74. Elysian (Seattle, WA) - Dayglow

“A touch of wheat hazes the malt bill, softening this bright and crisp IPA. Dayglow is packed with juicy hops featuring pineapple and tropical fruit flavors and aromas.”

Definitely more balanced than some of the IPAs I have tried recently. Crisp and dry and drinky (7.4%), but still approachable. Sort of a refreshing change of pace.

73. 450 North Brewing Co. (Columbus, IN) - 450 Nugs

“450 Nugs is brewed with a 50/50 blend of Citra and Mosaic.”

The hazy New England IPA is quickly becoming one of my favorite styles, and this is a good one. Sweet and fruity with a nice tropical finish.

72. Black Acre Brewing Company (Indianapolis, IN) - Emodynamics

“Citra and Mosaic hops lend tropical aromas and flavors to this juicy India pale ale.”

Another semi-drinky (6.5%) pale with big fruit and tropical notes, but sweeter and less carbonated than Evil Czech’s Nefarious Harbor.

71. Black Acre Brewing Company (Indianapolis, IN) - TV Wolf

“A generous medley of citrus hops makes for a crisp, clean, and balanced everyday IPA with a smooth, decisive finish.”

Somewhere between everyday and special occasion, tropical and fruity up front, and pleasantly bitter on the back end. Maybe even a bit of lingering pine.

70. 18th Street Brewery (Hammond, IN) - Rise of the Angels

“Helping to resurrect your palette from the doldrums, Rise of the Angels bursts onto your tongue with a blast of grapefruit zest that is quickly followed by a parade of floral, citrus hops.”

And purple prose, but the beer is pretty good. Imperial IPAs sometimes go high on the alcohol just for the sake of going high on the alcohol, but this one is surprisingly moderate (7.7%) for the style. Very similar in flavor profile to the Evil Czech Nefarious Harbor I just tried, but more citrus forward and a little bit smoother.

69. Evil Czech (Mishawaka, IN) - Nefarious Harbor

“Our version of a New England/East Coast IPA. Very hazy with armoas of citrus and pine. Smooth and balanced with a delicate bitterness.”

Almost sweet, which I usually don’t like in a beer—but it works here. Tastes more like stone fruit than citrus to me, with just a hint of dry on the back end. Probably a little bit too drinky (7.2%) to have more than one of at a time, but I’m going to take one for the team and do a little experiment. I do get a little bit of lemon, and maybe a bit of orange, when it warms up a bit, but still mostly peach, and the slight ping from the alcohol. None of that is a bad thing; this is a lovely beer.

68. Indiana City Brewing Co. (Indianapolis, IN) - Brüt IPA

“Straw-pale, bone dry, low bitterness & effervescent. Dry-hopped with Zythos for tangerine, grapefruit, pineapple aroma.”

Bright and fruity, but not overpowering. Just had one can as a sample from the gettin’ place, and I wish I had a few more. Only moderately boozy (6%), but it sort of sneaks up on you. Absolutely spectacular.

Deep Thoughts #177

Now here’s a shock: These ignorant Trump monkeys were from a segregated Jesus school in Kentucky. Sometimes the jokes just write themselves.

Deep Thoughts #176

Hang on…I’m not sure I can get my head around this. You’re saying that the prices at one of Martha Hoover’s Patachou spin-offs are too…high?

67. Hoosier Brewing Company (Greenwood, IN) - Shake-It! Milkshake IPA Strawberry

“A New England Milkshake Double IPA featuring a double dry hopping of Citra and Mosaic hops and a great touch of fresh strawberries.”

A bitter finish takes a little bit away from the playful pairing of the strawberries with the citrusy hops, and makes it less milkshake-y, too—but neither of those things makes it bad. Not quite as well rendered as its Cosmic Crush cousin, but still pretty good.

66. Indiana City Brewing Co. (Indianapolis, IN) - Direwolf Diner Double Dry-Hopped IPA

“Whirlpool additions of Cashmere, Hallertau Blanc & Centennial. Double dry-hopped with Citra Lupulin powder.”

Big and fruity, with a little bit of a tropical note. Nice, bright, lemony finish.

65. Hoosier Brewing Company (Greenwood, IN) - Cosmic Crush Hazy IPA

“Loaded with Mosaic, El Dorado, and Amarillo hops for a juicy DIPA with dank overtones and hints of citrus and passion fruit with a piney flavor.”

Collaboration with Brew Link and Riverfront. Hoosier Brewing Company currently has a pop-up stand at Circle Centre* (near the food court), with samples and pints on tap and four-packs of tallboys to travel. The flavor profiles of the hops are really nice—tropical up front, and then citrus and pine coming up behind.

*At least...they had a pop-up at Circle Centre a week ago, when I started writing this. It might be gone now.

64. Central State (Indianapolis, IN) - Moon Machine

“A throwback to when humankind used to set goals just to see if we could do it. The pure pursuit of scientific achievement & glory. We dreamed of an IPA brewed with Indiana malted wheat & barley, loaded up with Citra, then double dry-hopped with Citra & Simcoe Cryo Hops—and we landed it.”

That funky Brett action plays really well with the tropical and fruit flavors from the Citra hops. What started out as a really dry, almost bitter, finish smooths out toward the end. Not as funky as some of the other Central State offerings I have tried.

63. Short's Brewing Company (Elk Rapids, MI) - Slurm Lord Double New England Style India Pale Ale

“Slurm Lord is a double New England style India Pale Ale brewed with oats and a blend of Citra, Azacca, Amarillo, El Dorado, and Mosaic hops.”

And lots more in the description on their website, but let’s just go with this for simplicity. Nice tropical notes up front and nice, but not overwhelming alcohol (at least for a double). The fruit seems to be hidden a little bit, and I probably should have talked it up before the fourth of four. Ah, well. Perhaps we’ll meet again, some day, on the avenue…

62. Triton Brewing Co. (Indianapolis, IN) - Pale Splitter APA

“A brilliant and well-balanced, unfiltered American Pale Ale brewed with Cascade, Columbus, Galena, and Magnum hops then dry-hopped with Citra! A bright, citrusy 'Split' from the pale and drab.”

The four-pack I got was over-carbonated, but it is nicely balanced. A caramelly sweetness at first and then a bitter finish, but maybe a little too much variety with the hops. Nothing really stands out.

61. Indiana City Brewing Co. (Indianapolis, IN) - Mythical Apothecary

“Whirlpool additions of Citra, Belma, and Falconer’s Flight, dry hopped with Amarillo, Zythos, & Citra Lupulin powder. This beer boasts massive lemon and tropical fruit flavors.”

Hazy like a milkhake and sharp like a challenging IPA, the flavors are a little bit muted by the alcohol, though this is not necessarily a bad thing. Give the lemon a couple of minutes to come to you. Indiana City is quietly doing some really lovely beer, and this is one of their best.

Deep Thoughts #175d

But without the white sheets and hoods, the only Republicans left on earth would be spineless afterbirths like Susan Collins and Jeff Flake.

Deep Thoughts #175c

Yeah, I know…if they had the intellectual capacity to formulate any good ideas, they wouldn’t be allowed to wear the white sheets and hoods.

Deep Thoughts #175b

The new Republican strategy seems to be to lie to pollsters or not respond at all. What if they used that energy to have good ideas instead?

Deep Thoughts #175a

What if Republicans could think instead of lie, or form their own opinions instead of taking orders from Fox News? The world may never know.