Urban Vines Winery & Brewing Co. Review

Urban Vines Winery & Brewing Co. Located in Westfield Indiana

It was Friday and date night. We were looking for a place we’ve never been to after eating a fantastic dinner. We were in luck. A place newer to the Westfield area was right around the corner, called Urban Vines.

A place which you have probably already concluded, ferments their own wine. They also, only recently and to my delight, brew beer!

A metal building stood off the side of the road off of 161st Street. We parked, there were only one or two other cars in the lot but it was 6pm on a Friday. Walking up to the doors we noticed the playground off to the side of the building with several picnic tables next to it. Enticing for us since we have a 5 year old son. A place that’s family friendly is a plus! Once we walked in the front door, you’re immediately greeted by the metal corrugated construction of the facility. Take home bottles and crowlers on your left, tables lining the walls on your right. Concrete flooring leading to a bar situated nearly in the middle of the room. Walking towards the bar you could see the a window full of wooden barrels off to the left with the Urban Vines logo facing outward. I believe that’s the cellar and party room. There were several people inside.

Continuing walking towards the bar you could see the back doors on the complete other side of the room. Beyond it was a covered patio space with stakes and vine in the background. Later we would learn that they were planning on growing their own in house wine. We walked to the bar and immediately greeted by a cheerful and pleasant General Manager, who’s name escapes me (so sorry! I’m terrible with names!). We settled on the wine tasting to start, after all this is a winery first.

I enjoyed the Merlot 2014, BB Makers Blend 2016, Hopped Up Chardonnay 2016, Blackberry and Strawberry

My girlfriend enjoyed the Marquette, Chambourcin, Sauvignon Blanc 2017, Blackberry and Concord

All of the wines were very tasty. They all hit just the right spots with the right amount of smoothness. I’m no connoisseur, so I’ll spare you the bland descriptions I come up with, and instead, provide the menu for you.

No wine was bad but one did stand out as a favorite for me, and I think you’ve probably already spotted it. The Hopped Up Chardonnay. Yes, this is a beer blog, and this wine has HOPS and they NAILED IT. The wine has a hoppy aroma straight out of the glass and it even hits you with the first sip. True to the description as well, the wine’s flavors gently fade to lemon and lime. I’m not sure how many wines there are with hops, but for a beer lover, this was absolutely wonderful. Unfortunately the tasting was only 1 ounce. I would’ve been happy with a tall boy.

With the wine tasting over, my girlfriend grabbed a flight of wine (yes, 3 6 oz pours of wine) and I had a beer tasting. For this tasting I had the Cool Creek Pale Ale, Hazy Hopsicle and Dead Man’s Bourbon Barrel Stout.

The Cool Creek PA was crisp with a slight citrus taste and aroma. Low bitterness and low carbonation. An easy drinking Pale Ale.

Next I had the Hazy Hopsicle. This brew has a good looking haze going for it with a much stronger citrus aroma. The citrus came through the brew this time too with subtle juice and a very slight floral taste. Medium bitterness greeted you midway through and hung out throughout the rest of the drink but didn’t linger like some other NEIPAs I’ve had. Enjoyable beer, I look forward to the second iteration of this.

My last taster was Dead Man’s Bourbon Barrel Stout. This beer was heavy but enjoyable. I’ve had a lot of thinner stouts recently so the thickness was actually pleasant for me. I tasted the notes of coffee, chocolate, caramel and cream along with a slight tinge of bourbon. This beer was boozy so I needed to drink it slow but as it warmed up, it got better and better.

Since I had three of their beers, I figured I would go back for a fourth. We were enjoying the atmosphere at this time. Where empty seats were when we arrived, they were full before we decided to leave. A man was standing in the corner singing and several groups were laughing and chatting away. I really wanted to try the beer that’s getting very good reviews on Untappd, their Beez Neez, but it’s not on tap at the moment. I settled on my last beer for the night, the Mad Scientist IPA, and headed back to my seat. This time it was a pint, in those cool can shaped glasses. This last IPA was almost a mix of the two previous. It had low, quickly fading bitterness, low carbonation, hoppy taste, crisp with a drier mouthfeel and finally a golden color. I’d definitely go back and try it again.

Once we finished our drinks, we cashed out and exchanged some brief pleasantries with the GM again. We walked to our car and talked about our experience the whole ride home. We’ll definitely be back. Perhaps on a Friday.

Cheers!

Jake Seward

Written by Jake Seward owner of Beer in The 19th State and a Regular Indy Craft Brew contributor.

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Urban Vines Winery & Brewing Co

Address:

303 E 161st Street

Westfield, IN 46074

Phone:

317-763-0678

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