I’ve been into craft beer for over two decades. While I’m glad we have so much craft beer I often think back to 20 years ago when craft breweries were scarce and far between. I learned to appreciate the beer I could actually get in pubs, and enjoyed visiting towns like Pittsburgh where Church Brew Works, and the Penn Brewery satisfied my taste for a good beer. As I traveled, I found amazing places throughout the Midwest and Northeast, as well as the deep South. Weyerbacher and Bullfrog in Pennsylvania excited me, as did Ithaca and Captain Lawrence in New York. And as I learned more about beer, I got to sample hard to get beer from California from such icons as The Lost Abbey, and Russian River. I also had lots of reasons to visit the south and breweries like Cigar City, Terrapin, and Sweetwater all made great beer I couldn’t get at home.
And while I was back in Indiana, Bells, Founder’s, 3 Floyd’s and others were making amazing beer that I always thought was a cut above the rest. As I continued to become more engaged in the craft beer culture, I learned to seek out breweries that pushed the envelope and went beyond the norm. A lot of breweries do a very good job of making very normal traditional style beers, and there certainly is a market for it. Indeed prior to my developing an appreciation for hoppy beers, it was brown and red ales and lagers that taught me about beer. It was a gradual process as my palate developed to where I could come to enjoy all styles of beer. Eventually I became excited about barrel aged beers, and sours, and intense IPAs. As the industry has grown, I’m so excited to say that so many breweries have stepped up to provide great beer.
Now in 2020 we have more active breweries than I think we had even during the golden age of brewing in the 19th Crntury. It is also worth noting that many of the breweries I mentioned in the above paragraphs are now available in Indiana as well. And a lot of breweries are gaining notoriety as craft beer is taking a much larger section of the pie than ever has. More people drink craft beer than ever before, and as I’ve traveled across the state of Indiana tasting beer from every single brewery, there is a lot of good beer being made. I’m happy to say that a lot of new breweries have joined the older ones making exciting and unique beer. It is the new breweries that are pushing the envelope that I want to focus on because as they deviate from the norm, and they are challenging all breweries to be exciting in the beer they create!
I’m sure this is going on all across the nation as craft beer continues to gain notoriety and excitement. I will speak primarily on Indiana as I’ve had a chance over the last several months to taste beer from every corner of the state. There over 150 active brewers state wide, and it seems that many have got to the starting line with experience that puts them on par with brewers that existed for decades. From Terre Haute, and Big Leaf in the West, and 5 Arches and Elm Street in the East, from Windmill and Bare Hands up North, to Damsel and Great Crescent in the South, there is no shortage of amazing beer being made. I don’t have enough space to mention every single phenomenal brewery, but if you’re out there like me visiting them, you know where the good beer is flowing! The really great breweries push the envelope, and they make the beer we want to write and tell people about!
Deviate Brewing has been in existence for five years, and is making beer that is as exciting, and excellent. They release barrel aged beers and other exciting concoctions on a regular basis. Their output is small, and they’ve created a very loyal following in just a short time. For their fifth anniversary a few months back, they released Scheming Demons on a Thursday that saw their tiny brewery packed to the gills with beer connoisseur’s. They sold out of their beer quickly, and then they went right back to their next creation. I try to procure all of them, and feel blessed to live in close proximity to such an exciting place. As I write this, their next release is hours away. Waffle Horse, a Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout with Vanilla and Maple will sell out in no time on this Halloween Saturday.
While it is their barrel-aged beers and such that bring people to stand in line for the releases, there are a lot of other things that really impress me about Deviate. They constantly make excellent sours, and they tinker with nearly every style of beer possible. On a recent trip to the tap room, I tried Caterpillar On A Shroom which was a wheat ale that used mushrooms in the brewing process. I thought it was an amazing beer and you could actually taste the mushrooms in it. I like extraordinary beer and to make extraordinary beer, you have to push the envelope. You don’t need mushrooms to deviate from the norm, but this is just one example of the crazy beer this brewery is making. From Boysenberry IPA’s to Jalapeño Cornbread Cream Ales, this brewery Devaites. As long as they continue to make great beer, I will support them.
Living just outside of Indianapolis, there are great breweries all around me. I have been able to visit a lot of them recently and I’m excited by the quality of beer available in taprooms. Just recent I discovered Primeval Brewing in Noblesville, and I’m very impressed as what they’re doing. From Belgian Strong Ales to English Porters, this brewery is putting excellent beer out there, and I wish them all the success. I would like to focus on every excellent brewery I’ve discovered in the past few months but this article has already ran long enough!
So I encourage you as you drink beer to drink beer from breweries that are a cut above what other people are doing. I haven’t mentioned 18th Street yet, and they doing things as amazing as anyone. There are many other breweries no matter where you live that push the envelope. I encourage you to enjoy good beer. And when possible enjoy it at the source, or in a good taproom. If I see you out there we’ll have a beer together. In the meantime stay safe, and enjoy good beverages when you can!
So Much Beer So Little Time 