By Chris Sikich

chris.sikich@indystar.com

Boom or bust?

Twelve brewers plan to open new beer-making businesses in 2014, joining an increasingly saturated market. In all, 23 breweries already operate in the Indy metro area.

Will they all survive? Read our upcoming story on the explosive growth of craft breweries in the Indianapolis area on our website, www.IndyStar.com, and in our print business section on Sunday.

But whatever happens to the market, craft beer drinkers are likely to enjoy the chance to test out some more brews along the way.

Here's a teaser — information you should know about each new brewery:

1. Bent Rail

Location: Bent Rail Brewery plans to open in May at 5301 Winthrop Ave., along the Monon Trail south of Broad Ripple.

Beers: Owners Derek Means and Craig Baker will start with three house beers, a Scottish-style ale, a Kolsch and a session IPA, plus a mix of seasonal beers.

Business model: Means and Baker dropped well-publicized plans to build a vibrant outdoor space with room for 1,000 people and bands, after neighbors complained at city zoning hearings. Means and Baker, though, still are moving forward with scaled-back plans for a brewery with carryout and on-site service, and limited distribution.

Quote: "We'll have more parking than any other place around Broad Ripple, other than the parking garage," Means said, "with immediate access to the Monon. That's going to provide a lot of food traffic and bike traffic."

Fun fact: Means and Baker operate The Local Eatery & Pub in Westfield.

Find out more: Check Bent Rail's homepage, Facebook and Twitter.

2. Books & Brews

Location: Books & Brews will open in February at 9402 Uptown Drive, Suite 1400, Indianapolis.

Beers: Owner Jason Wuerfel plans to run the gambit on beer styles but has a special affinity for European beers, including dry Irish stouts, brown English ales and Irish reds.

Business model: Wuerfel will operate a used-book store in the front of the store and the nonobrewery on a 1-barrel system in the back. Wuerfel will offer 10 taps in the bar area, with live music Friday nights and Sunday afternoons.

Quote: "It started out as an idea for a bookstore," Wuerfel said, "and then I saw places take off serving craft beer. I thought that was cool."

Fun Fact: A former collegiate baseball player and English major at the University of Michigan, Wuerfel also is a co-owner — along with his parents — of a Frontier League baseball team called the Traverse City Beach Bums.

Find out more: Check Books & Brews' homepage, Facebook and Twitter.

3. Cartel Brewing

Location: Cartel Brewing plans to open in June at 5778 U.S. 40, Plainfield.

Beers: Brewer Ruari Crabbe plans an IPA, a blonde ale and a rotation of seasonal beers. In a twist, he and business partner Adam Burke will let customers design one beer every month.

Business model: The brewery will offer carryout service. Over time, Cartel plans to sell in-house and to open a limited kitchen. He also will can and distribute to area bars and restaurants.

Quote: "Just to separate ourselves," Crabbe said, "we'll have a tank set aside for the customers to design beers."

Fun Fact: Crabbe and Burke have 25 years combined in home-brewing experience. The two served up beers under the name Alliance Brewing — which they changed due to a naming-rights issue — at the 2013 Microbrewers Festival in Broad Ripple, where the IPA and a barrel-aged stout were well-received.

Find our more: Check out Cartel Brewing's homepage, Facebook and Twitter.

4. Flix Brewhouse

Location: Flix Brewhouse will open a combination theater/craft brewery this fall in the former Hobby Lobby space at the Merchants' Square shopping center at 2160 E. 116th St. in Carmel.

Beers: Flix will offer a dozen of its own beers as well as a selection of local craft beers.

Business model: The 38,000-square-foot theater/craft brewery will run first-run movies on eight screens, serve food and brew craft beer.

Quote: "The entire Flix team is energized to offer Carmel a captivating entertainment experience," said Flix Brewhouse CEO Allan Reagan.

Fun fact: Flix's main brewery and theater is in Round Rock, Texas. In addition to the Carmel location, Flix is expanding into Des Moines, Iowa.

