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By David Hackett Associated Press December 20, 2002, 7:30 AM CST BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Ten years ago, you could walk into many bars in Bloomington and order a beer made in Germany, Mexico or Australia. But you couldn't order a beer made in Bloomington. Those days are long gone. The city's two microbreweries, Bloomington Brewing Co. and Upland Brewing Co., now produce thousands of barrels each year. The beer is sold not only in the brewery's pubs but in bars and restaurants around the city and, in Upland's case, in stores around the state. Quantity is being more than matched by quality. This fall, Upland brewmaster Ed Herrmann put Bloomington on the beer connoisseur's map by winning a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver. "As awards go, that was as good as it gets," said Herrmann, who won for Upland's Wheat Ale. "Maybe only a couple of times since 1993 has an Indiana beer won the gold medal. My head was swollen for about two weeks afterward." Upland owner Marc Sattinger hopes it is only the beginning. His long-range goal is for Upland to become a regional brewery, producing 30,000 barrels a year, 10 times its current production. Upland already is the second-biggest brewer among 26 in Indiana. It has four full-time employees. Herrmann said there are big differences between locally brewed beers and popular national brands such as Budweiser and Miller. One of the chief differences dates to the end of Prohibition in 1933. When breweries reopened, there was a shortage of malt barley, so many brewers substituted corn and rice, which made the beer lighter--a method that continues to this day. By contrast, locally brewed beers can use as much as four or five times more grain and seven or eight times more hops than most national brands, Herrmann said, giving the local beers a "bigger, fuller flavor." Because they use more of those ingredients, local beers cost about $1 a glass more than national brews and have more calories. They also have a higher alcohol content. Local brewers also use uncommon ingredients. Upland's wheat ale, for example, contains herbs and spices, including orange peels and coriander. Floyd Rosenbaum, the brewmaster at Bloomington Brewing, produced a beer last summer made from watermelon. Russ Levitt, the city's first brewmaster, said Bloomington is blessed with talented brewers and natural resources. "There is no place in the country that has better water for making beer than Bloomington," he said. "For regular consumption, we think of the water from Lake Monroe and Griffy Lake as being a little hard. But for making beer, it's close to perfect." Copyright (c) 2002, Chicago Tribune