By Kristina Traxler for Indiana On Tap
According to Urban Dictionary, Black Wednesday (also known as Blackout Wednesday) is the night before Thanksgiving Day often celebrated with merrymaking. It’s also one of the biggest drinking days of the year. Doc’s Smokehouse, a new Northwest Indiana treasure, celebrated by having a stacked draft list composed of local and regional specialties.
Doc’s, located in Dyer, IN is known for their quality smoked meats and a variety of delicious sauces to top them off. I’ve had several people tell me that the Doc’s wings are “The best wings. Ever.” To complement the unbelievable food, they have over 60 craft beers on draft. They also have a state-of-the-art Digital Pour system. This measures the amount left in the keg and provides updates of how much beer is left through their website. This is quite helpful since it allows snobs like me to get an update of what exactly I can expect to have.
The “Black Wednesday BBQ” special was an event that took place all day on November 23rd. On this particularly day, Doc’s was home to some of the best Midwest beers available during the holiday season. I chose the flight option so that I could get a variety of brews and still save room for some grub.
Here’s a snapshot of the tastings I received from the Blackout BBQ Draft Menu :
- Goose Island Gillian
- Goose Island Bourbon County Barleywine
- New Holland Barrel Aged Hibernation
- New Holland Dragon’s Milk Reserve w/ Vanilla Chai
- Founder’s Backwoods Bastard
- Founder’s Lizard of Koz
- Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Scotch Ale
- Heavy Seas Blackbeard’s Breakfast
- Oskar Blues Ten FIDDY
The hardest part of having that many samples is keeping everything straight. That being said, the Founder’s Lizard of Koz and the New Oberpfalz Russian Imperial Stout with Coffee and Cocoa Nibs clearly stood out to me. The Lizard of Koz Imperial Stout brewed with blueberries, chocolate, and vanilla was so smooth and rich. It’s now my favorite dessert of the season. The Russian Imperial Stout with Coffee and Cocoa Nibs was created by New Oberpfalz and Dagger Mountain Roastery (Valparaiso, IN) and had a bold roast flavor with a silky malt finish.
Although most Region Rats don’t think of Doc’s as a bar, they single-handedly obtained some of the best Midwest brews all under one roof for a delicious evening. I checked the draft list online and unfortunately, many of my favorites are now running low. I guess I’ll just have to head back soon!
