As this semester dwindles down to the last few days, I’d like to thank any readers from near and far for following my road trip to various Indiana breweries.
Not only did I meet a handful of genuine brewers that dedicate their lives to good beer, I also gained a better understanding for the processes that are involved in brewing some of my favorite styles.
I hope you get a chance to visit a couple of these breweries for yourself, I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Cheers!
I sat down with Connor Wright, a senior undergraduate at Purdue University and lover of craft beer. Connor shared with me his personal insight about where the industry is going, his interest in microbreweries and IPA’s, and his favorite Indiana brewery.
Q: Overall, where do you think the craft beer industry in the United States is headed in the near future?
A: Recently we’ve seen all these craft breweries come up and everyone’s had their own take on the “classic” styles, but now that microbreweries are becoming so popular it feels like each brewery wants their own style and for me I’ve realized that they’re kind of all the same. So, what I think is that for breweries to differentiate themselves they’ll probably start creating new styles of beer and you’ve already kind of seen that with the American Pale Ale, which is sort of a new take on the India Pale Ale. So that’s kind of what I think, it’ll become new types of beer rather than a new brand’s label on a beer.
Q: What aspects of microbreweries interests you the most? (Whether is be atmosphere, variety of brews, or the staff that inhabit the brewery.
Q: India Pale Ales (IPAs) have undoubtedly become a large part of the craft beer industry, it seems nearly every brewery attempts to create their own original flavor. In your opinion, do you enjoy IPAs or would you like to see breweries shift their focus to another style of beer?
A: I think breweries try to make all types of beer, but I think the most successful has been the IPA’s and that’s what makes it so popular. And, you know, before microbreweries I think traditionally they stuck to things like Bud Light and those light beer options and then this new IPA is something that’s a little bit more foreign to the U.S. and it’s been a big hit. It’s also kind of turned into it’s own thing, again, with the American Pale Ale– which speaks to it’s popularity. American Pale Ales have even become their own style with the IPA bitterness but lower alcohol content. But, truthfully I love IPA’s and I may be biased but I think they should keep making them.
Q: Have you found a brewery in Indiana that you’d consider your favorite?
“Beer for the People” has been coined by a local Lafayette gem. Known as People’s Brewing Company, this craft brewery is widely known and admired within both the greater community and Purdue University’s campus. In fact, Chris Johnson— co-founder and Purdue alumnus– concocted two craft brews which he dedicated to the university. Boiler Gold, an American Golden Ale, and Boiler Black, an American Black Ale can be found at nearly any university sporting event or catered function. The brewery specializes in American Ales and German Lagers, but the menu is assorted with multiple Imperial Stouts and APA’s, as well.
I had the opportunity to visit the original taproom, located on 9th Street in Lafayette, during the #PeoplesLive event– a live-music show put on every Tuesday. Truthfully, I had never laid eyes on this brewery despite living in the Greater Lafayette community my entire life. However, when I parked my car and walked up to the establishment I realized that the building they inhabit appears to be quite a hole-in-the-wall even though their name is so familiar within the area and their clientele is so vast. The brewery has created it’s home out of a renovated garage, and the atmosphere inside feels as if it’s the frequent hangout for local businessmen and women after a long day’s work.
This week’s artist was the Jason Wells Music group and the crowd was attentive and engaged the entire time. The four employees sipped their personal favorites amidst serving customers and socializing with one another. The garage doors were propped all the way open to allow for the spring day’s breeze to flow in and the sun shined through every opening. It was nearly impossible to keep from plastering a smile on your face, which I can imagine is just the way the founders like it.
“Everyone likes great beer… they just don’t know it.” – Chris Johnson, Co-Founder and Brewmaster behind People’s Brewing Company.
HAMMOND, Ind. — Back in 2013, RateBeer— a website designed to judge your favorite brews and dedicate itself to beer enthusiasts– named 18th Street Brewery the best new brewery in Indiana.
Now in 2019, the local Hammond brewpub is creating widespread support and proving to be a true competitor in USA Today’s running for the best brewpub in the country.
Northeast Indiana beer lovers are cheering for this community gem and are encouraging others to vote for their beloved brewpub. Below are samples of the praise 18th Street Brewery has received online.
https://twitter.com/AnneAndersong/status/1106222740686684163
https://twitter.com/AnneAndersong/status/1101539035594539009
I know I like blogging about beer, but do breweries enjoy blogging as much as they enjoy making tasty beer? I took a peek at the corporate blog for Sun King Brewery of Indianapolis and tried to analyze its effectiveness toward consumers.
In regard to the frequency of posts, it seems as if they are spending much more time brewing and drinking. Since June 2018, Sun King’s corporate blog has made a total of nine posts. Each post is quite extensive in length and written with multiple sub-headings or various lists. However, the variety of posts is something I found intriguing.
Their blog posts include food recipes to pair with a Sun King IPA, customer appreciation giveaways and contests, new “featured” menu items, community involvement, locations where you can purchase Sun King beer at retail price, and nationwide expansion events and parties. The details included in each post truly gives a sense of transparency within their company and as a beer consumer, it’s enlightening to read about what one of my favorite breweries is doing outside of the taproom.
