2024 was a long year, and I went to a plethora of beer festivals, and beer events, but I am also saddened by how many brewery closings I also attended! Windmill was a complete surprise, but so are the other 15 breweries I watched close their doors! We still have a lot of breweries, and I think 2025 can still be a good year for craft beer. I’ll explain why I think that later, but first I am going to reflect on the breweries Indiana has recently lost!

It was statewide that we lost breweries, and as I have visited them all, it was like losing a friend! Great Crescent in Aurora, and Evansville’s Myriad were memorable breweries, as was Bloomington’s Switchyard. The author feels fortunate to have visited all three. There are a lot less breweries in southern Indiana than any other portion of the state, and Evansville in particular has seen too many breweries come and go, but unfortunately, that’s the nature of the business! Breweries may be opening at a slower rate, but I think there’s still a chance for craft beer to flourish!

I made several trips to Fort Wayne last year, and was saddened that Trubble, and GnomeTown had closed, and I made a subsequent trip the following Thursday to attend Summit City’s final night. On that same trip I got a chance to visit Junk Ditch, and my conversation with head brewer Todd Stone led me to believe that they had big plans to continue growth in the Fort Wayne area. I was very surprised when I heard a few months later that they were closing their doors! It truly shows how difficult this business can be, and the one thing that makes me happy is that I have friends at the remaining breweries still brewing that are making great beer!

Across the state, it was the same story. Peru lost 7 Pillars, and Lafayette’s newest edition Knapptronix closed their doors, following the death of the founder. Louisville’s Goodwood closed their Indianapolis location and over in Clinton, the winery that had once been Shaggy Ass Brewing finally closed their doors! It had been quite the year, but in late December, there was going to be one more!

Losing Triton and Windmill was devastating enough, but then on 31 of December, McCordsville’s Scarlet Lane closed for good after a very strong run here in Indianapolis. I have been drinking their beer regularly, especially at the Gastropub, and Scarlet Lane’s Beach Grove location, but I also enjoyed trips to McCordsville. My very first trip there was to try Hangin’ Tough which was a beer made to honor former beer writer Rita Kohn. I have too many fond memories of their beer to adequately do justice in this article because like Triton, I was able to drink their beer long before anyone else’s! It is sad to see all these breweries go, but the ones with particularly long runs hurts even more!

So 2024 was a rough year and I’m hoping that 2025 fairs better for craft beer, especially here in Indiana! Before anyone gets discouraged, keep in mind that the late 90s saw drastic changes in craft beer on a much smaller level, where a large percentage of the existing breweries shut their doors! It was a small competitive market, and one of my favorite breweries Founder’s nearly became a victims of this tough market. Their survival story is legendary, and through arduous work they would become one of the largest breweries of craft beer today! Breweries had to make changes to survive, and that’s what will happen today! This gives me hope, and as long as I still find plenty of good beer to drink, I will be happy!

As I write this, I am thinking about going to Deviate for their February release. While so many breweries are in trouble, there are some that have a market model that seems to work! Plenty of breweries in Indiana are still providing beer to drink, and I encourage you to find the good ones, and drink their beer. This month saw Barley Thyme open in Danville, and I’m looking forward to visiting them. Some of you don’t live in Indiana, so please visit your breweries as well. I know you’re experiencing similar closures where you live, and be assured that this is just a part of craft brewing, and good beer is not going anywhere. So let’s put 2024 to rest, and look at having a great 2025 because craft beer deserves it! And if I see you out at one of the breweries or festivals, lets have a beer together!

Last month I was sitting in the beer garden at Troegs in Hershey PA, enjoying a Kolsch. I’ve written before that visiting a favorite brewery is like seeing an old friend and that day was no exception. It was a Monday afternoon, and while I had a beer garden to myself, I was impressed with the brisk to-go sales I witnessed as patrons took cases of beer to their cars, I have always been a fan of this brewery, and look forward to their annual release of Mad Elf which is a robust Belgian style ale complimented with honey and cherries. Autumn brings us closer to the releases of the winter and spring beers that I cherish, and as I sat there, I was looking forward to all the festivals that were to come as well.

This year has found me busier with beer festivals than I usually am, and the spring and fall months in particular have been heavy with lots of good festivals. Memorable festivals here in Indiana have included Taxman’s Death & Taxes, HopLores Lore’d of the Hops, and Pax Verum’s Way Out. There were countless other great festivals, and some of them I was able to go to, but I realized in the spring that almost every weekend saw multiple beer events to choose from, and this fall has only taken that further.

