519. Black Acre Brewing Company (Indianapolis, IN) - Arthouse Blonde

“An Indiana farmhouse blonde ale made in collaboration with Kan-Kan Cinema and Brasserie.”

This will probably be the last Black Acre beer that I ever post; their last day of business is this coming Saturday, which will also be the 11th anniversary of the day they opened. I’m not usually big on farmhouse beers, mostly because funky Belgian yeast just doesn’t seem to do it for me; but this one is bright and refreshing and thoroughly pleasant. The one I had in the taproom a couple of days ago had some pronounced citrus flavor up front, but this one (though they are from the same batch) is more hints of funky yeast and sweet grass, with maybe a little bit of unripe melon on the back end. The citrus begins to come up a bit as the beer warms, and I am liking this more and more with every sip.

4. Black Acre Brewing Company - Natural Liberty

“Aggressively Citra hopped with plenty of bold citrus hop notes and a light pilsner malt body.”

It’s so warm up here in my aboveground lair that by the time I got to the end of this one, despite the fact that I had poured it into a frosted mug, it had warmed up to the point that the grapefruit notes from the Citra hops were quite prominent. So then I tried a cold one in the same now-warm mug to see if the grapefruit notes were there, and they were not. I detected more in the way of floral notes, and the beer, while possibly less complex, was more refreshing. Regardless of the temperature, it’s a little bit sharp for my tastes—but just a little. It’s possible that I am partial to Black Acre because they here in my 'hood, yo—but they are making some pretty good beer (and more of it now that they’ve moved the brewery into larger digs).

Originally posted on July 2, 2017

TAKE TWO (January 29, 2023): Black Acre will close its doors on February 4, 2023 - 11 years to the day after it opened. When Black Circle started closing after the holidays last year (by which I mean 2021), I started going to Black Acre to do my drink-two-beers-and-write-for-an-hour thing after work; and it proved to be such a better place for that than Loom or Black Circle ever were. This was the first Black Acre beer I posted, way back in 2017 when I started this odyssey. I no longer stand by what I said about this beer the first time. The one I am drinking now, out of a can - and probably the last of its kind that I will ever drink - is unremarkable. They call it an "American Pale Lager," but if they started brewing it today, they would call it a "Cold IPA." It's too dry and upright to be a genuine lager, but not quite enough of either to be a genuine ale. And you know what? That's kind of what was always magic about Black Acre. They brewed all kinds of nonsense that did not always fit easily into standard beer categories; and before the world shit the bed, they brewed some fantastic one-off IPAs. (I almost said that this beer is very approachable, but that's what Sun King says about their cream ale; and I don't want to be aping those cats.) It's light and dry and good...and it's Black Acre. You got six more days, people. Most of the good stuff is gone, but they're still tapping kegs; and you can still get a booth and sit there for an hour while you drink two (or three) beers and do some writing.

502. Black Acre Brewing Company (Indianapolis, IN) - Smoky Kuloski

“Smoked Grodziskie with carmel [sic].”

That’s the description from the menu board in the taproom. I can’t find anything online for it, even on Untappd—possibly because they just tapped it this week, and I don’t recall that they’ve ever brewed this beer before. They’ve done smoked beers on many occasions, but the name Smoky Kuloski doesn’t ring a bell, and I don’t have any smoked beers from Black Acre on my list. This is also my first Grodziskie, which the interwebs tell me is a Polish beer with pronounced smoke flavor and aroma, high carbonation, and low alcohol. The Black Acre version subverts this model somewhat, with low carbonation and moderate alcohol (6.7% ABV)—along with that caramel, though I don’t get any specific flavor of caramel. It does have a very smooth, almost creamy, finish, though, and I suspect that might be what the caramel is bringing to the table. There’s something vaguely fruity up front in the first sip or two—to the point that the first sip of the first one I tried made me think that the bartender had poured their orange hibiscus cream ale by mistake; and the smoky flavor doesn’t jump out at you. But then you get to the second sip…and the third; and that’s when the smoky flavor begins to declare itself. The aforementioned something fruity lingers just a touch on the back end, for what is either balance or misdirection—I can’t decide. This is one of the best new things I have tried at Black Acre in a long time.

497. Black Acre Brewing Company (Indianapolis, IN) - Pumpkin Thief

“This pumpkin ale is brewed with 60 lbs of pumpkin per 3 barrel batch and plenty of pumpkin pie spice. Hooray fall!”

