The Tap

7pm-9:30pm
A very bad first impression.
We chose the tap off of a list for devour downtown. It was fairly busy, a fifteen minute wait to sit but wait… You have to seat yourself. Even with fifteen other people around you waiting. Doesn’t encourage the friendliest environment.
After claiming a dirty table and waiting for a waitress to arrive we got the feeling things were slow moving.
We starting with a flight of four beers ($ 6) which were very good beers. We had ordered our devour meal special and had the pleasure of watching two grown adults grind on eachother over in the corner (probably not a usual occurrence) the music selection was all over the place and kinda killed the happy vibe with overly sad country songs to classic wedding favorites.
One hour later…
No appetizers have made an appearance to me and my starving date. We ordered the pretzel sticks with beer cheese (beer cheese was top notch) pretzels were meh. The wait was not well worth. Our waitress had t really even noticed the wait until we had mentioned how long it had been, (a table arriving later than us received appetizers and entrees before us).
A second waitress very professional and helpful explained a situation of an understaffed night and a new GM. She told us she would talk to the owner and work something out.
Our entrees and dessert arrived over the next 45 minutes, but wasn’t really anything too fantastic.
I had the firecracker shrimp tacos and my date had the beer cheese burger and weren’t anything to blow us away.
A dessert of cheesecake. Which was a typical cheesecake. Nothing to complain about there.
Our dining experience took over two hours. Not a typical night for your standard brew house. We were compensated for our devour downtown special due to the poor service and ungodly wait.
If I return here in the future I would probably just come for the beer.
Hopefully this was just a rare occurrence.

The Good– I was lucky enough to snag a table when I arrived. This place is lively with a lot of people, especially on a weekend in Mass Ave. The beer selection is great and has a lot of different types. I ordered Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad for dinner and it was really good, filling and had a nice amount of chicken a seasoning throughout. The service was also very prompt and our server came by often to check on us and refill waters despite how busy the restaurant was. I will certainly be coming back here in the future.
The Bad– Tight spaces between tables made it hard to get up when you needed to. I’m speaking specifically about the ones by the front window.
The Ugly– n/​a

I’ve checked out The Tap a couple of times and I’m still just not sure how to feel.
I’ve had mixed emotions about the service, the bartenders are always super helpful but the waitresses that I’ve had just seem really busy or just not helpful, which I’m hoping it’s the former.
I’m not willing to give up yet, I’ll keep coming back and I’m sure my stars will go up with the visits!

We loved the Devour Downtown menu (which says nothing about ID’s) and attempted to eat dinner here at 7:30 on a Monday night. We were shocked to find out they would not let us in without showing my ID even though we were there just for dinner. We walked from our apartment 20 minutes away and did not plan on drinking, so I left my wallet behind. The Tap lost our business because of an unnecessary and unadvertised policy.

This is the downtown Indy version of a Bloomington bar, and it’s a nice stop after work with a decent beer selection. Food is okay and outdoor space is really nice in warmer months.

If your out to drink beer, well then you’re at the right place. Beer selection is up there with hopcat, 20 tap and yard house. Beer list is over the top, followed by a huge selection of home brew, I had a daredevil JPW and the local brew the brickyard. Liked the stout, the brickyard was a nice amber, smooth.
Layout was huge, industrial feel, open seating, friends ate some fried dill pickles, menu looked good, didn’t partake. I’d check this out to get my grub on, place was steady, service competent, will update.

Bro-​tastic.
Good for large parties.
Service, sometimes a little condescending.
Amazing patio.
Average bar food.
My review in six lines.

