Locally Made Monday – Chapman’s Brewing Company

The craft beer market is seeing a boom across the country.

In the past year, micro-breweries have begun popping up in our region.

On this week’s Locally Made Monday, WFFT takes a look at one making its mark in northeast Indiana.

Chapman’s Brewing Company started in Angola this past year.

And already, its beer is pouring inside many regional restaurants and on shelves across the Hoosier state.

This isn’t a canned business model.

Chapman’s Brewing Company is what founder Scott Fergusson calls a response to the lack of craft breweries in the region.

It’s named after the legendary Johnny Appleseed, and debuted its first beer this past October- a cider ale- and added two more brews since then.

Brewer Dan Case calls it a refreshing change.

“We have our original ale cider, which is a combination of ale and hard cider, it’s kind of an in-between… I have a traditional American pail ale, which is a hoppy, American blonde ale, and our Englishman is a traditional English brown ale,” Case says.

“We looked at the English styles, with that southern brown and the pale ale, and the India pale ales. If you look at them in their real solid recipes, they’re not meant to be beers that have so much alcohol that one is enough. They’re ones you can just enjoy,” Fergusson says.

Since the beginning, they made the decision to can- rather than bottle- their beers.

Fergusson says it’s more environmentally friendly, but also better for the beer.

“There’s two things that destroy the flavor of beer. One is light, and the other is air,” Fergusson says.

Now, their sixteen ounce pint cans- and kegs- are making a splash across the Hoosier state.

“We first went to the market last September with our ale cider, we brought on our new products early this year, and we are now available state-wide,” Case says.

Chapman’s just signed a deal with Indiana Kroger stores- plus Cap and Cork and Belmont beverages.

You’ll also find their beers on tap at many restaurants around the region.