THE BEER BEAT: A late August compendium of links about local and regional beer.

There was a time when the general rule of thumb was to wait a bit before reviewing a restaurant or brewery, this representing a tacit understanding that while no one excuses bad food, beer or service, it usually takes a while to put things into place. Curve balls are common at the start, and even boomerangs.

Of course, at the same time, we all want to patronize the new joint on the block, because if we don't, it might not be there when we finally get around to dropping by. That said, LEO's Syd Bishop offers a "review of Gravely Brewing Co.’s first 7 beers" and finds them excellent.

Congratulations to Louisville's newest brewery, which opened a week ago, and as a side note (maybe a coda), if you like Gravely's musically-themed vibe and offerings visit Chilly Water Brewing Company the next time you're in Indianapolis. As an example, two current Chilly Water ales are Barley O'Riley Barley Wine and Blood on the Tracks Blood Orange IPA.

Some observers suggest that we've entered an era of beer festival fatigue. Speaking only for myself, once a year works just dandy in my world, but other regional fests seem to be persisting in my absence amid a few mixed signals.

The Brewers of Indiana Guild's festival slate is thriving, and now it is expanding.

BIG's biggest annual event (and the primary fundraiser for guild operations) remains the Indiana Microbrewers Festival in July, held for two decades at Opti Park in Broad Ripple.

While I was still serving on the board, we made a difficult decision to move this event to Military Park in downtown Indianapolis, where logistics could be better managed, accommodating ever greater numbers of breweries and attendees, and linking them more efficiently to hotels and non-driving transport options.

It was the right thing to do, but we didn't like vacating Broad Ripple, which had proven so loyal for so long. At the time, the board bandied returning to Opti Park for a smaller, more customized autumn festival, which will come to fruition on Saturday, October 28.

Broad Ripple Beer Fest: The intimate event will feature 45 Hoosier breweries and guests, cask beers, and 10 small-batch specialty beers featuring unique ingredients like local hops, seasonal fruit, and candy.

Note also that the 2018 BIG festival in Bloomington is shifting locations to the center of town. More on this another time.

There's another festival change closer to home, with the Louisville Independent Business Alliance ("Keep Louisville Weird") announcing the demise of the popular Louisville Brewfest, which became best known during its residency at Slugger Field.

LIBA bids farewell to the Louisville Brewfest

LIBA has been honored to be part of the amazing growth of Louisville’s craft beer industry since we hosted our first Louisville Brewfest in 2009. It featured all the local breweries at the time, which totaled a whopping 5! The industry has been so successful that there’s now a plethora of breweries and beer festivals to choose from in our fair city, and craft beer is widely available – from gas stations to church picnics. LIBA has also experienced incredible growth and change, and it’s time for us to close the book on the Louisville Brewfest. We’ve had some amazing times at the Brewfest, and we give a great, great big thank you to all the folks who have supported and enjoyed the event over the years. We’ll miss it, but we’re glad all of us have so many new and good local choices for beer festivals. We are in the early planning stages for another public event (in addition to our Buy Local Fairs) that will give folks another chance to come together to support local businesses and connect with fellow Louisvillians, which is so important to strengthening our community. In the meantime, cheers to keeping the craft beer flowing, and keeping those dollars local!

Many Louisville area beer fans will miss Brewfest, but I believe the explanation makes very good sense.

An hour west on I-64 in Ferdinand, there'll be a new September weekend festival at St. Benedict's Brew Works, which is located on the grounds of Monastery Immaculate Conception, home of the Sisters of St. Benedict.

St. Benedict’s Brew Works opened on October 15, 2015, and has carved out a niche for itself in the year and a half since Vince Luecke and Andy Hedinger leased the building and opened the brewery.

Note that Jasper, Indiana is just a few miles down the road from Ferdinand, and is the home of the legendary Schnitzelbank Restaurant and its house brewery, Schnitz Brewery & Pub. You can make a weekend out of it, folks.

Finally, regular readers are aware of my fondness for linking local beer with local issues. It long has been apparent that the growth of craft beer is a positive factor for urban areas, and as the years pass, data becomes more voluminous, and research yields new insights. In short: good beer is good for your burg, as one of the big names explains.

Can Craft Breweries Transform America's Post-Industrial Neighborhoods?, by Richard Florida (CityLab)

A new study tells the story of craft beer’s astonishing rise and geographic clustering.

