Your Sun King CANvitational Preview and Cheat Sheet

I’m not sure that I’ve ever been more excited about a beer event than this year’s Sun King CANvitational. First, allow me to say this about Sun King: they are like the good looking person in school who becomes even more attractive because of their personality. That is Sun King.

Anyway, why am I so excited? Well, at other beer fests a lot of folks, and me too, enjoy seeking out that special, Babe Ruth baseball-signed type beer we think we will never see again. I also love and appreciate the other special beers that the breweries bring.

But the CANvitational is different. At least to me. I enjoy being able to sample a brewery’s stable of beers – the ones that win awards, the ones they sweated and worried over, and most importantly, the cans they put their names on. Knowing a brewery’s core beers is the best way, I think, to get to know a brewery.

Sun King has brought here some national heavy-hitters, and some of your favorite regional and Indiana breweries! I hope you love this event as much as I do.  

Of the breweries responding, here is a complete list of CANvitational beers. After your host, breweries listed in order as received:

Sun King Brewing, Indianapolis, IN
-Department of Leisurely Services, a mutual love of brown pants and bronze medal award winning beers have brought together Sun King with Bagby Beer of Oceanside, Ca., to produce a ginger and Makrut lime infused Belgian-Style Ale, made just in time for CANvitational!    
-GFJ re-issue, IPA, typically released at the anniversary party    
-Emergency Hop Kit IPA, collaboration with Rhinegeist Brewing of Cincinnati    
-Fistful of Hops (orange) IPA, quarterly series     
-Bourbon Barrel Timmie-Imperial Stout     
-Velour Soccer Mom, a sour ale soaked in bourbon barrels with raspberries and hibiscus     -Rainbow Blindness, a sour brown ale aged in port barrels    
-P Funk, an American brett beer aged on peaches and nectarines    
-Oktoberfest   
-Osiris, American pale ale    
-Wee Mac, Scottish Ale
-Sunlight Cream Ale 

Blackrocks Brewery, Marquette, MI
-North Third Stout, a bare bones American exposition stout clean and no crazy additions
-51k IPA, Citrus notes combined with a well balanced malt profile. 7.2%   
-Grand Rabbits dry hopped cream ale, Cream ale with a hop addition to add a little bite 5.6%    
-Coconut brown, a little twist on a traditional  brown with addition of raw coconut balanced and hint of sweet 6.8%    
-Nordskye session IPA: Galaxy hops adds a citrus note plus a balanced IPA bite all coming in at a surprising 4.8%   

Daredevil Brewing, Speedway, IN
-Slip Stream, Pale Ale   
-J.W.P., American Stout    
-Muse, Belgian Golden Ale-    

Poured all day:    
-Lift Off, IPA    
-Vacation, Kolsch

Mystery Brewing, Hillsborough, NC
-Eschews the typical flagship beer, preferring instead seasonal and fresh selections-,     -Gentlemen’s Preference, Blonde Ale
-Evangeline, Saison
-Papa Bois, Foreign Extra Stout w/Lemons and Lemongrass

Warped Wing Brewing, Dayton, OH (Best new brewery in Ohio, 2014, Ratemybeer)
-Flyin’ Rye, Rye IPA   
-10 Ton, Oatmeal Stout    
-Ermal’s, Belgian-style cream ale   

Unfortunately Mr. Mean DIPA, rated #13 by Paste magazine, couldn’t make the trip.

Maui Brewing, Kihei, HI
-Bikini Blonde Lager    
-Big Swell IPA    
-Coconut Porter     
-Kihei Kölsch

Destihl Brewing, Bloomington, IL
-Abbey’s Single, Belgian table beer   
-Hoperation Overload, Imperial IPA    
-Here Gose Nothin’, German Gose    
-Counter Clockweisse, sour Berliner weisse   
-Lynnbrook, raspberry Berliner weisse.  

If you want to pre-game Friday night, Destihl will have a takeover at HopCat in Broad Ripple. Here is what’s coming: Saison de Ruisseau (Farmhouse Saison), Duke of Normington (Imperial Saison), Samhain (Pumpkin Porter), Bourbon barrel-age Antiquity (Rye Wine [similar to barley wine style]), Here Gose Nothin’, Counter Clockweisse, Lynnbrook, Vertex IPA, Hoperation Overload, Abbey’s Single, Weissenheimer Hefeweizen.

Mad Tree Brewing, Cincinnati, OH
-PsycHOPathy, IPA     
-Gnarly Brown    
-Happy Amber
-Lift, Kolsch    
-The Great PumpCan     
-Shade, BlackBerry Gose    
-Early entry special! -Galaxy High, Imperial IPA   

Flat 12 Bierwerks, Indianapolis, IN
-Hinchtown Hammerdown Pils     
-Full 90 English Pale    
-Half Cycle IPA.  

In addition to their core beers, Flat 12 will be displaying new cans that will soon be filled with their delicious beers.

18th St. Brewing, Gary, IN (best new Indiana brewery, 2013 ratebeer)
-Black Exodus, oatmeal stout     
-Moon Walk IPA   

Shhhh: they will also be premiering a special, newly released beer.

