Broad Ripple Brew Pub - BRV 175

BRV 175

ABV: 6.0%

IBU: relatively low, not bitter at all and a bit sweet

SRM / coloring: Mid range

Guess what y’all? The Broad Ripple Village Association is turning 175, which is straight insane in my mind, especially since I’ve just been kicking it around the Ripple for twenty some years. Best way to celebrate that anny is Broad Ripple Brew Pub style with their new creation, the BRV 175.

The BRV 175 is a full-bodied amber with a bit of a twist to it. Instead of that characteristic tangy amber taste, this has more of a deep malty flavor with a sweet after taste. I guess I kind of picture ambers to be the perfect balance between browns, hefeweizens and pale ales, the lights and the darks. This is a unique take, the opposite end of the amber spectrum, instead of starting sweet and ending tangy / sour, this starts malty and ends sweet.

“(He curls his moustache tips) …intriguing.”

Triton Brewing Company - B-Java Brown

Getting back to beer has been somewhat hard for me and pretty much it has been all March's fault. The storm of dates, St. Patrick's day, and wonderful weather requiring cheaper mass quantity beer has really pulled me away from my roots. I'm here to say though faithful fans that I'm back and here to provide you all with some brew information.

It's been a hot minute since I've visited the boys at Triton, so when my friend who lives on the Northeast side invited me over, I had to jump on the opportunity. Final Four basketball and a couple of growlers couldn't fail in any circumstance.

The only bad part about spring and the warmer weather is that I can't get the dark beer that I love so much, it's all transitioning to pale ales, blondes and saisons. Walking into Triton though they still had a couple of options left on the menu, of which the B-Java Brown caught my eye.

Typically browns are a good middle ground between your thick porters and stouts and lighter options. I'm used to getting that dark coffee flavor with a thick ale, but with the warmer weather outside having a lighter beer is somewhat of a necessity. The B-Java Brown solves this problem; really heavy on the coffee / nutty flavor but with a crisp light body. And, since this is a variation of their sweet Brown beer, it came off smooth and seet on the end instead of the normal coffee bitter. Honestly one of the best beers I've had in some time.

Upland Brewing Co. - Schwarz Black Lager

Schwarz Black Lager

ABV: 5.3%
IBU: 25.3
SRM / coloring: 28.3, pretty much black go figure right

Winter is dwindling fast so I gotta get my dark beer fix in before everyone transitions into the lighter varieties.

Schwarzbier, literally meaning black beer, is a german variety lager that typically is characterized by those malty flavors and additives of other ales.  The only difference is the body is much lighter and it comes off smooth and crisp at the end.

Upland's Schwarz is the epitome of this style of beer.  It looks pretty scary with it's jet black color and large head, but when you dive into it it tastes about as clean as any other lighter beer option.  The smell is very strong with hints of chocolate and coffee, but take a sip and it's much more subtle, actually tasting like a classic lager.  Coming off clean makes a fantastic beer for malt enthusiasts and people just looking to try something new.  This is a good one.

Upland Brewing Co. - Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh Flanders Red Ale

ABV: 10.5
IBU: 21
SRM / coloring: bright red almost to orange

Beer is a funny thing.  Initially after trying it for the first time, most people think to themselves why would anyone consistently drink this stuff?  Then, as time progresses and you're around beer more often, you get used to it and it grows on you.  The grainy flavor and different variations become intriguing and you have to explore more options and different styles.  I'm the perfect example for this, starting off hating beer to now being in love with it I'm on a personal quest to explore every nook and cranny of the beer world and to find something truly unique and out there.  Ladies and gentlemen, it comes in a champagne like bottle from Upland Brewing Company.

Disclaimer, most people would be very opposed to this beer and to be honest, I'm not quite sure if I like it yet either.  The flavor of beer comes as an acquired taste, and to then find a beer that is so far from tasting like beer that it borders on something else entirely is a little bit shocking.  Still, sometimes you just have to roll the dice and try something crazy.

A little background first, flanders style red ales are sour beers, which do in fact taste sour.  In order to make a sour beer the brewers allow in bacteria and other yeast strands into the brew which alters the flavor, something that traditional (or should I say typical) brewers tend to avoid.  By doing so the beer comes off with a yeasty kick and does truly taste unique.  Other ways to achieve this is to add fruits into the mix to add another fermentation cycle.  As a result you get a sweet, yeasty flavored taste that borders more on sparkling grape juice or alcoholic cider than your average beer.