... The study takes a deep dive into the locations of craft breweries or micro-breweries and brew pubs in ten cities: Austin, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis, New York, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle. Of these ten cities, seven can be said to have distinct brewery districts. Using a Ripley’s K analysis, which is an equation for measuring the clustering of point data, the researchers found, “the strongest predictor of whether a craft brewery opened in a neighborhood was the presence of an already existing brewery in that neighborhood.”

I've also used the example of John Hickenlooper, who I'm fortunate to have met back when he was "just" a brewery owner.

Of course, in many places, microbreweries and brew pubs are seen as harbingers of gentrification. But microbreweries tend to be located in old industrial areas where few residents actually live. “Many of the brewery districts that are emerging in U.S. cities tend to be located in parts of the city that were once bustling with manufacturing and warehouse activity,” the study reports. These are the types of districts that have been hit hardest by de-industrialization, and brewing can fill some of that vacant manufacturing space.

Perhaps the craft beer revolution will transform more than just neighborhoods. Stretching back into American history, taverns and beer halls have helped mobilize many political movements. Wynkoop Brewing Company, a brewpub that catalyzed the branding and revitalization of Denver’s LoDo neighborhood, was founded by former Denver Mayor and current Colorado governor John Hickenlooper, who is said to be a leading Democratic candidate for President in 2020. Maybe a catalyst of the craft beer movement will steer the next political revolution.

THE BEER BEAT: Neace Ventures acquires Tin Man Brewing Company.

This just in from Angie Fenton.

For now, just the press release. After U2 is finished tonight and there is time to think, maybe I'll offer analysis, but for now, I'm simply delighted for the Davidsons. They're first-rate folks and I hope this is a power move for them.

And this: Damn it Neace Ventures, I was really hoping you'd buy my 1/3 share of NABC. Guess I'll keep having to e-mail that guy in Shanghai.

---

Neace Ventures Acquires Tin Man Brewing Company

Kentuckiana-based venture capital company adds Evansville Brewery to Portfolio


Louisville, Ky. (June 16, 2017) – Neace Ventures, a Kentuckiana-based venture capital and real estate firm, has acquired Tin Man Brewing Co. in Evansville, Ind.

“Neace Ventures is excited to announce the acquisition of Tin Man Brewing Company,” said Neace Ventures President Brad Estes. “The synergies that this fine company brings to our food and beverage portfolio are countless. We proudly welcome the Davidson family into the Neace Ventures family.”

Tin Man Brewing, which is located at 1430 W. Franklin St. in Evansville, ceased its Tasting Room operations in late March but continued brewery production for its distribution network while seeking a new owner.

“We’re very excited about this partnership,” said Tin Man Brewing President Nick Davidson. “We have always been a family business, and now we’re becoming a part of a bigger family.”

The acquisition, which was prepared by Middleton Reutlinger and financed by German American Bank, expands Neace Ventures’ food and beverage portfolio, which already includes Old 502 Winery, Falls City Brewing Company, Over the Nine, and Brownies “The Shed” Bar and Grille. It also affirms Neace Ventures’ commitment to communities and partnerships.

“Falls City couldn’t be happier to welcome a new sister company. Tin Man’s brand reputation speaks for itself and its people are a class act,” said Falls City President Shane Uttich. “Our entire team is excited.”

In addition to the acquisition of Tin Man, Falls City previously announced that it will move its Louisville brewing and tap room operations to East Liberty Street in NuLu/Phoenix Hill. This will allow Old 502 Winery to expand its operations at 116 S. 10th St.

The Neace Ventures headquarters are located at 110 W. Main St. Louisville, Ky. Chairman John Neace founded the company after building and selling one of the nation’s largest insurance brokerages. Find out more about the company at neaceventures.com.

Read my profiles of Donum Dei Brewery and Floyd County Brewing Company in the latest issue of Food & Dining Magazine.

The quarterly Louisville edition of Food & Dining Magazine has arrived, and you can view it at issuu: Spring 2016 (vol 51) ... Feb - Mar - April 2016.

Glossy, tactile copies also can be snagged at hundreds of locations throughout metropolitan Louisville.

For the current edition, my "Hip Hops" column is given over to profiles of Donum Dei Brewery and Floyd County Brewing Company. By my reckoning, New Albany has not been home to three brewing companies in 109 years.

