Indiana (PA) Beer Scene - Summer 2013

Many years ago, I wrote a blurb about the beer scene here in Indiana (PA). A lot has changed since then (for the better, I might add), so here's a recap of what our little town has to offer. Below is a list of good beer places in town. Caveat: my definition of 'good' is in regard to selections other than macro-brewed pale lagers (e.g., Bud/Miller/Coors, Corona, Heineken, Labatt, etc.) and their lite/light counterparts.

Bars & Restaurants (in no particular order)
Local places that offer up some craft beers on tap or in bottle.

• Ironwood Gril [1830 Oakland Ave.] Has quite a large tap system in place with a few regional micros (Troegs, Penn) and more national brands such as Sam Adams, Leinenkugel's, etc.  The downstairs has coolers with decent six-pack selections and bombers of Stone, Voodoo, and a few imports. One thing I don't care for is that smoking is permitted in the tap room. CORRECTION - Smoking is no longer permitted. And I've visited on a couple of different occasions where the tap lines needed a good cleaning (this hopefully is no longer an issue either).
•  The Coney [642 Philadelphia St.] Offers a few good crafts on tap, which rotate with some frequency. You'll always find a Penn seasonal brew, too. Troegs, Dogfish Head, Leinie's, and Sam Adams are just about always present. For about a year, they carried Marzoni's Avalanche IPA, but that apparently fell out of favor. Monthly bottle selections are offered, ranging from Victory to Bell's to Stone. Recently, they've offered a few large bottles, such as Arrogant Bastard and the 0.5-L Franziskaner (a bit overpriced, however). The food is solid and they still offer my favorite Buffalo wings.
• Benjamin's [458 Philadelphia St.] Terrific enclosed indoor/outdoor patio & bar, with about 18 beers on tap - many are one-offs and they rotate frequently. The current local hangout of the young professional to middle agers, usually always packed.  I've had a lot of good beer here recently, including Bell's Hopslam, Anderson Valley Hop Ottin', Troegs Nugget Nectar, East End Big Hop, Harpoon Chocolate Stout, Southern Tier Pumking, and many others. Chris does a great job of bringing in good stuff on a regular basis.
• Coventry Inn [11 N 6th St.] One of the neater places in town. It opened in the mid-to-late 90's as an English pub, then closed for a while, then reopened in the mid-2000's.  It is only open for dinner (4:30-11:00p) on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.  Great decor - really feel like you're not in Indiana! Small but very good menu offerings, live music on Fridays/Saturdays, and they often hold special events here. The most attractive point to the Coventry is their Happy Hour specials - from 4:30-6:00 on Thur/Fri, you get half-off select appetizers and mixed drinks/beer.  Now, their beer selection is very small and not very interesting, but the food and service is always good. Not a place for a quick in-and-out bite to eat, however.
• Twisted Jimmy's [29 N 7th St.] This place is adjacent to Steel City Samiches, and is owned/operated by the same family.  For the time being, the menus are the same, though I've been told that Jimmy's plans to have a more sophisticated upscale menu (small plates, burgers, etc.) to get away from the traditional bar food that is so prevalent in this town.  They opened in Fall 2012, and once the N 7th Streetscape is finished, they'll be working more with their patio next to the pedestrian area outside. The recently installed a glycol-chilled 20-tap system, with more than half the offerings dedicated to good craft beer. And from 10-12pm, beers are half price ... about $3 for a glass of Dragon's Milk??? I'm in!  Also, I'm told to look for a sister location in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh.
• H.B. Culpeppers [653 Philadelphia St.] Kind of a standard college town bar, catering to more young professionals and college students. I don't go here that often, save for the occasional happy hour gathering with some IUP colleagues on Friday evening.  Menu is OK and the beer selection has improved. The really good beers are actually upstairs in a renovated bar area (about 5-6 years ago) that's really attractive. Unfortunately, it is also very smoky. I'm not crazy about trying to enjoy a good beer through a cloud of second hand tobacco smoke.  The other annoying part to this is that sometimes they'll have something on tap that I want upstairs, but the wait staff downstairs won't go and get it - meaning I have to either a) settle for mediocre offerings downstairs, or b) go up and get it myself.
• Grub's Sports Bar [566 Philadelphia St.]  With an al fresco dining area, tons of large-screen TVs, and the tagline "Cheap Drinks and Lousy Food" ... what's not to like?  Adjacent to Wolfie's, this place opened a few years back and is very popular.  Occasionally, they'll have a decent craft beer on tap, but mostly they cater to the college sports bar crowd with light beers and pale fizzy lagers. The food is straightforward, good, and cheap.

