Bare Hands Brewery opens to the public today at 5pm!

Just a quick heads up that Bare Hands Brewery (Granger, IN) opens to the public today at 5pm! Come celebrate our newest Michiana brewery by stopping by and having a pint! I recommend trying their Hybrid Pale/IPA (although they are all very good), I had it the other night and it was delicious!

As far as I know, it's cash only for the next few weeks, so bring stacks of money!

Congratulations Chris and everyone who has put so much work into this brewery!

Black Note Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout

Label approval just dropped for one of the most coveted beers around, Bell's Black Note Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout (11.5%). My guess is that this will likely only be available at their general store with a 2 bottle limit per customer, as was the case with other 750ml bottles.

From the Bell's website...

One of the most sought-after stouts in Bell's history, Black Note Stout blend the complex aromatics of Expedition Stout with the velvety smooth texture of Double Cream Stout and ages the combination in freshly retired oak bourbon barrels for months. The resulting harmony of flavors captures the finest features of all three components: malty notes of dark chocolate, espresso & dried fruits, all buoyed by the warmth and fragrance of the bourbon barrel. Aimed squarely at the stout and bourbon aficionados, Black Note makes a grand statement about the art of the dark.

Fiddler's Hearth Beer Dinner on Dec 28th

Received word from Sean over at Fiddler's Hearth (Main St., South Bend) regarding a beer pairing dinner taking place on December 28th. Looks like a great lineup of food and beer for a very reasonable price. I've definitely never had a bad meal from this restaurant!

The Manhattan Beer Scene (Part 3)

In Part 3 of this Manhattan drinking trilogy, we'll examine Blind Tiger on Bleecker Street, nestled within the Village. Although a bit more of a trek than the first two places I visited, as I would find out, it would certainly be worth the effort...

West Village (Or The Village, as it's affectionately referred to as) is located within Greenwich Village, between Chelsea and Soho on the west side of Manhattan. I've explored this burrow quite a bit during my time in the city, and the Village is definitely my favorite place to hang out. More relaxed than most other neighborhoods, far from the bright lights of Times Square and the crazies (in tents and suits) of the Financial District, the Village is home to hippies, yuppies and their offspring - hipsters.

Blind Tiger is the type of place I would love to own some day. Seating comfortably only around 50 people, and jam packed at about 70, it mirrors the close quarters many New Yorkers are accustomed to. It's decorated in mostly earth tones, with a rustic wood floor, bar and tables, as well as a stone fireplace to complete the atmosphere. Only one small TV can be seen in the back corner, usually set to ESPN, so naturally this does not draw the Sunday NFL crowd, but instead a steady stream of the aforementioned hipster and other locals.

On the night I arrived, shortly after 5 from taking the subway down from Midtown, it was already nearly packed. Fortunately I found a nice spot at the end of the bar, in full view of the chalk board beer list. Despite having a somewhat shorter list of craft beers on tap (mostly American, many local), it still blows any place we have in the South Bend area out of the water with their 28 different beers, especially considering its size. In the spirit of my tradition of trying beers that I wouldn't normally have access to, I went with a Toxic Sludge (American Black Ale, 7%) from Blue Point, located in Patchogue, NY. Despite the mediocre reviews, as I later found out, I enjoyed this beer quite a bit. The roasty aspect of it was front and center while the obvious appearance of hops balanced it all out.

Next up, because of a phase I was going through during this time, was a Green Flash IPA. I cheated a little with this one since I've had it from the bottle, however I wanted to try a fresh pint on tap. This is definitely one of the best IPAs I have ever experienced, and went down very smoothly while I was chatting with my Wall St. neighbor next to me. Come to find out, he was a big Founders fan, which sparked a great beer related conversation.

After visiting the "Top 3" craft bars that Manhattan had to offer, Blind Tiger edges out as my favorite of all, with Rattle 'N Hum a close 2nd. The combination of a relaxed, unpretentious environment, a huge, mostly American, craft beer lineup that is always up-to-date (online and on the chalk boards), and being located in one of the hippest locations in the entire city, makes this a great place to enjoy a pint. If some day I am able to open a bar, it will certainly be modeled from my favorite aspect of each location I visited, but will likely resemble Blind Tiger the most. With that said, if you have some disposable cash and would like to invest in the next best craft beer bar in the South Bend area, drop me an email!

