435. Goodwood (Louisville, KY) - Goodwood IPA

“Citrus nose with a beautifully dry finish that keeps you coming back for another sip. This highly drinkable IPA clocks in at 6.9% and is sure to please any fan of hops.”

I don’t know if 6.9% qualifies as drinkable, but I kind of like that they think so. I get more of a tropical fruit flavor initially, but it gets pleasantly grapefruity as it warms up. Amy and I were walking around downtown last week, and I saw that Goodwood had gone in where the Ram brewery used to be (which was where Planet Hollywood used to be), so I made a mental note to look for their beer. Found this one at Stoney’s, and I will be going back for more.

434. Yuengling (Pottsvile, PA) - Hershey’s Chocolate Porter

No real description, except that they added Hershey’s chocolate to their regular porter. It has some chocolate flavor, but very little body. At only 4.7%, it’s very smooth and drinkable; but it’s just not interesting enough to make me want another one.

433. Function Brewing (Bloomington, IN) - Odds

“A Mosaic and Citra-hopped Hazy IPA with additions of lactose, vanilla, apricot, peach, and tangerine.”

I tried this one both in the taproom and in a crowler, and it is aggressively fruity up front—almost tart—but with smooth vanilla sugar notes on the back end. Hard to say if I like it or not—but it’s interesting.

432. Function Brewing (Bloomington, IN) - Supplementary

“A Hazy IPA featuring Simcoe and Wai-Iti hops.”

It’s not often that we are in Bloomington at the same time that Function Brewing is open, so I made the most of it on our most recent trip to see Carrie Newcomer in concert. After a day of traipsing around campus and then Nashville in the cold wind coming from the back side of a powerful storm system, we stopped in at Function both to sit down for a drink and so I could get some crowlers to take home. This was one of the crowlers that I took home, and it was pretty good. It’s very smooth and easy drinking, with moderate citrus notes when it’s cold and somewhat more prominent stone fruit notes as it warms up.

Deep Thoughts #276

If you’re able to walk through the gates and into the lobby, then yes, we’re open. The real question is how the fuck your children survived.

Deep Thoughts #275

Would someone be kind enough to alert us reasonable folk before the lunatics completely panic over Omicron? I need to buy some toilet paper.

431. Quaff ON! Brewing Co. (Nashville, IN) - Six Foot Huckleberry Blonde

“Quaff ON! Six Foot Huckleberry Blonde is our popular Six Foot Blonde ale enhanced with pure huckleberry flavoring that creates an intense fruit aroma and adds the bold, slightly-tart taste of huckleberry.”

I geeked out a little bit when I saw this on the tap lists at some of the Big Woods restaurants in the area, because you don’t find huckleberry-flavored…well, anything, really…in this part of the world very often. Amy and I went to Bloomington this weekend for her birthday, to see Carrie Newcomer in concert at the Buskirk-Chumley theatre; and I got a chance to try this beer when we had a late dinner at the Bloomington Big Woods after we got in on Friday night. The server asked me if I had had it before, and when I said no, she said that people had been about 60-40 on it, which I took to mean more of them didn’t like the beer than liked it. I was sort of hoping for something purplish in color, even though the word “flavoring” in the description told me that they weren’t using real huckleberries; but in reality, it’s exactly the sort of straw yellow color you would expect of a blonde ale. The huckleberry flavoring is very powerful on the nose and tongue, and I can definitely understand how it might be off-putting for some. The flavor fades to the familiar Six Foot Blonde base on the back end, but up front this is the most strongly-flavored of any of the Six Foot Blonde variants I have tried. It’s not remotely as good as the huckleberry lager I tried in Montana (from the now-sadly-departed Great Northern Brewing Company in Whitefish, MT), but it’s also not the candy-ish circus sideshow that it could have been.

Deep Thoughts #274

It seems that I do still blog from time to time, and I have no doubt that all of you were waiting on tenterhooks for that huge announcement.

430. 18th Street Brewery (Hammond, IN) - Undercrown

“[O]ur bone-shatteringly juicy 8% Double IPA brewed with Simcoe, Mosaic and Crystal Rye Malt.”

There’s a nice hit of tropical fruit up front, followed by a double whammy of dry pine from the Simoce and Mosaic hops. I love 18th Street’s beer, but a lot of their IPAs are muddled mixtures of flavors that don’t taste like anything in particular. (Which isn’t necessrily bad.) This one is more specific and, perhaps oddly, slightly more satisfying.