Distributors & Stores (in no particular order)
Local places that offer up some craft beer by case, six-pack, or singles.

• Holiday Beverages [471 Water St.] Good selection of craft beer in cases with weekly craft beer tastings.
• Duquesne Beer Distributor [1215 Maple St.] Large selection of craft beer in cases, decent prices.
• Martins [1570 Oakland Ave.] Martins started selling beer about two years ago.  Their selection is decent and slightly cheaper for mix-your-own six packs. However, their selection is not as good (my opinion) as Giant Eagle.  They other annoying thing about buying beer here is that - unlike Giant Eagle - you cannot carry your purchase out of the cafe area while you complete your shopping.  So, you either have to buy your beer after you've shopped or you have to make a trip back to your car. Annoying!
• Giant Eagle [475 Ben Franklin Rd. South] The 'new' Giant Eagle opened up a few years back, after the old one downtown was closed and demolished for the new Giant Eagle Express. Very nice beer selection of six-packs, bombers, and mix-your-own.  Prices are a little higher than Martins, but the selection is better.  For me, this store holds the distinction of carrying my absolute favorite beer: Orval (and a few other Trappist beers).  Seasonal offerings abound, and I can always find a beer or two that I've not had yet.  Also, despite having to purchase your beer separately, you can put it in your cart and continue shopping (unlike Martins). Or, you can have a few beers in the cafe with food from the hot bar or salad bar.
• Giant Eagle Express [435 S 7th St.]  Opened last year at the site of the 'old' Giant Eagle, with beer at the cafe in six packs, mixed singles, and bombers.  Again, a better selection that Martins but more expensive. Handy for lunch, too, since you can get subs/sandwiches/salad bar/sushi to eat with your beer in the cafe - and there is outdoor seating and free wireless.

Homebrew Supplies

• Montgomery Underground Winery [11032 US 422, Shelocta] The winery has a retail store on 422 near Elderton that also serves as a homebrew supply store.  They carry all of the basic (and some specialized) equipment, ingredients, and kits. And if they don't have it, they'll make every attempt to order it for you.  Many of the club members get their stuff here, and the owners (Tom & Della) are regular attendees (and great brewers!).
• The Homebrew & Hobby Shop [540 Franklin St., Clymer] Just opened a few months ago. I've not yet been, nor do I know anything about it.

Beers #123-135: Pints for Pets

So this has turned out to be the "summer that wasn't", in terms of feeling like it's actually summer. Yeah, we've had some warm weather and all, but between home projects and research at work, I don't feel like I've had much downtime (including updating this blog!).  But I shall attempt to get caught up in the coming few weeks before the Fall semester starts in 3 weeks.

#123/365: Sixpoint 3Beans:
From can. Chocolate malted nose, sweet with brown sugar and molasses. Tootsie Roll. Dark black opaque with foamy-rocky light tan lacing head. Medium chewy body with medium-light carbonation. Carbonic tang and light alcoholic warming. Starts sweet and malty with lots of chocolate, some coffee, and a barley wine-like sweet malt flavor. Coffee and light vanilla. Finish is sweet with a good hit of astringent bitterness. Fairly smooth after with lingering bitter.  Imperial/Strong Porter  80/100

