572. WarPigs USA Brewing (Munster, IN) - Blinding Light Show

“From out of the darkness comes the light. Blinding Light Show IPA wields bold citrus and tropical flavours of illuminating refreshment. All that was hidden shall be revealed.”

They say that this is an “ale brewed with orange and lemon peels,” and I suppose, if we take them at their word about using peels (rather than zest), that we can extrapolate an amount of citrus flavor from the finish, which is bitter in much the same way that citrus peels are bitter. The finish smooths out as the beer warms, but I never get the bright citrus flavor that makes me think of zest. I am beginning to believe that I have tried too many IPAs—that I have perhaps become desensitized to the style; this is an excellent beer (as are the other WarPigs joints I have tried), but I am unimpressed. I hope that this is a temporary sensation. (I also hope that pink-clad idiots being instructed by their social media masters to go see a bubble gum movie they have no hope of understanding is also a temporary sensation—and that all of them die screaming in a fire, hopefully on their way home from the movie, before they have a chance to reproduce and pox the world with their monosyllabic hellspawn.)

571. Quaff ON! Brewing Co. (Nashville, IN) - Peanut Butter and Jelly

This isn’t an actual beer that these cats brew…this is a mash-up that my buddy Shane recommended. Finally got around to it today (on my mom’s dime, ‘cause I’m a fucking cheapskate), so here we go. It’s a mash-up of Peanut Butter Busted Knuckle and Six Foot Strawberry Blonde that Shane says is remarkably like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich; and if you haven’t had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, then I can’t fucking help you. The strawberry lingers way past the peanut butter, and the whole thing is sort of like a Godiva chocolate-covered strawberry beating the shit out of a Reese’s peanut butter cup. (Which, in no uncertain terms, is fucking awesome.) These are two of my all-time favorite beers, and together they make something that is both bizarre and amazing. As it warms, it becomes a peanut butter cup sitting on the face of the chocolate-covered strawberry…but you know what? That’s kind of awesome, too.

568. Henderson Brewing Co. (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) - Xanabrew

“Xanabrew is the latest release in the Henderson X Rush series of limited edition beers, complementing their flagship Rush Canadian Golden Ale. Belgian Golden Strong Ale brewed with Freeze-Dried Honeydew Melon, Huell Melon Hops & Niagara Riesling Juice. Complex & delicate notes of apple, pear, stone fruit, honey dew, citrus, and spice (sage, cracked black pepper). This beer finishes dry, which allows the esters and phenolic characters to take centre stage.”

Three of the four Rush beers that I recently acquired are described as “Belgian strong ale,” and this one, at 10.5%, is the mild one. It’s got a hint of funk, and a hint of citrus. The finish is dry and boozy, and there’s a bit of stone fruit or melon that lingers way past the back end. Very well crafted, but it doesn’t make my socks roll up and down.

Did I listen to "Xanadu" while I was drinking it? Reader, I did.

“Nevermore shall I return—Escape these caves of ice.”

Deep Thoughts #312

Hang on…are you saying that Rudy Guiliani was lying? It cannot be. He’s a patriotic Republican who defends Trump the Rapist. He’d never lie!

570. Henderson Brewing Co. (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) - Signals

“Rush and Henderson are proud to announce the third in their series of premium Belgian-inspired beers. ‘Signals’ is a classic Belgian-style blonde with Riesling must and cold-pressed apples, delivering complex aromas of stone fruit, peach and mild spice that carry through to a warming finish. This release is all the more special for us at the brewery because the fire hydrant that adorns the album cover was manufactured, almost a century ago, just 100 or so meters away at 137 Sterling Road.”

Nice wine-like character up front, with some apple peel there on the back end. Very nice dry finish that brings some of the sweet fruit flavor along with the bite of the high alcohol (12.9% ABV). A touch more interesting, on first taste, than the Xanabrew I tried yesterday.

"A boy lies in the grass with one blade stuck between his teeth. A vague sensation quickens in his young and restless heart."

569. Metazoa Brewing Co. (Indianapolis, IN) - Black-Tie Optional

“For this can collaboration, Metazoa Brewing Co. is donating 5% of can sales to the Indianapolis Zoo in honor of Indianapolis Prize Winner, Dr. Pablo Borboroglu, and his work with penguin species. Black-Tie Optional honors the Magellanic penguin and its successful conservation story. This South African penguin is always dressed in black and white because its feather pattern is a form of camouflage. Black-Tie Optional is a crisp & refreshing Cold IPA that’s dressed up enough to impress, yet casual enough to enjoy in any setting."

Light flavors of stone fruit up front, with a dry finish. Oddly unremarkable for a Metazoa joint.

567. Cedar Creek Brewing Company (Martinsville, IN) - Peanut Butter Porter

“We took our award-winner base porter and added the sweet and nutty flavors of peanut butter! Smooth in mouthfeel and body - a base of chocolate and malt (with a minimal bit of roast) are blended together with peanut butter to craft a beer like a peanut-butter cup in a can!”

