INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
Inside a multi-storied red brick industrial warehouse a few blocks from Indianapolis Colts indoor football stadium,
TOW YARD BREWING opened April 2014 (and closed March '18). A large concrete-floored facility serving local downtown businesses with expressive libations and good bar food, its sportsbar atmosphere certainly suits the basketball, hockey and football fans attending nearby games.
Tow Yard's main 20-seat pergo wood-ceilinged bar and smaller right side 6-seat bar serve two community tables, several stooled tables, a backroom banquet area and wraparound front deck. An enormous well-kept beer can collection spreads across the spacious interior walls and an on-site deli provides sandwiches, burgers, chicken wings and salads to go alongside homemade draught beer.
Purdue bio grad and head brewer, Tony Fleming (who replaced Indiana University alumni, Bradley Zimmerman), provides a wide array of stylistic brews - some of which are slightly off-the-beaten path.
Visited April 2016, I quaffed the three flagship beers first. Each of these approachable offerings are also available in cans for outside consumption.
Easygoing
Goldie Hops Cream Ale placed spicy Saaz hops and honeyed wheat malts above a soft biscuit bottom.
Using Goldie Hops as the base,
Hook Up Shandler, a soda-like Radler shandy, brought ruby red grapefruit sweetness and tart lemonade-powdered granulated sugaring to the fore as iced tea nuances wavered below.
Splendid
Horsepower Double Pale Ale plied orange-spiced piney hop dryness and subtle peach-mango undertones to barley-grained Maris Otter malting.
Briskly dry-hopped moderation,
Impound IPA,
contrasted grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering against sugar-spiced sweetness.
English dark mild ale,
Who's That Brown Ale, tasted like day-old coffee with roasted chocolate tones and a brown-sugared candied walnut glaze riding above the light hop-charred bittering.
A bit unusual, classic brown-hued Japanese malt liquor,
Beat Box Samurai, delivered sourly dark-roasted chocolate nuttiness and peated soy sauce brininess to earthen wood tones.
Dark-roasted coffee and chocolate dominated
Creamy Behemoth Imperial Oatmeal Stout, deepening its mocha frontage with caramelized
oats and wispy nuttiness.
My fave:
Oatis Redding Imperial Red Ale retained a silken flow despite its heightened 11% ABV as roasted caramel malting, subtle bourbon sweetness and sugary oats coalesced above mild dry-hopped bittering.
towyardbrewing.com
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
Proudly patriotic Midwest hub, Indianapolis already had a dozen well-respected brewpubs when CHILLY WATER BREWING COMPANY opened its doors, June 2014. But as the micro-nano brewery scene gained hyperactive nationwide momentum, startups like this fascinating Industrial downtown watering hole became just another prominent member of the ongoing American beer revolution. As of April '16, its raw, unfinished feel appeared temporary since recent accolades such as Best Brewer at Indiana State Fair makes expansion seem imminent (though the low ceiling and exposed pipes offered a cozily rustic intimacy).
A covered front porch and windowed brew tanks lead to the entrance of Chilly Water. The 12-seat bar accommodates ten taps, two TV's, and a host of classic rock albums (whose titles make up the name of a few beers) on the nearby wall.
Chili, quesadillas, paninis and soup paired well with nine rounded beer selections available this sunny afternoon. Specializing in a wide array of worldly styles, their lagers are as sublime and expressive as the 'bigger' ales.
Light-bodied flagship, Built To Last Pilsner bounced spicy pale malts against lemondrop dollops and grassy Noble hop astringency.
Easygoing Chilly Water Lager retained a dry wood tone and herbal respite to contrast barley-roasted pale malt sugaring.
Lemon-soured orange candy delicately embraced Smash Hit Belgian Wit, a coriander-clove-spiced dry body with plantain-banana snips.
One Hit Wonder countered subtle grapefruit peel bittering with wispy banana-clove sweetness.
Saison Du 92 stayed soft-toned as its mandarin orange spicing picked up light hop peppering.
Meditative moderation, Blazin' Fiddles Scottish Ale layered sweet caramel malting atop peaty earthiness.
Tropical Mosaic-hopped One Hop Wonder brought tangy grapefruit-peeled bittering to clove-spiced banana, pineapple and mango auxiliary.
Taking its moniker from Pink Floyd's space rock gem, Dark Side Of The Munich Dunkel surrendered brown-sugared fig sweetness, creamy toffee malting and sedate purple-red grape tartness to dewy peat mildew in a definitive manner.
On the dark side, worthy Hey Porter pleated brown chocolate sweetness to pecan, hazelnut and praline undertones.
For dessert, outstanding Chocolate Coconut Porter duplicated a Mounds Bar with its dark chocolate malting and toasted coconut center, picking up Pina Colata hints at the nutty mocha finish.
www.chillywaterbrewing.com 
