Just around the corner from the sprawling bar space the Tap Beer Bar offers on College Avenue is the entrance to the bar’s new intimate, cozier space.
The Tap will be opening its new brew pub, the Tap Beer Company Brew Pub, at 6 p.m. this evening at 204 W. Kirkwood Ave.
The Tap originally opened Nov. 1, 2012.
Owner Nathan Finney said he hopes folks come in and experience the new atmosphere, which has been a year in the making.
“It’s a more intimate, comfortable, warm environment,” he said.
Compared to the Tap, which offers a larger bar space with multiple televisions, live trivia and live music weekly, the brew pub will seat around 40.
Finney said he hopes the change in setting, as well as new beers and new food items on the menu, will attract people looking for a more intimate brewery experience.
“We’re hoping that people come in and try our beer, try our food and like the setting,” he said.
The new menu includes eight new sandwiches, four new burgers and two new entrée salads. Finney added that the new beer cheese soup has been a success with customers, as well.
Along with new menu items, the brew pub will also feature the Tap’s newest beer, its third released this week, a Russian imperial stout.
“It’s an imperial beer, which means it’s a higher ABV,” he said. “It’s actually a 9.2 percent. It’s a rich, roasty, complex flavor.”
The bar releases on average one new brew per week. Brewing started in August and they began to release beers in September, Finney said.
The new space will also feature merchandise, as well as growlers and bullets — refillable beer bottles or jugs — for their brews.
Sixty-four ounce growlers will be available starting at $12, with 32 ounce bullets starting at $7.
Since there are so many brews offered in-house at once — up to 18 styles at a time — the prices for the growlers and bullets will fluctuate, Finney said.
Finney said the growlers have been particularly popular with the bar’s new status as a brewery because guests can fill them any day of the week.
“People love growlers, especially on Sunday, when you can’t buy beer in Indiana,” he said.
Growlers will be available for purchase both at the new brew pub location and upstairs at The Tap bar.
Finney said the new food, new brews and new space all culminate in what is turning out to be a highly-anticipated week for the company.
“We have a lot of exciting things,” he said. “It’s all happening this week.”
