Scotty's Brewhouse - Downtown

Scotty's Brewhouse - DowntownScotty's Brewhouse - Downtown
Scotty's Brewhouse - DowntownScotty's Brewhouse - Downtown
Bar, Eatery, Beer-to-go

1 Virginia Ave
Ste 100
Indianapolis, Indiana, 46204-3616
United States

// CLOSED //
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.79
Reviews:
14
Ratings:
32
pDev:
11.35%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by jisom123:
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Reviewed by jisom123 from Indiana

2.65/5  rDev -30.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 2 | service: 3 | selection: 2 | food: 4
The only reason I keep coming back is because this place is across the street from my work.

When you enter, you are greeted by a door girl and 4 more staff at the register who are usually doing nothing at all. At first this seems nice, but will make way too much sense when you see your bill.

Over the past 3 years, the Downtown location has slowly gone downhill, regarding beer selection. They offer the 10 standard big lights plus blue moon, Killian's, Sam Adams +SA seasonals. They also offer a variety of the entry level pale ales and light beers from the local self-distributed breweries.

If you are a fan of medium tasting light beers, this is the place for you. Go no further.

They used to have tappings here. They used to have beer trained staff. They used to have Founders specialty releases. They used to have Stone Specialty doubles. They used to have a cellar-worthy bottle beer selection in the fridge.
When asked "What happened to all the good beer", I get one of three answers from the staff:
1. Oh, we fired the good beer guy.
2. We make plenty of money from the sporting events next door to meet our budget. Go somewhere else if you want good beer.
3. Blue Moon is VERY GOOD, have you tried it?
Sep 07, 2011
More User Ratings:
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Reviewed by cratez from Canada (ON)

3.73/5  rDev -1.6%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.75 | selection: 3.75 | food: 3.5
Visited with my wife on recent trip to Indianapolis.

Had the following beers here:
Thr3e Wise Men Citrus Maximus (draft)
Triton Blackened Soul Black IPA (draft)

Food was decent, and overall experience was above average.
Feb 12, 2020
 
Rated: 3.81 by isaac_barrow from Indiana

Jul 22, 2018
 
Rated: 3.78 by robebo44 from Virginia

May 21, 2018
 
Rated: 3.84 by Tdeloer from Indiana

Aug 30, 2017
 
Rated: 3.54 by Fishwhisperer from Michigan

Apr 17, 2016
 
Rated: 4.06 by Glenn_Cole_BTBC from Illinois

Aug 25, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by aasher from Indiana

May 21, 2015
 
Rated: 3.8 by Benjhilmer from California

Apr 28, 2015
 
Rated: 3.36 by neckbracesub from Indiana

Mar 30, 2015
 
Rated: 3.41 by Soloveitchik from New York

Mar 08, 2015
 
Rated: 3.6 by caffeinateme from Ohio

Feb 12, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by Tsar_Riga from Minnesota

Dec 01, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by spycow from Illinois

Nov 08, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by gentryka from Indiana

Sep 09, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by RBardes from Indiana

Jun 17, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by cmrillo from North Carolina

May 18, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by Berg-the-Boiler from Illinois

May 01, 2014
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Reviewed by buschbeer from Ohio

3.98/5  rDev +5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.25 | selection: 3.75 | food: 3.75
My friends and I checked out Scotty's before going to the Michigan v. Kentucky basketball game. The place was packed due to the NCAA basketball games going on at Lucas Oil Stadium a few blocks away. We had a couple beers outside on the patio while waiting to be seated. The patio was spacious with ample seating. There was a fire as the centerpiece. It was a nice outdoor facility.

We were seated a lot faster than we expected. The inside was brick with oak tables and bar. It had more of a sports bar feel. I had a couple Thr3e Wise Men beers since they were local. There coffee porter was great. There were plenty of beers on tap to choose from.

I ordered the Cajun blue cheese mac and cheese. It was great. My friends all seemed to enjoy the food and beer. Our waitress was great. She was efficient and courteous. I had a good time and would recommend catching a game and a pint.
Mar 31, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by cambrennan from Kansas

Feb 26, 2014
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Reviewed by zimm421 from Ohio

4.11/5  rDev +8.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.75 | food: 4
Spent about 4 hours here during B1G Championship weekend. Arrived right as they opened, and got a booth. The place went from completely empty, to filled to the max in the matter of a couple hours, but every place in town was like this that day. The atmosphere was great for me, very relaxed and laid back, with a good number of TV's, but nothing overwhelming. The booth we were in had a personal TV, which was nice as well. The place was well kept, clean and looked great.

The service we received was excellent. We made friends with our server very quickly and he paid great attention to us the rest of the day. Knew the menu very well, and offered suggestions for food and beer every time we were ready for something new. The burgers we had were excellent, as well as all the different appetizers we ordered.

