I know it's a fairly poor picture, but what we have here is a bottle of Three Floyds Alpha King served to me with a lime in it by the staff at Hacienda on Portage Rd. in South Bend.
Brewery: Stone 
Can't wait until Friday for Zombie Dust to tap at Fiddler's Hearth? How about some special release Schlafly brews to tide you over?Received an email update on the Potowatomi Zoo Brew on 9/10 from Ben at Indiana Beer with an attached beer list that I can share with you all. This list is subject to change and may also include a few surprises...
I won't spend too much time on their background as Andy has already done an excellent job of previewing FHBC for this blog here, with additional pictures here. Suffice to say, the Roule brothers, Sam and Ben, and master brewer Stephen Foster have a passion to bring their brand of craft beer to South Bend. Yesterday, they collectively welcomed the public to their new tasting room. Here is the account of my wife and I's visit.
On to the beer! As you can see in the picture above, FHBC ended up launching with a 4.8% Pale Ale, 4.2% Irish Stout, 4.2% Blonde Ale, 4.2% Brown Ale, 4.2% Black Lager, and a 4.8% IPA, as well as a 6.1% Pumpkin Ale from Evil Genius. Despite what the sign says, stating that the Black Lager, IPA, and Pumpkin Ale were samples only, we were given both samples and pints upon request. I believe this might have been only for the launch, but I could be wrong.
And the appearance! (Left.) Mostly very dark, a little light passing through around the edges and highly carbonated. Once it sat a bit, this subsided enough that I was able to sip. Again, as with the IPA, the taste throughout was very similar to the smell. This is not your granddad's stout though. Very mild and thin. For those shy of big stouts, you will not have any trouble choking down a rich, thick beer shake with this one.
From the Bell's website:
"Our growth over the past few years has exceeded everyone’s expectations to the point that we simply are not able to keep up with demand. We’d also like to assure you that we do not have any intentions of pulling out of any states that we are currently selling beer in."
"The hardest hit has been Two Hearted Ale as demand has been off the charts!"
"It is important to note that we will continue to allocate this brand until the new production facility is up and running. We will be working with all of our distributor, retail, and restaurateur partners to apply this as evenly as possible throughout our current footprint."
You can read the article in full here.
This is, of course, a good news/bad news situation, but let's start with the bad news.
Since Two Hearted Ale is a highly rated, often sought-after, and I would go so far as to say a beloved beer by many, this may be a blow to us as consumers who are looking to purchase and drink Two Hearted for the near future. This problem could even be exacerbated by those who might now look to stockpile (read: hoard) their own supply and also by traders who might be looking to get something coveted in return for it with demand on the rise. As stated, it sounds like Bell's is going to attempt to distribute current supplies as evenly as they can while still producing what they can. Therein is the good news.
On the surface, it is obviously a good thing that, with the planned addition of new facilities, detailed here, their expansion will allow for increased production and thus more great beer for all to enjoy.
More importantly, Bell's is going to soldier through a potential shortage instead of completely pulling distribution of Two Hearted, other Bell's brands, or their entire roster of beers from specific areas. Make no mistake, this is not a direct commentary on Dogfish Head leaving Indiana and other states. We'd certainly love to have them back, but they are a business first and did what they had to do. Rather, this is a "Cheers!" and my commending Bell's for continuing to be the excellent local brewery that they have been since 1985!
That all said, if you're now as thirsty for some Two Hearted Ale as I am and wonder where you might find some around South Bend, look no further than the Belmonts on South Bend Ave. and Portage Ave. as well as at City-Wide on Jefferson downtown. I'm sure it can also be found at other bottle shops, but I've definitely spied six packs and singles at these locations within the last week.