Bell's Quinannan Falls on tap at Fiddler's Hearth

Although the point of my trip to Fiddler's Hearth last Thursday was to taste some new Greenbush beers, I found myself addicted to Bell's Quinannan Falls Lager. Crisp and dry like a German pils, it is also very hopped up, giving it a fantastic piney and floral taste.

I had no idea Fiddler's Hearth was getting this beer, so it was a nice surprise to have an opportunity to experience something I've very much been looking forward to. If you missed it on Wednesday/Thursday, you'll again have a chance at it Tuesday, when it makes its next appearance. You have to to try this yourself to understand how good it really is...

Greenbush food pairing at Fiddler's Hearth (Recap)

I must admit, I was fairly oblivious to the reason for the Greenbush food pairing last Thursday night at Fiddler's Hearth. I just figured they did it for the hell of it... but as I came to find out, it was for the Eat. Drink. Downtown South Bend "Third Thursday" event.

The special for the night was "Three Greenbush Brewery tasters paired with three unique sliders." Greenbush beer is always very good, and I would have likely been content with drinking a few different options without a corresponding food pairing, however a fellow patron ordered the sliders/tasters and when I saw what was served, I had to give them a try. I'm no foodie, I leave that up to Michele at South Bend Foodies, but I certainly enjoy great tasting food, and that's just what I got.

More about the 3 Pairings...

Beer: Greenbush Jadis Winter White. A Belgian style pale brewed with cloves, cardamom, and orange peel. 6.1%, 20 IBUs
Slider: Salmon Cake, Spring Greens, and Remoulade on a homemade Pretzel Bun.

Beer: Greenbush Ursus Old Winter Ale. An old ale brewed with an abundance of English and caramel malts, pureed dates, and a rounded hop bitterness. 8.9%, 47 IBUs
Slider: Pit Ham, with Smoked Gouda, and Carrot Chutney on a homemade Pretzel Bun.

Beer: Greenbush Anger Black IPA. Black IPA brewed with Belgian dark and british chocolate malts, dry hopped for an intense aroma. 7.6%, 85 IBUs
Slider: Lamb Sausage with Sharp Cheddar and Caramelized Onions on a Rosemary Bun.

When it comes to beer, I'm very adventurous, but food... not so much. I don't even know what Remoulade is; it sounds made-up to me. Carrot Chutney? Deal breaker. However, since the dish had a built-in beer component, I figured it would be at least half-good.

Tackling each slider with its paired beer was nothing short of amazing! I've never been into food pairing before, since I usually prefer to savor beer on its own. The food and beer was incredible! Together they formed one of the best meals I've ever had. I would regularly eat these sliders, I hope Fiddler's Hearth decides to keep them on the menu!

Food aside, the Greenbush beer was fantastic, as is the norm with them. Anger is my favorite Black IPA, and I never turn down an opportunity to enjoy a pint. Jadis and Ursus were new to me, but both extremely good. Jadis reminded me of 3 Floyds/Dogfish Head "Poppaskull" due to its liberal use of cardamom, which makes this beer taste like Thanksgiving (obviously a good thing). Ursus was just as delicious with its sweet malt, dark fruit and slight bitterness, resulting in a great cold-weather sipping beer.

After this experience, I can't wait to see what "Eat. Drink. Downtown South Bend." brings the next time around!

**Not accustomed to taking pictures of my food, I didn't think to do it until after the party in my mouth was over. If you happen to have a pictures of the dish that was served, please email me (andy@thebeerisgood.com) so I can add it here. Cheers!

