Luckily, others had a wider vision for this brand. Brothers Ben and Sam Roule bought the rights to this beer, as well as much of the abandoned equipment, and have started a new brewery just south of downtown South Bend. It has a complete brewing and bottling operation, as well as a tasting room that's open Thursday-Sunday.
A couple weeks ago, I met up with friends after work there. Its early closing hours make it an ideal spot for a post-work happy hour. Although the room only seats 50, we ran into friends from the area with the same idea: to wind down after work by testing out what South Bend beer might taste like!
(The answer: pretty darn good.)
To get to the tasting room, you must cross through their offices, and a chain-link gate separates drinkers from the workers. It's a reminder of the work goes into making a craft beer, and instead of a being detrimental to the ambience, it rather adds to the experience. The bright steel bar and stools add to the industrial feel.
When I visited, there were four beers on tap, and the friendly bartender was happy to break out the tasting glasses to give me samples of all four (for free). No substantial food is offered (unless you consider bagged pretzels or dine-in from Dew Drop!), nor will you find a dartboard or pool table -- this place is all about the beer. And sometimes, that's exactly what you're looking for.
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| Keeping the ND+Brewery theme alive. |
When: Thursday - Friday, 4:00-8:00 PM; Saturday-Sunday, Noon- 4:00PM
Where: 710 Fellows St. (off Sample St.), South Bend. The parking lot is small, but there is plenty of street parking.
Tip: Try their newly released Pale Ale!
ND Tip: Looking for an alternate venue for tailgating? Look no further: Four Horsemen is open ND home game Saturdays beginning at 9:00 AM.