#124/365: Leinenkugel's Canoe Paddler:
On tap at Twisted Jimmy’s. Very mild aroma - a bit of beany hops and mild pale malt sweetness. Light golden blond clear with thin white head. Light body with medium-high carbonation. Starts with light carbonic acidity, mild pale malt sweetness ,and light beany hop flavor. Mild flavors overall, with some carbonic bite to it. Some honey and dusky grain. Watery finish, clean after. Nothing really wrong with it, but not a good kölsch example.  Kolsch  42/100

On May 18, several fellow homebrew club members & beer lovers rented the Coney van to travel to the Altoona Curve ballpark for the annual Pints for Pets beer festival.  I have gone every year since this started - except for last year because IUP's graduation conflicted.  Well, this year, graduation also conflicted, but I decided to go drink beer instead (sorry grads, but no regrets here!).  We attended the 1-4pm session, followed by dinner (and more beer) at the Knickerbocker.

#125/365: Old Forge Hopsmith India Pale Ale:
Nice beany hop aroma, crisp noble hop note. Pale golden clear with white lacing head. Medium body with medium-high carbonation. Starts dry with crisp hop profile and mild pale malt sweetness. Finishes bitter but nice smooth after. Crisp and refreshing.  Premium Lager  72/100

#126/365: Rock Bottom (Pittsburgh) Surely You Zest:
Nice spicy nose with lime, lemongrass, and herbal notes. Spicy hops and aromatic. Pale golden clear with thin white head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Starts zesty and citric with lime and lemongrass. Nice sweetness to it. Finish is herbal and bitter with a tang of citrus.  Wheat Ale  66/100

#127/365: Victory Swing Session Saison:
Light hoppy aroma, spicy with notes of citrus, sulfur, and fruity esters. Yeasty. Nice saison aroma profile. Pale straw clear with thin head. Medium body with vigorous carbonation. Starts with wheat and pilsener malt notes, light sulfur, citrus and herbs. Tasty saison that’s not too overwhelming. Not quite crisp but enjoyable. Done well for the style, with mild chalky bitter after.  Saison  74/100

#128/365: Riepstine's Timbertown Scotch:
Buckwheat honey and sweet tang, light oak. Sweet and musky, very nice aroma. Medium brown amber clear with light haze. Thin white head. medium body and carbonation. Starts sweet with molasses and buckwheat honey, rich malt. nice oak flavor on this one. Finish sweet and smooth - a nice Scottish ale.  Scottish Ale  80/100

#129/365: Uinta Dubhe Imperial Black IPA:
Rich roast, rubbery, light chocolate and coffee, lots of hops. Dark brown clear with thin tan head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Roasted notes, chocolate and coffee. Big hop flavor with molasses. Finish is medium bitter but not harsh.  Black IPA  78/100

#130/365: Voodoo Delicate Like A Flower:
Light hop nose, subtle. Hazy amber with thin white lacing head. Medium body with heavy carbonation. Starts medium sweet with light pale malt and wheat character. Subtle but delicious hop flavors and an underlying herbal quality. Smooth finish with light floral orange blossom.  Belgian Ale  74/100

#131/365: Blue Canoe Cream of Hop Soup:
Wonderful hop nose, floral and aromatic, grassy. Pale golden amber hazy with thin white head. Medium body and medium carbonation. Starts medium sweet with tons of hop character. Beany, rubbery, grassy, and resinous. Delicious stuff. A nice IPA with smooth bitter finish and after.  India Pale Ale  84/100

#132/365: Straub Maibock:
Double decoction German bock aroma. Sweet and malty with light herbal hops. Medium amber golden clear with thin white head. Medium body with light carbonation. Starts and stays sweet with rich malt flavor. Nice hop finish, and sweet lingering after. Very nice!  Heller Bock  74/100

#133/365: Thirsty Dog Citra Dog:
Really nice hoppy aroma on this. Grassy and resinous. Light golden clear with white lacing head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Nice hop flavor throughout, medium sweetness and light carbonic tang. Nice IPA, finishes smooth and well balanced with lingering hop bitterness.  India Pale Ale  78/100

#134/365: Elysian Idiot Sauvin IPA:
Hoppy nose with notes of pear and apricot. Sweet notes. Medium amber, hazy with thin white lacing head. Medium body with medium-light carbonation. Starts sweet with fruity esters. Fairly bitter finish with sweet eatery after. Very nice IPA with big hop profile but not a harsh bitterness in the finish or after.  India Pale Ale  76/100

All in all, a good festival (as usual) and they once again raised a lot of money for the Central PA Humane Society.  I can't remember the rest of May, really, other than getting ready for our vacation.  I did have one new beer before that ...

