Publicanista!

Publicanista! February 7, 2008.

2008-01-31T15:13:00.000-05:00

In this edition of Publicanista!:

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: GRAVITY HEAD PROCUREMENT IS FINISHED.

II. CASK-CONDITIONED REPORT: NABC FIRKINS APLENTY.

III. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG.

IV: DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.

V. NEW ROTATING BOTTLED BEER LIST POSTED.

VI. CALENDAR OF EVENTS, HOURS AND RELATED FACTS.

----

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: GRAVITY HEAD PROCUREMENT IS FINISHED.

Okay, that's it. Procurement for the tenth anniversary, Leap Year Gravity Head that begins on Friday, February 29 is finished for all intents and purposes. There's something old, something new ... you know the drill. As befits the occasion, there'll be a record number of total and never-before-tapped beers. Work proceeds on t-shirts and programs. The updated list is here: Gravity Head 2008 update.

Get ready.

II. CASK-CONDITIONED REPORT: NABC FIRKINS APLENTY.

Now pouring: Phoenix Kentucky Komon (11-10-07)

After Phoenix is gone, the following cask-conditioned NABC firkins will be poured with the hand pump in the order listed. The date at left indicates when the beer was brewed.

04-05-07 Malcolm's Old Setters Ale

11-20-07 Bonfire of the Valkyries (oaked)

11-10-07 Phoenix Kentucky Komon

12-19-07 Old Lightning Rod (Poor Richard’s Ale) (oaked)

Note also that a cask-conditioned firkin of WinterCoat Vildmose (Denmark) is being shipped to us to replace the standard keg that proved to be unavailable for Saturnalia. It may be inserted into the preceding rotation as circumstances dictate.

Also note that a gravity-pour pin might be popped atop the cask cabinet whenever Jared feels like it.

For more information, go here: NABC cask-conditioned firkins aplenty in coming weeks.

III. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG .

Calendar check: Monday, February 25 Schlafly meet ‘n’ greet with stouts and munchies.

Beer dinner at Stratto’s Italian Bistro this Thursday.

Gravity Head 2008 graphics.

Prost 2008: Surges, conundrums, and another place to be seated.

Operation Progressive Pint: Current progress.

IV. DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.

Our NABC beers.

NABC began brewing in 2002, and we’re proud to be New Albany’s first active brewery since 1935. From very deep within the confines of NABC’s garage brewery, Jesse Williams and Jared Williamson conjure 8-barrel batches of regulars, old favorites and new formulations.

Always check the blackboards to see what’s on tap. For more information about NABC beers, go here.

Bob's Old 15-B ... We're calling it a robust, brown Porter precisely because style definitions were meant to be bent.

Bonfire of the Valkyries ... Smoked black lager; Saturnalia listed.

Community Dark ... Based on English Mild, and our light-bodied dark quaffer. 5% abv.

Elector ... Making Democracy pointless since 2002; English malt, American hops. 7.2% abv. Double Red?

Flat Tyre ... Lovibond got you down? That's okay -- just improvise. It was intended to be brown, and now it's amber.

Hoosier Daddy ... revised hopping, somewhere in the range of Imperial Red. Circa 7% abv.

Kaiser 2nd Reising ... The most renowned brewery in 19th-century New Albany was owned by Paul Reising, a German immigrant who set up shop at the corner of Spring and West Second. Like other continentally trained brewers in America, Reising found it necessary to adapt Old World recipes to New World ingredients. Expensive imported German hops were reserved for aroma and flavor, while less delicate homegrown varieties provided the bittering. American six-row barley replaced European two-row, and some corn was thrown in for good measure. The result was your great-grandfather’s pilsner.

Mt. Lee ... California Common ("Steam"), named for the Hollywood mountainside with the famous sign. First brewed in 2006.

Phoenix Kentucky Komon ... Retro style indigenous to Louisville; dark, smooth with a touch or roast, and sour.

Old Lightning Rod ... Colonial-style old ale like Ben Franklin might have enjoyed.

Guests from near and far (market pricing).

ON TAP NOW: Everyday staples.

Note that Alpha King will now often be rotating with Bell’s Two Hearted Ale. Why? Go here.

Arrogant Bastard

Bell’s Two Hearted Ale

Guinness Stout

Lindemans Framboise

Pilsner Urquell

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Smithwick’s Irish Ale

Spaten Premium Lager

Sprecher Root Beer (non-alcoholic)

Upland Wheat

ON TAP NOW: Rotating selections (limited engagement).

Alpha King

Bell's Cherry Stout

Brugge Black

Hitachino Nest Japanese Classic Ale

Jolly Pumpkin Bam Noire

Schlafly Christmas Ale

Schlafly Coffee Stout

Sierra Nevada IPA

Upland Oktoberfest

In the bullpen (ready for duty when called upon to serve).

Bell's Consecrator Doppelbock

Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout

De Glazen Toren Saison d' Erpe Mere

Delirium Tremens

Einbecker Heller Bock

Monks Cafe Flemish Sour Ale

V. NEW ROTATING BOTTLED BEER LIST POSTED.

Read and print the everyday list here: NABC's bottled beer menu .pdf

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.

2008 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.

----

Friday, February 29, 2008

Leap Year Gravity Head Number Ten

'Nuff said for now. The tenth anniversary of Gravity Head is slated to begin on the 29th of February, so make designated driver and bunking arrangements now.

Gravity Head 2008 update.

----

Credits:

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.

Publicanista! January 17, 2008.

2008-01-17T22:56:00.000-05:00

In this edition of Publicanista!:

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: OPERATION PROGRESSIVE PINT IS CLANKING FORWARD.

II. CASK-CONDITIONED REPORT: NABC FIRKINS APLENTY.

III. NABC BREWERY NEWS: OLD LIGHTNING ROD IS BACK ON TAP.

IV. NABC'S (YOUR NAME HERE)FEST 2008 ESSAY CONTEST IS UNDERWAY.

V. ITINERARY FOR PACIFIC NORTHWEST BREWTOUR '08 RELEASED.

VI. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG.

VII: DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.

VIII. NEW BOTTLED "SPECIALS" LIST.

IX. CALENDAR OF EVENTS, HOURS AND RELATED FACTS.

----

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: OPERATION PROGRESSIVE PINT IS CLANKING FORWARD.

It’s hardly a secret that we’ve been exploring options to expand the brewing side of the business. The existing pub, pizzeria and brewery have been going full tilt, and we’re running out of tricks to squeeze more people (and autos) into the available space.

Consequently, future growth will have to occur elsewhere, and I’m an advocate of a revitalizing downtown in New Albany.

Read the rest here: Operation Progressive Pint: Current progress.

II. CASK-CONDITIONED REPORT: NABC FIRKINS APLENTY.

Now pouring: NABC Jasmine the Mastiff (03-08-07)

After Jasmine is gone, the following cask-conditioned NABC firkins will be poured with the hand pump in the order listed. The date at left indicates when the beer was brewed.

04-05-07 Malcolm's Old Setters Ale
11-10-07 Phoenix Kentucky Komon
12-19-07 Old Lightning Rod (Poor Richard’s Ale) (oaked)
11-20-07 Bonfire of the Valkyries (oaked)
11-10-07 Phoenix Kentucky Komon
12-19-07 Old Lightning Rod (Poor Richard’s Ale) (oaked)

Note also that a cask-conditioned firkin of WinterCoat Vildmose (Denmark) is being shipped to us to replace the standard keg that proved to be unavailable for Saturnalia. It may be inserted into the preceding rotation as circumstances dictate.

For more information, go here: NABC cask-conditioned firkins aplenty in coming weeks.

III. NABC BREWERY NEWS: OLD LIGHTNING ROD IS BACK ON TAP.

NABC unveiled its first version of Poor Richard's "Old Lightning Rod" Ale on January 17, 2006. It was Benjamin Franklin's 300th birthday, and more than 100 breweries nationwide joined the celebration by brewing a colonial-era Old Ale recipe based on an award-winning formulation.

Our third annual glimpse into the flavor profile of the 18th-century may be the best one yet crafted by Jesse and Jared. Owing primarily to the ample opportunities to educate, this has become one of my favorite seasonal unveilings. For the story of how all this came about, go here:

NABC's third annual batch of Old Lightning Rod is on tap now.

IV. NABC'S (YOUR NAME HERE)FEST 2008 ESSAY CONTEST IS UNDERWAY.

The third installment of (Your name here)Fest, to be held at NABC, Rich O's and Sportstime, will come in late May, 2008.

The first was DaveFest, named for Dave Siltz, which took place in 2006. In 2007, it was SteveFest, in honor of Steve Hall.

The (Your name here)Fest is a consumer’s choice draft beer fest, with the Publican (that’s me) attempting within reason and various distribution constraints to assemble an annual contest winner’s ideal draft lineup.

As in 2007, there’ll be a month-long essay contest to select the 2008 (Your name here)Fest winner. Naturally, contestants must be 21 years of age. The contest begins immediately, and will conclude on February 1, 2008.

Read the rest here: Here are the contest rules for (Your name here)Fest in May, 2008.

V. ITINERARY FOR PACIFIC NORTHWEST BREWTOUR '08 RELEASED.

The probably daily regimen can be perused here: Pacific Northwest Brew Tour, May 6 – 14, 2008. Next we'll be pricing the journey. If you're interested and haven't yet contacted me, please do so and you'll be placed on the mailing list.

VI. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG .

Behold: The plastic one-way keg.

Yes, I get feisty on occasion.

BBC - Shelbyville Road location to reopen Monday following renovations.

VII. DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.

Our NABC beers.

NABC began brewing in 2002, and we’re proud to be New Albany’s first active brewery since 1935. From very deep within the confines of NABC’s garage brewery, Jesse Williams and Jared Williamson conjure 8-barrel batches of regulars, old favorites and new formulations.

Always check the blackboards to see what’s on tap. For more information about NABC beers, go here.

Bob's Old 15-B ... We're calling it a robust, brown Porter precisely because style definitions were meant to be bent.

Bonfire of the Valkyries ... Smoked black lager; Saturnalia listed.

Community Dark ... Based on English Mild, and our light-bodied dark quaffer. 5% abv.

Croupier ... IPA dedicated to the workers at the Caesars Indiana riverboat casino in nearby Harrison County.

Elector ... Making Democracy pointless since 2002; English malt, American hops. 7.2% abv. Double Red?

Hoosier Daddy ... revised hopping, somewhere in the range of Imperial Red. Circa 7% abv.

Kaiser 2nd Reising ... The most renowned brewery in 19th-century New Albany was owned by Paul Reising, a German immigrant who set up shop at the corner of Spring and West Second. Like other continentally trained brewers in America, Reising found it necessary to adapt Old World recipes to New World ingredients. Expensive imported German hops were reserved for aroma and flavor, while less delicate homegrown varieties provided the bittering. American six-row barley replaced European two-row, and some corn was thrown in for good measure. The result was your great-grandfather’s pilsner.

Note that Alpha King will now often be rotating with Bell’s Two Hearted Ale . Why? Go here.

Alpha King

Arrogant Bastard

Guinness Stout

Lindemans Framboise

Pilsner Urquell

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Smithwick’s Irish Ale

Spaten Premium Lager

Sprecher Root Beer (non-alcoholic)

Upland Wheat

ON TAP NOW: Rotating selections (limited engagement).

Browning's Brewery Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout

Browning's Oktoberfest

Great Divide Hibernation Ale (Saturnalia)

Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout (Saturnalia)

Hitachino Nest Japanese Classic Ale

Oaken Barrel Epiphany (Saturnalia)

Poperings Hommel

Pyramid Snow Cap (Saturnalia)

Rogue "St. Rogue" Dr y Hopped Red

Saison Dupont

Schlafly Christmas Ale (Saturnalia)

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale (Saturnalia)

Upland Pilsner

Upland Winter Warmer (Saturnalia)

In the bullpen (ready for duty when called upon to serve).

Brugge Black

De Glazen Toren Saison d' Erpe Mere

Dogfish Head Chicory Stout

Einbecker Heller Bock

Rodenbach Classic

Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barley Wine

Two Brothers Hop Juice

VIII. NEW BOTTLED BEER LIST HAS BEEN RELEASED.

Read and print the everyday list here: NABC's bottled beer menu .pdf

IX. 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.

2008 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.

----

Thursday & Friday, January 25 & 26

"The Worst Art Show Ever" at NABC, January 25 & 26.

----

Friday, February 29, 2008

Leap Year Gravity Head Number Ten

'Nuff said for now. The tenth anniversary of Gravity Head is slated to begin on the 29th of February, so make designated driver and bunking arrangements now.

Gravity Head 2008 update.

Publicanista! January 10, 2008.

2008-01-10T10:45:00.000-05:00

In this edition of Publicanista!:

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: NABC CASK-CONDITIONED FIRKINS APLENTY IN THE WEEKS TO COME.

II. WORST ART SHOW EVER? COME AND FIND OUT.

III. SATURNALIA STATUS AND ERRATA.

IV. NABC'S (YOUR NAME HERE)FEST 2008 ESSAY CONTEST IS UNDERWAY.

V. ITINERARY FOR PACIFIC NORTHWEST BREWTOUR '08 RELEASED.

VI. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG.

VII: DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.

VIII. NEW BOTTLED BEER LIST HAS BEEN RELEASED.

IX. CALENDAR OF EVENTS, HOURS AND RELATED FACTS.

----

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: NABC CASK-CONDITIONED FIRKINS APLENTY IN THE WEEKS TO COME.

It’s January 10th, and this year’s Leap Year/Tenth Anniversary Gravity Head starts on February 29 (that’s only 50 days, folks).

For the most recent listing, go here: Gravity Head 2008 update.

In terms of the regular draft selection, we’ll be using this time to deplete the remaining Saturnalia kegs and a handful of partials left over from the end of 2007. But the real fun will be coming from the cask ale cabinet.

Read the list here: NABC cask-conditioned firkins aplenty in coming weeks.

II. WORST ART SHOW EVER? COME AND FIND OUT.

Kevin Dennis has announced Thursday & Friday, January 25 & 26, to be the dates for the next NABC art show: "The Worst Art Show Ever" at NABC, January 25 & 26.

III. SATURNALIA STATUS AND ERRATA.

Saturnalia is roughly two-thirds finished. Of the beers in stock, only Oaken Barrel Epiphany has yet to be tapped. De Glazen Toren Canaster Winter Scotch, De Glazen Toren Cuvee Angelique,
WinterCoat Vildmose (cask-conditioned firkin) and Uerige Sticke (gravity pour keg) have been delayed until late January. Moretti Birra La Rossa, Harpoon Winter Warmer and Rogue JLS Santa’s Private Reserve all were promised, but have not materialized.

IV. NABC'S (YOUR NAME HERE)FEST 2008 ESSAY CONTEST IS UNDERWAY.

The third installment of (Your name here)Fest, to be held at NABC, Rich O's and Sportstime, will come in late May, 2008.

The first was DaveFest, named for Dave Siltz, which took place in 2006. In 2007, it was SteveFest, in honor of Steve Hall.

The (Your name here)Fest is a consumer’s choice draft beer fest, with the Publican (that’s me) attempting within reason and various distribution constraints to assemble an annual contest winner’s ideal draft lineup.

As in 2007, there’ll be a month-long essay contest to select the 2008 (Your name here)Fest winner. Naturally, contestants must be 21 years of age. The contest begins immediately, and will conclude on February 1, 2008.

Read the rest here: Here are the contest rules for (Your name here)Fest in May, 2008.

V. ITINERARY FOR PACIFIC NORTHWEST BREWTOUR '08 RELEASED.

The probably daily regimen can be perused here: Pacific Northwest Brew Tour, May 6 – 14, 2008. Next we'll be pricing the journey. If you're interested and haven't yet contacted me, please do so and you'll be placed on the mailing list.

VI. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG .

Son of "At least it wasn't served with a tomato wedge."

How fast are they moving those beers?

Miller High Life: "Sweat-sock juice, burnt popcorn-flavored beer."

VII. DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.

Our NABC beers.

NABC began brewing in 2002, and we’re proud to be New Albany’s first active brewery since 1935. From very deep within the confines of NABC’s garage brewery, Jesse Williams and Jared Williamson conjure 8-barrel batches of regulars, old favorites and new formulations.

Always check the blackboards to see what’s on tap. For more information about NABC beers, go here.

Bob's Old 15-B ... We're calling it a robust, brown Porter precisely because style definitions were meant to be bent.

Hoosier Daddy ... revised hopping, somewhere in the range of Imperial Red. Circa 7% abv.

Hoptimus ... Massive and assertive. Stern. Double IPA. Silver medal winner at the 2007 St. Louis Microfest.

Phoenix Kentucky Komon ... Retro style indigenous to Louisville; dark, smooth with a touch or roast, and sour.

Guests from near and far (market pricing).

ON TAP NOW: Everyday staples. Note that Alpha King will now often be rotating with Bell’s Two Hearted Ale . Why? Go here.

Alpha King

Guinness Stout

Lindemans Framboise

Pilsner Urquell

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (Arrogant Bastard temporarily supplants Sierra Nevada circa January 10)

Smithwick’s Irish Ale

Spaten Premium Lager

Sprecher Root Beer (non-alcoholic)

Upland Wheat

ON TAP NOW: Rotating selections (limited engagement).

Bell’s Java Stout (Saturnalia)

Biere de Miel (Dupont) (Saturnalia)

Clipper City “Heavy Seas” Hang Ten Weizen Doppelbock (Saturnalia)

Great Divide Hibernation Ale (Saturnalia)

Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout (Saturnalia)

Hitachino Nest Japanese Classic Ale

Ichtegems Grand Cru

Pyramid Snow Cap (Saturnalia)

Samuel Adams Winter Lager (Saturnalia)

Schlafly Christmas Ale (Saturnalia)

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale (Saturnalia)

Upland Pilsner

Upland Winter Warmer (Saturnalia)

In the bullpen (ready for duty when called upon to serve).

Browning's Oktoberfest

Oaken Barrel Epiphany (Saturnalia)

Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence Stout (Saturnalia)

Poperings Hommel

Rogue "St. Rogue" Dr y Hopped Red

Saison Dupont

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barley Wine

VIII. NEW BOTTLED BEER LIST HAS BEEN RELEASED.

The new bottled beer list was effective on Friday, December 7. The vintage collection was been folded into the listings by country, and separate listings have been added for Belgian Lambics and French Bieres de Garde. This will be the last update in the current format. In early February, I hope to inaugurate a new bottled beer list with far more information than the current listing. Read and print the list here: NABC's bottled beer menu .pdf

IX. 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.

----

Friday, December 7

Saturnalia MMVII begins

Our fourth celebration of the winter solstice, with seasonal and holiday drafts. Note the date change; it has been moved forward one week.

----

Thursday & Friday, January 25 & 26

"The Worst Art Show Ever" at NABC, January 25 & 26.

