A recent trip to Chicago simply had to include a stop at
Three Floyds Brewing Company in nearby Muncie, IN. After exiting the expressway, driving through some typical "every city" box stores, and a few turns into an industrial complex, you finally arrive at
Three Floyds Brewing Company. The entrance to the parking lot has this interesting sculpture.
From the front, in one direction it looks like a typical brewpub, from the other direction it looks like a production brewery. And of course it is both.
I had orders from friends back home including "
Zombie Dust, if they have it". That question was quickly answered when we approached the entrance to the carryout entrance. I guess they get asked this question a lot.
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| Sign on the carryout door - NO ZOMBIE DUST. |
Not to be outdone by lack of Zombie Dust we returned the next day. We really didn't have any intention of finding Zombie Dust available for carryout, but thought we'd have it on tap and get some lunch before our return trip home. But, as we pulled into the parking lot, the line out the carryout door gave every indication that they were selling Zombie Dust that day. (BTW - since our visit I have been following their
beers-to-go website and it is my conclusion - based on two weeks of data - that Zombie Dust is only available on Wednesdays). I waited in line - probably 30 minutes - to get my allotted 2 cases of Zombie Dust while the rest of my party went into the brewpub for lunch.
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| The line for Zomie Dust - no wait is too long for this nectar. |
The brewpub part of
Three Floyds Brewing Company seemed pretty much like any other brewpub, except for the blaring heavy metal music, a full crowd at the bar during lunch hour, and the especially rude wait staff. However, the food was simply AMAZING. I had the Basil Pesto Pizza (marinated roma tomatoes, "prosciutto" cured eggplant and fresh mozzarella). It may have been the best pizza I'd ever had. My sister got a plain old hot dog, that was nothing plain nor old. And, the dessert was UNBELIEVABLE. We had the Ginger Cake (green tea ice cream, candied sesame seeds, wasabi mousse, caramelized honey glaze) and it was fantastic. We didn't have the beignets, but saw them at another table where they seemed to be enjoyed by two little girls based on the copious amount of dark lord chocolate sauce all over their faces.
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| Entrance to Three Floyds Brewpub. |
I guess this blog entry wouldn't be complete without commenting on the beer. Because we had another 5 hours of driving to go after lunch, I didn't try as many beers as possible. Instead, I savored a single pint of Zombie Dust served right from the source. It was definitely as good as I had remembered. This is one incredible beer that is worth the drive and wait in line.
As a side note, some friends had argued that they had done a blind side-by-side tasting of Zombie Dust and The Brew Kettle White Rajah. They said that everyone had picked White Rajah as their favorite. I simply could not believe that and so conducted my own blind taste test when I got home. The Zombie Dust was guaranteed fresh as I had picked it up myself from the brewery. I am not sure about the White Rajah as it just came from the shelf of a local beer store. But, for me, there was no comparison between the two. Zombie Dust has an incredible citrus, hop aroma that is only matched by the taste. It is - without a doubt - my favorite beer.
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| Blind taste testing between Zombie Dust and The Brew Kettle White Rajah. |
