I have been a big fan of Hog Molly since I first tried their beer at a mid-pandemic beer festival Indiana On Tap had in Seymour during June 2020. I would drink their beer at many of the festivals I would attend, and always had time to chat with their wonderful staff. I have been to the brewery multiple times, and even stood in line over two years ago for the release of their barrel aged Rushin Record. So when I saw their third annual Hogstock was taking place this weekend. I was not going to miss it!
Hog Molly opened their doors in January 2020, and Louis Krempel and his family and friends have been working hard to make a name for the brewery. Louis had years of home brewing under his belt when he founded the brewery with the mission to make distinctive beer. Hog Molly is a term used to describe offensive lineman, and Louis and his son are both former college offensive linemen themselves. It has been a pleasure getting to know them, and drinking their beer for over three years. Yesterdays festivities truly showed their current popularity.
I arrived to a very full event with live music, food trucks, and long lines for beer. My friend Ben and I grabbed a beer and I made my rounds, talking to all of my friends working the event. I got to try four different IPAs, three of which were fruit themed for the summer. I really like the Fourth and Goal which was orange flavored. The amusingly named Poggy Noggin, and Foggy Noggin were both awesome Hazy IPA’s. There was also cider and wine for the guests, and I saw the food trucks doing awesome business.
There were just so many people at the event, so I sat at a table inside and listened to the music, and just watched people having a good time. I met a lot of really cool people, and the beer scene is very active in Bartholomew County. It was a diverse crowd, and there was positive energy all over including in the side yard where people were playing a Hog Molly cornhole set. The location in a business complex on Columbus’s Northside is a perfect place for Hogstock, and there was ample parking and lots of room for this excellent party. And when I go next year, I’ll make sure to bring my own chairs!
The music was great, and I enjoyed some of the early bands doing lots of good covers including Tom Petty. The headliner was the 3 Beards Band who are awesome, but I was really impressed with the band Milligan who played at seven. Their funky sound was amazing throughout their covers and original music. It was great to see people dancing to it, and I hope to see them again.
Hogstock 2023 was a smashing success, and Louis and Company had teamed up with Scott Wilson State Farm Insurance, and the Columbus Area Arts Council to put on this great festival. It was a great day and the attendance certainly attested to a well put together event. I had a lot of fun,and drink some awesome beer. And as usual these days, there was good music at this event. This was a great start to June, and as always, I’ll be at more festivals this year, and I hope they’re all as good as this one.
So Much Beer So Little Time 