Coming to Lexington in September: "Craft Writing: Beer, The Digital, and Craft Culture," Version 2.

In 2014, I was humbled, honored and slightly terrified to be among the speakers at Jeff Rice's inaugural craft writing symposium at the University of Kentucky.

On belonging: Stan Hieronymus has the last word (for now) about craft writing.

At Hey Brewtiful: "Beer Nerds Unite Over Kentucky Craft Writing Symposium."

Two more craft writing recaps: Digital takeaways and a Beer Trappe's perspective.

Hoperatives: On the Craft Writing Symposium.

Gary Spedding of Brewing and Distilling Analytical Services on the Craft Writing symposium.

The PC: Conformity, contrarianism and a craft writing symposium.

The PC: Not so simple a symposium.

Craft Writing symposium: It's fine by me if craft beer gets all introspective.

Yes, I took it very seriously, and now, two years later, it's time for Son of Craft Writing. Best of all, because it's on a Friday, I can attend.

Craft Writing: Beer, The Digital, and Craft Culture

A one day symposium at the University of Kentucky showcasing writing in craft beer.

September 30, 2016
Memorial Auditorium
Free and open to the public
10:00 am - 5:00 pm

This one day event will bring to UK brewers and professional writers from the craft beer industry. Craft beer, the annual production of under six million barrels of beer by small breweries, is one of the fastest growing areas of the food industry. According to the Brewers Association, craft beer provides over 108,000 jobs and its retail dollar value in 2012 was estimated at $10.2 billion. In the last twenty years, over 2,000 new breweries have come online, commanding almost 6% of the overall American beer market. These breweries have, in turn, helped revitalize city neighborhoods, generated new jobs in related industries, and played a key role in expanding digital and social media usage.

This event will showcase the professional writing – in print and digital media – that is dominant in the craft beer industry. Writing has played a major role in promoting the business of craft beer. Craft Writing will serve as an event that draws interdisciplinary attention to the ways industry utilizes writing – in various digital forms – to promote, inform, highlight, argue, market, brand, and foster relationships between products, consumers, and other relevant parties.

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At LouisvilleBeer: "Derby City BrewFest: An 'Uncommon' Beer Festival on Derby Eve."

At LouisvilleBeer.com, John Wurth has the rundown on a new beer event in Louisville. Bluegrass Brewing Company is the organizer, and the idea originally was kicked around during Mayor Greg Fischer's beer committee meetings in 2014. Local beer writer Kevin Gibson has contributed a lot to the concept of a local celebration of what might (or might not) be our only indigenous beer.

I think it sounds like fun. Following are the basics and information portals.

Derby City BrewFest: An “Uncommon” Beer Festival on Derby Eve

Kentucky-area brewers will revisit the past as part of the Derby Eve Derby City BrewFest on May 1, 2015 as they will be serving up their own versions of Kentucky Common – a beer style that was invented in Louisville in the mid 1800s. The festival will be held outdoors on the plaza in front of the KFC Yum! Center with 15 brewers and over 60 craft beers ...

 ... Other breweries expected to brew variations on Kentucky Common beer include Louisville-based Against the Grain Brewery & Smokehouse, Apocalypse Brew Works, Cumberland Brews, Great Flood Brewing and Falls City; Lexington’s West Sixth Brewing and Country Boy Brewing; and southern Indiana’s New Albanian Brewing Company and Flat 12 Bierwerks ...

www.derbycitybrewfest.com
Facebook.com: /derbycitybrewfest
twitter: derbybrewfest

Aching feet, pounding heads: NABC's event schedule for the remainder of June.

During the course of the year, there are three primary NABC businesses: The Pizzeria & Public House (3312 Plaza Drive); Bank Street Brewhouse (415 Bank Street); and the combined brewing operation occurring at both locations.

As the following list illustrates, in summertime a fourth whole effort gears up. It's the all-purpose umbrella title of "events season," which requires quite a lot of planning and manpower. It includes setting up accounts at venues (Dubois County Bombers, Derby City Roller Girls); catering (Bicentennial Park concert series, last week's Culbertson Mansion Garden Party); and pouring samples at beer geek gatherings (Fishers on Tap).

The list doesn't include hosting my 35th high school reunion on Friday the 28th at Bank Street Brewhouse, or the music we're planning at Lloyd's Landing (at BSB) beginning on June 29th.