Why does it matter? According to writer James Fallows, there are 11 indicators of civic success, one of which is the presence of "craft" breweries:

One final marker, perhaps the most reliable: A city on the way back will have one or more craft breweries, and probably some small distilleries too.

Congratulations to my brewing brethren. In the next issue, I'll be writing about Goodwood Brewing Company in Louisville.

Meet New Albany's Two Newest Breweries

... Pendulums have a fortunate way of swinging back, and brewing returned to New Albany in 2002, when the New Albanian Brewing Company first mashed in.

Then, in 2015, there was an abrupt tripling of numbers: Donum Dei Brewery and Floyd County Brewing Company (FCBC) both opened, and while it may seem novel for such a small city to have so many breweries, this pattern is being repeated all across the country.

For those just learning about Food & Dining Magazine:

Food & Dining is a Louisville-based lifestyle publication focused on food & cooking, the enjoyment of wine & spirits, and the experience of dining out in one of the nation’s top restaurant cities.

We have all the sensibilities of a local magazine, but with the design and photography of a national magazine.

We pack the magazine and with gorgeous photography, engaging feature stories, entertaining articles, unique recipes and a restaurant guide that details over 1,000 restaurants.

The quarterly magazine began in 2003, and I started writing beer columns for John Carlos White a few issues into his run. The mag's his baby, and I'm delighted for him. Lots of other folks have played a part in launching and maintaining the publication, so thanks to all of them, too. May there be many more to come.

Where to find better beer in downtown New Albany during the Harvest Homecoming onslaught.

(This posting will be revised as information becomes available ... JR's update at 12:30 p.m.)

Tomorrow's annual Swill Walk looks to be a soggy one, but contrary to popular perception, I wouldn't wish rain on any pub crawl -- even the ones boasting of so much Bud Light Lime and various other forms of carbonated urine.

Rather, it is my modest aim to let you know where better beer actually can be found, downtown, during Harvest Homecoming. Indeed, it is a festival seldom confused with progressive thinking or drinking, but it doesn't mean there are not viable alternatives, as offered by downtown New Albany's more recently established food and drink purveyors.

Naturally, there is Fringe Fest Version 7.0 at Bank Street Brewhouse, featuring the usual lengthy collection of beers of proven merit, as well as three seasonal releases: Wet Knobs Hop Harvest Ale, Phoenix Kentucky Komon and Strassen Bräu.

Ryan Rogers of Feast BBQ submits his current list, with an addendum: "We've been hoarding kegs of Zombie Dust and Dreadnaught from 3 Floyds for this weekend, the if we can push through a few other beers first."

From Ian Hall at The Exchange: "Here is our current draught lineup @ The Exchange. Avoid the swill!"

Feast BBQ and The Exchange both are located on Main Street, opposite the YMCA.

Dragon King's Daughter's (corner of Bank and Elm) weekend list looks like this:

JR's Pub is engaging in interior renovation and will not be open until Saturday, October 11. When JR's reopens, these beers will be on tap: Three Floyds Robert the Bruce (and behind it, Sun King Wee Mac); Falls City Hipster Repellant; BBC Bourbon Barrel Stout; NABC Hoptimus; Jack-O Traveler; and Dogfish Head Palo Santo.

I've checked in with the Big Wick, and when I receive the Wick's Pizza report, it will be inserted here. If you see craft beer on tap downtown, send me a photo and I'll post it here. Mail to: roger(at)newalbanian(dot)com.

Beer and wine at the State Fair as Indiana makes another incremental step toward civilization.

Amid prohibitionist fears of an immoral drunkfest, the Indiana State Fair has been planning a presentation pretty much like all the rest.

State Fair Looking For Breweries, Wineries, by Andy Ober (InsideINdianaBusiness.com)

Indianapolis, Ind. - The Indiana State Fair is now accepting applications from Hoosier brewers and wineries to participate in the inaugural Indiana Beer and Wine Exhibition at this year's fair, Aug. 1-17. There is no charge to participate, but space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The exhibition, which will only be open to visitors who are at least 21 years old, will feature "tasting tables" and beer and wine being sold by the glass. Exhibitors will be able to staff these tables to educate patrons on the beer and wine making process, and to discuss their individual products. They will also be able to display, but not sell, their promotional materials and merchandise.

