I have been to every corner of the state of Indiana visiting breweries, and when people find out I’ve been to all of them, they usually asked me what’s the best brewery or what is my favorite? These questions are subjective, but when someone asks me which brewery is doing the most unique things, or is the most interesting, I usually gravitate to a tiny brewery in the north east quadrant of Indiana. Harry Stuff in Wawaka is brewing some of the most exciting beers being made in Indiana, and this shouldn’t be a secret!

You may never have heard of them, or even of Wawaka which is a tiny town on US 6 between Ligonier and Kendallville. That is not surprising, considering their location, and the fact that they don’t distribute widely. I only became aware of them on a visit years ago to Hop Station in Mishawaka where I first tried the Barichara, a farmhouse ale aged in oak barrels with apricot. The beer exploded with flavor, and I made it my mission to visit this tiny brewery which I found out was on a farm in the middle of nowhere!

It only took me a few months to finally get there, and it was definitely worth the effort. Erhen Stuff greeted me warmly with a tour of the facility which is a very clean and modern looking taproom and brewery inside of a barn at Southfork Farms on the family estate. The brewery is named for Erhen’s great grandfather, who farmed the “real way” during the Great Depression. He was excited about the kitchen area that was being expanded where his wife, Luisa, who is a native of Colombia, was creating some exciting dishes!

While Ehren is making some exciting IPAs and stouts, it was the farmhouse ales that attracted me to his brewery, and when I tried Nighttime in the Woods, I was not disappointed. This farmhouse ale finished like a Flemish sour brown, and had complex characteristics that developed over its three-year aging in oak barrels. This dark elixir was one of the most exciting beers I had ever tried in Indiana, and I took some to share with some of my friends at 5’s in Anderson, which was a Taproom that focused on Indiana beer!

So it has been a long time since I had had their beer when I visited the brewery again last week. It only took one sip for me to remember why I love this brewery so much. There were a lot of exciting beers on the menu, including the ones I have mentioned as well as Explosion Blooming, a barrel aged farmhouse ale with mango, passion, and guava fruit. There was a good Baltic Porter, a Stout with Cocoa Nibs, and even a barrel aged dry-hopped beer called Funk Creature which I found to be fascinating. These beers paired up well with the empanadas which I had been told to try.(My friend Cody Moon, assistant Brewer at 2Toms, goes out of his way frequently to get them because they’re so delicious!) Goulash was the food special, and it was neat to see Luisa and her staff plugging away in the kitchen.

Ehren came out to visit with me again, and of course we got to see the brewery. His canning process was fascinating as well as the space he has to work with. He has exciting plans for his brewing and wants to continue with his IPAs which are difficult for him to keep on tap because of their popularity. The taproom filled up while we were there, and it’s obvious the community has embraced this brewery. I can attest to the quality of the food, and the beer is just, well exciting! Having brewed Belgian style beers myself, I appreciate the work that goes into making them and I can’t think of a better place to make farmhouse ales than on a farm!

So while there are a lot of excellent breweries in Indiana, Harry Stuff is one brewery that I feel needs recognition for making a very interesting beer that is good, and different. If you make it to northern Indiana and don’t get lost, it’s definitely worth the visit. His IPAs are good and even if farmhouse beer isn’t your thing, he excels at a lot of styles of beer. I brought a lot of it home with me, so should we hang out, maybe I’ll share it with you!

Years ago when I was visiting all the breweries in Indiana, I stopped in at Cedar Creek on a Friday evening and was impressed with their beer. On this trip, I met assistant brewer Brandon Fry who gave me a bottle of the 2019 Darkest Achievement! It would be enjoyed later on our beer podcast, A Gateway To Lesser Things, and this began my love affair with one of the best Russian Imperial Stouts made in the state. The author looks forward to December annually and feels this release is comparable to Dark Lord Day on a smaller level! They’ve worked hard to make these releases special each year, and I want to get the word out about this brewery, and this beer!

The author has a six year vertical of the base beer! Until 2020 the ABV was a whopping 20%!

I have been able to visit Cedar Creek for the last four releases of Darkest Achievement, and I’ve enjoyed every trip I’ve made there! Originally the beer was released on December 21,the Winter Solstice, and shortest day of the year, but recently the event has been held on the closest Saturday! So on December 16th of last year, I sat down with Brandon to talk a little bit about this beer!

