And we’re not ones to argue with the delicate balance between art & science, at least not before the first pint is drawn.

With this in mind, #NWITweetup announces their next Tweetup: Shoreline Brewery.

Just off the eastern edge of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, a pitch wedge shot from Lake Michigan and a half mile from Blue Chip Casino, lies the May 2013 #NWITweetup destination – Shoreline Brewery.

What to expect

Besides general overall awesomeness, the May 2013 #NWITweetup will have their signature recipe of local business leaders, digital marketers and social media enthusiasts that make for a great batch of Spring meetup goodness. We’ll talk shop, the latest Google social media and map offerings. Rumour has it Shoreline Brewery will run a nice selection of free appetizers to whet the appetizers as well as their typical Tuesday night drink specials. LaPorte County Life will run their traditional app photo contest.

Wait…how does the LaPorte County Life photo app contest work?

It’s actually pretty simple

1. download the ValpoLife App to your mobile phone.
2. take pictures of general awesomeness during the May 2013 NWITweetup
3. upload them to the ValpoLife App
4. the ones ValpoLife / #NWITweetup deem the most awesomeness of the night will receive prize

Past prizes have included IMax Movie passes to the Portage 16 theatres in Portage. And with Iron Man 3 and Star Trek: Into Darkness coming to theatres, there will be some stiff competition ****! I wish I could win them.

How to get to Shoreline Brewery

Follow this Map

View Larger Map
If you’re traveling Eastbound from the Indiana Dunes / National Lakeshore on US 12, you’ll see that Wabash is the road that you would normally turn right on to go to the Lighthouse Malls. But this time, Turn left. Go north. The brewery will be a block away on the right.

We look forward to seeing you there

Any questions? Please leave a comment on this post or email:
valpolife.com
finn [@] nwitweetup.com
dave @nwitweetup.com.

On behalf of Idea in Motion Media – founders of Valpolife.com, PortageLife.com, LaPorteCountyLife.com, & NWIndianalife.com – Figure Eight Brewing and the volunteers that make up #NWITweetup, we would like to extend our deepest, heartfelt thank yous to the incredible #NWIndiana community who came out and made the event a rousing success.

Shout out to Figure Eight Brewing

#NWITweetup would also like to give a special shout out to Tom Uban, Mike Lahti, Neil Davey & the crew at Figure Eight Brewing for opening the doors to their home, all the way down to the basement. Their hospitality, generosity, and overall graciousness made for an enchanting evening.

April 2013 #NWITweetup prize winners

Ideas in Motion photo app contest:

• ValpoLife.com: Shelly Johnson
• PortageLife.com: Kat Rodenbarger
• LaPorteCountyLife.com: Allyn Hane
  • _{which he’ll be donating to drinks since he’s a volunteer now. Thems’ the breaks.}

Next event: Startup Front. April 10, 2013

The next social networking event is the inaugural Startup Front meetup. For those who don’t know, Startup Front is non-profit organization in-the-making whose focus will be to help technology startup companies by acquiring resources, training and marketing needed to test their products and ideas.

The initial meetup will include a meet & greet with Nibletz Media CEO Nick Tippman, founder / publisher of Tech Startup publications EverywhereElse.co. The meetup is open to the public. Business-minded tech savvy & entrepreneurial-minded individuals are encouraged to attend. For more information, check out Startup Front’s fledgling website. To do a headcount registration, visit the Startup Front’s EventBrite page.

The location? Yeah, Figure Eight Brewing on April 10th

Next #NWITweetup…

We’re finalizing the details for the May 2013 #NWITweetup. We’re doing a last-second scheduling change to accommodate all scheduling parties. Once those details are sorted out we’ll be shouting it out loud. Expect: May 22nd & another awesome brewery in #NWIndiana.

PS – Where the Hell was Finn?

Hey, guys,
Finn here. I wanted to take a moment and say, thank you, for the warm wishes and thoughts. Katie and I had a family medical thing that cropped up Monday night. We spent Tuesday in Wednesday back in her hometown of Mundelein / Lake Zurich, IL, tending to the matter. Everything appears to be good. We got back to #NWIndiana Thursday morning in time to be acceptably late to work.