The new exhibition will be located in the Grand Hall on Main Street directly across from the Fairgrounds Coliseum. It will also include educational displays from the Indiana State Museum's American Spirits exhibit.

The PC at LouisvilleBeer.com: "A craft beer toast to opposing HJR-3."

I spent a few minute searching the Internet for a clue as to the whereabouts of Rep. Steve Stemler, District 71's Democrat-pretend, and evidence of his existence is elusive. His last on-line newsletter was in August of 2013, although he mustered the time earlier in January to congratulate a local volleyball team. Evidently there is no available wi-fi when you're up the butt of the ORBP.

First, the C-J on Republican HJR qualms; then, my weekly column ... this time, about beer and activism.

---

Indiana House members wavering on marriage amendment
More than a third of the Indiana House members who voted for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage in 2011 now plan to vote against it or are wavering (Courier-Journal) FULL ARTICLE »

There's a reason why the phrase "These Machines Kill Fascists" lies near and dear to my heart.

A craft beer toast to opposing HJR-3

Seated amid the cheesy 1960s-era veneer that delineates New Albany’s primary civic meeting room, idly monitoring a city council meeting, I was wishing there’d have been time at The Exchange for a third martini (sweet Jeeebus, why don’t they run a cash bar at functions like this?), when suddenly a beer discussion broke out on Twitter. My two cents quickly dispensed via the miracle of the iPhone, it was back to the numbingly predictable provincial political skullduggery

Then a friend tweeted.

“You own a brewery? I thought you were a city engineer or something.”

Sometimes I wonder myself ... (read the whole article at LouisvilleBeer.com)

Beer Tuesday 3: Coulrophobics rejoice ... the antidote is at hand.

NABC is releasing a special, one-time-only "censored" mystery beer at 5:00 p.m. today. It will be available on draft at both locations; it's a small batch and should last a week or two. You can check at the Facebook events page for further updates today.

We have another beer release this Sunday, and then a birthday on the 31st. Here's the calendar.

---

JANUARY 19 & 20

Old Lightning Rod Day 2014

At Bank Street Brewhouse (19^th) and the Pizzeria & Public House (20^th)

It’s the annual limited release of Old Lightning Rod, NABC’s cult favorite Colonial Dark Ale, honoring the legendary Benjamin Franklin’s birthday. On Monday, January 20, Old Lightning goes on tap at the Pizzeria & Public House. As always, it’s a small batch, so get your pints and growlers while you can.

JANUARY 31

Hoptimus Inception Reception 2014

At Bank Street Brewhouse only

Hoptimus is NABC’s biggest-selling beer in the metro Louisville market, and to celebrate its 8^th birthday, we’re showcasing the everyday recipe with added shadings, courtesy of the boys in the brewhouse: Oaktimus (oak-aged), Chouffetimus (Belgian yeast) and two pins of differently dry-hopped Hoptimus (with Citra and Styrian Celeia).

FEBRUARY 28

Gravity Head 2014: Bullet Train to Blackout Town

At the Pizzeria & Public House only, through March

The 16^th annual Gravity Head is NABC’s celebration of the brewing world’s biggest and best.  Beginning on February 28, and lasting daily throughout March until all the kegs are gone, we’ll be devoting numerous taps to showcasing these rare and sought-after beers, as chosen to exhibit maximum diversity of flavors and stylistic inspiration.

NABC ON THE ROAD: SELECTED FEBRUARY EVENTS

We’ll be on the road for four February samples-only, winter-themed beer festivals. Brewers and sales staff are guaranteed to be present, so if you’re attending one or more of these festivals, come by and say hi.

February 1

Winterfest, by the Brewers of Indiana Guild, held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis

February 8

Winter Warmer, at Lafayette Brewing Company in Lafayette, Indiana

February 14 and 15

Cincinnati Winter Beer Fest, both nights at the Duke Energy Center in Cincinnati, Ohio (with Cavalier Distributing Ohio)

February 15

Craft Writing: Beer, The Digital, and Craft Culture, a symposium at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky. NABC’s Roger A. Baylor will appear along with other craft beer notables, including Garrett Oliver, Mitch Steele and Stan Hieronymus

February 22

Tailspin Ale Fest, at Bowman Field in Louisville, Kentucky, the city’s first ever winter craft beer showcase

Indiana craft beer at Inside Indiana Business.