Brandon has always been interested in bourbon barrel aged stouts, and particularly liked the Black Note from Bells. While he loves brewing, he says the Darkest Achievement is “the most challenging and difficult beer he produces!” It was first brewed in 2017 with the first bottling occurring in 2018. Until 2020 the ABV on Darkest Achievement clocked in at a hefty 20%.! It is now about 14 1/2% and still very robust. Cedar Creek is a small brewery and this beer is 100% hand packaged, and hand filled. Brandon personally fills every bottle, and this is a three day process!

It is a very good Russian Imperial Stout, and I’ve enjoyed drinking many bottles of this beer! It ages very well and I have bottles going back to 2018 in my collection. It goes with special occasions, and just last month I had one with a good friend. I also enjoy the variants made each year which have included Hazelnut, Vanilla Bean, Peanut Butter, Coconut, Neapolitan, Marshmallow, and a Barleywine! This year saw the testing of a coffee version called Wake Me Up!

So if you haven’t been to Cedar Creek, it’s definitely worth the trip! They also have a distillery and winery if beer is not your thing! I like most of the beer they make, and my visits year-round have allowed me to try a variety of beer. I enjoy every minute I spend at Cedar Creek, but it’s only February and I can’t wait for December to get here for the next Dark Achievement!

Usually sometime in the fall, I will take the opportunity to drink more cider as harvest time means excellent apple production, which means excellent hard cider if you know where to look for it. While a lot of great ciders are made year round, I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that my enthusiasm for this style of beverage is stronger in the fall. It harkens back to my youthful days, when my grandfather would make his own hard cider right on the farm, sharing it with my underage soul. I developed an appreciation for the work that went into his cider, and it would always stick with me as I became a beer writer.

Long before the craft beverage movement made way for hundreds of cider houses, I was cutting my teeth on Cider as I traveled in Europe. I remember having the official Cider of the English cricket team when I was at the London Zoo in 2001. And I was also urged to try half and half’s with English lager and local cider. This is also done in Ireland with many different varieties that use everything from Guinness to Harp. Needless to say, I was always a fan of Cider, so when it became a craft beverage, I was ready to go on board.

Because of my early experiences with my grandfather’s cider that was made from crab apples, I think I appreciate the semi sweet and dry varieties the best! They are not for everyone but if you appreciate a drier Cider, you have to try those being made by McClures, which is available at their Orchard in Peru, Indiana. Kekionga in Fort Wayne also makes a wide variety of Ciders, and they are fortunate to revive the legacy of Johnny Appleseed, who was buried in Fort Wayne. I have found good cider on most of the trips I have made, and while I don’t always drink it when I do, I’m usually very impressed.

When I was in northern Michigan, I found a really good Cider House across the street from Shorts, and this just confirmed what I already knew about all the good cider I had tried in Michigan. Virtue in Fennville makes some of the best Cider out there and even if you go to Michigan to drink beer you need to go to a Cider House or two if you have time. They make some amazing varieties, and there’s something for everyone!

While there’s not quite as many styles of Cider as there is beer, there certainly are many. I recently tried the Cyser from McClures which is a style of Apple Mead that harkens back to the Middle Ages. Cider has been around as long as beer and wine and mead, so I’m glad it gets the recognition that it deserves.

So if you visit Indianapolis, Ash and Elm makes great Cider and produces for local orchards like Beasley’s in Danville. I haven’t been to every Cider House in Indiana but it’s certainly something I think I should try to do this fall. The producers do a good job with this beverage, and craft Cider is as good as it’s ever been.

So if you want to take time to be appreciative of the harvest this fall, I encourage you to try some Cider even if you don’t drink it regularly. Since many people find it too sweet, I recommend trying some of the semi sweet to dry varieties as those are my favorite because I too find mass-produce Cider to be far too sweet. It is definitely something to be appreciated, and that’s one reason I wrote this article. Maybe I’ll have a Cider with you in the future, since I certainly have enough in my stock to share!

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!

There are a lot of good breweries in Indianapolis, and many of them are getting the recognition they deserve. I have enjoyed writing about them, but there is one brewery in particular that I feel needs more attention. Garfield Brewing is on Indianapolis’ south side, and has been brewing for six years. They have been making really excellent beer that is enjoyed largely by people in the neighborhood. But their beer is worth drinking, so I’m encouraging people to visit this quaint little brewery.

Garfield Brewing is in the heart of the old Garfield Park neighborhood. It is just one block off the Raymond Street exit off 65, on Shelby Street in an old filling station. The front parking lot has been turned into a beer garden, and there is additional seating inside, including at the bar. They offer a nice variety of beer, but lately I have been loving the Baker 57, an IPA named after the local inspiration for the Cannonball Run movies. Many other beers pay tribute to Indianapolis’ southside history. They have a nice selection of beer, and I feel there is something for everyone.

