Fringe Fest 2014 and other upcoming NABC events.

I've vowed of late to keep NABC business off the blog, but in terms of mixed metaphors, exceptions are the spice of life. Events season is mercifully winding down, but first, a capstone of sorts.

New Albany's annual Harvest Homecoming downtown takeover begins this Saturday with the annual parade. For various reasons, the Curmudgeons are unable to host a party at their residence this year, so instead, we'll be at Bank Street Brewhouse sifting the usual floating dross for unanticipated nuggets of wisdom.

Personally, I quite enjoy playing annoying mosquito to Harvest Homecoming's orange-clad 800-lb gorilla. In terms of my business, we simplify matters and seek to have as much fun as possible amid the absurdity. Consequently, there'll be Fringe Fest at Bank Street Brewhouse.

NABC’S 7th Annual Fringe Fest at Bank Street Brewhouse is Oct 9 – 12

Gallery: All 7 of Tony’s poster for Fringe Fest, 2008 – 2014

The coming weekend brings an event that was unexpected when first announced, and now strikes me as very interesting.

NABC and other regional beers at the inaugural Louder Than Life Festival

Why not craft beer with the likes of Judas Priest, Korn and Kid Rock? NABC is joined by BBC, Falls City, Alltech and West Sixth. Collectively, these breweries represent choice ... what a concept. The remainder of the October calendar also has been posted:

NABC CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS FOR OCTOBER … 2014

Like numerous other breweries, NABC can't always afford marketing grandiosity, so props to RCD for a nice tout,

It’s the NABC-wrapped Ford Transit Connect Van from River City Distributing

That's all I have for now.

A glance at the NABC calendar for January and February.

Since when is February the kickoff for event season?

We have road engagements each of the first four weekends of the month, culminating with a return on February 28 to the friendly confines of the Pizzeria & Public House for the celebration known as Gravity Head. See them all below.

Meanwhile, there is both new and old on the agenda for January.

Old Lightning Rod Day comes around for the ninth time on the 19th at Bank Street Brewhouse, where we'll also be staging an inaugural birthday for Hoptimus on the 31st.

But before that, January 14 will be a Tuesday to remember at both locations, as we debut a very special one-time ale at 5:00 p.m. My lips are sealed. This time, you'll just have to show up and see what we're talking about.

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NABC AT HOME: OUR BRICKS AND MORTAR

JANUARY 14

First-ever release of (censored) Ale

Join us at both NABC locations on Tuesday, January 14, when we’ll be releasing a limited edition ale so very unique and ridiculously special that we can’t even tell you about it yet. Just be at the Pizzeria & Public House or Bank Street Brewhouse at 5:00 p.m. on the 14^th, and taste for yourself.

JANUARY 19 & 20

Old Lightning Rod Day 2014

At Bank Street Brewhouse (19^th) and the Pizzeria & Public House (20^th)

It’s the annual limited release of Old Lightning Rod, NABC’s cult favorite Colonial Dark Ale, honoring the legendary Benjamin Franklin’s birthday. On Monday, January 20, Old Lightning goes on tap at the Pizzeria & Public House. As always, it’s a small batch, so get your pints and growlers while you can.

JANUARY 31

Hoptimus Inception Reception 2014

At Bank Street Brewhouse only

Hoptimus is NABC’s biggest-selling beer in the metro Louisville market, and to celebrate its 8^th birthday, we’re showcasing the everyday recipe with added shadings, courtesy of the boys in the brewhouse: Oaktimus (oak-aged), Chouffetimus (Belgian yeast) and two pins of differently dry-hopped Hoptimus (with Citra and Styrian Celeia).

FEBRUARY 28

Gravity Head 2014: Bullet Train to Blackout Town

At the Pizzeria & Public House only, through March

The 16^th annual Gravity Head is NABC’s celebration of the brewing world’s biggest and best.  Beginning on February 28, and lasting daily throughout March until all the kegs are gone, we’ll be devoting numerous taps to showcasing these rare and sought-after beers, as chosen to exhibit maximum diversity of flavors and stylistic inspiration.

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NABC ON THE ROAD: SELECTED FEBRUARY EVENTS

We’ll be on the road for four February samples-only, winter-themed beer festivals. Brewers and sales staff are guaranteed to be present, so if you’re attending one or more of these festivals, come by and say hi.

February 1

Winterfest, by the Brewers of Indiana Guild, held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis

February 8

Winter Warmer, at Lafayette Brewing Company in Lafayette, Indiana

February 14 and 15

Cincinnati Winter Beer Fest, both nights at the Duke Energy Center in Cincinnati, Ohio (with Cavalier Distributing Ohio)

February 15

Craft Writing: Beer, The Digital, and Craft Culture, a symposium at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky. NABC’s Roger A. Baylor will appear along with other craft beer notables, including Garrett Oliver, Mitch Steele and Stan Hieronymus

February 22

Tailspin Ale Fest, at Bowman Field in Louisville, Kentucky, the city’s first ever winter craft beer showcase

Want to list your beer event?

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

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

Busy weekend in downtown New Albany? That's an understatement.

Tonight is the rain date for the New Albany Bicentennial Public Art Project kick-off walk, and the Glass Art Society Annual Conference in Louisville (June 10-12) will have portions spilling across the Ohio River into New Albany. Karen Gillenwater has compiled culture, music, shopping, food and drink updates at this "big damn guide" to downtown New Albany this weekend.

