Rough Draft Taproom Requires No Revision: it’s flawless as is

I’ve had several conversations with friends recently about whether certain establishments in Fort Wayne are safe for women to drink at. I hate that these are conversations we feel compelled to have. It truly makes me sad. Despite my desire to always try to see the best in people, the universe constantly reminds me that, unfortunately, not all people are good–and not all people are safe. In times of uncertainty, I try to do as Mr. Rogers so brilliantly instructed: look for the helpers. If you can find the kind people, the silver lining, or the safe spaces, that’s when things don’t look so bleak anymore. This search is ultimately what led me to Rough Draft Taproom, a relatively new Fort Wayne watering hole. I went for the good vibes–no, that’s a lie. I’m sorry. I went for the wine flight–but I stayed for the good vibes. 

Tucked away in a freshly painted black brick building on the corner of North Wells Street, Rough Draft Taproom is run by Kyle and Kaylie Snodgrass: both the epitome of kindness. To say that sunbeams shine out of their face holes might be an overstatement, but they do radiate good vibes and make you feel welcome immediately upon entering the neatly renovated space. Kyle is the beer connoisseur while Kaylie can answer any question you might have about the wine list. While Rough Draft Taproom is their baby, it’s not their first rodeo. You may recognize them from earlier days working at Two EE’s. Given their history in the field, you can imagine that their combined knowledge and service skills are not just impressive, they’re impeccable. These are the kind of people that you want running your favorite local watering hole. Beyond how cool Kyle, Kaylie, and all their employees are, the physical space at the taproom is also worth swooning over. They’ve created a taproom that is cozy, welcoming, clean, and enjoyable. I urge you to stop by for a sip of something and to check out the decor–I was personally a HUGE fan of the big, comfy, green couch. There are lots of precious oddities and knick-knacks scattered about to occupy your mind or board games available for fun times with friends. From the moment that I walked into the front door, I felt comfortable in this space. I’m not embarrassed to admit that this isn’t a typical feeling for me. I’m awkward, anxious, and often need a minute to adjust–especially in a new place. But Rough Draft Taproom is so full of good people and chill vibes that it’s an entirely disarming atmosphere. This place could very quickly become a home away from home for me–and I hope for you,too! 

I was lured to the taproom through a mix of good reviews from friends and seeing their curated wine flights featured on Instagram. They offer a Sweet Flight, a Dry Flight, and a Summer Flight. Each comes with four ample pours of pre-selected wines and clocks in between $17 to $20 depending on which flight you go for. Though I am typically a dry-wine-girl, the weather recently had me craving something different–so I set an alarm and woke up extra early to get there right at open and try the Summer Wine Flight. It was bliss–but more on that in a minute.

In addition to beers and wines, they offer a pretty thoughtfully crafted selection of coffee beverages and even non-alcoholic options like locally crafted Hop Water. My designated driver sprung for an iced chocolate coffee beverage with cold foam. They topped it with the most precious, little cocoa heart. Truth: this place is worth trying even if you’re not in it for the grownup drinks. The coffee bev was surprisingly complex, leaning more toward fruity and earthy rather than the often overly robust or sickeningly saccharine stuff you’re served at run-of-the-mill, less-than-mediocre coffee places. The surprisingly long list of coffee drinks available, and the shockingly stellar quality of the drink I got to try, are reason enough for me to recommend Rough Draft… and it’s not even why I went there in the first place. So, let me tell you about the things I actually went to try.

Rough Draft Taproom has a variety of noms on offer. Whether you’re in the mood for some Shop260 pastries or you want something more substantial, they’ve got noshes for all levels of hunger. Legalize Marinara is the pizzeria slinging pies from inside the Rough Draft Taproom. On a typical day, they offer a variety of pizzas with different toppings that can carry you from breakfast to dinner. It needn’t matter if you’re vegan or omnivorous: there’s something for all at this spot. As it so happened, my first visit was on Mother’s Day, so a special menu was available to celebrate the occasion. My designated driver couldn’t resist the Pancake Sammy: a grilled sausage patty sandwiched between two pancakes, with a side of maple syrup for dipping–we added cheese like the heathens we are. This sandwich might be best enjoyed by one person as a fun and funky light breakfast; we nibbled it as more of an amuse-bouche to the star of the show. We were the first people to order their The Only One For “Brie” specialty pizza that appeared on their extra-special Mother’s Day menu: pizza crust topped with brie, Granny Smith apple, bacon crumbles, arugula, and hot honey. Some things you might not know about me. My favorite green is, if I’m being truly honest, probably arugula. My favorite cheese is brie. I love apples. Nobody’s ever mad about bacon. (Patently false: vegans. But, I’ll continue…) And, while I think hot honey might be getting just a smidge more attention than it actually deserves, I recognize that it’s popular because it’s good. I feel like this pizza was made just for me and everything about it tickled my personal fancy. The moderately thin, crisp crust served to deliver copious amounts of flavor to my pizza pie-hole. I know that this is not on their regular menu, but I’d very much like to see it return–partly so that others may know the joy that is this pizza in particular–but also, selfishly, so that I may eat it again. If the food that I sampled today is any indication of what they’re serving up every day of the week (and I believe that it is) this is absolutely somewhere I’ll be stopping for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and the occasional yummy snack-time that falls at odd-hours in between designated meals.

