by Markby mark E. Lasbury for Indiana On Tap
(feature image credit: Emily Winkel, painting done live at the Tasting Event on 1/30/26)
Last night Indiana On Tap hosted the latest Tasting Society member event. The snow made for a picturesque scene, and the 1899 Venue, as always, provided a gorgeous backdrop for our members to talk in depth with several vendors that they don’t get to see very often. The weather kept a couple of our vendors from making the trips, but we were happy to host craft producers from all parts of the state.
Dot & Line Brewing in Fort Wayne made the trip from the northeast, while the southwest was represented by Barker Brewhouse in Evansville. The northwest brought us Sea of Monsters Brewing and Journeyman Distilling from Valparaiso, and Pilgrimage Wine Co. (one of my favorite logos) came from the east part of the state in Cambridge City. Traveler’s Point Distillery came from the north in Kirklin, while the central part of the state was represented by Northbrook Brewing from Arcadia, Shake-Up Cocktails, and the Two Beerded Guys of Carmel.
Getting a chance to talk to big craft beverage fans and craft producers after a long – a very long – January was both interesting and enlightening. It reminded me that people are always drifting into and out of the world of craft beverages, so levels of knowledge and understanding can always be improved, including for myself.
We at Indiana On Tap want people to know as much about craft beer, wine, and spirits as possible, taking them as deep into this world as they wish to dive. Paraphrasing Senegalese conservationist Baba Dioum, “We love only what we understand, and we understand only what we explore.” This includes myself, as I learned something new last night, and this reminded me that there is always more to learn.
Traveler’s Point Distillery brought three different barrel strength bourbons, and they were all great, but my favorite taste of the evening from them was their solera whiskey. I was aware that beer is sometimes put through a solera process, where a bit of mature product is taken off the bottom of a vessel, and fresh wort is added to the top at the same time, thereby maintaining the volume, mixing newer and older product, and allowing for a microflora to bloom over time and make the product more complex.
Traveler’s Point has adopted this process by connecting with tubes a pyramid of barrels, with distillate added to the top barrel, and aged product taken from one of the barrels on the bottom. An amazing product with a great story behind it, yet still true to being truly craft product. Traveler’s Point is famous for this, staying true to the nature and process of craft. That’s why they properly refer to their soleraed product as a whiskey, not a bourbon because of the reuse of the multiple barrels (bourbon can only use a first use, charred oak barrel).
This dedication to the craft is seen in other products from Traveler’s Point, but also from what they don’t produce, like multiple different kinds of wood for finishing whiskeys. They want to be traditional, grain to glass producers. And I appreciate them more know for having learned this. Many people last night learned of this different way of producing whiskey, and they now have a deeper understanding for craft spirits.
My conversations last night ran the gamut from some folks saying that they don’t like dark beers because they are too heavy, to ideas like hops are too bitter, and conversations about alternating bittering. Northbrook had a nice spruce winter ale called Leon where the bitterness comes mainly from fresh spruce tips sourced from Alaska. It’s a terrific way to get to a bitterness apart from boiling hops, and it lends a nice difference to the beer. Leon is strongly piney, just not in the same way vein as Pacific Northwest hops.
Likewise, the idea that dark beer is too heavy was countered by walking down to the Barker Brewhouse table, where they were pouring a black Kolsch. Kolsch is a hybrid style (made using lagering conditions with an ale yeast). Their Barker Black brings a third aspect into this hybrid style – light and crisp, yet dark and just a bit roasty from the addition of some black malt. Not heavy at all, all the good of a lager, yet light and fresh.
Finally, I suggested to someone that they try the single barrel Cruzan Rum Barrel Aged Whale in the Woods, but they said that they don’t like boozy beers. Yet, in talking to Phil from Dot & Line, he learned that the process they used left the finished product with a rum feel and some flavor, but not a big barrel tannin quality or an overbearing alcohol bite. It was smooth, flavorful, and again, not too heavy. There are those big, boozy, high abv, large body stouts, an they are great in their own ways, but that’s just not what this beer was meant to be.
The take home message – keep learning and tasting. It’ll make you more knowledgeable, and likely, more appreciative of the art of craft beverages. A tasting event like last night is perfect for such learning; there is more opportunity to talk and learn, and you can try things you’re not sure about. It’s a taste, not a life choice; if it isn’t your favorite, just move on. Thanks again to all who came out last night, and we look forward to learning more with you and from you in the future.