I found Sun King’s corporate blog informational but it lacked visual appeal. The format of the blog is a bit confusing and the length of each post can be daunting if you only have a couple minutes to spare. There is an apparent attempt to include photos for visual interest, but it could benefit Sun King more if they included additional photos to potentially break up long chunks of text within their stories.
There’s a couple things Sun King’s corporate blog does really well, and them some things they do very poorly. The recipes for food pairings is beneficial and interesting, the variety of posts is useful, and information on how to win prizes easily attracts customers to the brewery. However, the layout of the blog needs improvement, the length of each post needs condensing, and the lack of accompanying photos gets a tad boring.
Does the Sun King corporate blog change my opinion of their beer? Probably not. Does the blog make me skeptical of their creative abilities? Probably so. Would I be more than willing to be a media intern for Sun King Brewery and assist in revamping their corporate blog appearance? Absolutely.
Or maybe it stands for Three Floyd’s Brewery.
Walking through the doors of Three Floyd’s Brewpub in my all white shag faux fur coat and lady’s fisherman cap I immediately feel out of place amongst the early 2000’s counter-culture vibe that fills this brewery. Iron Maiden is blaring through the speakers, Rambo is playing on the televisions and the man who just pulled out on his Harley Davidson motorcycle had hair nearly as long as mine. Maybe my scuffed Dr. Marten black boots will help me fit in?
Three Floyd’s Brewpub screams “off the beaten path” grunge. However, this Indiana brewery actually has a surprisingly large Scandinavian following. Truthfully, I first time I ever tried Three Floyd’s beer was during my semester living in Copenhagen, Denmark. The place was called Warpigs, and plastered on the exterior of the building was the words “Three Floyd’s” alongside their own local brewery.
Inside Warpigs, I debated between a Danish cream ale and an American Pale Ale called “Space Station Middle Finger.” I’ll admit, the name is what finally convinced me. I later learned that wacky beer was potentially the most popular of all Three Floyd’s brews. As I sat at a picnic table in Copenhagen’s meat-packing district enjoying an APA (something I never thought I’d say), I googled this place called “Three Floyd’s” and to my astonishment it was located in my own homestate Indiana just an hour or so north of my parent’s house in West Lafayette.
That experience is what brings me here, finally walking into a place I had wondered about ever since discovering it in Europe. I believe the true popularity of this establishment was apparent as soon as I walked inside the brewpub. The snowfall was reaching a dangerous level and it was nearly 10 degrees Fahrenheit, however, there was a 45-minute wait at 4:45pm for just two people. The place was filled with families, couples, groups of six or more, and even a sports team– which had taken over the entire back room. It appeared as if the customers were using this brewery as a hideout from the storm that lay ahead.
So, I chose to hide here as well. When there’s a selection of 20 beers brewed in-house on draft and 20 guest beers in bottles, it’s hard to turn down. Unfortunately, they don’t offer flights of beer, but they do offer 5-ounce pours for $3 or less so I was ready to awaken my taste buds. I opted to start with a sour beer called Pear Bear while my boyfriend chose the brew with the highest ABV (coming in at 10.5%) called Permanent Funeral, which is a fitting name I suppose. Pear Bear was truly the sourest beer I had ever tried, and it was amazing.
The rest of the menu included milk stouts, Scottish-style ales, American IPA’s, wheat beers, porters, and a phenomenal Berliner-Weiss beer called Deesko. Their guest brews were imported from all parts of the country, and even some Danish breweries such as To ØL and Warpig’s own selection. The next few hours consisted of good conversation with the bartender, an outstanding meal of pulled pork pierogies, and an array of 5-ounce pours to go around! The best part? We were able to take home our favorite brews by the case and snag a graphic tee!
But before leaving I finished my trip to Three Floyd’s with Space Station Middle Finger, because there’s nothing like drinking an Indiana brewed beer in Indiana, rather than halfway across the world.
I never thought I’d be a “beer drinker” when I was younger; I always admired my mom as she drank wine and chatted with friends but rarely ever felt the same about my dad’s beer glass and conversations over the latest football game.
Fast forward roughly 10 years and I’ll admit I’ve fallen victim to the magical processes of beer brewing and flavor crafting. To my astonishment, there exists a world beyond domestic beers like Budweiser and Coors Lite that my father and his friends love so dearly. This realization has brought me IPA’s, sour and tart brews, milk stouts and a multitude of other styles that microbreweries and corporate breweries alike find so much enjoyment in drafting.
Over the course of the next few months I’ll be sharing my take on some breweries within the central and northwest Indiana area! I’m a firm believer that a good beer extends beyond the first sip and also includes a great atmosphere and a friendly expert to guide you along your journey. I’ll visit six Indiana breweries and pass along photos and interpretations on the variety of beers available and the overall environment! I hope to also discover something intrinsically unique about each place, as I think it could have the power to draw in beer lovers from all over the globe.
I, myself, am a true sour beer fan. However, I’ll be sure to taste each beer available (for a real unbiased evaluation, of course). I hope to meet genuine people and learn a bit more about the world behind beer brewing, and I hope you as the reader try some of these places out for yourself.
Come back soon and join me on my road trip through Indiana breweries! Cheers!
Road Trip through Indiana Breweries 