I’ve tried this on more than one occasion, but have apparently not remarked upon it; and seems like this is the year for remarking upon it, since I seem to have developed a taste for pumpkin beers just in the last couple of months. I had quite the shitty day at work yesterday—we lost power at 2:30, and it still had not come back on when we finally called it a day and left at 7:30—and thought about stopping at Black Acre on my way home; but I also thought about just going home, crawling under the covers, and going the fuck to sleep. In the end, though, I decided to stop for two beers and an hour of writing. (Had it not been November, however—National Novel Writing Month—I might well have skipped it and just gone home and to sleep.) I’m glad I didn’t, and not just because I got about 1300 words while I was sitting there; I also got a pint of Pumpkin Thief that tasted almost exactly like pumpkin pie in a glass. It had the perfect balance of spice and pumpkin flavors, and a very smooth (but not sweet) finish. They’ve had Pumpkin Thief on the board for a couple of weeks now, and this was not the first time I tried it this season; but this was the best pint of it I’ve had so far this year.

496. Black Acre Brewing Co. (Indianapolis, IN) - The Hottest Day

The best I can come up with for a description of this collaboration with Guggman Haus Brewing Co. is that it’s an “imperial cold IPA.” They’ve had it on the board for a while at Black Acre, but it clocks in at 9.4% ABV, and I’m not big on beers that are that big when I have to drive home—even when it ain’t far. On the other hand, it’s only an eight-ounce pour, and the writing was going surprisingly well the other night, so I decided to splurge, if you will. “Cold IPA” is still new to me, so I don’t know exactly what to expect. Some quick perusing of the interwebs makes it sound like this is a style that uses lager-brewing techniques to craft an ale that has the hop-forward flavor and high alcohol you’d expect with an IPA, but in an easier-drinking format. This one did seem to be oddly drinkable, despite the fact that it’s 9.4%, and that the alcohol is very noticeable up front. Once you get past that initial hit of booze, though, you wind up with very nice hints of vanilla bean and herbal, fresh cut grass on the back end. You can’t smoke inside anymore, but, since the Loft is open again, this would be a great beer to linger over there—sipping it out of snifters and discussing it over cigars.

440. Black Acre Brewing Company (Indianapolis, IN) - GameStonks

“Weizenbock w. Kviek Yeast.”

The name is fucking terrible, but the beer is excellent. I don’t know if you can get your head around the idea of a beer that tastes like raisins and Christmas fruitcake, but this one does—and it totally works. It’s vaguely sweet-and-sour up front, and then it fades into a smooth malt shop finish.

443. Black Acre Brewing Company (Indianapolis, IN) - Spicy Saucy

“Rye India Pale Ale w. Jalapeno and Habanero.”

Irvington’s own venerable Black Acre Brewing Company is in the midst of their 10th Anniversary celebration, and they are tapping all kinds of funky-cool stuff this week. This one is their flagship Saucy Intruder rye IPA infused with jalapeño and habañero. Most of the hoppy, malty backbone of the standard Saucy is obscured by the fresh pepper flavors, but you do actually get some pepper flavor in addition to the spice; and the spice seems to be at just the right level. I don’t know that I would want to drink more than a couple of these, but since they’re only doing 8-ounce pours of their funky-cool 10th Anniversary variants, it wasn’t a problem.

438. Black Acre Brewing Company (Indianapolis, IN) - Edelweiss

Okay, all the taproom menu says is “Czech Pilsner,” but I believe I saw on their page-that-shall-not-be-named that this beer is the result of a special crop of malt that was grown in Austria and sold to a handful of lucky breweries by some sort of lottery system, or first-come first-serve request. I don’t recall what the specifics of the malt were, but it’s supposed to be fancy and rare. The beer has a light, crisp floral note up front that drifts smoothly into an upright dry finish that takes on a sort of creamy citrus (or possibly honey) note as it warms up. I was intrigued by the 6.8% ABV notation on the taproom menu, because pilsners don’t typically get that boozy—but the cans advertise a more modest 4.8%. It’s not the best beer I’ve ever had, but it sounds like one of those deals that only comes around once, so I was very happy to be able to try it while it was available.

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.

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.

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.

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.

379. Black Acre Brewing Company (Indianapolis, IN) - That Fabulous Funky Song

“Bourbon + Cider Barrel-Aged Belgian Amber w. Brettanomyces”

Oh boy. The bourbon and cider echoes from the barrel are very strong, but the clean, crisp sour flavor is almost—almost—enough to make me feel like I could chug this fucker like a Mountain Dew. (And on a better day I might have done; but Sunday was a slightly off day during which we went hiking at Turkey Run for an hour and a half before we ate the sandwiches we had brought along from Shapiro’s, and moderately strenuous hiking on an empty stomach is not a good idea.) I don’t get much of the Brett funkiness, but between the sour profile and the barrel flavors, I guess I’m not surprised. This will never be packaged, which is a shame—because I would like to have a few more of them to study.

