Indiana, Part 4 (Conclusion)

Selfie at the bar inside Brick House Grill

     The Brick House Grille in downtown Huntington, Indiana was quiet on a late Monday afternoon.  They had several craft beer taps, as well as bottles.  I opted for another pumpkin ale, this one called Kentucky Pumpkin Barrel Ale.  At 10% alcohol, this is served in a 10 oz glass, and is made for sipping.  Damn, that was one fine beer!  I guess that another name for this weekend trip could be "The Pumpkin Ale Trale (or perhaps Trail, but that doesn't rhyme as well).  Anyway, I sipped to my heart's content.  As I neared the bottom of the glass I felt more and more like taking up residence at the keyboard of the currently vacant piano bar.  I'm certain the few patrons present would not have minded hearing a bit of Beethoven, Couperin, Liszt or Philip Glass from a slightly tipsy classical pianist.

Kentucky Pumpkin Barrel Ale (**** stars)

     There is a figurine of sorts in the above photo, too.  It resembles me a lot, and the tiny thing seems to be dipping something into the glass, perhaps contemplating a swim (or maybe it's just me holding the camera steady).  The beer packed a nice spicy kick.  Afterwards, Deb drove us back to the Quality Inn and we had dinner in our room.  I had a large left over half of a delicious sandwich in the fridge from yesterday's dinner at Mad Anthony's.  Deb had bought herself an Udon Noodle microwave dish at Kroeger.  We settled in for a night of reading, resting, and 6000 channel tv.

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     Next morning dawned dark, cloudy, wet, and generally crappy.  We had hoped to visit downtown Huntington (the courthouse was open today) and do some local walking trails.  I was also holding out hope that there would be time to visit Bryon, Ohio on the way home.  Another fine courthouse awaited, and an intriguing-sounding brewpub.  After our motel breakfast (oatmeal, toast, juice, tea) we drove the short distance to downtown Huntington.  It was mighty quiet.  We parked and walked down to the river.  The bridge here is large, as the river is very wide.  An island sits amidst the river, and the bridge crosses it as well as the two parts of the river.  By the time we headed back towards the courthouse, it was raining.

Inside the courthouse, Huntington, IN (pop. 17,400)

  Beorn is parked downtown.  The building on right

was undergoing major renovations.

     We had to pass through a metal detector to visit the courthouse.  One of the deputies was very friendly, and as soon as he found out we were tourists he came over to talk to us.  He told us where to find the local museum and the full history of the courthouse.  Everyone we met in these small towns was very friendly, especially in the downtown tourist info buildings.  The main street has no traffic lights, and is very pedestrian friendly.  Because of the rain, and because I needed a haircut, I couldn't resist a walk-in stylists' window add promising haircuts for $10.  I looked even more handsome than usual when I walked out of there.  

     It quickly became evident that this was not going to be an outdoorsy kind of day.  There were a few other fine pubs and cafes in town I wished to visit, but we had to be home today. Rather than hang around Huntington and watch the rain, we headed for Bryan, Ohio, which was about halfway home.  Coffee and beer in Bryan sounded good, so we left Huntington with some reluctance, hoping to return with our bikes some fine spring day.

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     It rained heavily all the way to Ohio.  Well before exploring some of Indiana, we had extensively visited dozens of small towns in Ohio over the years, as well as their four big cities (Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, and Toledo.  Even Dayton).  Northwest Ohio was our specialty, especially the towns along the Maumee River.  However, somehow we had never made it to Bryan.  I was looking forward to my first visit.  The particular brew pub we were searching for closed from 2 pm till 5 pm (much like traditional English pubs), so I wanted to arrive around noon hour if possible.

     The heavy rain stopped during our short visit to town, but it was still raining.  Bryan feels like a city, more so than any of the other smaller centres visited on this trip (Napoleon, Defiance, Huntington, Wabash, and Peru).  A wide main street (north-south) passes the courthouse, but a second busy street passes east-west.  These streets are lined with storefronts, but the rear of the courthouse has a quieter street with some shops, as does the south side.  So the downtown area is spread around the four sides of the courthouse, and we explored the entire area.

