Category: Indiana

Back From The Eastern Midwest – And What Did I Learn?

I don’t know that I learned anything. Maybe that faux Amish beards are in with brewers. A lot of the guys at the two breweries I hit between single A baseball games and small town diners, Dark Horse and Jolly Pumpkin, were sporting variations of big bear face. Looked a lot like a reunion of mid-90s hayseed alt bands like The Waltons (YouTubian homage here) – but even more legit than a band from Saskatchewan as these craft brewers were good folk working with grain. I didn’t take any pictures of the many manly heads. I feel like a big enough doofus just asking if I can take pictures or saying I have a blog. But that’s to be expected. When you think about it having a beer blog in 2009 is a little like having a great disco collection in 1981.

The zip into northern Indiana surprised me in another way. It was the first time I found myself having a difficult time with a local US accent. Being Nova Scotian, I have no problem with Mainers but this was different. Like listening to the car radio with the dial slightly off station, I just wasn’t catching what I thought I should be catching. I got the beer, however, and even got the wave through at customs. I would have brought more than 63 bottles if I had known it was going to be a tax free day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the pictures above, you can see some images from both brewery stops. I had to admit I had a hard time finding Jolly Pumpkin as Dexter, Michigan is doing a downtown refit and what I last saw as a grey cinder block repurposed garage is now a red brick one with nicer side walks and streets being build around it. There is a tap room being added as well. I briefly chatted with Ron Jeffries and Drew Karl (I think… as the facial hair was in another amazing formation) who were in the middle of a busy afternoon and picked up one of the best deals in beer – $5.99 for their 750ml bottles at the brewery. They go for at least ten bucks in the nearby shops and more the farther you get from the area. Bought the classic black stevedore wool hat as well and, again, they had to find a receipt book to hand write the paperwork I thought I needed for Canada Customs.

At Dark Horse, I had the chance to ask some questions (and again feel a little like a doofus) with Travis “Vart” Glenn, taproom GM, as he was setting up the compound’s on-site bar. I had to admire the pottery mugs hanging from the ceiling. He let me know that they were by a local potter and that they came in batches of a hundred or so – which gave the collection a pretty amazing look. I couldn’t stay for tap room opening but I picked up a selection of their stouts as well as some good dry yeast. I’m now a proud owner of blue farmer’s work shirt from these hairy lads of Marshall, Michigan not to mention an orange hunters wool cap. Which means I now have wool hats for the two Great Lakes region seasons which are not summer – hunting and not hunting.

The layout of Dark Horse is a bit like a lumber yard with a collection of a few different buildings around a parking lot and which, like Jolly Pumpkin, was stocked with people busting their butts hard at work. You know, I may not buy brewers being hailed as artists and admit I laugh a little whenever I hear marketers label them as “rock stars” but there is no doubt they are some hard working and clever folk making a business of great beer… just so you can drink it. And, when you think about it, why shouldn’t that be honour enough? Sure beats rock star any day.

Indiana: River to BBQ to Notre Dame to Silver Hawks

Such utter tourist we were yesterday. From walking by the river killing time before a hall of fame opened, to sucking back fantastic BBQ (the barnyard special at the Double T), to wandering around Notre Dame, to hitting the ugly hotel swimming pool with the eastern European 1973 paint scheme, to taking in another ballgame. All good. The equinox of the trip is upon us and we slowly turn back east north east.

Indiana: City-Wide Liquors, Jefferson St., South Bend

Just a bit of praise where praise is definitely due to the good folks at City-Wide Liquors at Jefferson Street in South Bend. I was able to stop in twice and found the place one of the beer best shopping experiences in my life, you know, with good beer. Why? Here’s why:

a. There is an Indiana law that folks 21 and younger can’t even open the door at a drinks store. So the folk good at City-wide provided a clerk to wait at the door with the lad. Irritating law. Well handled.

b. The place is in the downtown a block from the courts, a block from the College Football Hall of Fame, surrounded by professional office space and looks like it fits right in. Neat and tidy, clever and kind.

c. Note the awning. It says “micro-brews” and not “beer” or whatever. These folk promote the good beer along with fine wines and spirits without a tie to food or a fest or a flavour of the month. If someone is looking how craft beer should be placed in the market to send the message that it is a stand alone quality product, check out City-Wide.

d. Great selection and great prices. I was happy to open the wallet to pick up beers by Indiana’s Three Floyds, Back Road and Barley Island along with St. Louis’s Schlafly of St. Louis and a New Belgium Mothership Wit for 3.49 a bomber. None of these are available in Ontario or from what I have seen in New York – and maybe not even in neighbouring Michigan.

e. Did I mention it is open from 9:00 am on into the evening? Sounds too early but when you are heading out of town at the beginning of a 15 hour haul east, well, 9:00 am makes a lot of sense.

The only quibble is their website isn’t telling the story well enough. It looks like it is focusing on the class of product other than those getting the focus at this downtown – and I would assume flagship – location. As with this evening’s experience of buying Arbor IPA, Founders IPA and Bell’s pale ale at a grocery store in Michigan, shopping at City-Wide in South Bend will only drill home all winter how poorly served Ontarians and folk in many other locations are.

Indiana: I Was This Close To Joe Montana

What to do on a Wednesday morning in South Bend? Well, we are a couple of blocks from the College Football Hall of Fame so it was worth a shot. These things can go a number of ways but little did we know that Joe Montana would be in the house. It was a private get together but we left about when he did and got a few glimpses.

Other than that, the Ohio State v. Michigan rivalry display is one of the best “sitting in the museum at the movies” experiences ever. Now the boy knows that Woody Hayes was one tough bastard.

Off to the Double T BBQ.

Indiana Means Tuesday Which Means Peanut Butter Pie

So far, the food of the eastern mid-west is not so much different as altered. This morning I had a cherry burger that had a patty that was half beef and half chopped cherry. It was mostly indistinguishable but, still, had half the red meat. Lunch included chicken and noodles which is chicken noodle soup with the soup aspect strangely removed. The potato salad had shredded spuds and the pies were fantastic. The peanut butter pie was like coconut cream with the coconut replaced with a thin layer of, you know, peanut butter. Who knew peanut butter could be subdued. I was bested by the fresh strawberry pie which kicked the strawberry pie of Helen of Machias’s all over town. Unlike the food, we are not so sure about the hotel. The nearby convenience store where the clerk sat in a plexiglas booth was one hint. The lack of any other guests on any of the 15 floors was the other. Tomorrow we seek out Notre Dame, BBQ and mini putt.