Deep Thoughts #273

First he was a crappy guest host on Jeopardy! Now he’s a Fox News fuck-dumb anti-vaxxer. Get the shots, you inconsiderate NFL fucking moron.

428. 18th Street Brewery (Hammond, IN) - Blud & Rain

“Russian Imperial Stout w/ blueberry.”

Their page-that-shall-not-be-named also claims that this one has coffee going on. Mostly I got a sticky-sweet stout that tasted lighter than 10% ABV, but which did not have discernible flavors of anything. Wasn’t bad, but they can do stout hella better than this.

427. Blind Owl Brewery (Indianapolis, IN) - Summer Sun

“A Belgian classic, brewed true to style. Citrus notes, Belgian yeast spice, crisp with a dry finish.”

Great day in the morning! I loved the stuff Central State (now, sadly departed) brewed with Brett yeast, but for some reason, the Saison style has never done much for me—despite springing from similar yeast DNA. Looking back at my posts, I apparently never commented on something called Croc Spurs that Philip brewed for Black Circle. That was a lovely Saison with lemon and black pepper notes, as well as a pleasantly crisp finish. This Blind Owl offering was pleasantly boozy for the style (6.8%) and had a very nice Belgian yeast profile that was lively without quite being funky. This is the best thing I’ve had at Blind Owl so far, and I suspect that I will be re-thinking the Saison style from here on out, too.

426. Blind Owl Brewery (Indianapolis, IN) - None-the-Wiser

“This brew features different hops with every batch. Current hops: Mosaic, Citra, and Mandarina Bavaria.”

Drinks lightly for a 6.5% ABV and has a nicely balanced hop profile. Better than the other two Blind Owl beers I tried, but still unremarkable.

425. Indiana City Brewing Co. (Indianapolis, IN) - Batten the Flashes

“Batten the Flashes is the newest release in our Craft Brew Doodle Crew, Hazy IPA Series. This 7.5% ABV juicy, hazy IPA featuring [sic] Meridian, Strata, Lotus, Sultana hops.”

Strong tropical fruit aroma and a soft, juicy flavor with a bite of alcohol at the end. Starts out crisp and smooth, but then deepens and develops an almost jammy quality that sort of makes me think of a boozy strawberry Pop-Tart. (Pop quiz, hotshot—frosted or unfrosted strawberry Pop-Tarts?) Not the best thing I’ve tried from Indiana City, but one of the more interesting ones. (The correct answer is unfrosted.)

424. Blind Owl Brewery (Indianapolis, IN) - Jumpy Germ

“A wheat ale brewed with white and red wheat. Hop additions of Amarillo and Cashmere. DDH for extra flavor.”

I usually think of hoppy wheats as being bright and crisp, but this one has the rich, piney flavor of an IPA. The tenderloin sandwich was better than either of the beers I tried.

423. Blind Owl Brewery (Indianapolis, IN) - Left Coast

It’s not listed on their website, and I didn’t photograph or compel to memory the description from the menu at the restaurant; but they describe it as their take on a West Coast IPA, and the menu lists two different kinds of hops, though, unfortunately, I don’t recall what they were. I disagree; I’m not sure it tastes like any kind of pale ale at all. It’s got a very light flavor, almost like a honeydew melon is waving at you from across the street. Modestly interesting, if uninspired.

422. Metazoa Brewing Co. (Indianapolis, IN) - Manga-Roo

“Hopped with Lotus and Citra hops, this fruit-forward IPA, in collaboration with Condado Tacos, is bursting with mango and orange flavors.”

I probably tasted mango because the name of the beer told me that I was supposed to; but it was not a strong mango flavor. There was also a very bitter finish that I found (oddly) off-putting. Not bad, but definitely not the best Metazoa beer I’ve ever tried.

421. DuClaw Brewing Co. (Rosedale, MD) - The PastryArchy Root Beer Float

“Emulating aromas & flavors of the classic, all-American root beer-meets-vanilla ice cream concoction, this imperial brown ale with additions of vanilla bean & lactose will take you back to simpler times, bellying up to the soda fountain or mom’s kitchen table. Enjoy straight up, or poured over a scoop of ice cream for a special treat.”

