Beer Blog Review - Great Lakes Brewery - Nosferatu

Just in time for Halloween....yesterday. Nosferatu, Dracula, the undead mother pucker, this beer is teh tits. Great Lakes brewery is the best thing to come out of Cleveland since the 1986 Browns and their slow ass quarterback. Since Cleveland is the land of wasted talent and bone crushing ball smashing defeats I would think that they would know how to produce some high alcohol content great tasting beer. Unfortunately it is not offered in Indiana...anywhere. You have to cross state lines to enjoy Great Lakes brews. Believe you me, it is worth it. There are many to choose from in the Great Lakes family and none of them suck. Let me stick with this one though, Nosferatu.


Name: Nosferatu

Brewery: Great Lakes Brewery outta Cleveland, Ohio

Alcohol content: 6.4%

Presentation: Classic. As you can see, it has the titular character gracing the cover making it feel like you're getting drunk on Holloween.

Hangover Factor: High. High alcohol content, drink only 6 in a setting if you're a big alcoholic like me. 2 if you're a normal person.

Only Available: Between September and October. Dammit.

Color: Red

Type: Ale

Taste: Harsh yet bold like a good cigar. I recommend a good cigar with it by the way.

The Best Thing: USC loses, Yankees win, Big Ten rules for the day. Nothing to do with the beer but. WOOOOOOOH!

Great With: Meat. Anti-vegan, my type of beer. Just don't tell Natalie Portman who thinks that eating meat is akin to murder and rape, but signed the free Roman Polanski petition. Hollywood is the land of the hypocrite, isn't it

Beer Blog Rating: 3.888888 out of 4.

Porn Star Equivalent: Candy Samples. Plump yet delicious.

Web Site: http://www.greatlakesbrewing.com/

This is a great beer, and believe me, I will be visiting the Great Lakes line in the future.

Festiv-Ale for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Why do I find out about these things at the last minute?!?! Oh, it's because I'm busy as hell. Oh well, Festiv-Ale in Broad Ripple which will benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and since I'm a Respiratory Therapist by trade I will make a conscious effort to make it. But since my wife is preggo and about to deliver our little unwanted miracle (kidding folks!) it probably won't happen.

Info: Click here

Fat Tire Beer - New Belgium Brewing Company

While making a drunken pilgrimage (literally) to Chicago's Wrigley Field I stumbled (literally) onto this beer. After downing a couple of Old Styles at the stadium and drunkenly buying a Cubs hat my friends and I headed over to a nice little watering hole 5 blocks south (or north, or east, you get the point) of Wrigley to wait for the traffic to thin out. While enjoying the Redskins/Giants game the friendly, sarcastic, emo-loving bartender suggested this beer. Was I impressed? Yes, yes I was.

Fat Tire Beer

Made by: New Belgium Brewing Company outta Fort Collins, Colorado. Owned by hippies that use "clean energy" to make their brews. Not wind farms directly but they pay an increased rate to "ensure of the cleanest energy possible." Al Gore's ego and his wallet just got bigger, if that's possible.

Type Of Beer: Belgium style Amber ale.

Presentation: I only bought the twelve pack after waking up on my front lawn after the Chicago trip. I guess my sister-in-law kicked me out of the car, god love her. The bottle is interesting with nice little curves and a catchy label. The artwork on the label is by some hippy artist. The makers of the beer credit the artwork for their success. Whatever.

Color: Amber, deerrr.

Taste: Bold and smooth with a hint of a bitter aftertaste. Though I don't recall as much of an aftertaste with the draft version. Of course I don't recall a lot of that trip to Chi-town.

Deviate From The Norm: Uses a lot more spice, fruits and esoteric yeast strains (had to look up the meaning of esoteric) to make their delicious brew.

Hangover Factor: High, of course I would not suggest drinking 8 in 2 hours like I did.

Great With: Smithwicks. It is dubbed "The Half Acre" when these two mighty brews are mixed together in equal portions.

Alcohol Content: 7.5%

Beer Blog Rating: 3.75 out of 4

Overall: This is a great brew that will darken the door of my refrigerator many more times to come, or until I die of cirrhosis. All yellow and bloated. New Belgium have other beers to choose from which I'm sure I'll be partaking of sometime down the road.

Website: www.newbelgium.com/beer/fat-tire

Indiana Microbrew Festival

Hey all you alcoholics, the 14th annual Indiana Micro brew Festival is tomorrow. All the info is right here. I plan on attending, and if your nice enough you would take me home afterwards. Didn't think so.

Beer Blog Hall Of Fame - Four Horsemen Irish Ale

Back in 1995 (when my alcoholism was officially born) by dad came home from South Bend after dropping off my very confused and dementia riddled grandparents (may they rest in peace) to their house. On the way back he stopped by a liquor store, which we all have done after the "grandparent drop off" aka Homeward Bound 4: Just Really Sad and Depressing. There he found this lovely ale, Four Horsemen Irish Ale. He had one on the way home (don't judge) and was completely smitten. He bought 2 6 packs which between me, my brother and my dad lasted roughly fifteen minutes. This stuff is teh tits.

Beer: Four Horsemen Irish Ale

Brewer: Mishawaka Brewing Company outta Mishawaka, IN. (go figure).

Color: Deep reddish-copper color.

Taste: Initial maltiness with slightly bitter aftertaste. Gives a general warm satisfaction, the kind of satisfaction Ed Begly, Jr. gets while humping a tree.

Alcohol Content: Roughly 5.7%

Hangover Factor: Moderate.

Good Tip: None, good as is.

Porn Actress Equivalent: Holly Body, a very well built beer.

Beer Blog HOF Induction: 2009

It's great that a Indiana brew is initial inductee to this very prestigious (yet totally irrelevant)) hall of fame. Makes me damn proud to be a Hoosier.

Beer Review - Shock Top Beer

Usually I don't buy American (especially cars, rot in hell Ford) but I thought I would make an exception to this one. It was on special and in this time of financial upheaval and uncertainty (especially the soon to be devastating Cap and Trade and ObamaCare on the horizon) it's time to start being fiscally conservative. Sorry, I promised no politics but that seriously pisses me off, besides, John-O never visits this site anyways. I was drawn by this beer because I've never seen it before and I can only review Leinenkugals for so long. The bottle is pretty slick and the color was decent, and I like Belgium style wheat beers. Jeanne Claude Van Damme is from Belgium and he's teh tits, so I thought I would give this a shot.

Company: Anaheuser-Busch outta St. Louis, Missouri.

The Bottle: Pretty slick with a orange slice with a cool pair of shades gracing the cover.

The Color: Golden and cloudy.

Suggested Pouring Technique: The traditional side pour, then rock the bottle back and forth to pour to 1) get good head (giggidy) and 2) get all the yeast.

Suggested Glass: Wide-mouthed (giggidy-giggidy). To allow the fumes errr flavor out.

Taste: Meh, not bad for American but no where near the big dogs. In other words, it can't pee in the tall grass with Bass, Guinness, etc. It's like your expecting California but getting Minnesota, or something like that.

Aftertaste: None, really. Just don't have chocolate ice cream with it. Hey, my wife's pregnant, she's got weird tastes.

Good Tip: Slap an orange slice or two into it, helps with the flavor.

Hangover Factor: Probably won't find out since my tolerance is so high W.C. Fields is impressed. God rest his drunk, smutty soul.

Beer Blog Rating: 2 out of 4 bottles.

Porno Actress Equivalent: Jenna Jameson, your expecting a lot but getting little in return.

Overall: For the price it isn't bad. I paid $6 for a six pack, it's usually $7.50. But I probably won't buy it again.

KAHN! Kahn's Liquor Store - Northside

First...