Iechyd Da Brewing Company Tasting at Chalet Party Shoppe

Just a reminder - Reported last week by Eric over at Michiana Beer Nuts, Elkhart's own Iechyd Da Brewing Company will be pouring at Chalet Party Shoppe's weekly craft beer tasting at their CR 17 location today, 12/15, from 4-6pm 6-8pm (Thanks, Iechyd Da, for the correction and my apologies!).

As Eric stated, and confirmed by their Facebook page, Iechyd Da will have the following available for sampling:

• Pub Ale (English Session, 5% ABV)
• Gumption (Hopped Up Amber, 7.8% ABV)
• Thirteen (American Black Ale, 7.8%ABV)
• Smooth Operator (Farmhouse-style Ale, 8.1% ABV)

If you're like me, you were disappointed when Iechyd Da was unable to give out samples to the South Bend Brewfest crowd due to a technicality. The last I heard, their brewery and tasting room aren't scheduled to open until sometime during the second quarter of 2012, so this would be a good opportunity to get a taste if you've yet to experience their brews or simply can't wait for more!

Also today, don't forget that starting at 5pm Greenbush will once again be taking over at Fiddler's Hearth in South Bend. Sounds like a great Thirsty Thursday on tap all around. If you're really talented (read: responsible), maybe try to make both events? 

The Manhattan Beer Scene (Part 2)

Within an hour of landing in Gotham last month, I set out to find one of the top 3 craft beer bars in Manhattan. The Ginger Man (which I wrote about here) was up first due to its proximity to my hotel and my definite need for a drink, but after my 90 minutes of reconnaissance there, I set out for Rattle 'N Hum on E. 33rd between 5th and Madison.

Aside from a great beer lineup, Rattle 'N Hum shares nothing in common with the aforementioned Ginger Man. I will go so far as to say that Rattle 'N Hum, despite it's shorter list (not by much) of available beers, has far more American craft beers on tap, which I prefer over a larger selection of imports. They must have a large warehouse as their cooler, because they also tend to swap out a lot of beers on a regular basis, which could be due, at least in part, to their massive popularity. 

Like many restaurants in Manhattan, RnH was deep and narrow, with a very long bar spanning about 3/4 of the length of the pub. On the night I arrived, every bar stool (roughly 20) was occupied, so I saddled up to a chair at a table in back.

Although this was far from the typical sports bar we are accustomed to here with BDubs, Between the Buns, and others, there were a few reasonable sized TVs turned to the Giants and Jets games. The patrons were also a bit different in style from those at The Ginger Man (and Blind Tiger in the Village, as you will soon learn), cheering for their teams with their favorite NY football team jersey on. The walls were adorned with beer paraphernalia and dozens of tap handles hanging from the ceiling. The atmosphere was similar to how TGI Fridays used to be, but with beer schwag instead of random rubbish. 

So back to the beer... the first night I visited included a huge lineup of beer from Sixpoint, a popular Brooklyn based brewery. Fellow beer geek, Dave, had been drueling over one of their IPAs, Bangali Tiger. Although I'm always happy to try something new, Bengali Tiger was a bit on the bland side, with a sweet malt focal point. Not a bad beer, but far from the west coast hop bombs I've grown to love.

With a manageable buzz and no reason to drive, I settled up my tab and set out to explore the city, but I definitely planned to come back another night.

Later in the week, after my work obligations were done for the day, I decided to grab dinner at Rattle 'N Hum again. This time I found a spot at the bar, next to a noticeably over-indulged and festively robust New Yorker. Nothing smooths the edges of a long day like a hoppy brew, so I went with a steady stream of Bear Republic (California) Racer 5 IPAs . This particular IPA was certainly an improvement over Bengali Tiger from earlier in the week, with a great medium bodied hop explosion. Racer 5 hit the spot as an appetizer, counterpart to the spicy chicken sliders (very good btw) I had for dinner, and as a refreshing dessert. Even though this is available at times throughout Michigan, I've yet to have this on tap until my visit to RnH.

If there was a place like this around the South Bend area, it would probably be my new favorite place to hang out. It's obvious they take craft beer as serious as anyone, probably more so, without having a pretentious atmosphere. What's even more amazing is that people are able to watch football, soccer, whatever, while drinking a pint of great beer, instead of mugs filled with fizzy yellow swill. If you ever find yourself thirsty in NYC, make sure to stop by! 