As I sat at Troeg’s’s, it was only two days after I had enjoyed my volunteer work at Hops & Coaster Drops at Indiana beach. This event took place the same time as Brewed IN the Fort which is a festival in Fort Wayne, I’ve always wanted to attend, but conflicting schedules have kept me from being able to be at both places. I learned years ago how hard it is to cross the state just to attend multiple events, so I’ve practiced balance when picking and choosing.

This month began with a similar happenstance when commitments had me at the Michiana Festival of Beers while 450 N’s Corn Maze was taking place downstate. I am used to this, and last weekend saw festivals in Knox and Indianapolis at the same time. I guess it’s a good thing that we can choose from different beer festivals and craft beer is certainly in a good place to offer this many events across the state. Corks & Bottlecaps in Elkhart always seems to fall the same day as the festival in Terre Haute, but that’s just life! It is just another reason why there really is so much beer and so little time!

So there are still many festivals going on as we approach Halloween, and at least for the next couple of weekends, I have beer events everywhere. As I write this, Indianapolis has a beer and chicken festival, but I’m excited about an event at Deviate. And there will be festivals as long as the weather holds out, and then of course, it will start back up in the spring. I like being able to choose between so many events because it’s good to have options. If you want to be informed, check what breweries are going to be at what events to help you choose the ones you want to go to!

And late autumn also puts us close to so many great beer releases, some of which I have already mentioned. Black Friday is almost here as is the winter solstice, and in just a few weeks there will be great winter releases for us to enjoy! I will be making many treks to Pennsylvania over the next couple of months, picking up special releases there as well. We all know that Dark Lord Day will be here this spring, but I’m also equally excited for Buckley Day which will be the Sunday following Dark Lord Day in Bridgman, Michigan. It should not be missed! And that will all coincide amid what promises to be a busy spring full of festivals!

So I’m enjoying the good craft beer that is available and I hope things continue to stay the way that they are. Breweries may come and go, but I’m always looking forward to try new ones. Last weekend got me to Jackson Michigan, where I discovered two new breweries, and I had a lot of fun doing so. I got to hang out with friends and make new friends and the camaraderie that I find in the craft beer culture is one of the reasons I’m drawn to visiting new breweries, especially with good friends. So if we know each other, I would just like to say thank you for being a good friend to me and I enjoy drinking beer with you when I get a chance and if we haven’t met yet, I’m sure somewhere down the line we may have a pint together. Our time is short, so enjoy the beer you drink, and I will as well!

I have been writing about craft beer since 2016 and have watched across the last eight years as the number of craft breweries in America has nearly doubled! There was exponential growth as craft beers presence, and relevance seem to grow with leaps and bounds. And even back then I knew there was going to be competition with seltzers, nonalcoholic options, as well as the other craft beverages. Here in Indiana, I saw the number of craft breweries in Indiana top 180 in 2020. In the four years after I’ve seen a lot of transition in craft brewing, but I can say with certainty that as soon as one brewery or taproom closes, another one opens in the near future. There is still room for growth, and although it’s at a much slower rate, there is plenty of growth, and potential for it in craft brewing. That makes me hopeful and excited!

Even with breweries closing at a high rate, I have seen a lot of good breweries, open up all over the state of Indiana. Elwood’s Tarnished Hollow opened up with much fanfare, and Brandon still keeps festival goers happy with his crazy beer. And at least eleven other breweries have joined him as they opened up everywhere from Patoka Lake to Gas City. Even Indianapolis got a new brewery on the far west side when my buddies opened up Herrmann Brothers. It will be hosting an amazing Halloween festival on 26th of October.

And growth still happens in the cities in places like Evansville, where Barker Brewhouse joins a lot of other craft breweries, and taprooms in the metro area. But it’s in the small towns that there’s a great potential because a lot of towns like Jasonville are far away from other breweries or taprooms, and 21 Guns is a good fit there! It was nearly 10 years ago that I discussed growth with Nuvo beer writer Rita Kohn who firmly believed that sustained growth in craft beer would only happen in smaller towns where there was great potential! I’m seeing it happen right now, and you only need to visit a place like Northbrook in Arcadia to see a brewery embraced by the local community.

So we watched over a dozen breweries close over the last two years here in Indiana, which have included Valparaiso’s Four Fathers, and Lafayettes Knapptronix who’s owner and brewer passed away in June. That city also lost Escape Velocity, but there’s no cause for alarm because the Lafayette area gained Fontana Farms out in Delphi, and there are plenty of good places to drink in this craft beer loving college town. They even boast a nonalcoholic liquor store, call Generations NA, which has the largest selection of nonalcoholic craft beer I have ever seen! I was there recently, and got to enjoy samples from Fort Wayne’s juggernaut 2Tom’s which included a sour and an IPA that was available there!

