TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — As the Haute, Hops and Vines festival approaches on Saturday, it’s a time to not only think about the future of brewing in Terre Haute but reflect on the past that got us here.

Starting in 1837, the Terre Haute Brewing Company sits in what used to be a brewing district.

A brewery that was so big, tunnels ran underneath the city to transport its iconic beer.

“The tunnels kind of extend from over at the bottling facility all the way over to Moggers and then there were steam tunnels which went all the way out to Wabash and then both ways on Wabash and then down to ISU because it was such a big operation. A lot of those steam tunnels are still there and there’s a lot of prohibition lore about those,” Anthony Megali, Head Brewer at Terre Haute Brewing Company, said.

The iconic beer that many people in the Wabash Valley and beyond came to know and love, was Champagne Velvet.

“Champagne Velvet was the flagship beer of Terre Haute Brewing Company. So that’s the beer that is synonymous with Terre Haute Brewing Company. When you talk about it with people who know the history, that’s what they’re usually referring to so they really only had one beer that they would produce,” Megali said.

Right down the street is Afterburner Brewing Company which is newer to the scene, but shares the same passion for reaching the goal of creating a brewing district once again.

“I think Terre Haute could sustain a couple more. It certainly deserves it, it’s got a great history of beer and plenty of people spread out and we could easily probably use two or three more breweries,” Greg Hvorat, Owner of Afterburner Brewing Company, said.

Afterburner and the Terre Haute Brewing Company will be co-hosting the Haute, Hops and Vines Festival together, looking forward to the future of beer in the city. But they’ll never forget the past that got them here.

“It has been a huge piece of the history of this town for a long time and it’s really cool to just be a part of that and continue that brewing tradition in Terre Haute,” Megali said.

For more information on Haute, Hops and Vines, you can click here.