This past Saturday, Tippecanoe Arts Federation hosted TAP, an event similar to the very popular Wines on the Wabash, but focused on craft beer. Naturally, I couldn’t pass up an oppurtunity to go. So I grabbed a couple of friends, including an Exponent photographer, and headed over the pedestrian bridge to check it out.
With tickets priced at only $25, eager fans flocked from the local area to get a taste of a huge variety of craft beers from 15 Indiana breweries ranging from local favorites like People’s Brewing Company to visiting brewhouses, like Sun King from Indianapolis. Upon entrance, guests received a wristband and a free glass that they could use to refill from any station from 3-6pm as many times as they pleased.
And I forgot to mention, the whole event took place on the top floor of a parking garage, overlooking the Wabash River and the town square of Lafayette.
While most of the booths were dedicated to full-fledged breweries, one table was focused on the actual brewing process. It was operated by employees of Blichmann Engineering, a local business that specializes in making the tools used to make beer and wine, including a patented “BeerGun” that allows for easier filling of bottles.
In additional to showing off their cool products and sharing some of the beer that they had made with them, employees were actually brewing beer on the spot giving passerbys an inside look at the process.
With my video camera on hand, Paul was kind enough to let us pick his brain.
Overall, TAP was a great experience. I’d jump at the chance to attend the event again in the future. The people were friendly, the beer flowed freely, and I actually learned a lot.
Cheers to craft brewers and craft beer drinkers alike for making it a memorable day.
Off the Golden Tracks 