BEER WITH A SOCIALIST: Headlines from May 2018 on the beer beat.

This blog has gone on hiatus, probably permanently, and primarily because these days my thoughts about beer are being posted alongside my utterances about everything else, over yonder at NA Confidential.

You'll still find them there in reverse chronological order via the helpful all-purpose tag, The Beer Beat, although I'm in the process of changing the column title to Beer with a Socialist. For the foreseeable future, I'll retain both labels for ease of searching.

At the end of each month I'll still collect the links right here.

Following are May (2018) ruminations, with the oldest listed first. Some of these posts are more topical than others. On occasion, there'll be references to beer in posts using "The Beer Beat" as a label, though not a title. I hope this isn't overly confusing.

Thanks for reading, if belatedly.

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THE BEER BEAT: The path to 6,000, or one helluva big difference in 25 years.

Yesterday, amid 14 consecutive hours of joyous Kentucky Derby downpour, I started rummaging through my collection of posters, photos and bric-a-brac suitable for hanging.

This one, called "Brewpubs and Craft Breweries," is a poster that dates from 1992.

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THE BEER BEAT: Yuengling Golden Pilsner, or how I mourn the taste of corn in the morn (and afternoon).

Several of my friends beat me to tasting Pabst Pale Ale (I still haven't), but earlier today by sheer serendipity I walked into Keg Liquors (Clarksville) and became the first customer to buy a six-pack of Yuengling's ballyhooed Golden Pilsner.

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THE BEER BEAT: A brief Pints & Union beer list report (yay) and a Yuengling correction (shrug).

It's ironic, although not entirely unexpected, that the more beer I drink as part of a solemn imperative to research (alas, someone's got to do it), and the greater the amount of time translating this diligent research into a beer list for Pints & Union, the less opportunity to write idly about beer in general.

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THE BEER BEAT: U Fleků, home of "Bohemia’s definitive dark beer," really WAS founded in 1499.

I meant to attend U Fleků's 500th birthday party in 1999, but just couldn't pull it off. That's a big regret. Jeff Alworth is a great beer writer. In this brief essay, he takes us to Prague for one of those "Holy Grail" bucket list beers, originally described by the beer writer Michael Jackson, all of which packed off my butt to Europe so very long ago.

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THE BEER BEAT: R.I.P. Jerry "Turoni's" Turner. Also: New England IPA, Mile Wide, Goose's disgrace, George Washington, and weighing a keg of beer.

As I may have mentioned earlier, though probably forgot, the current issue of Food & Dining Magazine (it's out today) has two contributions from moi: a profile of bar Vetti (lower case "b" is intentional), and a beer column about New England IPA.

Research for the latter brought me to Mile Wide Beer Co. (636 Barret Avenue, Louisville KY) a few weeks back for their release of Nomah!, which I enjoyed very much. In some ways I'm surprised by this. Not long ago, I'd have dismissed NE IPA as a fad, but now it makes perfect sense to me. May the style live long and prosper.

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BEER WITH A SOCIALIST: Still on the "beer beat," but with a new identity and a renewed consultancy.

"Beer with a Socialist" is what happens when the Potable Curmudgeon momentarily mistakes the word "scientist" for "socialist," and after a good laugh, decides it's kismet.

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ON THE AVENUES: Long live Keg Liquors Fest of Ale, an indisputable annual beer institution.

The 13th edition of Keg Liquors Fest of Ale will take place at New Albany’s Riverfront Amphitheater on Saturday, June 2. Up to 2,500 area beer fans will be in attendance, which might sound like a crush of humanity, but it isn’t. The major regional stops on the beer festival tour host as many as 8,000 guests, with Port-A-Lets extending around the entire perimeter like Donald Trump’s walled-in America.

However, festival founder and package store owner Todd Antz has grown Fest of Ale slowly and organically, from the parking lot adjacent to his original Clarksville store to St. Anthony’s lawn, and now the banks of the Ohio. It’s an urban area, and yet still presents a pastoral scene of greenery, passing barges and the rising sun architectural imagery of the amphitheater itself.

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BEER WITH A SOCIALIST: Vandals strike Asheville brewery: “No more breweries” and “**** Beer City.”

My initial thought upon reading about "anti-brewery vandalism" in Asheville was something on the order of: "Just their luck the Woman's Christian Temperance Union is still alive and kicking."

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ON THE AVENUES: Sadly, the Kentucky Derby no longer is decadent and depraved. It’s just another vacuous capitalist bait ‘n’ switch.

Let’s talk about beer. In 2018, for the first time in six years, the “official” beer of this signature institution known as Churchill Downs no longer is Stella Artois, the chosen import of AB-InBev’s payola empire.

Now it’s Corona, perhaps the most vile mainstream corn-choked Mexican lager atrocity known to man, reminding us that while the Kentucky Derby has developed intrinsic traditions since its inaugural run in 1875, locally brewed beer hasn’t always been prominent among these predispositions. After all, bourbon gets you there way faster.

Headlines from April 2018 on THE BEER BEAT.

This blog has gone on hiatus, probably permanently, and primarily because these days my thoughts about beer are being posted alongside my utterances about everything else, over yonder at NA Confidential. You'll find them there in reverse chronological order via the helpful all-purpose tag, The Beer Beat.

However, at the end of each month I'll collect the links right here. Following are April's (2018) ruminations, with the oldest listed first. Some of these posts are more topical than others. On occasion, there'll be references to beer in posts using "The Beer Beat" as a label, though not a title. I hope this isn't overly confusing.

Thanks for reading, if belatedly.

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THE BEER BEAT: "Bock brings the Germans rushing to the beer garden."

Doppelbock is the perfect example of a seasonal beer style redolent of history and faraway places, and yet deemed insufficiently sexy for narcissistic, hop-laden, shoe-gazing geeks.

No bitterness in this soul, mind you.

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THE BEER BEAT: Mad Paddle Brewery is coming to Madison, and there's a New Albany connection.

Having tickled the taste buds, let's have a glance to the northeast. If you ask me, Madison has always deserved a good brewery.

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THE BEER BEAT: Fest of Ale returns on June 2, so please allow me to revive an idea for pre-fest fun next year.

(New Albany Craft Beer Week) didn't come together in 2017 and probably won't in 2018, but if Andrew Nicholson and Kelly Winslow (especially these two) are reading ... there's always 2019. I'd be happy to give you both the rundown.

Meanwhile, 2018 will be the third year for Fest of Ale at the Riverfront Amphitheater. Gear up and get ready.

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THE BEER BEAT: This just might be the Pour Fool's greatest rant: "Open Letter to The Bud Sell-Outs: Cowboy Up, Whiners."

"There is one old saw that the 'owners' of these former craft breweries should take to heart and if any of you have never heard it, allow me ... 'You Made Your Bed, Now Lie In It.' "

Ladies and gentleman, give it up for Steve Foolbody (The Pour Fool).

It's the best summary yet offered, as truthfully attesting to the phenomenon of Trojan Zombie Afterlife Breweries and their former owners. Here's a relevant non-brewing history lesson.

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THE BEER BEAT: Pints for Parkinson's returns with Maibock, so let's have a look at Gordon Biersch, day drinking and TARC.

Spurred by the groundbreaking commuter research conducted by my friend Jeff, who works in downtown Louisville KY -- and with a wife who does, too -- I have belatedly grasped that the #71 bus eastbound from State and Elm in New Albany (a short walk from my house) travels all the way to Jeffersonville on roughly an hourly basis during the day, stopping a mere bloc

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THE BEER BEAT: Everybody wants to rule the world -- maybe "craft" beer will, too.

This is exactly what the world of beer commentary is sorely lacking: Beer with a Socialist. I'm grateful to Jonathan for the idea, and will owe him a beer of three is this goes anyplace.

Now, give it up for Lew Bryson and another thought-provoking (and fun) column at The Daily Beast.

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THE BEER BEAT: Photographing traditional Irish storefronts for posterity, like the Railway Bar.

The loss of storefronts in Ireland is a lamentable cultural atrocity. It isn't restricted to pubs, but of course I'm enraptured by one of the pubs pictured in the article.

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THE BEER BEAT: This humble plinth could be the spot where we memorialize the myriad victims of Prohibition.

It is imperative for the future health and well-being of the municipality that we embrace historical consciousness, hence my contention that the victims of the savage and deranged social experiment known as Prohibition -- surely America's second-worst idea ever, albeit well behind human slavery in terms of ramifications -- be memorialized, preferably adjacent to a watering hole that reminds us of what the heinous teetotalers tried to take away.

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THE BEER BEAT: Speakeasies here, speakeasies there, and not an original thought to be found anywhere.

It's far easier to be "magical" when your family has profited immensely from LEGAL liquor sales, the budget is unlimited, and you're not scraping for crumbs to implement good ideas -- but money can buy neither love nor an exemption from imminent prosecution for inexcusably pretentious word abuse.

The CJ's writer somehow keeps a straight face, this being a skill I never learned.

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THE BEER BEAT: "Putting the taproom first and building the rest of your business around an own-premise model gives a brewery unprecedented control, insight, and flexibility."

