Beer Festivals

RIBFEST 2023 BIER BREWERY NORTH – CARMEL

Hoppy was able to make the tail-end of this year’s Ribfest. It is an event hosted by Kids Coats which collects coats and other winter gear for children and their families in Hamilton County, Indiana. The event included free food and entertainment with the option to purchase beverages at Bier Brewery North.

While there, Hoppy quaffed a Bier Brewery Wizard Tears, a West Coast DDH IPA. It is said to be brewed deep in a black kettle by a gathering of elder wizards. 6.7% ABV, 88 IBU.

Pictures from the event follow:

WHITESTOWN BREW FEST

Hoppy attended the Whitestown Brew Fest earlier today. The event included tastings from breweries, homebrewers, distilleries and wineries as well as food trucks and live music. Attendees could sample pours and cast a vote for their favorite homebrew, with the winning homebrewer receiving a prize of $1,000.

As usual, this post will focus primarily on the beer aspect of the festival. Pictures of the attending breweries are included in the pictures that follow. They were Whitestown’s own brewery, Moontown, along with Big Lug, Black Dog, Bier, Deviate, Primeval, Terre Haute, Sun King, Crasian and Grand Junction.

BREWS ON THE BOULEVARD – CARMEL

Last Saturday Hoppy attended the Brews on the Boulevard Festival in Carmel at Midtown Plaza and the Monon Trail. It is different than some beer festivals in that you could also purchase pints of beer, four packs, six packs and swag from the breweries present, as well as enjoy the unlimited samples included in the admission. 2023 was the second year for the festival.

Self-explanatory pictures from the festival follow.

DAREDEVIL BREWING INDY LAGERFEST

Yesterday Hoppy attended the Indy Lagerfest at Daredevil Brewing. This event included Food Truck Friday with ten food trucks, live music, Kids Zone and 20+ breweries. It celebrated the release of two Daredevil beers – Pils, a German Style Pilsner, and a Vienna Lager. As well as Daredevil, the following Indiana breweries were represented: Big Lug, Four Day Ray, Metazoa and Windmill. It also included three breweries from Chicago, two from St. Louis and eleven from Germany. (The full list can be seen in the photos that follow.)

Hoppy enjoyed many of the lagers, but being Hoppy, he succumbed to a couple of tastes of Daredevil Lift Off, as well. It is the largest selling Indiana IPA described as having a bounty of American hops that deliver the signature clean and crisp finish of a perfectly balanced West Coast Style IPA. 7.2% ABV; 72 IBU.

Pictures from the event follow:

TAXMAN DEATH & TAXES DAY – BARGERSVILLE

Hoppy attended the Taxman Death & Taxes Day Beer Fest in Bargersville on Saturday. This is Taxman Brewery’s annual event where they release their Deadline Belgian-Style Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout and its variants.

Brews which Hoppy sampled, at the event, are listed below:

Taxman Deadline (2023) – Their original Belgian-Style Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout. 14.2% ABV.

Taxman Maple Syrup & Vanilla Deadline (2023) – Belgian-Style Maple Syrup Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout. 14.7% ABV

Taxman Orange Chocolate Deadline (2023) – Belgian-Style Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout. 14.2% ABV

Taxman Double Barrel Deadline (2023) – Belgian-Style Imperial Stout aged in 6-11-year-old Rye & Bourbon Barrels. 15.1% ABV.

Deviate Brewing Little Doobie – An Oatmeal Creme Pie Imperial Stout. 10.5% ABV.

18th Street Brewery Ready for Contact – DDH Double IPA with Nelson Sauvin and Simcoe Cryo Hops and OG Cush Terpenes. 7% ABV.

ZwanzigZ Brewing Fulcrum Imperial Stout – 8% ABV.

Moontown Brewing Belgiumnasium – A 21month Bourbon Barrel-Aged Quadrupel described as Oaky – Dark Fruit – Vanilla Maple. 11.7% ABV.

Moontown Brewing Rocket to the Moon – A 36month Tawny Port Barrel-Aged Russian Imperial Stout. Described as Brown Sugar Molasses – Dark Fruity – Chocolate – Tobacco. 14.2% ABV.

Terre Haute Brewing Wango Tango – A West Coast IPA described as a luscious IPA brewed with Apollo and Citra hops. It brings a soft and smooth body, amplified notes of citrus and a tangy tangerine finish that is out of this world. 7.5% ABV.

Planetary Brewing Gamma Ray Burst – An American IPA clocking in at 6.5% ABV; 65 IBU.

Damsel Brew Pub Skylar – An Imperial IPA described as the sky is the limit on hoppiness. Mounds of Mosaic Cryo, Citra, and Azacca hops were utilized in the dry hopping, and in the boil kettle to bring out the sweet aromas and flavors of berries, guava and papaya. 6.5% ABV; 65 IBU.

Nailers Brewing Funny Bones – An Imperial IPA with 9.1% ABV; 65 IBU.

Mad Anthony Brewing Rocky Moutain High – A Hazy IPA utilizing a danky hop blend of Simcoe and Columbus. 7.5% ABV; 25 IBU.

The following are pictures from the event: