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Sours, spice and bacon? 5 craft beer trends from Winterfest

Amy Haneline
amy.haneline@indystar.com

While a Super Bowl commercial from Budweiser poked fun at beer geeks sipping on pumpkin peach ales — it was those crazy combinations of flavors that pulled more than 5,000 attendees to the 7th Annual Brewers of Indiana Guild Winterfest.

Forget the house staples, Winterfest is about specialty and small-batch. At least that is what people remember.

This year, the beer festival at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on Saturday was bigger than ever, with 69 Indiana craft brewers and 32 guest breweries from around the country. It is estimated that 500 beers were on tap for tasting.

That's a lot of beer to digest. Here is a quick breakdown of the top craft beer trends apparent from this year's festival.

Al Arford of the New Boswell Brewery booth serves up a pour during the Brewers of Indiana Guild Winterfest.

1. Sour, sour, sours

Pucker up and kiss IPAs goodbye. Ok, maybe not — but sours stood out this year. Several fest-goers told me that the acidic, tart beers are gaining momentum. Tin Man Brewing, Evansville, brought its Damascene Apricot Sour. Sun King tapped Pink Taco, a sour ale with raspberries and hibiscus. Outliers Brewing shared its Hopes & Dreams Sour Reserve. Upland Brewery, Bloomington, launched a new sour beer to sample every hour. Oh, and I can't forget about The Sour Note, a project out of 18th Street Brewery in Gary. They had samples of their Berliner Weisse.

2. Spice it up

Adventurous drinkers were grasping for pretzels and water after tasting these fiery brews. ZwanzigZ Brewing, Columbus, brought a Ghost Pepper Imperial Stout that had people talking. MashCraft Brewing, Greenwood, slung samples of its Ancho Annie American Amber brewed with a variety of peppers to replace the hops. Sun King even put the heat on their well-known Sunlight Cream Ale. The beer, Walking on the Sun, is brewed with a blend of jalapeno and other peppers.

Beers and snacks on a rope at the Brewers of Indiana Guild Winterfest.

3. Tastes like what?

Take the Ticket Chocolate Beer and Beauregard's Blueberry from ZwanzigZ and mix them together — it tastes like Fruity Pebbles cereal. Back Road Brewery, La Porte, had rave reviews from bacon-lovers with their Red Rye Bacon Spiled ale. Several breweries gave ode to perfect pairings. Upland Brewery added peanut butter and concord grape to their oatmeal stout for "Peanut Butter and Jealous." Bare Hands Brewing, Granger, offered a blend of peanut butter stout and imperial raspberry wheat for their version of a PB&J. Finally, Black Acre Brewing brought their Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter. Liquid Reese's cup, anyone?

4. Put it in a barrel

Aging beer in bourbon barrels isn't new, but a twist from Founders Brewing, Grand Rapids, Mich., convinced us that beer is appropriate for breakfast. Not really. However, their Canadian Breakfast Stout is brewed with coffee and chocolate and aged in maple-syrup bourbon barrels. Just imagine a beer that tastes like a Belgian waffle with butter and syrup.

5. Tap envy

HopCat, the Broad Ripple pub with more than 100 taps, was the premier partner of Winterfest. It seems that your tap number is important these days. Rumor has it that Bare Hands Brewery heard that someone was bringing 26 taps. Not to be outdone, they unloaded a whopping 31 taps with an extensive beer menu at Winterfest. Who will bring more next year?

Follow Amy Haneline on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Call her at (317) 444-6281.