Catching a buzz, 1 ounce at a time
The first time I went to a beer-tasting event, I thought it was impossible to catch a buzz while drinking from 1-ounce cups that looked more suitable for urine samples than beer samples.
Several hours later, sprawled on the dew-soaked lawn of the host museum, I had to admit my error. By golly, it was possible after all, a feat I attributed to all the oxygen one gulps while downing 30 to 40 tiny glasses of beer of various styles and strengths on a hot, summer’s night.
By the time I attended the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, I knew better than to try to sample all 1,800 beers on premises. Even spread over three days, that would mean drinking more than 4.5 gallons of beer per day, which I haven’t done since attending a friend’s wedding in South Bend a couple of decades ago.
Upland Brewery’s upcoming Radfest isn’t on that kind of scale, but the Bloomington craft brewery has assembled a sufficient cast of Indiana brewers to suggest the advisability of designated drivers or public transportation.
Sunday morning in Bamberg coming down
Tom Wallbank might have a move to thank for finishing first Saturday in the second annual Upland Brewing Co. UpCup homebrew competition.
A long process of settling into a new home over the winter meant Wallbank still had a few bottles left from a batch he made last fall using malted barley that had been smoked over wood flames by members of the Foam Blowers of Indiana homebrew club.
Wallbank said it was the first time he had attempted a German-style Rauchbier, or smoked beer, that he patterned after the classic example of that style, Schlenkerla Marzen, of Bamberg, Germany. In fact, Wallbank called his winning entry “Sunday morning in Bamberg.”
A project manager for Eli Lily in Indianapolis, Wallbank has been brewing beer for 15 years. For that, he credits his wife, who purchased a beermaking kit for him when they were dating.
“She created the monster,” he said.
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Lost pilot part 4: Beer nuts
I knew next to nothing about TV production when I brainstormed the “What’s on Tap” TV concept with the creative crew of Magnetic Image in Evansville, Ind. Still don’t, but I did grasp the concept of “beer nuts,” which we conceived as quick beer factoids that could serve as fun, entertaining transitions between stories. The Abraham Lincoln quote you saw at the end of the Three Floyds segment was one kind of transition. This was another kind of transition.
Magnetic Image fared better than the pilot. It’s still in business in Evansville, so if you liked what you saw here, give them some work. They’re on the Web at www.videomi.com.
Hope you enjoyed watching the pilot for our TV show during American Craft Beer Week. Have one on me, and I’ll catch you on the other side.
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Lost pilot part 3: Home cooking
Homebrewing is the best way I know to learn about beer. That’s why I was proud to have a small part in this segment featuring homebrewing author Dave Miller, who the “What’s on Tap” camera caught in a Nashville, Tenn., homebrew supply store.
I have a walk-on as a stovetop kitchen brewer. It’s all my equipment, which I still have in storage. Watching the pilot again makes me want to dig out my fermenter and whip up a batch of homebrew. If I only had that wort chiller I’ve been meaning to buy.
This American Craft Beer Week review of the lost “What’s on Tap” TV pilot concludes tomorrow.
Lost pilot part 2: Three Floyds
Go back in time to 1999 to see what Three Floyds Brewery looked like when it still was located in Hammond, Ind. Then, go to the brewery’s blog at http://www.3floyds.com/ and see what it looks like today in Munster.
This clip features Jim Greulich, a professional actor and voice-over specialist who was the narrator and tour guide for our “What’s on Tap” failed TV pilot. Jim lives in South Bend, which if memory serves me, is why the Magnetic Image crew picked Three Floyds to feature; it was conveniently located near the talent.
So sit back, pop an Alpha King and enjoy. We’ll continue our special American Craft Beer Week special tomorrow with the homebrewing segment featuring Dave Miller and the Blackstone Restaurant and Brewery of Nashville, Tenn.
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