Broad Ripple Brew Pub

ahq514

Illinois

3.54/5  rDev -11.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | $$

Went here on a Sunday night. The place was not too busy as you'd expect for Sunday. Had a great little atmosphere. Reminded me of an old irish pub. Located on a back street, had low lighting and lots of wood.

Sat at the bar, had good service, mostly because there wasn't many other people there. Bartender seemed fairly knowledgeable about the beers they carried there. The quality of the beer was questionable. Tried a couple of them and really only enjoyed Wobbly Bob.

They had about 10 different beers available, two on cask, which seemed awesome, but only one was available. Decent variety of styles represented.

Overall, a decent place to visit, but probably wouldn't go back just because of the beer. Friendly patrons and bartenders.

03-13-2012 01:41:58 | More by ahq514

Penguins66

Illinois

3.74/5  rDev -6.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | $$

Being an avid biker, I have to say the best part of the Broad Ripple Brewpub is location. The brewpub literally sits a few feet from the Monon bike trail which makes it a great place to stop for a break. My wife & I did just that on a sunny and hot Saturday afternoon. We first thought of cooling off by sitting inside at the bar. Those hopes were dashed after we saw the tiny bar tucked into the corner, which had no more than 8 stools, all of which being occupied. We promptly turned around and went back outside, where we were seated at one of the many tables. As we reclined in the cheap plastic chairs, we continued sweating after a long bike ride but enjoyed the opportunity to people watch. That alone made for an interesting affair as the clientele on this particular afternoon was quite diverse. That included the group of "Real Housewives" in their sun dresses behind us, the possibly inebriated guy behind me who was telling everyone within earshot about how good the Chocolate Milk Stout was (it was pretty good, to be honest), and the bachelorette party assembling outside as we were leaving. We actually felt a little underdressed in our grubby shorts and t-shirts, but I digress.

Service was prompt and we'll forgive our server for being a little gruff as she clearly had her hands full. She seemed a little disappointed when we declined to order food.

We tried 3 different beers and all were good. Our favorite was the Lawn Mower Pale Ale, which lived up to its description as a "thirst quencher." Prices for 1 imperial pint and 1 half-pint apiece were reasonable.

Overall, we did not have a bad experience but there was nothing to get excited about either. There are other brewpubs within walking (or biking) distance that rate better, in our opinion.

07-22-2012 22:57:41 | More by Penguins66

Florida9

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5 | $

Located in Broad Ripple, a sort of funky independent neighborhood on the North side of Indianapolis, Broad Ripple Brewpub has that neighborhood gathering place feel to it like the pubs of England I imagine this pub is supposed to resemble. The bar itself looks to have been fashioned from an old house, with separate rooms, hallways, a sun room (which was clearly an addition) and a very small curved bar situated in the middle of pub itself. The entire pub is fairly dimly lit with a well worn feeling to it.
Went on a Friday night and there wasn't an empty seat in the house. In fact, it was a very mild March day and the crowd spilled out into the parking lot. The crowd was mostly jovial with a good mix of young professionals, grungy locals, and urban families.
The beer itself was generally of decent quality, with all of the beers leaning towards the British style. Considering this, it shouldn't be overly surprising that the better beers were the British beers, most notably the Porter on cask.
Food was much like the beer, being pretty good, but far from great. Sausages appeared to be sourced locally and both the bangers and bratwurst I tried were of excellent quality. Sides on the other hand were lackluster: fried veggies were limp, greasy, and soggy, while the mashed were both gummy and lumpy.
Prices, on the other hand, were downright cheap with the total bill for 3 meals and 4 beers being a mere $50.
Overall, not a bad place, but unless I lived in Broad Ripple itself, I just couldn't see frequenting here.
Kid friendly. Child menu available.

04-03-2012 00:54:03 | More by Florida9

IronCitySteve

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +1.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

A: I like the vibe of this British style pub. Very warm and inviting and relaxing atmosphere.

Ser: For the most part, the service is just fine. The waitress knew the beers rather well but was a tad behind on picking up orders. It was not bas service by any means though as the server was quite pleasant.

Sel: They have their 6 brews on tap as well as 2 others on cask. As a big fan of cask beer, I was excited to have two selections to taste. On tap they had a couple pale ales, a couple IPA's, a steam beer, and a stout. On cask was a tasty bitter and a really tasty wee heavy. Both brews on task were quite deliscious and I will be reviewing them soon. In addition, they have a number of bottles, which I did not go for.

Food: A wide variety on the menu. I went with the bangers and mash which was tasty and complimented by the E.S.B.

O: I really enjoy going to this place. I like the vibe and the brews are decent. I would recommend if you are in Broad Ripple area.

02-05-2012 15:21:08 | More by IronCitySteve

sweethome

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +0.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

As others mentioned, a nice British experience. Rather homey, dark, and comfortable. I stopped by with my son before a Butler basketball game. I trid a couple brews - Indian Brown Ale and IPA. IPA was barely carbonated at all - hits british tradition quite well. Indian brown lacked a hop charachter I would expect.

Great service - everyone friendly and quick service on food and drink.

