Our friend and native Midwesterner, Dave Ratcliff, reports from
this weekend’s 15th Annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival
There are two things a visitor to a beer festival in the Midwest should know. The first is that an opportunity to sample numerous craft beers from states like Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, Illinois, Pennsylvania and beyond is an opportunity to taste high-quality beers from an area sometimes overlooked in the beer enthusiast community. The second is that timing is everything.
Drink (and shop) local
Each summer, the Brewers of Indiana Guild holds a beer festival in Indianapolis. With a little luck and perfect timing, it’s possible to avoid the oppressive summer heat that annually visits this part of the country. This year, though, Mother Nature had other plans.
On a clear and sunny July day in the Indianapolis suburb of Broad Ripple, I attended the 15th annual festival. With the temperature at 91 degrees and the heat index at 97 degrees, a cold craft beer was something myself and the other attendees at the sold-out festival were craving.
Festival time in Broad Ripple
It was no accident that my first beer was a kolsch. Chicago’s Goose Island was perfectly positioned directly inside the entrance and their Summertime Kolsch was the perfect starting beer. While it didn’t improve the temperature, it did reinforce my belief that a well-made beer can make even a very hot day bearable.
Standing in the much-needed shade under one of the tents all the vendors were stationed in, I began to explore the scene around me. While taking a sip from my tasting glass (made from actual glass – something the plastic-loving organizers at other beer festivals could take a lesson from), I learned that the majority of the Indiana-based breweries were grouped together in a separate area.
I headed to that area immediately where Three Floyd’s, Upland, Lafayette and Indianapolis’s own Sun King and Oaken Barrel more than hold their own against breweries in other Midwestern states and beyond. The highlights were the Two Dave’s IPA (no relation) from Columbus’s Power House Brewery, the brilliantly-named Loopy Lupilin from Mishiwaka (brewed in the town of the same name), and the dry-hopped Ol’ Woody Pale Ale from Fort Wayne’s Mad Anthony. With so many good beers to sample, it was an excellent way for myself, fellow craft beer drinkers, and any other hardy souls to brave the unforgiving temperature.
Trying to stay cool...
Although many of my fellow festival goers chose to sample the numerous stouts and porters, I kept it hoppy. A noteworthy exception was my sample of the Bourbon Barrel Smoked Bock from Louisville’s Bluegrass Brewing Company. I visited this brewery about ten years ago and I was happy to know that they are still producing quality brews.
The day’s longest lines were found at Sun King. By maintaining a constant presence in social media and by having its product available in numerous places around Indianapolis, Sun King celebrated its first anniversary by brewing what might be its best beer to date: the 10% ABV/100+ IBU Cream Dream III: The Search for Hops. Special kudos for having an employee pour it to people waiting in line. Keeping people happy with good beer and good customer service are musts for every successful vendor at a beer festival.
After tasting a few more samples, it was time to claim victory for my taste buds and admit defeat against the sun. I left the festival with my glass, a few t-shirts, and a desire for a tall glass of ice water in an air-conditioned room. I also left with a sense of pride in the heartland’s contribution to craft beer. I hope that all craft beer lovers who usually fly over this part of the country will schedule some time to visit one of the Midwest’s numerous microbreweries and land a well-made beer… no matter what the weather is.
On the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, we made a dash up to the City to visit the newest brewery on the San Francisco scene, Social Kitchen & Brewery.
Social Kitchen & Brewery in the Inner Sunset
Social Kitchen & Brewery is the fourth brewpub to occupy the Ninth and Irving location in San Francisco’s Inner Sunset. The original brewpub was Golden Gate Park Brewery, followed by Eldo’s Grill & Brewery and finally Wunder Brewing Company. We made it to Golden Gate and Wunder, but the one time we showed up at Eldo’s, we were turned away at the door. They were closed for a private party.
The bar at SK&B
Many people, myself included, openly talk of a curse. In reality, the reason the previous brewpubs failed was probably more mundane. San Francisco has a plethora of options for the beer geek and the beers at the previous establishments had always been less than memorable.
