Craft Beer--Beer Events Calendar--Information
Hoppy recently visited Big Woods/Quaff On Pizza location in Nashville, Indiana. This location opened in 2011 in downtown Nashville to fill a need that could not be met by their original location. While there Hoppy quaffed a Quaff IPA. It’s described as semi-dry with citrus aroma and notes of melon, berry, lime, and tropical fruit. It clocks in at 6.5% ABV; 58 IBU.
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Grand Junction Brewing in Westfield was Hoppy’s next visit. They opened their doors in April, 2014 and are community focused. Their name is a nod to Westfield’s rich history of the Monon and Midland Railroads that ran through the area as well as the Underground Railroad for which the city is known.
While there, Hoppy enjoyed a A Clockwork Haze, a New England style IPA described as having a rich base of wheat and flaked oats with a heavy dry hopping of Citra, Azacca and Cascade for a dank, smooth citrus flavor. It clocks in at 7.6% ABV; 35 IBU.
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Hoppy visited North High Brewing at their new location in Zionsville and first in Indiana. They have seven locations in Ohio and have since opened a second location in Indiana, in Indianapolis. (Check out Hoppy’s visit to their Dublin, Ohio location here.)
While in Zionsville, Hoppy enjoyed a Hopes West Coast IPA described as having floral, citrusy and piney hop aromas balanced by a clean and pleasing bitterness. It is 6.8% ABV; 70 IBU.
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Hoppy’s last visit in Prague was at a Pilsner Urquell taproom/restaurant in the Vaclav Havel Airport. You’ve probably heard someone say that a certain beer tastes better in its home country than it does after being imported to the U.S. In the case of Pilsner Urquell, I would heartily agree.
Pilsner Urquell is brewed using triple decoction which is described as heating a portion of the mash three times to add more flavor and color to the beer, as well as using parallel brewing in wooden lagering barrels. They use Moravian Barley and Saaz hops from the Czech Republic. In Europe, some of their beer is served from tanks.
Their description of taste is a refreshing crispness from natural carbonation, then subtle caramel tones and a clean finish with a pleasing hoppy bitterness. The reason that I feel that Pilsner Urquell tastes better in the Czech Republic is the way that they pour, which results in a much larger head of foam. This would be the use of the Hladinka pour which is three fingers of foam on top of the beer. That thick head of dense, wet foam seals in freshness and flavor giving the beer a perfect balance of sweetness and bitterness.
Pilsner Urquell is brewed by Plzensky Prazdroj, and is the original pilsner having been brewed since1842. It is 4.4% ABV, 40 IBU.
While in Prague, Hoppy visited the BeerGeek Bar which also serves as a taproom for Sibeeria Brewing, their own microbrewery which opened in 2014. They have 32 beers on tap which change regularly. During his visit, Hoppy sampled six or seven of the beers that were available, including three or four from Sibeeria. To no one’s surprise, most of these were IPAs.
The next beercation brewery stop was at Pivovar Strahov in Prague. It is located in the Strahov Monastery which was founded in the 12th century. Beer has been brewed at the monastery since the 17th century, and the majority of their beers are named after St. Norbert. The brewery is located in a picturesque spot, just inside an old wall from the cloister around which the ancient monastery stands.
Hoppy quaffed a Sv. Norbert Weizen described as a very brisk and refreshing drink brewed with Saaz Special hops and top fermentation yeasts which produce a naturally wide palette of aromas and flavors. 5% ABV; 17 IBU
