Hop River Brewing

On a recent trip though Northern Indiana, my husband and I were able to hit three of the 20 breweries that are part of the Northern Indiana Beer Trail. All three were in Fort Wayne. Hop River is away from the downtown area on a quiet street, but once we stepped inside there were several pinball machines and arcade games that offered some action. It also happened to be trivia night so people found seats at the long communal tables ready to test their skills.

There was a large selection of on-draft craft house beers - 15 in all. We each tried a flight of four. My favorites were the Kolsch (5.4% light German Ale), the Downtown Leroy Brown (a 5.4% limited release American brown ale) and the Midnight Retreat (an 8.5% ABV Imperial Stout with dark chocolate, roasted coffee and stone fruit flavors). 

The food menu included a number of sharables and sandwiches. We tried the Mexican Sloppy Joe nachos and the Hot Beef and Beer Cheese sandwich - and you can bet I licked that beer cheese off my arm as it oozed out. I think I could have eaten it with a spoon. :)

For more info, go to HopRiverBrewing.com.