THE BEER BEAT: News and views from local breweries, and an incredible Uff-da.

Before embarking on a brief survey of local Southern Indiana brewery news, a nod to last evening's closer: New Glarus Uff-Da. It was among the beers purchased in early October when we fled to Madison, Wisconsin to escape Harvest Homecoming's annual presence.

Harvest Evasion 2016 in Madison WI, Day Two: The non-negotiable pilgrimage to New Glarus, brewery and town.

At some point around 1981, having only recently tried Guinness for the first time, I saw a six-pack of Stroh’s Bock at Cut Rate Liquors and bought it on a whim.

What was bock, anyway? According to an old man at Steinert’s, who spoke in stately and authoritative confidence, and probably hadn’t traveled any further afield than Cincinnati in his entire life, bock was brewed from the leftovers at the bottom of the vats after spring brewery cleaning each year.

As for himself, he wouldn’t touch the dark stuff for fear of its crippling 20% alcohol content and molasses-like consistency. It wasn’t long until I learned that those tales of spring scrubbing and heightened potency were utter nonsense. At first I suffered from embarrassment for having been so stupid, but later realized that listening to old men perched on bar stools telling stories was the important part, and their truthfulness a subsidiary consideration.

Uff-da refers to itself as a Wisconsin Bock, which is meaningful only in the sense of Bock being a Bavarian heritage creation, and the New Glarus brewery showing admirable consistency over the years when faithfully interpreting German lager styles like this. It is delicious.

I consider Uff-da (circa 6.9%) a traditional "single" Bock, falling just a tad shy of Doppelbock strength; dark brown, with a toffeeish malt character, and only enough hops to balance the malty sweetness.

I wish we'd bought a case instead of a six-pack. The Bavarians intended Bock as a colder weather beer, and Uff-da couldn't have been better calibrated to sip on our first truly frigid night of 2017.

Ironically, two weeks ago I had a beer at Red Yeti, and it also was a Bock. Red Yeti's version was lighter both in color and flavor -- perhaps intended as an American Bock, and in my estimation a lager too stripped of malt character to score better than average. However, I was delighted to see five or six house brewed beers on the board, so let's begin there.

RED YETI (RED FOOT), Jeffersonville

Last summer, Red Yeti was sued by Great Divide. It all seemed so senseless, but of course with "craft" beer queuing enthusiastically for the privilege of being the next revolution to fall prey to capitalism, it's to be expected. Here's an update, courtesy of the Jeffersonville newspaper.

A BEER BY ANY OTHER NAME: Brewery side of Red Yeti to be Red Foot to settle name dispute with Colorado brewery, by Aprile Rickert (News and Tribune)

JEFFERSONVILLE — The Red Yeti in Jeffersonville is changing its brewery name by February — the result of a settlement in a two-year dispute with a Colorado brewery.

After the change, the brewery side of the Spring Street business will be known as Red Foot Brewing, keeping as closely in line with the original theme as possible. The restaurant side will still be known as The Red Yeti.

FLAT12 BIERWERKS, Jeffersonville

It isn't clear whether there'll ever be brewing on site at Flat12, which instead has served as the Louisville metro taproom for the Indianapolis-based brewery, and this is of little consequence to anyone apart from Jeffersonville's economic development team.

It remains a gorgeous place to have a few beers, and an anniversary celebration is coming:

"Our Anniversary Beer Festivals are always free to attend, but the best way to experience it is with our $30 complimentary sample and Rastal Teku glassware package. A limited amount of tickets on sale now! Details in the link."

Flat12 Jeffersonville Anniversary Celebration

January 28th, we are celebrating 6 years of brewing in Indiana and 2 years at our southern home in Jeffersonville! To mark the milestone and thank our supporters, we are inviting our partners and loyal customers to join us at the Indy taproom for another epic Anniversary Party Beer Festival.

The festival will feature more than 30 beers including barrel-aged, sour, cask, and specialty brews and live music from 4p-6p. The party is free to attend (21+) and traditional half pints and pints will be available for purchase.

