On the chilly afternoon of Saturday, January 11, Burn ‘Em Brewing in Michigan City hosted its annual Longjohns On Winter Warmer Bash. Attendees came dressed to impress – and to keep warm – in their most comfortable onesies, overalls, shawls, and, of course, longjohns. They enjoyed live performances from five local musical acts and sampled over 12 featured beverages from Burn ‘Em Brewing and local breweries from throughout the Region and beyond.
Blake Murray, co-owner and chef at Burn ‘Em Brewing, is excited to help put on this year’s landmark installment of the Longjohns On Winter Warmer Bash.
“We’ve had some small events in the Back Room, but this is the first major party we’ve held at this new location,” Blake Murray said. “We love throwing parties and they usually attract pretty sizable crowds. We’re very excited to be putting this event on again. Not only is this event a music fest, but it’s also a release party for our Longjohns On barrel-aged beer. Guests can also enjoy our in-house-made food as well as some guest drafts from local breweries. We’re offering little samples of our various beverages, so hopefully, everyone enjoys the ones they get to try. Our goal is for everyone to have a fun time here today and go home feeling good.”
The Longjohns On Winter Warmer Bash used to be held outside since Burn ‘Em Brewing’s original location didn’t have the space to accommodate such a large gathering. The event took place under tents unfortunately, last year’s Longjohns On event, which would have been the eighth installment, had to be canceled as Burn ‘Em Brewing was in the process of moving to its new location. However, the event is back in full force this year
Steve Murray, co-owner alongside his twin brother Blake Murray and general manager of Burn ‘Em Brewing, considers the Longjohns On Winter Warmer Bash to be a great start to Burn ‘Em Brewing’s event season.
“The Longjohns On Winter Warmer Bash has always been one of our biggest events,” Steve Murray said. “We were all pretty disappointed we didn’t get to have it last year. Since we missed it so much we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to hold it in this new, beautiful space this year. This event has always been about bundling up against the cold, and, even though we started out wearing longjohns, it’s now evolved into wearing onesies and other colorful clothes. If our guests are feeling a bit nostalgic for the Longjohns On’s earlier days, we have the patio open so they can be outside. Settling into the new location has been a wild process and I’m really happy that we can put this event on again. It signals a return to normalcy for us.”
Some of the food offered included mac ‘n’ cheese, garlic parmesan chicken wings, walking tacos, and Burn ‘Em Brewing’s signature Thai Curry Long Johnson dish. Attendees could enjoy Burn ‘Em Brewing beverages like Abuelo's Reserve and PB&J Long Johns On, along with guest drafts like Transient Artisan Ales’ Vanilla NeckBeard 2023, 2Toms Brewing’s BA Dark Necessity with Coffee, and Shoreline Brewery’s Imperial Raspberry Ale.
Joe Bonfield, bartender and server at Burn ‘Em Brewing, considers the Longjohns On Winter Warmer Bash to be an important community event for several reasons
“It’s the off-season for tourism during the wintertime, so we don’t have a lot of business coming through here,” Bonfield said. “The Longjohns On Winter Warmer Bash is a great opportunity to bring people into the brewery to enjoy some beverages and great live music. I’m happy to be here and it’s really great to come out and interact with everyone. This event is something of a ‘thank you’ from us to the people who patronize Burn ‘Em Brewing year-round. My main hope is that everyone leaves this event with a sense of community.”
Danny Moser, co-owner and cellarman at Burn ‘Em Brewing, says that the Longjohns On Winter Warmer Bash is one of his favorite Burn ‘Em Brewing annual events. As a music buff, he particularly appreciates the event’s musical element.
“Now that we’re holding this event indoors, I find it to be pretty cool that I’ve been here for seven hours and haven’t frozen,” Moser joked. “Longjohns On is about having fun and being together and it adds a bit of a spark and some pizzazz here in the middle of winter.
We really want to get people excited about supporting our community. Our goal is to promote local breweries and musical acts with this event. We’re working on developing our backroom into a high-caliber performance venue. We welcome all kinds of musical genres, whether it’s bluegrass or metal. We’re committed to educating the public about music and giving local talent a platform. We like good craft beer and good craft music, so we try to bring those together at Burn ‘Em Brewing.”
This year’s Longjohns On Winter Warmer Bash featured five consecutive musical acts, including St. Joe Jack, the Mark Lavengood Trio, Kasim Whiting, Fresh Hops, and New Groove. The artists performed an array of covers as well as their own original compositions, much to the assembled guests’ delight.
For more information on Burn ‘Em Brewing’s beverage options, restaurant menus, and upcoming events, please visit burnembrewing.com.