Trion's Brew Haven: A Small Town Brewventure
This past weekend, I packed the car and headed to New Haven, Indiana for the First Annual Brew Haven Brewfest. I didn't know what to expect at first, but looking at their tap list for the Trion Tavern, my expectations were higher than when I got tickets. I went in search of something new. I endured the heat, got poured on, but in the end it was worth it!
Good: The parking was good, homebrews were unique, food was delicious, water available, and tickets/line to get in were well organized.
Okay: The selection was decent, but rare finds would be nice.
Areas for Improvement: The brews were too crowded. More seating would have been nice too. More shade (tents, umbrellas, whatever) would have made a big difference.
Parking was a dream when we got there. Open gravel lots and street parking. All close by to the main event. I was happy to see the street next to the pub blocked off to open it up for festival goers. No line to speak of, so I and my fellow beer enthusiast walked right in. We met some friends at a table in the seating area, a nice relaxed hang out.
Some brews were under tents and some were being pulled from taps on a big Miller Light truck. They had big names (Sam Adams with some special brews, AB's Land Shark Lager), larger micro-breweries (New Belgium with the Lips of Faith series), and local favorites (Sun King, Mad Anthony, Three Floyds). They had a number of homebrews too.
The group all went out for the first pour. Some of us had game plans, some had ideas, and some just went for it. I was scoping out Sun King when we sat down, so I grabbed a taste of Sun King's Osiris. Some of us brought our 2 oz. treasures back to the table to look, smell, taste and discuss.
We ate the fest food. It was really quite tasty. Perfect beer food, and really well done. The pulled pork made my mouth water, and the brat looked perfectly crisp and topped with sauerkraut goodness.
Round after round we went in search of the next great pour. I have to admit, once that sun broke out from the clouds, I wasn't moving anywhere. The tent was too crowded, no other cover, I just baked in the sun. I had a lovely companion who brought me round after round.
The sun kept beating down and the crowd under the tent was growing. I was growing disappointed with the selection. I could get many of those beers at local liquor shops. The local brewers didn't bring much in the way of specialty beers. I was starting to think that the selection was better on tap in the pub. Three Floyds' Moloko was on tap in the pub!
This fest was a great place to have fun and drink good beer. Small pours can be good with that selection, so you can enjoy it. I was just looking for something I'd never had. If I was new to the beer scene, I'd probably be in heaven. I went for the SA Maple Pecan Porter for something different, eh.
All of that disappointment was lingering in my head. I was resigned to not have anything new, but drink good beer and enjoy. This was until I hit the homebrews, the highlight of the event for me. Some were awful, but some were wonderful. And then I realized, this was what this event was all about. A Cherry Wood Smoked Mild that hit my taste buds like a pipe tobacco dream, sours that were refreshing and flavorful, and coffee roasted porters. Some were so good we went back for more.
Then Sun King stepped up the the bat with Cream Dream 4: A New Hop (IIPA). It was like my prayers were answered, good beer and then RAIN. All of that heat was getting washed away,and I sat and enjoyed it.
Great event. It will be even better next year!
Good: The parking was good, homebrews were unique, food was delicious, water available, and tickets/line to get in were well organized.
Okay: The selection was decent, but rare finds would be nice.
Areas for Improvement: The brews were too crowded. More seating would have been nice too. More shade (tents, umbrellas, whatever) would have made a big difference.
Parking was a dream when we got there. Open gravel lots and street parking. All close by to the main event. I was happy to see the street next to the pub blocked off to open it up for festival goers. No line to speak of, so I and my fellow beer enthusiast walked right in. We met some friends at a table in the seating area, a nice relaxed hang out.
Some brews were under tents and some were being pulled from taps on a big Miller Light truck. They had big names (Sam Adams with some special brews, AB's Land Shark Lager), larger micro-breweries (New Belgium with the Lips of Faith series), and local favorites (Sun King, Mad Anthony, Three Floyds). They had a number of homebrews too.
The group all went out for the first pour. Some of us had game plans, some had ideas, and some just went for it. I was scoping out Sun King when we sat down, so I grabbed a taste of Sun King's Osiris. Some of us brought our 2 oz. treasures back to the table to look, smell, taste and discuss.
We ate the fest food. It was really quite tasty. Perfect beer food, and really well done. The pulled pork made my mouth water, and the brat looked perfectly crisp and topped with sauerkraut goodness.
Round after round we went in search of the next great pour. I have to admit, once that sun broke out from the clouds, I wasn't moving anywhere. The tent was too crowded, no other cover, I just baked in the sun. I had a lovely companion who brought me round after round.
The sun kept beating down and the crowd under the tent was growing. I was growing disappointed with the selection. I could get many of those beers at local liquor shops. The local brewers didn't bring much in the way of specialty beers. I was starting to think that the selection was better on tap in the pub. Three Floyds' Moloko was on tap in the pub!
This fest was a great place to have fun and drink good beer. Small pours can be good with that selection, so you can enjoy it. I was just looking for something I'd never had. If I was new to the beer scene, I'd probably be in heaven. I went for the SA Maple Pecan Porter for something different, eh.
All of that disappointment was lingering in my head. I was resigned to not have anything new, but drink good beer and enjoy. This was until I hit the homebrews, the highlight of the event for me. Some were awful, but some were wonderful. And then I realized, this was what this event was all about. A Cherry Wood Smoked Mild that hit my taste buds like a pipe tobacco dream, sours that were refreshing and flavorful, and coffee roasted porters. Some were so good we went back for more.
Then Sun King stepped up the the bat with Cream Dream 4: A New Hop (IIPA). It was like my prayers were answered, good beer and then RAIN. All of that heat was getting washed away,and I sat and enjoyed it.
Great event. It will be even better next year!
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