NABC now has more than 60 full- and part-time employees working at their various jobs at our on-premise locations, and during events season, it takes each of them to accomplish all of the event commitments -- some by holding the bricks 'n' mortar forts, others by volunteering to stage or pour. We manage to keep most of the balls in the air. It could not be done without our workers, so cheers to them.

Now through the end of June:

NABC at this summer’s Bicentennial Concert Series, on Fridays from June 7 through August

Once again, NABC is on tap for Dubois County Bombers home games, all season long

June 8 & 9: Elector & Tafel at the 7th Annual Art on the Parish Green

NABC’s lineup for Zoo Brew 2013 (Saturday, June 8) at Mesker Park in Evansville

Derby City Roller Girls home bout this Saturday, June 8

Smokin’ on the River with BBQ and craft beer (June 14 & 15)

NABC reminds you about Music at the Mount on June 15

NABC at Fishers on Tap, June 15

Carnival Barker’s Blog: NABC at Exclusively New Albany on June 20

The 2013 “Art Walk During & After Party” is at Bank Street Brewhouse on June 22

The Waterfront Challenge: Race, Drink, Dance, Party and Black & Blue Grass on Saturday, June 22

NABC at Brew-Ha-Ha, the annual Phoenix Theatre benefit

Black & Blue Grass for Brandi Carlile at the Iroquois Amphitheater on Sunday, June 23

BIG Winterfest tix available now.

The Brewers of Indiana Guild's Winterfest takes place on January 26 in Indianapolis. Winterfest tickets are on sale now through ETIX. Here the link:

http://www.brewersofindianaguild.com/events/month/12/year/2012/winterfest-2013

Chimay tasting event at Caffe Classico on Tuesday, November 6.

From Tommie Mudd, longtime proprietor of Caffe Classico, as posted at the Louisville Restaurants Forum. I'd love to attend, but we have NABC election night parties to tend to.

Caffe Classico is excited to announce that we are hosting a Chimay beer tasting event at Classico on Tuesday, November 6th. It will be from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. The details are as follows:

$40.00 per person tasting of 3 types of Chimay beers. There will be a Chimay cheese table with 3 chimay cheeses, bread, olives, salami, grapes and figs to accompany the beer. Each guest will receive a Chimay goodie bag which will include a t-shirt, Chimay glass, bottle opener, lapel pin and coasters. There will also be some Chimay giveaways that we will draw for during the night as well as live classical music in the background.

All of the information is posted on the Caffe Classico website, www.caffe-classico.com. We will only sell 55 to 60 tickets. The Chimay sales representative from Indianapolis will be there to discuss and answer questions. It will be a fun and interesting night and a real bargain for beer lovers.

Today: NABC at Brews for Beargrass at Whole Foods Market in Louisville.

If you don't know Angela Rees, the beer buyer at Whole Foods Market on Shelbyville Road in Louisville, you should.

She presides over an excellent selection of beers, and she has put together today's fest in the parking lot. The lineup looks great. It is an outdoor event, and with temps in the mid-50s today (no rain is forecast), you may wish to grab a sweater. I'll be there for the first two hours, at least; David Pierce and Richard Atnip also will be on hand. NABC will have Elector and Solidarity (wine barrel aged version). See you there.

Join us for our first ever BeerFest! We will be raising money for Beargrass Creek Alliance with a party in the parking lot. Tickets are $30 advance, $35 at the door, and available for purchase at Whole Foods Market. Tickets in a beer menu, a tasting mug, and beer samples. It is a ticketless event so you must bring your photo id to enter. Also you must be 21 years of age to enter the event area. Also local food trucks will be rolling in with their tasty fares available for separate purchase.

Here is the list of breweries and importers that will be represented: Country Boy Brewing, Great Lakes, New Holland, Apocalypse, North Coast, Bluegrass Brewing Company (x2), Green Flash, Brooklyn Brewing, New Albanian, Merchant du Vin (Sam Smith, Trappist ales, Ayinger) Finch, West Sixth, Sierra Nevada, Three Floyds, Falls City, Glunz Imports (Steigl Radlers), Against the Grain, Bells, Alltech, Founders, Schlafly, Southern Tier, Shelton Brothers (Mikkeller, Jolly Pumpkin, Nogne-O), Sam Adams, Dogfish Head and Rogue.