Inside Indiana Business has taken a good, comprehensive look at the craft brewing industry in Indiana. The report  is predictably solid on the economic development boost for the state, but does not neglect the aesthetic side.

There are eight videos here, and all of them are worth watching. If newer videos have been posted by the time you read this, I suspect these still can be found in the "recent" or "archived" sections.

I regret not being able to participate. A staffer from Inside Indiana Business sent an e-mail request via NABC's web site on-line submission form, but unfortunately, it was routed to another server. Had I been able to be there, you can bet I'd have squeezed in a "death to chains" at least once.

NABC beers are the best in metro Louisville. There. I said it.

With yesterday's annual advent of Downtown Displacement Daze, I occupied a stool at the Bank Street Brewhouse bar in mid-afternoon and dispassionately surveyed our selection of beers on tap for the weekend.

Okay, okay -- so I tasted them, too. My line of work is strictly gonzo.

In addition to the everyday familiar styles (Black & Blue Grass, Elector, Hoptimus, Community Dark, Houndmouth, Beak's, 15-B), there are the several seasonals and specialties available to vary the routine. I'll be describing some of these, but first, a damned cheeky digression.

My natural default inclination is to tout the good beer community as a whole, and considering downtown New Albany's current business grouping, it isn't an exaggeration to guess that as many as 50 American craft beers currently are pouring there, including NABC's -- perhaps more, although none of them at the official Harvest Homecoming tent ... but let's refrain from going there, both literally and figuratively.

Let's celebrate a downtown food and drink district made safe for better beer, and not forget that River City Winery performs the same public service when it comes to excellent, locally-produced wine.

Right now, Bank Street Brewhouse has somewhere around 15 of our NABC beers on tap, and looking at them objectively as a group, the impact is tremendous. With requisite respect for our brethren in Louisville, at this precise time in history, I believe our roster of beers brewed in New Albany (gads) to be the best in Louisville metro, which is under-appreciated already for the quality of its local beer.

Folks, take it from me: David, Ben, Josh and Peter are killing it. We're brewing across a stylistic range, with tastes and textures for everyone, and consistency and craftsmanship every step of the way.

Those who still feel that beer must come from somewhere else far away to be good, or that it is necessary to be seen publicly drinking certain brands because they're highly ranked at a ratings web site -- or maybe you just haven't been paying attention to what we're doing -- permit me to suggest that your own backyard just might be an appropriate place to start revising wayward opinions. Nowadays I drink more NABC beer than anything else. Trust me. I wouldn't do it solely to make a point. I do it because the beers taste very good. And I'm proud of that.

Here are five NABC seasonals and specialties worthy of consideration.

Wet Knobs Harvest Hop Ale
When some enterprising folks in the Knobs began raising hops a few years back, there was an opportunity for NABC to brew a seasonal ale using freshly harvested and unprocessed "wet" hops in the fashion of those crafted for many years in hop-growing areas on the West Coast. Our recipe might be described as a rich American-style Pale Ale, with all the hops (Centennial, Chinook and Cascade) this year coming from Brandon Freiberger's crop. We consider Wet Knobs Hop Harvest Ale to be the official ale of Fringe Fest at Bank Street Brewhouse, but it's also on tap at the Pizzeria & Public House. It's a small batch, so get some now.

Phoenix Kentucky Komon
Old-time Louisville brewers were known to purloin sour (corn) mash from neighboring distilleries, using it as adjunct in batches of everyday ales that were referred to as Common or Komon. NABC’s paean to our creative “forebrewers” comes out sour, because we like it that way.

Hoosier Daddy
According to the Terre Haute-born labor union leader and presidential candidate Eugene Debs, "The most heroic word in all languages is revolution." Indiana has had numerous revolutionaries in fields ranging from basketball (John Wooden) to music (Hoagy Carmichael) to popcorn (Orville Redenbacher). Ever heard of James Dean, the actor? He was a Hoosier Daddy, too. Our  "Crimson & Cream Ale" honors them all. A six-month seasonal, Hoosier Daddy will be available through April, 2014.

Strassen Bräu
We resist the strange trend of rendering Oktoberfest/Märzen lagers golden, preferring to retain an amber-brown hue in this classic example of a malt-accented Bavarian fest beer.

