2nd Annual Blue Chip Brewfest Beer List (Michigan City, IN)

We are just a couple of weeks away from the 2nd Annual (2012) Blue Chip Brewfest at Blue Chip Casino on April 14th in Michigan City. I just received some updated information on this event that I wanted to pass along.

First of all, VIP is, and has been, sold out for quite some time. This went extremely fast. For those of you thinking that the VIP ticket may not be worth the addition time and money, you'll be missing out on some really great beers, one of which is Bell's Black Note. Black note is one of the rarest and most sought after beers in our area, so I hope you are one of the lucky few that can experience it. Keep this in mind for next year...

Last year was a blast, and this is already shaping up to be so much better. Don't miss it!

V.I.P. Beers/Pairings

- Bare Hands German Chocolate Cake Imperial Stout – Paired with: Bacon Candy-
- Bell’s Black Note Stout - Paired with: Mini cupcakes with raspberry filling and toffee ganache topping
- Flat 12 Cuttlefish Cuvee - Paired with: Grilled Calamari with Red Pepper Coulis
- Four Horsemen Blanton’s Bourbon Barrel Aged American Stout - Paired with: Chocolate Fudge Brownies
- Greenbush Berliner Weiss Style 400 Divine Rabbits – Paired with: Crab and Asparagus Salad
- Iechyd Da 1635 Dry Hopped English Mild (Firkin) – Paired with: Welsh Rarebit and Rustic Crostini
- New Belgium Cocoa Mole – Paired with: Mexican Mole Pizza
- Samuel Adams Dark Depths Baltic IPA – Pairing TBA
- Upland Infinite Wisdom Belgian Tripel - Paired with: Spicy Crab cakes with Chipotle Remoulade

General Admission Tables/Beer

Abita Brewing Company – New Orleans, LA
    a. Andygator Heller Bock
    b. Purple Haze Raspberry Wheat
     c. Vanilla Double Dog
Michigan/Indiana Breweries
    a. Atwater Block Voodoo Vator Doppelbock – Detroit, MI
    b. Barley Island Dirty Helen Brown Ale – Noblesville, IN
    c. Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA– Marshall, MI
    d. Dark Horse Scotty Karate Scotch Ale – Marshall, MI
    e. Oaken Barrel Indiana Amber – Greenwood, IN
    f. Triton Rail Splitter IPA – Indianapolis, IN
Back Road Brewery – LaPorte, IN
    a. Millennium Lager
    b. Maple City Gold Marzen
    c. Koza Brada Bock
    d. Aviator Doppelbock
Bare Hands Brewery – Granger, IN
    a. Thai P.A.
    b. Double Thai P.A.
    c. Citrus Blonde Ale
    d. Double Black IPA
    e. IPA
    f. Pale Ale
    g. Russian Imperial Stout
Batch 19 Premium Lager – Golden, CO
Bells Brewery – Kalamazoo, MI
    a. Oberon Ale
    b. Amber Ale
    c. Third Coast Beer
    d. Porter
    e. Two Hearted Ale
    f.  Deb’s Red
Belukus Imports
    a. Hopus – Brussels, Belgium
    b. Timmerman’s Strawberry Lambic – Itterbeek, Belgium
    c. Wells Banana Bread Beer – Bedford, England
    d. Young’s Double Chocolate Stout – Bedford, England
Blue Moon Brewing Company – Golden, CO
    a. Belgian White Ale
    b. Spring Blonde Wheat Ale
    c. Caramel Apple Spice
    d. Blackberry Tart
    e. Dark Chocolate Bacon Porter
Boulevard Brewing Company – Kansas City, MO
    a. Unfiltered Wheat Beer
    b. Single Wide IPA
    c. Double Wide IPA
    d. Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale
Brooklyn Brewery – Brooklyn, NY/ Schlafly Brewing – St Louis, MO/Rivertown Brewing – Cincinnati, OH
    a. Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
    b. Brooklyn Lager
    c. Brooklyn Sorachi Ace
    d. Schlafly Kaldis Coffee Stout
    e. Schlafly Dry Hopped APA
    f. Schlafly Kolsch
    g. Rivertown Hop Baron Doubledown IPA
Bulldog Brewing Company – Whiting, IN
    a. Industrial Harbor IPA
    b. Roby Red Ale
    c. Down Time Wheat
    d. 11 Mile Lager
Crispin Cider Company – Minneapolis, MN
    a. Artisanal Reserve - The Saint
    b. Artisinal Reserve - Honey Crisp Cider
    c. Original Cider
    d. Fox Barrel Pear Cider
Duvel/Brewery Ommegang
    a. Duvel Golden Ale – Breendonk, Belgium
    b. Duvel Tripel Hop – Breendonk, Belgium
    c. Ommegang Hennepin Saison– Cooperstown, NY
    d. Ommegang Abbey Dubbel – Cooperstown, NY
Evil Genius Beer Company – South Bend, IN
    a. Evil Eye PA
    b. Good N Evil Golden Ale
Facebook – 574-Beer/219 - Beer
Figure Eight Brewing – Valparaiso, IN
    a. Ro Shampo Imperial Red Ale
    b. Where Lizards Dare IPA
    c. Offwidth Double IPA
    d. Scapegoat ESB
Flat 12 Bierwerks – Indianapolis, IN
    a. 12 Penny Scottish Ale
    b. Half Cycle IPA
    c. Lacto-Matic Milk Stout
    d. Mustache Ride Bourbon Barrel Amber Ale
    e. Upside Down Blonde Ale
    f. Walkabout Pale Ale
Four Horsemen Brewing Company – South Bend, IN
    a. Irish Red Ale
    b. English Pale Ale
    c. Irish Stout
    d. American Pale Ale
    e. Hop Rush IPA
    d. Summer Wheat Ale
Global Imports
    a. Gulden Draak – Ertvelde, Belgium
    b. Piraat Tripel – Ertvelde, Belgium
    c. Monk’s Café Flemish Sour Brown – Ertvelde, Belgium
    d. Wittekerke – Harelbeke, Belgium
Greenbush Brewing Company – Sawyer, MI
    a. Sunspot Hefeweizen
    b. Anger Black IPA
    c. Closure Pale Ale
    d. Brother Benjamin Double IPA
    e. Rage Imperial Black IPA
    f.  Doomslayer Maple Brown Ale
Harpoon Brewery – Boston, MA
    a. IPA
    b. Leviathan Belgian Quad
    c. Leviathan Imperial IPA
    d. UFO Hefeweizen
Homebrewers/Bloggers
    a. Chapin Park Homebrewers – Brewing an all grain oatmeal stout and an 1800’s era British IPA on site
    b. Michiana Grain & Extract Association – pouring beers TBD
    c. www.thebeerisgood.com
    d. www.Indianabeer.com
Iechyd Da Brewing Company – Elkhart, IN
    a. Boxcar Brown Ale
    b. 13 Black American Ale
    c. Bombardier Robust Porter
    d. Centurion English IPA
    e. Revolution American IPA
Leinenkugel Brewing Company – Chippewa Falls, WI
    a. Big Eddy Wee Heavy Scotch Ale
    b. Big Eddy Imperial IPA
    c. Berry Weiss
    d. Honey Weiss
    d. Summer Shandy
Magic Hat Brewing Company – Burlington, VT/Pyramid Brewing Company – Seattle, WA
    a. Magic Hat #9 Not Quite Pale Ale
    b. Pyramid Outburst Imperial IPA
    c. Pyramid Apricot Ale
    d. MacTarnahans Spine Tingler Belgian Tripel
Merchant Du Vin Imports/Chimay Trappist Ales
    a. Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock – Aying, Germany
    b. Lindeman’s Framboise – Brussels, Belgium
    c. Orval Trappist Ale – Orval, Belgium
    d. Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout – Tadcaster, England
    e. Westmalle Tripel Trappist Ale – Malle, Belgium
    f. Chimay Grande Reserve (Blue) – Baileux, Belgium
    g. Chimay Cinq Cents (White) – Baileux, Belgium
    h. Chimay Premiere (Red) – Baileux, Belgium
The Meter of Beer
New Belgium Brewing Company – Fort Collins, CO
    a.  Fat Tire Amber Ale
    b.  Dig Pale Ale
    c.  Shift Pale Lager
    d.  Belgo IPA
New Holland Brewing Company – Holland, MI
    a. Dragon’s Milk Bourbon Barrel Stout
    b. Mad Hatter IPA
    c. Golden Cap Saison
    d. Full Circle Kolsch   
North Coast Brewing Company – Fort Bragg, CA
    a. Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
    b. Brother Thelonious Belgian Abbey Ale
    c. Red Seal Amber Ale
Birra Peroni/Pilsner Urquell /Grolsch
    a. Peroni Nastro Azzurro – Rome, Italy
    b. Pilsner Urquell – Plzen, Czech Republic
    c. Grolsch Premium Lager – Boekelo, Netherlands
Samuel Adams – Boston, MA
    a. Griffin’s Bow Oaked Blonde Barleywine Ale
    b. Cinder Bock Rauchbier
    c. Belgian Session Ale
    d. New World Tripel
    e. Boston Lager
    f.  Alpine Spring
    g. Whitewater IPA
    h. Noble Pils
Shiner Brewery – Shiner, TX
    a. Bock
    b. Bohemian Black Lager
    c. Hefeweizen
    d. Ruby Redbird
    e. Wild Hare Pale Ale
Shoreline Brewery – Michigan City, IN
    a. Foggy Loggy Lager
    b. Don’t Panic ESB
    c. Sum Nug IPA
    d. Beltaine Scottish Ale
    e. Worker Bee Imperial Stout
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company – Chico, CA
    a. Pale Ale
    b. Torpedo Extra IPA
    c. Summerfest
    d. Kellerweis Hefeweizen
Southern Tier Brewing Company – Lakewood, NY
    a. 2xIPA
    b. 2xStout
    c. Oak Aged Unearthly IPA
    d. Backburner Barleywine
Upland Brewing Company – Bloomington, IN
    a. Wheat Ale
    b. Dragonfly IPA
    c. Helios Pale Ale
    d. Maibock
Victory Brewing Company– Downingtown, PA
    a. Golden Monkey Belgian Tripel
    b. Hop Wallop
    c. Headwaters Pale Ale
    d. Storm King Imperial Stout
Woodchuck Ciders  - Middlebury, VT
    a. Amber Cider
    b. Spring Cider
    c. Crisp
    d. Private Reserve Belgian White Cider