----

Friday, February 29, 2008

Leap Year Gravity Head Number Ten

'Nuff said for now. The tenth anniversary of Gravity Head is slated to begin on the 29th of February, so make designated driver and bunking arrangements now.

Gravity Head 2008 update.

----

Credits:

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.

Publicanista! January 3, 2008.

2008-01-03T10:58:00.000-05:00

In this edition of Publicanista!:

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: FINAL SATURNALIA UPDATE.

II. NABC'S (YOUR NAME HERE)FEST 2008 ESSAY CONTEST IS UNDERWAY.

III. FROM THE HAND PULL: LOOSE CANNON HOP 3 NOW POURING.

IV. ITINERARY FOR PACIFIC NORTHWEST BREWTOUR '08 RELEASED.

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. NEW BOTTLED BEER LIST HAS BEEN RELEASED.

VIII. CALENDAR OF EVENTS, HOURS AND RELATED FACTS.

----

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: FINAL SATURNALIA UPDATE.

Our annual draft festival of Christmas beers, winter seasonals and choices that strike me as festive now spills into 2008. With Gravity Head slated for February 29, “permanent festival” might be the best way to describe matters at the pub ... and what could be wrong with that?

View the official Saturnalia MMVII program here (pdf). There'll be updates posted here and at my Potable Curmudgeon blog.

15 currently tapped ...

BELGIUM
Biere de Miel (Dupont)
De Dolle Stille Nacht

JAPAN
Hitachino Nest XH (aged in Shochu distilled sake casks)

UNITED STATES
Bell’s Java Stout
Boulder Never Summer Ale
Breckenridge Christmas Ale
Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza (kegged normally)
NABC Bonfire of the Valkyries
NABC Naughty Claus
New Holland Dragon’s Milk
Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence Stout
Pyramid Snow Cap
Rogue HazelNut Brown Nectar
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale
Three Floyds Alpha Klaus Xmas Porter

Still to come:

BELGIUM
De Glazen Toren Canaster Winter Scotch (delayed; late January)
De Glazen Toren Cuvee Angelique (delayed; late January)

DENMARK
WinterCoat Yule Ale (probably a scratch at this point)
WinterCoat Vildmose (delayed; late January)

GERMANY
Uerige Sticke (gravity pour keg) (delayed; late January)

ITALY
Moretti Birra La Rossa

UNITED STATES
Harpoon Winter Warmer
Oaken Barrel Epiphany
Rogue JLS Santa’s Private Reserve
Samuel Adams Winter Lager
Schlafly Christmas Ale
Upland Winter Warmer

Depleted ... but some of these will be reappearing later:

BELGIUM
De Ranke Pere Noel
Delirium Noel
Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux
Gouden Carolus Noel
Kasteel Rouge
La Rulles Cuvee Meilleurs Voeux
N ’Ice Chouffe

ENGLAND
Young's Winter Warmer (vintage 2006)

GERMANY
Aventinus Weizen Doppelbock
Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen

JAPAN
Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout

UNITED STATES
Anchor Christmas Ale (“Merry Christmas & Happy New Year”)
Barley Island Bourbon Barrel-Aged Oatmeal Stout
BBC Hell for Certain
Bell’s Winter White
Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout
Clipper City “Heavy Seas” Hang Ten Weizen Doppelbock
Clipper City “Heavy Seas” Winter Storm
Dark Horse Tres Blueberry Stout
Great Divide Hibernation Ale
Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout
Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza (cask-conditioned firkin)
Rogue Chocolate Stout
Schlafly Pumpkin Ale

II. NABC'S (YOUR NAME HERE)FEST 2008 ESSAY CONTEST IS UNDERWAY.

The third installment of (Your name here)Fest, to be held at NABC, Rich O's and Sportstime, will come in late May, 2008.

The first was DaveFest, named for Dave Siltz, which took place in 2006. In 2007, it was SteveFest, in honor of Steve Hall.

The (Your name here)Fest is a consumer’s choice draft beer fest, with the Publican (that’s me) attempting within reason and various distribution constraints to assemble an annual contest winner’s ideal draft lineup.

As in 2007, there’ll be a month-long essay contest to select the 2008 (Your name here)Fest winner. Naturally, contestants must be 21 years of age. The contest begins immediately, and will conclude on February 1, 2008.

Read the rest here: Here are the contest rules for (Your name here)Fest in May, 2008.

III. FROM THE HAND PULL: LOOSE CANNON HOP 3 NOW POURING.

Cooler weather means we’re back in cask-conditioned “real ale” season. Here are the next selections for dispensing by the hand pump:

(NOW) Clipper City Loose Cannon Hop 3

(NEXT) Thornbridge Hall St. Petersburg Imperial Stout … U.K.; 7.7% abv.

For more information on cask-conditioned ale:

Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA)

Warm, Flat and Boring -- the Truth About Cask Ale, from Rate Beer.

IV. ITINERARY FOR PACIFIC NORTHWEST BREWTOUR '08 RELEASED.

The probably daily regimen can be perused here: Pacific Northwest Brew Tour, May 6 – 14, 2008. Next we'll be pricing the journey. If you're interested and haven't yet contacted me, please do so and you'll be placed on the mailing list.

V. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG .

A thread: Can a great restaurant serve mass-market beer?

Mug Shots: The Year in Beer.

"Drive on old Bock."

Grrr ... part two.

Grrrrr ...

Don't scoff; it really does work that way.

Turn the other cheek ... that's what I always say (choke).

VI. DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.

Hoosier Daddy ... revised hopping, somewhere in the range of Imperial Red. Circa 7% abv.

Hoptimus ... Massive and assertive. Stern. Double IPA. Silver medal winner at the 2007 St. Louis Microfest.

Naughty Claus ... Spiced ale for Christmas (see above); Saturnalia listed.

Phoenix Kentucky Komon ... Retro style indigenous to Louisville; dark, smooth with a touch or roast, and sour.

Guests from near and far (market pricing).

ON TAP NOW: Everyday staples. Note that Alpha King will now often be rotating with Bell’s Two Hearted Ale . Why? Go here.

NOTE: Arrogant Bastard is out of stock until Wednesday, January 9.

Bell’s Two Hearted Ale

Guinness Stout

Lindemans Framboise (wholesaler is out-of-stock at the present time)

Pilsner Urquell

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Smithwick’s Irish Ale

Spaten Premium Lager

Sprecher Root Beer (non-alcoholic)

Upland Wheat

ON TAP NOW: Rotating selections (limited engagement).

See Saturnalia LIST, above. One other special beer currently is on tap:

Ichtegems Grand Cru

In the bullpen (ready for duty when called upon to serve).

Partials will gradually be returning to the rotation, but there remain Saturnalia beers to tap. We'll not return to business as usual until well into January (thank heavens).

VII. NEW BOTTLED BEER LIST HAS BEEN RELEASED.

The new bottled beer list was effective on Friday, December 7. The vintage collection was been folded into the listings by country, and separate listings have been added for Belgian Lambics and French Bieres de Garde. This will be the last update in the current format. In early February, I hope to inaugurate a new bottled beer list with far more information than the current listing. Read and print the list here: NABC's bottled beer menu .pdf

VIII. 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.

----

Friday, December 7

Saturnalia MMVII begins

Our fourth celebration of the winter solstice, with seasonal and holiday drafts. Note the date change; it has been moved forward one week.

----

Friday, February 29, 2008

Leap Year Gravity Head Number Ten

'Nuff said for now. The tenth anniversary of Gravity Head is slated to begin on the 29th of February, so make designated driver and bunking arrangements now.

Publicanista! December 27, 2007.

2007-12-27T09:25:00.000-05:00

Due to technical difficulties, i.e., returning from Christmas break to discover an expired walk-in cooler at the Public House, there are other things to do than finish the weekly newsletter. I expect to have it posted on Friday, December 28, and things at work should return to normal by afternoon on Thursday. We're open as usual; however, some beers are warmer than others ...

Publicanista! December 20, 2007.

2007-12-20T09:16:00.000-05:00

In this edition of Publicanista!:

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: HOLIDAY CLOSING SCHEDULE.

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: SATURNALIA CONTINUES.

II. NABC BREWERY UPDATE: T-SHIRTS ARE HERE.

III. FROM THE HAND PULL: JAIPUR IPA UP TO BAT.

IV. ITINERARY FOR PACIFIC NORTHWEST BREWTOUR '08 RELEASED.

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. NEW BOTTLED BEER LIST HAS BEEN RELEASED.

VIII. CALENDAR OF EVENTS, HOURS AND RELATED FACTS.

----

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: HOLIDAY CLOSING SCHEDULE.

NABC, Rich O's and Sportstime all will be closed on these upcoming days, in addition to the usual Sundays off:

Monday, December 24 - Christmas Eve
Tuesday, December 25 - Christmas Day

Monday, December 31 - New Year's Eve
Tuesday, January 1 - New Year's Day

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: SATURNALIA CONTINUES.

(Note to Dave: The Harpoon still is in transit. To get you through, I've ordered two kegs of Rogue Chocolate Stout, to be tapped ASAP)

Our annual draft festival of Christmas beers, winter seasonals and choices that strike me as festive will proceed throughout the month of December, and probably well beyond. With Gravity Head slated for February 29, “permanent festival” might be the best way to describe matters.

View the official Saturnalia MMVII program here (pdf). There'll be updates posted here and at my Potable Curmudgeon blog.

Based on an informal poll of the keg weights, I'd say that several of the Saturnalia beers currently tapped are poised to pop soon, so there should be some play by week's end.

Of the ones already gone, some will return later owing to multiple keg allotments.

16 currently tapped ...

BELGIUM
Biere de Miel (Dupont)
De Ranke Pere Noel
Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux
N ’Ice Chouffe

GERMANY
Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen

JAPAN
Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout

UNITED STATES
Anchor Christmas Ale (“Merry Christmas & Happy New Year”)
BBC Hell for Certain
Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout
Clipper City “Heavy Seas” Winter Storm
Great Divide Hibernation Ale
Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout
NABC Bonfire of the Valkyries
NABC Naughty Claus
Schlafly Pumpkin Ale
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

Still to come:

BELGIUM
De Dolle Stille Nacht
De Glazen Toren Canaster Winter Scotch
De Glazen Toren Cuvee Angelique
Delirium Noel
Kasteel Rouge

DENMARK
WinterCoat Yule Ale
WinterCoat Vildmose

GERMANY
Uerige Sticke (gravity pour keg)

ITALY
Moretti Birra La Rossa

JAPAN
Hitachino Nest XH (aged in Shochu distilled sake casks)

UNITED STATES
Barley Island Bourbon Barrel-Aged Oatmeal Stout
Bell’s Java Stout
Bell’s Winter White
Boulder Never Summer Ale
Breckenridge Christmas Ale
Dark Horse Tres Blueberry Stout
Harpoon Winter Warmer
Oaken Barrel Epiphany
Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence Stout
Pyramid Snow Cap
Rogue Chocolate Stout
Rogue JLS Santa’s Private Reserve
Samuel Adams Winter Lager
Schlafly Christmas Ale
Three Floyds Alpha Klaus Xmas Porter
Upland Winter Warmer

Depleted ... but some of these will be reappearing later:

BELGIUM
Gouden Carolus Noel
La Rulles Cuvee Meilleurs Voeux

ENGLAND
Young's Winter Warmer (vintage 2006)

GERMANY
Aventinus Weizen Doppelbock

UNITED STATES
Clipper City “Heavy Seas” Hang Ten Weizen Doppelbock
Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza (cask-conditioned firkin)
Rogue HazelNut Brown Nectar

II. NABC BREWERY UPDATE: T-SHIRTS ARE HERE.

NABC Hoptimus, “These Machines Kill Fascists” and Sportstime 20th Anniversary tees are all in stock, along with (for the first time) brewery (logo + “I’m for It”) shirts in longsleeve. NABC’s t-shirts are okay as stocking stuffers, but work even better when you just wear the damn things.

III. FROM THE HAND PULL: JAIPUR IPA UP TO BAT.

Cooler weather means we’re back in cask-conditioned “real ale” season. Here are the next selections for dispensing by the hand pump:

(NOW) Thornbridge Hall Jaipur IPA … U.K.; 5.9% abv.
Thornbridge Hall St. Petersburg Imperial Stout … U.K.; 7.7% abv.

For more information on cask-conditioned ale:

Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA)

Warm, Flat and Boring -- the Truth About Cask Ale, from Rate Beer.

IV. ITINERARY FOR PACIFIC NORTHWEST BREWTOUR '08 RELEASED.

The probably daily regimen can be perused here: Pacific Northwest Brew Tour, May 6 – 14, 2008. Next we'll be pricing the journey. If you're interested and haven't yet contacted me, please do so and you'll be placed on the mailing list.

V. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG .

Saturnalia MMVII official program and new bottled beer list.

Private beer tastings the subject of C-J article.

VI. DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.

Bonfire of the Valkyries ... Smoked black lager; Saturnalia listed.

Community Dark ... Based on English Mild, and our light-bodied dark quaffer. 5% abv.

ConeSmoker ... Elegant Franconian smoked malt, an above average “noble” German hops presence and warm fermentation -- new twists on an old style.

Croupier ... IPA dedicated to the workers at the Caesars Indiana riverboat casino in nearby Harrison County.

Elector ... Making Democracy pointless since 2002; English malt, American hops. 7.2% abv. Double Red?

Hoptimus ... Massive and assertive. Stern. Double IPA. Silver medal winner at the 2007 St. Louis Microfest.

Mt. Lee ... California Common ("Steam"), named for the Hollywood mountainside with the famous sign. First brewed in 2006. It has been lightened in gravity and a.b.v. by roughly 10% for the current first summer of 2007 batch.

Naughty Claus ... Spiced ale for Christmas (see above); Saturnalia listed.

Phoenix Kentucky Komon ... Retro style indigenous to Louisville; dark, smooth with a touch or roast, and sour.

Guests from near and far (market pricing).

ON TAP NOW: Everyday staples. Note that Alpha King will now often be rotating with Bell’s Two Hearted Ale . Why? Go here.

Arrogant Bastard

Bell’s Two Hearted Ale

Guinness Stout

Lindemans Framboise (wholesaler is out-of-stock at the present time)

Pilsner Urquell

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Smithwick’s Irish Ale

Spaten Premium Lager

Sprecher Root Beer (non-alcoholic)

Upland Wheat

ON TAP NOW: Rotating selections (limited engagement).

See Saturnalia LIST, above.

In the bullpen (ready for duty when called upon to serve).

Partials will return, but not for a while. Through December, it's all about Saturnalia.

VII. NEW BOTTLED BEER LIST HAS BEEN RELEASED.

The new bottled beer list will be effective on Friday, December 7. The vintage collection has been folded into the listings by country, and separate listings have been added for Belgian Lambics and French Bieres de Garde. This will be the last update in the current format. In early February, I hope to inaugurate a new bottled beer list with far more information than the current listing. Read and print the list here: NABC's bottled beer menu .pdf

VIII. 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.

----

Friday, December 7

Saturnalia MMVII begins

Our fourth celebration of the winter solstice, with seasonal and holiday drafts. Note the date change; it has been moved forward one week.

----

Thursday, December 27

Pants Down Potluck Port Circle

This year's gathering of the Pants Down Potluck Port Circle is Thursday, December 27.

----

Friday, February 29, 2008

Leap Year Gravity Head Number Ten

'Nuff said for now. The tenth anniversary of Gravity Head is slated to begin on the 29th of February, so make designated driver and bunking arrangements now.

Publicanista! December 6, 2007.

2007-12-06T08:09:00.000-05:00

In this edition of Publicanista!:

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: SATURNALIA RETURNS.

II. NABC BREWERY UPDATE:HOLIDAY FLOOD OF HOUSE BEERS.

III. FROM THE HAND PULL: MORE CASKS ARE QUEUED.

IV. ITINERARY FOR PACIFIC NORTHWEST BREWTOUR '08 RELEASED.

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. NEW BOTTLED BEER LIST HAS BEEN RELEASED.

VIII. CALENDAR OF EVENTS, HOURS AND RELATED FACTS.

----

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: SATURNALIA RETURNS.

Saturnalia begins at 1:00 p.m.on Friday, December 7. Our annual draft festival of Christmas beers, winter seasonals and choices that strike me as festive will proceed throughout the month of December, and probably well beyond. With Gravity Head slated for February 29, “permanent festival” might be the best way to describe matters.

The previously published pre-order list for Saturnalia MMVII underwent a few alterations before finality was achieved, but arguably fewer changes than I feared. Cross your fingers; some kegs are still in transit. A few probably won’t make it until January.

Now, back to the list. Unavoidably scratched were Scaldis Noel, St. Feuillien Cuvee de Noel and Urthel Bock, all Belgians, and Brooklyn Brewery Winter Ale, Flying Dog K-9 Cruiser and North Coast Old Rasputin Imperial Stout.

I chose not to attempt replacing the Belgians, because currently there is a backlog of Belgians in the pipeline (Ichtegem Grand Cru, Moinette, Moinette Bruin and Saison Dupont among them), and these will simply be plugged in when the time comes.

The chance arose to get Moretti, an old favorite in bottles but one that we’ve never had on draft, so it was added to the list.

Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout, Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence Stout and Samuel Adams Winter Lager were added to the ledger from the States. I’m disappointed that Old Rasputin didn’t make it. We’ll keep trying.

View the official Saturnalia MMVII program here (pdf). There'll be updates posted here and at my Potable Curmudgeon blog, but they'll not begin until the 18th of December.

17 starters ...

BELGIUM
De Ranke Pere Noel
Gouden Carolus Noel
La Rulles Cuvee Meilleurs Voeux

ENGLAND
Young's Winter Warmer (vintage 2006)

GERMANY
Aventinus Weizen Doppelbock
Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen

JAPAN
Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout

UNITED STATES
BBC Hell for Certain
Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout
Clipper City “Heavy Seas” Hang Ten Weizen Doppelbock
Great Divide Hibernation Ale
Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza (cask-conditioned firkin)
NABC Bonfire of the Valkyries
NABC Naughty Claus
Rogue HazelNut Brown Nectar
Schlafly Pumpkin Ale
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

Still to come:

BELGIUM
Biere de Miel (Dupont)
De Dolle Stille Nacht
De Glazen Toren Canaster Winter Scotch
De Glazen Toren Cuvee Angelique
Delirium Noel
Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux
Kasteel Rouge
N ’Ice Chouffe

DENMARK
WinterCoat Yule Ale
WinterCoat Vildmose

GERMANY
Uerige Sticke (gravity pour keg)

ITALY
Moretti Birra La Rossa

JAPAN
Hitachino Nest XH (aged in Shochu distilled sake casks)

UNITED STATES
Anchor Christmas Ale (“Merry Christmas & Happy New Year”)
Barley Island Bourbon Barrel-Aged Oatmeal Stout
Bell’s Java Stout
Bell’s Winter White
Boulder Never Summer Ale
Breckenridge Christmas Ale
Clipper City “Heavy Seas” Winter Storm
Dark Horse Tres Blueberry Stout
Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout
Harpoon Winter Warmer
Oaken Barrel Epiphany
Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence Stout
Pyramid Snow Cap
Rogue Chocolate Stout
Rogue JLS Santa’s Private Reserve
Samuel Adams Winter Lager
Schlafly Christmas Ale
Three Floyds Alpha Klaus Xmas Porter
Upland Winter Warmer

II. NABC BREWERY UPDATE:HOLIDAY FLOOD OF HOUSE BEERS.

Concurrent with Saturnalia, NABC will have ten house-brewed beers on tap (see below for list).