Tricentennial Ale
Dwindling stocks of hand-numbered commemorative bottles remain available for purchase, and the last bit of draft is pouring this weekend. Tricentennial Ale is a formulation reaching back to the post-Colonial era, when Hew Ainslie ran New Albany's first commercial brewery, circa 1840. There's a touch of smoke, and sorghum.

A VIP and an IBU walk into a beer fest ... and our day at Fishers on Tap.

Yesterday's Fishers on Tap in Indianapolis ran the requisite VIP hour at the beginning, followed by three hours of general admission. But rather than waxing egregious, the VIP portion at Fishers offered the opportunity for attendees to pair Indiana beers with food from local restaurants. The food presenters stopped serving when general admission began, but food trucks (Indy has such a culture; I imagine Floyd County's Health Department prevents it here) began.

The Fishers event was very good in all respects, and a veritable model for how a small outdoor beer fest should find its opening legs. There was a refreshing absence of geek samplers tethered to Untappd, and no roving bands of 22-year-old males asking for the highest alcohol content. There was a surfeit of locals, considerable community spirit, and a mellow vibe all around -- and the band Soul Street was the best music I've ever heard at such a beer fest.

Kudos to the organizers. Here's my column at LouisvilleBeer.com for June 15.

A VIP and an IBU walk into a beer fest

I went to my first rock concert at the age of 15 in 1975. The venue was Louisville Gardens, and the band was Chicago, which had made it only to IX at the time and wasn’t yet overtly pop. Tickets were $7 in advance, and $8 “on the day of show.”

My most recent name brand concert was the Who at Yum Center in February. Tickets cost somewhere around $75 after Ticketmaster’s various digital anal probes, but for a mere $750 (maybe more; who can remember a spare zero or three?) I might have tithed myself into position backstage as a VIP, fed organic Black Sea caviar with a coke spoon formerly wielded by the late, great Keith Moon, and exchanged pre-curtain pleasantries with Pete Townshend just prior to him ceremonially smashing his guitar atop my tonsure – although it occurs to me that fretboard abuse cost an extra C-note, of which I keep plenty around to light cigars.

"No beer sales this year at farmers markets."

The bill actually passed the Senate in 2013, but was "bottled" up in the House by that same lugubrious fellow who said he'd happily restore Prohibition if given the chance. Perhaps he'll retire soon. In the meantime, small Indiana brewers merely seek a playing field similar in dimension to that of our small winemaking brethren. Legislators increasingly seem to be getting the message; we'll get there.

No beer sales this year at farmers markets (thanks to Beer Pulse for the link)

My column at LouisvilleBeer.com is about Indiana craft brewing.

A quick note: Those tracking progress of this year's "artisan distilling" legislation in Indiana will be pleased to know that it passed and has been signed by the governor. I'm told there are a few stray wording clean-ups to occur in 2014, but the main hurdle has been cleared. Rep. Ed Clere was the prime mover of this legislation, and deserves credit accordingly.

Tomorrow I'll be attending a meeting in West Lafayette aimed at coordinating the Brewers of Indiana Guild, Purdue University and state government toward the aim of establishing agricultural research in areas pertaining to beer and brewing (it's been done for a long time with grapes and winemaking).

Maybe some hops and barley growing, and a micro-malting business in Indiana? It might happen if we can manage row in the same direction.

Indiana Statecraft (Part One)

What was that?

How many breweries are located in the state of Indiana?

Only your friendly statewide trade organization knows for sure, although with the situation changing so quickly from week to week, the Brewers of Indiana Guild (BIG) probably isn’t capable of a completely accurate count, either.

The best guesstimate bandied about during BIG’s annual meeting in April was about 63 operating breweries, with as many as a dozen more in the planning stages.

The Derby Grinch says: In or out of town today, just drink better beer.

If you're a fan of pyrotechnics and craft beer, just get over to Buckhead today for the craft extravaganza and ignore me: Thunder, craft beer, river.

As for me ... my yearly disclaimer.

I get no kick from juleps, and mere horse pimps don’t thrill me at all, but I get a kick out of being a contrarian Grinch each year during Derby Festival.