Find out more: Check Flix's homepage.

5. Mashcraft Brewing

Location: Former Ram brewer Andrew Castner will open Mashcraft Brewing this spring at 1140 N. Ind. 135, Greenwood.

Beers: Castner plans to serve a blonde, a red and an IPA, plus a variety of seasonal brews.

Business model: Castner believes there's room for growth on the Southside and in the south suburbs. Planetary Brewing and Oaken Barrel also operate in Greenwood, which could help to make the city a destination for craft beer fans. The beer will be available at a few bars and restaurants, but the majority of sales will be at the brewery for carryout and in-house sales. In time, he plans a wider distribution.

Quote: "We looked at the market, and we really liked the idea of being a neighborhood brewery," Castner said, "when we looked at where the growth was going to happen."

Fun fact: Castner was head brewer at the Ram from 2010 through 2013 and as an assistant at Oaken Barrel from 2006 through 2010. He's partnering with John Lee, who works in the financial industry.

Find out more: Check Mashcraft's homepage, Facebook and Twitter.

6. Outliers Brewing

Location: Outliers plans to open a retail brewery this year at 534 E. North St., Indianapolis, and a restaurant in an adjacent building at 608 N. Park St. The beer already is on tap at some local restaurants and bars.

Beers: Outliers will offer four year-round brews: Buffalo Jacket India Pale Ale, County Brown, Whitcomb Rye and Blau Machen Pilsner.

Business model: Owner Ted Miller also operates the Brugge Brasserie, a craft brew pub in Broad Ripple that specializes in Belgian ales. He plans to use Outliers beer to supplement brews at the Brugge and at his new Park Street restaurant. He'll also open the brewery for carryout sales and continue to build distribution to bars and restaurants.

Quote: "I think this is a good venture for several reasons," Miller said. "We have some experience with Brugge and there's an upswing in craft beer right now. ... It's a huge market and we want to be a part of it."

Fun fact: Miller got his start in Indiana at the Broad Ripple Brew Pub, where he was head brewer from 1990-94.

Find out more: Check Outliers' homepage, Facebook and Twitter.

7. Scarlet Lane

Location: Scarlet Lane Brewing will open this spring at 7724 Depot St. in McCordsville.

Beers: Head brewer/co-owner Eilise Lane thinks she has winners with a red IPA with the caramel notes and the hop-front nose common in the Northwest and a classic Saison with a bit of extra hops. She's also dabbling with several styles of stout — her favorite style.

Business model: The brewery plans to open for carryout sales and to distribute to restaurants and bars. In time, Scarlet Lane will offer in-house sales with a limited kitchen.

Quote: "The property allows us to start small and plan for future expansion within the same footprint," Owner Nick Servies said. "We have room, both externally and internally, to meet our growth plans."

Fun fact: Husband-and-wife Nick Servies and Eilise Lane will run the brewery, which they named after their dog, Scarlet. They've hired Chris Knott, a former assistant brewer of the Ram, to work with Lane as the head brewer.

Find out more: Check out Scarlet Lane's homepage, Facebook and Twitter.

8. Taxman Brewing

Location: Taxman Brewing plans to open in June at the former Tri State Bolt building at 13 S. Baldwin St., Bargersville.

Beers: Owners Nathan and Leah Huelsebusch, Matt Rogers and Brian Fisk will blend the fruity flavors of Belgian ales with American hops. Nathan Huelsebusch, the recipe writer, says the brews will be smooth and easy to drink.

Business model: Taxman is planning a multi-phased opening. The brewer plans to distribute beer to area bars and restaurants at the end of January. In June, Taxman will open a brewery with a partial kitchen, plus indoor and outdoor seating. Beer will be available to drink in-house and for carryout. Wine also will be for sale.

Fun fact: Taxman was named in honor of the profession of several of its owners — tax directors.

Quote: "The craft-beer scene is very much American-beer focused," Huelsebusch said. "We wanted to do something a little different."