Founders Curmudgeon's Better Half Official Press Release

A press release I received within the last hour from Founders Brewing Company on Curmudgeon's Better Half, which AV posted about the other day... Looking forward to this one!

Curmudgeon’s Better Half to be the first release of Founders Brewing Company’s Backstage Series in 2012

Grand Rapids, Michigan, December 14, 2011 — Founders Brewing Co.’s Co-Founder and Vice President of Marketing, Dave Engbers, announced today that Curmudgeon’s Better Half would be the next release in the brewery’s 750mL Backstage Series, with availability beginning on February 13, 2012, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

There has been a great deal of anticipation and speculation on the upcoming Backstage release because of the success of the first two large bottle format releases: Blushing Monk and Canadian Breakfast Stout earlier in 2011. The purpose of the series is to bring some of Founders’ most sought after beers, which had previously been available primarily at the brewery taproom or at a few select events, to a much larger audience.

“It’s been a lot of fun to watch the beer enthusiasts speculate,” explains Founders’ President, Mike Stevens. “We really try to keep people guessing, but at the end of the day our focus has always been on making beers that over-deliver.”

Curmudgeon’s Better Half is a re-branding of the beer formerly known as Kaiser’s Curmudgeon, which has only been served at Founders’ taproom and in extremely limited draft distribution. Curmudgeon is an old ale brewed with molasses and aged on oak; it becomes Better Half after aging—for 254 days—in bourbon barrels that have more recently been aging Michigan maple syrup. As a result, Curmudgeon’s Better Half is a bit sweeter than her miserly counterpart. Appropriately, the beer label depicts her holding a pitcher of syrup for the Curmudgeon’s breakfast, and is released at the perfect time of year for you to buy one for the Better Half in your life.

“The goal of the Backstage Series is to allow those beer enthusiasts who don’t have the ability to make it to our taproom an opportunity to experience some of the beers that, historically, have been limited to our taproom and a handful of high exposure events,” Engbers said. “Although these beers are not brewed in large volume, it is our intention to distribute them to all of our markets.”

The company is not revealing any additional releases in the series, but Engbers said it would consist of many of the “popular one-offs and possible big experiments” that have been offered in the taproom over the years and have become favorites among patrons and brewery staff.

The company expects to release two additional products in the Backstage Series later in 2012.

Founders Brewing Company opened their doors in 1997 with the vision of creating some of the most unique craft beer in the world. Today, Founders has a loyal following, with several beers lauded nationally and internationally as award winners in their respective categories. In 2009, they were ranked as the 2nd fastest growing brewery in the United States, and they are currently rated the second highest brewery in the world by ratebeer.com

Founders Brewing Company, 235 Grandville Avenue SW in downtown Grand Rapids, is a proud member of the Michigan Brewers Guild. www.michiganbrewersguild.org.

- End -

Bare Hands Brewery Update

For those that follow our Facebook/Twitter updates, you already know that I got word from Chris Gerard (Owner/Brewer) of Bare Hands Brewery in Granger, IN, that if all goes as planned, he will be opening the doors by/on Wednesday, December 21st.

If you haven't heard of Bare Hands, or haven't tried their beer yet, I'm here to testify that the beer is good. Chris actually reminds me a lot of Scott at Greenbush; dedicated to quality, disinterested in coloring within the lines, and an all around great guy.

So if you like great artisanal beer and supporting a fledgling local brewer, make sure to stop by early and often. Can't wait to see you there!

Greenbush invades Fiddler's Hearth!

We received word from Ben Amster over at Indiana Beer letting us know that Greenbush is sending down 6 beers to be put on tap at Fiddler's Hearth (Main Street, South Bend) Thursday December 15th, starting at 5pm. No word yet on which ones will be on tap, but I've been told that there will be a couple of beers for this event only, along with some special food pairings.

Should be a fun night of great beer, food and people, so I hope you join us!