And if nonalcoholic beer does not interest you that’s OK. It’s not for everyone, but interest in it is growing, and they make nearly every style of beer in NA form now. While I don’t like the flavor of many of them, some brands like Athletic and Best Day make a good product that is worth trying. I commend craft breweries for throwing their hand at this trend because even if it’s nonalcoholic, it’s still a craft beverage, and it’s beer. And maybe it’s just a trend because there’s plenty of us who still enjoy the real thing!

So there are new breweries opening up, but they’re also some exciting taprooms that have opened up like Tipton’s Mad Tap, and the Blue River Taphouse in Newcastle. Taprooms sell a lot of craft, beer and places like Brownsburg’s Books & Brews and Hop Station in Mishawaka are killing it. If you are in southern Indiana, Jeffersonville’s Pearl Street is a Great Taproom I have written about numerous times. I enjoy visiting these places as much as breweries because there is so many options when I walk into these establishments. Hop Station is a Disneyland for beer, and if you haven’t been there, you are really missing out.

Additional brewery taprooms is another place where I see growth happening. As some breweries have closed, breweries like Sun King Mashcraft, Taxman, Guggman Haus, and of course Upland have expanded their presence, often into an old breweries location. I recently heard my friend Robert Fedderson perform at MashCraft’s Fishers location which used to be Heady Hollow Brewing. The place was packed, and this gives me a sense of happiness because a lot of breweries seem to be doing well right now,

Taprooms do a lot for breweries with their tap takeover’s. A Taproom was ahead of its time as Eric Foust brought a lot of great breweries here to Indiana. As I write this article, I’m preparing to go to a Schlafly tap takeover at Tappers Arcade Bar. It’s a neat place, and if you haven’t been there, you’re missing out on the pinball machines, and good beer. They do a tap takeovers monthly, and definitely bring great beer to the North End of Fletcher Place.

And it’s going to be a good weekend because Books & Brews in Brownsburg has a tap takeover from Hop Butcher For The World tomorrow night. I am a fan of what Nick does, and he fills his taproom regularly with numerous events including several tap takeover’s monthly. It’s where my friends hang out, so I’m there regularly, and it’s a place you need to visit if you haven’t been there either.

So there still is growth in craft beer, and it’s coming in places besides in the number of new breweries opening up. Still, I know of at least six potential breweries statewide that might open in the next year or two. NA beer offers new potential and there’s a lot of growth in this market. Also, there are more new festivals popping up regularly, and I have more beer events than ever to look forward to. I may not have a feel for everything being this embedded in the craft beer scene, but from here things still look good!

So we’ve lost a few good breweries, but we’ve also gained a lot of good breweries in their place as well. Breweries are expanding with extra Taprooms, and I am excited about the potential this offers. Craft beer is everywhere, and even if you don’t want to pay $19 for it at the music venues, it’s still being offered! And there are plenty of places you can buy a pint or can far cheaper, and as long as there’s a good craft beer, this guy is happy!

2020 was the zenith year of beer culture in Fort Wayne. I was doing my beer project, and made it to all ten Fort Wayne breweries, the taproom of Chapmans out of Angola, Kekionga Cider House, and several of the craft beer bars that called the city home! I found the Fort Wayne beer scene to be a highlight of my travels, and I have made over a dozen trips since then to drink the beer at festivals and anniversaries! There have been a lot of changes to the scene since 2020, but I feel it is still a strong and vibrant place to get craft beer!

I have been drinking Mad Anthony’s beer for decades, but I also remember Warbird from craft beer’s earlier days! Their red ale was a favorite of mine back in 2008, and it was not until nearly ten years later before I would try anything else from Fort Wayne breweries. And when I began to look at breweries across the state a few years ago, I was impressed with the number of breweries in the greater Fort Wayne area!

2Toms and Hop River would both impress me at 2020’s Winterfest, and I made several trips that year to visit them and the rest of the breweries of Fort Wayne. Right off the bat I was blown away by Junk Ditch and Trubble, both of whom also featured an amazing brunch menu along with their beer. Gnometown was also a neat brewery who had good food. Mad Anthony and the Landing had cool spots, as did Dot & Line who was making some great sours at the time. Kekionga was also a fun visit, and since the legendary Johnny Appleseed is buried in Fort Wayne, they had a very good dry cider aptly named Jon!

