Craft Beer - The Broadcasting Baker https://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/tag/craft-beer/ Cooking and Life Adventures in Bloomington, Indiana Wed, 04 Oct 2017 03:49:31 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2016/03/cropped-Broadcasting-Baker-Logo-small-web-32x32.png Craft Beer - The Broadcasting Baker https://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/tag/craft-beer/ 32 32 Girls’ Trip To Denver https://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/2017/10/04/girls-trip-denver/ https://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/2017/10/04/girls-trip-denver/#respond Wed, 04 Oct 2017 03:48:41 +0000 http://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/?p=3510 A recap of three days spent eating and drinking our way through Denver.

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While it’s only Tuesday, it feels like this week is already flying by. I’m back from a long weekend in Denver with my two best friends from college, Katie and Emily. With the three of us living in the south, midwest and west, we decided we should meet someplace none of us live and go on an actual vacation together for once. We try really hard to get together at least once a year, which is easier said than done when you’re trying to coordinate the schedules of three journalists. But, I’m so glad we were able to make the trip work. The weekend was equal parts adventurous and relaxing, which is just what all of us needed.

Friday

To make the most of our quick reunion, we all opted to fly into Denver as early as possible Friday morning. That meant a 3 a.m. wakeup call for me, but it was so worth it to have extra time with the girls. I was in Denver before 8 a.m. and Katie and Emily arrived shortly after. We hopped in a cab and headed for our Airbnb in the popular Highlands neighborhood. Gina’s place was perfect for the three of us and so cozy! It’s just a few steps from several cute shops and restaurants and walkable to other hip areas of town, including LoHi and LoDo. We grabbed coffee and breakfast at the nearby Wooden Spoon Cafe & Bakery before vegging out for a couple of hours. It was so fun to just sit around catching up — Katie recently got engaged and Em just finished her first year working for a newspaper in Wyoming, so we got a chance to get up to speed on all the exciting changes we’re all going through.

After relaxing with some face masks for a bit, we got cleaned up and headed to Linger for dinner. Several friends and basically everyone on the internet recommended having dinner at this unique tapas restaurant, which has a rooftop bar and is located inside an old mortuary. We started off with some cocktails and decided to order just three dishes to start. We got the lemongrass potstickers, Waygu sliders and chicken satay salad, which was more than enough for our group! I snapped photos of all the food, but it was too dark for them to turn out well. The dinner ended with a special surprise dessert for Katie to celebrate her engagement. We popped around to a couple of bars after dinner but ended up heading back to the apartment to spend the rest of the night drinking wine and laughing — our favorite activities.

Saturday

We decided to continue eating and drinking our way through the city on Saturday by heading over to Denver’s River North Arts District, which is home to lots of amazing local breweries. We started off at Crooked Stave, which is known for its great sours. We all got flights so we could sample a little bit of everything and my favorite was the Nightmare On Brett Raspberry. The bartender at Crooked Stave was super helpful and helped plot out our strategy for the rest of the day. Next up was Great Divide’s Barrel Bar, which was less crowded than the brewery’s downtown location when I visited earlier in the summer. Great Divide had our favorite beers of the day, hands down. While I usually go for a pint of Velvet Yeti anytime I can find it, I decided to give their Hazy IPA a try. I’m so glad this style is so popular right now because it’s quickly becoming my favorite!

From Great Divide we walked over to a new pedestrian bridge, which helped us get over to Epic Brewing for more sampling. I wanted so badly to like Epic’s beer, but I was disappointed. I got the IPA flight and all three beers fell pretty flat for me. We did get some much-needed snacks while there and both the pretzel bites and spicy popcorn were a hit in our group.

Not far from Epic is Ratio Beerworks, which has an awesome patio area and interesting tap list. I tried the beet saison, which had a beautiful pink color and crisp flavor. I appreciated the unique flavor pairings and wish I could find this back in the Midwest! Our last stop of the day was Our Mutual Friend Brewing, which happened to be having its customer appreciation party. That meant the place was packed both inside and outside, but we didn’t mind the crowd when beers were being poured for $4! We had a great time taking advantage of the photo booth and hanging out for a couple of hours before deciding we needed some real food and an early night’s sleep.

