340. 18th Street Brewery (Hammond, IN) - Orange Shaker

“6.3% Milkshake Style IPA with Orange and Vanilla Beans.”

The 18th Street version of the popular beer version of the classic Creamsicle, and it’s much better than the Sun King version. I don’t remember the Rochester Mills version well enough to have an opinion, but the 18th Street version is not off-putting in any way; and I’m pretty sure that makes it the winner.

339. 18th Street Brewery (Hammond, IN) - The Fox and the Goat

“Light body with a hop bite. Pale ale brewed with Centennial, Dry hopped with Amarillo. Made in collaboration with Chicago’s Girl and the Goat.”

Springs from DNA similar to Bait and Click, but less overtly fruit and more straight-up (now tell me, do you really want to love me forever?) hoppy. It’s now several hours away and I have forgotten much of it…but I liked it.

338. 18th Street Brewery (Hammond, IN) - Bait and Click

No description, apart from the brief listing on their on-site menu, which indicates DDH Pale Ale. First of three I had at the 10th Street taproom this afternoon, on my 45th birthday. (And if you’re sitting there thinking, “Shit…he made it to 45?”, well, I’m right there with you.) This one is like being smacked in the mouth with a fruit mash-up of oranges and peaches. Off-putting at first, but it mellows out as it warms up. Not the best thing I’ve ever had from 18th Street, but light years from bad.

Deep Thoughts #235

After this shit ends and things to back to something like normal, who do we blame for the lemmings hooked on hand sanitizer like a narcotic?

336. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (Chico, CA) - Hazy Little Thing

“Juicy hops and silky malt meet in a Hazy Little Thing with fruit-forward flavor, modest bitterness, and a smooth finish.”

They managed to nail both bitter and smooth in the finish, but I think the fruit up front is at least matched by pine, if not eclipsed a little bit. Not that any of that is bad. It’s more interesting than the New Holland thing I tried before it.

335. New Holland Brewing Co. (Holland, MI) - Hazy River

“A true testament to our brewers’ expertise and their passion for innovation. Hazy River is smooth and juicy with a beautiful hazy-golden apperance.”

Very light tropical and citrus flavors, and very light mouthfeel. Nothing too impressive going on here, but it’s very drinkable.

334. Sun King (Indianapolis, IN) - German Chocolate Oktoberfest

“German Chocolate Oktoberfest is a German-style lager with a dessert-style twist thanks to additions of chocolate and coconut.”

The first sip was confounding, and then it grew on me. It starts out too sweet, but then the flavor kicks in—soft chocolate and coconut—and then the flavors spread out and get a little bit bready, to remind you that it’s a Märzen. The finish is almost dry, which is saying something, considering how sweet it is up front. This is easily my favorite Sun King beer ever, and it would be a contender for my favorite beer of all time, if such a list existed. (And so guess what I’m going to start working on tomorrow—since I have, you know, all this free time on my hands?)

332. Scarlet Lane Brewing Company (McCordsville, IN) - The Stuff

“Marshmallow Root, Vanilla & Lactose.”

Those three flavors all sort of whirl together and strike as a sweet composite in the first sip—and the finish is pretty bitter for something that claims only 10 IBUs; but after that first sip, everything mellows out a little bit. The finish is still a little bitter, but not bad.

331. Scarlet Lane Brewing Company (McCordsville, IN) - Ghost 4.0

“Classic IPA w/Fruity Yeast Esters.”

Mostly what comes across for me is the incredibly bitter finish. There might be a little of hint of some unspecified fruit, right upfront, but it’s swept away almost immediately. Not actively unpleasant, but disappointing.

Deep Thoughts #234

I’m sick to my bones of hearing the phrase “social distancing.” We know already. For the love of Darwin, please shut your fucking pie-holes.

330. Triton Brewing Co. (Indianapolis, IN) - Star 19

“Star 19 is an homage to Indiana, the 19th State of the Union. With 19 IBU’s, this juicy double dry-hopped IPA is brewed with Citra, Chinook, Cascade and Glacier hops. The citrus flavors, and crisp, dry finish are the ‘Star’ of this juicy Ale!”

There are all kinds of interesting hops things going on here, from a nice, soft, tropical start to a shiny citrus middle, to a slightly spicy finish. (Or we could quibble over the semantics and call the finish either “dry” or “bitter,” but I’m going with spicy. I looked up the different hops they use in the beer, and a couple of them had the word “spicy” as a descriptor, so maybe that was cheating, and the idea was already in my head and shouldn’t count—but I’m going with it. I WON THE ELECTION—BIG TIME!) Not much changes with the second one, except that that spicy finish becomes a little more pronounced. Stupid name and description—nobody needs that much of Indiana’s limp dick in their mouth—but excellent beer.

Deep Thoughts #233

Just when I thought Republicans couldn’t get any batshit-fucking-crazier than Trump and McConnell, here comes giant horse’s ass Mike Pompeo.

328. Heavy Seas Beer (Baltimore, MD) - Night Swell

“Night Swell’s arctic winds and northern tides make their way south, a darkness descends upon the Atlantic, and even the most hardened hop head feels the pull of the darkness. Night Swell’s nor’easter blast of hoppy aromas combines with a warming dark roast and rich malt sweetness for a full-flavored, full-bodied IPA that stretches the boundaries of the style. Surrender to the darkness and ride the swell.”

The first sip made me think of the Samuel Adams Triple Bock that I managed to luck into trying twenty-odd years ago. That one was big and thick, with a consistency somewhere between beer and syrup. This one has a consistency more like beer, with strong flavors of molasses and chocolate up front, and possibly the echo of a bourbon barrel in there—though I suspect that if that were the case, they would have mentioned it. Not sure I like this one either, but it, too, is interesting.

327. Black Acre Brewing Company (Indianapolis, IN) - Confused Dinosaur

No description I can find except for the style, which is weizenbock. This was possibly the last really good day for a beer outside in the Black Acre Garden, so Amy and I took advantage after we hiked around Holliday Park for an hour or so. There was something familiar about the flavor, and it might have been a hint of the kinds of spices they use in their Oktoberfest and Pumpkin Thief, but not nearly as heavy. It wasn’t exactly bready or sweet, but it also wasn’t bitter or dry at all. Can’t say for sure if I liked it or not, but it was interesting.

Deep Thoughts #233

This election should not be close. Rural people are retards. Stop voting, and stop fucking your brothers. Try going to school. Walk upright.

325. Deschutes Brewery (Bend, OR) - Chainbreaker

“Thirst-quenching hopped up wit beer. Citrus aromas from hops, orange peel and coriander that meld with the fruit and spice esters of the Belgian style yeast strain dubbed ‘Forbidden Fruit.’”

More of a witbier than an IPA, but it’s got a nice little bit of citrus shine on the back end. It’s not bad, but I don’t like it very much.

324. Black Acre Brewing Company (Indianapolis, IN) - Pumpkin Thief

“Ale brewed with 20 pounds of pumpkin per barrel and spiced with cinnamon, ginger, orangepeel [sic], all spice [sic], nutmeg, and clove.”

Needs to be fully decanted to get the whole flavor profile. My mug is just a hair under sixteen ounces, so I don’t always get the full effect in the first couple of sips—and it makes a big difference with this beer. Almost chewy from all of that pumpkin, and fairly well balanced by all of that spice. I say fairly because they use a pretty heavy hand when they spice their beers. I thought it might have been an exception with their Chai Guy milk stout, but it’s pretty prevalent here, too.