20 Tap Anniversary Celebration

Late in August of last year, my buddies Matt and Tom and I were talking about having a guys night.  Guys night was a fairly common thing for us.  We decided to go to Moe and Johnny’s at 54^th and College Ave.  After all, it was one of our favorite places at the time because they had good beer and free peanuts.  As we were walking from our parking spaces, we noticed what appeared to be a new bar in the area.  We all peered inside and liked what we saw.  I saw a guy in the bar having a pint, but the doors were locked and they were clearly not open yet, so on we went to M & J’s.  After a couple beers and a bunch of peanuts, we headed back to our car.  On the way, the gentleman who was inside enjoying a pint was outside the building.  We asked about the place and he informed us that this would be an all craft beer bar called Twenty Tap and it would be opening next week.  He also informed us that it would be a non-smoking environment and they would also have a nice food menu.  We were quite thrilled about this new development.  Made me wish I still lived in that area.  After talking to him, I remembered my buddy Kevin telling me about the place a few months prior to actually seeing it. 

One year later, Twenty Tap has easily become my favorite Indianapolis spot to enjoy a pint or a flight and scrumptious eats.  In just one year, they have grown from 20 Tap lines to 38 Taps of delicious craft beers.  Mostly regional, but occasionally you will find some of the bigger craft breweries represented….like this week they have had Stone’s 16^th Anniversary IPA on tap.  They also feature some of the best food in the city.  The spicy Cuban Sandwich, The Burn Burger, and Cheese Curds are my go-to items.  They post their tap list daily on their Facebook Page and I’m hoping someday they do the same with their twitter feed.  They have drink specials all week, usually a special beer at a cheaper price, and one day (Tuesday) each week where all pints are at a reduced cost.  Needless to say, Tuesdays are particularly busy.  It’s a fantastic place whether you want to sit at the bar and enjoy a pint or grab a table and have a meal with friends while enjoying and celebrating craft beer.

 

When I have friends come to town it’s one of the first places I recommend and we usually try to go.  I remember sharing a Stone Vertical Epic 11.11.11 with Jason from Cavalier there one evening.  I remember talking smoked turkey and beer around Thanksgiving with a server from Brugge around the holidays last year.  Countless times I have met up with buddies for a quick drink or two just to connect and have a place to enjoy quality beer and company.  I have even talked about social work with one of the employees over the summer while sipping my Stone Imperial Russian Stout at closing time.  When I have been there, I have always really enjoyed not only other patrons, but the employees that work there are some of the most endearing people I’ve met at any establishment I’ve been to.

But Being a busy father of two and working two jobs makes it quite difficult for me to be there on a regular basis.  I think I currently average about 1 trip every 2 months.  So I am certainly not a regular there.  If we still lived in that area of town I mostly likely would stop by every day for a pint after work.  Bottom line, I would be there as much as I could be if given the opportunity.  For me getting there takes planning ahead.  Coordinating with my wife so that she knows I’ll be away for a few hours.  So when they announced their 1 year Anniversary Party slated to happen a week from today I immediately informed my wife of my desire to attend.  Not only will they be having epic beers on tap, including Founders KBS, CBS, and Bells The Oracle, but they will also have some live entertainment, great food, and of course, the people that make that place the best bar in the city.  The party doesn’t start until 6:00pm, but I plan on being there around 4:00 or as soon as I am done working so that I have a shot at a seat at the bar.  Hope to see many of you there as well!!  Cheers to Twenty Tap, awesome beer, and many many more years of being able to enjoy those delicious beers at the best bar in the city!

Beer Style #1....The American Pale Ale

People often ask me what my favorite beer of all-time is.  I struggle, usually, to come up with an answer.  I obviously have favorites, but comparing Two Hearted to KBS for me is like apples and oranges.  Both are awesome in their own ways.  So this got me to thinking about different beer styles and I decided to start writing about them.  Not sure how many styles I will write about, but at the end I will provide recommendations and some of my favorites.  Today let's talk American Pale Ale.