Sunday

After two full days, we decided to spend Sunday morning just moseying around downtown Denver and taking in some sights. We stopped by Union Station, which is still a functioning train station but also houses a bar, restaurants and shops in the old indoor terminal. It’s such an amazing spot and I’m dying to go back to get a drink there sometime!

We also walked around Larimer Square, which is an adorable block of historic buildings that have been converted into delicious restaurants and high-end stores. We were tiring quickly after doing so much walking all weekend, so we decided to make a quick stop at Little Man Ice Cream for a pick-me-up before retreating to the apartment to spend a few hours binge-watching Netflix. It was the perfect way to end the weekend because it felt just like we were back in college, lounging around at my old apartment on a Sunday afternoon.

The weekend went by way too quickly and I was so sad to say goodbye to Katie and Em. While we may live in completely opposite parts of the country, our bond has only gotten stronger since college. I’m so glad we have plenty of wedding activities for Katie that will bring the three of us together more often over the next year. And, we’ve decided we need to make a weekend girls’ getaway an annual tradition! So, where should we go next?

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Corn Maze Beer Fest 2017 https://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/2017/09/25/corn-maze-beer-fest-2017/ https://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/2017/09/25/corn-maze-beer-fest-2017/#respond Mon, 25 Sep 2017 01:17:16 +0000 http://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/?p=3489 I'm sharing my top five favorite beers from this year's Corn Maze Beer Fest.

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The weekend is winding down and I’m feeling much more prepared for the week than usual as a result of us not being out of town in what feels like forever. While James was busy working part of the weekend and I had plans both Saturday and Sunday, it was a great balance of fun and relaxation.

The highlight for me was definitely attending Corn Maze Beer Fest for the second time, which was an absolute blast. I went to the inaugural fest with family last year, but the organizers did a great job improving on that first-year success and making it even better this time around. The fest takes place in a cornfield behind 450 North Brewing Company, which is just about 15 minutes northeast of downtown Columbus, Ind. The brewery itself is worth a visit because of the delicious wood-fired pizza and great tap list — 450 North makes some of my favorite IPAs in the state.

Breweries are setup throughout the corn maze, which is what makes this beer fest so fun. The point of the maze is to actually be able to find the beer, so it’s thankfully designed to easily find your way to each section. There were also several food trucks setup outside of the maze, as well as a large tent with tables and chairs that provided some much-needed shade. The weather reached 90 degrees on Saturday and there isn’t much shade when you’re in a corn maze, so it got pretty brutal after a few hours!

My friend Andrea and I decided to buy VIP tickets to the fest this year to try and avoid some of the long lines we experienced during the inaugural event. It was well worth our money because we got to try most of the breweries on our list before the general admission crowd even got inside. I like that corn maze beer fest is on the smaller side because I end up trying a lot of unfamiliar breweries and finding some new favorite beers. Here were my top five favorites from the festival:

1. Fresh Froot, 450 North Brewing Co.

This is my favorite IPA from 450 North to date, which is saying a lot. What I love about their IPAs is they don’t overwhelm you with hops from the first sip; they’re beautifully balanced with hints of citrus but still have the bitter finish and complexity so many hopheads look for. Trust me, I love really dank IPAs, but I don’t love when they leave my tastebuds feeling shot. Fresh Froot was described on the beer board as a milkshake IPA, which I haven’t seen much of in the Midwest. Here’s how the style is made, according to Punch:

It’s not just some clever name. These are hoppy beers, usually IPAs, with lactose sugar added to them in order to help produce a thick, milky, sweet and often fruity beer that, well, somewhat resembles a classic milkshake.

As you can see in the picture above, the result was a creamy-looking IPA that was absolutely delicious. Definitely my favorite brew of the day. I’m wishing I would have picked up some cans while at the festival, but I’m hoping they’ll be distributed in Bloomington soon!

2. Sassy Pants, Black Acre Brewing Co.

The more sours I try, the more my love for them grows. Sassy Pants is a kettle soured farmhouse ale with a floral and fruity aroma. It won’t make your mouth go into a full on pucker, but I appreciate the hops that come through and the drinkability.

