USA, IN: Crasian Brewing Co. launched in Brookston by a husband and wife team

In Brookston, just up the road from Greater Lafayette, a husband and wife team recently opened a new brewery and tasting room, the Journal & Courier reported on October 31.

Crasian Brewing Co. started out as a fantasy that quickly became a reality, Michele Bulington, who owns the brewery with her husband Tom Bulington, said.

"The ball just got rolling so fast. It went from, 'Hey, we should be doing this' to 'Well, I guess we're doing this now,' " Michele Bulington said.

The couple fell in love with craft beer during a vacation in Colorado, which sparked an interest in home brewing.

The Bulingtons, who live near Monticello, were also compelled to start brewing at home because of their location, which is not near any breweries.

"There just isn't much around here," Tom Bulington said. "We enjoy People's and Lafayette Brewing Company,but we wanted to experiment with some different things so we just started brewing at home."

The pair said Brookston is an ideal location for their brewery because they want to give beer and entertainment options to more rural Indiana populations.

"In Carroll and White counties craft beer is still fairly new, so we thought it would take a lot more education and getting the word out," Michele Bulington said. "Turns out they really like beer in Brookston; they're willing to try anything."

Demand at Crasian, in fact, has been through the roof,and Tom Bulington said he's having trouble brewing to keep up with demand.

Michele Bulington said they get everyone from beer connoisseurs to craft beer novices. Some people venture out from the Lafayette area, Michele Bulington said, but a lot of the traffic in the taproom is even more local than that.

Crasian, Michele Bulington continued, is the affectionate nickname her family and friends have for her.

"I like to have a good time and play lots of practical jokes, so that's the crazy, plus I'm Asian, and there aren't a lot of Asians in White County ... so that's how they get Crasian," she laughed.

The Bulingtons see the brewery and tap room as an intimate, family affair. Their daughter and her fiance help out a lot and their two other employees are close neighbors and friends of the Bulingtons.

"The tasting room is just an extension of my home," Michele Bulington said.

The tasting room is open Thursday through Sunday and, depending on the night, expect a crowd. Crasian does not serve food but meals, can be carried in or ordered from the tasting room. Growler fills are $12.

Crasian has several things on tap at the moment, including two IPAs, a porter and an oatmeal stout. Tom Bulington also was working on a pumpkin spice beer Tuesday afternoon.

He said there's nothing they won't try at Crasian. In honor of the Brookston Apple Popcorn festival they brewed an apple popcorn beer. It was a serious hit.

"We only made one keg of that for the festival and we floated the keg after 70 minutes," Tom Bulington said.

In addition to becoming part of the Brookston community, the Bulingtons said they are excited to get to know more brewers in the area. Michele Bulington added she has a vision for the Northwest central region of Indiana as a corridor for great craft beer.

"It's not viewed as competition to have more breweries in your area. It's nice to have quite a few," Michele Bulington said. "If people are going to come to town they'd rather visit four instead of two."

02 November, 2017