Summit City would be a fun visit for me when I first stopped there! I was blown away by the number of beers they were making, and I fell in love with their Toast & Jam, which was a delicious beer that finished with notes of strawberry! Bird Boy had only one beer on tap when I visited, but all I had heard was praise for their beer. Deer Park Irish Pub wasn’t a Brewery, but I had to stop in for an amazing selection that they featured in cans! The breweries and taprooms of Fort Wayne were wonderful to visit, and the most memorable was my trip to Fortlandia! I was drinking the Udderly Awesome Milk Stout when I met one of the owners, Ken Daly. When he found out, I was visiting every brewery in Indiana at the time, he said he “felt sorry for my liver!”

I would make many trips back to Fort Wayne over the next several years. Often it would be for festivals at 2Tom’s including their Luau and Firkin Festival! I have so many friends that work for this brewery that I’m not going to try to name them all, but just know that you guys are awesome! I would spend a lot of time at a few of the breweries, and Dot & Line would come to have a special place in my heart! They would become a fixture at Indiana beer festivals, and I would get to drink a lot of their beer. I would also attend three anniversary parties for Fortlandia where I would develop friendships with the owners.

A lot of changes would happen over the last four years and Bird Boy, The Landing, and Trubble would all eventually close. Chapman’s Brewing would move their operations to Fort Wayne from Angola, and that was positive for the city. I’ve always felt that the city could support their breweries, and they all were full whenever I visited them. I got to drink at several of the breweries in March of this year, and then I made two trips there last week because a lot has happened!

Last weekend Fortlandia would celebrate five years. I took my dog and we had a lot of fun. Then we visited with our friends Cody and Jordan at 2Tom’s before finishing the night with our friend Crystal at Dot & Line. While visiting with friends, I learned that Summit City was closing, and Gnometown was currently between brewers. When a beer trade with my friend Dan made an additional trip to Fort Wayne feasible, I decided I needed to make a trip up again four days later!

It has been a while since I had visited Junk Ditch, and I had a chance to talk with head brewer Todd Stone who attributes consistently making good beer to be part of their longevity. They also operate a Taproom in Huntington, and Todd was excited for Brewed In The Fort which will be on September 7th. It is hosted by Mad Anthony whose beer I have been drinking a lot of lately as they have been hitting the festival circuit! I will revisit their brewery, as well as Junk Ditch the next time I am in Fort Wayne.

I got to Summit City, and since it was the last day of their operations, the brewery was packed, and the line for beer was almost to the door! I ordered a brown ale and then had to wait a very long time for it because they misplaced my ticket! Still, I enjoyed talking with a lot of people who are going to be sad to see this brewery go because many people found it to be a special place. This was only my fourth time at the brewery, but I have always enjoyed their beer and I am upset to see them go! They had a cool spot, and I only discovered their patio on this trip!

I would stop in to Hop River which was also busy for Thursday night trivia. Their beer has always been solid to me and I had a Belgian strong ale that was very good. I will have to revisit them when I have more time because I wanted to see my friend Jeremy at Deer Park before heading home. I spent more time there than I had planned to, but it’s always good to see friends and I learned that Dot & Line was having their fourth anniversary party this weekend.

So while Fort Wayne has lost a few breweries across the last few years, they still have seven breweries, and a lot of solid beer is being made in Fort Wayne. I like the breweries and they are heading in the right direction. I hope Gnometown gets a good brewer soon, and I wish Chapman’s great success, as I’ve been drinking their beer for many years. It’s two hours away from me, or I would visit more often, but Fort Wayne has a great beer scene and if you live close, I encourage you to make a visit!

Deviate Brewing is one of my favorite breweries in the state of Indiana, and there are many reasons for this. Greg and Mike brew some of the most exciting beer made in Indiana which is available almost exclusively at their unique taproom on Indianapolis’ Northwest side. They always bring good beer to the few festivals that they attend. They also release special beers about as often as any brewery I know. And lastly, I feel that they take as good of care of their mug club members as anyone if not better!

It was nearly 5 years ago when I first tried their beer at a tasting! I was impressed with the Hop Supremacy(an IPA), and would meet the owners only a few weeks later at Centerpoint’s 2020 Frigid Digits festival! Rush had just lost their drummer, and I was wearing a Rush T-shirt, which was how my conversation began with Greg and Mike, who also shared a love for the same band! They brought good beer to the festival, and I was especially impressed with the Well Worn Leather, a Scottish Strong Ale which was a tribute to our favorite band!