Merideth and I were joined on this mini adventure by our friends Renee and Matt. Arriving just past the early evening opening time, there was already a good-sized crowd occupying the tables and bar stools on the lower level. Our foursome sat at the beginning of the bar, on both sides. This cozy arrangement seemed odd at first but it worked out well because not being in one long row, no one had to shout down the bar to the person on the other end. The only problem was the bartender was of a similar size to me. This made it difficult for him to pass behind me to get to other customers.
The modern, wood decor had changed little from our previous visit two years ago during the Wunder era. Strikingly long and narrow, the main floor is overlooked by a balcony level opposite the bar. The brewery itself occupies the back end of the balcony level.
The Social Brewery lineup
The bartender offered us a welcome snack of pretzels with house-made mustard. Our beer sampler followed soon thereafter. The sample set included all five of their beer offerings: Kölsch, Alt, Belgian-style Dark Ale, Belgian-style Golden Ale and an IPA.
Before I read the blurb on SK&B’s menu, the best word I thought of to describe their beers was ‘accessible.’ None overly challenged my palate, but were enjoyable.
Imagine my surprise when I read that Social Brewery’s aim is to “brew accessible beers that are food-friendly and full of flavor.” It appears they’ve succeeded in their goal.
Drawn to bigger beers, the Rapscallion, the Belgian-style Golden Ale and Easy IPA were my favorites. Rapscallion was nicely spiced and not too sweet. Easy IPA, not the ubiquitous hopbomb, was a subtle, easy drinking brew at 65 IBUs and 7% ABV. The one beer that missed the mark for me was L’Enfant Terrible, the Belgian-style Dark Ale. Merideth, ever the Germanophile, was very happy with Social Kölsch and Old Time Alt.
Accessible is the word on SK&B’s brews
As for the food, I have to admit I was holding out for sausages and tamales at Toronado. The pretzels and mustard were fun. And we did end up ordering a couple of appetizers. First up was the Bavarian Cheese Obaster, a cheese/butter spread. One of our staples while in Germany, their version of the heart-clogging Bavarian obatzda was probably the best we’ve ever had in the States. We also had the Beer-Battered Sweet Potato Tempura, another appetizer we would highly recommend.
One month old at the time of our visit, Social Kitchen & Brewery was pleasant and will probably weather the usual growing pains of a new establishment. Our group had a good time and there were definitely enough pluses to warrant a return visit. Especially with their the session brews, the Kölsch and Alt, Social Kitchen & Brewery is a great place to hang out with friends and shoot the breeze.
“A Whole World Beyond ORD” is the latest episode of One Pint at a Time.
We knew Chicago was a good beer town. We just hadn’t made it there yet. Lucky for us, opportunity knocked when our friends and fellow beer travelers Matt and Michelle asked us to meet them in the Windy City for a long weekend.
Two and half days gave us just enough time to get a taste of the Greater Chicago beer scene. We visited a dozen breweries and three beer bars during our stay. Chicago has a lot to offer the beer traveler and we can’t wait to return.
So enjoy our beer adventures in the Windy City…
For all the episodes of One Pint at a Time go to beergeekTV.
The weather on our final day in Chicago was quite pleasant…if it was January maybe! Friday’s rain and thunderstorms had passed through and Saturday dawned windy and cold. Of course, this had to be on the day we planned on walking around town. After some bitching and moaning about the weather, the beer traveling foursome was back on the train headed to Wrigleyville.
It’s didn’t feel like summertime
Our first stop was Goose Island. With two locations in Chicago, we would normally go to the Clybourn location because it was the the original. But, I chose the Wrigley brewpub because I wanted to see Wrigley Field. I thought it would be a good backdrop for the introduction to our beergeek.TV episode. Moreover, all the other places on the list for Saturday were in the same general part of Chicago.
After recording the introduction at Wrigley and a comedic wandering around the back alleys of the neighborhood, we finally located the front door of Goose Island. Not being beer garden weather, we settled for seats at the ornate wooden bar.
