In my very short span writing and about and savoring this craft beer renaissance which envelops us, I’ve already been to several beer festivals. I’ve stood in sweltering, overcrowded, long lines listening to drunken slurring; I’ve wandered the lush lawns of Fishers surrounded by polo shirts, summer dresses, and casual conversation; I’ve huddled in the cold, overcrowded Bloomington festival, and I’ve basked in the warm, easy-to-maneuver Bloomington version as well. And I’ve also spent a January ambling around a state fairgrounds pavilion to the echoing ruckus which would rival the concourse at any Colts game. Consequently, on our way to Taxman Brewing Company in Bargersville, for their “Death and Taxes” celebration on April 18th, I was ready to try a much smaller version of what I’d already experienced. Because it was going to be smaller—and because the weather on this mid-April day was furthermore spectacularly bright and warm—I found myself looking forward to the trip.
For starters, Taxman is an operation that seems to be doing everything right. Not long ago I wrote in great detail about my first trip there detailing everything from the surreal balance of the old farming Indiana versus the new suburban growth which encroaches it. I shared my thoughts about the brewery’s emergence in a small town south of Indy, under the shadow of grain bins which frame the still heavily-used railway which slice through the town. Finally, I explained that a large part of Taxman’s success is that—rather than neglect the small town setting, for some cheap attempt at extending the “Indy feel” further south than possible—Nathan Huelsebusch and his partners embraced Bargersville while also creating an atmosphere welcoming to Circle City patrons.
“We felt Europe did a really good job of being very inclusive among the restaurants and the bars we went to,” Huelsebusch told me. “They didn’t have a pretentiousness about them that excluded people or that even made you feel like you were overdressed. We just wanted to have a really balanced community space that was fun for all types.”
This sense of inclusiveness couldn’t have been more apparent than in the form of over a dozen additional breweries which had set up their tents in Taxman’s primary parking lot, and brought to bear some of the most ambitious concoctions I’ve tasted. Granted, I myself didn’t try all the experimental beers: I opted for known mixes when I sampled Quaff On!’s Hare Trigger IPA, Mashcraft’s American Amber (which came with a touch of ancho pepper to it), and Indiana City’s Session IPA…all solid contributions to the afternoon.
The afternoon culminated with our brief trip past the fermenting tanks and our eventual stop at the Taxman booth. There, I accepted my first of two Death and Taxes samples. I have enjoyed Taxman since before I wrote my first piece about them, but that didn’t come without—for me at least—an eventual conversion to the unique tastes of the Belgian style. Death and Taxes particularly struck me because it crossed that threshold with force. Maybe it was the potent 10% punch, or the bourbon tinge…whatever the reason, Death and Taxes was the hit for me. And given its standing as the event’s denouement, finishing as my top choice seemed all but appropriate.
“We wanted to do a celebration following April 15,” Huelsebusch explained when I asked him what prompted the event, “and it so happened that we were ready to do our first bottle release…so we thought something following the tax deadline called ‘Death and Taxes Day’ seemed like a good idea.”
When I marveled to Huelsebusch—who still holds a day-job as the tax director at Cummins—about the phenomenal growth and success of the company in such a short time, even he modestly underscored that by describing the brewery’s origins: “We [the partners] actually met in Belgium, put together the idea shortly after moving back, and it’s just taken off from there.”
“We moved to Greenwood from Belgium,” Huelsebusch continued, “and it just felt like the area really needed an anchor…especially Bargersville, and it just happened to be area where you could get a unique building that might be something more than what you’d get in a strip mall. So we wanted to put this in a small town and see how it works. We further felt that, given the way the development in this area is happening, that such a move made sense.” The result is a unique beer and dining experience punctuated by one of the most distinctive and fun beer festivals I’ve ever attended. And as Huelsebusch reminded me, his host community gets a good deal of the credit for the wild success.
“We’ve been really blessed to have such a great community to support us. I think the town of Bargersville has been extremely open and willing to work with us, and the reception we’ve gotten from our customers has been wonderful, too.” Death and taxes may indeed be the only inevitable certainties this life grants us, but for one day this year (and hopefully for more to come) we can now have a reason to look forward to them.
