Brewery Visits

Hoppy made his first visit to Northbrook Brewing early afternoon yesterday. They opened their doors in August of 2023. They are a 7 BBL brewery, have 12 brews on tap, serve food and have a game room in their taproom.

While there, Hoppy enjoyed quaffing the following:

A Leon Spruce IPA – Described as bold and adventurous, brewed with fresh spruce tips from the rugged landscapes of Alaska. Bursting with piney resin, bright citrus notes, and a touch of earthiness, this beer captures the untamed spirit of the great outdoors. 5.5% ABV, 85 IBU.

A Figaro West Coast IPA – Where aromatic pine and resin intertwine with zesty citrus notes, crafting a bold flavor profile that pays homage to the region’s hop-forward tradition. 7.5% ABV, 90 IBU.

He also sampled the following brews:

Quintana IPA – Described as a punchy thiolized IPA with floral Idaho #7 hops. 7.6% ABV, 49 IBU.

Jalopy Blackberry Sour – 3.8% ABV, 14 IBU.

Pictures from the visit follow:

Later Sunday afternoon Hoppy stopped by the new Moontown Brewing taproom in Carmel. This location, their third, opened in August of this year.

Moontown partners with the Indiana Natural Resources Foundation (INRF) in creating a Pints for Parks series of beers. Each brew in the series is named for one State Park, and a portion of the sales goes directly to the INRF for projects at Indiana State Parks.

While there, Hoppy imbibed a Tippecanoe River West Coast IPA, the twelfth beer in the Pints for Parks series. It clocks in at 7% ABV, 60 IBU.

He also enjoyed a Barrel-Aged Belgian Quad, similar to their Barrel-Aged Belgiumnasium, and aged for two years!

Pictures from the visit follow:

Hoppy visited Pax Verum Brewing on a lazy Sunday afternoon when many people were Christmas shopping. He had visited this location several times before, but had thought he had posted a visit, which was not the case.

They describe their brewery as, “a small destination brewery steeped in mystery and lore located in the heart of Lapel, Indiana. Specializing in lagers, hazy and west coast hoppy beers.” They celebrated their fifth anniversary in August of this year.

While there, Hoppy tasted the following beers:

Higher Calling Midwest IPA– This beer was brewed in collaboration with Elm Street Brewing and is part of the worldwide collaborative effort to raise funds for the breweries and communities in Western North Carolina that were devastated by Hurricane Helene. It is hopped with Magnum, Michigan Chinook, El Dorado and Talus hops. It is described as kicking off grapefruit and tangerine notes aplenty. 7.4% ABV, 60 IBU.

Tremendously Chill Cold IPA – Brewed with Magnum, Idaho #7, Citra and Simcoe hops and infused with gelato brewgas terpenes. 7% ABV, 40 IBU.

Orange 5 Year Anniversary Imperial BBA Stout – Described as a 6-month aged stout in Starlight Distilling Chocolate Cherry Bourbon Barrel, Finished on Orange and Tahitian Vanilla. 10.4% ABV.

Hoppy finished with a pint of Venomous Pink Fruited Sour Ale – A blend of hibiscus, blackberry, raspberry and Madagascar vanilla. 4.2% ABV.

Hoppy has enjoyed quaffing Reptilia, Clouded Judgement, and Nectar of the Gods on previous visits.

Pictures from the visit follow:

On you next visit to Pax Verum look for a Hoppy sticker!

Kohola Brewing opened in December 2015 at the former brewhouse of Maui Brewing in the heart of Lahaina, Maui. Their entire brewing facility and taproom burned to the ground during the Lahaina Wildfire in August 2023. (All of their employees survived the catastrophe, but approximately 75% lost their homes.) As a result, within three months of the fire, they developed a contract brewing partnership with Kona Brewing and have continued in-state production at their Kailua-Kona facility on the Big Island. It is their intent to eventually reopen a brewery in Maui.

On July 21st, 2024, just under a year after the fire, Kohola opened a Taproom/Eatery in Wailea, Maui. Hoppy had the pleasure to visit this location recently.

While there, Hoppy drank The WaterMan IPA described as being a west coast style, refreshing and well balanced. It carries hop aromas of grapefruit and tangerine with slight tropical fruit in the background from Simcoe and Summit hop additions. 6.8% ABV, 70 IBU.

Pictures from the visit follow:

Maui Brewing opened this location in the summer of 2023. It is located directly on Ka’anapali Beach which was listed by TripAdvisor as the top beach in the U.S. in 2023.

Pictures from Hoppy’s visit follow:

Hoppy also visited the Maui Brewing location in Kahana. Brewing began at this facility in 2006, but it is currently a restaurant and pub since they moved their brewing to Kihei.

Pictures at this location follow: