NABC brewery news: Fermenters and serving tanks arrive, installation underway.
As of January 2, Rich O's front room to be smoke-free.
Cask-conditioned NABC Croupier to be tapped Thursday.
Rogue Hop Heaven the latest John's Locker Stock offering.
Reading at the Potable Curmudgeon's beer blog.
Saturnalia MMV draft lineup taking shape.
Current draft beer lineup.
Rich O's bottle list revised and new beers added.
Events and miscellany.
I. THE NEW ALBANIAN BREWING COMPANY WELCOMES SIX NEW ADDITIONS TO THE FAMILY.
And five of them are visible in the photo. The two taller vessels are fermenters, and the squat ones are jacketed brite/serving tanks, the latter destined for duty in what used to be the game room at Sportstime Pizza, where they will supply a new draft system.
Our brewers, Jesse and Jared, are hard at work at the installation, with the first phase slated for completion within the next two weeks. Read more here: Bouncing baby fermenters and serving tanks finally arrive.
While we're working on this expansion project, brewing will be temporarily suspended. When brewing resumes, NABC will simplify its core portfolio during the remainder of 2005. We appreciate your patience as we work toward achieving these various goals, and promise fun, beery things in 2006.
II. ADVANCE WARNING: SMOKING POLICY CHANGE AT RICH O'S.
Effective on January 2, 2006, the front seating area at Rich O's (seven tables by the windows) will be added to the current non-smoking area. Smoking will continue to be allowed in the bar area and Red Room, and in the Sportstime Pizza dining area.
III. CASK REPORT: NABC CROUPIER IPA NOW POURING.
As of Thursday, November 3, a cask-conditioned firkin of Jesse's NABC Croupier IPA will be on the hand pull.
As promised, here's the list of imported English and Scottish firkins expected to arrive by late November:
RCH Old Slug Porter, firkin
Harvey's Sussex Best, firkin
J.W.Lees Manchester Star, firkin
Harviestoun Old Engine Oil Special Reserve, firkin (Dalmore Scotch barrel-aged)
For more information on cask-conditioned ale:
Horse Brass Pub (where our friend Biscuit works)
Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA)
Warm, Flat and Boring -- the Truth About Cask Ale, from www.RateBeer.com.
IV. ROGUE'S HOP HEAVEN IS A FINAL EXCLAMATION POINT FOR THE 2005 LUPULIN LAND HARVEST HOP FEST.
I knew it was coming, and it wouldn't get here in time for Lupulin Land, but it's here now: Rogue Hop Heaven, an ale brewed with freshly harvested Newport hops from a nearby Oregon hop farm.
Two kegs of Hop Heaven have come to us courtesy of the John's Locker Stock program, wherein the brewery makes available to selected accounts special drafts created by legendary brewmaster John Maier and his team. We're ecstatic to participate in this program, and to raise a glass to our longstanding relationship with the fine people at Rogue.
V. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG.
Here are recent articles posted at http://potablecurmudgeon.blogspot.com/:
A-B's Stephen J. Burrows Will Rot in Hell.
BBC Tap Room's beer tasting and appetizers on Wednesday, Nov. 9.
Swillmongers on television, but craft beer nearby as I watch.
Updating the bottled beer selection at Rich O's.
Importer and blue noses square off in Connecticut's Elf beer ban.
VI. SATURNALIA MMV COMING SOON TO A TEMPLE NEAR YOU.
Patrons with sharper eyes and proofreading skills than the Publican's will notice that the latest edition of the bottled beer list refers to the forthcoming Saturnalia as XXV, or 25. It should be MMV -- 2005. Fortunately, the t-shirts have yet to be printed.
Here's the latest Saturnalia lineup update:
The fest begins on December 16 and runs into the first weeks of the New Year. Anyone for a toga party in Prost!, our new banquet and conference wing that we're working presently to remodel?
VII. DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.
Our NABC beers.
Brewed in New Albany by NABC’s Jesse Williams, with assistance from Jared Williamson.
Beak’s Best … English ESB named for world-famous traveler, scholar and drinks aficionado “Beak” Barry. Standard strength.
Bob's Old 15B … Brown Porter from the recipe book of noted homebrewer Bob Capshew.
Croupier IPA ... Jesse's American-style IPA.
