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Draft picks
Indianapolis beer drinkers have long raised their mugs to locally made brews — the city’s beer-making tradition goes back 175 years. But after the original Indianapolis Brewing Co. closed in 1948, it would be 40 years before another brewery would open in town.
Over the past 20 years, though, there has been a resurgence in Hoosier breweries. It started in 1990, when English expatriate John Hill and his American wife, Nancy, opened a restaurant and bar modeled after the public houses of England. The Broad Ripple Brewpub became Indiana’s first microbrewery, and it just celebrated its 20th anniversary this month.
Now, there are 10 brewhouses in the Indy area, and their sales are increasing. This year, state laws were modified to allow microbreweries to sell carryout beer on Sundays. So it’s no surprise that the number of area breweries could double next year.
While every brewery is a business, every brewer is an artist. The brewer’s medium is malt, hops and yeast; their histories and preferences impact what they create.
The result: No two beers are the same. Here, meet 10 of Indy’s top draft picks.
Beer geeks, unite
Metromix teamed up with Hoosier Beer Geek to produce the 2010 beer guide. Using the title “The Knights of the Beer Roundtable,” the eight-member group writes about their tasting experiences at HoosierBeerGeek.com. Contributors to this issue include Jason Larrison, Michael Atwood, Gina Rakers and Rodney Weaver, with assistance from Jim Dimitri.
Meet some of the HB geeks Nov. 24 during the opening of the Tomlinson Tap Room at City Market. The bar, operating in conjunction with the Brewers of Indiana Guild, will offer 16 craft brews from breweries around the state.
