Experience the Dump Buckets at the 19th Annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival (2014).

"Week of events focused on Indiana beer concludes with state’s largest beer festival."

Here's the official press release from the Brewers of Indiana Guild, on which I'm proud to serve as a director.

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Week of events focused on Indiana beer concludes with state’s largest beer festival

19th Annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival takes place July 19 in Broad Ripple, benefits Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

INDIANAPOLIS (July 11, 2014) – A week of events celebrating the Indiana craft beer industry begins today in Indianapolis and concludes with the 19th Annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival on Saturday, July 19 at Opti-Park (820 E 66th St.) in Broad Ripple. The event, expected to sell out in advance and
organized by the Brewers of Indiana Guild, a not-for-profit trade association representing the 90 craft breweries and brewpubs in Indiana, is Indiana’s biggest beer event.

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Today, July 11: The Indiana State Fair Brewers’ Cup Competition begins. The event is one of the country’s largest brewing competitions; home and professional brewers have entered more than 1,000 brews in a variety of styles to be judged by certified beer judges. It concludes with an awards reception tomorrow night.

Sunday, July 13: The Broad Ripple Brewpub 2014 Hoods & Hops antique, classic and custom car show takes place from noon - 5 p.m. in Opti-Park in Broad Ripple, site of the following Saturday’s Indiana Microbrewers Fest. Car registration is $5, general admission is free, and food and Indiana craft beer will be available for purchase.

Monday, July 14: Local podcast Indy Beer News hosts a live show focused on Indiana beer at Mass Ave Pub at 6:30 p.m. Mark Cady from Bloomington Brewing Company, Amanda Wishin of Girls’ Pint Out, and Hoosier Beer Geek Jim Dimitri will be guests.

Thursday, July 17: In addition to several other events this week, beer blog Hoosier Beer Geek 
celebrates new Hoosier breweries--including 18th Street, Outliers, Scarlet Lane, and Taxman--at Mass Ave Pub at 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 19: The week culminates in the 19th Annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival. 6,000 people will enjoy more than 350 craft beers from 80-plus breweries, mostly from Indiana. The event, which sold out in advance last year, takes place from 3-7 p.m. on the grounds of the Indianapolis Art Center. Tickets are available online at brewersofindianaguild.com/events and at Big Red Liquors
stores. A portion of ticket sales benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

The Indiana craft brewing industry is growing quickly. According to the national Brewers Association , 6,139 full-time employees contributed to an economic impact of $609,240,000 in the state in 2012 (the latest year for which numbers are available); these numbers will increase greatly as Indiana approaches 100 craft breweries and brewpubs in 2014.

About Brewers of Indiana Guild: The Brewers of Indiana Guild (BIG) provides a unifying voice for the 90 craft breweries and brewpubs of Indiana. BIG promotes public awareness and appreciation for the quality and variety of beer produced in Indiana, advocates for favorable regulatory treatment from state and federal agencies, and provides support to brewers throughout the state. For more information, visit brewersofindianaguild.com
.

The 19th Annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival takes place on July 19.

There is a new Communications Director for the Brewers of Indiana Guild (BIG). Actually, Tristan Schmid is the first person to occupy this newly created position. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the most recent guild meeting. I'm now on the festival committee, and will be honing my contrarian opinions about such matters.

In the grand tradition of dropping multiple pins with one throw, here is Tristan's inaugural BIG press release, which previews the 19th Annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival.

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TICKETS FOR THE 19TH ANNUAL INDIANA MICROBREWERS FESTIVAL AVAILABLE ONLINE AND AT BIG RED LIQUORS, at Indiana On Tap

INDIANAPOLIS (July 2, 2014) – Tickets are now available for the 19th Annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival, the largest beer festival in Indiana. The event takes place on Saturday, July 19, from 3-7 p.m. at Opti-Park, 780 East 66th Street, on the grounds of the Indianapolis Art Center in Broad Ripple on Indy’s north side. A portion of ticket sales benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Craft beer fans can purchase general admission tickets--which include a commemorative tasting glass, unlimited beer samples, and 3 p.m. admission--for $40. Early Bird tickets, good for entry at 2 p.m., are available for $15 more. The event is expected to sell out all 6,000 tickets in advance.

All tickets are available at brewersofindianaguild.com, and general admission tickets are for sale beginning today at Indianapolis-area Big Red Liquor stores.