3. Farmhouse Ale, Noble Order

While I’m a big IPA lover, saisons are my second favorite style. Noble Order’s farmhouse ale is made with blackberries, but the fruit flavor is very subtle. It has beautiful color and I would have loved to have a full pint.

4. The Heat Is On, Four Day Ray

I was really excited to see Four Day Ray at this year’s corn maze beer fest because they were my favorite brewery at Bloomington Craft Beer Fest earlier this year. I decided to try a couple of new-to-me beers and this spicy pepper IPA was my favorite. I know spicy beers aren’t for everyone, but I love them when they’re done well. The heat didn’t overpower the flavor of this beer — instead it complemented the hops and notes of citrus. James and I are hoping to finally make a trip to this brewery before the end of the year. With IKEA opening in a couple of weeks, we can easily make a day of it!

5. Maze Haze, 450 North Brewing Co.

TRIPLE DRY-HOPPED DOUBLE IPA. Need I say more? I think 450 North’s IPAs are their strongest style and this is another one that blew me away. It was made specially for corn maze beer fest, so I couldn’t resist a taste.

I’m also looking forward to cracking open Sundown, an imperial Oktoberfest every corn maze beer fest attendee got to take home in a crowler. It was a special touch that helps make this beer fest stand out from others, in addition to the unique location. While it may not be the biggest, it sure is a blast!

 

 

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Friday Favorites: Comfort food & cat cuddles https://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/2017/09/15/friday-favorites-comfort-food-cat-cuddles/ https://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/2017/09/15/friday-favorites-comfort-food-cat-cuddles/#respond Fri, 15 Sep 2017 07:00:06 +0000 http://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/?p=3451 A roundup of my favorite things from the week.

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Hey, hey! The weekend is nearly upon us and I can’t wait for it to officially start. We’re heading to Wrigley Field to see a Cubs game with family and we can’t wait to cheer our beloved team on! My cousin Zoe has never seen them play before and I’m so excited for her to finally experience the magic of Wrigley Field. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t also stoked for an authentic Chicago hot dog. We make them at home relatively often, but they just taste better when you’re at the ballpark.

Because it’s Friday, I’m sharing a list of my favorite things from this week. I love getting recommendations from others, so let me know what you’re digging in the comments below!

Homemade Chicken Stock

Temperatures dipped into the upper 60s and low 70s this week, which I decided meant it’s officially soup season! I’m a big soup lover and try to get in the habit of making homemade chicken or vegetable stock at least twice a month during the fall and winter months. I make mine using root veggies I have on hand, onion, garlic, lots of peppercorns and a large chicken. I cover it all in filtered water let it simmer on the stove for a couple of hours before removing and shredding the chicken and straining the broth. It makes the house smell delicious and gives us a ton of chicken to use in tacos, sandwiches, soups and salads all week. I usually freeze half of each batch of broth and then use the other half to make some homemade soup the same day.

Rhinegeist Beer In Indiana

James and I first discovered Rhinegeist beer when we took a trip to Cincinnati for our “minimoon” the weekend after our wedding. We fell in love with the atmosphere at the brewery and the impressive list of IPAs. We’ve tried to snag some six packs to bring back to Indiana every time we’ve been in Ohio since then, but now we won’t have to! Rhinegeist started distributing in Indiana this week and I’m thrilled. They have lots of great beers, but their Truth IPA is among my favorites. There are tap takeovers happening all over Bloomington this week to celebrate Rhinegeist’s arrival and I’m hoping to grab a pint before they kick all of the kegs. I saw a rosé ale cider of theirs at the grocery store, which I’m dying to try. It sounds like the perfect middle ground when I can’t decide between beer and wine. Cheers to more great beer in the Hoosier state!

Cat Cuddles

For those of you who don’t know, we’ve got two cats who pretty much rule the house. They can be a bit high maintenance at times — especially Lucia. She gets extra cuddly after we’ve been gone for a few days, which I fully embrace. She’s been by my side nonstop since we got back from vacation and I couldn’t resist asking James to snap a picture when she appeared to be planking on me earlier this week. Pets are the best.