We hope everyone had as good of a time as we’ve heard and we’re 99.9% certain we’ll hit the next one.

Thank you, once again!

Finn

Keep checking back to #NWITweetup.com for details on the next event!

Pictures of the event: found on Facebook.com/nwindianalife

photo credit: Ideas in Motion Media / Nwindianalife.com

And, Neil, please let me know if I got them right.

Can kids show up?

Kids can show up as long as they stay out of the bar area, which is the black railing directly behind those sitting at the bar. The rest of the restaurant is free range.

Can kids take the tour?

Tours are open to all kids and adults of all ages…as long as they are well behaved.

We believe he means both kids & adults have to behave, for a change.

Is the balcony open?

The patio will be open for those that wish to smoke, however at this time we are still getting the licenses from the city to allow folks to drink out there.

Will there be baseball on the TV?

Baseball will most certainly be on the TV. It’s whatever the most watched game of the night is. So, the Cubs and the Pirates game at 7:05pm.

Are drinks are allowed during the brew tour (like we saw on the videos?)

Adults without an open beverage are allowed in the brewhouse but we plan to keep the tours to a quick 10-15 minutes to allow folks back into the action.

For more information on the Wednesday, April 3rd’s #NWITweetup

Please visit our Figure Eight Brewing #NWITweetup post. And, remember, the event is open to the public so c’mon out. You don’t even need a Twitter account. That’s why we’re here!

Not only did it allow for some incredible times with good friends, great food and even better beer a mile from my home, but it gave me the opportunity to really get to know the Figure Eight crew. It means I got a chance to craft better questions for their pre-tweetup interview. I thought they might regret it when I was done, but they kept with me punch for punch. Shout out to Figure Eight Brewing’s outside sales guy Neil Davey for taking the time to tolerate me. The interview is below:

Figure Eight Brewing. It sounds like the cosmic decision-making ball-of-fate but the brewery has rock-climbing / action adventure & music theme. How did they come up with the name?

Figure Eight is a knot used in rock climbing and sailing. Rock climbing is our passion and we use that theme in naming the beer and the entrees on our menu. We serve beer inspired by our love for adventure and music and we want to share that same passion and excitement with our customers.

Y’all could have moved closer to the Dunes National Lakeshore or anywhere. What made you decide on downtown Valparaiso?

It’s a perfect location! We are in the county seat of Porter, and the building we reside in is perfect for a production brewery! We make great beer for folks all over the state of Indiana and we serve restaurants and stores in South Bend, Fort Wayne, Lafayette, Bloomington, and Indianapolis.

Where the Hell did y’all find Mike Lahti? How has he changed the Figure Eight culture.

At a Grateful Dead concert. He kinda just followed us home. Haven’t been able to get rid of him since. We are glad he’s on board with us. Nobody can engage people quite like Lahti. He’s always got a friendly heart and funny joke to tell.

Three Floyds has Gumballhead & Zombie Dust. What does Figure Eight have that will be a Gumballhead-killer? Why do you think the selected beer will dominate them?

When it comes to the local craft beer scene we aren’t out to “kill” or dominate anyone. We are really great friends with the Three Floyds crew, Crown Brewing, Shoreline Brewing, BackRoad Brewery, Hunter’s, and all the other entrepreneurs that are hoping to open new breweries within this year. We meet at festivals and tastings, and we all help each other out. We want craft beer to be a friendly bunch that believes in making beer fun and creative. Three Floyds has done a lot for our area in bringing in craft loving customers, so we want to keep up the idea that Northwest Indiana has a lot to offer in craft beer!

The worst beer y’all ever made and tried to sell was…

We have 7 beer styles year round, and 35 styles that we rotate throughout the year. We handcraft all of our ales and lagers to give a variety to our customers when they enter our brewpub. If we aren’t proud of it, and we don’t like the beer…we don’t sell it. Period.

Do y’all posts schedules of the festivals they plan to attend? If not, how can us groupees keep track?