$10 Designated Driver tickets, available online and at the gate the day of the event, are good for free unlimited soft drinks and coffee from Bee Coffee Roasters.

“This year’s event will be better than ever,” said Clay Robinson, President of the Brewers Guild of Indiana and Owner of Sun King Brewing. “80-plus breweries, most from Indiana, will bring more than 200 beers, giving craft beer fans plenty of their favorites and offering tastes of many new brews.”

The event will also feature local food vendors and musicians.

The Brewers of Indiana Guild is enlisting volunteers to help at the event; those interested in volunteering can email BeerVolunteerList@gmail.com for more information.

Indianapolis-area Big Red Liquors stores selling general admission tickets:

• 5510 N. Emerson Way, Indianapolis
• 1111 E. 86th Street, Indianapolis
• 5602 N. Georgetown Rd, Indianapolis
• 5959 Crawfordsville Rd, Speedway
• 9546 Allisonville Rd, Indianapolis
• 8029 Pendleton Pike, Indianapolis
• 9908 E. 79th Street, Indianapolis
• 7015 Kentucky Ave, Indianapolis
• 7930 S. Emerson, Indianapolis
• 2230 Stafford Rd, Plainfield
• 8607 N. Michigan Rd, Indianapolis
• 4201 S.East Street, Indianapolis
• 1067 Broad Ripple Ave, Indianapolis
• 5301 W. 10th St, Indianapolis
• 8975 E. Washington St, Indianapolis
• 40 Northfield Dr, Brownsburg
• 1447 E. Main St, Brownsburg
• 3437 E. 86th Street, Indianapolis
• 2290 E. 116th Street, Carmel
• 9685 Olio Rd, Fishers
• 9526 E. 126th Street, Fishers
• 9777 E. 116th Street, Fishers
• 8924 S. Meridian Street, Indianapolis
• 5439 S. East Street, Indianapolis
• 25 N. Pennsylvania St, Indianapolis

About Brewers of Indiana Guild: The Brewers of Indiana Guild (BIG) provides a unifying voice for the 90 craft breweries and brewpubs of Indiana. BIG promotes public awareness and appreciation for the quality and variety of beer produced in Indiana, advocates for favorable regulatory treatment from state and federal agencies, and provides support to brewers throughout the state. For more information, visit brewersofindianaguild.com.

The PC: Egalitarianism and the art of taking a leak.

(Published at LouisvilleBeer.com on August 1, 2013)

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(Adapted from a blog post)

July 20 was the occasion of the 18th Annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival in Indianapolis. It’s a Brewers of Indiana Guild production, and the guild’s biggest annual showcase both of its wares, and of its ethos.

Overall, apart from some light rain at the beginning, the fest probably was plenty good enough for rock and roll and food and beer on a Saturday afternoon.

Speaking personally and as a director on the guild’s board, I’m always grateful that so many folks enthusiastically tolerate the discomfort, crowds and expense to come celebrate better beer with us. Without these fans, it is obvious that there could be no “us” in any meaningful conceptual (or commercial) sense. At least the weather this year was cooler than usual for July, and the sun mostly muted.

Recuperating at home on Sunday morning, I began catching up on missed reading, having just returned from England on a transatlantic flight that seemed even more uncomfortable than those endured on previous trips. One article made an impression on me.

Class Struggle in the Sky, by James Atlas (New York Times)

During an intercontinental flight, I notice that “on the other side of the curtain” — as the first-class and business cabins are referred to — dinners are being served on white linen tablecloths, with actual bone china. Everyone’s got their “amenities kit” — one of those little nylon bags containing slippers, an eyeshade and a toothbrush. And legroom? Tons. While our seat width contracts — on some airlines by nearly eight inches in recent years — the space up front continues to expand …

… This stark class division should come as no surprise: what’s happening in the clouds mirrors what’s happening on the ground. Statusization — to coin a useful term — is ubiquitous, no matter what your altitude. While you’re in your hospital bed spooning up red Jell-O, a patient in a private suite is enjoying strawberries and cream. On your way to a Chase A.T.M., you notice a silver plaque declaring the existence within of Private Client Services. This man has a box seat at a Yankees game; that man has a skybox …

Small wonder the article grabbed my attention, seeing as it reinforced a point and gave a name (“statusization”) to something I’d already mentioned right here at LouisvilleBeer.com on June 15:A VIP and an IBU walk into a beer fest.

