Amy Beers, Certified Cicerone

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Amy Beers, Certified Cicerone

Certified Cicerone (beer sommelier). Local beer historian. Author of "Indianapolis Beer Stories".
(19)

01/09/2023

Congrats to David Nilsen Beer for making Forbes top list of beer books for 2022! If you like beer and chocolate, check it out. 😄 I'll drop the link in the comments.

Wrap up in something warm and pour yourself something warming to sip on these spirited books from 2022

12/17/2022

I recently had the opportunity to visit the original location of Schmidt’s famous beer tunnels. What a treat!

Schmidt’s brewery was one of the first pre-prohibition era breweries of Indianapolis. For a time it was touted as “the best and largest in the West and the largest in Indianapolis.” I mean…it was kind of a big deal.

Schmidt’s eventually became part of what I call “the big three”: the Lieber, Schmidt and Maus breweries that merged to form the great Indianapolis Brewing Company in 1890.

The Schmidt brewery has sort of an underdog story. The original founder, Christian Frederick Schmidt, passed away and left the brewery to his wife, Caroline. She’d been advised to sell the brewery because it was uncommon in those days for a woman to manage such an endeavor. But she didn’t sell. In fact, she expanded the underground cellars and beer tunnels extensively and continued to grow the business. When she passed away, their sons inherited the brewery, to which they made further tunnel expansions.

I enjoyed digging through old texts and newspapers to re-tell the story of Schmidt’s brewery and describing Schmidt’s tunnels in great detail for my book “Indianapolis Beer Stories: History to Modern Craft in Circle City Brewing”. What an amazing opportunity to “meet” the place I had become so intimate with through my research and writing.

Sadly, the brewery complex no longer exists and the tunnels have since been filled in - all except for one. The Eli Lilly corporate headquarters resides there now but they’ve done a great job at preserving some of Indy’s beer history.

It was a real treat to visit their beer tunnel. Although they were unable to save the material integrity of the tunnel (it isn’t the original brick or stone), it IS the original location…and…it leads to beer! Haha

It’s not open to the public, but if you know someone who works for the company, you might buy them a beer and see if they’ll give you a tour. Thank you, Nick, for volunteering your time! It was a meaningful experience. :)

If you’d like to learn more about Schmidt’s famous brewery and tunnels (plus some really great historic photos), you can get a signed copy of my book at www.amybeers.com. (I can’t guarantee it will arrive by Christmas, but if you order now I’ll do my best to ship it out asap.)

12/13/2022

This Friday marks the last tour/tasting before I close up the tour business. Drinking with Beers has run its course. It just hasn't been the same since COVID and I've recently made some lifestyle changes (don't worry, I'll still be around... I'm not quitting beer all together...just professionally. Also, I still have my book .com).

I'm transitioning into the coffee industry and I'm excited about new opportunities ahead.

I'm so grateful for all the wonderful people I've met and memories made along this journey.

Thank you to all my guests and vendors who allowed me to pursue such a fun gig! 😄 May you all have a blessed 2023.

PS. I have a few slots available for Friday's tasting. You can book it via the link below.

Cheers! 🍻

https://www.drinkingwithbeers.com/indianapolis-german-beer-heritage-tour-tasting

Guided by a local beer historian and Certified Cicerone. Sip a variety of German brews at the Athenaeum's historic beer hall and beer garden.

12/04/2022

Sold some books today at the Indiana Author Fair. It was so great to meet fellow authors and shop local titles. There's a lot of good books out there on Indiana-centric topics!

Also, it was kind of a neat feeling sitting with my books in the special collections room at the library at the Indiana Historical Society. I remembered beginning my research (pre-COVID days) in this very room. I had the wonderful opportunity to look through boxes and boxes of rare historical photographs that aren't available in digital format. I remembered feeling so much excitement at the thought of getting to write a book.

It's like I could see the past version of myself, at the beginning of such a huge undertaking. But now here we are. And here is the book. In the same room where it began. Where did the time go!? It's still a little surreal.

Indy Beer Stories would make a great Christmas gift for the beer lover in your life. It's available at their bookstore or you can buy a signed copy directly from me at amybeers.com.

11/12/2022

11/09/2022

I'm really excited to be part of this event! Wanted to pass it along so you guys don't miss it. See you there!

