High Velocity’s 1st Annual Winter Beer Fest Brings Upscale Brews to Indy’s J.W. Marriott

High Velocity, located inside the J.W. Marriott hotel, happens to be one of my favorite places to eat and drink before a Colts or Indians game. Since I already love the place, I was excited to  attend their first annual “Winter Beer Fest” this past Friday, Jan 23rd. Equally excited was my Indiana on Tap colleague, Andy Tolle, who was coming to High Velocity for the first time. We arrived on time Friday evening with sufficiently empty stomachs and little idea what was in store for us.

The dining area was sectioned off for attendees, food stations, and breweries – which included Flat 12, Fountain Square, Scarlet Lane, Sun King, and Upland. Each brewery had at least two varieties, with many providing newer offerings amongst the old favorites. Personally, I was excited to try Upland’s Barrel Chested Barleywine and the newest Fistful of Hops (Blue) from Sun King. The Fistful of Hops continued the excellence of this rotating IPA series and the Barrel Chested was a smooth Barley Wine that is perfect for keeping warm these final months of winter. Speaking of winter, Andy started his evening with Scarlet Lane’s Dorian Winter’s Dance stout. With so many options, and being someone that doesn’t like to disappoint, I had plenty of Fountain Square’s Hop For Teacher, Flat 12’s Lacto-Matic Milk Stout and Scarlet Lane’s Vivian red IPA too. As for Andy, he was excited to have a couple of brews he hadn’t tried before – Flat 12’s Hinchtown Hammer Down & the Barrrel Chested Barleywine. Andy & I agreed, it was fantastic to have some new beers, along with the always welcome house standards.

As great as the beer was, the chef did not disappoint either. Food stations surrounded the room, and our table took it as a challenge (which was met) to try one of everything. A consensus favorite, was the short rib grilled cheese — and the good news is that it’s available on the restaurant’s Monday menu. The venison tacos and bison chili were also outstanding… and I probably ate 25 fried cheese curds. The restaurant really outdid itself, but I’ve always left the High Velocity thinking it’s one of the best casual restaurants downtown.  

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. And in this case, I’m really hoping that High Velocity elects to do this again, or better yet, makes this a common occurrence. There was a great crowd and seating was open, so we were able to easily move around for our (many) refills of food and drink. There were groups of people and lots of couples enjoying the festivities, and I really can’t imagine a better value for what everyone experienced that evening. Great beer and great food at the perfect location downtown; I could’t have asked for anything more.