… I’ll cite as a convenient example ticket packages available for the Brewers of Indiana Guild festival in Indianapolis on July 20, while hastening to add that this doesn’t constitute my singling out the Guild for scrutiny; after all, it’s my own trade group. In fact, I imagine BIG is coming to such strategies of ticket pricing rather late in the game.

VIP Experience: $100 (very limited, online only)
Includes early admission (2:00) and access to exclusive VIP
Experience Tent (special tappings and food pairings), tasting glass and unlimited beer samples

Early Bird: $55 (limited, online only)
Includes early admission (2:00), tasting glass and unlimited beer samples

General Admission: $40 (advance purchase)
Includes tasting glass and unlimited beer samples

It so happened that on the actual day of the festival, I stuck religiously to the Indiana brewer side of the Opti Park grounds and didn’t once venture into the “guest outside brewer” compound, the latter financed primarily by World Class Beer, and accordingly one devoted to featuring non-Indiana beers (a topic previously covered here: Indiana Statecraft, parts one andtwo).

Consequently, all I know about the VIP Experience Tent is what is noted in the above passage, and that it was erected adjacent to WCB’s Hopapalooza tent. I can’t tell you whether VIPs had their own port-a-lets (luxury grade or otherwise), although I was told there were plenty of portable toilets lined up on the “guest beer” side of the park, presumably owing to there being more physical space for placing them.

But I do know this: NABC was positioned at the very end of the long, narrow and quite crowded salient misspelled as “Allee,” located between the museum and the river, and directly to our right were five (5) port-a-lets. The line to use them was 50 (75? 100?) deep for most of the afternoon, until the very end of the festival.

In my June column, I wrote these words:

Back out on the pitch, those $40 beer festival ducats still comprise the bread and butter on the fest’s bottom line, and we need to see to it that these attendees are not subjected only to the mud and the blood and the (leftover) beer, while the VIPs strut the corduroyed catwalk, pinkies extended, constantly checking their iPhones to make sure the beer they’re drinking is the truly rare Rye Barrel release, and not that commoner’s Boubon Barrel version that just ANYONE can buy – and subsequently hoard.

Egalitarianism should be a craft/real/better beer ideal, but if egalitarianism even remotely was my own guild’s aim on July 20, then a toilet line like the one I witnessed obviously signifies a rather glaring failure. Granted, attendees who largely kept to the Indiana brewery area might not have been aware of port-a-lets on the “guest” end, and yet there was ample room for more at the “Allee.”

By the end of the afternoon, the ATC-mandated orange fencing defining our enclosure was being trampled in all directions by men and women looking for secluded tree trunks and underbrush. Subsequently, it was revealed that damage had been done to the museum grounds. It was disappointing, to say the least.

Note that as a director serving on the guild’s board, I’m not passing the buck with this column. It is entirely “our” and “we,” not “someone else,” and all of us on the board should be honest and introspective when it comes to planning improvements for a better performance next time out. Everyone involved, including organizers and volunteers, worked hard, and while I’m hardly implying they didn’t, the results weren’t uniformly dulcet.

I’m saying only this: If I’m ever asked to weigh in on the topic at a guild meeting, I’ll be voting firmly against a renewal of the VIP Experience. For it to exist alongside hundred-yard lines to use the port-a-let just strikes me as unconscionable.

I got into the beer business to bring better beer to the people.

I didn’t get into the beer business to foster statusization.

Josh Hill at the Indiana Microbrewers Festival.

Two appreciative fans succumb to the considerable charms of the Brewery Badass at last Saturday's Indiana Microbrewers Festival in Indianapolis.

A reminder: NABC's lineup at the Indiana Microbrewers Festival this Saturday.

As a reminder, here is what NABC will be pouring on Saturday at the 17th annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival. We have a double-wide pouring area, and our machines kill fascists.

Beak's Best
Black & Blue Grass
Haggis Laddie
Hoptimus
Knobentinus
Naughty Girl (2012; cask-conditioned)
Oaktimus
Yakima Rye IPA (Willett Rye barrel-aged)

Also: 2012 ReplicAle (Mild Ale)

NABC's lineup for the 17th Annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival on July 14.

The 17th Annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival almost is here. The straight dope can be found here, and for the sake of proper planning, here's the list of NABC beers making the trip up I-65 on July 14.

