From parish to public house, meet Indy's newest brewery

The next time you go out for a local craft beer you can tell your friends you're going to "church."

Indy's newest brewery and gastropub, St. Joseph Brewery and Public House, has been constructed inside the former St. Joseph church in the Lockerbie neighborhood.

The church, 540 N. College Ave., has an interesting past, as outlined on the first page of the menu. It was built in 1879 for $17,000. The church remained active until its final Mass in 1949. It was then used as a Catholic community center. The building was owned by the Archdiocese of Indianapolis until 1986 when it was bought by a private investor.

Ownership transferred two more times with the building most recently occupied by an architecture firm. In 2014, the principal owners of Chatham Tap and Ralston's DraftHouse bought the building and began transforming it into a brewery and restaurant.

Much of the original character remains. The waiting area holds salvaged pews, and the bar top is made from reclaimed wood. Even the names of the beers give ode to the church.

Cornerstone Kolsch is a reference to the building's cornerstone, said managing partner Karl Mann. "When the church laid the cornerstone, they put a time capsule in it — news clippings from the time, the list of the parish members. It's in one of these cornerstones, but we don't know which one it is. We haven't found it yet," he chuckled.

The beers are created and brewed by Alan Simons, formerly of Oaken Barrel in Greenwood. Five house brews include Cornerstone Kolsch, Noble Street Pale Ale, Dowd's Stout, Sanctuary Saison and Bohlen's Brown Ale. Confessional IPA is coming soon.

Chef Scott Reifenberger is incorporating those beers into some menu items. "I'm trying to make it semi beer-friendly, upscale pub food," he said. "I'm doing things like steamed mussels with a little bit of Smoking Goose chorizo, homemade pretzels with beer and cheese dip, a hopped smoked porter house steak at nighttime."

He's also excited about his Reifen"burger," topped with braised pork belly and smoked cheddar cheese.

The pub is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday.

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