555. Taxman Brewing Co. (Bargersville, IN) - Evasion

Can’t find a description of this one, but the can says “bourbon barrel,” and it’s dated 4/19/2018. This is another gift from my buddy Shane, and at least on the first sip, it’s definitely tasting like it’s aged better than the previous version of this beer that he gifted me. The bourbon barrel flavor is strong up front, but the chocolatey stout-ness tempers it somewhat. That bourbon flavor also partially masks the 13% ABV. There’s also a pleasant sweetness that develops as it warms up. I didn’t have a strong opinion of the coffee/vanilla version I tried a few weeks ago, but this one is excellent.

Indianapolis Beer News #2

Kismetic Beer Company has been nominated by USA Today as one of the best new breweries in the country. You can vote for them here, and please do. Not just because I like them, but because Nicole and Ryan are genuinely a class act and are making some of the best beer in Indianapolis right now.

554. West Sixth Brewing (Louisville, KY) - IPA

“Our India Pale Ale has Citrus as the obvious star. Over the backbone of bready malt and pine stickiness you will find notes of peaches, lemon zest, dank grassiness, pine needles, and tangerines. Each sip is followed by a dangerously drinkable amount of resinous glamour.”

Um. So…my notes from the other night, when I tried one on tap at Pub by Novo in Bowling Green, say, “rolling bitter finish after a vaguely fruity taste up front. fruit is light and indeterminate.” This one, out of a can, in the friendly confines of my aboveground lair and poured into a mug from which so much paint has peeled in the last year and a half that it only barely resembles the Hog’s Head Inn souvenir I got at Universal Orlando, tastes pretty much exactly like the one I tried on tap a couple of days ago. If I actually tasted all of those things, and if it was, in fact, “dangerously drinkable,” then this would be an extremely excellent IPA. Alas…I do not taste those things, and at 7% ABV it is certainly not “drinkable,” whether “dangerously” so or otherwise. However…having said all that…I am coming to find that I can taste a hint of peach mixed in with that lingering bitter finish. It’s also maybe a touch smoother as it warms, but I don’t think that’s enough to reccomend it.

553. West Sixth Brewing (Louisville, KY) - Cerveza

“Our take on a light Mexican lager is crisp with a pleasant cracker like malt character with notes of corn and a low amount of hops to create a quenching and sessionable lager.”

Tried this at the Guaca Mole restaurant where we stopped for lunch in Louisville this past Sunday, on the way to Mammoth Cave. Almost passed, but then double-checked the minuscule tap list and realized that I didn’t recognize this brewery. It’s very similar to the El Gato from Centerpoint that I tried recently, though the hint of corn or tortilla chip is perhaps slightly less pronounced. Not sure this one had an echo of anything else in it at all, whereas El Gato may have a little bit of citrus there on the back end. Not bad, and certainly sessionable at 4.6% ABV; but again, not something that I feel like I want to pay craft beer prices for.

Deep Thoughts #310c

Of course, the Trumpy simpletons there should fuck off and die, preferably without reproducing—or book seats on the next sub to the Titanic.

Deep Thoughts #310b

But, once in a great while, you find the wayward denizen or two of Hamilton or Boone county that actually has a brain and chooses to use it.

Deep Thoughts #310a

The bedroom communities north of 96th Street are vast Republican wastelands, filled with mental defectives who voted for Donald Trump twice.

552. Taxman Brewing Co. (Bargersville, IN) - Evasion

“A small-batch variant of 2018 Evasion conditioned in rum barrels with cold-press coffee from Tinker Coffee Co.”

This was a gift from my buddy Shane, who got it from one of his buddies; and since Shane had already tried it, he was kind enough to pass this one along to me, with the caveat that it had obviously been sitting around for at least five years. I don’t know much about cellaring beer, so I’m not sure how its age is affecting the taste—but it doesn’t taste bad or off. It has more of a coffee mouthfeel than a coffee flavor, and I suspect that the rum flavor from the barrels may have faded. (It certainly doesn’t taste strongly of rum the way that Wooden Cask’s RedRum does.) It also doesn’t taste as strongly of alcohol as I would have expected for something that clocks in at 13% ABV. (I do, however, feel that high ABV kicking in as I get toward the end of it.) All told, not bad—but almost certainly not what it would have been when it was freshly tapped.

551. New Glarus Brewing Co. (New Glarus, WI) - Serendipity

“Severe Drought, we shared the farmer’s horror as Wisconsin’s cherry crop failed! Dan bought what cherries he could. The apple crop fared better. Then joy! A grand Wisconsin cranberry harvest. What will Dan brew with Apples, Cranberries and Cherries? Oh my! You hold the happy accident of Wisconsin’s favorite fruit aged in oak with an almost magical wild fermentation. Serendipity is a wondrous celebration that sparkles your senses and dances across your palate. A kaleidoscope of flavor discovered by accident in a sour ale!”

Um. The strong apple and cherry flavors are almost perfectly balanced, but the cranberry gets lost in the shuffle with the sour taste on the back end. The ABV is only 4%, but it feels heavier, somehow. Not sure if I like it or not, but it’s pretty well done.

550. Sun King (Indianapolis, IN) - Fuzzy Fresh

“Fuzzy Fresh is a Fuzzy Navel-inspired ale packed with orange and peach character.”

I’ve never had a Fuzzy Navel, but I can imagine that this is pretty close. The first sip tastes strongly of peach schnapps, but the orange juice flavor builds in on subsequent sips, as does a slightly malty finish. At only 5.3% ABV, you could probably drink this all day—but the fruit flavor has a little too much bite for me to want more than one of them at a time. It would probably be a little more effective with a higher ABV.

549. Centerpoint Brewing Company (Indianapolis, IN) - El Gato

“El Gato is a smooth Mexican Lager that is thirst quenching and easy-drinking. Notes of corn and bread crust on the aroma give way to a grainy and sweet corn chip taste. A tight white head lingers and gives a crisp finish even on the hottest of days. Brewed in collaboration with Square Cat Vinyl, who did the can label artwork.”

Extraordinarily light, both in taste and color, it does have something of a corn chip flavor to it—but that is also very light. It’s very well done, and I like it; but a beer like this just isn’t interesting enough to merit craft beer prices.

548. Brew Link Brewing Company (Plainfield, IN) - Double-O

“If you went to the grocery store and found no cookies, don’t blame us. Over 50lbs of those famous chocolate and creme sandwich cookies have been added to this milk stout because why not?”

Because are the Oreo people as psycho about their trademark shit as the NFL and the way it embargoes “Super Bowl?” If so, then fuck the Oreo people, too. This one genuinely tastes like liquid Oreos—which is absolutely a-okay with me. The chocolate flavor begins to dominate as the beer warms, but it still tastes like Oreos; and the 9.0% ABV is kind of awesome.

547. Brew Link Brewing Company (Plainfield, IN) - Nuttercup

“If you’re reading this then you are probably not a peanut. That’s because we drowned them all to make this well balanced, full-bodied and sweet chocolate peanut butter porter. Need we say more? Oh, if you are a peanut reading this, we suggest you run.”

Strong peanut butter on the nose, but a more balanced chocolate and peanut butter flavor; and it’s not really sweet at all. Crisp up front and dry on the back end. The menu at the restaurant downtown describes it as “liquid Reese’s Pieces,” but it doesn’t quite get there. Not bad…but not Peanut Butter Busted Knuckle.

546. Rogue Ales (Newport, OR) - Batsquatch

“For years rumors have circled that deep in the woods on Mt. St. Helens lives the fabled Batsquatch. While there are many tales of Batsquatch, they are all a bit hazy on the details, which makes the truth such a juicy mystery. So what better way to honor the elusive legend than with a hazy IPA? Perfect for camping and potentially making a new friend. This juicy, cloudy IPA features intense tropical flavors and aromas.”

Um. Those first two sentences sort of make me cringe; the can art is pretty dope, though, so maybe that makes up for it. Anyway…it has a very smooth fruit flavor up front, and finishes just barely on the dry side. The hazy appearance and the almost-sweet fruit flavor make it feel a little heavy, and it’s just a hair’s breadth short of being interesting. A slightly higher ABV (it clocks in at 6.7%, which ain’t shabby) or more of a bitter finish would give it some welcome balance.

545. Deschutes Brewery (Bend, OR) - Cosmic Creatures

“Savor the unexpected with an experimental IPA that is truly out of this world. Crack one open to unleash bright notes of grapefruit and guava.”

There is a very pronounced fruit flavor up front, and since I don’t recognize that flavor and also have no real idea what guava tastes like, I’m going to assume that it’s the guava they advertise. I also get a little bit of grapefruit, but it’s much more subtle, contributing more to the slightly bitter finish than to the flavor. At 6% ABV, it’s light for an IPA—but a touch heavy to be thought of as a session. It’s not as good as Fresh Squeezed, but it might be slightly more interesting. Maybe.

544. Field Brewing (Westfield, IN) - Home Field

No description other than “Rye IPA,” though that’s pretty much all you need to get me on board. It ain’t Saucy Intruder, but then, nothing is Saucy Intruder. (One of these days, the new Scarlet Lane in Irvington is going to start pouring their version of that beer—though it should be noted that I ain’t holding my breath; but I digress.) It’s actually pretty good. The spice in the rye is right there up front, and at 6% ABV, it’s more drinkable than Saucy Intruder…but it ain’t Saucy Intruder. That may not be fair, but it’s all I got.