(I'm not part of the homebrew ...but I'll be there with books and just hanging out. 🍻)

Hosted by Guggman Haus Brewing Co. and sponsored by Great Fermentations of Indiana the Indiana Brewers Union presents the 4th Annual Indy Brew Battle. 3 hours of unlimited beer sampling from Indiana homebrewers with 100% of proceeds going directly to the Helping Veterans and Families charity. Suppor...

09/24/2022

So funny story...

I recently decided to volunteer at a pet shop to help take care of the adoptable kitties (and get my cat fix). I came in for a training session and at the end of it she mentioned their volunteer Facebook group. I told her I'd love to be added. So then she asked for my last name. I said, "Beers" ...and then I could see the wheels turning in her head:

"...Are you the lady who wrote that book?"

We had a good laugh. She said she's read some of my excerpts and wanted to get a copy. I just happened to have a book in my car and she just happened to have the exact amount of cash to purchase it.

Lol what a small world! I love those kinds of moments. 😄

Address

1300 East 86th Street, Ste 36a #90214
Indianapolis, IN
46240

Website

https://www.amazon.com/Indianapolis-Beer-Stories-History-American/dp/1467144770

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Videos

Before Sun King ushered Indy into the modern-day craft brewery scene, there was a brewpub called the Circle V. Some would say it was the beginning of Sun King. It's been interesting as I researched and wrote my book, Indianapolis Beer Stories, to see how all the dots connect and how the cards fell: if "A" had never happened, would we still have resulted in "B"? I had the opportunity (thank you, Randy) back in June to interview Mark V of the old Circle V Brewpub in Indy that existed during the brewpub heyday of the 1990s. I wrote about Mark and the Circle V in my book, but this video gets into a little more detail...straight from the man himself. Thank you, Mark, for indulging us. It was great taking a trip down memory lane with you!

Trivia Tuesday - Indianapolis Beer History Race Weekend is upon us! I thought it’d be fun to tie in some #IndyCar history with some local beer trivia. Q: Which locally brewed craft beer is named for a famous Indy Car tradition? Hint: It involves a celebratory chug. A: I’ll reveal the answer tomorrow along with some related fun facts.

Had a fun day today getting some video at Upland Brewing Company in Bloomington, IN for an upcoming feature on kettle sours. Here's an unedited video I wanted to share with you for a little behind-the-scenes action. 😉 (More in my stories.) Thanks for hosting me today guys! Cheers 🍻

Beer of the Month

Coming Soon! Indianapolis “Beer of the Month” This is a new YouTube series I’ve been working on that will highlight local beer in a fun new way! Each month I’ll pick a beer from the Greater Indianapolis Region to feature. Every beer has a story to tell. “Beer of the Month” will feature some of the best, most unusual, historically significant, or just plain weird. Here’s the opening intro I’ve been working on all weekend. I hope you like it! :) Don’t forget to subscribe to my channel and follow me here for updates! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKRB68ibzGImI2a3TQKYycw

The Moment of "She"

Here's a sneak peek at this Thursday's "Drinking with Beers" video. For this special Halloween episode I chose to interview Eilise Lane, owner/head brewer of Scarlet Lane Brewing Company...the "Official Beer of Horror". 💀 She's going to tell us more about her famous Dorian Stout and the power of "she". If you're not already, subscribe to my channel for more Indy brewery highlights: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKRB68ibzGImI2a3TQKYycw

Rain or Shine!

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About Drinking with Beers

I’m Amy Beers (yes, that’s my real name! lol) and I’m a Certified Cicerone. As a beer expert, experienced guide, and native Hoosier, I specialize in helping connect people to Indianapolis’ fabulous craft beer scene through fun and educational opportunities.

I offer beer and brewery tours, as well as content for my MEMBERSHIP CLUB (coming September 3, 2020!).

I started my tour company, Drinking with Beers, in 2018 out of my passion for sharing knowledge and good beer. After more than 10 years living in Indianapolis, I consider myself a local. I love exploring the food and beverage scene, and digging in to my city’s history.

As well as beer, my other passion is travel. I’ve been to Prague, Thailand, India, Spain, Ireland, Tokyo, Vietnam, Mexico, Cuba, and all over the Caribbean. I’m always planning my next adventure. I’d love to visit Germany and Belgium next because …well…the beer!