The orgasmic fireworks display this evening during Flatulence Over Louisville always provides grist for this cynic’s willful disobedience, providing an excellent pretext to skip town for somewhere quiet and civilized by comparison … a place where there is craft beer readily available to wash away the bad taste of this yearly glorification of pure, old-fashioned American garishness ... and since Birdseye didn’t fit the bill, I'm going to Indianapolis, instead. It's the Brewers of Indiana Guild's annual meeting.

Let me know when the smoke clears, okay?

ON THE AVENUES: Hoosiers have the ideal brew waiting.

ON THE AVENUES: Hoosiers have the ideal brew waiting.

A weekly web column by Roger A. Baylor.

In the book “Indiana Breweries,” published in 2010, John Holl and Nate Schweber describe craft breweries in our Hoosier homeland. It’s a worthy effort and a fine read, and yet only two years later, their comprehensive work has very nearly become obsolete. Breweries in the state have proliferated from 37 in 2010 to 53 or more today, with at least 18 on the way and others in the planning stages.

But John’s and Nate’s book has something that promises to stand the test of time: A foreward penned by yours truly. Obviously it is self-serving and egotistical to point to reprint it here, so I believe I'll do just that.

---

In a world driven by cutting edge technologies, I’ve managed to retain certain Luddite proclivities even while conceding ground to my iPhone and laptop.

When I get home after a long day of professional beer drinking, I empty my pockets of small change, smudged Sharpie and trusty cigar cutter. Customarily there are various scrawlings on little paper scraps, magazine subscription cards, package store sales receipts and crusty, beer-soaked coasters.

On a groggy, grumpy weekday morning some months back, a cursory examination of one of these reminders revealed this unintelligibility: “Jahnenollbeerbk.”

After a two espressos and some appropriate reflection, the translation finally took shape amid the haze. Yes, of course; that pleasant fellow from New Jersey, at the pub, asking me questions about the brewery as the empty pints snaked down the bar’s surface like so many glass dominoes waiting to fall and break my liver.

John Holl … right, and the book he was writing – with some guy named Nate. Check.

Wait: A book about Indiana beer. Imagine that!

Hailing from Indiana, otherwise known as the Hoosier State, means living as a stereotype. We’re supposed to be basketball-loving, soybean-growing, corn-shucking, devotees of the Indianapolis 500, inhabiting flat ground somewhere in the vicinity of Illinois, drinking oceans of ice-cold, low-calorie, light golden lager after putting up hay, or downing boilermakers before shifts at doomed rust belt factories, all of which are both true and false, just like all stereotypes.

Hoosiers may not fully understand the meaning of the word “Hoosier,” but one element of our Indiana experience appears to be stealth, at least as it pertains to beer and brewing. Almost unnoticed, three dozen breweries (and more on the way) have settled into their joyous daily routines in Indiana communities large and small, from Indianapolis to Nashville, and from Ft. Wayne to Aurora.

It didn’t seem possible two decades ago, when we’d lash steamer trunks to our hand-cranked, Indiana-made Studebaker and make the long muddy drive from New Albany, through waist-deep potholes and past extensive herds of free-range bison, all the way to Indianapolis, the state capital, eager to experience real beer at Broad Ripple Brewing Company.

It was the state’s very first brewpub, and members of the Brewers of Indiana Guild annually honor John Hill’s birthday by thanking him for his admirable prescience, not to mention patience.

We didn’t call it craft beer in those ancient times. We simply called it good beer, and I believe I knew the name, rank and serial number of every person in the state who shared my preference for it.

At times it was a lonely existence, just me and a few of my closest friends, like Fidel and Che camped in the Sierra Maestra mountains, sifting through the flotsam and jetsam of mass-produced, carbonated alco-pop in search of the stray hop, all the while watching the yokels flee in terror at the mere sight of “the dark stuff.”

Twenty years later, we’re still a minority, but good beer – craft beer – is accepted and available in Indiana as never before. In this book, John and Nate tell you where to find the Hoosier breweries and to drink the beer they brew, and also other prime locations to find craft and just plain good beer from America and all over the world. Never again will you be obliged to grudgingly accept the paltry selections at that familiar chain restaurant’s bar.