No More Trash Tags

You know you’re an adult when … you get excited about your trash service! Let me explain: up until now our city required residents to buy trash tags for each bin of trash they wanted crews to pick up. Residents could only have trash cans that were 35-gallons or smaller because the city still had people manually unloading them. It was a pain in the butt when we had large parties and found ourselves with excessive amounts of trash or when we were taking our cans to the curb and realized we had to run to the grocery store to get tags. We will pay extra in our monthly bill for these new trash and recycling containers, but it’s so worth it for the convenience! #adulthood

What are you loving this week?

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Friday Favorites: WarPigs & Hiking https://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/2017/09/01/friday-favorites-warpigs-hiking/ https://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/2017/09/01/friday-favorites-warpigs-hiking/#respond Fri, 01 Sep 2017 08:00:28 +0000 http://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/?p=3391 A roundup of my favorite eats, finds and activities from the week.

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We are on the brink of a long weekend and that’s something to celebrate! Labor Day is always bittersweet because it signals the end of summer. But, honestly, I’m so ready for fall this year. We had a blast this summer, but it feels like we’ve been on the road constantly. I’m hoping to slow down a bit this fall and really soak up all the season has to offer. The slightly cooler weather makes it my favorite time of year to go on long hikes and spend late nights around the fire pit.

Do you have anything fun planned for the holiday weekend? We’re headed south to spend a week on Lake Ouachita with our families. It’s become an annual trip we look forward to every summer! There’s nothing more relaxing than being on a boat for a few days with nothing else on the agenda but swimming. I can’t wait to get down there!

For now, here are some of my favorite things from this week:

WarPigs Beer

I’ve been trying to track this beer down since I heard two of my favorite breweries were collaborating earlier this summer. We are big fans of both Three Floyds and Mikkeller and knew we would enjoy any brew that came out of the collaboration. I picked up a six-pack of Lazurite for our upcoming trip and couldn’t resist popping one open. You can definitely taste similarities to some of Three Flyods’ other hop-forward IPAs. Delicious!

Amy Weingartner Branigin Peninsula Preserve

We made a return trip to one of my favorite hiking spots over the weekend. The Amy Weingartner Branigin Peninsula Preserve is a Sycamore Land Trust property along Lake Monroe. The hike is hilly at times, which is what I love — you get a moderate workout in! And, it’s so worth it when you get to the water. This area of the lake doesn’t have as much boat traffic and the peninsula is the perfect spot to sit down for a picnic. That’s just what we did with our friend Madeline this week and it was one of the highlights of my summer.

Snack Dinner

This delicious meal was inspired by this month’s issue of Cooking Light, which features tips on how to build a “snack dinner.” Honestly, this is my favorite kind of meal. I’ve always preferred small portions of a variety of foods to a heaping portion of one dish. I threw this snack dinner together while my husband was out of town and it was so satisfying. It included a purple pepper from our garden, castelvetrano olives, Babybel cheese, grapes, kale pesto hummus and some pretzels. I’m already planning on recreating this for lunch tomorrow!

Homegrown tomatoes

Maybe it’s because this is our first garden, but I get so excited every time I pull a tomato off the vine. After making some delicious salsa with some of last week’s harvest, I’m going to try my hand at some fresh marinara sauce this weekend. If you have any tips or favorite recipes, send them my way!

What are you loving this week? Tell me in the comments!

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Ft. Collins Highlights https://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/2017/06/05/ft-collins-highlights/ https://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/2017/06/05/ft-collins-highlights/#respond Mon, 05 Jun 2017 11:27:27 +0000 http://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/?p=3067 A recap of our trip to Ft. Collins, Colorado.

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It’s Monday, which means it’s time to head back to work after two wonderful weeks off. I’m definitely ready to get back into my routine, but my body was so confused when my alarm went off at 6 a.m.

One of my favorite parts of vacation was our visit to Ft. Collins, Colorado, which coincided with our two-year wedding anniversary. The college town is full of great breweries and restaurants, so it was the perfect way for us to celebrate. We planned to exchange anniversary gifts, but when we found out the traditional gift for year two is cotton we decided we would buy each other brewery t-shirts from our trip instead.

