In this edition of Publicanista!:
I. PUBLICAN’S CHOICE: SAY GOODBYE TO GRAVITY MADNESS 2007.
II. NABC BREWERY UPDATE: PREVIEW OF THE REMAINING "BREWER'S BEST FRIEND" BEERS (MALCOLM AND ELSA).
III. PLAYING CATCH-UP WITH JOHN'S LOCKER STOCK FROM ROGUE.
IV. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG.
V. DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.
VI. CALENDAR OF EVENTS, HOURS AND RELATED FACTS.
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I. PUBLICAN’S CHOICE: SAY GOODBYE TO GRAVITY MADNESS 2007.
Well, almost. All listed selections that weren't scratched are tapped or floated, with the exception of a handful of "encore" beers, i.e., multiple keg purchases.
“Normalization” of the draft selection is proceeding apace, with the usual rotation being phased back in as the Gravity kegs disappear. Take solace: There’s less than eleven months until Gravity Head 2008.
II. NABC BREWERY UPDATE: PREVIEW OF THE REMAINING "BREWER'S BEST FRIEND" BEERS (MALCOLM AND ELSA).
NABC’s Jared Williamson submits this preview of upcoming attractions (repeated from the last edition). Note that there has been only one Rate Beer review of Jasmine the Mastiff, but it's a fine description of the first "Brewer's Best Friend" release -- which is going fast.
The final two beers of our "Brewer’s Best Friend” series have finished fermenting.
Malcolm's Old Setters Ale
Elsa Von Horizon Imperial Pilsner
Malcolm’s has already been placed half in firkins and half in barrels (all with oak chips) for secondary fermentation in the barrel. Most of the old ale we will try to sit on for a year (Gravity Head 2008, maybe one for 2009), but some will be released in limited amounts this year.
The plan: Some time this summer, when the Elsa is ready, all three will be on tap at the same time (a firkin of Malcolm’s, a pin of Jasmine sweet stout, and Elsa through Randall*).
Maybe I’ll bring Jasmine in for a meet the mastiff session; she is a crowd pleaser (the other two dogs are not so people friendly).
Currently we are brewing Jenever, true to the original recipe from last
year. Hoptimus is in kegs and will be back on tap soon. We will be doing a keg of Oaktimus from this batch for Lupulin Land 2007.
* Randall is NABC’s “dry hopping from the tap” machine, as invented and sold to us by Dogfish Head.
For more information about NABC beers, go here.
III. PLAYING CATCH-UP WITH JOHN'S LOCKER STOCK FROM ROGUE.
Here is Rogue's description of the JLS program:
John's Locker Stock ~ Rogue is all about beer and John Maier, a homebrewer at heart, continues to experiment with new recipes. For a limited time John is brewing some new ales as well as some personal favorites from the past, available only on tap as part of John's Locker Stock at select retailers across the country.
What this means is that once a month we receive two (13.2 gallon) kegs of the JLS beer of the month. During Gravity Head, the taps are booked solid, and we must wait until the Gravity tapers down to get back to them. Currently one Rogue JLS is on tap: Rogue "John's Locker Stock" Black Brutal 2007.
Another, Rogue "John's Locker Stock" Dad's Little Helper, is waiting. It is a malt liquor, and will be tapped when the Rogue Uber Pilsner currently pouring is gone. Unfortunately, our allotment of a third, Rogue "John's Locker Stock" Latona 20th Anniversary, did not make it to Indiana.
IV. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG.
Here are recently posted articles:
Nifty Belgian beer tasting tonight at (April 26) Keg Liquors....
Tish Dean is our new World Class Beverages sales rep ...
Final (!) Gravity Head lineupdate: Monday, April 2...
Tuscan wine dinner at Stratto's this Tuesday (April 24).
For at least one day, developing downtown New Albany ...
As promised: Delirium Tremens sling art.
V. 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 much assistance from Jared Williamson.
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?
Jasmine the Mastiff ... Heightened sweet stout (circa 7% abv) honoring the mastiff, the gentle giant of English-bred dogs.
Kaiser 2nd Reising ... Think of it as your great-grandfather’s pilsner.
Mt. Lee ... California Common ("Steam"), named for the Hollywood mountainside with the famous sign.
St. Radegund ... Successor to Beak's Best; all-English, ESB territory, circa 5.5% abv.
Guests from near and far (market pricing).