Courthouse in Bryan, Ohio (pop. 8,500)

Another view of the courthouse in Bryan.

     We arrived shortly after noon, spending a bit of time exploring the courthouse.  A lot of impressive detail went into the creating of these old buildings, and this one was no exception. We wandered around freely (no metal detector), then headed for lunch.  

 Courthouse interior.

Courthouse interior

     Deb had spotted the brewpub on our drive around the courthouse.  It's on the southwestern edge of the central plaza, a block from the courthouse.  It's in an old church, and it's called Father John's.  It turned into one of the greatest pub visits this avid pub-goer has ever had!

     The church had sat vacant for around ten years before the owner decided what he wanted to do with it.  He created a very atmospheric restaurant and brewery in the basement.  In so doing he has created a destination brewpub, worth visiting from Detroit.  I can't wait to get back here and try the rest of the beers!

Part of the bar at Father John's Brewpub.

     We weren't certain we could find something to eat.  However, today's soup was a vegan squash, and Deb ordered a bowl of it.  I ordered their veggie bean burger and was not disappointed.  I also ordered Pumpkin Pie Ale, continuing a theme I had been following for the entire trip.  Though loaded with spices and quite good (***), it fell behind all the other great pumpkin ales I had over the past three days.  As I would be driving home afterwards, I only had one pint.  Check out the beer menu and try to guess why I wish to return here, soon.

Beer Menu, Father John's, Bryan, Ohio

Interior of Father John's

Buddhist Room at Father John's!

     Some serious time and money was spent getting this incredible space ready.  The basement is quite large, and divided into different spaces. There are at least two separate rooms besides the large room, which itself is divided into smaller, cozy spaces.  The bar is in the shape of a large horseshoe, and is spacious and has comfortable stools.  They don't bottle, but they do sell growlers of their ales.  Details abound, and I took more than one walk around.  The garden has a wonderful outdoor seating area for fine days, too.  This was a spectacular way to end a very fun trip.

     We strolled the downtown areas after lunch, finding Seasons Coffee and Bistro on Main Street across from the courthouse.  We had coffee before leaving for home.  The drive back to Detroit was a nightmare, with downpour after downpour hitting us on the I 80 Tollway and then I 75 north.  Construction on both highways did not help matters.  Still, I had fresh memories of Father John's in my head.  We'll be back, hopefully with friends.  I rounded out my six pack purchases with Crooked Tree IPA from a favorite Michigan brewery, and six singles, including two with ginger!  A bottle of single malt Scotch at the duty free store in Detroit completed my alcohol purchases.

Mapman Mike

Indiana Two-Nighter: Part One

     Originally planned as a late-season camping trip, things had to be replanned when the weather forecast suggested we do something else.  We booked a two-night stay at a Quality Inn in Huntington, IN, and decided to explore three county seats along the Wabash River and US 24: Peru, Wabash and Huntington itself.  I had briefly visited these towns in the summer of 2008, driving west from Detroit to Colorado Springs, using US 24 as my main highway.  I had driven alone that year, and have been wanting to get Deb to some of these places since then.

      We left Sunday morning, driving south to Toledo and catching on to US 24 from just west of there.  The highway follows the Maumee River, passing through little towns like Waterville, Grand Rapids, Napolean, and Defiance before crossing the border into Indiana just east of Fort Wayne.  We have visited the Ohio portion of the trip many times, and planned on making a few stops today before reaching Fort Wayne, which was our dinner destination.

     Cruising along old 24 between Waterville and Grand Rapids, we passed a sign that said "Road Closed 9 Miles Ahead: Local Traffic Only."  With the river on one side and farm fields on the other, I figured there must be another solution to this problem, so continued driving. Soon we were in the land of traffic hell.  Grand Rapids, a small, scenic little town along the Maumee, has a highway bridge, a railway bridge, a restored part of the old canal, a dam, many parks, and yes, even some rapids.  As we turned a corner, we were suddenly confronted with vehicle and pedestrian gridlock.  It was the town's Apple Butter Festival.  To someone trying to get past the place, it was pure hell.  It only took about 25 minutes, moving inch by inch, trying to negotiate streets clogged with cars and people, but it seemed as if most of the day was spent trying to escape the nightmare.  Throngs and throngs of people milled about, with about fifty to sixty troopers, deputies and cadets trying to direct traffic, and residents renting out their lawns for a ten dollar parking space, all taking place on very narrow streets. This is one reason I never carry a gun--I'd be opening the car windows and shooting left and right!  Small town apple butter festivals in which no one can properly move, drive, park or enjoy are not my cup of beer.

