"Whether you go for the pizza or the craft beer, you will be happy with both at Charlestown Pizza Company."

Charlestown Pizza Company garners well-deserved ink from Indiana On Tap. It's ironic, because just last week I had lunch with a friend and learned that he'd never been to CPC. It is an omission I urged him to remedy.

What do you MEAN you haven't been there, either? Do I have to charter a tour bus to Charlestown?

GREAT BEER & PIZZA IN CHARLESTOWN, IN? YOU HEARD US RIGHT! by Charlie Sasse (Indiana On Tap)

... Back to the business at hand: the beer and pizza. Let me start this off with I do not care for standard pizzas. If it gets delivered in 30 minutes or less chances are I ordered a sandwich or wings. When Shawn asked me what I wanted to eat, I told him to bring me whatever he wanted. I was surprised with a mashed potato pizza. Yes - MASHED POTATO PIZZA!!! Bacon, cheese, garlic, mashed potatoes, and well cooked pizza crust. It was like eating the best potato boats you have ever had, because they were in a crunchy and chewy pizza crust. It was 8 inches of delicious carb on carb violence. I paired it with a Saugatuck Brewing Neapolitan Stout and it was a glutinous 35 minute food vacation. The sweetness and roasted flavors in the stout played well with the savory pizza and was even better as the beer warmed up. Things like this are why I am fat, just in case you were wondering. This is what Shawn and Tajana wanted: a place in Charlestown with good pizza and beer where the family could all go together. And, they were tired of driving 30+ minutes just to get it.

___

Well, THAT certainly was a good time ... and another one today at CPC.

Friday night at the NABC Pizzeria and Public House had championship game intensity, a siege mentality and Dionysian exuberance all rolled into one big Gravity Head tsunami. The old building shook, rattled and roared. Whoa!

I've updated the Gravity Head lineup for opening today at 11:00 a.m. The Founders wave was sliced in half by the final bell on Friday night, but plenty of the brewery's fine selections remain, including Backwoods Bastard, Curmudgeon and Breakfast Stout. In all 13 listed Gravity Head beers are pouring, along with two bonus selections.

However, in truth, the action today shifts to Charlestown Pizza Company, where the Hoosier Beer Helps Hoosiers benefit for tornado relief will be running throughout the day. Visit Charlestown Pizza Company's Facebook page for raffle and silent auction updates.

Here's the draft beer list for the day at CPC. All draft beer proceeds from these top shelf pours will be donated to the Clark County Red Cross, so consider making the pleasant drive up State Road 62 and enjoying libations for a cause.

Barley Island Dirty Helen Brown Ale
BBC American Pale Ale
BBC Dark Star Porter
Bell's Amber
Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat
Flat12 Walkabout Pale Ale
Kissmeyer Denied Entry
NABC Elsa von Horizon
NABC Rye Barrel Aged Yakima
Oaken Barrel Java Stout
Oaken Barrel Snake Pit Porter
Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Triton Brewing Rail Splitter IPA
Upland Bad Elmer's Porter
Upland Wheat

Hoosier Beer Helps Hoosiers at CPC, this Saturday (May 10).

Even if you're reading from afar, you're probably aware that a line of violent tornadoes swept across Southern Indiana last Friday afternoon. There was considerable damage roughly 15 miles north of NABC's two New Albany locations.

Overnight, Saturday's pre-planned "Welcome Back Sherman Minton Bridge" festivities in downtown New Albany were transformed into a way to collect monies and materials for the relief effort. NABC's customers donated around $950, and the company matched it; the Red Cross and Salvation Army are the beneficiaries. Needless to say, communities across this and neighboring states (including Kentucky, which also had pockets of destruction) held similar fundraisers and amassed items to convey to the storm's victims.

Charlestown Pizza Company already has devoted its proceeds from a business day (this week on Tuesday) to the cause, and this Saturday, March 10, CPC is staging Hoosier Beer Helps Hoosiers, a beer benefit for tornado victims, details of which are reprinted below. It is self-explanatory; NABC is happy to help out with two of our heavy hitters, and you are encouraged to stop by and contribute.