ON TAP NOW: Everyday staples.
Sprecher Root Beer (non-alcoholic)
Note: Alpha King's future status as an everyday draft is being debated. There have been more than a half dozen wholesaler "out of stocks" since the first of the year.
GRAVITY HEAD 2007 LISTED BEERS:
Avery Thirteen (Weizen Doppelbock) 9.3% abv (encore keg)
Bluegrass Brewing Co. (St. Matthews) Mephistopheles Metamorphosis circa 10% abv
Clipper City Below Decks Barleywine 11% abv
Great Divide Old Ruffian Barley Wine 10.2% abv
Regenboog Guido 8% abv
Ridgeway Criminally Bad Elf (UK) circa 10.5% abv (encore keg)
Ringneck Brewing "FOTB” Barley Wine 10% abv
Schlafly Reserve Oak-Aged Barley Wine 10.6% abv
Shmaltz Bittersweet Lenny's RIPA 10% abv
Upland Ard-Ri Imperial Irish-style Red Ale 9% abv (encore keg)
ON TAP NOW: Rotating selections (limited engagement).
Bayrischer Bahnhof "Berliner Style" Weisse
Brooklyn Brewery East India Pale Ale
Rogue "John's Locker Stock" Black Brutal 2007
In the bullpen (ready for duty when called upon to serve).
Browning's Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout
Rogue "John's Locker Stock" Dad's Little Helper
Partials still to come: Anchor Steam, De Ranke XX Bitter, Ridgeway Santa’s Butt, Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barley Wine
VI. CALENDAR OF 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.
Smoking.
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.
Wi-Fi.
Both dining areas are hotspots. Please observe proper etiquette when using our Wi-Fi service, and do not disturb or offend others with the Anheuser-Busch web site or other examples of web-borne smut.
2007 events: 
Weekly on Thursday evening @ 7:00 p.m.
Drinking Liberally (New Albany & Southern Indiana) meets in the Red Room each Thursday. Contact organizer Lacy Davis for details.
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March 9 - ???
Gravity Head 2007 rolls on
The ninth edition of our annual festival celebrating the brewing world’s biggest and best will kick off from its customary March starting time. This year's theme is Gravity Madness, celebrating the fact that at NABC, March isn't just about basketball any more.
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Friday & Saturday, May 18 & 19
2nd Annual Ohio River Valley Folk Festival
Along the Ohio River in Madison, Indiana. NABC poured beer in 2006, and will be doing so again along with friends from Upland and possibly Ram (Indianapolis).
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Friday, June 1
(Your name here)Fest begins ... Steve Fest 2007.
It's SteveFest 2007. Read more: Steve Hall is the winner ... and Steve Hall's winning "SteveFest 2007" essay.
To prep for 2008, read the rules for entering: Here are the contest rules for (Your name here)Fest in May, 2007.
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Saturday, June 2
2nd Annual Keg Liquors Fest of Ale
From Todd Antz at Keg Liquors: "It's back! We are just starting our early planning stages, but our successful Craft Beer Festival will be held on June 2nd this year. Already signed up for this year's festival are: New Albanian Brewing, Bluegrass Brewing Company, Upland Brewing Company, World Class Beverages, Cavalier Distributing, and many more to come. Stay tuned for more information on this event."
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Saturday (TBA), June (TBA)
Lambic by the Glass
A one-day sampling of Belgian lambic, with the Publican as host.
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Saturday, July 21 (changed from the 28th)
Indiana Microbrewers' Festival
Annual funfest in Indianapolis, and a required stop on the NABC summer brewery fest tour.
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Saturday, August 11
Awe inspiring, annual one-day brewery fete in Madison, Wisconsin.
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Saturday, August 25 (tentative)
With Hoptimus, you really can "talk to the animals."
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Friday, August 31
Sandkerwa NA begins
Our first all-German draft festival, inspired by an annual street party in Bamberg, Germany.
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Friday, October 19
Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming begins
Love and hoppiness, in all their myriad forms, as dispensed from all available taps.
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Friday, December 14
Saturnalia MMVII begins
Our fourth celebration of the winter solstice, with seasonal and holiday drafts.
Credits:
Thanks to Jim Bell for his photographic prowess, which we share with you from time to time, and which features prominently at the NABC web site.
Readers who aren’t as familiar with our business should go to http://www.newalbanian.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.
