Summertime 2011 Pt 1: Great Crescent Brewery

It had been a while since I have been traveling to taste beer, other than local bars and restaurants or breweries already commented on.

Ohio Beer Drinker Tim took me to a small corner of a building in Aurora IN, where they brew fresh beer in really small quantities and sell it on the premises. We were not allowed to drink it there, except for the small quantities that are distributed after their tour. But I thought it was an interesting visit, because you can see how a really small beer maker works, and the beer is truly their own. I had rarely tasted anything like it before.

The brewery is in downtown Aurora, in view of the Ohio River, and was named out of respect for a brewery that has gone away a long time ago. They have a little shop in the front of the plant, where they sell their packaged beer in 1/2 quart cans, kegs or growler pours. The facility is really tiny, and is managed by their brewmaster, who does everything but run the shop.

They gave us a tour, and it was interesting to see their make-shift equipment, from a boiling kettle fashioned out of two older kegs welded together, to a refrigeration unit that had a thermometer cable running out of it so the temperature can be monitored on the outside.

The beers we tasted were strong, rich in malt and with a slight hop presence, and they were brewed with some imagination with the ingredients. They do not use bottles, so they only needed a canning line or pour into kegs. It was an interesting visit, and one we enjoyed later when we consumed the pint cans the next day at Indy. Plus, Tim purchased a growler of the Bourbon Barrel Stout which he agreed was some of the best of that style he had.

Unfortunately the reviews I can give are only about the one pint I drank, with just a mention for the tasters that were keg drawn.

Great Crescent Mild Ale: Darker Amber Color, rich and nutty tasting, without being too sweet. Mostly a malty flavor and not too much hops. Drinkable in the can and with character. Rating: 4.

GC Witbier: Belgian Style White: sharp tasting and fruity, retaining much of the malt with very little hop. Rating: NETJ (not enough to judge).

GC IPA: Slightly bitter but very dark, reminds me of those Black IPAs that are coming around now. A fair IPA, missing some of the piny and spicy effects I expect from an IPA. Rating: NETJ.