[THC] B.I.G. Newsletter - June, 2007

[L.A. Swihart]

Once again we hear from Bob Ostrander at B.I.G.  Lotta good stuff in 
here and a reminder about July 21 and the Microbrewers' Festival. 
At this time it looks like Nancy H. and I are preparing to meet and 
greet the enthusiastic tasters.  We can take two more people to help 
staff our table.  The Microbrew Fest organizers offer up to four passes 
for volunteers/servers for each homebrew club.

If it's just Nancy and me, we'll have to take turns getting out for a 
taste or two, but if there are three or four we'll keep two people 
behind the table as much as seems necessary.

Write swihart at purdue.edu if you have an interest in joining up behind 
the THC table at this event.  We will not be serving beer so much as 
just being available to preach the gospel of homebrewing.
-------------------------------------


Bob Ostrander wrote:

>  
>  
>
> *Brewers of Indiana Guild <http://www.brewersofindianaguild.com/> 
> Newsletter* - June, 2007
>
> A version of this newsletter, with lots of pictures, can be found on 
> the web site.
>
>   	*B.I.G. News - Pre-Festival edition*
>
> One more time, put July 21st on your calendar. Advance-sale tickets 
> for the Indiana Microbrewers Festival 
> <http://www.brewersofindianaguild.com/festival.html> are now available 
> online <http://www.brewersofindianaguild.com/festival.html>.
>
> The Brewer's of Indiana Guild has purchased some glycol-chilled 
> cold-blankets for firkins and they intend to have up to 16 Real Ales 
> on the handpull at the Microbrewers' Festival (July 21).
>
> This year's Replicale specs have been released by Dave Colt. "The 
> style this year is a Pre-prohibition ale but the twist is that every 
> brewery will use only one hop variety and everyone will have to use a 
> different American grown type." Participating Indiana breweries will 
> have it ready for release at the Microbrewer's Festival.
>
> Major sponsors for the Festival this year include the Broad Ripple 
> Brewpub, Crown Liquors, Red Hook, and Goose Island. It's 
> multi-thousand dollar support from firms like this that allowed last 
> year's Festival to give $21,000 to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society 
> <http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/hm_lls> and Optimist International 
> <http://www.optimist.org/default.cfm?content=clubdirectory.cfm&district=5>.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> *Indiana Beer** News*
>
> Homebrewers, get your entries in for the Indiana State Fair Brewers' 
> Cup by June 22. info <http://www.brewerscup.org/>
>
> A new brewpub is in the planning in Fort Wayne. The Granite City Food 
> & Brewery <http://www.gcfb.net/> hopes to open in November on the 
> north side of the city and should break ground in June. This will be 
> one of 7 new locations to their now-16-location midwest chain to open 
> in 2007. They are also planning one in South Bend in 2008. article 
> <http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/business/17265533.htm> 
> article 
> <http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/news/local/17263072.htm>
>
> Another new Indiana microbrewery startup is taking place down in the 
> Lawrenceburg area. Homebrewers Dan and Lani Valas are bringing back 
> the Great Crescent Brewery <http://www.gcbeer.com/> name. They hope to 
> open early next year.
>
> Lafayette Brewing <http://www.lafayettebrewingco.com>'s new bottling 
> line will first produce Tippecanoe Common and Black Angus Oatmeal 
> stout. Hopefully in July. They're waiting for label approval. To make 
> room for the bottling line Greg will be clearing out a room holding 
> some Big Boris Barleywine. Some, dating back to 1996, will be released 
> including some 1997/8 barrel-aged Franken-Boris. "More details to come."
>
> Things we found out by reading the Great Lakes Brewing News 
> <http://www.brewingnews.com/greatlakes/> (pick up a copy at your local 
> brewpub, or beer place - there are also subscriptions available):
>
>     * Three Floyds <http://www.threefloyds.com> will have 6 new beers
>       in the coming couple of months. Admiral Nelson Bitter is out
>       already. Coming up: Illinois Brewers Guild Amber, Young
>       Sportsman Wit, Gorch Fock Helles, Brussels Black Bier,
>       Fantabulous Resplendence, Oat Wine.