The beers selection was great, but didn't blow me away. They had many different options from Thr3e Wise Men, which is an affiliated brewery. There were also other great local options as well, but not a huge variety. Overall, it was a great place to spend a few hours before going out to party hard for the game. Got great service, good food, and great beer. Definitely worth stopping in.
Dec 12, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by MSandahl23 from Indiana

Oct 09, 2013
Photo of boilermakerbrew
Reviewed by boilermakerbrew from Indiana

3.73/5  rDev -1.6%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5
The whole Scotty's chain has gone downhill the past year in my opinion, and downtown is no exception. Granted, most recently I was there during a Pacers' Eastern Conference Finals game, so my expectations of timely service were fairly low with how busy it was, but the service was friendly and slow.

Drink specials here really aren't very special, with a decent drink on special still costing at least $4-$5 for a beer. Decent enough selection of beer, but nothing really special or from smaller, harder to get, breweries.

Everything is clean and well kept, and servers are decently informed on food, not so much about the beers. Food ranges from good to ok. Tenderloin is my go-to, it's good, but not quite hand breaded quality, and their burgers and chicken sandwiches/wraps are ok. Hard to get any sandwich for under $10.

Overall, Scotty's is a decent attempt at a beer bar that has turned very commercial and close to mass-produced over the past year or two. Go here if someone you know thinks Blue Moon is craft and slightly above average sandwiches is their thing.
Jun 03, 2013
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Reviewed by IronCitySteve from Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev -11.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 2 | food: 4
A: It is a standard looking 'brewhouse' with your typical beer pub decor.

Ser: Fast and friendly. Nothing great, nothing disappointing. Very typical service you would expect.

Sel: The selection for a 'brewhouse' is rather mediocre. Lots of macros in bottles and on tap. Not much in the way of craft brews. There was a Three Floyds and Goose Island on tap. For bottles there were some Founders. Everything else was your standard macro.

F: Food was your typical pub fare. It was tasty and just fine. No complaints.

O: It is not a bad place, but if you are going for the craft beer selection, you should look elsewhere. The selection is disappointing. I would think a 'brewhouse' would have lots of craft beer. That was not case. But overall, my time here was fine, would not make this my first choice to visit again though.
Feb 05, 2012
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Reviewed by AllThingsNinja from Massachusetts

3.44/5  rDev -9.2%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5
The brewhouse is a mainstream sportsman with some high profile craft beers to expand the tap selection. It looks like every other contemporary sportsman, trimmed with flat screens. The drink specials emphasize macros and mixed drinks. Really, I'd rather hang out at a BW3s. There's nothing special here other than a disingenuous name. It's too bad. The location is nice, near the conseco field house and down town. The staff is civil and attentive. The place just lacks a certain beer advocacy. Or really anything remarkable. its a slice of Ohio in Indy. There is evidence of a mug club, but its just baffling. I'm surprised that they don't serve beers from the sister brewpub.
Jun 22, 2011
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Reviewed by mynie from Maryland

3.9/5  rDev +2.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
Decor wise, this is very similar to the Scotty's in West Lafayette. It's like a less chintzy, more sports oriented Applebee's. It avoids the ersatz soulessness of other sports-themed bar/grill chains, (place like Buffalo Wild Wings), but it doesn't exactly feel comfortable or genuine.

Vibe wise, it's a bit fancier than the one in West Laf. The crowd wore business attire, the building it was in had much nicer architecture, and the wait staff was more attractive (though they made the bar tenders wear skimpy outfits, which I hate. I know I'm probably in the minority here but I don't like mixing my overt objectification of women with my beer bars. You want to oogle tits, go to Hooters.)

The selection was tight: about two dozen taps, 18 of which weren't BMC. There's a beer for every mood, and FFF and Sun King were very well represented.

The prices were higher than in Lafayette, but not egregious, especially for a bar downtown in a major metropolitan area.

Most importantly, though: This place is like three blocks away from Conseco Fieldhouse. It is therefore an *essential* pregame destination if you're going to watch the Pacers.
Jun 05, 2011
Photo of cwcolby74
Reviewed by cwcolby74 from Indiana

4.05/5  rDev +6.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
I have mixed feelings about the various Scotty's Brewhouses I've visited. This one in particular is expensive for what you're getting. The food is good. The beer selection is great, bordering on excellent, especially with regard to in-state breweries.

The atmosphere is great. It's like an upscale sports bar, but one you'd feel equally comfortable taking a date or even your parents to.

I know a person who was a server here, and they have to take classes and an exam over their beers, even if they aren't old enough to drink them. They have to know what styles they are, where they're made and enough about how they taste to be able to make an informed suggestion to a customer if asked. That said, it seems many of their servers forget what they're tested on pretty quickly, because you ask questions and the answers aren't always correct.

