225. Quaff ON! Brewing Co. (Nashville, IN) - Pineapple QTFO!

“Quaff ON!’s Pineapple QTFO! adds a twist of pineapple to our smooth-drinking IPA, enhancing and blending seamlessly with the tropical hop aroma.”

Today was our first foray back into the world of dine-in restaurant service, and we wound up at the Big Woods in Speedway; unfortunately, we were seated directly in the sun, and I had a little bit of trouble concentrating on the beer while my forearms were cooking. Noticeable shot of pineapple up front, and a smooth, dry finish.

Originally posted on June 14, 2020

TAKE TWO (December 25, 2022): This beer not only needs to warm up, it also needs to breathe. If you popped one open, took a sip immediately, and then ate a cracker and took a second sip of the same beer that had been poured into a mug and allowed to sit for five minutes, you might think you were tasting two different beers. Right out of the bottle, I get a shot of bitterness up front that almost completely masks the pineapple flavor; but boy-howdy...once it's been poured and allowed to sit for a few minutes, there's nice, ripe pineapple and papaya up front, and a dry finish that's just perky enough to make me want to say, "Good afternoon!" There are plenty of Big Woods restaurants, but not enough (read: any, at least in counties other than Brown) places where Quaff ON! beer is the focus—and I am at a loss to explain that, because their food is only mediocre (at best), while their beer is really, really good. They don't seem to do much of the fancy stuff anymore, which is unfortunate (and if it's a function of opening too many new restaurants, then it's definitely time for them to hit the brakes and come to a better understanding of where their strengths lie—hint: the answer is neither fish nor chips); but I would dearly love to have a place nearby where I could go to try more varieties of their beer on a more regular basis.

510. Upland Brewing Co. (Bloomington, IN) - Bourbon Barrel Teddy Bear Kisses W/ Cacao & Hazelnut

“You guys like Nutella?! Well, brace yourself [sic], Hazelnut TBK is coming. The delicious flavors of chocolate and hazelnut are the inspiration for this beer. The rich chocolaty, roasty coffee, and molasses flavors that combine with the oaky, bourbon, and vanilla flavors of barrel aging are complimented [sic] by the subtle hazelnut to make a delicious treat. As is our custom with most variants, the hazelnut is present but not overpowering, allowing the barrel aged beer to be the forefront. Reminiscent of flavored coffee, Nut Goodies, or chocolaty Nutella, it’s a treat for your mouth. Special processes and special ingredients used: Boiled for 3 hours to increase gravity as well as caramelize sugars. Molasses and dry malt extract are added to the boil to increase gravity as well. Aged on Cholaca, a liquefied cacao nib product. After aging 4 weeks we transfer the beer into Willett bourbon barrels and age for 7 months and recirculated [sic] with hazelnut extract.”

The first sip is mostly alcohol, and it leads you directly to the strong flavor from the bourbon barrel. There’s a little bit of sweetness in there to round it out, but any other flavors that might be present are almost entirely buried in this disappointing bait and switch. They’re there, but they’re in the weeds—far to the east of subtle. (And if you can separate the molasses from the bourbon barrel, you’re a better beer taster than I am.) The alcohol is so strong (11% ABV) that it even overpowers their bad writing.

Deep Thoughts #303

Georgia did well to re-elect Senator Warnock; but Herschel Walker got over a million votes. There are way too many stupid fucking Georgians.

508. Black Dog Brewing Company (Mooresville, IN) - That’s So Metal

“Raise your hands, brothers and sisters in Metal! You are about to partake in a divine gift from the Metal Gods! One sip of this Coffee Milk Stout will have you banging your head and rockin’ all night long. Smooth roastiness combined with deep coffee flavors from Strange Brew’s Robot Rampage blend is what sets this beer apart. We toast you, Metal Head. Now go forth and rock!”

Um. Yeah…you know what, I’m going to continue being charitable and not comment on the writing. Unfortunately, all I have left to comment on is the beer, and this one is unremarkable. It’s…you know…a coffee milk stout. The coffee flavor is there, but the lactose is a little heavy. It’s a bit thick and sticky, and those are not words that should apply to beer. But it’s not bad. I’m not actually sure what the hell is going on here.

507. Bare Hands Brewery (Granger, IN) - Thai.P.A.

“Thai.P.A., an experimental IPA brewed with thai [sic] spices has been in high demand since it’s [sic] masterful creation in 2010. We added thai [sic] palm-sugar, lemon grass [sic], kaffir lime leaf, and galangal (thai [sic] ginger) late in the boil to create a citrusy ale with a spiced finish. Thai spices mingle with Columbus and Cascade Hops to create a unique balance. American 2-row barley and crystal malts combine for a crisp, dry finish.”

I don’t remember where I had this for the first time—it was either from a can I got at Parti-Pak, or on tap while waiting for takeout at Thaitanium on Mass Ave. Wherever it was, I loved it. The lemongrass and galangal were subtle but evident up front, and that was enough to make it lovely. (I don’t recall much else about the first one I tried.) The one I had today was also good, but less impressive. I didn’t get lemongrass up front this time—but it did creep up there on the back end. No galangal, and nothing else of note, so definitely not the experience I had the first time. But not bad at all.

509. Sun King (Indianapolis, IN) - Scout Badge

“Scout Badge is a Porter brewed with Samoa Cookies for flavors of chocolate, caramel, and coconut.”

The only redeeming thing about the fact that Jackson’s choir rehearsals this season are in the middle of Sunday afternoon is that we frequently wind up at Twenty Tap for lunch. This place has great food and a great tap list, but more important, it’s also a place that Amy genuinely likes. Very few places check all three of those boxes. We had lunch there today, and I was only part of the way down the tap list when I saw Thai.P.A. from Bare Hands, which I haven’t had in forever and have apparently not remarked upon, either. I had already ordered that one when I got to the bottom of the tap list and saw this one. I don’t even have words for how much I love Samoas cookies. I’ve seen the ice cream with Samoas in it at the grocery store, but somehow the thought of combining two nutritional nightmares like ice cream and Samoas is a bridge too far for me. But beer brewed with Samoas? Oh. Hell. Yeah. Did I mention it was on nitro? I could smell it even before I took the first sip, and it was exactly right. The taste was exactly right, too. It’s liquid Samoas Girl Scout cookies in a glass. It would be wonderful even if it wasn’t on nitro, but with the nitro, it’s like drinking a beer and getting a smooth, creamy hug at the same time. One of the best Sun King beers I’ve ever tried.

Deep Thoughts #302

I would add a Why Todd Rokita Sucks label to the blog, but people who don’t already know that probably can’t read and wouldn’t learn anyway.

Deep Thoughts #301

Anyone with half a brain knows that Todd Rokita is a right-wing piece of shit. Now the rest of the world knows that he is a lawbreaker, too.