We had plans to visit just a couple of the nearly two-dozen breweries in town and started with afternoon beers at Odell Brewing. We don’t get Odell in Indiana, so it was my first time trying any of their brews and I quickly became a fan. I got the local flight, which included pale ales, IPAs and a porter. My favorite of the bunch was actually the Drumroll APA, which is a delicious, unfiltered, hoppy beer.

After enjoying a round of beers at Odell, we headed over to New Belgium for a tour. You can book a tour up to two months in advance, which is highly recommended. They’re extremely popular and fill up quickly!

The tour takes you behind the scenes of New Belgium’s brewing operations, which started in a local couple’s basement. The brewery’s since grown to more than 800 employees and expanded with a second brewery in Asheville, North Carolina. It was interesting to hear more about New Belgium’s back story and the philosophy that’s guided it as it’s expanded nationwide. Even with all of its successes, New Belgium remains 100% employee owned. Along the tour we got to sample several beers and learn more about the brewing process. The tour ends with an opportunity to slide down the famous metal slide that was installed for employees to use at the end of the day. It helped to illustrate the philosophy of fun that remains central to the brewery’s mission. If you’re a craft beer fan, you can’t miss this tour!

James and I grabbed a beer in the tap room after the tour and couldn’t stop talking about how much fun we had. We ended up making two trips to New Belgium during our stay and I ordered a beer from the pilot brewery each time. They’re experimental beers only available on tap at New Belgium and their fate remains uncertain, so I felt like I had to try them in case I didn’t have another chance! We could have easily spent all day hanging out at the brewery because of the large outdoor space and the long list of amazing beers on tap. But, we decided to head back downtown for an anniversary dinner at Bisetti’s Italian restaurant before turning in for the night.

We woke up early on our second day in Ft. Collins so we could head to Rocky Mountain National Park for some great hiking. The park is about an hour away. We didn’t get to spend as much time there as we wanted, thanks to the rain. But we had just enough time to get a short hike around Bear Lake in, which is one of the most popular spots in the park for good reason. The views are breathtaking and the hike is easy. Although it was about 70 degrees out, there was still quite a bit of snow on the paths, which made the hike even more fun.

We also walked around an Elk preserve on our way out of the park, which offered more great views. We spent a little bit of time popping into shops in Estes Park and visiting the famous Stanley Hotel that inspired The Shining before heading back to Ft. Collins. We met up with a friend of mine from college for a bit and ended the night with appetizers and beers at Ace Gillett’s, a jazz bar in the basement of our hotel. The bar had an impressive offering of local craft beers on tap and great food.

I was sad to leave Ft. Collins because I fell in love with the town during our short stay. I have a feeling we’ll be making a return trip for the beer alone. There are so many breweries we didn’t make it to! But, for now, it’s back to the grind.

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Sours After Hours https://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/2017/05/16/sours-after-hours/ https://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/2017/05/16/sours-after-hours/#respond Tue, 16 May 2017 23:15:20 +0000 http://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/?p=2982 We had a blast at the first Sour After Hours, hosted by Upland Brewing and Oliver Winery.

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Hi, friends! How’s your week shaping up so far? I’m counting down until Friday, which is when James and I kick off a two-week vacation. I feel like we’ve been talking about it forever, so I can’t wait for it to finally be here! I’ve got lots to do before we hit the road and head west, but we found time to start our week out on a really fun note.

Upland Brewing and Oliver Winery hosted their first “Sours After Hours” event at the Bloomington brew pub Monday night. Upland President Doug Dayhoff and Oliver President Bill Oliver guided us through a tasting of sours and wines, talking about the process it takes to achieve the final product and their unique partnership.

Upland’s become a standout in the sour beer scene. Turns out it all started a little more than ten years ago when the brewery traded Oliver a few cases of beer for some oak barrels. The barrels were used to help brew Upland’s first sours and are still used in the process today. The sour program’s grown every year since its conception, as well as the partnership. In addition to using Oliver’s barrels in the process, Upland uses some of the winery’s grapes to make two of its sours: Vinosynth Red and Vinosynth White.

We got to taste both sours next to Oliver wines that are made using the same variety of grapes, Moscato and Catawba. Bill and Doug encouraged us to experiment by taking a bite of cheese, meat or fruit, then sipping the sours and wines. It was amazing to see how doing so brought out different flavors in each drink. I enjoyed everything we tasted, but Vinosynth Red is among my all-time favorite Upland beers. I can remember buying a bottle when we first moved to Bloomington and I didn’t know much about sours. We opened it during a late night with friends on our front porch and I was blown away by the unique, complex flavors. It’s one of my go-to special occasion drinks.

We had a blast learning more about the collaboration between Upland and Oliver throughout the evening. It was the first Sours After Hours, but they’re planning on offering the event on a somewhat regular basis. I can’t wait to learn something new next time!

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Bloomington Craft Beer Fest 2017 https://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/2017/04/11/bloomington-craft-beer-fest-2017/ https://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/2017/04/11/bloomington-craft-beer-fest-2017/#comments Tue, 11 Apr 2017 08:00:50 +0000 http://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/?p=2893 A breakdown of my top five favorite beers from Bloomington Craft Beer Festival.

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I’m starting the week riding such a high from an amazingly fun, long weekend. We celebrated James’ birthday this weekend, which started with one of our favorite events of the year: Bloomington Craft Beer Festival. More than 50 Indiana breweries setup at Woolery Mill for a beautiful day full of amazing beer. I love this fest because it’s relatively small, so the lines move quickly and the crowd never feels overwhelming. And, the number of amazing Indiana breweries keeps growing! We tried several surprising, new brews this year. Here are my top five from the festival:

5. Bare Hands Brewery: Sleeping Lion

We know this Northern Indiana brewery from our time living in South Bend and miss being able to easily find their unique beers. Their Thai P.A. is among one of my favorites, so when I saw Hop Cat pouring Bare Hands at the festival, I quickly got in line. I’m not a big Porter drinker, but their hoppy version called Sleeping Lion was delicious. It’s dry-hopped with Centennial hops and has the perfect punch of citrus to make me a big fan of this dark beer.

4. Evil Czech: Nefarious Harbor

Evil Czech was one of several breweries at the festival that’s deciding to embrace the hazy, New England style IPAs. Hazy IPAs are coming back in style because people realize all of that cloudiness = deliciousness. And, Evil Czech’s version didn’t disappoint. It had the perfect balance of citrus and pine flavors.

3. 450 North: Dank Candy – Gummy Haze

Calling this a “dank” beer is deliciously appropriate. I’d been wanting to try this Double IPA from 450 North for quite some time because I’d heard rave reviews. The juicy hops hit you up front, which is just how I like it. This brewery’s also teasing a special 420 Juice New England IPA that I’m dying to get my hands on!

2. Function Brewing: Codex

Codex exemplifies what I love about Function’s beers. I read the description and think, “Can all of these flavors really work well together without detracting from the overall beer?” And I’m never let down. This stout has flavors of chocolate up front, with the perfect hint of cayenne at the end. The spicy flavor isn’t overpowering — it just makes you want to take another sip.

1. Four Day Ray Brewing: Hobo Series #2

I tried several beers from Four Day Ray Brewing and had a hard time nailing down my favorite because I was a fan of several beers. I’d never heard of this brewery before, but I’m so glad I gave it a try. I was impressed by their lineup and the complexity of their flavors. Hobo Series #2 is another one of those trendy New England IPAs. It has the perfect amount of haze with powerful citrus notes. Now I need to make a trip to the taproom in Fishers!

What was your favorite beer from the fest? Tell me in the comments below!

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My Favorite Bloomington Beers https://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/2017/04/03/favorite-bloomington-beers/ https://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/2017/04/03/favorite-bloomington-beers/#respond Mon, 03 Apr 2017 11:29:25 +0000 http://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/?p=2858 In honor of Bloomington Beer Week, I'm sharing a list of my favorite local brews.

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It’s Monday … and that’s a good thing this week! Today kicks off Bloomington Craft Beer Week, which culminates Saturday with Bloomington Craft Beer Fest. I’m not exaggerating when I say I look forward to this week all year. It’s packed with special tastings and events and always reminds me of what an amazing, supportive community Bloomington is. People turn out in droves to support their local craft breweries!

