By Anna Skinner
With 2016 being the bicentennial year for the state of Indiana, there are many events throughout the area. In addition, Hamilton Co. Tourism christened 2016 as “The Year of the Beer.”
Through the BrewsLine bus, the Bicentennial Brew Tour is sponsored largely by Hamilton Co., with most of the brewery stops in the county. One of the stops includes Westfield’s own Grand Junction Brewery.
Jon Knight, co-owner of Grand Junction Brewery with wife Dawn, said that one of the reasons the brewery is a stop is because it is one of the few breweries in Hamilton Co.
“It’s also the history because we give such a nod to Westfield’s history and they’re trying to do a nod to the history of Indiana at the same time, so they’re capturing a little of the history here,” Dawn said.
The Bicentennial Brew Tour also stops at Deer Creek Brewery (Noblesville), Deviate Brewing (Indianapolis), Heady Hollow Brewing Company (Fishers) and Sun King Brewery (Fishers, Indianapolis). The tours started Jan. 10 and take place every Sunday through May 22 beginning at 12:30 p.m. The tour costs $40 per person.
Another check off of Westfield’s history list is that Grand Junction Brewery is featuring two of their beers that highlight Indiana and Westfield’s history during the tour.
“We are highlighting two of our beers during the tour,” Jon said. “A number of the beers we make have a historical significance to them. The two beers are the Squirrel Stampede English Nut brown ale and the Black Hat Brigade Rye IPA.”
The Squirrel Stampede is named after an actual squirrel stampede that took place in Ham Co. in the 1800s due to a migration of squirrels from Illinois that came across Indiana to Ohio. The stampede wiped out the corn crop throughout the state.
The Black Hat Brigade is named after a Civil War regiment that was comprised of many Hamilton Co. men. The regiment also experienced many casualties as they were in larger battles such as Gettysburg.
To sign up for the tour to experience Grand Junction Brewery and other breweries, visit www.visithamiltoncounty.com.
