The Beer and Hiking Guide to: Indianapolis
Your primer for this week’s Craft Brewers Conference
Craft brewers from across the country will be converging upon Indianapolis next week for the Craft Brewers Conference, where they will discover a city that knows how to put on a big event. Seriously, the compact downtown was basically built to host an influx of visitors.
Staying in the downtown area can be a great experience, but you’ll want a car to experience everything the city has to offer, as public transportation is a work in progress and outside of downtown the city is extremely spread out. It covers a huge area with neighborhoods functioning like suburbs would in other metro areas. That’s why people are shocked to learn Indianapolis is the 16th-largest city in the United States. The actual suburbs have seen rapid population growth in the past couple decades, but it’s still only the 33rd-largest metro areas in the country, which gives it the feel of a smaller city.
I spent my college years in Indianapolis, lived there for a year after graduating, and make several trips every year to my distributor’s headquarters in the city, so I consider it a second home and the area outside South Bend/southwest Michigan that I feel most qualified to discuss.
Naptown is waking up and I’ve witnessed the explosion that’s taken place on the brewing scene since I first came of drinking age in the city 14 years ago.And while the lack of density has some drawbacks, it leaves a lot of room for a robust trail system and hidden pockets of nature in an urban landscape.
This guide will focus exclusively on options within the I-465 loop. Part two focusing on outside the loop and the suburbs will drop shortly.
A Note on Categories
Bars/restaurants and bottle shops will just highlight those to visit. Bars/restaurants recommendations are mostly for the beer options. The list of breweries will be exhaustive since it’s a finite number and a little bit more difficult to judge with limited info. It’s generally pretty easy to determine whether a liquor store or bar is going to have a good selection with a snap judgment.
Breweries will be broken down into four categories.
Seek Out - These are the breweries that you should make an extra effort to visit. They’re either extremely high quality, have great atmospheres, or brewing philosophies that stand out from the crowd, and usually some combo of all these. I’ve ranked the top 3 if you really want to narrow it down.
If You’re Near - These are the breweries that might nail one of the above criteria but aren’t the ones you plan a trip around. They’re good, great even, but the atmosphere might be lacking, or the experience is going to be just like a hundred other breweries you’ve been to. Unless there’s something of particular note, I won’t elaborate on these.
If You Don’t Have Other Options - Normally you’re not going to go to these breweries, but perhaps they’re the only option open or nearby. In that case they’re perfectly serviceable. The beer is likely fine but uninspired. You’re not going to regret going but you also won’t really remember it. Unless there’s something of particular note, I won’t elaborate on these.
Avoid - I don’t care if it’s your only option, do not go here. The beer won’t just be bad by subjective measures, it will be objectively flawed. Or there’s no reason to support the owners. Very few breweries will fall into this category and I’m hesitant to put anyone in it that hasn’t been open for at least a year. A year is a good amount of time to get any opening issues worked out and at least make something serviceable.
Hikes will be somewhere in the middle of the two approaches, focusing mainly on those that fall in the first two categories.
Bars/Restaurants
Dorman Street (Near East) - An industry bar where you’ll find craft but be just as at home drinking a domestic.
Futuro (Holy Cross - Near East) - Possibly the best Detroit-style pizza outside the Motor City with a great beer selection to match.
Goose the Market (Fall Creek Place - Near North) - A head-to-tail butcher shop with a solid beer selection. The sandwiches are the star, but you won’t be disappointed with the beer options.
Kuma’s Corner (Fountain Square - Near Southeast) - Yes, it’s technically a Chicago spot, but the Indy location replicates the original with solid beer and burgers.
Mayfair Taproom (Windsor Park - Near East) - Wide-ranging tap list with a solid mix of local and further afield. Classic bar food if you’re hungry.
Ralston’s Drafthouse (Downtown) - Good mix of local and wider Indiana offerings. Typical bar food.
Slippery Noodle Inn (Downtown) - You’re not going to find the most amazing beer selection, but you’ll find some local options and some really good jazz in Indiana’s oldest continually-operated bar.
The Rathskeller (Downtown) - A slice of Germany in the Circle City. Robust European options with some locals mixed in.
Bottle Shops
Kahn’s Fine Wines & Spirits (Canterbury-Chatard - Near North) - This is the one spot in town to find a consistently good selection. The thing about Indiana is that most of the liquor stores are chains and selections can really be hit or miss depending on the location of the store within the chain. Kahn’s is independent and well-curated.