Beak's Best
Black & Blue Grass
Haggis Laddie
Hoptimus
Knobentinus
Naughty Girl (2012; cask-conditioned)
Oaktimus
Yakima Rye IPA (Willett Rye barrel-aged)

And: 2012 ReplicAle

Calendar check: BIG Indiana beer events in 2012.

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.

NABC's lineup for the Indiana Microbrewers Festival on Saturday, July 16.

Following is the material we submitted to the Hoosier Beer Geeks for inclusion in the program for Saturday's Indiana Microbrewers Festival. At this precise moment, we're not planning any surprise releases, but this may change depending on whether any space remains in the van.

New Albanian Brewing Company
http://www.newalbanian.com/
Bank Street Brewhouse, 415 Bank Street, New Albany, IN 47150 &
NABC Pizzeria & Public House, 3312 Plaza Drive, New Albany, IN 47150

Director of Brewing Operations: David R. Pierce
Brewers: David Pierce, Josh Hill, Jared Williamson (emeritus; now brewing at Schlafly)

Brewing Ahead of the Curve: When brewing first began at the New Albanian Brewing Company in October, 2002, we already enjoyed renown as a multi-tap and beer bar. Because the best available beers from America and the world were pouring in the same building, NABC’s brewers were challenged from the very start to relate, innovate and extrapolate.

They’ve admirably responded to the competition, and the dialectic continues at the original Research & Development Brewery, as well as the Bank Street Brewhouse in downtown New Albany, where NABC is instrumental in downtown revitalization -- but is it any wonder that creativity can change municipalities as well as brewing cultures, if only the stodgy elites would just get out of the way?

NABC looks forward to continuing its tradition of principled leadership as the craft beer revolution prepares to sweep Indiana from its Liteweight doldrums. Enjoy today’s festival, and Drink Indiana!

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Ackerman’s Double Imperial Stout (Bourbon Barrel Aged)
Imperial Stout
ABV: 8%
IBU: 35-40
OG: 20
On Tap
This Imperial Double Stout, an iconic product once brewed by New Albany’s long defunct Ackerman’s Brewery, was recreated and brought to the 2011 BIG Winterfest as NABC’s ReplicAle. This particular portion has been aged in a Willett bourbon barrel for 6 months. In its brief 1930’s heyday, Ackerman’s Imperial Double Stout was brewed only once each year, at Easter, as an early springtime treat for the brewery’s loyal customers. It was meant as a substitute for Doppelbock, a German style traditionally served during Lenten fasts.

Malts: Rahr 2-row, Briess Aromatic Malt, Briess Dark Chocolate Malt, Briess Roast Barley, Briess 80-degree Caramel Malt, Briess Cherry Smoked Malt

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B’Urban Trotter
Imperial India Pale Ale
ABV: 9.2%
IBU: 208
OG: 21 degrees Plato
On Tap
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 suggestion of mint for the home stretch.

Malts: Rahr 2-Row, Weyermann Bohemian Pilsner, Castle Biscuit, Simpsons Medium Crystal

Hops: Cascade (mash, dry), Summit (first wort), Summit (bittering), Chinook (bittering, flavor, dry), Northern Brewer (flavor), Simcoe (dry)

Yeast: American (Chico) Ale

Special additions: Vanilla beans and honey were added during the whirlpool.

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Beak’s Best
American ESB
ABV: 5.3%
IBU: 35
OG: 1.059 or 14.75 degree Plato
On Tap
Beak’s is American Ale & Soul Liniment, with a twist: Brewed with English malts and American hops, and named in honor of globetrotting historian and educator Don "Beak" Barry. You really need to meet Beak, and his ale.

Malts: Simpsons Golden Promise, Simpsons Medium Crystal, Castle (Belgian) Aromatic and Special B

Hops: Triple hopped with Cascade pellets

Yeast: House English

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Elector
Imperial Red
ABV: 7.5%
IBU: 62
OG: 1.074 or 18.5 degree Plato
On Tap
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 utterly 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.

Malts: Rahr Pale and Simpsons Medium Crystal

Hops: Nugget and Cascade

Yeast: House London

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Hoptimus
Imperial IPA
ABV: 10.7%
IBU: 100
OG: 22.6
On Tap
Living vicariously through others is a sad compromise meant only for rank amateurs and subpar international lagers. Rather, we all might profit from the example of the sterner stuff 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.

