In this edition of Publicanista!:
I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: LUPULIN LAND HARVEST HOP FESTIVAL 2006 BEGINS OCTOBER 13.
II. NABC BREWERY NEWS: GEARING UP FOR HARVEST HOMECOMING.
III. GOOD NEWS IN THE DRAFT BEER REALM.
IV. UNAVOIDABLE NEWS IN THE DRAFT BEER REALM.
V. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG.
VI. DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.
VII. BOTTLED BEER NEWS: ONE NEW ONE THIS WEEK, ONE NEXT WEEK.
VIII. CONGRATULATIONS TO NIKKI AND KYLE ON THEIR WEDDING DURING LAST WEEKEND'S MONSOON.
IX. EVENTS, HOURS AND RELATED FACTS.
I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: LUPULIN LAND HARVEST HOP FESTIVAL 2006 BEGINS OCTOBER 13.
We’ll be exceeding OSHA’s legal limits on IBU’s per square foot of floor space when Lupulin Land 2006 begins on Friday, October 13. It is our fifth harvest hop celebration, and a good occasion for Kentuckiana’s hopheads to unite over a pint or two of America’s most bitter beer.
Residents of New Albany should note that the Harvest Homecoming Parade takes place on the previous Saturday (October 7), and Booth Days run from the 12th through the 15th.
The delivery timing on the three "fresh hop" ales listed for the festival (Bell's, Great Divide and Sierra Nevada) is going to be tricky, so they may not appear until later in October.
Randall the Enamel Animal will be brought back for a second appearance at Lupulin Land. Details will be provided soon.
Roughly 10-14 of these will be on tap when the fest opens, in addition to the everyday beers.
Those marked * are first-time drafts.
Microbrews from America (16).
Avery Maharaja Imperial India Pale Ale ... in house
BBC Beer Company (Main & Clay) American Pale Ale (dry-hopped; cask-conditioned) ... ordered, not received
Bluegrass Brewing Company (St. Matthews) Ultra/aka Homewrecker (dry-hopped; cask-conditioned) ... ordered, not received
*Bell’s Hop Slam Imperial IPA ... ordered, not received
*Great Divide Fresh Hop Pale Ale ... ordered, not received
Great Divide Hercules Double IPA ... ordered, not received
*Great Divide Titan IPA ... ordered, not received
NABC Hoptimus ... in house
*NABC Oaktimus ... in house
Rogue I2PA ... in house
Rogue JLS Integrity IPA JLS Release #14 (2006 redux) ... in house
Rogue Morimoto Imperial Pilsner ... in house
*Rogue Juniper Pale Ale ... in house
*Shmaltz Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A. ... in house
Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale ... ordered, not received
Stone Ruination IPA ... in house
Imports (5).
Hitachino Nest Japanese Classic Ale (Japan) ... in house
Houblon Chouffe (Belgium) ... in house
Jever Pilsener (Germany) ... in house
Poperings Hommel Bier (Belgium) ... in house
St. Georgenbrau Keller Bier (Germany) ... in house
Year-round offerings -- on tap throughout Lupulin Land (7).
II. NABC BREWERY NEWS: GEARING UP FOR HARVEST HOMECOMING.
This year, with the advent of the Bistro New Albany, fest goers are guaranteed the availability of more good beer than ever before during booth days. The Daves currently are working on a plan to expand their patio by adding a “beer garden” on the adjacent parking lot. It would feature their full bNA lineup of NABC beers and guests.
We’re optimistic that this year’s Harvest Homecoming booth days will be the first of many that will see local beer aficionados stopping by Bistro New Albany for a pint before braving the sea of humanity for inexplicable elephant ears and rote political party solicitations.
Jesse and Jared have brewed a batch of Hallertauer-hopped golden ale that we'll have on hand at bNA for Harvest Homecoming. Check back next week for expanded information, and read this PC article for Harvest Homecoming background:
There'll be good beer at Harvest Homecoming this year, thanks to Bistro New Albany.