Garfield brewering recently celebrated six years of making beer in this neighborhood. I was fortunate enough to attend, and six dollar beers were offered! There were two food trucks including a vegan one. There was live music on the patio, and the brewery stayed full all day!

It is very obvious from comments that I hear working nearby that this neighborhood really loves the brewery. I first visited them in early 2020 during a brewery crawl with a few of my friends. Subsequent visits with my friends Kelly and Kevin would be to try special releases over the following spring. These included a root beer float stout, and a pistachio beer for St. Patrick’s Day. I was becoming a big fan of their stouts, and was even able to feature one of them on our beer podcast.

It was about two years ago that I started visiting Garfield more frequently. Living downtown put me in proximity to their location, and we’ve had a lot of fun gathering at the brewery. I’ve met a lot of really awesome regulars, and have enjoyed trying nearly every beer that they put on their tap list. It is really quality beer, and I definitely encourage everyone to try it.

But Garfield’s beer is basically available only at the brewery, so you need to visit them to try their beer. This is the way smaller breweries operate, and Garfield Brewing is almost a secret known only to the neighborhood. This is why there needs to be more press for Garfield because it is a secret that should not be kept. Their excellent beer is waiting for you to try, and maybe I’ll be there, and we can have a pint together.

My love of Short’s Brewery began long before they were available in Indiana. On many trips to Michigan, I would pick up their beer, often bringing it for friends. And it was one Christmas in 2010 when I remember stocking up on at least a half dozen six packs of their beer that I picked up at a store in Niles. The beer was great, and it was always special because it was something I could not get at home.

Joe Short and company began brewing in 2004 and it wasn’t soon after that I began enjoying everything from the Bellaire Brown to the excellent Soft Parade. I enjoyed reading about all their events, and at the time the northern reaches of Michigan just seemed so far away from me. But I was in southern Michigan a lot, and over the years, I purchased quite a bit of their beer. I remember picking up a sampler pack in 2012 that included some of the very interesting Local’s Light. Short’s was making good beer, and I was willing to drive for it!

So you can imagine my excitement when it became available in 2016 here in Indiana, and I was asked to cover the release party. It was held at the now defunct Redemption Brewing, which is where the 2Tom’s Indianapolis location sits. I enjoyed drinking the beer, and was very happy to be able to get it regularly. I bought a lot of their six packs when I worked at Crown Brewing, and remained a fan throughout the last decade. When I was not able to attend an event held at the other Avon Crown store because I was working, my manager was nice enough to give me a hat that was autographed by Joe Short from the event. I also got a T-shirt, and when I made a trip to Michigan during Covid, I wore it with pride as I drove up to Northern Michigan, hoping to visit the brewery.

I got a spot at a local campground in Bellaire, and walked down to the brewery only to find that since it was Covid, and the Fourth of July weekend, I was not going to get into the brewery. That didn’t stop me, and I was able to buy quite a bit of beer to go, and enjoyed it with food in the outside eating area across the street. There was a busy cider house next-door with great music, and I also enjoyed some time there, making this quite a memorable evening.

I continued to buy Short’s beer, and enjoyed what I brought back from Michigan. And then just last week, I was able to attend a tap takeover that my friend Matt Cepican held at the Brownsburg Books & Brew. It was neat to have so many beers from this great brewery available, and I got to spend time with the local Short’s rep as well as a lot of friends as I tried nearly half a dozen different Short’s beer including my favorite IPA, the Psychedelic Cat Grass. I had fun on this wonderful evening, and it has made me adamant that I will stop in at Short’s Brewing the next time I am in northern Michigan. And I will get into the brewery this time!

So if you haven’t enjoyed any beer made by Short’s, they are available most likely where you live, and I encourage you to enjoy their beer. They are creative, and make some very interesting beers as well as a lot of beers true to the style. I can’t say enough about this hard-working brewery that is now one of the biggest in Michigan, and I’m glad that they’re available here in Indiana.

I want to close saying by thank you to Matt for hosting the Short’s event. He will be doing tap takeover’s from Hoppin’ Frog and Urban Artifact later this year, and I encourage you if you are in the area to visit at the Brownsburg location of Books & Brew. My friends Chris and Monika work there, and they always have great beer as well as excellent food. The Hoppin’ Frog event will be on Wednesday, August 23, and you don’t want to miss it. I will be there, and should you make it, let’s have a beer together!