You can always follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We do post the festivals that we are confirmed to attend on our website at www.figureeightbrewing.com

Y’all are continue to build upon your vast musical relationships. What plans do you have to continue the growth (music festivals? live event with streaming video?)

We want to help local music thrive in our community, and we are scheduling bands throughout the year to play at our brewpub on the F8 stage. The beer is what everything revolves around, and we have lots of great ideas in the future. We will make sure we keep everyone updated!

What was the most famous Pinball Machine Tom Uban worked on?

Corvette and NBA FastBreak for the Williams Pinball Company.

What are the all-time high scores on the pinball machines at F8?

Monster Bash is currently BOW – 316,813,480.

Addams Family is currently DEB – 531,409,930

While we’re at it, Tom Uban comes from the technology world. How does technology continue to influence him today?

With Tom’s engineering background whenever there is something in the restaurant or brewery that needs a little mechanical TLC, Tom usually fixes it once and for all. Figure Eight believes that technology is certainly useful in today’s age, but when making beer, sometimes the best method is rolling up your sleeves and putting in some hard work.

And lastly, off Monday and Tuesday? Really? What’s it gonna take to stay open Tuesday so we can have our weekly meetings there?

We handcraft our beer for restaurants and liquor stores across the state of Indiana. We sell a good portion of our product in the brewpub but we do need 2 days to always keep our production levels up. Even though the pub isn’t open, we are still hard at work to bring great beer to Indiana!

A big thank you to Figure Eight Brewing for the great adventure

May y’all continue to be one of the best breweries near the Indiana Dunes state park, National Lakeshore and, of course, Washington St. in Valparaiso.

Learn more about Figure Eight Brewing at the April 2013 #NWITweetup

Free and open to the public. Here are the quickfacts:

• Date: Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013
• Time: 6:30pm-8:30pm+ CST
• Address: 150 Washington St, Valparaiso, IN 46383
• Brewery tours: throughout the evening
• Food & drink specials (for those 21 years of age and older)
  • free hor d’ouvers
  • drink specials: $1 samples
  • non-drink specials: Valpo Velvet / F8 Root Beer Float
• Contests & giveaways: ValpoLife.com photo app contest. Upload a photo of the event during the event using the ValpoLife app (Android & iPhone) and receive prizes. Also, door prizes!
• Announcement: A tech startup meetup on April 10th at Figure Eight Brewing

Map to Figure Eight Brewing

View Larger Map

We hope to see you there!

Figure Eight Brewing / ValpoLife.com photo contest

Upload pictures of your favorite beer or the root beer float (see below) during the #NWITweetup using the the ValpoLife.com app and have a chance to win one of three $15-dollar gift cards. Winners will be announced during the Tweetup.

Brewery Tour T-Shirt Door Prize

When the attendees arrive, they will be given an individual bracelet to help keep the brewery tours organized. Once the tours are complete there will be a door prize drawing. The winner receives a Figure Eight Brewing T-Shirt.

Food specials

In addition to the Wednesday night specials in the Brewery pub, Figure Eight Brewing will also be providing free hor d’oeuvres as well as their $1 2-oz samples – the best drink deal allowed by excise!

Rumor also has it that if you can beat Head Brewer Mike Lahti in Pinball…

At the Figure Eight Brewery machines, he’ll buy you a beer. There’s a better than average chance I’m making that up but just the same, remember your quarters!

For Non-Drinkers: Figure Eight Brewing root beer floats with Valpo Velvet ice cream!

They’re tasty. They’re awesome. They are also included in the Figure Eight Brewing photo contest! Try some out that evening if you’d like!

Keep checking back to nwitweetup.com for more announcements

And we’ll see you at Figure Eight Brewery Wednesday night, April 3rd, 6:30pm at Figure Eight in Valparaiso!

