1. Taxman Brewing Hop Audit: Pride of Ringwood
I had a pint of this at Bar Louie, a bar & grill with a solid selection of beers. Hop Audit is a recurring brew with a rotating hop variety and an unchanging malt bill. I love Belgian IPAs because of the effect the yeast has on the perceived bitterness of the beer. This particular batch used the Pride of Ringwood, a hop varietal from Australia. There are a lot of great hop varieties coming out of Australia and New Zealand at the moment and brewers are eager to incorporate new hop flavors into their brews. Pride of Ringwood complemented the Belgian yeast well, with its fruity and spicy aroma and flavor. As one expects with Taxman, it was extremely well-balanced and very drinkable.
If you are an experienced beer drinker, you know fully well that some of these Belgian beers are quite dangerous because their booziness isn’t immediately apparent. I’ve had Exemption on multiple occasions. It’s very much in line with what you expect from the style. It pours cloudy and hits with the funkiness you’d expect from a Belgian beer. In terms of funkiness it falls somewhere between Pat Boone and George Clinton: enough to tingle your palate, but not enough to overstay its welcome.
This is one of my go-to beers when I’m looking to drink local and for something light and approachable. It was a great choice for American Craft Beer Week because of the history of the beer. It’s a revival of a recipe that was originally brewed by the Terre Haute Brewing Company. The brewery was once the 7th largest in the nation. Indianapolis Monthly had an excellent feature on the rebirth of the beer in 2013. Upland began producing the pilsner in 2013. As a pilsner, it’s true to style: crisp and clear. A very refreshing brew, with a slight malt sweetness.
4. St. John Malt Brothers Mr. Coconuthead Porter
St. John Malt Brothers was a brand new discovery for me and what I had did not disappoint. As a drinker, I rarely let the calendar dictate what I drink. I’ll happily drink a Russian Imperial Stout during the dog days of August and a hefeweizen in the middle of winter. Mr. Coconuthead Porter is an excellent brew, reminiscent of Scarlet Lane’s popular Dorian Stout. As a porter, naturally it’s lighter in body. The porter features a nice, roasty malt bill that suggests notes of coffee. The coconut is at just the right level and overall it’s a very quaffable beer. I had this from a bomber, so it’s ideal for sharing.
5. Scarlet Lane Laughing Water Australian Sparkling
The Australian Sparkling Ale is not a commonly brewed style in the U.S. though this is at least the second of that style brewed by an Indiana brewery, including Sun King’s Captain Sparkles. It was the official beer of Movember Indy in 2014. It’s a very approachable style: not too malty and not too hoppy. It is an effervescent beer, due to the amount of carbonation. Thomas Cooper brewed the original beer in 1862 and the Coopers Brewing company is still located in Adelaide, Australia. Scarlet Lane’s offering is right in line with the characteristics of the style.
Scarlet Lane earns the Centurion moniker with a beer clocking in at 100 IBUs. It’s a dank, West Coast-style IPA, a perfect beer for the hop heads. Tiberius is hopped with Crystal and Horizon hops, the latter was used for Tinker Street’s Sumatran coffee. It is yet another example of local business partnering together to the benefit of both. Tiberius launched in January 2016 and will remain a year-round staple for the McCordsville brewery. It is a dank, citrusy beer, but it’s balanced enough that I had no idea it had such a high IBU.
I ended American Craft Beer Week with a Maibock. It’s a style typically brewed for Spring and especially the month of May. I assumed the name was a nod to The Dave Clark Five song, but in truth, it was the canned response employees at TwoDEEP gave when asked about the maibock’s release date. I’m a fan of the maibock style; I find them eminently drinkable, and I thoroughly enjoy the slight sweetness on the finish.
