Twenty-tap has 38 taps

Hmm. Where to eat Friday night?

We've been enjoying Indianapolis so much the daily posts have fallen away. After a perfectly acceptable stroll through the Indianapolis State Museum, we met up with friends and headed north to SoBro, the realtors' title for the area south of Broad Ripple. There's some information in the pages section about other places in the neighborhood. We went to Twenty Tap, a beer and burgers place that now has 38 taps. Why not call it 38 Taps? The cost of stationery, I'm guessing. And Twenty Tap, or 20Tap, just works alliteratively as well as branding.

We finally got to share the huge plate of deep-friend cheese curds with a crowd large enough to enjoy them and put a proper dent on the gigantic plate of lava-hot liquidy cheese with garlic and chimmichurri aioli, and an embarrassingly gravy-soaked boat of vegetarian poutine. Oh my. The vegetarian udon across the table looked amazing, and was apparently good enough that it was not shared. The menu has been updated: more variety and sandwiches but they have not lost their burger focus and the service was attentive without making anyone feel rushed. And on Thursday, we waited 20 minutes for a table, but then were left to enjoy the wrap-around booth that could have easily accommodated 10.

But the beers! The list is religiously updated daily. We had Brooklyn Sorachi Ace, Two Brothers Monarch, Rogue Brutal IPA, and Schlafly's Firkin American Pale, which is a "real ale" version of the dry-hopped APA: natural carbonation and a ton of sediment done with 19th century precision.

Twenty Tap     5408 N. College Ave       317-602-8840

Twenty Tap, with 38 beers on tap (I know, I know; the name stuck before the number of taps was finalized). Many of the beers are Indiana local brews, with regional Michigan, Chicago, and nearby offerings supplemented by others from the coasts, Colorado, and Europe. Beer types range from hoppy IPAs to lagers, stouts, ciders, and oddities. Selections change often.

Twenty Tap also has great food with something for everyone. They have an impressively good selection of burgers, including traditional beef, veggie, chicken, and turkey burgers. We like the Wrath and the Tex, but the classic is a simple, outstanding cheeseburger—and all are good with homemade, crispy fries. The blackened whitefish sandwich packs a spicy punch, which is nicely tempered if you have the good fortune to enjoy the sweet potato bisque as the soup of the day. The entrée salads or the simple side salad are always fresh and take advantage of seasonal produce. The cheese curds are decadent, and they’re large enough to share … try to finish an order yourself and you'll likely be too full to eat anything else! Twenty Tap takes pride in sourcing local ingredients, and prices are affordable.

BrewIndy

Indiana On Tap aka @IndianaOnTap tweets the latest brewing news, including news that 3Floyds and Sun King have been included on a recent list of the worlds' best stouts, while the Tomlinson Tap Room sponsored by the Indiana Brewers Guild is an oasis of local craft beer in the Downtown area. Located upstairs at the City Market, you'll likely find me (Michael) at the Tomlinson at different times during the conference.

Indiana has not been shy about joining the craft beer revolution. And there are many places downtown to enjoy craft beer--and specifically Indiana local brews. Look for Indianapolis locals Sun King, Flat 12, Bier, Black Acre, Broad Ripple Brew Pub, Brugge, Cutters, Daredevil, as well as this recent IndyStar report of new and noteworthy Indiana brewers opening right now, as you  read this.

Check out the City Market from our Downtown entry:
City Market & Farmers' Market 222 East Market St. 317-637-6814
For an affordable lunch, head east to City Market. Saturday morning from 8am until noon it is the site of the Indy Winter Farmers' Market, with hot breakfast sandwiches, fresh baked breads and croissants, whatever produce can be coaxed out of the winter fields, and locally-made granola. A Taste of Philly offers soft pretzels. Mauricio's Pizza is the second of three pizza makers Michael will eat at in Indianapolis (Giorgio's is at the airport). Check out the offerings at the link above. After noon, the Tomlinson Tap Room opens on the second floor with beers from the Indiana Brewer's Guild on tap. That's probably where Michael will be Saturday afternoon. It's .7 miles from the Convention Center. Head north on Capitol to Market, turn right and walk to the market which will appear on the left.