I botched the Naughty Claus listing in the Saturnalia program. The spices/seasonings used in this year's version do NOT include ornage peel. There are cinnamon, fresh ginger and vanilla beans in 2007, and the character, while similar to 2006, is different.

NABC’s local connection Logo Designs is busy creating fresh allotments of t-shirts for the holiday season. There’ll be Hoptimus and “These Machines Kill Fascists” tees, and, for the first time, brewery (logo + “I’m for It”) shirts in longsleeve. Finally, another small release of the past summer’s Sportstime 20th anniversary tees (men’s and women’s styles) is coming out. NABC’s t-shirts are okay as stocking stuffers, but work even better when you just wear the damn things.

III. FROM THE HAND PULL: MORE CASKS ARE QUEUED.

Cooler weather means we’re back in cask-conditioned “real ale” season. Here are the next selections for dispensing by the hand pump:

(NOW) Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza Special Ale … Michigan; Saturnalia listed; 9% abv.
Thornbridge Hall Jaipur IPA … U.K.; 5.9% abv.
Thornbridge Hall St. Petersburg Imperial Stout … U.K.; 7.7% abv.

For more information on cask-conditioned ale:

Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA)

Warm, Flat and Boring -- the Truth About Cask Ale, from Rate Beer.

IV. ITINERARY FOR PACIFIC NORTHWEST BREWTOUR '08 RELEASED.

The probably daily regimen can be perused here: Pacific Northwest Brew Tour, May 6 – 14, 2008. Next we'll be pricing the journey. If you're interested and haven't yet contacted me, please do so and you'll be placed on the mailing list.

V. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG .

Saturnalia MMVII official program and new bottled beer list.

New production facility for Cumberland Brews.

Barista credentials helpful, too.

Private beer tastings the subject of C-J article.

"Moss the Boss": Self portrait, circa '96.

VI. DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.

Naughty Claus ... Spiced ale for Christmas (see above); Saturnalia listed.

Phoenix Kentucky Komon ... Retro style indigenous to Louisville; dark, smooth with a touch or roast, and sour.

Guests from near and far (market pricing).

ON TAP NOW: Everyday staples. Note that Alpha King will now often be rotating with Bell’s Two Hearted Ale . Why? Go here.

Arrogant Bastard

Bell’s Two Hearted Ale

Guinness Stout

Lindemans Framboise (wholesaler is out-of-stock at the present time)

Pilsner Urquell

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Smithwick’s Irish Ale

Spaten Premium Lager

Sprecher Root Beer (non-alcoholic)

Upland Wheat

ON TAP NOW: Rotating selections (limited engagement).

See Saturnalia starters, above.

In the bullpen (ready for duty when called upon to serve).

Partials will return, but not for a while. Through December, it's all about Saturnalia.

VII. NEW BOTTLED BEER LIST HAS BEEN RELEASED.

The new bottled beer list will be effective on Friday, December 7. The vintage collection has been folded into the listings by country, and separate listings have been added for Belgian Lambics and French Bieres de Garde. This will be the last update in the current format. In early February, I hope to inaugurate a new bottled beer list with far more information than the current listing. Read and print the list here: NABC's bottled beer menu .pdf

VIII. 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.

----

Friday, December 7

Saturnalia MMVII begins

Our fourth celebration of the winter solstice, with seasonal and holiday drafts. Note the date change; it has been moved forward one week.

----

Monday, December 17

NABC, Rich O's and Sportstime will be closed to recover from the annual holiday party!

----

Thursday, December 27

Pants Down Potluck Port Circle

This year's gathering of the Pants Down Potluck Port Circle is Thursday, December 27.

----

Friday, February 29, 2008

Leap Year Gravity Head Number Ten

'Nuff said for now. The tenth anniversary of Gravity Head is slated to begin on the 29th of February, so make designated driver and bunking arrangements now.

Publicanista! November 29, 2007.

2007-11-29T10:00:00.000-05:00

In this edition of Publicanista!:

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: COUNTING THE MINUTES UNTIL SATURNALIA

II. NABC BREWERY UPDATE: WINTER FAVORITES POISED FOR TAPPING.

III. FROM THE HAND PULL: MORE CASKS ARE QUEUED.

IV. ITINERARY FOR PACIFIC NORTHWEST BREWTOUR '08 RELEASED.

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. NEWS FROM THE BOTTLED BEER FRONT.

VIII. CALENDAR OF EVENTS, HOURS AND RELATED FACTS.

----

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: COUNTING THE MINUTES UNTIL SATURNALIA.

Saturnalia begins on December 7. Our annual draft festival of Christmas beers, winter seasonals and choices that strike me as festive will proceed throughout the month of December. It’s a good thing, because roughly one-third of the listed selections are in transit. Some of them will not arrive, and things like that used to upset me, but no longer. There’s plenty of great beer currently in storage, and plenty more coming. It will be fun.

There’ll be a complete list and starting lineup in next week’s edition of the newsletter.

As an advance note, we already have something like 20 Gravity Head kegs here on premise. Giving thanks this holiday season? Don’t forget Cellar 3, where these are being stored.

II. NABC BREWERY UPDATE: WINTER FAVORITES POISED FOR TAPPING.

The dam’s about to burst in NABC’s garage brewhouse. This year’s batches of Naughty Claus and Bonfire of the Valkyries are kegged and ready to pour on or around December 7. Another batch of Kaiser 2nd Reising also is approaching readiness.

NABC’s local connection Logo Designs is busy creating fresh allotments of t-shirts for the holiday season. There’ll be Hoptimus and “These Machines Kill Fascists” tees, and, for the first time, brewery (logo + “I’m for It”) shirts in longsleeve. Finally, another small release of the past summer’s Sportstime 20th anniversary tees (men’s and women’s styles) is coming out. NABC’s t-shirts are okay as stocking stuffers, but work even better when you just wear the damn things.

III. FROM THE HAND PULL: MORE CASKS ARE QUEUED.

Cooler weather means we’re back in cask-conditioned “real ale” season. As I write, NABC’s St. Radegund is being poured from the hand pump. Slated to follow, in approximate order, are these selections:

Thornbridge Hall Jaipur IPA … U.K.; 5.9% abv.
Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza Special Ale … Michigan; Saturnalia listed; 9% abv.
Thornbridge Hall St. Petersburg Imperial Stout … U.K.; 7.7% abv.

Also, this Friday (November 30), we’ll be tapping a spare pin of JW Lees Vintage Harvest Ale (Willoughbys Port barrel aged). The pin was damaged and has leaked a bit, and while we believe the remainder to be worthy of consumption, there’s no telling until the mallet meets the wood. If it's potable, it won't last long.

For more information on cask-conditioned ale:

Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA)

Warm, Flat and Boring -- the Truth About Cask Ale, from Rate Beer.

IV. ITINERARY FOR PACIFIC NORTHWEST BREWTOUR '08 RELEASED.

The probably daily regimen can be perused here: Pacific Northwest Brew Tour, May 6 – 14, 2008. Next we'll be pricing the journey. If you're interested and haven't yet contacted me, please do so and you'll be placed on the mailing list.

V. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG .

Starlight Distillery: I told you so … sort of, any...

Monday evening at Tommy's.

Holiday Beer Tasting at Keg Liquors on Thursday, November 29.

Pacific Northwest Brew Tour, May 6 – 14, 2008.

Cask ales from Thornbridge are coming to the Public House.

A sip of revived ale and pleasant recollections in Indianapolis.

VI. DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.
Our NABC beers.

NABC began brewing in 2002, and we’re proud to be New Albany’s first active brewery since 1935. From very deep within the confines of NABC’s garage brewery, Jesse Williams and Jared Williamson conjure 8-barrel batches of regulars, old favorites and new formulations.

Always check the blackboards to see what’s on tap. For more information about NABC beers, go here.

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.

ConeSmoker ... Elegant Franconian smoked malt, an above average “noble” German hops presence and warm fermentation -- new twists on an old style.

Croupier ... IPA dedicated to the workers at the Caesars Indiana riverboat casino in nearby Harrison County.

Elector ... Making Democracy pointless since 2002; English malt, American hops. 7.2% abv. Double Red?

Hoptimus ... Massive and assertive. Stern. Double IPA. Silver medal winner at the 2007 St. Louis Microfest.

Mt. Lee ... California Common ("Steam"), named for the Hollywood mountainside with the famous sign. First brewed in 2006. It has been lightened in gravity and a.b.v. by roughly 10% for the current first summer of 2007 batch.

St. Radegund ... (cask-conditioned) English-style ESB, brewed as Beak's Best in its original incarnation in 2002, then reformulated as St. Radegund in 2005.

Guests from near and far (market pricing).

ON TAP NOW: Everyday staples. Note that Alpha King will now often be rotating with Bell’s Two Hearted Ale . Why? Go here.

Arrogant Bastard

Bell’s Two Hearted Ale

Guinness Stout

Lindemans Framboise

Pilsner Urquell

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Smithwick’s Irish Ale

Spaten Premium Lager

Sprecher Root Beer (non-alcoholic)

Upland Wheat

ON TAP NOW: Rotating selections (limited engagement).

Alpha King

Browning's Brewery She-Devil India Pale Ale

Chimay Triple

De Glazen Toren Jan de Lichte (Imperial White)

Geants Saison Voisin

Great Divide Fresh Hop (wet hop)

Gulden Draak

Jolly Pumpkin Bam Noire

Kasteel Blonde

Oaked Arrogant Bastard

Poperings Hommel

Rogue XS Imperial Stout

Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale

Upland Oktoberfest

Urthel Hop-It

In the bullpen (ready for duty when called upon to serve).

Bluegrass Brewing Company (Main & Clay) IPA (in transit)

Browning's Brewery Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout

De Glazen Toren Saison d' Erpe Mere

Rogue "St. Rogue" Dr y Hopped Red

Two Brothers Hop Juice

VII. NEWS FROM THE BOTTLED BEER FRONT.

You've heard it before, now hear it again: I'm engaged in a great struggle to completely inventory and reset the bottle selection, and update the beer list. There's a high price to be paid to have all my favorites within ready access when the need arises to prove a point ... or to be lulled into numbness. Stay tuned.

VIII. 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.

----

Friday, December 7

Saturnalia MMVII begins

Our fourth celebration of the winter solstice, with seasonal and holiday drafts. Note the date change; it has been moved forward one week.

----

Monday, December 17

NABC, Rich O's and Sportstime will be closed to recover from the annual holiday party!

----

Thursday, December 27

Pants Down Potluck Port Circle

This year's gathering of the Pants Down Potluck Port Circle is Thursday, December 27.

----

Friday, February 29, 2008

Leap Year Gravity Head Number Ten

'Nuff said for now. The tenth anniversary of Gravity Head is slated to begin on the 29th of February, so make designated driver and bunking arrangements now.

----

Credits:

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.

Publicanista! November 22, 2007.

2007-11-22T20:34:00.000-05:00

In this edition of Publicanista!:

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: MOST ARROGANT BAR IN AMERICA CHALLENGE BEGINS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24.

II. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG.

III: DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.

IV. CALENDAR OF EVENTS, HOURS AND RELATED FACTS.

----

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: MOST ARROGANT BAR IN AMERICA CHALLENGE BEGINS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24.

To be honest, I resisted committing to this promotion, primarily because it’s been a very busy year without added arrogance, and also owing to what I perceive as the first signs of “event fatigue” among local beer aficionados … but what the hell. We're fairly arrogant already; might as well pile on.

The idea is that from November 24 through November 30, participating establishments will vie to sell the most Arrogant Bastard Ale, “Oaked” Arrogant Bastard Ale, and Double Bastard Ale, as calculated by the ounce. The winner will receive, “A Plaque proclaiming your supreme Arrogance, bragging rights to the rest of the nation, and a place in history amongst the other Most Arrogant Bars in America!”

I wouldn’t be a curmudgeon if I didn’t react to all this with, “real bars don’t count ounces,” but since it’s all in good fun … why not?

Sales will be calculated according to the honor system, and we’ll be at a competitive disadvantage because I’ve chosen to cellar our keg of Double Bastard for future Gravity Heads.

However, during the specified period, both Arrogant Bastard and Oaked Arrogant Bastard will be on tap and discounted a bit to further the cause. Wherever the oak chips fall ...

II. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG .

This year's gathering of the Pants Down Potluck Port Circle is Thursday, December 27.

A sip of revived ale and pleasant recollections in Indianapolis.

Connor's Place in Velocity.

Program for tonight's Merchant du Vin beer & cheese tasting.

Headline: "Most Arrogant Bar In America" Challenge.

Three things I learned during the past week.

III. DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.

Our NABC beers.

Always check the blackboards to see what’s on tap. For more information about NABC beers, go here.

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.

ConeSmoker ... Elegant Franconian smoked malt, an above average “noble” German hops presence and warm fermentation -- new twists on an old style.

Croupier ... IPA dedicated to the workers at the Caesars Indiana riverboat casino in nearby Harrison County.

Elector ... Making Democracy pointless since 2002; English malt, American hops. 7.2% abv. Double Red?

Hoptimus ... Massive and assertive. Stern. Double IPA. Silver medal winner at the 2007 St. Louis Microfest.

Malcolm's Old Setters Ale ... Old ale; 12% abv; big, malty, and challenging. Limited engagement sans pitchers or growlers.

Guests from near and far (market pricing).

ON TAP NOW: Everyday staples. Note that Alpha King will now often be rotating with Bell’s Two Hearted Ale . Why? Go here.

Arrogant Bastard

Bell’s Two Hearted Ale

Guinness Stout

Lindemans Framboise

Pilsner Urquell

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Smithwick’s Irish Ale

Spaten Premium Lager

Sprecher Root Beer (non-alcoholic)

Upland Wheat

ON TAP NOW: Rotating selections (limited engagement).

Barley Island Black Majic Java Stout

Browning's Brewery She-Devil India Pale Ale

Chimay Triple

De Glazen Toren Jan de Lichte (Imperial White)

Geants Saison Voisin

Great Divide Fresh Hop (wet hop)

Gulden Draak

Jolly Pumpkin Bam Noire

Kasteel Blonde

Poperings Hommel

Rogue XS Imperial Stout

Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale

Three Floyds Gumball Head American Wheat

Upland Oktoberfest

Urthel Hop-It

In the bullpen (ready for duty when called upon to serve).

Bluegrass Brewing Company (Main & Clay) IPA (in transit)

Browning's Brewery Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout

De Glazen Toren Saison d' Erpe Mere

Rogue "St. Rogue" Dr y Hopped Red

Two Brothers Hop Juice

IV. 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.

----

Friday, December 7

Saturnalia MMVII begins

Our fourth celebration of the winter solstice, with seasonal and holiday drafts. Note the date change; it has been moved forward one week.

----

Monday, December 17

NABC, Rich O's and Sportstime will be closed to recover from the annual holiday party!

----

Friday, February 29, 2008

Leap Year Gravity Head Number Ten

'Nuff said for now. The tenth anniversary of Gravity Head is slated to begin on the 29th of February, so make designated driver and bunking arrangements now.

----

Publicanista! November 15, 2007.

2007-11-15T00:49:00.000-05:00

In this edition of Publicanista!:

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: YES, THERE'S BEEN SOME SLACKING GOING ON.

II. BEER (MERCHANT DU VIN) AND CHEESE (LOCAL) TASTING ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19 AT 6:30 P.M. AT PROST.

III. POSSIBLE TOUR DATES FOR THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST BEER TOUR IN MAY, 2008.

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.

----

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: YES, THERE'S BEEN SOME SLACKING GOING ON.

No excuses; I got bored, then busy, and finally burned out, and for a few weeks there, the weekly newsletter got short shrift.

Sorry about that. It is my aim that by December, this ad-hoc vestige of an antiquated system of communications will greet the scrap heap, to be replaced by something easier/better/functional and just plain different.

Until then ... well, here's the update.

The culinary costume beer dinner was groovy. Lupulin Land is winding down, but many IBUs are left on the board. Saturnalia assaults the taste buds in less than a month. Some big breweries have merged, but few of us give a damn. Smaller breweries are feeling the pinch from hop shortages and skyrocketing prices for ingredients, and we're doing what we can.

From the brewhouse: My fave ConeSmoker is back on tap. Bonfire of the Valkyries and Naughty Claus have been brewed, and the first three kegs of Fifth Anniversary Ale have come and gone, but will return here and there as we age it. Malcolm's Old Setters Ale made a cask-conditioned appearance at the creative costume beer dinner, and is close to being ready after some months of rest.

And, work continues on the projected NABC brewery expansion into downtown New Albany. There'll be more information, so stay tuned.

II. BEER (MERCHANT DU VIN) AND CHEESE (LOCAL) TASTING ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19 AT 6:30 P.M. AT PROST.

From Tisha Dean of World Class Beverages and the Publican:

Beer and Cheese Tasting, Monday Nov. 19th at 6:30 p.m.

We're working on the final details of the local crafted cheeses from IN and KY to be paired with the impressive imported beers from Merchant Du Vin, but I'd like to invite you to come to the Rich O's/New Albanian Prost room on Monday night, Nov. 19 at 6:30 p.m. to learn about some fine imported beers with some local cheese flavor!

We're only asking for a $10 donation to help offset the cost of the cheeses, besides how often do you get to try a Chocolate Burbon Torte Soft Goat Cheese with a Black Currant Belgian Lambic?! You'll also walk away with an bit of beer knowledge, what some of the world of cheese is all about and a pub glass to drink your brews at home!

Please RSVP and tell all your friends in the area to come too! It's a great way to kick off the Thanksgiving week of festivities.

Here's a peek at the beer line up and the Publican's comments:

Ayinger Braü Weisse
A classic Bavarian-style wheat ale with the typical balance between fruity
esters and clove.

Green’s Quest Tripel Ale
Gluten-free, vegan ale; contract brewed in Belgium by DeProef, and never before tasted by the Publican.

Lindemans Cassis
The least sweet of the Lindemans fruit lambic range retains a hint of funk and a powerful black currant punch.

Orval Trappist Ale
This quirky standard bearer from Belgium’s prettiest Trappist monastery has English antecedents and is dry-hopped, with the suggestion of a sliver of wild yeast adding to the fun.

Samuel Smith Winter Welcome Ale
Tadcaster’s brownish-amber seasonal ritual is a silky and rich ale for cooler weather.