Malt: Special Pale

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

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Naughty Girl
Belgian India Blonde Ale
ABV: 6%
IBU: 69
OG: 14.4
On Tap
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.

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

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

Yeast: De Struise House Ale

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Summerfest ReplicAle
Single Hop APA (Palisades)

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Tafel Bier
Belgian-style “Table” Beer
ABV: 4%
IBU: 15
OG: 1.040, or 10 degrees Plato
On Tap
It’s better dancing on the table than sleeping on the floor. Tafel Bier is the Flemish language term for “table beer,” denoting a flavorful session strength accompaniment to the wonders of Belgian cuisine … or burgers and wings, too. What do you think filled those earthenware jugs in the Brueghel painting? It wasn’t Bud Light Lime, was it?

Malts: Belgian Pale, Aromatic, Biscuit, CaraPils

Hops: German Tettnanger, Select

Yeast: House Ardennes

Rick and Jeff Tours will take you to the 16th Annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival on July 16.

Rick and Jeff Tours has the information at Facebook.

The 16th annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival takes place on Saturday, July 16, from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Opti Park in Broad Ripple on the north side of Indianapolis. Something new for 2011 is that some Indiana brewers will have "double wide" tables with expanded beer selections for sampling. NABC is one of these.

The motor coach leaves Louisville circa 12:30 p.m., with lunch before entry to the festival. You'll be back in Louisville approximately by 9:00 p.m. The cost of $85 per person includes motor coach transportation, ticket to festival, lunch, and refreshments. Call Jeff "Professor" Gesser at 502-807-7531, or send a message from the Facebook page.

"Drink Indiana"? I believe I did, thank you.

Indiana Beer Week made the Indy Star today, and the article was reprinted in the Louisville Courier-Journal:

Last call for Hoosier beer week

Mark Zelner and his wife, Kit, crowded with 150 others around the bar at the Rock Bottom Brewery. They were awaiting a taste of a rare Indiana brew: brewmaster Liz Laughlin's Kölsch beer, which won top prize at last year's State Fair Brewers Cup.

Last night's first-ever, pre-fest beer dinner at Opti Park was a kick, with a dozen rare Indiana microbrews on tap and a feast of dishes prepared with Indiana meats and vegetables. So was the following "reception" of sorts at Chumley's, where wholesalers World Class and Cavalier unveiled one treat after another (Bell's Batch 6000 and a bourbon-barrel aged Porter from Founders among them).

Today's annual Microbrewers festival will take place on a much hotter day than last year's. I might just have to drink some water, since I forgot to hydrate on Friday night.

And kept forgetting ...

Indiana Beer Week: A half dozen Indiana-brewed guest beers and 10 house beers on tap at the Public House now.

After a grievously slow business period in late June, suddenly we caught fire last week, and on Monday afternoon (yesterday) there were something like eight empty taps staring back at me.

On most weeks, Monday's the main beer ordering day, so the depletions dovetailed quite nicely with efforts to have a half-dozen Indiana beers on tap during Indiana Beer Week. Here is what the foraging yielded:

Alpha King and Pride & Joy (Three Floyds; Munster)
Brugge Brasserie Tripel de Ripple (Brugge; Indianapolis/Terre Haute)
Upland Maibock and Wheat (Upland; Bloomington)
Shoreline Brewery SumCen Double IPA (Shoreline; Michigan City)

And, of course, there are ten New Albanian Brewing Company currently on tap: Bob's Old 15-B, Community Dark, Croupier, Elector, Farmhouse Saison, Flat Tyre, Hoptimus, Mt. Lee, Phoenix, and St. Radegund.

The Indiana Microbrewers Festival is this Saturday, July 19, and don't forget that there'll be a Rick and Jeff Tours motorcoach to it.

Draft Hoosier brews for Indiana Beer Week -- just not the ones I was expecting.

Don't forget: Rick and Jeff Tours motorcoach to the Indiana Brewers Festival this coming Saturday.

NABC/Rich O’s themed guest beer weeks are continuing throughout July. Today we were supposed to have unveiled four rare drafts from our brethren to the north, but it would appear that some things just aren't meant to be, so forget all about what I told you earlier.