City Market's food stalls are open on weekdays and provide affordable, local quick-meal options for downtown workers (and conference goers).

Flat12 and Sun King are among my favorites: Sun King earned deserved national attention during the Superbowl and Flat12 is creative and boundary-pushing. Here's what I say on the Holy Cross page of this very website:

Sun King Brewery 135 N. College Ave. 317-602-3702
Sun King's Osiris Pale Ale is a major part of the local beer scene and been noticed by the national micro-brew community, winning numerous awards at competitions local and national. This location is the main brewing facility and only offers tastes of the week's freshly brewed beer, growler fills, kegs, and cans. Look for Sun King around town, and it's worth the trip for beer geeks and hop heads.

Flat 12 Bierwerks 414 N. Dorman St. 317-635-BEER
Flat 12 is the new up-and-coming brewer downtown, offering a wider variety of bigger beers--higher alcohol, bolder flavors, experimental barrel aging, and more. This facility is the main bierwerks and brewery. Pints are available for purchase, tastes are generously offered, and growlers are filled. There is a great outdoor beer garden if the weather cooperates, and it gets quite busy on Friday and Saturday nights with local hipsters and hopheads.

And if you're feeling peckish, Smoking Goose's Dorman St smokehouse usually has freshly flown in oysters and their own charcuterie to munch on:

Smoking Goose 407 N. Dorman St. 317-638-MEAT
Smoking Goose supplies smoked meats to better restaurants in Indianapolis and further afield to Chicago, Cincinnati, Chicago, St. Louis, and Louisville. They usually have three or four styles of (pork) bacon plus lamb, beef, and duck bacon, as well as a variety of sausages, cured meats, and charcuterie.

Matt Cox Recommends Downtown

The Libertine Liquor Bar… it’s also very walkable from the hotel(s). http://libertineindy.com/

Also, lots of good stuff in Fountain Square (on Virginia just southeast of downtown) that i didn’t even list here…http://www.urbanspoon.com/n/40/3907/Indianapolis/Fountain-Square-restaurants - Brass Ring, Siam Square, Santorini… all highly recommended. 

[Editor's note: I asked Matt about the Libertine - I have never been but am looking forward to a cocktail there after he and M.Eble posted wonderful pics from a recent trip - highly recommended by Matt and Indy Monthy. -ms]

• RAM Restaurant and Brewery on Illinois (3-4 blocks from hotel - a chain but a small chain, great food from what I remember in Denver) http://www.theram.com/indiana/indianapolis.html

• Scotty's Brewhouse (6-7 blocks from hotel - at Virginia and Pennsylvania) http://www.scottysbrewhouse.com/locations/indianapolis-downtown/

• Rock Bottom Brewery (on Washington - 6 to 7 blocks from hotel - http://www.rockbottom.com/locations/indianapolis-downtown/largeparties)

• The Rathskeller German Restaurant and Pub (12-13 blocks from hotel - Michigan and New Jersey) http://www.rathskeller.com/

• Bru Bar (12-13 blocks from hotel - 410 Mass Ave) http://www.bruonmass.com/

• Harry & Izzy's (6-7 blocks from hotel - http://harryandizzys.com/locations/downtown-indianapolis-location-information/)

• An "outsider thought" - Creation Cafe (three minute cab ride, more of a 20 minute walk - this is actually a really cool spot on the canal with views of downtown, etc. - it's another direction from the hotel but really neat and great food - 337 W. 11th Street) - they have rooms upstairs and my friend Brian who works for IU Medical Center and coordinates this stuff says they have used them before for the room and food. http://www.creationcafeandeuphoria.com/creationcafe/

The JW Marriott is easy walking distance from a lot of stuff downtown. The thing is, it's brand new and so it's a couple blocks from things. Not a big deal really, but nothing is "across the street" (except what's in the hotel itself). But once you're over into the downtown area you have a lot of stuff. Several chains of course (Champp's, Buca Di Beppo, PF Changs, Palamino, Hard Rock Cafe, etc., but none of that is probably ideal).

But do check these: 

There's no reason not to have something within walking distance really. Any of these would work pretty well for both atmosphere and food and should have the room. RAM, Rock Bottom, and Harry & Izzy's are closest but the others are really cool too. 

-Matt