American Pale Ales are usually quite different from British Pale Ales.  Typically with an American Pale Ale you get a significantly higher hop characteristic.  Not enough to make it an IPA, but the lines between the two styles are much more blurry.  British Pale Ales generally have a much more prominent malt profile, making them sweeter, a good example of this is Bass Pale Ale.  The American Pale Ale tends to usually have a more dominant hop presence.  Still, the APA is usually clean, crisp, and refreshing.  The American Pale Ale is also usually relatively low in alcohol content.  They typically hover in the 5%-6% range, which makes them quite drinkable.  The balance of hops and malts make the American Pale Ale a perfect beer for those drinkers who aren't quite ready to have their palate thrashed by an IPA or a Double IPA.  I have a buddy who generally hasn't been all that into craft beer, but then I introduced him to Sun King Osiris and he loved it.

The American Pale Ale is a great "gateway" style to getting into craft beer because it's usually suitable to many palates.  It's not intimidating in the flavors it puts out there.  There are some that are hoppier than others, but that's the fun in trying things out.  Probably the first true craft pale ale I tried was Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.  It definitely has a more dominant hop profile, but upon my first sip I did not find it to be offensive.  But there are lots of great APA's out there.  So let's take a look at some of my favorite American Pale Ale's.

1. Three Floyds Zombie Dust:  Generally only available at Three Floyds Brewpub, this is in the conversation for me of my favorite beer of all time.  If you ever have the opportunity, it's highly recommended, and it consistently ranks as one of the best American Pale Ales in the country.  If you can't find it, then I suggest...
2.  Three Floyds Alpha King:  Usually easier to find and just as awesome in its own way.
3.  Schlafly Dry Hopped APA: Generally easy to find and full of awesome flavors.  Great beer.
4.  Upland Helios Pale Ale:  One of the less intimidating APA's out there, very drinkable and rather easy to find in Indiana.
5.  Victory Headwaters Pale Ale: Nice citrus hops to this Pale Ale.
6.  Founders Pale Ale:  Some crisp malt and hop flavors.  Well balanced.
7.  Flat 12 Walkabout Pale Ale:  If you are ever in Indianapolis, this one is a must try.  The use of Galaxy hops gives this APA a distinctly sweet and passionfruit hop profile.  The sweetness plays well with the malt tones.  Truly an awesome APA, but only available at the brewery.  My favorite local APA.
8.  Sun King Osiris Pale Ale:  My second favorite local APA.  A really good every day drinking pale ale.  My buddy Matt really enjoys it, so trust me, you will too.

Those are just some of my favorites, and most of them are easy to get if you are here in Indiana.  My favorite American Pale Ale is Zombie Dust, by just a hair over Alpha King.  If you are unsure about craft beer and pale ales, my recommendation is to go to your local shop and do a mix and match six pack of pale ales, have some friends over, and have a good tasting.

Cheers to the American Pale Ale....what are some of your favorite American Pale Ales?

Lancaster Brewing Rumspringa

I love gifts.  More than regular gifts, I love beer gifts.  The next beer for review was a gift given to me by my good friends Matt and Erin Milanese.  They thought this beer was amusing and I'm happy to drink it.  This one is made by Lancaster Brewing and is called, Rumspringa.  Those of you familiar with the Amish culture know what a Rumspringa is, but if you aren't, here is an explanation.  I love witty beer names and this one definitely provides some humor that will last forever.  But will the beer be something to be taken seriously?

First let's look at the style.  The can states that this one is a Golden Bock.  This is really a hybrid between a couple of styles in the Lager family.  If you are looking around for information on Golden Bocks, you won't find much.  This beer falls more into the category of a Heller Bock, which to me is kind of like a cross between a Maibock and Helles Lager.  It's all a little confusing, but what you should know is that this is a lager, not an Ale, which already puts this one at a disadvantage for me because I'm not a huge fan of Bocks in the first place.  Fun fact, did you know there are really only two major families of beer?  Ales and Lagers. That's it.  Every beer out there falls into one of those 2 families.

What do the beer geeks think of this one?  Read more here.

Choose Your Vessel:  I went with the standard pint glass with DMB firedance logo today.  The style doesn't really require anything special, although a Lager glass may have been more appropriate.....I don't have a Lager glass....so Pint glass it  is.

The Pour:  True to its name, this one pours a Golden color with maybe a slight amber hue.  Thick white head, zero lacing on the glass.  Typically, these beers would be fairly clear, but this one is definitely not.