Traquair House Ale
Strong ale along the lines of barley wine, brewed in an old Scottish place and hinting at peat.

Zatec Bright Lager
Textbook hop-accented Czech lager, known everywhere except the Czech Republic as a “pilsner” style.

Come join us for a "Cheers!"

III. POSSIBLE TOUR DATES FOR THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST BEER TOUR IN MAY, 2008.

Several of those with whom I’ve spoken personally about next May’s tour know that we must work within a window of time so as to accommodate my wife’s schedule of graduate school classes.

This window is Sunday, April 27 through May 16 (Friday).

Kentucky Derby Day is Saturday, May 3, and while my original intent was to fly out from Louisville on May 4, it recently dawned on me that getting a group of 20-25 out of Louisville the day after Derby might be challenging. Our travel agent, Mary Pat Bliss, confirms this. She thinks that Tuesday, May 6 would be the first good day to debark from Louisville after the Derby scrum is finished.

This would put us on the following schedule, assuming many things (like the motorcoach company’s approval, but we must start somewhere):

Depart Louisville May 6, fly to Portland
May 6, 7 and 8, in and around Portland
May 9 and 10 in Seattle (Mariners play at home those nights)
My 11 in Astoria , Oregon
May 12 and 13 in Newport (Rogue brewery town)
May 14 drive back to Portland for the flight home.

I really wanted to incorporate two whole weekends to lessen the work days required to take off, but I’m not sure it will fit. Even if we all decided to leave before Derby , the Mariners dates might not match.

So … given what there is to work with, this is the initial proposal for the tour dates. Our probable operator is being included on this mailing, and of course we have many details yet to pin down. Please stay tuned, and tell me what you think.

For more details, go here: Real planning is now underway for the PacNW beer and brewery tour, May 2008.

If you're interested and haven't gotten on the list, please do so by contacting the Publican.

IV. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG .

There's a backlog, so go directly to the web site to catch up. Following are a handful of important postings:

What was hot and what was not for the Curmudgeon in 2007.

We now live in a Third World country …

Derby City Espresso adds good beer to the caffeinated mix.

Complete (well, sort of) Saturnalia MMXII draft pre-orders.

V. DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.

Our NABC beers.

Always check the blackboards to see what’s on tap. For more information about NABC beers, go here.

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.

ConeSmoker ... Elegant Franconian smoked malt, an above average “noble” German hops presence and warm fermentation -- new twists on an old style.

Croupier ... IPA dedicated to the workers at the Caesars Indiana riverboat casino in nearby Harrison County.

Elector ... Making Democracy pointless since 2002; English malt, American hops. 7.2% abv. Double Red?

Hoptimus ... Massive and assertive. Stern. Double IPA. Silver medal winner at the 2007 St. Louis Microfest.

Guests from near and far (market pricing).

ON TAP NOW: Everyday staples. Note that Alpha King will now often be rotating with Bell’s Two Hearted Ale . Why? Go here.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Smithwick’s Irish Ale

Spaten Premium Lager

Sprecher Root Beer (non-alcoholic)

Upland Wheat

ON TAP NOW: Rotating selections (limited engagement).

Brooklyn Brewmaster's Reserve Abbey Singel

Brooklyn Brown

Browning's Oktoberfest

Coniston Bluebird Bitter

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA

Founders Reds Rye

Geants Saison Voisin

Gouden Carolus Ambrio

Houblon Chouffe

Poperings Hommel

Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale (wet hop)

Sierra Nevada Summerfest

Three Floyds Gumball Head American Wheat

Urthel Hop-It

Wintercoat Double Hop

In the bullpen (ready for duty when called upon to serve).

Aecht Schlenkerla Weizen

Bluegrass Brewing Company (Main & Clay) IPA (in transit)

Bell’s Two Hearted Ale

Chimay Triple

Glazen Toren Saison d' Erpe Mere

Great Divide Fresh Hop (in house) (wet hop)

Gulden Draak

De Glazen Toren Jan de Lichte (Imperial White)

Jolly Pumpkin Bam Noire

Kasteel Blonde

Rogue XS Imperial Stout

Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale (in transit)

Upland Oktoberfest

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.

----

Monday, November 19

Beer and Cheese Tasting, Monday Nov. 19th at 6:30 p.m.

Merchant du Vin beers and local crafted cheeses from Indiana and Kentucky. In the Prost room, Monday night, Nov. 19 at 6:30 p.m.; $10 cover.

----

Friday, December 7

Saturnalia MMVII begins

Our fourth celebration of the winter solstice, with seasonal and holiday drafts. Note the date change; it has been moved forward one week.

----

Monday, December 17

NABC, Rich O's and Sportstime will be closed to recover from the annual holiday party!

----

Friday, February 29, 2008

Leap Year Gravity Head Number Ten

'Nuff said for now. The tenth anniversary of Gravity Head is slated to begin on the 29th of February, so make designated driver and bunking arrangements now.

----

Publicanista! Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming and New Albanian Art Show edition.

2007-10-18T15:00:00.000-04:00

In this edition of Publicanista!:

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: LUPULIN LAND HARVEST HOPCOMING IS UNDERWAY.

II. RAISING ART FROM THE DEAD: IT'S NEW ALBANIAN ART SHOW WEEKEND, TOO!

III. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG.

IV: DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.

V. CALENDAR OF EVENTS, HOURS AND RELATED FACTS.

----

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: LUPULIN LAND HARVEST HOPCOMING IS UNDERWAY.

Harvest Homecoming is over ... now it's time for Harvest Hopcoming.

We’ll again be exceeding OSHA’s legal limits on IBU’s per square foot of floor space when Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming 2007 begins on Friday, October 19. It is our sixth harvest hop celebration, and a good occasion for Kentuckiana’s hopheads to unite over a pint or two of America’s most bitter beer and to banish thoughts of abominations like Milwaukee’s Blech to the nether regions formerly reserved for silver-bulleted sinners, Miller Lite miscreants, and Auggie Busch’s backyard brunch chardonnay sippers.

Hops act as the spice of beer. Hops balance the inherent, malty sweetness. Hops provide the seasoning. Hops cleanse the palate and leave you begging for more. Hops make it interesting, and perhaps healthy as well: According to researchers for Japan’s Kirin Brewery, isohumulones, agents of bittering in hops, may help curb the development of fat in the human body.

Misconceptions about hops are annoying, persistent and entirely understandable. If one is to judge by the non-flavor profile of America’s best-selling mainstream lagers, it is certain that the majority of beer drinkers in our purportedly great nation are suffering from severe lupulin deprivation. It’s way past time to reverse that trend … just as bitterness, aroma and flavor.

Meanwhile, in all my years at NABC/Rich O's/Sportstime, I can't recall a time when it was so hard just to keep up, and so it's taken plenty of effort to put this year's Lupulin Land hop fete together ... but here it is.

Note that after three computer crashes in a month's time, I've not had the opportunity to restore contact with the web site, and so the official program is not available on-line (yet). I hope to have this issue resolved by Monday.

The lineup ...

Everyday Hop Accents
Alpha King
Arrogant Bastard
Bell’s Two Hearted Ale
NABC Hoptimus
Pilsner Urquell
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Louisville area (and Schlafly) cask-conditioned ale schedule:
Cumberland Brews Matt’s Red opens on Oct. 19, and when it is depleted, will be followed by Bluegrass Brewing Company (St. Matthews) Daisycutter Organic IPA. Depending on how long it takes to deplete Matt’s Red, Daisycutter may wait until after Schlafly Dry-Hopped APA, which absolutely will be pouring on Wednesday, Oct. 24 with Scott, our Schlafly rep, in attendance. He’ll probably be bringing bottles of Schlafly’s excellent IPA for sampling, so plan on coming out. Browning's Brewery She-Devil India Pale Ale follows, and we know that Bluegrass Brewing Company (Main & Clay) IPA will be delayed; look for a special tapping promotion in early November.

Lupulin Land imports on tap now:
Brooklyner-Schneider Hopfen-Weisse
Coniston Bluebird Bitter
Gaspar
Geants Saison Voisin
Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted
Houblon Chouffe
Poperings Hommel
Urthel Hop-It
Wintercoat Double Hop

Lupulin Land microbrews on tap now:
Boulder Cold Hop
Clipper City Loose Cannon Hop 3
Great Divide Hercules Double IPA
NABC Oaktimus
Rogue JLS Glen 2007
Stone 10th Anniversary Ale
Two Brothers Heavy Handed India Pale Ale (wet hop)

Lupulin Land microbrews yet to come:
Founders Reds Rye
Founders Centennial IPA
Great Divide Fresh Hop
Mad Anthony IPA
NABC Elsa von Horizon Imperial Pilsner (poured on the Randall dry-hopping machine)
Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale
Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale (wet hop)
Stone Ruination IPA
Two Brothers Cane & Ebel
Two Brothers Hop Juice (two different batches)
Upland Dragonfly IPA (special dry-hopped version)

II. RAISING ART FROM THE DEAD: IT'S NEW ALBANIAN ART SHOW WEEKEND, TOO.

The Publican says: Come out and take a look, and buy something!

Another edition of the art show also is underway in Prost, the special events and banquet area of the Public House. As noted previously, these shows are entirely generated by NABC employees, their friends and families, and you need to see it to believe it. As further incentive, NABC house beers are being offered at $3 a pint all weekend (sorry, Hoptimus, Oaktimus and Elsa excepted). Consider taking some of the money you've saved and purchase something from the artists.

Here's the description, courtesy of chief organizer Kevin Dennis.

So it goes!

October 18,19, and 20: Raising art from the dead@The New Albanian Brewing Company

The show will be just two weeks before Halloween, so come dressed to impress! Zombies encouraged ... mmmm Brains... Art of all forms by all ages and from multiple places around the country; mostly local, though ... New Albany REPRESENT! Fire performances by The Phoenix Collective ... Kinetic Sculpture -The Contraption, an interactive sculpture worthy of writing home to mom about. Glass blowing by Daniel Holland and possibly a few guest appearances; Yoga performances ...

The tentative music and performance schedule:

Thursday 18th
7:30-8:30 Jared Williamson
8:30-9:30 Pokey LaFarge
9:30-10:30 Amos
10:30-Close Stephen Powell

Friday 19th
6:00-7:00 Poetry Session Ian, Sean Corb,etc..
7:00-7:30 Glen Brown and his wife Yoga
7:30-8:30 Jared Williamson
8:30-9:30 Tommy Potts
9:30-10:00 Phoenix Fire Collective
10:00-11:00 Ben Traughber
11:00-Close Daniel Brown

Saturday 20th
7:30-8:30 Simon
8:30-9:30 Ben Traughber
9:30-10:00 Phoenix Fire Collective
10:00-11:00 Daniel Brown
11:00- Close Amos

III. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG .

There's a backlog; go to the web site to catch up, and don't forget that real planning is now underway for the PacNW beer and brewery tour, May 2008.

IV. DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.

Our NABC beers.

Always check the blackboards to see what’s on tap. For more information about NABC beers, go here.

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.

Flat Tyre ... Lovibond got you down? That's okay -- just improvise. It was intended to be brown, and now it's amber.

Hoptimus and Oaktimus ... Massive and assertive. Stern. Double IPA. Silver medal winner at the 2007 St. Louis Microfest. When aged with oak chips, another shade emerges.

Phoenix Kentucky Komon ... Retro style indigenous to Louisville; dark, smooth with a touch or roast, and sour.

Guests from near and far (market pricing).

ON TAP NOW: Everyday staples. Note that Alpha King will now often be rotating with Bell’s Two Hearted Ale . Why? Go here.

Alpha King

Bell’s Two Hearted Ale

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Smithwick’s Irish Ale

Spaten Premium Lager

Sprecher Root Beer (non-alcoholic)

Upland Wheat

ON TAP NOW: Rotating selections (limited engagement).

Lupulin Land beers ... see above.

In the bullpen (ready for duty when called upon to serve).

Chimay Triple

Glazen Toren Saison d' Erpe Mere

Sierra Nevada Summerfest

V. 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.

----

Friday, October 19

Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming fest begins

Love and hoppiness, in all their myriad forms, as dispensed from all available taps.

Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming begins Friday, October 19.

----

Monday, October 29

Culinary Costume of American Artisanal Ales - a beer dinner at Prost

Aspiring young renegade chefs Andy and Josh are conspiring with the Publican to create a special pre-Halloween culinary treat, to be held in NABC's Prost banquet room.

They're constructing a menu, and have made outstanding pairing recommendations using beers from NABC, Ommegang, Allagash, Jolly Pumpkin, Dogfish Head and more.

Culinary Costume of American Artisan Ales: A Beer & Food Pairing.

----

Friday, December 7

Saturnalia MMVII begins

Our fourth celebration of the winter solstice, with seasonal and holiday drafts. Note the date change; it has been moved forward one week.

----

Friday, February 29, 2008

Leap Year Gravity Head Number Ten

'Nuff said for now. The tenth anniversary of Gravity Head is slated to begin on the 29th of February, so make designated driver and bunking arrangements now.

----

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.

Publicanista! ... September 27, 2007.

2007-09-27T08:15:00.000-04:00

In this edition of Publicanista!:

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: OKTOBER STANDS TO BE VERY BUSY.

II. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG.

III: DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.

IV. CALENDAR OF EVENTS, HOURS AND RELATED FACTS.

----

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: OKTOBER STANDS TO BE VERY BUSY.

Silly me. I keep thinking that there’ll be a “quiet” time this year, but the calendar just keeps filling up. There are more than a few beer events, beer and food pairings and all-purpose merriment planned for coming weeks, and here’s the schedule as it appears now.

First up on Monday, October 1, is the Ayinger Oktober-Fest Beer Dinner at Bistro New Albany. Chef Clancy and the Publican will be combining Bavarian cuisine with some of the finest exported examples of Bavarian beer.

After that appropriate autumn kick-off, New Albany’s annual Harvest Homecoming festival will be dominating downtown from the October 6 parade day through October 13.

If you're on speaking (or, at the very least, drinking) terms with the Publican, be aware of the annual parade day party at the homestead on the 6th.

NABC beers will be available downtown at our three primary accounts during booth days (October 11, 12 and 13), and we’re planning on releasing a few bits of NABC’s reserve stock for special promotions at Bistro New Albany, Connor’s Place and Speakeasy Jazz during these three days. Stay tuned for information on what, when and where.

During the same weekend, several Louisville area brewers and brewery owners will be in Denver, Colorado, for the Great American Beer Festival. Bring back some medals, guys.

Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming and the next New Albanian Art Show converge on Friday, October 19 (the art show begins a day earlier), and on the 20th, there’s a possibility that I may be working with Tommie Mudd at Caffe Classico on a “stouts of fall” appetizer and ale pairing. That same day, Mike Stephens at Youngstown Cigar Shop & Island Café (Jeffersonville) is holding a “Stogies and Stouts” party from noon to 5:00 p.m. Mike's shop is located behind Mai's Thai in the Youngstown Shopping Center on 10th Street.Tired yet?

Finally, to close the month with a jolt before Halloween, there’ll be our first ever beer dinner at Prost, NABC’s banquet and special events wing: Culinary Costume of American Artisan Ales, to be held on Monday, October 29. It’s a cooperative venture between NABC and two aspiring young culinary artists, Andy and Josh, although it should be noted that they’re doing most of the heavy lifting. Pricing and details have yet to be determined.

Write ‘em down. My liver’s on full alert.

II. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG .

Keg Liquors "Fall Festival Beer Tasting" is tonight: Thursday, September 27.

Calendar check: Culinary Costume of American Artisan Ales at NABC on Monday, October 29.

Lupulin Land 2007 preview: We're less than a month away.

Real planning now underway for PacNW beer and brewery tour, 2008.

III. DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.

Our NABC beers.

Always check the blackboards to see what’s on tap. For more information about NABC beers, go here.

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 dedicated to the workers at the Caesars Indiana riverboat casino in nearby Harrison County.

Elector ... Making Democracy pointless since 2002; English malt, American hops. 7.2% abv. Double Red?

Flat Tyre ... Lovibond got you down? That's okay -- just improvise.

Happy Helmut ... Homage to eclectic Franconian brewing traditions, light bodied and quaffable, with a hint of smoke and rye.

St. Radegund ... English-style ESB, brewed as Beak's Best in its original incarnation in 2002, then reformulated as St. Radegund in 2005.

Guests from near and far (market pricing).

ON TAP NOW: Everyday staples. Note that Alpha King will now often be rotating with Bell’s Two Hearted Ale . Why? Go here.

Alpha King (multiple kegs; Bell’s Two Hearted Ale may return the week of Sept. 17, or as soon as an available tap can be found)

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Smithwick’s Irish Ale

Spaten Premium Lager

Sprecher Root Beer (non-alcoholic)

Upland Wheat

ON TAP NOW: Rotating selections (limited engagement).

Aecht Schlenkerla Urbock

Bell's Oktoberfest

Chimay Triple

Glazen Toren Saison d' Erpe Mere

Gouden Carolus Ambrio

Hitachino Nest White Ale

Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale

Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere

Poperings Hommel Bier

Rogue Dead Guy

Rogue "John's Locker Stock" Anniversary Ale - Brewer 2007 (redux)

Sierra Nevada Summerfest

Spaten Oktoberfest

Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine

Stone 07.07.07 Vertical Epic Ale

Upland Oktoberfest

In the bullpen (ready for duty when called upon to serve).

Bell’s Two Hearted Ale (cask-conditioned firkin; Friday, Sept. 28)

Birrificio Cassissona

Brooklyn Brown

Paulaner Hefe-Weizen

Monday, October 1

Ayinger Oktoberfes Beer Dinner at Bistro New Albany

My affection for Ayinger’s excellent line of Bavarian beers has prompted me to pair them with another stellar menu concocted by Chef Dave Clancy, owner of Bistro New Albany.

For the full story, go here: Update: Ayinger Oktoberfest beer dinner at Bistro New Albany on Monday, October 1.

----

Thursday, October 11 through Sunday, October 14

Harvest Homecoming

New Albany's annual celebration, now featuring three downtown restaurants/pubs serving NABC beer.

----

Thursday, Friday and Saturday, October 18, 19 & 20

Art Show in Prost

We'll know more when Kevin returns from the desert, so until then, visit New Albanian Art.

----

Friday, October 19

Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming fest begins

Love and hoppiness, in all their myriad forms, as dispensed from all available taps.

----

Monday, October 29

Culinary Costume of American Artisanal Ales - a beer dinner at Prost

Aspiring young renegade chefs Andy and Josh are conspiring with the Publican to create a special pre-Halloween culinary treat, to be held in NABC's Prost banquet room.

They're constructing a menu, and have made outstanding pairing recommendations using beers from NABC, Ommegang, Allagash, Jolly Pumpkin, Dogfish Head and more.

Calendar check: Culinary Costume of American Artisan Ales at NABC on Monday, October 29.