Alright, down to brass tacks. Khan's on the northside is a great liquor store, a true rival to party pack on the south side in terms of beers, but if your a wine conniseur then this is the joint for you. Anyhoo the wife and I made a Ali like comeback to the Broad Ripple area to see what's happenin'. HOWEVER, Khan's has brand new diggs and holy sheat, it is the tits. Unfortunaly I don't carry a camera everywhere I go so you have to believe me when I tell you it is an awesome loooking joint. It's the Vatican of liquor stores, Mecca even, if Muslims condone drinking, which they don't. This store is amazing, it has everything. The beer selection is better than Party Pack, and that pains me, because I really don't want to venture to the near east hood again. I managed to throw down one hundred bones on great beer like Four Horesmen, Warsteiner and Old Speckled Hen. They have great Indiana brews and have everything sectioned out by country. They have speacialty brews from Sam Adams and Leinennkugels to anything you want. Fabulous for beer nuts like me. I spent nearly 20 minutes perusing (in the true sense) through the beer section like a kid in some sort of store. It was great.

The rest of the store. In a word, great, awesome, amazing, truly a force of fucking nature for the alcoholic. If you dig wine, they got it. Scotch, they even have maps for the types of scotch (highland, lowland, etc). Tequila? You bet, they have the best , Cabo Wabo, on sale. Burbon? Check. Whiskey? Double check. They even have a jug, yes a jug, of Jameson (my fave, which I gave up due to....things). They even have abstinthe, the drink that makes you feel like yo being beaten up..underwater.

When I checked out my very expensive brews I noticed that the had snacks and CIGARS. Great cigars, in a humidor and ready for smoking. I will definatley make a pilgrimage to this awesome joint again. I suggest you do the same.

The Best Bars In Indy Part The One - The Casba/The Wellington - Broad Ripple

When you have a bar in each part of town where the bartenders know your name and your drink of choice, you know you have a problem, well, I had that problem back in the late 90's early 00's. Eventually marriage and kids destroyed my ability to enjoy these establishments and drive home drunk. Maybe marriage is a good thing. Anyways, I thought I would go around town to review the best places to drink suds and have a ripping good time. Fuckin' A. Tonight I will start with Broad Ripple, my favorite back in the day.

The Wellington - A great little pub, and I do mean little, smashed on the south side of Corner Wine Bar. The same bartender was there from 1999 when I first entered the place until 2005 which is when I was told he quit. He was awesome. Every time I came in he offered me a free beer to try that he was putting on tap. There was always micro brews on tap like Alpha King and a good IPA with old standards like Guinness and Bass. They even have local flavor like Four Horseman beer, very good stuff. It was set up like an English style pub with stain glass and old style bar stools. Very cosy little place. It is probably the smallest in broad ripple and it attracts the snooty crowds at times but it is an awesome place to visit.

Is It Still Open? Yes, it's the only bar I go to when I visit Broad Ripple, which is not very often.

Best Memory? The future wife and I sat in a corner got drunk and planned our wedding. Which explains a lot.

More Info here

The Casbah - Ahhh the Casbah. I've gotten smashed there so many times I don't remember leaving half the time. In the old days it was a little hole in the ground (it's in the basement) with basically a long bar and a little section in the corner for darts. It was smokey, loud and really fucking awesome. Yassir and Ahmed (a Jordanian and a Syrian) manned the battle stations slinging suds to us little white devils speaking broken English and calling everyone Steve. Well, at least me and Mike and whoever was sitting next to me and Mike (usually it was a guy named Steve). No beer on tap but they had their own little version of a kamikaze that was just tits.

Is It Still Open? Yes, but it's pretty much dead to me, the re-modeled Casba was the beginning of the end, then Yassir and Ahmed took off around 2003 which made it even less desirable to go.

Best Memory? With Mike and The Godfather, they were all good times. Actually I just can't remember them, they are all jumbled together.

Could not find a website. Alright, just too lazy to look.

RIP - Henry Grattans - I would be stupid not to mention my favorite bar of all time. This little nugget was just east of the Vogue and it was my favorite drinking hole of all time. When the Casbah got too nuts and smokey, Grattans it was. The Patio was playing a shitty band, Grattans it was. I went there with my girlfriends and my parents. The waitstaff knew my drink and would sometimes pour it and have it ready before my ass hit the cushion. It was great. Not too crowded and not too smokey, a great environment. The beers on tap (I get a chubby thinking about it) Tetleys, Bass, Guinness, Sierra Nevada, Belhavens and my favorite (I get choked up thinking about it because it's gone) McCaffreys.

