Indianapolis Recommendations

There will be plenty of other recommendations but I try to either of Black Acre or Bier when I’m in town.

 

My fav breweries are Guggman (downtown - hazies) and Deviate (Carmel - northeast of Indy). Sun King has locations in downtown, Carmel and fishers. The Carmel one has a huge outdoor space if you happen to have kids with you (also a distillery) and there is a lot to do in Carmel. I like sun king for crispy bois but most of their beer is good not great. Also on the other end of Carmel there is Dare Devil which makes decent beer (also a spot on the west side by the speedway) but there are a lot of good food options in that area. If you haven’t already booked a spot the Iron Works is cool and connects to Dare Devil. It is walking distance from a few restaurants/bars. Moontoon brewing is a little out of the way but their beer and food are good. Opposite side (near airport) there is Black Dog which does some pretty good stuff. I’ve not been but the beers I’ve had from them have been pretty good.

My favorite beer bars are the Taproom in Carmel and Ale Emporium in Fishers (they are known for their wings and they are pretty awesome). Downtown I’ve heard District Tap is pretty cool.

For upscale food, St Elmo’s is a well known steak house downtown and their sister restaurant is Harry & Izzy’s in Carmel. Also, Convivio does good Italian food (in Carmel and Zionsville) and I hear Noah Grants is good (Zionsville). I’ve Also heard that Savor is good (Carmel) but never been. Convivio you may not need a reservation but the rest you would. On the cheaper side of food, Joella’s does some great fried chicken.

In comparison to Chicago, you will probably be let down. The beer selection in Indiana pales in comparison to the selection up there. I hope this helps and you enjoy your time here.

 

That spot in Carmel downtown is awesome

 

I’ll give my buddy a plug. If you happen to go to Upland, get the Bison burger. First of all it’s great, second of all my good buddy owns Red Frazier Bison which is the farm they are raised on here in Indiana.

If you can’t make it to Upland, he has stuff all over in butcher shops you can take home to cook. He is a good dude and I always try to support local when I can.

 

I'll second Guggman Haus, Black Acre and Deviate. Add Upland, Taxman, 18th St.

Metazoa is pretty solid and knocks a few outta the park. Indiana City is an easy tick but nothing over the top. I keep giving Sun King a try and am thoroughly underwhelmed every time. Daredevil is pretty damned good.

 

Any new recommendations for Indy? Will be there in 2 weekends

 

Kismetic. Super good, wide range of styles and everything I had was great. Black Acre and 18th St have closed since last year.

 

Black Acre's closing was a surprise.

@galos11 I really like the beers at Daredevil, especially their German ones.

Only visited Guggman Haus right before Civid hit, and the beers were very good.

 

I'll be at Deer Creek (I'm not calling it Ruoff Music Center) in early August for 3 nights of Phish. I'm sure we'll make at least one day trip into Indy for food/beer, so I figured I'd see if there are any updates since this thread has been dead for over a year now.

And as far as food, we'd prefer somewhere with a decent beer list (looks like Ale Emporium fits that bill), but that's not a deal breaker. Probably looking for something like sandwiches, burgers, pizza, or anything uniquely local that's tasty.

 

uniquely local would be a tenderloin sandwich. i was back visiting family and tried to take the girlfriend to all the old spots on the southside and most of them weren't around anymore, so maybe one of the locals will pipe in on that. that said, there's no accounting for taste (insert phish comment here)

20 tap would be a better spot than ale emporium in my opinion. unless you're looking for that chilis/applebees atmosphere (caveat that the northside locations might not be as cheesy as the southside one.

 

Southside Ale Emporium is a family friendly restaurant. Northside Ale Emporium (Castleton) is a 21 and over bar… much different vibe sounds like. If you’ve been to Bloomington, IN it reminds me of Kilroys.

 

For any Deer Creek wanderers… Bier Brewery built a brand new facility in Noblesville. I’ve heard it has an awesome outdoor space. Beer is just OK… decent pils but space is cool.

 

I might as well glom onto this. I will be in Indy next week for Gencon. Staying near the speedway. We have a rental car so it doesn't need to be near that area and I expect the downtown area will be a s-show with the convention. Flying in early on Wed and leaving early on Mon.

Looking for any "must" drink beers I might find in the area, bars/breweries, and restaurants/brewpubs. Just two guys and it does not need to be family friendly. I have reservations 3 nights for dinner at Root and Bone, Union 50, and Rathskeller. I can cancel for better choices though.

 

You're probably spoiled w/ hazies, but would highly recommend checking out Guggman. They brew other styles but that's their feature. Dare Devil has a location close to the speedway - I like their Kolsch, Lager & Pils that are all on right now. Those are closest to where you will be.

If you've never had Narrow Gauge or if you have and like it, they opened a taproom called The Abandoned Station north Indy but not too far. As mentioned, Twenty tap is good downtown Indy.

I don't know if you'll find "must" drink beer here hahaha... but those are the best local options IMO.

If you are looking for solid BA stouts on the shelf, I've seen Toppling Goliath Termoil (forget exact variant) and Toppling Timbers around. They're fairly high priced and locals don't seem to bother.

 

Bumping this.

Anyone been to West Clay Wine and Sprits for their beer selection? Looking for a craft beer store replacement for the shuddered Vine and Table. TY!

 

Yes, one of the better craft beer selections in the area. Also, if you like bourbon, they have the best bourbon selection and barrel pick options around. They will let you sample most any bourbon in the store. While they have a good selection of craft brews, I think Total Wine in Carmel has a wider selection. Kind of depends what you’re looking for but regularly has fresh Hop Butcher.

 

Thanks for this! Def leaning IPAs currently, so it sounds like Total Wine is my best bet (they're the ones with Hop Butcher, right?)