This is a medium bodied beer that looks like an amber, smells like a strawberry daiquiri, and tastes like a yeasty variation of the fruitiest beer that you've probably ever heard of.  Even just smelling this beer you get an overwhelming kick of fruit and yeast, but then take a drink and it seriously attacks your senses.  It has been bourbon barrel aged which kind of mellows out the flavor at the end, bringing it down a notch, but this is a super sweet beer bordering on too sweet.

Personally, I'm a dark beer malty man and I like to stay away from fruit flavored variations, so this ain't exactly my thing.  I do know one thing though, that this is one of the strongest beers I've ever had, in taste, alcohol, and just overall feel.  Too many of these and your head will probably explode the next morning.

Thr3e Wise Men Brewing Co. - Wise Ass White IPA

Wise Ass White IPA

ABV: 8.0%
IBU: 93
SRM / Coloring: Cloudy Gold

I gotta say Thr3e Wise Men has been impressing me lately.  To be perfectly frank they don't have the same focus on beer that most other breweries in town have, offering on average of five beers, one seasonal and four standards, all year round.  While most other breweries would have upwards to ten beers on tap, Thr3e Wise Men Keeps it simple.  Recently though, they've been stepping up their game in a big way and pumping out some different variations on their beer, including this one.

Scotty Wise is known for naming all his beers after his experiences: Golden Zoe is named after his golden retriever, Two Lucy's after his daughter and wife.  Wise Ass makes complete sense in that regard, and the best way to describe this white IPA is as a cross between a more moderate IPA and a wheat beer.

Looking at this one you'd even guess it's a wheat beer, but the nice thing is it has a light hoppiness on the back end, complimented with the sweet wheat flavor.  There's a hint of orange and fruit on the nose, but the taste is light and crisp which doesn't overpower one way or another.  This is a great springtime beer to welcome in the warming of the weather (or in our case the cooling of the weather off again to most likely warm back up to a snotty rain which will then freeze over and make my morning commute a real turd).  Not a beer to push the maximum boundaries of taste and flavor, but ideal for people on the fence with regards to IPA's or Wheat beer.

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.

Evanston Avenue Brewery - Old 31 Oatmeal Stout

Old 31 Oatmeal Stout

ABV: unknown
IBU: mid range
SRM / coloring: dark brown to amber

Hello again everyone!  Well it's been a while since I've written a review, the holidays were essentially a long series of good events, great events, and bad events so I've been a little occupied.  But not much can hold me back from the beer, so lets get to it.

First up is a great new beer from a brewery you've probably never heard of, and honestly might never come across.  Evanston Avenue Brewery is the home brewing operation of a friend of mine from work.  I just got hooked up with a new job (great event) and for christmas she was kind enough to give me a sample of her Old 31 Oatmeal Stout.

First off I was simply impressed by the bottling of the beer, tall brown glass with an actual bottle cap on it; pretty nice for a home brewery.  With our basic home brewing kit we have plastic screw top bottles, so this is stamped and approved official.

Now this beer is titled an oatmeal stout and certainly has the strong heavy flavor characteristic of stouts, but the real kicker here is the coffee.  From beginning to end you get a big ol hit of coffee, smell and taste, which if you're into coffee (like me) then you'll love it.  It has a medium to heavier body, and comes off just a bit sweet on the end which is unique for both stouts and coffee flavored beers.  With a little more work, Old 31 Oatmeal Stout could be a real heavy hitter.

Broad Ripple Brew Pub - Black Heart Lager

Black Heart Lager

ABV: 5.9%
IBU: mid range
SRM / Coloring: Dark as the night

Bad news is this picture is horrible with the flash.  Good news is this beer is damn good.

I had to go out and do some celebrating with the dudes last night after such a good week.  I got a new job, my other projects were coming to a close, christmas is just around the corner, just solid on the whole.  I didn't get to make it to the Brewpub for Tuesday night trivia which kinda stunk, but I still had a hankerin for a buffalo burger and some new beer.  This is one of my favorites of theirs so far.

I guess I'd have to say my new favorite type of beer are black ales.  they have that roasted malty flavor, but are medium bodied and come off clean at the end, the perfect balance of flavor and depth.  I love the black ale at Brugge Brasserie, and this one is on it's level, if not surpassing it.

