Fountain Square Brewery -- This was the first local craft brewery I visited. It came sometime in late 2012 or in 2013 and was precipitated by a former work colleague who wanted to get a handful of co-workers together for the heck of it. I tried FSB's amber ale and pilsner on this visit; didn't like the former as much as I liked the latter. I still turn to the pilsner a lot, and will often get my growler filled with it on Sundays when FSB has its $5.50 growler specials. I've since developed a better appreciation for FSB's Preacher's Daughter Amber Ale and Hop for Teacher Pale Ale. I tried one of the seasonals last year (forget its name) and was not overly impressed. Since the beginning of my forays into Indy area craft breweries, FSB remains my favorite because of the above experience, my strong like for its Workingman's Pilsner ... and most important, its proximity to where I live. I can get there in 10 minutes, and quick runs -- especially on those Sunday growler special days -- is a huge plus.
Indiana City Brewing -- The first Indiana City brew I sampled was a pint with a meal at Milano Inn. I think it was the Pale Tribute Ale, but I'm not sure. Whatever it was, I liked it. Strangely, when I visited the brewery in person a few months later, I sampled four beers, and didn't like any of them. I don't remember if the tribute ale was one of them. I do remember that I guessed (I think mistakenly) that the Yacht Rock (a wheat ale) I sampled at the brewery was the one I liked at Milano Inn. So I took home a six pack of that. Alas, I didn't like it.
Sun King Brewery -- The first Indy craft beer I remember trying was Sun King's Osiris pale ale in 2011. It was available for purchase at an Indy Acoustic Cafe Series concert I photographed. I liked it because it struck me immediately as something different (and in a good way) than the mainstream beers I'd drunk and grown tired of in the years before that. This experience began my gradual withdrawal from mainstream brews almost totally ... and my exploration into local craft brews.
St. Joseph Brewery -- I stopped here in 2015 because I'd heard about the fantastic food menu, and I was not misled. My meal was scrumptious and I enjoyed it with the house Cornerstone Kolsch, which was very good. If parking wasn't such an issue at this downtown locale, this undoubtedly would be my favorite brewery -- if not "go to" brewery -- to visit (of those I have visited, of course).
Flat 12 Bierwerks -- My visit here evolved out of convenience. I simply crossed the street after one of the monthly meat blowout sales at Smoking Goose. I sampled four brews and don't remember any of them standing out.
Central State Brewing -- After a visit to Smoking Goose's sister operation Goose the Market at 25th and Delaware streets in March, I stopped in next door to this relatively new brewery and sampled each of its four house brews. My favorite by far was the Cast No Shadow on Liberty IPA. The photo of the flight of brews I tried leading off the post was taken here in late March.
Metazoa Brewing -- I've been here twice now. The first was on opening day April 1, when the crowd density was so thick I was not able to reach the bar to sample anything (though I did wait in line for 20 minutes). I made it back yesterday, and my previous post chronicles that very nice experience.
Big Woods Brewery (Nashville) -- My memory of this visit, which was at the brewery's station along knick-knack avenue in Nashville, is vague, if not, unfortunately, forgettable. I sampled six brews but found favor with only about one or two. I remember not even finishing three of them.
MashCraft Brewing (Greenwood) -- I'm just getting back from Mashcraft. Check out the next post to see about a review of that visit!
In addition to the locations above that I have visited in the Indy area, I've also visited Brueprint Brewery in Apex, N.C., and fully expect to visit Fortnight Brewery in nearby Cary, N.C., at some point in the not too distant future. Also, I've sampled brews from several other Indy area and North Carolina beermakers that I can recall off the top of my head -- Triton, Three Wise Men, Wooden Bear, Grand Junction and Upland from the Indy area and White Street Brewing Co. of Wake Forest, N.C.
High on my list of local craft breweries to visit next are Taxman, Tow Yard, Outliers, Black Acre, Wooden Bear and Daredevil. At some point, I'll turn my focus to going farther north into Carmel and Westfield. I'd include Tow Yard on my list of links on the homepage, but when I compiled that list two days ago, the Tow Yard link was erroring out. As soon as that is corrected, I'll add it.
So you can see, I have a ways to go to feel like I've been to a representative number of breweries in the Indy area, at least enough to feel comfortable making solid recommendations pro and con. But that's what this blog is about.
Join me on that adventure.
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