>     * Lafayette Brewing <http://www.lafayettebrewingco.com>'s bottled
>       beers will be available only in the Lafayette area - at first.
>     * Longtime Muse of Brews, Karen Bujak has started an Ohio-based
>       version of IndianaBeer.com - it's OhioBeerGuide.com
>       <http://www.ohiobeerguide.com/>. Huzzah.
>
> Upland <http://www.uplandbeer.com> has their new 37bbl kettle in 
> operation along with 74bbl fermenters. They now double-batch, 
> producing 2 massive brews in a 12-hour day.
>
> Columbus Bar <http://www.powerhousebrewingco.com>'s 1-year anniversary 
> celebration hosted about 100 people listening to Rock Zoo in a 
> park/picnic setting out back. An excellent time and a very good band. 
> Also, they plan to unveil their first brew, a Brown Ale, of the 
> Powerhouse Brewery on June 28th. Sounds like another party.
>
>     At the Columbus Bar, Nana Willey, kitchen manager, makes a hop ice
>     cream that should be tried. It's her own concoction on a custardy
>     recipe. First she tried Fuggles hops and now has Cascade ice cream
>     available at the bar/restaurant. The Cascade is her favorite (as
>     Stone Ruination is her favorite beer), but the last of the Fuggles
>     ice cream was more to our English-ale tastes. Honest. The bar also
>     features Nana's Spent-Grain Bread, a Rosemary & Basil loaf, for
>     instance.
>
> SteveFest 
> <http://potablecurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2007/05/stevefest-starting-lineup-is-announced.html> 
> is on at New Albanian Brewing <http://www.newalbanian.com>. Steve Hall 
> replaces Dave Siltz as the menu manager for a while. He even brought 
> local, and very good, band for opening night - The Boogie Men. We 
> stopped in last Friday and had a couple from his selection. The 
> Cask-Conditioned Elector was good and not overdone hopwise. Monk's 
> Flemish Ale, on tap, yum. Jolly Pumpkin La Roja is a wonderful big 
> Belgian Red aged in wood that helps propagate the notion of North 
> American's can brew Belgian's as good as the old country. Both draft 
> Schlenkerla Marzen and NABC's Bonfire of the Valkyries are on the 
> lineup for smoke beer fans. Our kind of menu. Huzzah.
>
> Keg Liquors <http://www.kegliquors.com/events.htm>' Fest of Ale was 
> attended by about 200 - 3 times as many people as last year. Rain and 
> lightning for 45 minutes didn't stop the tasting but probably kept 
> another hundred from venturing out. Fears that a 20-ticket format 
> would keep people away evaporated and, with perfect-sized 4-oz pours 
> no one used all their tickets. Todd's decision to extend the closing 
> time a bit was welcomed.
>
>     More Fest of Ale reviews
>     <http://potablecurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2007/06/fest-of-ale-recap.html>
>     and pictures
>     <http://fotoewizzard.smugmug.com/gallery/2947987#159201446> are on
>     the interwebtubeuniverse. (And on the web-based edition
>     <http://www.brewersofindianaguild.com/news-0706.html> of this
>     newsletter.) Thanks, Tisha
>
> Lyke 2 Drink 
> <http://lyke2drink.blogspot.com/2007/02/weekend-watering-hole-100-places-to.html>'s 
> 100 Places to Have a Beer Before You Die. The Heorot, RichO's and the 
> Kulminator are strangly missing. Your editor has been to 28 of them. 
> Gotta get busy.
>
> Rich O's <http://www.newalbanian.com> is RateBeer's 6th best beer bar 
> in the world 
> <http://www.ratebeer.com/RateBeerBest/table.asp?title=Best+Beer+Bars+2007&file=bars_places_2007.csv> 
> (Indy's BW3 is #79 and the Kulminator takes it's rightful place as 
> #1). Take that, Lyke 2 Drink. There's also ink at local paper Velocity 
> <http://www.velocityweekly.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070606/VELOCITY02/706060928/-1/NLETTER04>.
>
> Three Floyds <http://www.threefloyds.com> may not do Dark Lord day 
> next year "out of fear they won't be able to accommodate the crowd".
>
> Monarch lost 2,804 beer kegs last year. Belmont Beverages loses 8% of 
> the kegs that they take deposits on. article 
> <http://www.chestertontribune.com/PoliceFireEmergency/674%20scrap_prices_costing_beer_dealer.htm> 
> - another article 
> <http://www.local12.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=34533563-58c3-459a-b9c3-bae5652e766d&rss=30>
>
> The Backstage Bar at Centerstage in Muncie is now open to the public. 
> It's the saner more usual bar owned by Stan Stephens of the Heorot. 
> article 
> <http://www.thestarpress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070607/BUSINESS/706070331/1046>
>
> The Indianapolis Star 
> <http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070523/ENTERTAINMENT02/705230308/1079/ENTERTAINMENT02> 
> looks at wheat beers from Indiana.
>
> On Saturday, June 9th, people from FBI, OVHA, MECA, Bloomington Hop 
> Jockeys, THC, MIB, CACA, IBADS, Gambrinus Society, and one imposter in 
> a FOSSILS shirt met at Great Fermentations 
> <http://www.greatfermentations.com/> in Indy for the first Brew-B-Q. 
> (These are all Indiana homebrew clubs by the way). It was hastily 
> conceived just 7 weeks ago but well executed mainly by Ron Smith and 
> Frank Petrarca of the FBI (last picture below) with plenty of help 
> from lots of other people including Anita and Darren of GF. It was a 
> typical homebrew club meeting with plenty of samples but was much 
> larger (about 75 people) and with enough BBQ from Frank, Paul Henry, 
> and Jim Kirk to satiate everyone. Door prizes ranged from bottles of 
> Alesmith's Yulesmith (thanks World Class) through a cornie keg (thanks 
> GF) to 2 of Blichmann Engineering' 
> <http://www.blichmannengineering.com>s Beer Guns.
>
> The Indianapolis Star is at it again. Headlines: "Deadly Decisions", 
> "Professional View". The fringe group ICRUD put in a sidebar with 
> typically specious statistics. article 
> <http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070610/OPINION03/706100336> 
> (with bonus cute photo of their head wingnut, Lisa Hutcheson.
>
>     "Our survey of Indiana college students found that 45% of them
>     engage in high-risk drinking." Huh? What's high-risk? What's their
>     methodology for their, quote, survey? What's their basis for being
>     an unbiased source of information? Surely not because they are
>     funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. And why would the
>     Star not check the facts of an article they print?
>
> Cavalier Distributing hosted a major reception for Susanne Hecht, 
> Schneider's Export Manager at the Rathskeller. About 150 people 
> enjoyed the very professional party, presentation, and tasting of 
> Edelweiss, Original, Aventinus, and Aventinus Eisbock.
>
>     About Susanne. She's not only beautiful, smart, travels the world;
>     she also has an unlimited supply of the world's best wheat beer.
>     Dr. Hecht been at Schneider 9 years, starting as George
>     Schneider's assistant. After a term as Manager of Office-Based
>     Sales she became the Export Manager in charge of Schneider's
>     worldwide distribution (except for Switzerland and Austria).
>
>     By the way, Aventinus Weizenbock is undoubtedly the best in class
>     in the world. It only accounts for 3% of Schneider's sales in
>     Germany but 18% in the U.S.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> *Indiana News for Retailers*
>
> Remember last month when we gave a list of alcohol-related bills that 
> should be passed this year? Only HB 1324 was enacted - the one 
> forbidding scrap metal dealers from taking brewer's kegs. Everything 
> else went in the dustbin. No Sunday sales, even if we ever get a 
> Superbowl. No in-store sampling of cider. No definition of grocery 
> store vs convenience store. No extra licenses for the new shopping 
> mall in the Highland area.
