New Micro-Brewing Trend Has Fort Wayne Hopping

Fort Wayne has more than a dozen breweries, with over half being locally owned businesses. In recent years, the trend of micro-brewing and craft beers has skyrocketed throughout the United States with Fort Wayne noticing the effects of this national trend.

Overall U.S. craft brewer sales continued to grow, reaching 12.7 percent of the U.S. beer market in terms of volume. Retail dollar sales of craft beer increased 8 percent, up to $26 billion, and now account for more than 23 percent of the $111.4 billion U.S. beer market, according to BrewersAssociation.org.

The Brewers Association also revealed there are now over 6,000 breweries operating the in the U.S., which is more than double the number from just four years ago. And in 2018, brewers and craft beer could have had their biggest year yet. Locally, since January 2018, four new breweries have opened in Fort Wayne.

Ashley Spranger, Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership’s stakeholder engagement and experience manager, said the trend has only just begun in the city.

“At the rate we are going, Fort Wayne has the potential to be viewed as a ‘brewery hub.’ I see people coming from outside the city, region and maybe even the state to experience what our breweries have to offer,” Spranger said.

The first brewery in Fort Wayne, Mad Anthony’s Brewing Co., was founded in 1998, according to Linda Lipp, writer for the Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly. While this local craft brewery is still operating in Fort Wayne today, additional locations have popped up in other parts of Indiana, including Auburn, Warsaw and Angola. According to VisitFortWayne.com, there are now more than 14 breweries in Fort Wayne –– with more to open in 2019.

Several months ago, 17 brewers from Fort Wayne and northeast Indiana came together to form the Northern Indiana Brewers Association. The organization, founded to help strengthen relationships between brewers in the area, expects to grow as more breweries open in Northeast Indiana.

Thea Spielman, a local self-declared craft beer enthusiast with a love for Mad Anthony’s dark Harry Baals Irish Stout, was excited about all the options and the growth of local brewed beers.

“I love that I can go to a different spot every weekend, and each place has their own vibe and specialty,” Spielman said. She explained that for her it is important to support the Fort Wayne economy, so she chooses local breweries instead of national ones.

Aside from selling beer, many businesses are offering brewery tours, allowing guests to learn more about the brewing process and to see the inner-workings of the beer they are consuming. Hop River Brewing Company, which opened last February, is a 15-barrel production taproom in downtown Fort Wayne, and offers several tour times throughout the day. 

Taylor Miller, shift supervisor at Hop River Brewing Company, is passionate about representing the product they create.

“Most of us local breweries all support and interact with each other, and we love to help each other grow. More breweries, more growth,” Miller said.

And to keep the trend up and expanding, a new program has begun to help support all the local breweries and encourage the exploration of the city’s craft beer offerings. The Northern Indiana Beer Trail passport program is a multi-brewery collaboration that will offer rewards once a person has visited a certain number of breweries throughout the city.

“We get a couple handfuls of people solely coming in trying to fill their passports with stamps,” Miller said. “It gets people out of their comfort zones, getting them to new breweries.”

The launching of the passport, along with several breweries expected to open in 2019 and the “Brewed IN the Fort” craft beer festival, suggests the trend is not likely to fizzle out anytime soon.

Fright Night Invades Downtown

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Fort Wayne’s Downtown Improvement District is holding their eighth annual Fright Night on Saturday, Oct. 17. With over 25 activities for people to enjoy throughout the day and evening, Fright Night has something for all ages!

Activities will begin at 9 a.m. at the Allen County Public Library Plaza with the “Fright Night Photo Op.” A spooky backdrop and a green screen will be a part of the photo op where you can morph yourself into the spooky or frightful background of your choice.

“ShadowCon is one of the new features for this year’s Fright Night,” events manager Megan Butler said. “It is a Paranormal Conference being presented by the Fort Wayne Community Schools ParaSisters at the Grand Wayne Convention Center from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.”

Beginning at 5 p.m. is the Car Show Spooktacular located at the Community Center. This event is free and will give awards to the top six people with the best decorated vehicles. There will also be two costume contests, one for children and one for adults.

The afternoon has several activities for ages as young as three and up. “There are some great kid-friendly activities at the Community Center starting at 1 p.m., including a special performance of “Which Witch” by the Fort Wayne Youtheatre,” Butler said. She said having kids herself, she knows these activities are great for all ages.

Another event at Fright Night is the “Zombie Walk.” This year’s “Zombie Walk” begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Allen County Public Library Plaza.

Stephanie Wilson has been involved in Fright Night for three years, but says her favorite part of Fright Night is the “Zombie Walk”.

“I enjoy doing my hair crazy, putting on ghostly makeup and fake contacts, but I am looking forward to the new Zombie Machine they have that will get me ready before the walk,” Wilson said.

“Last year’s ‘Zombie Walk’ had roughly 6,000 people involved, but this year we will have anywhere from 7,000 to 8,000 including Fort Wayne Ballet dancers, a fire breather, a juggler, and more,” Butler said.

If you plan to be involved in multiple activities, be sure to look for the Spooky Shuttle, a free trolley that goes all over downtown to other activities throughout the day.

Also, be on the lookout for the Headless Horseman at the Old Fort with the Lantern Tour anytime between 6 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.

“My friends and I enjoy the Lantern Tour after the ‘Zombie Walk’,” Wilson said. “The original gate of the Old (Fort) is still there so it makes it seem so spooky! You’re given a candle and a guide through the Old Fort and they take you to another time era.”

If you are looking to wind down after the day, enjoy the Rocky Horror Picture Show for people 17 and up which will be playing at 9:15 p.m. at the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory.

These are just some of activities available at Fright Night. “No matter what your age is or what your budget is, there is something for everyone where it’s pet-friendly, college-friendly, or kid-friendly,” Butler said.

A new development Butler was excited to share was the idea for a Fright Night guide that will become available Oct. 15 in the Journal Gazette and the News-Sentinel. This guide will include a parking map, map of activities and the details for each one.

For more information on the 2015 Fright Night, visit http://downtownfortwayne.com/fright-night/.