#135/365: Maine Beer Mean Old Tom:
Nice rich malty aroma, smoke, charred coffee, light vanilla. A bit of tang and earth, lactose. Dark black opaque with thin cocoa-brown lacing head. Medium bodied with medium carbonation. Starts dry with lots of roasted character, mild coffee and char. Some light carbonic acidity with medium bitterness. Finish is light sweet with medium bitterness. Can just taste the vanilla here but it’s subtle. Charred bittersweet after.  Stout  80/100

Coming up ... a beach trip.

Beers #60-67: Nice Beer Weekend

One of the March bottle offerings at The Coney is a Vienna from Hop City Brewing in Canada ..

60/365: Hop City Barking Squirrel Lager:
Very mild caramel aroma with a bit of toasted malt and light hop essence. A hint of coffee. Deep amber clear with thin head. Medium body with medium-mild carbonation. Starts medium sweet with caramel and biscuit. Carbonic bite and quite a bit of bitterness in the finish. Nutty sweet and astringent bitter after.  Vienna  48/100

On Saturday, March 9, we had lunch at The Knick in Altoona. As usual, they had several new ones for me to try:

61/365: Flying Dog Chipotle Dark Ale:
Mild chocolate nose, roasted and slightly burnt malt. A hint of earthy-fruity-smoky chipotle with no discernible hop presence. Dark rusty red-brown opaque with creamy light tan lacing head. Medium watery body with vigorous carbonation. Nice dry porter to start, with light carbonic bite, a hint of heat. Earthy and fruity pepper character. Chocolate and roasted malt, light hop bitterness with smooth peppery bitter after.   Stout  70/100

62/365: Goose Island Sofie:
Herbal, peppery, citrus rind, sweet with honey and orange blossom. Oak and chardonnay. Tart fruity character. Golden clear with light, light haze and very thin white head. Medium body with medium-high carbonation. Starts medium sweet with grapefruit, coriander, light chardonnay, and herbal notes. A bit of yeasty funky note but not outrageous. Nice tart finish with fruity chardonnay after; mild chalky bitterness component.  Saison  76/100 

63/365: Innis & Gunn Winter Treacle Porter Oak Aged Ale:
Nose is a mix of Twizzlers, oak, Flemish brown ale, caramel and treacle, marshmallow, and vanilla. Terrific aromas. Dark coppery caramel-brown clear, with creamy off-white lacing head. Medium-heavy body with medium-high carbonation. Starts sweet with lots of treacle, oak, caramel. Smooth and well rounded with very little bitterness at the finish. Has a nice oak-sweet after. Not as dark as I’m used to for a porter, but really nice.  Baltic Porter  80/100

64/365: Widmer Brothers Reserve Raspberry Russian Imperial Stout:
Chocolate covered raspberry truffles with light carbonic tang, light melon, coffee, and toffee. Dark black opaque with creamy light tan lacing head. Medium chewy body with medium carbonation and light alcohol warming. Starts sweet with tons of roasted malt, light coffee, a hint of smoke, some raspberries, and a nice finish of nutty bitterness at the end.  Imperial Stout  82/100

That evening, we met a high school/college friend of Dana's and her husband for dinner at Amici's in Ebensburg. Really nice place to eat - great food and a very nice, though small, tap selection.  Over a great dinner, I enjoyed:

65/365: Southern Tier Eurotrash Pilz:
Clean, if not crisp, light noble hop aroma on top of sweet corn-grain malt notes. Like a mild German pils or Bohemian pils. Medium amber clear with foamy-frothy white lacing head. Medium watery body with medium to heavy carbonation. Starts medium dry with nice pilsener malt sweetness, good noble hop character, and a touch of sulfur. Overall, clean and refreshing, with light to medium bitter finish and smooth after.  Pilsener  68/100