>
>     According to John Hill that last bit, the extra licenses, is what
>     did in what ended up as a catch-all bill - SB 339
>     <http://www.in.gov/apps/lsa/session/billwatch/billinfo?year=2007&session=1&request=getBill&doctype=SB&docno=0339>.
>     He says the last vote on the last day was contentious with Carmel
>     and Clarksville wanting extra permits also. Senators got miffed
>     and killed the whole thing rather than let some opponents get
>     their own way. Politics. Sigh.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> *Upcoming Events*
>
> Please see http://www.brewersofindianaguild.com/events.html for 
> Indiana (and some surrounding area) events. Also lists bands playing 
> at member breweries.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> *On Tap*
>
> Please see http://www.brewersofindianaguild.com/ontap.html for the 
> current tap lists of Indiana Breweries.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> *Miscellaneous News* (if you didn't read it at IndianaBeer.com 
> <http://www.IndianaBeer.com> already)
>
> Dogfish Head <http://www.dogfish.com> 120 Minute IPA is back on the 
> shelves. It's actually a seasonal and went out to wholesalers earlier 
> this month.
>
> Is the Tongue Map a hoax? Is sour really cheek-cramping? Did a Harvard 
> psychologist write a German paper? Could the Wine Enthusiast be more 
> wrong than Gourmet Magazine? you decide 
> <http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/weblog/permalink/the_tongue_map/>
>
> A tank car got loose in a Denver rail yard on May 23rd and ran into an 
> engine, spilling beer. Is "Coors Strong" still being shipped to 
> diluting plants? article 
> <http://cbs4denver.com/topstories/local_story_143083344.html>
>
> Sam Adams Boston Lager is now being made in Latrobe by City Brewery of 
> LaCrosse. Rolling Rock is being made in Newark by A-B. Fosters is 
> making Carlsberg in Australia while Fosters is being made by Scottish 
> & Newcastle in England. Whitbread is being made by Sam Adams in 
> Cincinnati. The world goes around and around.
>
> Sapporo Breweries has filed patent applications for a barley line that 
> keeps beer fresh longer. The barley lacks lipoxygenase, an 
> iron-containing enzyme that causes the flavor of beer to deteriorate. 
> Sapporo said it took eight years to develop and plans to produce 3,000 
> tons of the new barley line in Canada in 2008 before increasing 
> production worldwide.
>
> CAMBODIA –The illegal sale of beer imported from Singapore and 
> Thailand then “disappearing” at the border accounts for 29% of 
> Cambodia’s total beer market according to a report released by the 
> Economic Institute of Cambodia. Tax revenue lost represents 3% of the 
> country’s total.
>
> Let's all be careful out there. A bar owner in Wisconsin was fined 
> $172 for pouring Coors Light from a tap with a Miller Lite handle. He 
> told patrons it was Coors but the state Dept of Revenue called it "a 
> major violation". article 
> <http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,275353,00.html?=microbrewftw>
>
> The British Public Health folks have asked for "voluntary" warning 
> labels on all drinks by the end of 2007. The graphic will tell how 
> many "units" are in the bottle/can/drink and tell people they should 
> have 3-4 units per day for males and 2-3 for females. Public Health 
> Press Release <http://media.netpr.pl/notatka_78263.html> - good 
> article <http://www.24dash.com/health/21111.htm> - The alcohol units 
> concept has been pushed for quite a while now in Britain as you can 
> see from a Google Search of "alcohol units" 
> <http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22alcohol+units%22&btnG=Google+Search>.
>
> Down in Louisville, Bluegrass Brewing 
> <http://www.bluegrassbrew.com/>'s new Hefeweizen is a bold, German 
> style. It's joining their Single Batch series along with the Dark 
> American IPA, Oktoberfest, and Hell for Certain and all will probably 
> be exclusively in 750ml bottles. Look for the new labels.
>
>     Also at the brewery are lots of wooden barrels holding the Bourbon
>     Barrel Stout and a couple of special, bigger barrels, a French Oak
>     Cabernet now holding some stout brewed in May with some
>     brettanomyces for more leather and another which will get a some
>     Nut Brown and full cocktail of bacillus and other Belgian goodies.
>     Might be out later this year.
>
> The Bluegrass Brewing <http://www.bbcbrew.com/> brewpub on Shelbyville 
> Rd has a Schwartz that is quick thick but not quite a porter and a 
> Meade at 7.8% ABV that has a hit of herbs, a big hint of honey, and 
> just a touch of sweetness. Also on tap: Vienna, Alt, APA, Porter, 
> Summer Wheat, Nut Brown, and Matt Bitter. They open a hand-pulled cask 
> every Thursday.
>
> Dateline Aying, Germany. Drinkers are bitter about the rise in beer 
> prices since barley is being abandoned to plant subsidized crops that 
> will be turned into car fuel. The AP finally notices. article 
> <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18941618/>
>
> Dateline Mexico City. Drinkers are incensed about the rise in tequila 
> prices once agave is abandoned to plant subsidized crops that will be 
> turned into car fuel. Reuters finally notices. article 
> <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18926019/>
>
> As reported, there's a crisis coming in beer kegs. Michigan law calls 
> for a $10 deposit on $130 kegs and the stainless steel is worth $1.75 
> per pound. So they've upped the official deposit to $30. Breweries 
> wanted a $90 mandated deposit. article 
> <http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BEER_KEGS_SCRAP?SITE=ININS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT>
>
> "Rumor that Molson Coors may be the latest target of a SABMiller take 
> over was stoked by comments by a SABMiller exec as well as a new 
> Molson Coors executive payout package in the event of a merger or sale 
> unveiled this week. Coors offered no comment."
>
> A liter of beer at Munich's Oktoberfest will cost $10.70 (at today's 
> exchange rate).
>
> The latest beer controversy: Is George Bush off the wagon and is that 
> why he called in sick at the G8 conference? Or is that a Buckler NA? 
> And should alcoholics drink near-beer?
>
> Cleveland's Great Lakes brewpub and the Brew Kettle Taproom get ink. 
> article <http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/travel/4861194.html>
>
> Headline: "Beer-tasting growing into latest licensing fad". Since a 
> certification exam was instituted 12 years ago, more than 5,000 people 
> have passed the test given by the Japan Craft Beer Association and 
> become certified beer tasters. article 
> <http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20070608a4.html>
>
> On Saturday a Northumberland, England, brewery had 4 semi-trailers of 
> beer stolen. 3 have been recovered empty. That's a 12,000 cases of 
> beer. Er, well it's Corona and Corona Extra Light. Move along you 
> lookie-loos, nothing to see here. article 
> <http://www.northumberlandtoday.com/webapp/sitepages/content.asp?contentid=566209&catname=Local%20News&classif=News%20Live>
>
> Flood: Hinton, Australia, has been flooded for 5 days but it's OK, 
> they got 12 kegs and 36 cases of beer delivered. article 
> <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/06/14/woz114.xml>
>
> Drought: Jack Daniels' spring is drying up, yielding 1/3 to 1/2 of 
> normal. They may "need to stop producing the whiskey until water 
> levels increase". article 
> <http://blogs.usatoday.com/weather/2007/06/whiskey_maker_b.html> with 
> video
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> News compiled by Bob Ostrander <mailto:bob at indianabeer.com>, Marketing 
> Director. It's all considered accurate but then Bob has been known to 
> have a drink or two while writing this so-called tome. Views expressed 
> are not necessarily those of the Brewers of Indiana Guild, but 
> generally follow those unpublished guidelines because Bob wants to 
> keep the job.
>  
>
> 	 
>   	
>
> This newsletter goes to all Brewers of Indiana Guild members.
> To unsubscribe, please contact bob at indianabeer.com 
> <mailto:bob at indianabeer.com>.
>  
>
> 	 
>
>  
>  
>