Aroma:  My first note was "Smells like a Golden Lager".  Noticeable are the pale malt aromas, smells a little of fermented corn.  Maybe a touch of caramel and toffee.  Incredibly sweet smelling, which may be due to the unmistakable presence of that Lancaster honey.  Minimal hop aroma.

Taste:  Sweet.  Some earthiness to it.  Honey present throughout.  Light to medium bodied with a good amount of carbonation.  Lots of pale malt and corn flavors, reminding me of a light lager.  Rather unpleasant for me mostly.  I keep searching for those "feisty" hops the brewery claims are in this one, but I can't find them much at all.  Maybe a touch in the finish.  The honey in this brew helps me get halfway through it before turning the rest of the glass over to my wife to finish it off.  I did intentionally plan to share it with her.

Overall:  Just not a lot going on with this one.  It was already disadvantaged because of my dislike for the style, but I imagine that the honey makes this one a more interesting brew in its family.  My wife, on the other hand, took her first sip and stated "Oooooh, I could drink that".  She very much appreciated the sweetness of the beer.  I appreciated the gift and the opportunity to try a rather unique beer....but I don't need to have it again, unless it's for shits and giggles.

Seasonal Shmeasonal....

The calendar recently changed from July to August.  But you wouldn't know it based on what I've seen at the local liquor stores recently.  Perusing the beer aisles I have noticed several beers you don't normally see on the shelves in early August.  Recently I have spotted Sam Adams Octoberfest, Shipyard Pumpkinhead, and have been hearing that my favorite fall beer, Southern Tier's Pumking, is slated for shelves very soon.

Browsing various message boards, the consensus opinion on releasing these "fall" beers is that it's way too soon.  Various beer geeks say that it's still summer, so the IPA or the pale ale, lager, or pilsner should be the easy choice for those hot August days.  Why in the world are beers that are supposed to conjure up memories of leaves changing and pumpkin pie being released in the middle of the summer?

My response is quite simple:  "Who Cares?".  "seasonal shmeasonal".  The beers are good.  I'll drink them whenever they come out.

For me, the season or weather really has no influence on my beer selection.  You better believe I'll grab some Octoberfest beers in August if they are available because I love the style.  And when I see Pumking on the shelf, I'll snatch that up quickly.  The notion that you have to have a certain beer for a certain weather pattern to me is blown completely out of proportion.  I mean, those poor folks in southern California or Arizona must never enjoy a thick stout because obviously people can only drink stouts in the dead of winter right?

I enjoy many styles of beer.  I'm not going to let the weather or the season change how and when I choose a frothy beverage.  Make no mistake, there certainly are beers that lend themselves well to the season.  I mean, a Pumking on Thanksgiving sounds fantastic.  Alpha Klaus Christmas Porter is incredible around Christmas time.  There are few things I enjoy more than a crisp IPA or pale ale after mowing the yard in the summer.  But I have zero problem mowing the yard, getting cleaned up, and then rewarding myself with an awesome stout or porter.  Look, 90% of my drinking is done inside the comfort of my house or my favorite bar.  Inside.  Not outside.  And while I wish I was able to drink more outside on various patios and such, I can't, and that still wouldn't change my selection of beers.  In the summer, my house is set inside at around 70 degrees.  In the winter we are around 68 degrees.  So 90% of my drinking is done in the same environment.  When I can drink outside, I don't choose my beer based on the weather.  I base it on what sounds good.

It's been nearly a year since the last release of some of these "fall" beers.  Let's not get caught up in what we should be drinking seasonally, just get caught up in drinking good beers....there are lots of them coming.  Don't let the season or the weather cause you to miss out on the various craft offerings.

What are some of your favorite "Fall" beers?  Do you live by the seasonal mentality like many others?

Strawberry Shorts Cake

Michigan is well known for amazing breweries.  I don't know what it is about Michigan breweries that makes their beers so divine, maybe it's in the water.  Who knows.  Regardless, I have come across several breweries in the giant mitten that produce sensational beers.  Founders, Bells, Dark Horse, Greenbush, Saugatuck, and for this blog I will focus on another quality Michigan brewery: Shorts Brewing.