Plus a half star.
Let start with some positives:
The décor is great.
Really nice exposed brick matched with an auburn shade of mahogany bar top.
Servers were are seemingly friendly but some what lost in their own worlds. For example the one guy just running beers kept singing to himself… But it wasn’t songs playing in the bar…
My server was a little preoccupied with beer service and slowly noticed my empty glass.
So I ordered the BBQ mahi tacos.
One 2oz (maybe) of grilled fish laid on top of a bed of veggies and avocado.
Tacos were pretty bland. There supposed to be some sort of BBQ flavor I just didn’t get. I subbed my order of the chips and salsa with the house fries which initially came out wrong where I had to send the dish back and get the proper side.
Speaking of the sides. The fries were the highlight of the dish. But the cheesy mayo like thick sauce the fries comes with was ehhhh at best.
My g/​f got the burger.
Burger was cooked at just about well done. Maybe a touch under a hockey puck.
The burger patty is form pressed patty which looked like it was fresh out of the freezer.
All in all the atmosphere is great. The food the was blah.
But the beer selection is a hops and barely lovers dream. I want to say 30 – 40 beers on tap. Hence the name.
Sadly I’m not much of drinker so the beer option doesn’t really mean too much for me.
But if you are a beer drinker I’m sure after you put down a couple pints the food will taste significantly better.

I am a huge cidre fan and they have a vast collection of cidre here and for such a good price too! The food menu looked delicious, but I was only there for drinks.
Our waiter was super attentive and nice, and the vibe of the place was great. You can bring a big group or you can have a table just for two, it was super nice! I will definitely be back.

This is a great new place to grab a drink after work. The service was fantastic. They kept on eye to make sure you didn’t run low on your beer but weren’t all over you. The other perk is that they allow you to taste beers free of charge. **Take note Pint Room and HopCat. This alone will keep me coming back. Next time we will have to try out the food because the atmosphere and service alone are worth another visit.

A perfect addition to the Mass Ave/​downtown area! The Tap reminds me of a smaller, but better, Yard House. The selection of their own beers and guest beers is one of the better ones I’ve seen in the Indy area and the prices are reasonable.
They’re famous for their Nefarious Nectar — and at 9.2%, it’s easy to see why. I like that they rotate their guest beers frequently because there’s always been something new to try every time I’ve come in. I’ve found the staff to be fairly knowledgeable when it comes to recommendations as well.
The food is also surprisingly good for a craft beer bar. I’ve had a good sampling of the menu — the Tap Fries are seriously delicious — the dipping sauces are the best part! The pulled pork kettle chips were also a hit among my friends, as was the Garden Pizza.
The tacos were intriguing to me, as well as the Feisty Feta Spread appetizer, so you bet I will be back to try those and some more of their delicious beers.
My one «complaint» if you will, is the fact that you can only put together a flight from The Tap’s own beer. I wish you could include guest beers or mix and match between the two. That’d be my only suggestion and then the Tap would be perfect.

My first trip to The Tap was with coworkers after work, which it appeared was the same for everyone else. The location in convenient for downtown folks to walk to, but also fairly easy street parking. The space is huge, but not crowded — tables are spaced well so your conversation doesn’t spill to the next table. There are several TVs to watch sports on, but they’re not enormous and in your face like some sports bars (though, this place isn’t a «sports bar.») In my opinion, the perfect amount of entertainment without being a distraction.
What I also liked about The Tap was it was a place I could take my dad. It’s not too hip, trendy or pretentious, and my dad could order off the menu without asking me to explain it. We enjoyed sampling flights of house-​brewed beers and loved being able to fill a growler right there. Our only complaint was the quality of food. The reuben was only so-​so and the beer cheese «soup» was cheese dip — it was wonderful on my chips, terrible as a soup. My advice is to go for here a snack, socialize with friends and have a few beers.

