybe the basics of beer education must re-commence, beginning with our own staffers, and then radiating outward from our home base, into the surrounding areas.

I'm working on it. Beer outreach ... not "reaching out," but evangelizing for a purpose. This sounds promising.

My next "Here's to Beer" IUS course begins soon, and there's still time to register.

2011-10-18T20:33:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday night, my first "Here's to Beer" section of the fall 2011 semester wraps up with a social gathering at the Against the Grain brewery in Louisville. The second fall section approaches in November (information below). I'd like to commend all the pupils for their attendance and great questions. These courses are about them, but they're also about me, in the sense that teachers invariably learn much from their students. Learning is a dialogue, not a pedagogue.

The second and final fall session begins on Wednesday, November 2, and there's still time to register. Follow the link for more information, and please spread the word. Thanks.

Here's to Beer (IUS non-credit beer course; 4 sessions)

Yet another fine day in Madison, Indiana.

2011-10-17T07:15:00.013-04:00

Meet the BrewMouse.

Foot traffic was steady throughout the day.

Main Street was closed, and the soups, stews and chili were diverse and good.

My helper.

The homebrewing side of the ledger was represented with a Kentucky Common.

Madison's own Mobreki Brewing.

The BrewMouse originator, Rita Kohn.

---

It was a beautiful day Saturday for the occasion of the Soup, Stew, Chili and Brew in Madison, Indiana. The missus assisted me in dispensing Steamboat Common and Community Dark samples inside a building adjacent to the food tastings out in the street. We poured the first shift, so to speak, and then upon Great Crescent Brewery's arrival (they were NABC's collaborators in the Steamboat Common project), we yielded the floor and made the usual stop at Thomas Family Winery for scrumpy and Scrabble before returning home via the Charlestown Pizza Company.

It also was my first chance to sample the wares of Mobreki Brewing Company, Madison's first brewer of the contemporary era. They're just beginning, so stay tuned. All in all, it was a long and satisfying road trip, and for those metro Louisvillians reading, take note that Madison's only 40 or so miles away.

Won't be back? Don't make promises you can't keep.

2011-10-16T10:08:00.001-04:00

Let's just say that if you're the sort to trash my establishment on Yelp, while at the same time confessing that you love Applebee's, Longhorn Steakhouse and Penn Station, there's (a) a good reason why you didn't understand what we're trying to do at BSB, and (b) you're an asshole.

2nd Annual Gonzo Fest in honor of Hunter S. Thompson, Saturday October 15, 2011

2011-10-14T13:17:00.002-04:00

(Submitted)

2nd Annual Gonzo Fest in honor of Hunter S. Thompson, Saturday October 15, 2011

Blasting off with a Pre-Gonzo art opening with live local music on October 14th!

Announcing the Second Annual Gonzo Festival! Join us as we pay tribute to the life, work, and legacy surrounding one of America's greatest alternative writers, Louisville's own native, Hunter S. Thompson.

The Gonzo Fest will take place on Saturday, October 15 from 2:00pm to 11pm at The Monkey Wrench located at 1025 Barret Avenue, Louisville, KY 40204.

General Admission tickets are $20 in advance, $25 day of the event. Limited VIP Rooftop access tickets are available for $30. This is a non-refundable rain or shine event. All discounted advance ticket purchases will receive a $5 discount -- for both General Admission and VIP tickets. Tickets are available at The Monkey Wrench. Must be 21 years old to attend.

This will be a celebration featuring some of the best live local music & national recording artists, poets, authors, visual artists and more. Headlining this year's Gonzo Fest are national recording artists from
Athens, GA recently seen on the David Letterman show, The Whigs. The music lineup also includes The Broken Spurs, Fresh Millions (Austin, TX), Scott Carney from Wax Fang, Cougar Express, Nerves Junior (voted best album of the year), David Wax Museum (Boston, MA), Tyrone Cotton and Lydia Burrell.

Special guests in attendance will be Kentucky's Congressman, John Yarmuth. Lt. Governor candidate Dea Riley, plus Kyle Meredith from
WFPK will emcee the entire Second Annual Gonzo Fest.