Flat 12 at Fiddler's Hearth Recap

Flat 12 Bleeding Heart IPA Extravaganza

In case you missed it, there were some really great beers from Flat 12 on last night such as Winter Cycle, Big Black Dog, Walkabout, Super Bravo 46, and yes, Bleeding Heart.

Super Bravo 46, Winter Cycle and Big Black Dog were all new to me, so I made a point to sample each, while saving my B.A.C. for one of my top 10 favorites - Bleeding Heart. While I've never had a bad beer by Flat 12, I wasn't a fan of the English style Super Bravo, but that's likely due to the fact that I usually don't like English style ales. BBD and Winter Cycle however... extremely delicious! 

As you can see from the picture above, Bleeding Heart was VERY popular last night, with the keg blowing in 25 minutes and nearly non-stop pouring by the bartender.

For the first time while writing about beer, I can say that I had a hand in hyping a beer in our area with Bleeding Heart, purely by accident. When Jeremy (Bar Manager, Fiddler's Hearth) and I visited Flat 12 for some sampling prior to "The Beer Is Good at Fiddler's Hearth" party back in November, they poured us a glass of it while saying, "We have this IPA made with blood oranges and we think it's a lot of fun." From then on, Jeremy and I were hooked to the point that I even brought a growler back to South Bend to share with about 20 people, many of which also became immediate fans. When I found out that Jeremy had worked hard at getting a keg of it up here, I couldn't wait to spread the word (or steal the keg for myself, it was a tough decision).  

