Beer Festivals

WINTERFEST – 2022

Yes, Hoppy made it to the Brewers of Indiana Guild Winterfest. He enjoyed sampling many of the brews available at the fest including the cask conditioned ales, the Sun King Reserve Barrel-Aged and Sours and Metazoa’s GABF gold award winning Trash Panda Blonde Ale made with coffee from Blue Mind Roasting.

As usual, it was good to see a large number of breweries from all areas of the state, as well as a large number of beer lovers. It was disappointing that Three Floyds did not attend the event this year.

The waiting lines seemed longer than ever. Mayber it’s time for the organizers to think of moving the VIP session to Friday evening or splitting Saturday into two separate sessions.

There are only a few pictures of the attendees below. This is because the purpose of a beer festival is to sample the beers and engage in revelry with others, not picture taking. However, if you took a picture of, or with, Hoppy and email it to gary@beerblogIN.com with your mailing address, he will send you a “Hoppy” sticker for your collection, or to ward off evil spirits!

 6th Annual Anderson On Tap Craft Beer, Wine & Spirits Fest

Hoppy attended the Anderson On Tap Fest yesterday that was presented by Keg-N-Bottle in collaboration with The City of Anderson and Indiana On Tap. It was great to see the largest crowd of people enjoying themselves at a festival that I’ve seen since the Brewer’s of Indiana Guild Winterfest in 2019! The festival took place at the Dickmann Town Center and the Paramount Theater in downtown Anderson. The four breweries on the stage at the Paramount, for the initial VIP hour, were Dot & Line Brewery and 2 Toms Brewing from Fort Wayne, Tarnished Hollow Brewing from Anderson, and Hog Molly Brewing from Columbus. There were many good beers available at the festival, and two that I found to be both enjoyable and unique were the 2-A-Days Session Lemon IPA from Hog Molly and the Dill Sour from Field Brewing.

Hoppy learned that the much anticipated opening of Goodwood Brewing in Indianapolis will take place on July 5th.

Photos from the event follow.

What Should Hoppy Do – Sudzfest?

It’s 93 degrees out, what should Hoppy do? Stay on the bine or head to a beer fest? Why the latter of course! He decided to partake in the offerings at the Southside Sudzfest in Indianapolis last Saturday, since it took place in German Park, which has a pavilion and shady trees. Also, this beer fest is different than most, in that it is not limited to ages 21+ and allows for families with children to attend. Included are pictures from the event.

Soak up the Suds – The Good, the Bad & the Ugly by Gary Dean

I attended the “2nd Annual Soak up the Suds Brewfest” that took place in Seymour yesterday.

The Good:

Although there were a limited number of breweries/wineries/distilleries participating, there were a good number and variety of tastings provided by those who were present. These included Bier Brewery, Ellison Brewery, Hard Truth Spirits/Quaff On! Brewing, Hog Molly Brewing, Hoosier Brewing, Huckleberry Hill Winery, Planetary Brewing, Salt Creek Brewery and St. Benedict’s Brew Works.

It was a very safe environment at Crossroads Community Park with the participating vendors wearing face masks and the outdoor setting allowing for appropriate spacing.

To top it all off, it was a beautiful, sunny day in Seymour!

The Bad:

It was disappointing that some of the confirmed participants did not show up at the event. This included Cardinal Spirits, Chateau de Pique Winery/Brewery and Goodwood Brewing.

However, their non-attendance gave my wife and I an excuse to visit the Chateau de Pique Winery/Brewery, which is also located in Seymour. There we enjoyed the beer, wine and cheese, the excellent service from Susan, and we made some new friends!

The Ugly:

Okay, I have to admit that the commemorative “Soak up the Suds” pilsner tasting glass is kind of cute, but it is listed under the ugly, because, as a collecter of brewery and festival glasses, I much prefer actual glassware and not a plastic imitation.

Any visit to Seymour would be incomplete without checking out the John Mellencamp mural on the east wall of This Old Guitar Music Store at 106 W. Second St.