Gates will open at 2pm. Music, food and festivities will start at 3pm. Local and regional craft breweries such as the BBC, Kentucky Ale, New Albanian and more will be in attendance. In honor of the event, we'll be featuring Gonzo Imperial Porter from Flying Dog Ales. "Good people drink good beer"--Hunter S. Thompson. We also want to thank this year's sponsors Four Roses Bourbon and Red Bull, who will be providing
drink specials.

If you can't wait until October 15th to 'get your gonzo on', celebrate with us on Friday night, October 14th at The Monkey Wrench for the Gonzo Art opening! All art will be based upon the life and inspiration of Hunter S. Thompson, and will be on display throughout the weekend. Some of the artists include: Andy Cook, Carol McLeod, Evan Lebowitz, and Alexander King -- all of whom worked together last year on the "Hunter's Louisville" mural painted on the wall of the Monkey Wrench. There will also be live music provided by the local sensations The Murals, Son of the Widow, and DJ Geo.

Please take a look at highlights from last year's event & promotion for this year: http://www.youtube.com/user/solesolutionstudios#p/u/7/Xe3z8XwuRAY

Contact: Dennie Humphrey
The Monkey Wrench
1025 Barret Avenue
Louisville KY 40204
(502) 583-2433
whodennie(at)gmail.com
Find us on Facebook: The Monkey Wrench

On Oct. 28, you can help NABC say goodbye to Leticia Bajuyo’s “Brew History: All Bottled Up.” Here’s how.

2011-10-13T13:24:00.007-04:00

It’s time for NABC to bid a fond farewell to Leticia Bajuyo’s “Brew History: All Bottled Up,” the New Albany Public Art Project Bicentennial Series installation commemorating New Albany’s breweries and taverns.

Leticia’s sculpture has serenely and elegantly occupied a corner of Bank Street Brewhouse’s parking lot since its completion in the late spring of 2010, but it was never intended to be permanent, so on the evening of Friday, October 28th, NABC is hosting a community celebration in the BSB parking lot to mark the occasion of its decommissioning.

It’ll be no ordinary wake, because in the process of honoring Leticia and her creation, we’ll be weaving together elements of art, recycling, alternative energy, localism … and plenty of beer.

Leticia and helpers will spend the day on the 28th gradually disassembling, and officially decommissioning, her “Brew History: All Bottled Up.” The beer bottles inside it will be available to those attendees and passers-by interested in souvenirs, and all the remaining materials will be recycled or incorporated in one of Leticia’s future projects.

("Brew History: All Bottled Up" is featured in the new book, Sculpture and Design With Recycled Glass, by Cindy Ann Coldiron, whose book will be available for purchase on the 28th, courtesy of Destinations Booksellers. Go here for more details.)

Beginning at 6:00 p.m., Bank Street Brewhouse’s usual parking area will be cordoned off for the occasion of the evening celebration, with beer, wine, chili and snacks available outdoors, and the usual menu being presented inside. In case of inclement weather, the party moves beneath the existing patio roof.

As an added incentive, we’ll be unveiling NABC’s IX – Ninth Anniversary Ale, a Smoked Chocolate Port-Barrel Aged Stout brewed last winter by former brewmaster Jared Williamson (available at the Pizzeria & Public House, too). The actual NABC anniversary date is October 25, but we’ll wait a couple of days just for the fun of throwing it into the Friday evening mix.

Music by Toledo Bend is being booked by our good friends at The Dandy Lion boutique and shop, located just a block south of Bank Street Brewhouse. The Dandy Lion will be open later than usual on the 28th, so plan on strolling down and paying them a visit.

But there’s more. From 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on the 28th, there’ll be an opening reception for "Powering Creativity: Air, Fuel, Heat," a joint exhibit of Ohio Valley Creative Energy and the Carnegie Center for Art & History. It’s happening right across the street from BSB, and the artists and organizers will be joining us to combine their after-party with Leticia’s decommissioning fete. Go here to learn more.