Each time I come back to this place, I like it more and more. How wouldn’t like a rotating tap selection of their own beers as well as a guest tap list that mixes local and national favorites with some lesser known items you might want to get introduced to.
In addition to a great tap selection, The Tap also offers around 700 different bottled beers from around the world. Make sure you ask for a copy of the bottled beer menu even if it’s just to look through. I’ve tried a few of the ciders on the menu that I haven’t seen anywhere else.
If you’re there on a nice and cool night, grab a seat by the fire outside. It’s a great place to grab a drink and catch up with friends.
If you’re hungry, the fries are delicious. The appetizer comes with four different sauces and there’s enough to share with 3 – 4 people and still have plenty left over.
A drop down screen above the bar broadcasts the popular games on TV as well as several other TV’s scattered around the place. If there isn’t something major going on, there’s live music, although the place very obviously wasn’t designed with acoustics in mind. It’s always too loud and usually a little hard to understand, but it’s still nice to listen to.
Check this place out!

We recently hit this place up for the first time. I’ll get my complaint out of the way so we can move on… If you have 4 people at a table, there is no where for coats or purses. We had to pull a stool over from another table to stack our stuff on. I don’t mind doing that, but if they had been busy there wouldn’t have been spare stools to grab. Table hooks would be a great add.
We started with the BBQ pork chips. They were delicious! Pork was tender and flavorful.
I opted for a salad and the beer cheese soup. Not super exciting, but I knew I’d over do it with the appetizer. The salad was fine. Nothing special. It had a white balsamic dressing, which was tangy and interesting. I thought the soup was too thick and didn’t have that beer twang I was looking for. It was just too cheesy, if that make sense?
One of my friends ordered the Fried Green Tomato BLT. It looked pretty good, but lacking on the Fried Green Tomato.
The other two had burgers and they were happy with their choices.
Beer selection is solid, though the one that my SO wanted was no longer available. I don’t know why places that have rotating taps even bother with menus. They are in constant need of updates. Just chalk it on the wall and erase it when it’s gone.
Location is great. Nice and bright inside. Give it a try!

I’ll be up front in admitting that I’m not a huge beer geek but I thoroughly enjoyed my learning experience at The Tap. Their menu is organized in a manner that makes exploring new beers more approachable. I opted for the 9,5 ABV barley wine from Upland —delicious, as expected (chocolate-​y and smooth). Originally strolling in for a drink, we couldn’t resist giving the food menu a whirl. The potato chips smothered in balsamic vinaigrette and bleu cheese were both interesting and delicious. Think elevated salt and vinegar chips. Addicting.
Two more positives for The Tap:
1.) the space is huge (both inside and out) — you’ll find plenty of spots ideal for groups (plus, their location is beautifully wedged between Mass Ave and the Wholesale District — excited to see this area connected and developing.
2.) our server was fantastic — she handled our group of ten like a pro

I’ve been avoiding reviewing this place because I love the one in Bloomington so much.
Positives:
Solid beer selection
Decent food
Live music
Outdoor seating
Lots of TV’s for sporting events
Negatives:
HORRIBLE SERVICE
Let me elaborate. I’ve now been to the Indy establishment 4 times and each time the service has been miserably slow. If you’re on any sort of time frame I would refrain from going. I really hope they get their act together and hire a real wait staff soon. With my last experience, I will not be back for a while. I would rather drive the distance to Bloomington and eat there.
Trivia on Wednesday is easy!

Love this place!!! Finally it is open. I’ve gone to the Bloomington location quite a bit and loved it. I’m pretty sure I wished upon a star for The Tap to be closer to where I love in Indy and low and behold, they opened a location in Indianapolis! Woohoo! (In retrospect, maybe I should have wished for like a billion dollars or something)
This place is easily twice as big as the Bloomington location with 2 bars and a huge outdoor area. They still have a stage on top of the bar which is awesome.
I came here opening week so this place was jam packed. In Bloomington they tend to have more breathing room which makes it seem more intimate. So far in Indy, this place feels like a crowded bar. While I hope The Tap does fantasticly, I also hope the crowds die down a bit over the next 6 months or so.
Their tap list is obnoxiously large (which is a good thing), and you can find pretty much whatever style beer you want. I’m not sure if you can get bored as a beer drinker here.
The food menu is also pretty nice. It is mostly bar food fare, but they do it right. Definitely try the loaded tap fries. Yummm Calories!
If you have not been to this location or the Bloomington one, do yourself a favor and check it out.

