E-Malt.com News article: USA, IN: Windmill Brewing opens in Dyer during the weekend of August 15-16

Justin Verburg, Jeremy Ward and Scott Vander Griend have launched Windmill Brewing Co. on 2121 Gettler Street in Dyer, which officially opened during the weekend of August 15-16. The name is a tribute to their Dutch heritage, which is shared by many in region communities, nwitimes.com reported on August 15.

"We're all Dutch, so we thought it made sense," Verburg said. "And we won't be open Sundays because that's when the Dutchman goes to church, takes naps, eats a hearty dinner and spends time with family, et cetera, et cetera."

Justin Verburg has brewed everything from a light rhubarb wheat beer to a strong, molasses-heavy 13 percent ABV Russian Imperial Stout. And now he has the brewing kit formerly used by the One Trick Pony microbrewery in Lansing and a prime storefront near the hospital in Dyer

Verburg, a Purdue Calumet University graduate, took up homebrewing with a five-gallon pot not long after he was invited to Three Floyds' Dark Lord Day in 2008.

"I like unique beers," Verburg said. "We have pale ales but there are billions of great ones and the best in the world are in Munster. We're not looking to go toe-to-toe with Three Floyds. I’m interested in sours and wilds and am growing my own yeast to capture in my backyard."

Windmill Brewing offers a vanilla bean milk stout, an American Pale Ale, a hoppy red ale, an oatmeal rye barleywine and a wheat pale ale with Belgian yeast. Its mix of beers will be adjusted based on what customers like.

Vander Griend will use his connections to procure fresh fruit from Michigan farms, such as peaches, apples, and blueberries. “The brewery should have some of the freshest ingredients around and plans to use it to make beers like apricot sours or rhubarb wheats,” Verburg said.

The craft brewery, one of many new ones in Northwest Indiana, but the first in Dyer, moved into the old Hoosier Overdoors building, which is about 4,000 square feet. The taproom is about 1,100 square feet and there's plenty of room for expansion in the back.

"We'll start out small and work our way up with sweat and time," Verburg said.

The focus is on the beer, and beer with a wider range of colours, aromas and flavours that the hoppy IPAs that have become so hugely popular among craft beer drinkers.

"We're going to focus on turning out a quality product," Verburg said.


19 August, 2015