Now you know: Good Hoosier beer is being brewed locally in places you might not expect.

The words I heard most often on Saturday that meant the most to me went something like this:

“I’ve never heard of any of these breweries.”

Yes, and that was the whole point.

Now you know that good beer is being brewed locally in Needmore (Salt Creek), Aurora (Great Crescent), Columbus (Power House) and Nashville (Big Woods), and also that good local beer is being brewed in Bloomington at an establishment (Cutters) differing from our longtime friends at Upland and Bloomington Brewing Company.

And cider and mead from New Day, and still more cider courtesy of Starlight.

In fact, to me the whole exercise on Saturday was about making friends and providing information, and as such, the Southern Indiana Craft Beer Showcase was a huge success. We also sold quite a lot of 10-oz portions, and so by a financial point of view, it panned out for NABC, too.

It wasn’t until the cold plates were pouring and the line of beer enthusiasts was beginning to form that it occurred to me: We had no hop bombs.

Granted, Hoptimus and Elector were available at the Bank Street Brewhouse dining room bar as always, but outside in the Reading Room for the craft showcase we’d managed ten different beers (5 house, 5 guests) composed of ten different styles (from Wit to Bourbon Barrel Stout) with nary an IPA among them.

And only a handful of visitors commented. Most were perfectly eager to try something new, and they came back for multiple portions. Depletions seemed to be about equal among the kegs, so there were no clear “winners,” and it wouldn’t matter if there were.

Thanks again to those who ventured out. It was a festive day, and times like that renew my confidence in what the craft beer movement’s all about.

The scoop on NABC's upcoming event, 25 Years of Beer & Loathing.

ON THE AVENUES:  25 Years of Beer & Loathing.

A weekly web column by Roger A. Baylor (originally posted at the NA Confidential blog)

My pal TR called for a catch-up chat. It had been a week since my return from four months in Europe, and I was woefully depleted of gossip, so TR suggested lunch at a joint called Sportstime Pizza, apparently recently established somewhere near Grant Line Road. I couldn’t really form a mental picture of the place until he resorted to a past-tense directional comparison: “It’s where the Noble Roman’s used to be.”

It was 1987, and now, as thousands of years of human history pass by, I join the chorus of individuals always asking, “Where did the time go?”

I couldn’t tell you the answer, except to mischievously recall another friend’s longtime assertion that his eventual autobiography would bear the title, “What I Remember.” Not mine, which is slated to be called “Beer, Bile and Bolsheviks: A Fermentable Life," but there’s little time to write the book because the business I inadvertently stumbled into two decades ago still keeps me ridiculously busy amid a career of selling the idea of beer, a course that somehow took shape during gaps between bouts of drinking lots and lots of it.

Naturally, none of this could have taken place without the work, contributions and input of so many people, from co-owners Amy and Kate through all our employees, customers and folks far too numerous to count – past, present and future. At the risk of sounding trite, I’ll consciously echo Queen, who said it best.

I've taken my bows
And my curtain calls
You brought me fame and fortune and everything that goes with it
I thank you all

But it's been no bed of roses
No pleasure cruise
I consider it a challenge before the whole human race
And I ain't gonna lose

Unfortunately, as I’m channeling the late and lamented Freddie Mercury, the missus is assuming the voice of barrister’s mate Hilda Rumpole to remind me that any mention of “fortune” is utterly misplaced in my professional context. It’s true, although the value of enjoying one’s work and being paid to drink beer whilst performing it … that’s truly priceless.

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The New Albanian Brewing Company will mark its first quarter-century of existence with a day-long picnic and concert at New Albany’s Riverfront Amphitheater on Sunday, July 22, 2012.

As most readers probably know, nowadays the original location near Grant Line Road is known as the NABC Pizzeria & Public House, incorporating Sportstime, Rich O’s Public House (1992) and the 2002 addition of craft brewing on site. NABC’s most recent progeny (2009) is NABC Bank Street Brewhouse, located in New Albany’s historic business district downtown.