That’s not all! There’s even more on tap for Friday, October 28, because it’s also the occasion of Jeff Milchen’s visit to New Albany.

“New Albany First is proud to welcome Jeff Milchen, co-founder of the American Independent Business Alliance. Jeff is an international leader in helping communities to build vital local economies and in enhancing economic opportunity through supporting local independent businesses. We're thrilled to have him coming to New Albany.

“The event is set for Friday night, October 28th at 7:00 p.m. for a presentation/discussion on the importance of localism and supporting independent businesses. The event will be held on the beautiful second floor of the River City Winery on Pearl Street.”

I’ve invited NA First, Milchen and all the attendees to make the short walk from River City Winery and join the arts celebration at BSB. Know also that NABC will have beer samples on hand for both the Carnegie Center/OVCE opening (where jazzman Jamey Aebersold will be providing music) and the NA First/Milchen presentation.

Links:

Leticia Bajuyo, “Brew History: All Bottled Up” and New Albany Public Art Project Bicentennial Series: http://www.napublicart.org/bajuyo.php

The Dandy Lion: http://www.facebook.com/thedandylionshop

Ohio Valley Creative Energy: http://ohiovalleycreativenergy.org/

Carnegie Center: http://www.carnegiecenter.org/exhibits.html

New Albany First: http://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Albany-First/142589112460702

American Independent Business Alliance: http://www.amiba.net/

Destinations Booksellers
http://www.facebook.com/newalbanybooks

Destinations Booksellers: Sculpture and Design With Recycled Glass proceeds going to support New Albany Public Art Project Bicentennial Series.

2011-10-13T13:20:00.001-04:00

(Read about the decommissioning fest events at Bank Street Brewhouse on October 28)

Leticia Bajuyo's sculpture "Brew History: All Bottled Up" is featured in the new book, Sculpture and Design With Recycled Glass, by Cindy Ann Coldiron, from Schiffer Publishing, the leading publisher of arts, crafts, and collectible books. This book releases the same day and will be available for purchase at the venues. We're sure Leticia will be happy to discuss her work and to autograph copies on request. The book does sell for $49.99, with $10 of the purchase price going to support the New Albany Public Art Project: Bicentennial Series.

This month also happens to be the 7th anniversary of Destinations Booksellers coming to New Albany. Our doors opened on Oct. 18, 2004 and our first official sale in New Albany took place on Nov. 1, 2004. In celebration of New Albany finally getting an independent business alliance, Destinations Booksellers is holding a "New Albany First" sale from Oct. 18 through Nov. 1. And keep your eyes and ears open for details of this year's Holiday Fest Readathon, which in 2011 will benefit the programs of New Albany First.

http://www.facebook.com/newalbanybooks

The Carnegie Center's Ohio Valley Creative Energy exhibit's opening reception on October 28.

2011-10-13T13:18:00.002-04:00

(Excerpts from the Carnegie Center's press release. The new exhibit opens on October 28, concurrent with the decommissioning evening at Bank Street Brewhouse: On Oct. 28, you can help NABC say goodbye to Leticia Bajuyo’s “Brew History: All Bottled Up.” Here’s how.)