History is endlessly fascinating for a variety of reasons, among them the uncanny way that what goes around, comes around. In today, out tomorrow -- and destined to return when conditions change and the dialectic of trendiness (or purely efficient reasoning) ordains.

This whole craft brewing revolution began very locally. You trundled down the street with a metaphorical pitcher, had it filled with beer, and hoped to make it back home without drinking it all -- or, the way it was done back in pre-Prohibition times.

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LIVE TO EAT on THE BEER BEAT: A tribute to the late Rocky's Sub Pub and a question: What's happening at Jeffersonville's "restaurant row"?

It was announced today that Rocky's Sub Pub, on the riverfront in Jeffersonville, suddenly closed. Danielle Grady's newspaper coverage is linked below, but first, a short piece I wrote for LEO back in 2009, when Rocky's debuted its beefed-up tap system. Ironically, now both Rocky's and JeffBoat are gone.

New Albany Craft Beer Week: It's a celebration of small, independent and traditional in brewing, and the community.

New Albany Craft Beer Week: It's a celebration of small, independent and traditional in brewing, and the community.

In recent years, New Albany’s new generation of food and drink establishments has played a major role in putting the “boom” back into our town.

So, earlier in the year when Keg Liquors announced it would be relocating its popular Fest of Ale to New Albany’s Riverfront Amphitheater on Saturday, June 4, it offered the perfect opportunity to celebrate the continuing rise of craft beer in New Albany.

After all, Keg Liquors is the top-rated bottle shop for beer in the whole the state of Indiana, according to RateBeer.

And, craft beer has come to be a staple offering at the majority of New Albany’s food and drink establishments.

Accordingly, the New Albany Restaurant and Bar Association (NARBA) is delighted to announce a new promotion aimed at reinforcing the economic, cultural and flavorful contributions of America’s craft brewers.

It’s New Albany Craft Beer Week, running from Sunday, May 29 through Saturday, June 4.

Many such beer weeks are honored in America. They vary in size and scope, and range across districts, cities and states, but there is relative uniformity in the concept.

The idea is to educate and disseminate craft beer consciousness, with an ulterior motive of letting consumers know more about places that serve it, and the people who make it all possible.

Anchoring New Albany Craft Beer Week on either side is the city of New Albany’s Boomtown Ball & Festival on Sunday, May 29, and Keg Liquors Fest of Ale on Saturday, June 4.

New Albany’s independent restaurants and pubs are encouraged to schedule tastings, beer dinners and special releases during the period of May 29 through June 4.

Known events at press time are listed below; others will appear as they’re announced on the New Albany Craft Beer Week blog: http://nacraftbeerweek.blogspot.com/

For some craft beer background, according to the Brewers Association, “An American craft brewer is small, independent and traditional.”

• Craft brewers are small brewers.
• The hallmark of craft beer and craft brewers is innovation. Craft brewers interpret historic styles with unique twists and develop new styles that have no precedent.
• Craft beer is generally made with traditional ingredients like malted barley; interesting and sometimes non-traditional ingredients are often added for distinctiveness.
• Craft brewers tend to be very involved in their communities through philanthropy, product donations, volunteerism and sponsorship of events.
• Craft brewers have distinctive, individualistic approaches to connecting with their customers.
• Craft brewers maintain integrity by what they brew and their general independence, free from a substantial interest by a non-craft brewer.
• The majority of Americans live within 10 miles of a craft brewer.

With three operational brewing companies (Donum Dei Brewery, Floyd County Brewing and the New Albanian Brewing Company), New Albany now has more breweries than at any time since 1907 – and not to forget our friends at River City Winery, one of Indiana’s few urban wineries.

Throughout New Albany, and especially downtown, great craft beer selections have become the norm. Eateries like Big Four Burgers, Dragon King’s Daughter, The Exchange and Feast BBQ (to name just four) always have ample craft beer selections drawn from Indiana (120+ breweries), Kentucky (21+) and America (4,000) as a whole.

New Albany’s new generation of restaurants and bars is independent, unique and locally focused. Not coincidentally, these are the characteristics that define America’s craft beer revolution.

Come down, have some fun – and always remember to drink responsibly.

Cheers!

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New Albany Craft Beer Week Calendar, 2016 (Revised 05/21/2016)

Sunday, May 29
Boomtown Ball & Festival
New Albanian Brewing Company’s Houndmouth Ale will be available for purchase.

Tuesday, May 31
Beer dinner at Gospel Bird with Falls City Beer (details TBA)

Wednesday, June 1
Surf & Turf Tap Takeover (Sierra Nevada and The Exchange)

Thursday, June 2
Monty PINT-thon Night at Floyd County Brewing Company

Saturday, June 4
Keg Liquors Fest of Ale
100+ Breweries, 7 Craft Beer Distributors, 8 Fine Wine Distributors, over 250 craft and import beers, wine, food, charity raffle and more.