The Black Heart ale is what the brew pub refers to as a Kulmbacher style, which is a german style black lager.  It's a great blend of malty flavor and bittersweet chocolate.  Drinking it on a cold rainy night is ideal, and given the poopy weather in Indiana recently any day will do.

Bier Brewery - PDG Pale Ale

PDG Pale Ale

ABV: 5.8%
IBU: 45.2
SRM / Coloring: 7.6 light and crisp

Just by association this beer is now top of my list.  Maybe it's because of the crisp hoppy taste, or maybe because it almost flew out of my hands as I was watching the Hoosiers nail a last second, buzzer beating three to knock off the top seeded Wildcats.  At any rate, this is a fantastic beer.

Most pale ale's people associate with your run of the mill beers, thus they often get overlooked.  So far as a brewery goes, pale ales are clean, a little bit fruity, and crisp which is great for the typical ber drinker, but going to a brewery most people want the crazy stuff.  Hell, I'm totally guilty of this fact.  I walk in to the breweries around here and want something full bodied and flavorful, and I don't really think of pale ale's in that instance.  However, when I visited Bier Brewery this past Saturday, I ran into a former coworker who spoke highly of Bier's PDG, so I decided to give it a go.  Without a doubt unlike any other pale ale I've ever tried.

The PDG Pale Ale is unique in that it almost transcends most beer categories.  It's a pale ale with the characteristic grainy and bitter flavoring, but it also has a hoppy aroma and taste like an IPA, which then comes off a little citrusy at the end like a blonde.  I knew in my head that I was drinking a pale ale, but my tongue was all like, "Whoa, pump the brakes what just happened."  Proof that complex beers aren't in the style of ber, but in the creativity of the people making them.  Well done.

Broad Ripple Brew Pub - Bigger Boy's Beer

Bigger Boy's Beer

ABV: 8.4%
IBU: Up there, gotta be over 100
SRM / Coloring: red to amber

This is identified as a bigger boy's beer.  Let's go ahead and identify a little boy's characteristics.

First off, a little boy would be identified as a beer nubile, i.e. someone who has yet to embrace the tender loving touch from beer's philanthropic heart.  They go up to the bar and ask, "What are your specials," stop the bartender in mid sentence and ask for the low calorie vodka soda...extra limes.

In most circumstances, hard cider or wine would be the best option, sadly even when those circumstances are tailgating parties and beer pong tournaments; sad I know.  When and if they do choose beer, it's something with light in front of it and out of a can.  Sarah McLachlan should be sponsoring these poor souls instead of ratty alley cats, there are people in the world who could use pennies on the dollar to open their eyes to the tre world of Adult beverages.

If you're going to put on the man't pants and try a big boy beer, you might want to look elsewhere because this truly is a manly man's intense hoppy beer.  Created and named for the birth of their brewmaster's baby boy, The Bigger Boy's Beer's intense smell is rivaled only by it's intense flavor and alcohol content.  Originally brewed to be an intense ale with highlights of toffee (which is very prevalent on the nose), the mad scientists at the BrewPub dry hopped this sucker to the max, transforming it into a Double IPA Frankenstein that would scare off any non-beer lover.  Though it may be intimidating, this monster has got some dance moves and would surely woo the majority of hop heads.

Triton Brewing Company - Gingerbread Brown Ale

Gingerbread Brown Ale

ABV: 6.2%
IBU: 20
SRM / Coloring- Deep brown, though fairly low and translucent

Most holidays have a specific identifier associated to them.  New Year's eve is riddled with confetti and partying with an occasional splash of smooches if you 're in the right place.  Valentine's day has everything arranged in pink and red heart shapes, and I tend to think of those chalky little hearts everyone hates to love with dumb little phrases like 'UR 2 Cute.'  St. Patrick's Day (which will be amazing this year with all the breweries celebrating) has green, irish, and booze to go with it; perfect for a ginger such as myself.  The fourth of July has heat, hell yeah Americana, and of course the bevy of sparklers, snakes, and other fireworks.

Yes all holidays are marked by touch, smell, sight, and feel, but strangely enough though, only a few holidays universally have the fifth sense associated with them; taste.  Halloween of course has chocolate, sugary sweetness.  Thanksgiving is undoubtedly turkey mixed in with stuffing and mashed potatoes.  The other holidays are more generalized with how people may celebrate, but these specifically focus on a few key flavors and tastes, and Christmas is marked with eggnog, turkey, and of course gingerbread.