But I digress... Another successful evening of great craft beer from one of my favorite breweries at one of my favorite pubs. Thanks to all for coming out!

Tuesday Mashup

My schedule has been crazy lately, with lots of stuff going on, but I wanted to update you on a few things...

• 3 Floyds Zombie Dust and Brian Boru has been on tap in the South Bend area lately, selling out in some places. Keep an eye out for it!

• Tomorrow is Flat 12 nigh at Fiddler's Hearth in South Bend... try one or all of their tasty brews, it will be well worth it!

• The Pub in Granger has some great beer on tap, such as...

• Bell's 2 Hearted
• Bell's Consecrator
• Sun King Dominator
• Sun King Zaius Oatmeal Stout
• Sun King Wee Mac
• Sun King Sunlight
• 3 Floyds Gumballhead
• 3 Floyds Jinx Proof
• Flat 12 Pogues Run

• The much anticipated 'Resin' from Sixpoint has hit Citywide downtown South Bend. They only received about 12 4-packs, so this one will move quick!

Special Flat 12 Beers on tap at Fiddler's Hearth (South Bend, IN)

For you fellow Flat 12 fans, and soon-to-be fans, there will be some really great special beers from this Indianapolis brewery on tap next Wednesday (3/14/12) at Fiddler's Hearth in South Bend. Below is the list that will be available, one of which is a huge favorite of mine - Bleeding Heart IPA. I believe some or all of them are 1/6 barrels, so supplies are definitely limited... get there while you can!

Winter Cycle (Double IPA, 9.3%)
Big Black Dog (Stout, 6.8%)
Super Bravo 46 (American Pale Ale, 5.2%)
Bleeding Heart IPA (IPA w/ Blood Oranges, 6%) (This one may not be tapped until 6pm)
Walkabout Pale Ale (I'm guessing they will have this) (American Pale, 5.3%)

Brew Day at Four Horsemen: American Pale Ale

Some of you may already know that I've been invited to do some specialty/experimental batch brewing at Four Horsemen Brewing Company, with permission to brew what I think would be fun, interesting and tasty, all while learning from their Brewmaster, Stephen Foster, who has a wealth of knowledge and experience.

Saturday, March 3rd, marked my first day arriving at the brewery to whip up a little somethin'. Talking with Stephen earlier in the week, we agreed that I would be starting with an American Pale Ale, with access to all of their brewing ingredients to do with what I wanted. Not only was the objective to make an APA, but it was also an opportunity to learn how to brew on their small-batch system, a SABCO Brew Magic v350.

The SABCO is a great little system that will brew between 5-14 gallons. As I was doing some research prior to my arrival Saturday, I learned that Sam Calagione, Founder/Owner of Dogfish Head, started the brewery on an older version of this system, and continues to use the most recent model for test/pilot batches. If it's good enough for Dogfish and FHBC, it's sure as hell good enough for me!

Knowing what I would be brewing on, and what type of beer I would be aiming for, I was on my way. Since there can be a bit of a wait for the liquor (hot water) to heat up, I started out by filling the mash tun with 5 gallons of water, and the liquor tun with 15 gallons. The reverse osmosis water source is about 30 feet away, so using a 5 gallon jug, I made 4 trips to get this started.

