2020 was the zenith year of beer culture in Fort Wayne. I was doing my beer project, and made it to all ten Fort Wayne breweries, the taproom of Chapmans out of Angola, Kekionga Cider House, and several of the craft beer bars that called the city home! I found the Fort Wayne beer scene to be a highlight of my travels, and I have made over a dozen trips since then to drink the beer at festivals and anniversaries! There have been a lot of changes to the scene since 2020, but I feel it is still a strong and vibrant place to get craft beer!
I have been drinking Mad Anthony’s beer for decades, but I also remember Warbird from craft beer’s earlier days! Their red ale was a favorite of mine back in 2008, and it was not until nearly ten years later before I would try anything else from Fort Wayne breweries. And when I began to look at breweries across the state a few years ago, I was impressed with the number of breweries in the greater Fort Wayne area!
2Toms and Hop River would both impress me at 2020’s Winterfest, and I made several trips that year to visit them and the rest of the breweries of Fort Wayne. Right off the bat I was blown away by Junk Ditch and Trubble, both of whom also featured an amazing brunch menu along with their beer. Gnometown was also a neat brewery who had good food. Mad Anthony and the Landing had cool spots, as did Dot & Line who was making some great sours at the time. Kekionga was also a fun visit, and since the legendary Johnny Appleseed is buried in Fort Wayne, they had a very good dry cider aptly named Jon!
Summit City would be a fun visit for me when I first stopped there! I was blown away by the number of beers they were making, and I fell in love with their Toast & Jam, which was a delicious beer that finished with notes of strawberry! Bird Boy had only one beer on tap when I visited, but all I had heard was praise for their beer. Deer Park Irish Pub wasn’t a Brewery, but I had to stop in for an amazing selection that they featured in cans! The breweries and taprooms of Fort Wayne were wonderful to visit, and the most memorable was my trip to Fortlandia! I was drinking the Udderly Awesome Milk Stout when I met one of the owners, Ken Daly. When he found out, I was visiting every brewery in Indiana at the time, he said he “felt sorry for my liver!”
I would make many trips back to Fort Wayne over the next several years. Often it would be for festivals at 2Tom’s including their Luau and Firkin Festival! I have so many friends that work for this brewery that I’m not going to try to name them all, but just know that you guys are awesome! I would spend a lot of time at a few of the breweries, and Dot & Line would come to have a special place in my heart! They would become a fixture at Indiana beer festivals, and I would get to drink a lot of their beer. I would also attend three anniversary parties for Fortlandia where I would develop friendships with the owners.
A lot of changes would happen over the last four years and Bird Boy, The Landing, and Trubble would all eventually close. Chapman’s Brewing would move their operations to Fort Wayne from Angola, and that was positive for the city. I’ve always felt that the city could support their breweries, and they all were full whenever I visited them. I got to drink at several of the breweries in March of this year, and then I made two trips there last week because a lot has happened!
Last weekend Fortlandia would celebrate five years. I took my dog and we had a lot of fun. Then we visited with our friends Cody and Jordan at 2Tom’s before finishing the night with our friend Crystal at Dot & Line. While visiting with friends, I learned that Summit City was closing, and Gnometown was currently between brewers. When a beer trade with my friend Dan made an additional trip to Fort Wayne feasible, I decided I needed to make a trip up again four days later!
It has been a while since I had visited Junk Ditch, and I had a chance to talk with head brewer Todd Stone who attributes consistently making good beer to be part of their longevity. They also operate a Taproom in Huntington, and Todd was excited for Brewed In The Fort which will be on September 7th. It is hosted by Mad Anthony whose beer I have been drinking a lot of lately as they have been hitting the festival circuit! I will revisit their brewery, as well as Junk Ditch the next time I am in Fort Wayne.
I got to Summit City, and since it was the last day of their operations, the brewery was packed, and the line for beer was almost to the door! I ordered a brown ale and then had to wait a very long time for it because they misplaced my ticket! Still, I enjoyed talking with a lot of people who are going to be sad to see this brewery go because many people found it to be a special place. This was only my fourth time at the brewery, but I have always enjoyed their beer and I am upset to see them go! They had a cool spot, and I only discovered their patio on this trip!
I would stop in to Hop River which was also busy for Thursday night trivia. Their beer has always been solid to me and I had a Belgian strong ale that was very good. I will have to revisit them when I have more time because I wanted to see my friend Jeremy at Deer Park before heading home. I spent more time there than I had planned to, but it’s always good to see friends and I learned that Dot & Line was having their fourth anniversary party this weekend.
So while Fort Wayne has lost a few breweries across the last few years, they still have seven breweries, and a lot of solid beer is being made in Fort Wayne. I like the breweries and they are heading in the right direction. I hope Gnometown gets a good brewer soon, and I wish Chapman’s great success, as I’ve been drinking their beer for many years. It’s two hours away from me, or I would visit more often, but Fort Wayne has a great beer scene and if you live close, I encourage you to make a visit!
So Much Beer So Little Time 