Indy’s Largest Beer Bar, HopCat, Has a Few Secrets

By Dana Benbow of IndyStar.com

A whopping 131 beers on tap, all in one place. It’s what Indy’s been waiting for. The city’s largest beer bar, HopCat of Broad Ripple, will open Saturday.

But there are a few things, secrets you might say, that people don’t yet know about the bar.

Founder Mark Sellers kindly agreed to give us a sneak peek, as the finishing touches were taking place. Art to be hung. Stereos tested. Server training. And kegs being tapped.

Is he nervous about the Saturday 11 a.m. opening?

“Oh yeah, very,” he said. “It’s like you’re having a party at your house in two days. You know everybody is coming, but you don’t have any food yet. We’ve got a lot of little things to do.”

But the bar won’t disappoint. When people walk into HopCat and see all those tap handles at the bar?

“I think their jaws are just going to drop,” said general manager Steve Cesari.

As you excitedly count down to the official opening, Sellers showed us around so we could take you inside the bar before anyone else. Take a look at some of the coolest little secrets you’ll find at HopCat.


On the Walls

You’re going to feel like you’re partying with Bruce Springsteen, Keith Richards, Debbie Harry (of Blondie) and John Mellencamp. On the walls of the 10,000-square-foot brewery are monstrous portraits of 22 musicians. They are all black velvet paintings by artists in Tijuana, Mexico, commissioned to create the exclusive pieces for HopCat. Coming next week? A 6-foot by 4-foot horizontal painting of Thelonius Monk, a great jazz pianist, and one of Sellers’ favorites.

WARM BEER

Yep. That’s right. HopCat does have 130 different ice cold brews on tap (flowing out of 170 kegs). But it also has one firkin. A firkin? That’s a small cask with a hand pull. It serves up a warm English-style brew — a Sun King Wee Mac with cocoa nibs and coffee. The room temperature pulls out the beer’s flavors and some people just love it. Still, Sellers admits, “It’s a niche audience. That’s why we only have one firkin.”

Crack Fries

The people of HopCat claim they are addictive. We tried one. Yeah, right, one? You have to eat the entire batch of these seasoned, beer-battered delights. They’re best dipped in a warm, smooth sauce, concocted of all sorts of cheeses and, of course, beer. $5.25. Also popular on the menu are Fricken Chicken Tacos and Killer Mac & Cheese.

The Pit Stop

Of course, we know you don’t go to a bar for the restrooms. But you just might at HopCat. Plastered on the walls of both the men and women’s restrooms are more than 100 covers of “Rolling Stone” magazines. We’re pretty sure you’ll want to stay a while after you wash your hands just to peruse the history.

Keg Views

The 171+ kegs are displayed for all to see. At night, an amber light glows on them. On the street, a window gives a peek to passersby. Walk inside the keg area and it’s a cool 41 degrees. Complex systems are hooked up to stop the foam when a keg blows and to clean out lines when a new beer fills a keg.

Earth Friendly

You won’t feel guilty as a HopCat customer, at least when it comes to the environment. This business is all about leaving a green footprint. At each server station, behind the bars and in the kitchen are three different places to dispose. Compost, recycle and trash. At the end of any given day, trash consists of just 10 percent of the waste. The rest is recycled. That’s 90 percent.

Which Glass Will it Be?
Who knew there was a science to making beer taste good once it’s poured? At HopCat, there are seven different glasses. Depending on the beer you choose, you will get the glass that makes it taste best. “We call them the beer nerds that put together our beer program,” said Chris Knape, marketing director. Darker beers are served in glasses with wider openings. Beers with higher alcohol concentration are served in smaller glasses.