Downtown Indianapolis...

I don't have any specific info to answer your questions, but rather than searching on Google, if you use the Places feature here on BA you'll get rating and reviews from the BA members. Here's a link to a search that I did of Indy, but it's the entire city, not just downtown. Good luck and have a nice trip.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/place/...ubmit=Search&brewery=Y&bar=Y&eatery=Y&store=Y

 

While on a trip through Indy last year, I stopped at Kahn's Fine Wine & Spirits on Keystone Avenue. Highly recommended.

 

Indy is a very underrated craft beer city! I am from Indiana, and live in Florida, but get up there once a year and do my own brewery tour! Like mothergoose said, check the link. Another thing you can do (is what I did last year) was google best breweries in Indy and there is an amazing list that is provided. My personal suggestions are Sun King and Bier Brewery, but neither of those are catered to a family atmosphere.

 

Upland is a bit out of the downtown area, north of the city in Carmel. The Ratskeller is an old German-American club with a biergarten and indoor dining. For food, the go to place is St Elmo steak house. Go there even just for an appetizer of the shrimp cocktail (fresh horseradish, very good with an IPA).

 

This might not be helpful because they are closer to Carmel which is an Indy suburb. Carmel has a great downtown and I believe Upland and Sun King taprooms. There are a ton of great food spots, but I really like Matt the Millers. Right down the road is a beer bar called The Pint Room which usually has a great tap list. I really like Scotty’s Brewhouse for food as well, there are a few of these around the city. They aren’t much of a brewery, but I think they have a brewery they contract to brew beers specifically for them. My favorite Indy breweries are 1) Deviate and 2) Triton. I found out last time I was in Indy that there is actually a bus that takes you to multiple breweries with scheduled stops in the area. Thought it would be a pretty cool way to check out the brewery scene. Hope this helps.

 

Here's another avenue to take -- a search of the Great Lakes forum looking for threads that use 'Indianapolis' in the thread's title. Many of the threads are fairly recent so the info should still be valid.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/commun...Indianapolis&o=date&c[title_only]=1&c[node]=9

 

Central State doesn't have a tap room', but they own The Koeschip and it serves as their 'unofficial' tap room. I'd definitely recommend going there for their awesome beers, as well as they usually have other cool beers on tap and in bottles/cans. Plus, there's Goose the Market right next door where you can get some food and take it into The Koelschip.

Somewhat close by is a brewery called Black Circle. They do have a section for families, which is cool, and they have killer Cuban food. If you go here and need some bottles to take home, Kahns is just down the street.

 

Sun King is family friendly now, and we've added food as well.

Here's a current tap list if you're interested. And here's a menu for Oca, our food partner.

 

Sincerest apologies! I haven't been fortunate enough to have visited the past couple of years. That is great news and thank you for expanding to accommodate families!

 

Sun King is a must stop just because it's the largest and most well known in Indy. They beer is pretty good and they have recently added food from Smoking Goose.

Flat 12 is ok. It's close to Sun King. They have a pretty descent outdoor area if the weather is nice and sometimes a food truck outside.

Black Acre is pretty cool. Beer is pretty good. Very small outdoor seating on the sidewalk. They serve food but I'd recommend the great pizza place (Jockamo Pizza) next door.

St. Joseph's is pretty neat. It's an old church turned into a brewery. The beer is ok. They have pretty good food. It's right off Mass Ave. which is Indy's most popular strip of bars, shops and restaurants.

Chilly Water's beer is just ok but their location is great. They're at the end of Fletcher Place/Fountain Square which is another popular area with bars, shops and restaurants. It's right across the street from Hotel Tango which is a micro distillery.

Did a brewery crawl a couple weeks ago downtown. Hit several breweries including Daredevil, TwoDeep, MashCraft, Indiana City, Centerpoint, Fountain Square, and Metazoa. Can't really remember much to give a review of these places but it was definitely a great time that's for sure. If I recall I think there's a micro distillery across the street from Daredevil too.

Rebar is a pretty cool spot. It's not a brewery but they have about a dozen self serve taps and their food is pretty solid.

The Tap is just off Mass Ave. and has a large tap list. Food is pretty good too.

FYI Tow Yard recently went out of business.

So as you can see there are several breweries downtown Indy. I can't really say any of the beer is exceptional but they're all pretty descent and it's certainly a fun time bouncing from one to another in an Uber or beer bus.

Hope this is helpful and you enjoy Indy. If you have any other questions you can DM me.

 

If you are sticking to just downtown, these would be my suggestions:

Sun King & St Joseph are the only two breweries downtown worth going to (St Joseph more for the location than the beer).

Crown Liquors downtown is the best beer shop in the downtown area. There is a Big Red as well, which used to be a bank and they still have the vault downstairs, so that's cool to go see.

Tomlinson Tap and Ralstons are probably the best beer bars. Tom Tap is upstairs at the City Market, and about a block from Crown. City Market has a number of restaurant booths downstairs, so you can get good food and then head upstairs for a beer (Tom Tap carries IN brewed beer exclusively).

Good restaurants are plentiful downtown, so you're best served searching google for the cuisine or price range. Rathskeller (might have spelled that wrong) is a German restaurant with a very nice beer garden (if weather permits).

If you are willing to travel outside of downtown, then there are much better brewery options. Daredevil is making the best IPA's in town. Deviate is the most inventive (hope you like adjuncts). Black Acre, Bier, Koelschip and Black Circle are all worth visits too. Flat 12 is ok-ish, but they do have a nice outside area. Triton is about the same level, and not really in an easy to get to spot. Uplands tap room on College Ave is always a good choice. Brugge Brassiere in Broad Ripple has great food and some excellent beers (Pooka in particular). Hop Cat in Broad Ripple, Pint Room in Carmel and Ale Emporium in Castleton will have the best overall beer menus (all three have good food as well). If you like mead, New Day is a must stop as well.

 

As mentioned in multiple other Indy threads, the downtown Rock Bottom is definitely worth a stop for easily the best NE-style IPAs in Indy, coupled with some other incredible offerings (at least on occasion).

 

I really like the Koelschip & Black Acre. Rock Bottom has pretty good beer & your normal RB food menu. The RAM is fine. The Tap is a good food & beer option.
Non-beer, St Elmo’s is great but I prefer Harry & Izzy’s. Same steaks but less fancy. Check out their menu. I also like La Margarita in Fountain Square.
There’s a new Whole Foods opening that’ll have a bar.
Brugge in Broad Ripple is always good. I like Chilly Water too.
I like New Day meadery.
Remember that taproom & beer bars often are not family friendly. Indiana is very serious about no kids in bars.