POINT BLANK BREWING COMPANY, Corydon

Point Blank Brewing Company is located on the historic old town square in Indiana's first state capital, and while it has been around for a few years, it opened for business with food service and guest beers before the brewery ever began producing beer. Red Yeti did, too, and trust me on this one: It's a difficult feat to integrate your own house beers after building a following for guest beers. Simple as that.

To judge from its social media presence, Point Blank still seems uncertain how to go about positioning itself as a brewery, but I'm told by a friend that a new brewer is on board, and the beers being brewed are definitely worthy of consideration. It has been at least two years since my last visit, and this needs to be rectified. Until then, Point Blank's owners have opened a new business adjacent to their building, separate but connected: Old Capitol Tap Room.

We invite you to be our guest at the Old Capitol Tap Room! Nestled on the historic town square in Corydon, Indiana. Our antique bar is rich in history and character, making the atmosphere of the bar one of a kind. Along with our own craft brews on draft, we have quite the selection of bottled beer to choose from and a great selection of liquor and wine.

The Old Capitol Tap Room also has a variety of carry-out beer specials. Our food menu is not lacking variety either! Come in and enjoy a nice dinner. Bring some friends and play some games (did we mention that we have a bookshelf full of board games, cards and dice?!?) Come and watch your favorite team on one of our big TV's. We also have live music on Friday and Saturday nights. While you are visiting us, don't forget to grab a basket of our free fresh popped popcorn!

FLOYD COUNTY BREWING COMPANY, New Albany

In December, FCBC instituted a loyalty program for regular patrons. There is a special "Friends of Floyd" area on the brewpub's Facebook page, so if you're dropping by regularly, have a look.

DONUM DEI BREWERY, New Albany

Rick and Kimberly Otey were ready when the William McKinley (oops -- I mean Lewis & Clark) Bridge opened in late December, and this video creatively shows Louisvillians the way to Donum Dei: "We are just 10 minutes from the East End Bridge on Grant Line Road."

NEW ALBANIAN BREWING COMPANY, New Albany

There was a time when NABC's propaganda was as incessant as it was entertaining, but these days, in-depth information is scant, and the scintillating edginess has almost disappeared. Beats me. Did something change?

(cue canned laugh track)

Okay, okay. I wrote the words for 25 years, and it's to be expected that in the aftermath of my (as yet scandalously unresolved) departure, it would take time to rearrange the outreach program. Obviously, I want NABC to succeed. If it doesn't, then my beak's best never will get wet.

At Facebook, the New Albanian Brewing Company Pizzeria & Public House page is updated regularly with house and guest tap rotations and beer specials.

Also at Facebook, the recently redubbed NABC Cafe & Brewhouse (formerly Bank Street Brewhouse) devotes more posts to food and live music than beer, which is unusual considering the presence of a mash tun, brew kettle and four 30bbl fermenters in the rear ... and yes, it's nothing to do with me.

To be perfectly honest, I do genuinely miss sampling the beers Josh Hill and Ben Minton are brewing. The ones I've had here and there have been as good as ever, and you can view the portfolio here. Perhaps if the Free House idea  ever gets off the ground, Ben can brew me a nice, gentle, representative, session-strength Ordinary Bitter.

Remember to support your local breweries ... with exceptions allowed for visits to Wisconsin.

Harvest Evasion 2016 in Madison WI, Day Two: The non-negotiable pilgrimage to New Glarus, brewery and town.

When there's a combined coffee shop and wine bar only a minute's walk from your Airbnb, that's where breakfast is: Barriques on Park Street in Madison, and a fine way to begin the day -- with espresso, not pinot noir, although be aware that this establishment boasts an amazing list of $10 wines.

Friday morning's destination was New Glarus, a small, tidy Wisconsin town situated roughly 25 miles south of Madison. It bills itself as "America's Little Switzerland," albeit lacking Alps, but with flair enough that folks who know nothing about "craft" beer still visit for the Old World charm.

We indulged in a round of thrift shopping on the route out of Madison, and I disgorged this perfect $1.00 musical accompaniment for the drive. Think oom-pah with yodeling, and you'll be close.

It's hard to imagine many sightseers in New Glarus leaving without learning about the big (and growing) brewery on a hilltop overlooking town.