Find out more: Check out Taxman Brewing's homepage, Facebook or Twitter.

9. Tow Yard brewing

Location: Tow Yard Brewing will open in February at 501 S. Madison St. — in the former Chateau Thomas location.

Beers: The flagship beer is The Wrecker, a double pale ale. The brewer also will have an Emerald Circle IPA, a Golden Swagger ale and a new style called a shandler — a cross between a fruity summer shandy and a soda-like radler.

Business model: Partners Jason West, Shawn Cannon and Mike DeWeese plan to go big, opening a brew pub, selling enough beer to stock area bars and restaurants and opening a canning line. Cannon is a local developer who owns area bars and restaurants, and DeWeese is a former partner at Triton Brewing Co.

Fun fact: Bradley Zimmerman will be the head brewer. He formerly worked as an assistant at Big Time Brewery & Alehouse and Elysian Brewing Co., both in Seattle.

Quote: "Our focus is not on Indy," DeWeese said. "It's on Central Indiana and then Chicago."

Find out more: Check out Tow Yard's homepage, Facebook and Twitter.

10. Two Deep Brewing

Location: Owner/brewer Andy Meyer plans to open in May at 715 N. Capitol Ave.

Beers: Meyer is a fan of German lagers and ales, and plans to have a dunkelweizen, a Belgian wit and a Maibock. Two Deep also will offer a milk stout and a complicated American Amber, with a malt forward, balance of hops and a coffee note. He'll brew a mix of seasonal beers year round.

Business Model: The brewery will have a coffee shop-like atmosphere, a place to sip a beer, hang out, play around on a notebook computer or tablet, and leave with a few growlers. The brewery will have a limited kitchen and the parking lot has room for food trucks. Meyer also plans to can and keg the beer to distribute to area bars and restaurants.

Quote: "I fell in love with craft beer living in Chicago," Meyer said, "and jumped into home brewing head first. As soon as I had created the first two batches, I was in too deep. That's where the name came from."

Fun Fact: Meyer is hoping to tap into the market in neighborhoods along Capitol Avenue north of the Statehouse and at the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis campus.

Find out more: Check out Two Deep's homepage, Facebook and Twitter.

11. Wabash Brewing

Location: Wabash Brewing plans to open in the second quarter and is looking for a location on Indianapolis' Northwestside.

Beers: Brewer and president Matt Kriech plans to have four core beers, a blond, a pale ale, an amber and a porter, plus a lineup of seasonal beers.

Business Model: Kriech believes the Northwestside is underserved. The brewery will sell carryout and in-house beer. The business also will offer a unique twist — patrons will be able to design their own beers and purchase small batches, of from 5 to 45 gallons. His partners are Damon Carl, Nic Stauch and Dave Bowering, Matt and Damon hold Ph.D.s and plan to do more analytical testing than most small brewers.

Quote: "We want to be a neighborhood brewer," Kriech said, "not a city brewer or a state brewer. We want to start small and get a good reputation for our beer."

Fun Fact: The beers are named after the Wabash River — Waapaashikki Blonde Ale, Cannonball Pale Ale, 503 Amber Ale (the river flows 503 miles in Indiana) and Portage Porter.

Find out more: Check out Wabash Brewing on Facebook and Twitter.

12. Wooden Bear

Location: Wooden Bear plans to open by mid summer in the old opera house at 21 North St. in downtown Greenfield.

Beers: Owners Dan Noah and Brent Sandquist are working on four house beers, an IPA, a nut brown ale, a white Belgian ale and a cream ale, plus a mix of seasonals.

Business Model: Noah and Sandquist have been home brewing and decided now was the time to get into the craft beer market. The two will sell carryout and in-house at the brewery. Eventually, they plan to distribute wider.

Quote: "I think right now we're the only one out in Hancock County," Noah said, "which is an advantage for us."

Fun Fact: Noah and Sandquist have been remodeling the former opera house building, including adding a new roof.

Find out more: Check out Wooden Bear's homepage and Twitter.