<\/a><\/p>\nLooking to leverage that popularity, the Munster Ale Fest was held last weekend at Centennial Park, just across Calumet Avenue from the industrial park where Three Floyds is based. While that brewery\u2019s annual Dark Lord Day attracts thousands of craft beer connoisseurs toting rarities from around the world to share with fellow fans, this was a fest that was far more locally focused \u2013 from the crowd to the breweries. And that\u2019s OK.<\/p>\n
Because the breweries that did show \u2013 for the most part \u2013 brought out the good stuff, with special tappings and barrel-aged offerings that helped them to stand out. Some phoned it in, simply relying on a local distributor to drop buckets of bottles on a table for pours of popular brews, but smaller breweries used it as an opportunity to introduce themselves to new drinkers and provide some personal interaction with their new friends.<\/p>\n
The breweries were Midwest based, from Wisconsin to Michigan, with Indiana and Illinois breweries \u2013 not surprisingly \u2013 dominating the festival grounds. We\u2019ve become so spoiled here, it\u2019s hardly a surprise to have Founders, Goose Island and Two Brothers (and, naturally, Three Floyds) with a presence. But the Munster Ale Festival also provided opportunities for many to learn about places like JT Walkers in tiny, downstate Mahomet, Only Child from Northbrook and Green Bay’s Hinterland.<\/p>\n
Saugatuck Brewing<\/strong> came down from Michigan with their amazing Neapolitan Stout<\/strong> on tap, which was a great surprise, while Plainfield\u2019s Banging Gavel<\/strong> delivered an ancho chile-laced Russian Imperial Stout<\/strong> that was perfectly balanced and my personal favorite. Chapman\u2019s<\/strong>, located a straight shot east down the Indiana Toll Road in Angola, might have gotten its name from area native Johnny Appleseed, but cleared up my confusion that they would be a cider-only place. As I evaluated what to try, I was encouraged to sample their Russian Imperial Stout<\/strong> – an \u201coff menu\u201d beer that was just as good as indicated when I got a smile and a nod when ordering.<\/p>\nTwo Indiana brewers in neighboring spaces \u2013 Michigan City\u2019s Burn \u2018Em Brewing<\/strong> and Gary\u2019s 18th Street<\/strong> \u2013 had consistently long lines all day with 18th Street\u2019s Hunter<\/strong> stout a clear crowd favorite and plenty of folks intrigued by Burn \u2018Em\u2019s Mr. Tea<\/strong>, infused with (you guessed it) black and green tea.<\/p>\nTwo tremendous Double IPA’s came courtesy of the folks at Chicago\u2019s Haymarket Brewing<\/strong>, as Mathias<\/strong> was on tap, and Lansing’s One Trick Pony<\/strong> pulled out its Warlander<\/strong> late in the day for everyone to enjoy.<\/p>\nAnother Northwest Indiana newcomer, Devil\u2019s Trumpet<\/strong>, brought out its popular Make It A Cheeseburger IPA<\/strong>, while their Frosted Mini-Wheats-infused Cereal Hefeweizen<\/strong> drew curious visitors, as well. And conversations with reps from Chicago\u2019s Argus Brewing helped us understand why we hadn\u2019t been able to find their California Steam beer anymore. Thanks to a cease-and-desist order, it\u2019s now Ironhorse Chicago Common.<\/p>\nBut it was Michigan City\u2019s Shoreline Brewery<\/strong> that had lots of folks buzzing, as they rolled out four barrel-aged offerings, with their 2010 aged imperial stout, Lost Sailor<\/strong>, lauded as a favorite by those partaking.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\nThough I had the VIP pass, I missed the early VIP offering from Three Floyds, but they had crowd favorites Zombie Dust and Arctic Panzer Wolf flowing late into the day. Unfortunately, the VIP perks ended with the early entry.<\/p>\n
All in all, not a bad fest \u2013 the crowd of about 1,250 was a good one, with a nice mix of beer geeks finding some quality taps and locals simply looking to enjoy a few lagers with friends on a chilly fall day. It was the kind of fest that reminds you of how spoiled we are here. My only gripe (aside from the weather) was the need for paper tickets, as there was no option to have a ticket code scanned at the gate. Maybe next year. Because this was a well-organized and managed fest by Wisconsin-based Brewfest Partners on behalf of the Munster Civic Federation that surely will be returning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sure the big craft brewers were there — but it was the locals that stole the show at the 2014 Munster Ale Fest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":16490,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Munster Ale Fest 2014 Review | Guys Drinking Beer<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n