I began to visit their tap room regularly, and a lot of my friends would join me. I took puppies to the fifth anniversary party the same year, and was blown away by the special releases, which were aptly named Scheming Demons. They had been aged in cognac barrels, and were only a hint of many awesome beers to come. The annul releases have been epic, and this is augmented with nearly monthly releases of very big beers!

While I was a big fan of the brewery from the start, it wasn’t until this year that I took the plunge and became a mug club member. This would get me access to early release of their monthly specialty beers which includes a complimentary 5 ounce pour! They also hold two mug club member parties annually, and I can honestly say they are a blast. The brewery is dog friendly and there’s always plenty of popcorn to go around. But when they do a cookout, the food is really awesome!

If you visit Deviate, you probably will get an opportunity to try some very special beers that are a little different because they do deviate from the norm. Their brewery has a beer hall atmosphere, and lots of outdoor space. A lot of good food trucks inhabit the parking lot. I’m usually at the brewery when it’s full to the gills, but I also enjoy early afternoons when I can quietly have a pint of beer at one of their tables.

This August will mark the ninth anniversary of Deviate, and they have a wonderful party planned. There will be big releases, and you can be assured the mug club members will be having a great party as well. Greg and Mike are special people and need to be commended for the hard work they put into to make this brewery what is today. I know it was a slow start for them, but I have seen them reap rewards as popularity for their beer grows and notoriety for its excellence goes skyward. I can’t say enough things about Deviate, but I will simply say that I am so glad they are here in Indianapolis.

So if you haven’t had anything from Deviate, I encourage you to try their beer. They do things differently, but I find most of the beer to taste excellent. Definitely get some to go because this is the only place you can find their beer, and bring your dog if you’re so inclined. The ninth anniversary will be exciting and I have no doubt they will make it to 10 years and I’m planning on busting out some of their special releases I have been sitting on for that event, and I can hardly wait!

Once again, I am writing about a brewery I am sad to see go. After nine years, Windmill Brewing decided to close, and the last week in July was very sad for me. I haven’t been to the brewery since February, but I have been drinking Windmill regularly for the last five years. I feel they make great beer, and were constantly developing great new recipes that I was always excited to try! They have long been a staple in the Indiana craft beer scene, and I know they will be truly missed!

I first got to try a beer from Windmill on a visit to Mishawaka’s Hop Station where Casey Stuber told me this brewery was very good and up-and-coming. The Exit Buddy was a pale ale and I was intrigued enough to try a sour,and an imperial stout from them as well! My introduction impressed me, and later in the year, their beer would become a staple at 5’s in Anderson, and that’s where I would first get a chance to meet my friend Chris Knight, who to many people has been the face of Wimdmill for many years.

I would enjoy Windmill beer on many subsequent trips to Hop Station, 5’s, as well as A Taproom where Eric Faust always had some thing from Windmill on tap. I had learned very early on about one of their beers called Cheesecake Mutant Ninja Turtle, and it would be at an event at A Taproom where I would finally get to try it! It was about as amazing as I hoped, and I got to enjoy many cans of it over the years! The other memorable beer of theirs was the Pecan’te Porter which I found to be very tasty because the nutty spiciness of the beer was superb!

There are too many excellent Windmill experiences that I have had over the last five years of drinking their beer to mention, so I will jump to the last tap takeovers at Books & Brew in Brownsburg! I have seen Chris a lot lately as I have been very busy with beer festivals, and it was nice to actually sit down and drink some of his beer in a relaxed setting. But as we drank Windmill beer for the last time a week ago, it was very bittersweet. One beer, Stuber Smash was a tribute to the Stuber Brothers, and I felt my whole Windmill experience was cyclical. The Stubers were responsible for my introduction to the brewery years ago, and a beer named after then would be the one of the last ones I would drink from Windmill!

So I enjoyed my several trips to Windmill up in Dyer, and getting there was half the fun. I have enjoyed drinking dozens of their beers, and there now is a big void in the heart of craft beer here in Indiana. We loved Windmill, and they will be sorely missed. But at least I had a chance to enjoy a lot of their beer!

As a beer writer, I travel around the state, and get to talk to a lot of people about beer and breweries. I usually get to hear all sorts of opinions, and a lot of people don’t hold back. But there is a newer brewery in Indianapolis who has kept things simple, and has turned heads doing so. I only hear good press about this brewery, and have enjoyed the time I’ve spent there. Every beer I’ve had from them has been enjoyable. Kismetic Brewing has done a very good job, and needs to be commended for an excellent start!

Nicole and Ryan Oesch have a lot of experience in the craft beer industry, and started Kismetic so they could do things their way. They had an interest in brewing beer at lower abv’s, promoting responsibility, and wanted to create a brewery that was welcoming to everyone. The brewery is on Rural just south of Washington. From the outside it may be hard to imagine the beautiful interior which is colorful and invokes the 1970s.

