Three Floyds Brewing opened its doors in 1996 as a very small brewery in Hammond, Indiana. Acceptance of the beers took off right away, initially as draft only products, then contract brewed bottles were added. As demand grew, they moved to Munster.

Now they have their own bottling line and are begining to receiving awards and compliments. According to Ratebeer.com, they are rated as the second best brewery. Three Floyds is currently only available in Indiana & Illinois. Here is a recent review from Eddie Glick of BeerDorks  talking about their Harvest Ale BrooDoo.

Do you think the crazy/brilliant sonsabitches at Three Floyds were quasi-quoting Heddy … er, Hedley Lamarr from Blazing Saddles when they came up with the name for their harvest ale? I’d like to think so. And why wouldn’t they? The movie’s a classic spoof on America’s tight-lipped refusal to acknowledge racism in the early ’70s. What this has to do with beer is anyone’s guess, other than the fact that the BrooDoo is an instant classic in its own right. Plus, it’s got one of those troll dolls on the bottle. It works on so many levels!

Yeah, yeah, I know this whole “wet hopping” thing—throwing freshly picked hops into the brew kettle, the fermenter, the mash tun, the brewery dog, and anything that’ll hold ’em—is almost as trendy as boogered celebrity tartlets, but I for one am withholding my bitchin’ and just enjoying the ride. Hopmasters Three Floyds’ version pours a dark gold with a goopy, big-bubbled head. The aroma instantly makes you envision mounds of bright green hop cones spitting out of the auger into the vats down in Munster: waves of bright, citrusy and sharp, piney smells emanate from the glass. A gorgeous and huge bouquet of now-classic American hops.

The first taste is sharp and a bit tinny, but once that first sip rolls down your throat, it’s all hop flavor, baby: loads of juicy citrus and pine. Tons of hop flavor but without the bitterness you’d expect. In fact, it’s not really all that bitter at all. Bringing up the rear is a surprisingly big and sweet malt body that rounds out the hops damn near perfectly.

This was one immensely enjoyable brew. After polishing off the bomber I was licking my chops for more. Unfortunately, I had no more, and I probably won’t again for another year, that is, if Three Floyds decides to crank another batch out next fall. And if you’re still wondering if I’m recommending the BrooDoo, I’ll pull another quote from Blazing Saddles, the good townspeople of Rock Ridge: “You bet your ass!”

Many thanks to this interesting blog courtesy of the Auto Prophet.  We note how rising food prices due to the increase in biofuel crops is putting pressure on craft brewers. 

Ethanol Vs. Beer
One of the market distortions that is being caused by the government mandate for ethanol in transportation fuel is the rising cost of all kinds of food, including one of my favorites: beer.

According to the WSJ in a fascinating article from October 5th, 2007, small beer brewers are getting squeezed by dramatically higher prices of barley and hops.
Consumers could pay 50 cents to $1 per six pack more in the coming months for many small-batch "craft beers," as brewers pass on rising hops and barley costs from an unpalatable brew of poor harvests, the weak dollar and farmers' shift to more profitable crops. Other makers of craft beers, the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. brewing industry, say they may eat the higher ingredient costs, which will pare their profits.

Craft beer makers have faced escalating costs over the past year. Prices for malting barley, which accounts for a beer's color and sweetness, have jumped as farmers increasingly shifted to planting corn, which has been bringing higher prices because of high demand from makers of biofuels, like ethanol. The weak dollar also has made it more expensive for U.S. brewers to buy commodities from Europe.
The price of malting barley has increased by a whopping 75% in the last several months, from around $4/bushel to about $7/bushel. As a result, the price of small-batch beer is expected to increase, and some small beer makers are actually in danger of folding.

Wouldn't it be better to allow importation of Brazilian sugar beet based ethanol, tariff free, and leave more of our agricultural capacity for the tasty stuff?

Another great post from Josquin at http://drinkingbeerintx.com The last time I published an extract from his blog it proved very popular, well maybe amongst you Texans anyway.

Pretty much every state with a strong craft-beer culture has laws that foster the breweries and allow shipping, self-distribution and direct sales to customers. In Texas, you'd have to be a dang fool to open a microbrewery. Pretty much everything is stacked against you. A brewpub has a slightly better chance, but, really, you are opening a bar/restaurant with the added headache of making your own beer.
Shlachter then discusses the difficulties with which craft beers find their way into restaurants and bars. Despite the fact that, as Keith Schlabs of the Flying Saucer puts it, "Serving craft beer yields larger bottom lines," Texas establishments largely skip out on the opportunity to make more money promoting superior, home-grown products. Particularly horrifying is Shlachter's assessment of the restaurant situation: "In local restaurants, patrons don't order the fine beers from our own Rahr & Sons or Houston's St. Arnold or Blanco's Real Ale because they don't see them on many menus. The restaurateurs say they're not offered because no one's asking for them."

For Christ's sake, get those beers on the menus! Demand them! These are Texan beers. Our beers. And remember, the next time you see an advertisement for Lone Star as the "National Beer of Texas," that if people are ever going to believe otherwise, they have to be made aware of the quality of our state's many craft beers.

Another great post from Josquin at http://drinkingbeerintx.com The last time I compiled a his blog it proved very popular.  So for you Texans here we go.

Pretty much every state with a strong craft-beer culture has laws that foster the breweries and allow shipping, self-distribution and direct sales to customers. In Texas, you'd have to be a dang fool to open a microbrewery. Pretty much everything is stacked against you. A brewpub has a slightly better chance, but, really, you are opening a bar/restaurant with the added headache of making your own beer.
Shlachter then discusses the difficulties with which craft beers find their way into restaurants and bars. Despite the fact that, as Keith Schlabs of the Flying Saucer puts it, "Serving craft beer yields larger bottom lines," Texas establishments largely skip out on the opportunity to make more money promoting superior, home-grown products. Particularly horrifying is Shlachter's assessment of the restaurant situation: "In local restaurants, patrons don't order the fine beers from our own Rahr & Sons or Houston's St. Arnold or Blanco's Real Ale because they don't see them on many menus. The restaurateurs say they're not offered because no one's asking for them."

For Christ's sake, get those beers on the menus! Demand them! These are Texan beers. Our beers. And remember, the next time you see an advertisement for Lone Star as the "National Beer of Texas," that if people are ever going to believe otherwise, they have to be made aware of the quality of our state's many craft beers.