Black Acre Grand Opening

A fixture of the urban neighborhood is the local pub, and it is an element most Indianapolis neighborhoods are missing.  Looking to our larger neighbor, Chicago, you'll find great beer bars in many of their neighborhoods.  Beer bars worth seeking out and visiting regardless of where you are from.

Congratulations, Irvington, you are now the proud owner of a beer bar worth seeking out.

Black Acre opened up on Wednesday with 15 guest taps.  A well-chosen selection of session beers, seasonal specialties and fan favorites.  People's Hop Killa and New Albanian Bonfire of the Valkyries will please the beer geeks.  New Albanian's Beak's Best, Crown Brown, Finch's Golden Wing, People's Pilsner and Stone Levitation are great options for anyone looking to drive home after a long evening at the bar.  Abita Purple Haze and Strongbow are available for those looking for something a little more fruity.  La Trappe Quadrupel and North Coast Old Rasputin (on Nitro) are higher alcohol choices.

Black Acre, however, is a brewpub.  15 guest taps are currently featured while they ramp up their brewing facilities, but another 15 taps are reserved for house beers.  There is clearly a strong desire here to serve Irvington as not only a brewpub, but a great beer bar.  While the space is currently missing the growlers we've come to expect at all bars, they are on their way.  The Black Acre crew expects house beers to be on tap in a month, so mark your calendars for the end of March.  Based on the initial crowds, Black Acre could easily operate as a beer bar, but the first question posed by many customers was "when can we expect to see your beer?"  Clearly the sign that Irvington is thirsty for a brand they can call their own.

Perhaps even more impressive than the initial beer offering and crowd response was the interior design.  Black Acre brandishes the type of attention to detail that is somewhat of a rarity in Indianapolis.  The room is divided into three fluid segments through the use of different materials.  The middle of the space is clad in repurposed pallets, creating something similar to a rustic Avec.  The other walls have their own textured finishes.  There is a reclaimed barn wood standing bar.  The bar is polished stone, while the backing to the tap handles is a stainless steel that stands out nicely from the wood backdrop.  Growlers transformed into light fixtures hang from the ceiling.  This isn't your run-of-the-mill restaurant supply store interior.  This soon-to-be-brewpub already has an image of its own, and a beer selection to match it.

Currently, charcuterie plates built from Smoking Goose meats and cheeses or sweet potato fries are available for food options, with paninis and sandwiches available in the future.  All beers are $5.75 including tax, with higher alcohol or limited edition beers being served in 8oz glasses.  Rogue root beer is available on draft for 1.50 for your designated driver.  A few wines were also available but really who cares.

The Black Acre guys are living the dream of many home brewers.  After brewing for many years, they finally decided to take the advice of all their friends and go professional.  In their journey to becoming Indianapolis' latest brewery, they've created a well-polished beer bar that sits among the city's best.  Not bad for a bunch of law students.  I think I speak for us all when I say I'm really looking forward to seeing what they do in the brew house.