Guide to Brew Pubs in Indianapolis, Indiana

If you only drink one beer, and it was advertised every five minutes during the Super Bowl, go to a sports bar. But if you are the type of person who likes a beer with unique aromas, textures and tastes, go to a brew pub. And if you want an alternative to your favorite six-pack from the liquor store, take some beer home with you in a growler.

Don't be intimidated by your lack of knowledge about beer. A brew pub is an excellent place to learn the difference between ales and lagers, pilsners and porters, or reds and browns. I learned half of my knowledge about beer from brew pubs right here in Indianapolis. If you have questions, ask the bartender or servers. Or, if you're lucky, the brewmaster will be off duty and sitting next to you at the corner of the bar. Usually he is a scruffy-looking guy drinking something dark out of a glass mug.

Every beer drinker has a unique pallet. If you like hoppy pale ales and dark oatmeal stouts like me, you will find my beer descriptions especially helpful. I should also mention that I detest wheat beers and have never understood why people get excited about Belgian style beer.

Rock Bottom Brewery, 10 W. Washington St., Downtown, Indianapolis, creates a line of beers that I respect as the standards of what brew pubs should be. Their standard lineup of six beers has a consistency that is amazing. The "Sugar Creek Pale Ale" is hoppy enough to keep me happy, but not overboard. The "Brickway Brown" is chocolaty and creamy-smooth, and never fills you up. The "Hoosier Ma Stout" can go head to head with Guinness, and if I wasn't Irish, I wouldn't know which one was better. They do make a "Circle City Light" just for those people who wander in off the street, looking for a Bud Light, but Rock Bottom doesn't carry any beer that they don't brew. The everyday beers at Rockbottom aren't flashy, they're quality. But if you want something a bit different, a little darker, a little stronger, a little hoppier, ask the bartender what the brewer's choice is on the eighth and ninth taps. These change frequently and could be a barley wine or a special India Pale Ale.

In addition to the wonderful beer, Rock Bottom has a top-notch selection of bourbons, wonderfully-hearty, moderately-priced, All-American food, and a staff of servers and bartenders who not only smile to be polite, but seem to honestly like their jobs. In addition to the large bar and restaurant seating-area upstairs, they have a basement filled with pool tables, a jukebox, another medium-sized bar, and enough space to host a huge party (which they do offer).

Broad Ripple Brew Pub, 840 E. 65th St., is another amazing brew pub. It takes pride to be the oldest brew pub in Indianapolis, est. 1990. This is a bar with some character. It's filled with nooks and crannies, and a fireplace in the winter where comfortable seating can be found to hold private conversations with friends. I personally think all bars should be at least 20 years old, and this one has the charm of of 80. I don't even mind the cobwebs on the antique light fixtures. Again, the staff seemed knowledgeable and at home with the customers. In fact, local brewers from around the city hang out at this place, chatting about and sipping on their craft. Their beer menu doesn't just brag about its own beer, but also offers some of the best microbrews from around Indiana and the rest of the country. They even have some ciders and a couple gluten-free beers if you're into that.

Sure I stay away from the wheat beer, but every other creation at the Broad Ripple Brew Pub is exciting to try. My least favorite is the "Lawn Mower" pale ale. I sipped it and thought, "grass?" Then I thought, "how--why--who would make grass-flavored beer on purpose? Would I have thought of grass even if the name wasn't named 'Lawn Mower?'" I still can't answer that. Next comes "Hopcicle," a 7.7% abv. beer that smelled like marijuana, tasted like summit hops and finished with a buttery aftertaste. It was very unique, and I can appreciate this beer in small doses, but even my extreme love of hops was satisfied after one. A beer that really stands out is the "Republic Ale," an oatmeal java stout made with lots of french roast coffee from Hubbard and Cravens. It tastes like carbonated espresso, a taste sensation I didn't know would be so enjoyable. I wonder if the caffeine content can overpower the 6.3% abv.? Another great creation is the "Monon Porter," a cask ale with a mocha aroma and the creamiest texture. It can take the place of desert.

Brugge Brasserie, 1011 E. Westfield Blvd., has two strikes against it in my book--the dumbest name for a bar imaginable, and a specialization in the Belgian-style ales. Did I mention I have no respect for Belgian beer? The downstairs bar is small to the point of being cramped by a few tables. It's a popular bar, beloved by it's Belgian-loving regulars on a Saturday night. When I admitted that the signature beer, the sweet, un-hopped "Triple de Ripple," was not my favorite, two Barfly Betties drunkenly stared at me, aghast in open-mouthed horror, so I quickly went upstairs.

Upstairs is larger and more open with a large bar, but the whole place has very little decor, unless "run-down" is a decor these days. This brew pub is only five years old, but it felt like a frat house mess hall. The "Dementia--A Farmhouse Tale Ale" was a comparatively hoppy Belgian mistake. Their "Black" beer (must have used up their creative names) was colored by dark grains but again had no hops, no character except a dishwater sourness. To their credit they do serve some very good beers such as "Alpha King" by Three Floyds Brewery in Munster, IN. I've only visited the Brugge Brasserie (how do I pronounce that?) one time, and the service was as good as can be expected on a busy Saturday night. I would go back to give it another try on a weekday but I have no business being there. Maybe they have good food.