I was able to visit Kismetic a few months after it opened and noticed very quickly it was a different kind of place There was a young crowd unlike the ones I see at many breweries. I really liked the interior, and we sat at the bar and ordered the Italian Pilsner. It was tasty, and I would be back frequently to try some of their other beers. A lot of my friends really liked this new brewery, so it was easy to get people to join me.

Lately, I have had a chance to drink a lot of their beer, and with the two-year anniversary coming up, I thought I would sit down with Nicole and talk a little bit about the brewery. She and Ryan seek to make beer that they like brewing for their palate. Ryan likes beers on the dry side, and this is why I feel their Pilsner’s are so good! They are still trying to find their rhythm while staying true to their original mission. Hospitality is prime, and she wants Kismetic to be “a place for everybody and they would like to see everyone here!”

They want to stay local, and are happy to offer their beer at Bluebeard. They want “quality partners as they grow organically!” They have gotten praise for their bottling, and this is a good area for growth as well. And judging from the good press that they are getting, it definitely seems like this is working out so far!

On Saturday, April 13, Kismetic had their two year anniversary party, which filled the brewery, as well as the entire lawn across the street. I got there mid afternoon to a packed crowd, full of many of my friends, and acquaintances. I got to try the Banana Nut Bread Hefeweizen which may be my new favorite beer from them. I was impressed that they sold out of their food, and were running the risk of running out of beer. This is a good problem for a small brewery because it leaves people wanting more!

So I’m excited for Kismetic’s future. A woman owned brewery fosters inclusiveness, and promotes a positive direction for craft beer. Responsible brewing at lower ABV’s is forward thinking, and has certainly been embraced by the Indiana craft beer crowd! I wish them success, and look forward to drinking their beer for hopefully many years to come!

For those of us who have been drinking craft beer for more than a decade, we probably remember when there was less local choices when choosing beer to drink! Indeed, here in Indiana, 2/3 of the active breweries have gotten their start within the last 10 years. But for those of us who began drinking back in the 90s, we remember a different time. I was in northern Indiana, and I remember fondly enjoying beer from both the Mishawaka Brewing Company, as well as Back Roads in Laporte who are both sadly now defunct. But across the state many other breweries got their start around the same time, and are still going strong. I have a special place in my heart for all of these breweries, and I’m excited to tell you about what I call the old guard.(OG’s)

In 1990, the Broad Ripple Brewing Company opened their doors, and they have been offering excellent beer, including cask conditioned ales, and a lot of British traditional beers! I have been drinking their beer for two decades while living in Indianapolis, and have enjoyed the food as well as the beer. The Monon Porter is a favorite, and I also liked Hangin’ Tough, a beer they brewed with Scarlet Lane to honor beer writer Rita Kohn. Recently, I have been checking out a lot of the other creative beers that they are producing! There is something for everyone at their taproom, and I applaud this brewery for 34 years of excellent beer making in the Broad Ripple area!

In 1993 the Lafayette brewing Company began serving a city rich with a beer tradition. This was the only OG brewery I discovered late in the game, and was happy to learn about their history. My first visit took me there for lunch several years ago. I paired up a very good wrap with their Star City Lager, which is an excellent Dortmunder, one of my favorite styles of beer. I plan to get back up there in the near future because I really like what they are doing!

In 1994 two breweries opened up in Central, Indiana. The Bloomington Brewing Company has been a mainstay at beer festivals for decades, and I have fond memories of Floyd Rosenbaum who was a colorful character who made the BBC’s beer experience come alive. I always enjoyed stopping at his booth! In later years, I would come to really enjoy the Kirkwood cream ale, and got to enjoy their beer at Lennys Brewpub, which is also in Bloomington. Floyd has passed on, but there will always be a place in my heart for the BBC.

The Oaken Barrel Brewing Company also got its start the same year. I have enjoyed many beers from them over the years and the Epiphany, a Belgian tripel they make around Christmas time, is one of my favorites from them. They have a great brewpub in Greenwood, and their 30 years which is going to be celebrated later this year is more than the other four breweries in Greenwood combined. If you happen to be in the area, they have great prices on their six packs and I can’t say enough about their awesome label artwork!

1996 saw the openingof many breweries in Indiana, and two of them still operate. Turoni’s Pizza in Evansville opened in 1963, and expanded into a brewery as well in 1996. They have been a mainstay at beer festivals, and in 2020, I finally got to visit Evansville, and have a beer at this quaint pizzeria. It was very memorable and should you make it to Evansville, I recommend stopping in for pizza and beer.

