Blue Chip BrewFest Lineup

As mentioned in a previous post, there will be the 1st annual BrewFest at Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City on April 9th.  Thanks to Ben over at Indiana Beer (one of our local beer distributors), I have a more complete list of Breweries/Beer that will be available at this event, since the Blue Chip site doesn't give many details.  Keep in mind that the below list is subject to change, but is the tentative lineup at this point.

Belukus

-Blanche de bruxelles

-Bourgogne des Flandres

-Hopus

-Timmerman’s Kriek

-Timmerman’s Framboise

-Timmerman’s Strawberry

New Holland

-Mad Hatter

-Poet

-Golden Cap

-Dragon’s Milk

-Beerhive

-Imperial Hatte

-Night Tripper

North Coast

-Pranqster

-Red Seal

-Red Seal Cask

-Old Raspy

-Thelonious

Southern Tier

-Unearthly

-Mokah

-Oat

-Backburner

-2xIPA

-Cuvee #3

Magic Hat

-#9

-Vinyl

Pyramid 

-Haywire

-Audacious

-Outburst

Shiner 

-Shiner Bock

-Shiner Hefeweizen

-Shiner Black Lager

-Shiner 102 Anniversary

-Shiner Ruby Redbird

New Belgium

-Fat Tire

-Mighty Arrow

-Ranger

-Mothership

-Sahti

-Dunkelweisse

-LOF Beer TBD (VIP BEER!!!!)

Boston Beer

-Boston Lager

-Noble Pils

-Old Aged Porter

-Cherry Chocolate Bock 1/6BBL (VIP BEER!!!)

-Imperial White

-Sam’s Double Bock

-Imperial Stout

-Wee Heavy

-Boston Ale

-Cherry Wheat

-Latitude 48 IPA

-Black Lager

-Light

Blue Moon

-White Ale

-Summer Honey Wheat

Miller-Coors Imports

-Peroni

-Pilsner Urquell

-Grolsch Flip Tops

Leinenkugel’s

-Summer Shandy

-Classic Amber

-Sunset Wheat

-Creamy Dark

-Limited

Upland

-Wheat

-Dragonfly

-Double Dragonfly

-Ard Ri

-Winter Warmer

-Cherry Bourbon Barrel Teddy Bear Kisses Corny (VIP BEER!!!!)

Woodchuck

-Amber

-Dark and Dry

-Granny Smith

-Pear

-Spring Cider

Random Imports

-Foreign Extra Stout

-Hacker Pschorr Weisse

-Konig Ludwig Weisse

-Sheaf Stout

-Tiger/Asahi?

Back Road Brewing

-Maple City Gold Marzen

-Aviator Doppelbock

-Hop Monster Imperial IPA

-Millennium lager (pilsner)

Merchant du Vin 

-Beers TBA

Sierra Nevada

-Beers TBA

Goose Island

-Beers TBA

Shoreline Brewing

-Beers TBA

Figure 8

-Beers TBA

Bare Hands Brewing

-Beers TBA

Founders KBS night at Fiddler's Hearth

What's good here?  Just kidding, I'll have the KBS.

Another great night at Fiddler's Hearth as they tap a keg of Founders KBS, a fantastic brew of chocolate, coffee and bourbon that is very difficult to find outside of their Grand Rapids Brew Pub. 

A lot of "who's who" in the Michaina craft beer community showed up, including Matt from World Class Beverage, Ben from Indiana Beer, guys from Belmont Beverage and several other enthusiasts.

A special thanks to Jeremy (Bar Banager) and Kim (Bar Tender) from Fiddler's for their hospitality, making a random Wednesday evening very enjoyable.  By the time you read this, I'm sure KBS will be sold out, however they are THE craft beer pub in South Bend, so check them out.

In the coming week or two I will have a dedicated review of Founders KBS, along with Fiddler's Hearth; make sure you stop back by TheBeerIsGood.com for more!

Founders KBS tapping at Fiddler's Hearth!

Just a quick note for those interested, Founders KBS will be tapped at Fiddler's Hearth today (March 16th) at 3pm.  I hope to make it out for a pint or two tonight, maybe I'll see you there!

