The Great Taste Caper 2018 - Day 2: Sour Goats & Bare Ewes on Oak Street

For our second day, we had planned on hitting one of our favorite spots, Buckeye Beer Engine, bright and early (at least by Pour Travelers' standards) at 10 a.m. upon opening. However, our hotel was about 10 miles in the opposite direction and right off the Interstate, so we decided to wait until the return trip home and swing by for lunch. With this audible, we were able to add about two hours to our itinerary. What does this mean? More brewery stops along the way, of course!

The goat is my spirit animal.

Our first order of business for the day was a leisurely 3 1/2-hour drive to Granger, IN for a stop at Heavenly Goat. When I discovered this brewery by way of my newest, bestest Internet buddy, BreweryMap.com, I knew I was destined to visit this place. Why? Because goats! Fortunately for us, the place was fantastic, the service was spot-on, and the beers were pretty darn tasty too!

Step inside my GOATress of solitude! 

After we got settled in and scoped everything out, we started off with a flight of six different beers, which ran the gamut of a dry-hopped Brett pale ale to a pair of barrel-aged stouts. Here's the skinny:

• Batch 54 - dry-hopped pale ale fermented with Brettanomyces
• Batch 54 Fruited - the aforementioned pale ale fruited with blackberries and raspberries
• Black Triangles - IPA hopped with Citra and Mosaic
• Coffee Death by Porter - Porter conditioned on Zen Cafe roasted coffee beans
• Tonight we Ragnarok (variation #1) - Imperial Stout aged in a Heaven Hill bourbon barrels
• Tonight we Ragnarok (variation #2) - Imperial Stout aged in Bulleit rye whiskey barrels

My monkey was diggin' the goats!

Overall, everything was solid, although I was quite partial to both Black Triangles and the bourbon barrel-aged variant of Tonight we Ragnarok. FUN FACT: In Norse mythology, Ragnarök is a series of future events, including a great battle, foretold to ultimately result in the death of a number of major figures (including the Gods Odin, Thor, Loki, etc.). This doesn't surprise me, as I learned from our bartender that the name of the brewery itself is steeped in mythology. The gist of it is this: the 'Heavenly Goat' origin story takes place in Valhalla of Norse Mythology. Heiðrún the Goat stands on its hind legs to bite the buds of the Tree of Life. From her teats runs the mead that fills a cauldron so large that all of the Nordic warriors who have fallen are carried to Valhalla on the wings of the Valkyries to drink the precious liquid. Pretty cool, eh? I thought so. 

Heiðrún the Goat eats from the Tree of Life.

Since I enjoyed the Black Triangles so much, I opted for a special pour from the beer engine to split with Brewslut. This was a limited one-off cask dry-hopped with Amarillo. Yum, yum, gimme some! It's not one of Brewslut's favorite hop varieties, but I love it. This variation was even more enjoyable than the standard version. I love me a good IPA on cask, and this one didn't disappoint. Speaking of not being disappointed, the homemade soft pretzels here were amazing. They resembled small loaves of bread more than pretzels, and they were so damn tasty. Carbs for the win!

Pleeps' geometry lesson: Black Triangles.

While we were at Heavenly Goat, we struck up a conversation with a local about - what else? - beer. Over the course of our banter, he happened to mention a second brewery in the town of Granger situated just a few miles away called Bare Hands. He promised we wouldn't be disappointed, so we decided to work it into the itinerary. As a matter of fact, he finished up at Heavenly Goat before us and just so happened to be heading to Bare Hands next. (Turns out he's a mugger there.) After he vacated the premises, a beer-loving couple came in and occupied his area at the bar, and oddly enough, they were also heading to Bare Hands afterward. Since we postponed our visit to Buckeye Beer Engine, we had plenty of time to stop. Let me tell you, I'm glad we did!

Outside Bare Hands Brewing, Granger, IN.

