Broad Ripple Brewpub

I'd have a hard time telling you much about Broad Ripple Brew Pub itself, what with the fact that we sat outside on the porch. An approach I highly recommend because, if you're not familiar with Broad Ripple in Indianapolis, sitting outside puts you right in the middle of one of the most interesting parts of the city. Broad Ripple is very much a college town without a college. Broad Ripple Brew Pub is one of those places where the outside provides as much atmosphere as inside.

Broad Ripple Brew Pub also has, hands down, my favorite beer that does not come from the Staatliches Hofbräuhaus in Munich. The Extra Special Bitter. This cask beer has a near-perfect color at just the right shade of caramel with a think head colored a little off-white. The taste was a perfect blend. Hoppy enough to appeal to my inner "Hop Head" but malty enough that you're not just drinking an IPA. Add in a very light lacing and a think-but-smooth texture, and this is one I could drink and keep drinking. The ABV of 5.6% and the 35 IBUs make this a beer you can keep enjoying all through a hot afternoon.




The other beer of note that day, unfortunately, wasn't quite ready when we went there. The decor, the beer, and the scenery all made it very pleasant to wait out the afternoon for it to get tapped, but unfortunately we did not get to try the Holla Jala Jalapeno Cream Ale. The BRBP website describes it as a lightly infused cream ale. Giving it an ABV of 5.4% and 16 IBUs, I expect that's about right, although it's likely that tomorrow will see me back at BRBP to properly try this 2012 Indiana State Fair Homebrewers Best In Show.

BRBP's IPA, Big Boy IPA, and Kolsch rounded out my afternoon. All good, solid beers. All meeting Love Craft Beer's philosophy that beer does not have to be like sex in a canoe¹. But the ESB was the star of my afternoon, leaving the Holla Jala as the next White Whale.

Call me Ishmael





¹ F**king close to water