However, don't forget the occasion. A new event, Indiana Beer Week, had been organized by the Brewers of Indiana Guild to celebrate the period (July 10-19) between the Indiana State Fair homebrew and professional Brewers Cup Competition (July 11 & 12) judging and the annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival (July 19). Accordingly, a brewery "swap" schedule was arranged and The New Albanian Brewing Company planned to put our assigned beers on tap today.

Unfortunately, the unexpected began occurring. First, owing to a miscommunication (my fault), I learned that there wasn't going to be a guest beer from Lafayette Brewing Company. Second, announced beers from Three Floyds and Brugge Brasserie fell through. Nothing could be done about it, so we've improvised, and the fallback plan is this:

We managed to get Shoreline Brewery SumCen Double IPA from Michigan City, so there's one.

We always have Alpha King and Upland Wheat on tap; that makes three.

Brugge sent Tripel instead of Black -- four.

On Monday I'll forage and buy a couple of Indiana microbrews to flesh out the lineup -- Wabash Valley (Terre Haute) and Barley Island (Noblesville) sound like reasonable candidates, and one from each takes us up to a half dozen.

You'll have to come back tomorrow to see what I decided to buy, and then give me until Tuesday to get all of it in order.

Damn. This turned out to be harder than I thought.

Rick and Jeff Tours Indiana Brewers Festival

Jeff Gesser has reminded the Curmudgeon that the Rick and Jeff Tours motorcoach excursion to the Indiana Brewers Festival is a go. Note that local craft beer is included for the ride, along with lunch. As noted often in this space, Jeff and Rick have been doing these excursions for years, I've gone on several (most recently in June for a Reds-Red Sox game), and they're always great fun.

Indiana Microbrewers Festival
Saturday, July 19
Chartered bus, tickets to fest (more than 50 brewers on site), program, souvenir sample glass, and hand-crafted beers available on bus both up and back, along with sodas and water. Unlimited samples from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the fest. We will also provide lunch. Cost $85 per person.

Will leave Louisville or New Albany around 11:45. For reservations and complete information contact Rick and Jeff Tours by calling 502-807-7531 or e-mail profgesser(at)insightbb.com

VIP Brewmaster's Dinner in Indianapolis on July 18.

The forthcoming Indiana Beer Week keeps getting better.

On the night before the guild's 13th annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival, a VIP Brewmaster's Dinner will be held, with a 7-course dinner pepared by Chef Greg Hardesty and Indiana microbrews to match. Proceeds to benefit the Red Cross for Indiana Flood Relief.

Here is the scoop.

VIP Brewmaster's Dinner
Friday, July 18
6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
OptiPark, 820 East 66th St., Indianapolis
$75 per person
Tickets at Broad Ripple Brewpub and Brugge Brasserie

Rick & Jeff tours schedule: Reds - Red Sox and Indiana Microbrewers Festival.

Jeff Gesser has informed the Curmudgeon of the following upcoming charters. Note that local craft beer is included for the ride, along with lunch.

What more can I say? Jeff and Rick have been doing these excursions for years, I've gone on several, and they're always great fun.

Cincinnati Reds vs. Boston Red Sox at Great Western Ball Park in Cincinnati

Two chances: Saturday, June 14 or Sunday, June 15

Saturday June 14th (1:00 p.m.)
Includes chartered bus transportation, tickets to game, craft beer and refreshments for the ride up, pre-game tailgate party with food and drink and a great time. Cost is $95 per person.

Sunday June 15th (3:55 p.m.)
Includes chartered bus transportation, tickets to game, craft beer and refreshments for the ride up, pre-game tailgate party with food and drink, and a great time. Cost $100 per person.

Indiana Microbrewers Festival
Saturday, July 19
Chartered bus, tickets to fest, program, sample glass, and hand-crafted beers available on bus both up and back. We will also provide lunch. Cost $85 per person.

For reservations and complete information contact Rick and Jeff Tours by calling 502-807-7531 or e-mail profgesser@insightbb.com

NABC's beers (and artwork) were big hits at the Indiana Microbrewers Festival last weekend.

I’m still clearing my head after Saturday’s power-packed Indiana Microbrewers Festival, so heartfelt thanks to the Indiana Beer website for linking to the entertaining reviews offered at the Hoosier Beer Geek blog, which I’ve (embarrassingly and belatedly) added to the list of links here at Potable Curmudgeon.

