Bare Hands Brewery Imperial Dry-hopped Porter

Style: Imperial Porter (Dry-Hopped w/ Cascade)
Brewery: Bare Hands Brewery
Package: Draft - 12oz Snifter
ABV: 9%
Location: Bare Hands Tasting Room (Granger, IN)

Aroma: Coffee, dark chocolate and roasted malt with citrus and floral hops on the back end that plays together well.

Appearance: Rich mahogany highlights and darker toward the center with a tan frothy foam head that leaves spots of lace clinging to the glass.

Taste: A hoppy smack to the face, balanced out with a delicious roasted malt flavor. Grassy, earthy hops hinting throughout. A mild bitter finish rounds out the experience.

Mouthfeel: Medium mouth feel, coats well with mild carbonation.

Overall: A very delicious brew with a huge flavor profile that blends a rich, roasted side with a floral, citrusy hop side. This could pass as a Black IPA, but whatever it is, Bare Hands created yet another terrific beer.

Notes: This is a beer I sampled at Zoo Brew last September. Although I'm sure it's very similar to the previous version, Chris undoubtedly tinkered with it. I'm not entirely sure how he comes up with his recipes, and I don't care.. they are pretty damn good!

Grade: A-

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!

Bare Hands Brewery Opening Soon!

If all goes as planned, it will be a very merry Christmas this year for craft beer drinkers in the Michiana area, with Bare Hands Brewery in Granger set to be unwrapped within the next month.

After weeks of schedule mismatches, I was finally able to stop by the brewery to hang out with Chris Gerard last week to discuss progress and beer.

When starting a small brewery like Bare Hands, it's incredibly useful to not only understand beer, but carpentry as well. I walked into the tasting room to find Chris's dad furiously sawing away on a piece of wood for the bar. There was a world of difference from the last time I visited over the summer, the floors, ceiling, walls and bathrooms are all done and look great. The bar looks to be the last project to complete, and it also seems to be coming along nicely. The Fire Marshal was by a few days prior to my visit for an inspection and placed a limit of 49 people on the tasting room, a space they will have no trouble filling.

Through the tasting room and into the brewery is where I found Chris, getting down and dirty cleaning up some kegs he recently bought. As with the tasting room, the brewery side of the building has come a long way since the last time I was there. The cooler, fermentation room, shelving and much more has been installed, giving Chris the ability to brew beer in anticipation of their opening.

Speaking of brewing beer, this is what he's currently working on for the brewery opening. I don't currently have stats on any of them at this point.

Russian Imperial Stout
Peppery Pale Ale dry-hopped with Cascade Hops
2 IPAs (Maybe Thai.P.A.)
Cream Ale
Barleywine

Obviously as I hear more about an opening date, I will pass it along. I'm definitely excited for Chris and his tasty brews!

South Bend Brewfest Recap

After several days of cold and rain, the clouds finally parted, making way for the sun to shine down on hundreds of craft beer fans during yesterday's South Bend Brewfest at the Century Center. This highly anticipated festival included well over 100 beers to sample from over two dozen breweries from around the country and world.

Just a few of the local and regional breweries represented include Bell's, Founders, 3 Floyds, Four Horsemen, Bare Hands, Iechyd Da (kinda, but more on that later), Greenbush, Figure 8 and Backroad. On top of those great local favorites were many imported beers along with home-brew demonstrations and the Michiana Extract and Grain (MEGA) group talking all things beer.

Covering this event primarily from a blogger perspective, I only sampled a few select beers that I've not had the opportunity to try yet. First up was a silky smooth Chocolate Stout from Bare Hands that tasted exactly as the name suggested, chocolatey and thoroughly delicious. Although I've yet to come across a Pumpkin flavored beer that I like, I took a sip of their Pumpkin Ale... yep, still not a fan. In addition to enjoying the Chocolate Stout, people seemed to really like the Double IPA, Pale Ale and ThaI.P.A. Chris is a great guy that brews some fantastic beer, so look for Bare Hands to open in Granger before the end of the year!

