Indiana Beer love

Discussion in 'Great Lakes' started by speedydd6, Feb 4, 2017.

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  1. nw2571

    nw2571 Initiate (0) Feb 26, 2017 Indiana

    Taxman Bean Counter is out. Got a 4 pack at Kroger yesterday. One of my favorite local brown ales. I'm partial to coffee browns.

    Also Upland Teddy Bear Kisses taps on Tuesday. Variants coming at the end of the month. Coconut, Smores, Orange, and Bourbon Barrel. Looking forward to these for sure!
     
  2. TambaTime

    TambaTime Initiate (0) Jan 6, 2015 Pennsylvania

    I've done some research but hoping to get some personal advice/tips here on an upcoming trip to Indianapolis and Bloomington. We land in Indy at 1:30 p.m. Friday, October 19 and will be spending that day/night in Bloomington. After the PSU-Indiana game Saturday (time still TBD), we'll head back to Indy for the night and fly home early Sunday. Obviously that doesn't leave a ton of time, so I'd like to maximize it as much as possible.

    Considering going from airport to Milktooth for lunch and then stopping at either Taxman or 450 North for pours and maybe some cans for tailgating. Worth it? Or would be better off just heading straight to Bloomington and bouncing around Upland, The Tap, and the college bars downtown? Also looking for recommended stores to find 3 Floyds and anything else interesting that I wouldn't normally see in Philly/NJ.

    Back in Indy, our plan will be determined somewhat by kickoff time - I'm hoping for noon start so we get back to the city earlier - but I'm looking at Tomlinson Tap and Harry & Izzy's, which are both near our hotel. Not sure if we'll have the time to get up to Goose the Market and Koelschip, but that's on the radar as well. Any other recommendations? How is New Day Craft's mead? I'm relatively new to the mead game so I haven't been totally jaded by Schramm's, Garagiste, etc., if that helps give you an idea of how I'd approach that visit.

    Thanks!
     
  3. nw2571

    nw2571 Initiate (0) Feb 26, 2017 Indiana

    I would skip 450 unless they have a release that weekend. It would fit their rotation, but this weekend is their annual beer festival, which might mess up their 2 week rotation. They post release details on Facebook.

    I would highly recommend Taxman on your journey south if you like Belgian style beers. Their cans are all over the place down here though. If you just want to find their staples, you might skip them in the interest of time and get cans.

    For bottles, Big Red in downtown Bloomington is your best bet. If you happen to come down to Columbus for 450N, The Cork on 46 near I-65 is good too, lots of FFF and would be on your way to Bloomington.

    Someone else should chime in about Indy.
     
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  4. AyatollahGold

    AyatollahGold Initiate (0) Nov 28, 2016 Indiana

    If you're in Indy, I would strongly suggest going to Deviate. Always something interesting. As for mead, I can't help out at all.
     
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  5. mayorQuimby

    mayorQuimby Zealot (633) Jun 5, 2009 Tennessee
    Trader

    Absolutely second the Deviate recommendation for Indy, though not close to downtown. It is worth the trip though...Tom Tap is a great spot for downtown as well. Harry and Izzy's is a good lunch spot and the prime rib sandwich is spectacular; if you are looking to go all out with steaks, sides, etc., though, St. Elmo/Harry and Izzy's is a step down from its national counterparts (i.e., Ruth's Chris, Fleming's, Morton's, etc.) imho. Go to Bluebeard instead if you are looking for an awesome local spot. Hotel Tango is a distillery with $$ cocktails as well, right across the street from Bluebeard in Fletcher Place neighborhood of downtown.

    Skip 450 North...way out of the way. The beers are over-hyped and it is a significant detour from Bloomington. Hit the Wood Shop at Upland for sours on draft. Big Red on College near 8th for bottles, or Sahara Mart at 2nd and Walnut. The Tap on the square for a huge draft list. Hinkle's for fabulous smashed onion cheeseburgers. A bunch of good ethnic food options on 4th St. Finch's for a classier dining experience on Kirkwood near the sample gates. Nick's for the iconic IU student/alumni bar; great pizza and stromboli sandwiches. Little Zagreb for huge steaks and spicy meat balls. Uptown Cafe or Runcible Spoon for breakfast.

    And I'm spent...
     
