May 7
Hi all! I know we've been away for a while, winter is our slow time while our "sitters" are in Florida. Now that they are on their way home, we should be able to get back to discovering and sharing what Indiana has to offer in local beer and eats!
I also wanted to share with you my new summer project. In my quest to feed myself and my family better I have set a new goal: only serve food purchased from the local farmers markets and local butcher, AND still stick to my weekly grocery budget. I thought I might share some of my findings with you. So far I have found some fabulous fresh greens, asparagus, and strawberries. Which, with some grilled chicken and homemade balsamic vinaigrette, combined into a delicious dinner salad.
Hope you all had a great winter and that your new year is going well!
Mar 8
We went out to dinner at Three Pints Brewpub in Plainfield the other night. They are located on SR 267, about a 1/4 mile north of the I70 exit. It is not very big on the inside but it has a nice patio area. Oh, it's non-smoking (as is all of Plainfield, bars included) and allows kids.
Now on to food and beer. We had the Plainfield Pale Ale and McClearens Scottish Ale, and for dinner it was the Pot Roast dinner and The Big One burger.
The Plainfield Pale Ale was a medium golden color with a slight spicy hop flavor and mild bitter finish. Good, not over bearing.
The McClearen's Scottish Ale was creamy, smooth, and slightly sweet. A rich, malty, flavorful beer.
My husband had the Pot Roast. He thought it was tender and was impressed with the homemade mashed potatoes.
I had the Big One burger with American cheese. It comes with tomato, lettuce, onion, and pickle, or you can order from a list of additional toppings. The burger was good, definitely filling.
With reasonable prices, fresh beer, a good assortment of guest taps, and friendly service, Three Pints is a nice addition to the Plainfield area.
Jan 25
A couple weeks ago Flat 12 Bierwerks celebrated their 1 year anniversary, at which time they shared many of their delicious specialty beers. One of those was Winter Cycle DIPA, described on their website as "Half Cycles pissed off Viking cousin." It boasts an IBU of 107, thanks to the 8 different hops used, and an ABV of 9.3%.
Now, those of you that know me personally know that I love the Half Cycle IPA....hoppy, spicy, delicious. So when I read about the Winter Cycle, I sat out in front of the Bierwerks waiting for them to open, I was that excited. Well, it didn't disappoint. It poured medium gold with a white head and smelled of hops. Although it is similar to the Half Cycle, it isn't just a more potent version. I found it to be more sweet than spicy, maybe because of the Juniper berries, and it had a pine hop finish. It is very drinkable, for hopheads, but because of the ABV you'll have to remember to limit yourself. I'm hoping they will have some left next time I make it downtown.
www.flat12.me
Jan 21
YEA!! We finally made it to the Fountain Square Brewing Company. First off, their address is 1301 Barth Ave., but good luck finding that. Barth Ave. is the alley that runs behind FSB. The easist way to find them is to go south from the fountain on Shelby St., they are on the west side of Shelby, across from The Brass Ring Lounge and next door to Bud's Market.
When we were there last weekend they were still finishing up the construction and decorating in the tasting room area, but from what they had done it looked like it was going to be a nice, comfortable hangout. A nice u-shaped concrete topped bar with metal art below the bar. Some cool, large, original beer label (FSB beer) paintings by local artist Bryan Moore, who also designed their logo. A repurposed corrugated tin ceiling. Comfortable seating. AND best of all, a friendly staff who was happy to share information about the brewery and the Fountain Square neighborhood.
Now, on to the beer. We enjoyed samples of all of their beers, but our favorites were the Tractor Head Blonde and the Hop For Teacher APA. They both poured with a nice golden color and white head. The Tractor Head had a nice sweet malt flavor with a very slight earthy hop finish. My husband really liked this, he's not a fan of the bitter hops or over hopped beer but he thought this was good. It has good flavor and is very palate friendly. The Hop For Teacher started with a similar sweet malt flavor but had more citrus and spicy hop flavors. As a self professed 'hop head', I really liked this beer. I found it refreshing with a good spicy hop finish.
FSB is a great addition to the Indy craft beer scene and will hopefully bring people down to Fountain Square area who haven't been there for a while. I think you'd be surprised with everything they have have to offer.
www.fountainsquarebrewery.com
Jan 8
I haven't been able to try out any new places lately, but I thought I'd mention a couple of spots on my list to visit soon. One that has recently opened and the other that will be opening soon.
The Fountain Square Brewing Company - In December The Fountain Square Brewing Company opened on South Shelby Street in Fountain Square, south of the fountain and across the street from The Brass Ring Lounge. They have a tasting room on premise as well as having their beers on tap at several establishments around town. I had a sampling of their beer at The Brass Ring a few months ago and thought it was pretty tasty. I look forward to stopping by the brewery on our next date night and trying out the rest of their beers.
Black Acre Brewing - A new brewery is set to open soon in Irvington, on East Washington Street by Jockamo's Pizza. Black Acre Brewery says they will be a small batch brewery, with their beers primarily available at the brewery. Their beer list looks interesting with a Green Tea Ale and a Double Espresso Stout. They sound delicious and I can't wait to try them.