360. Black Acre Brewing Company (Indianapolis, IN) - 1802

“1802 Lager is a light and crisp American lager at 4% ABV. No rice. No corn. No international conglomerate. 112 calories per 12oz serving.”

On the off chance that you might have confused this with a Clydesdale-beer-that-shall-not-be-named. (And on the further off chance that you come to craft beer looking for something with a low ABV.) The chalkboard at the garden said this one was 5.4%, but when the numbers are that low, I can’t really tell. Slightly more interesting than the porter, but only because it has the slightly sweet taste of a lager and the crisp backbone of a pilsner. Perfectly fine, but not something I think I want to pay craft beer prices to drink.

359. Black Acre Brewing Company (Indianapolis, IN) - Fairwind

“A malty Robust Porter with a strong roast character.”

No description from Black Acre, so had to cadge this one from Untappd. There’s nothing bad about this one, but there’s nothing really interesting, either. I would not have used the word robust, but that’s just me. Amy and I went over to the Black Acre Garden this afternoon, and this was one of only two things on tap that I had not tried. I also still don’t have a lot of experience with porters, so it’s possible that this beer is really good and that I just find it disappointing because it’s not as interesting as most of the other things that Black Acre has been doing.

327. Black Acre Brewing Company (Indianapolis, IN) - Confused Dinosaur

No description I can find except for the style, which is weizenbock. This was possibly the last really good day for a beer outside in the Black Acre Garden, so Amy and I took advantage after we hiked around Holliday Park for an hour or so. There was something familiar about the flavor, and it might have been a hint of the kinds of spices they use in their Oktoberfest and Pumpkin Thief, but not nearly as heavy. It wasn’t exactly bready or sweet, but it also wasn’t bitter or dry at all. Can’t say for sure if I liked it or not, but it was interesting.

324. Black Acre Brewing Company (Indianapolis, IN) - Pumpkin Thief

“Ale brewed with 20 pounds of pumpkin per barrel and spiced with cinnamon, ginger, orangepeel [sic], all spice [sic], nutmeg, and clove.”

Needs to be fully decanted to get the whole flavor profile. My mug is just a hair under sixteen ounces, so I don’t always get the full effect in the first couple of sips—and it makes a big difference with this beer. Almost chewy from all of that pumpkin, and fairly well balanced by all of that spice. I say fairly because they use a pretty heavy hand when they spice their beers. I thought it might have been an exception with their Chai Guy milk stout, but it’s pretty prevalent here, too.

321. Black Acre Brewing Company (Indianapolis, IN) - Glitteratae

“No Hollywood elite influence here! This baby is straight out of New England. If we could turn back time, we’d make this beer again and give it all to you.”

Nice pine aroma, but the flavor is too sweet, and passes so quickly that I can barely tell it’s there. That could maybe be melon, or maybe pineapple—and it’s not bad, but it’s sort of soft in a way that does not eventually become interesting. Black Acre’s one-off IPAs are usually pretty solid, but this one is disappointing.

290. Black Acre Brewing Company (Indianapolis, IN) - Watermelon Wheat

“An incredibly refreshing American Wheat Ale, with an added Hoosier favorite: watermelon!”

Is it bad of me that I was afraid this was going to be a lurid pink when I poured it into the mug? I’m not big on watermelon (which doesn’t make me a very good Hoosier, though—as I’m sure you can guess—I could give a shit about that), and wasn’t necessarily expecting to like this; but it sounded sort of interesting, and for me, at this point, Black Acre can do no wrong. It’s almost a sour, but not quite; and the watermelon is so faint that you might miss if you did not already know it was there—and yet it lingers, in an oddly pleasant way.

284. Black Acre Brewing Company (Indianapolis, IN) - New Rules!

“New Rules is our newest Hazy India Pale Ale, brewed with Mosaic, Calypso, Eukanot, Simcoe, and Lemondrop hops, then fermented with Kviek [sic] yeast!”

This is practically the kissing cousin of Dystopian Game Show, a hazy IPA they brought out for a brief run earlier this summer—except that this one is a little bigger (7.1% vs. 6.4%) and less expensive ($12 for a four-pack of tallboys, as opposed to $16). The flavor is a little lighter, more generally fruity than specifically grapefruity, and the finish is much smoother than Dystopian’s. Both are excellent, and while I have never made an actual list of my favorite breweries and have, at various times, thought of any of half a dozen or so as my favorite, I’m pretty sure that Black Acre would currently be at the top of any list I might make.