I first became aware of Escape Velocity Brewing the summer of 2020 as I was doing my brewery project. It was the first science-fiction theme brewery I’d come across, and the nerd in me was impressed. Star Trek and Star Wars memorabilia, as well as really cool specialized artwork made this brewery beautiful. Their beer was very good, and they seem to have a very good grasp on the simpler styles. I learned they had opened in January and offered to go beer during the early part of the pandemic. It was still going on when I was there, and even though the bar area was closed, the brewery was warm and inviting.

I would return the following January when I was showing my friend Kevin Stroup what I considered to be the best of Lafayette’s beer scene. I was on a cream ale kick, and theirs was top notch. We also got to talk to Jason Behenna who was brewing that afternoon. There was much enthusiasm in his voice as he told us about the Russian Imperial Stout he was working on. I would eventually get a bottle, but knowing he had great projects up his sleeve excited me!

My life would get busy, but I returned the following year to a brewery that was now offering a full scale vegan menu. The Escape Hatch Jalapeño Melt would become my favorite sandwich, and I was lucky to get it a few times. It paired up well with the Max Peck Porter. The brewery was doing fun things, and boldly going where few breweries would go!

In early this spring, I heard that Jason and company were considering closing the brewery, so I wrote about them, and tried to muster up interest in the Vegan community to help keep them open. I made a trip up and spent Easter afternoon and enjoyed food and beverage, and took two growlers of their beer home with me. It was a good crowd that Sunday, and I hoped things would last.

But sadly, they were set to close in June, and last weekend, I made my last trip up to enjoy the beer on the day where they would stay open until they ran out of beer. I didn’t have a lot of time, but I enjoyed the Escape Hatch for the last time, and I had a few beers as well. I got a growler of the Magnificent Desolation Irish Stout to go and wished Jason all the best. He’s not sure exactly what he’s going to do, but I hope he enjoys some much-needed R&R.

There are other science fiction themed breweries, but there will never be another Escape Velocity. This writer fell in love with everything about the brewery, and it will be sadly missed. Maybe you got a chance to try their beer and if you did, I’m happy for you. There is now a void in the Lafayette beer scene, but I’m glad I got to enjoy their beer when it was available!

It seems like only a few weeks ago that I was first sitting on the porch of the house where the brewery started. But it was over three years ago that I first got to experience the excellent beer brewed there. Guggman Haus flourished across the pandemic, and developed their popularity in a short matter of time. When they were doing only beer to go, they would run out on busy weekends. And I got to spend numerous Saturday afternoons amid a full crowd on their beer garden over the last couple of years. And two years ago, it was exciting to see them open the new beer hall just to the south of the beer garden. Guggman has quickly become a fixture in the Indianapolis beer scene, and in my opinion is one of the best breweries in the state.

I was excited to see this weekend would be their fourth anniversary, and couldn’t wait to cover it. They certainly don’t need my help with all the success they’ve had, but it was a good chance to recognize the hard work this brewery has done to make a name for themselves. While staying true to German style beer, they have ventured out into many other styles, and have a very nice set of core beers. And while they are available at 20 other locations statewide including Hop Station at times, most people flock to their brewery for their beer, and the crowds I’ve seen recently attest to this.

They kicked off the anniversary celebration Friday night with a good crowd who came to hear my friend Robert Rolfe Fedderson. When I got there, he was setting up his equipment on the porch of the house, and I got my obligatory hug! He would play an awesome set, and I even got a chance to help him during a song near the end of the set. I made some good friends that night, and also had a chance to talk to Charlee the Taproom manager who has been with Guggman Haus almost from the beginning. I tried their Dunkel and several other beers, and had a good time, and I would be back again the following evening for the real festivities.

And Saturday would be an all day affair! From beer releases, brewery, tours, and live music, it was a very lively afternoon at Guggman. I stopped by only briefly to see this, and then brought my group of friends later in the evening. We got our table just as Straight Up Chumps was beginning their set. They got to play to a very decent crowd, and I continued drinking Dunkels and enjoying the ambience of the weekend.

Since I was attending early in the evening on Saturday, it was nice to see people of all ages enjoying the music, food, and everything else that comes with this awesome beer hall, and beer garden. The band was very good, and we got to order food, and I touched base with my friends that work at the Taproom. I like that there were good crowds both nights, and Guggman Haus is clearly the place to be!

So the fourth anniversary for Guggman House was a qualified success. They are doing things excellently, and should be making beer for another four years, and beyond. Their location on W. 16th St. is excellent, and the proximity to downtown, and the suburbs has only helped them. I will look forward to drinking their beer in the future and if you haven’t been to go to Guggman Haus yet, I really think you should stop in and check out the wonderful things they are doing!