66/365: Great Lakes Alchemy Hour Double IPA:
Sweet nose with lots of brown sugar and caramel. Big hoppy nose, funky and herbal with grapefruit and pine. Dark amber clear with foamy off-white lacing head. Medium to heavy watery mouthfeel, with medium carbonation. Starts pretty sweet, but not cloying, before you get smacked with a good dose of bitterness. The two don’t quite meld together as well as they could, but it’s still a nice IIPA.  Imperial/Double IPA  84/100

67/365: Southern Tier Choklat:
On tap at Amici’s (in one of the largest snifter portions I’ve ever had). Dark chocolate, light caramel, some licorice, coffee and sour smoke. Sweet with light carbonic tang, oak and vanilla. Not too boozy. Dark back opaque with cocoa-tan, slightly lacing head. Medium to heavy water body, not quite chewy, with medium carbonation and nice alcohol worming. Starts and stays pretty sweet, with chocolate, coffee, licorice and molasses. Mild oak, light hop bitterness, nutty character, and just a bit of carbonic tang. Finish is smooth, sweet, and lasting.  Imperial Stout  90/100

Up next ... Spring Break in San Francisco! 

What's On Tap: March 14, 2013

So unless someone wants to start sending me updates, this type of post will be sporadic and dependent on my ability to visit various bars in town ...

However, this past Tuesday, I was at The Coney for our monthly homebrew club meeting, followed by a round afterwards at Benjamin's.  There were some great offerings at both places worth mentioning.

This month at The Coney, you'll find Penn Maerzen, Franziskaner Hefeweizen, Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, and a few of the usual suspects on tap.  In addition, the three bottle specials for March are: Troeg's Nugget Nectar, Southern Tier 2XIPA, and Hop City Barking Squirrel Lager (a Vienna).

On tap of note at Benjamin's: Troeg's Nugget Nectar, Anderson Valley Hop Ottin' IPA, Bells Hopslam, Great Lakes Alchemy Hour Double IPA, Yards Brawler (brown ale), and a few other regulars.

Some great offerings in our tiny little town!

UPDATE: The Ironwood Grill just announced that they have tapped a keg of Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA and should also have some bottles.

Beers #41-59: Tired Hands Tasting and Catching Up in My Backlog

It's day 66 of 2013 and I'm a little behind in my goal - 59 new beers to date.  This post will catch me up on my backlog of beer notes, including an awesome tasting of Tired Hands beers.

We were invited to a Chinese New Year's Party (Feb. 9) in town, and the husband of the host couple is a really good homebrewer and beer aficionado. In short, there's always something good to drink at the party.  This year was no exception, but for me there was only one new beer:

41/365: Samuel Adams Dark Depths:

Nice fresh and floral-grassy hops with light chocolate, coffee, and roasted bitterness. Dark brown-black with medium sized light tan lacing head. Medium body with medium-high carbonation. Starts medium malty and sweet with chocolate, toasted barley, and soy sauce. Big floral-piney bitter hops and lasting bitterness. Smooth nutty bitter finish and after.  Black IPA  78/100

 The next couple of beers were ones I had in the basement, one from a sampler pack brought to me by my father-in-law, and the other part of a '24 Beers of Xmas' mixed case I bought from a fellow homebrewer.

42/365: Rickard's Dark:

Dull dusty grain, a bit of oxidized caramel and no discernible hops. Coppery dark brown clear with creamy-foamy lacing tan head. Medium-light body with medium-light carbonation. Starts medium sweet with brown sugar, caramel, and light grain dust. Mild astringency with nutty bitter finish and some lingering sweetness. Chalky after.   Porter  48/100

43/365: Uinta Hop Notch IPA:

Very nice nose - spicy-floral hops, oily and resinous. Mild caramel and malt sweetness. Orange peels. Deep orange-amber clear with creamy off-white, huge lacing head. Medium body with medium-light carbonation. Starts fairly dry. Big hop flavor from start to finish. Bursts of resin, orange peel, and apricot. Light nutty caramel malt notes. Big bitter finish with lasting bitter after.  India Pale Ale (IPA)  80/100

 I visited Marzoni's Brick Oven & Brewing in Duncansville for lunch one Saturday in February, and in addition to a few old favorites, I tried Bill's new Red Ale brewed with El Dorado hops.