The flavors are fairly light, but the vanilla and lactose smooth out the finish and take a good amount of the edge off of the high alcohol (8.7%). It’s got a pretty good balance, but I was hoping for a little more root beer flavor.

420. Scarlet Lane Brewing Company (McCordsville, IN) - Cold Brew Pale Ale

“Light pale ale brewed with Tinker Coffee’s Demeka Becha with notes of Orange, Rose and Lavender.”

Yummy. Best Scarlet Lane beer I’ve ever tried, and it ain’t close. Soft coffee flavor up front, and a smooth finish that is almost sweet. If that’s a balance between orange, rose, and lavender, then I’m a believer.

419. Scarlet Lane Brewing Company (McCordsville, IN) - Sammy Terry Citra Kölsch

No description apart from “Citra hopped,” which is pretty much what made me want to try it. I’m not big on the Kölsch style, but if you’re going to pimp some Citra hops, then we might be able to talk. It had a fruity flavor on the back end that almost tasted like strawberries—and a bitter finish, but it’s a Scarlet Lane joint, so what are you going to do? Nothing to write home about.

418. Upland Brewing Co. (Bloomington, IN) - Rind

“Intense orange & lemon aroma, chamomille, coriander.”

It’s not especially intense, and I suppose the flowery sort of flavor on the back end might be chamomille—but I have no idea what chamomille is supposed to taste like (and neither did my wife). I didn’t think much of it, but I wanted to post it because of the way Jackson photobombed the picture.

417. 18th Street Brewery (Hammond, IN) - King Dough

“IPA with Amarillo and Centennial hops collaboration with Miller Pizza their crust was thrown into the mash.”

The description on the menu at the taproom didn’t mention pizza crust in the mash, and I would not have guessed from tasting it. Tasted like an ordinary IPA to me—nothing to write home about, but not bad.

416. 18th Street Brewery (Hammond, IN) - Boujee Juice

“Double dry-hopped, Double India Pale Ale brewed with Nelson and Mosaic hops.”

Doesn’t taste or drink remotely like a double IPA. Nice peach notes up front, and maybe just a hint of pineapple or coconut. Very smooth on the back end.

Deep Thoughts #272

Anybody know of any research out there that has studied the possibility that an all day rain can turn a person into a fucking psycho killer?

414. Heretic (Fairfield, CA) - Chocolate Hazelnut Porter

“Chocolate Hazelnut Porter, or CHP as we call it, is a rich, full-flavored, robust porter bursting with luscious Guittard cocoa and hazelnut. Notes of coffee and caramel round out this delicious treat. Beer lovers declare our Chocolate Hazelnut Porter is a dessert in a glass, but it has a nice semi-dry finish that keeps it easy drinking and not too heavy to drink by the pint.”

The bartender at Loom called it “liquid Nutella,” and that caught my attention. My wife doesn’t like beer, but she loves Nutella—and I thought maybe there was a chance that this beer might be the one that could bridge the gap for her. Alas, it is not liquid Nutella—but it is a pretty good beer. The flavors blend well, and the cocoa and coffee take that semi-dry finish almost to the edge of bitter—in a good way. I’m thinking I might have to get some more of this beer, and mix it with some Peanut Butter Busted Knuckle, just to see what happens.

415. Scarlet Lane Brewing Company (McCordsville, IN) - Dorian Oatmeal Cream Pie Stout

“Oatmeal stout with lactose, dark brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, ginger, and clove.”

They include pictures of actual Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies on their website-that-shall-not-be-named post about this beer, but they don’t say anything about actual Oatmeal Cream Pies in the mash (and I didn’t think to ask while we were there yesterday). With that list of ingredients, though, I suspect they’re just trying to approximate the flavor. They don’t quite get there, but it’s an interesting effect—not nearly as heavy or sweet as the brown sugar and molasses might lead you to believe, with much more of a spice flavor than you get in an Oatmeal Cream Pie. Not great, but not bad.

Deep Thoughts #271

Fuck the CDC, fuck masks, and fuck ya mother. Grow a fucking immune system, and get the fuck back out into life, you spineless cunting fuck.

413. Black Circle Brewing Co. (Indianapolis, IN) - Turbo Time

No description apart from “DIPA” on the website. It’s got an almost buttery tropical flavor to it, and a bitter finish (which smooths out and takes on a little bit of citrus shine as it warms up). Sort of feels like they were shooting for big (8.3% ABV) and bitter just for the sake of being big and bitter.