Next up was a visit to another favorite local brewery, Greenbush. Although Scott (Brewer/Owner) was unable to attend, the rockstar women of Greenbush represented the brewery well. Their tap list included many of the same great beers from their Fiddler's Hearth invasion on October 12th such as Dungras, Anger, Pain and more. Dunegras IPA has evaded me since they opened over the summer, so this was my chance to savor every delicious hopped-up drop. If you haven't made it up to Sawyer, MI yet, what are you waiting for?  

Of course I couldn't pass up stopping by to see my friends Ben and Stephen at Four Horsemen. Having already sampled many of their offerings, I wanted to try the fabled Raspberry Ale that was rumored to be an accident turned success. Generally speaking, I'm not typically a fruity beer kind of guy, but I enjoyed this one quite a bit. Light, slightly tart and very refreshing, this "accident" would be an awesome way to cap a hot summer day. Ben mentioned that they are considering brewing this again in the future.

Finally after scheduling conflicts prevented a visit to new kids on the block (but certainly not new to brewing), Iechyd Da from Elkhart, it was great to stop by and talk to owners Chip and Summer Lewis. Unfortunately due to some ridiculous excise rule, Iechyd Da was unable to pour their beer for all to enjoy, but it was nice to spend time talking beer and plans to open their brewery/tasting room in Elkhart during the 2nd quarter of next year. Look for a post sometime in the next few weeks regarding an upcoming visit!

 

We could not have asked for a nicer day to sample beers from all over the country! Special thanks to Ben Amster of Indiana Beer, the Century Center and all involved for putting on such a great event. What was your favorite beer and/or brewery from Saturday?

Michiana beer update... (Bare Hands, Zombie Dust, Liquor Cabinet)

I don't generally like to mash a bunch of updates into one post, but they are pretty short and tomorrow is the College Football opener, so my interest in doing anything but watching ESPN is pretty low. So with that said....

• Liquor Cabinet in Saint Joseph recieved two cases of Bell's Oracle. If you missed out in the South Bend area, go get you some. Two bottle limit. They also have 6 bottles of Founders Blushing Monk left. It's in the back, so don't delay.

• Spoke with The Mark earlier today regarding Zombie Dust. They have the keg in their cooler (I asked if I could visit it, surprisingly they said yes) but are waiting to kick 3 Floyds APW, then they will put on Dreadnaught, and then Zombie Dust. My guess is that it will be in at least a week, if not two or more.

• Also spoke with Bar Louie regarding Zombie Dust. Still waiting to kick Dreadnaught. I'm going to need you all to stop by there, get tanked on the stuff to get ZD moved into the lineup quicker. Do it for America.

• Chris at Bare Hands Brewery in Granger mentioned he finally received his federal license. He's going to start brewing batches next week and stocking up for a mid-October opening. He will also be at the Potawatomi Zoo Brew with the following lineup, so that would be a great opportunity to give his beer a try. You will not be disappointed (unless you are a moron (my words, not his)).
  
  
  1. Cream Ale
  2. Hefeweizen
  3. IPA
  4. Belgian Double
  5. Imperial Porter
  6. Double IPA
  7. Barleywine

Weekend Roundup (Pre-National Craft Beer Week)

What a badass beer weekend it's been, starting Friday afternoon...

Stopped by my favorite brewery, 3 Floyds, for some lunch and awesome beer. As usual, I had the pizza, tasty as always. Along with the great food, I ordered a Zombie Dust, which unfortunately they had run out of at the time I was there, so I settled for a 3 Kings. While eating, I was able to meet Barnaby, Vice President of FFF and one hell of a cool guy. After two pints of 3K, a half pint of Arctic Panzer Wolf and most of a pepperoni pizza, it was time to order the "to go" brew and be on my way. Unfortunately for my good friend AV, I must have had one of the last few 3 Kings, because he was unable to get the growler he was hoping for. This, of course, was after the disappointment of not being able to grab a couple growlers of Zombie Dust. Instead, we decided to grab a few bombers of their one-time special brew "Evil Power," an Imperial Pilsner. All in all, another great visit to 3 Floyds. The only downside... Zombie Dust was back on tap just an hour after I left, as was Blackheart and others.

Saturday afternoon was set aside for a few pints at my favorite local pub, Fiddler's Hearth. Every week they have something special on tap, which happened to be one of my other favorite brewery's, Sierra Nevada. From S.N., they had the new Ovila Abbey Dubbel, a specialty one-time only beer on tap, along with the Estate Homegrown Ale and other great beer. I'm not an expert on Belgian style beers, however I did enjoy the dubbel very much. Fortunately I have a bottle in my fridge, and am looking forward to giving it a review. The Estate Homegrown (pictured to the right), is wet-hopped and uses Sierra Nevada's homegrown barley. This was a delicious, well balanced brew with nice lacing that marked each sip from the glass. I also happen to have the alcohol tolerance of an entire beer pong championship team. 

While enjoying a few pints at Fiddler's, I had the opportunity to talk beer with a really cool local fellow beer geek, Andrew. Not only did I have a good time conversing with him, but he also brought me beer! In advance of a trade we are going to make, he gave me a bottle of Hop Czar from Brideport Brewing Company in Oregon, and a Lagunitas IPA. All in all, another good time a Fid's.

Since the kids were away for the weekend, I decided to pickup some special brew for Saturday night with my wife. I stopped at my go-to bottle shop, Citywide downtown, for some Founders Old Curmudgeon Ale. Not only was I hooked up with this year's Curmudgeon, we did some hunting through the cooler for a vertical of it, 2008-2011. My wife and I had a great time sharing each year, starting with the 2011 and going backward, noting the difference in taste. We found the freshness of the 2011 was very good, but also enjoyed the 2009 with it's more mellow malt profile and alcohol.

What am I drinking today? While working around the house, I've managed to share and enjoy a Bare Hands Belgian Golden Strong, the Lagunitas IPA that Andrew gave me, a Rogue Mocha Porter, the bomber of 3 Floyds Evil Power and I reviewed (which I'll share at a later date) the Bridgeport Hop Czar. Don't worry ladies and gentlemen, this was over 9 hours with plenty of water and breaks in between.

Overall, it was a very relaxing and enjoyable weekend. I was able to try a lot of really great beer, catch up on some sleep and watch the Cubs win, then lose, then get postponed.

Bare Hands Citra IPA

Style: IPA
Brewery: Bare Hands
Package: Bomber into Pint
ABV: 7.3
IBU: 60
Location: Straight from the Brewer himself in Granger, IN.

Aroma: Big-time flowery citra hops with slight earthy undertones combined with grapefruit, orange and lemon zest. There is also a nice sweet aroma to it.

Appearance: Thick, dark golden color that doesn't let much light through, only a nice glow. A 2-finger white foamy cap sits on top.

Taste: Huge flavor from showcasing the citra hops. Grapefruit and orange really shines through here and balanced out well with a great malty sweetness.

Mouthfeel: Full body, somewhat viscous and chewy with a great balance of bitterness to go with the sweet. Just a slight alcohol warmth toward the backside of a sip.

Overall: This is a damn good beer, very well balanced with a great hop profile and extremely smooth. I really can't wait to have this again.

Notes: Not to sound like a hipster, but Bare Hands is proving to be a really great brewery that you've probably never heard of. The owner/brewer, Chris, is a super cool guy, passionate about beer and working hard to get the production brewery/pub off the ground, much to the delight of an ever increasing line of people waiting for it. The Citra IPA is the 5th brew from Bare Hands that I have tried (3 at BrewFest, 1 small glass of Double Thai at the brewery and this one) and I've enjoyed them all. I'm especially fond of this one since it showcases the Citra hops, which has become one of my favorite variety of hops in this style of beer. Cheers to Bare Hands!   

Grade: A-