44/365: Marzoni's Red Ale (El Dorado):

Spicy hop nose, a bit pungent and resinous. Some toasted malt and light caramel. Deep coppery brown clear with thin off-white head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Starts lightly sweet with toasted grain, caramel, and brown sugar. Big herbal-spicy hop notes, light carbonic acidity. Big bitter finish, spicy and piney with lingering bitter after. Amber Ale  72/100

One of our homebrew club alumni, Jon Defibaugh, left Indiana a few years back to pursue a career in brewing.  He brewed his first beer with my equipment in my kitchen, and went crazy from there by cranking out terrific stuff at his house.  He moved to Philly, and started by working with Tom Baker at Earth Bread + Brewery.  Last year, he moved over to Ardmore and has been head brewer for Jean Broillet at Tired Hands. Well, towards the end of February, Jon came back to Indiana for a visit a brought a bunch of goodies - cheese, bread, and beer, beer, and beer.  A few of us got together and had an amazing evening.

45/365: Tired Hands HandFarm:

Great yeasty funky nose - Brett, light lactic notes. Awesome bouquet with a hint of lime zest. Light yellow-amber clear with light head. Medium body with medium-high carbonation. Starts and stays dry throughout, with citric-lactic acidity. Tons of Brett and yeasty bitterness. Big hop bitter finish with grapefruit. Great saison with a little bit of oak, too.  Saison  84/100

46/365: Tired Hands Guillemot Nebula:

Bourbon, red wine, fruity acidity, light funk, mild lime and peach, vanilla. A beautiful marriage of aromas. Dark brown-black clear with thin lacing head. Heavy body with medium carbonation. Starts tart with red wine, vanilla, oak, and bourbon. Wonderfully tart and complex but not cloying or overpowering - well rounded.  Saison  90/100

47/365: Tired Hands Guillemot Prunus:

Great nose with tons of cherry. Fruity, woody, and tart, with light funky notes, vanilla and oak. Coppery brown clear with thin tan lacing head. Medium body with medium carbonation. Starts tart with cherries, oak, vanilla, and citrus. Nice tart funk, with some chocolate and soy sauce. Light bitter chocolate finish with lasting, mildly astringent tart after.  Saison  86/100 

48/365: Tired Hands Singel Hop Saison, Amarillo:

Great hop aroma, fruity with onion and light pale malt sweetness. Pale golden yellow clear with thin white head. Medium-light body with medium carbonation. Starts medium dry, peppery with fresh hops. Grassy, herbal, clean. Medium acidity at the finish with great hop flavor. Light bitter after.  Saison  82/100

49/365: Tired Hands LiddleFiddle:

Funky-nasty hop aroma (nasty in a good way) that is just fantastic. The nose gives me the munchies. Mild sweetness and tons of pine, funk, and ozone. Pale golden clear with light haze, topped with thin foamy head. Medium body and carbonation. Nice dry saison with tons of fresh hop character. Big bitter finish and funky after. Delicious.  Saison  86/100

50/365: Tired Hands Entropic:

Bretty, hoppy, and meaty. Light lactic and mild sweetness. Hazy pale with thin white head. Medium-light body with medium carbonation. Medium bitter start. Lots of Brett in this one. Light funk and big bitter notes but not harsh. Astringent finish with mild bitter after.  Sour Ale/Wild Ale  80/100 

 51/365: Tired Hands Ego Disillusionment:

Aroma is a mix of apples, sauerkraut, and milk with tea. Chardonnay and carbonic brightness. Hazy-cloudy pale straw with thin rocky head. Light body with medium carbonation. Tart, funky, sour and lactic. Kiwi chardonnay and apple cider flavors. Just a nice, tart weisse. Bright.  Berliner Weisse  80/100

52/365: Tired Hands MotherAnimal:

Smells of roasted barley and spent coffee grounds. Caramel and sweet with light alcohol and broth. Coppery brown with thin creamy lacing head. Medium-heavy body with high carbonation. Alcohol warming. Vanilla, coffee, toffee, and caramel. Sweet and thick with light alcoholic coffee. Big sweet after. Not cloying, but a little too sweet.  Barley Wine  76/100  

The day after this awesome tasting, I had lunch with a colleague at Benjamin's here in town. They have a pretty good tap selection now, and I went with a new IIPA from Victory.

53/365: Victory Ranch (Centennial):

Nice grassy-fruity fresh hop nose. Apricot, grapefruit, sugary syrup and light caramel. Medium golden amber clear with thin foamy off-white lacing head. Medium body with medium-high carbonation. Starts medium sweet with caramel and brown sugar, neutral fruity character but also with notes of apricot and tons of hop flavor. Big bitter finish and lasting bitter after. The higher gravity was not apparent.  Imperial/Double IPA  78/100

Every year, in February, to celebrate both Dana's and my birthrdays, we usually go to Pittsburgh for a Friday overnight, with a dinner at Casbah, followed by touring around Pittsburgh on Saturday. Casbah is part of the Big Burrito restaurant group, and for your birthday they'll send you a $30 coupon to use the week before until the week after your birthday. Unfortunately, our birthdays don't quite overlap, so we never get to use both of them. (oh, and you can't use it on Saturdays)  On Saturday, we had lunch at Mad Mex (another Big Burrito restaurant), which always has good stuff on tap.  I enjoyed two draughts for lunch:

54/365: Helltown Idle Hands:

Great fresh hop aroma, sweet and grassy with apricot and pear. Some pine and herb notes, too. Hazy medium amber with thin white lacing head. Medium body with medium to heavy carbonation. Starts nice and sweet with apricot and pear notes. Light brown sugar and caramel, too. Sweet bitter finish with nice lasting bitter after that’s not too harsh.  Imperial/Double IPA  82/100

55/365: Great Divide Espresso Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout:

Sweet espresso nose with vanilla, oak, chocolate, light molasses, and a hint of smoke. Dark black opaque with dark brown lacing foamy head. Medium heavy body with heavy carbonation, fizzy and alcoholic warming. Light chewy. Starts sweet and roast with burnt malty caramel, smoke, oak, vanilla, and chocolate. Rich, malty, and hot. Big warming. Big bitter chocolate finish with roasted burnt malt tang. Oak and smoke after, with lingering sweetness and carbonic tang.  Imperial Stout   80/100

And finally, to catch up on the rest of my new beer notes to date, I had the following in my cellar at home (except the St. Stefanus, which Dave and I shared courtesy of Tim at the Coney).

56/365: Rickard's Blonde:

Pale lager aroma, beany with some noble hops and a light corn or vegetal aroma. Mild oxidation. Orange amber clear with thin off-white lacing head. Medium light body with medium carbonation. Starts a bit dry with some caramel sweetness, mild papery notes, and little hop presence. Finish is smooth with light sweet after.  Pilsener  50/100

57/365: St. Stefanus Blonde:

Light Belgian wheat ale nose, mild esters and yeasty notes. Some honey and orange blossom sweetness. Golden clear with creamy-pillowy white lacing head. Medium to light bodied with medium to heavy carbonation. Kind of weak in flavor but medium sweet with light fruity esters and mild carbonic bite. Yeasty chalky finish with medium sweetness and very little bitterness. Mild after.  Belgian Ale  64/100

58/365: Rickard's White:

Nice fruity aroma with apricot nectar, orange peel, and coriander. Kind of sweet with mild floral notes. Cloudy medium amber with thin white head. Medium to light watery body with heavy carbonation. Starts with fruity and floral notes, orange peel and coriander. Pale malt and wheat sweetness with light dry finish. No discernible hop flavors. After is a little chalky but pleasant.  Belgian White (Witbier)   58/100  

