Going into the festival I had a list of brews I knew I wanted to try, thanks to the Drink Indiana Beer app. If you’re a Hoosier beer lover, I highly suggest downloading the free app onto your phone. It featured beer lists for several of the participating breweries and even had a spot where you could take notes about beers you wanted to try. It also lets you look up breweries, brewpubs and keeps you tapped in on the latest craft beer events.

Part of what made this festival so great was the location. It’s held at Bloomington’s historic Woolery Mill on West Tapp Road. It’s a giant event space, featuring open air and, thankfully, plenty of sunlight. It’s the most unique venue I’ve been to for a beer fest and it added a lot to the overall experience.

In addition to beer, there were lots of local food vendors and great live music.

We went in with a pretty good strategy of what breweries to hit and when, which meant we spent almost all of our time drinking really, really great beers. It’s so cool to see the innovative approaches many Indiana breweries are taking when it comes to their craft and I loved getting to try quite a few new beers. There were so many delicious samples, but here’s a list of my top five favorites from the festival:

1. Evil Czech Static Chipmunk

This was probably my favorite brew of the entire festival, coincidentally from one of my favorite breweries. Evil Czech opened a brewpub in Mishawaka when we lived in South Bend and it quickly became our go-to place for good beer and good food. We’ve long been fans of their White Reaper IPA but decided to try the unfamiliar Static Chipmunk at beer fest. It tastes like hop heaven, measuring in at 70 IBUs. I can’t wait to be in Michiana in a month and a half — we’re going to have to make a stop at Evil Czech so we can get our fix.

2. 3 Floyds Bourbon Barrel Aged Big Tiddy Assassin

3 Floyds was our first stop of the festival because we knew the line would be long and the kegs would likely be kicked relatively early. It was a good call, because we got to sample the Bourbon Barrel Aged Big Tiddy Assassin before it ran out. Holy cow. This was a close runner-up for my favorite beer of the day because it was so good and so unique. The beer was a special Belgian sour style and the aging process in a bourbon barrel gave it a delicious, strong bite. This was one of the beers I felt really lucky to get to try.

3. Upland’s Dank Buster

James heard Upland was brewing this for a special event a while back and we’ve been dying to try it ever since. It lived up to the hype! From what I understand, this Imperial IPA was dry hopped, which took the beer to a whole new level. Would love to see this on tap at one of their Bloomington locations.

4. Upland’s Vinosynth White

I promise I’m not playing favorites with Bloomington breweries — I love them all equally! Upland just happened to showcase several unique brews at the festival that I’d never had before. Like everyone else who enjoys sours, I jump at the chance to try any of the variations Upland brews. It just so happens they partnered up with my favorite winery, Oliver, for this one. Here’s what Upland has to say about this sour:

VinoSynth White is 100% Sour Reserve aged on locally grown Vidal Blanc grapes. Vidal Blanc is a French varietal with hints of tropical fruit flavor, commonly utilized to develop ice wines. Our Sour Reserve lends itself wonderfully to enveloping the acidity of the grape with notes of lactic acid, and allows the polite pineapple and grapefruit character of Vidal Blanc to shine on the palate.

This was damn delicious and could serve as a great entry point for those who haven’t dabbled much in sours. When I was at Upland’s brewpub a couple of weeks ago they still had a few bottles of a couple varieties of their sours left — I’d recommend snagging one before they’re gone! Tasting this one made me even more excited for their highly-anticipated Sour Brewery expansion.

5. Function’s Union Hefeweizen With Toasted Coconut And Pineapple

What I love most about Function Brewing is their courage to experiment. Being a smaller brewery gives them the freedom to try new things, which always keeps me coming back. They brought 27 unique brews to the festival and many were funky spins on classic styles. This Hefeweizen was light, refreshing and something I could see myself sipping on all summer. I’m a huge fan of pineapple, which obviously played a prominent role in this beer’s flavor profile. I want more!

What was your favorite brew of the festival? Follow me on Untappd to keep up with what I’m drinking. 

