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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It was Katie’s birthday weekend, which gave us all the more reason to celebrate being together. She’d been to Bloomington before, but in the middle of the winter. It was so nice to be able to walk everywhere and spend some time outside. We started the day with lunch at Upland Brewing. Katie was wowed by the size of their flights. We all had great meals and fell in love with Purple Reign, a saison that won this year’s Up Cup. Upland hosts a homebrewing competition each year and the winner gets to come in and brew a production batch. We are big fans of Brandon Schaefer’s creation!

After an amazing lunch, we headed out to Oliver Winery. It’s one of my favorite places to take out-of-town guests because the grounds are beautiful and there’s a good variety of sweet and dry wines, meaning there’s something for just about every kind of wine drinker.

We did a tasting before buying a bottle of Catawba and heading outside for a little afternoon picnic. The weather was absolutely perfect and we had a blast catching up while sipping wine and demolishing some cheese. It doesn’t get much better.

If we could have, we would have spent hours at the winery. It’s such a peaceful setting and the perfect place to spend a summer or fall afternoon. It was Katie’s boyfriend’s first time in Bloomington and I’m so glad we were able to make it to Oliver.

We headed back to our house to relax for a bit before braving the Welcome Weekend crowds and walking down to Kirkwood. There were, of course, a couple rounds of Sink the Biz. It’s a game we rarely partake in, but visitors are always interested in trying it out. Luckily, I’ve gotten pretty good during our two years in Bloomington.

The night took us to the Root Cellar for dancing and to Rockit’s for late-night pizza before we came home to celebrate Katie’s birthday with some homemade funfetti cake. It was the perfect way to end a ridiculously fun day.

Saying goodbye after such a quick visit is always hard, but I’m already looking ahead to December when we’ll be able to see each other again.

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We’ll check quite a few things off our summer bucket list over the next few days. We’re road tripping south with my family to visit my aunt, uncle and cousins for a week. They live in Arkansas and own an amazing houseboat business on Lake Ouachita. We’ll spend a few nights on the boat and almost all of our time on the water. After a crazy summer, it’s just what we need!

Here some other things I want to do before the summer’s over:

1. Take advantage of Tiki Tuesday. 

Every Tuesday during the summer the amazing bartenders at Cardinal Spirits serve up some impressive beach-themed drinks. Just sipping them makes you feel like you’re on vacation. We went to Tiki Tuesday a lot last summer, but somehow we haven’t made it once this year. That needs to change!

2. SUP at Lake Monroe.

I haven’t been standup paddle boarding in a while and I’m dying to rent a board for an afternoon out at Lake Monroe.

3. Attend Cork & Fork.

I’ve only made it out to Oliver Winery once this summer and I want to make a return trip to hear some live music during their Cork & Fork series. The event is actually at their Creekbend Vineyard in Ellettsville, which I’ve never visited.

4. Hike at McCormick’s Creek. 

I absolutely love McCormick’s Creek State Park. It’s a short drive from Bloomington and offers great hiking trails and camping. We rented a cabin there with some friends last summer and had a blast.

5. Go camping. 

I have no idea how we’ve gone so long without doing this, but we have to take advantage of all the amazing camping spots near us! In addition to McCormick’s Creek and Lake Monroe, we’re a short drive from the beautiful Brown County State Park.

6. Participate in Tour de Upland.

We’ve talked about signing up for this event ever since we moved to Bloomington but have always had other plans. This year we’re free! Tour de Upland is a weekend of cycling, beer and camping. Does it get much better? There are several different routes to choose from based on your cycling level. If we’re going up and down Brown County hills, I think we’ll go for one of the shorter rides!

7. Plan a picnic. 

We’re lucky enough to live within walking distance of several great city parks at our new place. I’d love to throw together an easy picnic and walk down to one of them for dinner one night. There’s something about eating outside that’s just so relaxing and enjoyable — at least when there isn’t 90 percent humidity.

8. Bike to the Scenic View.

The Scenic View is a great restaurant that overlooks Lake Monroe. I’ve been wanting to bike out there forever and a summer evening is the perfect time to do so. You can’t beat the view or the food!

9. See a drive-in movie. 

When I was a kid my parents would take us to a drive-in movie theater about 30 minutes away from my hometown and it’s an experience I still absolutely love. We have yet to go to the Starlite Drive-In in Bloomington, so I’m keeping my eyes on their schedule over the next few weeks.

10. Host a cookout. 

We don’t have a grill, which means we only cookout when we’re at a friend’s house or visiting my parents. But we’re not going to let that stop us! I think it would be a blast to get a group together at a local park that’s equipped with grills and throw an end-of-summer cookout. You can’t beat hot dogs and s’mores.

What’s on your summer bucket list? Chime in by posting a comment below!

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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. 

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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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