Massive Labels Update

As is wont to happen, there was quite a dry spell for new, local, and interesting labels and then suddenly - BOOM! - there have been loads recently. Lots of stuff to look forward to. Sit tight for this massive update.

All labels are for 12oz bottles unless otherwise noted.

Founders Curmudgeon's Better Half - 11.9% Old Ale brewed with molasses and aged in maple syrup bourbon barrels. 750ml bottle. You may already know the deal with this one, but it's rumored to be what was previously known as "Kaiser Curmudgeon" and is likely the next release in the Backstage Series expected to arrive after the first of the year.

Half Acre Big Hugs - 9.5% Imperial Stout. 22oz bottle. A once a year limited release. May be a very small amount end up on Chicagoland shelves, but if you happen to live, or be in, Chicago on December 18th, you might want to stop by their brewery and snag some.

Founders All Day - 4.7% India Pale Ale. Keg collar. Mainly had to post this for Andy because of all the great things he's told me about it, specifically that it's a sessionable, incredibly flavorful IPA. Founders has said this might begin to be bottled sometime in 2012.

Sun King Wee Muckle - 9% Scotch Ale. 16oz can. Winning gold at the 2011 Great American Beer Festival in the Scotch Ale category, Sun King has decided to package this brew into their trademark tallboy cans.

Short's Pontius Road Pilsner - 4.7% Czech Pilsner. Previously only available at the Short's pub in Bellaire, MI, Pontius Road is now making its way to bottles.

Bell's Harvest Ale - 750ml bottle. Seems to be a fresh hop/wet hop/harvest style IPA of unknown ABV, at least to this blogger. Probably, and unfortunately, will be a Kalamazoo release only, but as you can tell from the previous sentence, I couldn't find much about it. Sure would like to get my hands on a bottle though.

Brewery Vivant Kludde - 9.5% Belgian Style Dark Ale. 16oz can. From the makers of what is likely America's first canned Belgian IPA, Triomphe, comes Kludde, a canned Belgian Style Dark Ale.

Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale - 4.4% Wheat. 12oz can. It's 312... IN A CAN! (You may now return to your regular hating of GI, AB/InBev, United, etc.)

New Albanian Bonfire of the Valkyries - 6% Smoked Black Lager. 22oz bottle. I'll confess to not knowing much about New Albanian or ever having any of their beers, but damn, they do have some really kick-ass labels. This is an update to an existing brand.

New Albanian Solidarity - 8.5% Baltic Porter. 22oz bottle. Again, update to an existing New Albanian brand.

Arcadia Ales Sky High Rye - 6% Rye Pale Ale. 12oz can. Sky High Rye is the second canned brew from the Battle Creek, MI brewery after Whitsun debuted earlier this year.

Three Floyds Live A Rich Life - 8.7% Belgian Style Double India Pale Ale. 22oz bottle. Similar to the Founders Curmudgeon's Better Half name change, it appears this is actually Shark Pants - which I might interject probably has the coolest label that I don't think actually appeared on a bottle - re-branded. The rumor mill was grinding out theories that FFF might have had to change the label due to issues with the original's artist.

Avery Trogdor the Burninator - 7.6% Smoked Doppelbock. Keg collar. Why would I put a simple keg collar from a brewery in Boulder, CO that we'll probably not see around these parts? First, Avery puts out some quality products and you can usually find some in Michigan. (They pulled out of Indiana earlier this year.) Second, because they named this beer after one of the Internet's earlier and greater cartoons/memes. Apparently they brewed this as a one-off in the past and are now bringing it back for a second round. Never heard of Trogdor? Do yourself a favor and waste the rest of your day watching Strong Bad.

Goose Island - Update On King Henry, Bourbon County Brand Stout Spotted

An update on a previous post - It has become evident that Michiana, and in fact the entire state of Indiana, will not be receiving bottles of Goose Island's King Henry barleywine.

With many speculating and others citing sources on the BeerAdvocate forum, I've had a couple bottle shops in town confirm to me the same: Indiana has been deemed on-premise only for King Henry by request of the brewery. More of the same, Josh over at Portage Liquor Mart also posted this to their Facebook page today.