Breweries
Seek Out
Bier Brewery (Allisonville - Northeast) - What Bier lacks in name originality, it makes up for in technical prowess. Weizengoot has historically been one of the best hefeweizens in the state and Bier was putting a lot of effort into lagers before it was cool.
Broad Ripple Brewpub (Broad Ripple - North) - The OG, Indy’s original brewpub and the state’s longest operating craft brewery, Broad Ripple Brewpub opened in 1990 with a focus on English styles. The lineup has expanded to play around with other styles, but the English ones are still the heart and soul and it’s one of the few spots in the city to find cask offerings.
Daredevil Brewing Co (Speedway - West, Keystone - Northeast) - Daredevil’s original Speedway location is the closest brewery to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Lift Off IPA may be the flagship by far, but it’s always been the lagers that are extremely underrated and some of the best in the state. Daredevil Hall on the north side is more of a taproom/bar hybrid, offering a robust lineup of house beers and a very well curated guest list.
(1) Guggman Haus Brewing Company (Riverside - Near Northwest, Meridian-Kessler - Near North) - Guggman Haus checks every single box. Some of the best modern hype styles like hazy IPAs, fruited sours, and barrel-aged beers? Check, but with none of the pretentiousness. A killer technical classic style focus? See a GABF gold for Winner’s Milk Jug Stout. A unique, comfy taproom, built from the ruins of the Boyle Racing Headquarters? Check. I love this brewery so much because they are exactly what a more mainstream-focused brewery should be. While the 46th Street outpost in Meridian-Kessler may lack the history of the Riverside brewery, it’s a good stop if you’re exploring the north side.
(2) Kismetic Beer Company (Christian Park - Near East) - Kismetic might be the most underrated brewery in Indiana, but those in the know get it. Co-founder Nicole Oesch designed a gorgeous taproom that intentionally bucks all the stereotypical trappings, which also describes the beers co-founder Ryan Oesch is putting out. Over three years, the brewery has only released 51 beers, a number practically unheard of in an industry where it’s all churn and burn. That’s allowed each to be dialed in, with a mix of highly-technical styles and original twists like the phenomenal Blueberry Blackberry Sage Sour, Orange Truffle Black IPA, and Amaro Saison.
Metazoa Brewing (Downtown) - Metazoa’s highly-technical focus driven by a former Goose Island brewer has resulted in multiple GABF medals over the years, including a 2020 Bronze for its hazy Wicked Pawesome. The brewery sticks with a zoological theme throughout.
(3) Sun King Brewery (Downtown) - Sun King is the brewery that kicked off the craft beer scene in Indianapolis. The flagship trio of cream ale, pale ale, and Scotch ale stands out and has been there since the start. The barrel program, on both the malt and sour sides, consistently brings home GABF and WBC medals, and is constantly innovating to stretch the limits of beer (see a rum and Coke-inspired beer).
Taxman Brewing Company (Downtown) - Taxman has filled the Belgian hole in the city left by the departure of Brugge Brasserie and carved itself a nice niche in the city’s scene. The original brewery is south of the city in Bargersville, but the Cityway outpost downtown is accessible and a great dining option.
Upland Brewing Company (Castleton - Northeast, Fountain Square - Near Southeast, Meridian-Kessler - Near North) - Upland started in Bloomington, hitched its wagon to an American wheat beer like so many of its Midwest brethren, and got involved in mixed fermentation beers early on. It’s rapidly expanded to several taprooms around the city and taproom.
If You’re Near
The Abandoned Station (Fall Creek Place - Near North) - This one has a bit of a caveat. In terms of the beer, this Indianapolis taproom of Missouri’s Narrow Gauge is a definite seek out. But it’s not an Indianapolis brewery, or even an Indiana brewery, so I have a tough time including it in the short list of must visits if you have limited time and want to get something you’re only finding in the Hoosier State.
Big Lug Canteen (Nora - North) - Big Lug is a great stop right off the Monon Trail for a solid combination of beer, branding, food, and vibes.
Black Circle (Fairgrounds - Near North) - Probably the only laundromat/brewery combo in the world? Definitely the only one with a bunch of pinball machines as well.
Blind Owl Brewery (Allisonville - Northeast) - Blind Owl may feel a bit more like a bar with it’s wide array of guest beers, but the house beers are highly technical and have delivered past GABF medals.
