• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
sand and snow logo

Sand and Snow

Travel | Food | Beauty | Disney

  • About Sand and Snow
  • Travel
  • Food & Drinks
  • Disney
  • Beauty
  • Talk & Tech
  • Privacy

You’ll Never Go Thirsty in Bloomington, Indiana

August 24, 2015 by Karyn Locke Leave a Comment

0 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
Bloomington, Indiana

Bloomington, Indiana, is a town that’s so easy to fall in love with. Right around 75 minutes south of Indianapolis, the close-knit community is rich with arts, culture, and culinary offerings- including locally made wine, craft beer, and spirits. Its quintessential essence of the Midwest makes it a fun day trip away from Indiana’s capitol city or a leisurely way to spend a few days.

My visit to Bloomington this summer found me on a giant bus with other travel writers that love the taste and smell of the liquor trinity and wanted to learn more about the process behind it. We were chauffeured to four locally known and well-loved spots to sample and discover the fascinating effort that goes into the brewing, distilling, and vinification.

Not only did I learn about what makes each tick, I came away from my visit knowing what I like about the three styles. What did I learn? You might be surprised.

Upland Brewpub

Page Contents

  • Upland Brewpub
  • Oliver Winery
  • Cardinal Spirits
  • Butler Winery
Bloomington, Indiana upland brewpub

Brewpubs are popping up all over the place, happily. Refusing to settle with the taste and ingredients of the large scale beer companies, so many of these beer connoisseurs are doing their research, learning about craft brewing, and starting their own businesses.

Bloomington, Indiana upland brewing co

Upland Brewing Co. is the creation of Marc Sattinger, Russ Levitt, and Dean LaPlante. The Brewery’s name is a shout out to the rolling hills of Southern Indiana and the brews range from traditional IPAs to old school sour ale. 

Yep, sour ale. The taste is definitely acquired (think really sour vinegar) but the process is quite fascinating. The brew pub uses oak barrels that previously housed red wine. The brew receives rave reviews from the folks at beeradvocate.com and ratebeer.com and there’s even an autumn lottery for the release. 

Oliver Winery

Bloomington, Indiana oliver winery

William Oliver’s fervor for wine making started the company in the 1960’s when he used his basement for the hobby. Fast forward to present day where Oliver Winery is one the largest wineries in the United States. They also boast themselves as “the most modernly equipped winery in the Eastern United States”.

Bloomington, Indiana oliver winery casks

The winery offers all types of wines from dry whites and reds to semi-sweet and dessert wine. The ice wine is delicious and the process involves leaving grapes on the vine until mid-winter when they’re hand picked and processed. 2008 was a great year for ice wine and the Vidal Blanc grapes created a “magical” vintage. I, myself, am a fan of the sweeter wines and adored the taste testing of Creekbend Catawba and the hints of peach and even cotton candy. 

Cardinal Spirits

Bloomington, Indiana cardinal spirits

Named compliments of Indiana’s state bird, the local craft distillery was started “to increase connections between people” and considers spirits the original internet. Cardinal Spirits has one of its owners in house each day and the staff is happy to answer questions about its creation, the distilling process, and even the traditional cocktails that are offered. 

Bloomington, Indiana cardinal spirits bramble

The company’s first ever batch of Black Raspberry Bramble was being bottled as I toured the facility and I was lucky enough to be the first non-owner/employee to sample it. Think of it as a liqueur with a sweet, fruity beginning and just the teeniest kick at the end. However you’d like to label it, I’m calling it delicious. 

Butler Winery

Bloomington, Indiana butler winery

The fourth oldest winery in Indiana, Butler Winery is located in the Indiana Uplands Viticultural Area. The wine batches are made  350 to 1000 gallons at a time in stainless steel tanks. The winery uses oak barrels for its Terra Rossa style wine, dry Variant, and Chardonel wines, and grows six types of grapes for the task. 

Bloomington, Indiana butler winery glass

I’m a professed lover of sweet wines, so I had no choice but to sample the winery’s Twice– a late harvest wine from the drought of 2012. The wine is a combination of sweet vignole and traminette grapes making the specialty wine “twice as good”. The winery calls Twice “liquid sunshine in a glass” but I prefer to call it molecules of heaven. 

Now that you know about the wine, beer, and spirits that Blomington has to offer, what are you waiting for? I know I’m already planning another visit! There’s definitely a craft brew style for everyone’s alcohol-infused fancy and palette.

where to drink in Bloomington, INdiana

Special thanks to Visit Bloomington for hosting me this summer to give you fine folks the scoop on what makes the city so amazing. All opinions are my own!

Filed Under: Food and Drinks, On the Go, Travel Tagged With: beer, Bloomington, breweries, distilleries, Food and Drinks, Indiana, liquor, where to drink in Bloomington, Wine, wineries

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Thanks for popping by the site! Sand and Snow is dedicated to provided travel tips, fun recipes, reviews, and plenty of theme park planning tools. Email klocke@sandandorsnow.com with questions and comments.

Connect with Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Disney Park Planning

TRON Lightcycle / Run Debuts April 4

Tron Lightcycle: A Game-Changing Ride at Magic Kingdom

March 22, 2023 By Karyn Locke

Disney Dress Code Violation - disney bounding like Minnie Mouse

Disney Dress Code Violation – How to Stay Within Guidelines

March 21, 2023 By Karyn Locke

Best Day to Arrive at Disney World

Best Day to Arrive at Disney World – Easy Tips for Every Park

March 7, 2023 By Karyn Locke

10 Disney World Extras that Are Worth It - Fireworks dessert party

10 Amazing Disney World Extras that Are Worth It – and One That’s Not Worth Your Money

February 4, 2023 By Karyn Locke

Footer

About Our Affiliate Links

Sand and Snow uses affiliate links in its posts and articles and is a member of the Amazon Services LLC Program that provides earned advertising fees at no additional cost to the reader.

Recent

  • 10 Best Spring 2023 Nail Colors to Try This Season
  • How to Splurge at Nemacolin Resort – A Guide to Luxury in The Laurel Highlands
  • Hidden Gems in Canton,Ohio: 14 Best Kept Secrets You Won’t Want to Miss
  • Indy’s Retro Scene: 16 Ways for Vintage Fun in Indianapolis
  • 10 Surprising Ways to Celebrate Easter at Disney World

Search

Copyright © 2023 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

We Value your Privacy
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT