A Visit to the Indy Craft Beer Scene

This past weekend I wanted to find something to do out of the house and in the city. With Derek's recent devotion to homebrewing, I figured a tour of a local craft brewery would be a great Saturday afternoon adventure. Via email I signed up for a 1:00 pm tour at FLAT12 Bierwerks located on the edge of downtown Indianapolis.

The tasting room had a warm, conventional feel and Derek and I were immediately offered free samples of the craft beer. Once the group was gathered for the tour, our tour guide shared with us the process and procedure for making beer at Flat 12. The coolest thing for me was to see how the company has grown. So many of the craft beers start as small batches brewed for taste testing and experiments. This brewery continues to grow and most recently, they started bottling. The labels are designed by a local artist and the brewery participates in local beer nights at restaurants and regional festivals.

The biggest difference between German and American beers is the type of ingredients. In Germany, the standard pils and weissen has four main ingredients: barley, wheat, hops and yeast. Here in America, we allow almost anything. At Flat12, the most interesting thing I remember was that they brewed one type in an old whiskey barrel with vanilla beans.

I'm no beer expert, and I won't try to be; I leave that to my husband. What I do think is cool, though, is the culture and entrepreneurial spirit of microbreweries in Indianapolis. According to the brewer and tour guide at Flat12, it's not a competition between breweries, but more like a club where brewers lend a helping hand to each other. Like many aspects of Indy that Derek and I are getting reacquainted with, the microbrewery sector is definitely on the list. And it's on the (long) list of places to take our German friends when they visit in May!

For more information on the microbreweries of Indianapolis, visit this list on VisitIndy.

"Please support your Indiana craft breweries."

The fermentation area

Derek and I with our sample favorites.

Derek bottled 70 beers this past Saturday. We'll have a tasting party in about two weeks!