Indy 500 for 2019

Hey man.... sounds like a great trip.

But Indiana is actually in the Great Lakes forum, not the Midwest one.

 

Deviate on the north side should be your top priority.

https://www.instagram.com/deviatebrewing/?hl=en

 

And if you are going to the Indy 500 then you might want to stop in. Daredevil is 4 blocks south of the track on Main Street. We open at 8 am on Race Day for your pre-race needs - including carry out cans -- and we host an after party until 8 pm with food trucks and a beer garden. Obviously there all week too. You are not staying far from Daredevil Hall and we have the same carry out can options there as we do the home brewery in Speedway. Hope you enjoy your first Indy 500 + Cheers!

 

Definitely hit up Deviate. To me Sun King is a pass. Mostly mediocre beers IMO. Also just a short drive north is Moontown. Really good beer and food!

 

Deviate is hit or miss - when they hit, it's out of the park. When they don't, it's just good. They do stouts better than nearly anyone in the city, but the hops have been extremely inconsistent IMO. If you're staying in Lawrence area, I dunno that I'd make it a priority drive - there's not much there besides that, and you'll get way more bang for your buck time-wise if you head down into the city.

Regarding your two proposed stops... A) Sun King in Fishers is fine, their core beers are forgettable but their King's Reserve barrel-aged stuff is generally pretty good. Redemption Aleworks has meh beer, and I have had horrible, borderline homophobic customer service there - I'd stay away. Books & Brews is super cozy and the beer is fine, but nothing earth-shattering. I've not been to the far northside Mashcraft location, but their beer is always solid at their other locations - definitely a better bet than Redemption or B&B on that front.

B) I cannot recommend Daredevil highly enough IF you are into traditional styles - they do West Coast hops pretty damn well, but they really pride themselves on their lagers, which are bangers (Negra and Dark Mild are killer). If you aren't so much into that, then maybe it's worth more of a drive.

I grew up in the NE Indy area and live more in the central area now, but if I were you, here's what I'd do if you can get away on both days: hit one of the nearby places (Daredevil Hall or Sun King/Mashcraft) on Friday evening, and Saturday consider a trek into the Broad Ripple area. It'll mean a 20-25 minute drive, but you get access to much more interesting options. Take I-69/Binford Boulevard down to 65th St to stop in at Bier Brewery, which has a tiny taproom but does some of the best traditional styles in the city - they also have more carryout than most places aside from Daredevil. Head a little further south (you'll go by Blind Owl Brewing, but that's a hard pass) and take 46th St over to Black Circle for a flight and their Cuban food (get empanadas, thank me later). Head back north a bit to Twenty Tap, the best-curated beer bar in the city and awesome food. Parking is a bitch since they're restructuring that road, but it's completely worth walking a block. North another few blocks is Broad Ripple Village, where you have more great food and beer at Brugge Brasserie (plus Hopcat if you want a giant but overpriced selection). If you still need more beer, you can head straight north and get a decent flight at Big Lug Canteen on 86th St on your way back to the NE side.

Note that if barbecue is more your jam than pub food, feel free to swap out any stop in Broad Ripple for Half Liter BBQ & Brewery - it's right down the road and their German styles are great.

Black Acre is really good, but you have to really want to go there because it's a haul from where you'll be. If you do decide to go that far south, I'm happy to make other recommendations that are kinda sorta in that area.

Hope that helps. Cheers and welcome to Indy.

 

Also going to the 500, staying in lot 2 and hoping to make it to Daredevil. Unfortunately my buddies refuse to drink anything but macro so we’ll see if I can persuade them. Maybe I’ll take a walk over and at least get some cans to go for the race. Does anyone know if they sell any Indiana beers inside the track? We are bringing in coolers but would like to grab a couple crafts if possible. Thanks

 

Not to the point of the OP's question, but here is a recommendation based on an old memory from 1984 when I went to the track -- you'll need some food to soak up the beer, so get some of the fried chicken while there. Back then it was a tradition, but after 35 years, I don't know. Maybe someone who is a more recent visitor can confirm. Anyone?

 

I'd never tell you to skip a place - even your least favorite brewery has the ability to surprise you from time to time.

But since I work for Sun King, I'll tell you that our Fishers location has 20+ beers on tap at all times, and that the tap list is here - if you see things that are up your alley, then stop in. We'd love to have you, and you can get track-friendly crowlers of a lot of the beer on tap.

I'm not too familiar with what Books & Brews or Redemption have to offer, but I drink at the Mashcraft location on the south side of town regularly, and I never leave disappointed.

Haven't been to Daredevil Hall yet but these guys kill it and the hall looks like an even better version of what they've got going on in Speedway.

I love Black Acre. Don't know Black Circle.

 

I haven't been to the race in a while but last time I was out there, you'd be hard-pressed to find a craft selection. They did have a trailer out by the back stretch of the road course... but that was a road race.

 

If you don’t include a trip to Deviate you are doing it wrong. The best beer in town and it isn’t even close. The Sun King Taphouse in Fishers has some decent options and is worth going, but I agree there core beers are a pass. Metazoa downtown has some good options, but past that, nothing in indy to write home about.

 

I go to the race every year and it’s pretty much macro inside the gates. There might be some stands but I’m guessing it would just be Sun King if anything, which is beyond subpar.. you’re better off packing your cooler with cans you like and bringing it in. Don’t forget to pack water too, it can get really hot.

 

Thanks for your support.

 

Thanks, gonna look around this year, your right on the temperature, saw lots of people down and out from the heat and maybe some other things last year

 

I, too, go to The 500 every year. If you go without a cooler of your choice of craft beer and definitely some food to soak it up, then you're doing it wrong. The fried chicken recommendation is a good one. Just be sure your cooler is within their size restriction (it needs to fit under you seat) and no glass.

 

No offense man, but if Deviate and Metazoa are the only places in Indy that you think are good, then I have to take issue with your opinion that there is no good beer here.

Bier, Black Circle, Brugge and Liter Haus all have great beer and are just as easily accessible from the NE side as Deviate (and are more consistent beyond one style IMO). If @MonkeyBread wanted to go a bit further, the Koelschip, Black Acre and Indiana City all have good to great beer. Daredevil makes absolutely stellar lagers, easily some of the best crafted beers in the city - definitely worth writing home about if you're into those styles!

 

I'm surprised no one has mentioned it yet, but since you're staying in the Lawrence area, check out Triton Brewing. I wouldn't rate it as a top 3 in Indy but it's located in the same area as where you'll be staying. Aside from that; Deviate (usually everything is great), Indiana City (NE IPAs), and Daredevil (IPAs and Lagers) are all worth checking out as others mentioned. Twenty tap, Tomlinson Taproom, and Hopcat would be your best craft beer bar options IMO.

 

I considered it, but I haven't had much from Triton that I can honestly recommend these days. Their fruited goses have been solid (but he's not into sours), and one or two of their limited release BA beers have been okay, but most of their stuff is pretty meh. Plus, there is nothing else out that way in terms of beer, so it would largely be a wasted trip IMO.

 

Tomlinson is my favorite place to go drink Indiana beer. They have a great variety and sometime some rare beers. Also not far from there is a pizza place called Greeks Pizzeria. They have a neat beer room upstairs and their pizza is really good.