A quick side note - Fiddler's Hearth happens to be one of my favorite places for great craft beer and Irish food.  If you've never given them a try, you don't know what you're missing!

Founders KBS is here! (Sorta)

The long awaited Founders KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout) was tapped at their brewpub in Grand Rapids last Saturday and as of today, is available in limited quantities around this area.  Thanks to the fine folks over at Citywide, they put me on the list to purchase this rare brew, as it will never see the shelf.

For those unfamiliar with KBS, it is packed with flavor from being brewed with tons of coffee and chocolate, then aged for a year in bourbon barrels and stored in a cave.  Supply is extremely limited and is generally rationed out in our area.

In an attempt to help some of you find KBS, I called Chalet Party Shoppe and Belmont Beverage; all of their supply is spoken for.


Keep an eye on thebeerisgood.com for a review on this great stout!

Beer of the Month Club: Clubs of America

Craft beer in the mail, does it get any better than that?

Although there is a great selection of beer at my local bottle stores, I decided it was time to broaden my horizon and try a Beer of the Month Club.  Having no experience with these, I did a simple search on "Beer of the month club" and started combing through the dozen or so pages displayed.  None of the sites I came across looked very reputable, and even worse, most of the reviews I found looked as if they were paid to do so.  In spite of my uneasiness, and in the interest of science, I would not be deterred.  After comparing costs, beer selection and subscription length, I settled on Clubs of America.

Would the beer be good?  Will shipping be a problem?  Are they going to send me beer that I can find around here?  Not knowing what to expect, I chose a one month subscription for $35, with no additional charge for shipping.  For my $35, I was to receive three bottles each of four styles from two different breweries.  Doing some minor calculations, that is roughly $2.92 per bottle, or 17.52 for a six pack.  Considering this includes shipping and supposedly supplies me with beer I couldn't otherwise find, the overall cost isn't terrible.   After placing my order, I was told beer ships the third or fourth week of each month; I ordered on March 7th and forgot about it. 

I arrived at home a week later to find a note on my door from UPS stating they tried to deliver, but due to age requirements, were unable.  Fortunately the UPS pickup location is only 5 minutes from my house, so I called to arrange pickup for later in the evening.  In less than two hours, I would have my package.  For those at home keeping score, so far this experience gets high marks for ease of sign-up and delivery.

Wanting to get the beer into the refrigerator as quickly as possible, I made quick work of opening the box.  Much to my surprise, the beer was fairly well packaged, with no signs of damage.  I probably would have added packing peanuts, but the shipping turned out fine.  Inside featured Oak Barrel Stout and Hop Mountain Pale ale from Old Dominion Brewing Company (Dover, DE), along with Penn Weizen and Marzen from Pennsylvania Brewing Company (Pittsburgh, PA).  Fortunately this answers the question about finding these breweries around South Bend; I cannot.  As far as how the beer tastes, you'll have to keep an eye on The Beer Is Good blog to find out, since I will be posting separate reviews for each.  Suffice it to say, I did a quick search on BeerAdvocate.com and found all four varieties scored fairly well.

Overall, I am pleased with how this experience turned out.  The beer arrived quickly and without any problems, it was from brewers I haven't tried, and are rated well.  Being considerably more expensive than buying a six-pack from a local store, and not having control over selection is the only downside.  Although I won't maintain a regular subscription, I would recommend every craft beer enthusiast give it a try at least once, or possibly give this as a gift.  Over the next few months, I hope to try a few other clubs, so make sure you come back for more reviews!

North Coast Scrimshaw Pilsner

Style:  Pilsner
Brewery: North Coast Brewing Company
Package: Bottle into Pint Glass
ABV: 4.4%
Gravity: Unknown
IBU: 22
Location: Citywide Liquors (Downtown South Bend) & The Mark Restaurant

Aroma: Light citrus, slight toasty aroma.

Appearance:  Pale, golden with a light white head.

Taste:  Light citrus and sweet toasty malt.

Mouthfeel:  Crisp and clean, finishes dry.

Drinkability:  This is a beer that entices you to work outside all day just to quench your thirst with one of these.  At 4.4% ABV, you can enjoy a few quite easily.  

Notes:  With Pilsner like this, there is certainly no reason to drink beer from Miller, Budweiser, Coors, etc.  Unlike some of the aforementioned mega-breweries, North Coast brews this with just four ingredients; Water, Yeast, Barley (Munich Malt) and Hops (Hallertauer & Tettnang).  When introducing people to the world of craft beer, I often start with this. 

Food Pairing: Pizza, Burgers, Seafood, Barbecue, etc.  Pilsner goes quite well with a wide variety of food!

Grade:  B+

Dark Lord Day

It's that time of year again.  The sun starts to shine more often, the snow melts and Dark Lord Day is just around the corner on April 30th.

For those of you unfamiliar with DLD, it is an annual event held at 3 Floyds Brewery in Munster, Indiana.  The entire day centers around their famed Dark Lord Imperial Russian Stout, which is only available for purchase on this day, every year.  In addition to the opportunity to purchase Dark Lord, those attending also have the ability to try a wide variety of beer from 3 Floyds and other brewers from around the country, combined with plenty of food and live music.

Tickets go on sale March 19th for $10 each, with a portion of the proceeds going to local charities.  For more information, visit the 3 Floyds Website.

Blue Chip Brewfest

On April 9th, Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City will be holding their first annual Brewfest.  This event boasts more than 125 different brews from great companies such as Sierra Nevada, New Belgium, Goose Island and Upland.  In addition to the large amount of beer to taste, they are also going to give home brewing demos.

I have already bought my ticket, and am looking forward to trying some great craft beer!

Blue Chip Brewfest
April 9th, 2011
1-5pm (Central Time)
http://www.bluechipcasino.com/whats-new/events/2011-blue-chip-brewfest

3 Floyd's Pride & Joy

Style:  Mild Ale / American Pale Ale
Brewery: 3 Floyds
Package: Growler into glass
ABV: 5.0%
Gravity: Unknown
IBU: 30
Location: 3 Floyd's Brew Pub

Aroma: Piny and Floral Hops, slight sweetness from the malt.

Appearance: Amber with a thick, frothy, off-white head.  Leaves some sticky lace down the side of the glass.

Taste:  Tastes very similar to how it smells, with big pine flavors mixed with crisp citrus, balanced out with sweet caramel malts.

Mouthfeel: Mild carbonation, crisp and clean.
 
Drinkability:  This is an absolutely smooth session beer.  At 5%, you can enjoy a few of these without overpowering your taste buds.

Notes:  Although I can't find any documentation on ingredients, this seems like a great showcase of one or more hop varieties such as Cascade and Amarillo.  Overall very smooth, this is an ale that even casual drinkers can enjoy.  I've seen this in local South Bend, Elkhart and Mishawaka liquor stores, or you could pick up a growler from their brewpub in Munster.

Food Pairing: Seafood and spicy food.  You really can't go wrong with some really spicy wings and a pint of this.

Grade: B+

Beer 101: Wet Hopping

Nobody with a full time job and family can be expected to come up with inspiring and uplifting posts about beer on a daily basis, not even me.  As such, I felt it would be appropriate to create some filler informative posts for the days I'm not reviewing beer, pubs or events.  If there is anything specific you would like a post on, let me know because although I don't know everything when it comes to beer or the brewing process, it's a great opportunity to research and learn.  With that in mind, allow me to introduce the first Beer 101 post for thebeerisgood.com.

Wet Hopping: If you've made it far enough along in my blog, you should know that most beer in the world contains hops.  As a matter of fact, all beer in America must contain at least some hops in order to be legally considered beer.  Depending on when and how hops are used in the brewing process, along with the type of hops used, they will give the beer citrus, floral, fruity or even bitter qualities.  Unlike dry hops that are dried for approximately 24 hours after being harvested, wet hops are immediately shipped off to the brewery, often being used within 24-48 hours of being picked.  The benefit of a brewery going out of their way to use wet hops is that the beer takes on more aromatic and fresh-tasting qualities.  This typically isn't practical for a home brewing operation, however it usually turns out great when the larger breweries incorporate this technique into their lineup.  A few examples of popular wet hopped beers includes Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale, Rogue Wet Hop Ale, Great Divide Fresh Hop Ale, and many, many more.

-Andy

A Dark Horse Experience

Recently I paid a visit to Constant Spring in Goshen to celebrate Michiana Beer Nut's success and longevity with beer blogging for the Elkhart Truth, but just as important was the opportunity to taste a few of Dark Horse Brewery's offerings.

Dark Horse is yet another really great brewery in the state of Michigan.  Their lineup consists of over a dozen different beers such as IPAs, scotch ales, brown ales and a entire series of stouts that were featured in Draft Magazine.  I had the opportunity to sample four overall, some of which you can find around here and some that will give you a good reason to travel to their brewpub in Marshall.

4 Elf Winter Warmer Ale is a seasonal brew that is only available for purchase at their pub, but Dark Horse was kind enough to bring a few bottles to be shared among a some of the beer enthusiasts.  This holiday ale pours dark leathery brown with a creamy tan head.  Definitely fitting the whole winter/keep warm category, it features a big, spicy flavor and obvious alcohol warmth.  Although a few months late, this certainly reminds me of Christmas, with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and gingerbread.  At 11.5% ABV, there is little need to lounge by the fire to keep warm.

Double Crooked Tree was another robust beer full caramel, pine, citrus and fruit flavor.  The appearance consists of a dark amber color with a light off-white head that dissipates quickly.  Similar characteristics to Barleywine, this was another heavy hitter.  I enjoyed this Double IPA very much, and only after I finished my small glass did I realize it clocks in at over 12%.  When it comes to this type of ale, sampling just a few ounces at a time is a great way to enjoy a variety of beer without overdoing it.

After starting my out evening with some really great craft beer that I haven't tried before, it was time to switch pace a bit and enjoy the Dark Horse IPA that was on tap.  Crooked Tree is like Double Crooked Tree's little brother, half of everything.  Half the hops, half the malt, and not nearly as powerful.  This is a great looking beer, pouring an orange/copper color and white head.  There is much to enjoy about this smooth IPA, with a very flavorful citrus taste and very slight sweet malt.  I am definitely looking forward to having this one again.

Last up for the night was a snifter of Scotty Karate scotch ale.  Considerably different than the previous three I tried, this is a very sweet and rich beer.  Not normally my favorite style, Dark Horse did a great job with this by making the caramel and toffee really pop.  The alcohol is certainly easy to spot at nearly 10%, but it wasn't over-powering.  Not something I would want often, but a very enjoyable beverage and great way to cap off the night.

With the exception of 4 Elf, I've seen all of these available in bottles in the South Bend, Mishawaka, Elkhart area at one point or another.  Dark Horse makes some very solid beer, and for that reason, I will be traveling up to Marshall for another round.  Look for my post in the coming weeks!

-Andy

Constant Spring Bar

For many of you, what is the first thing you think about when someone mentions Goshen, IN?  I won't fault you for saying "Amish," I do it too.  Aside from an Amish-like ending to my evening, which I'll get to later, I'm going to attempt to dispel our preconceived notion.

Last night, Dark Horse Brewery rode into Constant Spring in downtown Goshen for a special night of great beer in bottles and on draft to celebrate two years of the Michiana Beer Nuts blog being partnered with the Elkhart Truth.  Never having visited Constant Spring, and only experiencing a few of Dark Horse's offerings previoiusly, I wasn't sure what to expect.

Constant Spring is another one of those rare pubs in the Michiana area that cares about craft beer, which is evident from having several of them on tap and many more in bottles.  In addition to the Dark Horse I was drinking last night, other heavy hitting microbrews they had included Rogue, Dogfish Head, Stone, 3 Floyds, Left Hand, Brooklyn, Bell's and many more.  Not only do these guys have great beer, but they actually know how to serve it.  I've grown far too accustomed to many local pubs that serve certain beer far too cold, or much worse, in a frosted glass! The beer I received came in the proper glass and at the correct temperature.  When you combine the right serving elements with really good beer, well, it doesn't get much better than that.

