Gen Con, Brickyard, and the Indiana State Fair

Two major competitions took place this month, and there are plenty of award-winning brews from Indy Craft Pass partners:

Indiana Brewers' Cup:
Indy breweries brought home a whopping 38 medals including gold medals for:

• Sun King - won four golds for beers including the easy drinking Pachanga and Tinto Purtuckle, a wood-aged beer.
• Bier Brewery - Roggenschnizzle, a German wheat & rye beer.
• Grand Junction - 7th Inning Stretch, a Pale Lager, and Underground ESB, a pale British ale.
• Guggman Haus - Hiking Buddy Session NEIPA, a specialty IPA.
• Metazoa - Capy Hour, a Belgian ale.
• St. Joseph - Bienna, an amber European beer.
• Taxman - Qualified, a Belgian strong ale.
• Upland - won golds for both Desolator, a strong European ale, and Pawpaw, an American wild ale.

U.S. Open Championships:
Indy breweries brought home 12 medals including gold medals for:

• Bier Brewery - Dark Sun, an English dark mild.
• Sun King - Leap Year, a mixed culture brett beer.
• Moontown - Summer Sunshine, a west coast pilsner.

Cheers to all the Indy breweries who continue to set the standard for excellence.

Even if you're not a gamer, one of the highlights of Gen Con is the Block Party on South Street. You don't need a ticket to explore all the food and drinks available, from permanent vendors in the convention center parking lot to some of Indy's best food trucks. And you won't want to miss the special beverages created for the occasion. Sun King brings the Official Beer of Gen Con, Rage Quit. It's an ale with cherry and lemon-lime flavors. Daniel's Vineyard will provide Dragon's Dew, a sweet and refreshing wine that captures the essence of Mountain Dew. Find out more here.

8th Day Distillery
Whether you’re in the mood for something light and sparkling or bold and complex, try the new Strawberry Gin.
• July 19 - Vanity Rex, Drag Tasker
• August 15 - Meet the Makers: Rum

Ash & Elm Cider
July's cider of the month is Mojito with loads of lime juice and fresh mint.

Bier Brewery
• Sundays - Acoustic Music (Broad Ripple)
• July 19 - Plants, Pots, & Pints (Carmel)
• August 9 - Sip & Stretch Yoga (Noblesville)

Buck Creek Winery
• July 18 - Live music with The Big 80s
• August 1 - Live music with Black Orchid

Chilly Water Brewing
• July 26 - Beers for Brains
• August 1 - 12th Annual Jerry Day

Daniel’s Vineyard
• July 19 - Summer Maker’s Market
• August 1-2 - Live music with Steve Fulton, Brad McCord, and Tim Wright

Easley Winery
Coming up August 24 is the Six for $6 Labor Day Wine Sale. Look for featured bottles in next month’s edition. Also check out the "spooky" glassware available for Halloween. It's never too early to put the boo in your booze.
• Saturdays June-July - Groovin’ in the Garden
• July 26 - Interactive Sushi Rolling Experience
• August 23 - Paint & Sip: Wine & Coffee Glasses

Field Brewing
• July 24 - Next Stop Comedy

Four Day Ray
Summer is back and so is Hot Pink. The strawberry rhubarb jalapeno blonde brings sweet and spicy refreshment. Want a zero proof delight? The Queen of Tarts cocktail combines Empress Zero Proof Gin, elderflower, lemon, and strawberry.