Saturday, June 4
The official Keg Liquors Fest of Ale after party will take place at The Exchange pub + kitchen.

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Keg Liquors Fest of Ale will move to New Albany's Riverfront Amphitheater in 2016; the 11th annual edition slated for June 4.

(cross-posted from NA Confidential)

Saturday, June 4th remains the date for the 11th Annual Keg Liquors Fest of Ale, but the 2016 edition of the festival will be held at the Riverfront Amphitheater in New Albany.

Here's the press release from Todd Antz.

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Fest of Ale on the move.

New Albany, Ind. (February 2016) – After 10 successful years in Clarksville, the Keg Liquors Fest of Ale is changing venues. The 11th Annual Fest of Ale will be held on June 4th, 2016 at the New Albany Riverfront Amphitheater.

“Moving the event was a tough decision, but we felt that we had outgrown the space we were using at St. Anthony’s,” said Todd Antz, owner of Keg Liquors. “St. Anthony’s has been very generous with their facilities and support over the years, and we could not have grown the event to the size it is today without their help.

"We felt that the event was becoming a bit too taxing for their neighbors and parishioners, and that it was best for both parties if we moved on. We’ve always had a great relationship with St. Anthony’s and look forward to working with them in any future opportunities that may come up. I can’t thank everyone at St. Anthony’s enough for their support over the last 7 years of hosting our charity event. We could not have done this without them.”

The New Albany Riverfront Amphitheater, located below East Main Street at the foot of Pearl Street, is home each spring and summer to numerous free concerts, productions, festivals and other events.

The move to the Riverfront Amphitheater will allow the Fest of Ale to expand in size, provide more parking, as well as having access to all of the great restaurants and businesses in downtown New Albany.

“The Fest of Ale has always been a grassroots festival that promotes independent breweries and businesses, so moving the event to an area that has reinvigorated itself with all of the great shops and restaurants made perfect sense to us,” continued Antz. “The City of New Albany was very excited to help us with the event, and we look forward to working with them to make this the best Fest of Ale ever.”

Tickets for the 2016 Fest of Ale will go on sale at the beginning of April.

Keg Liquors
Keeping Kentuckiana Beer'd since 1976
http://www.kegliquors.com

617 E. Lewis and Clark Parkway
Clarksville, IN 47129
812-283-3988

4304 Charlestown Road
New Albany, IN 47150
812-948-0444

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The Keg Fest of Ale 2015.

Todd Antz does such a good job of selling his annual event that I'm sure he doesn't need the Curmudgeon's help, but just the same, a yearly approving nod in the direction of a top-quality beer event never hurts.

Read the press release at LouisvilleBeer.com: The Keg Fest of Ale 2015.

The first wave of metro Louisville beer festivals is coming.

Seeing as I'm on leave of absence, maybe attending one or two of these as a civilian isn't entirely out of the question. I'm not sure I'd know how to act.

Spring brings sunshine, flowers, baseball — and beer festivals, by Kevin Gibson (Insider Louisville)

Louisville has become quite the hot spot for local beer festivals, and this spring is looking like a good one, with some returning favorites bearing happy new wrinkles and a new entry making its debut into the lexicon to coincide with Derby.

It’s still a bit early, but we figure it’s never too early to welcome spring’s sudsy bounty. Get your calendars (and your livers) ready.

Click through to review:

• Craft Beer Extravaganza for Thunder Over Louisville
• Derby City BrewFest
• Highlands Beer Festival
• Bardstown Bound Beer Tour
• Keg Liquors Fest of Ale

Fest of Ale in SoIn.

This week's edition of SoIn includes a diagram of this year's Fest of Ale grounds and a preview of the annual Keg Liquors celebration for the benefit of the Crusade for Children. 

Beer festivals proliferate as event season launches in earnest, with trenchant and curmudgeonly commentary.

Today and tomorrow is RiverRoots in Madison, and NABC's annual gig pouring better beer for great music.

May 16 & 17 is RiverRoots 2014 in Madison IN, with music, folk arts and Indiana craft beer

NABC will be on hand to share beer vending duties with craft-brewing Hoosier friends: Upland Brewing Company (Bloomington IN), who’ve been there with us from the beginning; Great Crescent Brewing from Aurora; Indianapolis stalwart Sun King; and Power House out of Columbus.