Deep Thoughts #270

And I suppose that I should not assume that this mouthbreathing moron is a Republican, but I’m absolutely sure that of course he fucking is.

Deep Thoughts #269

Dear Robert Gansell of Rexford, Montana—I am Grammar. Have we ever met? If we have, it is impossible to tell from your letter to the Beacon.

Deep Thoughts #268

Surely none of these sheep who are blathering about too much plastic in the ocean are drinking their morning coffee from a Keurig cup…right?

412. 18th Street Brewery (Hammond, IN) - Villain

“I the undersigned do hereby pledge my undying thirst to this hoppy concoction of malt, water, and yeast. By drinking this Double IPA, I agree that the contract is sealed, and Villain’s fiendish deed shall be done.”

Um. I got the description from Untappd; the 18th Street website just refers to it as a double IPA, and it tastes like most of the IPAs that 18th Street churns out—by which I mean somewhat heavy and vaguely tropical. (And I don’t mean to sound as though I am tired of 18th Street churning out the same somewhat heavy and vaguely tropical IPAs that they seems always to churn out—I love them. I just think that the 8.7% ABV is about to kick me in the nuts.) It’s kind of nice to drink when you’re mainlining Whitesnake songs that nobody should really be listening to. Prolly nice to drink while other things are taking place, too; but this is going to be a long week.

Deep Thoughts #267

Hey, Fabio…I stuffed the Swiss Army Knife in my backpack and got in anyway. You didn’t check my backpack worth a shit. So much for security.

Deep Thoughts #266

They let rednecks walk around drinking beer, but they won’t let me bring my Swiss Army Knife? Fuck the State Fair and its weak-ass security.

411. Black Circle Brewing Co. (Indianapolis, IN) - Mob Rules

“DDH IPA w Lactose added - Citra, El Dorado, & Comet hops.”

First beer on my third day in a row at Loom, and it was a beaut—so much so, that I took notes on it while re-reading the painter-in-the-desert section (KATE) for the first time in months. To wit: “Sweet and smooth, with strong stone fruit flavor up front, light carbonation, and a citrus finish. That sweet stone fruit flavor becomes more pronounced as it warms up, as does a dry element to the finish. I almost always have two different beers when I stop in at Black Circle or Loom for a bit of writing after doing my time at the old juke joint, but I might have to have a second one of these this time. Philip is on a roll with new beers in the last couple of weeks, and this might be the best of them.” And those are revised notes, of course. I got halfway through the KATE section and made it home in time to see most of the Saturday rerun of Jeopardy!; but I didn’t do any writing on Sunday.

410. Black Circle Brewing Co. (Indianapolis, IN) - Two Minutes, Turkish

“American Wheat Ale w/Citrus & Spices.”

The first one didn’t taste like much of anything, but the second one, on the second of my three days in a row at Loom, had mild notes of cinnamon and a citrus finish that only began to bloom after it had warmed for a few minutes. I was still making my way through the Chatterbox section, which I felt like I had been revising for-fucking-ever; but I could see a stopping point, and I could myself working on the painter-in-the-desert section before too long; and I was even having some ideas about how to knit the disparate sections together. I didn’t know if I was going to get the third day, because I was supposed to work later—but I was already scheming for ways to make it happen.

409. Black Circle Brewing Co. (Indianapolis, IN) - Cosmic Gumbo

“Mango-Lime Gose w Cilantro & Lactose added.”

See…that cilantro idea sounded interesting—I just couldn’t taste it. Or the mango. Or the lime. The lactose, however, had an interesting effect. It softened the sour flavor, giving the beer a smooth finish that was almost creamy. This was the first of two beers I had on the first of three days in a row that I stopped at Loom on my way home from the old juke joint—and I wish that I could stop at Loom every day to drink two beers and write for an hour. That’s always a good hour, and when you get three of them in a row, you get on kind of a roll, the way interest compounds in a bank account. You come to a stopping point in the section about the birth of the Chatterbox and Mass Ave, and you come back around to the section about the painter living in a trailer in the desert. She has to allow a wolf to bite her, so that she can bleed, and finish her canvas. The last pass wasn’t very good, so there’s a lot of revision to be done; and you’d really like to be at Loom for that fourth day in a row.