I’m excited to check out some of the special events throughout the week. There are several tappings of special brews I’m hoping to make it to. We already tried the collaboration beer, which Bloomington’s five breweries come together to make for the fest every year. Ship Hop Hooray is a lavender-smoked honey ale and I’m a big fan. The smokiness is subtle, making it an easy-to-drink, refreshing spring beer. And, each brewery also has a special variation on the brew available on tap. I can’t wait to try them all!

In honor of the big week of beer ahead of us, here’s a list of my favorite brew from each of Bloomington’s breweries. Cheers!

Bloomington Brewing Co.: 10-Speed Hoppy Wheat

I love Mosaic hops, so this beer became an instant favorite when we moved to Bloomington. I can’t top the brewery’s description of this beer:

Like an early morning summer ride through the Indiana countryside, this American wheat ale is golden and hazy with earthy pine and tropical fruit notes rippling throughout each sip. Mosaic hops bring their unique aromas of crisp citrus and juicy pineapple, creating an invigorating finish full of single-hopped bliss.

I love that this beer is light enough to drink at an afternoon cookout, but still has a complex flavor with just enough bite. I drink this all spring and summer!

Function Brewing: Origin Cherry Brown Ale

Function Brewing is the smallest brewery in town and does the most experimenting. That makes it such a fun place to frequent — you’ll always find something unique on the menu. I’m an IPA-loving lady, but at Function I often find myself gravitating toward other styles. The Origin Cherry Brown Ale is one that pleasantly surprised me. The American ale is brewed with a whole lot of cherry juice, but it’s not overly sweet. I like to order a pint along with their awesome cheese plate.

The Tap: Bionic Dragon IPA

We’ve always loved the impressive selection of brews at The Tap, but we became even bigger fans when the craft beer bar became a brewery. Bionic Dragon is another brew made with Mosaic hops, which gives it the perfect hint of citrus. Pair it with an order of Tap fries and you’ll know what happiness tastes like.

Upland Brewing: Coastbuster Imperial IPA

This is one of those beers I will never forget tasting for the first time. James and I were having dinner at Upland and both ordered a Coastbuster. We took one sip and immediately fell in love with this beer. Here’s how Upland describes this bad boy:

Inspired by the gloriously effervescent qualities of hop varieties common to West Coast style Imperial IPAs, Coastbuster is our vehicle for displaying the best of what these hops have to offer: their tropical, fruity, and floral aromas and flavors.

Quaff On!: Yellow Dwarf

Are you seeing a trend with my love of hoppy wheats? I gravitate toward bitter beers with tropical flavors, and Yellow Dwarf does not disappoint. While they have some other great styles, I order this beer almost every time we go to Quaff On! It’s the perfect beer to sip in their beer garden on a summer day and pairs perfectly with an order of their famous nachos.

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5th Annual Christmas Cookie And Craft Beer Exchange https://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/2016/12/12/5th-annual-christmas-cookie-craft-beer-exchange/ https://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/2016/12/12/5th-annual-christmas-cookie-craft-beer-exchange/#comments Mon, 12 Dec 2016 08:00:07 +0000 http://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/?p=2471 A recap of our annual Christmas cookie and craft beer exchange.

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Happy Monday! How was your weekend? I want to hear about all of the fun things you did!

Our weekend was spent preparing for and hosting our annual Christmas cookie and craft beer exchange, which has become our favorite event of the year. The tradition started with just a few girlfriends when I was living in South Bend and keeps getting bigger and bigger every year. It’s a great way to unwind and spend time with friends during the hectic holiday season.

Here’s how it works: everyone brings either a six-pack of craft beer or a dozen cookies to share. We spend the night sampling everyone’s creations and the person who baked the crowd favorite takes home a small prize.

We stocked our fridge with a variety of my dad’s homebrew, New Belgium and Upland beers before everyone arrived. We also got a growler of Krampus from Bloomington Brewing Company, which is our favorite seasonal beer. We had to make a beer run halfway through the party last year, so we wanted to make sure we had more than enough beer in case most guests decided to bring cookies. But, most people actually brought both! We still have dozens of beers in our fridge leftover from the party. Luckily, there’s no such thing as too much beer.