My first introduction to Shorts was following a visit to Bells this past spring.  I ventured into a bottle shop and the beer guy recommended a couple brews from Shorts.  Huma-Lupa-Licious IPA, which is a pretty solid IPA, and Pandemonium Pale Ale which I found to be rather mediocre.  I met up two weeks ago with a buddy that I've met through Beer Advocate to exchange a couple bottles, and upon the exchange he surprised me with this brew from Shorts.  It's called Strawberry Shorts Cake.  When I first heard of this beer, I knew it probably wouldn't be my thing, but figured it might be one that my wife may enjoy.  I'm not big on fruit beers, but there have been a few I have liked and I figured Shorts would deliver.  Let's dig in:

Choose Your Vessel:  For this one I went with two larger tasting glasses.  One standard half pint glass and one Greenbush taster.  Sharing the bottle with my wife.  My taster, seen below was the Greenbush vessel.

The Pour: Amber-ish in color.  Slight off-white head.  Just a small tint of light pink.  Head disappeared almost immediately and there was minimal lacing throughout consumption.

Aroma:  Lives up to the name.  Smells exactly like strawberry shortcake.  Reminds me of enjoying strawberry shortcake at home when I was a child.

Taste:  Hits you right away with strawberry and milk sugar.  Extremely sweet and tart.  The strawberry and candied sugar flavors really  overwhelm the palate with this one initially.  As I continue to drink my small sample,  the strawberry and sugar flavors start reminding me of something unpleasant.  After many more sips I figured out that what I was tasting was more like a strawberry flavored medicine.

Overall:  This one, surprisingly, missed the mark for me.  My wife also found the flavor to be somewhat off-putting, although she seemed to enjoy it more than I did.  The strong medicinal quality of the beer made this rather unpleasant.  Initially it was tolerable, but as I progressed through it the beer became almost undrinkable.  I can imagine that people who really enjoy sweet and tart beers probably would love this one, but for me it's definitely one I likely won't try again.  Despite the negative experience, I welcome trying more beers from Shorts.  They are, after all, in Michigan, and I fully believe that they have many other quality beers.  One thing I admire about this beer and this brewery is that they don't seem afraid to take risks when brewing unique beers like this one.

Anyone have a different experience with this beer?  What are other fruit beers I should try?

National IPA Day

This thursday, August 2, is the second National IPA Day.  It's a day to celebrate one of the most popular styles of beer brewed today.  Here is an article with more on this special day created to encourage people to honor what is likely the most popular style of craft beer.

So why should you drink an IPA on this day?  Why do we even have a day like this?  Beer geeks will obviously participate in honoring the IPA.  We don't really need a special day to consume such a great style of beer.  However, if someone tells me they are gonna have a special day to honor the IPA, then of course you don't have to tell me twice.  I'm going to participate.

My challenge is to you non-craft beer drinker, or maybe you closet craft beer fans out there. Step out of your comfort zone and try a couple different IPA's that you normally pass on when browsing the shelves of your local beer store.  Push yourself to drink two or three of them.  Many times people who aren't into IPA will take one sip and pass because "it's too hoppy".  Hey, you probably didn't love coffee or that first college sip of natty light in your initial journey down those beverage paths.  Those are acquired tastes, and the same can be said about IPA.  I didn't love my first taste of Bell's Two Hearted many years ago, and now it's one of my favorite IPA's on the market.

There are IPA's out there that are not insanely hoppy and can be quite enjoyable to the IPA newbie.  Let me give you some recommendations:

Sixpoint Bengali Tiger:  This beer, while not my favorite, is a nice entry to an IPA.  It's non-threatening with it's hop presence, is quite drinkable, and goes down smoothly.  Not as bitter as some IPA's can be.
Founders All Day IPA:  Extremely refreshing, full of nice hop flavors, and insanely light.  This IPA you can really drink "All Day" because it is only 4.7% ABV.
Bell's Two Hearted Ale: One of my favorites.  Maybe a little more hopped than others, but it is nicely balanced and is quite true to style.  Make sure you drink 2 though....because I said so.
Stone IPA:  A little more bitter than others, but still quite refreshing and crisp.  Easy to find and rather enjoyable.  Go for it!
New Belgium Ranger IPA: I was pleasantly surprised the first time I had this one.  A nice IPA by a brewery most people who are new to craft beer aren't afraid of and could definitely be on board with.