It starts to get cold outside and the holidays begin to fully rev up, lights go on the houses and the malls become packed with frantic shoppers, and for whatever reason I crave that spicy sweetness of gingerbread.   My mom always made intricate gingerbread houses when I was younger covered in candy and frosted icing, and despite how nice the presentation was you always just wanted to rip it apart and snarf it down.  I get the same feeling when drinking Triton's gingerbread beer, this time it's just liquified.

The gingerbread brown is a deeper brown lager infused with that spicy characteristic associated with gingerbread cookies.  It's a medium bodied beer, which is nice because most winter associated beers are ales and thus full bodies and super thick.  This one has the spicy smell and gingery taste of gingerbread and comes off sweet and clean just like the cookie.  It's not likely to top egg nog as the pure christmas drink, but it'll do everything but disappoint.

Brugge Brasserie - Very Bad Kitty

Very Bad Kitty

ABV: 10%
IBU: as low as it can be, very sweet
SRM / Coloring: golden, yellow


This one's going to be short.  Very Bad Kitty is an American Wild Ale, which means it was brewed using a lot of yeast giving it a complex and distinctive flavor, much like an abbey style ale.  While most other beers will have a dry or subtle bitterness to them, Very Bad Kitty is a pop to the face with sweet, sour, and that yeasty tang characteristic to this style.  Smelling it, you get a big hit of fruit like apples, lemons, and apricots; take a sip though and it tastes like liquified sweet tarts.  You get a slap of sugary sweetness like a slushie suicide that comes off just a bit tart and sour.  They limit you to only having two of these, which they say is due to the high alcohol content, but I think it's to save you from the massive hangover you're likely to get the next morning.

Thr3e Wise Men - Hubbard and Craven's Porter

Hubbard and Craven's Porter

ABV: 6.0%
IBU: 36
SRM / coloring: Deeeeeep Brown


About a year ago Thr3e Wise Men opened and I jumped on as an employee.  Back then the beer list was much larger than it is now.  It consisted of the Double IPA, single IPA, Blackberry Wheat, Blonde, Imperial Stout, Amber, Nap Town Nut Brown, and the Porter.  However, the place literally blew up; the lines were out the door, and the demand for beer and pizza was too high that they couldn't make the beer fast enough for the hordes of people coming through.  So, as a result, the brewery was forced to reduce the number of beers they made so they could make more of the ones that mattered.

The choice made perfect business sense as they needed to meet the demand of consumers, but it really stunk for people who are real craft beer drinkers.  The beers they chose to keep year round were the Double IPA, single IPA, Blonde and Blackberry wheat while the rest were turned into seasonals.  I didn't see the point in having two kinds of IPA's on the menu year round, or a fruity beer for that matter when the blonde already had a citrus taste to it, especially when the porter, amber, and nut brown were so popular.

I guess the company wanted to cater to the average beer drinker and women who aren't too keen on beer, but they left out the majority of the people who would be interested in going to a brewery; men who like rich and unique beers.  If someone were to choose to go to a brewery, it would be for the sake of the beer, and I know literally no one who gets off of work and says to themselves, "I could go for a brew, but there just aren't that many blueberry flavored options."  According to the Pareto principle, 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes, which applies to business as well; i.e. 80% of your profits will come from 20% of your consumers, those who really love what you got.  You have to know who your real fans are and cater to them, and Thr3e Wise Men strayed away from the beer aficionados around town by only offering lighter options year round.  Still, their seasonals are coming back full circle, and the Porter is the first to be brought back from the original menu.

Next to the Double IPA the Porter is my favorite beer at Thr3e Wise Men.  It's made with Hubbard and Craven's coffee grounds, and there are hints of toffee and chocolate infused in the flavor as well.  It's a dark, full bodied ale and thick to boot, so it's like having a little snack before getting to our pizza and wings.  It has a nice roasty, malty flavor to it, and the coffee is really prevalent on the front end, then finishes smooth.  Just in time for the first snow.

