28 Jul Wait, You Missed GnawBrew 2016?
By Andrew Ogborn
You know, there are only a handful of things I was really looking forward to in these warmer months of the year. Indy 500, my trip to California, my cousin’s wedding, and, of course, freaking GnawBrew.
GnawBrew—yes, an odd name for a beer festival if you’re not from the area—takes place between Gnaw Bone and Nashville, Indiana. Well, to say it’s between them is not entirely true. Once you turn off Highway 46, you turn down a long, windy road through the hills and hollers. You find yourself at the mouth of a quarter-mile long valley, which is the entrance to this outdoor love fest. And by love fest, I mean the love of beer, the woods, art, and music.
I’ve often called this event the “Woodstock” of beer festivals. Think about it: it’s in the middle of the summer, in the middle of nowhere (kind of), with great music, and close friends. It is the most relaxed and easy-going event, of its size, that you’ll ever go to.
Oh, you missed GnawBrew? Sorry to hear that. Yes, you can come with me next year.
The set up for this year was a little different, and I definitely liked it. First off, if you went both days you got a freaking glow in the dark wristband! I know, I’m a child. Aside from that, they decided to have the home brewer’s competition on Friday night and the main event on Saturday. Doug Talley, the man running the show, was nice enough to let me check out the event both days. From what I had tasted last year, I was especially excited to try the home brews, and I wasn’t disappointed.
A few that jumped out at me this year were Dan Good Beer, Hill View Hop Farm Brewing, Huntington Collective, and the beer by James Stanley. Huntington Collective was crowned the winners, for those of you keeping score at home. James Stanley, though, really surprised me, but in a good way. He’s from La Porte, Indiana and the first time he’d ever served his beer at a festival was last year at GnawBrew. I probably tried it back then but I can’t recall for sure. His wheat and amber beers were especially good.
For the guys from Hill View Hop Farm, not only did they have delicious beer, like beer which used a boiled hambone in it, but their dispensing systems were by far the most unique. One of their beers came out of an actual 1950’s pinball machine, which still kind of worked! Way to go above and beyond.
Dan Good Beer (clever name right?) came from Daniel Smith, out of Greenwood, Indiana. He’s been brewing for about 14 years and the work he’s put in really shows. His Honey Hefeweizen, called Solstice Shine, was particularly good, as was his Irish Red called Bloody Irishmen. I look forward to having both again.
Continuing on from the home brewers, and their delicious drinks, let’s talk about the main event. I’m pretty sure it started at 11a.m., though, now that I’m looking at the event page it says 2 p.m. It was hard to tell since by 11 a.m. I was already enjoying good food and trading beer with some of the other people who stayed the night. I was able to score some beer from Port Jeff Brewery in New York—good beer—from a good looking brunette girl.
People who came into the valley on Saturday probably saw something they didn’t expect: high-quality art for sale. As the Facebook page for the event says, “Art and artists are the heart of Brown County, Indiana and at the core of what we are about here at GnawBrew”. This speaks to more than just the musical acts and the artistic work displayed, but the beer itself. When you think about it, craft beer brewing is an art form of its own.
Moving deeper into the valley, over a bridge, brought you into the heart of the festival where the breweries were pouring, the sun was beating, and the bands were rocking. Over a dozen of Indiana’s best breweries were represented here. Some people go to festivals because they have 30, 40, or 50 breweries pouring, and attempt to drink as much as possible, as quickly as possible. GnawBrew isn’t like that. Though the valley is huge and they could bring two or three times as many breweries, it would feel too crowded. Yes, people got drunk (this guy included) but that wasn’t the goal of the day. I spent most of the festival talking to new people than drinking beer. That’s what I go to GnawBrew for.
From an event planner point-of-view, I saw virtually nothing flawed with this event. Parking wasn’t too crowded, there were both port-o-potties and real bathrooms, and I was able to find air conditioning when I needed it. My only suggestion would be to tell, not ask, the Dave Matthews Band to move their concerts to a different weekend, and come down and join us. Thanks to Doug, eXplore Brown County, and everyone else who was involved.
Please note, if you met me on the Indiana on Tap party bus “Ale Force One”, I’m glad you could join us.
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