Deep Thoughts #306

Donald…you sore loser lying piece of unqualified shit…anyone who thinks you won in 2020 in a landslide is an inbred brainless fucking moron.

Deep Thoughts #305

When a writer pimps her book on LitHub and says she wants you to read her sex scenes—and then there fucking aren’t any!—do you feel cheated?

534. Toppling Goliath Brewing Co. (Decorah, IA) - Radiant Haze

“Mellow out as you bask in the Radiant Haze of Citra, Mosaic and Strata hops. Open your third eye and follow this hazy IPA on a tropical trip with notes of orange and mango. Brewed in collaboration with Radiant Beer Company.”

Very strong pine flavor up front, with a resiny finish and some tropical and stone fruit on the back end as it warms up. It’s the kind of IPA that everybody making IPAs today is shooting for, and also the kind of beer that people who don’t like IPAs will point at and say, “See? This is what I’m talking about. It’s a hot fucking mess.” And it is. But I love IPAs, and this is as IPA as it gets. Stoney’s charges too much for most of the Toppling Goliath stuff they sell, but this was just $13.99 for a four-pack of tallboys. Totally worth it. These cats are making some of the best IPAs going.

533. Moontown Brewing Company (Whitestown, IN) - Hefczkowski

“A traditional unfiltered Bavarian style wheat beer brewed with malted German wheat, featuring subtle fruity yeast-derived notes of banana and spicy clove.”

I’ve never been big on the Hefeweizen style, and I’m still not sure I’m a believer—but the Banana Nut Bread Hefeweizen they tapped out of recently at Kismetic was so good that I am now willing to consider the style. This one is light and, indeed, subtle, with just hints of banana, and a spice that very well could be clove, but which doesn’t bowl me over with its presence. (I have never been big on clove at all, in any application—beer-related or otherwise.) This beer isn’t nearly as good as their Brown County mash-up, but between this and the two Hefeweizens I’ve had at Kismetic, I’m coming around to this style in a big hurry.

531. Moontown Brewing Company (Whitestown, IN) - Brown County

“Our continued journey through the Pints for Parks series has us traveling south to Nashville arriving at our 7th park, Brown County. We created a delightful beer for the time of year, and extremely fitting for our parks series. An India Brown Ale, described by Dogfish Head as the prototypical dark IPA and an original hybrid. Our IBA truly is the thoughtful melding of wonderful aspects from different beer types to create a one of a kind sensory drinking experience. Close your eyes and take a good inhale from your fresh pour, it smells like a juicy IPA. Take a sip and experience a citrusy tropical ride into a luxurious brown ale. This big brown ale is brewed with a big base of our local Sugar Creek Malt Company’s Ye Olde, chocolate rye along with a couple other specialty malts, and a unique addition of Belgian Candi brown sugar lending dark druit and molasses characteristics. We balanced it with classic west coast hops Nugget and Chinook, then dry hopped heftily with Simcoe, Amarillo, and Cascade. It’s complex from the first smell and sip, allow this to warm and open up into an even more intricate brown ale. Journey on, thank you for supporting the parks!”

I’ve been wanting to try this place forever. I see the signs every time we go up 65 (which we did a lot while the world was shitting the bed), but this past weekend, when we drove up to Chicago for our anniversary, (20 years!), I decided to make it a point to stop there. The main impetus is that they have been doing a series called “Pints for Parks,” featuring beers inspired by or dedicated to state parks here in Indiana. The one on tap when we stopped there was Brown County, which calls itself an “India Brown Ale.” I’m not sure if this is a style or a mash-up, but whatever it is, it’s pretty fucking good. Dark and creamy, with a vaguely fruit-ish hop punch there at the end. Dried fruit as it warms up, and a nice bitter finish. End of the day, I think it’s a brown ale with something of an IPA punch. It’s also lovely and amazing (much like Emily Mortimer).

532. Off Color Brewing (Chicago, IL) - Beer for Kings

“The parti-gyle first runnings provide a high gravity for this 9% ABV wheat wine. The first sniff bursts with cantaloup [sic][?], guava, and peach sangria notes, while the first sip is surprisingly light from the high percentage of modern wheat as well as einkorn wheat, believed to be the first domesticated wheat variety. The mid-body provides a resiny boost and transitions to a moderate bitterness. The rich, intense flavor profile may make you at least partially empathize the immense greed of the ruling class.”

There’s more on the website, but that’s all I feel like transcribing. This is a collab with the Field Museum for a new exhibit on European kings, and a week removed from our three-day-weekend in Chicago, I am finally giving it a go. Not sure I should have paid $20 for a four-pack of 12-ounce cans, but I would not have known it was a thing if I hadn’t stopped in the gift shop at the museum. I could have had it for $12.99 at the taproom, but that would have required driving to wherever the hell the taproom is; and we did not drive while we were in Chicago. We parked in the hotel’s parking garage when we got there, and we didn’t get back into the car until we left, almost three days later. We walked—everywhere! (Well, okay…mostly inside the Loop, but still.) Not sure I’m getting any of that fruit up front, though there is a moderate (and pleasant) peach aftertaste. The combination of the fruit and the wheat give it a very smooth mouthfeel that does not remotely taste like 9% ABV. It does taste a little heavy, though. The finish is very smooth—vaguely sweet at first, and then just barely kissing the edge of dry. That 9% kicks in pretty quick, too. Pretty sure I like it, but two is definitely the limit.

530. Kismetic Beer Company (Indianapolis, IN) - Hoppy Irish Red

“This take on an Irish Red was inspired by the Pink Boots hop blend from Yakima Chief. We began with a rich malt base of Maris Otter, some Caramunich and Carafa for caramel and color, and a hefty dose of Rye for some spice. Loral, Ekuanot, and HBC 586 in the hop blend add notes of citrus and herbal, woodsy spice. Malty and nutty, with flavors of bright clementine and pine. This beer was brewed by women from all around the Indy beer industry, and a portion of all pints sold will be donated to our local Pink Boots chapter to help fund education opportunities for our members!”

Beautifully complex, this beer starts out roasty and smoky and then comes in fruity and hoppy (with a touch of caramel) on the back end as it warms up. The second one, one day later, is slightly more fruity—but still malty and smoky and roasty. Very fine.

529. Kismetic Beer Company (Indianapolis, IN) - New England IPA

“Lotus, Amarillo, and Mandarina Bavaria combine to offer aromas of sweet clementine and tropical fruits. Pale ale malt base with flaked oats, flaked wheat, and wheat keep the body creamy and rich.”

This is my new favorite place to go after work to write for an hour and drink two beers. I want to like the new Scarlet Lane, where Black Acre used to be, but I don’t yet. This place has a nice vibe, vaguely kitschy post-modern art-deco decor, and some very fine low-ABV beers. This one has a nice haze to it, and very light orange flavors up front, before a very fine dry finish. I’m not sure I get the smooth taste of the oat in the grain profile, but the two I have had have poured very cold, so that might have something to do with it. Ryan’s shtick is low ABV, so IPAs might be somewhat outside of his wheelhouse—but this is not bad. (It also ain’t great, but it is pleasant and very drinkable.)