For a listing of where NABC beers can be found, see NABC outside accounts in Southern Indiana.
III. GOOD NEWS IN THE DRAFT BEER REALM.
Three Rogue ales currently are on draft, including Rogue JLS #17: Monk Madness, which strikes me as similar to Mogul Madness, but with Belgian malts and different hopping.
A shipment of specialty drafts has arrived, courtesy of B. United International and Cavalier Distributing. There are others in the pipeline, but these will be cellared for tapping during Saturnalia and Gravity Head.
Here are the ones on tap now:
Regenboog t’Smisje Blond
Brouwerij de Regenboog, Brugge, Belgium
6% abv
Golden ale brewed with typical eccentricity by the estimable Johan Brand, with Pilsner malt, Challenger hops, and gentle spicing with lime (Linden) blossoms.
Aecht Schlenkerla Weizen
Brauerei Heller-Trum, Bamberg, Germany
5.2% abv
The barley is smoked in-house, but the wheat malt is not. The result is a distinctive hybrid, with the characteristic Weizen fruity esters and clove-like phenols alongside the trademark Schlenkerla smokiness.
Special drafts coming next week (circa October 4 or 5):
Regenboog Guido
Brouwerij de Regenboog, Brugge, Belgium
Circa 8% abv
Brewed to commemorate poet, priest and Flemish language proponent Guido Gezelle, a Brugge native son. Johan adds raisins and honey to create a formidable dark ale.
Regenboog t’Smisje Speciale (i.e., Halloween)
Brouwerij de Regenboog, Brugge, Belgium
10.5% abv
Here’s a description from David Frost, our B. United representative:
Johan bottles it in Belgium, but we don't bring it in here (in bottles), so it's only available in keg right now … I tried it when I visited him last year, and really enjoyed it -- insisting we get a least a few kegs. Not overly sweet at all (malty, though) but warming. Pumpkin-y in a gourd/vegetal way, not a "pumpkin pie" way -- though there seems to be a touch of spice.
Bell’s Octoberfest Beer
Bell’s Brewery, Kalamazoo, Michigan
5.5% abv
The Bells version of the Bavarian seasonal lager – with the spelling in English, sans –k.
Dogfish Head Punkin Ale
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, Delaware
7% abv
Brown ale with pumpkin and brown sugar.
IV. UNAVOIDABLE NEWS IN THE DRAFT BEER REALM.
When I'm feeling ill, it's typical for me to wait until the last possible moment before visiting the doctor and doing something about it.
In like fashion, draft beer prices are going up, effective Monday, October 9. Most beers in my clusters of pricing tiers will rise by a quarter (.25) per pint, which represents far less than a 10% increase, but one that's become inevitable given the higher wholesale prices for guest beers and the increased cost of raw materials for NABC products.
V. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG.
Here are recently posted articles:
Happy Hour in the restaurant car on the EC-22, on 18 September, 2006.
I like drinking beer in train stations.
A beer or two while waiting for the train.
Hopping over to the Zatec hop festival -- another view.
Hopping over to the Zatec hop festival.
She may have forgotten to charge us for one or two.
Rich O's medals in Rate Beer's "Best Beer Bars in the United States."
Rich O's Public House cracks the Top 20 in Beer Advocate rankings.
VI. 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.
Artemsia Ale ... Brown ale brewed with 80% Simpson's Golden Promise two-row and molasses, and flavored with mugwort (the "dream herb," related to sagebrush and a cousin of wormwood), sweet orange peel and chamomile. 4.5% abv.
Bob's Old 15-B ... We're calling it a robust, brown Porter precisely because style definitions were meant to be bent.
Community Dark ... Based on English Mild, and our light-bodied dark quaffer. 5% abv.
Croupier IPA ... Jesse's homage to our casino employee clientele is modeled on the English interpretation, with a few American flourishes.
