Big Busted Bash brings music and energy to beautiful Brown County

While I have visited Big Woods/Quaff On! a number of times, it was always to visit the small bar nestled behind the main pizza place across the alley. This past weekend, I finally visited the Big Busted Bar, which is right above Big Woods Pizza. It was the Friday before Easter, and two basketball games featuring Indiana teams were going to be the highlight of the night no matter what.
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The Big Busted Bash featured live music from six to twelve. When I got there a little after seven, the place was packed and jumping. It was a beautiful weekend in Nashville, and from the get-go, it felt like the place to be.

As I arrived, The Indiana Boys, the second band of the night, had begun their set. They had gone through a run of bluesy numbers before playing a humorous “Russian Mail Order Bride.” They did excellent “Turn the Page” that had a rockabilly feel, and they also covered a Pearl Jam song that sounded good. It was a lengthy set, and they had the crowd dancing at points, and thoroughly entertained.

As I scoped out the Big Busted Bar, most the room was full of large groups eating, and enjoying the show. I settled in the bar area to the left of the door, and perused the tap list as I waited for the Notre Dame game to begin. I had a Session IPA to start the evening. It was very mild with a nice hop finish. The beer was smooth and drinkable, and I enjoyed it. I watched the first half of the game, and found it very aggravating. Everyone watching with me was heavily clad in IU gear, and were rabidly pulling for Notre Dame. In this respect, it was a typical night in a bar in Indiana in late March.

My next beer was a Wee Heavy Smoked Ale. I took one sip, and it reminded me of some of the best Rauchbiers I have tried. The smoke balanced well with the maltiness of the Wee Heavy, but it clearly called for a piece of smoked cheese to pair it with! The Notre Dame game was at half time, so I stepped out onto the porch overlooking Nashville’s main drag.

I was only going to have one more beer, as I was going to be a long drive back to Plainfield, and I settled on the Maple Brown Ale. The glass was set in front of me, and the scent of maple wafted up. From the first note that hit my nose, it was dark splendor, nicely balanced. I really felt I had saved the best beer for last!

Split Rail was the headliner, and they came on a little before nine. They were intense, had a nice cohesive sound, and played a lot of original music. They had tons of energy, and had the crowd going with tunes such as “Angels Share”, and “Just Passing Through.” As good as they were, at least in the bar area, they became a backdrop to an exciting IU game.

Nashville is just down the road from Bloomington, and you could feel it here tonight in the Big Busted Bar. Expectations and hopes were high, but IU was playing a tough North Carolina team, and the Tar Heels took control of the game early. It was sad, but still this was a fun crowd to be a part of, and the IU faithful could drown their sorrows in craft beer. I stayed till halftime, and called it an evening.

The Big Busted Bash was fun, and I would love to come back down again. The energy was great, and my beer was superb. The Big Busted Bar had it all: Pizza, Bourbon and Spirits, craft beer, good music, and basketball. Quite frankly, it’s the kind bar I wish existed when I was 22! I like to see brewpubs crowded, and I am glad that Quaff On is doing it right. They have a good product, and now have an additional taproom going up in Speedway. If you’re in Nashville, I encourage you to visit them, and quaff on.