Battle of the Dopplebocks at The Pub (Granger, IN)

Just received word from "The Pub" in Granger, IN about an event happening on March 7th at 7pm titled, "Battle of the Dopplebocks."

BotD as I am calling it for brevity sake will feature two Dopplebocks; Bell's Consecrator (8%, 84/100 on BeerAdvocate) and Sun King Dominator (8.1%, ?/100 on BeerAdvocate).

I'm told this is the only keg of Consecrator that will be available in our area, and the keg of Dominator was specifically brought in from Sun King by The Pub for enjoyment at their establishment, making this a truly unique event.

There will be some sort of voting system by which people can pick from the two the one they enjoyed most; what they do with that information afterward I'm not aware.

This should be a lot of fun, so if you are able to attend, you should!

Sun King cans now available at City-Wide Liquors

Heard some great news last night via a Facebook update from City-Wide Liquors (with locations in and around South Bend) about having cans of Sun King beer in stock. At this time, this is exclusive to City-Wide locations, since they are the only liquor store operation to send a truck down to Indianapolis to pick up enough of it. Cheers to them for going the extra mile (actually 284, round trip) for their customers!

The cans available are Wee Mac (Scottish Ale), Sunlight (Cream Ale) and Osiris (Pale Ale).

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.

A visit to Sun King Brewery (Indianapolis, IN)

My craft beer hobby has been an embarrassment of riches lately, with trips to Sun King, Flat 12, a Craft Beer Party, etc. As a result, a few things I've meant to share with my fellow beer geeks have been neglected, one of which is the road trip to Indianapolis that Jeremy (Fiddler's Hearth) and I went on the week before The Beer Is Good at Fiddler's Hearth.

The road trip consisted of three brewery stops, starting with Sun King, then Flat 12, and finally Barley Island. Our visit to both Sun King and Flat 12 was incredible, so I plan to do two separate posts on them to cover each in detail. The mission was to drive from South Bend to Indy to pick up kegs of Sun King beer to have on tap at Fiddler's Hearth. Once we had the kegs, we intended to make a very quick trip to Flat 12 before heading home. We planned to spend about a half hour at each brewery... it didn't exactly work out that way.

Opening in 2009, Sun King is the first full-scale production brewery in Indianapolis since the Indianapolis Brewing Company closed in 1948. In just a couple of years, they have become the 3rd largest brewery in Indiana while rocking the 2011 Great American Beer Festival by bringing home 8 medals for their beer! For those of you keeping score at home, that's placing in nearly 20% of every category!

So anyway, we expected to taste a few of their beers and bring back two kegs for the pub. Upon arrival and finding our way into the tasting room, our dreams of drinking a full pint of refreshing brew after the long drive were smashed. Apparently, and I knew this but had forgotten, full pints cannot be sold in a brewery without food also being available. This meant that we were tasting their lineup in shot glass sized cups, one at a time. While waiting for our pours to be brought over to us, we watched as a new 90 barrel fermenter and a bright tank were installed. It's always fun to witness a brewery expanding right before our eyes!

We sipped and discussed each of the beers available, starting with their house beers which consisted of Sunlight (Cream Ale, 5.3%), Wee Mac (Scottish Ale, 5.3%), Bitter Druid (ESB, 5.8%) and Osiris (Pale Ale, 5.6%). The only Sun King beer I had experienced prior to this visit was Osiris, when it was on tap at "The Pub" in Granger, IN. What I began to notice about their lineup was that each beer was solid, flavorful and refreshing. I wasn't blown away with any of these four, but instead I was impressed with how drinkable each one was. These beers had zero pretension, they won't coat your mouth like motor oil, nor will they burn off your taste buds. In my opinion, these four are perfect for socializing, drinking with friends and enjoying good beer without snobbery. Trying to convert a Bud-Miller-Coors zombie into a Craft Beer drinker? Have them try Sunlight or Osiris, and watch as they realize that there is so much more to beer than the "fizzy yellow stuff" they've been accustomed to. 

Next up was their season/specialty lineup, which typically gets my attention at most breweries. Available at the time we were there was Colt's 444 (Malt Liquor, 6%), Rathskeller (Amber, 5%) and El Gallo Negro (Black IPA, 7%). Colt's 444 was the first malt liquor I've ever had from a craft brewery, and first of its kind since a bottle of Olde English about 10 years ago; I was surprised at how good it was! Colt's 444 was a refreshing lager with a thin, sweet corn body. Not something I would typically go for, but I liked it. After the shot of malt liquor was the Rathskeller Amber. Although I didn't take specific notes on any of the beers, I remember this being a very good, caramelly sweet amber, a beer I hope to see on tap around South Bend in the future.

