04 Apr My Year at Union Jack Pub and ‘The Beer Club’
By Drew Ogborn for Indiana On Tap
Union Jack Pub is a British-style pub in the heart of Broad Ripple, right on the main drag. It’s known for several things: having stellar deep dish pizza, opening ridiculously early for people to watch soccer (sorry, “football”) matches, and having one of the best beer lineups in town. Since Indiana On Tap is all about beer, let me tell you how and why I spent most of 2016 at Union Jack.
It’s not uncommon to find a bar or pub that has some sort of beer connoisseur challenge. For instance, in Bloomington, the bar/restaurant Yogi’s has (or used to) their “Century Club” where there was special recognition if you had 100 different beers in a year. Union Jack’s “Beer Club” is similar. For those of you who are older than me, you may remember their “Passport” program. This is similar. The Beer Club is designed not to get you drunk, but for you to try as many fine brews as you can. For me, it’s kind of like doing fantasy football (go with me on this one). I like good craft beer but I am hardly an expert…just like football. Doing the club makes me have a reason to try new beer; similarly, fantasy football makes me follow the sport more.
The club starts the first of every year and goes all the way till December 31st. I won’t go into how the card (what you keep track of what you’ve consumed with) changed from last year, but here’s how it works this year.
Whenever you come into the pub either to eat, drink, watch a game, or just to say hi to Wool, ask for your beercard. There are four categories for the beer:
- Indiana
- Midwest
- USA
- World
It’s based on where the brewery is located, obviously. Every beer at UJ is categorized on where it came from. So there’s no argument over “well Corona is a Mexican beer, but it’s brewed in the states, though it’s owned by a European company” or whatever. None of that. Read the menu, it’s got a location next to the beer, and that’s where you mark it from. After you drink the beer (samples don’t count) you mark it down on the list. You can only put a beer down once, though different versions count, such as the different kinds of Bourbon County Stout that come out.
After you’ve finished one column, (say the Indiana column), let your bartender know and they will give you a corresponding prize. I believe finishing your first column gets you a gift card, if I remember correctly. Once you finish all four columns you get to turn the card in and have your first entry for the grand prize.
What’s the grand prize? I’ll get to that.
You can turn in as many cards as you want and each one is an individual entry for the prize. I think this year one guy turned in three or four. With each card requiring 80 beers, averaging around $5.50 each, it can add up, but it’s worth it.
You may be saying “but Drew, do they have 80 beers on tap?” No, they don’t. Jay Wetzl, the co-owner (with his wife) rotates beers out almost daily and the line-up is rarely the same on one day as it is the following. Bottles count too…even Bud Light.
Don’t judge me, I needed one more beer for my Midwest column and Bud Light counted.
Speaking of, let’s clarify some things about beer location strategy. I suggest finishing up your Indiana column first, and here’s why. Say you’re all done with Indiana but something new and delicious came out from Central State. Does this mean you can’t count it towards your card? No, it now falls under your Midwest beers column BUT only if you’ve already had all the Midwest beers they have on tap that day (for the most part).
Now, let’s talk about that freaking awesome grand prize.
After the year is over there is a party for all of those who turned in at least one card. This year it was held in February, as they wanted to make sure people could come. At the party the owners have a whole evening planned based around food and beer. You get a four-course dinner complete with appetizer (2), entrée’s, and desert. For each course, there is a beer that pairs with it. This year there was everything ranging from a Kolsch from Big Lug Canteen to a delicious barrel aged sour with cherry from Boom Island Kriek.
About every ten minutes or so a name is pulled from the hopper. The last name pulled wins an ALL EXPENSES PAID TRIP FOR YOU AND A GUEST TO ANY BEER FESTIVAL IN THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES. Yes, you read that correctly. So if you’ve always wanted to go to Seattle, just find a beer festival there and you get a hotel room for 2 nights, 2 VIP tickets in, and airfare for 2.
Unfortunately, my name was like the 9th last called. Though don’t dismay fellow enthusiasts. I did win a cool glass and a $25 gift card.
PLEASE NOTE, you may be curious why I’m just now writing this. Because I’m selfish. I wanted to get a head start on anyone who might be entering after reading this!
I originally thought “wow, Jay, this seems like a pain in the ass for you to do”. He completely disagreed. Sure, the money lost on the prizes would be a lot, and sure putting the dinner together is time consuming. But he didn’t see it that way, and doesn’t. As he said at the dinner “every person here feels like family to us”.
FYI, I’ve already got 21 beers marked off. See you in the winner’s bracket.
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