Neal Taflinger

neal.taflinger@indystar.com

Indiana has a lot of locally produced beer, but how much of it is good?

I know which beers have won medals at the World Beer Cup and Great American Beer Festival, but Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) judges aren't your average drinkers.

I know which beers get the most buzz, but brand loyalty has as much to do with sense memory, marketing and peer behavior as the product itself. I wanted to know how casual craft beer drinkers would rate Hoosier Pale Ales and India Pale Ales (IPA) in a blind tasting.

Here's how our unscientific process worked: With the help of Hoosier Beer Geek's Jason Larrison, I assembled a panel (Michael Huber, CEO of the Indy Chamber; Christine Faul Johnson, author; Ed Rudisell, restaurateur; Marcus Strawhorn, Flight1), served them 2- to 3-ounce pours of 13 different Pales and IPAs, and asked them to rate each beer (to the best of their ability) according to aroma, appearance, flavor and mouthfeel (as in, the way it feels in your mouth).

Then I combined the overall score and written feedback to determine the panel's three favorite beers.

Here's what the group picked as their top three favorites:



Oaken Barrel Gnaw Bone Pale Ale

Our panel said Gnaw Bone had "a slightly floral bouquet," and was "the best pale ale I have had in some time." Everyone was shocked when they found out which beer this was at the end of the tasting; three of them had never had it before.

Daredevil Lift Off IPA

"For a simple palate, this is easily enjoyable," wrote one panelist. Two agreed that Lift Off has an autumnal quality. One wrote that it "tastes like fall, dried leaves."

Mad Anthony IPA

Another stunner, most of our tasting panel was completely unfamiliar with this longtime Fort Wayne brewery. They had little to say about the beer specifically, but all gave it extremely high marks.

Are these beers the best examples of their styles in the state? Maybe, maybe not. We tasted only beers that are packaged and distributed to liquor and grocery stores, which excludes great local nanobrewers like Bier, Black Acre, Indiana City, Planetary, etc.

Full list of beers they tried

• Flat 12 Walkabout Pale Ale

• Upland Helios Pale Ale

• Oaken Barrel Gnaw Bone Pale Ale

• Daredevil Lift Off IPA

• Quaff On! Hare Trigger Pale Ale

• People's Moundbuilder Pale Ale

• Fountain Square Brewing Hop for Teacher

• Mad Anthony IPA

• Sun King Osiris

• Barley Island Blind Tiger

• Cutters Half Court

• Triton Rail Splitter IPA

• 3 Floyd's Alpha King

The more important takeaway is that your favorite beer might be one that you haven't tried yet. Get out there and explore. Cheers.

Call Neal Taflinger at (317) 444-6579 and follow him on Twitter: @nealtaflinger.