Lastly, my biggest issue came about three months ago when I went during happy hour. They had a domestic pitchers special. I ordered Sun King, which is a local Indianapolis brewery. When the bill came, they had charged me regular price. I asked what happened, and they explained a "domestic" pitcher is only the usual BMC suspects. When I asked what category Sun King falls under, I couldn't get an answer. They did change my bill to charge me the special rate.

Anyway, I'd recommend this place if you want to sample a wide variety. The waitresses are rather infamously attractive, and the service is usually really good. Just expect to spend some money.
Mar 14, 2011
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Reviewed by phisigben from Kentucky

3.9/5  rDev +2.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 5
I have been to the Muncie, Downtown, and 96th street Scotty's of the three the downtown has the best tap list and Munice has the worst. Its nice to go and watch a game there are plenty of TV's around the service is usally good I have never had a complaint about them. The selection isnt bad but its not the most diverse selections I have ever seen. I my book if you have Two Hearted, Gumballhead, Stone stuff, and Sun King stuff you have a pretty good selection of beers. IMO what sets them apart is their food their fried dill pikcle chips and burgers are amazeing.
Jan 13, 2011
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Reviewed by curly31989 from Colorado

4.15/5  rDev +9.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Some fellow BA's recommended this one while I was in the city last week. Definitely glad I went there.

The food was pretty good. Typical all encompassing menu like Chili's or Chedders. The food was good though.

The tap list was huge. I was pumped to see 4 Stone beers on tap including Double and Lukcy Basartd. The list catered to both "light" beer drinkers and the more adventurous. I was a little surprised to not more area native beers. They did have 3Floyds, Sun King, and Founders, but nothing really rare or seasonal just their flagship beers.

The service was good. We had a fun bartender but she didn't really know a clue about beer. They over filled every drink too which was a little annoying. One good thing, was she accidently filled a 16oz instead of a 8oz for my double basatrd!

But hey, I was able to get some Stone which I can't get in central Illinois, so I was thrilled.
Dec 09, 2010
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Reviewed by lbaker from Indiana

3.88/5  rDev +2.4%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
I loved the original Scott's in Bloomington and this visit in Indy did not dissapoint. We managed to walk here after the Pacers game Wednesday and was blessed with cheap microbeers by the pitcher. Scott's is notorious for cheap pitcher nights, but man, when you pay full price you pay full price. On other nights expect to pay 18 bucks for a craftbrew...but on Wed's its only $9. Food is excellent, always get the wraps and waffle fries...honey mustard of course. Wish they had a bigger selection of Upland brews on draft...need to give more props to B-town! The perfect place to enjoy cheap pitchers of Gumballhead. Service is decent, just don't bother on weekends!
Feb 20, 2010
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Reviewed by One4Peace from New York

4.18/5  rDev +10.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
Fiancee and I came for dinner and beer, scouting the location for a possible wedding after-party. Day before Grand Opening and everything seems to be running smoothly.

Beer - decent selection, representing 5 or 6 local/state brewers (recommend Brugge Tripel de Ripple) and a few other regionals -
best deal is four 5oz. glass sampler for $5

Wednesday - 48oz. micro pitchers $7
Thursday - $2.50 pints

Food - appetizers and dinner were good, albeit a little pricey - try the Mo' Fo' Cluck

Atmosphere - no smoking, family-friendly, a gazillion TVs, 150-seat outdoor patio w/ fire pit

Overall - recommended!
Apr 26, 2009
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Reviewed by yeastsipper from California

2.53/5  rDev -33.2%
vibe: 3 | quality: 2 | service: 3.5 | selection: 2 | food: 2.5
In Indy for work and was looking for a place to have some local beers and watch basketball. Scotty's was recommended.

I have to say, I was extremely disappointed. First of all, their motto is "Think globally, drink locally." I agree. Unfortunately, their tap list does not.

About 40 beers on draft, but about 75% is swill. Locally, on draft they had 2 different Three Floyd's (Rbt the Bruce, Gumballhead), 1from Upland (wheat) (wtf, scotty's started in bloomington), and Bell's 2 hearted. They did have stone AB, but I get that at home in CA. I would have loved to have seen more 3 Floyds, Upland, some Chicago or St. Louis stuff. Not to be.

Portions are enormous. ENORMOUS. Typical bar food fare.

Atmosphere was fine. Youngish crowd. Great Thursday night pint specials.

There has to be a better option in Indy. I will not be going back to Scotty's.
Mar 28, 2009
Scotty's Brewhouse - Downtown in Indianapolis, IN
Place rating: 3.79 out of 5 with 32 ratings