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The Charlestown Pizza Company is hosting a beer benefit for Tornado victims on Saturday March 10th from 12- 9 pm

Facebook event page

This will be a beer festival type event held inside the CPC where ALL draft beer sales will go directly to the Clark County chapter of the Red Cross.

Donated Draft beers that will be pouring on Saturday -

Kissmeyer Denied Entry
Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (not in house yet)
New Albanian Rye barrel aged Yakima Rye IPA
New Albanian Elsa Von Horizon Imperial Pilsner
Upland Brewing Porter
Upland Brewing Wheat
Bluegrass Brewing will have two draft offerings

Donated items that will be raffled OR offered in silent auctions

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1 - 750ml bottle of Dogfish Head (Pearl Jam Twenty) Faithfull Ale
4 - 12oz, Sierra Nevada Hoptimum
24 - 12 oz Schlafly Coffee Stout
24 - 12oz Schlafly Winter ESB
12 - 750ml Schlafly #20 Vol. 3 Citrus Witbier
8 - 22oz New Albanian (Jaxon, Elsa, Yakima, Hoptimus, Thunderfoot, Solidarity, Bonfire, Elector)
1 - Gift beer bucket with 4 homebrews, 2 glasses, & 1 book about Indiana beer
3 - Prohibition era whiskey storage certificates from Louisville warehouses. (these historical documents show where and when whiskey was stored in Louisville)
6 - 12oz Bells Hopslam
1 - 12oz Left Hand Fade to Black 2011
6 - 12oz Bee Creek Clay County Coffee Stout

The donations keep coming so I expect this list of raffle/auction items to double by Saturday.

Thanks to everyone that has been supporting relief efforts throughout our community !!!

Shawn

If anyone is interested in volunteering their time to help on Saturday or donating items, please contact me here, on Facebook, or via email at charlestownpizzacompany@yahoo.com.

NABC & CPC Pirate Pale Ale: Arrrrguably Delicious!

Craft beer events this week: NABC at various riverfront venues, baseball games, and collaboration debuts.

It's another week filled with craft beer events, and improved outdoor temps for enjoying them. This summer is the busiest in NABC's history, and we're doing our best to keep up.

TUESDAY, JUNE 14

In Charlestown:
CPC/NABC Pirate Pale Ale debuts tonight at Charlestown Pizza Company.
It's a collaboration between NABC and CPC, and the result is an APA.

THURSDAY, JUNE 16

In Huntingburg:
Dubois County Bombers vs. Terre Haute Rex
It's summer collegiate-level baseball, and NABC is on tap at League Stadium in Huntingburg as the Bombers begin the Prospect League season. Look for Beak's Best, Community Dark and Tafel Bier at the Craft Beer Bullpen down the third base line. From New Albany, it's about an hour's drive down scenic I-64 to Dubois County.

FRIDAY, JUNE 17

In Jeffersonville (also on Saturday):
Smokin' on the River: BBQ, Blues and Brew Festival
For the third year, on Friday and Saturday, this sanctioned Kansas City BBQ Society event comes to the Jeff waterfront. The location is in front of the RiverStage, where Cluckers Wings will be operating a fest tent with food and craft beer, including NABC and some draft selections from World Class Beverage.

SATURDAY, JUNE 18

In New Albany:
Celts on the River
The hard-working volunteers from the Kentuckiana Celtic Society return to New Albany’s revamped riverfront amphitheater with the third annual “Celts on the River,” a free concert running from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. I wrote about it last week: ON THE AVENUES: From the Liffey to the Ohio. NABC is doing the craft beer (Haggis Laddie, Strathpeffer, Elector, Tafel and Gale's Hard Cider from the Thomas Family Winery), and Irish Exit will be on hand with sprits and other libations.

In Huntingburg:
Dubois County Bombers vs. Springfield Sliders

In Jeffersonville (also on Saturday):
Smokin' on the River: BBQ, Blues and Brew Festival

SUNDAY, JUNE 19

In Huntingburg:
Dubois County Bombers vs. Springfield Sliders

Am I forgetting anything? Let me know.