----

Friday, December 7

Saturnalia MMVII begins

Our fourth celebration of the winter solstice, with seasonal and holiday drafts. Note the date change; it has been moved forward one week.

----

Friday, February 29, 2008

Leap Year Gravity Head Number Ten

'Nuff said for now. The tenth anniversary of Gravity Head is slated to begin on the 29th of February, so make designated driver and bunking arrangements now.

Publicanista! ... September 20, 2007.

2007-09-20T00:55:00.000-04:00

In this edition of Publicanista!:

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: AYINGER OKTOBERFEST BEER DINNER AT BISTRO NEW ALBANY IS SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY, OCTOBER 1.

II. BOTTLE NEWS: NEW (OLD) BELGIANS ON THE WAY.

III. NABC BREWERY NEWS: NEW ALBANY'S HARVEST HOMECOMING IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER.

IV. OKTOBERFEST DRAFT SURGE NOW.

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. CALENDAR OF EVENTS, HOURS AND RELATED FACTS.

----

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: AYINGER OKTOBERFEST BEER DINNER AT BISTRO NEW ALBANY IS SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY, OCTOBER 1.

My affection for Ayinger’s excellent line of Bavarian beers has prompted me to pair them with another stellar menu concocted by Chef Dave Clancy, owner of Bistro New Albany. There’ll be fewer beers than offered during previous beer dinners, but larger portions, as befits generally lower alcohol contents and the expansiveness of traditional German drinking and dining.
Here is the menu and the pairings. Chef Clancy has hinted at an additional “surprise” appetizer, and the price per person (excluding gratuity) will be $45.

-Opening toast: Here’s to us … Ayinger’s Oktober-Fest Marzen, a tawny golden/amber autumn seasonal lager, will be on tap throughout the evening, and we’ll begin the meal with an Oktoberfest toast in a complimentary Ayinger signature glass.

-Gurkensalat (cucumber salad) ... Brau-Weisse … traditional unfiltered golden wheat ale.

-Gulaschsuppe (goulash soup) ... Jahrhundert-Bier … golden “export” style lager.

-Sauerbraten with Kartoffelpuffer (brined and roasted beef with potato cakes) ... Altbairisch Dunkel … “Old Bavarian” dark lager.

-Schwarzwalderkirschtorte (black forest cake) ... Celebrator Doppelbock … rich, dark Double Bock.

Contact Bistro New Albany at 812-949-5227 for reservations and further details. For the full story, go here: Update: Ayinger Oktoberfest beer dinner at Bistro New Albany on Monday, October 1.

II. BOTTLE NEWS: NEW (OLD) BELGIANS ON THE WAY.

At the inception of the Public House 15 years ago, the classic Vanberg & DeWulf line of Belgian and French imports was freely available in Indiana. Included in V & D's stellar inventory are ales from Dupont (Saison Dupont, Moinette); Dubuisson (Scaldis/Bush); Frank Boon lambics; and Castelain Bieres de Garde (St. Amand).

These have not been available in Southern Indiana since the late 1990's, but now they're back, thanks to Cavalier Distributing.

Now that they're back, I must find a chilled storage place for them, and that's the hangup at present. Readers, please let me know if you have a normal fridge, or know of an upright unit that I could purchase (or barter) from you. I'll be looking at the usual sources in the meantime, and building inventory in expectation of working out the chilling issue.

Seems like a lot of work for an establishment that can be ranked sixth in the world in the RateBeer poll, but not make the final three in LEO's Readers' Choice Awards. As Jared Williamson put it, "Sixth in the world -- unranked at home."

Odder still is this pick of LEO's readership:

SPORTS BAR

1) Buffalo Wild Wings

2) Rich-O's

3) Tailgater’s

Seeing as we have no television sets in Rich O's, then our "sports talk" must actually be second to none. Maybe they meant Sportstime.

At any rate, we'll just continue muddling along with our acclaimed house brewed beer, 26 rotating guest taps, 250+ bottles sans mass-produced swill, the best Belgian list this side of Shelbyville, and hope for the best.

On a happier note, LEO's staff picks included NABC in a survey of "GOOD LOCAL BREW":

You’re really not a hipster unless you swear off mass-produced swill in favor of thick, dark, mind-blowing, liver-bloating, locally brewed beer. Let’s hear it for the fearsome foursome: Bluegrass Brewing Company (aka BBC, 3929 Shelbyville Road, 899-7070; 2 Theater Sq., 568-2224; 636 E. Main St., 584-2739); Browning’s Brewery: (401 E. Main St., 515-0174); Cumberland Brews: (1576 Bardstown Road, 458-8728); and New Albanian Brewing Company: (3312 Plaza Drive, 812-949-2804).

Obviously, it will be time soon for a new bottled list update, but until then, check the blackboard for temps and rotating selections. The current bottled beer can be viewed here.

Thanks for your help.

III. NABC BREWERY NEWS: NEW ALBANY'S HARVEST HOMECOMING IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER.

New Albany’s 40th Harvest Homecoming Festival will be held in October of 2007, beginning with a parade on October 6, and traditional food and activity booths filling the city’s reviving downtown streets from the 11th through the 14th.

For the second year, the New Albanian Brewing Company is delighted to have its most popular beers within ready access of the thousands of visitors who’ll be visiting Harvest Homecoming.

NABC now has three downtown accounts: Bistro New Albany, Connor’s Place and the Speakeasy. Both the Bistro and Connor’s have beautiful patios at which to enjoy Elector, Community Dark, Croupier and other NABC favorites during crisp (we hope) autumnal weather. The Speakeasy is New Albany’s first jazz-themed restaurant and bar. All three establishments are housed in restored historic buildings.

To promote our three downtown partners, NABC personnel will be on hand for special tappings throughout Harvest Homecoming. Look for details in the coming weeks.

IV. OKTOBERFEST DRAFT SURGE NOW.

Oktoberfests from Paulaner, Spaten and Schlafly are currently on draft, with Upland's and Left Hand's queuing in the rear. Read the Publican's take on Oktoberfest, as published in the Louisville Eccentric Observer:

Germany’s Oktoberfest — once bitten, twice shy

V. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG .

Hoosier beer tasting tonight at Charlestown Pizza Company.

"US barley acreage has declined to record low levels."

"The hop world is upside down. In the future we see the possibility of brewers shutting down for lack of hops."

Calendar check: Ayinger Oktoberfest beer dinner at Bistro New Albany will be Monday, October 1.

Upcoming NABC events: Harvest Homecoming and Lupulin Land.

It's time for planning the next three draft festivals.

Real planning now underway for PacNW beer and brewery tour, 2008.

VI. DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.

Our NABC beers.

Always check the blackboards to see what’s on tap. For more information about NABC beers, go here.

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 dedicated to the workers at the Caesars Indiana riverboat casino in nearby Harrison County.

Elector ... Making Democracy pointless since 2002; English malt, American hops. 7.2% abv. Double Red?

Happy Helmut ... Homage to eclectic Franconian brewing traditions, light bodied and quaffable, with a hint of smoke and rye.

St. Radegund ... English-style ESB, brewed as Beak's Best in its original incarnation in 2002, then reformulated as St. Radegund in 2005.

Guests from near and far (market pricing).

ON TAP NOW: Everyday staples. Note that Alpha King will now often be rotating with Bell’s Two Hearted Ale . Why? Go here.

Alpha King (multiple kegs; Bell’s Two Hearted Ale may return the week of Sept. 17, or as soon as an available tap can be found)

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Smithwick’s Irish Ale

Spaten Premium Lager

Sprecher Root Beer (non-alcoholic)

Upland Wheat

ON TAP NOW: Rotating selections (limited engagement).

Aecht Schlenkerla Urbock (two more 30-L kegs!)

Barley Island Black Majic Java Stout

Chimay Triple

Dogfish Head Festina Peche

Hitachino Nest White Ale

Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale

Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere

Kasteel Bier Bruin/Brune/Donker

Ommegang Hennepin

Paulaner Oktoberfest

Poperings Hommel Bier

Rogue "John's Locker Stock" Anniversary Ale - Brewer 2007 (redux)

Schlafly Oktoberfest

Spaten Oktoberfest

Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine

Stone 07.07.07 Vertical Epic Ale

In the bullpen (ready for duty when called upon to serve).

Bell’s Two Hearted Ale (cask-conditioned firkin)

Birrificio Cassissona

Gouden Carolus Ambrio

Sierra Nevada Summerfest

Upland Oktoberfest

VII. 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.

----

Monday, October 1

Ayinger Oktoberfes Beer Dinner at Bistro New Albany

My affection for Ayinger’s excellent line of Bavarian beers has prompted me to pair them with another stellar menu concocted by Chef Dave Clancy, owner of Bistro New Albany.

For the full story, go here: Update: Ayinger Oktoberfest beer dinner at Bistro New Albany on Monday, October 1.

----

Thursday, October 11 through Sunday, October 14

Harvest Homecoming

New Albany's annual celebration, now featuring three downtown restaurants/pubs serving NABC beer.

----

Thursday, Friday and Saturday, October 18, 19 & 20

Art Show in Prost

We'll know more when Kevin returns from the desert, so until then, visit New Albanian Art.

----

Friday, October 19

Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming fest begins

Love and hoppiness, in all their myriad forms, as dispensed from all available taps.

----

Monday, October 29

Culinary Costume of American Artisanal Ales - a beer dinner at Prost

Aspiring young renegade chefs Andy and Josh are conspiring with the Publican to create a special pre-Halloween culinary treat, to be held in NABC's Prost banquet room.

They're constructing a menu, and have made outstanding pairing recommendations using beers from NABC, Ommegang, Allagash, Jolly Pumpkin, Dogfish Head and more.

Stay tuned for details.

----

Friday, December 7

Saturnalia MMVII begins

Our fourth celebration of the winter solstice, with seasonal and holiday drafts. Note the date change; it has been moved forward one week.

----

Friday, February 29, 2008

Leap Year Gravity Head Number Ten

'Nuff said for now. The tenth anniversary of Gravity Head is slated to begin on the 29th of February, so make designated driver and bunking arrangements now.

Publicanista! ... September 13, 2007.

2007-09-13T09:31:00.000-04:00

In this edition of Publicanista!:

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: MEET THE NEW CICERONE ... NOT THE SAME AS THE OLD SOMMELIER.

II. OKTOBERFEST DRAFTS COMING NOW.

III. A BIG THANKS FOR THE SANDKERWA NA RECEPTION.
IV. NABC BREWERY NEWS: GROWTH CONTINUES WITH NEW WALK-IN COOLER, A WORK STATION FOR TONY, AND TAPS AT NEIL'S.

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. BOTTLE NEWS: GETTING MORE THAN WE BARGAINED FOR, IN A "NICE" WAY.

VIII. CALENDAR OF EVENTS, HOURS AND RELATED FACTS.

----

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: MEET THE NEW CICERONE ... NOT THE SAME AS THE OLD SOMMELIER.

It's a great word, and and even better concept: What is the world of beer had its version of the sommelier, the "wine authority" who has been trained to know the product, handle and dispense it, and explain it to those seeking advice and information?

The return of Cicero, and the demotion of "beer sommelier" in favor of something more quantifiable.

II. OKTOBERFEST DRAFTS COMING NOW.

Regular readers know that the Publican's list of annoyances is fairly long, but none more so than the relatively recent habit of releasing Oktoberfest lagers in mid-August. This is plain wrong, and kudos to Indiana's primary specialty whoelsaler, World Class Beverages, for waiting until September 1 to make their stock available. Noting that this year's Munich Oktoberfest doesn't begin until September 22, finally it's mid-September, and we're close enough to the mark to begin pouring German-style amber lagers. See below for what's on tap and in the queue, and know that more of them are on the way next week.

III. A BIG THANKS FOR THE SANDKERWA NA RECEPTION.

To be honest, I wasn't sure how our customers would react to an esoteric draft selection, mostly from one region, and heavy on smoked lagers without much in the way of Bavarian food or decor to abet the experience ... but more than half of the beer was gone after the first six business days, and I'm delighted with the response.

We'll be back with the same concept next year, hopefully with a beer dinner in Prost catered by Jasper's Schnitzelbank Restaurant.

Speaking of German beer dinners, there'll be one on Monday October 1 at Bistro New Albany. Chef David Clancy is preparing a menu, and I'll be matching beers to it. In keeping with the German tradition, we'll be doing fewer overall beers but bigger portions of them. Stay tuned for further information.

IV. NABC BREWERY NEWS: GROWTH CONTINUES WITH NEW WALK-IN COOLER, A WORK STATION FOR TONY, AND TAPS AT NEIL'S.

Jesse, Jared and Tony spent the week installing a new walk-in cooler which we hope will ease the storage crunch in the brewery. New or reconditioned cooperage will be soon to follow, which I hope will enable us to avoid shortages of Hoptimus and perhaps enable further creativity from the brew crew.

To assist in the furtherance of his graphics and design work, new brewery staffer Tony will be getting a computer work station in my office. He is being charged with stocking a shop that we hope will be ready for public interface by Chrismas.

Finally, we've opened a new off-premise account at Neil's in Sellersburg. The address is 7611 Hwy 311, and the goal is to have Community Dark and Elector on tap.

V. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG .

Grassroots Festival at Stratto’s is tonight.

Real planning now underway for PacNW beer and brewery tour, 2008.

Calendar change: Saturnalia will begin on Friday, December 7.

Bourbon-barrel stout for the world: Small scale brewing and beer exports.

VI. DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.

Our NABC beers.

Always check the blackboards to see what’s on tap. For more information about NABC beers, go here.

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 dedicated to the workers at the Caesars Indiana riverboat casino in nearby Harrison County.

Elector ... Making Democracy pointless since 2002; English malt, American hops. 7.2% abv. Double Red?

Happy Helmut ... Homage to eclectic Franconian brewing traditions, light bodied and quaffable, with a hint of smoke and rye.

Hoptimus ... Massive and assertive. Stern. Double IPA. Silver medal winner at the 2007 St. Louis Microfest.

St. Radegund ... English-style ESB, brewed as Beak's Best in its original incarnation in 2002, then reformulated as St. Radegund in 2005.

Guests from near and far (market pricing).

ON TAP NOW: Everyday staples. Note that Alpha King will now often be rotating with Bell’s Two Hearted Ale . Why? Go here.

Alpha King (multiple kegs; Bell’s Two Hearted Ale may return the week of Sept. 17, or as soon as an available tap can be found)

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Smithwick’s Irish Ale

Spaten Premium Lager

Sprecher Root Beer (non-alcoholic)

Upland Wheat

ON TAP NOW: Rotating selections (limited engagement).

Aecht Schlenkerla Weizen

BBC (Main & Clay) Hefeweizen

Barley Island Black Majic Java Stout

Chimay Triple

Dogfish Head Festina Peche

Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere

Kasteel Bier Bruin/Brune/Donker

Poperings Hommel Bier

Rogue "John's Locker Stock" Anniversary Ale - Brewer 2007 (redux)

Schlafly Oktoberfest

Spezial Rauchbier

Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine

In the bullpen (ready for duty when called upon to serve).

Birrificio Cassissona

Hitachino Nest White Ale

Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale

Sierra Nevada Summerfest

Stone 07.07.07 Vertical Epic Ale

Upland Oktoberfest

VII. BOTTLE NEWS: GETTING MORE THAN WE BARGAINED FOR, IN A "NICE" WAY.

The cardboard boxes marked McChouffe were spiffy and labeled as always in English, for export to the United States, but upon opening one of them to stock the bottles, inside were bottles of N'Ice Chouffe, the Achouffe brewery's winter seasonal. Not only that, but the bottle labels were different. Upon closer examination, they were revealed to be written in Danish.

Danish-label N'Ice Chouffe in American export cases? Someone's mistake is our unexpected bounty. For a short time, we'll be completely out of McChouffe and completely in with N'Ice Chouffe in the 750 ml bottles for the same price as McChouffe. Got it? Enjoy.

The new, updated bottled beer list has been published and can be viewed here. Note the expanded Belgian and French sections.

VIII. 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.

----

Thursday, October 11 through Sunday, October 14

Harvest Homecoming

New Albany's annual celebration, now featuring three downtown restaurants/pubs serving NABC beer.

----

Friday, October 19

Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming begins

Love and hoppiness, in all their myriad forms, as dispensed from all available taps.

----

Friday, December 7

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.

Publicanista! ... September 6, 2007.

2007-09-06T00:01:00.000-04:00

In this edition of Publicanista!:

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: MICHAEL JACKSON, R.I.P.

II. "SANDKERWA NA," AN EXAMINATION OF NORTHERN BAVARIAN BREWING, CONTINUES.

III. NABC AT THE GRASSROOTS FESTIVAL AT STRATTO'S ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12.

IV. NABC BREWERY NEWS: HAPPY HELMUT RAUCH & RYE DEBUTS.

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. BOTTLE NEWS: GETTING MORE THAN WE BARGAINED FOR, IN A "NICE" WAY.

VIII. CALENDAR OF EVENTS, HOURS AND RELATED FACTS.

----

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: MICHAEL JACKSON, R.I.P.

Last week’s biggest story came across the Internet wires just as the NABC newsletter went to press. We learned that Michael Jackson, the fabled beer hunter and chronicler, died of a heart attack after a decade-long struggle with Parkinson’s Disease.

Eric Asimov of the New York Times collected several worthwhile obituary links in his column yesterday, The Prophet of Good Beer:

His death did not go unnoticed in this country, though the attention seemed cursory, perhaps a measure of the battle for respect that beer still faces in the United States. The Washington Post ran a good obituary, and bloggers like Lew Bryson posted remembrances, but for a more detailed English look at his life, check out these obituaries in The Guardian and The Independent.

Two dozen pub veterans will never forget the November night in 1994 when Jackson visited Rich O’s Public House following receptions at BBC and the Silo. There’ll be no encore, and that’s sad, but his work lives on.

Grieving the Beer Hunter's passing: Michael Jackson, the Red Room and Louisville.

Beer hunter Michael Jackson has died; worldwide good beer community mourns.

II. "SANDKERWA NA," AN EXAMINATION OF NORTHERN BAVARIAN BREWING, CONTINUES.

Last Friday, fourteen beers from Bamberg and environs went on line at the same time, combining to represent as many traditional Franconian styles of beer as possible (with a few Greater Bavarian and non-regional ringers tapped to provide representative examples of unobtainable styles). As of today, all still are flowing.

For a half-century, SANDKERWA (SAND-kehr-wa) has been Bamberg’s end-of-summer street festival, one that originated as a church-related commemoration in the historic city’s oldest central district. For six days each year in late August, the Altstadt’s narrow lanes are filled with food, beer and people in a hearty celebration that brings Munich’s better known Oktoberfest to mind, but exists on a less crowded, decentralized and more enjoyable human scale.

As always is the case with our draft extravaganzas, the Sandkerwa NA beers will continue pouring until they are depleted. By mid-September, a new wave of Oktoberfest brands from Germany and American craft breweries will begin flowing, and after New Albany’s annual Harvest Homecoming has concluded, we’ll commence Lupulin Land, NABC’s annual hop festival, on October 19.

