Oaken Barrel Brewing Company

CBlack85

South Carolina

3/5  rDev -15.3%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3 | $$

While in Indy I stumbled onto this place and decided to give it a try.

Typical brewpub feel, the brewing operation was visible through windows. Ample seating with several televisions playing sports stations. Unfortunately we were seated in an area where the brewhouse was not visible.

The food was average, lots of choices, but average at best. The beer menu was decent for a small brewpub, I think there were 5 or 6 beers available. My wife had the sampler, and I had the Indiana Amber. The amber was decent, a little forgetable, but not bad. Among the beers on the sampler was a belgian witbier, an APA, a porter, a rasberry wheat fruit beer, and the amber. The belgian witbier was OK at best, but I would not order it again, and the Rasberry wheat beer was pretty bad. The APA and the porter were decent. Unfortunately, they did not have any guest taps, so if you are less than blown away by thier offerings you are out of luck...

The service was disappointing, our server knew nothing about the beer, and rarely checked on us to see if we needed anything else. I think they need to do a better job at training thier staff on the beers that they offer.

Overall this place was not bad, but it was far from stellar. None of the beers were good enough to draw be back in there for a repeat visit.

08-11-2010 14:05:35 | More by CBlack85

WoodBrew

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev +11.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Visited the Oaken Barrel this past Saturday and had an enjoyable experience. The atomosphere is ok, sort of non-descript. The location is kid of cool...basically the only thing open in this one strip mall area. The quality of the food and beer was quite nice, no complaints. We had the nachos and I had a pasta dish. The beers were all very good. They had six standard beers on tap and two seasonals. The value was reasonable....they even have six-packs of five of their beers available. My favorite was the seasonal american wheat....it was good.

05-29-2012 01:55:40 | More by WoodBrew

theRooster90

Indiana

3.78/5  rDev +6.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3 | $$

I visited Oaken Barrel last year with the intention of trying their beers. I was promptly sat down at the bar and decided to order a flight. I was about halfway through my flight when another gentelman at the bar ordered a "Raz-porter". So I watched and found that they mixed the Razwheat with the Snake Pit porter and I immediately mixed the two halves I had left. Pretty outstanding for a mix of beer. I need to go back in to give their beers a proper review, as I only tried the flight one time and it was about a year ago. Overall the bar was pretty typical and I only had leftovers on food. Still, give this place a shot if you're on the south side of Indianapolis.

08-26-2011 03:39:04 | More by theRooster90

letsgopanthers

North Carolina

3.88/5  rDev +9.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

We stopped by Oaken Barrel for lunch on the way to pick up a friend from the airport who was coming in for a few shows at Deer Creek. The brewpub had a typical feel with plenty of seating, televisions and sports (Colts) memorabilia. There was a "U" shaped bar surrounded by a large selection of pub tables that made up the bar area itself. Behind the closed in bar area were booths lined against the wall for the more dining experience.

Between the three of us we tried two different burgers and quesadillas. All three were perfect lunch entrees accompanied with their wedge style fries. I had the SuperFly IPA which was wonderful enough that I left with a growler. Upon leaving, my friend wearing an IPA festival shirt was stopped by the head brewer in passing and began talking to him. He returned to the table informing us that he had met him and that he was going to give us a free tour. To make a long story short the tour was awesome as he took us in the cooler and taste some new brews. The brewers and crew working at Oaken Barrel are fantastic and I will definitely be making another stop in the next time I'm in Indy.

12-16-2010 10:14:53 | More by letsgopanthers

smanders

Virginia

3.83/5  rDev +8.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

Stopped here for lunch while I was visiting Indiana lately. Thought it might be a little slow considering it was a Monday afternoon, but there were a fair number of customers present when I walked in and more arrived as I sat at the bar. All types of individuals were represented at the noontime hour, although the vast majority were business types.

Looked over the menu and knew there was some thought put into making it. There's a little something for everyone here. Daily specials - Ribs to fish, sandwiches (to include tuna steak and wraps), and a wide variety of entrees; steak, pasta, pizza, shrimp etouffee and chili. Plenty of choices!

The beer, even better than the food. I'd recommend the sampler to enjoy the wide selection on tap, but I'd always come back to the Superfly IPA. With carryout available, even on Sundays, this place would be a staple for me if I lived in the area.

