Simon Floyd, who founded 3 Floyds Brewing with his father, Mike and brother, Nick, passed away on December 22nd. They began brewing in 1996 in Hammond and moved to Munster in 2000. Simon is remembered, not only for his connection to 3 Floyds, but also for being an excellent chef and a kind and generous individual. (See The Times of Northwest Indiana Article.)
3 Floyds was ranked the 20th largest craft brewery by the Brewer’s Association last year. They have also been named the Number 1 craft brewery in the world by RateBeer, five times!
They might have celebrated Easter in Munster, but there will be no Christmas! Three Floyds will not be opening their taproom, this year, as anticipated. Hopefully we will be learning more soon about 2025.
Central Indiana may not only have been the best place to view the Total Eclipse of the Sun on April 8th, but also to imbibe special beers that were released to celebrate this historic once in a lifetime event! Hoppy was fortunate enough to not only see the event, but also to quaff some of the excellent beers developed just for this occasion. This would include two limited edition beers developed by Sun King and Upland Breweries as part of the Simons Foundation In the Path of Totality initiative. These were:
Sun King – In the Path of Totality – A Blonde/Golden Ale infused with locally roasted coffee from SunBean Roasters. It is 5.3% ABV, 20 IBU.
Upland – Don’t Stare Into the Sun – An American IPA brewed exclusively with Eclipse hops, a new variety from Australia, described as a truly dazzling spectacle of the blindingly intense flavors of Mandarin orange, pineapple, and peach with a firm but balanced bitterness. Only available on draft. 7.3% ABV.
More information on the Simons Foundation In the Path of Totality brews can be found here.
Not to be outdone, Taxman Brewing released two beers in honor of the eclipse. Hoppy was also able to partake of these. Their description follows:
Totality – A limited release Imperial IPA brewed with the out-of-this-world combination of Galaxy and Comet hops. This hazy ale features juicy notes of grapefruit, tangerine and passion fruit. 8% ABV, 65 IBU.
In the Black – A special blend of their bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout, Deadline, blended with their award winning Belgian-style quadrupel, Qualified, creating a complex and robust dark ale almost as stunning as the eclipse itself. A touch of vanilla is added to further embolden the deep stone fruit and toasted notes. 11.2% ABV, 40 IBU.
During his eclipse adventures, Hoppy was able to obtain a few souvenirs, a 4 pack of In the Path of Totality and a t-shirt commemorating the event from Sun King and a Silipint glass from Upland.
Images follow:
Sun King- In the Path of TotalityUpland – Don’t Stare Into the SunTaxman – TotalityTaxman – In the BlackT-shirt Image
Upland Glow in the Dark Silipint Glass
Hoppy was lucky enough to have seen this once in lifetime event, the total solar eclipse, twice! He was also able to see one on August 21, 2017, at the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes’ Stadium in Oregon at a baseball game which was delayed for a 58-minute period, after its start, so that attendees and players could view the eclipse. Hoppy was especially happy because the Volcanoes lost the game 9-5 to some of his relatives with the Hillsboro Hops! A good description of the day can be found here.
You heard it here first, on August 30th of last year, that 3 Floyds was reopening their brewpub in Munster! At that time, I was informed that it was anticipated to open in January 2024. Others have posted their expected opening to occur in May. Currently, I am hearing only that it will open sometime in 2024.
675 breweries worldwide and seven Indiana breweries are participatingย in the Kokua Project to support the ongoing needs of the people affected by the tragic fires on the island of Maui. It was inspired by Sierra Nevadaโs Resilience Project to support the victims of the tragic Camp Fire in California in 2018.
The Kokua Projectย is one beer, brewed by many, to support the people of Maui, with 100% of proceeds going to relief efforts. The beer is named Kลkua – “Maui Strong” Session IPA. It is brewed with Mosaic hops and is 4.2% ABV, 20 IBU. The recipe is provided by Maui Brewing Co.
The seven Indiana breweries that are participating in the project are:
BREAKING NEWS: 3 FLOYDS TO OPEN TAPROOM/RESTAURANT
It is Hoppy’s understanding that 3 Floyds plans on opening a taproom/restaurant in Munster in January of 2024!
3 Floyds had closed their original taproom/restaurant early during the COVID-19 pandemic and as of December 1st, 2020, decided to close it permanently for the safety of their customers and staff.
Hoppy visited the original brewpub in September of 2018 and rocked out to Heavy Metal. The question is, will customers still be serenaded with Heavy Metal at the new brewpub?
