Emma Ea Ambrose

eambrose@jconline.com

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — There's good news for local wine and beer enthusiasts: The 1869 Tap Room is now open six days a week from 4-9 p.m.

The Tap Room, situated on the ground floor of Purdue University's Memorial Union, opened in October as a collaboration between the university, Department of Food Science and People’s Brewing Co. The bar serves a selection of People’s beers on tap as well as Indiana wines, but until now was only open Thursdays, Fridays and during home football games.

Bryan Gutridge, associate director of catering, said he’s seen a lot of traffic from of-age students and faculty but less from the community at-large.

“I think people were confused by the limited schedule,” Gutridge said. He hopes the expanded hours will bring in more people from outside the Purdue sphere.

The Tap Room is making other changes as well. The bar will offer domestic bottles for those who don’t care for craft beer. The wine list is always rotating, Gutridge said, although the pub will always feature a Traminette, Indiana’s signature wine.

As a bar on a college campus, Gutridge doesn’t expect patrons to leave their curiosity at the door. Come spring time, the Tap Room will begin offering educational initiatives about hops production and fermentation sciences in conjunction with Purdue’s Department of Food Science.

Brian Farkas, head of the Department of Food Science, said the department has been instrumental in developing and growing Indiana’s vineyard and winery economy.

“They have helped Indiana wine and grape producers to grow the industry and address the challenges in growing grapes in the state,” Farkas said.

The department is looking to engage in similar research with breweries and hops growers throughout the state, although the funding to establish this initiative is not currently in place.

Farkas said hops are difficult to grow in Indiana, prone to mold, mildew and other diseases because of the wet climate. People’s utilizes hops grown by Purdue in some of their beers, and Farkas said interest from breweries in using local hops is increasing statewide.

The hops production industry is growing, Farkas said, but not fast enough to keep up with that demand. Purdue’s food sciences department wants to help change that, analyzing hops varietals and understanding what grows best and where.

As a land-grant University, Farkas said Purdue has the privilege and obligation to support agriculture around the state.

“Land-grant universities have really helped to differentiate agriculture across the country,” he said.

Much of this work from the department’s wine program and budding hops research lab will be part of the educational program offered by the Tap Room.

The program, like the bar, will continue to evolve. Gutridge said the bar is still taking feedback and assessing usage before exploring expansion. To make the space more permanent, one of the first things the pub could do is lay tap lines. Currently beer is served from a mobile keg device.

Regardless of how the Tap Room expands, Gutridge said he hopes people will continue to utilize the space as a place to enjoy beer, as well as study or conduct university business, furthering the goals of institutions of higher learning.

Call J&C reporter Emma Ea Ambrose at 765-431-1192. Follow her on Twitter: @emma_ea_ambrose.