Now for the pièce de résistance: the wine flight. The Summer Flight was composed entirely of wines from Indiana producers. A Two EE’s wine even made an appearance on this flight! (I love a celebration of local products. Way to go, Rough Draft Taproom; you’re awesome!) Since moving here, I’ve made a concerted effort to learn about Indiana wines–even going so far as to take a class through Purdue on the subject. Despite my best efforts to try lots of different local wines and my recent visit to the Michiana Wine Festival, while I was very familiar with every wine producer present on the summer wine flight, I’d only previously had one of the wines on offer in this particular flight. To me, this is a big win–because trying new stuff is fun! To begin, I sampled the Dolce Pesca from Whyte Horse Winery. This absolutely divine peach wine is undoubtedly worth a second sip. If I find a bottle out in the wild, I will definitely purchase it to enjoy as a summertime porch sipper–so sweet and refreshing. My second sip was the Vino Rita from Byler Lane. I will be honest–because I think it’s important that we own up to our mistakes and learn from them. Somebody once told me about this wine and my response was “ew.” I love wine. I love a good margarita. Something about combining the two things felt wrong to me. I suppose I imagined that the only way the two things could be smooshed together was by combining the worst qualities of both things to create a truly heinous, ugly baby that nobody would ever want or love. I’m not afraid to say I was wrong. In truth: I am deeply grateful to Rough Draft Taproom for serving me this wine. It came on the rocks and in a glass with a salted rim–not a way that I’ve ever personally consumed a wine before. I feel like this gave me permission to be a little more playful with how I enjoy some of my wines. (First I drink my champagne from a solo cup, now I’m salting the rim of my wine glass. What horribly irreverent thing will I enjoy next?!) As a salt-lover, this was a super enjoyable sip for me and I will be actively seeking out a bottle of Byler Lane’s Vino Rita for my personal hot-weather enjoyment. I’m thinking I may sip it from a salted margarita glass–wine not? My next sip was Two EE’s Catawba–the only wine on the flight I’d had before. (Many times before, if we’re being honest.) As some of you already know: I have strong feelings about Catawba. I don’t want to say too much, as I presently have a blog on the subject in the works. Just be forewarned–I have more to say on this subject, and you’ll have to wait for a later date to hear all about my love affair with lush, fruity, pink Catawba. The last wine of my flight was another Byler Lane beauty: Red Currant wine. This wine is like a sour patch kid: first it’s sour, then it’s sweet. I believe the name on the bottles of this stuff is actually Rebel Currant and, if I’m correct, it’s aptly named. First sip left me literally puckering. This is a refreshing high-acid wine, but man-oh-man, the initial tartness is an absolute smack in the mouth. As you continue to sip, your mouth adjusts and you can really begin to appreciate the perfect balance of tart and sweet that this wine provides. Sipping this wine is really a journey and I enjoyed every minute of the trip. I’m definitely tempted to go back and enjoy the Summer Flight again while it’s still available–though I’m also entirely tempted to try the dry flight–and I’m already wondering if there will perhaps be a delicious Fall Flight available when the weather starts to change again a few months from now. I’m so obsessed.

You may or may not have noticed, but my writing on local places really tends to focus entirely on the positive. This may lead some to question if I have negative opinions that I hold in my back pocket and don’t share on the internet–maybe little things that I thought could be better or an interaction with a server that left a sour taste in my mouth after an otherwise delicious meal. I’ll let you in on a little secret: I absolutely do keep my bad experiences to myself. I’m telling you this now only because I can say with complete honesty that I’ve shared my every thought about Rough Draft Taproom in this blog. There’s not a single negative thing that I have to say about this place. Even if you said you’d give me $20 or a bottle of wine to come up with something that could be done to improve the taproom, I don’t really think I could earnestly come up with any element that required improvement. Even when I search the darkest corners of my mind or the snobbiest corners of my soul for a smidge of dissatisfaction: I’ve got nothing. The people, the place, the plonk–all spectacular. It’s unpretentious and practically perfect. My early morning visit was beyond enjoyable: it really set a tone for my whole day and I’m still riding the wave of happiness that began as soon as I entered the doors of Rough Draft Taproom this morning. I’m of the mind that Rough Draft requires no revision: it’s flawless as is.