Our Goose Island Beer Sampler
Merideth and I can sum up our previous Goose Island experience in five beers; 312 Urban Wheat, Honkers Ale, Matilda, Sophie and Bourbon County Stout. Obviously, we were excited to get a beer sampler to finally try a wider range of their brews. After some deliberation, we settled on our four samples; Summertime Kölsch Bier, Green Line Pale Ale, IPA and Opening Day IPA. Admittedly, we lost out on the ‘wider range’ with my three choices.
Enjoying an IPA at Goose Island
While we had some brunch, we tried our sample beers. I enjoyed the IPAs but neither had the ‘WOW’ factor that my West Coast palate desires. The Kölsch, the beer Merideth selected for our sampler, was the star. Too bad it didn’t feel like summertime and we were sitting out in the beer garden.
Post brunch, I also had two of Goose Island’s specialty beers: Pere Jacques and Pepe Nero. The first, Pere Jacques, a Dubbel, was a bit too sweet for my taste. Pepe Nero, on the other hand, was very interesting. A Belgian-style Farmhouse Ale, Pepe Nero is brewed with black peppercorns, a beer ingredient that I am loving more and more.
With the crappy weather, I think we could have spent the afternoon at the bar drinking beer, but we had an appointment to keep. So, we were back on the train headed to Metropolitan Brewing.
Half Acre beers at their Craft Beer Emporium
We had time to make a quick stop at Half Acre Beer Company. Located in a busy shopping district, Half Acre seemed more like a gift shop than a brewery. The only indication that there was brewery behind the Craft Beer Emporium was the row of taps built into the wall. And the staff kept talking about a brewery tour.
The five beers we sampled were all competent with the Daisy Cutter Pale Ale and Gossamer Golden Ale the standouts. But Merideth was the brave one and tried the cucumber, jalapeno and thyme soda called Flash of Beauty. I did have a little sip. Imagine what a cucumber soda would taste like. Yep. That’s what Flash of Beauty tasted like with the jalapeno giving it a little bite.
Metropolitan Brewing
The unexpected gem of the trip was our visit to Metropolitan Brewing. Located in an industrial building in a residential neighborhood, Metropolitan Brewing stands out in the craft beer world of hop bomb this and barrel-aged that. They brew German-style beers. Despite the ‘crazy’ idea of not having and never will have an IPA, Metropolitan has been well received in the Chicago area. Owned by the husband and wife team of Tracy and Doug, Metropolitan is a hands on operation from brewing to packaging.
Metropolitan’s tool chest beer festival tap setup
Visiting on one of their non-regular brewery tour days, Tracy was kind enough to take time to show us around the brewery. From second one, we got a sense of real passion for not only Star Trek but also making great German-style beer. With enthusiasm, Tracy told us a story we have heard a hundred time but never get tired of; people simply wanting to make great beer for their local market.
Merideth had already tried Metropolitan’s seasonal beer, I-Beam Alt, our first night at the Map Room. As Tracy showed us around the brewery, we enjoyed their two flagship brews, Flywheel Bright Lager and Dynamo Copper Lager. The Flywheel, which had that great German hop bite, was my favorite. The only disappointment was that I couldn’t buy any six packs at the brewery.
Just before we left, the other half of the Metropolitan team, Doug, returned from a beer tasting at a sausage store. The quiet part of the team, we chatted with Doug for a few minutes and then bade farewell.
Our last stop…
Our short, crazy, beer-filled journey was coming to an end. The culmination of our time in Chicago was another well known beer bar, Hopleaf, in the Andersonville neighborhood. A few minutes walk from Metropolitan Brewing, Tracy had warned us that it was going to get jam packed on a Saturday night.
Saturday evening at the Hopleaf
Walking in, we could tell we were in a good beer bar. Hopleaf just had that feel. Unfortunately, it also appeared that we were too late to beat the crowds. We walked in to find the front room filled with fellow beer drinkers enjoying an early Saturday evening. The hostess, who we found in the equally crowded back room, lead us upstairs to the balcony which overlooked the diners below. Disappointment and worry about finding a place to sit immediately changed to happiness at a comfortable table.