“25 Years of Beer & Loathing” is what we’re calling the fete, and NABC’s 25th anniversary celebration will be a day-long musical, family-friendly event with food, activities and refreshments suitable for all ages. The venue is New Albany’s Riverfront Amphitheater, from 10:00 a.m. to sundown on Sunday, July 22. The Amphitheater is located by the Ohio River in downtown New Albany, with ample parking available by the levee at the foot of Pearl Street.

There is no cover charge for this event, and it’ll be cash 'n' carry for food, drinks and vending. Proceeds after expenses will be disbursed in the form of grants to Rauch Inc., the Isabel Jade Pickhardt Fund and New Albany First.

So that all of our current employees can participate in recalling 25 Years of Beer & Loathing, NABC’s Bank Street Brewhouse will be closed on Sunday, July 22, although the Build Your Own Bloody Mary Bar will be operating at the Riverfront Amphitheater from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (see below). Following in alphabetical order are details about what to expect.

Beer
NABC’s draft truck (Rosa L. Stumblebus) will be on hand with old favorites and special releases. We’ll be pouring all four of NABC’s 10th brewery anniversary beers: Bourbondaddy, Stumblebus, Turbo Hog and Scotch de Ainslie. There’ll also be a special 10th anniversary session ale called Get Off My Lawn. In addition, limited quantities of cask-conditioned Naughty Girl (double dry-hopped) and Oaked Choufftimus will be served while they last.

Build Your Own Bloody Mary Bar
A Bank Street Brewhouse staple at Sunday brunch, the bar will move to the waterfront, with Miss Sarah on hand to guide visitors through garnishes, sauces and fresh embellishments.

Charitable donations
Net monies after expenses will be used for grants to be given to Rauch Inc, the Isabel Jade Pickhardt Fund and NA1st. Our longtime friends at Rauch support people with disabilities through services designed to promote individual choices, growth and well being, while encouraging a community environment that acknowledges the value and contribution of all people. They’ll be helping NABC with the children’s area and site clean-up. The Isabel Jade Pickhardt Fund was set up to assist the daughter of the late Ryan Pickhardt, a local musician and keyboard player for the band Sativo Gumbo, with whom NABC has longstanding ties. NA1st is New Albany’s only grassroots independent business alliance, seeking to support and promote independent business owners and to educate community members about the importance of buying locally. On the 22nd, volunteers from NA1st will assist NABC in monitoring entrances and exits, and policing the grounds.

Children’s Area Activities
A duck pond, face painting, temporary tattoos, an art area and perhaps other activities will be available for the kids.

Food
Feast BBQ (116 W Main St) is roasting a pig, and will be offering these items: Pork sliders with pickles and onions; pork tacos with cilantro, lime, cotija, and crema; and smoked corn on the cob ... Shawn, TJ and Charlestown Pizza Company will be preparing chicken salad croissants, Asian slaw, pasta salad, fruit cups and other fare ... NABC is brewing root beer for the event, and of course there’ll be water and soft drinks.

Music schedule

10:00 a.m.: (house music)
12 Noon: Roz Tate
1:00 p.m.: Ben Traughber
2:00 p.m.: Five Foot Fish
3:00 p.m.: Beeler Attic
4:00 p.m.: Jed and the NoiseMakers
5:00 p.m.: Porch Possums
6:00 p.m.: Dust Radio
7:00 p.m.: Whiskey Riders
8:00 p.m.: Toledo Bend

Wine
River City Winery will be on hand to sell wines and Sangria.

We hope you'll be able to stop by and help us remember what we remember.

The NABC beer and event weekend ahead.

Here is a collection of headlines hinting at the numerous places where you can drink NABC beers during the next few days while recreating in the great heated outdoors. Note also that the Dubois County Bombers host Springfield on Friday evening, June 22nd. We're there, too.

Live @ Five returns to the 400 block of Bank Street this Friday with Jimmy G and the Sidewinders.

"LIBA kicks off 'Independents Week' a little early with the Louisville Brewfest," coming June 22.

The Public Art Walk is this Saturday (June 23), with accompanying NABC beer garden and live music.

Black & Blue Grass at Iroquois for Counting Crows, June 25.

Smokin' on the River is this coming weekend in Jeffersonville.

Smokin On The River BBQ, Blues & Brew Festival returns to Jeffersonville on Friday and Saturday, June 15 and 16.