Brugge Brasserie - Cerne Pivo

Cerne Pivo

ABV: 5.0%
IBU: 5, low and smooth
SRM / Coloring: Deep red / mahogany


I'm doing some work at the local coffee shop in Broad Ripple on a dreary and rainy afternoon, when all of a sudden the temperature drops and I'm talkin it hits the floor.  I turn around to look outside the window and there is a snow storm going on outside of me, a thick wet snow coming down hard and just blanketing cars.  It's the first snow of the season, so I wrap up my booboo and go for a beer at Brugge.

I run into Ted, Brugge's owner and brewmaster, and we get to talking about what I had and he filled me in about what what Cerne Pivo actually met.  As with German beers where Bock means strong beer, Pils means light lager, and Dunkel means dark lager, the same classifications exist in other countries.  The Cerne Pivo is a Belgian style beer, which literally translates to dark beer.

This is a dark lager with a medium body, which is loaded with taste and flavor but still easy to drink and refreshing.  It has a nice hoppy touch which is very prevalent in both smell and taste, but what always impresses me about Brugge's beer is how they can somehow manage to balance their darker bitter beers on the back end.  Similarly to their Black, the Cerne Pivo has a full taste but then comes clean and a bit sweet.   This is a good enough beer to be featured year round, as it's easy drinkability and dark mixture of flavors would work in a bunch of different settings and please a wide range of beer drinkers, casual and connoisseurs.

Flat 12 Bierwerks - Nunmoere Black ABA

Nunmoere Black ABA

ABV: dunno
IBU: ugh
SRM / Coloring: Jet Black

I was kind of disappointed in myself on this one.  I got a tweet from Flat 12 about the tapping of their bourbon barrel Nunmoere Black ABA on the tuesday before Thanksgiving, and without reading the tweet fully (which in itself is monumentally idiotic since it's less than 150 characters) I assumed that the tapping was for Black Wednesday.  For those of you who are socially inept, Black Wednesday is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and one of the biggest drinking days of the year.  Everyone comes back in town and wants to go turbo max with old friends before being tied down with the family.

I thought, "Oh what a grand idea, tapping the American Black Ale on black Wednesday," only it wasn't on Wednesday.  The tapping was for black Friday, so I show up at the Brewery for an unveiling and it ain't happening.  No sweat though, there's still beer to be had, and on tap is the original Nunmoere Black so I decided to go at it and give it a review.

I wish I had made it downtown for the bourbon barrel Black tapping because it would undoubtedly be fantastic.  Bourbon barrel aged beers tend to have an oaky / smokey flavor added to the beer which would have complimented the hops and bitter taste of the Nunmoere, just like being next to a bonfire.  However, the regular Nunmoere was somewhat lacking that extra edge and just came off as being dark and bitter with little other character.  This would be a beer to sample alongside the bourbon barrel cousin so you can really notice the difference the barrel adds.

Upland Brewery - Winter Warmer Barley Wine

Upland Brewery - Winter Warmer Barley Wine

ABV: 8.5%

IBU: 46.7

SRM / Coloring: 18.5, medium brown to red

Helios pale ale and some Floribbean Flair was awesome, excellent combination, add some sun on my back and sand between my toes and it would be damn near perfect. After that though I wanted to try one of the seasonal's that Upland had going on, so I went up to chat with the lovely young woman standing behind the counter.

"Good tidings fair vendor of beers and enjoyment," I sexily proclaimed. "I would like to inquire about your most recent addition to the list of artisian alcoholic beverages."

"Indeed gov'nor," the handsome woman replied. She was a vibrant breath of alternative style and feminine allure that draws in the usual customer with smiles and quirky acts of intrigue and childhood sweetness. She wore a mottled green satin gentleman's jacket with a ruffled collar, over black knickerbockers complimented with a worn top hat.

"What'd my lord be interested in this evening?" She was also a street urchin character actor circa sixteenth century England.

"I've recently tried your Helios Pale Ale, to my utter enjoyment, but I must confess that currently my mood has changed. I'm looking for a drink much darker to warm my spirits on this windy Autumn's night."

"Too right you are suh, might I be reccomendin the Winter Warmer barley wine? It'll put you in a good spot it would, even when you'd be out on the cobblestones makin your way back to the mrs. you'd be feelin top notch you would yes suh."

"Pour me a tankard then," I proclaimed as I threw her a sixpence. Naturally she bit it to see if it was real, since she's a sixteenth century street urchin.