But first, from the thread about the event at Beer Advocate:

Indiana Microbrew Festival and rick flair and awards

Most excellent use of a bourbon barrel goes to Larry bell and his jolly gang ...

Another one that you pray for brewery only bottles was the barrel aged cherry stout from bells... that too gets a rick flair woooo...the double cream/expedition blend was awesome

just behind the bells ba cherry was the thunderfoot, not to be forgotten or diminished... that was a standup beer by a sit down brewery...

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Shifting back to Hoosier Beer Geek, which boasts a team of five beer lovers, here are the NABC name checks, with other useful information about the festival also included.

Kelly selected the three best places for great brewery swag at the Festival.

3) Bell's Brewery - free stickers and buttons!
2) Yesterbeer - awesome t-shirt designs from brewers of yore.
1) New Albanian - the New Albanian designs were OUTSTANDING... worth a road trip alone.

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Along with many others, Jason loved the Bell's Bourbon Barrel Double Cream Stout/Expedition Stout Blend, and went on to say:

There were many other new-to-me beers that I enjoyed as well, including New Albaniam's Hoptimus, Schmaltz He'Brew's Lennys RIPA, Founders Space Mountain Brown Ale, and Three Floyd's Dark Lord Russian Stout.

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Chris picked three favorite beers:

3. "Angry Mellon" from Brugge - I think Jim gives you the real name, but it was tough enough for me to remember the top secret code name.

2. "Hoptimus" by New Albanian - I rated this #1 at Brew-Ha-Ha, and if not for Nick Floyds 4pm tapping special, it would have been #1 again. This is just a damn fine beer. I was even going to buy a t-shirt (but for some reason unbeknownst to me, breweries don't make t-shirts that accommodate beer bellies!).

1. "Dark Lord" from Three Floyds - First, thanks to part-owner Mike DeWeese for your part in our ability to quickly sample Dark Lord. Very appropriate to try this dastardly offering on the day of that the last stand of the dark Lord Voldemort hits bookshelves. If this is what evil tastes like, screw The Force - sign me up Lord Vader!

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Jim’s “best of” list was a bit more expansive:

We saw a few football-beer drinkers in need of some beer education (said one woman after tasting Three Floyds' Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout: "Ew! That's gross!"). We picked up some very cool stuff (for me, a New Albanian t-shirt). We hung out with the crazy folks from the Good Beer Show. And, we tasted lots and lots of beer.

5. Diamond Kings of Heaven - Brugge Brasserie.

4. Thunderfoot Cherry Imperial Stout - New Albanian Brewing Company. One of several excellent imperial stouts that we sampled on the day. Dark brown, small tan head, rich coffee-cherry flavor. I'm not a fan of fruity beers, but this beer had just a tiny hint of cherry, which made for pleasant drinking. New Albanian is quickly becoming one of my favorite Indiana breweries. Their Hoptimus could easily have ended up in my top 5, but I decided to leave it out since I made it my top choice for the Brew-Ha-Ha.

3. He'Brew Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A. - Shmaltz Brewing Company.

2. Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout - Three Floyds Brewing Company.

1. Bourbon Barrel Double Cream/Expedition Stout Blend - Bell's Brewery.

A quick note to Indianapolis area readers: NABC actually brought a shade more beer to each of the past two festivals (Brew-Ha-Ha and the Indiana Microbrewers Festival) than in 2006, when supplies were sufficient, but in both cases this year, increased attendance and word-of-mouth popularity caused us to deplete far too early. Apologies; we're among the smaller breweries at these events, and we always try to bring as much as we can spare, but sometimes it isn't enough. We're trying to adjust and pack enough to go around in 2008. As always, thanks for the wonderful reception ... and see you all next year.

12th Annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival goes nutzoid.

Acknowledging an apparent reputation as an “enigma” (thanks JH), Saturday was my first full-day at the Indiana Microbrewers Festival since 2003, and besides that, it was the rarest of summer days in these overheated times, with temperatures barely nudging 80 degrees and very low humidity. Perhaps the confluence of these unexpected events conspired to boost overall festival attendance to the amazing figure of 30% or even more over last year’s total of 2,300, to something well above 3,000.

Or, it may have been the palate-provoking presence of so much fine beer, excepting of course the vile mockrobrews dutifully flogged by Anheuser-Busch’s dubious contingent. Why are they invited, anyway? They’ve nothing whatsoever to contribute to the revolution. In fact, they’re why we need a revolution. All politics, I guess, and if Tip O’Neill was right and all politics is local, then it’s another reason to boot the Buddies.

