Summit City Brewerks Settles in as a Staple in Fort Wayne

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By now many of you have made it out to Summit City Brewerks. Positioned as one of the few true microbreweries in our area, Brewerks is quickly accumulating fans. Their presence here is all thanks to the vision of owners, David Tomaszewski and Will Long.

Summit City Brewerks is located in the old Wayne Candies building near the corner of Anthony Blvd. and Berry Street. David and Will had their space stripped down to its nearly 100 year old framework. The result is beautiful and cozy, yet truly reminiscent of the vintage industrial era it represents. And, in line with their vision, character-building additions like chalkboard table tops, rich wooden benches and a sprawling granite bar (complete with 40 taps) make the space easy to kick back and enjoy with friends and some outstanding craft beers.

Speaking of beers, these guys are beer lovers. You don't have to be a connoisseur to appreciate the brews on tap at Summit City Brewerks, but those who are will know the kind of work put into making this brewery a success. Anywhere between 10 and 20 of these crafted beverages are brewed in house, with some becoming staples. Carl's Creamy Ale has quickly become a favorite and promises to be a recurring feature on tap. Others come and go...and come back again. David and Will aren't just beer lovers, I've come to learn they're perfectionists as well. They'll work their recipe till it's just right. And you'll find it all at the same price, an easy $3.75 per glass.

Despite the warm vintage atmosphere and lengthy brew menu, these guys like to keep things simple. It's easy, this is a place to drink beer and take a load off. You don't have to worry about which fork to use and there are no cloth napkins on the table. But that doesn't mean you won't eat well. If you've been here before, you probably noticed a food truck parked out front. And while the food trucks will still make their occasional appearance, Brewerks has added their own menu. David has an eye for good food, and has constructed a varying menu that you can bet is spot on with items like Bavarian and sweet soft pretzels, panini options and Korean pulled pork tacos or gourmet Angus dogs. Yum.

Also new to Summit City Brewerks is the addition of live music on Friday and Saturday nights. This was something the guys knew they wanted to do, but needed to be sure the music wouldn't drown out the guests' experience. Now, acoustic sets (most recently Adam Strack) located in the east corner of the pub seem to make the nights drift by cheerily with beers in hand.

So, in case the vintage feel, gourmet food and live acoustic sets hasn't convinced you that these guys are cool, Thursday nights should do the trick. Thursdays are now vinyl at Brewerks. I fear that some readers may not understand the cool factor here (but that could be because I'm old.) Whether you get it or not, there are records playing on Thursday nights, and that should give just about anyone a good reason to stop for a beer and celebrate their "almost Friday."

You'll find both David and Will working the bar and mingling with guests on Thursdays through Sundays. Check out their website for what's on tap including all of their current and future brews. For those keeping track, there's even an archived list. Just make sure you stop by, whether it's for the first time or the tenth, there's probably something  new going on at Summit City Brewerks. David and Will have turned their vision into a reality, and it just keeps getting better.

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