Goshen Brewing Company taps in love for craft beer

Jesse Sensenig’s love for craft beer started about 1,100 miles west, and about 4,000 feet higher in elevation.

Fort Collins, Colo., to be exact. He was in graduate school at the time, taking in the craft beer culture and beginning to home brew his own beer.

“It was really collaborative, really fun,” Sensenig says while standing in the heart of the Goshen Brewing Company, his creation. “They really loved what they were doing, whether that was just pouring beer, or brewing, or cleaning or marketing, they just seemed to be having a really good time. It felt really healthy.”

He found that environment in Goshen — among the reasons why he chose to move back to the town where his wife, Amanda, grew up and where they both attended Goshen College.

“We felt some of that same vibe happening here,” he says. “A lot of good things are going on downtown, and a lot of people are excited about entertainment.”

The leap from craft beer lover to craft beer brewer is a big one, Sensenig says, and most often begins with home brewing.

“With those brews working out, it goes to diving in a bit more and just being passionate about it,” he says. “The journey, I guess, is different for everybody.”

The building where the Goshen Brewing Company now sits was first a NIPSCO building, built around the 1920s and vacant since the late 1990s. About four years ago, a restaurant proposal was considered for the structure, but that fell through and the brewery moved forward about three and a half years ago, Sensenig says.

“We really liked along the river here, and the natural space,” he says. “And we really liked the character that we could draw out of the building itself.”

Last Thursday, Sensenig was where he seems happiest — brewing a new beer in the heart of the building, the brewery. It’s a kettle sour with a peach flavor that should hit the taps in about two weeks. It’s not a traditional sour beer, but will have a definitive tart flavor that sour beer fans should enjoy.

“I like a new one,” Sensenig says with a chuckle, when asked what’s his favorite to brew. “I don’t necessarily have one that’s a favorite. I like them all; that’s why I brew them. I do like trying new recipes and seeing where they turn out.”

The brewery has about eight or nine beers on tap at a time and rotates pretty regularly. Within a few days, they should release a barrel-aged rendition of Biz-Czar, their Russian Imperial Stout. Sensenig says he aged it in two different barrels from Journeyman Distillery in Three Oaks. Customers can taste the original beer, as well as the beer aged in a Featherbone Bourbon barrel and a Ravenswood Rye barrel.

And it’s a family-friendly atmosphere. Sensenig says they had to go through a few hoops to have all-ages seating. They have a full menu, too.

“We try to focus on making things from scratch and buying them locally or organically as much as possible,” he says. “We have our own smoker, so we smoke our brisket, pulled pork, chicken, duck and bacon.”

The smoked duck tacos are a current favorite, he says.

The seating area, including a 21-and-older bar, has a clean, industrial feel to it. They were aiming for a cozy, welcoming atmosphere, and by my eye, they achieved it. Warm wood tones and friendly staff help increase that vibe.

Open just shy of three months, he says the welcome from the Goshen community and surrounding area has been wonderful.

“I don’t try to be anything we’re not,” Sensenig says. “I mean, we’re still developing what we are.”