Last up, or so I thought at the time, was El Gallo Negro. Black IPAs are quickly becoming one of my favorite styles, which unfortunately can be hit or miss. A few of the best representations that I've tasted include Anger from Greenbush, Hop in the Dark from Deschutes and 15th Anniversary from Stone...  add El Gallo Negro to that list! The Black Rooster has great hop aroma, combined with a very nice roasted malt backbone, ending with a bitter slap in the face. Jeremy agreed that we should bring a keg of this back to Fiddler's Hearth...

We were done within a half hour, decided to get the invoice for what ended up being 5 kegs (we went there for 2) and move along to our next stop, until Debby (Office Manager, rockstar) realized Jeremy was from a restaurant, and we were planning a huge craft beer bash just 3 days later... What started out as a good time began snowballing into one of the coolest experiences I've had while exploring this hobby! When I asked if they had anything they would like us to pass out to patrons for the party while Sun King beer was on tap, they generously supplied us with tons of stuff!

While they were pulling the schwag bags together for us, Jeremy and I were hanging out with guys involved in Sun King sales, Eric and Dustin. These guys represent the brewery well with their passion for beer and great hospitality. With CanFest in Reno quickly approaching, the brewery was preparing some of their brew for the event, one of which they cracked open for us to try; Jungle Room. Jungle Room (Imperial IPA, 10%) is a twist on their Grapefruit Jungle, with guava, peach and grapefruit notes. This totally hop-forward beer was nothing short of incredible! There are only a handful of beers I would drive further than an hour for, this is one of them.

After a larger pour of our brew of choice (more El Gallo Negro for me), Dustin set out to give us a tour of their brewery. If I didn't know any better, I would say this brewery has been open for at least 5 years based on how large and efficient their operation is. With an eye toward expansion, Dustin talked about increasing the footprint of their brewery, along with continuing to pump out more amazing craft beer. Of course I had to ask, when will we see Sun King is South Bend? According to Eric, every time discussions around branching out come up, it seems like another local burst in demand for their beer occurs. Instead of spreading themselves too thin, they have opted to continue to supply those that helped get them to this point, the Indianapolis market. Although this is a bummer for South Bend, I certainly applaud their loyalty, and still hold out hope for their beer further north.

So what started as a quick trip to Sun King to pick up two kegs, turned into a great experience hanging out with the employees of the brewery, tasting amazing beer and bringing back five kegs for the patrons of Fiddler's Hearth. We appreciate the hospitality we were shown while there, along with the great schwag for the event and the tasty specialty brews they poured for us. Consider Jeremy and I the newest in a long list of fans!

By the way, if you're interested in trying beer from Sun King, check out Fiddler's Hearth while it's still flowing, because once it's out, it's out... or until our next road trip!

   

Sun King on tap at The Pub (Granger, IN)

Thanks to loyal thebeerisgood.com follower, Corey, I just received word that a few beers from Sun King Brewery are/will be on tap at The Pub on Cleveland Road in Granger.

Why is this a big deal? Well first of all, Sun King is a small, but highly rated brewery based out of Indianapolis, recently winning numerous awards at Great American Beer Fest. Unfortunately for those of us in Northern Indiana, Sun King isn't distributed this far North.

Hats off to The Pub for driving down to Indy for these kegs, and lugging them all the way back up here for those in Michiana to enjoy! Below are the beers that you can expect to see...

Sun King Osiris (American Pale, 5.6%) (On Now)
Sun King Bitter Druid (ESB, 5.8%) (On Deck)
Sun King Sunlight (Cream Ale, 5.3%) (On Deck)


*For other great tips like this, drop a line to andy(at)thebeerisgood(dot)com

Great American Beer Festival Award Results

Sun King (Indianapolis, IN) was taking no prisoners at GABF this year, racking up an impressive 8 medals! You can find the PDF here, but below is a list of winners from our region, just confirming that we live in one of the most fertile areas of the craft beer nation!

For those not familiar with GABF, it is a national beer festival held annually in Denver, CO. It's a multiple day event consisting of everything beer, but focuses on sampling thousands of beers from around the country and beer judging by panels of highly trained experts. When it comes to beer festivals, this is the best of the best.

So without further ado, here is the list of the best beers our region has to offer...

Category: 3 Fruit Beer - 56 Entries
Gold: Raspberry Tart, New Glarus Brewing Co., New Glarus, WI

Category: 4 Fruit Wheat Beer - 48 Entries
Gold: 5 Lizard, 5 Rabbit Cerveceria, Chicago, IL

Category: 8 Coffee Beer - 60 Entries
Gold: Java Mac, Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN

Category: 14 Experimental Beer - 83 Entries
Gold: Mangalitsa Pig Port, Right Brain Brewery, Traverse City, MI

Category: 16 Gluten-Free Beer - 15 Entries
Silver: New Grist, Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee, WI

Category: 17 American-Blego-Style Ale - 43 Entries
Gold: Angry Birds, Haymarket Pub & Brewery, Chicago, IL

Category: 19 American-Style Brett Ale - 31 Entries
Bronze: Grimalkin - Super Kitty Fantastico, Brugge Brasserie, Indianapolis, IN

Category: 20 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer - 40 Entries
Silver: Wee Pogue, Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN

Category: 21 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer - 118 Entries
Silver: BBJ (Bourbon Barrel Johan), Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN
Bronze: Barrel Aged Naked Evil BBW, Hoppin' Frog Brewing Co., Akron, OH

Category: 24 Aged Beer - 36 Entries
Gold: Expedition Stout, Bell's Brewery, Galesburg, MI

Category: 27 American-Style or International-Style Pilsener - 31 Entries
Silver: Popcorn Pilsner, Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN

Category: 30 Munich-Style Helles - 38 Entries
Silver: Where in the Helles Gunner?, Emmett's Brewing Co., West Dundee, IL

Category: 31 Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest - 20 Entries
Bronze: Dog Days Lager, Two Brothers Brewing Co., Warrenville, IL

Category: 35 German-Style Marzen - 58 Entries
Silver: Munster Fest, 3 Floyds Brewing Co., Munster, IN

Category: 41 German-Style Doppelbock or Eisbock - 22 Entries
Gold: Autumnal Fire, Capital Brewery Co., Middleton, WI
Bronze: Eisphyre, Capital Brewery Co., Middleton, WI

Category: 42 Baltic-Style Porter - 19 Entries
Gold: Battle Axe Baltic Porter, Fat Head's Brewery, North Olmsted, OH

Category: 48 International-Style Pale Ale - 20 Entries
Silver- Intercontinental Pale Ale, Flossmoor Stations Brewing Co., Flossmoor, IL

Category: 51 American-Style IPA - 176 Entries
Bronze: Head Hunter IPA, Fat Head's Brewery, North Olmsted, OH

Category: 57 Extra Special Bitter - 43 Entries
Bronze: Harvest Ale, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL

Category: 58 Scottish-Style Ale - 27 Entries
Gold: Hope and King Scotch Ale, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, Minneapolis, MN

Category: 62 American-Style Black Ale - 74 Entries
Gold: Blacktop IPA, New Glarus Brewing Co., New Glarus, WI

Category: 66 German-Style Wheat Ale - 23 Entries
Bronze: Dark-n-Curvy, Piece Brewery, Chicago, IL

Category: 68 French- and Belgian-Style Saison - 65 Entries
Bronze: Sofie, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL

Category: 69 Belgian- and French-Style Ale - 56 Entries
Bronze: Pin-Up Blonde, Bastone Brewery, Royal Oak, MI

Category: 70 Belgian-Style Lambic or Sour Ale - 51 Entries
Silver: Blue Sunday, New Holland Brewing Co., Holland, MI

Category: 72 Belgian-Style Strong Specialty Ale - 59 Entries
Gold: Buffalo Slumber, Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN

Category: 75 Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout - 24 Entries
Gold: Ring of Dingle, Sun King Brewery Co., Indianapolis, IN

Category: 78 Sweet Stout - 19 Entries
Silver, Cream Stout, Redwood Brewing Co., Flint, MI

Category: 80 Imperial Stout - 56 Entries
Gold: BORIS The Crusher Oatmeal-Imperial Stout, Hoppin' Frog Brewing Co., Akron, OH

Category: 81 Scotch Ale - 39 Entries
Gold: Wee Muckle, Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN
Silver: Wee Heavy, Vintage Brewing Co., Madison, WI

Category: 83 Barley Wine-Style Ale - 42 Entries
Bronze: Johan The Barleywine, Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN

Also, honorable mention to the great state of California for racking up a ton of awards. If you've ever tried beer from that state, I'm sure you'll understand why!

3 Floyds / Sun King Three Kings

Style: American Pale Ale
Brewery: 3 Floyds / SunKing
Package: Growler into Pint
ABV: 5.4
IBU: 50
Location: FFF Brewpub

Aroma: Not a very big aroma, but there is light citrus, floral hops and hints of pine.

Appearance: Hazy golden color with a white head, leaves sheets of lace sticking to the glass.

Taste: Citrusy orange and grapefruit, grassy and slight floral hops balanced well with a sweet malt profile. The bitterness is very low.

Mouthfeel: Very light feeling, bordering watery. Medium carbonation.

  Overall: This is one hell of a session beer. The taste and mouthfeel is a lot more tame then I am used to from 3 Floyds, but this was such an enjoyable brew that I sessioned through an entire growler in one evening; I suggest you do the same to compare results.

Notes:  Three Kings is a collaborate brew between 3 Floyds and SunKing to commemorate their alliance to change the archaic brewery laws in the state of Indiana. Available for a limited time at both SunKing and 3 Floyds, get it before it runs out!

Grade: A-