I'm pleased to see these breweries going into the smaller, historic Indianapolis neighborhoods. Our city has so much to offer, and a lot of it is located in between Downtown and the sprawling suburbs. Hopefully people will discover the beauty, charm, and local shopping these neighborhoods have to offer. I know I can't wait to do some exploring this spring, and I know where I'm going to start!
www.fountainsquarebrewery.com
www.blackacrebrewing.com
Dec 5
I picked up a growler of Black Swans Porter this week. Black Swan Brewpub is located in Plainfield off 267 at the I70 exit, behind the Burger King. They are a family friendly restaurant with a variety of their own house beer and a good selection of guest taps.
Now, on to the Porter. It poured from the growler very dark with a tan head. I thought it had a very rich, roasted coffee flavor with some caramel sweetness and a slight hop/bitter finish. This is a rich, creamy, flavorful beer. A very enjoyable porter.
I think that the Black Swan is a great addition to the craft beer scene and worth the trip to Plainfield.
www.blackswanbrewpub.com
Nov 29
I picked up some of Sun Kings Westy: Coastal Lager this week. This is one of their specialty beers and only available for a short time. I recommend stopping by the brewery any day but Friday as it is kind of crazy in there then. Unless you are taking advantage of the Friday $5 growler fills (House beers only). If you do go on Fridays, get there early because it fills up quickly. The brewery is located on College between Market and Ohio St.'s.
The Westy is a lager. It pours reddish gold with a white frothy head. I thought it had a yeasty, grainy smell and a malty, earthy flavor with a slightly bitter finish. This is a hoppy, full bodied lager.
I liked the Westy, it has good flavor and is very drinkable. Another job well done by Sun King.
www.sunkingbrewing.com
Nov 22
We were able to pick up some Bee Creek Brewery beer from the Avon Crown Liquors this week. Bee Creek is located in beautiful Brazil Indiana. They started brewing in 2007 and their beers are available in bottles at various local package stores.
We tried the Clay County Coffee Stout made with Jameson Coffee from Greencastle. This beer poured dark with a tan head and a rich coffee and malt smell. It was smooth and creamy, slightly sweet with a malt and coffee flavor and bitter finish.
We thought this was a good, rich, flavorful stout and I look forward to trying other Bee Creek beers. Another delicious Indiana brew.
www.beecreekbrewery.com
www.jamesoncoffee.com
Nov 16
We got to try out People's Brewing Company this week. People's is located in Lafayette but thanks to our well stocked Avon Crown Liquors, I was able to pick up some bottles of People's Mound Builder IPA and Pilsener.
The Mound Builder IPA was a nice golden color with a malty smell. I thought it had a nice malt start with a citrus hop flavor and a slight bitter finish. Good but not very complex.
The Pilsener was also a lovely golden color with a white head. It had a earthy smell with a malt, earthy, wheat flavor, slightly sweet with a good hop finish.
I actually preferred the Pilsener to the IPA (!) and would purchase it again. And if we ever make it up to Lafayette we will definitely stop by the brewery. Another round of tasty Indiana beer!
www.peoplesbrew.com
Nov 8
We checked out the Black Swan Brewpub in Plainfield this weekend. They are at 2067 E Hadley Road in Plainfield IN (I70 & SR 267 behind Burger King). They are non-smoking, as Plainfield is non-smoking everywhere, and they have a good sized patio to enjoy on the nice days.
This was our first trip to the Black Swan and we were pleasantly surprised with the beer. Now most of you know by now that I am an IPA and Pale Ale fan so that's what I went for first. I found them both to have a malt start then a very bitter hop finish with no other noticeable flavors. Not bad but I prefer something more flavorful. My husband got the cream stout. This had a very dark color with a thick tan head, it was rich and creamy, with a good malt/hop balance and coffee flavor. It was quite delicious. We then got a sampler of their wit, mild, Scottish, maple, and porter. All were very good (the maple tastes just like syrup) and the porter and cream stout were excellent and full of flavor. And for you bourbon, scotch, and wine fans, they have samplers of 5 - 1oz. shots for you to try ($15 for bourbon, $25 for scotch and &10 for wine).
For dinner we had the Beef Carbonnade and Pork Belly Sliders. The Beef Carbonnade was not impressive. It was a beef "stew" served over fries. It came out cold in the middle the first time, with soggy fries. When it was brought back it was ok, the beef was very tender, but it still needed something (roasted potatoes and not fries would be a good start). On the other hand the Pork Belly Sliders were great! Pulled pork with red cabbage, arugula and a horseradish sauce on a soft bun. We had it with the vinegar and sea salt fries. Excellent!
We really liked most of their beers and I can see growler purchases in our future. The service was great (even though our bartender/waitress was extremely busy, she was still VERY pleasant) and I'd like to try out more of their food.
I think The Black Swan is a great addition to Hendricks Co. and the metro Indy/Airport area, and I would recommend that people try it out.
www.blackswanbrewpub.com
