Before all of the house excitement, we had an amazing weekend with my family in town visiting. It was my brother Ben’s 26th birthday, so we had to celebrate with lots of delicious food and beer!

We spent most of Saturday walking around downtown and enjoying the absolutely gorgeous weather. My brother requested Big Woods Bloomington (formerly known as Quaff On) for lunch, which is always a good choice. James and I went there about once a week last summer because the food is top-notch and the beer list never disappoints. I have a feeling we’ll be doing the same this summer because they have a new beer garden that looks amazing!

After walking around to a few shops downtown and grabbing a phenomenal dinner at Siam House, we decided it was time for another beer. We headed over to Upland’s westside tasting room  after seeing they had Dank Buster on tap. It was one of our favorite beers at Bloomington Beer Fest, so we wanted my dad and brother to try a glass while they were in town. They also gave Dank Buster rave reviews.

We called it a night early after indulging in strawberry rhubarb pie for Ben’s early birthday celebration. We had to get up bright and early Sunday to hit the road for a Cubs game in Cincinnati.

James and I fell in love with Cincy last year after visiting for our minimoon and have been talking about going back ever since. My dad and I are big Cubs fans, so we figured watching them play the Reds was the perfect excuse for a day trip! The weather was absolutely perfect and Great American Ballpark was beautiful. There isn’t a bad seat in the stadium and we were impressed by the wide variety of food and beverage offerings beyond typical baseball fare.

Of course, no trip to Cincy is complete without a stop at Rhinegeist. The beer is great, the atmosphere is even better. I decided to go for a flight because there were a few beers on tap I didn’t get to try last time we visited. My dad loved the brewery and having a couple of cold beers was the perfect way to celebrate a Cubs win!

As much fun as it is to travel, I’m pretty wiped after getting back into town late Sunday night and juggling all of the responsibilities that come with making an offer on a house. It’s only Tuesday, but I’m really looking forward to this weekend — a rare weekend that isn’t packed with activities!

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We kicked craft beer week off by attending a brewer’s talk at Atlas last night. We sipped on a couple local beers while the head brewers from Upland, Function, Bloomington Brewing, The Tap and Switchyard talked about how they got into the craft beer industry and answered questions from the audience. The discussion was fascinating and I loved hearing about the different approaches each brewery has when it comes to developing recipes and producing their beers. Here are some of the major takeaways from the discussion:

Brewing is not like cooking.

Brewing beer involves much more than measuring out ingredients and following a recipe. There’s a true science behind making beer, which means plenty can go wrong along the way. Many of Bloomington’s breweries start out by testing new recipes in smaller batches, then scale them up once they find one they like. But unlike with cooking, you can’t just double the ingredients to make a larger batch. The process can involve a lot of trial and error because making the beer in a larger volume can impact the beer’s flavor profile. Even something as simple as a change in water supply can alter the taste of a batch.

The craft beer bubble won’t burst anytime soon.

This is an amazing time for the craft beer industry. According to the Brewers Association, craft brewers saw a 13 percent increase in volume last year. But, they still only make up about 12 percent of the overall beer market. That means there’s plenty of room for growth nationwide and right here in Bloomington.

Having a strong lineup of classic beer styles ensures longevity.

There are so many styles of beer that are trendy right now — sours, citrus IPAs and session brews. While they’re tasty beers, the best way to build a solid brand is by offering a few classic styles that will always be popular. The best breweries have a specific niche — they determine what styles they make best and stick with it. It’s always fun to try something new, but you can’t beat a good IPA, stout or wheat ale after a long week.

For a full list of Bloomington Craft Beer Week events, head on over to their Facebook page. 

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