Sandkerwa NA at Indiana Beer.

Sandkerwa NA taps (except for two).

III. NABC AT THE GRASSROOTS FESTIVAL AT STRATTO'S ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12.

On Wednesday, September 12, from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., there'll be a special event called the Grassroots Festival on the patio of Clarksville’s Stratto’s Restaurant, which is housed in the historic, renovated McCullough House on the quiet end of Lewis and Clark Parkway. Featured will be gourmet brick oven pizza, craft beer and rockin’ bluegrass music.

Stratto’s Restaurant, 318 W. Lewis & Clark Parkway, Clarksville, IN 47129 (Ph: 812-945-3496). Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door, and include pizza and unlimited beer samples ($3 pints also will be sold).

Tickets are available at these locations:

Stratto’s Restaurant

Bluegrass Brewing Company/BBC Taproom (Clay and Main, downtown Louisville)

Keg Liquors (Lewis & Clark Parkway, Clarksville)

Cumberland Brews (Bardstown Road, Louisville)

New Albanian Brewing Company (Plaza Drive, New Albany)

Tickets may be purchased by phone only from Stratto’s Restaurant: 812-945-3496

Beer

Bluegrass Brewing Company (Clay & Main)

Barley Island Brewing Company

Browning's Restaurant & Brewery

Cumberland Brewery

New Albanian Brewing Company

Music

Kentucky Fried Pickin’

Whistlin’ Rufus

Special thanks to World Class Beverages

Questions? Call Stratto’s or e-mail Trevor Semones: StrattosRestaurant(at)yahoo.com (replace “at” with @)

IV. NABC BREWERY NEWS: HAPPY HELMUT RAUCH & RYE DEBUTS.

We released a special New Albanian Brewing Company beer in honor of Sandkerwa NA: Happy Helmut, named for a merry trinket salesman with whom I once drank numerous half-liters of Spezial in Bamberg. There's a percentage of smoked malt from Bamberg's Weyermann malting house, and some rye in the grist. California Common yeast is used. During tastings last week, Happy Helmut was (happily) revealed to be suitably Franconian, which is to say eclectic, with the smokiness and rye qualities both muted and a noble hop firmness. At less than 5% abv, it's a fine quaffer.

V. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG .

Bourbon-barrel stout for the world: Small scale brewing and beer exports.

Sandkerwa NA taps (except for two).

Is the planet ready for blueberry barley wine?

Tony Beard's NABC Happy Helmut label art.

A few good beer books.

Update: Beer hunting by motor coach in the Pacific Northwest.

VI. DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.

Our NABC beers.

Always check the blackboards to see what’s on tap. For more information about NABC beers, go here.

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 dedicated to the workers at the Caesars Indiana riverboat casino in nearby Harrison County.

Elector ... Making Democracy pointless since 2002; English malt, American hops. 7.2% abv. Double Red?

Happy Helmut ... Homage to eclectic Franconian brewing traditions, light bodied and quaffable, with a hint of smoke and rye.

Hoptimus ... Massive and assertive. Stern. Double IPA. Silver medal winner at the 2007 St. Louis Microfest.

St. Radegund ... English-style ESB, brewed as Beak's Best in its original incarnation in 2002, then reformulated as St. Radegund in 2005.

Guests from near and far (market pricing).

ON TAP NOW: Everyday staples. Note that Alpha King will now often be rotating with Bell’s Two Hearted Ale . Why? Go here.

Alpha King (five kegs; Bell’s Two Hearted Ale will return the week of Sept. 10, or as soon as an available tap can be found)

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Smithwick’s Irish Ale

Spaten Premium Lager

Sprecher Root Beer (non-alcoholic)

Upland Wheat

ON TAP NOW: Rotating selections (limited engagement).

Bell’s Batch 8000

Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA

SANDKERWA NA (from Bamberg unless otherwise noted):

Aecht Schlenkerla Helles

Aecht Schlenkerla Marzen

Aecht Schlenkerla Urbock

Aecht Schlenkerla Weizen

Bayerischer Bahnhof Gose (Leipzig)

Bayerischer Bahnhof Heizer Schwarzbier (Leipzig)

Kapuziner Weissbier (Kulmbach)

Klosterbrauerei Ettal Dunkel (Ettal)

Kulmbacher Eisbock (Kulmbach)

Mahr's Hell

Mahr's Pilsner

Mahr's der Weisse Bock

Schneider Wiesen Edel Weiss (Kelheim)

Spezial Rauchbier

In the bullpen (ready for duty when called upon to serve).

BBC (Main & Clay) Hefeweizen

Birrificio Cassissona

Chimay Triple

Dogfish Head Festina Peche

Hitachino Nest White Ale

Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere

Ommegang Hennepin

Rogue "John's Locker Stock" Anniversary Ale - Brewer 2007 (redux)

Rogue "John's Locker Stock" Glen Ale 2007 (redux)

Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine

Stone Imperial Russian Stout

Stone 07.07.07 Vertical Epic Ale.

VII. BOTTLE NEWS: GETTING MORE THAN WE BARGAINED FOR, IN A "NICE" WAY.

The cardboard boxes marked McChouffe were spiffy and labeled as always in English, for export to the United States, but upon opening one of them to stock the bottles, inside were bottles of N'Ice Chouffe, the Achouffe brewery's winter seasonal. Not only that, but the bottle labels were different. Upon closer examination, they were revealed to be written in Danish.

The new, updated bottled beer list has been published and can be viewed here. Note the expanded Belgian and French sections.

VIII. 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.

----

Friday, August 31

Sandkerwa NA begins (ongoing)

Our first all-German draft festival, inspired by an annual street party in Bamberg, Germany. Read more here: Sandkerwa NA, an homage to Bamberg’s beers, begins Friday, August 31.

We'll be debuting a New Albanian Brewing Company beer in honor of the occasion: Happy Helmut, named for a merry trinket salesman with whom I once drank numerous half-liters of Spezial in Bamberg. There's a percentage of smoked malt from Bamberg's Weyermann malting house, and some rye in the grist. California Common yeast is used, and Tony's working on the artwork.

----

Wednesday, September 12

Grassroots Festival on the patio at Stratto's in Clarksville.

Click here for details.

----

Thursday, October 11 through Sunday, October 14

Harvest Homecoming

New Albany's annual celebration, now featuring three downtown restaurants/pubs serving NABC beer.

----

Friday, October 19

Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming begins

Love and hoppiness, in all their myriad forms, as dispensed from all available taps.

----

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.

Publicanista! ... August 30, 2007.

2007-08-30T08:25:00.000-04:00

In this edition of Publicanista!:

----

SPECIAL NOTE: WE'LL BE CLOSED ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, IN CELEBRATION OF LABOR DAY. REGULAR HOURS RESUME ON TUESDAY.

----

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: A MODEST VERSION OF "SANDKERWA NA," AN EXAMINATION OF NORTHERN BAVARIAN BREWING, BEGINS ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 31.

II. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG.

III. DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.

IV. NEW BOTTLED LIST IS ON THE STREET.

V. CALENDAR OF EVENTS, HOURS AND RELATED FACTS.

----

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: A MODEST VERSION OF "SANDKERWA NA," AN EXAMINATION OF NORTHERN BAVARIAN BREWING, BEGINS ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 31.

Bamberg, a beautiful city of 70,000 people located in the countryside of the northern German region known as Franconia, has long been recognized as the epicenter of traditional German brewing and beer culture. Ten breweries operate within the city limits, and as many as 150 others are to be found within the outward radius of a good day’s bicycle ride on immaculately marked and maintained bike routes. The majority of Franconia’s 300 breweries are family owned and operated.

For a half-century, SANDKERWA (SAND-kehr-wa) has been Bamberg’s end-of-summer street festival, one that originated as a church-related commemoration in the historic city’s oldest central district. For six days each year in late August, the Altstadt’s narrow lanes are filled with food, beer and people in a hearty celebration that brings Munich’s better known Oktoberfest to mind, but exists on a less crowded, decentralized and more enjoyable human scale.

Sandkerwa is an idea worth emulating, and Bamberg a state of mind worth honoring, so given that I’ve been looking for a reason to stage a German-themed draft beer fest, prepare for the inaugural edition of Sandkerwa NA, which kicks off at Rich O’s and Sportstime on Friday, August 31.

There'll be fourteen beers from Bamberg and environs on tap at the same time, combining to represent as many traditional Franconian styles of beer as possible (with a few Greater Bavarian and non-regional ringers tapped to provide representative examples of unobtainable styles).

Kindly note that contrary to what you may have heard, not all of these delectable beers are smoked!

In Bamberg itself, only the renowned Schlenkerla and the tiny Spezial include Rauchbier in their daily range, as do a few breweries outside Bamberg, but by no means are smoked beers the norm in Franconia at large. Here are the beers that I’m hoping will be on hand, beginning with the core selection from Bamberg:

Aecht Schlenkerla Helles
Aecht Schlenkerla Marzen
Aecht Schlenkerla Urbock
Aecht Schlenkerla Weizen
Mahr's Hell
Mahr's Pilsner
Mahr's der Weisse Bock
Spezial Rauchbier

Also, originating reasonably near Bamberg:

Bayerischer Bahnhof Gose (Leipzig)
Bayerischer Bahnhof Heizer Schwarzbier (Leipzig)
Kapuziner Weissbier (Kulmbach)
Klosterbrauerei Ettal Dunkel (Ettal)
Kulmbacher Eisbock (Kulmbach)
Schneider Wiesen Edel Weiss (Kelheim)

And, of course, Pilsner Urquell (Plzen, Czech Republic) and Spaten Premium Lager (Munich) will both be on tap during Sandkerwa NA.

Regrettably, and as so often occurs, both Mahr's Ungespundet Lager (Bamberg) and St. Georgenbrau Kellerbier (Buttenheim) are unavailable at this time. This is particularly frustrating given that these are the only two examples of the style even possible to acquire, but I'll persist, and maybe they'll be available later in the fall. There's always next year.

Finally, we'll also be debuting a New Albanian Brewing Company beer in honor of the occasion: Happy Helmut, named for a merry trinket salesman with whom I once drank numerous half-liters of Spezial in Bamberg. There's a percentage of smoked malt from Bamberg's Weyermann malting house, and some rye in the grist. California Common yeast is used, and Tony's working on the artwork. Diring tastings last week, Happy Helmut was (happily) revealed to be soft and suitably Franconian, with the smokiness and rye qualities both muted and a noble hop firmness. At less than 5% abv, it's a fine quaffer.

As always is the case with our draft extravaganzas, the Sandkerwa NA beers will continue pouring until they are depleted. By mid-September, a new wave of Oktoberfest brands from Germany and American craft breweries will begin flowing, and after New Albany’s annual Harvest Homecoming has concluded, we’ll commence Lupulin Land, NABC’s annual hop festival, on October 19.

A final note: It is my aim to launch Sandkerwa NA for the sake of the classic beer alone, and without the capability of providing Bamberg-style cuisine as a delicious match. The summer proved to be too busy to do more than draw up a future outline and order kegs, and yet I believe that starting small, while expedient, is also the correct approach. In 2008, it is my hope to add a full-blown German meal to the program, and perhaps music as well.

I’ve calculated the pricing across the board rather than by individual brand, so nine of the fourteen imported German beers slated for Sandkerwa will be sold in our usual Imperial pint glasses, but at the ½ liter price (a savings of about 10%) – and the price will be the same for all nine. The four wheat ales will be a bit less expensive and will be served when possible in wheat ale glasses. The Kulmbacher Eisbock will be priced by the 10-ounce pour.

There’ll be a simple one-page, two-sided program. No frills ... this year. Just wait 'til next year.

In 2007, savor the wonderful beers, and in 2008, we’ll broaden the experience.

II. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG .

I’m batting somewhere under .250 as Sandkerwa NA approaches on Friday, August 31.

Talking to an animal at Brew at the Zoo.

A-B: From pet shampoo to skin care, and no good between.

Brew at the Zoo wrap-up for 2007: Inclement weather early, sticky beer drinking late.

Why invest in Iron City?

UPDATE: Peak Summit beer choices will include BBC.

Good news, musicians: Peak Summit is this weekend at New Albany's Rustic Frog, and you get to have NABC.

Update: Beer hunting by motor coach in the Pacific Northwest.

III. DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.

Our NABC beers.

Always check the blackboards to see what’s on tap. For more information about NABC beers, go here.

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 dedicated to the workers at the Caesars Indiana riverboat casino in nearby Harrison County.

Elector ... Making Democracy pointless since 2002; English malt, American hops. 7.2% abv. Double Red?

Happy Helmut ... Homage to eclectic Franconian brewing traditions, light bodied and quaffable, with a hint of smoke and rye.

Hoptimus ... Massive and assertive. Stern. Double IPA. Silver medal winner at the 2007 St. Louis Microfest.

St. Radegund ... English-style ESB, brewed as Beak's Best in its original incarnation in 2002, then reformulated as St. Radegund in 2005.

Guests from near and far (market pricing).

ON TAP NOW: Everyday staples.

(Alpha King will now often be rotating with Bell’s Two Hearted Ale . Why? Go here)

Arrogant Bastard

Bell’s Two Hearted Ale (Alpha King to follow)

Guinness Stout

Lindemans Framboise

Pilsner Urquell

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Smithwick’s Irish Ale

Spaten Premium Lager

Sprecher Root Beer (non-alcoholic)

Upland Wheat

ON TAP NOW: Rotating selections (limited engagement).

(Listings valid for Thursday, August 30. Sandkerwa NA beers will displace all rotating guests except two on August 31)

BBC (Main & Clay) Hefeweizen

Bell’s Batch 8000

Bell’s Cherry Stout

Birrificio Cassissona

Browning's Brewery She-Devil India Pale Ale

Chimay Triple

Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA

Dogfish Head Festina Peche

Hitachino Nest White Ale

Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere

Rogue Dead Guy

Stone Smoked Porter

In the bullpen (ready for duty when called upon to serve).

Alpha King (three kegs)

Ommegang Hennepin

Rogue "John's Locker Stock" Anniversary Ale - Brewer 2007 (redux)

Rogue "John's Locker Stock" Glen Ale 2007 (redux)

Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine

Stone Ruination IPA

Stone Imperial Russian Stout

Stone 07.07.07 Vertical Epic Ale.

IV. NEW BOTTLED LIST IS ON THE STREET.

The new, updated bottled beer list has been published and can be viewed here. Note the expanded Belgian and French sections.

V. 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.

----

Friday, August 31

Sandkerwa NA begins

Our first all-German draft festival, inspired by an annual street party in Bamberg, Germany. Read more here: Sandkerwa NA, an homage to Bamberg’s beers, begins Friday, August 31.

We'll be debuting a New Albanian Brewing Company beer in honor of the occasion: Happy Helmut, named for a merry trinket salesman with whom I once drank numerous half-liters of Spezial in Bamberg. There's a percentage of smoked malt from Bamberg's Weyermann malting house, and some rye in the grist. California Common yeast is used, and Tony's working on the artwork.

----

Publicanista! ... August 23, 2007.

2007-08-23T09:42:00.000-04:00

In this edition of Publicanista!:

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: BREW AT THE ZOO THIS SATURDAY.

II. NABC BREWERY NEWS: A FEW MORE REMARKS FROM THE GREAT TASTE OF THE MIDWEST.

III. SANDKERWA NA BEGINS FRIDAY, AUGUST 31.

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. NEW BOTTLED LIST IS ON THE STREET.

VII. CALENDAR OF EVENTS, HOURS AND RELATED FACTS.

----

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: BREW AT THE ZOO THIS SATURDAY.

It's that time again: Brew at the Zoo is Saturday -- here are the facts.

I also wrote about it in this week's LEO: Mug Shots: Gulp with the gators, slurp with the sloths
(August 22, 2007).

II. NABC BREWERY NEWS: A FEW MORE REMARKS FROM THE GREAT TASTE OF THE MIDWEST.

It's a pleasant, lingering glow. I found a couple of Madison media references to NABC here:

http://www.thedailypage.com/daily/article.php?article=8139

http://www.thedailypage.com/daily/article.php?article=8205

III. SANDKERWA NA BEGINS FRIDAY, AUGUST 31.

The real thing is underway in Bamberg as I write, but ours had to be moved forward a week to accommodate Brew at the Zoo. Currently most of the beers that were able to be scrounged are on-site, with three additional kegs arriving next week.

Sandkerwa NA, an homage to Bamberg’s beers, begins Friday, August 31.

We'll be debuting a New Albanian Brewing Company beer in honor of the occasion: Happy Helmut, named for a merry trinket salesman with whom I once drank numerous half-liters of Spezial in Bamberg. There's a percentage of smoked malt from Bamberg's Weyermann malting house, and some rye in the grist. California Common yeast is used, and Tony's working on the artwork.

IV. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG .

Brew at the Zoo is Saturday -- here are the facts.

Coming September 12: Grassroots Festival, on the patio at Stratto's (Clarksville).

Good news, musicians: Peak Summit is this weekend at New Albany's Rustic Frog, and you get to have NABC.

Self-absorbed Arrogant Bastards aplenty as Stone's Greg Koch visits Rich O's -- and that's the way we like it.

Perhaps not the best promo for Brew at the Zoo: "Bears eat man at beer festival."

Tonight: Stone Brewing co-founder and CEO Greg Koch (and his beers) at Rich O's.

Misleading, don't you think?

SWIRCA fest in Evansville, August 18.

Merriment at the Seven Footer's blog.

Sandkerwa NA, an homage to Bamberg’s beers, begins Friday, August 31.

Update: Beer hunting by motor coach in the Pacific Northwest.

V. DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.

Our NABC beers.

Always check the blackboards to see what’s on tap. For more information about NABC beers, go here.

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 dedicated to the workers at the Caesars Indiana riverboat casino in nearby Harrison County.

Elector ... Making Democracy pointless since 2002; English malt, American hops. 7.2% abv. Double Red?

Hoptimus ... Massive and assertive. Stern. Double IPA. Silver medal winner at the 2007 St. Louis Microfest.

St. Radegund ... English-style ESB, brewed as Beak's Best in its original incarnation in 2002, then reformulated as St. Radegund in 2005.

Guests from near and far (market pricing).

ON TAP NOW: Everyday staples.

(Alpha King will now often be rotating with Bell’s Two Hearted Ale . Why? Go here)

Arrogant Bastard

Bell’s Two Hearted Ale

Guinness Stout

Lindemans Framboise

Pilsner Urquell

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Smithwick’s Irish Ale

Spaten Premium Lager

Sprecher Root Beer (non-alcoholic)

Upland Wheat

ON TAP NOW: Rotating selections (limited engagement).