Meanwhile, Steve Coomes previews the Highlands Beer Festival (Saturday, May 17) and Keg Liquors' Fest of Ale (Saturday, May 31), in which we learn that the coming of Deschutes to metro Louisville has trumped the coming of various other saviors. Before I climax, myself, and speaking of the forthcoming Fest of Ale, NABC will debut our Session Station there.

This Sunday (May 18) is the the Louisville Independent Business Alliance's 6th Annual Buy Local Fair in Louisville. It's always a fine event, supporting independent local businesses.

Next Sunday (May 25; Memorial Day weekend) is the Boomtown Ball and Festival in downtown New Albany. The event is previewed in SoIn, a food and entertainment supplement thus far not sequestered behind pay walls.

It bears noting that while neither the city of New Albany nor local media has seen fit to mention the fact, a consortium of downtown food and drink operators will be running the adult beverage area for Boomtown, including Feast BBQ, Irish Exit, JR's Pub, 502 Winery and NABC. It's unclear to me how our participation can be deemed so important to the success of the day that we've been entirely omitted from the vast majority of advance publicity, but then again, I'm not the mayor -- at least yet.

It's that time again: The 7th Annual Keg Liquors Fest of Ale is Saturday, June 2.

I haven't taken time to tout Fest of Ale simply because it is unlikely that any beer lover within a hundred mile radius doesn't already know about metro Louisville's finest annual beer fest.

The seventh edition is Saturday, June 2. It seems like only yesterday that I was hanging on for dear life to the tent in hopes we wouldn’t be staging a beer-soaked revival of the Wizard of Oz. With all due respect to Todd, the St. Anthony's location is aesthetically superior to the parking lot on Lewis & Clark. The church basement might come in handy, although this year, the weather forecast is looking good.

NABC will be there with Rosa, our draft truck, dispensing these beers: Black & Blue Grass, Naughty Girl 2012, Oaktimus, Propagator Dopplebock and Yakima Rye IPA (in the Hop Tent).

Here's the rundown.

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7th Annual Keg Liquors Fest of Ale
June 2nd, 3 - 7 PM

What is the Fest of Ale? It is a charity beer festival to help raise funds for the WHAS Crusade for Children.

The 7th annual Fest rolls around on Saturday, June 2, from 3-7 p.m. For the fourth year, it's on tap for St. Anthony's Catholic Church, 320 N. Sherwood Ave., Clarksville, Ind.

More than 40 breweries and four craft brew distributors will serve samples of more than 150 craft and import beers, and six fine wine distributors will serve wine samples. The St. Anthony's Men's Club will cook up hamburgers, hot dogs, brats and the like.

Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 on the day of the event. They're available now at Keg Liquors, 617 E. Lewis & Clark Pkwy., Clarksville; or their New Albany location at 302 Pearl St, New Albany; or online at http://www.kegliquors.com/fest_of_ale.html.

Fest of Ale recaps: A good time was had by all, it seems.

Praise for Fest of Ale, which was held on June 4th in Clarksville, Indiana.

From Steve Coomes at www.InsiderLouisville.com:
Fest of Ale 2011 featured region’s best of ales, fantastic crowd

From Jason Lyvers at www.louisville.com:
Keg Liquors Fest of Ale Recap...all I can say is YUM! [Lville Beer]

Someone get me an envoy and a pitcher of craft beer.

Yesterday I offered this brief assessment of the first annual Bloomington Craft Beer Festival on Saturday, June 4: Yesterday's inaugural Bloomington Craft Beer Festival.

On the same day as the Bloomington gig, Keg Liquors in Clarksville held its sixth annual Fest of Ale. Owner Todd Antz provides this report:

We came up with some great numbers for the Fest of Ale. We brought in over 1,000 people and raised $7,225 for the Crusade for Children. Thanks to everyone who came out and helped make this the best one ever!

The question: Are these two locations, Bloomington and Clarksville, sufficiently far removed from each other that there were no ill effects from celebrating craft beer twice on the same day, at the same time?

Now, I'm not interested in exploring who had which date first, or which charity is the more deserving. Rather, I'll cut directly to the chase and note that in the perfect world, the two festivals would be held at different times.

Upland Brewing Company subordinated its Rad Fest into the Bloomington Craft Beer Festival, with hopeful results that vindicate the notion of placing a Brewers of Indiana Guild satellite event there. In spite of Big Red Liquors, Bloomington deserves the placement.

Meanwhile, Todd has done such a good job of establishing Fest of Ale as a metro Louisville tradition that it might easily be transformed into the Brewers of Indiana satellite fest intended to titillate the emerging Louisville market and to introduce it to the burgeoning world of Indiana-brewed beer.