Picked up a four-pack of this in Nashville last weekend, and the first couple I tried tasted very strongly of peanut butter—almost like a liquid Nutter Butter cookie; but this last one has a more balanced combination of chocolate and peanut butter, with a slightly chalky finish that reminds me of unsweetened cocoa powder. The ones that tasted strongly of peanut butter made me think for a second that this was a beer that might give Quaff ON!’s Peanut Butter Busted Knuckle a run for its money; this last one has disabused me of that notion. It’s not bad—it just has really stiff competition.

566. Cedar Creek Brewing Company (Martinsville, IN) - Haze Storm

“Haze Storm is Cedar Creek Brewing Company’s take on a New England IPA (NEIPA). Double dry hopped to the brim, the huge citrus notes carry through both the flavor and aroma and are accented by a soft and smooth mouthfeel. Finishing with a touch of sweetness, a bit of dankness, and a minimal hop bite, Haze Storm is incredibly refreshing and one of our most loved brews at the tap room!”

I didn’t even know this place existed. Found it by accident while we were walking around Nashville last weekend. This beer has all kinds of things going on; some of them are New England IPA-ish, and some are not. And you know what? It doesn’t matter. Regardless of what they call it, they have produced a beer that is delicious, satisfying, and complex; and it seems to get better with—quite literally—every single sip.

565. Switchyard Brewing Company (Bloomington, IN) - Bill the Flamingo

“A big tropical burst comes in a smaller package! Enjoy this light, fruity pale ale that drinks easy but still brings the tropical hop-forward flavor you expect.”

There’s a faint echo of fruit flavor, but it gets lost in the malt backbone and the dry finish. It’s not bad, but it makes me think the same thing I think almost every time I try a session—you could drink it all day, but why would you want to?

564. Quaff ON! Brewing Co. (Nashville, IN) - Hoverweizen

“Hoverweizen is a German wheat beer known as hefeweizen—a term that literally translates to “yeast wheat.” Due to the yeast that stays in the suspension, this style is known for its haziness. Quaff ON! uses the oldest cultivated yeast strain in the world for Hoverweizen.”

Ryan at Kismetic set the bar pretty high for this style with his Banana Nut Bread Hefeweizen, which I have not yet documented, though you can be sure that if they bring it back this fall (which I am told that they might), it will be posted at that time. This one is more straightforward than either of Ryan’s (he also brews a traditional hefeweizen), with a lingering banana flavor and a hint of orange on the back end. Perfectly fine, but not remarkable. If you haven’t been to Kismetic yet, you absolutely have to run—don’t walk. Everything he and Nicole are doing is good, and his beers will give you a new appreciation for the degree of flavor that can be packed into low ABV brews.

Taproom: Metal Works Brewing Company (Bloomington, IN) - UPDATED

I’ve been on the fence about this place ever since Function Brewing announced that they were selling their business to the Bloomington-based Endeavor Hospitality Group. Function’s posts on the social-media-website-that-shall-not-be-named are lost to history, but my recollection is that they sold to Endeavor because Endevaor said they would keep to the spirit of what Function had been doing. If Endeavor did make that claim, they have not stuck to it; they acquired a space that was already built out as a brewery and a restaurant, they slapped their own theme on it, and they bid the former tenants adieu.

You may have noticed that something similar seems to have happened with the Scarlet Lane Irvington location, which has yet to tap a single keg of their versions of either Natural Liberty or Saucy Intruder. They ran through the Natural Liberty that was left when Black Acre closed (which was a lot); and the Drinks menu on the Irvington page [accessed 7/16/23] claims that Saucy Intruder is “Coming Soon”—but that page has been making that claim for some time. (And yet, they’ve still managed to tap a number of kegs of their own stuff, despite what they claim to be grain supply shortages—which no other brewer that I am aware of has been complaining about—and a general amount of falling behind on production that they blame on “unplanned construction.”)

561. Metal Works Brewing Company (Bloomington, IN) - The Welder
“Crisp American-style IPA with Simcoe, Cascade, Centennial, and Amarillo hops.”
But I digress. I finally decided to give Metal Works Brewing Company, which is what assimilated Function Brewing, a try while we were in Bloomington this weekend. And I went into it with an open mind…I swear to Darwin that I did…but it just didn’t work for me. We got into town late Thursday afternoon, checked in at the hotel, and then headed downtown. Amy had a glass of wine from their meager selection, and I had this American-style IPA, which was lightly carbonated and had some kind of vague fruit flavor that eventually sort of resolved into something that might have been a shadow of amaretto. This was followed by a slightly bitter finish that smoothed out as the beer warmed. Not impressive.

