An evening at Function brewing Company–bloomington’s new kid on the block

Bloomington’s already vibrant culinary and beer scene welcomed another fantastic offering to the city this last January. Function Brewing is the new kid on the block in a town already known for great beer (most notably, Upland Brewing Co. and Bloomington Brewing Co.)—not to mention a host of other great college pubs and bars that are welcoming Indiana’s craft beer revolution.

Function Brewing formally opened on January 29th at 108 E. 6th Street; one block east of the courthouse square. Function is owned and operated by Steve and Arlyn Llewellyn, their first venture in the business world—(although it’s worth noting that Steve is a 7 year veteran home brewer).

While normally closed Mondays and Tuesdays, Function opened their doors this past Tuesday night for a private event open house and happy hour. This was my second trip to Function after having visited during their soft opening prior to their official grand opening.

The first thing you’ll notice about the brewery is that it’s housed in a historic, beautiful commercial building. Prior to remodeling, the space was used as a photography studio. The Llewellyns removed an interior wall to open up the space and removed carpeting to expose nearly complete, intact hardwood flooring.  The brewery is located in the basement while the first floor plays host to the bar and dining space. The space is open, bright and airy and includes a bar with table and booth seating options.

Ten great beers were on tap on Tuesday night…including Single Hopped (Falconer’s Flight) Pale, Nut Brown, Belgian Pale, Smoked Porter, Blonde, Honey Blonde, IPA, Tangent American IPA, Black IPA, and Milk Stout. Between my acquaintances, I sampled nearly all of the offerings with the clear stand outs being the Milk Stout and Belgian Pale.

While I’ve visited Function Brewing twice now since they’ve opened, I’ve yet to sample their menu. The “small plates” style menu includes soups, hot and cold sandwiches, salads and appetizers (including cheese and charcuterie plates). I’m already planning my next visit just to sample the Milk Stout float that’s been generating so much buzz.

Carryout growlers will eventually be available once the owners get a handle on beer production verses customer demand (so as to not run out of the most popular offerings).

The opening of Function Brewing is just the first in many upcoming events to look forward to in Bloomington in 2014. Quaff On! Brewing (quaffon.com) from Nashville is set to open a downtown Bloomington taphouse in March. April 5-12 welcomes back the Bloomington Craft Beer Week capped off with the 3rd Annual Brewers Guild of Indiana/Bloomington Craft Beer Fest at the Woolery Mill on April 12th. Salt Creek Brewery (saltcreekbrewery.com) from Bedford is opening a west side Bloomington taphouse in the spring. Finally, Cardinal Spirits (cardinalspirits.com), one of Indiana’s new class of craft distilleries will be opening a distillery and tasting room at 922 S. Morton Street later in 2014.

I’d like to thank David Hardstad and the Summit Realty Group for hosting Tuesday night’s open house and to Steve and Arlyn Llewellyn for their hospitality.  We at Indiana On Tap look forward to your success and are excited to cover the many great things you’ll be offering Bloomington and beyond in the coming months and years!