Instead, like the authors themselves, you’ll be meeting the regulars at the Heorot in Muncie, or drinking world-renowned ale at the Three Floyds taproom (Munster), or while in Evansville, choosing the perfect beer to accompany pizza at Turoni’s. John and Nate cannot magically render you into the most interesting man (or woman) in the world. However, they provide complete instructions on how to drink the most interesting beer in Indiana, thus lessening America’s dependence on foreign Dos Equis, and immeasurably enhancing the pleasure when the Colts once again defeat the Patriots.

This Hoosier journey in pursuit of better beer is noteworthy because it simultaneously validates Indiana’s historic and cultural 19th-century virtues – think of John Wooden, the late, iconic basketball legend who grew up in Martinsville – while pointing the way forward to 21st-century goals like artisanal integrity, local sourcing and environmental sustainability. Most small brewers were going back to the future, green and local, before the buzzwords started trending.

Just ask Clay Robinson, Sun King’s advocate of recyclable cans, or Jeff Mease, organic farmer, water buffalo rancher and owner of Bloomington Brewing Company, or the pioneering Abstons, who are building trellises and growing hops in the hilly Knobs that rise above the Ohio River in Floyd County.

My favorite single aspect of being in the brewing business in Indiana, and by extension, the reason why the brewing business is the best business in America, is that all of us are like family.

Greg Emig brewed for John Hill at Broad Ripple Brewing, and then moved on to found Lafayette Brewing Company. Chris Johnson brewed for Greg, and now is the owner/brewer at People’s Brewing. Ted Miller also brewed for John before leaving to sell and install brewing systems worldwide. Ted returned to Indianapolis to open Brugge Brasserie, and today Kevin Matalucci, Ted’s high school classmate, is two blocks away from Brugge up the Monon Trail, brewing beer for John at Broad Ripple Brewing, as he has done since Ted left.

Indiana craft brewing is community, not competitive. We cooperate, not connive. It’s family. On those mercifully rare occasions when a brewery goes out of business, we lament and console the survivors, while advising and assisting the next wave. It’s a tall order, but we’re working together to put Indiana-brewed beer in the hands of the many Hoosiers who’ve yet to experience it.

In this book, John Holl and Nate Schweber do more than document the Indiana beer and brewing scene. They convey an overall sense of our brewing community and its ethos. John and Nate came to our places, drank our pints (samples just don’t tell the tale), walked the walk, stumbled the stumble, and deciphered the cryptic notes next morning while searching for Advil in a hotel room on the wrong side of the Interstate.

Read, enjoy and start planning your trip to Indiana. We Hoosiers have the ideal brew waiting, whatever your taste.

Indiana craft brewing by the numbers.

I'm in Indianapolis today to protest the Hoosier GOP one-party state. Nah, not really. I'm attending a Brewers of Indiana Guild quarterly meeting. Here's a snapshot of NABC's brethren, as of mid-October, courtesy of the Guild. If we can maintain growth like this, perhaps Indiana can be a monolithic one-beer party state.

53
There are 53 breweries properly permitted, actively brewing and open for business.

18
There are 18 breweries on the way (that we know of). All have applied for permits and some have been granted but for a variety of reasons these breweries are not yet open.

2
Two breweries have active permits (not placed in escrow) but have ceased operations.

1
One permit is active but does not appear to be actively brewing beer (Chateau de Pique in Seymour, an active winery)

Of the 53 active/open breweries:

33
33 are pubs

15
15 are production breweries with on-site tasting rooms

5
5 are production-only breweries (whether or not they have other locations, e.g., Upland, BBC and Power House)

And…

12
12 breweries are located in Indianapolis

4
4 are located in Bloomington; and 4 in Columbus (total: 8)

2
2 are located in each: Lafayette, Nashville, New Albany, Plainfield and Richmond (total: 10)

1
The following cities have one brewery: Aurora, Avon, Batesville, Bedford, Carmel, Crown Point, Culver, Elkhart, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Granger, Greenwood, Jasper,Kokomo, LaPorte, Madison, Michigan City, Munster, Noblesville, Seymour, South Bend, Valparaiso and Whiting (total: 23)

Of the 18 “breweries in planning”:

4 plan to be in Indianapolis; 2 in Evansville, and 1 each for Bloomington, Carmel, Chesterton, Columbus, Goshen, Greenwood, Hope, Merrillville, Muncie, Rochester, Shelbyville and Tell City.

If all these breweries open, that would be 71 Indiana craft breweries in 39 cities.