562. Metal Works Brewing Company (Bloomington, IN) - Scrapyard
“The mosaic [sic] hops shine hazely [sic] in this light take on a NEIPA. Light, easy drinking, with a low bitterness profile. Hops contribute to the flavor and appearance, but not to the bitterness.”
Um. This one was also lightly carbonated, but had very nice peach notes that lingered quite awhile on the back end. It also has a smooth finish that is, oddly, both sweet and dry. Not bad…but I hope this low carbonation thing doesn’t become a theme here.

563. Metal Works Brewing Company (Bloomington, IN) - Journeyman Session IPA
“Rotating single hopped session IPA.”
Sessions tend to be light on both flavor and alcohol, but the former is not the case here. The 4.5% ABV fits the session profile, but the prominent tropical fruit flavor and the pleasantly bitter finish are both unusually strong for the style. Easily the best of the three beers I tried at Metal Works this past weekend.

560. Big Lug Brewing Co. (Indianapolis, IN) - Baewatch

“Good running on beach, good in a bathing suit, good from your dinner table. Classic Hefeweizen with a heaping amount of passionfruit to livin’ [sic] up your mood and get you in a beachier state of mind.”

Um. So the writing is obviously fucking terrible, and if this is what passionfruit tastes like, then I don’t ever need to taste it again. There’s a sort of sour flavor going on that obscures whatever there might be in the way of Hefeweizen flavors, though that sort of moderates a little bit as it warms. I’m going to go ahead and follow my initial inclination to dislike it—partly because it doesn’t taste at all like a Hefeweizen, but mostly because that is maybe the worst fucking name for a beer ever.

543. Field Brewing (Westfield, IN) - Reunion

“IPA brewed with real Tangerine and Grapefruit, while moderately dry hopped.”

The first time I tried this, I wrote that the “citrus flavors are a little more pronounced when it’s cold, but it’s still pretty good when it warms up.” The first one from a second four-pack, many weeks later, is smoother and more tropical. The second one from the same four-pack has more of the tangerine and grapefruit flavor. Wasn’t sure I liked this one the first time, but it has a complexity that’s growing on me.

Deep Thoughts #311

It’s almost hard to believe that the mental furballs on social media could possibly misunderstand an obvious application of satirical humor.

559. Kismetic Beer Company (Indianapolis, IN) - Lemon Cream Earl Grey American Wheat Ale

“Brewed for these hot summer days, we hot and cold steeped this light wheat beer with Nelson Tea’s Lemon Cream Earl Gray blend. Aromas of yeasty funk combine with light herbal and citrus notes, as well as subtle flavors of lemon, cream and spicy bergamot to round out this light summer sipper.”

That must be the Earl Grey that I’m tasting big and floral up front. The lemon cream comes in right on the heels of that, and then the bergamot lingers into the pleasantly dry finish. There’s so much flavor going on that you don’t even notice the fact that it’s only 4.7% ABV—which is what Ryan’s beers are all about. It’s also a testament to the quality of Nelson Teas; I can’t imagine that it’s a coincidence that this and the Banana Nut Bread Hefeweizen (also brewed with Nelson Teas) are two of the best things I have had at Kismetic.

558. Great Lakes Brewing Co. (Cleveland, OH) - Ruby’s Revenge

“Fiercely fresh ruby red grapefruit tangles with tantalizingly citrusy hop aromas to cultivate this bitingly Imperial IPA.”

Nice transition from light grapefruit flavor to grapefruit pith to slightly bitter finish, all of it fuming ever so slightly from the 8% ABV. I suspect that this one will be exquisite when it’s ice-fucking-cold, so I’m going to save a couple of them for Wednesday and have another go at it.

557. New Glarus Brewing Co. (New Glarus, WI) - Raspberry Tart

“Treat yourself to a rare delight. The voluminous raspberry bouquet will greet you long before your lips touch the glass. Serve this Wisconsin framboise very cold in a champagne flute. Then hold your glass to the light and enjoy the jewel-like sparkle of a very special ale. Oregon proudly shares their harvest of mouth-watering berries, which we ferment spontaneously in large oak vats. Then we employ Wisconsin farmed wheat and year old Hallertau hops to round out this extravaganza of flavor.”

Sweet raspberry flavor up front, with a hint of sour. Pretty tasty, but the 4% ABV is too low for it to be really interesting; and the sweet and sour flavors are too heavy for it be crushable.

556. Falls City Beer (Louisville, KY) - Hipster Repellant

“Hipster Repellant is brewed to celebrate hops. IPAs are a central tenet of the American craft beer scene, and the balance of a nice, malty backbone and pine hop characteristics reminds us of why we started brewing beer in the first place: to stand up and drink good beer.”

What begins with some bright citrus and faint pine up front drifts toward pineapple and papaya—and maybe even a hint of coconut—as it warms. It’s got a really nice balance to it, and the ABV (at either 6.3%, according to the website; or 7%, according to the can) feels just about right, too. Only got one of these at a gas station on the way home from Mammoth Cave last week, but it definitely merits another go.