59/365: Fat Head's Bumbleberry Honey Blueberry Ale:

Mix of real and fake saccharin blueberry aromas, fruity and a bit earthy. Sweet with no discernible hop character. Light honey. Medium golden amber clear with huge creamy-pillowy lacing off-white head. Medium bodied with medium to heavy carbonation. Starts somewhat dry despite the sweetness of the aroma. Notes of blueberry, honey with a berry-skin bitterness in the finish along with some hop bitterness. Light sweet albeit watery after.  Fruit Beer  56/100

Whew!  Finally caught up.  Next up ... ??

Homebrew Club 1st Anniversary

Hard to believe, but tonight our Indiana Homebrewers Club celebrates one year of official existence. Well, not official in terms of being recognized by any actual authority, but at least official to those of us who run and attend the meetings, and official enough to The Coney, who graciously hosts our meetings every month.

Looking back, it's been a successful year. Our membership is modest but fairly steady, and quite satisfactory for a town of this size. We usually have between 10-15 members at each meeting. We try each time to have a point of discussion, whether its different styles of beer or tips & tricks of homebrewing or the hop shortage. And of course, we have a couple of homebrew samples each time to enjoy.

For our first anniversary, we've invited Bill Kroft, the brewer at Marzoni's Brick Oven & Brewery to come over to talk to us and bring a few samples of his terrific beer. It'll give the members a chance to talk to a professional brewer (who started as a homebrewer) about brewing, and hopefully get the Coney interested in tapping into some local micros!

For the coming year, perhaps we can start to cook up some more activities as a group. Helping Scott at East End hand bottle beers, or have some of us help out at the 2009 Pints for Pets (tentative date: May 30), or perhaps even get something started in Indiana. Only time will tell.

2nd Homebrewers Club Meeting A Success

Last night was our second homebrewers club meeting. A few people couldn't make it, and we didn't get any new members this time. But we still had about 15 people. The highlights can be found here.

Time to recruit more people!

2nd Indiana Homebrewers Club Meeting - Preview

So tomorrow night is going to be the second meeting of the Indiana Homebrewers Club and I'm very excited. The last meeting was a great success - with 20 people showing up. Tomorrow, we're going to have (hopefully) that many and maybe a few more.

We'll start with a homebrew tasting: five or six of our members have agreed to bring a six pack of their product to share a taste with everyone. I'll be one of those sharing, and will take a sixer of my Commonplace Coffee Porter (which I need to make more of next week, hopefully). After the tasting, one of our members is going to give a presentation on the basics of extract brewing (with slides and everything!). Should be a good time, and I'll comment more later on the meeting.

Did anyone brew or teach a friend to brew back on 11/3? I couldn't, unfortunately.

How Many Homebrewers Are Out There?

I pose this question not as a survey, though you're welcome to comment and share information, but rather as the rhetorical thought that popped into my head when some friends and I were contemplating a homebrew club in our little town.

As it turns out, a lot.

The inaugural meeting of our Indiana Homebrewers Club met last Tuesday at The Coney here in Indiana. Other than word of mouth and a few fliers posted at perhaps two establishments in town, we had done no real advertising. Despite that, the attendance was amazing.

Most people had done some brewing, a few had not yet brewed. The majority were doing extract, and a few of us are familiar with partial mash and all-grain. There seemed to be a current of excitement in the room as people mingled and met fellow enthusiasts; almost a bit cathartic to find out that "hey, I'm not the only person who likes to homebrew".

Our first 'regular' meeting will be in a few weeks, and one of our more experienced brewers is going to give a presentation on the basics of extract brewing. Several of us are going to bring six-packs of homebrew to share at a small tasting.

I hope that attendance will keep around this level, and that we can craft a club that meets everyones needs. It promises to be quite an adventure.

PS - don't forget that this coming Saturday is Teach A Friend to Brew Day!