Elector ... Making Democracy pointless since 2002; English malt, American hops. 7.2% abv. Double Red?
Hoptimus ... Brewed with Simpson's Golden Promise malt; Northern Brewer, Fuggles and Cascades hops; and the house London yeast. Dry hopping with Fuggles and Cascades. 9% abv.
Mt. Lee ... California Common, in the style of the famous brand which trademarked the name "steam." Get my drift?
Guests from near and far.
Market pricing.
Staples:
Sprecher Root Beer (non-alcoholic)
Rotating (limited engagement)
Bell's Kalamazoo Stout
Founders Red's Rye
Rogue (dry-hopped) St. Rogue Red
Weihenstephaner Weissbier Dunkel
Bullpen:
Regenboog t’Smisje Speciale (i.e., Halloween)
VII. BOTTLED BEER NEWS: ONE NEW ONE THIS WEEK, ONE NEXT WEEK.
This week: Founders Bad Habit Belgian Quad (9.8% abv) joins the rotating bottled list.
Next week: Dogfish Head Chateau Jiahu will arrive.
Don't forget to check the chalkboard in the front room at Rich O’s for bottled specials and seasonals. These are the bottled beers not carried on the everyday bottled list, and represent a wide variety of flavors and textures for your tasting enjoyment.
VIII. CONGRATULATIONS TO NIKKI AND KYLE ON THEIR WEDDING DURING LAST WEEKEND'S MONSOON.
And the best of luck to both of them. Nikki's working for us again, and she'll be primarily responsible for the Prost special events wing -- planning, scheduling and hosting gatherings there. We're very happy to have her back in the fold.
Once a routine is established, look for a newsletter section devoted to the week's special activities in Prost. One that may be happening soon is a tasting of beers from the Schlafly Brewing Company of St. Louis. My old acquaintance John Campbell recently was appointed as the brewery's sales representative for Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee, and last evening we discussed a late October or early November date to enjoy his products in the comfort of Prost.
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.
Rich O's: The front dining rooms at Rich O's are designated as non-smoking areas. The bar area and Red Room are open for smoking (cigarettes, cigars, pipes). We strongly discourage clove cigarettes, which are divisive even among smokers.
Sportstime: Smoking is permitted in the entirety of Sportstime Pizza.
2006/2007 events: 
Weekly on Thursday evening @ 7:00 p.m.
Drinking Liberally (New Albany & Southern Indiana) meets in the Red Room each Wednesday. Contact organizer Lacy Davis for details.
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Friday, October 13
Lupulin Land Harvest Hop Festival
We’ll be exceeding OSHA’s legal limits on IBU’s per square foot of floor space when Lupulin Land 2006 begins on Friday, October 13. It is our fifth harvest hop celebration, and a good occasion for Kentuckiana’s hopheads to unite over a pint or two of America’s most bitter beer.
UPDATED: Previews: Lupulin Land & Saturnalia (2006) and Gravity Head (2007).
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Friday, December 15
Saturnalia MMVI
NABC, Rich O’s Public House and Sportstime Pizza pay tribute to the ancient pagan origins of Christmas with Saturnalia, a draft beer festival showcasing seasonal specialties and festive ales.
UPDATED: Previews: Lupulin Land & Saturnalia (2006) and Gravity Head (2007).
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Friday, March 9, 2007
Gravity Head 2007
The ninth edition of our annual festival celebrating the brewing world’s biggest and best will kick off from its customary March starting time.
UPDATED: Previews: Lupulin Land & Saturnalia (2006) and Gravity Head (2007).
Credits:
Thanks to Jim Bell for his photographic prowess, which we share with you from time to time.
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 Association and Brewers of Indiana Guild.
Questions or comments about editorial content should be directed to Roger A. Baylor, who also writes The Potable Curmudgeon and NA Confidential blogs.
THE END.