One last beer in Chicago
Once settled in on our perch, the beers started flowing. I was excited because there were a number of beers and breweries that I had never tried. On Matt’s recommendation, I ordered Crooked Tree IPA from Dark Horse Brewing in Michigan. With our cheese and sausage plates, Surly’s Bender, a hybrid Pale Ale/Brown Ale was my brew. My last beer of the trip was Oud Beersel’s Framboise, an absolutely amazing beer.
Visiting a dozen breweries and a trio of beer bars, we did a pretty darn good job of getting a taste of what the Windy City and its environs has to offer. Obviously three days isn’t enough time to fully experience the Chicago beer scene. Now that we know what lies outside airport security, we’ll definitely be back. Hopefully, we won’t pass through ORD another dozen times before we do it.
Thanks to Doug, Tracy and Phelps for a great tour at Metropolitan
Thursday’s early morning wake up followed by a beer-filled day and a late night bedtime made for a rough Friday morning. With less demanding trips lately, Chris and I felt a little out of practice, but being the professionals we are, we ignored the aches in our heads and set out on Friday with excitement in our hearts.
Chris and Matt at Flossmoor Station
We climbed into the back of Matt and Michelle’s Xterra and hit the road toward the most anticipated visit of the trip: Three Floyds in Munster, Indiana. Along the way, we stopped at Flossmoor Station Restaurant and Brewery in the historic town of Flossmoor, Illinois. As you probably already guessed, it’s located in the old train station right next to the modern day Metra rail tracks.
The taster set at Flossmoor
We all vowed to improve our skills of beer moderation on Friday, which included reducing (slightly) our beer intake, increasing our water intake, and remembering to eat. With this in mind, we took it easy at our first stop of the day. We watched the model train circle the bar on a track high on the wall as we enjoyed our 10-beer taster set. I found their Zephyr Golden Ale to be the perfect hair of the dog beer to get me going. They also offered several fruit beers, Roundhouse Raspberry and Chessie Cherry Wheat, which were interesting.
We hit the road again, but promptly got sidetracked. Barley and Hops Liquors drew us in with their advertisement of craft beer. Matt made a left turn across the busy road to go and see what filled their shelves. Chris mused that the place sold numerous California beers that we don’t get in our beer backwater. But we didn’t go all the way to Illinois to buy California beer, so we filled our bag with bottles of Bell’s, Founders, and Two Brothers.
Three Floyds
Our momentum was growing as we got closer to Three Floyds. When we arrived, Matt and Michelle were surprised to see how much the place had grown since their last visit. Located in a quiet industrial park, the brewpub is set back from the street. The sign on the building projected a firey character and should have tipped me off to the attitude inside.
Punk music blasted us as soon as we opened the door. The loud music and hardcore atmosphere drowned out the jackhammer in my head, which was good, but also a little overwhelming while on the upswing of recovery from Thursday night.
Chris enjoying a pint of Alpha King at Three Floyds
Chris joked that he was going to ask for Dark Lord. Their Imperial Stout, Dark Lord is only sold one day a year on Dark Lord Day. A very hyped event, Dark Lord Day had happened a couple of weeks previous. I was relieved that he didn’t because I had no desire to look like a dork. Hey, I may be a beer geek, but I’m no dork. Chris ordered a taster set, which gave me the chance to find a less extreme beer that wouldn’t offend my delicate palate. I chose a pint of Pride and Joy, a beer Three Floyds characterizes as an American Mild. Chris and Matt got a kick out of Marketing Ploy, a collaborative pale ale brewed with Jonathon Cutler of Piece Brewery, so they both ordered one. I guess the brewery thought one marketing ploy just wasn’t enough.
Take your appetite because they have a great food menu. And don’t forget your protective ear wear if you’re a little sensitive that way. While we ate our lunch a woman in her 60s asked us about our filming. She was very sweet and chatty, so Chris asked her what she thought of the brewery. She thought it was pretty good, except for the music. Apparently the lunch was her 46th wedding anniversary present from her husband, who stood nearby as she talked with us. She was a hoot to talk with and a real trooper. Maybe next year her husband will throw in some diamond studded earplugs.
