Fountain Square Brewing Co.- Winter Warmer

Winter Warmer

ABV: somewhere between 3 and 8 % would be my best guess
IBU: Mid range, I'm gonna say about 40?
SRM / Coloring: Light amber to heavy red

So It's getting cold in Indiana, and then warm, and then freezing, and then wet, and then frozen again.  I truly don't enjoy what global warming is doing with us at the moment.  Forget about the polar bears, I'm just trying to survive at this point.

This flip flopping of the weather has me more confused than Michael Lohan at a PTO meeting, but one thing is for certain, the warm days seem way warmer as a result and the cold days seem way colder.  As such, you're gonna need some beer to meet both ends of the spectrum.  Fountain Square Brewing Company has got you covered for the frigid days, i.e. Monday Wednesday Friday Sunday.

Most of the time with newer anything, whether it's restaraunts or interns or breweries, you gotta give them a bit of time to really work out all the kinks.  It's unrealistic to walk into a place and expect them to be exactly on point when they just recently started business.  Still, with that being said, I wanted to see what the newest Indianapolis brewery had in store for the opening. 

I walked inside and took a quick look at the menu, which consisted of the year round standards of Blonde, Pale Ale, Amber and Porter, but when I asked the guy behind the bar what his favorite was, he recommended the winter warmer most bodaciously.  However, he warned me that it had a unique flavor with hints of spice and fruit, and that most people wouldn't go for it.  Clearly he was oblivious as to whom he was speaking with.

The Winter Warmer is definitely a different twist in the beer world but definitely not in a bad way.  It's a medium bodied Ale with spices of ginger and something else that I couldn't quite put my finger on.  The real kicker though was the hint of rasberry that pulled the beer to the sweeter side on the end.  It tasted like some kind of an exotic cookie, and a cookie that can get you a little bit intoxicated is a win win in my book.

Flat 12 Bierwerks - Glazed Ham Porter

Glazed Ham Porter

ABV: 6.3%
IBU: 34.1
SRM / Coloring: Dark as the night

Everyone typically associates the holiday season with either turkey or ham, that's just the way it is.  Personally our family goes turkey, but the ham is a golden standard that has men and women alike pulling raw slices from a dish and acquiring taco-neck syndrome to reel it all in. 

I saw this and thought there's no way that they were able to put the essence of a glazed ham into a beer.  First off, it would taste awful funky, and secondly, how would you even go about doing it in the process?  Just throw a whole ham into the fermenting tank and let that puppy marinate for three weeks?  My mind was being thoroughly freaked and so I had to try this bad dad out.

This beer is more of a complimentary style to go with while eating ham rather than actually tasting like it.  It's a super dark porter, borderline stout that starts off a bit sweet like brown sugar or caramel, somewhat similar to the glaze on a ham.  Despite all that though it has a smokey flavor added in with a kick of bitterness on the back end as if it were whiskey barrel cask conditioned.  Definitely a winter beer and for those really interested in maxed out taste.

Broad Ripple Brew Pub - India Brown Ale

India Brown Ale

ABV: 6.2%
IBU: Mid range, probably around 60 or so
SRM / coloring: Cloudy and dark amber / brown

The Broad Ripple Brew Pub has really established themselves as innovators in the beer game, especially in Indianapolis.  You're typically going to see the regulars out and about at other places, porters, IPA's, pale ale's and the like, but rarely do you encounter such beers like the Bigger Boy Beer and Black Hearted Ale.  This is yet another one that really pushes the boundaries of beer genres.

Disclaimer - The Brew Pub's India Brown Ale is not going to be for everyone, and I would go so far as to say it might turn a few people off.  It's a unique twist on their classic IPA, but infused with chocolate malts and dry hopped yet again.  As a result, this beer has that popular IPA hoppy bitterness complimented with the sweet hit of chocolate.

Personally, I have always been a firm believer that if two things are good then together they're great.  Examples: peanut butter and chocolate, RUN DMC and Aerosmith, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, Sunny D and rum, the list goes on.  I found it completely unique and eye opening to have that hoppy taste with the sweet mixed in, kind of like getting a fusion restaurant in liquid form.  Medium bodied with that dry hoppy smell on the nose, but tasting nothing like I've ever had before which was pretty exciting.  However, my dad took one sip and turned away.

Essentially it boils down to this; if you know what you like then stick to it.  But, if your view is that variety is the spice of life, then take a dive into a India Brown Ale pint glass and check out this mold breaking combination.

Flat 12 Bierwerks- Half Cycle IPA

Half Cycle IPA
ABV: 6%
IBU: 104
Color- Amber/Gold

When it comes to beer, as I've said before... I'm an IPA drinker.  I enjoy that hoppy bitter flavor in beer, and this Half Cycle IPA certainly has that going for it.  As RT and I were at the Bloody Blonde tapping party, I certainly couldn't settle for just one beer and one review.  Here I tried the Half Cycle IPA and think I found one of my new favorites. No doubt.

This beer is hoppy and bitter, which is exactly what you would guess when looking at its IBU over 100.  It was initially easy to smell the aroma of hoppy IPA flavor, and was reassured of the hop and malt flavor upon my first taste.  The thing about this beer, though, is it doesn't leave that dry bitter aftertaste every sip.  Its got a clean, refreshing aftertaste, which is what I look for in a hoppy IPA.  Making a bitter beer like the rest is easy, but pulling off a clean aftertaste certainly calls for praise.  This is the kind of beer that makes you wonder, "How did I finish this already?" and, "Why haven't I gotten another one yet?"

If you are ever in the downtown area, and feel like you need to try something new... I encourage you to drop by Flat 12 brewery and grab a pint.  With temperatures in the 70s all the way up to November, this has been quite the fall season for brewery visits.

Flat 12 Bierwerks- Bloody Blonde (Tapping Party)

Bloody Blonde
ABV:5.5%
IBU: 25
Coloring: Golden orange

Our visit to Flat 12 came on their tapping party for their new beer called the Bloody Blonde.  And, as far as beer and tapping parties go, RT and I rarely miss the opportunity to try something new.  This wheat beer is brewed with blood oranges, which is a very tart (almost like grapefruit) flavor.  The brewing process yields a very golden orange color as evidenced in the above picture.

This beer yields a decent citrus flavor without having a very wheat-y taste too it.  You can certainly detect the blood oranges in its aroma and flavor.  It is not very bitter at all, and in fact has a very crisp taste to it.  It wasn't nearly as sweet as I initially thought it would be, but definitely leaves a sweet aftertaste.  If you are a wheat beer drinker, this would certainly be a great new concoction to try out.  Grab a pint, fill a growler, or just taste a sample... you really can't go wrong with this new Bloody Blonde.