A beer couldn't have been named better. The winter warmer is a barley wine variation, thicker than most other beers and stronger to boot, but also has a greater emphasis on the grains and spices added into the mix. As a result is has more of an earthy flavor to it, and you can really taste the malts and grains mixing around in it. It's got a full body and maxed out flavor and aromas. Where as the Helios lager is more prone to cool you off on a hot summer day, this baby will bring out the color in your cheeks and your face as well, heating you up from your head all the way down.

Floribbean Flair Island Food

So I don't typically do food reviews (I like to stick with I know best ya feel me?), but I've been noticing that all of these awesome food trucks have been parking around Broad Ripple and downtown, specifically around breweries and places where you can get craft beer. I've seen the Scratch Truck and West Coast tacos everywhere in Broad Ripple, Byrnes, grilled pizza, downtown a lot, and most recently the Floribbean Flair Island Food truck. Most of these vendors have amazing food and I've been blown away by every single one, so I decided to jump in head first on this one. And, I got to talking with the guys who ran the truck, both owners and head chefs, and they sold me on the product.

I gotta say, I made fun of the Florribbean Flair truck at first. Most other food trucks look pretty professional; fancy paint jobs or full body wraps, colorful menus, QR codes and information, reviews, the works like any other restaurant. This is a small little guy that looks like it could be pulled around by a Prius; the size of a small Uhaul with a dry erase board menu with four items, and a tiki light hanging out front. If there wasn't someone sitting inside of it, you'd think that people were moving kitchen supplies to another location. My dad and I were examining the truck from inside Upland, trying to figure out what the hell it was, when one of the guys standing beside it came in to see what was up.

As it turns out, the man was actually the head Chef of the company, as well as the Italian restaurant Iozzo's downtown, and they had just started their food truck business several months ago. With renowned crab cakes and fish tacos that are shipped all over the country, we all decided that we had to bag our previous dinner plans and try this shit out.

Damn, Floribbean Flair follows suit with it's food truck brethren and makes some damn good caribbean food. It's very hard to make a niche for yourself in the food industry, especially one centered around street food and catering to either walking or drunk, but Floribbean Flari does this effortlessly making seafood classics as well as others that are both portable, accessible, and scrumtrulescent. The crab cakes were fabulous and had a nice mixture of meat and vegetables mixed in. Fish tacos were great and made with Basa, a light white fish similar to grouper but firmer and less "fishy," which is typically a big problem for my mom. They also had an Island burger that old man Neff went for, complete with a slice of pineapple on a Hawaiian bun, and a cuban sandwich which was quite the treat. Throw in some horseradish dipping sauce, some sriracha, and some coleslaw and you got a dope dinner to accompany some dope beer. Their truck is small, their menu is small, but in this case they take what they make and really warp it into a piece of culinary art.

Upland Brewery - Helios Pale Ale

Helios Pale Ale

ABV: 4.9%

IBU: 21.7

SRM / Coloring: 6.2, light gold as you can see

It's Thanksgiving Weekend, my sister is back in town and my parents are looking to spend some time together. My first thought, let's go have a few drinks and really unbutton the collar a little bit, eh? Ol pops totally agrees and we head out to grab some cocktails, but I'm thinking about getting some good beer in the process, so I grab the reins and navigate the family mini van over to the Upland Tasting Room to see whats going on.

It's starting to cool off a little outside, naturally being November in Indiana, but any of you who live in them Midwest or more specifically Indiana will know that the weather here has a better turn radius than my car; this weekend alone has gone from mid 30's and rainy to mid 60's a gorgeous. Typically I'd go for a darker beer to warm me up on the inside, something spicy and full bodied, but I was feeling a bit saucy and wanted to go for a lighter drink, refreshing and all, so I bit on the Helios Pale Ale.

When I think of lagers and pale ale's I typically think of your standard American beers, Budweiser, Coors and the like, clean tasting but with a heavy emphasis on the grains in the beer. The Helios is quite a different story. Though your typical grainy, hoppy flavors are still present, it is nicely complimented but a citrus aroma and flavor giving it an extra edge / leg up over those other run of the mill variations. Perfect for a hot day or a thirst quencher, and for those trying to find something beyond the king / banquet / triple hops brewed. This beer is served year round, so need to sprint out your door, but a great place to grab it in a growler, especially with Upland's unique carbonating growler filling machines. Tubular.