This means no bottles on shelves, but doesn't necessarily mean we won't see any. "On-premise" simply means no carry out sales. Bars, pubs, and restaurants may purchase The King (likely in kegs) and serve to their patrons for consumption on site. If we hear of any tappings, we'll be sure to pass those along.

---

In news of Goose Island bottles that you can (maybe) get in South Bend, 2011 Bourbon County Brand Stout hit the area this week.

Brewed in honor of the 1000th batch at our original Clybourn brewpub. A liquid as dark and dense as a black hole with thick foam the color of a bourbon barrel. The nose is an intense mix of charred oak, chocolate, vanilla, caramel and smoke. One sip has more flavor than your average case of beer. 

I say "maybe" because although it just got here Wednesday or Thursday, depending on the store, there isn't much and will be gone fast. I can tell you there is a tiny bit left though. Check Portage Liquor Mart, the City-Wide locations, and Belmont on South Bend Ave. Good luck!

Labels: All Greenbush Edition. Also: Bottles Soon?

The picture you see to the right was posted to Greenbush Brewing Co.'s Facebook page yesterday. What you're seeing there appears to be a pallet chock full of empty bottles. Might they be ready to bottle their tasty brews? Surely it means they're at least getting closer.

You could say that their recent rash of label submissions and subsequent approvals might be another indicator. Could we soon be finding familiars such as Closure and Distorter or newcomers like Mammoth and Delusion in bottles?

Count 'em: 8 new label approvals in the last few weeks. These for their mostly winter style beers are just as "Go Big or Go Home" as before. Are they as awesome as their predecessors? I definitely think so. See for yourself below. I've included the label copy for each as some of those are just as interesting as the art.

Pain - 11.2% Imperial Milk Stout.

Label copy: "You know what they say don't you? You don't? Do we have to explain everything? There is something definitely to gain from this PAIN, with our select combination of grans, black malt, roasted barley, Belgian Munich and milk sugar. Work though this smooth stout and you'll appreciate the euphemism."

Isole - 9.7% Belgian Style Dubbel Ale.

Label copy: "Feeling a bit lonely? You won't be when you crack open a bottle of our Belgian Style Dubbel Ale. Carmel notes, a depth of sweetness and a touch of effervescence that's great for yourself or with others."

Apathy - 6.7% Oatmeal Stout.

Label copy: "Oh, I don't know. It's just that, well, it seems that maybe... What was I saying? Beat those ho-hum doldrums with a tall taste of Apathy. It's enough to snap you out of whatever state you're in.

Mammoth - 8.3% Weizenbock.

Label copy: "This one rises up from the depths of winter to breathe new life into the old beast (that's you, bub). Mammoth is what the name implies and if you don't know what that means, try a glass or two."

Ursus - 8.9% Old Winter Ale.

Label copy: "All you keep thinking to yourself is... will this snow EVER stop? When is it going to get warm again? Before cabin fever sets in, grab a bottle or two of Ursus, our warm winter ale and get a grip, man!"

Delusion - 11.7% Imperial Cream Stout (Aged in rye whiskey barrels from Journeyman Distillery of Three Oaks, MI.).

Label copy: "Don't be mistaken with common misconceptions pertaining to certain characteristics  of other forms of refreshment. Our Imperial Cream Stout aged in rye whiskey barrels may have you pondering the randomness of the universe."

Jadis - 6.1% Winter White Ale.

Label copy: "The cold sets in and hangs for months it seems. Everything slows down. Time warps... and you're covered with a wash of white. Thought I meant winter, didn't you? Jadis will take you away from winter, even if temporarily."

Mr. Hyde - 7.8% Sumatran Coffee Milk Stout, a collaboration with the Fullerton location of Chicago's Small Bar.

Label copy: "Honestly, we don't know WHAT'S become of you. Did you shave your goatee? Is that a new perfume you're wearing? Maybe it's time for a taste of Mr. Hyde."