The atmosphere was very cool with rich wood tables, exposed brick walls and many of their drinks written in colored chalk on blackboards.  Although I didn't have anything to eat, I've heard good things about their food and the service was top notch.  To give you an idea of how much I enjoyed my stay, I intended to write a post about Dark Horse, with snippets of Constant Spring woven in, but after leaving, I knew both deserved to be featured independently.   

Oh, and you probably want to know more about the Amish comment I made earlier.  As I had finished the last sip of my Dark Horse IPA, the lights suddenly went out.  Maybe their Amish influenced lifestyle only permitted lights to be on until 8:30?  The cause was much more simple than that; a blown piece of electrical equipment outside.  According to the Michiana Beer Nuts blog posting, this didn't hinder their great service, or the flow of beer, but instead everyone continued to have a great time by candlelight.  I made this trip alone last night, not wanting to impose 90 minutes of driving on others while not knowing anything about this place myself, but next time will be much different.

-Andy

In Search of Beer: Citywide Liquors

One of my favorite things to do when I'm not spending time with my wife, kids, and friends, is to go down to the finest purveyor of great craft beer in South Bend, Citywide Liquors. 

That first sentence makes it sounds like they are paying me to write about them on my blog, but unfortunately they are not.  I won't tell you the real number of trips I take to this store, but let's just say it's at least a few times every month.  Each visit surprises me with a new beer or a new brewer that I haven't had the opportunity to try.  Sure they have all the staples like Budweiser, Coors, and Keystone, but you don't read this blog for information on those.  Their fully stocked displays contain some of my absolute favorite brewers, from Dogfish Head and Brooklyn in the East, 3 Floyds, Dark Horse and Bell's in our area, Sierra Nevada and Stone on the west coast, and everything in between.

The rest of the iceberg from which their display is just the tip is the cooler and the variety contained within.  Didn't know about this?  Why would you?  Most stores show you as many of their products as possible, but this is where Citywide differs from those places...  they cater to the craft beer enthusiast.  Every time I'm in their store, I make a quick scan of the initial display, looking for something obviously new, but within a short time, I'm in the cooler.  Cases upon cases upon cases of beer are stacked in there, knowing that people like me will buy it before it even has a chance to touch the display.  Next time you are in this shop, ask someone up front if you can see the cooler, it's even more impressive in person.

Although their other locations are fine, when you go to this store you're getting a vast selection of craft beer and more often than not, informative conversation with some fellow beer enthusiasts.  Not sure what you have a taste for?  Pick and choose from their wide assortment of single bottles without having to commit to an entire six pack. 

Stop by sometime and pickup something good!

Victory St. Boisterous

Style:  Helles Bock
Brewery: Victory (www.victorybeer.com)
Package: Bottle into Pint Glass
ABV: 7.3%
Gravity: Unknown
IBU: Unknown
Location: Citywide Liquors (Downtown South Bend)

Aroma:  Spices and caramel malt

Appearance:  Dark golden color, unfiltered yeast with a light head that disappears quickly.

Taste: The sweet caramel malts come through pretty well on this one with only a slight bitterness from the hops.  Finishes with spices and a bread/yeast flavor.

Mouthfeel:  Hearty feeling with mild carbonation and very slight alcohol, pretty smooth overall.

Drinkability:  Full bodied, solid beer.  The alcohol is a little high, not something you would want to spend an evening drinking, but they go down very well.  

Notes:  This is my first beer experience form Victory, based in Pa, and I must say that it was a good first impression.  I also enjoy the idea of a good Helles Bock, as it represents the coming of spring, and all the beer festivals that take place in Germany around that time.  Compared to other Helles Bocks that I've tried such as Rogue Dead Guy and Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary, this stacks up pretty well.  

Food Pairing:  Shellfish... shrimp, crab, lobster, mussels and spicy food in general.

Grade: B+

Beer Tasting Event at Citywide Liquors

I spoke with one of the guys that works at the Citywide Liquors downtown South Bend and was informed that there would be a beer tasting coming up, featuring Goose Island and some others.  Although the date is not set in stone, tentatively this is scheduled for 3/24. 

Look for more information to follow in the next week or two...