Proper shoutouts go to

1. Valpo Life / NWIndiana Life for showing how Social Media works by getting the word out for the event. We’re fornuate they stand side-by-side with us. We would be nothing without them.
2. Launch Digital Marketing Allyn Hane brought his video camera and pension for hops. They put together an educational video on Twitter for business involving many local business leaders.
3. The mascots and their respected organizations for their time, support and pics
   • Cravin It – Family Express
   • Bill Moran – Valparaiso Community Schools [just kidding ]
   • Arnie Arnell the Trunk Monkey – Arnell Chevy – Kia
   • The Crusader – Valparaiso University
   • Rascal – Gary Railcats
   • Clippy the Coupon – Print Me Coupons

And, of course, Industrial Revolution eatery. Thank you ever so much. Personally, I think I ate 1 buffet carrier of the chicken nuggests. Tasty!

Next stop: Figure Eight Brewing brewery in Valparaiso, IN – April 3rd, 2013

Figure Eight Brewing has become a favored destination along the buckle of the Craft Beer Belt (from Green Bay, WK to Mount Pleasant, MI). With 7 beers running full season and 35 recipes in the Catalog, the crew really knows how to Harness their F8! Owners Tom & Lynne Uban, head brewer Mike Lahti & outside sales guy Neil Davey have truly put their heart and soul into the place and it shows in every sculpted detail of the Figure Eight Brewing brewery experience. They already invited us into their home last weekend for a tour and round-table discussion that was videoed for NWIndiana life…but more on that later. For now:

Details as we know them right now

We’re meeting at the Valpo Life offices on Monday, March 11th to finalize the details for the event but here’s what we know right now:

• Date: Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013
• Time: 6:30pm-8:30pm+ CST
• Brewery tours: throughout the evening
• Sample specials (for those 21 years of age and older
• Food and drink specials: TBD
• Contests & giveaways: TBD
• Announcement: A tech startup meetup on April 10th at Figure Eight Brewing

photo credit: 1) ValpoLife 2) Me 3) Neil Davey of Figure 8

Update September 7th, 2012

Randi Light of New Buffalo Hypnosis volunteered to host the bonfire at Tamarack Beach near her home in Ogden Dunes. Private beach, beautiful views, easier to host bonfires and, oh yeah, alcohol permitted so we definitely agreed to change the venue.

Also: her 33^rdish birthday is the day before so how could we turn the birthday girl down?

New Date: October 12th, 2012. Details in the quickfacts below!

The Duneland Bonfire is not really a tweetup, but that’s probably what makes it a great meetup event. A few of us are meeting up on Tamarack Beach and having a bonfire while there’s still days in the summer to do so. We’ll have some firewood, vegetarian marshmellows (ask Sarah Highlan), and a potluck of goodies – provided you remember to bring some. Who is “you?” YOU! The one reading this. Community it is!.

Here’s what you need to know:

2012 Duneland Bonfire Quickfacts

• Date:  October 12, 2012
• Time:  ~ 6:30 pm CST til the fire dies
• Location:  Tamarack Beach, Ogden Dunes, IN
• Parking:  Near the beach
• Sponsored By:  Folks who want a bonfire, damnit.
• Food / Drink Specials:  BYO
• Alcohol Allowed? Yes. Its another reason why we switched the venue!
• Who Is Allowed to Come?  anyone who can find it!
• Can Children Come?  absolutely, especially if they bring their smiles!
• And When the Sun Goes Down? We’ll take pictures, claim we saw The Green Flash, make a decision and tweet it out to our friends who might meet up with us.
• If It Rains?  We’re making a dash to Islamorada Fish Company Restaurant @ Bass Pro Shop in Portage, IN

Map to Tamarack Beach from Portage / Ogden Dunes South Shore Train Station on US 12

View Larger Map

To RSVP

However you want to do it:

1) Leave a comment below and let us know you’re coming out.

2) hit us up on twitter:

• @nwitweetup
• @duneland
• @natfinn
• @davewoodson

3) or hashtags

• #nwitweetup
• #nwidrinkup

photo credit:  soft relaunch via flickr

Smashmouth does more than burgers.

To call Smashmouth just a burger joint is to call Strongbow Inn just a turkey shoot. Something tell us theywould go a little crazy making only burgers all day which is probably why has quite the diverse menu selection. We’d write out some of the choices, but it’s better to experience it.Yeah, brisket, seafood, steak sandwiches, desserts and more…

Samples on Display for #NWITweetup

On Tuesday, May 21st at 6:30pm, Burgers will be bringing in the #NWITweetup community and putting some of these samples up for display. Bring your appetite along with your twitter phone apps because there’s gonna bring some special pricing solely for the event.