In 1996, 3Floyd’s began the journey that has brought the state everything from Dark Lord Day, to excellent beers that should be known by most people in the craft beer environment! I have enjoyed their beer over the years, and Robert The Bruce and Dreadnaught are two of my favorites! They make so many great IPAs, and I don’t have time to mention them all, but everyone should try Gumball Head, a hoppy wheat. Should you get to Dark Lord Day this year, you’ll see why they are one of best breweries in the country.

1998 Upland, began Brewing in Bloomington as well. I became aware of their wheat beer very early on, and they were the first Central Indiana brewery I would enjoy regularly. From Teddy Bear Kisses, to Dragonflies, Upland makes very memorable beer. I also remember how in 2008 they first made their Lambics, and how exciting that was. They continue to make excellent beer which is available in their tap rooms all over Central Indiana, and many other places as well. I also recommend their food because the executive chef, Paddy, is a good friend of mine!

Also in 1998, Mad Anthony opened their doors in Fort Wayne! People were always giving me six packs of their beer over the decades, and I was happy to finally visit their taproom several years ago! They help anchor a very awesome beer scene in Fort Wayne, and I definitely recommend visiting them if you’re in the area.

I also want to mention two breweries in Central Indiana who both had reboots in 2016, but can trace their roots back to the 19th century. Thieme & Wagner has a rich tradition of brewing in Lafayette, and the family has continued to use a lot of original recipes. You can enjoy their beer at the Thieme & Wagner tap room which is just up the street from the Lafayette Brewing Company. The Terre Haute Brewing Company came on the scene the same year, and has been making amazing beer which I love enjoying at most of the festivals I go to. They have a great taproom in Terre Haute, which is diagonal from the original brewery that dates back to the 19th century! Champagne Velvet was originally their beer and briefly got a reboot from a version of THBC in the 1990’s, and is now a recipe owned by another OG, Upland.

So it’s no surprise that these breweries are going strong after many decades. They began in a very different environment when local competition may have been more sparse, but they’ve had decades to hone their craft. Breweries may come and go, but it is the old guards who have stayed strong, and I expect you’ll be able to drink at their tap rooms, and see them at festivals for many years to come.

My last article stirred a conversation among people who like traditional styles of beer and prefer lower ABV’s when doing session beer. Some of them are critical of the popular breweries who seem to be going above and beyond creating what they call crazy beers. I like most beer, and while I appreciate the cutting edge nature of a lot of brewers right now, it was simpler craft beer that got me into good beer. So I would like to take a moment to reflect on these beers, and the breweries that are doing traditional styles as well!

If you’re new to craft beer, you may not remember what it was like several decades ago when you went into a brewery, and they had a core list of beers that were simple. There was usually a wheat ale, a pale ale(often red, brown, blonde, or black), an IPA, and either a Stout, or a Porter. If the brewery had a slightly German slant, you might get a Bock or a Hefeweizen. This was the model for lots of breweries in the 90s and you can still find breweries that stick to a similar list when they first create their tap list. These are the styles of beer that people outside the craft beer industry can relate to, and I still find them to be delicious. I often order one when I visit a brewery because I want to make sure the brewers can excel at the simple!

As much as I like IPAs now and enjoy Hazies and Westies equally, I haven’t always been an IPA guy. It wasn’t until about 2007 that I could handle heavily hopped beers because my palate wasn’t there yet. In my early years of craft beer appreciation, it was the Porter I enjoyed. I’ve talked to quite a few people over the years who do not like IPAs. They may not be the ones making the most noise right now, but certainly there are plenty of them. I was recently talking to my friend Aaron West, who owns Westwind in Elkhart about this. He knows that radio promotion brings in a lot of people who might like something simpler, and he provides a few on his list.

This is the same reason that many breweries make a seltzer for their patrons. If I’m driving, I often want a more traditional beer partly because of the ABV. I have noticed that often times my choices are limited, but this doesn’t have to be the case. Craft beer is for everyone, and quite frankly not everyone wants to do Imperial Stout’s or double IPAs. I like those styles, but I don’t always want to drink them. And this is why I applaud breweries who still dabble in traditional styles.

While the Stout seems to be open game for all sorts of tinkering, the traditional Porter can still be found at a lot of breweries. This used to be my favorite style, and a lot of brewers do a good job with keeping this beer alive. I feel that way about the different brown and red ales that we hardly see anymore. I like a good traditional ale, and I’m glad some breweries still make them.

