Wilbur Brewing is Closing

For the second year in a row, we start Indiana Beer Week with news of a brewery closing. According to their facebook page, Wilbur Brewing will cease operations at the end of August.

Dan Hause opened Wilbur Brewing as a retirement project in 2009, operating out of an A-frame lake cabin that used to be part of a Girl Scout camp. The brewery attended a few Brewers of Indiana Guild events, but never really seems to gain a foothold in a very competitive Indiana beer market.

We wish Dan the best of luck.

Metromix 2010 Local Brewing Guide: Wilbur Brewing Company

Hoosier Beer Geek worked with Metromix to create their 2010 Local Brewing Guide. It was published in the November 18th issue and we are republishing the interviews we conducted. Enjoy!

Wilbur Brewing Company, est. 2009
Martinsville, IN
Ph: 765-346-0023
Website: www.WilburBrewCo.com

Like most people, Dan Hause plans on retiring someday. And when he retires, he wants to open a brewpub as his retirement “hobby”. He started homebrewing eight years ago and opened his commercial brewing operation last year.

Wilbur Brewing Company is operated out of an A-frame lake cabin that used to be part of a Girl Scout camp. It is located on a lake in the middle of the woods out in the country of Morgan County. Hause still works full time as an engineer in the mining industry, so his brewery doesn’t have regular hours. He does welcome visitors, but they need to call in advance and schedule a time.

His brewing equipment is pretty simple. Hause uses a large brewing pot that he puts over a wood fire outdoors during warmer months. In the winter months, it sits across all four burners of a residential stove. His beers are bottle conditioned, meaning the yeast is added to the bottles where they then ferment. Wilbur beers are sold in bottles at stores and restaurants in Morgan, Monroe, and Marion Counties. Two restaurants in Bloomington carry Wilbur on draft. But Hause expects his beers will receive wider distribution next year.

While his brewing facility is atypical, what sets him apart from other breweries is that the beers from Wilbur Brewing Company are certified organic. Hause explains: “The malts are not grown with pesticides. The hops are not grown with pesticides. I have to keep my place pesticide free. The biggest challenge was the cleansers [for the brewing equipment]. I found a peroxide cleanser that is approved. It does a really nice job.”

Wilbur Brewing Company is the only brewery in Indiana that is certified organic and is one of the few organic breweries in the Midwest. “The organic ingredients cost me between 10 and 20 percent more [than regular ingredients],” he adds, “but the cost of beer ingredients are a small part [of the total cost].”

Regular Beers (styles in parenthesis): Country Mellow (Amber Ale), Biker Brown (Brown Ale)

Seasonals: Summer Ale, Octoberfest, Midnight Stout

Winterfest #7 Update

The Brewers of Indiana Guild's Winterfest 2010 tickets are on sale now online. Ticket sales are also available at breweries across the state, including: Broad Ripple Brewpub, Brugge Brasserie, Barley Island (both locations), Upland (both locations), Rock Bottom (both locations), Ram (downtown), Alcatraz, Sun King, Oaken Barrel, Lafayette, Brickworks, Three Floyds, Back Road, Crown Brewing, Mishawaka, Half Moon, Mad Anthony (Ft. Wayne), Great Crescent, New Albanian, Turoni's Main Street, Power House, and Big Woods. They are also available at selected Crown Liquor stores. Winterfest will be held in the Ag/Hort building of the Indiana State Fairgrounds on Saturday, January 30th, 2010 from 3pm to 7pm. Tickets are $30.

As we receive information from the breweries as to what they are bringing, we will let you know. Our first Winterfest update provided the beer lists for Upland, Great Crescent, Mad Anthony, and Brugge. Our second Winterfest update included Bee Creek Brewery (UPDATED - Will not be attending), Lafayette Brewing Company, Two Brothers, Rust Belt, Bell's Brewing Co. (UPDATED), and Atwater Block. Our third Winterfest update included Crown Brewing, Big Woods Brewing, Power House Brewing, and Rock Bottom Brewery North. Our fourth Winterfest update included Back Road Brewery, Mishawaka Brewing, Broad Ripple Brewpub, Sun King Brewing, Schlafly Beer, Goose Island Brewing Co. (UPDATED), North Coast Brewing Co., Left Hand Brewing Co. Our fifth Winterfest update included Oaken Barrel, Rock Bottom Downtown (UPDATED), Turoni's Main Street, New Albanian, Three Floyds, Ram Restaurant and Brewery, Barley Island, Tyranena, Schmaltz, Bluegrass Brewing Company - Shelbyville Road, and New Belgium. Our sixth Winterfest update included a beer list for World Class Beverages' Malt Shoppe. This is our seventh update to the beer list...


Wilbur Brewing
Martinsville, Indiana
On draft in their booth:
Country Mellow

People's Brewing
Lafayette, Indiana
On draft in their booth:
Pilgrim Porter
AmberPA
First Edition IPA
Mr. Brown

Brickworks Brewing
Hobart, Indiana
On draft in their booth:
Wind Chill Factor
Solstice
Potawatomi Porter

In the beer garden:
Assimilation (replicale)

Alcatraz Brewing
Indianapolis, Indiana
On draft in their booth:
Sledgehammer Strong Pale
Rock Bock
Belgian Pale

Bluegrass Brewing Company - Main Street
Louisville, Kentucky
On draft in their booth:
American Pale Ale
Nut Brown Ale
Bourbon Barrel Stout
Barbarian Honey Ale

In the outdoor beer garden:
Scotch Ale

Founders Brewing
Grand Rapids, Michigan
On draft in their booth:
Double Trouble
Others TBA




Only nine more days!