But the fests simply cannot take place on the same day. Brewery personnel cannot always be organized into split squads; logistical choices must be made, and not all these choices are good for the consumer.

Can't one of them take place in the spring or early summer, and the other in the fall? I believe the reconciliation talks need to begin right away so that we can have an effective, balanced calendar in 2012.

Fetch your calendars for NABC's forthcoming week in beer.

Here comes another weekend packed with craft beer events. I'll try to use this space each week to preview the busiest summer schedule in NABC's history. Are you ready?

THURSDAY, JUNE 2

In Huntingburg:
Dubois County Bombers vs. Nashville Outlaws
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 3

In New Albany:
Schad Bash: Rock for Rauch 2011
The law office of Schad & Schad is right across the parking lot from Bank Street Brewhouse, and we're happy to join the fun at the first annual Schad Bash, which begins at 8:00 p.m. Music will be provided by the Louisville Crashers, and Rosa L. Stumblebus will be on hand for the pouring of NABC drafts. The beneficiary is Rauch, Inc., for 63 years providing opportunities for the physically and mentally handicapped in Southern Indiana.

In Lawrenceburg, Indiana:
First Friday "Party in the Street"
Our brewing friends from Great Crescent (Aurora) and Powerhouse (Columbus) will be vending Indiana-brewed craft beer, including some of NABC's -- Dan from GCB brokered the deal, and we're thanking him for thinking about us.

SATURDAY, JUNE 4

In Clarksville, Indiana:
6th Annual Keg Liquors Fest of Ale
Keg Liquors owner Todd Antz didn't waste time complaining when he learned that the BIG fest in Bloomington was to be held on the same day as his own gathering. He just went out and assembled the best Fest of Ale lineup ever, including this year's newest innovation: The House of Hops. Rock on, Todd, and read this news item from Daniel Suddeath in the News and Tribune: Hey you, beer me! Fest of Ales set for Saturday.

In Bloomington, Indiana:
First Annual Bloomington Craft Beer Fest
Formerly Rad Fest at Upland Brewing, this event has morphed into an officially sanctioned Brewers of Indiana Guild fest, and more than 30 of Indiana's 40-ish breweries are expected to attend, including the newest of the bunch. Purely exhaustive information can be found here, and tickets are on sale now.

In New Albany, Indiana (also on Sunday):
Fifth Annual Art on the Parish Green
St. Paul's Episcopal Church, located just around the corner from my house, is the oldest Episcopalian congregation in Indiana, dating back approximately 175 years. For Art on the Parish Green, the church's lovely historic grounds are given over to a multitude of arts and crafts, with live music, food and NABC beer. It takes place on Saturday and Sunday, and you can let them know you're coming at the Art on the Parish Green Facebook site.

SUNDAY, JUNE 5

In (outside of) Greenville, Indiana:
Capriole Spring Open House
It's the semi-annual open house at Capriole Farms, makers of the sublime goat cheese, without which my household would cease to function in a culinary sense. I'll be there, packing NABC beers for pairing with goat cheeses, and using the cheat sheet that Chef Matt and I devised last week. My advice is to get there early, because folks come from miles around for this one.

In Huntingburg:
Dubois County Bombers vs. Danville Dans

In New Albany:
Fifth Annual Art on the Parish Green

Am I forgetting anything? Let me know.

The 6th Annual Keg Liquors Fest of Ale is Saturday, June 4th, 3 - 7 p.m.

(From the tireless beer maven, Todd Antz)

What is the Fest of Ale?

It is a charity beer festival to help raise funds for the WHAS Crusade for Children, with 40+ Breweries, 4 Craft Beer Distributors, 6 Fine Wine Distributors, over 150 craft and import beers, wine, food, a charity raffle and more!

We've continued to improve the festival year after year. This year, we have added even more wine, and we have also added several new breweries to the mix.

Date: June 4th from 3 - 7 p.m.
Location: St. Anthony's of Padua, 320 North Sherwood Avenue, Clarksville, Indiana 47129-2798

Cost: $25 advance, $30 day of show

For more details and to buy tickets, check out the events website at http://www.kegliquors.com/fest_of_ale.html

Reminder: The remarkably local Fest of Ale is this Saturday, June 5.

It's a truly local beer festival, conceived and staged right here, growing slowly and steadily over the years, and with no apparent need for outside intervention. For the whole story, hit the Fest of Ale page at Facebook.

Calendar check: 5th Annual Keg Liquors Fest of Ale is Saturday, June 5.

Follow the bouncing link to the Facebook page for the 2010 Keg Liquors Fest of Ale. It will be the fifth edition of the fest, and will take place on Saturday, June 5 at 3:00 p.m. at St. Anthony's of Padua in Clarksville.

