Sahm’s Owner to Open Brewery at Old Snooty Fox Site in Indianapolis

Local father-and-son restauranteurs Ed and Eddie Sahm have decided to tap into the craft-beer boom.

The two will open Big Lug Canteen and Brewery at the long-closed Snooty Fox bar on East 86th Street, near Westfield Boulevard.

Ed Sahm also plans to open a Rockstone Pizza, a brand he owns with other business partners, in a separate suite in the building. Rockstone Pizza will offer 24 taps and will serve the wood-fired pizza, sandwiches and pastas that have proven popular at the first location in Fishers.

While the Indianapolis craft-beer market is increasingly saturated, the Sahms believe they have a can’t-miss location for both the brewery and the pizza joint at the Snooty Fox location beside the Monon Trail in Nora.

“We want to make good, quality stuff for Nora,” Eddie Sahm said.

Construction will start in September on the combined $2 million project, and work should be completed by January. The businesses should open that month, though no definite date has been set, Sahm said.

Ed Sahm said much of the Snooty Fox building will be torn down and reconstructed. The bar has been vacant since 2011, when it closed after nearly 30 years in business, despite receiving a boost from its appearance on “Restaurant: Impossible” on the Food Network.

Chef Robert Irvine gave the restaurant a floor-to-ceiling $10,000 makeover into an English Pub over two days in 2011. During the televised event in August, the restaurant’s past problems became apparent with Irvine saying it had one of the dirtiest kitchens he had ever seen.

Ultimately, the mission did prove impossible after all; the Snooty Fox closed two months later.

While the Snooty Fox struggled financially in its last years, the Sahms believe Big Lug will become a destination for both Monon enthusiasts and Nora residents. The two-story restaurant and brewery will include first- and second-floor patios overlooking the Monon and a beer garden with an outdoor bar.

The Sahms plan to serve a wheat, English brown and pale ale year-round. They’ll also serve up a mix of India pale ales, lagers and high-gravity beers.

Knowing that not everyone wants a brew, Big Lug will carve out a niche for cocktails. Eddie Sahm plans a variety of barrel-aged and beer-infused drinks, in addition to more common styles that he thinks will prove popular.

“Cocktails are something that are really growing in Indianapolis,” Eddie Sahm said.

The Sahms are making one concession to the crowded beer market. They do not plan wider distribution of their beer through kegs, cans or bottles, although some Sahm’s sister restaurants likely will carry the beer on tap.

Ed Sahm owns 10 restaurants and cafetieres: Rockstone, Sahm’s Restaurant, Sahm’s Bar & Grill, The Roost, Sahm’s at Pendleton, Sahm’s at Parkwood, Sahm’s at The Tower, Sahm’s Tower Cafe, Sahm’s Tavern and Sahm’s Cafe. Eddie Sahm co-owns Sahm’s Place and will co own the brewery.


Mapped Location of the new Big Lug Canteen and Brewery