Grand Junction Brewing
Beat the heat and cool off a crisp, cold 7th Inning Stretch beer.
• August 2 - Paints and Pints

Guggman Haus
There's a new design and name for former Hazy Days Route #26, Backyard Birdwatcher NEIPA, but the flavor is as great as ever. Also on tap are Paradise of Nine Dbl NEIPA, Into the Wild Sour: Peach Plum Apricot, Guggenweizen Hefeweizen, Trip to the Tropics NEIPA, and Into the Wild Sour: Pink Guava Papaya.
• July 25 - Summer Party (46th Street)
• July 30 - Docs on Draft (Downtown)
• July 31 - Potter’s Birthday Bash (Downtown)

Hard Truth Distilling
• August 1 - Rum on the Roks Beach Party
• August 21 - Cask & Still Social

Kismetic Beer Company
Now on tap is POST. Cold Pale Ale. Brewed in support of the great local music festival, this session version of Cold IPA brings bright notes of grapefruit, orange, and pine on the nose, and crisp citrus and resin on the palette. And favorite Blueberry Blackberry Sage Sour is back. The Berliner is fruity and a bit dry.

Metazoa Brewing
• July 18 - Christmas in July
• August 13 - Pour Your Own Epoxy

Moon Drops Distillery
• July 25 - Jingle in July
• August 8 - Live music with Groovesmash

Moontown Brewing
New on tap is Witstown, a Belgian witbier utilizing heirloom floor-malted bohemian malt varieties along with a heap of unmalted white wheat, delicious sweet orange peel, and freshly cracked whole coriander all fermented with the original Belgian wit yeast strain creates a complex yet refreshing smooth ale.
• July 23 - Pups and Pints Adoption Event
• September 26 - Oktoberfest

Oliver Winery
Have you tried the Spritz collection? Summer gets an upgrade with these vibrant, crisp options: peach bellini, ruby red grapefruit, strawberry hibiscus, blood orange, and Italian lemon.
• July 24, 31 - Fresh Air Fridays
• July 25-26 - Jazz in July with Vick Luna and Postmodern Jazz Quartet

The Rejoicing Vine
Indulge in nostalgia with the Strawberry Shortcake sparkling cocktail. July’s wine of the month is Fizzical. It’s light, lively, refreshing, and crisp with just the right amount of fizz.

St. Joseph Brewery
• July 19 - The Final Match is here. Come Sunday as Argentina takes on Spain for the championship and to enjoy great food, award-winning brews, and all the action on the big screens.

Sun King Brewing
Upcoming and newer releases include Pickle Beer (both regular and spicy), Rage Quit ale with cherry and lemon-lime, Oktoberfest German-style lager, and Corn Dog Beer ale with corn and smoked malt.
• July 19 - Paint & Sip: Summer Sunsets (Indy)
• July 25 - Live music with Max Heyob (Fishers)
• August 9 - Paint & Sip: Paint Your Pet (Fishers)

The Tap
Now tapped are Paison Italian Pilsner and Declaration of Fermentation Colonial Era-Inspired Ale.

Taxman Brewing
Now on tap are Grapefruit Hibiscus Spin Off (kettle sour with grapefruit and hibiscus), Declaration (double IPA), Oktoberfest (German-style marzen lager), deFault (amber ale with oak, honey, and spices), Peach Brandy Exemption (barrel-aged Belgian tripel with spices), and Port Barrel Qualified (barrel-aged Belgian quadrupel).
• July 30 - Bubbles & Blooms
• August 7 - Sunset Dinner in the Vineyard (held at Mallow Run)

July 18 – Summerfest at Victory Field

August 8 – Noblesville BrewBQ at Federal Hill Commons

August 15 – WAMMfest at Craig Park

September 12 – Noblesville Brewfest & Wine Garden at Forest Park

September 19 – Lagers in Lawrence at Fort Ben Cultural Campus

October 3 – Corks in Carmel at Carmel Arts & Design District

October 3 – Brewfari at Indianapolis Zoo

October 17 – Autumntidings at Indy Art Center

If you need another reason to celebrate with a drink:
July 19 is National Daiquiri Day, July 24 is National Tequila Day, July 27 is National Scotch Day, August 4 is White Wine Day, August 7 is International Beer Day, August 8 is Mead Day, August 13 is National Prosecco Day, August 16 is National Rum Day, August 18 is Pinot Noir Day.

Make a plan, play it safe (designated driver or other sober transportation), and make it happen.

Sign up for the Indy Craft Pass here!