The post Bloomington Craft Beer Fest appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.

There’s nothing better after a long day than coming home to the smell of a homemade dinner. When I know I have a hectic work week ahead, I try to plan at least one or two crockpot meals so I don’t have to stress about what to cook for dinner once I get home. These carnitas are my new go-to recipe for crazy weeknights.

I’m not a fan of crockpot recipes that require a lot of prep. I don’t want to have to fuss with searing the meat on all sides before throwing it into the crockpot or cooking other ingredients separately before combining everything. It takes the convenience away! The only prep this recipe requires is trimming the fat off the pork and smothering it in a delicious rub. Then, you throw it in the crockpot for a few hours and don’t touch it again until you’re ready to eat. It doesn’t get much easier!

Upland’s Campside is a Session IPA I can really get behind. I’m not usually a huge fan of this style, but this brew packs a big enough hoppy punch for my liking without the citrus notes being too overpowering. While my favorite way to consume it is in a pint glass, I’ve been dying to try cooking with this beer because of its versatility. Oh my goodness. The beer really kicked the flavor of these carnitas up a notch. We ate the pork in tacos, but I’m dreaming of Campside carnita nachos, quesadillas and even pizza.

I whipped these up as part of our family’s ongoing celebration of Bloomington Craft Beer Week. How are you celebrating?

Campside Crockpot Carnitas

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 3 to 4 lb. pork shoulder, trimmed of most fat
• 1 Tbsp. Kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 2 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 oz. Upland Campside Session IPA
• 10 whole wheat tortillas
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1/2 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• Sour cream and salsa for topping

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Combine all spices except bay leaves in a small bowl and mix well.
2. Rub spice mixture over all sides of pork shoulder.
3. Place pork in a large crockpot and pour beer over the top. Throw bay leaves into the liquid.
4. Cover crockpot and cook pork on high for one hour. Reduce cooking temperature to low and cook for at least four more hours but no longer than eight hours.
5. Once pork is cooked, remove it from the crockpot and shred using two forks. Return shredded pork to the crockpot and stir until moistened with cooking liquid.
6. Using a slotted spoon to drain any extra liquid, place 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup pork on a tortilla. Top with 1 Tbsp. cheese, avocado, sour cream and salsa. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
   [/directions]

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We kicked craft beer week off by attending a brewer’s talk at Atlas last night. We sipped on a couple local beers while the head brewers from Upland, Function, Bloomington Brewing, The Tap and Switchyard talked about how they got into the craft beer industry and answered questions from the audience. The discussion was fascinating and I loved hearing about the different approaches each brewery has when it comes to developing recipes and producing their beers. Here are some of the major takeaways from the discussion:

Brewing is not like cooking.

Brewing beer involves much more than measuring out ingredients and following a recipe. There’s a true science behind making beer, which means plenty can go wrong along the way. Many of Bloomington’s breweries start out by testing new recipes in smaller batches, then scale them up once they find one they like. But unlike with cooking, you can’t just double the ingredients to make a larger batch. The process can involve a lot of trial and error because making the beer in a larger volume can impact the beer’s flavor profile. Even something as simple as a change in water supply can alter the taste of a batch.

The craft beer bubble won’t burst anytime soon.

This is an amazing time for the craft beer industry. According to the Brewers Association, craft brewers saw a 13 percent increase in volume last year. But, they still only make up about 12 percent of the overall beer market. That means there’s plenty of room for growth nationwide and right here in Bloomington.

Having a strong lineup of classic beer styles ensures longevity.

There are so many styles of beer that are trendy right now — sours, citrus IPAs and session brews. While they’re tasty beers, the best way to build a solid brand is by offering a few classic styles that will always be popular. The best breweries have a specific niche — they determine what styles they make best and stick with it. It’s always fun to try something new, but you can’t beat a good IPA, stout or wheat ale after a long week.

For a full list of Bloomington Craft Beer Week events, head on over to their Facebook page. 

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