LEO Mug Shot: "Summertime beer fests."

In today's LEO Weekly: Mug Shots: Summertime beer fests. I've resolved to publish these here at the blog, but note that I'll be skipping a start on June 24, with the next column coming on July 8. Cheers!

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During the halcyon days of my youth, which were far less carefree in practice than when viewed decades later through beer-drenched memory, summertime always meant a profusion of outdoor beer festivals.

So did winter, spring and fall. When you’re 17 years old, look more like 13, live at home with your parents, and require divine intervention just to get served, the open air constantly beckons, especially those patches of isolated farmland belonging to people who don’t know or care that someone older had been recruited to score a few kegs of the cheapest swill possible, borrow the steel tubs otherwise used to water future beefsteak, and await the grapevine-laden onslaught of teenagers who’d learned there was a kegger taking place.

When it rained, we got wet – not the worst conceivable outcome in hot weather if any girls bothered to come, which was seldom. Some times, liquid consolation aside, it all worked out. Id insert Bob Seger’s “Night Moves” right about now, but to be honest, I never liked his music very much after “Katmandu,” which I heard for the first time at – where else? – an outdoor beer festival, with any beer you liked available for sampling so long as it was warm Falls City, and Seger’s tune blaring from the subpar radio of a car stuck in a muddy field littered with spent plastic cups.

Now I’m considerably older, and fake IDs no longer are needed for furtive liquor store visits, but warm-weather outdoor beer festivals remain on the must-do list of seasonal activities even if they bear no resemblance to those midsummer debacles, circa ’77.

Today’s outdoor beer festivals are devoted to craft beer, and they tend to follow a common template. As many different beers and breweries as possible are penciled in for duty. There’ll be brewers and beer sales representatives around to explain the choices offered. Your festival entry fee will cover numerous, if not always unlimited, small samples of these many beers, not full pours.

Food will be vended, usually on an a la carte basis, and musical entertainment provided. The latter tends toward the rock, pop, blues and bluegrass spectrum, although some sweet day I’d love to hear a string quartet performing modern compositions or a rocking Klezmer band.

Outdoor craft beer festivals are designed to expand the category through heightened consciousness and increased business for pubs, package stores and breweries, yet almost all such events support a chosen charity or commensurate good cause with a portion of its proceeds.

There also are special entry prices and terms of engagement for designated drivers, all of which goes to show that beer consciousness without social consciousness is little more than the ingestion of alcohol, as recounted in the opening paragraphs of this essay.

Last weekend, local beer aficionados had two summertime outdoor beer fests to choose from – and several hundred did just that.

On Saturday, Keg Liquors (617 Lewis and Clark Parkway, Clarksville) staged its fourth annual Fest of Ale at a new, nearby location, a field (!) behind St. Anthony’s of Padua Catholic Church. Twenty-three hours later, the inaugural Great Flanagan’s Beer Festival took the urban approach, with a half-block of Morton Avenue closed off adjacent to Flanagan’s Ale House (934 Baxter Ave., Louisville). Fest of Ale raised money for the Crusade for Children, and Pints for Prostates benefitted from the Flanagan’s gathering.

Discerning enthusiasts had great weather and eye-popping choices spanning the range of good beer, including local breweries, regional micros and selected imports. Numerous beer reps and industry people attended, and the knowledge level of tableside discussion was impressive and heartening.

Considering tighter times, was it a good idea to book two beer festivals on consecutive days? At first I doubted it, but based on conversations with the participating breweries, beer reps and wholesalers, I’ve changed my tune. The sponsors are different, and so are the crowds they draw. Most importantly, out-of-town beer reps get two promotional opportunities during one road trip, and that’s an enticement.

How about a discounted ticket for both festivals, with entry to another Saturday night “after party” thrown in for good measure? The after-party might even attract the most interesting man in the world, although in truth, I never once saw him at White Castle after one of our high school keggers.

After Fest of Ale on Saturday, a Left Hand meet 'n' greet at the Public House.

If you’re a beer aficionado residing in the Louisville metro area, you probably already know that this coming Saturday, June 6, is the occasion for Fest of Ale, which owner Todd Antz of Clarksville’s Keg Liquors seems willing and able to grow into a true signature event.

In three years, the event has grown from 75 paid attendees to 450 (in 2008), and for this year’s fourth edition, Todd has chosen a new venue: St. Anthony’s of Padua Catholic Church, located at 320 N. Sherwood Avenue in Clarksville.

It should come as no surprise that in previous years, selected beer personages in attendance have fanned out after the Fest of Ale’s conclusion and visited other notable on-premise beer spots in Louisville metro.

With this in mind, NABC Grant Line (Rich O’s and Sportstime) is teaming up with Cavalier Distributing (Indianapolis) and sales rep Mike Walters of Left Hand Brewing Company (Colorado) to stage a post-Fest meet ‘n’ greet in the Prost room at Rich O’s.

Two rare Left Hand specialties will be on tap, and specially priced by the half-pint for the occasion:

Left Hand Oak-Aged Imperial Stout
Left Hand St. Vrain Tripple

Plus, Mike will be bringing the remainder of his Fest of Ale bottle samples, so if you missed them at the event, free evening nips will be available.

We’ll be starting around 8:30 p.m. and continuing until 10:30 p.m.

And, don't forget the weekend's other event: Great Flanagan's Beer Fest is Sunday, June 7. NABC will be there, too.

4th Annual Keg Liquors Fest of Ale is Saturday, June 6.

Straight from Todd Antz's word processor, here's the preview for this year's edition of Fest of Ale, which is coming this Saturday. I've copied it from Todd's announcement at the Louisville Restaurants Forum, and I'm sure he'll comment if there's anything to add.

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30 Breweries, 3 Craft Beer Distributors, 2 Wine Distributors and over 100 beers and wines to be sampled, as well as food, music, and a charity silent auction to support the WHAS Crusade for Children on June 6th from 3 - 7PM.

Cost: $25 advance, $30 day of the event. Online ticket sales are now available via our website

Due to the growing number of supporters for this event, we have outgrown holding this at the Keg Liquors facility. We have partnered up with St. Anthony's in Clarksville to host the event this year. St. Anthony's is located 5 minutes from the store, at 320 North Sherwood Drive, Clarksville, IN

For more information, check out our website.

Breweries attending include:
Barley Island
New Belgium
Magic Hat
Sam Adams
Bells Brewing
Bluegrass Brewing Company (Clay & Main)
Bluegrass Brewing Company (St. Matthews)
Brownings
Sierra Nevada
Powerhouse Brewing Company
Cumberland Brews
Schlafly
Warbird Brewing
Upland Brewing Company
New Albanian Brewing Company
Wetten Imports
Brugge Brasserie
Three Floyds
Victory
Spaten
Franziskaner
Moylans
Hoppin Frog
Dark Horse
Dogfish Head
Lost Coast
Leinenkugel
Pyramid
Eurobrew
Huyghe (Delirium)
Kasteel
Gouden Carolus
Unibroue
St. Bernardus
Weltenburger
Verhaeghe

and many more on the way!

Craft Beer Distributors:
World Class Beverages
Cavalier Distributing
Winding Road Beverages

Wine Distributors:
InVie
Crossroads Vintners

Food will be available from the St. Anthony's Men's Group.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact me at 812-283-3988

Program and beer listings

3rd Annual Keg Liquors Fest of Ale is tomorrow (June 7).

From Todd Antz:

The 3rd Annual Keg Liquors Fest of Ale is only one more day away. Friday is your last chance to get your tickets at the $25.00 discounted price. This goes up to $30.00 on Saturday.

Check out the list of beers that will be available at the festival: 2008 Fest of Ale Beer List

Also, check out the recent publicity for the event:

This brewfest is for both the beer snob and the curious sud-seeker

Fest of Ale from Louisville.com

The LEO Bar Belle

For more information on the event, check out our web page Keg Liquors Fest of Ale

Advance note: 3rd Annual Keg Liquors Fest of Ale on Saturday, June 7.

Straight from owner Todd Antz's word processor ...


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June 7th: 3rd Annual Keg Liquors Fest of Ale, 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

14 breweries, 2 craft beer distributors, over 100 craft and import beers, food and more. We will have 14+ microbrewers on site to sample their wares, as well as food, music, and a charity silent auction to support the WHAS Crusade for Children. Here is our lineup so far:

Upland Brewing Company
New Albanian Brewing
Barley Island Brewing
Bluegrass Brewing Company
Warbird Brewing
Bells Brewing
Browning's
New Holland Brewing
Brugge Brasserie
Wabash Brewing
Cumberland Brews
Mishawaka Brewing Company
Powerhouse Brewing Company
Schlafly Brewing
... and more on the way

Also in attendance will be World Class Beverages and Cavalier Distributing. Food will be available from Mark's Feed Store and Buckhead Mountain Grill.

Price is $25 in advance, and $30 day of the event. Tickets go on sale on April 15th and will be available at Rich O's Public House & Sportstime Pizza, the BBC Taproom and Keg Liquors, and also available online at the http://www.kegliquors.com/festofale.htm