We had an excellent experience at The Tap, which was buzzing with activity and provided a vibrant atmosphere. Initially, we were worried that there would be nowhere to sit because all the tables in the front area were filled. However, it turns out we had nothing to worry about because the establishment is quite large. It was crowded but we were able to find a table. This is a seat yourself establishment, however, two servers greeted us and made sure we found seats as we meandered our way through the brewery.
As we looked at the brewski list we were impressed with the amount of home brews and guest brews that were on tap. We ordered a flight of 4 for $ 6.00 and also ordered two complimentary 1 oz. samples of the Sun King Coconut Pajamas. FYI, you can only order The Tap’s home brews on the flight, and order the complimentary 1 oz. samples to try guest beers. There were refreshing familiar style brews available and then there were some seasonal beers available to put you in the autumn spirit. We tried the Tap-​o-​Lantern Pumpkin Ale which had spicy notes and was served in a brown sugar rimmed glass. It was unique and tasted good. Another seasonal brew was their Apple Pie, which was also tasty. However, I opted to order a pint of the Tapenator, a full-​bodied German dark lager.
We weren’t too hungry so all we wanted was some chips and salsa, which was not a menu item. Turns out that this was not a problem because our outstanding server, Taylor, was able to produce an order for us. The chips were delightfully warm and the salsa was fresh. I can’t wait to come back and try one of their entrees on our next visit. I have no complaints. Outstanding brew, a super attentive server and freshly made salsa and nice warm chips. The Tap gets five stars.

When a friend asked to meet for a drink last night, I couldn’t pass up trying out a new brewery. Some people might say that Indianapolis has too much beer — those people are boring and we don’t invite them to parties.
The Tap definitely increases the amount of alcohol in the area, and you won’t find me complaining. They have a HUGE selection. There is definitely something for anyone and everyone here.
It took me so long to try to narrow down my options. I selected the seasonal Tap-​O-​Lantern, a pumpkin beer with a cinnamons sugar rim. Yes — Like a margarita. I was initially caught off guard, but it was incredible. I highly recommend. It was like drinking a pumpkin pie.
My table also indulged in the award-​winning Electric Stinger and the Bionic Dragon.
I think that The Tap does a great job of explaining the beer — they have flavor profiles next to all of their own brews, but my waitress also let us sample some.
Our table didn’t have food, but I saw many groups get pizza’s. I was bummed that I had dinner earlier — I would have tried something.
Overall, I had a great experience. Their patio is fun with couches, music and a huge wall of plants. My waitress was friendly and knowledgable.
Grab a beer! You deserve it.

I have been watching this place being built for a while now and when I found out it was going to be a brewery, I was very happy. Although I would consider myself more of a wine or cocktail person, I love a good beer and I’ve tried very many over the years. I had just had dinner elsewhere, so I didn’t try the food on my first visit.
With that being said, I loved my experience here! The ambiance was very cool and the outside patio was very well done. The waitress was very pleasant and courteous, even giving us samples of several beers before we made a decision. The beer menu was very helpful, even with a diagram showing you where on the spectrum of tastes it would fall (sweet, bitter, dark, light, etc.). I ended up trying the Electric Stinger. It was a lighter beer with a bit of a honey flavor and color to it. It was very unique and delicious. I tried the beers that my friends had and also liked them, but my favorite was the one I ordered. To top it all off, we had a great view of one of the most amazing sunsets I’ve ever seen while sitting outside.
I also want to mention that the prices seemed to be very reasonable. My beer was only $ 5, which in downtown Indy is a very reasonable price. The food looked very good on the other tables around me and reading through the menu almost made me hungry again. I’ll definitely be back here to try the food and some of the other beers they have to offer!