Deep Thoughts #265

If there had been an idiot like Marjorie Taylor Greene when Lincoln was President, he would have just said, “Fuck it,” and let the South go.

Deep Thoughts #264

No reasoned person needs to be told that Twitter should be chained to a rock and set on fire; but for all the morons out there, here you go.

408. Black Acre Brewing Company (Indianapolis, IN) - Sunsphere

No description apart from “hoppy wheat beer,” and it has a dirty-dishwater-brown color that is somewhat off-putting. It vaguely reminds me of iced tea, both in the flavor profile and the color; and it’s got shiny citrus and berry notes all over the place. The dry finish warms toward bitter, but doesn’t quite get there. I can’t decide if I like it or not—but I don’t want to drink another one, so that’s probably a sign.

407. 18th Street Brewery (Hammond, IN) - Crushed Marshmallow (#2)

“Berliner Weisse with Strawberry, Pineapple and Marshmallow.”

The previous iteration of Crushed Marshmallow that I tried was made with raspberries and blackberries, which complemented the natural sour flavor of the Berliner Weiss style. This version, with strawberries and pineapple, is sweeter—but not exactly sweet. It’s like a liquid version of strawberry Fruit Roll-Ups—and that ain’t a bad thing either.

406. 18th Street Brewery (Hammond, IN) - Shadow Dog

No description apart from “IPA with Tangerine,” but if I had not known it was an IPA going in, I might not have guessed. Not quite as rounded and smooth as a blonde ale, but close. The tangerine flavor comes from the zest or pith of the fruit rather than from the juice, so it’s not sweet; and that bright flavor lingers for a while. At 6.4%, it’s a relatively light IPA for 18th Street—but that ain’t a bad thing. I’m all for big, romantic beers, especially IPAs—which 18th Street does a ton of; but easy drinking and refreshing have their merits, too.

Deep Thoughts #263

I didn’t forget Puerto Rico; but it ain’t a state, and I keep to a character limit. Ask Paul Simon about DiMaggio’s name in “Mrs. Robinson.”

Deep Thoughts #262

Have Republicans ever wanted to federalize anything? Fifty states in the union form a…union. Republicans would do well to study the concept.

Deep Thoughts #261

The longer this pandemic shit goes on, the more I sound like a Republican. Please go get vaccinated—I don’t want to keep thinking like this!

Deep Thoughts #260

If people are coasting on the unemployment it’s because of panic-induced government-mandated lockdowns, which the government can pay to fix.

Deep Thoughts #259

People who are paid real salaries aren’t coasting on the unemployment. People who work at movie theatres and get paid shit might be, though.

Deep Thoughts #258

Why should Republicans say if they’re vaccinated or not? They only care about Right, not right. And you mental furballs still vote for them.

Deep Thoughts #257

Did you really say we should be talking more about freeing Britney than about being vaccinated? Republicans are dumb, but this is a new low.

405. Hop River Brewing Company (Fort Wayne, IN) - Lasers in the Jungle

“A modern India Pale Ale brewed with two new school American bred hops—Mosaic and Citra. Bitterness is overall low; while the aroma is complex and tropical.”

This is a very straighforward IPA that leans a little more toward Mosaic than Citra in the hop profile. It deepens a little as it warms up, but it’s not especially interesting in any way. The most noteworthy thing about this beer, for me, is that it represents a new Indiana city in this odyssey of mine. While there isn’t much else to remark about this ultra-conservative dead-end of a state, its craft beer scene is surprisingly vibrant—and not just in Indianapolis, a somewhat-reasoned outlier in a state that is otherwise what one of my buddies at the old juke joint refers to as, “the middle finger of the south.” Fort Wayne is the 21st Indiana city whose beer I have tried.

Deep Thoughts #256

No reasoned person needs to be told that Lindsey Graham is batshit-fucking-crazy, but really—go to war over shitty Jesus Chicken sandwiches?

404. Switchyard Brewing Company (Bloomington, IN) - Blackberry Wheat

“Brewed with over 200 lbs of Oregon Marionberries, chosen specifically for their bold, bright color, and fruity flavor, this semi-dry, unfiltered wheat ale is slightly tart with the flavor of berries from the vine.”

Both the berry flavor and the tartness are very light, and it has a smooth finish. It’s not as interesting as the Mango West Coast IPA, but it’s pretty good.

