04 Apr Tomlinson Tap highlights the smoke and spice with special Spiced & Smoked beer event
The City Market in downtown Indianapolis is a bustling enterprise. In the late afternoon, the Tomlinson Tap Room becomes the focal point, serving only beer made in Indiana. I lived downtown several years ago, and fondly remember drinking Hoosier beer at Tomlinson at a time when half as many breweries were in existence.
The most recent event at the tap room was called Spiced & Smoked, and had six of their taps devoted to beers of these types. Many of the other taps were amazing too, and the diverse crowd there seemed to be enjoying them. Honey Badger, an Imperial IPA from Bare Hands was getting the most buzz early on. Lazer Raptor was a cranberry lime Gose from Central State. It was bright red, and I noticed a lot of goblets of it throughout the night.
I looked at the tap list, and saw four spicy/smoked beers from MashCraft, and settled on their Ruze, a smoked Amber lager. It had good smoke that stuck with me, and the maltiness of the Amber was nice. As the beer warmed up, the smoke became slightly more subtle, yet very balanced.
I sat with members of the Indy Beer Group who were as enthusiastic about the beer as me. This is a great group, and I hope to run into them at another event soon. A group like this is an asset for events, and they certainly helped keep the tap room hopping.
I wanted to try all the spiced and smoked beers, so I did a flight. I selected the remaining three Mashcraft beers, and the Pepper IPA from Triton. It was a superb medley of beer, and I found something special about each:
The Mariana was an Imperial Stout with habanero. It was so rich and full-bodied that only a strong pepper would come out, and even the habanero was only subtle and not aggressive. I sipped on it long after I concluded the rest of the flight, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Mad Skillz was an American Black Ale with Serrano and Pasilla peppers. I could smell the peppers upfront, and they came out heavy in the taste over the ale. With the ale’s light body, there was an intense heat on the aftertaste.
Spice, Spice, Baby was a spiced wheat ale. It drank very light, and was crisp with a hint of spice at the end. Wheat beers lend a lot of potential for flavoring, so I would like to see more beers in this style.
I was enjoying the beer and fellowship. The tap room is small and cozy, and fits the craft beer scene perfectly. I heard people saying that a Three Floyd’s beer was about to be tapped. A little after seven, I was handed the Lazer Snake, an Indian Pale Ale. Those who tried it enjoyed it. For me, this light yet hoppy concoction was the perfect beer to end the night on.
The taproom continues to be a fun location serving Indiana beer. Events like Spiced & Smoked are exactly what we need to welcome in Spring. Craft beer is certainly alive and well in the heart of Indianapolis, and attendance at this event was evidence of this. If you have not visited the Tomlinson Tap Room, I encourage you to stop in and try one of the amazing Indiana beers they will have on tap.
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