Avery Karma Ale

Bell’s Batch 8000

Bell’s Cherry Stout

Birrificio Cassissona

Chimay Triple

Dogfish Head Festina Peche

Fuller's ESB

Gulden Draak

Hitachino Nest White Ale

Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere

Piraat

Rogue "St. Rogue" Dr y Hopped Red

Schlafly Hefeweizen

Stone India Pale Ale

Stone Smoked Porter

Weihenstephaner Hefe

In the bullpen (ready for duty when called upon to serve).

Alpha King

BBC (Main & Clay) Hefeweizen

Browning's Brewery She-Devil India Pale Ale

Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA

Ommegang Hennepin

Rogue Dead Guy

Rogue "John's Locker Stock" Anniversary Ale - Brewer 2007 (redux)

Rogue "John's Locker Stock" Glen Ale 2007 (redux)

Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine

Stone Ruination IPA

Stone Imperial Russian Stout

Stone 07.07.07 Vertical Epic Ale.

VI. NEW BOTTLED LIST IS ON THE STREET.

The new, updated bottled beer list has been published and can be viewed here. Note the expanded Belgian and French sections.

By next week, I hope to have a new listing of non-list blackboard specials and one-offs.

VII. 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.

----

Saturday, August 25

Brew at the (Louisville) Zoo

With Hoptimus, you really can "talk to the animals."

----

Friday, August 31

Sandkerwa NA begins

Our first all-German draft festival, inspired by an annual street party in Bamberg, Germany. Read more here: Sandkerwa NA, an homage to Bamberg’s beers, begins Friday, August 31.

We'll be debuting a New Albanian Brewing Company beer in honor of the occasion: Happy Helmut, named for a merry trinket salesman with whom I once drank numerous half-liters of Spezial in Bamberg. There's a percentage of smoked malt from Bamberg's Weyermann malting house, and some rye in the grist. California Common yeast is used, and Tony's working on the artwork.

----

Thursday, October 11 through Sunday, October 14

Harvest Homecoming

New Albany's annual celebration, now featuring three downtown restaurants/pubs serving NABC beer.

----

Friday, October 19

Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming begins

Love and hoppiness, in all their myriad forms, as dispensed from all available taps.

----

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.

Tonight: Stone Brewing co-founder and CEO Greg Koch (and his beers) at Rich O's.

2007-08-20T09:27:00.001-04:00

From the Stone Brewing website's calendar of events:

Greg Koch's Midwest Tour Continues At Rich O's

Monday, August 20th --- 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

Rich O's Public House at the New Albanian Brewing Co. has been supporting Stone Brewing for years. Now it is time for Stone to show our appreciation...and how are we going to do that? With an amazing lineup of Stone Special Releases and a visit from Stone CEO Greg Koch, of course!
Join Greg, Aaron, and the gang at Rich O's on Monday the 20th for an array of Stone beers the likes of which has never been seen in the Hoosier State.

[Warning: You may want to sit down before reading further!].

07.07.07 Vertical Epic Ale, Arrogant Bastard Ale, Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale, Double Bastard Ale 2005, Double Bastard Ale 2006, Imperial Russian Stout, India Pale Ale, Old Guardian Barley Wine, Ruination IPA, Smoked Porter, Stone 10th Anniversary Ale IPA

Needless to say...pencil this one on your calendar, grab a designated driver, and get ready for a night you'll never forget ... or maybe you just might!

Rich O's / New Albanian Brewing Co., 3312 Plaza Drive, New Albany, IN, 812.949.2804

Publicanista! ... August 16, 2007.

2007-08-16T17:03:00.000-04:00

In this edition of Publicanista!:

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: STONE BREWING'S GREG KOCH TO VISIT RICH O'S ON MONDAY EVENING, AUGUST 20.

II. DOWNTOWN NEW ALBANY "WORLDS OF FLAVOR BAR-B-Q AND MUSIC FESTIVAL" THIS SATURDAY, AUGUST 18.

III. NABC BREWERY NEWS: GREAT TASTE OF THE MIDWEST WAS A BLAST.

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. NEW BOTTLED LIST IS ON THE STREET.

VII. CALENDAR OF EVENTS, HOURS AND RELATED FACTS.

----

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: STONE BREWING'S GREG KOCH TO VISIT RICH O'S ON MONDAY EVENING, AUGUST 20.

Greg Koch – CEO & co-founder of Stone Brewing Company – will be the guest of honor for a meet ‘n’ greet at Rich O’s Public House on August 20. The approximate timing of the event will be 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., but the Prost special events wing will be open from 5:00 p.m.

There will be drawings for several door prizes, including a gift certificate to BadaBoomz Ale House & Grill in Indianapolis and a selection of vintage Stone beers pulled from the Public House vault.

As for beer: 11 different Stone beers on tap all at once, available in specially priced 10-ounce portions, all night long.

Read the list here: It's on! Meet Greg Koch at Stone Brewing Night: Monday, August 20, at the Public House.

II. DOWNTOWN NEW ALBANY "WORLDS OF FLAVOR BAR-B-Q AND MUSIC FESTIVAL" THIS SATURDAY, AUGUST 18.

I'd have let readers know more about this event sooner, but for a variety of reasons advance notice just wasn't possible.

My own busy schedule, coupled with the annual "Beer and Sweat" homebrewing party in Cincinnati on the same day, served to dissuade me from organizing a "World of Flavor" beer segment as a portion of the proceedings, but at least NABC beers will be on tap at three of the four downtown restaurants, and there's always next year to make the fest grow.

Read more: Coming to downtown this Saturday (August 18): Worlds of Flavor Bar-B-Q and Music Festival.

III. NABC BREWERY NEWS: GREAT TASTE OF THE MIDWEST WAS A BLAST.

Unbelievable fest, great people, a progressive community and a prolific biking infrastructure. Follow the links below for photos and commentary. I can't wait 'til next year!

Play ball: Madison Mallards take the Louisville Bats to school -- and Bats ingloriously flunk out.

Great Dane Duck Blind at the Madison Mallards game.

Spiles away at the Great Dane.

Great Taste views from Madison.

Greetings from the People's Republic of Madison.

Great Taste of the Midwest program ad, 2007.

IV. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG .

Here are recently posted articles (Madison articles grouped above):

Sandkerwa NA, an homage to Bamberg’s beers, begins Friday, August 31.

It's on! Meet Greg Koch at Stone Brewing Night: Monday, August 20, at the Public House.

Charlie Papazian? Spare me, will you?

Calendar check: FOSSILS homebrewing and beer appreciation dates for late summer and autumn 2007.

Paul Reising brew crew, New Albany (Indiana), late 1800's.

BadaBoomz: Great beer choice in downtown Indianapolis.

We had a spare keg, so ...

Update: Beer hunting by motor coach in the Pacific Northwest.

V. DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.

Our NABC beers.

Always check the blackboards to see what’s on tap. For more information about NABC beers, go here.

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 dedicated to the workers at the Caesars Indiana riverboat casino in nearby Harrison County.

Elector ... Making Democracy pointless since 2002; English malt, American hops. 7.2% abv. Double Red?

Hoptimus ... Massive and assertive. Stern. Double IPA. Silver medal winner at the 2007 St. Louis Microfest.

Kaiser 2nd Reising ... Our version of a pre-Prohibition pilsner, as once was brewed in places like New Albany by German immigrant brewing companies like Paul Reising.

Guests from near and far (market pricing).

ON TAP NOW: Everyday staples.

(Alpha King will now often be rotating with Bell’s Two Hearted Ale . Why? Go here)

Arrogant Bastard

Bell’s Two Hearted Ale

Guinness Stout

Lindemans Framboise

Pilsner Urquell

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Smithwick’s Irish Ale

Spaten Premium Lager

Sprecher Root Beer (non-alcoholic)

Upland Wheat

ON TAP NOW: Rotating selections (limited engagement).

Avery Karma Ale

Avery New World Porter

Bell’s Cherry Stout

Birrificio Cassissona

Browning's Brewery She-Devil India Pale Ale

Chimay Triple

Fuller's ESB

Gulden Draak

Hitachino Nest White Ale

Piraat

Rogue "John's Locker Stock" Anniversary Ale - Brewer 2007

Rogue Kells Irish Lager

Schlafly Hefeweizen

Schlafly Raspberry Hefeweizen

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barley Wine

Weihenstephaner Hefe

In the bullpen (ready for duty when called upon to serve).

BBC (Main & Clay) Hefeweizen

Bell’s Batch 8000

Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA

Dogfish Head Festina Peche

Ommegang Hennepin

Rogue "John's Locker Stock" Glen Ale (redux)

Rogue "St. Rogue" Dr y Hopped Red

VI. NEW BOTTLED LIST IS ON THE STREET.

The new, updated bottled beer list has been published and can be viewed here. Note the expanded Belgian and French sections.

By next week, I hope to have a new listing of non-list blackboard specials and one-offs.

VII. 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.

----

Saturday, August 18

Worlds of Flavor BBQ and Music Fest in downtown New Albany on August 18.

----

Monday, August 20

Stone Brewing's Greg Koch at the Public House

It's on! Meet Greg Koch at Stone Brewing Night: Monday, August 20, at the Public House.

----

Saturday, August 25

Brew at the (Louisville) Zoo

With Hoptimus, you really can "talk to the animals."

----

Friday, August 31

Sandkerwa NA begins

Our first all-German draft festival, inspired by an annual street party in Bamberg, Germany. Read more here: Sandkerwa NA, an homage to Bamberg’s beers, begins Friday, August 31.

----

Friday, October 19

Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming begins

Love and hoppiness, in all their myriad forms, as dispensed from all available taps.

----

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.

There will be no newsletter this week.

2007-08-09T06:14:00.000-04:00

Publicanista! ... August 2, 2007.

2007-08-02T00:01:00.000-04:00

In this edition of Publicanista!:

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: TOP FIVE FOR AUGUST.

II. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG.

III. DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.

IV. A DIVERSE SELECTION OF ROTATING BOTTLES CURRENTLY ADORNS THE BLACKBOARD.

V. CALENDAR OF EVENTS, HOURS AND RELATED FACTS.

----

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: TOP FIVE FOR AUGUST.

It's a birthday weekend for the editor/publican/curmudgeon, so let's keep it short and sweet.

Here are five things you should remember for the month of August, in somewhat of a chronological order.

1. The new wall-length chalkboard at Rich O's should be finished by Thursday afternoon, and a new bottled beer list (finally) published by this time next week.

2. Something brand new, Worlds of Flavor BBQ and Music Fest in downtown New Albany, will be held on Saturday, August 18. Planning is underway.

3. Mark your calendars: Stone Brewing CEO Greg Koch to visit the Public House on Monday, August 20. This should be a classic.

4. Talk to the animals on Saturday, August 25: Brew at the (Louisville) Zoo basics for 2007.

5. Sandkerwa NA kicks off on Friday, August 31. It is our first all-German draft festival, inspired by an annual street party in Bamberg, Germany and the occasion for an NABC debut: Happy Helmut.

II. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG .

Here are recently posted articles:

Sergio's World Beers an unlikely Shelbyville mecca ... but it is.

Founders Brewing says it all: "Ignore mainstream."

Night of the living plastic bottled swill Hell … but a good time for the discerning.

Get thee to the Hofbrauhaus Newport. Seriously.

Hide that Cabernet: High octane Busch (no, not "Bush") blather.

Update: Beer hunting by motor coach in the Pacific Northwest.

III. DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.

Our NABC beers.

Always check the blackboards to see what’s on tap. For more information about NABC beers, go here.

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 dedicated to the workers at the Caesars Indiana riverboat casino in nearby Harrison County.

Elector ... Making Democracy pointless since 2002; English malt, American hops. 7.2% abv. Double Red?

Hoptimus ... Massive and assertive. Stern. Double IPA. Silver medal winner at the 2007 St. Louis Microfest.

Kaiser 2nd Reising ... Our version of a pre-Prohibition pilsner, as once was brewed in places like New Albany by German immigrant brewing companies like Paul Reising.

Guests from near and far (market pricing).

ON TAP NOW: Everyday staples.

(Alpha King will now often be rotating with Bell’s Two Hearted Ale . Why? Go here)

Arrogant Bastard

Bell’s Two Hearted Ale

Guinness Stout

Lindemans Framboise

Pilsner Urquell

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Smithwick’s Irish Ale

Spaten Premium Lager

Sprecher Root Beer (non-alcoholic)

Upland Wheat

ON TAP NOW: Rotating selections (limited engagement).

Cantillon Gueuze

E. Dupont Bouche Brut (cider from France; 2001)

Goliath Tripel

Gulden Draak

New Holland Black Tulip

New Holland Mad Hatter IPA

Rodenbach Classic

Rogue Uberfest Pilsner

Rogue "St. Rogue" Dr y Hopped Red

Schlafly Kolsch

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barley Wine

Three Floyds Gumballhead American Wheat

Three Floyds Robert the Bruce

Unibroue Blanche de Chambly

Weihenstephaner Hefe

Wostyntje

In the bullpen (ready for duty when called upon to serve).

Avery Karma Ale

Avery New World Porter

Birrificio Cassissona

Chimay Triple

Fuller's ESB

Hitachino Nest White Ale

Rogue "John's Locker Stock" Anniversary Ale - Brewer 2007

Rogue Kells Irish Lager

Ridgeway Santa’s Butt

Schlafly Pale Ale

Schlafly Raspberry Hefeweizen

IV. A DIVERSE SELECTION OF ROTATING BOTTLES CURRENTLY ADORNS THE BLACKBOARD.

There are limited supplies of some, more of others, and still some set aside with no room in the cooler. Look for an updated bottled beer list within the next week or two.

Avery Samael’s Ale COLORADO 12 oz

Avery “The Maharaja” Imperial IPA COLORADO 22 oz

Clipper City Peg Leg MARYLAND 12 oz

Dogfish Head Burton Baton DELAWARE 12 oz

Dogfish Head Fort DELAWARE 22 oz

Dogfish Head Olde School DELAWARE 12 oz

Dogfish Head Pangaea DELAWARE 22 oz

Founder Devil Dancer (2007) MICHIGAN 12 oz

Founders Rubaeus MICHIGAN 12 oz

Grotten Brown BELGIUM 750 ml

Hambleton Toleration Ale ENGLAND 16.9 oz

Hoppin’ Frog BORIS OHIO 22 oz

Jolly Pumpkin Bière de Mars MICHIGAN 750 ml

Jolly Pumpkin Maracaibo Especial MICHIGAN 750 ml

Lindemans Pomme BELGIUM 12 oz

Nogne Imperial Stout NORWAY 16.9 oz

Saison Voisin (Brasserie des Geants) BELGIUM 750 ml

Shmaltz He’Brew Origin Pomegranate Ale CALIFORNIA 22 oz

Stone Pale Ale CALIFORNIA 12 oz

V. CALENDAR OF EVENTS, HOURS AND RELATED FACTS.

General business hours:

Smoking.

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.

----

Saturday, August 11

Great Taste of the Midwest

Awe inspiring, annual one-day brewery fete in Madison, Wisconsin.

----

Saturday, August 18

Keep your eyes open for information about a downtown New Albany music festival on this date. If current plans come to fruition, NABC will be planting special kegs of "reserve" beer at strategic locations, i.e., Bistro New Albany, Connor's Place & the Speakeasy.

Worlds of Flavor BBQ and Music Fest in downtown New Albany on August 18.

----

Monday, August 20

Stone Brewing's Greg Koch at the Public House

The details of the event are evolving as I write. Go here for the overview: Stone Brewing CEO Greg Koch to visit the Public House on Monday, August 20.

----

Saturday, August 25

Brew at the (Louisville) Zoo

With Hoptimus, you really can "talk to the animals."

----

Friday, August 31

Sandkerwa NA begins

Our first all-German draft festival, inspired by an annual street party in Bamberg, Germany.

----

Friday, October 19

Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming begins

Love and hoppiness, in all their myriad forms, as dispensed from all available taps.

----

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.

Publicanista! ... July 26, 2007.

2007-07-26T23:59:00.000-04:00

In this edition of Publicanista!:

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: JUST THE BASICS THIS WEEK.

II. NABC BREWERY NEWS: INDIANA MICROBREWERS FESTIVAL WRAP-UP.

III. STONE BREWING'S FOUNDER IS COMING TO VISIT ON MONDAY, AUGUST 20.

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. A DIVERSE SELECTION OF ROTATING BOTTLES CURRENTLY ADORNS THE BLACKBOARD.

VII. CALENDAR OF EVENTS, HOURS AND RELATED FACTS.

----

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: JUST THE BASICS THIS WEEK.

In the midst of a summer that has been hectic and rewarding, the coming weekend marks a lull between the first phase of summer brewery fests and the second half stretch run. For the first time in a few years, I've made a special effort to attend as many components as possible of the annual brewery fest calendar; unsurprisingly, it's been one whale of a re-learning experience with regard to the marketplace -- what people like, what they want, and how they interpret what we're trying to do. With luck, all this information can be folded into plans and schemes for the future. Until then, and as always, we're appreciative of your support.

II. NABC BREWERY NEWS: INDIANA MICROBREWERS FESTIVAL WRAP-UP.

The day was beautiful, the turnout huge, and the reception marvelous: NABC's beers (and artwork) were big hits at the Indiana Microbrewers Festival last weekend.

III. STONE BREWING'S FOUNDER IS COMING TO VISIT ON MONDAY, AUGUST 20.

Don't forget to mark this one on your calendar. It's a high honor, indeed, to host Stone's CEO and founder Greg Koch. Look for at least eight Stone ales on tap, prizes and giveaways, and a chance to chat with the man himself.

Mark your calendars: Stone Brewing CEO Greg Koch to visit the Public House on Monday, August 20.

IV. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG .

Here are recently posted articles:

My heart's not racing. Got IPA?

12th Annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival goes nutzoid.

Temptations on Frankfort Avenue and in Madison, Indiana.

Brewers Association, other industry groups address keg theft.

Update: Beer hunting by motor coach in the Pacific Northwest.

V. DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.

Our NABC beers.

Always check the blackboards to see what’s on tap. For more information about NABC beers, go here.

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 dedicated to the workers at the Caesars Indiana riverboat casino in nearby Harrison County.

Elector ... Making Democracy pointless since 2002; English malt, American hops. 7.2% abv. Double Red?

Hoptimus ... Massive and assertive. Stern. Double IPA. Silver medal winner at the 2007 St. Louis Microfest.

Kaiser 2nd Reising ... Our version of a pre-Prohibition pilsner, as once was brewed in places like New Albany by German immigrant brewing companies like Paul Reising.

Guests from near and far (market pricing).

ON TAP NOW: Everyday staples.

(Alpha King will now often be rotating with Bell’s Two Hearted Ale . Why? Go here)

Arrogant Bastard

Bell’s Two Hearted Ale

Guinness Stout

Lindemans Framboise

Pilsner Urquell

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Smithwick’s Irish Ale

Spaten Premium Lager

Sprecher Root Beer (non-alcoholic)

Upland Wheat

ON TAP NOW: Rotating selections (limited engagement).