403. Switchyard Brewing Company (Bloomington, IN) - Mango West Coast IPA

“This spin on our classic West Coast IPA combines juicy mango and citrus-forward Cascade hops for a fun, balanced, tropical twist on our go-to IPA!”

Amy and I were fortunate enough to be able to take another of what I call our “three-day-weekends” and spend a couple of nights in Bloomington earlier this week, and after traipsing around campus for a while on Sunday, we stopped for a drink at Switchyard, where I wanted to pick up some carry-out for myself and one of my buddies at the old juke joint who also went to IU. On balance, I wish we had just stopped for the carry-out; between the screaming soccer assholes and the QR-code-menu shit, my patience wore thin pretty quick. Their carry-out prices are hard to beat, though ($9.99-$11.99 for a four-pack of tallboys, depending on style)—even if everything else about the place is unwelcoming AF. This mango version is not quite as in-your-face as the original West Coast IPA, mostly because the mild mango flavor balances some of the pine and spice. I wasn’t sure about the first one I tried a couple of days ago, but this third one is more interesting. The mango is more pronounced when it’s cold, and then a honey-like richness begins to develop as it warms up. With the fourth one, the mango sticks around a little bit longer, and they honey isn’t as big. I kinda wish I had more of these, but I don’t see myself going back to Switchyard anytime soon.

402. Firestone Walker Brewing Company (Paso Robles, CA) - Nectaron

“A continuation of our Propagator single hop hazy series, this time featuring Nectaron hops from New Zealand. Nectaron was just released for commercial brewers to use and we were lucky enough to work with this hop in previous years as an experimental hop known as Hort 4337. Nectaron was developed by breeder and good friend Ron Beaston and the hops we selected for this beer came from the Mac Farms owned and operated by the McGlashen family. The hop features punchy Southern Hemisphere tropical fruit characters including passion fruit notes but also has a familiar pacific [sic] Northwest Dankness that makes it complex and bold.”

Nice fruit flavors up front, and a smooth, dry finish. Very light and drinkable, but not especially interesting.

401. Urban Chestnut Brewing Company (St. Louis, MO) - STLIPA

“We pronounce it ‘sta-leep-ah”; you pronounce it how you like. STLIPA, which is the acronym for St. Louis India Pale Ale, is actually a DIPA (Double or Imperial IPA, double the stats of a traditional IPA). It showcases prominent grapefruit, pine, and floral hop aroma and a sufficient malt backbone to balance the hop bitterness. We hope it’s one you’ll include in your set of favorite DIPA’s from one of the best beer cities in the world St. Louis.”

It’s rich and sweet, like honey and pine sap, but the grapefruit doesn’t make itself known until it warms up a bit—at which point it makes its 8%-ness known as well. This beer is well executed, but it’s a little too heavy for me.

398. Crow Peak Brewing Co. (Spearfish, SD) - Pile O’Dirt

“Pile O’Dirt Porter falls into the robust porter category. This is a medium-bodied beer with moderate hop bitterness and negligible hop aroma and flavor. Pile O’Dirt Porter is brewed with the finest quality pale ale malt with Munich, Extra Special, Blackprinz and Chocolate malts added for color and flavor adjustment. Perle and Willamette hops are added to balance the sweet maltiness of this porter.”

Strong flavors of cocoa and dark chocolate, with a surprisingly smooth finish. We never made it up to Spearfish, and I never made it back to the gas station where I got this one to pick up either of the other Crow Peak beers they had. Wish I had, because this one was solid.

400. Black Acre Brewing Company (Indianapolis, IN) - Cherry Ol’ Fritz

“[Cherry] Ol’ Fritz is our seasonal tart wheat beer, in the style of a German Berliner Weisse, with cherry fruit.”

This version of Ol’ Fritz has a much deeper sour flavor than the original, and the big cherry flavor lingers very nicely. Black Acre is still one of the best breweries in Indianapolis, and this is one of the best beers they make.

399. Sun King (Indianapolis, IN) - Watermelon Sunlight Cream Ale

“Watermelon Sunlight puts a new twist on one of Indiana’s best-selling craft beers by combining watermelon flavor with smooth malt character and a crisp, clean finish.”

Much like the Orange Vanilla variant of Sunlight, this has no echo of the original Sunlight flavor at all. The watermelon flavor and aroma are huge and should probably be overpowering…but oddly enough, I don’t feel overpowered by them—and I don’t like watermelon. I shouldn’t like this beer, but I do.