Again this year, Cluckers is hosting a Craft Brew and BBQ Tasting Tent during both festival days. Dollar tickets will be sold, which can be used for beer samples, or combined to buy full pours. Based on last year's schedule, here's the plan for the tent:

On Friday, June 15
4-9pm - Brew and BBQ

9-11pm - Brew Only

On Saturday, June 16th
Noon-4pm - Brew Only
4-9pm - Brew and BBQ
9-11pm - Brew Only


NABC will have Elector and Naughty Girl on hand, with remaining beers being supplied by World Class Beer (tentative list):

Bell's Oberon
Schlafly Summer Lager
BBC Amber (or possibly Saison)
Flat 12 Upside Down Blonde and Tangerine Porter (alternating through the same draft line)
Boulevard Tank 7 Saison
Schlafly American IPA
Victory Golden Monkey
Oaken Barrel Indiana Amber
Triton Deadeye Stout
Barley Island Dirty Helen

The musical lineup for the adjacent Riverstage:

Friday
The Tarnations Blues Band, Marylin Kington and 2Loose, Josh Garrett.

Saturday
Porkpie James Band, Jimmy Davis Band, da Mudcats, The Snakehandlers Blues Band, Teeny Tucker.

From Huntingburg to Clarksville: NABC on the Road, May 30 - June 5.

The old timers weren't joking when they said that summer begins after Memorial Day weekend, although I think they meant it was vacation time. It isn't so in the craft beer business. Every year is the same, and I feel it again: Knees and feet ache, I neglect to rehydrate with non-alcoholic water, and pretty soon it's October again.

Following are five places NABC will be in the next eight days.

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Date: Beginning Wednesday, May 30
Event: Dubois County Bombers home games at League Park in Huntingburg, Indiana (through July)
Staff: Local crew. NABC staff will attend games when possible.
Beers: One tap rotating Beak’s Best/Tafel, and the new Bomber Blonde (available only at the ballpark) on the second tap.

Date: Friday, June 1
Event: Live @ 5, opener for the city of New Albany's weekly Friday evening street parties
Equipment: Rosa L. Stumblebus draft truck
Staff: Richard Atnip, Roger Baylor, Tony Beard
Beers: Black & Blue Grass, Naughty Girl 2012, Propagator Dopplebock, Yakima Rye IPA

Date: Saturday, June 2
Event: 7th Annual Keg Liquors Fest of Ale in Clarksville IN
Equipment: Rosa L. Stumblebus draft truck
Staff: Josh Hill and David Pierce
Beers: Black & Blue Grass, Naughty Girl 2012, Oaktimus, Propagator Dopplebock (Yakima Rye IPA in the Hop Tent)

Date: Saturday, June 2 and Sunday June 3
Event: Art on the Parish Green in New Albany; perhaps the only event you'll see in 2012 sponsored by NABC, Rep. Ed Clere and Develop New Albany ... see, ecumenical thinking is alive and well
Beers: The fest is vending pours of Tafel and Elector (tentative)

Date: Tuesday, June 5
Event: DNA First Tuesday at Sweet Stuff Bakery and the Vintage Fire Museum in New Albany
Beers: To be determined; Roger will be offering samples

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.

Craft beer and zombies. Cool.

This one sounds like too much fun.

1st Annual 5K ZOMBIE SURVIVAL RUN in Cherokee Park & Concert/After-party at Alley Theater

New Albanian Brewing Company (NABC) and Kentucky Ale will be featured at our Zombie Survival Run after-party and InHuman Festival Closing Party 4:30-10pm at the Alley Theater, Saturday, April 7th! SUPPORT LOCAL BEER!

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

Old Lightning Rod

Let thy discontents be thy secrets

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

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

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

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

Northern Bean Soup ... with Smoked Virginia Ham.

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

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

Yet another fine day in Madison, Indiana.

Meet the BrewMouse.

Foot traffic was steady throughout the day.

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

My helper.

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

Madison's own Mobreki Brewing.

The BrewMouse originator, Rita Kohn.

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

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

Feast of Fall Beers this Thursday at Keg Liquors.

From Keg Liquors ... and just think, soon events like this will be taking place in downtown New Albany.

Join us on September 29th from 6 - 9 PM as we hold our 6th Annual Feast of Fall Beers. This is one of our biggest beer tastings of the year, and brings together 3 different craft beer distributors with over 20 different Octoberfest, Pumpkin, and other fall beers.