This is the "new" New Glarus Brewing Company facility, opened a decade ago, where more than 200,000 barrels of beer are brewed yearly. The "old" plant just down the road adds more than 50,000 barrels to the total, all of which is available only in the state of Wisconsin.

To place these numbers in context, consider that the state of Indiana only recently has breweries even approaching the 50,000 barrel level.

New Glarus Brewing Company is a case study in excellence, and this is true in so many ways that enumerating them in depth would require a university business course term project, something far beyond this brief sketch.

Nonetheless, an overview includes the uniform quality of the beer itself, the decision some years back to distribute only in Wisconsin, the beer tourism approach embodied by the hilltop brewing shrine, the architectural design of this shrine, employee ownership of the company and female management of it ... and I've only scratched the surface.

This year was our fourth or fifth visit to the brewery, which we'd toured previously. This time the sampling bar and gift shop proved sufficient, with a beer enjoyed outside in the garden. In recent years, this comfortable expanse has been augmented with mock abbey ruins and other clever amenities like the rinsing station, a retrofitted vintage console from a German brewhouse.

As always, the final stop was the takeaway beer warehouse. To visit the brewery during the second weekend in August on the occasion of the Great Taste of the Midwest is to learn that incoming brewers from out-of-state emulate swarms of locusts, generally removing more ought-after brands from the shelves. Going in the off-season (those 51 other weekends) is better.

I pay little attention these days to beer ratings, but at least several of New Glarus's renowned fruit-based sour ales were available for purchase, along with plenty of the brewery's delicious styles from the German pantheon: Staghorn Octoberfest, Zwickl, Two Women Lager and Uff-da Bock.

I'm glad they had two-wheelers.

After loading the trunk at New Glarus Brewing, and before considering where the luggage would be stowed on the return trip, it was time descend the hill and proceed to Glarner Stube, a perpetually packed Swiss-German restaurant with New Glarus beers on tap and sauerkraut the way it's supposed to be, this being a particular passion of mine when dining out. My choice of beer was Spotted Cow, because ... when in Rome.

Out on the main street of New Glarus, I had fun walking back and forth in the crosswalk, from one side to the other, experiencing the amazing sensation (for a New Albanian) of having drivers actually yield to pedestrians, just the way they're supposed to do, but don't, because Irv Stumler says no one in our sity speeds or drives hazardously.

Later, back in Madison, there was cocktail hour at the Wonder Bar Steakhouse and a much needed nap before dinner. Located a short walk away from the pad, Mini Hot Pot was the choice for our evening meal, and make no mistake: We need one of these in Louisville.

The new Mini Hot Pot on South Park Street is particularly inviting on a cold, windy, gray day. The small restaurant’s specialty is bubbling broth in individual hot pots, served with colorful plates of meats and vegetables that diners cook themselves, fondue style.

Owner Vincent Chang explained that hot pots are traditional in northern China, where the winter weather is similar to Wisconsin’s. Historically, he said, an entire family would gather around one boiling cauldron of seasoned broth, dipping in ingredients and sharing the soup.

To the GTMW: Sunday, August 11, and the amazing New Glarus Brewing Company.

Sunday began with brunch at the Great Dane's Fitchburg location (libations above), which lies conveniently on the route back to New Glarus. This time we aimed straight for the New Glarus Brewing Company, and as always when visiting this shining craft beer facility on the hill, I felt admiration and envy in equal measure. NABC isn't New Glarus Brewing, and New Albany isn't Wisconsin, but I'd still like to think that some day ...

The biggest changes since my last visit two years ago are big new fermenter buildings to the left of the main entrance, and a beer garden expanded out onto the hillside, featuring mock ruins constructed from scratch; ironically, it's the same idea I had for the Bank Street Brewhouse outdoor area, given that whenever we get around to removing the asphalt, there's likely to be the foundation of a house underneath.

Localists, pay heed: The most important central facts about New Glarus Brewing are that the brewery's overall distribution is limited to Wisconsin, while at the same time, visitors coming to see this architectural marvel buy cases of beer to take home (think: like Coors was in the bad old days) likely totaling more in yearly volume than our entire turnover at BSB.

Admiration. Envy. Equal measure. Grrr.