We ordered some food - my son had their mac and cheese which is Kraft (it says so on the menu, int heir defense). I had a pork belly sandwich which was decent. A thai style sanwich - could have used some thai hot sauce.

A nice place in a great area. Good beers of the british style. Decent pub food. Kid friendly.

12-31-2011 00:24:35 | More by sweethome

jhp40219

Kentucky

4.33/5  rDev +8.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

Stopped by this past Saturday afternoon (7-2-11) on a trip through Indianapolis. Nice, clean place. Pretty cozy with ample outside seating. Our party was seated at a large booth and we were promptly waited on. We ordered the beer cheese and a round of beers, which arrived very quickly. The beer cheese was out of this world! More of a queso style and served with white and multi-grain bread for dipping. I could have eaten this as my meal. Absolutely delicious! I also ordered the Monon Porter, which complimented the beer cheese perfectly. They don't normally carbonate their beers here, so the beer was served slightly chilled and really brought out the chocolate and malt tastes. I ordered the Lawnmower Chicken sandwich and was surprised by how quickly we received our food. The place wasn't packed, but there was a good crowd here. The sandwich was top not h. Our waiter was very friendly and checked on us numerous times. All in all I'd definitely say this is a must visit while in Indy!

07-07-2011 18:53:22 | More by jhp40219

ktrillionaire

Florida

4.38/5  rDev +9.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $

The Broad Ripple Brew Pub is hard to beat, all things considered, when compared to any spot I've been; the totality of the place is awesome. The atmosphere is authentically British, it is a dimly lit, cavernous structure of meandering catacombs lined with bars, barkeeps, and chairs and tables. Growler fills are available from the friendly staff, as are a host of beers of stock styles, and some phenomenal cask conditioned offerings. The house beer is all I have had, save for a delicious Sun King IPA that someone was mistakenly served and was subsequently refused by patron, later re-gifted to me. The food is very good British pub food; authentic, with roughly 50% being traditional Brit pub cuisine, 25% being vegan fare, and 25% being curries. I had a veg shepherd's pie; super delicious. I am quite impressed with this place.

05-12-2011 07:57:27 | More by ktrillionaire

CapitalGains

Oregon

3.73/5  rDev -6.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

I'm an out-of-towner but I've visited the Broad Ripple Brew Pub a couple of times during my recent visits to Indianapolis/Broad Ripple.

Reminiscent of a British pub on the inside with a winding covered patio on the exterior. The setting and vibe was laid back and enjoyable. The quality all around was solid. My favorite beer was the cask T.J.'s Best Bitter.

On the whole service was pretty good though a bit sporadic. I'd like to think I'm a low maintenance customer but there were some intervals where I would be looking around for our server to order another drink. On the flip side all of the servers I had were friendly and knowledgeable.

The selection seems standard for a brewpub - nothing extraordinary. There were about 8-9 tap selections, of which 2 were casks. There was a solid bottle selection though I don't recall how many there were - maybe 50 or 60 which was a warm welcome. The bottles were mostly your standard stuff from around the area (Founder's, Upland, Bell's) but I stuck with the Broad Ripple specific brews.

The food was typical pub food - calorie heavy, filling, and delicious. I ordered the cheese crock with bread to share with friends and the lunch order of the fish and chips and I was stuffed by the time I finished. Some friends ordered the chili, pretzel, and scotch egg pizza and they seemed to enjoy it as well...except for maybe the scotch egg pizza but that seems like a hit or miss.

I've enjoyed my several visits here. It's not glamorous but I found it to be a great place to grab some food and beer with friends and to enjoy each other's company.

05-04-2011 03:04:55 | More by CapitalGains

KYBrewgrass

Kentucky

3.75/5  rDev -6.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

Stopped by while in town back in the summer of 2010 with some friends for lunch and beer. I was excited to try this place as I had just previously discovered that it was the oldest brewpub (and highly touted) in the state of Indiana.

It was a hot, hot day that we were there but we were surprisingly comfortable out on the porch. It's a cool looking older building with lots of wood. The crowd was really laid-back and it seemed like a hangout spot for locals. I could see the appeal.

I was disappointed that the day we were there they had run out of the brown ale (my favorite style), but I found some nice replacements. The Lawn Mower Pale Ale was solid and especially drinkable for a summer afternoon. I also had an IPA and it was good, too.

The food was good but not outstanding. I had fish and chips. Typical good 'ol fried filets. The beer cheese appetizer was more impressive. Very tasty. Even on a hot day!

All in all, this place was worth the trip. I'd go back if I were in town to try the brown ale and some different food.

03-14-2011 17:24:04 | More by KYBrewgrass

calibrewfan

Louisiana

3.7/5  rDev -7.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | $$

We were in Indy for a Colts game in December and decided to head out to the Broad Ripple area for beer. Broad Ripple Brew Pub was a surprise since they had 2 cask beers available - always a welcome sight. We tried the ESB on cask which was ok. The place has a cool pub feel to it and it was packed even though it was freezing out that night. If you are from out of town this is a good place to go when you are in Indianapolis. Also try Brugge which is just down the street if you are in the area. You won't be disappointed.

01-03-2011 22:41:38 | More by calibrewfan