The best recommendation I can make, however, is to just go local.  These days most places have a craft brewery that's within driving distance.  Many of these craft breweries will have special IPA's on tap that day to celebrate.  Be watching your favorite brewery's twitter feed or website for more information on what they will be pouring.

What will I be doing this year for IPA day?  Well, being the beerdaddy, my evening will likely be spent at home with my wonderful boys and awesome wife.  I would love an opportunity to go out to my favorite local spots, but I wouldn't trade my time with my boys for anything.  What will I drink?  This is a great question.  I have many many options for this day, and I have not made the decision yet.  Look for another blog post about this later this week.

What will you drink for IPA Day?  Let me know via comments here or tweets.  Looking forward to hearing from people about this, and spread the word by adding #IPADay to your tweets to add to the celebration that is IPA!

Cheers!!

A Spunky Imperial IPA....Ska Decadent IIPA

I didn't know much about Ska Brewing before diving into their Decadent Imperial IPA.  So I decided to check out their website.  The first thing i noticed was the blaring Ska style music coming from the page, and then the really awesome web design they have.  It's an awesome website, I recommend you check it out.  These guys seem like they have fun doing what they do and this is part of the joy of craft brewing.  I also have a special place in my heart for Colorado breweries.  My sister lives there.  We vacationed there a lot when I was a kiddo.  It's one of the most beautiful states in our awesome country.  No coincidence that Colorado produces some of the most awesome beer in the country either.

I have had their Modus Hoperandi from a can previously and really enjoyed it, so when I landed the Decadent Imperial IPA in a recent beer trade I was ecstatic to give it a try.  One of the benefits of having friends located throughout the west coast and rocky mountain area is that I am lucky to receive some awesome beers that are not local.  These are real treats.  So let's dive into this wax-dipped gem....I mean, if it's dipped in wax it has to be awesome right?  Here is what the beer geeks at Rate Beer have to say about this one.

Choose Your Vessel:  For this brew, I went with the Bells 16 oz Tulip glass.  I do actually have a Ska Brewing Pint Glass I received from my sister, but it was for a different beer and I wanted to use a tulip.  The larger Bell's Tulip is awesome for these larger bottles.  Getting into this brew was a bit of work.  The wax didn't want to come off easily and I had to be careful to not get any wax in the beer during opening.  I like the look of wax-dipped bottles, but in actuality, I'd rather this practice disappear.

The Pour:  Deep orange in color and fairly clear.  As the beer fills the glass I thought for a minute that no head would form, but thanks to the design of the glass the head begins to form towards the end of the pour.  A solid one and a half finger white foamy head appears and really sticks around for a while.  Indicates to me that this will have some nice lacing, which it did, and would also be somewhat resinous, which again it was.

Aroma:  Mostly citrus hops.  Orange peel and some grapefruit.  I'm getting a hint of some sweet mango as well.  Also present is the slight smell of alcohol and a hint of some sweet caramel malt.

Taste:  Tastes less hoppy than it smells.  Definitely get the orange and grapefruit hops with a little bit of malt.  Alcohol swarms the palate towards the end but the beer ends up rather sweet and somewhat syrupy in mouthfeel.  Alcohol is not as well hidden as with other Imperial IPA's I've had.  However, in a strange way, the beer is quite balanced and incredibly smooth to drink.  Sweet and maybe just a trace of bitterness.  I definitely get some sweet tropical notes as I progress through the beer.  I also am getting more malt than I expected with this one.  Bottle says best before 4/2013 which tells me this is pretty fresh.  So I expected more hops especially with the advertised 95 IBU's.  Quite drinkable.  3/4's of the way through I really start to feel the 10% ABV.  A little more carbonation would make this brew more crisp, but I did enjoy it quite a bit.

Overall:  Not the most incredible Imperial IPA I've had.  Does have some uniqueness which is what I always look for in a beer.  I expected it to be hoppier than it actually was, but it definitely had a nice balance of sweet flavors with the hops which you don't see often from Imperial IPA's.  These guys know what they are doing. I look forward to trying more beers from Ska in the future.