02-09-2010 21:42:43 | More by smanders

beerhobo22

Nebraska

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

First stop on my northern Indiana beer run. Stopped in for lunch and beer. Mentioned that I was a homebrewer and from out-of-state and was treated very well. Met the head brewer Mark Havens. Showed me around the brewery and talked beer. Met the assistant brewer Andrew Castner, who was busy cleaning up from the brew day. Great guys and terrific hosts.
Sat at the bar and ordered the beer sampler and the pork tenderloin sandwich. The menu had a good selection from traditional pub fare to some really interesting items. The lunch crowd started rolling in and once I received my sandwich I knew why. The food was really good! Talked to the manager and he mentioned that they had a really loyal, local, crowd. The beers were good, but were obviously tailored to the local clientele. The porter was the best beer I tasted; it was really good. The hoppy beers were too astringent, but that could have something to do with the local water (area is known for hard water). Overall, a really good place to visit. If you have the opportunity, definitely give it a try.

06-14-2009 19:01:21 | More by beerhobo22

JamesS

Indiana

3.58/5  rDev +1.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

Visited Oaken Barrel on April 6th, 2009.

Nice place, it has the usual brewpub atmosphere, with brewing equipment visible and beer paraphanalia around the premises. Everything was clean and nice, but nothing really stuck out as amazing or interesting.

The food and beer were both good. The buffalo chicken sandwich was excellent (even though I would've liked it hotter), the fries were awesome, and I really enjoyed the Superfly IPA and the Uber Weise.

The menu was decent, some nice choices, if not tons of them. Having the beer on the menu was a plus and helped out.

The service was all right. My server was friendly, but spent more time talking to a few customers than helping everyone out. If there hadn't been another server bringing out food when it was ready, this score would've dropped. The hostess was polite.

I'm not sure if I'll ever go out of my way to come here again (especially since I can get most of their brews in bottles), but it's definitely good enough to go to if I happen to be in Greenwood.

04-07-2009 15:14:32 | More by JamesS

Hoppy2Bhere

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev +20.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $$

I have been stopping by the Oaken barrel for about as long as it has existed and have always valued it as a great place to get a great meal, a couple pints of good beer and a growler to go. However, I have never reviewed what is one of the better brewpubs in Indy.

I stopped by for lunch today and had a wonderful experience all the way around. The waiter was asking for our drink orders before we even had our coats off and quickly brought 2 pints of their Superfly IPA, which is quickly becoming a favorite IPA of mine. It is only available on tap (wish they would bottle it!) and is very underrated in my opinion.

Ordered the special--a HUGE grouper sandwich that I could only get half way through--and their delicious black bean soup. With a growler of the IPA to go, we were completely satisfied with a great lunch stop.

I have to hand it to the Oaken Barrel...they are consistently turning out great beers and awesome food in a friendly environment. My only wish is they would bring back their Double IPA, which I only had the opportunity to enjoy one time.

Keep up the good work! I'll be back next time I am on the southside of Indy.

02-13-2009 22:35:57 | More by Hoppy2Bhere

jtothamo

Indiana

2.7/5  rDev -23.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 2 | service: 3 | selection: 3 | food: 3 | $$

While visiting some friends in the area, we headed to the Oaken Barrel on a Friday night for dinner and drinks. I always get really excited to visit a brew pub or a bar that locals really talk up. So, I had high expectations for what I was about to experience.

When we arrived, the place was packed. I thought this was a good sign. But, maybed I was getting too excited too quickly.

I sampled several beers (the Indiana Amber, Porter, Razz-Wheat, and a couple of others that didn't leave enough of an impression to recall).

The amber was okay. The porter left something to be desired. And, the razz-wheat made me wish I had ordered something else.

For dinner, I had the fish sandwich which was just "okay" (espcially for the price). Just cheap white fish drenched in greasy batter with a typical tarter sauce (I was hoping a place like this would kick it up a knotch with some capers or a jalapeno sauce).

Would I go back? Probably not. There are much better dining and drinking locations in the greater Indianapolis area.

10-01-2008 18:57:29 | More by jtothamo

BeerBelcher

Ohio

2.3/5  rDev -35%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3 | service: 2 | selection: 2 | food: 1.5 | $$

Before I was really into beer, I lived a few miles down the road from this place and ate here 1 or 2 times a number of years ago. I decided to re-visit the place during a recent trip to Indiana. My wife reminded me that the food was lousy when we last went there, and she was right.

Decor is that of the cheesy place next to the airport. You know, the one with the plane sticking out of the building? Service was slow. I was alone and sitting at the bar, and it was still slow. Organizationally, something was off. The one bartender had to continually pour drinks for waitstaff (at the expense of those at the bar) or disappear into the back for long periods. Beers were a little on the boring side. I had the SuperFly IPA, which was the most extreme at 5.8% ABV and a professed 100+ IBUs (although it didn't seem that bitter). My wife has a long memory - but the food is still lousy.

Not really worth a stop. If you're in Indy, go to Brugges Brasseries or Rathskeller instead.

09-22-2008 15:37:50 | More by BeerBelcher