I made Doubletree cookies, Oreo truffles, pretzel cookies and almond cut-out cookies for the party. I also put out a cheese plate and some salty snacks to help balance out all of the sugar. That table quickly became covered in cookies when guests arrived. I think we’re going to need a bigger one for next year’s party!

There seriously wasn’t enough room for all of the delicious cookies people brought. What’s so fun about the party is somehow no two people ever bring the same cookies. We had everything from classic spritz cookies to ombre cookies. I only sampled a couple because I was so busy mingling — and I didn’t want an awful stomach ache this morning.

There were lots of favorites, but our friend Stacy won the cookie competition this year. She brought two kinds that were delicious, but the salted caramel cookies were the biggest hit. I also loved the coffee cheesecake tartlets and Snickers-stuffed snickerdoodles other friends brought. We tried to send everyone off with bags of cookies, but we still somehow ended up with the majority of the leftovers. I threw them in the freezer so we won’t be tempted to eat ourselves into cookie comas!

The party was an absolute blast and I’m kind of sad it’s already over. It’s become one of our favorite holiday traditions and it was especially fun being able to throw it in a home of our own this year. I’m already dreaming up cookie recipes for next year’s party!

What’s your favorite holiday tradition? Chime in by posting a comment below!

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Corn Maze Beer Fest https://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/2016/10/02/corn-maze-beer-fest/ https://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/2016/10/02/corn-maze-beer-fest/#comments Sun, 02 Oct 2016 16:28:19 +0000 http://www.thebroadcastingbaker.com/?p=2064 Happy Sunday, all! I hope you’re soaking up the remaining hours of your weekend. Mine was packed with lots of fun, thanks to an awesome event put on by 450 North Brewing and Indiana On Tap. When I first heard about Corn Maze Beer Fest, I immediately texted my brother and dad to see if […]

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Happy Sunday, all! I hope you’re soaking up the remaining hours of your weekend. Mine was packed with lots of fun, thanks to an awesome event put on by 450 North Brewing and Indiana On Tap.

When I first heard about Corn Maze Beer Fest, I immediately texted my brother and dad to see if they’d be interested in going. They’re also huge craft beer fans and love checking out unique festivals. This one fit the bill, so it ended up being a family affair.

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My family and friend Andrea caravanned over to the festival, which was on 450 North’s property in rural Columbus. It was our first time at the brewery and I’m dying to go back and check out the inside. The grounds were beautiful.

We opted for VIP tickets to get into the corn maze early and start sampling some brews from the 20+ Indiana breweries in attendance. We didn’t arrive until close to the end of the VIP hour, which was a mistake. The corn maze was much less crowded with hardly any lines during the VIP part of the festival — definitely worth the extra money if you arrive on time.

The corn maze had a large area in the middle with live music and a couple beer tents, then six small circles off to the sides that had a variety of different breweries. I liked that this festival featured some of Indiana’s smaller brewers because it gave us a chance to try lots of beers from places that don’t distribute to Bloomington. There were several breweries from Indianapolis and southern Indiana that I hadn’t heard of and really enjoyed.

Everyone’s favorite brewery of the day was Brew Link, which is located in Plainfield. It’s a place we’d never heard of before but definitely want to check out after sampling a couple of their beers. I didn’t get a chance to try any of their brews because I had to get us back to Bloomington safely!

For this being the first year of the event, I thought it was well put together. The concept is so fun and unique and our entire group had a blast.

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There are a couple of things that could be improved. Lines were longer than any other beer fest I’ve attended. There definitely needed to be more people pouring beers. Most breweries brought two beers, which is plenty, but most of them were beers you could get on tap at any time. I think one of the best parts of beer fests is being able to sample some unique brews that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to try.

There definitely weren’t enough porta potties, which resulted in some people going into the middle of the corn and relieving themselves there because of the extremely long lines. But it sounds like that’s already something the organizers plan to improve upon next year.

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Overall, the event was great and I’m really looking forward to going again next year. I think it’d be fun to organize a bus from Bloomington to take people over so we can stay for the after party next time!

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