Purdue testing out beer, wine in pub at Memorial Union

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - Purdue University plans to open a taproom that sells beer and wine on the ground floor of the campus' Memorial Union.

The 1869 Tap Room will be located in an area that is now a study and dining room. It will be opened Thursdays and Fridays from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. and on home football game days starting at two hours before kickoff until the end of the third quarter. The pilot effort runs through Nov. 19.

The pub will offer appetizers and have TVs airing the football games. It's open to those aged 21 and older and the space will revert to its regular setup when the pub is closed, the (Lafayette) Journal and Courier reported (http://on.jconline.com/2e6d2g3 ).

"It already has a traditional 'pub-ish' look with the wooden booths and pictures of former athletes," Union director Bob Mindrum said.

If the taproom is successful the university could keep it running throughout the year. If that happens then Purdue officials will have to work with the state Alcohol and Tobacco Commission and Indiana State Excise Police to make it permanent.

Opening a pub on campus would address complaints that there aren't many places near campus to get a drink that aren't student-centered establishments, Mindrum said. The target audience includes Purdue employees, hotel guests and alumni.

"We hope that this 1869 Tap Room can help address that need," he said.

The pub will partner with People's Brewing Co., which works with Purdue College of Agriculture hops researchers and Purdue Department of Food Science fermentation specialists. The brewery also gets some of its hops from local farms that Purdue studies.

"We would like people to understand this is more than just having a beer," Mindrum said. "It's part of a larger enterprise at Purdue."

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Information from: Journal and Courier, http://www.jconline.com