Weekend-long anniversary celebration showcases the best of New Oberpfalz Brewing's First Year

25 Jan Weekend-long anniversary celebration showcases the best of New Oberpfalz Brewing’s First Year

Posted at 18:45h in Indiana Beer News, New Oberpfalz Brewing, Special Events, Uncategorized by Justin Knepp 0 Comments

By Writing Community Member Noah Amstadter

A weekend-long celebration helped thaw the mid-January chill in Northwest Indiana as New Oberpfalz Brewing marked one year in business this past weekend. The festivities highlighted numerous aspects of the quality-first approach that has set the Griffith brewery apart in its first year.

Keg No. 1 was wheeled into the tap room on Jan. 23, 2015, and the brewery’s initial lineup included a smoked porter, a pale ale, and a kellerbier. One year later, New Oberpfalz’ anniversary tap list included a diverse selection of 11 house beers, ranging from the flagship German Helles lager and Febtober Fest bier to their highly touted Toad Storm IPA to a delicious Russian Imperial Stout with coffee and cocoa nibs.

The anniversary weekend kicked off with an all you can eat Alaskan king crab boil on Friday evening. Attendees feasted on steamed crab legs that were by all accounts as meaty and juicy as one would fine at Chicago’s finest seafood restaurants, alongside freshly prepared potato salad, mixed green salad, corn bread, Bavarian pretzels with cheese, and dessert.

The crab dinner was New Oberpfalz’ second seafood celebration, following a crawfish boil last May that featured 350 pounds of fresh crawfish flown in from Louisiana a day earlier. The brewpub’s menu evolved over the first year, as well. At opening, they featured a limited but impressive menu that included an artisan cheese plate and ploughman platter (including charcuterie from Smoking Goose in Indianapolis). Today New Oberpfalz employs a dedicated kitchen staff and a diverse selection of appetizers (amazing Thai chicken wraps), sandwiches, thin crust pizzas, and desserts. _

On Day 2 of anniversary weekend, New Oberpfalz once again highlighted its beers and food – a small amount crab somehow survived Friday night and became the greatest crab roll this beer writer has ever consumed — but also paid homage to the brewery’s German influence. Eddie Wagner’s Lustige Blaskapelle, a popular local polka band, performed and for one night chilly Griffith was transformed into Oktoberfest.

The festivities wrapped up on Sunday with the NFL conference championship games on in the bar and DJ Joel spinning tunes in the upstairs family dining area. As is the privilege granted to Indiana beverage producers on Sundays, bottled beers were available to go. Bottle offerings included Toad Storm IPA, Imperial Rye IPA (a collaboration with nearby 18th Street Brewery), Helles lager, and Elucidator Doppelbock. In its first year, New Oberpfalz has expanded its distribution. Bottled and draft product is available in bars and stores throughout Indiana, including a number of locations in Indianapolis and South Bend.

As last call on Sunday night approached, we closed the evening with a slice of New Oberpfalz birthday cake, a tasty carrot cake with organic buttercream frosting infused with the brewery’s Russian Imperial Stout. It was a sweet ending to a weekend celebrating the beginning for one of Northern Indiana’s best new breweries.