Southern Indiana Craftbrewers and Wineries Festival

August 19, 2006

by Bob Ostrander

There were 9 breweries and 6 wineries in the program at the Southern Indiana Brewery and Winery Festival. Schlafly was over from St. Louis. Indiana breweries included Barley Island, Broad Ripple, Rock Bottom, Terre Haute, Turoni's/Main Street, Upland, and Fred's Finest Brewery. They counted 683 attendees, about double last year's outdoors event. Everyone seemed to welcome the last-minute return to an indoors location (the function room at the host Southwestern Indiana Regional Council on Aging) even though it was crowded to, or past, the limit.

Fred's? Yep. Evansville homebrewer Fred Scheessele (left) poured about 10 gallons of his Muff's Beer, a light Belgian ale. He's hoping to "attract a sugar daddy" to enable him to expand from 18 gallon batches and become a full commercial brewery.
 

This year's crop of Oktoberfest biers are starting to come out already. Upland and Schlafly had them for tasting.

Main Street's latest seasonal was on tap. Black Light Lager. Mild coffee notes in a light-bodied dunkel.

Broad Ripple's and Barley Island's owners both proudly poured their brewers' ReplicAles.

The Ohio Valley Homebrewer's Association was, as usual, out in force doing the setup, cleanup, helping pour, and serving a dozen different beers, meads, and even a homemade wine or two. Here Kenny Lucas and John Dippel show off their Brewer's Cup ribbons.
 

Turoni's owners and Main Street's brewer.