After a quick stop to add a notch on the brewery bedpost, we returned the car to the hotel and went right back out to hit the town. We all enjoyed Piece from the night before and Chris needed more footage for beergeek.TV, so with no argument from any of us, we made a return visit. We arrived earlier than the night before, but being a Friday, the place was filling up quickly. I was happy to have another chance to try their Swinging Single, a Belgian-style single, which I didn’t try the night before. It was fantastic! Not to spoil it, since there’s still one more blog of the trip to go, but Piece was by far my favorite brewpub in Chicago.
Moonshine Brewing
Before we knew it, we were off in search of the next brewery on our Friday night tour, Moonshine Brewery in the Wicker Park neighborhood. I’ll admit that I was dragging a bit at this point, but I figured if a 60-something year old woman could manage Three Floyds, I could surely manage Moonshine. To do anything else would have compromised my beer professionalism.
Moonshine’s “urban roadhouse” decor was fun and interesting. The wooden interior and the mason jar glasses made me feel like I was in a cabin in the woods hiding out while my distillery cranked out some rot gut. All I needed was a shotgun. The bartender was very nice as he served us a taster set of beer in tiny jars. He even turned Michelle onto a new iPhone app, Dragon. We were offered a blind taste test of Dewar’s by a nicely dressed woman, but much to her disappointment, the four of us declined.
The Publican
We departed Moonshine in a cab and headed to yet another highly anticipated visit: The Publican. We planned to have dinner there, but that plan was thwarted by the hour and a half wait. And that time frame was only if some reservations failed to show. I felt like a dog waiting for someone to throw me a bone.
The situation was a huge disappointment to me because I was hungry and about to get very cranky. But we figured what the hell and added our name to the wait list. The hostess then kindly dropped us and a beer list off at a standing only table in the bar area. I liked the idea that she “sat” us in the bar and we didn’t have to hunt for a spot.
The Publican’s famous house-made pork rinds
The beer choices at The Publican didn’t leave much to desire, as they had an extensive variety of excellent beers. I started with a Goose Island Matilda, while Chris had an Alpha King, Matt the Hercule Stout from Belgium and Michelle the Three Floyds Pride and Joy.
I was also quite pleased to learn that we could order food where we stood. Everyone had raved about the housemade spicy pork rinds, so of course I had to have some. They were every bit as good as people said and they melted in my mouth. I will admit, however, that the powdered cheddar cheese sprinkled on top was a little odd. Each time I took a bite, the cheese flew all over the table and even into my beer. We also ordered a plate of selected ham, which we gobbled down.
Besides the need for reservations, the other tip I will offer about The Publican is that it is a little on the dressier side. And by dressier I mean fashionable. Our group, outfitted in jeans (except Chris who was in shorts) and beer shirts, stood out as not like the others.
The happy beer travelers at Revolution Brewing
We decided to cut our losses at The Publican and bail before we could be disappointed. Since Matt and Michelle had not made it to Revolution Brewing with us the night before, we gladly agreed to return and eat there. We entered to find a busy place and up to an hour wait, which was once again disappointing. I forgot that we were in the big city now where popular places fill up and not the beer backwater of home where there’s always a seat in the house. We did learn, however, that we could sit in the waiting area where we could order both beer and food from a waiter. That was just fine with us. With long benches and a few beer barrel tables, it turned out to be a very comfortable alternative to waiting for a table.
I drank a Bottom Up Belgian Wit with a grilled tofu sandwich. Chris liked the Anti-hero IPA the night before, so he ordered another one to go with his pulled pork sandwich. Matt and Michelle each opted for the Let’s Have a War Belgian-style strong pale ale to go with their pizza. Even though it was loud, Revolution was a nice way to end our second day in Chicago.
It had been another long day, but the four of us pressed on in the name of beer travel. It was an ambitious beer schedule, but it can be done. So, if you decide to take a similar journey in the Windy City, just remember that we would never lead you astray. Trust us, we’re professionals.
