Colorful tents lined up under bright blue skies and local breweries poured cold beers Saturday for the annual craft beer festival in downtown Lafayette.
Attendees enjoyed a wide selection of pilsners, IPAs, hard ciders, and even non-alcoholic options from 12 vendors. Held on the roof of a Tippecanoe County parking lot, it has been transformed into a beer garden for TAP for TAF, a fundraiser for the Arts Federation, a nonprofit regional arts council that supports the arts in Indiana.
“We cover 14 counties in north central Indiana,” said Lizzie Lewis, director of events and marketing. “We help arts organizations and individual artists get grants and make grants for projects and brick-and-mortar stores. So if you have a business problem, we can help you get a grant for it. You can receive it.”
This is the first year Lewis has organized this event, and she said the brewers are all very excited to participate to raise money for the arts.
Brickman Engineering will be demonstrating how to brew beer at TAP, an event hosted by the Tippecanoe Arts Alliance in Lafayette on Saturday. Craft breweries from all over Indiana came together to hand out samples of their best beers.
Emily Sternman | Staff Photographer
“This is bigger than last year and we want to keep making it even bigger. Honestly, this event doesn’t just raise money, it brings our community together and we do a lot of different things. It’s also about really connecting all of the arts together,” Lewis said.
The Tap was one of the vendors closest to the entrance and offered American Lager, American IPA, and Imperial White Stout with Raspberry.
Joe Trier, regional manager for The Tap, said they were there to “bring our beer more out into the community.”
Breweries hold special meaning for Jennifer and Blake Hahn of Mulberry, Indiana.
“Our first date was at Lafayette Brewing Company, and we’ve been married for almost 15 years,” Hahn said, smiling and holding a tasting glass. “We came (to TAF’s TAP) a few years ago and had so much fun that we thought we’d give it another try.”
Around the corner on the other side of the property, Ben Hatfield was pouring drinks for Lafayette-based Naptronics Brewing Company, which specializes in sours and IPAs.
“This is a great beer town, so we host all the local events. It’s a good way to meet our customers in a different location. This is a great way for us to promote all our great beers and get to know other breweries.” It also helps you become a better person,” Hatfield said.
Employees of Cutter’s Brewing Company show off their dance moves at TAP, an event sponsored by the Tippecanoe Arts Alliance, in Lafayette on Saturday. Craft breweries from all over Indiana came together to hand out samples of their best beers.
Emily Sternman | Staff Photographer
Among the crowd enjoying the tasting were Purdue University students Paige Thompson and Clayton Westerman.
Thompson, a doctoral student in health human sciences, drank a sour called Nature’s Candy.
“I’m a big beer fan,” said Westerman, a chemistry doctoral student. It was my first time hearing about TAF, but he said it was a lot of fun.
Bad Dad, a brewery in Fairmount, Indiana, offered beers with names like “Socks and Sandals” and “Running with Scissors.”
The parking lot overlooked Lafayette and we were able to enjoy the view while having a drink and playing cornhole.
Lewis said TAF offers free art classes for children and also has an instrument rental library.
TAF’s largest fundraiser, Taste of Tippecanoe, will be held on June 15th, with tickets going on sale April 15th.
