Brass Monkey Brewpub

We had a chance to stop by the Brass Monkey Brewpub on our way up for a long lake weekend. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. What might have surprised me the most was the size of the samplers - wow - about 6 oz. for each glass - I don't remember exactly how much it was, but I'm thinking $9-$10. Here's a pic of the sampler I enjoyed on their alley porch:Here's a photo of each side of their beer descriptions:


Here's a picture of their (impressive) tap board and their taps (most of them made it into the pic):


I decided to sample only the Brass Monkey beers because I knew I couldn't get them in Indy. Overall they were more polished than I expected - I enjoyed them quite a bit.

Here are my notes:

White Flag Wit - 3 rating - Fruity, clovey (or maybe a little rubbery?) and appley. It was very smooth with thick mouth feel. I really enjoyed it except for small off flavor I couldn't identify, but by no means was it not worth trying.

Green Tea Pale Ale - 3 rating - Hmmm...tastes like green tea. Interesting. I don't have strong feelings one way or another about green tea, but I do like a good pale ale. This fits in the good pale ale category. It's a good change of pace.

Tenacious Apple Triple - 2 rating - This was my favorite beer of the outing. I had the lowest expectations for this one (just due to my personal tastes), but this was a good beer. Extremley smooth, especially for a beer with 10% abv. I would have had another one of these if we didn't have an hour and a half drive ahead of us.

Speak No Evil Belgian IPA- 3 rating - Solid. Nothing remarkable, but a very well done IPA.

See No Evil IPA- 4 rating - I think it's a matter of personal preference and not brewing ability. This beer was well done, but I don't think I enjoy dry hopped beers.

I tried to sample the Silver Back, but they were out of it when we happened to stop by.

As far as the food is concerned, I tried their tenderloin and it was definetly home made (and good). The food was cheap (we ordered two sandwiches, an order of sweet potato fries, regular fries, an iced tea and a beer sampler and got out of there for under $30), and the service was attentive (and helpful). I was a little leery about our server's knowledge (when I asked about their beers she told me the Wit was kinda like a Coors Light - I don't think the brewer would have appreciated that), but she ended up steering me in the right direction on which beers to include in the sampler. She also was very interested in how we like everything, but not in an annoying way.

One interesting note from the wife - how in the world does a place that brews their own beer not brew their own iced tea (the wife will only drink brewed iced tea - she's doesn't drink beer, but she knows good (and bad) tea when she sees it).

If you're in Kokomo, or passing through Kokomo, it's definetly worth a stop. I know we'll probably make it a must stop every trip to (or from) the lake.

A partial list of beers I've had since my last review

Well, I'm still slacking on my posts, but that doesn't mean I'm not sampling beer. Here's a list of the beers I've had since I last "reviewed". Also, I hope to post a summary of the Bells Brewery (really just the cafe & general store, as they don't do brewery tours) and an outing at BJ's in Greenwood. Unfortunately I'll be out of town for the beer gathering at Scotty's this weekend, and I wasn't able to make it to the HBG anniversary party at Brugge (regrettably - it looked like a blast).

Here's the rough list, with ratings, and any brief notes I might have taken:

Bell’s – Special Double Cream Stout 3

Founder’s – Dry Hopped Pale Ale 3

Stone – IPA 3

Boulder Beer – Buffalo Gold Golden Ale 3 or 2
Very good for an ale – a little buttery

Boulder Beer – Single Track Copper Ale 3

Mishawaka Brewing Company – Hop Head Ale 4
Musty, but it improved as I drank it

Goose Island – Pere Jacques 2

Smuttynose Brewing – Robust Porter 3

Dark Horse Brewing Co. – Too Cream Stout 2

Bell’s – Sparking Ale 2

Bell’s – 3^rd Coast Old Ale 3

Harpoon – IPA 3 or 4
Watery

Mad Anthony – IPA 3

Vieille Provision – Saison Dupont – Brasserie Dupont – Belgian Farmhouse Ale 4

Smuttynose – Portsmouth Lager 3

Bell’s – Big Porch Ale 2008 3
Sedimenty

Lake Placid – Ubu Ale 3

Shock Top Belgian White 5

Black Sheep Brewery - Monty Python Holy Ail Ale 4 or 5

Bell’s – Consecrator Doppelbock 3

Bluegrass Brewing Company – American Pale Ale 3

Bell’s – Lager of the Lakes 5

Mikkeller – Struise Mikkeller (Rate Beer) 2

Bell’s – Kalamazoo Stout 4

Goose Island – Demolition 3

Chimay Ale Peres Trappister Tripel White 3

Broad Ripple Brew Pub – Amarillo Lager 3

Broad Ripple Brew Pub – IPA 3

Piraat Ale – Br. Van Steenberge 3

Bell’s – Bourbon Barrel Aged Cherry Stout 4
An assault of cherry and bourbon (improved as I drank it)

Sam Adams – Cherry Wheat 4

Sam Adams – Light 5

Lexington Brewing Company - Kentucky Ale 3

Most, if not all of these beers were in the beer fridge at the old house and had to be quickly consumed, as we didn't have room for them along with everything else in our "regular" fridge when we moved into the apartment. I still have a bounty of beer (much to the dismay of the movers who had to move everything up three flights of stairs) in our closet that I will drink at a slower pace, hopefully allowing for better reviews. We've still got the two produce drawers full of beer that I need to drink before I can re-stock with any new beers, so any new beer reviews might have to wait until I've worked through those. Ahh, such a rough life.

We'll be out of town for a little bit, but after Labor Day I expect to have more regular posts, along with a weekly (or more frequent) beer news roundup.