It seems like only a few weeks ago that I was writing about breweries closing, and I felt like I needed to reconsider where a craft beer was going. I was wondering if the zenith had already been reached, and that we were going to see some sort of implosion on our beloved culture. I was set to start exploring exclusively the breweries of Ohio when all of a sudden, I saw exciting things happening here in Indiana. Lots of new breweries are set to open. We have a homebrew culture that is second to none, and exciting breweries statewide are calling me to visit!
When I felt like a lot of breweries were shutting down a few months ago, I was willing to think we had come to a point of saturation. But with as many as a dozen potentially awesome breweries set to open up this year, it looks like our craft beer culture is continuing to grow. We have a farmhouse brewery coming, as well as some excellent former home brewers set to open shop. And also, I know of at least one brewery that will open up where a now defunct breweries sits. I have traveled extensively over the past three weekends, and with all the breweries I have visited being full, I am confident that these breweries can be successful if they work hard at it.
And I also got to be a part of a great home brewing competition in Elkhart two weekends ago that left me feeling good about where our beer culture is going. While some of these people are just making great beer for a hobby, some of them have the potential to be excellent brewers. I see growth that will continue as long as people are interested in making good beer. I also made some wonderful contacts, and look forward to continue to drink beer made by some of these homebrewer’s because they attend festivals, which is usually a highlight for me.
And my third point is that while I have visited breweries statewide over the past month, I have had what I consider to be excellent beer, and I really like the quality of what is going on in the breweries. They are full of a diverse crowd, enjoying good food with the beer. I think the quality of what’s going on at our breweries has only stepped up as competition makes everybody be better, and one only has to visit one of our 180+ Indiana tap rooms to see just how excellent everything is.
And it’s the same everywhere I’ve had a chance to visit recently. I have been all over the state of Pennsylvania this year visiting breweries, and three weeks ago, the breweries in Pittsburgh we’re just hopping. I discovered a new brewery and found a few others I want to hit when I go back. And I spend a lot of time in Ohio between Columbus and Cincinnati doing podcasts, and even watching my little brother run a marathon. I was able to visit five breweries last weekend in Cincinnati, and the beer was excellent. It’s going to take me a while, but I will visit every brewery in Ohio eventually! Ohio beer culture is every bit as vibrant as Indiana and Pennsylvania and every other state I’ve been to for that matter!
So I’m not worried about where craft beer is going. The sheer number of festivals that I’m taking part in this summer attests to just how popular craft beer has become. And across the last three weeks I’ve had to choose between events because there’s just that many going on. And as I sat in breweries last week, I met a lot of awesome people who love to discuss beer, and it’s another reason why I like when we are going. I rarely go anywhere where there’s not good beer, and later today, a friend of mine is meeting me to go to Moontown which is a brewery in Whitestown I’ve really been meaning to visit.
So wherever you are keep enjoying craft beer. I don’t think our culture is done growing, and we may have a long way to go before we reach the top. For me that’s exciting as I get to chronicle this great journey where more and more people get to enjoy craft beer. And after getting to pour beer at a festival last weekend in which I came home with some good beer, I really must stick to the title of my blog because there is just so much beer and so little time!
So Much Beer So Little Time 