CPC/NABC Pirate Pale Ale debuts tonight at Charlestown Pizza Company.

The basic facts, courtesy of Charlestown Pizza Company's page on Facebook:

Hey y'all ---- Kiel Haymon, Tajana Johann, & Jared Williamson brewed the world's tastiest APA at the New Albanian Brewing Company and we'll be tapping a keg of this beer Tuesday night at the CPC .... CPC/NABC Pirate Pale Ale.

Jared duly provides the specs for this, NABC's first collaboration with a local dining establishment. We hope to be doing more of them.

Malts: Rahr 2 row, Castle Biscuit, Weyermann CaraFoam

Hops: Chinook (mash); Columbus, Chinook, Centennial, Cascade (kettle); Centennial and Cascade (dry hopping)

Yeast: Chico Ale

O.G.: 13.12 degrees Plato

SRM: 6.4 degrees lovibond

ABV: 5.5%

IBU: 45

Acronyms and collaborations: CPC/NABC APA is in the fermenter.

It should be obvious by now that the original NABC brew kit at our Grant Line Road “R & D” brewery (Pizzeria and Public House) is ideally used for small batch brewing, which is why brewmaster Jared Williamson has been able to utilize it so creatively since Bank Street Brewhouse came on line in 2009.

Nowadays, David Pierce and Josh Hill turn out the bigger distribution batches downtown, and Jared follows his muse on the north side. The tasty results include seasonals, one-offs, and recently, more than a few collaborations, such as C2 (with Schlafly and O’Fallon’s) and B’Urban Trotter (with de Struise and Louisville Beer Store).

Given NABC’s longstanding relationship with the fine folks at Charlestown Pizza Company, it only stands to reason that CPC would lead off another collaborative series, this one not undertaken with fellow brewers, but with selected restaurants and bars in the area.

When these beers have been conceived, brewed and are ready for drinking, you’ll see them on tap both at NABC and at whatever collaborative partner worked on that particular recipe.

The first in this series overall, the CPC/NABC collaborative beer, was brewed yesterday by Jared, joined by CPC’s Tajana Johann and Kiel Haymon. It’s an APA (American Pale Ale) in the 5% abv range, and as such, it shouldn’t take long to mature. Then, we all get to drink some and eat pizza, in Charlestown and New Albany.

Recipe details to follow soon …

Events: Charlestown Pizza Company's 3 Year Anniversary and C1 Release Party.

From John Campbell.

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Charlestown Pizza Company's 3 Year Anniversary and C1 Release Party
Tuesday, March 16, 6:00-11:00 p.m.
850 Main Street, Charlestown, IN 47111

Yes, Charlestown Pizza Co. is 3 years old!

And they've decided to celebrate with beer, but not just any beer - the last keg of C1, the Collaboration Ale from New Albanian, O' Fallon, & Schafly. They tucked away a small keg (1/6 bbl., 5.5 gallons) for the occasion and just when we thought we'd seen the last of it... voila!

Here are their plans so far:

3 beers from the New Albanian Brewing Co. on tap (all specialty beers, continuing the theme of No Repeats on Draft from the New Albanians) and bottles of Schlafly beer.

Desserts galore....expect cakes, cupcakes, cream cheese pies, brownies, rice krispie treats...all made in Charlestown Pizza Co.'s own decadent fashion.

Pizza pairings to celebrate the last keg of C1 and their connection to the New Albanian Brewing Co.

Give-aways all night...shirts, beers, and other fun stuff. Scott Shreffler from Schlafly and the Gang from New Albanian Brewing Co. will be there to shake hands and kiss babies.

Shawn and Tajana might even may dip into the cellar and pull out a few rare beers to help celebrate.

They welcome any and all pizza and beer pairing suggestions on their Facebook page.

Help us help them have a fantastic Birthday Party!

Charlestown Pizza Company praised in today's C-J.