When we arrived at Bare Hands, the chalkboard was brimming with hoppy offerings including a lot of IPAs. Fine by me. First up was West Coast Joe, a Citra hopped West Coast-style IPA, for me, while Brewslut chose New Westy IPA, a NE-style variation of its house IPA boasting all the catch phrases and nomenclature all the kids dig these days: hazy, juicy, dank, double dry-hopped, yada yada yada. However, this one delivered! It turned out to be the star of the show for both of us, and we made sure to throw a pair of cans in our mixed 4-pack before we left.

Up next was a pour of Bare Hands' self-proclaimed flagship beer, Thai.P.A. Any time a brewery boasts a "flagship" beer, I have to try it. I mean, that's what they're known for, right? Hence, it's usually a wise decision to give it a shot. I've encountered a few Thai-influenced beers over the years in my travels (Terry Hawbaker's Thai.P.A. back from his Bullfrog days comes to mind) and I've enjoyed them. For this creation, Bare Hands added Thai palm sugar, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and galangal (Thai ginger) to create a citrus-forward flavor with a spicy finish. This was definitely a unique creation, and the fact that it's one of their top-selling beers is a testament to its excellence. I look forward to revisiting this one when we crack open the can we brought home.

Hops a-plenty at Bare Hands.

Meanwhile, I'd noticed a barrel-aged selection on the chalkboard nestled away from the barrage of IPAs. Enter Bourbon Barrel-Aged Vanilla Mail Order Bride, a 2017 vintage Russian Imperial Stout weighing in at 10.2% ABV. I was strongly urged to try this beer by a few patrons, so not only did I want to try it, but now it had to live up to a bit of hype. This was definitely a vanilla bomb of a stout and overall a tad too sweet for my palate, although it was complex and pretty chewy overall. I was digging the IPAs more here, which seem to be the brewery's forte.

We wrapped up our visit with Westy IPA, Bare Hands' "house IPA." Not to be confused with "New Westy," which we had earlier, this is more of a West Coast style IPA. It's also one of the only times I preferred a NE-style over a West Coast-style IPA. I couldn't help but think of the whole "New Coke" marketing ploy of the mid 1980's and had a good little chuckle over the name. Both were indeed solid but I give the nod to New Westy. Overall, I was glad we had some extra time to kill so we could swing by for what turned into a fun stop. I met the owner and gave him some Nimble Giant, to which he reciprocated with a 4-pack of Citronic, a Citra-hopped pale ale. Perks of the industry, folks.

Down the road a bit from Granger is South Bend, home of Crooked Ewe Brewery & Ale House. I must admit that I was stoked to find a sheep in such close proximity to a goat (thanks again, BreweryMap)! This was a visit we intended to make, as it was part of our original itinerary. It's no secret that I love goats, but I'm also quite partial to sheep (although not in the same vein as Brent from Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back). I just hoped the beer was decent and worthy of a stop. Turns out it was!

From heavenly goats to crooked ewes!

First up, another turtle beer! This one, Turtle Tamer, was an IPA hopped with Amarillo and Simcoe for a nice resiny pine and sweet tropical fruit combination. Plus who doesn't love turtles? Unlike a turtle, this one moved quickly into my gullet. Brewslut opted for Gleek, a straight-up unfruited gose that was enjoyable.

We decided that Crooked Ewe was worthy of follow-up beers, so we decided to chillax for a bit and get a bite to eat. After perusing the menu, we both honed in on the Poke Bowl. Check out this laundry list of deliciousness: house-cured salmon, mirin-soaked (mirin is a type of rice wine) sushi rice, wakame (edible seaweed), wasabi black bean, cucumber, and unagi (eel) avocado Srirachi. Holy sweet fuck was this dish amazing! We washed down this incredible bowl (note: definitely NOT a failure pile in a sadness bowl, for those of you Patton Oswalt fans) with a pair of IPAs: Vital IPA, hopped with Centennial for a prominent grapefruit note, and Wampus Monster, a Citra-hopped DIPA with bold citrus fruit flavors. I'm so glad we decided to get our chow on here, because that bowl was dee-freakin-licious, even though I was "eatin' my lunch from a single bowl." It just wasn't in my parents' basement.