Alpha King

BBC (Main & Clay) Bearded Pat’s Barley Wine

Cantillon Gueuze

Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA

E. Dupont Bouche Brut (cider from France; 2005)

Goliath Tripel

Gulden Draak

New Holland Black Tulip

Rodenbach Classic

Rogue Chocolate Stout

Rogue "St. Rogue" Dry Hopped Red

Schlafly Kolsch

Three Floyds Robert the Bruce

Unibroue Blanche de Chambly

Weihenstephaner Hefe

Wostyntje

In the bullpen (ready for duty when called upon to serve).

Birrificio Cassissona

Chimay Triple

Fuller's ESB

Hitachino Nest White Ale

New Holland Mad Hatter IPA

Rogue "John's Locker Stock" Anniversary Ale - Brewer 2007

Ridgeway Santa’s Butt

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barley Wine

Three Floyds Gumballhead American Wheat

VI. A DIVERSE SELECTION OF ROTATING BOTTLES CURRENTLY ADORNS THE BLACKBOARD.

There are limited supplies of some, more of others, and still some set aside with no room in the cooler. Look for an updated bottled beer list within the next week or two.

Avery Samael’s Ale COLORADO 12 oz

Avery “The Maharaja” Imperial IPA COLORADO 22 oz

Clipper City Peg Leg MARYLAND 12 oz

Dogfish Head Burton Baton DELAWARE 12 oz

Dogfish Head Fort DELAWARE 22 oz

Dogfish Head Olde School DELAWARE 12 oz

Dogfish Head Pangaea DELAWARE 22 oz

Founder Devil Dancer (2007) MICHIGAN 12 oz

Founders Rubaeus MICHIGAN 12 oz

Grotten Brown BELGIUM 750 ml

Hambleton Toleration Ale ENGLAND 16.9 oz

Hoppin’ Frog BORIS OHIO 22 oz

Jolly Pumpkin Bière de Mars MICHIGAN 750 ml

Jolly Pumpkin Maracaibo Especial MICHIGAN 750 ml

Lindemans Pomme BELGIUM 12 oz

Nogne Imperial Stout NORWAY 16.9 oz

Saison Voisin (Brasserie des Geants) BELGIUM 750 ml

Shmaltz He’Brew Origin Pomegranate Ale CALIFORNIA 22 oz

Stone Pale Ale CALIFORNIA 12 oz

VII. CALENDAR OF EVENTS, HOURS AND RELATED FACTS.

General business hours:

Smoking.

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.

----

Saturday, August 11

Great Taste of the Midwest

Awe inspiring, annual one-day brewery fete in Madison, Wisconsin.

----

Saturday, August 18

----

Monday, August 20

Stone Brewing's Greg Koch at the Public House

The details of the event are evolving as I write. Go here for the overview: Stone Brewing CEO Greg Koch to visit the Public House on Monday, August 20.

----

Saturday, August 25

Brew at the (Louisville) Zoo

With Hoptimus, you really can "talk to the animals."

----

Friday, August 31

Sandkerwa NA begins

Our first all-German draft festival, inspired by an annual street party in Bamberg, Germany.

----

Friday, October 19

Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming begins

Love and hoppiness, in all their myriad forms, as dispensed from all available taps.

----

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.

Publicanista! ... July 19, 2007.

2007-07-19T22:19:00.000-04:00

In this edition of Publicanista!:

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: BOUNCING BABY BREWSTER.

II. NABC BREWERY NEWS: INDIANA MICROBREWERS FESTIVAL IS THIS SATURDAY!

III. STONE BREWING'S FOUNDER IS COMING TO VISIT ON MONDAY, AUGUST 20.

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. A DIVERSE SELECTION OF ROTATING BOTTLES CURRENTLY ADORNS THE BLACKBOARD.

VII. CALENDAR OF EVENTS, HOURS AND RELATED FACTS.

----

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: BOUNCING BABY BREWSTER.

Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Williams announce the advent of a bouncing baby brewster, with the arrival Wednesday morning of Harlow Carlee Rose Williams.

We congratulate the happy family!

II. NABC BREWERY NEWS: INDIANA MICROBREWERS FESTIVAL IS THIS SATURDAY!

The 12th annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival is on Saturday at Opti Park (820 E. 66th St.) in Indianapolis. The festival runs from 3:00 p.m. to - 7:00 p.m.

The 2007 festival program can be viewed here. NABC will be taking Hoptimus and Thunderfoot as listed, but I'm not entirely sure that we have any Elsa Von Horizon remaining. This may necessitate a substitution, perhaps of Kaiser 2nd Reising. Remember that if you're coming from the Louisville area and aren't interested in driving, Rick and Jeff Tours offers a superlative package for the day:

Rick and Jeff Tours: Buses to the Indiana Microbrewers Festival and Cubs vs. Reds in Cincy.

III. STONE BREWING'S FOUNDER IS COMING TO VISIT ON MONDAY, AUGUST 20.

It's a high honor, indeed, to host Stone's CEO and founder Greg Koch. Look for at least eight Stone ales on tap, prizes and giveaways, and a chance to chat with the man himself.

Mark your calendars: Stone Brewing CEO Greg Koch to visit the Public House on Monday, August 20.

IV. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG .

Here are recently posted articles:

Harlow Carlee Rose Williams.

12th annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival is this Saturday.

Mathaser, Munich and the summer of '87 with the lads.

Photos: Bastille Day Biere de Garde Dinner at Bistro New Albany.

Mark your calendars: Stone Brewing CEO Greg Koch to visit the Public House on Monday, August 20.

Mug Shots: Beer for Bastille Day.

Update: Beer hunting by motor coach in the Pacific Northwest.

V. DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.

Our NABC beers.

Always check the blackboards to see what’s on tap. For more information about NABC beers, go here.

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 dedicated to the workers at the Caesars Indiana riverboat casino in nearby Harrison County.

Elector ... Making Democracy pointless since 2002; English malt, American hops. 7.2% abv. Double Red?

Hoptimus ... Massive and assertive. Stern. Double IPA. Silver medal winner at the 2007 St. Louis Microfest.

Kaiser 2nd Reising ... Our version of a pre-Prohibition pilsner, as once was brewed in places like New Albany by German immigrant brewing companies like Paul Reising.

Guests from near and far (market pricing).

ON TAP NOW: Everyday staples.

(Alpha King will now often be rotating with Bell’s Two Hearted Ale . Why? Go here)

Arrogant Bastard

Bell’s Two Hearted Ale

Guinness Stout

Lindemans Framboise

Pilsner Urquell

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Smithwick’s Irish Ale

Spaten Premium Lager

Sprecher Root Beer (non-alcoholic)

Upland Wheat

ON TAP NOW: Rotating selections (limited engagement).

Ayinger Oktober Fest-Marzen

Barley Island Dirty Helen Brown

BBC (Main & Clay) Bearded Pat’s Barley Wine

Bell's Double Cream Stout

Brooklyn Summer Ale

Browning's Brewery She-Devil India Pale Ale

Cantillon Gueuze

Cantillon Bruocsella Grand Cru

Goliath Tripel

Rodenbach Classic

Rogue Chocolate Stout

Rogue HazelNut Brown Nectar

Unibroue Blanche de Chambly

Upland Maibock

Weihenstephaner Hefe

Wostyntje

In the bullpen (ready for duty when called upon to serve).

Alpha King

Birrificio Cassissona

Chimay Triple

Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA

Gulden Draak

New Holland Black Tulip

Ridgeway Santa’s Butt

VI. A DIVERSE SELECTION OF ROTATING BOTTLES CURRENTLY ADORNS THE BLACKBOARD.

There are limited supplies of some, more of others, and still some set aside with no room in the cooler. Look for an updated bottled beer list within the next week or two.

Avery Samael’s Ale COLORADO 12 oz

Avery “The Maharaja” Imperial IPA COLORADO 22 oz

Clipper City Peg Leg MARYLAND 12 oz

Dogfish Head Burton Baton DELAWARE 12 oz

Dogfish Head Fort DELAWARE 22 oz

Dogfish Head Olde School DELAWARE 12 oz

Dogfish Head Pangaea DELAWARE 22 oz

Founder Devil Dancer (2007) MICHIGAN 12 oz

Founders Rubaeus MICHIGAN 12 oz

Grotten Brown BELGIUM 750 ml

Hambleton Toleration Ale ENGLAND 16.9 oz

Hoppin’ Frog BORIS OHIO 22 oz

Jolly Pumpkin Bière de Mars MICHIGAN 750 ml

Jolly Pumpkin Maracaibo Especial MICHIGAN 750 ml

Lindemans Pomme BELGIUM 12 oz

Nogne Imperial Stout NORWAY 16.9 oz

Saison Voisin (Brasserie des Geants) BELGIUM 750 ml

Shmaltz He’Brew Origin Pomegranate Ale CALIFORNIA 22 oz

Stone Pale Ale CALIFORNIA 12 oz

VII. CALENDAR OF EVENTS, HOURS AND RELATED FACTS.

General business hours:

Smoking.

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.

----

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.

----

Saturday, August 11

Great Taste of the Midwest

Awe inspiring, annual one-day brewery fete in Madison, Wisconsin.

----

Saturday, August 18

----

Monday, August 20

Stone Brewing's Greg Koch at the Public House

The details of the event are evolving as I write. Go here for the overview: Stone Brewing CEO Greg Koch to visit the Public House on Monday, August 20.

Saturday, August 25

Brew at the (Louisville) Zoo

With Hoptimus, you really can "talk to the animals."

----

Friday, August 31

Sandkerwa NA begins

Our first all-German draft festival, inspired by an annual street party in Bamberg, Germany.

----

Friday, October 19

Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming begins

Love and hoppiness, in all their myriad forms, as dispensed from all available taps.

----

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.

Publicanista! ... July 12, 2007.

2007-07-12T09:24:00.000-04:00

In this edition of Publicanista!:

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: SPORTSTIME'S 20th ANNIVERSARY PARTY BEGINS SATURDAY, JULY 14 AT 3:00 P.M.

II. PRECIOUS FEW SEATS REMAIN FOR THE BASTILLE DAY BIERE DE GARDE DINNER AT BISTRO NEW ALBANY (SUNDAY, JULY 15, 6:00 P.M.)

III. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG.

IV. DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.

V. A DIVERSE SELECTION OF ROTATING BOTTLES CURRENTLY ADORNS THE BLACKBOARD.

VI. CALENDAR OF EVENTS, HOURS AND RELATED FACTS.

----

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: SPORTSTIME'S 20th ANNIVERSARY PARTY BEGINS SATURDAY, JULY 14 AT 3:00 P.M.

It will surprise some readers and patrons to learn that Sportstime Pizza came first.

Before Rich O's Public House (1990), before I became a part of the business (1992) and before the New Albanian Brewing Company (incorporated in 1994, and brewing 2002), there was Sportstime, occupying the space that previously had been a Noble Roman pizza franchise.

Rich O’Connell -- eventual namesake of the public house, husband of Sharon and the father of current co-owners Amy and Kate -- took over the Noble Roman operation in the summer of 1987. He pronounced it hopeless, began reshuffling the deck, severed the franchise agreement and changed the name to Sportstime Pizza. Around that time I began drinking (bad) beer there with my friends at the time, and eating the first of several thousand pizzas. Shortly thereafter, through sheer coincidence, Rich added bottled Pilsner Urquell to the menu and contracted to buy the whole building.

In 1990, two of his long forgotten cronies opened Rich O’s BBQ, which passed to Amy’s control within weeks when they became bored with trite notions of labor and effort. In 1992 my tenure at what became the Public House began, and then Amy and I were married, and then her parents divorced … and in 1994 we formed the New Albanian Brewing Company with Kate, who later married Jeff. In 2002 brewing began, the following year Amy and I were divorced, and if this whole story sounds like something lifted from the pages of the afternoon soaps, I can assure you that all of it is quite factual.

Through these many roller-coaster plot twists, Sportstime has endured, and while lately we’ve made a conscious decision to market the NABC name as a means of increasing its visibility as a brand name for the house beers, it’s obvious that the Sportstime brand isn’t going away and has an enduring appeal for several generations of customers. For this, we’re thankful – whichever name one chooses to call us.

On Saturday, July 14, we’ll devote the day to a birthday party in Prost, with business as usual elsewhere in the building. Old photos and accounts are being collected, and if readers have any that they’d be willing to share just for the day, please let us know. Did you work for us at any point during the past two decades? If so, and there are no lawsuits pending, we'd like to hear from you, too. There’ll be beer and food specials and a few surprises, although my effort to engage Def Leppard for the day didn’t work out.

Roz Tate, are you and the 600 Hitlers reading?

Remember, this one’s about the venerable Sportstime dining area, which often gets short shrift compared to the cachet of Rich O’s and the brewery. But we've not forgotten our upbringings, and July 14th will be an observance of our roots. Both old-timers and newbies are invited to poke their heads into Prost and glimpse the progression.

II. PRECIOUS FEW SEATS REMAIN FOR THE BASTILLE DAY BIERE DE GARDE DINNER AT BISTRO NEW ALBANY (SUNDAY, JULY 15, 6:00 P.M.)

Act very quickly if you haven't already reserved a place at the Biere de Garde dinner on Sunday. The price is $65 per person (service non compris), and reservations can be made by calling Bistro New Albany at 812-949-5227.

View the event poster & menu here.

2nd annual Bastille Day Biere de Garde Dinner at Bistro New Albany on Sunday, July 15.

III. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG .

Here are recently posted articles:

Update: Beer hunting by motor coach in the Pacific Northwest.

Velocity's Bar Hopper finds Cumberland Brews to her liking, and I agree.

Belgian beercycling 2000: Belgian beercycling 2000: The final beercycle ride, and postscripts.

Belgian beercycling 2000: Brugge and the DTs.

Belgian beercycling 2000: A pause for perspective before the tour concludes.

Relative calm before the deluge ... good or bad?

Time warp: Pizza, beer and Glasnost?

IV. DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.

Our NABC beers.

Always check the blackboards to see what’s on tap. For more information about NABC beers, go here.

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 dedicated to the workers at the Caesars Indiana riverboat casino in nearby Harrison County.

Elector ... Making Democracy pointless since 2002; English malt, American hops. 7.2% abv. Double Red?

Kaiser 2nd Reising ... Our version of a pre-Prohibition pilsner, as once was brewed in places like New Albany by German immigrant brewing companies like Paul Reising.

Guests from near and far (market pricing).

ON TAP NOW: Everyday staples.

(Alpha King will now often be rotating with Bell’s Two Hearted Ale . Why? Go here)

Arrogant Bastard

Bell’s Two Hearted Ale

Guinness Stout

Lindemans Framboise

Pilsner Urquell

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Smithwick’s Irish Ale

Spaten Premium Lager

Sprecher Root Beer (non-alcoholic)

Upland Wheat

ON TAP NOW: Rotating selections (limited engagement).

Ayinger Oktober Fest-Marzen

Barley Island Dirty Helen Brown

Cantillon Gueuze

Cantillon Bruocsella Grand Cru

Chimay Triple

Delirium Tremens

Dogfish Head Festina Peche

Paulaner Hefe-Weizen

Rodenbach Classic

Rogue Chipotle Ale

Rogue Chocolate Stout

Rogue John's Locker Stock #16 Imperial Porter

Rogue "John's Locker Stock" #25 Dad's Little Helper

Schlafly Kolsch

Sierra Nevada Summerfest

Upland Maibock

In the bullpen (ready for duty when called upon to serve).

Birrificio Cassissona

Brooklyn Lager

Goliath Tripel

Ridgeway Santa’s Butt

Unibroue Blanche de Chambly

Weihenstephaner Hefe

Wostyntje

V. A DIVERSE SELECTION OF ROTATING BOTTLES CURRENTLY ADORNS THE BLACKBOARD.

There are limited supplies of some, more of others, and still some set aside with no room in the cooler. Look for an updated bottled beer list within the next week.

Avery Samael’s Ale COLORADO 12 oz

Avery “The Maharaja” Imperial IPA COLORADO 22 oz

Clipper City Peg Leg MARYLAND 12 oz

Dogfish Head Burton Baton DELAWARE 12 oz

Dogfish Head Fort DELAWARE 22 oz

Dogfish Head Olde School DELAWARE 12 oz

Dogfish Head Pangaea DELAWARE 22 oz

Founder Devil Dancer (2007) MICHIGAN 12 oz

Founders Rubaeus MICHIGAN 12 oz

Grotten Brown BELGIUM 750 ml

Hambleton Toleration Ale ENGLAND 16.9 oz

Hoppin’ Frog BORIS OHIO 22 oz

Jolly Pumpkin Bière de Mars MICHIGAN 750 ml

Jolly Pumpkin Maracaibo Especial MICHIGAN 750 ml

Lindemans Pomme BELGIUM 12 oz

Nogne Imperial Stout NORWAY 16.9 oz

Saison Voisin (Brasserie des Geants) BELGIUM 750 ml

Shmaltz He’Brew Origin Pomegranate Ale CALIFORNIA 22 oz

Stone Pale Ale CALIFORNIA 12 oz

VI. CALENDAR OF EVENTS, HOURS AND RELATED FACTS.

General business hours:

Smoking.

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.

----

Saturday, July 14

Sportstime Celebrates 20 Years

It will surprise some readers and patrons to learn that Sportstime Pizza came first. Before Rich O's Public House (1990), before I became a part of the business (1992) and before the New Albanian Brewing Company (incorporated in 1994, and brewing 2002), there was Sportstime, occupying the space that previously had been a Noble Roman pizza franchise.

----

Sunday, July 15

Bastille Day Biere de Garde Dinner at Bistro New Albany

On Sunday, July 15, Bistro New Albany & NABC are co-sponsoring a 2nd annual Bastille Day Biere de Garde dinner, to be held at Bistro New Albany on the patio (6:00 p.m.; we'll move inside if there's rain or undue heat). Chef Clancy's five-course French menu will include hors- d ‘oeuvres, soup, salad, and entree and dessert, and will be paired with beers selected by the Publican (that's me) from Brasserie Thiriez, Brasserie Duyck (Jenlain) and Brasserie Artisanale La Choulette. As a bonus, we'll have draft vintage French cider from Normandy: Cidre Bouche Brut E. Dupont 2002. The price is $65 per person, and reservations can be made by calling Bistro New Albany at 812-949-5227. You may view the event poster & menu here.

----

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.

----

Saturday, August 11

Great Taste of the Midwest

Awe inspiring, annual one-day brewery fete in Madison, Wisconsin.

----

Saturday, August 18

----

Saturday, August 25

Brew at the (Louisville) Zoo

With Hoptimus, you really can "talk to the animals."

----

Friday, August 31

Sandkerwa NA begins

Our first all-German draft festival, inspired by an annual street party in Bamberg, Germany.

----

Friday, October 19

Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming begins

Love and hoppiness, in all their myriad forms, as dispensed from all available taps.

----

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.