Indianapolis Reccomendations Needed

Flat 12 and Bier Brewery would be my suggestions in addition to what you mentioned. Flat 12 is easy access downtown and Bier Brewery is easier access to the north side. Both do free tastings of their entire lines. Bier has PDG Pale on this week, which is outstanding. Flat 12 will have Flat Jack on Friday, which is a great pumpkin brew. Their pales and porters/stouts are outstanding in my opinion. If you're looking for a good selection of Indiana Distribution but not necessarily local, I would recommend 20 Tap (actually 36 taps I think now).

 

If you're going to visit 20 Tap or the Upland Tasting room I'd definitely recommend stopping into Kahns on Keystone and asking for me. We have the biggest selection in the area. Cheers!

 

Goose the Market / Smoking Goose. Just buy some bulk pastrami and eat it all week long.

 

38 taps....but who is counting

I echo Rob's post. Definitely get to Flat 12 for Flat Jack and Bier is awesome. Kahns at 54th and Keystone is awesome and shouldn't be missed for bottles. Al is awesome. And you have to go Twenty Tap....

downtown food wise I really love Barcelona Tapas....it's something different, but really good.

 

Start with this: http://hoosierbeergeek.blogspot.com/p/where-to-drink-in-indianapolis.html

But yes, do yourself a favor and go to Flat 12 for Flat Jack (and just about anything else they offer). 20 Tap has a great selection of beer and the food is also great. Same with Brugge. For food downtown, it's really dependent on what you want, though personally I'll vouch for a number of the restaurants in/near South Broad Ripple (where 20 Tap is).

Edit: There's also the Tomlinson Tap room downtown in the City Market. Tom Tap has nothing but Indiana beers on, and the City Market is a great place to grab lunch--lots of smaller vendors with amazing food.

 

I have been to the Upland Tasting Room in Indy, and it was quite an enjoyable experience. Coffee-shop atmosphere, very laid back. They had a food truck outside that served delicious Italian food. I would drive to Indy just to go back there, honestly.

 

I spend much of my time and beer dollars on Mass Ave. Macnivens, old point tavern, chatam tap, the rathskeller, ball and biscuit, and my favorite for a great meal is Black Market. They do outstanding food and good beer menu.

I am also a massive fan of the Fountain Square area. la Margarita is great Mexican food with a top notch beer selection, red lion froghouse, new day meadery, B's Po Boys and Imbibe and from there you can walk across the street to Fountain Square Brewing company. I truly think they are putting out the best and most consistent beer in Indy.

Downtown you can stop into the ram and rock bottom. yes they are chains but Jerry and Andrew are putting out some great beer that have control over outside of the corporate beers. I hope you enjoy the city. I can meet you out for a beer downtown anytime.

 

Sorry for the spelling and grammar. Typing that on my phone and then trying to edit didn't work so well.

 

just my experience, but I've found Fountain Square beers to be slightly mediocre. i haven't visited in a while, so hopefully they are getting better. I did like Hop for Teacher, but that's about it. Big Nuggets and Bigger Nuggests were so-so for me. They would be on the bottom of the list of breweries i would want to visit. But they are worth the visit if you can make it....

 

I've been going there on Sundays for the last three months, so I can't speak to how they were when they opened, but I love the pils and the porter. I've just been looking for good and consistent beer lately, and something I can always come back to. I love variety don't get me wrong, but it has been nice to find the same beers that are consistently delicious.

 

well that makes sense. I went a few times closer to when they opened and wasn't in love with it. The porter was ok too when I went. It's great when you find something that you consistently enjoy....and like i said, it's definitely worth a stop if the OP is able. sounds like i need to get back down there sometime soon.....

 

Vaguely surprised no one has mentioned Broad Ripple Brewpub - if you like English-style ales, it's a must-stop. Cask engine with two beers at all times, usually one of them is their ESB which I'd consider a paramount for the style in Indy/Indiana. The food is great and diverse, plenty of offerings for vegetarians/vegans as well.

I'll echo the Fountain Square love. I think their Pils is by far the best lagered offering in the city and I've drank a lot of it since discovering it this summer.

Another that got skipped is Rock Bottom on the Northside (86th St.), head brewer Liz brews really great seasonal and one-offs, definitely worth a stop in.

Hope you enjoy your time in our fair city!

 

Bier Brewery and Triton Brewery on the north side is a cool day trip. You can grab growlers at Bier then have a few pints at Triton and hit whatever foodtruck they have there at the time. For my money Triton Railsplitter is my favorite IPA in the city and Bier is for sure worth a visit.

 

- Go to Bier Brewery early in the week. They usually run out of some selections towards the end of Saturday with Brew Bus tours and other regulars.
- RAM has a tapping tomorrow (Thursday) and the above mentioned Flat Jack taping at Flat12. Flat Jack is tasting fantastic already this year based on DigIN debut.
- If you're working downtown, go to the city market on Friday for lunch; get a sandwich from Brad gates catering, Fermenti Artisian, or a crepe from 3 days in Paris and go upstairs to Tomlinson Tap Room for a beer or two.
- If you're here over the weekend, definitely do the Fountain square rounds of New Day, La Marg, End of the Line, B's Po Boy (Bocce courts outside) and Fountain Square on Saturday.
- If you're staying north of 96th street, Don't drink and drive. Seriously. Hamilton county is one of the toughest police states in the nation.
- Remember, Indiana is the only state where you cannot buy carryout alcohol on Sundays except growlers from breweries.

 

Black Market has fantastic food...the first time my wife and I went a year ago for our anniversary was one of the best meals I've had, period. Just a few taps, but they generally have something I'm excited to drink. Yes, you can go in to City Market - depending on time of day/evening, some of the vendors may be closed, but the Tomlinson Tap Room keeps later hours and there's generally a food option or two (Tom Tap doesn't have food, just Indiana beer). IMO, Brugge and 20 Tap are both worth the trip up to Broad Ripple...both have nice menus and plenty of good beer options. 20 Tap puts a photo of their beer menu up each day on Facebook, so it's always up to date.

 

Common mistake.

 

The Shrimp Cocktail is a little expensive, but it's kind of a tradition to waste $15 bucks on a few Prawns there. You're paying extra for the 3x horseradishness and a pinch of hype.
Did you try any of the steaks? I think the Cowboys is my favorite steak for the price there.
Did you bring any beers to trade?

 

Should've gone upstairs to the bar/lounge and had the sliders and a couple drinks. Make some friends and split a shrimp cocktail (I don't care for it at all).