Confessions from the Inaugural Corn Maze Beer Fest

04 Oct Confessions from the Inaugural Corn Maze Beer Fest

By Kristina Traxler

What drove me to attend? This truly sounded like a one-of-a-kind event happening in the Indiana craft beer scene. That being said, I would totally regret and kick myself for NOT going. It had never been done before. It had never been talked about before. It even perfectly fits the stereotypical idea from non-Hoosiers that Indiana is just a bunch of corn—which is funny. I was happy to hear that some tickets from out of state folks were sold so they could see just how awesome corn fields can be. But this wasn’t just a corn field…it was a 5-acre cornf ield filled with craft beer, music, and more craft beer.

What I loved:

• The maze: I had no idea what to expect walking into a field of corn, but I LOVED every minute of it. I was one of those people highly concerned with getting lost considering Google Maps is one of my top daily tools.  It wasn’t a problem at all. Having the band in the center of the corn maze gave me the auditory clues I needed to be able to navigate my surroundings and make it to every “beer pod” effectively.
• Set-Up: I liked that there were multiple breweries located in each beer pod. Having this set-up allowed you to effectively enjoy your time while in the maze and still get your full samples’ worth.
• BEER: I was impressed by the variety of breweries and the selection that each brought. 450 North provided their beer, cider, and wine which I greatly appreciated. 450 North’s Children of the Corn (Bourbon Barrel-Aged Russian Imperial Stout) was available for sampling (and sale) and is why my first stop out of the maze was at the take-out counter. What a phenomenal tasting stout!  Another one of my Columbus favorites who was there was ZwanzigZ. Their Ghost Pepper Stout was the talk of the pod, and the bold flavor definitely lived up to the hype.

What could be improved:

• More toilets. There simply weren’t enough, but I can only imagine how difficult it is to plan a first year event to this capacity. If I know Indiana On Tap, I know this will be corrected for next year. One of their biggest philosophies has always been “improvement.”

Post-Maze Activities:

Even though the corn maze tasting event concluded at 5PM, the activities continued on well into the night. The after-party, which was open to the public, took place immediately after the festival. I was happy to not get kicked out at 5pm, which is the norm for so many events, so that I instead had time to catch up with friends that ventured to different beer pods. There were food trucks, local vendors, and plenty of 450 North’s beer, wine, and cider available for sale to enjoy. The live music and Children of the Corn night-screening provided plenty entertainment.

In all, wow. What. An. Event. At a time when so many craft beer events (are fun), but very much the same, the Inaugural Corn Maze Beer Fest provided something utterly unique. Congrats to the staff from 450 North Brewing and Indiana On Tap for pulling off something that people will certainly be talking about for at least the next 365 days!