So my response to the person who read my last article, and was critical of a brewery for going above and beyond in the creation of exciting beer to look elsewhere if that’s not what you’re interested in. There are plenty of breweries who are content to offer simpler beer, and if that’s what you like, seek those breweries out. There are many other people who will appreciate the next big thing in craft beer and that’s for them. We all love beer but our taste are different and that’s awesome and one reason why there are so many different styles of beer!

So my advice is to drink what you like and support breweries who make those beers. There is nothing wrong with appreciating beer with lower ABVs, and if that’s what you enjoy, then by all means, drink it. I like those beers, and maybe we will share one together. In the meantime let’s just remember that beer is for everyone, and there is a beer for everyone as well. You don’t have to like everything and that’s normal, but that doesn’t mean a beer is not awesome. I’ll keep enjoying beer, and writing about it, and I hope you continue to enjoy it as well.

I have a good many friends and acquaintances in the brewing industry across Indiana, and three of them are featured in the top photo! 2Tom’s Anniversary Luau is one of my favorite festivals held here in Indiana and should you make it to Fort Wayne this summer, you won’t be disappointed! My friend Cody Moon is currently the Head Brewer and Production Manager at 2Toms, and is looking to do some exciting things! I’ve known him for a long while now, and began researching his journey from home brewing to professional brewing nearly a year ago! He is an award winning brewer, and I think it’s time his story is told!

Cody is an elementary school science teacher by day, and a great guy with eclectic taste in music. He credits his entry into brewing to his supportive wife Allie who got him a home brewing kit way back in 2014! He loved to experiment, and found that he really loved brewing beer, and pushing limits. He started small with 1 gallon batches and soon got to the point where he was using a 15 1/2 gallon brew kettle. By 2016 he was making a really good IPA. Then in 2017, he perfected an amber ale which would win him a silver medal at the Indiana Home Brewers Competition in 2018.

He was involved in the Home Brewers Association in Fort Wayne, and watched brewers he knew start 2Tom’s , Fortlandia, and Dot & Line. He knew he was making good beer, and the Covid pandemic was a shot in the arm for him. He gave away around 90 batches of beer over three years as he made a name for himself! Then in November 2020, Tim Eaton spoke with Logan at Fortlandia in the hopes of finding a brewer for the brewery he wanted to start! He got matched up with Cody the following February and the history of Science Project Brewing began!

It took over a year for the brewery to open. Cody modeled his tap list after Fortlandia, and in August 2022, Science Project Brewing Company opened in Logansport! He was able to showcase his beer at Hops and Coaster drops that September, and this is where I met him, and tried his beer for the first time. I was blown away by the Double Felix, a kettle sour, and Umbra, a dark lager. I would try his beer again at an Indiana On Tap Tasting Society event the next January. I would visit his brewery that March would enjoy memorably named beers called Breakfast On The Moon and Bananas, Beads, Battlestar Galactica!

Cody was working hard as he drove from Fort Wayne down to Logansport to brew! He would win a gold medal at the Indiana Brewers Cup for the amber ale he had perfected as a homebrewer. Tim gave him trust in developing beer, and he tried to make beer that would appease everyone. He also did a lot of collaborations with Tarnished Hollow. This relationship would create a half dozen excellent beers, and I expect more will come someday.

I started seeing Cody a lot last summer, and we started looking at writing an article. He had a lot of awesome beer planned, and at the Way Out festival in Lapel, he brought some very creative beers. I sat down with him after Anderson On Tap, and at Fortlandia during their anniversary party. I was happy to see him achieving success with Science Project, and looked forward to seeing more great beer. But things were in the works, and in early fall, he was invited to join the team at 2Tom’s.

I feel this is a good fit for Cody, and we sat down again last month at 2Tom’s Firkin Fest. I know he is excited to brew closer to home, and work with Tom on a lot of great brewing projects. He is able to revamp some of the ideas he’s been working on, and is developing more ideas. Cody is a scientist at heart, and never stops thinking about making excellent beer. And he’s had a supportive wife as well as his in-laws who have let him go all in to get to this point. He has made some terrific beer so far, and I for one would like to see what he’s going to do next!

So I wish Cody all the best, and I know he will do well at 2Tom’s. With over a decade of brewing under his belt, he is experienced, and clearly loves what he does! I was blown away by the passion he has for brewing, which has always made me excited to try his beer. But don’t take my word for it. 2Tom’s has tap rooms in both Fort Wayne in Indianapolis, and you can find their beer at most of the festivals! And if you make it to the 2Tom’s Luau this summer, let’s have a beer together!