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I flat out forgot Friday Drankin’ last week. It was a busy day with a Friday night game on campus and I simply forgot to write it. Let’s make up for it this week as we look at one of the very few good things to ever come out of Bloomington:
4060 Profile Parkway
Bloomington, IN 47404
One of the most established breweries in the state of Indiana, Upland has expanded to the point that it now has six locations around the state. It has its Bloomington Brewpub, its special Sour Ales tasting room, and its production brewery. They also have locations in Columbus, Broad Ripple, and Carmel. The local Indy locations are stops, and they package many of their beers to make them available throughout the state. I know people will stand by Three Floyd’s in Munster, but Upland has their own niche. Three Floyd’s centers on hoppy beers, while Upland has a lot of great choices that are smoother and have a different flavor profile. One of my favorite beers from Upland is even collaboration with Revolution Brewing, who we profiled a few weeks ago with their Revved up coffee blonde.
Bad Elmer’s Porter – I love a smooth porter, and Bad Elmer’s is a good one. This is a porter with flavors of coffee, liquorice, and chocolate at a nice 6% ABV. It is a little bit of a sweeter porter, but that only adds to the appeal to me.
Easy Chair Amber – I have a love/hate relationship with ambers. When fresh from the tap it might be my favorite style. Breckenridge Avalanche and Alaskan Amber are two of the best for this, but the downside is that they can turn skunky pretty quickly. Upland’s Easy Chair Amber is a 5.2% that is lighter for an Amber, and that makes for a lighter flavor.
Dragonfly Select – As far as IPAs go, this is an excellent one. It packs a punch at 6.7% and is available in cans at some locations. It has an excellent hop profile without being overpowering. I had one of these at an Indy Eleven soccer match last year and it was really, really good.
Upland also has a lot of brewery-only options if you go to one of their tap rooms, and you can often get those as growlers fills to take home. The Carmel tap room is in an excellent spot off of 116th street too not too far from the Monon.
Cheers and Boiler Up!