If you recall, one of my new year's resolutions for drinking, and pretty much the only one, was to get more in touch with my local beer scene, wherever that may be. Well, being here at Purdue, that means I have 2 main local options. Tonight, we will take a look at Lafayette Brewing Company.
I'm in COM325, which is an interviewing class, meaning that I need to perform 90 minutes of interviews for a semester project. GIven that the topic can be whatever we wanted it to be, I, naturally, chose beer. I eventually want to at least own my own bar someday, maybe even make it a brewpub or small brewery, so that best place to start in Lafayette is the place where modern day Lafayette brewing started; LBC.
I had been to LBC a few times before, with my family for a meal, as well as for a casual pint or two. I love their atmosphere and food, and their beer is pretty darn good as well. I scheduled a meeting with founder/owner/operator Greg Emig, and so last Wednesday I made the short drive over the bridge to talk with him.
Now, I could bore you with the details I asked about for my project, including advice on starting a business, how the brewery runs, and things like that, or I could just tell you my overall impression. I'll take the latter. Greg is a great guy. I barely had to start him on topics, and he would take off and answer just about everything related I was going to ask. I think the best part though was learning how much of a Mom and Pop operation LBC is, quite literally.
Greg and his wife started LBC back in 1993, hailing the triumphant return of brewing to the city of Lafayette. Since then, I'd say they've done pretty well for themselves. They've been in their original building downtown for all 20 years of existence, and have no plans of moving anytime soon. A really cool thing about LBC, is that some of their original beers are still around. Their East Side Bitter (ESB) was one of Greg's original beers if I remember correctly, while others were introduced very quickly after pinning down a beer that the people of the town liked.
After the interview, I of course sat down for a couple of pints. I had their Pajama Boy black, rye IPA, which was fairly good. The second beer I had caught my eye as soon as I walked in the door; Vanilla Bean Black Angus Oatmeal Stout. Greg had mentioned that one of his guiding principles was to do everything top notch, with great ingredients; so for this beer, he got some Madagascar vanilla beans. As I got my hands on it, the first thing you notice is a huge, sweet blast of vanilla aroma. In the taste of the beer, this is a little more subdued, working with the base oatmeal stout, but man was it good. It's a beer like that, standard house beer with some creativity thrown in, that keeps me coming back for more in a brewpub. Previously, I had tasted the Chocolate Cake BOAS and the Java BOAS, but I think the vanilla was my favorite, although I wouldn't mind if they made the chocolate cake again.
Overall, I cannot express how much I would encourage you to try LBC if you get the chance. Good people, great beer, great food, great atmosphere. That's what a bar is all about. Next time, I'll be taking a look at People's Brewing Company, and talking about my interview with founder Chris Johnson. Until next time, cheers!
-Chris
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