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  6. TambaTime

    TambaTime Initiate (0) Jan 6, 2015 Pennsylvania

    Thanks again, @nw2571 @AyatollahGold and @mayorQuimby

    I probably should have mentioned Deviate alongside Koelschip in my OP as "if we have time" spots. Hopefully the game is a noon start so we can be on the road back to Indy by 4 p.m. That should give us time to hit at least one of them.

    Happened to see yesterday that Schramm's is going to start distro to Indiana. If things are rolling a couple of weeks from now, is it safe to assuming the shops mentioned above are likely to receive bottles?
     
  7. Beer_Economicus

    Beer_Economicus Pooh-Bah (2,472) Apr 8, 2017 Ohio
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I have more that I need to add tomorrow regarding your other comments, but Indiana distro is week in general. One of two things will happen when Schramm's first hits:

    1) gone. WhT little we get will sell pretty quick at the known stores.

    Or

    2) Anything fruited will be gone for a couple months. Only ginger and...whtever else non fruited that sits on shelves...will be available.

    Just my guess. They have distrod to Ohio for at least 15 months, and the store's that got bottles usually only had 2 or 3. Always ginger. Then sometimes blackberry or Raspberry. Not sure if any of the rarer ones like black Agnes that sees some distro in Michigan will see distro outside of Michigan. Anyway, at that time t least, they never saw anything but Sheffield. The stores I saw with them charged like $18/375 also. Ridiculous. High even for Schramm's.


    More in the AM on your other questions.
     
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  8. Beer_Economicus

    Beer_Economicus Pooh-Bah (2,472) Apr 8, 2017 Ohio
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I'm not a big bar person, so understand that going in. That said, I lived in Bloomington for a bit, and I never had any interest in going to any of the bars. -IF the reason for going was good beer. They rarely had anything that I couldn't get relatively easily in can/bottle. The exception to this is that the Tap would occasionally have something like Mikkeller Traeblud - $6 for a 12oz pour - which you cannot find locally on the shelf. That said, I don't think these offerings are ever anything special. The Tap's offerings brewed by themselves are not good. Their on-site bottle/can selection is at a ridiculous premium. At times I have seen a 3-400% markup for something you CAN find on the shelf.

    Note that when you go to Upland, they don't do sample pours. Which is ridiculous (to me).

    I Third recomend stoping at Deviate.

    New Day Craft: I don't think their mead in and of itself is spectacular. If I was passing through and I liked mead, I'd probably buy a bottle, but I wouldn't pick up one of each of the offerings available.

    That said...Their cocktails are fantastic. Some of the tastiest cocktails I have ever tried. They make them with their meads, and they are expensive ($7/each) given that they have relatively little alcohol in them (made with what is probably 1-2 shots of mead). That said, they are stupid tasty. If money was of no consequence, I'd gladly try each one.
     
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  9. TambaTime

    TambaTime Initiate (0) Jan 6, 2015 Pennsylvania

    This is pretty much what I'd expect. I was in Cleveland a couple of summers ago and there was plenty of Ginger and not much else.

    I do 90% of my drinking at home these days because of the almost 2-year-old I live with, so I can relate. I'd expect in Bloomington we'll do Upland for sure and then hop around the college bars. We're there for the game, of course, so checking out campus and the vibe downtown, and crushing a few Bud Lights or whatever in the process, will be a thing. (We're 34, so we won't look TOO out of place.) Sounds like The Tap is hit or miss. I'll have to check and see if their list is online.

    Everyone can't be wrong, haha. If the game kicks at noon and we're back in Indy presumably by 5:30 p.m. or so, I'll have to make it up to Deviate. A later kickoff would make things more difficult. Side note: What should I expect traffic-wise heading north out of Bloomington after a football game? I'm expecting some volume at first but not exactly Carmageddon, so hopefully that's the case.

    And thanks for the heads-up on the mead cocktails.
     
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  10. Beer_Economicus

    Beer_Economicus Pooh-Bah (2,472) Apr 8, 2017 Ohio
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Can't speak to the traffic after a game, but they have been doing work on I-69 between bloomington and Indy for...well, I-69 between Evansville and Indy has been under construction for like 12 years now. Can't recall how long it has been from Bloomington-Indy. Anyway, it's 1 lane in a number of areas unless they finished over the last couple months. So, i'd expect some rather significant delays unless anyone else can clarify.
     