     In short, the highway was closed and we were forced into the small intestine of traffic flow through Grand Rapids.  Next time I am going to obey those detour signs!  We finally made it to Napoleon, and I needed refreshment.  Napoleon is also on the Maumee River, and boasts one of the finest courthouse exteriors I have ever seen.

     Directly across the street from this amazing building are two bar/restaurants.  One was closed, but happily Rics was open.  The closed place had incredible craft beer selections.  Rics had a few bottles of interest, but nothing interesting on their taps.  I tried a bottle of local brew, called Mitternacht, from nearby Flatrock Brewery.  It had lots of flavour, being a lighter German-style dark beer, and I would have it again, preferably on draft (** 1/2 stars).  Deb and I split a veggie burger, walked the quiet streets of downtown, then headed on our way to Defiance.

     The new US 24 is four lanes all the way to I 469 in Fort Wayne, a great way to get somewhere fast (such as Indianapolis, for instance).  However, the old highway still meanders along the Maumee River, and is one of the more scenic roads in all of the Midwest.  In Defiance we stopped for coffee. Cabin Fever was closed downtown, so we headed uptown a bit to Bigbee. Their Pumpkin Spice coffee was delicious.  It was going to be a pumpkin-spicey kind of holiday, as will be soon noted by the steadfast and perceptive reader.

     This is my only photo today of the muddy Maumee River, taken on our short but lovely woodland hike at Blue Cast Springs, Indiana.  Located just inside the State line along US 24, it's easy to miss.  A small parking area amidst a cornfield, with a small sign, is all there is to show.  If you are speeding or daydreaming, you will miss it.  It's at the corner of Blue Cast Road and Old 24 (Ohio calls the old road County Road 424; Indiana refers to it as Old 24, which I like better)).  There is a hiking trail nearby that leads to overlooks of the river.  A nice little loop can be managed.  The springs are located in a large ravine (currently marked "Trail Closed") in the form of two concrete wells.  Back near the parking area, a second trail goes to the site of a former sanatorium, where the foundations can still be marked out.  This was a fun stopover, and a chance one at that, thanks to my keen-eyed navigator.

     It was 5:30 pm when we pulled into Mad Anthony Brewing Company in Fort Wayne, IN. This was our second visit and I was as excited as a kid entering a favourite candy shop!  I soon had a pint of Punkenhead in front of me, and it was very, very special (**** stars).   

     We ordered an appetizer, some hummous and veggies, and got settled in for an autumn evening at the pub.  We had brought games with us to play, but we leafed through some local free papers, including the newest edition of Great Lakes Brewing News, instead.  The place had a nice dinner time buzz to it.  One large family group was in the special room, the bar stools were filled, and many tables had customers.  This is a great pub (*** stars overall), and I'm glad I had the opportunity to return.  We first came here in July, after arriving in town from Detroit on a steam train excursion.  We took a taxi that day and came here for lunch, before returning to our train.

     I eventually ordered a second pint of the delicious pumpkin and spiced brew, and then we ordered dinner.  Deb drove the short journey along US 24 to our Quality Inn in Huntington (due to medication she is on, she is unable to drink; however, she can sample a wee dram).  The hotel was exceedingly quiet tonight, with maybe six other cars in the parking lot.  I had left Fort Wayne with a six-pack of Mad Anthony IPA, the first of four packs I was to acquire on this trip.  I was also on the lookout for a good bottle of single malt Scotch.  The trip was off to a fun start.  However, rain was predicted for tomorrow.  We had some hiking and downtown exploring on the menu.  We would have to see what was in store for us when we awoke.  (To Be Continued)

Mapman