The last time we visited Charlestown Pizza Company roughly two weeks ago, I was tempted to have a season's last draft Bell's HopSlam, but refrained, leaving the liquid to be consumed by the Courier's free-lance reviewer ... who, in turn, gave Shawn and TJ great coverage.

All roads lead to Charlestown pizza; Town Square spot unpretentious, hip, by Marty Rosen (Courier-Journal).

Nah, it had nothing whatsoever to do with me. Kudos to the CPC for the missionary work in Clark County.

Not "shaping up" for a Boxing Day indulgence.

I'm off to the Irish Rover (Frankfort Avenue, Louisville) for the pub's annual Boxing Day celebration, followed by a few hours at work and then a journey to Charlestown Pizza Company for dinner and beers with the missus and good friends Jerry and Barb. Yesterday we managed to be shoehorned into the Vietnam Kitchen for a fabulous meal of pho with seafood, accompanied by IPA and Brown Ale.

No, the diet isn't going well ...

Friday, December 26 - Boxing Day (from the Rover's web site)

Keep the party going, but get out of the house. Visit the Irish Rover or Irish Rover, Too for a traditional Irish Breakfast and trad music. 10 am - 2 pm. Call for reservations or details.

Charlestown Pizza Company in LEO.

There's good press for the Charlestown Pizza Company in this week's Louisville Eccentric Observer (LEO). The last third of Robin Garr's piece pertains to CPC.

Eat 'n' Blog: Launch your gondola in a river of red

Indeed, these folks are very serious about their beer, and the selection is exceptional, featuring about 18 bottled beers, all extremely interesting artisan brews with a strong focus on Southern Indiana and the Louisville area.

Hoosier beer tasting tonight at Charlestown Pizza Company.

For readers in the Louisville metro area ...

Starting at 6:00 p.m. this evening, there'll be a tasting of Hoosier beers at the Charlestown Pizza Company.

CPC is owned and operated by Shawn and Tajana Vest, longtime NABC associates, who now are spreading the gospel 25 minutes up the road in Charlestown. Tonight there'll be a couple of NABC beers on tap, asnd (I believe) other Hoosier brews provided by World Class Beverages.

I'll be there circa 7:00 p.m., and hope to see a few old friends and meet a few new ones.

Beer and wine at Charlestown Pizza Company.

NABC’s longtime employees Shawn Vest and Tajana Johann have taken two big plunges in recent months. First they opened the Charlestown Pizza Company (850 Main Street in Charlestown, Indiana), and then they got married.

For those readers unfamiliar with Southern Indiana, Charlestown is a small town in a rapidly growing area located alongside State Road 62 from Jeffersonville to Madison, which puts it very close to the location of Louisville’s east side bridge, which in turn is beginning construction. When the bridge is finished (admittedly some years hence), the Charlestown area will be among those expected to explode, and mightily. It is already.

Guessing that it’s roughly 15 miles as the crow flies from the New Albanian Brewing Company to the Charlestown Pizza Company, it’s just far enough away to be outside my usual orbit, so I must confess to not having had the chance to visit Shawn’s and TJ’s place personally, although reviews from patrons have been uniformly good.

Given that Shawn put in a stint as beer buyer at the Whole Foods store on Shelbyville Road in Louisville, there was never any doubt that Charlestown Pizza Company would be selling beer, and after a brief wait for licensing to be issued, the permit has been awarded. Eventually, there’ll be NABC beer on draft, but at the present time the selection is limited to a short list of good bottles. The beer and wine lists can be viewed, but I didn’t get a food menu to convert into .pdf:

http://www.newalbanian.com/CharlestownPizzaCompanybeerlist.pdf

http://www.newalbanian.com/CharlestownPizzaCompanywinelist.pdf

Hours at CPC are:

Tuesday 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Wednesday and Thursday 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Sunday 12 noon – 8 p.m.
(Closed on Monday)

It goes without saying that we offer the best of wishes to Shawn, TJ and their business venture … and we can’t wait to get the NABC flowing at another location in Clark County.