Pleeps says, "Hey ewe guys!"

While we enjoyed some bar time at Crooked Ewe, we got caught up in another conversation with an older gent who was visiting some family in the area. One thing led to another, and he mentioned a brewery "right up the road." Sounds familiar, right? By now, we were still ahead of schedule so we figured we might as well swing by for a beer to check it out. After all, when would we be back through Northern Indiana? (Probably sooner than I think, but who's counting?)

Over at 18th Street, the gutted-building-turned-brewery reminded me of a big city music venue in an old, decommissioned factory. As a matter of fact, a band was just finishing up soundcheck when we arrived. This place seemed pretty "metal." It was dimly lit, sparsely decorated, and the acoustics were "boomy." The band sounded pretty heavy as well. Perhaps not the best environment for live music. And although as much as I love metal, we were here for a beer.

Loving the beer names at 18th Street!

I was digging the names of the beers here; they ran the gamut of dark and ominous (Here Comes the Reaper and Convicted Souls) to metal-as-fuck (Overlord's Revenge and Temporal Purgatory) to just plain disturbing (Black & Rigid). Then there's the beer I selected from this amusing list: The Fox and the Goat. I mean, duh! Lucky for me, it was a style I was into (not that there are many I'm not into). A collaboration with Girl and the Goat, a Chicago-based restaurant, this Centennial-hopped pale ale also featured some pretty heavy-handed dry-hopping with Amarillo. Pretty... pretty... pretty good!

Brewslut opted for Candi Crushable, another collaboration beer, this time with Northdown Cafe & Taproom (a Chicago-area bar that's apparently now closed as per Google and Yelp). Also a pale ale, this one features flaked oats and lactose sugar for a soft mouthfeel and hint of sweetness. Simcoe and Falconer's Flight hops impart hints of lemon, grapefruit, and pine. Both beers were solid, and it was another worthy diversion in our itinerary. (EDITOR'S NOTE: Turns out I'd checked in about half a dozen or so beers in the past, courtesy of our friend Nathan, who had sent some stuff in the "mail." Coincidentally, we were meeting with him later this evening. But more on that in a bit.)

Obligatory coaster shot with my main monkey Pleeps!

In what was turning out to be the leitmotif of the day, we got talking to another slightly older couple at the bar about beer and our travels. Over the course of our conversation, the guy asked if we enjoyed sour beers. We said we did, and he promptly directed us to "a brand new place right down the street" called The Sour Note. When he said it was "right down the street," he wasn't kidding. I didn't even need to pull out of the parking lot at 18th Street. I programmed our GPS and it was literally half a block away! We could have just walked. 

From my barstool at The Sour Note.

Started as a side project of 18th Street Brewing (the place we'd just visited) to focus on a variety of sour beers including tart wheat ales, fruit beers, and bottle-conditioned farmhouse ales, The Sour Note has evolved into a brewery in its own right. The place was small, and the building reminded me of an old restaurant I used to frequent in Shamokin to get ice cream called Amity House. (Brewslut and I went on a few dates there back in high school.) Inside, there were about four people scattered around the bar and a young, extremely friendly guy working behind it. We got to talking in no time because we unfortunately had to skedaddle pretty quickly, as we were meeting Nathan in Willow Springs, Illinois, about a 45-minutes away. We mentioned we were visiting from PA on our way to Great Taste, and,  long story short, it turns out the guy (Oswald) used to work with Roger (the Assistant Brewer at Pizza Boy) at Cigar City down in Florida. Small world, eh?

Never met an Oswald... until now!

He made sure to send us home with a pair of Cherry Gose 6-packs and a few 750mL bottles of some choice beers. I made sure to reciprocate with plenty of stuff from my employer. While we were there, we were able to enjoy pours of Foeder Peach Wild, a keg-conditioned wild golden ale brewed with peaches, and Coconut Drift, a toasted coconut gose. Both were tasty, and I wish we could have stayed longer, but alas we had to clear out and hit the road. At least we got to experience the place, if only for about twenty minutes or so.

Outside Imperial Oak Brewing.

After a 45-minute jaunt into the depths of Illinois (intentionally around Chicago, not through), it was time to arrive at our final brewery destination for the evening. Like the majority of the breweries on our itinerary, I'd never heard of Imperial Oak. When we arrived, there was a street fair happening a few blocks away, so parking was challenging. We found a spot a few blocks away, and as we approached we could see the place was bustling. After all, it was a Saturday night. The outside patio area was pretty full, so we headed inside to see if we could find Nathan. There he was sitting at the bar with a beer waiting for us to arrive.

The beer list was vast and almost intimidating, with about twenty-odd beers available including a diverse range featuring a handful of IPAs, a few Belgian-inspired beers, lighter offerings such as a fruited Kolsch, and several sours from its Savage Oak series. They even had a Wheat Wine on tap (which of course I had to try). I decided to start with a style I've been running into a lot lately, a Brut IPA. A variation of its "Crank It" series called Crank It Brut, this hoppy offering is meant to imitate the effervescence and dry finish of champagne while still maintaining a hop-forward character. Interesting concept, eh? If memory serves me correctly, Brewslut was digging this one a bit more than me, but it was pretty solid. Coincidentally, Rush's "YYZ" came on over the speakers in the tasting room and my ears perked up. Crank it, indeed, I thought.

I had to also try Aquavit Barrel Aged Pain!, an Imperial IPA (named Pain!) aged in Aquavit (or Akavit) barrels. Aquavit is a unique distilled spirit primarily produced in Scandinavia. Whoa! Citrus fruit mingles with spicy, herbal notes of caraway and dill in this out-there IPA. I'd never had nor heard of Aquavit before, but I'll usually try a barrel-aged IPA when I come across one, just for the adventure of it. In the grand scheme of things, they are pretty hit and miss. This one tasted like my grandma's spice rack got mixed up with a West Coast-style DIPA. Interesting, to say the least.

Speaking of grandma's spice rack, up next was something called Thyme for a Peach. This one is a variation on the "Crank It" theme featuring Azacca and Columbus hops with fresh thyme and peaches added. I'm a sucker for beer with peaches in it (or just peaches in general), so this one was a no-brainer for me. Turns out it was pretty tasty and perhaps a tie (or thy?) for my favorite beer at Imperial Oak.

Our view from the bar at Imperial Oak.

My next selection was my other favorite: Lady Humongous, a wheat wine. This one could be named after my wife's impressive guns. I rarely encounter wheat wines in our travels, so I'm always curious to try at least a small 4- o 5-oz. pour. The younger sister of the barleywine, the wheat wine is a generally glossed-over style of strong ale containing a large portion of wheat malt to provide a soft, fluffy mouthfeel. Most I've come across are sweeter and a bit thinner than traditional barleywines but pack the same boozy punch. This particular lady boasted hints of caramel chews, vanilla, butterscotch, and candied fruit with a touch of boozy warmth.

I finished up our visit with Crank it Hype, another variation of the Crank It series, this one a NE-style IPA. Funny name, as everyone knows that hazy IPAs are all the "hype" these days and seem to show no sign of slowing down. Speaking of slowing down, it was time to stick a fork in us. Right, Pleeps?

Pleeps is cut off!

Overall, it was great to catch up and share some beers with Nathan, whom we hadn't seen in a while. (By the way, stay tuned for more fun with Nathan and his new wife, Tiffany, at the tail end of the trip.) Back at the hotel, we cracked open a can of The Sour Note's Cherry Gose, which was quite tasty. I was glad we were sent home with a 6-pack of this to enjoy. Stay tuned for Day 3 from Milwaukee, WI, coming soon. Until next time...

Ewe and I have memories...