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.

While there are many places in Indiana where I can find lots of good breweries in proximity to each other, there is one place in northern Indiana that I have come to appreciate. I have family and friends in The Elkhart area, and I’ve got to visit the breweries multiple times, and have many friends who work for them. The beer made in Elkhart county is quite good, and I thought it was time to focus on them in an article.

Yesterday I decided I would go back to all the breweries, and revisit the reasons I like them. Many of the breweries were very full yesterday, and it seem to be a good day to be drinking craft beer. I asked my friend, The Legend Rob Gibbons to accompany me, and he would join me partway through on this tour of breweries. It’s always nice to have somebody to do these trips with, and yesterday was a lot of fun.

After an exciting morning, my first stop was Brass Elk Brewing in picturesque downtown Elkhart. I’ve always thought the roads just meander through this city, but they’ve done a good job revitalizing downtown. Brass Elk is a modern brewery that looks like a lot of the franchise tap rooms, but they serve good food and some really good beer. I tried a lot of the traditional styles two years ago, and today since it was going to be a long day, I had a small pour of a new IPA. The Wall Hanger was rich in flavor, and I will stop in to Brass Elk the next time I am in Elkhart.

Westwind Brewing will have four years under their belt in November. They came up from the ranks of home brewing, and have been making excellent beer that people have noticed. I have liked everything I’ve tried from them, and had a great time visiting in April when I got to work with Aaron West at an event. Yesterday this is where I met Rob, and we tried several of the beers that I have been waiting to try since last visit. I always get great service when I come here and should you wish to visit them, I recommend Friday nights when Aaron and his wife are most likely bartending.

I have always enjoyed the beer and pizza from Iechyd Da and was visiting it regularly two years ago to get pizza for my nephews. Their Welsh style beer hall is a great place to drink and it’s nearly always full when I visit. Yesterday they were opening late in preparation for a anniversary party, and as I got a chance to stop in, all the staff were hustling and bustling to get ready for what was a big event. I heard quite a lot about it as I made my way through the county, and just wish I had time to be there for the celebration!

Our next stop was 3rd Horse to see our friends, David and Rebecca, who I had met in April at the homebrew in event I got to judge. David showed us around, and we got to try some of his award-winning beer. It was neat to see everything going on in the home brewing camp, and since I’m re-searching for an upcoming article, this was a very good stop. We spent a good deal of time there discussing Indiana Breweries, and I look forward to spending more time with these wonderful people.

For our next stop, we had to trek across the county to Middleberry, where my friends Cody and Chris Higgins have been making beer at Wedgewood for over seven years. I got to know them very well during Covid when I would stop in to the brewery for takeout, which usually featured some very excellent IPAs. I have watched the taproom come to life, and it was excellent to sit with friends at the bar yesterday. Music is a part of this breweries persona and rock posters adorn the walls. Rob and I tried some excellent beer, and took time to eat food before we got a tour of the new brewery. This is going to be a great spot when they finish their beer garden and event center, but it’s already a place you need to visit. Should you be on the east side of Elkhart County, their beer is excellent and I can’t say enough about this place!

Goshen Brewing is also excellent, and the only brewery from Elkhart County to be a guest brewery at Indy’s A Taproom.

Goshen Brewing sits in Elkhart’s second largest city, which is also the county seat. When I arrived, the brewery was packed, and all the garage doors were opened on this beautiful late afternoon. I have been able to try a lot of beer from this brewery and I’m very impressed with its quality. I’ve been drinking many different varieties of their beer, but today I decided to go back to the sours that I tried the first time I visited in 2020. The Staycation was an excellent sour, and I enjoyed sitting in this packed spot. Goshen has eight years under their belt and will be celebrating their anniversary next Saturday.

My last stop of the day would be in Nappanee where Ruhe152 has been making awesome beer for four years. Their taproom is beautiful, and I have never been there when the dining room wasn’t full. I have enjoyed many beers, but I think their sours and stouts are some of the best things they make. I opted for a lighter beer today and had a great conversation with fellow patrons, and I like that the patio was full, even though it was raining. I may not get back to Nappanee anytime soon but if you’re in the area I recommend this brewery.

So yesterday only confirmed what I already thought. Elkhart County makes great beer, and it is fully embraced by the people who live there. It was nice to see all these breweries jammed with people enjoying craft beer, and it bodes well for the future here in Elkhart county. It was nice to hang out with all my friends, and spend time with Rob. If you haven’t been to Elkhart County, I think you’re missing out on some great beer. So should you be in Michiana, don’t hesitate to stop in at one of these fine places.