18th Street Brewery – A QUick Road Trip and a Lasting IMpression

I’ve been hearing a lot of wonderful things about 18th Street Brewery. So much so that I made the executive decision to take a road trip and check it out for myself.  After all, this is America–the land of the free–and I can do whatever I want, right? 

When I first walked in the door I was struck by the dichotomy of layout. To my left I found the family area, with brightly colored walls, plenty of seating, lots of natural light, and a large projection TV. The merchandising area was also set up in that area with an extensive selection ranging  from can-shaped glassware to roll-up floppy beach hats. (No, seriously…roll-up floppy beach hats). Very cool. It must have been my lucky day because while I was there, a new shipment of Nubian Overlord T-shirts had just arrived and these beer label style beauties looked like they were going to be moving fast. Anyways, back to the layout.  Over to my right was the bar with more traditional decor: dark woods, trendy metals, and large murals. The bar itself was good-sized and decorated with some beer themed artwork. All in all, quite nice.

I worked my way over to the bar to order my flight of the six offerings available on this fine day. I was served the Garcè Selè French Saison, Villain Double IPA, Alpha Company Honey Saison, Homemade Hustler Session IPA, OL St. Augie Belgian IPA, and Candi Crushable Session Pale. I graciously acceped my  flight and set up shop in front of the TV to enjoy some FIFA World Cup group play while I did my sampling. 18th Street is a pro-Brazil bar, but I assumed they allowed others to cheer (quietly) for other teams–provided Brazil is not competing against them, of course. Seemed fair enough.

Ok, back to the beers, the Garcè Selè is a collaboration with not-yet-opened Central State Brewery. This beer put Central State on my personal “must visit when they open” list. The Homemade Hustler IPA is a collaboration with the band The Jordan Years, promoting their new album – Homemade Hustler. OL St. Augie was a guest tap offering from Rude Hippo Brewing Company in Chicago, and I was glad to have had the opportunity to be their guest and try this sweet and hoppy libation. While I genuinely enjoyed all of my choices, I quickly developed a sweet tooth for Candi Crushable. I’ve never had a session pale with so much flavor and it was the perfect finish to my visit. 

Brewer/Owner Drew Fox was working hard in the brewery while I was there so I didn’t get the chance to let him know how much I enjoyed his work. Drew, if you’re reading this, keep it up. You’re on to something special, my friend.

There’s a few more things you’ll want to know about 18th Street Brewery if you’re planning a visit. They don’t do Growler fills, but they do fill their own “Howlers“–which are 32oz carryout glass jugs. Not all of their beers are available for Howler fills, though. When I was there they had only 2 options. Their food menu is small, but strong, and always changing and expanding–kinda like the great city of Gary itself, I would argue. And like many great cities, you just gave me an excuse to return–and for that, I’m appreciative.  Until next time, 18th Street Brewery…

Residing in Ingalls, Indiana, Joel is a Content Aggregator & Contributor for Indiana On Tap.  You can contact him via email at jbozman88@gmail.com.