While the liquor was heating up to about 168 degrees, I went in search of the malt to use for this batch. I didn't really have a recipe in mind, and since this was just as much about learning how to use the SABCO as it was aiming to make a good beer... I winged it. Of course I measured ingredients and kept a log, but it really was all on the fly with some pointers from Stephen. I was aiming for 30lbs of malt to use in the mash, so I went with 18lbs of Pilsner, 9lbs of Dextrin, and 3lbs of Crystal. Now based on my subsequent research on Dextrin malt, that was possibly a bit on the high side since it produces a lot of non-fermentable sugars that get passed along to the finished product. From what I understand, maybe 10-20% of the grain bill would have been more fitting for the style, but we'll see how it turns out. Keep in mind, aside from making sure I don't do anything incredibly idiotic, Stephen is letting me run loose... he really is brave!

Once the grain was in the mash tun, I set the temp to 158 degrees and let it go until conversion stabled off at 15.5 degrees Plato. For my first go around with this system, Stephen recommended a single infusion, instead of a step infusion, so I took his advice. While this is fairly high gravity, a fraction of the sugars are from the Dextrin malt, and therefore will not ferment into alcohol. Since the mash tun is also a lauter tun, I let the wort drain into the brew kettle while running sparge water from the liquor tank over the mash to retrieve much of the leftover sugars, filtering through the grain bed and out into the boil kettle.

Once the wort filled about half of the boil kettle, I turned on the gas to let it start rising toward the boiling point, letting the kettle reach 14 gallons. Oh yeah, I suppose this needs some hops, right? Time to make a quick trip into the large cooler, look through the copious amounts of hops, of several varieties, and decide what, as well as how much, I want for this beer.

This is where things got a little crazy. I'm a huge fan of Flat 12 Walkabout Pale and its use of Galaxy hops. Since I prefer my APA/IPA/DIPA on the bitter side, I grabbed about 8oz of Galaxy hops, with 13% Alpha Acids (AA for short, the stuff that makes hops bitter). For only 14 gallons, this is probably a ridiculous amount in retrospect, especially for a APA. Once that was added to the boil, I went back for another 6.15oz of Cascade to be added with 15 minutes left in the 60 minute boil, along with 8oz of Cascade for flame-out. Again, in hindsight, this is probably far more than what was necessary, but may help cut through the high gravity, sugary side.

With about 15 minutes left in the boil, we started hooking up the wart chiller that quickly cools the very hot wort down to a ferment-able temperature before adding the yeast. Unfortunately for us, the chiller was not working properly, which required about 60-90 minutes of cleaning and sanitizing before it could be used. Although it's probably not ideal to let the wort sit that long before chilling it, this was a valuable lesson in equipment maintenance that will help me in the future.

Finally, the wort was chilled, and the fermentation tank filled, just one more ingredient to go - yeast. I added about 4 to 5oz of US-05 dry yeast to the tank, popped the top on it, connected the CO2 release hose and dropped it into a bucket of water. Until Monday afternoon, the young beer will sit in the brewery while the yeast starts doing its thing, after which I will move it to the cooler for the remainder of fermentation.

Just as important as the brewing is the cleanup work, which I did plenty of, but won't bore you with the details...

After an 8 hour brew day, I walked away with a beer fermenting, equipment clean, and a wealth of information learned. There were a few hiccups along the way that would likely have resulted in a much shorter day, but when spending time doing what I enjoy, time flies by quickly.

It's hard to say how this beer will turn out. My best guess is that it will be a high gravity, full bodied, bitter, hoppy monster with a sweet malt backbone. Whether it will taste good or not is really anyone's guess, but I'm looking forward to monitoring its progress. If it proves worthy, there's a possibility you'll see it on tap in Four Horsemen's tap room, so stay tuned for further info.

I can't begin to describe how rewarding it is to brew beer and have an opportunity like this. At the end of the day, I learned a lot from Stephen, had an incredible time, and cannot wait to get back in brewery for my next batch along with another opportunity to continue learning!

Cheers!

Bar Louie tap updates (Mishawaka)

Received an email from our friends at Bar Louie in Mishawaka regarding a few updated taps. I'm told there are some other exciting ones on their way too!

Bells Hopslam

Evil Genius Evil Eye PA

Founder’s Imperial Stout

Founder’s Dirty Bastard

Cheers!