Gnawbrew Festival 2014: Why The Threat of Weather Will Never Ruin The Triple THreat of Craft Beer, Art & Music

By Jon McNabb of Indiana On Tap

I was asked a few weeks ago to attend and write up something brilliant for the Gnawbrew Beer, Art, & Music Festival–a festival in GnawBone, Indiana each year. I agreed to do so, though I was nervous about writing my first…well, anything, since graduating college. So I contacted my good friend, Adam Schick, who writes a blog to come along and help me with drinking beer and gathering notes on the event.

Gnawbrew is an event that founder Douglas Talley started 5 years ago in his backyard as a way to gather friends, drink craft beer and play music with his band Gravel Mouth. It has now turned into an event with several bands, lots of breweries, camping, comedy, movies and hundreds of people in attendance. As far as I’m concerned, it’s one of the best festivals you could ever attend.

Saturday morning, Adam and I packed his car with all the essentials —  craft beer, tent, craft beer, water, snacks, and craft beer. Our plan was to immerse in the full experience of the festival and camp all night. We headed East out of Bloomington and into Brown County. Adam and I decided the best place to  get lunch would be Big Woods Brewpub in Nashville. We filled our stomachs with wonderful food and a few pints of their Yellow Dwarf  and Hare Trigger.  After the quick stop we headed out of Nashville towards Gnawbone.

Upon arriving at the site, I knew this would be unlike any other beer festival I’ve ever attended. There were hundreds of people unloading cars of camping gear and coolers. The event had a shuttle service which consisted of a dune buggy and a cart. We decided to check in before we would unload our gear, and were given our passes and cups and headed up the path to the festival. As we turned the corner from the check-in we couldn’t believe the amount of tents, RV’s and cabins that were filled with festival goers. The camp scene was just as big a party as the one going on behind it. We continued up the path towards the music where it opened up to a large area with a stage at one end, flanked by tables of breweries, several home brewers, a hop farm, food trucks,  artists, and vendors. It felt more like a Phish concert than your normal run-of-the mill beer fest!

Adam and I decided that it would be best to start at one side and make our way around the entire event so that we could stop at each of the breweries. Because the event allows less than 1,000 attendees, we knew that we would have plenty of time to chat with the brewery reps at each of their tents. These were some of the shortest lines I have ever seen, which made the day that much more enjoyable

The first brewery we stopped at was Powerhouse Brewing Co.. Powerhouse is located in Columbus, Indiana. They brought their Ceraline Cream Ale and Daytime Drama Session IPA. Both of these beers were great choices to start our day. Each weigh in under 5% ABV and were refreshing on a this hot humid day. We got to speak with Ritch Mettert, the assistant brewer. He gave a short history on the brewery and the Columbus Bar, which included the legend of Jack the Bum which also happens to be the name of one of their beers as well as their twitter handle.

The next brewery we hit up was Three Pints out of Planfield (with a soon-to-be-open Martinsville location). We tried Yoshi’s Nectar, which is a great California Common style beer, with a focus more on the malty flavors and less on the hoppy tones. We also sampled the Beatnix Blonde, which had a really nice color and flavor. The Three Pints guys were excited that Indiana On Tap  and Indy’s Girls Pint Out (a national craft beer organization for women) would be hosting an event at their brewery later this week, which you can learn more about by here.

We then strolled down the lane towards one of my favorite new Indiana breweries, Taxman Brewing Co. Taxman Brewing is located in Bargersville. They are making some really good beer right now. I enjoyed their Wit-Held, a Belgian style Witbier which is yet another great summer session beer that everyone should be drinking. Taxman may also have one of the best logos of any brewery in the state. Check these guys out whenever you get a chance.

As a born and raised “Cutter”, we had to stop at Cutters Brewery next. Cutters Brewing is located in Avon. They brought in their hard-working year-round beers. I enjoyed a Half-Court IPA as well as a Lost River Blonde Ale–both excellent beers. Their staff was great and even offered a spot for our tent next to them to help finish of the kegs at the end of the night.

Next on the route was the home brewer’s area. The Bloomington Hop Jockeys were in attendance with several styles of beer to choose from. Adam and I both had a Lemongrass beer. From the moment you lifted your glass until the last drop went down your throat, you got the sweet flavor of lemongrass. A very delicious beer. We also sampled a beer called Moose Knuckle. This was a brown ale with an unbelievably smooth finish.

We rounded the corner and stopped by Big Daddy’s Donuts and BBQ truck. It’s been scientifically proven that there isn’t anything that goes better with beer than a grilled tenderloin and a bag of fresh donuts. While we refueled, we walked around one of the artist’s tents. There was a wood carver who uses a chainsaw to create unbelievable sculptures. He even created a 5ft tall beer bottle for the event, which was obviously appropriate for the occasion. (Maybe any occasion, as far as I’m concerned).

Our next brewery was Fountain Square Brewing from Indianapolis, IN. Eileen Martin and Shawn Byrnes are making some really wonderful beers there.  Hop for Teacher Pale Ale was great on this day and after we blew the keg, I enjoyed a Preacher’s Daughter Amber Ale. You can really taste the passion in both of these beers.

The tour continued with a stop at Zwanzigz from Columbus. I chose the Gose Hefeweizen which had a wonderful Melon flavor to it. I may need to take a trip back to the brewery for a growler fill–it was that good.  Although it may not have been a best for the day, they make a wonderful Ghost-pepper beer that should be tried at least once.

Next up was New Albanian Brewing Company out of New Albany. We enjoyed talking with the team about the brewery while sampling some Naughty Girl Blonde, Beaks Best Bitter and my personal favorite — Houndsmouth American Wheat Ale.

Next we hit a Bloomington favorite and its namesake brewery, Bloomington Brewing Company. I enjoyed every sip of their 10 Speed Hoppy Wheat. This is not only one the best hoppy wheats ever, made with Mosaic hops, but it is one of the best beers of summer. They just released bottles of this golden nectar this week. Make sure you pick some up.

Tow Yard Brewing from Indianapolis was the newest brewery at the event.  They brought their Radler/Shandy or ‘Shandler’ called The Hookup. They are still working on the recipe according to the staffer I spoke with. You get a lot of the citrus soda flavor and less of a beer flavor. But I think they are on to something.

We then met with our new friends from Twisted Crew in Seymour.  Josh and Elizabeth not only served up great beers but also wonderful company. Adam and I spent a lot of time just hanging out in their tent and talking shop. If you are in Seymour or if you see these guys at event, stop by and just talk with them–you’ll be glad you did.

We ended our day like we started, with beers from Quaff On. They brought their signature beer truck to serve up Nashville’s finest. I again filled my glass with some Yellow Dwarf as well as their Six Foot Blonde. I love how drinkable these beers are on a warm day.

So as I mentioned earlier, Adam and I had planned on camping. But as we were finishing our last beer, nature had different plans. As the thunder and lightning started moving in we walked back to the car to find just enough cell service to check the radar. With the impending storms, we decided that as much fun as it would be to camp with some of our favorite brewers, we instead packed up and headed back to Bloomington. I’m already planning my return for 2015!

Jon McNabb is a Content Strategist with Indiana On Tap who resides in Bloomington, IN.  You can contact him at jmcnabb@iu.edu.