UPDATE: FREE FOOD!!!

If you attend the May 21, 2012 #NWITweetup, Smashmouth Burgers will be providing FREE mini smash burgers and desserts plus drink specials (and we’re pretty sure they don’t mean Pepsi)!!!!

I wonder if they know that Daver’s gonna be there?

(Just kidding, Daver!)

May 2012 #NWITweetup QuickFacts

DaverTweetup: 6pm CST.
Time: 6:30pm CST.
Date: May 21, 2012.
Admission: Open to the public!
Address:

Specials: Many…to be announced.

Map to Smashmouth Burgers

View Larger Map

We look forward to seeing you there…

And deciding whether or not SmashMouth Burgers really are…

photo credit: eatatsmashmouth.com

I got a blast from the past text me a week or so ago and wanted to say, “hi,” to some of the old #nwitweetup crew that he hasn’t seen in so very long. Now, I won’t reveal his name, but if you have any good recollection about tweetup members then you’ll know he was a parrothead of a dad! So we’re gonna meet up for brews on Leap Day, 2012.

Leap Day 2012 #NWITweetup Info

Location: El Saltos. Chesterton, IN.
Address: 757 Indian Boundary Rd # 10 Chesterton, IN 46304
Time: 7pm
Anything special?: The guest!
Food specials: Whatever leap day specials are going on at El Salto!

Map to El Saltos in Chesterton

View Larger Map

Final Thoughts

Just a good ole-fashioned #Tweetup like in the days of yours. Stay, drink, connect, laugh!

Hope to see y’all there!

photo credit: Alan English via Flickr

A year later, we had a second #NWITWeetup Christmas Party. It had free bowling and great friends. And it was good.

Come this year, we were planning to have an #NWITweetup Christmas Party. It was to have free bowling and great friends. It was to be awesome.

Then something happened…

A little all-eggs-in-a-couple baskets. A little management changeup at the venues we were at. A few projects also needed to come off the ground.

But We’re Patient

And since there are so many good #NWIndiana social media groups that have broken out that have parties, cookie exchanges & potlucks, we thought we’d back it up and, instead, have a Mid-Winter party.

We’re aiming for Late January / Early February.

Maybe some free bowling. Maybe some great friends. And prizes. Definitely prizes.

How does that sound?

Sincerely

- Finn

Photo Credit: Traumatron Illustration via Flickr

Well, other than his reasonings for the PA system, I thought he was dead on.

Cornucopia Coffee Company has been the place I’ve rooted for this year. With an ambiance immersed in classic roots & rock music and open spacies, brick walls, high ceilings, restored wood floors, wonderful views of Lincolnway and great folks flooding in an out, CCC was designed to be part of the downtown community.

I haven’t been there enough this year. And that’s a shame. I was thinking about that last night while I was attending the concert and auction for local charity 500 Turkeys last Friday night. It was one of those evenings that was filled with enough good people that it gave you hope for the rest of the race. And there might not have been a better place to host such an event as Cornucopia.

And if you can’t appreciate that, well, you really shouldn’t be in Social Media.

To give you a little more, I got the opportunity to interview Rich Halstead, co-owner of Cornucopia Coffee Company before last year’s event. He’s a kindred spirit; a student of all the great lessons learned from the Woodstock generation. It’s a wonder I don’t ask to rent out the back couch after hours so I could live there. The Gumball Head doesn’t hurt.

Here’s a question from that interview:

Could you please describe what it took to make Cornucopia Coffee Company a reality?

We began studying the business on a concert trip to Seattle in 2001. It was something we were interested in and what better place to start?

Shortly afterwards we met Tony Dreyfuss from Metropolis Coffee in Chicago and became friends. He was micro-roaster of the year in 2007, and was also honored with best latte in Chicago the same year. Tony’s small batch artisan roasting is 2nd to none, and the coffee, quality and dedication to product is incredible. For instance, fair trade and sustainability are important to all of us, and he and his team were in east Africa several months ago, visiting farms and co-ops, and buying product to export to the roastery.

We began construction on our building in 2008, and 14 months later were ready to open. We restored the building by removing upwards of 2500 pounds of plaster to expose the original brick, and 4200 pounds of flooring to expose the original 1903 maple floor, which we refinished. Any damaged areas of the floor were laced with vintage Notre Dame basketball court flooring that we acquired from one of our acquaintances. The circa 1910 espresso bar is from a bar in Kouts that went out of business after a small fire. Our tin ceiling is also completely original from 1903, and we integrated parts of it into the design of the bar, and stage platform.

Make Sure You Join Us!

We’re keeping it nice and loose and enjoyable. And if you want to have a specific beer there, let us know in advance so we can get it scheduled. So far, we’ve had a request for Guinness.

Otherwise, bring your sense of good times. As for me, you’ll probably be able to find me on Cornucopia’s patio enjoying a brisk October evening in downtown Valparaiso.

October 2011 #NWITweetup – Cornucopia Coffee Company Quickfacts

Time: DaverTweetup – 6:30pm. Tweetup – 7pm.
Date: October 19, 2011
Place: Cornucopia Coffee Company. 210 E. Lincolnway. Valparaiso, IN.
Specials: Sampler specials. Food Specials. Drink Specials

Map to Cornucopia Coffee Company

View Larger Map

Photo Image: Cornucopia Coffee Company Facebook Page

“Culturally close to Chicago in both economics and politics, and with a reputation for governmental corruption and labor union aggression, our northwest corner is a place employers are more likely to flee than invest in,”

- Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, Keeping the Republic: Saving America by Trusting Americans. (source: NWITimes.com)

According to NWITimes.com, Governor Daniels says he has hope for Northwest Indiana despite the grim picture he paints in his book. He says it in the same way the OldOld Man says he has faith in the Chicago Cubs: he keeps watching but it ‘sure as Hell ain’t pretty right now.

Now those of us in Porter County could hang our hat on how the Governor singled out Valparaiso as a community that’s on the right track, but truth told, no matter how we try to make this look, we’re all a part of The Region. Our fates are entwined.

So, Is Governor Daniels Right?

The article quotes quotes him as saying that we in The Region need to take some some responsibility – as if we aren’t already. Is he right?

Governor Daniels’ stance on The Region will be the topic of #NWITweetup’s first Lunch & Learn. We will be sketching out his vision of the problem as well as potential solutions we can address with the use of internet marketing & social media. We will also be addressing the next community-building steps #NWITweetup will be taking along with fellow companies ValpoLife.com, Cartronix, Certified Home Inspections, Gosser Corporate Sales, getUnoticed.com…
We hope you listen, debate, interact participate and, hopefully, join us.

The Lunch & Learn will take place on October 26, 2011at 12:15pm in the offices of Certified Home Inspection located at 103 East Morthland (Hwy. 30) Suite 3, Valparaiso, IN 46383. Hosts for the event will be none other than #NWITweetup’s Nat Finn & Dave Woodson along with Certified Home Inspector’s proprietor, Jim Ulom. We will be providing a light luncheon buffet (which is code for, “a party sub, potato salad, and other delicious goodies donated by Michelle Ulom’s company, Innovative Cleaning!), along with refreshments. If you’re a Coke or Pepsi person, now is the time to tell us! And if you want to bring your own food, we have no problem with it.

Knowing us, we’ll scrounge up some door prizes as well.

#NWITweetup Fall 2011 Lunch & Learn Quickfacts:

Date: October 26, 2011
Time: 12:15pm-1:30pm
Host / Venue: Certified Home Inspections.
Address:

Themes: Social Media’s Role in Economic Development in Northwest Indiana
Food & Drink: provided (if you like party subs & potato salad – UPDATE: More donated food to come!!!)
Prizes: TBD
Map to Certified Home Inspections:

View Larger Map

And, Governor…

We’re not the Northwest Corner. We’re The Region. Please call us by our proper name.

Photo Credit: republicanconference via Flickr