Carnegie Center Announces New Exhibit, Powering Creativity: Air, Fuel, Heat

October 28-December 30, 2011

Opening Reception Friday October 28, 6-8 pm
The Carnegie Center for Art and History in New Albany, Indiana, and Ohio Valley Creative Energy are pleased to present a new exhibit, Powering Creativity: Air, Fuel, Heat, on display October 28 through December 30, 2011, at the Carnegie Center. This exhibition of fire arts, works of art that utilize heat or flame in their creation, highlights the exceptional ceramic, glass and metal artworks being created by artists in our region. Air, fuel and heat are all essential for fire to exist, and fire is the key ingredient in the creation of each of the artworks in this exhibit.
Powering Creativity: Air, Fuel, Heat features works by artists from Southern Indiana and Louisville, Kentucky, including: Amy Pender, Aron Conaway, Benjamin Hunter, Brian Harper, Casey Hyland, Chris Chappell, Craig Kaviar, Devin French, Elmer Lucille Allen, Jonathan Swanz, Karine Maynard, Kristen Davis, Leah Friedberg, Matthew Maynard, Nicole Jacquard, Raymond Graf and Wayne Ferguson. These accomplished artists were selected for this exhibit because of the diverse ways that they utilize the techniques and properties of ceramics, glass and metal. From realistic imagery and functional objects, to abstract shapes and explorations of texture and form, the artworks in this exhibit provide an introduction to the limitless possibilities of the fire arts for creative expression.
Another goal of this exhibition is to share information about Ohio Valley Creative Energy (OVCE), a local nonprofit that plans to open a Sustainable Arts & Education Center near the Clark-Floyd landfill that will be powered by its excess methane. This renewable energy source will be used to power ceramic, glass, and metal studios and eventually will grow to include a gallery, a greenhouse, and an education center. Ohio Valley Creative Energy began when a local glass blower contacted the Environmental Protection Agency to inquire about a facility already using landfill methane for glass blowing in North Carolina. What resulted was a partnership between OVCE and a local energy provider, Hoosier Energy, to leverage funding to expand its electric generation capacity at the landfill. In return, OVCE was granted free methane for fire art studios and education in perpetuity. For more information, visit www.ohiovalleycreativenergy.org.
There will be an opening reception for this exhibit on Friday October 28, 2011 from 6:00-8:00 pm. Visitors can enjoy light refreshments, music by the Jamey Aebersold Jazz Quartet, and the opportunity to meet some of the OVCE artists. At 6:00 pm, the Carnegie Center will welcome the Community Arts Program at Hanover College for the public announcement of the 2012 Indiana Arts Commission Regional Arts Partner Grants. During the reception, attendees can also visit the NABC Bank Street Brewhouse to choose a souvenir bottle from Leticia Bajuyo’s Brew History: All Bottled Up as the sculpture, which was part of the New Albany Public Art Project: Bicentennial Series, is taken down (visit www.napublicart.org for more information on Bajuyo’s sculpture). An after party with live music will follow at the Bank Street Brewhouse. The exhibit Powering Creativity: Air, Fuel, Heat and the opening reception (free and open to the public) are generously sponsored by Ohio Valley Creative Energy and the Carnegie Center, Inc.

NABC's IX - Ninth Anniversary Ale release slated for Friday, October 28.

2011-10-13T12:52:00.007-04:00

NABC's IX - Ninth Anniversary Ale, a chocolate malt-heavy oatmeal stout with two types of smoked malt, was brewed last winter by former NABC brewmaster Jared Williamson, and then set aside to rest in Port barrels formerly used to age C2 (Smoked Belgian Dark Strong).

The release date is Friday, October 28, at both NABC locations in New Albany: The Pizzeria & Public House at 3312 Plaza Drive, and Bank Street Brewhouse, located downtown at 415 Bank Street. When the doors open, so will the taps.

The actual NABC anniversary date is October 25, but we're delaying release of IX to coincide with the October 28 decommissioning party at Bank Street Brewhouse for Leticia Bajuyo's "Brew History: All Bottled Up," the New Albany Public Art Project Bicentennial Series installation commemorating New Albany's breweries and taverns.

NABC’s IX - Ninth Anniversary Ale

Malts: Rahr 2-row, Weyermann Smoked (Beechwood), Briess Chocolate, Briess Roasted Barley, Simpsons Chocolate, Briess Aromatic, Briess Smoked Malt (Cherry), Castle Special B, Flaked Oats

Hops: Northern Brewer (Mash), Northern Brewer (First Wort), Northern Brewer (@60min)

IBUs: 50.1
ABV: Circa 9%
Yeast: House Ale

Good, and good for you. So good that it has an aura.

2011-10-13T11:17:00.001-04:00

Many thanks to Bill for the odiferous French cheese, and to Karen for photographing me in the act of smelling deeply of it. The cheese later disappeared in the company of a bottle of NABC Jaxon. Yummy.