Fortlandia Celebrates Four Years With A Memorable Saturday!

I don’t live in Fort Wayne but if I did, I would be a regular at Fortlandia. In the last 3+ years, I have visited them nearly every time I’ve been to Fort Wayne. I tried their milk stout and immediately became a fan of the brewery. They make a variety of styles, which are all awesome. And it was on one of those early trips that I met one of the owners, Ken. When he found out I was visiting every brewery in Indiana, he told me he felt sorry for my liver! I was fortunate enough to visit them two years ago when they had their second anniversary party, but last Saturday blew that gala out of the water.

I arrived mid afternoon and talked briefly with one of the owners in the beer garden. They had 20 beers on tap, and beers were different inside and out. I would gravitate inside for most of the day where I ran into Ken. They had several special releases in bottles which excited me, and I thought I would grab them as well as a few special sours on my way out. I also got to chat with fellow owner Dan who is a friend, and he was also very excited about the event. I soon found my way to an empty seat at the bar, and enjoyed an afternoon of fellowship.

I sat next to a gentleman named Coty, and we would drink several awesome beers while we chatted about craft beer, and many other things. I tried a Honeydew Koslch, a Cherry Blonde, a Honey Vanilla Lager, and a sour made from Sour Patch Kids. The bartenders were doing a very good job, and an excellent and young crowd was really enjoying everything in this very packed tiny taproom. I liked that there was a different atmosphere inside from outside, and everyone seem to be enjoying themselves.

Two excellent food trucks worked shifts. Early on Let’s Get Twisted satisfied the crowd, and later Roanoke’s Joseph Decuis served excellent BBQ, and I got to try some amazing thrice fried fries. I took in the celebration outside for a while, and when my friend Cody Moon arrived, we sat down to discuss craft beer and his experiences. (His brewery Science Project will be celebrating one year at their anniversary party in Logansport this Saturday, August 26th.)

So I want to commend Fortlandia for making it four years, and hosting an awesome party. It was a great time, and the crowd that showed up attests to the success of this brewery. I was able to secure a bottle of English Barleywine, as well as the Tennessee Strong, and two different sours. I would have a long trip ahead of me, but I had fun and I truly hope to get back to this brewery before their next anniversary party. If you live in the Fort Wayne area, please visit Fortlandia if you haven’t already, and everybody else needs to make a road trip here because this brewery is definitely one worth visiting!