One of the first articles I wrote for this site was about the importance of taprooms, and I finished the article on the lawn at 5’s in Anderson. I was listening to live music on their opening night back in 2020. For almost 3 years, they have done an amazing job of serving Indiana beer to craft beer drinkers in the Anderson area. I spent many hours there, and I’ve gotten to know the owners very well. I’m saddened that this taproom is no more, and just like all the breweries I’ve written about recently that have closed, I write this with a sad heart.
Situated in an old fire house on the west side of Anderson, 5’s Taproom was a quaint spot, which I found to be an excellent place to drink good beer. Lance, Mike, Kyle, and their wives were an excellent team keeping this place afloat, and I got to know all of them and consider them friends. And from bottle shares, to meeting friends, and any other reasons that would take me to Anderson, it was always a great stop as I researched craft beer. And I would just like to share a few of my fun memories of this place.
Since I was able to enjoy the opening, I made it a point to attend their first anniversary party, which also featured great live music. It had been a busy Saturday in September, and I had been on the other side of the state working at a beer festival. My friend Chris and I were able to get people to travel all the way from Monticello to Anderson just to attend this party, telling them how great the taproom was. I didn’t want to miss this party, and I had brought beer back from Maryland for one of the owners. It was a wonderful night, and it was so packed that we had to sit at a small table on the front porch, which gave us a great view of the yard which was teeming with great music.
I also remember one winter weekend when I spent time with the owners at a beer festival in Fort Wayne at 2Tom’s. Kyle’s wife Kristen is a great person, but she doesn’t know a lot about craft beer, so he asked us to mess with his wife when we stopped in on our way back to Indianapolis the following day. Since she knew me, I had my friend ask her all kinds of crazy questions about craft beer, and she became flustered, and when she asked him why he was doing this, I chimed in because your “husband told me too!” She started laughing, and that’s when all the husbands walked in grinning!
I can’t remember how many times I had a chance to visit 5’s, but I got to try a great deal of beer there, and meet a lot of the regulars. It was always nice to see them, as well as the owners who are friends. I have lots of fond memories of spending time at the tap room after the Anderson On Tap festival two years ago. Many of the brewers and representatives of breweries across the state all met there afterwards, and it was a great time for socializing.
For me, this was always a great place to stop, no matter where I was in the northern part of the state. I have great memories, and I’m proud of the job they did promoting good craft beer. While the other excellent tap rooms across the state do a fine job promoting Indiana beer, there was something special about 5’s. I’m going to miss them a lot, but I’m thankful for all the wonderful memories I have.
So there are still excellent places to drink in Anderson, and nearby, but there’s one less good taproom in that part of the state. As I said, I will miss them, but thank you for almost 3 good years. I wish the owners success in whatever they do in the future, and they need to be proud of the taproom because it was a great place to drink craft beer and meet people.
So Much Beer So Little Time 