397. Boulevard Brewing Co. (Kansas City, MO) - Tip Your Cap

“Tip Your Cap is a light and refreshing blonde ale perfect for afternoon baseball. Its subtle honey malt sweetness is rounded out with a touch of hops for a crisp finish.”

This is a nicely balanced blonde ale, with just a hint of honey, though that deepens as the beer warms up. I liked the two I had out of the cans while we were in Lenexa, but this one in the mug isn’t doing it for me.

396. Fernson Brewing Co. (Sioux Falls, SD) - Curio

“Curio is a sour ale full of intense citrus flavors that gives way to a lemonade and grapefruit finish. Spritzy and refreshing, this beer is perfect on a hot summer day.”

I don’t know if I get any specific fruit flavors, but it’s got a perfect balance of sour and grain, and it’s totally chuggable. Possibly the best sour I have ever tried—and it just so happens that I can check on that at the moment, because Black Acre recently tapped another batch of Cherry Ol’ Fritz, an exceptional sour that I have not seen for a couple of years. Regardless of whether it can top the Black Acre offering, this Fernson sour is the best thing I tried while we were in South Dakota.

395. City Barrel Brewing Company (Kansas City, MO) - Stratasphere

“3, 2, 1 lift off to the Stratosphere! This experimental Gravity Project IPA was brewed with a brand new hop, called Strata. Bursting with layers of berry, grapefruit and dankness it is a truly delicious adventure. Whether your vessel is a glass or a crowler, you’re going to incredible places with this one.”

And when you’ve been on the road for eight hours and find that your sister-in-law has laid in a six-pack of this stuff, you’re a pretty happy guy. That 8.1% ABV is going to melt away all of that road stress while you nosh on some authentic Kansas City barbecue. (It’s just a damn shame they ran out of burnt ends before we rolled into town.) Oh, but you wanted to know about the beer? It’s nice and hazy, with a lot of fruit going on, and a pretty good punch from the alcohol—especially as it warms up. Very, very nice when you’ve been on the road all day, and even pretty good if you’ve only spent an hour on the phone with some idiot from AT&T who can’t manage to figure out that the reason your phone isn’t working is because your kid is using up all the bandwidth running two devices, at top volume, at the same time.

394. Fernson Brewing Co. (Sioux Falls, SD) - Shy Giant

“At 7% ABV and 55 IBUs, it’s a big beer. It’s brewed with a healthy dose of Belma® and Mosaic hops, and dry hopped with Mosaic® and Citra® hops. It sounds like a giant—and it is— but it’s a giant with a lighter side. Grapefruit and citrus flavors create a beautiful nose followed by a balance of hop character and maltiness. This is a beer that doesn’t need to beat its chest to prove how strong it is. This is a beer that understands bigness without balance will only make you stumble. Sometimes it’s the shy giant who stands tallest.”

I had one of these out of a can at a crappy Rapid City chain restaurant, and then stopped in Sioux Falls on our way home for a carry-out six-pack. I gave one to Shane, and this is the fourth of the remaining five. Each one has tasted a little bit different. The one at the restaurant tasted like sweet, juicy stone fruit; and the ones I brought home tasted more like pine and citrus—until this one, which tastes like stone fruit again (with a little bit of bite from the alcohol, which I hadn’t noticed before). The fifth one is pine and citrus again—and either way, it’s an excellent beer.

392. Black Acre Brewing Company (Indianapolis, IN) - Noxious Beast

“Imperial Rye India Pale Ale.”

Because apparently the world needed an even bigger version of the already-robust Saucy Intruder. Who the hell am I to judge? It’s kind of like Saucy, except with an alcohol bite (11.2%) instead of a flavor bite. It was a little bit overpowering, but good to try.

393. Surly Brewing Co. (Minneapolis, MN) - Furious

“The beer that built Surly. Aggressively hopped and citrusy, but with a chewy, caramel backbone.”

I’m not sure it’s “chewy” or “caramel,” but there’s a rich-ish malt component that complements a moderate grapefruit flavor and delivers a very fine bitter finish. Though not from a South Dakota brewery, it was one of the best beers I tried on our trip.

391. Black Acre Brewing Company (Indianapolis, IN) - A Fine Soft Day

“Our Grissette [sic] was brewed using wind-dried Pilsner and Einkorn heritage wheat from Sugar Creek Malt Co. here in Indiana! Following traditions, A Fine Soft Day is a low-alcohol (4.3% ABV) beer that is light-bodied and slightly tart.”