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  11. mayorQuimby

    mayorQuimby Zealot (633) Jun 5, 2009 Tennessee
    Trader

    The last few years the traffic heading out of town has been horrible because they are turning State Rd 37 into I-69 and there's been a bunch of 1-lane for the first 15 miles north of Bloomington. But...it was supposed to be in much better shape by now and I moved a year ago and haven't been to a game yet this year, so I can't speak to it in the present. You'll get a feel for it when you drive down from Indy. But I can't emphasize enough that Deviate should be your top priority in Indy, even if it means a little extra time in the car.

    If you are looking to hit some of the IU bars, definitely recommend Nick's as mentioned in my first post. Re: the Tap, their list is on their website and is updated daily. Looking at it right now, there's at least 4 - 5 things I'd be thrilled to find at most beer bars. Agreed with @Beer_Economicus that their own beers are not good. They have decent snacks but you'd be doing yourself a disservice to the Bloomington food scene if you ate dinner there...

    Re: New Day, it is a cool place in the trendiest part of downtown Indy. The space is cool and the drinks are fine. They do one mead, Breakfast Magpie, that is absolutely phenomenal. But it isn't always available.
     
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  12. nw2571

    nw2571 Initiate (0) Feb 26, 2017 Indiana

    Skip 450N. Next release is 10/26.
     
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  13. TheodorHerzl

    TheodorHerzl Initiate (0) Mar 30, 2007 Indiana

    Anyone hit Garfield Brewing yet? Great space and really well executed beers. Coffee porter was excellent and the IPA is nice as well. They didn’t have anything that a beer geek would get too crazy over, but all I want anymore is just well executed and drinkable beers.
     
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  14. Beer_Economicus

    Beer_Economicus Pooh-Bah (2,472) Apr 8, 2017 Ohio
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    So - a follow up question. When I hear well executed and drinkable beers, the first thing that comes to mind is a brewery like Schlafely. I could drink so much of their stuff easily. But, i wouldn't necessarily gravitate towards them if I was only going to have 2 a week, you know?

    Is this what you're getting at with this post?
     
  15. TheodorHerzl

    TheodorHerzl Initiate (0) Mar 30, 2007 Indiana

    No, I meant beers that I actually want to drink. I enjoy a NEIPA or big BB stout, but I can’t drink those with regularity. If you like to drink classic styles you will like Garfield. If you are looking for the new beer geek place filled with esoteric beers I don’t think this will ever be that type of place. I get where you are coming from though.
     
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  16. TargaFlorio

    TargaFlorio Pooh-Bah (2,187) Jul 3, 2012 Indiana
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I visited a few weeks after it opened and really enjoyed it for the reasons you mention. I think my favorite beer was their vienna lager. Friendly staff, well-crafted beers in styles everyone can enjoy and a neat location near the park.
     
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  17. DrippingI

    DrippingI Zealot (617) Apr 12, 2012 Indiana

    Within Indy, if you have the time, go to The Koelschip. Always have excellent beers on tap & in bottles/cans (tons for carryout too) and you can take in Goose the Market food in there.

    As for Mead, New Day's stuff is good for the style. All their stuff is carbonated, which Im sure a lot of people into Mead aren't used to. It's more sessionable and a good segway for going from beer to mead. If you do go, I'd suggest going to Kuma's across the street for a burger and they usually have some good beers on tap.

    For the store, depending on what FFF you're looking for, I'd humbly suggest going to Crown Liquors on Southport Rd. It's near the 65/465 split, so you can go there and then hop right back on 65 N to go to 465 or just travel a little West to go back on your way to Bloomington. I will say I'm a little biased as I work there part-time. We just got in a case of Heritage and Red Agnes from Schramms. So, for those or the FFF or anything else, I can save some for you in case any flies off the shelf.
     
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  18. Beer_Economicus

    Beer_Economicus Pooh-Bah (2,472) Apr 8, 2017 Ohio
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    :open_mouth: red Agnes? I need to visit
     
  19. shirtless_mike

    shirtless_mike Maven (1,376) Aug 4, 2010 Indiana
    Trader

    I was on Keystone so I stopped in at Kahn's. Grabbed a bottle each of Red Agnes and Heritage Raspberry after puking over the prices. Split a bottle of the raspberry last night with my father-in-law. Sublime stuff. Will never buy again.
     
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  20. TambaTime

    TambaTime Initiate (0) Jan 6, 2015 Pennsylvania

    Just saw this. Thanks for the offer to set some aside. I sent you a PM.
     
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