Guests from near and far.
Market pricing.
De Dolle Ara Bier (Belgium)
De Dolle Oerbier (Belgium)
Grotten Brown (Belgium)
Mojo IPA (Boulder Brewing Co.)
Poperings Hommel Bier (Belgium)
Rogue (John's Locker Stock) Festive Ale (Saison)
Rogue (John's Locker Stock) Hop Heaven
Sprecher Root Beer (non-alcoholic)
In the bullpen:
VIII. QUARTERLY BOTTLED BEER LIST CHANGES AND NEW ROTATING BOTTLED SELECTIONS.
Last week, I completed a major upgrade of the bottled beer menu at Rich O's, with the aim being to stock more and better American microbrews, leaning heavily toward the most flavorful side of the style ledger.
First, some background.
Generally, our regular, daily bottled list comprises around 200 selections, including everyday beers, vintage beers, ciders and meads. Another 15 to 20 beers rotate seasonally, by availability, or owing to my personal interest in feauturing them, and these choices are written on the blackboard -- not included in the printed beer list.
The printed beer list is checked and updated roughly on a quarterly basis. I look for beers that are not selling well, and close them out if there appears to be no hope for repositioning. To be honest, you never know how well a beer will do. As with any product, there is a magical, mysterious consumer matrix that incorporates price, quality, image and intangibles, and aspects of it can be buffed and polished to some extent, not always successfully.
There are times when one must punt. I've tried in vain to develop a following for Shipyard's (Maine) ales, and largely failed. I'll let them rest for a while, and maybe try again next year.
Obviously, given the perishable nature of beer, stocks must rotate. Something less than a third of the beers we keep in stock are ones that must move quickly -- for example, lighter beers, pilsners, lower gravity lagers, and the like.
However, the majority are beers designed to be kept for a while (at least), and among these are some that will keep for a long time. Among these are higher gravity beers and bottle conditioned beers.
Without further ado ...
Here are last week's microbrewed additions:
Avery "The Beast" Grand Cru
Avery "The Czar" Imperial Stout
Avery "The Reverend" Quadrupel
Founders Dirty Bastard
Founders Red's Rye
Great Divide Hercules Double IPA
Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout
Rogue XS I2PA
Rogue XS Old Crustacean Barley Wine
Rogue XS Russian Imperial Stout
New imports (here now):
Broughton Black Douglas (Scotland)
Christian Drouin Poire (French pear cider)
Moving from seasonal/rotating to full-time duty:
Glazen Toren Saison d’Erpe Mere
Uerige Doppel Sticke
A new wave of guest bottles is about to break (most out now):
Avery "The Kaiser" Imperial Oktoberfest
Breckinridge "Small Batch" 471 IPA
Founders Black Rye
Great Divide Hibernation Ale
Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza
Jolly Pumpkin La Roja
Previous guests/seasonal/rotating, and still available:
Bell's Batch 7000 (A Commemorative Brew)
BBC Hell for Certain
Cassissona
Oaken Barrel Saison
Rogue Chipotle Ale
Shipyard Pumpkinhead
Stone 05/05/05 Vertical Epic
Stone 9th Anniversary Ale
IX. EVENTS, HOURS AND RELATED FACTS.
General business hours:
Sportstime Pizza opens at 11:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday. Rich O’s opens at 3:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and at 1:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. We are not open on Sunday except during special events. The same food and beer is available at all times in both rooms, so you may have lunch and a beer in the Sportstime Pizza dining area during those hours when Rich O’s isn’t open. The brewery is available for a look-see if one of us is around and we’re not busy.
2005/06 events:
Saturnalia! 2005
Begins Friday, December 16.
Gravity Head 2006 (Vol. 8)
Note a date change: Gravity Head 2006 has been moved forward two weeks, and will begin on Friday, February 24. I have every reason to believe this will occur this year only, and in 2007, the festival will revert to the second weekend in March.
Credits:
Readers who aren’t as familiar with our business should go to http://www.newalbanian.com/ and http://www.richos.com/ for more information.
NABC is a member of the Brewers of Indiana Guild: http://www.brewersofindianaguild.com/
Questions or comments about editorial content should be directed to Roger A. Baylor: potable@richos.com.
THE END.
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