Is It Still Open? No, it was taken over by a owner who turned it into a Rock Lobster clone. It was March 2002. I lost my job, Family Guy just got cancelled and Henry Grattans was my little place to cheer up. Some a-hole came in and asked a bunch of questions. Even though I was drunk I realized that this little douche was buying Grattans from the same company that owns..shit, what's that English bar in Ripple? The same place that's on the west side? Shit, forgot the name, wait, Union Jacks! Anyways I asked her point blank. "Are you turning this into Rock Lobster or something?" She gave me a long look and walked away. Things couldn't get any worse.

Ahh Broad Ripple, it isn't the same anymore but sometime, someday, I will make a pilgrimage up there.

The Blacksmith - Try It Bitches

In all my alcoholic pilgramiges I actually never thought about combining the two best Irish brews of all time. The Blacksmith, as it is dubbed by a couple of friends o' mine combines Smithwick's with Guinness. Hey, why not? I tried it at a local "redneck" bar here on the southside (which has Guinness and Smithwick's on tap which is why I frequent the establishment a lot) and I got to tell ya, it's about as good as the Black and Tan (Guiness and Bass) and better than the Half and Half (Guinness and Harp). Bold statement, I know but I stand by my drunken epiphany, it is teh shit. Bold taste and it goes down oh so smooth. Anyways, the bar is called The Shire which is confusing to most since it actually says Robbie's Pub on the outside. Well, more than likely this poor bastard of a bar will be closing at some point due to the fact that no one goes there other than me and a couple of old farts on the southside because Bubba's and Joe's takes up all the business in the area. But damn it, The Shire is the only place to have Guinness, Smithwick's and a great german wheat beer on draft. Oh well, I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

Beer Review - Leinenkugel's Classic Amber

Leinenkugel brewery soldiers on and continues to crank out brews which is awesome to us alcoholics. Does this new brew measure up? I would say so.

Color: Amber, as the title indicates.

Taste: Interesting. It is very refreshing, something that could really go down great on a hot Christmas day. There is really no aftertaste and the aroma is very bold, like something Budweiser fails to do.

Packaging: Very classic, dark label with a simple design. The Leinenkugel injun graces the cover with a wheat and barley design.

If You Drink Too Much Of It: Medium to high hangover alert, drink lots of water before consuming 6 - 12 bottles of this brew. Will make you wish that you were dead.

Overall: 3 1/2 out of 4. Very good brew with a rich taste and a healthy aroma, bravo to Jake and John, a great comeback to their Bock line.

Das Boooooooooot!

For those southsiders.....I guess just me, Shallows is offering Das Boot. A liter of Warsteiner, pilsner or dunkel (the only beer you can fill it with) for $20 and you get to keep the boot. You can have it refilled for only $10 the next time you visit. I couldn't find a website for shallows but here are a couple of pics for yous guys.





I found myself in a pool of my own vomit again this morning but it was sure worth it. Just like homer I'm giving it a name and calling it my 4th child. Margie has a home.

Desperation Is A Stinky Cologne

We've all been there, the party that you've been invited too but you didn't bring your own snooty supply. Well, thankfully the guest has beer, but it's completely made up of domestic. Well shit, what to do. Do without beer for the party (impossible and sadistic) or just deal with the crap selection. Here's the rundown from best to worst of.......(shudder)......American beer you are stuck with for the evening.

1) Miller Light - The old reliable, the standard for any summer barbecue and family reunion (my family are all complete drunks). It's cheap but doesn't taste...too...bad. Light amber in color and the aftertaste doesn't make you wish that you could lick shag carpeting until the taste comes out of your mouth.

How To Make It Better: Make sure to get it in a bottle, not a can.

Should You Smoke To Cover Up Taste: Not necessary.

2) Coors Original - The closest you are ever going to get as an American equivalent to Bass. It doesn't taste like complete shit but it does have a bit of an aftertaste that makes you wish you could lick an ashtray for a while.

How To Make It Better: Get it in a can not a bottle.

Should You Smoke To Cover Up Taste: Wouldn't hurt, but not necessary.