Centerpoint Brewing Company (Near Northeast, Broad Ripple - North) - Their porter is their second-most popular beer on Untappd, which tells you you’re in for a nice mix of variety.
Chilly Water Brewing Company (Butler-Tarkington - North, Downtown) - Chilly Water is all about the music (and the beer) and Smoke On the Lager is the best smoked beer in the city.
Half Liter/Liter House (Meridian-Kessler - Near North) - Big Lug’s sister beer hall/beer garden/BBQ spot, also conveniently located on the Monon.
MashCraft Brewing (Fall Creek Place - Near North) - Greenwood-based MashCraft’s Indy outpost always features an eclectic mix of beers that isn’t afraid to riff on the classics.
Natural State Provisions (Holy Cross - Near East) - Technically a restaurant but also a kind of de facto Indianapolis taproom for Lapel’s Pax Verum Brewing with an old school vibe.
Saint Joseph Brewery (Downtown) - Indy’s own entrant in the brewery in an old church category.
The Tap (Downtown) - Another Bloomington brewery with an Indy outpost and a massive mix of house beers and guest drafts.
If You Have No Other Options
Big Woods (Speedway - West, Keystone - Northeast)
Brew Link Brewing (Downtown)
Garfield Brewery (Garfield Park - Southeast)
Fountain Square Brewing Company (Fountain Square - Near Southeast)
Traders Brewing (Traders Point - Northwest)
Twenty Below Brewing (Meridian-Kessler - Near North)
Avoid
Here’s the awesome thing, there isn’t a brewery in Indianapolis that I would say to avoid. Thankfully the one or two making objectively bad beer are no longer around and the one with a whole host of issues (BrewDog) is as well.
Hikes
Central Canal Towpath (Riverside - Near Northwest, to Broad Ripple - North) - The Central Canal Towpath will always hold a special place in my heart because it runs right through the Butler University campus. The compacted stone path follows the water for 7.7 miles from Riverside to Broad Ripple, passing through the Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park and ending at the Monon Trail. Be sure to step off the path and stroll through Holcomb Gardens and the rest of the Butler campus.
Fall Creek Greenway (Riverside - Near Northwest, to Fort Harrison State Park - Far Northeast) - It might be surprising to learn that Indianapolis is full of waterways (funny story, the location of the capital city was chosen due to its access to the White River, which ended up being non-navigable for commercial purposes). The Greenway cuts northeast across the city for 10.9 miles
Holliday Park (Delaware Trails - North) - Short and sweet at 1.8-miles, but any time you can get on the banks of the White River in the city is worth it.
Indianapolis Cultural Trail (Downtown) - Eight miles of urban hiking starting in Fountain Square, encircling downtown, and taking a jaunt up Mass Ave is the perfect way to explore the city on foot. You can easily incorporate a walking brewery tour with Chilly Water, Taxman, Brew Link, Saint Joseph, Sun King, and Metazoa all on or just off the trail.
Monon Rail Trail (Downtown, straight north to Westfield, then northwest to Sheridan) - The 27.1-mile one way Monon Rail Trail is the premier trail in Indianapolis, running all the way from the northeast tip of downtown at the end of Mass Ave straight up the heart of the city’s north side, before continuing on into Carmel, Westfield, and Sheridan. I used to put a ton of miles on it when I lived about a half mile away from where it intersects 61st Street in Broad Ripple. Just north of Broad Ripple is one of my favorite sections where it crosses the White River and finds some peaceful green space. Half Liter and Big Lug Canteen are literally right on the trail, while Broad Ripple Brewpub, the Meridian-Kessler outposts of Guggman Haus and Upland, and Twenty Below are a few blocks away. Hit the suburbs and Sun King’s Carmel location is on the trail, Upland’s two Carmel spots and Westfield’s Grand Junction are a few blocks away
Virginia B. Fairbanks Art and Nature Park Trail (Woodstock - Near North) - 1.4 miles of nature tucked in a bend of the White River and sprinkled with sculptures thanks to the adjacent Newfields art museum.
White River Canal Walk (Downtown) - The White River State Park is an oasis of green space right downtown, hosts many of the city’s museums, and features a pleasant 3.4-mile trail along the White River and the Central Indiana Canal.
White River Wapahani Trail Loop (Downtown) - Another trail along the White River, this time making a 3.4-mile loop as the river heads northwest. The south side of the loop traverses behind the Indianapolis Zoo.