I’ve already taken you to several of my favorite haunts already, but ironically none of them are the closest brewery to me. When we were looking at this neighborhood, one of the best things about it is that it is right next door to a taproom! Beer within walking distance? Sign us up.

We’ve meant to be at Wooden Bear way more than we actually are–I think, honestly, it’s because we tell ourselves we SHOULD walk there…and then we talk ourselves out of it. After Friday night’s visit, however, I have feeling this summer (if it ever shows up) will mean a lot of beer walks.

Wooden Bear is a cozy joint in the strip at Fall Creek and Brooks School–if you’re familiar with Detour (or what used to be Scotty’s Lakehouse), it’s right next door. It’s family friendly, and the pizza is great, so you’ll see a lot of families here in the early evenings. They even have a small patio, and on the one glorious night we had this month, there were a few people sitting out enjoying the twilight.

My husband and I always like to sit at taproom bars, where we can do a little tasting, drink a few pints, and talk beer with like minded people. Wooden Bear’s bar is high and wide, and the staff is friendly and definitely knowledgeable about brew. We compared and contrasted several of the breweries in town, gabbed about our favorites, debated about ones we didn’t care for, talked animatedly about how much hops should go into an IPA.

Speaking of IPAs, normally if there is a black IPA on tap, it’s what I’m drawn to immediately, so my instinct was to order Shadow Dancer straight off. However, our bartender steered me to DDH DIPA, and he was not wrong. It was really hoppy of course, but with the depth to carry it. For me it’s all about the balance in these big beers, and DDH has this covered. It doesn’t totally kill your palate, those malts really make the beer sing.

Don’t worry, I did try Shadow Dancer, too…for science. It’s certainly not dancing in anybody’s shadows, though it isn’t as good as DDH. It’s bold and hoppy, but I thought it had a bit of a metallic aftertaste.

My husband picked the Coffee Vanilla Mauler and HOLY CHOCOLATE BOOZER. I’m not a stout drinker by trade, but this one is pretty epic. It’s the kind of beer that we wait in line for to buy one bottle, and then save it for special occasions. And this is on tap at the bar behind our house?! Russian Imperial fans, get in your car (or in our case, Chuck Taylors), and get to Wooden Bear as soon as you can for this beer.

So why haven’t we been here all winter? Because it was too crappy to walk? You could say I’m definitely kicking myself for not getting in my car and driving the suburban mile it takes to get from here to there. I have so many favorites in town, but on a Friday night after a long dang week? I know exactly where I’m gonna be.

Wooden Bear Geist

10150 Brooks School Road

Fishers, IN 46037

317-436-8624

http://woodenbearbrewing.com

Article by Haley M. from Taps and Tomes

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