3) Coors Light - This particular beer is about as close to making love in a canoe as you can get (fucking close to water). The taste is not fucking horrific but the aftertaste can linger for days. The can is kind of cool as is the nickname (Silver Bullet).

How To Make It Better: Get it in a can, not bottle.

Should You Smoke To Cover Up Taste: Yes, but beware of massive hangover.

4) Budweiser (aka "buttwiper)- Complete shit beer but it is the king of beers and it is delivered by very hung cleiddales. Probably the only product where the advertising far exceeds the product.

How To Make It Better: Bottle not can.

Should You Smoke To Cover Up Taste: Yes, as a matter of fact, smoke before and after drinking.

5) Bud Light (aka "buttwipe") - Taste like shit, it pretty much is shit but when your desperate it's not the shittiest thing to drink. The aftertaste makes you want to smoke weed for a while though.

How To Make It Better: No way you can. It's kind of like making love to an ugly person, just close your eyes and pretend it's something else.

Should You Smoke To Cover Up Taste: Yes, weed if you can.

6) Old Milwaukee - Geez, where are you? A Kentucky hoedown? Christ, pretty much the 7th ring of hell but what can you do? You need to get buzzed, sure you might feel like your right next to Kitty Dukakis drinking down rubbing alcohol but you need this.

How To Make It Better: Ice cold, so cold that you are basically drinking ice chips.

Should You Smoke: Yes.

7) Sterlings - Ugh, well, at least it has a high alcohol content.

How To Make It Better: Get really drunk before drinking.

Should You Smoke: Yes, god yes.

8) Fall City Beer (aka "gas in a can") - Out of Louisville, Kentucky this is pretty much the beer you buy when your dirt poor or completely desperate for some sort of beer like substance.

How To Make It Better: Well, coming in at $9.99 a 24 case you are getting what you pay for. Also, don't hold back the farts, it will only rupture your insides.

Should You Smoke: So much that your taste buds are dead.

9) Busch Lite - Awful, awful beer. Try to avoid at all costs.

How To Make.....you can't.

Should You Smoke: (sigh)...whatever.

10) Miller Genuine Draft - The commercials are hilarious, the beer is tragic. It's basically water flavored beer and it's just like getting punched in the liver repeatedly.

How to..hahahahahhahahahha!

Should You Smoke: Crack would help.

The Beer Review - Leinenkugel's 1888 Bock

Jake and John Leinenkugel are fifth generation brewers and are the 5th generation of the brewery. Hailing from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin these guys are not afraid to take chances and make new brews. The boys came out with the 1888 Bock series. How does it stack up to the rest of the great beers? Well, kind of a downer.

Taste: A little too bitter. Almost tastes stale which is pretty dissapointing considering the rep of Leine's.

Aftertaste: Pretty crappy actually. Pretty stale, like waking up with that film in your mouth, you know that taste.

Packaging: Excellent, at least the presentation is good.

After Having Too Many In One Night: When it first came out back in December I downed 7 in one night. Actually it was nine. I'm a raging alcoholic, sue me, but the hangover was awful. I felt like I was run over by a bunch of fat hookers.

Overall: 2 out of 4. I hate to be negative with the first review but this was really dissapointing. You just can't rush into a Bock and I'm afraid that Jake and John did just that.

Would I Recommend It: Well, it depends on your taste. My father in law thinks it's pretty good but agrees with the aftertaste. Personally I wouldn't but hey, give it a shot.

Beer - Welcome To The Hootenanny

Nothing better than a cool beer on a hot Christmas day. This blog was specifically created to talk about beer. New beer, old beer maybe the occasional whiskey or rum but primarily beer, or pop culture and beer. The only rule I ask is no politics. It turns friends against friends. Rush fans against Rush fans. So no politics shall be spoken on this site or you shall suffer the harsh penalty of...um...I don't know, a good Indian burn or something. So please enjoy my friends and lets get this shit going.

P.S. If you want to be a contributer please let me know. It would be great to have other beer experts. Yes, I'm pathetically screaming for attention, think Eric R. Wait, too obvious, E. Richard.