Burn ‘Em Brewing, Michigan City, IN
-Pale Alement: 5.5% extra pale ale    
-MCA: 6.7% 4-hopped IPA    
-Kreamed Corn: 6.5% cream ale

Wiseacre Brewing, Memphis, TN
-Tiny Bomb American Pilsner     
-Tarasque Saison     
-Oktoberfest Gemutlichkeit Marzen Lager     
-Gotta Get Up to Get Down Coffee Milk Stout.

Piney River Brewing, Bucyrus, MO
-Black Walnut Wheat    
-Hobby Farm Ale   
-Sweet Potato Ale    
-Bronzeback Pale Ale

Cigar City Brewing, Tampa, FL
-Jai Alai, IPA    
-Invasion, Pale Ale    
-Florida Cracker, White Ale    
-Maduro, Brown Ale
-Tocobaga, Red Ale    
-White Oak

People’s Brewing, Lafayette, IN
-Ol’ Tavern Beer (new!)    
-Sgt. Bravo, Pale Ale (new!)    
-Nine Irish, Red Ale    
-Farmer’s Daughter, Wheat    
-Moundbuilder, IPA  

D.C. Brau, Washington, DC
-On The Wings of Armageddon, Imperial IPA    
-Brau Pils, traditional German-Style Pilsner

Rhinegeist Brewing, Cincinnati, OH
-Truth, IPA 7.2% ABV 75 IBU    
-Cougar, Blonde Ale 4.8% ABV 25 IBU     
-Zen, Session IPA 4.8% ABV 45 IBU    
-Franz, Oktoberfest 5% ABV 20 IBU     

Crowler specials/Early Entry!  Look carefully for:    
-DIPA
-Peach Gose    
-Cherry Saison, and maybe a Dry Hopped Cider.

Atlas Brewing, Chicago, IL
-Farmhouse Wheat, 5.7% ABV. Citrus and lychee flavors are prominent in this pale wheat ale. Belgian saison yeast gives it faint bubble gum and spice notes    
-Diversey Pale ale, 5.3% ABV. Our take on the American Pale Ale is balanced and refreshing. Classic American hops lend prominent grapefruit notes and just a little bitterness      
-Rookery Rye IPA,6.7% ABV. Citrus and floral hop flavors dominate this fragrant IPA. Rye malt contributes to a long, dry, finish.

Snake River Brewing, Jackson, WY (small brewery of the year, GABF, 2000-2001)
-Snake River Pale Ale (Gold-World Beer Cup; Silver-GABF)    
-Jenny Lake Lager (Gold-GABF, Silver-World Beer Cup)    
-Pako’s IPA (Gold-GABF)    
-Monarch Pilsner (Gold-North America Beer Fest, Silver-GABF)    
-Zonker Stout (Too many Golds and Silvers to Name-GABF, etc).  

San Tan Brewing, Chandler, AZ (see full news release on Indiana On Tap)
-HopShock IPA (2015 Gold medal in US Open Beer Championships), Nelson Sauvin is the star in this West Coast IPA hybrid    
-Mr Pineapple Wheat (Silver medal GABF), Light and refreshing with RFA Certified natural pineapple juice from Costa Rica    
-Devil’s Ale (award winning Pale is a great balanced Pale. 96 Points DRAFT Magazine)    -Seasonal Oktoberfest Lager, Classic Bavarian lager with our Southwestern style twist

Specials: 
-KiloHOP Ludicrous IPA (DIPA)   
-CANZilla (Crowlers)
-MoonJuice IPA, a beautiful example of the use of Galaxy hops! Wheat malt in the bill gives this IPA a unique mouthfeel with nice notes of passionfruit and citrus    
-Heavy D! (This is a suped up version of our flagship Devil’s Ale showcased as an Imperial IPA. Big bold yet still nicely balanced

Surly Brewing, Twin Cities, MN
-Furious, American IPA and British ESB hybrid  
-Overrated, West Coast IPA   
-Bender, Oatmeal Brown Ale    
-Coffee Bender    
-Hell, German Style Munich Helles Lager   
-CynicAle, Belgian-style saison pale ale

Early Entry Special!:  -Todd The Axe Man, West Coast Style IPA in collaboration with a Denmark brewery
-Surlyfest, (“not”) a German style Oktoberfest bier-  

Revolution Brewing, Chicago, IL
-Fist City, Double Pale Ale    
-Anti-Hero, IPA   
-Bottom Up, Wit   
-Eugene, Porter    
-Rosa, Hibiscus Ale   
-Oktoberfest

Half Acre Brewing, Chicago, IL
-Daisy Cutter, Pale Ale     
-Pony Pilsner    
-GoneAway IPA  

450 North Brewing, Columbus, IN
-Galaxyfest, IPA with Galaxy hops, (premier beer, 1st canning on Friday, 9-10-15!)
-Citrafest Session, IPA with Citra hops    
-Scarecrow, IPA, our original IPA with Simcoe, Centennial, Amarillo, Cascade hops    -Honey, Kolsch-lighter style Kolsch brewed with Honey    
-Gnarly Grove Hard Cider, Original Blend     
-Legendberry, a blend of apples and fruit.

Upland Brewing, Bloomington, IN
-Campside, IPA     
-Dragonfly, IPA    
-Champagne Velvet    
-Upland Wheat

Cheers!

Rick

You can follow Rick Burkhardt on twitter @indybeersleuth or reach him at indybeersleuth@gmail.com