Not quite refreshing, but almost. They’ve got it exactly right when they say “slightly tart.” There’s also a tiny little hint of funk in there. This is the first grisette I’ve ever tried, and it was a fine introduction to the style.

Deep Thoughts #266

If you believe Donald Trump won the 2020 election, then you are a stupid person who requires assistance. Seek professional help immediately.

390. St. Joseph Brewery (Indianapolis, IN) - Tangerine Wit

“This Belgian-style witbier is a light and refreshing wheat ale brewed with coriander, lemon peel and orange peel.”

That’s the description for their 64-Bit Wit, of which this is a tangerine variant with a pronounced, but not overpowering, flavor of tangerine on top of the bright coriander crispness of the witbier backbone. Possibly the best thing I’ve ever had from St. Joseph.

Deep Thoughts #265

Can this country even claim to have an education system if there are inbreeds who voted for Trump twice AND refuse to get the COVID vaccine?

Deep Thoughts #264

And here is yet another candy-ass Republican shit stain, pandering to the Trumpy mouth-breathers who control the fate of its useless career.

Deep Thoughts #263

So Republicans once again prove to be spineless cowards living in fear of misinformed Trumpy hilljack constituents. What a fucking surprise.

388. 18th Street Brewery (Hammond, IN) - Blud In Blud Out

“Mexican-style lager brewed with Bloody Butcher Corn & Blood Orange Puree.”

Very light, crisp lager, with a tiny hint of either orange or citrus on the back end—but it’s barely there. Not at all bad, just not very impressive.

389. 18th Street Brewery (Hammond, IN) - Pins and Needles

“New England style Double Dry Hopped Double IPA with Mosaic and Simcoe hops.”

Big, sweet flavors of stone fruit up front, with an ultra-smooth finish. Doesn’t taste remotely as big as it is (8.5%). Lil’ bit o’ citrus on the back end as it warms up. It’s hard to argue with a beer as well made as this one, but if I had my druthers, it would be just a tad sharper.

387. 18th Street Brewery (Hammond, IN) - Crushed Marshmallow

“Imperial Fruited Berliner Sour with Raspberries, Black Berries, and Marshmallow.”

There’s a really nice balance here between the tart fruit flavor and the rich sweetness of the marshmallow—as well as the crisp, refreshing back end that always seems to distinguish a Berliner Weiss from other sours. Fruit and sour flavors replace some of the crispness as it warms up, and it’s not the most refreshing Berliner Weiss I’ve ever had; but it might be the most flavorful and complex.

386. Revolution Brewing (Chicago, IL) - Apollo Hero

“A shining champion arrives with a bright spectrum of complementary hops, guided by the dank, resinous Apollo. Complex hop expression lands in a soft, smooth body and finishes with a refreshing bite.”

I would not have said dank, because of course I would not have. There is a rounded, almost sweet flavor of stone fruit, but no bite, and nothing I would think of as either dank or resinous. But I don’t know shit about shit. Maybe the second one will offer me something in the way of instruction. I could open my own taproom and start making my own beer, and it would only cost something like half a mil, so I’m prolly just gonna keep shucking popcorn at the handful of far-north-side elderly who are willing to leave their homes for entertainment. When I do start brewing, it will be with Mosaic—which this one does not contain. So the circle is now complete; when I left you, I was but the learner—now I am the Master.

385. Revolution Brewing (Chicago, IL) - Mosaic Hero

“The namesake hop summons a lush monsoon of pineapple, mango, and papaya to wash over a lightly toasted body. The perfect tropical storm wraps up a light touch of pine for balance.”

Two Mosaics in a row is more of a happy accident than any kind of plan, and this one is hop forward in a way that I suspect the previous one wanted to be. Here we have pine and tropical fruit dancing together happily like George and Lorraine at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance. (No, I’m not providing a link by way of explanation; if you need a link to appreciate that reference, then I can’t help you.) Is there a “lightly toasted body” floating around somewhere in the cheap seats? I can’t quite tell, but there are two more of these in this charming 12-pack. If I change my mind about it, I shall surely report it in a timely fashion. (But whether I discover that flavor or not, this is what I want a Mosaic IPA to be.)