Buckhead Mountain Grill on the River will also be present with samplings of their house made Beer Cheese & Pretzel Bread, along with Lane's Mini-Beer Brats with a special Sriracha sauce drizzle.

Here is a sampling of many of the beers we will be tasting:

• Sun King Oktoberfest
• New Albanian Strassen Brau
• Against the Grain Smoked Marzen
• BBC Oktoberfest
• Spaten Oktoberfest
  
• Paulaner Oktoberfest
• Sam Adams Octoberfest
• Shipyard Pumpkinhead
• Hoppin Frog Double Pumpkin Ale
• Southern Tier Pumking
• Sierra Nevada Tumbler
  
• Weihenstephaner Festbier
• Leinenkugel Oktoberfest
• New Belgium Hoptober
• Hofbrau Oktoberfest
• Upland Oktoberfest
• Bells Octoberfest
• Rivertown Oktoberfest
• Ayinger Oktoberfest
• Schlafly Pumpkin Ale
• Schlafly Oktoberfest
• Berghoff Oktoberfest
  
• Sprecher Oktoberfest
• and many more!

This event is free and open to the public (21 and older!)

Louisville Craft Beer Week kicks off tonight with the 2nd Annual Craft Beer Cask Festival at BBC.

Louisville Craft Beer Week kicks off tonight at 6:00 p.m. with the Second Annual Craft Beer Cask Festival at Bluegrass Brewing Company's location at 3929 Shelbyville Road in Louisville, Kentucky.

Here's the event description, followed by more photos from last year's inaugural cask fest:

On September 16 from 6-9pm. we will be having our 2nd annual Cask and Microbrew festival featuring 30+ Micro brewed cask and tap beers. Local Breweries New Albanian, Cumberland Brews, and BBC Taproom will be participating as well as many breweries in the surrounding areas, including but not limited to, Upland, Left Hand, Great Lakes, Bells, Schlafly and many more. This is event is the kick off for Louisville Craft Beer Week. Tickets can be purchased at any of the 3 BBC brewpub locations for $30 and they include unlimited beer during the event, and a LCBW commemorative sampling glass. We will have live music during the festival as well. Starting at 9:00 Dirty Church Revival will be playing in the parking lot with a $5.00 cover. The remaining beers from the fest will be on sale to the general public after 9 as well. Folks who attended the fest will still be able to get sample sized beers at no charge until midnight.

Bob Ostrander, his book & a pub quiz at the Public House on Wed., Aug. 31.

Check out the retro Public House signage!

On Wednesday, August 31, Bob Ostrander will be in New Albany to discuss his new book. Stay tuned for further details, and get the scoop on Bob's book.

People's Brewing coming to NABC's Public House on Wednesday, July 27.

NABC's guest beer program coordinator Eric Gray has been hard at work negotiating a Southern Indiana appearance by our friends at People's Brewing Company (Lafayette, IN), and we now have a firm booking: Wednesday, July 27 at the Public House.

I first met Chris Johnson in 2003, when he was employed as brewer at Lafayette Brewing Company, and it has been a pleasure to watch from afar as his brewing dream has unfolded with People's Brewing, which I consider among my top tier of favorite Indiana breweries.

Put simply, I like everything about it. There is an overall attitude of principled brewing and respect for beer, and this is reflected in Chris's beers, of which at least six will be on tap all at once at the Public House on July 27:

Amazon Princess
Mound Builder IPA
Aberrant Amber
Farmer's Daughter Wheat
Mr Brown
People's Pilsner

Eric's still intent to score another keg or two, and perhaps a firkin, so stay tuned for updates.

Begin now: Bell's Night at the Public House.

Six Bells beers are on tap right now at the Pizzeria: Oarsman, Oatmeal Stout, Oberon, The Oracle, Two Hearted and Wedding Ale.

The Public House doors open at 5:00 p.m. When they do, a firkin of Bell's Porter will be on the hand pull.

I would have posted photos, and actually tried to do so, but Blogger is performing at peak levels of inefficiency, previously exceeded only by the Louisville Courier-Journal's non-circulation department.

Previously: The Oracle expected to go quickly when the Public House hosts Bell's Night on Wednesday, June 29.