The NABC World Cup Series of small batch/USA match ales commences Saturday, June 12, with the debut of "USA vs England – Ordinary Bitter" at Bank Street Brewhouse, and our Haggis Laddie Celtic Red will be tapped for the "Celts on the River" concert on the same day. For a few more Celts on the River factoids, read these highlights from the organizers. There's also my Tribune column, called "Celts on the Ohio River, too," which surveys a long-ago pub session in Ireland.

FOSSILS calendar of events for 2010 -- the 20th anniversary year.

As hard as it may be to believe, 2010 is the 20th anniversary of FOSSILS, the Fermenters of Special Southern Indiana Libations Society. The club, a homebrewing and beer appreciation society, has been a true bulwark in metro Louisville's movement for better beer. It was founded on September 30, 1990, in the room that eventually became Rich O's Public House. The story is far longer than I have time to tell today, but perhaps in the coming months, some of the long history of FOSSILS can be recounted here. In the interim, a brief club calendar for 2010 follows.

2010 Calendar, by the FOSSILS Secretary, Joe Bray

January 9th- Funky & Pungent Competition
February 13 - Joe Bray's Presentation on Web-based Brew tools
March 13 - Dave Pierce presentation at NABC Bank Street Brewery
April 10 - MysteryBrew
May 8 - Presidents Choice
June (TBD) - Campout/Picnic
17-19 - NHC in Minneapolis
July 9-10 - Indiana State Fair
17 - Regular Meeting
August 14 - Officer Nominations
September 11 - Brewfood Competition, Officer Presentations
30 - FOSSILS Anniversary Party
October 9 - Craft Raffle Meeting, Officer Elections
Various Member Halloween Parties
November 13 - Porter Competition
December 11 - Christmas Party

Louisville metro beer events for July.

It’s becoming very difficult to keep track of beer events in the Louisville metro area, and this is a good thing for the overall cause of beer enthusiasm, even if the toll on one’s own liver becomes worthy of reconsideration.

Not that I worry about minor details like that.

Here are a few more events, all in July, which include a handful of repeat announcements from a previous posting: NABC update: Beer events for July and August at the Public House & Pizzeria.

Let me know what I've missed.

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Tuesday, July 7
Schlafly Beer and Cheese Pairing at Whole Foods July 7, 2009

Permit me to begin by offering apologies to the ever dutiful Scott Shreffler, regional Schlafly representative, for dismally failing to publicize (or attend) his cask APA promotion at Kentucky BBQ Company last Friday. Today, courtesy of the Consuming Louisville blog, I noticed that there’ll be a Schlafly and cheese pairing at the Whole Foods on Shelbyville Road next Tuesday evening. I’ve been looking to do one of these with the “cheesemonger” (inside joke, folks) at Lotsa Pasta, so keep reading; maybe it can be squeezed into the tight summer schedule.

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Circa Tuesday, July 7 and through early July
English “real” cider at the Public House

In July, roughly by the 6th, we’ll be pouring three rare English “real” ciders on the hand-pull at the Grant Line Public House: Yarlington Mill, Scrumpy and Norman (single varietal), all from Gwatkin. They’ll follow one after another until depleted, and once we decide on a serving order, I’ll let you know. Rather, Mike will let me know, and I'll let you know.

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Wednesday, July 8
Sergio’s World Beers reopens for business – in Louisville!

I'm told thatSergio closed his original Shelbyville location yesterday (June 30) and will reopen at 1605 Story Avenue in Louisville on Wednesday, July 8.

For the uninitiated, Sergio’s currently boasts a beer stock of 800 brands, and it’s going to be great fun having him so much closer to the mainstream in Louisville, especially as my customary bicycle route runs close by. For a dated account of the inimitable Sergio’s experience, check the PC archives: Sergio's World Beers an unlikely Shelbyville mecca ... but it is.

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Tuesday, July 14
Bastille Day menu and matching Bieres de Garde at the Bank Street Brewhouse.

I'm overjoyed that we're able to revive this concept.

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Saturday, July 18
14th Annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival

This event at Opti Park in Broad Ripple (Indianapolis) gets crazier every year, and includes a Friday evening shindig which may turn out to be more interesting than the main event: VIP Brewmaster's Dinner on Friday, July 17th (6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., also at Opti Park).

Tickets for Friday's five-course meal with ample, copious and continuous beer supplies can be purchased only at Broad Ripple Brewing Company and Brugge Brasserie, but know that it's a blast to eat and drink alongside brewers and brewery owners letting their hair down prior to Saturday's showpiece.

As for the main Saturday event, remember that Jeff and Rick Tours is taking a bus for this one. The cost is $85 per person, and the price includes motor coach transportation (with restrooms), ticket to the festival, BBQ tailgate lunch and refreshments (i.e., craft beer up and back). Call Jeff at 807-7531 or e-mail profgesser@insightbb.com for reservations. Why drive?

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Tuesday, July 21
Brooklyn Cuvee de Cardoz & Brooklyn Brewery Tasting (Public House)

We'll kick off at 7:00 p.m. at the Public House. The excuse for this event is the tapping of a keg of Brooklyn Brewery Cuvee de Cardoz, the latest release from the Brewmaster Reserve series. There’ll be other Brooklyn Brewery offerings for sampling, too.

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Monday, July 27 (tentative)
Beer/Wine/Farmers Market dinner at the Windsor Restaurant and Garden

I’m including this because Chef Justin McMillen posted the date at the Louisville Restaurants Forum, and he mentioned the idea the last time we spoke. More details will be coming as they are revealed to me. Should be tomato time by then!

In the meantime, check out the Windsor’s snazzy new website.