Cases of insipid canned Bare Knuckle Stout aside, yesterday’s bone-crushing turnout offered yet another example of how craft beer’s explosion in popularity and acceptance shows no signs of abating. These are the best of times, even if big ticket events like the Indiana Microbrewers Festival allow less opportunity for education than most of us would prefer. Education’s important, but there’s much to be said for bacchanalian revelry, too.

For the second straight appearance in Indianapolis, NABC brought as much or more beer as last time, and once again we were depleted long before the festival’s close. Yesterday we made it a full two hours; previously in June at the Phoenix Theater’s Brew-Ha-Ha, it took only an hour to exhaust supplies. What can I say? We’re a small brewery with minimal capacity … so come early and often.

As for the fest’s bounty, favorites are too numerous to mention, and there is no way to do more than skim the surface. A bottled ten-year-old Big Boris Barley Wine from Lafayette Brewing tops my list, followed closely by Brugge Brasserie’s Diamond Kings of Heaven and Three Floyds Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout. It smacks of favoritism, but I firmly believe that NABC’s Hoptimus and Thunderfoot also both deserve consideration when it comes to the upper echelon of Indiana-made microbrews. In concluding, know that of many beers nipped and a few guzzled, there were none I wouldn’t drink again.

After a brief break for recuperation, there are two events remaining on NABC’s summer road show calendar: The massive Great Great Taste of the Midwest in Madison, Wisconsin on August 11, followed by Louisville’s biggest craft beer event, Brew at the (Louisville) Zoo on August 25 (both Saturdays). There is an outside chance that we’ll be able to staff the August 18 Southern Indiana Brewery and Winery Festival in Evansville, but no promises – yet.

12th annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival is this Saturday.

The 12th annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival is on Saturday at Opti Park (820 E. 66th St.) in Indianapolis. The festival runs from 3:00 p.m. to - 7:00 p.m.

The 2007 festival program can be viewed here. NABC will be taking Hoptimus and Thunderfoot as listed, but I'm not entirely sure that we have any Elsa Von Horizon remaining. This may necessitate a substitution.

Remember that if you're coming from the Louisville area and aren't interested in driving, Rick and Jeff Tours offers a superlative package for the day:

Rick and Jeff Tours: Buses to the Indiana Microbrewers Festival and Cubs vs. Reds in Cincy.

Relative calm before the deluge ... good or bad?

For me, the coming weekend currently is open, and that’s good, because eight out of the following nine are booked with one activity or another, most revolving around beer, beer festivals and beer advocacy.

Before you say it: Yes, I understand that I’m fortunate to have a “dream job” that allows me to drink and talk beer (somewhat) for a living. At the same time, it’s a full contact sport and can be tiring all the same.

In addition, the period that begins today and ends on August 6 is one of uncertainty for NABC and any other Southern Indiana business that relies in any degree on traffic from Louisville, because for the next month the waterfront stretch of I-64 is closed entirely for repairs. No one is quite sure what effect this will have, although my sense is that many of our Louisville customers come to us via I-65, and that the downtown New Albany bar and eateries serving NABC beer will be hurt worse than we will.

(Go here to learn why I-64 should be refashioned, not expanded: 8664 - (Take back the riverfront)

On the other hand, if Hoosiers decide to stay closer to home to avoid the commuting hassles, then we all may do better in the end. Verily, it’s a coin flip at this point.

Let’s take a brief look at the next two main events on the calendar, beginning with Saturday, July 14, when we’ll be celebrating the 20th anniversary of Sportstime Pizza with a party in Prost. There’ll be food and beer specials and music, including the rumored comeback of Roz Tate.

Sportstime Pizza will be 20 years old on July 14, and we're having a party.

Then, thinking ahead another week, if you’ve ever wanted to attend the annual Brewers of Indiana Guild festival at Broad Ripple (Saturday, July 21) but didn’t feel like driving to Indianapolis and back, rejoice, because Professor Gesser is on your side.

Rick and Jeff Tours: Buses to the Indiana Microbrewers Festival and Cubs vs. Reds in Cincy.

This is a great, pain-free deal for gaining access to Indiana’s prime festival, and I hope to see many readers from the Louisville area there.