By Chris Bavender
When it comes to craft beer it seems the reasons more and more people are enjoying a pint or two are as varied as the beers themselves. And, it could also explain why breweries/pubs continue to open around Hamilton County.
Grand Junction Brewing in Westfield opened its doors Easter weekend. It proved to be such a hit that on the second day of business they ran out of food with six hours left before closing.
“Obviously we did not fully anticipate as many people turning out as they did,” said general manager, Molly Nagy. “When we made the announcement we’d run out of food they (customers) actually cheered for us!”
Not to worry, neighboring business – Jan’s Pizza – stepped in to help. That sense of community is just one of the factors playing a part in owners Jon Knight and Charlie Wood’s decision to open the brewery in the heart of Westfield.
“Jon is from England originally and it’s always been his dream to own and operate a proper brew pub,” Nagy said. “Charlie’s been home brewing the last 40 years and has a strong interest in beer and loves the brew pub atmosphere and they wanted to have a community gathering place in Westfield because there is a lot of history in the downtown area.”
The duo brought in Luke Kazmierski – who has been home brewing since the ‘90s – as master brewer.
Grand Junction currently offers five of its own craft beers, with three guest taps. Growlers are also available.
“We are a little more specialized compared to other Indiana micro breweries,” Nagy said. “Typically beers are a 70 percent to 30 percent carbon dioxide and nitrogen blend but we have a nitro pour so that ratio is flipped and that makes a creamier beer.”
And there’s plenty of seating between the seven tables in the family dining area and 16 in the brewpub itself, with another 10 seats at the bar.
Union Brewing Company
Down the street in Carmel, Union Brewing tends to draw the majority of its customers from the Monon Trail.
“We are 30 feet from the Monon so we joke we are a biker bar – just not in the traditional sense,” said co-owner Cameron Fila. “I would say we get 75 percent of our customers off the trail. We have people who have been to our location that did not know we had a front door.”
Fila opened the brewery at 126th and Rangeline Road in the Monon Square Shopping Center in December 2012 with partners Nathan Doyle and Jay Snider. His wife, Justine, manages daily operations, while he acts as brewer.
“I fell in love with good beer in college when I drank a Bells two hearted ale and realized there was something better out there than what I had been drinking,” the 34-year-old said. “I wanted a hobby I could do at home when my oldest daughter was born so I started home brewing.”
Union Brewing offers five staple beers of its own and rotates 4-10 guest beers through as well. Fila said they are known for their cask-conditioned ale.
“We are one of the few places in the country that do it,” Fila said. “I had an absolute amazing trip to the UK and that is how beer is still served and I fell in love with it. It’s more complex and brings out more of the flavors.”
It’s not an easy way to do beer, however, Fila said.
“It’s a lot more complicated to brew, cask and serve so we aren’t seeing too many jump on it yet,” he said. “Our beers, from the day we brew them to the time they get poured can be three to four weeks. Some will age in barrels up to a year.”
They must be doing something right – Union Brewing supplies The Local and Matt the Millers in Carmel with their craft beer. They’ve also partnered with the Tomlinson Tap Room at the City Market in downtown Indianapolis, as well as the Sinking Ship and Twenty Tap in Broad Ripple.
Barley Island
They aren’t the only ones distributing their craft beer. Noblesville’s Barley Island, which opened in December of 1999, not only serves 12 of its beers on site, but began bottling its product about six years ago. They supply draft and bottled craft beer around Indiana, as well as in the Chicago area.
Owner Jeff Eaton believes craft beer has become so popular because people like to support local businesses. And he doesn’t see the new breweries as competition.
“I think it’s a case of the more the merrier, especially out in the suburbs,” he said. “It only helps us – we welcome it. It gets more people drinking craft beer and visiting Hamilton County establishments.”
Fila agrees.
“There is just a tremendous sense of community – people want to eat and drink and shop locally,” Fila said. “People are just becoming more aware and that just helps the small craft breweries like myself and has really opened the doors.”
Danny Boy and Four Day Ray
And, soon, there will be even more options to relax and enjoy a good beer. Danny Boy Beer Exchange is expected to open in late summer in the Village of West Clay, while Four Day Ray Brewing is slated to open in the fall in Westfield.
Danny Boy Beer Exchange will be housed in the same area as Danny Boy Beer Works (a commercial nano-brewery) – which was founded in 2011 by Kevin and Lainie Paul, who also own Carmel’s Brockway Pub.
“I think there is some genuine excitement because I think there is a cool vibe around breweries. The industry has been revitalized since the early ‘90s,” Paul said “This is a very pedestrian, active neighborhood and I think in the summer it should do well. We’ve been getting a tremendous response – people are stopping me and asking about it.”
The tap house and restaurant will feature eight to 12 different beers rotating on a regular basis, Paul said, as well as four to five staples. There will be seating for about 100 between the bar and table.
“The idea is not pack it like a restaurant. It’s a brewery first, a tap house second and then a restaurant,” Paul said. “We have an obligation to put out a good product out and if we don’t do that they won’t come. So, we have to make sure our beer tastes good and we have good service.”
Part of that, according to Brian Graham – who will open Four Day Ray this fall – is educating customers on what they’re drinking. To that end, the Boiler Room – or tasting room – will have iPads with a description of each beer.
“It will be a library of all that we brew and they can consume as much of that information as they want,” Graham said. “There are those who don’t care how the baby is born – they just want the baby. But those who want more can consume that information while at the brewery. We have an opportunity to deliver a better experience and help people understand why they like certain styles and why not others. It helps them become better consumers.”
The name of the 75-seat brewery – to be located at 1746 Tiller Court in Westfield (in the business park behind the Post Office) – is a nod to the railroad heritage of the area.
“Four day ray is a slang railroad term for a rail employee who habitually calls off one day a week,” Graham said. “And, then people like to abbreviate so they will probably shorten it to FDR, and he was responsible for ending prohibition so it works on several levels.”
Graham thinks Indiana is behind the curve when it comes to craft beer.
“One area that needs attention is flavor profile,” he said. “There is a lot of good beer being brewed but it tends to be safe in its flavor profile but I think there is room to bring more variety in that regard to this market. The consumer is not being given enough credit right now.”
All agree, however, that their customers appreciate the specialized nature of their products.
“A ‘craft’ beer usually means that it has come from a place nearby. I think folks are taking more ownership over their community and all businesses within that community, including craft breweries,” Nagy said. “Which is, of course, a good thing.”
The post Because We’re Hoppy!: Craft Breweries are poppin’ up all over the county appeared first on Hamilton County Business Magazine.